委托--代理人理论浅述

信息不对称是经济活动中普遍存在的经济现象。阐述了信息不对称下的委托——代理关系，以及委托——代理人的两个问题：道德风险和逆向选择。委托——代理模型基本框架是委托人在设计合同的基础。委托人在设计合同时，不仅要考虑到自身期望效用最大，还要考虑激励相容约束对代理人影响。     

国有资产经营管理的单层委托代理问题研究

本文从委托代理的角度研究了国有资产经营管理中存在的国资委和国有资产经营管理公司以及国有资产经营管理公司和其下属子公司之间的两个单层委托代理关系。通过对委托代理模型的分析得到结论认为：在两个委托代理关系中，代理人越规避风险其获得的风险收益越少，当委托人具有较高的风险承受能力时将获得较高的风险收益。在经济波动加剧的情况下，国有资产的经营风险大部分由国资委承担。国有资产经营管理公司与下属子公司间的激励合同应根据子公司所在行业的特点设计，经营风险较高的子公司其激励合同应提高提供较高的固定收益。     

改进线性激励契约的曲率

尽管在最简单的委托代理模型中研究的激励契约是线性的，但是现实中的激励契约往往是凹的或凸的。本文的目的是在一个委托代理的框架内研究改进线性激励契约的曲率。我们规定了一个二阶多项式的激励契约与一个两状态的噪声分布。我们从理论上证明在这些具体规定下，作为对线性激励契约的改进，最优激励契约在什么条件下应该是凹的或凸的。     

考虑自然状态不确定性的供应链最优契约研究

对供应商和零售商之间的委托代理关系进行了研究,分析了委托人和代理人对自然状态存在不同的认识时,对最优契约的影响情况;同时给出了考虑自然状态对代理人努力负效用的影响时的最优激励合同。通过激励补偿系数和委托人及代理人对自然状态估计的相关性分析,得到了有意义的经济学结论。     

考虑自然状态不确定性生的供应链最优契约研究

对供应商和零售商之间的委托代理关系进行了研究,分析了委托人和代理人对自然状态存在不同的认识时,对最优契约的影响情况;同时给出了考虑自然状态对代理人努力负效用的影响时的最优激励合同.通过激励补偿系数和委托人及代理人对自然状态估计的相关性分析,得到了有意义的经济学结论.     

旅行社两层次委托代理模型研究

旅游者与旅行社签订旅游合同委托旅行社为其安排旅游行程,旅行社通过雇佣导游为旅游者提供一体化的旅游服务,这一过程虽然便利了旅游者,但往往带来一系列矛盾和冲突。基于委托代理理论分析旅游者、旅行社、导游人员之间的两层次委托代理关系,旅游者与旅行社的委托代理关系是多对一的,旅行社与导游人员之间的委托代理关系是存在主次代理人的,从而建立多对一和存在主次代理人相结合的两层次委托代理模型,对模型进行分析得出最优风险分担程度和努力水平,并分析各个影响因素。根据分析结果并结合实践提出防范委托代理风险的措施,促进旅游业的可持续发展。     

企业研发技术员工的激励合同研究

本文结合了研发工作的特点,通过构建经理与研发技术员工之间的委托代理模型,提出了两种针对研发技术员工的最优激励合同。研究结果表明,研发技术员工不同的风险态度将对最优激励合同产生不同的影响。当研发技术员工风险规避时,相对绩效的激励合同比绝对绩效的激励合同更优;当研发技术员工是风险喜好时,绝对绩效的激励合同有可能更好;当研发技术员工是风险中性时,两种激励合同都将达到最优状态。     

保险代理中的委托——代理人激励模型

基于委托代理理论,讨论了保险人和保险代理人之间的激励机制设计的问题。本文分别在信息对称和信息不对称两种情况下,建立了委托代理激励模型,并分析了模型中的保险契约的风险分担与激励机制的特征,得出一些对实际有参考价值的结论。     

服务商垫资风险规避下的研发外包合同

在服务商是风险规避的情况下,针对服务商不愿垫资可能引发激励支付无效的问题,利用委托代理理论,构建风险规避下服务商不愿垫资的研发外包合同,分析服务商绝对风险规避度对研发外包合同的影响,得到了服务商不愿垫资下的研发外包合同性质与特点。研究表明,当服务商的绝对风险规避度较小时,客户企业支付给服务商的固定研发费用以及收入共享比例不变,服务商选择的最优努力水平不变,激励支付无效;当服务商的绝对风险规避度较大时,客户企业支付给服务商的固定支付先增加后减小,收入共享比例系数以及服务商选择的最优支付不断减小,服务商风险规避度越大,激励支付越无效。     

电子政务服务外包的监督模式研究

电子政务服务外包,涉及到委托代理模型的激励机制,为提高激励效率、降低风险成本,考虑加入风险变量。通过引入第三方—监督部门,说明在同等假设条件下,引入监督变量同样是激励合同的影响因素,比加入风险变量更加优化目标,为电子政务服务外包最优激励的设计提供理论参考依据。     

Low doses of a red wine ingredient figh diabetes in mice

Aresearch group led by Prof. ZHAI Qiwei from the Institute for Nutritional Sciences under the CAS Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences has discovered that even relatively low doses of resveratrol--a chemical found in the skins of red grapes and in red wine--can improve the sensitivity of mice to the hormone insulin, according to a report in the October,2007 issue of Cell Metabolism. As insulin resistance is often characterized as the most critical factor contributing to the development of Type 2 diabetes, the findings“provide a potential new therapeutic approach for preventing or treating” both conditions, the researchers said.     

Students' Reactions to the Introduction of Videoconferencing for Classroom Instruction

This study examined how students who had no prior experience with videoconferencing would react to the use of videoconferencing as an instructional medium. Students enrolled in seven different courses completed a questionnaire at the beginning of the semester and again at the end of the semester. Students at the origination and remote sites did not differ in their reactions toward videoconferencing but there was a significant difference for gender. Women reacted less favorably to videoconferencing. Compared to the beginning of the semester, students reported significantly less positive attitudes toward taking a course through videoconferencing at the end of the semester. There were no significant differences in students' attitudes toward videoconferencing across courses at the beginning of the semester but there were significant differences across the courses at the end of the semester. The results suggest the need for better preparation for both students and instructors.     

Cooler temperatures inductive to locust outbreaks

Ajoint study by Prof. ZHANG Zhibin from the CAS Institute of Zoology and his co-workers from Norway, US and Swiss have indicated that historical outbreaks of migratory locusts in China were associated with cold spells, suggesting that China＇s projected climate warming could decrease the pest＇s numbers. The study was published in Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences on 17 September, 2007.     

Exploring Multiplexity: Social Network Structures in a Computer-Supported Distance Learning Class

A computer-mediated group is a complex entity whose members exchange many types of information via multiple means of communication in pursuit of goals specific to their environment. Over time, they coordinate technical features of media with locally enacted use to achieve a viable working arrangement. To explore this complex interaction, a case study is presented of the social networks of interactions and media use among members of a class of computer-supported distance learners. Results show how group structures associated with project teams dominated who communicated with whom, about what, and via which media over the term, and how media came to occupy their own communication niches: Webboard for diffuse class-wide communication; Internet Relay Chat more to named others but still for general communication across the class; and e-mail primarily for intrateam communication. Face-to-face interaction, occurring only during a short on-campus session, appears to have had a catalytic effect on social and emotional exchanges. Results suggest the need to structure exchanges to balance class-wide sharing of ideas with subgroup interactions that facilitate project completion, and to provide media that support these two modes of interaction.     

Molecular motor assembly of a biomimetic system

Active biological molecules and functional structures can be fabricated into a bio-mimetic system by using molecular assembly method. Such materials can be used for the drug delivery, disease diagnosis and therapy, and new nanodevice construction.     

To serve and promote science development via innovation

CAS should stick to the principle of rendering service to, and giving impetus for, the development of China＇s science enterprise by making S＆T innovations, said CAS President LU Yongxiang. The CAS president made the remarks in a recent talk to communicate the gist of the winter session of the Party＇s Leading-member Group at CAS, which was held from 7 to 11 January in Beijing.     

The Role of Intermediating Institutions in the Diffusion of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): How Industry Associations Intervened in Denmark, Finland, and Hong Kong

Electronic data interchange (EDI) provides means for interorganizational communication, creates network externalities, requires an advanced information technology (IT) infrastructure, and relies on standards. In the diffusion of such innovations, institutional involvement is imperative. Such institutions contain governmental agencies, national and global standardization organizations, local government, and nonprofit private organizations like industry associations. The last type of organizations we call intermediating institutions. They intermediate or coordinate ("inscribe") the activities of a group of would-be adopters. Unfortunately, little is known of how these organizations shape the EDI diffusion trajectory. In this article we examine one specific type of intermediating organizations?industry associations?and how they advanced the EDI diffusion process in the grocery sectors of Hong Kong, Denmark and Finland. We identify six institutional measures, placed into a matrix formed by the mode of involvement (influence vs. regulation) and the type of diffusion force (supply push vs. demand pull), that can be mobilized to further the EDI diffusion. Industry associations were found to be active users of all these measures to varying degrees. Their role was critical especially in knowledge building, knowledge deployment, and standard setting. Furthermore, institutional involvement varied due to policy and cultural contingencies and power dependencies.     

Tracing the origin and early radiation of birds——Paleornithologist ZHOU Zhonghe

With great care, Dr. ZHOU Zhonghe takes out a package wrapped by cotton tissue from a drawer and says: "This is the gem of our collections: the fossil of a bird that lived 125 million years ago!" Then, pointing at a tiny mound, he explains: "Look, this is the claw and that is the head. It was in the egg shell and ready to hatch ... The species fell into a family of waterside inhabitants."     

The Information Environment and Universal Service

This essay focuses on universal service and the Internet as means to support social and political participation. The emphasis on access to telecommunications systems in conventional approaches to universal service is contrasted with access to content. A model of the information environment is described that accounts for the roles of content and conduit, both of which are necessary conditions to achieve true access. A method is outlined for employing information indicators to observe or measure the information environment.     

How Electronic Publishers are Protecting Against Piracy: Doubts About Technical Systems of Protection

The increasing prospects of digital piracy has prompted the perceived need by electronic publishers to adopt technical systems of protection, and governments to reform their copyright laws. This article is a preliminary study of the management of intellectual property by electronic publishers, defined as those involved in the production of online databases, and CD-ROMs. It focuses on three main issues: (1) how electronic publishers view the increasing threat of piracy; (2) the methods of protection employed to protect intellectual property in digital format; and (3) the importance of technological protection of intellectual property in electronic publications. The analysis is based on a sample of 23 UK electronic publishers. The interviews revealed an interesting assortment of protection methods and did not show that technological protection was a preferred way. Instead, the means of protection, in addition to copyright law, comprised niche markets, pricing, trust, bad publicity, and nontechnical and technical means.