Organizations in context: proposal for a new theoretical approach in prescriptive accident research

Lately, requests have been made to include the contexts of enterprises in models to prevent accidents at work. This paper presents different contextual theories in order to analyze whether this type of theory could be a way to elaborate our understanding of context. A differentiation is made between (a) theories of understanding relations between enterprises and regulatory agencies and (b) theories to perceive the relation between enterprise and the broader context. The last group of theories has its point of departure in an organizational understanding diverging from the classical, rational understanding of organizations and organizational processes. The conclusion is that contextual theories open for an elaborated understanding of the role of contextual relations in accident prevention, but also that an investigation of the potentials for making the theories action-orientated is needed.     

Biotechnology is compatible with sustainable agriculture

Biotechnology can provide appropriate new tools for use in solution of specific problems in sustainable agriculture. Its usefulness will depend in large part on the degree to which sustainable agriculturists understand the utility of biotechnology and apply it toward ends they deem important. Biotechnology can give little assistance to sustainable agriculture in the short term. It can be more useful in the medium term, and it could be highly useful in the long term as an integral part of the art and science of plant breeding and other components of sustainable agriculture systems.     

采用参与观察法对某石油化工厂安全文化的研究

安全文化是高风险组织安全控制理论研究的热点问题,特指高风险组织成员共享的价值观与行为规范系统,尤其强调安全的重要性。为探讨该类组织成员的行为规范,笔者采用参与观察方法对某石油化工厂进行研究。持续观察103天,记录现场发生的行为及其背景,然后把观察记录制成行为卡片,通过3名专家对现场观察行为进行分类发现,组织成员主要遵循包括:安全承诺、对规则的看法、对人性的看法、关系取向和权力影响等5类行为规范。其中:安全承诺,尤其是管理对安全的承诺是高风险组织安全文化的关键因素;中国的传统文化,如情境取向、关系取向对员工的不安全行为具有重要影响。     

Rights,Standards and Quality in a Complex Humanitarian Space: Is Sphere the Right Tool?

The Sphere Project (consisting of both the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards for Disaster Response) has made prominent contributions to the debates, thinking and work on the quality of assistance and accountability of aid agencies. However, since its inception in 1997, several agencies expressed concerns regarding Sphere's approach, many of which were confirmed by the Sphere evaluation (2002/3). The present article restates these concerns, and addresses more fundamental issues regarding Sphere's cornerstone. It questions the validity of Sphere's rights-based approach, which consists of a tenuous link between the rights of affected populations and standards for technical interventions. Sphere is founded on "the right to assistance", although this right does not exist in international law. Its elaboration would entail solving several complex legal and political issues, which Sphere fails to address. This article also questions the validity and usefulness of universal standards for technical performance in helping relief agencies provide adapted assistance to disaster-affected populations, in line with their mandates and principles. It suggests that Sphere's approach and content largely reflect the concerns, priorities and values of technical professionals in Northern agencies, leaving limited space to genuine "participation" by affected populations and partners from the South.     

Export of nitrogen from catchments: a worldwide analysis

This study reviews nitrogen export rates from 946 rivers of the world to determine the influence of quantitative (runoff, rainfall, inhabitant density, catchment area, percentage of land use cover, airborne deposition, fertilizer input) and qualitative (dominant type of forest, occurrence of stagnant waterbodies, dominant land use, occurrence of point sources, runoff type) environmental factors on nitrogen fluxes. All fractions (total, nitrate, ammonia, dissolved organic and particulate organic) of nitrogen export showed a left-skewed distribution, which suggests a relatively pristine condition for most systems. Total nitrogen export showed the highest variability whereas total organic nitrogen export comprised the dominant fraction of export. Nitrogen export rates were only weakly explained by our qualitative and quantitative environmental variables. Our study suggests that the consideration of spatial and temporal scales is important for predicting nitrogen export rates using simple and easy-to-get environmental variables. Regionally based modelling approaches prove more useful than global-scale analyses.     

运用经济手段加强我国环境保护的必要性

我国环境问题的新特点加大了"单纯环境政策"的难度,同时高额的环境治理费用使政府"力不能胜".因为经济手段在解决环境外部性问题上会产生更大的利益激励和效率弹性,并将环境成本内化为经济主体的生产成本,促使企业基于利益最大化的考虑,做出最有利于环境的经济决策.因此,在环境政策的执行中加大经济手段的力度是大势所趋.     

2A12铝合金微动疲劳全寿命预测方法研究

目的对于2A12铝合金,提出基于成核寿命和扩展寿命的微动疲劳全寿命预测方法。方法基于损伤力学法计算裂纹成核寿命,利用扩展有限元计算裂纹尖端应力强度因子,应用断裂力学计算裂纹扩展寿命,并对预测者和试验值进行比较。结果损伤力学法能考虑接触面应力三维度的作用来反映多轴状态作用,能有效模拟微动疲劳多轴行为。基于损伤力学法的微动疲劳全寿命预测模型能有效预测微动疲劳全寿命。由于微动作用,裂纹成核非常早,扩展寿命从试件的近表面开始,占全寿命的主要部分。结论考虑成核寿命和扩展寿命的微动疲劳全寿命分析是完善的,预测值与试验值比较吻合。     

Handling uncertainty through adaptiveness in planning approaches: comparing adaptive delta management and the water diplomacy framework

Planners and water managers seek to be adaptive to handle uncertainty through the use of planning approaches. In this paper, we study what type of adaptiveness is proposed and how this may be operationalized in planning approaches to adequately handle different uncertainties. We took a comparative case study approach to study two planning approaches: the water diplomacy framework (WDF) and adaptive delta management (ADM). We found that the approaches differ in their conceptualization of uncertainty and show that different types of adaptiveness are used in the approaches. While WDF builds on collaborative adaptive management as a set of ongoing adjustments and continuous learning to handle uncertainty, ADM deliberately attempts to anticipate future adaptations through a set of tools which allows for seizing opportunities and avoiding lock-in and lock-out mechanisms. We conclude that neither of the approaches is fully able to account for different uncertainties. Both approaches may benefit from specific insights in what uncertainty and adaptiveness entail for the development of water management plans.     

Ecological Approaches to Urban Migration of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region

As a global developing tendency, the general viewpoint has been reached in the construction of the ecocities, which has produced widespread influence in the international society. Cities must enable people to live in harmony with nature and achieve sustainable development. Although more and more cities in the world are being designed and built to the ecological ones, the construction is also theoretical questions and arduous tasks. People oriented, ecocity development requires the comprehensiv…     

Ecological Approaches to Urban Migration of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region

Abstract

With the approach of the second water storage of the Three Gorges Project, urban migration has become a great concern. However, being influenced by economical, social or other factors, ecological problems have apparently become pressing. All these problems are exerting great impact upon the speed and quality of new city's or town's construction. By means of ecology, urban ecology, landscape ecology, human settlement science as well as the principle of sustainable development, this paper analyzes the ecological problems in urban migration, and the corresponding approaches in order to promote ecological environment construction of new cities and give an impetus to sustainable development of the whole human settlements in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region.