Can environmentally oriented CEOs and environmentally friendly suppliers boost the growth of small firms?

The core question addressed in the natural resource‐based view (NRBV) of the firm is how to develop and exploit resources beneficial for both the natural environment and firm performance. Due to the resource constraints and increased competition facing small manufacturing firms, achieving this is a challenge for such companies. Building on the NRBV and resource orchestration literatures, we examine the relationship between green purchasing capabilities (GPCs), CEO's environmental orientation (EO), and firm growth. Results from 304 Swedish small manufacturing firms indicate a significant relationship between GPC and growth, and this relationship is positively moderated by the EO of the CEO.     

New ventures in Cleantech: Opportunities,capabilities and innovation outcomes

Facing the challenge of climate change, innovations that imply environmental benefits create business opportunities for entrepreneurs. This paper analyzes innovation capabilities of startups in Cleantech and how the innovation outcomes of those startups develop over time. Based on the Mannheim Foundation Panel and applying propensity score matching, a cohort of 567 Cleantech startups is analyzed and compared with a control cohort of non‐Cleantech startups. We find that startups in Cleantech have, on average, higher technological capabilities compared with all other startups. Our econometric evidence shows that Cleantech startups are more likely to combine existing technology in a novel way. Finally, we find that Cleantech startups develop more market novelties in subsequent years when compared with their control group peers.     

Is the environment‐friendly factor attractive to customers when purchasing electric vehicles? Evidence from South Korea

In a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, several countries worldwide are implementing policies to promote electric vehicles (EVs). However, contrary to expectations, the diffusion speed of EVs has been rather slow in South Korea. This study analyzes consumer preferences for the technological and environmental attributes of EVs and derives policy and environmental implications to promote market diffusion of EVs in South Korea. We conduct a choice‐based conjoint survey of 1,008 consumers in South Korea and estimate the consumer utility function using a mixed logit model considering consumer heterogeneity. Based on the consumer utility function, we analyze consumers' willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) for EV attributes such as driving range, charging method, charging time, autonomous driving function, carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction rate, and purchase price. The results indicate that the current low acceptance of EVs is due to their relatively high price and lack of a battery charging technology that satisfies consumers' expectations of the charging method and time. One interesting finding is that Korean consumers have a relatively higher WTP for the CO₂ reduction rate of EVs than consumers in other countries; however, they do not consider CO₂ reduction over other technological attributes when choosing EVs. This implies that the rate of CO₂ reduction of EVs is not an important factor for South Korean consumers when buying EVs. We also calculate the effect of CO₂ reduction with the market penetration of EVs and find that CO₂ reduction through the diffusion of EVs depends on the country's electricity generation mix.     

An analysis of environmental sustainability in small & medium‐sized enterprises: Patterns and trends

One of the greatest challenges facing the world today is climate change. The need to consistently advance with environmentally sustainable practices in today's businesses is crucial, and businesses are demanded to be more environmentally sustainable every day. This study conducts an analysis of the literature on small and medium‐sized enterprises' (SMEs) environmental sustainability by carefully examining 122 studies from 58 journals published from 2013 to 2019. We investigate the trends in drivers and barriers of sustainability adoption to inform both SMEs managers and policymakers. Our results also classify the reviewed studies on the basis of their methodologies and show the distribution of studies across industry sectors and locations in order to set directions for future research on sustainability practices of SMEs.     

Operational excellence in a green supply chain for environmental management: A case study

Nowadays, organizations have started to become more conscious about the environment in their supply chain operations. The greening process has guided supply chain practices into new ways of thinking according to green standards. The assessment of the performance of green supply chain management (GSCM) requires a holistic view for the whole supply chain. In this context, given that becoming green in the operational side of activities is essential, the performance assessment of operational activities also requires a holistic view to be taken. In this paper, an attempt has been made to improve the performance of GSCM by examining and evaluating the green operational excellence of a hot dip galvanizing company. The framework includes several green operational excellence key criteria, namely, quality management, efficiency management, green production/manufacturing, eco‐packaging, and green design. First, the weights of the criteria and the respective measurements were found by fuzzy analytic network process. Then, the overall operational performance score was found by a weighted scoring method. Finally, both managerial and theoretical implications were suggested according to the outcomes and findings of the case study.     

基于减缓热岛效应的公园绿地布局 优化研究

城市化进程加快导致城市热岛效应问题日益突出， 公园绿地在降温方面具有重要作用，如何通过公园绿地布局以 减缓热岛效应是当前值得思考的问题。以福州市主城区为研究 区，利用辐射传输方程和泰森多边形分析城市热岛情况及公园 绿地布局现状，采用P-中值模型结合城市用地规划确定公园 绿地布局优化方案，结果表明：1)福州市主城区的整体温度偏 高，其热岛范围达城市总面积的11.78%；2)共提取福州市主 城区公园绿地47个，总面积为11.11km2，占主城区总面积 的4.47%，公园绿地布局总体不能满足人们的需要；3)利用 P-中值模型对公园绿地供需情况进行分析，得出18个公园绿 地需要优化，其中包括福州动物园、环南公园等12个一级优化 公园绿地，以及屏山公园、琴亭湖公园等6个二级优化公园绿 地；4)结合福州市中心城区用地规划，得到50个潜在公园绿 地建设点，主要集中于城门镇、盖山镇及新店镇。     

社会规范对绿色消费的影响及作用机制

绿色消费是我国推进生态文明建设所倡导的消费行为,本文将社会规范划分为描述性规范、动态描述性规范和命令性规范,探讨了社会规范对绿色消费的影响及作用机制。通过两个实验研究发现,描述性规范、动态描述性规范、命令性规范对绿色消费的促进作用显著,三者对绿色消费的促进作用无显著差异;描述性规范、动态描述性规范会激活消费者的个人规范,个人规范在描述性规范、动态描述性规范影响绿色消费过程中发挥部分中介作用;命令性规范会引发消费者的后果认知,进而激活个人规范,后果认知与个人规范在命令性规范影响绿色消费过程中发挥完全中介作用。因此,可以发挥描述性规范、动态描述性规范对绿色消费的引导示范作用和命令性规范对绿色消费的监督作用,激活绿色消费的个人规范水平,更为有效地促进绿色消费。     

湘鄂赣特困山区乡村振兴路径探析

［目的］湘鄂赣山区是重要的革命老区，也是连片特困地区。根据党和政府精准脱贫要求，把握现状，明确目标，实现湘鄂赣特困山区精准脱贫攻坚与乡村振兴的相结合。［方法］运用实证分析法，分析湘鄂赣山区的致贫与发展因素，创新因山致富路径，实现山区乡村振兴目标。［结果］截止“十三五”，初步构建特色支柱产业体系； 全面解决无电人口用电问题； 推进农村主要道路硬化，不断提高山区农村防灾抗灾能力，农村的居住条件得到显著改善； 实现山区基础教育、公共卫生和基本医疗服务更加均等； 农村公共文化服务体系逐步健全，农村社会保障和服务水平进一步提升。［结论］扬其优势，补其短板。坚定绿色发展，把后发优势做成强劲发展优势； 坚持创新发展，把短腿产业做成产业链条； 坚持特色发展，把山区特色产品做成致富产业； 坚持长远发展，把薄弱基础变成坚实基础，如期全面建成小康社会。     

Land pressures,the evolution of farming systems,and development strategies in Africa: A synthesis

Evidence assembled in this special issue of Food Policy shows that rising rural population densities in parts of Africa are profoundly affecting farming systems and the region’s economies in ways that are underappreciated in current discourse on African development issues. This study synthesizes how people, markets and governments are responding to rising land pressures in Africa, drawing on key findings from the various contributions in this special issue. The papers herein revisit the issue of Boserupian agricultural intensification as an important response to land constraints, but they also go further than Boserup and her followers to explore broader responses to land constraints, including non-farm diversification, migration, and reduced fertility rates. Agricultural and rural development strategies in the region will need to more fully anticipate the implications of Africa’s rapidly changing land and demographic situation, and the immense challenges that mounting land pressures pose in the context of current evidence of unsustainable agricultural intensification, a rapidly rising labor force associated with the region’s current demographic conditions, and limited nonfarm job creation. These challenges are manageable but will require explicit policy actions to address the unique development challenges in densely populated rural areas.     

普惠金融视角下可持续的农村信用体系建设路径探索与研究--以亳州市利辛县为例

普惠金融的核心内涵是让社会各阶层,特别是弱势群体和低收入人群能拥有享受各种金融服务的机会。以亳州市利辛县农村信用体系建设在发展普惠金融、支持金融扶贫中的效用为着力点,阐述信用体系对于优化信贷分配、减少信贷歧视和不公、解决贫困和社会公平的意义,分析其中存在的困难,并有针对性地提出普惠金融中农村信用体系建设的路径和方向。