区域品牌发展对资源禀赋的敏感性研究

区域品牌已成为提升区域竞争力的重要途径,对于区域经济的可持续发展具有重要影响。本文基于资源配置体系的内生视角,在对区域品牌发展的驱动机制进行探讨和构建的基础上,理论分析并实证检验了区域资源禀赋对区域品牌发展的影响机理和作用边界,以及制度因素在二者关系中的调节作用,以期通过探索资源禀赋、制度因素与区域品牌发展的关系,揭示以资源禀赋为逻辑起点的区域品牌发展驱动机制。研究结果显示,在主效应方面,区域品牌内的品牌声誉、金融支持、技术投入三个资源因素对区域品牌发展均具有显著的驱动作用。作用边界方面,公共营销在品牌声誉与区域品牌发展的关系中具有显著正向调节作用,品牌声誉对区域品牌发展的贡献随着公共营销能力的提升而增加;市场维护变量在金融支持与区域品牌发展关系中具有显著正向调节作用,区域市场维护力度越强,金融支持对区域品牌发展的促进作用越显著。并且,两项制度因素均能够显著正向调节技术投入和区域品牌发展的关系,即制度因素与区域品牌发展对技术投入的敏感性具有正相关关系。研究结论的实践启示在于,区域品牌发展的核心驱动要素为区域资源的禀赋状态,区域内的企业、地方政府等利益相关主体应从树立品牌声誉、加强金融支持、提升创新技术投入三个方面来提升区域品牌的成长动力。在推动区域品牌发展过程中,地方政府的主要职能应锁定在建构主打产品的公共营销体系和维护产品市场交易秩序两个方面,继而为区域品牌成长提供政策环境和必要条件。     

Sustainable cooking energy options for rural poor people in India: an empirical study

Currently, energy consumption for cooking in rural households of India is mostly based on fuelwood used in traditional stoves. This paper presents results of a study carried out in a forest fringe area of India on cooking energy use. The concept of calculating levelized cost as cost per unit of useful energy is applied on source–device combinations of cooking and validated in Bargaon Community Development Block of Sundergarh District in Odisha, India. About 92 % of the households in the study area use fuelwood as the only energy source for cooking; the total use of fuelwood for only cooking, in the Block is nearly 1.8 times the total sustainable wood supply showing an urgent need for promoting alternative cooking energy options. This paper also presents an assessment of different cooking options in terms of cost per unit of useful cooking energy. LPG, biogas and gasifier stoves are found to be far too expensive for the local people. Briquette-fired improved stoves appear to be a promising cooking energy option in the study area. Government support and intervention are recommended for promoting this option.     

Energy intensity and its determinants in China: an empirical study based on ARDL-VECM approach

The present study aims to better understand the relationship between energy intensity and its determinants including energy price, technological progress, economic structure, and energy mix using the autoregressive distributed lag(ARDL) bounds approach and vector error correction model technique. Based on China's time series over 1985-2014, the ARDL bounds approach yields empirical evidence that confirms the existence of long run relationship between energy price, technological progress, economic structure, energy mix, and energy intensity. The results show that technological progress is an important driver for the declining energy intensity in short and long run. Energy price has not been demonstrated as an important role in decreasing energy intensity in the short run. The high share of coal use in total energy use may be responsible for China's high energy intensity.However, the relative change in economic sectors plays a minor role in energy intensity reduction during the past years. In the long run, technological progress, energy mix and energy prices Granger cause energy intensity, but not vice versa except for the energy mix.     

Environmental sustainability disclosures in annual reports of ASX Industrials List companies

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Corporate environmental sustainability reporting (CESR) has been linked to the social license to operate, assisting companies in communicating their...     

Sustainable product design using CAD: a case study in an Indian rotary switches manufacturing organisation

Sustainability is gaining importance in contemporary manufacturing organisations. Modern design engineers need approaches for creating environmentally friendly products. In this context, this paper reports a case study carried out in an Indian rotary switches manufacturing organisation. A component of the rotary switch has been modelled using computer-aided design. Then, the sustainability analysis has been carried out for determining the environmental impact. The environmental impact has been measured in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption and air/water impacts. The handle design has been modified to minimise the environmental impact. The results of this case study indicate that appropriate modifications in design could lead to the development of sustainable design with minimal environmental impact.     

上市企业环保信息披露与股票投资者社会环境偏好

本文分析了2008—2014年A股市场对强制披露的企业社会责任报告中环保信息的反应,展示了我国股票投资者社会环境偏好的变化过程。虽然近年来我国人均收入已经处于环境库兹涅茨曲线的排放拐点附近,但是目前鲜有国内研究对公众的社会环境偏好变化过程进行分析。本文分三个部分对股票市场投资者的社会环境偏好进行检验:首先,利用事件分析法展示了7年间股票投资者的整体态度,发现由环保信息披露引起的累积超额回报率显著大于零,说明投资者平均持积极态度。其次,使用倾向得分匹配双重差分法检验环境监管政策加强带来的影响,一方面《大气污染防治行动计划》的实施使得投资者态度从负面向正面转变,说明投资者环境偏好受政策影响显著;另一方面《大气污染防治行动计划》的实施显著提高了国有企业环保行为的水平。最后,通过对政策效应的形成机制进行检验发现,我国上市公司的环保行为在投资者眼中并不只是为了完成社会责任信息披露的政策指令而实施,而是股票投资者已经形成社会环境偏好,使得企业具有构建"绿色企业形象"的需求。另外,由于本文的研究对象是强制披露的企业社会责任报告,所以有效规避了西方相关研究中自愿披露导致的自我选择问题,但同时西方学者普遍对我国强制披露的企业社会责任报告所包含的信息持怀疑态度,因此本文通过利用情绪分析程序对环保信息的信息有效性进行检验,结果显示文本情绪的强弱与股票价格波动幅度有正相关关系,说明企业环保信息是投资者决策信息集的一部分,即强制披露的企业社会责任报告包含有效信息。     

The Economic and Environmental Outcomes of Microfinance Projects: An Indian Case Study

Microfinance projects now seek to achieve improvement in environmental quality in addition to poverty alleviation. Achievement of these goals may depend upon the economic and environmental impact of microfinance businesses. This study is a quantitative analysis of these outcomes for Ecodevelopment, an Indian microfinance project, which aims to prevent forest degradation by poverty alleviation. The study divides businesses into perishable goods, non-perishable goods, simple skills, and special skills and measures their economic outcome by two indicators, repayment percentage and continuity of businesses. The study examines the effect of loan amount on the economic outcome of businesses. To quantify the environmental outcome, it analyzes the use of firewood or fodder and release of pollutants by businesses. The results show that loan amount does not affect the economic outcome, special skills have best performance, and skills cause less pressure on forest resources. These results suggest the need for development of knowledge-intensive skills, involvement of institutions in the operations of business, and inclusive policies for protected area management.     

Environmental sustainability practices in South Asian university campuses: an exploratory study on Bangladeshi universities

Environmental sustainability practices in universities can play an important role in helping society form a sustainable future. In this study, the roles that Bangladeshi universities play in terms of sustainability practices on their campuses are scrutinized, as well as the challenges these universities face. The existing research on campus sustainability practices in Asia is reviewed, and a new exploratory study is put forth on environmental sustainability practices in the higher education institutions of a developing country—Bangladesh. The Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework used in Canadian universities was taken as basis for determining potential environmental management indicators. Results show that environmental management practices (i.e., environmental education, research, governance and operations) are present only to a very limited extent in higher education institutions in Bangladesh.     

The effects of globalization on Ecological Footprints: an empirical analysis

Whether globalization is sustainable is a contested issue. The quantitative literature on the Maastricht Globalization Index (MGI) and the KOF index of globalization shows that globalization contributes positively to economic and human development, environmental performance, mortality, gender equality and physical integrity rights. However, globalization also drives within-country income inequality, especially in developing countries. Evidence on the effects of globalization on the ecological environment does not provide clear patterns; various dimensions of globalization have different effects on various pollutants. This article analyzes the statistical relationship between the most recent MGI (2012 edition) and the ecological dimension of sustainable development. The latter will be operationalized by considering four variants of the Ecological Footprint. The relation between globalization and sustainable development will be controlled for GDP per capita as a proxy for affluence and report the results for Pearson’s correlations and multivariate regressions for up to 171 countries. We conclude that the overall index of globalization significantly increases the Ecological Footprint of consumption, exports and imports. The decomposition of globalization into different domains reveals that apart from the political dimension, all dimensions drive human pressures and demands on the environment. Globalization needs to go into new directions if it is to make a contribution toward all aspects of sustainable development.     

Environment security: an empirical study of industrialization and the impact on environment in the Dhaka division, Bangladesh

Dhaka division is the main central industrial zone in Bangladesh. Along with the great growth in industry in the region, there have also been increased and sometimes critical levels of toxic pollution to the environment. Although much has been researched in the region on the degradation of the environment, the slow improvements in environment protection drive the question of what is the environmental security climate in Dhaka division. The study of four plants (textile, leather tanning, cement and fertilizer) in Dhaka division aimed to find out the impact of each on the environment. The study took place within Tejgaon, Hazaribagh, Narsingdi and Narayangang and investigated the impact of those plants on air, water and land. Among the different polluters, the results indicated that textiles polluted most. All participants indicated that the industries were the cause of at least one ailment within 6?months. It is recommended to governments and plant owners that they not only remain diligent about policy on environment protection, but that they also humanize efforts so as to follow those policies through to the end. The loss of life and quality of life may have larger impacts that daily profitability and livelihood.     

Performance evaluation of solar photovoltaic electricity-generating systems: an Indian perspective

The present work seeks to assess the sustainability of different solar photovoltaic (SPV) electricity-generating systems based upon energy, environment and economics. The sustainability indicators evaluated for energy, environment and economics are electrical output, life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and life-cycle cost of electricity generated per kilowatt hour. The selected SPV-based electricity generation technologies for sustainability evaluation are amorphous, monocrystalline and polycrystalline at different locations and tilt angles across India. For SPV systems, most of the emissions are the result of electricity use during manufacturing. In these cases, an average grid mix for the region of manufacture is typically used to calculate energy use and emissions. Based upon these three indicators, a figure of merit (FM) has been proposed. The results proposed that polycrystalline gives the maximum electrical output, minimum GHG emission, minimum cost and maximum FM at a radiation level of 6 kWh/m²/day with latitude and tilt angle of 34° and 35°, respectively. This work will be helpful to users of solar energy, academicians, researchers and other concerned persons, in understanding the importance, severity and benefits obtained by the application and implementation of the SPV electricity-generating systems.     

Green banking initiatives: a qualitative study on Indian banking sector

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The environmental concern is on rise in all types of business; however, banking assumes a special niche due to its ability to influence the economic...     

Sustainability of rice production systems: an empirical evaluation to improve policy

An evaluation is needed to monitor the progress of sustainable development (SD) in rice production systems. The purpose of this study is to provide policy inputs, examine the sustainability of rice production, and determine major policy areas. A requisite set of 12 indicators of three dimensions of SD, namely economic, was generated by employing an assemblage of top–down and bottom–up approaches. The data were gathered from farm households’ survey as well as in-depth discussion with stakeholders from the regions that represent irrigated, rain-fed lowland, rain-fed upland, flood-prone, and saline-prone rice-growing ecosystems in Bangladesh. By constructing composite indicators, the results revealed that 44 % of rice growers were economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially developed. The irrigated rice production system was found to be the most sustainable. The path analysis measured the contribution of the indicators to the index, and results highlighted that rice growers’ knowledge, skills, and social networks development, improving land productivity, and integrated nutrient management were essential for promoting sustainable rice production. However, the study findings suggest that pluralistic (i.e., government and non-government) agricultural advisory services can serve as an engine of transition to rice production sustainability in which a multi-year planning and strategy formulation are crucial besides investing in the modernization of extension services. Overall and ecosystem-specific policy implications that emerged from the findings of this study are outlined.     

Economic liabilities of environmental pollution by coal mining: Indian scenario

India is the first country to introduce environmental legislation in the constitution but because of lengthy legal procedures, it is very difficult to control environmental deterioration. There are many factors responsible for this deterioration. Coal mining is one such activity where deterioration is very severe and the present communication aims this aspect. Coal is the one of the most essential mineral having large reserves in India. It’s mining and beneficiation produce a variety of pollutants. The main pollutants emitted during the processing of coal are green house gases, coal dust and acid mine drainage. Many reports on different aspects of coal mining are available including reports on emission of different pollutants but the present work is probably only of it’s kind in which the authors have tried to determine environment liability directly in terms of economy. It was found that greenhouse liabilities, coal dust liability and sulphur liability are accounted for 12.07, 5.0 and 101.97 US$, making an overall 2.4% of the total economic gains due to coal mining. During the calculations approximate number of total workers and other parameters have been taken into consideration. Who pays for this irreversible damage is a question. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

The influence of carbon emissions disclosure on company financial value in an emerging economy

Few studies have been conducted on the impact of carbon emissions disclosure on firms’ financial performance in emerging economies. Furthermore, comparison between accounting-based measures and market-based ones remains limited. This article examines the effect of carbon emissions reporting on the financial value of South African companies for the period 2010–2015. Using panel regression approaches, the findings show that, in most cases, carbon emission disclosure generates a positive relationship with ROA (an accounting-based indicator) but a negative association with MVA (a market-based indicator). The article concludes that accounting-based indicators offer more explanatory power for corporate greening initiatives.     

农民农地转出意愿及影响因素的性别差异——基于天津市578份调查问卷的实证分析

基于2015年对天津市农民的调查数据,运用二元Logistic回归模型,在性别差异的视角下,分析了农民农地转出意愿的影响因素。研究发现:对男性和女性农地转出意愿均有显著影响的主要是年龄、家庭农业收入比重、家庭劳动人口数量、非农就业年工资水平、对农地的态度、对政府土地流转服务评价、对农民工子女入学政策的评价。只对男性农地转出意愿有显著影响的是农地经营成本、农地经营收益、是否签订劳动合同、外出找工作途径、农地转出程序评价、对开展就业技能培训的评价、是否参与新农保、对新农保保障能力评价。只对女性农地转出意愿有显著影响的是文化程度、婚姻状况、对非农就业工作生活环境的感知、所在地区。基于上述结论,提出了相关对策建议。     

Motivation of Japanese companies to take environmental action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions: an econometric analysis

To analyze the motivations of Japanese companies to take environmental actions to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, we used FY2006 research data and questioned Japanese industries regarding their reduction of GHG emissions. Empirical investigations revealed that voluntary targets set by industry organizations, government requirements, and advance responses to possible future regulations can positively influence environmental actions for GHG emission reduction; however, cost reductions and corporate social responsibility fulfillment cannot.

Model-based analysis of urban settlement process in eco-sensitive area of developing country: a study with special reference to hills of an Indian city

Rapid and unplanned expansion of a city into its eco-sensitive areas like hills, wetlands, and forests is becoming a major concern, particularly in developing countries. Understanding the process and causes of such unplanned urban expansion is of paramount importance for framing sustainable urban development policies. This paper presents a modelling concept that relates urban settlement in such eco-sensitive areas with potential socio-economic, demographic and geographical factors. The model is applied to an Indian city Guwahati, which is experiencing serious environmental degradation due to unplanned urban settlement in its eco-sensitive hilly areas. While topographical and settlement data were derived using satellite data in GIS platform, all other necessary data were collected from relevant government organizations. On validation of the multi-linear regression model, the coefficient of determination and the root mean square error are obtained as 0.938 and 1.7, respectively. Model results show that geographical parameters are less influencing as compared to the other socio-economic and demographic factors. Sensitivity analysis of urban settlements in hills of Guwahati city carried out with respect to the considered factors reveals that land value and free space availability in the surrounding area of a hill are the most sensitive parameters. This indicates that city development plans should give more importance to outward spatial expansion in plain areas with regulated land value and zoning scheme to minimize unauthorized settlement in eco-sensitive hilly areas of Guwahati city.     

Impact of economic drivers on mangroves of Indian Sundarbans: an exploration of missing links

Export of shrimps and prawns using intensive cultivation in the Sundarban area of Indian Bengal had a negative impact on mangrove forests in 1980s. Land conversions from agricultural use and mangrove forest to shrimp ponds are significant. The impact of changing economic factors such as trade on mangrove forests is evident but as yet this link is not clearly understood by decision-makers. In this context, this study analyses the impact of economic driver on land use changes by combining socio-economic data (economic variables) and satellite data (land use change). Using the panel data method for 1986–2004 in eight administrative units of the Sundarbans area, the study identifies relative return and productivity of labour for various types of land use together with population density as the major drivers of land use change. Identification of these drivers would help to design an effective response policy for management of this UNESCO Heritage site.     

Environmental quality of transitional waters: the lagoon of Venice case study

The health status of European aquatic environments, including transitional waters such as coastal lagoons, is regulated by the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which requires the classification of the water bodies' environmental quality and the achievement of a good ecological status by 2015. In the Venice lagoon, a transitional water body located in the northeastern part of Italy, the achievement of a good ecological status is hampered by several anthropogenic and natural pressures, such as sediment and water chemical contamination, and sediment erosion. In order to evaluate the lagoon's environmental quality according to the WFD (i.e. 5 quality classes, from High to Bad), an integrated Weight-of-Evidence methodology was developed and applied to classify the quality of the lagoon water bodies, integrating biological, physico-chemical, chemical, ecotoxicological, and hydromorphological data (i.e. Lines of Evidence, LOE). The quality assessment was carried out in two lagoon habitat typologies (previously defined on the basis of morphological, sediment, and hydrodynamic characteristics) which were selected taking into account the ecological gradient from sea to land, and the differences in anthropogenic pressure and contamination levels. The LOE classification was carried out by using indicators scored by comparing site specific conditions to reference conditions measured in lagoon reference sites, or provided by local, national or European regulations (e.g. Environmental Quality Standards, EQS, for chemicals). Finally, the overall quality status for each water body was calculated by a probabilistic approach, i.e. by reporting the final result as the frequency distribution of quality classes. The developed procedure was applied by using data and information concerning selected LOE and collected from monitoring programs and research studies carried out in the last 15 years in the lagoon of Venice. A set of sampling stations characterized by spatially and temporally coherent information for each LOE was selected, and among these stations, potential reference sites for each water body typology were identified. The quality assessment highlighted that there are specific lagoon areas, especially those located near the industrially developed area, which are highly affected by anthropogenic activities, and that chemical contamination is one of the main pressures affecting ecological status (e.g. macro-benthonic biodiversity) in the Venice lagoon. The integrated quality assessment procedure that was developed provided a new tool supporting decision making, as well as lagoon assessment and management.