A research on the construction material export and energy consumptions using the gravity model

This paper applies a gravity model to estimate the relationships between energy consumptions and many kinds of construction material export over the period 1992-2009 in China. The empirical result shows that energy consumptions have a significant and positive influence on the construction material export of China.

Sequence requirements for the export of the Plasmodium falciparum Maurer's clefts protein REX2

A short motif termed Plasmodium export element (PEXEL) or vacuolar targeting signal (VTS) characterizes Plasmodium proteins exported into the host cell. These proteins mediate host cell modifications essential for parasite survival and virulence. However, several PEXEL-negative exported proteins indicate that the currently predicted malaria exportome is not complete and it is unknown whether and how these proteins relate to PEXEL-positive export. Here we show that the N-terminal 10 amino acids of the PEXEL-negative exported protein REX2 (ring-exported protein 2) are necessary for its targeting and that a single-point mutation in this region abolishes export. Furthermore we show that the REX2 transmembrane domain is also essential for export and that together with the N-terminal region it is sufficient to promote export of another protein. An N-terminal region and the transmembrane domain of the unrelated PEXEL-negative exported protein SBP1 (skeleton-binding protein 1) can functionally replace the corresponding regions in REX2, suggesting that these sequence features are also present in other PEXEL-negative exported proteins. Similar to PEXEL proteins we find that REX2 is processed, but in contrast, detect no evidence for N-terminal acetylation.

The impact of guanxi on export performance: A study of New Zealand firms exporting to China

Broadly defined as interpersonal relationship in Chinese society, guanxi embodies several intricate and unique Chinese cultural values. Although more and more western business people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of guanxi in doing business in China, its potential impacts on the performance of business are still not well understood by western business people. This paper uses path analysis to assess the impacts of guanxi on export performance of a sample of New Zealand firms exporting to China. The results show that guanxi variables significantly facilitate trade partnering, business negotiating, and problem solving and generally contributes positively to the overall export performance of firms.

Foreign environmental impacts on export performance A study of agribusiness firms exporting to Japan

Although a large body of literature exists on export performance, little attention has been given to how foreign environments impact on the performance of firms exporting to a particular market. This study examines how the business environment in Japan impacts on a sample of New Zealand agribusiness firms exporting to this market. Using path analysis with LISREL, the findings suggest that the foreign environment in Japan has a small but significant adverse impact on export performance. The results also show that exporters are able to mediate the adverse effects of the Japanese business environment on their overall export performance by formulating effective product, pricing, promotion and distribution strategies.

Engagement and learning through social software in finance : a retrospective on the Trading Room experience

The introduction of a social software blog space called the Trading Room in an undergraduate finance unit generated a great deal of activity to support student learning. A subsequent evaluation of this innovation, viewed through the lens of Activity Theory, demonstrated that students perceived high value in the opportunity it provided for them to reaffirm theories, obtain individualised feedback and benchmark their work against others. While assessment is generally seen as the carrot and the stick of learning; students in the study reported that they would still participate in reading and posting to the Trading Room even if there was no assessment requirement. Students did not see any value in the environment as a purely social space, reporting that they saw it primarily as a professional educational community. It would appear that just as there are different communities in the real world social space, there are also different types of communities in the online space.

Pharmaceutical companies putting health of world's poor at risk

India makes cheap medicines for poor people around the world. The EU, pharmaceutical firms and now the US are pressuring the 'pharmacy of the developing world' to change tack

Initial public offerings of energy companies

This study analyses 158 energy company initial public offerings (IPOs) in Australia from January 1994 to December 2010, including the period of the global financial crisis (GFC). The study finds that energy company IPOs had an average 22.0 % underpricing and that those IPOs that sought to raise more equity capital and engaged underwriters had lower underpricing. There is also evidence that suggests energy company IPOs that offered options to their underwriters had higher underpricing returns, effectively cancelling the lower underpricing effect of the underwriting itself. The energy IPOs that raised equity capital after the 2007/8 global financial crisis do not appear to have offered on average, significantly different underpricing returns to their investors compared to those energy IPOs that raised capital prior to this GFC period. The findings of this study offer insights for issuers who seek to lower underpricing, for underwriters involved in the capital raising and for investors who are looking to invest in Australian energy company IPOs.