Institutional quality,financial development and sustainable economic growth among lower income countries

This article postulates strong endogenous relationships in lower income countries between institutional quality, financial development and sustained economic growth. These associations were investigated using the vector-error correction model (VECM) and Granger causality method for a sample of 79 countries from 2005 to 2022. The findings show that (1) these variables reinforce each other in the short run. (2) In the long run, both institutional quality and financial development can fuel economic growth. (3) The positive effect of institutional quality on economic growth is greater than that of financial development. Policy implications of these findings are that careful attention should be paid to co-development policies to enhance the institutional quality and the financial system in these economies. Policies should also consider economic growth strategies to enable sustainable economic growth rates.     

Toward harmonizing prospective effectiveness assessment for road safety: Comparing tools in standard test case simulations

Abstract

Objective: With the overall goal to harmonize prospective effectiveness assessment of active safety systems, the specific objective of this study is to identify and evaluate sources of variation in virtual precrash simulations and to suggest topics for harmonization resulting in increased comparability and thus trustworthiness of virtual simulation-based prospective effectiveness assessment.

Methods: A round-robin assessment of the effectiveness of advanced driver assistance systems was performed using an array of state-of-the-art virtual simulation tools on a set of standard test cases. The results were analyzed to examine reasons for deviations in order to identify and assess aspects that need to be harmonized and standardized. Deviations between results calculated by independent engineering teams using their own tools should be minimized if the research question is precisely formulated regarding input data, models, and postprocessing steps.

Results: Two groups of sources of variations were identified; one group (mostly related to the implementation of the system under test) can be eliminated by using a more accurately formulated research question, whereas the other group highlights further harmonization needs because it addresses specific differences in simulation tool setups. Time-to-collision calculations, vehicle dynamics, especially braking behavior, and hit-point position specification were found to be the main sources of variation.

Conclusions: The study identified variations that can arise from the use of different simulation setups in assessment of the effectiveness of active safety systems. The research presented is a first of its kind and provides significant input to the overall goal of harmonization by identifying specific items for standardization. Future activities aim at further specification of methods for prospective assessments of the effectiveness of active safety, which will enhance comparability and trustworthiness in this kind of studies and thus contribute to increased traffic safety.     

灾害发生时影响居民心理承受能力的社会心理因素分析

目的：探讨影响个体面对自然灾害时心理承受能力的社会心理因素．方法，采用问卷调查的方式，运用因素分析法和相关分析法对1000余名居民进行测评．结果。①个体面对灾害时的心理承受能力的影响因素为。灾害意识、灾时行为、灾害认知、社会支持，②通过相关分析，灾时行为对心理承受能力的影响最大。     

涉外企业的货币经营风险管理

结合涉外企业投入与产出所处市场的分割程度或一体化程度,分析了当地企业、进口企业、出口企业或全球经营企业所面临的货币经营风险;对计量涉外企业货币经营风险的方法进行比较,认为管理层估计法对于计量货币经营风险以及制定相应的竞争对策有着重要作用;分别从金融性套期保值、经营性套期保值和营销策略等视角讨论货币经营风险的管理。笔者认为:金融性套期保值通过锁定涉外企业的外币现金流出或流入,可部分抵消涉外企业的货币经营风险暴露;经营性套期保值通过调整企业的经营业务并尽可能多地增加经营现金流,可从根本上提高涉外企业适应汇率变化的能力;通过影响涉外企业及其竞争对手所处的经营环境,营销策略有助于降低涉外企业的货币经营风险暴露。     

机械设备故障与事故管理

阐述机械加工企业机械设备的故障分类、原因、机理和管理方法，以及设备的事故管理和工伤事故经济损失。     

对财务经济分析体系发展的初探

随着我国社会主义市场经济体制的建立和发展,企业将面临着一个日益完善的市场经济体系,这就要求企业的行为要更加规范。于是能够评价、分析企业盈利能力、生存能力、发展能力等各项指标的财务分析体系,就显得尤为重要了。本文主要从现行条件下财务分析体系入手,从财务分析体系的内容和发展前景两个方面,阐述了对财务分析体系发展的几点初步认识。     

Integrating fisheries into the national development plans of Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Ten years on from Barbados

The development and effective introduction of strategies designed to ensure the ecologically and economically sustainable utilization of coastal and marine resources is perhaps the major challenge for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In response, the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) called upon the SIDS to implement appropriate coastal and marine strategies and, crucially, ensure that such strategies were integrated into sustainable national development plans (NDPs). This article examines the extent to which contemporary NDPs and donor support programmes have incorporated the fisheries sector — arguably the most important coastal/marine resource for many SIDS — into such documents. Applying an assessment methodology, originally developed to identify levels of environmental mainstreaming within World Bank country assistance strategies to NDPs and donor support programmes, we are able to identify those SIDS who have most effectively integrated the fisheries sector into such documents. Comparison with data indicating the importance of the sector to the national economy (in terms of generating foreign exchange, employment generation and/or supporting domestic protein consumption levels) enables us to pinpoint those countries with substantial fisheries sectors, but a correspondingly lower than expected degree of sectoral mainstreaming. We suggest that the January 2005 review of the BPoA offers an opportune moment for such countries to redress these omissions.     

Pb(II) removal from water using Fe-coated bamboo charcoal with the assistance of microwaves

Bamboo charcoal(BC) was used as starting material to prepare iron-modified bamboo charcoal(Fe-MBC) by its impregnation in FeCl 3 and HNO 3 solutions simultaneously,followed by microwave heating.The material can be used as an adsorbent for Pb(Ⅱ) contaminants removal in water.The composites were prepared with Fe molar concentration of 0.5,1.0 and 2.0 mol/L and characterized by means of N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms,X-ray diffraction spectroscopy(XRD),scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry(SEM-EDS),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) and point of zero charge(pH pzc) measurements.Nitrogen adsorption analyses showed that the BET specific surface area and total pore volume increased with iron impregnation.The adsorbent with Fe molar concentration of 2 mol/L(2Fe-MBC) exhibited the highest surface area and produced the best pore structure.The Pb(Ⅱ) adsorption process of 2Fe-MBC and BC were evaluated in batch experiments and 2Fe-MBC showed an excellent adsorption capability for removal Pb(Ⅱ).The adsorption of Pb(Ⅱ) strongly depended on solution pH,with maximum values at pH 5.0.The ionic strength had a significant effect on the adsorption at pH < 6.0.The adsorption isotherms followed the Langmuir isotherm model well,and the maximum adsorption capacity for Pb(Ⅱ) was 200.38 mg/g for 2Fe-MBC.The adsorption processes were well fitted by a pseudo second-order kinetic model.Thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption of Pb(Ⅱ) onto Fe-MBC was feasible,spontaneous,and exothermic under the studied conditions,and the ion exchange mechanism played an significant role.These results have important implications for the design of low-cost and effective adsorbents in the removal of Pb(Ⅱ) from wastewater.     

For the sake of my family: Understanding unethical pro-family behavior in the workplace

Unethical behaviors are prevalent and costly in organizations, and much recent research attention has been paid to different forms of workplace unethical behaviors. We contend that the extant research has overlooked an important form of workplace-related unethical behaviors: unethical behaviors that are conducted to benefit one's family but which violate societal and organizational moral rules, a construct we label as “unethical pro-family behavior” (UPFB). Our paper systematically conceptualizes UPFB and develops a scale for it. Drawing upon social cognitive theory, we argue that employees with stronger family financial pressure are more likely to employ moral disengagement mechanisms to deactivate moral self-regulation, resulting in higher levels of UPFB. Additionally, we argue that the proposed relationship is more pronounced when employees have high family motivation but is mitigated when employees have high organizational identification. Two studies are conducted for this paper. In Study 1 (N = 328 for Sample 1; N = 243 for Sample 2; N = 279 for Sample 3; N = 267 for Sample 4), we demonstrate that our UPFB scale has good construct validity and that our construct is differentiable from relevant constructs. In two time-lagged survey samples in Study 2 (N = 255 for Sample 1; N = 233 for Sample 2), we find support for our hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.     

中国企业社会责任财务绩效评价模型研究

2003年,英国政府出台了<我们能源的未来-创建低碳经济>能源白皮书,其中首次引入了"低碳经济"的概念,随后越来越多的学者开始探讨这种经济发展模式及其技术和政策的可行性,并展开了一系列实证研究.而在这种新的经济发展趋势下,作为经济主体的企业所要承担的社会责任也就被赋予了新的内窖.那么在向低碳经济转型的过程中,如何对企业的社会责任进行客观、有效的评价将对于企业更好履行其社会责任起到重要作用.基于我国国情,本文通过对低碳经济发展模式下中国企业社会责任财务绩效进行模型研究,提出了在传统指标分析模型基础上进行数据包络分析(DEA)和可持续计量的双重模型修正,以期弥补传统财务绩效模型在企业有效投入分析和动态性评价方面的缺陷和不足.