Do Boards of Directors Influence Corporate Sustainable Development? An Attention‐Based Analysis

Following the attention‐based view of the firm (ABV), boards of directors’ link to corporate sustainable development (CSD) could be dependent upon certain attention structures: valuation of environmental stimuli, rules of the game and the players. Studying a sample of large Australian firms, the findings indicate that the proposed attention‐directing structures do appear to be linked to CSD in a manner consistent with the ABV. Specifically, creating awareness through scanning efforts links boards to CSD. Stakeholder debate, as a boardroom rule, is also significantly associated with CSD. Furthermore, as a so‐called ‘player’ on the board, women directors have a moderating effect on the relationships between environmental scanning, stakeholder debate and CSD. The findings are discussed along with limitations and directions for future research. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

基于生态位理论的浙江省区域农产品质量竞争力评价研究

[目的]把握区域农产品质量竞争力不仅是促进区域农产品富有竞争力的积极方法,也是稳步提升农产品质量安全的重要做法。[方法]文章运用生态位态势理论,构建了以区域为评价主体的农产品质量竞争力评价体系,并从两个层面对浙江省各地级市农产品质量竞争力进行研究。在纵向层面上,测算了各地级市农产品质量竞争力生态位宽度,对各地级市农产品质量竞争力状态进行了评价和排序。在横向层面上,测算了各地级市农产品质量竞争力生态位重叠度,对各地级市农产品质量竞争力的合作程度进行了评价与区分。最后整合运用生态位协同、生态位扩充等理论,提出浙江省各地级市提升农产品质量竞争力发展策略。[结果]通过区域农产品质量竞争力生态位宽度研究发现,杭州和宁波的农产品质量竞争力较强,其生态位宽度分别为0.103 6和0.103 2,而丽水和舟山农产品质量竞争力相对居后,其生态位宽度分别为0.079 0和0.075 6;通过区域农产品质量竞争力生态位重叠度研究发现,可将全省划分为西北平原区域、东南部沿海区域和西南部山地区域等3个区域,各区域内部地级市可通过协同合作提升农产品质量竞争力。[结论]根据各地级市生态位宽度和生态位重叠度的差异,应采取生态位扩充、生态位协同、生态位分离的策略,从而因地制宜提升区域农产品质量竞争力。     

Sustainability winners and losers in business-biased cocoa sustainability programmes in West Africa

In cocoa farming forestland is a production factor. Cocoa planting is easiest and production costs are lowest in tropical forest. Historically, therefore, once forestland has been exhausted in a given geographical area planters tend to diversify into other production systems to avoid the poverty (induced by increasing factor cost) of post-forest cultivation. In modern times however cocoa planters exist in a value chain and post-forest diversification could threaten multinational companies relying on rural planters for their raw material. In 2014 ten of the world’s largest chocolate multinationals combined, with more than $500 million in funding, to introduce a cocoa sustainability scheme called CocoaAction. In principle, CocoaAction and similar sustainability schemes sponsored by western multinational chocolate companies are interventions to empower cocoa planters and planting communities in West African countries. But in practice, as this article will show, these schemes are a response to diminishing returns in cocoa-producing communities and the prospect of diversification, and the resulting projection of a shortage in raw material. There are signs that diversification away from cocoa will be beneficial to cocoa planters and their communities. Cocoa sustainability schemes are therefore designed for the benefit of multinational chocolate companies and at the expense of diversification in West African countries.     

Economic development,food demand and the consequences for agricultural resource requirements: an application to Indonesia

We analyse food demand patterns of Indonesian households from a resource intensity perspective and quantify the impact of changed demand patterns on the use of three major resource inputs: fossil fuel; land; and water in agricultural production. Using Indonesian Family Life Survey data, 13 major food items (which constitute 70 per cent of food expenditure) are categorised into low, moderate and high resource intensity, and income elasticity and Engel curves are estimated for the period from 1997 to 2007. Our results show that income growth in Indonesia is associated with demand patterns that are more resource intensive. By 2007, per capita requirements of fossil fuel, land and water increased by 42.7 per cent (3.13 MJ), 44.9 per cent (1.24 m²) and 50.4 per cent (2.1 kL), respectively, relative to 1997. The results imply that, at least for Indonesia, changed food demand patterns resulting from economic development will increase the demand for natural resources substantially.     

河南省农业生态旅游产业可持续发展评价研究

[目的]河南农业生态旅游作为一种可持续发展的旅游形式,为河南的经济发展作为了重要贡献。对河南农业生态旅游产业可持续发展进行评价研究,是促进农业生态旅游可持续健康发展的重要保证。[方法]文章通过实地调研构建河南农业生态旅游产业可持续发展评价指标体系,运用层次分析法,确定指标权重,结合专家评分法,对各项评价指标打分,并计算河南农业生态旅游产业可持续发展的综合得分,结合农业生态旅游产业可持续发展评价标准,得出目前河南农业生态旅游产业可持续发展水平。[结果]河南农业生态旅游产业可持续发展评价得分为72.45,处于基本可持续发展阶段,并对当前河南农业生态旅游发展现状和存在的农业生态旅游意识淡薄、旅游产品特色不明显、缺少政府资金扶持和缺乏经营管理人才等问题进行了分析。[结论]基于上述问题,提出了提高环保意识、走可持续发展之路;开发特色原生态旅游产品;加强政府支持和引导;加强专业培训,打造专业队伍等对策。     

清徐县优势农业与旅游业协调发展研究

[目的]发展优势农业是改造传统农业,加快农业现代化的有效途径之一,旅游业作为国民经济新的增长点,两者协调发展更有利于增加农民收入,促进新农村建设,同时也是农村社会经济可持续发展的必然要求。[方法]文章通过文献查阅法了解清徐县优势农业葡萄及葡萄文化旅游业等方面的相关研究及研究成果,结合实证分析法通过协调发展度函数构建模型对清徐优势农业协调旅游业发展进行定量分析。[结果]清徐县优势农业和旅游业的综合评价指数从2004年的0.118 6上升到2016年的0.985 8,总体呈上升趋势,同时协调度13年间,2004~2008年介于0.221 5~0.490 5之间,处于失调发展阶段,2009年为过渡阶段,协调度为0.524 3,2010~2015年协调度介于0.626 7~0.685 8之间,处于初级协调发展水平,2016年协调度为0.701 7,发展到中级协调发展水平。优势农业与旅游业协调发展有利于区域经济水平的提高和农业收入的增加。[结论]推动优势农业与旅游业协调发展,清徐县需加大散户经营管理力度,切实有效地解决散户存在的实际问题,夯实优势农业的基础,为旅游业发展提供更大的发展空间。     

Financial development,financial liberalization and social capital

The relationship between financial liberalization policies and financial development is controversial. The impact of these policies differs greatly across countries. In the literature, the quality of formal institutions has been identified as an important source of this heterogeneity, as countries with a weak institutional environment generally fail to benefit from financial liberalization. Using panel data covering 82 countries for the period 1973–2008, we find evidence that social capital may substitute for formal institutions as a prerequisite for effective financial liberalization policies. In particular, we find that during the post Washington-consensus period countries with a high prevailing level of social capital can ensure that financial liberalization positively influences financial development, despite the poor quality of their formal institutions.     

中国北方大规模生猪养殖技术效率研究

[目的]通过对我国北方地区大规模生猪养殖技术效率进行测度,以期发现影响其技术效率增长的主要因素,为我国现阶段生猪养殖业战略性区划调整"南猪北进"工作提供实践指导和理论支持。[方法]根据随机前沿分析方法 (SFA)基本原理,运用对数型柯布—道格拉斯生产函数及我国北方大规模生猪养殖数据构建中国北方大规模生猪养殖随机前沿分析模型,对我国北方大规模生猪养殖技术效率进行测度并据此提出相关建议。[结果]北方地区大规模生猪养殖技术效率值纵向上来看整体在不断下降,而从地域上来看内蒙古自治区和东北地区技术效率值较高,北京与西北地区技术效率值较低。[结论]内蒙古自治区与东北地区适宜作为大规模生猪养殖承载地,与国家政策具有一致性;华北地区与西北地区大规模生猪养殖技术效率测度值较低,存在较大改进空间;针对该现状提出构建经济效益与环境保护并重的规模生态生猪养殖体系。     

河北省北部山区农村生态环境治理及绩效评价

[目的]农村生态环境是一个复杂的系统,严重的生态环境问题制约着农村经济的发展以及新农村建设,探讨其治理和绩效,有利于解决生态环境建设中的各种问题,对于区域发展具有重要的理论和实践意义。[方法]文章通过构建农村生态环境治理及绩效评价指标体系,采用层次分析法确定各个指标的权重以及灰色关联法分析各指标间的灰色关联度。[结果]河北省北部山区农村生态环境治理绩效评价指标体系要素层中权重值大小依次为生态经济(0. 483 9)、生态环境(0. 273 6)、生态人居(0. 137 1)、生态保护(0. 105 4),说明该地区农村经济水平已达到一定水平,但生态环境、生态保护等仍有待提高。灰色关联法计算结果表明河北省北部山区生态环境中关联系数最高的是畜禽粪便处理率(0. 754),生态经济中关联系数最高的是农民人均纯收入(0. 624),生态保护中关联系数最高的是化肥施用量(0. 846),生态人居中关联系数最高的是饮用水合格率(0. 682),而关联度大小依次为生态保护(0. 724)、生态环境(0. 662)、生态人居(0. 573)、生态经济(0. 543),说明该地区生态环境治理仍有很大空间。[结论]研究结果指出河北省北部山区农村生态环境治理的不足,为进一步完善区域生态环境具有重要的指导意义。