Opportunities of Reforming the WTO: Resistance and Potentials of Change

This paper intends to show both that a reform of the WTO is severely needed in order to establish a fairer international trade order but also that it is possible. The first section of this paper analyzes the functioning and the most controversial rules of the organization. The second and third sections intend to look for current opportunities of reforming the WTO by analyzing the main existing critical responses to the institution’s deficiencies—namely coalitions of southern Nation-States and global civil society movements—and their potential to achieve some change. It is concluded that these two key group actors, while playing different roles, do have common goals on selected issues of international trade and if so, their combined negotiating power is considerably increased for achieving a progress in the direction of a positive reform of the WTO for the developing world.

传统管理学批判

构成一个组织的基本要素应该是管理学的重要内容,但许多教科书并没有这样来说明。因此,管理学应该从组织的要素和对组织的分类开始。现有的管理学大多是针对已经存在的组织而言的。管理学不应仅仅涉及对现存组织的管理,还要考虑组织的产生、消亡及其法人性。现代企业管理的实践对管理科学最大的功绩之一在于提出了“治理”的概念。治理是“依法管理”的表现形式,是管理的前提和广义的管理。在最早的管理学中并没有把激励当成管理的一项职能。激励是经济的办法而不是管理的办法。激励是用经济手段来管理,管理在激励中消失自我并得以升华。管理的目的是为了经营,不可以离开经营来谈管理或把经营排斥在管理之外。广义的管理包含经营,广义的经营包含管理,没有经营就没有管理。     

Supplies from developing countries: Optimal order quantities under loss risks

When raw material suppliers of a global supply chain are situated in developing countries, not only will there be long lead times but there could also be a possibility of material losses in transit. The magnitude of the losses will be uncertain and can be significant. We consider the optimization of order quantity decisions in such situations. The long lead times imply that we need to take into account the uncertainty in finished goods demands for which the raw materials are to be ordered. The order quantities have to be optimized carefully as they determine the “real options” that become available later in production plans. Using data from the plywood industry and using stochastic programming we demonstrate a method for solving such problems. The method combines simulation and optimization. An interesting observation we make is that the optimal order quantity of a material need not be monotonic in expected loss of that material. In addition, we offer explanations as to why the expected loss need not be monotonic.     

关系契约治理与外包合作绩效——对日离岸软件外包项目的实证研究

对日离岸软件外包项目具有典型的关系契约特性,现有文献对软件外包中的关系契约治理及对合作绩效的影响还缺乏系统的理论分析和实证研究。信任、交流和相互适应调整作为重要的关系规范,在对日软件外包关系契约治理中具有重要意义。本研究根据访谈和110个项目的数据实证检验了关系规范对离岸软件外包项目绩效的影响。通过结构方程模型方法发现,交流的有效性对于项目质量和供应商成本控制绩效有积极影响,相互适应调整对于成本控制绩效也有积极影响。这个发现有助于构建有效的关系契约治理机制,促进软件外包产业发展。     

Global economy of signs and selves: A view of work regimes in call centers in the Philippines

Reflecting on the global nature of third-party offshore call center and its implications on the agent, this piece is an account of the researcher's own experience, observations, and interactions as a call center worker. Using the theoretical frame Global economy of signs and selves, weaving ideas from Scott Lash and John Urry, Pierre Bourdieu and Erving Goffman, the study looks at some dimensions and conditions of global service work experienced by Filipino agents. With the relocation of accounts offshore, call centers in the Philippines have given rise to a growing section of society required by the imperatives of their work to “defy” time and space, synchronizing their cycles and routines according to the rhythms and cycles of a distant social dimension and the imperatives of globalized production. Although relocation has allowed firms to reduce costs and make use of cheaper labor, the distance traversed by this new call center platform comes with some hidden costs, borne by workers, who may themselves take these other forms of work they deliver for granted. Highlighting under-emphasized, undervalued and misrecognized aspects of call center work, the study attempts to link the global, the local and the personal, while emphasizing the social and symbolic work involved in call center production.     

嵌入GVC的我国产业集群竞争力提升模式研究——基于“双钻石模型”

全球化生产网络的形成,片断化生产模式的发展,使得传统的产业集群在构建其区域经济系统时必须嵌入到全球的价值链(GVC)中,构建产业集群的全球竞争力提升模式。本文主要在波特钻石模型的基础上构建适合我国产业集群竞争力提升的双钻石模型,并且分析在GVC下国内钻石的变化趋势。在此基础上从双钻石模型的四个要素出发提出我国产业集群竞争力提升的路径选择。     

中国参与中东经济事务的全球视角分析

全球视角既是中国参与中东经济事务的难点,也是中国扩大国际影响的着力点。以全球视角参与中东经济事务的含义有二:在具体层面上,应正视与中东国家经贸关系存在的问题,从推动双边关系的平稳发展来实现整体顺利参与;从整体角度看,中国应以中东经济事务为平台妥善处理与世界大国关系,推动能源领域的国际化和市场化。中国需从石油美元视角审视贸易顺差和人民币币值问题,超越“瓜达尔港式”命题,加速向国际社会的全面融入。     

简论20世纪下半期的世界经济

20世纪下半期是世界史上经济发展最快时期.这时期构成世界经济的有:资本主义发达国家经济,社会主义国家经济;发展中国家经济.资本主义发达 国家运用第三次科技革命成果、市场经济规律和现当代经济学理论发展经济,拥有巨大财富 ,都是富国.社会主义国家与发展中国家在发展经济的道路上曲折前进,与资本主义发达国家的经济水平差距甚大.中国经济的和平崛起对世界经济具有深远的影响.     

The Enchantment of Agriculture: State Decentering and Irrigated Rice Production in Bali

This article explores state involvement in the ‘enchanted’ aspects of irrigated rice production in Bali, Indonesia. Modernising states invariably forward what Max Weber called the rationalisation and disenchantment of the world. In irrigation management, the Indonesian colonial and postcolonial states operated staunchly on this model. ‘Enchanted’ elements of Balinese rice production involving temples and rituals were assumed irrelevant and sidelined. Recently, however, bursts of state-funded construction of irrigation temples and shrines suggest a surprising shift. The post-Suharto decentralised state appears to be supporting the enchantment of irrigated agriculture. This article deals with the relationship between legislation under the decentralised state and ritual building activities in Balinese irrigation associations (subak). We examine how contemporary farmers view the new emphasis on ‘ritual technology’. Does it constitute decentralised support of the farmers' world, of local priorities and variance, or a new homogenising project?     

Public-private partnerships: How institutional linkages help to build organizational legitimacy in an international environment

Gaining legitimacy in their host country environment is a key priority for multinational corporations’ public relations efforts since it secures their local social license to operate. By applying neo-institutional public relations to corporate diplomacy, this paper argued that institutional linkages between corporations and local government could enhance the building of legitimacy. The study sought to determine whether institutional relations affect the perception of organizational legitimacy, focusing on the United Arab Emirates. In non-democratic countries, public relations tends to be perceived as less sophisticated, and legitimacy becomes even more critical for foreign corporations. Therefore, a one-factorial (corporate diplomacy with/ without governmental involvement) between-subjects experimental design study surveying a representative sample of residents in the United Arab Emirates (N = 199) was conducted. The results imply that corporate diplomacy with governmental linkages leads to a higher perception of moral, pragmatic, and regulative organizational legitimacy, partially mediated by media credibility, governmental legitimacy, and issue legitimacy.