Technology adoption and jobs: The effects of self-service kiosks in restaurants on labor outcomes

This study explores how technology adoption affects labor. I investigate the effect of restaurants' adoption of self-service kiosks on labor outcomes, using survey data from Korea. I find that businesses’ adoption of self-service kiosks had little impact on their number of full-time or part-time workers. However, restaurants with a self-service kiosk decreased both the wages of their part-time workers and the number of unpaid family members they employed. The results are driven by franchise restaurants. Independently owned restaurants that adopted kiosks increased the wages of their full-time workers. These findings provide support for the efficiency wage theory as well as the skill-biased technological change theory. The results suggest that when businesses adopt new technologies, these technologies do not replace unskilled labor, but rather raise the relative wages of skilled workers.     

中小型制造企业工人薪酬平衡与调整

研究中小型制造企业工人工资平衡与调整问题.以降低生产成本,提高劳动效率和劳动质量为目标,在分析该类企业的运营特征、计件工资制的常见问题和缺陷,以及由此导致的一系列问题的基础上,提出工人工资平衡与调整的方法,结合企业实际,设计了一套适合于中小型制造企业的工人薪酬体系.企业实施效果表明,新的计件工资方案比传统的工资方案更具激励作用,同时可有效简化企业的工资管理工作,实现了企业和员工双赢的目标.     

Offshoring Innovation to Emerging Countries: The Effects of IP Protection and Cultural Differences on Firms’ Decision to Augment Versus Exploit Home-Base-Knowledge

Developed-country multinationals (DMNEs) have increasingly engaged in the practice of offshoring innovation to emerging countries. In this article, we leverage and extend the institution-based view to further our understanding of this phenomenon. Specifically, we examine the differential effects of formal and informal institutions on DMNEs’ strategic decision to offshore innovation activities aimed at augmenting (versus exploiting) home-base-knowledge to emerging countries. Concerning formal institutions, we argue that the stronger the emerging host country’s IP protection, the higher the likelihood that a DMNE offshores innovation activities aimed at augmenting home-base-knowledge. Regarding informal institutions, we argue that the greater the cultural differences between the developed home country and the emerging host country, the higher the likelihood that a DMNE offshores innovation activities aimed at augmenting home-base-knowledge. Additionally, we propose a key contingency that attenuates the relationship involving IP protection while strengthening the one involving cultural differences: the DMNE’s experience with offshoring innovation. Analysis of 128 offshoring innovation implementations by 78 DMNEs in ten emerging countries provides support for all our hypotheses except for the one focused on the moderation effect of experience on the relationship involving cultural differences.     

Revitalizing the race between technology and education: Investigating the growth strategy for the knowledge-based economy based on a CGE analysis

This study conducted quantitative policy experiments using a computable general equilibrium model to investigate how long-run economic growth can be achieved through the endogenous interactions between innovation and human capital accumulation. The analysis found that there are limits to driving productivity growth and enhancing growth potential when focusing solely on the expansion of technological innovation. However, our results suggest that promotion of the complementarity between technological innovation and human capital formation may alleviate the inequalities of wages and employment induced by skill-biased technological change, promoting balanced growth among industrial sectors with higher productivity improvement and scale effects. This study suggests that in order to spur long-run growth in knowledge-based economy, policymakers should establish educational infrastructure to support workers to move up the skill ladder and cope with rapid technological change.     

一个工效挂钩的改进方法

效益基数和挂钩方式的确定是工效挂钩的焦点和难点.将企业当年能实现的最大利润作为松弛变量导入效益基数,并将工资总额增长改为与超额利润定比分成,来建立一个松弛模型;理论分析和演算证实,此方法能促使国有企业(代理方)正确评估并完成其能实现的最大利润,并比采用历史效益基数和挂钩浮动系数的现行方法能更有效地激励国有企业实现国家(委托方)利益最大化.     

低碳需求约束下制造商技术创新决策的比较分析

为了分析消费者低碳需求约束的影响,在单个制造商和单个零售商组成的供应链系统中,通过在需求函数中引入减排技术创新水平参数,采用stackelberg博弈方法,构建了占主导地位的制造商实施减排技术创新是否有利可图的决策模型。分析了制造商不实施、单独实施以及与零售商联合实施技术创新3种情形对供应链成员定价与利润的影响。研究表明,制造商的减排技术创新决策不仅会受到消费者低碳需求的约束,而且也会受到零售商销售成本的制约,当满足一定条件时,制造商单独实施创新可以使制造商与零售商的价格与利润都高于不实施创新情形,而制造商与零售商联合创新却不一定是最优选择,零售商销售成本在一定程度上会制约制造商与零售商联合创新的效果。     

Measuring the relationship between high technology development strategies and wage inequality

Growing income and wage inequality in a range of countries has raised concern. High-technology development may be contributing to this inequality, by encouraging higher wages at the upper end of the income distribution. Most studies of the possibility of this effect have used generic, aggregated data. In this paper, we introduce the possibility of linking wage inequality directly to specific industrial strategies using the Theil Index of inequality. This measure portrays the portion of wage inequality that is attributable to wages in specific industries. We illustrate this concept with data from U.S. states.     

Determinants of internal and external R&D offshoring: evidence from Spanish firms

This paper analyses the determinants of R&D offshoring of Spanish firms using information from the Panel of Technological Innovation. We find that being an exporter, international technological cooperation, continuous R&D engagement, applying for patents, being a foreign subsidiary, and firm size are factors that positively affect the decision to offshore R&D. In addition, we find that a lack of financing is an obstacle relatively more important for independent firms than for firms that belong to business groups. For these latter, we also obtain that the factors that influence the decision to offshore R&D differ depending on whether the firm purchases the R&D services within the group or through the market: a higher degree of importance assigned to internal sources of information for innovation as compared to market sources increases (decreases) the probability of R&D offshoring only through the group (market).     

PPS——适合中小型企业的面向生产率的奖励制度

在国际上处于领先地位的位于德国Ｎａｇｏｌｄ的经验丰富的Ｈａｆｅｌｅ有限公司，已在它的国内工厂废除了计件工资制，并逐步引入一种新的工作绩效激励机制。面向生产率的奖励制度（ＰＰＳ），通过在短期内可达到的绩效的提高，保证了企业的利益，正如支持从事生产的训练有素的员工的要求一样。这种新的工资制度要求更高的个人责任心，并为精益生产方法创造了前提条件。     

Modelling joint outsourcing and offshoring decisions

Offshoring and outsourcing have emerged as two most essential and important strategies for the manufacturing firms globally. This has happened due to the relentless forces of competition and globalisation, which has forced modern manufacturing firms to disaggregate themselves and reach for foreign investments, technological inputs through collaboration and cooperation among markets and partners. Outsourcing and offshoring simultaneously has potential to help the firm to meet three strategic goals i.e. ‘efficiency’ through cost minimisation; ‘exploration’ through an access to the right and technologically capable firm vendors/ Suppliers/ players; and ‘exploitation’ from development of global markets. Both outsourcing and offshoring have grown to a great extent either by the number of companies involved or by the number of multiple nations are involved. Hence, addressing both offshoring and outsourcing strategies together can provides value to the supply chain in economical and efficient way. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to model joint outsourcing and offshoring decision integrated with fuzzy-MCDM approaches using fuzzy data to optimise total cost through right selection of suppliers to meet demand of global markets, thus, achieving efficiency, exploration and exploitation. The model addresses qualitative and quantitative criteria in joint decisions and is also illustrated to show the cost effectiveness.     

消费者绿色偏好、参考价格效应与供应链绿色创新

在竞争性的市场环境中引入消费者绿色偏好和参考价格效应,考虑这两种消费者行为特征如何交互作用于供应链上下游的绿色创新活动,进而影响绿色创新活动的绩效结果和利润分配。通过构建集中决策、分散决策和成本分担情境下的供应链绿色创新微分博弈模型,分别求得均衡条件下的供应链成员最优绿色创新努力水平与利润,并通过数值仿真结果进一步探讨消费者行为特征与供应链成员绿色创新努力水平之间的关系。研究表明,消费者偏好特征变化是激发供应链成员作出绿色创新努力的重要因素。制造商可以通过对供应商进行成本补贴来激发其绿色创新积极性,且当供应商边际利润与制造商边际利润的关系达到一定阈值,这种绿色创新成本补贴的激励效果更加显著,因而更有可能实现绿色创新基础上的供应链系统利润最优。     

The role of political risk in service offshoring entry mode decisions

This research investigates the effect of political risk on the offshore service industry. The study empirically examines how an extended political risk definition, operationalised into a model consisting of 12 political risk variables, helps predict location decisions across offshoring entry modes and activity types. The research focuses on captive offshoring and offshore outsourcing entry modes, and Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) activity types. The research indicated that political risk factors accounted for 38% of the variability in offshore outsourcing flows, implying that concerns about service disruptions and/or cost implications of external uncertainties feature as a key factor in supplier selection and location decisions. The findings further confirm a positive relationship between institutional and regulatory factors in host locations, and the flow of offshoring activities with a high knowledge content. The research contributes to enhancing the explanatory ability of Transaction Cost Economics by re-operationalising the concept of political risk in the context of both offshore outsourcing and captive offshoring. For practitioners, these findings provide a clear indication of the political risks that can affect service offshoring decisions; for policymakers, they highlight the importance of strengthening institutional and regulatory factors to attract investment.     

CVaR准则下双渠道供应链订货与信息搭便车行为

研究双渠道供应链中生产商负责的网上直销渠道对零售商负责的传统零售渠道的信息服务搭便车行为。假定产品需求随机且依赖于零售商信息服务水平,利用条件风险值准则和均衡分析方法建立了生产商与零售商均为风险厌恶者时双渠道供应链的集中式决策模型和分散式决策模型,利用合同理论给出了协调供应链的回购加信息服务补贴契约,利用数值仿真方法验证了模型的合理性和协调契约的有效性。研究表明,增加直销渠道对供应链而言是把“双刃剑”,既可吸引潜在需求,也应避免需求由零售渠道向直销渠道的大规模转移;直销渠道的信息服务搭便车行为有利于供应链各方;决策者越厌恶风险,其订货量越低,此时生产商、零售商和供应链的利润都将下降;当风险厌恶因子等于1时,决策者风险厌恶时双渠道供应链的决策与决策者风险中性时一致。     

供应链中过度自信零售商的决策特征 与理性供应商的调节措施

在典型的二级供应链报童模型中引入零售商的过度自信行为，借助Stackelberg博弈理论，探讨市场需求随机分布状态下，零售商的过度自信强度及市场环境变量两个主要因素对零售商订购决策及收益的影响情况。通过对零售商理性收益、期望收益及理想收益的比较，得出零售商的过度自信行为将提高其理想收益，降低其期望收益的结论。通过对零售商过度自信行为引起供应商收益变化的讨论，提出一定条件下，理性供应商通过价格调节实现双方收益Pareto改进的措施。最后通过算例对上述理论分析和模型推导进行了验证。     

SME<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">s</Emphasis>, Intellectual Capital,and Offshoring of Service Activities: An Empirical Investigation

Drawing on the extant research on offshoring in international business, entrepreneurship and strategy literature, we develop a model of offshoring of service activities by small and medium-sized firms (SMEs). Using the intellectual capital perspective as a theoretical framework, we hypothesize that the unique configuration of human, social and organizational capital of SMEs will be linked to offshoring of services to international providers. Using data from 119 SMEs in three industry sectors in the US and South Korea, we empirically test the hypothesized relationships and find at least some support for our predictions. Specifically, while we found no country-specific differences in offshoring, SMEs with more social capital and less human capital are more likely to engage in offshoring of service activities. However, the relationship between human and organizational capital and offshoring of such activities is contingent on the size of the SMEs. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Technological infrastructure and international competitiveness

The paper is probably the first written paper using the conceptof ‘the national innovation system’ and it analyseshow technological infrastructure differs between countries andhow such differences are reflected in international competitiveness.It makes a critical review of new (in the 1980s) developmentsin the theory of international trade and confronts them withrecent empirical results. It shows how competitiveness cannotbe explained by wage rates/prices/currency rates. Technologicalleadership gives absolute rather than comparative advantageand technological leadership will reflect institutions supportingcoupling, creating, clustering comprehending and coping in connectionwith technology. The analysis is rooted in historical contextthrough references to Friedrich List and his criticism of AdamSmith and laissez-faire. Special emphasis is put on List's conceptof mental capital. Finally, the analytical arguments are illustratedby the catching-up and forging ahead of first Germany and laterJapan. The paper concludes that disequilibria in internationaltrade will be persistent and that for laggard economy the freetrade doctrine may be unduly restrictive. Another conclusionis that public investment in technological infrastructure andintellectual capital is crucial for successful economic development.It is pointed out that there is a need to couple education,science, trade and industry policy in order to build competitiveness.     

随机需求下鲜活农产品RFID技术投资决策研究

考虑一个零售商和一个生产商组成的单周期两级鲜活农产品供应链,采用RFID技术可以明显改善鲜活农产品的新鲜度和实体损耗;讨论了消费者需求随机的情况下RFID标签成本对供应链上下游企业利润的影响;分析了RFID技术使用前后集中型和分散型供应链模型中各方的最优期望利润、订货量等问题;计算出两类模型中RFID技术标签成本的临界值。结果表明,集中型和分散型供应链模型,零售商和生产商可承担的RFID技术标签成本临界值相同;RFID技术对新鲜度和实体损耗改善越明显,企业投资的意愿越强。     

考虑政府激励政策的绿色供应链博弈模型及 契约协调研究

研究政府的激励政策对于制造商研发设计绿色产品以及供应链协调机制的影响。通过构建集中决策下的垂直博弈模型、分散决策下制造商领导的Stackelberg博弈模型,分别得到均衡的绿色度、定价策略以及各组织利润。在此基础上提出了基于收益共享或成本共担契约的供应链协调机制,得到最优的成本共担与收益共享比例。利用数值分析对上述结论进行验证,并进行了参数敏感度分析。研究表明,相比于分散决策,集中决策下的绿色度更大、零售价更低、供应链整体利润更大。单一的成本共担契约无法实现供应链协调;对于综合契约协调机制,收益共享比例与成本共担比例负相关。各组织利润与绿色产品单位补贴调节因子以及绿色度敏感度系数正相关、与价格敏感度系数以及绿色投资系数负相关。     

The optimal consignment policy for the manufacturer under supply chain co-ordination

This study analyses an optimal consignment policy comprising a fixed fee and a per-unit commission. The manufacturer has to offer its retailers a mutually beneficial consignment scheme that affects the whole supply-chain performance. The focus is on determining the optimal consignment policy for a manufacturer and the resulting supply-chain coordination. Without loss of generality, an analytical model is developed with a closed-form solution, enabling analysis of the performance of a consignment policy. The theoretical analysis shows that the consignment with the highest supply-chain profits depends on a fixed fee and a per-unit commission. The analysis also demonstrates that a consignment policy not only generates a higher manufacturer's profit than the traditional system, but also coordinates the retailer to achieve a large supply-chain profit. As the demand is sensitive to the markdown, the consignment policy becomes more efficient, and the manufacturer's realized profit increases.     

考虑收取搭便车消费者产品体验费的双渠道供应链定价

为研究实体零售商收取搭便车消费者产品体验费时消费者搭便车行为对厂商的影响,并探讨实体零售商收取产品体验费的条件,文章考虑一个制造商和一个实体零售商组成的双渠道供应链,基于消费者效用理论,利用K-T条件,分别在收取产品体验费和不收取产品体验费两种情形下,分析对比了消费者搭便车行为对厂商决策的影响。研究表明,收取的搭便车消费者产品体验费与实体零售商的产品销售价格正相关,当消费者旅行成本较低时,网络渠道产品销售价格与收取的产品体验费负相关。当消费者旅行成本较低且销售的产品估值较高时,实体零售商收取产品体验费才能使自身受益。研究进一步显示,实体零售商收取搭便车消费者产品体验费会损害制造商的利润,加剧了制造商和零售商之间的竞争。