Predicting a Failure of Public Speaking Performance Using Multidimensional Assessment

The present study aimed to examine multidimensional factors that contribute to a poor performance in a public speaking task. An adapted version of the Trier Social Stress Test （TSST） as used to elicit psychosocial stress among 43 university students and multidimensional assessments were involved to investigate acute stress responses by psychological measures （i.e. personality, affect, appraisal, coping）, physiological measures （i.e. cortisol; Dehydroepiandrosterone： DHEA; ratio of cortisol/DHEA） and behavioural measures （voice, postural control）. Our results showed that psychological factors seemed to be the most sensitive to stress performance. A mediation effect was detected between psychological factors and objective performance. Cortisol to DHEA ratio also showed to be associated with speaking performance. This study added evidence to the literature with regards to a multidimensional way to study human stress response and may help individuals use functional coping to improve their performance and better adapt to stressful situations.

Assessment of Local Public Finance Performance in China When Undesirable Fiscal Phenomena are Taken into Account

Making use of the data envelopment analysis （DEA） technique and taking undesirable fiscal phenomena into account, this paper comprehensively quantifies the public fnance performance of local governments in China during the course of fiscal decentralization reform. The introduction of undesirable fiscal outcomes into this assessment makes it possible to identify meaningful and informative characteristics of local public finance performance in China. When reforms are first implemented, local pubIic financial performance improves because undesirable fiscal phenomena have not yet become too serious. The tax sharing system reform did not work well in its early stages, and negatively impacted public expenditure e3ficiency. The reform started to play a substantial role between 2001 and 2005, when local governments experienced better public finance performance. Corresponding to the deterioration of the financial sector in recent years, local public financial performance worsened after 2007. Further reform of the current fiscal and taxation system is necessary in China, to ensure a brighter future for the nation.

Effectiveness of Budgetary Entities

This paper acquaints readers with the practice of effectiveness evaluation in the public sector. The purpose of this paper is to study performance measurement according to the changes in public sector reform by focusing on performance-based budgeting in Russia. This paper suggests that the construction process of performance measurement should be aligned with outputs and outcomes of budget policy. The main research materials for this paper are based on data from a survey and follow-up interviews of budgetary managers and accountants. The survey result sets priorities and weighted some indicators to the measurement of effectiveness in the public sector. The data of this study were not large, but the study led to understanding how effectiveness is seen by budgetary managers and how measurement systems should be structured. Texts and contents from different sources such as financial annual reports and budgetary entities＇ websites provided insightful and interesting findings.