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An essay is presented on the subject of cigarette smoking among U.S. laborers in factories, corporate spying on workers, and the social culture of shopfloors in the U.S. during the 20th century. It examines the records of Erie, Pennsylvania, paper manufacturer Hammermill Paper Company concerning employee cigarette consumption, how employees attempted to evade corporate surveillance of their smoking, and labor relations in the U.S.

This study evaluates the impact of pollution performance by pulp and paper firms on their economic and market performance. Pollution performance measurement is based on a pollution index developed from pollution emission reports filed with the regional offices of the Environmental Protection Agency by pulp and paper firms for their individual plants. Economic performance is measured by Net Income, ROE, ROA, Cashflow/Equity and Cashflow/Assets; market performance is measured by the PE ratio and systematic risk. The association between the pollution index and economic and market performance variables is tested by the Pearson Correlation coefficients. The results of this study indicate that, in the short run, pollution performance is negatively associated with economic performance and that the markets do not reward good pollution performance. Strict pollution standards may be desirable for forcing management to undertake pollution abatement activities to achieve a cleaner environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The artricle examines a study on how to reduce the paper and costs associated with the implementation of the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act of 1982 in the United States. The Act deals with the federal government's internal control process and has been adopted by several states and some local governments. The Act requires an evaluation of internal controls and corrective action for identified weaknesses. The article discusses management control and proceeds to review key aspects of the Act and the subsequent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines and GAO Standards, and discusses the results of the study of the implementation process. While a number of improvements in internal controls were made, by 1985 a general feeling prevailed that something went awry in the implementation of the Act and that the improvements in controls had been made at a tremendous cost in terms of staff time and paper generated. As a result, during mid-1985 the Organization and Structure Committee of the President's Council on Management Improvement (PCMI) requested the U.S. Department of the Interior to lead a review of the internal control improvement process. That review is the subject of this article.

The article invites research paper to be presented at the periodicals' "Challenges in Corporate Governance in Emerging Economies" the 2nd Edinburgh Forum on Emerging Markets that will held in December 2015 in England.

Discusses the factors to consider in rebuilding paper mills in the U.S. Consideration of the competitiveness of the business; Significance of embracing the potential of new technologies; Capability to meet customer demands.

Delisting a company from the stock market often negatively affects the interests of all related parties. For shareholders, the main detriment is their loss of the ability to trade and sell their shares on the open stock market. As voluntary delistings become a more prevalent market phenomenon worldwide, countries are seeking to implement regulatory protections during the process. The aim of this paper is to make a comparative analysis of the protection of shareholders during delisting across multiple jurisdictions including the United States, the UK, Germany, India, and Thailand that have adopted different regimes for protecting shareholders during a company's voluntary delisting. The goal is to answer the question of which shareholder protection instruments in the covered jurisdictions have adopted to protect shareholder and company interests during delisting, and also to question the effectiveness of investor protection in voluntary delisting. The paper offers potential ways to better protect the rights of shareholders during the voluntary delisting process to achieve a balanced regulation of different corporate actors' interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the dissertation about business rationale of corporate social performance (CSP), its competitiveness threats and management challenges its in the U.S. The dissertation, which is based on six papers, is aimed at proposing analytical tools and frameworks that facilitate the management of CSP that will be used to contribute to business and society scholarship in proposing strategies for CSP management. An overview and discussion of the six papers are offered.

This paper draws on theories of socio-economic change stemming from political economy and economic sociology to examine the financialization of the US forest products industry. I argue that the widespread adoption of shareholder value norms of corporate governance constitutes one of the core ideological foundations for explaining how the financialization of non-financial firms was accomplished. At the same time, I suggest that economic sociologists' emphasis on the role of shareholder value ideology tends to obscure the concrete realities of contemporary capitalism and the socio-economic relations that underlie managerial conceptions of control. In this paper, I adopt a dialectical methodology that works at multiple levels of abstraction in order to highlight the internal relationship that exists between managerial conceptions of control and the material processes of capital accumulation. Using data mined from corporate proxy statements, I show that increases in concentrated stock ownership among institutional investors and the use of incentive-based compensation--among other important factors--underlie the adoption of shareholder value strategies in the US forest products sector. I then demonstrate how the pursuit of shareholder value reshaped the US forest products in the interests of the financial community while undermining long-term stability of the industry and the people who depend on it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on foreign exchange rates with commentary on the paper, "Issue of Foreign Exchange Management in U.S. Multinationals" by Rita Rodriguez. Rodriguez examines decision making in foreign exchange management through defining foreign exchange risk, the attitudes of management towards foreign exchange risk, and the finance function. Around 50 different multinational corporations in the U.S. were surveyed and interviewed during the research for the paper.

Reports on the annoucement of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers regarding submission requirements for articles to be discussed during the association's August 2004 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The article cites information on the special issue of "Journal of Family and Economic Issues" for 2010. The research will focus on the significant impact of economic crisis and demographic trends on the family owned businesses in the U.S. It will highlight the different factors of downsizing businesses, and welcome quantitative and qualitative research from readers. It suggests topics including managerial strategies for family owned businesses, resource management and trends in family owned business.

In this paper, we argue that the geek entrepreneur is a new hegemonic masculine formation superseding the macho formation exemplified by John Wayne and the global business masculinity proposed as hegemonic by Connell and Messerschmidt more recently. This formation fuses the technological genius and suffering of geekiness with the disruption and innovation of entrepreneurialism. It is the masculinity of the geek entrepreneur that today legitimates both male domination and capitalism. We construct this argument through looking in detail at two cinematic representations of the geek entrepreneur: Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network and Tony Stark in Iron Man. We hope to open up a debate about how gendered discursive formations have changed since the 1980s, what masculinity is now hegemonic, and how this can illuminate gender and other power relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Presents the winners of the 2005 Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society Student Paper Competition in the U.S. Information on the members of the prize committee; Topic of the paper of first place winner Owen Q. Wu of the University of British Columbia; Honorable mentions of the competition.

Relates an author's experience how an efficient information technology (IT) department help improved management in his company's paper mill operations in the U.S. Advantage of reductions in technology infrastructure; Importance of integrating IT into the delivery strategy; Savings achieved by the company by making its IT department more efficient and less costly.

Talks about the issue of managing investments in the paper industry in the U.S. Factors to consider in making choices for investing in mutual funds; Elements involved in the operation of a company; Trend in the trading of paper company assets.

Forecasts the future of the pulp and paper industry in the U.S. Likelihood for a smaller number of suppliers to sell products and services to pulp and paper mills; Need for mill staff to enhance troubleshooting skills; Continuation in the incapability of new graduates to assume management responsibilities in the industry.

Discusses the application of the Root Cause Problem Elimination (RCPE) and Preventive Maintenance and Planning and Scheduling management strategies in the operation of companies in the paper industry in the U.S. Description of the Root Cause Failure Analysis; Strategy in implementing RCPE; Factors to consider in initiating an RCPE analysis.

This paper critically surveys basic corporate governance concepts and theories, assesses recent international empirical support of theories, and analyzes the impact of major, recent corporate governance reforms in the US. Comparing representative economies identifies the essential features of different corporate governance systems. Therefore, the corporate governance structures of a few countries (England, US, Germany, and Japan) are explored. In second part of the paper, some emergent issues of corporate governance such as the impact of block holders and emergent market regulatory changes are assessed. Finally, the effectiveness of the Sarbanes-Oxley act is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1983 the author presented a paper entitled simply ''Relationship Marketing'' at the American Marketing Association's Services Marketing Conference. The paper was published in the conference proceedings and for the first time the phrase ''relationship marketing'' appeared in the marketing literature. For this charter issue of the Journal of Relationship Marketing, the original 1983 paper is reprinted in full. The author then offers fresh perspectives on his paper in the form of a commentary. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper provides a review and reflection of Gerry Keim's fine paper on managing US business political activities (BPA). It begins by setting the larger context in which BPA is both practised and studied. It critiques the concept of market-based competition and extends it by suggesting that non-market competition can take on a myriad of forms dependent on strategy and structural considerations, among other things, h also provides some sober reminders about the nature of difficulties encountered between academics and practitioners in bridging the gaps of understanding between these constituencies. It also looks at the nature of 'buyers' and 'sellers' in the public policy marketplace and expands upon the nature of the products being exchanged. Lastly, the paper reviews the nature of strategy and competitive advantage in the non-market environment and recommends a practitioner focus on innovation and the acquiring of the resources needed for institutionalizing it in their public affairs and BPA efforts for achieving non-market success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses problems faced in conducting global group audits. We present background discussion on group audits, including the relationships between the global group entity, the group engagement team, components, and the component auditors. Discussion is framed around group audit problems that were highlighted in an IAASB-sponsored review of ISA 600 regarding group audits and the use of component auditors. We also consider additional problems related to internal controls in the global group audit setting. Throughout the paper, we highlight specific issues, review related research, and offer opportunities for future research. Our intent is to (1) highlight issues that practitioners face on a regular basis in the conduct of global group audits, and (2) identify relevant research that could lead to a more substantive and meaningful dialogue between practice and the academic auditing community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the two new awards that will be presented at the 2006 International Leadership conference by the Paper Industry Management Association in Orlando, Florida. The Technologist of the Year Award recognizes technology members from a paper company who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, management and organizational skills. The Information Technology (IT) Award recognizes IT affiliate/supplier's contribution to the pulp and paper industry.

Comments on progresses and developments relating to revenue management of the airline industry in the U.S. Creation of staff positions with revenue management in the title in several companies; Offers of revenue management courses in various schools and universities; Adoption of technological innovations to enhance and improve management.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the elevation of the business-to-business (B2B) marketing field at the business school level. Design/methodology/approach: The study follows a Delphi method. The authors conducted two rounds of discovery to answer: why do you think universities do not highly appreciate publications in Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing or Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing? What would you suggest for improving the impact of such journals not only in the USA but around the world? Findings: Through the analysis of the coding transcript, four categories were found to elevate the B2B marketing field at the business school level: B2B as uncommon ground, B2B researcher practices, marketing science underpinnings and B2B marketing journals management. Originality/value: The value of current research is based on its explorative nature and application of grounded theory to provide a framework to analyze how to elevate the B2B marketing field at the business school level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the report of the president of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) in the U.S. to the membership. He outlines the problems and activities of the society including the amendment to eliminate associate membership, affiliation with the division of mathematics of the national research council, commemorative plaque for the Lanchester prize, consideration of employment of full-time staff member, quality of presentations at ORSA meetings, plans for an international conference on operations research and management sciences and participation in management of the society by members from industry.

Comments on the staging of the INFORMS Conference in the U.S. in autumn 2003. Range of issues and subject matter relevant to revenue and pricing management that were discussed during the event; Key participants in the event; Implications on the sector.

Purpose: This paper examines the empirical relationship between national diversity on corporate boards, the level of product market internationalization, and firm value for a sample of US and non-US based multinational firms. Methodology/Data: We use a full information maximum likelihood (FIML) system equation approach to conduct the analysis, using a sample of 162 US-and non-US based multinational companies. Findings: The results suggest that the presence of independent board of directors and foreign executives reduce the likelihood of having a foreign national on the board of directors. We do not find a significant relationship between the presence of a foreign national on the board, the level of product market internationalization, and firm value. Implications/Limitations: An implication of these results is that the benefit of having a foreign national on the board of a multinational may be limited by the increased monitoring costs that may be associated with national diversity. A limitation of the study is that our sample is limited to only publicly traded firms. Originality/Value: The results from this paper provide useful information on whether there is any value to national diversity on the boards of multinational firms with regards to level of internationalization and firm value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an approach for designing a business continuity management system (BCMS) dashboard constructed using resiliency capability levels. The dashboard ensures the ability to track and baseline the present capability level and focus on the activities that would help leapfrog into the higher capability levels; it also provides guidance for governance. The model is based on the building blocks of a comprehensive BCMS and SMART maturity levels (ie specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound). In terms of principles of maturity, the dashboard draws its inspiration from the Software Engineering Institute's capability maturity model. However, the commonalities end there, as the components of a BCMS are different from those of software development. This customer-centric paper addresses the need of professionals who are entrusted with developing, implementing and validating business continuity and disaster recovery plans. The paper does not address the technologies used for backing up and recovering systems, platforms, databases and applications or the contents of a business impact analysis survey, risk assessment, vital records plan, emergency response procedures, disaster recovery plans etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The paper's aim is to show three different styles local managers around the world use to hybridize global corporations' and local management practices and values. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is qualitative research based on managers' stories. Findings - The paper provides data of the styles of hybridization of management produced by local managers in Thailand, Mexico, and Israel of two global corporations headquartered in Sweden and the USA. Research limitations/implications - Through a focused inspection of 24 managers in three different countries (two offices in each country) this paper attempts to identify local styles of hybridization -obviously, further research is needed to confirm the findings of this research. Managers who were interviewed are in urban sites in Thailand, Mexico and Israel, senior managers with academic degrees in engineering or business, and they manage highly trained workers. The cultural processes this paper develops are most applicable to people like those interviewed Practical implications - Recognizing the styles of hybridization shown in this paper can be of assistance for global corporations in setting the conditions not only for the transfer but also for the appropriate integration and adaptation of their management values and practices to the local. Originality/value - The paper suggests seeing local managers of global corporations as acknowledgeable agents who do not absorb the corporations' management forms as they are but use different styles to integrate them in their own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of different inheritance tax regimes in selected European countries and the United States. We show that in the majority of countries the tax rate is related to the relationship between testator and the beneficiary as well as the value of the inherited assets. In most countries the transfer of wealth within families is treated preferentially (lower tax rates, tax exemptions and reliefs). This is particularly the case for business assets and family homes. The analysis further discusses the features and effects of inheritance tax regimes, which include behavioural responses of individuals and different distributional effects of an inheritance tax. Although the actual revenues of inheritance taxation are quite low in the selected countries, some indicators point to higher revenue potentials in the future. An appropriate design for inheritance taxation could further help to decelerate the increase in wealth inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides various announcement related to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Inc. Management Society, provides an overview on various issues published within the issue. Starting January 2008, the society will change its name into IEEE Technology Management Council. Names of the recipient for the 2006, volume 53 best paper award are presented. The issue of the journal presents various reports including one by D. Libaers on the role and contribution of foreign-born scientist in the U.S.

Introduces series of articles related to environmental risk management and conservation in the U.S. 'Environmental Risk Management: A Critical Part of Corporate Strategy,' by Dan Anderson; 'The Use of Computer Modeling in Estimating and Managing Future Catastrophe Losses,' by karen M. Clark.

This paper provides evidence that all-equity firms exhibit greater levels of managerial stockholdings, more extensive family relationships among top management, and higher liquidity positions than a matched sample of levered firms. Further, top managers of all-equity firms with family involvement in corporate operations have greater control of corporate voting rights than managers of all-equity firms without family involvement. These findings are consistent with the interpretation that managerial control of voting rights and family relationships among senior managers are important factors in the decision to eliminate leverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study is to examine the extent and costs of the drug abuse problem in the nation's sales forces, the possible relationship between the nature of the sales job and drug abuse problems, and the methods for dealing with the drug abuser in the sales force. The sections of this paper present an overview of the relevant literature, followed by a report of the method and findings of a nationwide empirical study conducted by the author to investigate sales managers' perceptions of the nature and extent of the drug abuse problem in the nation's sales force. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications to sales managers, sales educators, and researchers in the field of professional selling and sales management. Drug abuse in the United States exacts a tremendous toll on our society and on the workplace in particular. Since drug abuse appears to be pervasive throughout the workplace, sales managers should be prepared to deal with the problem as a part of their jobs.

This paper investigates the effects of data breach disclosure laws and the subsequent disclosure of data breaches on the cash policies of corporations in the United States. Exploiting a series of natural experiments regarding staggered state‐level data breach disclosure laws, we find that the passage of mandatory disclosure laws leads to an increase in cash holdings. Our finding suggests that mandatory data breach disclosure laws increase the risks related to data breaches. Further, we find firms that suffer data breaches adjust their financial policies by holding more cash as well as decreasing external finance and investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to provide an overview of the aviation industry in the United States (US). The study focuses on Boeing Company analyzing the organizational architecture and management strategies applied throughout its evolution. The paper is structured in three parts: the first part presents the scientific references; part two focuses on the structure, management strategies and performances of the company; the last part is devoted to conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is adapted form Chapter IV of the author's Ph.D. dissertation. The author gratefully acknowledges helpful comments from Therese Flaherty, Hnjlme Miyaznki, James Rosse, participants in the Stanford Economics Department Workshop in Industrial Organization and Applied Microeconomics, and an anonymous referee. This paper embodies the views of the author and does not represent the views or policy of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides fresh insights into the life of Henry L. Gantt by examining the papers of Duncan C. Lyle (1847-1938), Grant's confidant, friend, and former teacher at the McDonogh's School in Maryland. Lyle's papers at the McDonogh School include previously unrecorded articles and personal letters of Gantt's along with articles about him. These materials reveal new information about Gantt during his collaboration with Frederick W. Taylor and during his later years when he acted independently. Of particular interest are items pertaining to Gantt's involvement with a group called The New Machine and the question of Gantt's sanity in his later years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delegating managerial tasks is essential for firm growth. Most firms in developing countries, however, do not hire outside managers but instead rely on family members. In this paper, we ask if this lack of managerial delegation can explain why firms in poor countries are small and whether it has important aggregate consequences. We construct a model of firm growth where entrepreneurs have a fixed time endowment to run their daily operations. As firms grow large, the need to hire outside managers increases. Firms' willingness to expand therefore depends on the ease with which delegation can take place. We calibrate the model to plant-level data from the United States and India. We identify the key parameters of our theory by targeting the experimental evidence on the effect of managerial practices on firm performance from Bloom et al. (2013). We find that inefficiencies in the delegation environment account for 11 percent of the income per capita difference between the United States and India. They also contribute to the small size of Indian producers, but would cause substantially more harm for US firms. The reason is that US firms are larger on average and managerial delegation is especially valuable for large firms, thus making delegation efficiency and other factors affecting firm growth complements. (JEL D22, G32, L25, L26, O14) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the possibility that antitrust enforcement will strengthen in the USA. The study sets out to assess whether the merger of two large rivals into one even larger firm is likelier to prompt government challenge than has been true in the recent past.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the history of fluctuations in antitrust enforcement. Also, it reviews research in economics questioning the idea that mergers lead to efficiencies that bring about lower prices to consumers and allow struggling firms to survive. Finally, the paper assesses the negative effect of recession-prompted bailouts on public perceptions of "behemoth" firms.Findings – The study finds signs of possible change in enforcement priorities. Recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice include considerations beyond the "Chicago School" emphasis on efficiency. Economic research questions that emphasis as well. So may voter unhappiness with government bailouts and the firm size that made them seem necessary.Practical implications – Small firms may want to encourage stronger enforcement; it may spare them the price-setting power of megafirms they would otherwise face as suppliers or customers – or competitors. Larger firms, by contrast, may want to advocate the opposite, but draw up contingency plans if their chief growth strategy has been to purchase rivals.Originality/value – This paper juxtaposes economic research, antitrust history, and recent economic issues to offer a perspective on what may be an important shift in antitrust enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper asks whether there is a role for the securities commission (financial regulator, in some jurisdictions) in the design and enforcement of corporate governance. It warns that securities commissions acting alone cannot assure good corporate governance, and argues that the promotion and regulation of corporate governance is more effective with the cooperation of, and the input from, the corporate sector--given its experience and insights--with the role of the securities commission, in the words of former US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair William O. Douglas, being limited to holding the shotgun behind the door. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the roots of US policy and programs for providing aid to small business and its evolution from facilitative small business programs targeted at protecting the industrial base into a large, complex preference programs. Possible lessons learned from the U.S. experience are offered to help other nations develop their small business programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When it comes to determining what is the objective of a large public company there are two dominant theories that are employed around the world. They are the shareholder value theory (also known as 'shareholder primacy' or 'shareholder wealth maximization') on the one hand, and the stakeholder theory on the other. Generally speaking, Anglo-American corporate law embraces the former, and in countries such as the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Ireland public companies apply shareholder value as their guiding light. Much has been written about the shareholder value approach, and the reasons why it should be implemented. But what has rarely been considered is: what does it actually mean and what does it involve? How does one determine whether a company has been managed in such a way as to achieve shareholder value? The main aim of this paper is to address those questions. The paper, after providing some background to the theory, examines what the theory actually stands for, and this involves an identification of the primary reasons given for the employment of the theory. Next, the paper seeks to ascertain what is meant by shareholder value and what it means to operate a company pursuant to the theory. One of the major selling points of shareholder value is that it is certain and clear. The paper finds that the meaning of shareholder value is in fact not clear and certain. Indeed, it is rather disturbing that there has been so little consideration of how such an influential theory in corporate life is applied in commercial terms. Equally worrying is the fact that there is a lack of consensus among its advocates as to what it involves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Securities and Exchange Commission requires publicly held US corporations to disclose all information, whether it is positive or negative, that might be relevant to an investor’s decision to buy, sell, or hold a company’s securities. The decisions made by corporate managers to disclose such information can significantly affect the judgments and decisions of investors. This paper examines academic accounting research on corporate managers’ voluntary disclosures of earnings forecasts and non-GAAP earnings measures. Much of the evidence from this research indicates that some managers engage in opportunistic disclosure behavior that often benefits one group (managers and shareholders) at the expense of other groups (often other investors). The paper concludes by discussing the ethical implications of this behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-nineties, U.S. labor productivity outgrows its European counterpart by a wide margin. van Ark et al. (2003 ) have found three service industries where productivity growth has accelerated in the U.S., but not in Europe, to account for most of the difference. These three industries are wholesale and retail trade, and trade in financial securities. However, since measurement methods differ on both sides of the Atlantic, Europe's shortfall in productivity growth could be a statistical artifact. This paper tries to answer the question whether this is indeed the case by quantifying the extent to which the U.S. growth rates in trade and banking are pulled upward by measurement methods that are unusual in Europe. In addition, some observations are offered on whether the recent upswing in productivity growth in the U.S. services sector has cured “Baumol's Cost Disease.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an update to 'Pandemic flu planning in the US financial services sector', a paper published in Volume 1, Number 3, of Journal of Business Continuity and Emergency Planning. In the present paper, the author examines the state of pandemic readiness one year later, referencing four new publications available for planning in the USA. The paper focuses on key observations and lessons learned from the US Department of Treasury's autumn 2007 exercise, which was conducted among 2,775 financial services institutions. The paper then briefly discusses the pandemic guidance issued by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council in December 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop a benchmark of performance standards for Chinese third-party logistics providers (3PLs) in the emerging market. It also intends to identify various factors that significantly affect the operational efficiency of the Chinese 3PLs and propose ways to improve the competitiveness of 3PLs. Design/methodology/approach - This paper proposes data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure the operational efficiency of ten leading 3PLs in China, relative to prior periods and their key competitors. In particular, this paper develops both the Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes model and the Banker, Charnes and Cooper model that are designed to derive weights without being fixed in advance. It also uses step-wise regression analysis to identify factors influencing the performances of Chinese 3PLs. Findings - First, the declining efficiency within some Chinese 3PLs coincides with a steep decline in domestic transportation activities due to the SARS outbreak and the slow adaptation of state-owned enterprise into a more market-based economy. Second, the sales opportunity and the level of technical expertise are directly con-elated with the operational efficiency of 3PLs, whereas the size of 3PLs has no direct bearing on the 3PL's performance. Third, in contrast with the 3PL industry in the USA, the Chinese 3PLs tend to focus on traditional service offerings such as port management, transportation, and warehousing rather than playing the role as the integrator or the lead service provider. Originality/value - This paper is the first attempt to utilize DEA to develop performance benchmarks for 3PLs in the emerging foreign market. The proposed DEA can be easily modified or extended to similar settings in other Asian countries such as India and East European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes an institutional approach to explaining differences in the levels of entrepreneurship and economic growth across U.S. states. The institutional approach to growth argues that political and economic institutions influence the productivity of resource use. We hypothesize that institutions influence economic growth primarily through their effect on entrepreneurship and discovery. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that institutional quality is a determinant of regional differences in entrepreneurship and economic growth using data from the Economic Freedom of North America index to measure institutional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]