What Every Conservation Biologist Should Know about Economic Theory

Abstract: The last century has seen the ascendance of a core economic model, which we will refer to as Walrasian economics. This model is driven by the psychological assumptions that humans act only in a self‐referential and narrowly rational way and that production can be described as a self‐contained circular flow between firms and households. These assumptions have critical implications for the way economics is used to inform conservation biology. Yet the Walrasian model is inconsistent with a large body of empirical evidence about actual human behavior, and it violates a number of basic physical laws. Research in behavioral science and neuroscience shows that humans are uniquely social animals and not self‐centered rational economic beings. Economic production is subject to physical laws including the laws of thermodynamics and mass balance. In addition, some contemporary economic theory, spurred by exciting new research in human behavior and a wealth of data about the negative global impact of the human economy on natural systems, is moving toward a world view that places consumption and production squarely in its behavioral and biophysical context. We argue that abandoning the straightjacket of the Walrasian core is essential to further progress in understanding the complex, coupled interactions between the human economy and the natural world. We call for a new framework for economic theory and policy that is consistent with observed human behavior, recognizes the complex and frequently irreversible interaction between human and natural systems, and directly confronts the cumulative negative effects of the human economy on the Earth's life support systems. Biophysical economics and ecological economics are two emerging economic frameworks in this movement.     

Managing environmental knowledge through unlearning in Spanish hospitality companies

The Spanish hospitality industry is facing environmental challenges which require organizations and individuals to learn new skills and practices and create new environmental knowledge. Understanding the nature and role of prior knowledge for sustainable development is a necessary step towards understanding if new environmental practices will be adopted successfully. This research focuses on unlearning and its impact on environmental knowledge by carrying out an empirical investigation of the unlearning context in 127 Spanish hospitality companies. The findings indicate that a process for consolidating emergent understandings would appear to be an intermediary step between the forgetting of old knowledge and the application of new environmental knowledge. Consequently, it is important that managers provide an appropriate unlearning context to support the openness of individuals to new ideas and environmental awareness. Otherwise, individuals may be fearful of or confused by the prospect of unlearning old habits and routines.     

基于SEM的不安全行为与其意向关系的研究

为检验不安全行为与不安全行为意向的关系,基于计划行为理论(TPB),对7个煤矿的735名一线作业人员进行问卷调查,收集工人被记录的和未被记录的不安全行为数据。采用结构方程模型(SEM)对不安全行为意向与不安全行为之间的关系进行分析。结果表明:安全行为态度、班组安全氛围、不安全行为风险认知偏差与不安全行为意向显著相关(路径系数分别为-0.36,-0.23和-0.57);不安全行为意向与不安全行为显著相关(路径系数为0.85);行为风险认知偏差与不安全行为显著相关(路径系数为0.51);而安全行为态度、班组安全氛围与不安全行为的关系并不显著。     

从行为科学角度浅论家具生产企业安全管理

家具生产企业的安全状况如何,直接影响企业的经济效益,影响着生产员工的情绪稳定.本文旨在运用行为科学理论,剖析家具生产企业事故发生的原因,并提出了避免出现安全事故的相应措施,促进家具企业的健康发展.     

Corporate social responsibility, partnerships, and institutional change: The case of mining companies in South Africa

Internationally and in South Africa, mining companies are increasingly referring to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and partnerships in terms of the business case, or the expectation that being responsible and collaborating with stakeholders is good for profits. Based on a case study of platinum and chrome mining in South Africa, this article argues that the business case is circumscribed by companies’ institutional context. In the past, mining companies’ dominant interpretation of CSR has been in terms of charitable donations and support to good causes. These efforts have not alleviated the contribution of mining companies to growing social problems around the mines, primarily because they have not impacted on core business practices and have not contributed to necessary cross‐sectoral collaboration. Recently, however, there has been an important transition involving the broadening of the interpretation of CSR and increasing commitment to these issues amongst corporate leadership. Though market‐based incentives have contributed to this, the key driver has been the State's legislated transformation programme premised on State sovereignty over mineral resources. Hence, while the interrelationship between companies and their institutional context has, in the past, brought about a vicious cycle of irresponsibility and minimal collaboration, this cycle may be reversed into a virtuous one, driven in particular by the State. The broader implication is that references to a business case for CSR and partnerships cannot be relied upon independently of continued efforts at shaping the public sector context of companies.     

Functional wildlife parks: The views of Kenyan children who live with them

This study reports on Kenyan school children's ideas about wildlife parks in their country. A comparison is made between the responses of school children in primary school, before they receive any science education, and those of secondary school pupils at the end of the secondary cycle. The findings show little difference between the two groups of students in terms of their ideas about wildlife parks. This has serious implications for science and environmental education in Kenya. Parks are understood by these pupils in terms of real life issues, as derived from social consequences. The children's ideas are all based on the role that parks play in society, but the function of parks to support biodiversity conservation does not seem to be important to the students. While it is satisfying to note that the school children have a good understanding of parks in their social context, it is essential to address fully the scientific and ecological role of parks in order that biodiversity becomes more valued in our society.     

FIELD-LABORATORY DETERMINED AVOIDANCES OF THE SPOTFIN SHINER AND THE BLUNTNOSE MINNOW TO CHLORINATED DISCHARGES1

ABSTRACT: The responses of the spotfin shiner (Notropis spilopterus) and bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus) to intermittent chlorine discharges from a fossil fuel power plant in the New River were investigated by seine collections in the chlorinated discharge channel, and chlorine avoidances were obtained in a field laboratory at the power plant in Glen Lyn, Virginia. No fish were captured by seine during chlorination periods when the total chlorine (TCR) and free chlorine (FCR) residuals were, respectively, 0.46 and 0.27 mg/1 or higher at river water temperatures of 12 C or less. For collections made between eight-hour chlorination periods, the number of fish was reduced by approximately 50% at 0.20 and 0.06 mg/1 TCR and FCR, respectively. Significant (0.05 level) laboratory avoidances occurred at 0.10 to 0.20 mg/1 TCR (0.03 to 0.14 mg/1 FCR) for both species when exposed to increasing TCR concentrations of 0.10, 0.20, 0.30 and 0.40 mg/1. Responses varied with acclimation temperature (6, 12, 18 and 24 C) with no consisteent trends between species. When exposed to a constant TCR concentration during any one test (0.14, 0.18 and 0.26 mg/1 for the spotfin shiner, and 0.11 and 0.17 mg/1 for the bluntnose minnow), significant avoidances were observed at 0.26 and 0.17 mg/1 for each species, respectively. In all laboratory trials, occurrence or residence times decreased with increasing chlorine concentration, with residence times as high as 64.7% at 0.10 mg/1 TCR and as low as 8.3% at 0.40 mg/1 being observed.     

城市地下空间管道施工坍塌事故行为原因研究

为了进一步了解城市地下空间管道施工坍塌事故发生的原因,笔者运用行为安全"2-4"模型事故致因分析方法分析了27起典型的管道施工坍塌事故,分析得出17类共109个不安全动作和6类共34个不安全物态,不安全动作中发生率较高的是不按要求对基坑放坡和加固、未对作业人员安全教育培训或者培训不到位以及施工前未进行风险识别或者识别不到位,并对这3方面不安全动作进行进一步分析;不安全物态中发生率较高的是未加支撑的基坑侧壁、存在淤泥和松软土质结构的开挖层。得出安全知识不足7类共58项,安全意识的淡薄,对于生产主管主要体现在雇佣临时工,施工现场作业人员则体现在不注意环境周围存在的安全隐患;得出安全管理体系的欠缺9类共88项,因安全生产规章制度缺乏或制度不合格导致安全管理体系欠缺占比最大,因无安全技术交底或技术交底不到位导致安全管理体系的欠缺居于第二位,施工前未进行风险识别或者识别不到位在27起事故中也出现12次,也是安全管理工作中不可忽视的因素。     

Examining motor vehicle crash involvement and readiness to change on drinking and driving behaviors among injured emergency department patients

Objective: To measure the effect of motor vehicle crash (MVC) involvement and readiness to change drinking and driving behaviors on subsequent driving and drinking behaviors among injured emergency department (ED) patients who use alcohol at harmful levels.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of injured ED patients who screened positive for harmful alcohol use, who at recruitment reported driving in the past 12 months and received at least one of the intended intervention sessions (brief behavioral intervention versus attention placebo control; N = 407). Outcome variables were as follows: (1) change in 6 impaired driving behaviors and (2) report of MVCs and traffic violations in the 12 months following recruitment; predictor variables were as follows: (1) treatment assignment, (2) MVC involvement at recruitment, and (3) baseline readiness to change alcohol use and drinking and driving.

Results: Modeling of change in the 6 impaired driving variables indicated that neither the recruitment visits being MVC related nor baseline readiness to change alcohol use and drinking and driving behaviors predicted greater changes in impaired driving over time. Baseline reports of past moving traffic violations and the ED visit being MVC related predicted a greater likelihood of each behavior at 12 months following study recruitment.

Conclusions: This study and others have demonstrated that ED patients with harmful alcohol use are willing to engage in behavioral interventions directed at changing risky behaviors. However, this study did not demonstrate that patients considered having the potential to be more engaged with the intervention because their ED visit was MVC related and/or they had expressed intent to change their risky alcohol use and drinking and driving behaviors were more likely to change these risky behaviors.     

基于斑马鱼行为变化的水体突发汞污染生物预警技术研究

针对突发水污染事件难以准确预警的现状,通过模拟水体突发汞污染事件,开展了以生物鱼行为变化为基础的水质生物预警技术研究。以正常水体中斑马鱼的行为变化为基础,采用高速摄像跟踪技术,解析了突发汞污染(0.1mg/L)水体中斑马鱼游动行为(游动速度、高度、转弯次数、加速度)和通讯行为(平均距离、分散度)等行为指标的变化,结果表明:综合评价指标水质健康指数6h内无法预警,以游动高度作为水体突发汞污染事件的监测预警指标,可将预警时间缩短至3h。