How does distance affect market entry mode choice? Evidence from French companies

The objective of this article is to examine the relevant dimensions of distance for foreign market entry mode choice. Based on a sample of 203 interfirm linkages formed by French multinationals with partners across the world, we analyze the impact of four dimensions of distance on the choice between cooperative alliances and mergers-acquisitions. The findings indicate that administrative and economic distance have a significant influence on market entry mode choice, whereas the impact of cultural and geographic distance is not significant. They further highlight the important role of the host country's government effectiveness for market entry mode decisions.     

CEO Reciprocal Interlocks in French Corporations

In France the chairperson of the board is mostoften the firm's CEO. This position strengthensthe insiders' hold on the board of directors.Moreover, a large fraction of outside directorsis composed of CEOs of other firms. Thereciprocal interlocking of CEOs creates the possibility of mutual interdependence of CEOs.We investigate factors explaining reciprocalinterlocking directorates of CEOs in Frenchcorporations. Our results indicate that CEOs oflarger firms hold more reciprocal CEOinterlocks and when CEOs have more outsidedirectorships, CEOs hold more reciprocalrelationships. We also find a positiverelationship between the number of CEOsreciprocal interlocks and their firms'performance measured by ROA. We find evidencethat CEOs hold more reciprocal interlocks whena blockholder is present on the CEO's board.     

Culture and Organization: The Case of Transmanche-Link

The relationship between culture and organization has often been discussed, but rarely explored directly. This paper implements a cultural values instrument taken from Hofstede together with a behavioural instrument derived from Van de Ven to matched samples of British and French managers working on the Channel Tunnel project. The results largely replicate the findings of Hofstede regarding cultural values, but do not support the predicted implications for behaviour. In essence, the British were found to be more bureaucratic and more team-oriented than their French counterparts, who tended to be more fonceur and competitive. This indicates that the relationship between culture and behaviour might be more complicated than research to date suggests.     

交易额、A 股比例、势效应和三因子模型

利用回归和构造动态投资组合方法,对中国股票市场1995 年7 月到2000 年12 月股票 月收益率、交易额、总市值及其财务数据进行分析,发现中国股票市场具有显著的交易额效应、 A 股比例效应、市值效应、账面市值比效应等. 这些效应有密切的相互关系,但不能用市场beta 值来解释. 市场beta 值、市值因子、账面市值比因子一起,也就是Fama2French 三因子模型,可以 很好地解释这些效应     

Reduction in Dietary Acrylamide Exposure—Impact of Potatoes with Low Acrylamide Potential

Acrylamide forms primarily from a reaction between reducing sugars (e.g., glucose and fructose) and an amino acid (asparagine, Asn) formed naturally in foods, including potatoes. This reaction occurs when carbohydrate‐rich foods are heated at temperatures above 120 °C. Multiple potato varieties were transformed with potato genomic DNA that results in down‐regulation of the expression of the asparagine synthetase‐1 gene (Asn1), significantly reducing synthesis of free Asn, and consequently lowering the potential to form acrylamide during cooking. These potatoes with low acrylamide potential (LAP) were tested in agronomic trials, and processed into French fries and potato chips. Decreased levels of acrylamide were measured in these cooked food products when derived from LAP potatoes compared with those derived from conventional potatoes. These reductions can be directly attributed to reduction in Asn levels in the LAP potatoes. The corresponding average reduction in exposure to acrylamide from French fry and potato chip consumption is estimated to be 65%, which would amount to approximately a 25% reduction in overall dietary exposure. Considering that children consume nearly three times more acrylamide than adults on a per kg body weight basis, they would experience the most impact from the reduced acrylamide associated with LAP potatoes. The potential public health impacts, in context of dietary acrylamide exposure reduction, are discussed in this study.     

佩鲁《新发展观》述评

法国著名的经济学家弗朗索瓦·佩鲁的《新发展观》提出了"整体的"、"内生的"、"综合的"、"以人为中心的"、"关注文化价值的"新发展理论,并称之为"新发展观".新发展观阐明以人为中心、以文化价值为尺度的新发展观,这是发展观念的重大更新、重大进步,拓开了发展研究的新方向.     

近现代世界通用语的变迁--以法语、英语为例

语言在国际事务中的地位通常与一个民族、一个国家的政治、经济、文化的兴衰有着密切的联系。如果某国家政治、经济、文化实力强大,在国际事务中发挥主导作用,其语言在国际交往中也处于主导地位。因此从世界通用语的更替,可以窥视国际舞台大国的兴衰。18世纪法国在欧洲大陆的称霸,使法语成为重要的近代世界通用语。法语成为欧洲各国上层社会的语言,也是国际的外交语言。随着英国的壮大,英语又成为世界通用语。但英语取代法语,成为世界通用语却经历了漫长的过程。其中美国的发展促进了英语的传播并且维护了英语的国际地位,还促使英语成为全球通用语。     

English in French Commercial Advertising: Simultaneity,bivalency, and language boundaries

In recent decades, sociolinguists have begun to challenge the traditional view that multilingualism is fundamentally composed of discrete systems known as ‘languages’. Supporting the assessment that languages are not bounded entities but sociocultural and ideological constructions, this article explores commercial advertisements in France, which are subject to language policies assuming that ‘French’ is easily separable from ‘foreign languages’. Employing the Bakhtinian‐influenced notion of bivalency developed by Woolard (1998), the article argues for a special consideration of mixed‐language advertising in France, rooted not only in linguistic form, but also in the specific contextual tension produced by the socio‐political statuses of French and English. The resulting creativity challenges the monolectal assumptions within French language management, indicating a clash of segregational language ideology with integrational language practices. The article further argues that this language mixing is bidirectional, as advertisements may both erase and emphasise the assumed boundaries between codes.     

小议歌曲在法语教学中的运用

音乐能够调节情绪、激发兴趣,促进理解、增强记忆。法语歌曲较好地融合了语音、语言和文化知识,如果选择恰当、教学设计合理,在遵循法语语言知识的学习和各项语言技能训练的前提下,将法语歌曲作为语言学习的辅助材料,既可增加教学内容的趣味性,又可提高教学方式的灵活性。     

王韬笔下的法国形象

作为晚清最早以个人身份访问法国的近代知识分子,王韬详细考察了法国的经济、军事、文化、教育等各个方面,在游记《漫游随录》中以细腻、生动而又深刻的文笔记载了在法国的所见所闻,把法国以真实可感的形象介绍到中国来,对当时国人了解法国大有帮助。在普法战争爆发、欧洲社会发生巨大变动的历史时刻,他及时撰写了《普法战纪》、《重订法国志略》报道战况,介绍法国普鲁士的历史地理情况,开阔国人的视野,为国人睁眼看世界提供了一面镜子,对当时渴望了解世界的中国知识分子产生了积极的影响。在当时的历史条件下,他当然承袭了前人对法国的—些看法,但是,由于他有游历法国的亲身经历和编纂法国志的经验,所以,他又极大地发展、推动当时国人对于法国的认识。