Pension Changes in China and Opportunities for Insurance
In face of the large ageing population and increasing dependence ratio, China is aiming to find an efficient, stable, and sustainable pension system. This article briefly examines the changes that have occurred in China's pension system and explores the pros and cons of the current system. Although China has made a good start in laying the foundation for a multi-pillar pension system, pension reform is still incomplete and many important issues remain. Since the social insurance system alone cannot realistically accomplish the task of old-age security, the private sector, including the insurance industry, should be mobilized to play an active role in China's pension system.
HR practices, commitment, job performance and early retirement among older employees with an on average low occupational status
This study examined the influence of the perception of the quality of HR practices on job performance, commitment and a preference for early retirement among older employees, with an average low occupational status in the creative industry in the Netherlands, This study has adopted a mixed-methods approach, using both surveys and semi-structured interviews. Using the principles underlying social exchange theory, it was expected that perceived quality of HR practices would have a positive relationship with job performance and affective organizational commitment and a negative relationship with a preference for early retirement. Perceived quality of certain HR practices seemed to have a positive relationship with job performance and affective organizational commitment. However, in contradiction with the social exchange theory, perceived quality of HR practices was found to be unrelated to a preference for early retirement. An explanation of this lmexpected finding arose from the qualitative study: older employees perceive the provision of HR practices for older employees as a stamp that they now belong to this devalued social group, which can be explained by the social identity theory. It was found that for older employees with an average low occupational status personal factors like finances and health strongly influenced the retirement decision. On the organizational level, flexibility, communication and a mentality change towards older employees seemed important in this decision. The qualitative study could explain the unexpected findings of the quantitative study, showing the contribution of a mixed-methods, approach. Theoretically, this raises the question whether social exchange theory applies to older employees with an average low occupational status and shows that the social identity theory better explains the relationship between perceived quality of HR practices and a preference for early retirement.
D'une application pratique des indices bio-météorologiques
Abstract The purpose of the author is to determine statistically in what part of Switzerland maize could be cultivated with certain chance of rentability. The author gives first the method he used for determining the biometeorological index of four species of maize which were selected by the Swiss agronomical research stations. He has considered two possibilities for the growing period: ( a ) raising-ripening (l'approche globale); ( b ) raising-flowering, flowering-ripening (l'approche fractionee). From the biometeorological index, he calculated retrospectively the ripening time of these four species in the years 1901–1965. Assuming a priori that maize should be harvested before October 15th at the latest, he calculated, for a number of meteorological stations, the relative number of years when such conditions were fulfilled. Dividing the country in regions of similar mesoclimates and sorting these stations per region, it is possible to average the maximum altitude where maize can ripen at least 7, 8, 9 and 10 times within 10 years. Finally, taking into account the exposure and ground slope, he draws maps of the theoretically possible extension area, which maps are more reliable and detailed than the ones derived from actual means.