Competitive Adjustment and Advancement in Global Commodity Chains II: The Case of the Singapore Garment Industry

This is the second part of a contribution to the debate on the possibilities of leveraging economic globalisation — through incorporation in international production networks and global commodity chains (GCCs) — as a strategy for developing countries to industrialise and advance their position in the world economy. In the first part, we analysed the experience of the East Asian apparel industry and addressed the issues of sustaining positions, upgrading to more rewarding roles, and advancing to less dependent positions within production networks and GCCs. We developed an analytical framework at both the firm and industry levels, and subsequently identified alternative firm- and industry-level strategies and trajectories. The present paper deals with these issues in the context of the Singapore apparel industry. Based on extensive empirical research, we demonstrate that although the East Asian experience of upgrading and repositioning within the GCC is to some extent emulated in the case of the Singapore apparel industry, the outcomes have been less favourable in terms of the depth, extent and strength of these trajectories. The differing outcomes can be explained in terms of different (systemic) conditions in the Singapore business environment, including the agency of local players, the geography of sourcing networks, and the role of the state and prevailing business attitudes. Our conclusions merit continued attention in both research and policy circles on the development of capabilities at the firm level, and the role of local business and institutional environments in local industry development processes under globalisation.     

如何面对潜在客户的拒绝

电话营销作为广告营销的一种主要方式,在广告营销过程中起着重要作用,根据这一营销特征,就如何面对客户在电话中拒绝提出相应的应对技巧,以赢得客户。     

浅谈国家1∶50000地形图更新制图方法及技巧

为保持国家1∶50 000地形数据库的现势性,实现地形图制图数据库重点要素和全要素的快速更新,满足地形图快速输出与应急服务的需要,为国民经济建设与社会发展提供可靠的测绘保障。本文主要介绍利用1∶50 000动态更新数据库成果,分析工作要点及解决制图作业、检查难点。     

Spatialising the Melanesian Canarium industry: Understanding economic upgrading in an emerging industry among three Pacific small island states

This paper examines economic upgrading in the Canarium indicum (Canarium) nut industry in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Canarium is a tree that is indigenous to Melanesia, and has been the subject of several commercialisation attempts since 1988. The paper assesses the outcomes to various actors in the Canarium supply chain from attempts to upgrade industry products and processes by: (1) increasing the available resource in suitable locations; (2) improving nut products and processing techniques; (3) increasing actors’ knowledge and supply chain coordination; and (4) establishing product standards. A two-phase data generation process was implemented. Document analysis and participant observations of industry workshops initiated a set of four economic upgrading interventions that were adaptively implemented. A second stage of workshops and 76 interviews enabled outcomes to be assessed at the project’s end. Findings suggest that a small number of urban-based entrepreneurs benefit and subsequently are lead actors in industry development, but at the expense of benefits being distributed to a larger, more spatially disparate group of smallholder and small commercial growers. These economic upgrading outcomes are circumscribed by core-periphery relations in Pacific small island states and the scale of industry in each country. Thus, spatial inequalities are reproduced through the emerging Canarium industries. We argue that different routes to industry development are required in each country. Development initiatives that capitalise on the benefits of micro-enterprise clusters, joint action and regional institutional arrangements are proposed to overcome the impediments imposed by the particular geographies of Pacific island states.     

A timescale decomposed threshold regression downscaling approach to forecasting South China early summer rainfall

A timescale decomposed threshold regression(TSDTR) downscaling approach to forecasting South China early summer rainfall(SCESR) is described by using long-term observed station rainfall data and NOAA ERSST data. It makes use of two distinct regression downscaling models corresponding to the interannual and interdecadal rainfall variability of SCESR.The two models are developed based on the partial least squares(PLS) regression technique, linking SCESR to SST modes in preceding months on both interannual and interdecadal timescales. Specifically, using the datasets in the calibration period 1915–84, the variability of SCESR and SST are decomposed into interannual and interdecadal components. On the interannual timescale, a threshold PLS regression model is fitted to interannual components of SCESR and March SST patterns by taking account of the modulation of negative and positive phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO). On the interdecadal timescale, a standard PLS regression model is fitted to the relationship between SCESR and preceding November SST patterns. The total rainfall prediction is obtained by the sum of the outputs from both the interannual and interdecadal models. Results show that the TSDTR downscaling approach achieves reasonable skill in predicting the observed rainfall in the validation period 1985–2006, compared to other simpler approaches. This study suggests that the TSDTR approach,considering different interannual SCESR-SST relationships under the modulation of PDO phases, as well as the interdecadal variability of SCESR associated with SST patterns, may provide a new perspective to improve climate predictions.     

A CRPS-Based Spatial Technique for the Verification of Ensemble Precipitation Forecasts

Traditional precipitation skill scores are affected by the well-known“double penalty”problem caused by the slight spatial or temporal mismatches between forecasts and observations. The fuzzy (neighborhood) method has been proposed for deterministic simulations and shown some ability to solve this problem. The increasing resolution of ensemble forecasts of precipitation means that they now have similar problems as deterministic forecasts. We developed an ensemble precipitation verification skill score, i.e., the Spatial Continuous Ranked Probability Score (SCRPS), and used it to extend spatial verification from deterministic into ensemble forecasts. The SCRPS is a spatial technique based on the Continuous Ranked Probability Score (CRPS) and the fuzzy method. A fast binomial random variation generator was used to obtain random indexes based on the climatological mean observed frequency, which were then used in the reference score to calculate the skill score of the SCRPS. The verification results obtained using daily forecast products from the ECMWF ensemble forecasts and quantitative precipitation estimation products from the OPERA datasets during June-August 2018 shows that the spatial score is not affected by the number of ensemble forecast members and that a consistent assessment can be obtained. The score can reflect the performance of ensemble forecasts in modeling precipitation and thus can be widely used.     

高分辨率模式雷达回波预报能力分析

利用2018年7—8月GRAPES_3 km、东北短临(WRFRUC)高分辨率模式综合雷达回波预报数据和辽宁省SWAN雷达组合反射率(MCR)实况,基于邻域法FSS评分指数,分析模式在台风北上和副热带高压边缘暴雨过程中的雷达回波预报能力。结果表明:两家模式在不同降水过程中对小阈值雷达回波有较好的预报技巧,随着回波量级增大,模式预报FSS逐渐减小,雷达回波55 dBz时,FSS甚至为0。当邻域半径是3时,35 dBz以下的回波预报中GRAPES模式在台风北上暴雨中的预报技巧低于副热带高压边缘,35 dBz则相反。WRFRUC模式始终表现为台风北上暴雨中预报较好。当邻域半径9时,WRFRUC模式在台风暴雨中的FSS评分高于GRAPES模式,GRAPES模式在副热带高压暴雨中的FSS评分始终高于WRFRUC模式。GRAPES和WRFRUC模式的最大FSS评分技巧均出现在邻域半径是11时,分别为0.239和0.195。GRAPES模式中FSS评分在12 h逐小时预报中前3个时次较强,WRFRUC模式则表现为中间时次强,两头弱。     

区域产业升级理论评价和升级目标层次论建构

产业升级相关文献综述表明,区域产业升级具有丰富的理论含义.产业结构升级研究寻求对产业宏观结构比例的统计学意义上的优化;产业地域分工思路则考察产业分布演进的空间格局及其升级含义;企业升级思路则细化到产业内部,指出企业创新以获得更高附加值是产业升级的根本;集群研究则注意到区域产业发展的整体特征,并指出了推动产业集聚、产业联系与创新等升级含义.中国集群实践更进一步验证了集群层面集体效率的提升以及企业发展环境的和谐共进(区域发展目标)也是影响产业升级的重要方面.在讨论产业升级的经济维度与空间维度、个体层面与系统层面的基础上重新构建区域产业发展的理论框架,认为企业升级、集群升级和区域和谐3个层次构成了区域产业升级的3个目标层次,其相互衔接与互动对于区域产业发展具有重要意义.     

国际贸易对地区劳动力技能升级的影响——基于中国大陆地区地级市的数据分析

随着中国人口红利逐渐消失,劳动力技能升级的问题日益突出。已有研究表明,发展中国家融入全球生产网络体系并非必定能够促进劳动力技能的升级。论文以中国大陆地区主要地级市为例,利用2005、2010、2015年的面板数据,试图分析国际贸易对各地区劳动力技能结构变动及技能升级方面的影响。结果表明：出口贸易对地区高技能劳动力就业比重具有抑制作用,表现为出口贸易对劳动力技能降级的影响;而进口贸易所产生的技术扩散效应尚未显现,进出口贸易整体影响并不显著。进一步来看,从区域产业地理格局角度,对外贸易影响了不同技能水平劳动力人群的区域间流动,使得对外贸易对劳动力技能升级的影响效果在不同的区位与城市规模特征间存在显著差异。沿海城市和大城市主要表现为进口贸易显著促进高技能劳动力就业比重进而带来地区劳动力技能升级,相对于内陆地区和小城市而言,出口贸易会带来高技能劳动力就业比重下降,地区劳动力技能呈现降级趋势。     

2003～2015年中国城市劳动力技能互补、收入水平与人口城镇化

基于2003~2015年中国256个地级市面板数据,对城市中高低技能劳动力耦合协调度进行衡量,并就扩大低技能劳动力规模对城市收入水平的影响进行了分析。主要结论为：① 过去10 a间,中国市级层面的高低技能劳动力耦合协调度总体上升,但上升幅度存在显著的区域间差异;② 七大国土区域内部的高低技能劳动力耦合协调度差异不断扩大,表明城市间高低技能劳动力流动正在加速;③ SLM和SEM模型均表明,地市级层面的低技能劳动力比重、城市收入水平和城市规模三者正相关,说明城市经济规模越大,扩大其低技能劳动力比重,越有助于提升城市总体收入水平。