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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the efficiency of on-off-line integrated operations of listed retailers, propose ways to identify and improve the problems of inefficient enterprises, and accelerate the integration of on-off-line. The 28 listed retail companies selected total capital, management expenses, number of employees and wage rates as input factors as of 2018 and total operating income and operating profit were selected as output indicators to analyze efficiency using DEA. The results show that the integrated enterprise has a higher overall level of operational efficiency, but it is still in a state of stagnation. The pure technical efficiency of the integrated enterprise is generally higher, and the scale efficiency is the main reason that the overall efficiency of the enterprise is not improved. This study can help retail companies adjust their development strategies of online and offline integration according to their own degree of online and offline integration. This study has limitations in explaining the change in efficiency of retailers by conducting a cross-sectional analysis using data limited to 2018. It is necessary to utilize data over the next several years to conduct a longitudinal analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the operational efficiency of Chinese e-commerce companies and to present measures to improve efficiency. This paper selected 16 enterprises as the research objects, from the e-commerce demonstration enterprises of the Ministry of Commerce of China in 2017-2018, to conduct an empirical study on the operating efficiency of e-commerce enterprises. By using DEA method, we selected 3 input and 2 output indicators to measure the input-output efficiency of enterprises from input-oriented. Using different model in DEA, we calculated the technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency, also efficiency based on the sample of 2018 and horizontal analysis from 2016 to 2018. The analysis showed that the overall efficiency of Chinese e-commerce companies was continuously improving, and that their business capabilities and business scale were also gradually improving. Through the calculation of efficiency, we evaluated the competitiveness of the e-commerce demonstration enterprises, and explored measures to improve their management efficiency. At the same time, it put forward some reasonable suggestions to adjust the scale, and enhance the competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sparganosis is a parasitic infestation caused by sparganum, a plerocercoid tapeworm larva of the genus Spirometra. Since the first case of human sparganosis reported in 1908, sparganosis has been a global disease, and is common in China, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries. Consumption of raw snakes, frogs, fish, or drinking contaminated beverages are sources of human infections. Human sparganosis usually manifests in subcutaneous fat in areas such as the abdomen, genitourinary tract, and limbs. Breast sparganosis cases are rare, representing less than 2% of total cases of human infections. Complete surgical extraction of the sparganum is the treatment of choice. Because of the rarity of the disease, clinical suspicion is vital to reach the diagnosis of breast sparganosis. Here we report 2 rare cases of breast sparganosis presenting with a painless breast lump, both treated with surgical excision and sparganum extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybrid model of social and profit-making enterprise has been the hallmark of social entrepreneurship. Yet, unlike the conventional entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs seek to alter the ‘status quo’ of mainly rural, marginalized, disadvantaged and poor citizens. Due to their relatively large proportion of rural population, Indonesia and China were selected as case studies. Even though Indonesian and Chinese social entrepreneurial activities have increased over the years and their share in economic output has been significant, their overall development and growth are encumbered by numerous barriers. Thus, it is critical to examine the supportive and suppressive factors of social entrepreneurship in these two major Asian countries. Specifically, this article focuses on social, political, cultural and economic intricacies and their implications for social entrepreneurship. This article reviews several case studies and uses secondary data to make a comparison based on the theory of social entrepreneurship put forward by Dees (2001). The similarities between Indonesia and China in terms of social entrepreneurship are as follows: (a) the limited success of social entrepreneurship, (b) the prevalence of government control over micro-economic activities, (c) strong bureaucratic red tape, (d) lack of education and training, and (e) lack of resources. However, we have observed there are unique differences between Indonesia and China. Social entrepreneurs in Indonesia focused on micro-enterprises in the non-formal sector and micro-finance; whereas social entrepreneurs in China put emphasis on social efficiency, autonomy and the search for better modus operandi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article asserts that the rise of a global middle class in countries such as China and India will not be sustainable if it translates to the demotion of the middle class in the U.S. in 2007. It also includes an analysis of the American middle class' role as the core of the U.S. consumption engine that has brought economic development to the global trade partners of the U.S.