耕地流转与规模经营改善了农业环境吗？ ——基于耕地利用行为对农业环境效率的影响检验

研究目的:基于2007—2016年26省农业生产数据,测算"面源污染"和"碳排放"两类非期望产出下的农业环境效率,构建"耕地流转—利用规模—利用方式与利用强度—农业环境效率"的传导路径并进行计量检验。研究方法:超效率SBM模型,中介效应模型。研究结果:(1)耕地流转并未显著提高农业环境效率,但耕地利用规模对农业环境效率的影响呈倒U型;(2)耕地流转有助于扩大耕地利用规模,进而在样本中对农业环境效率呈现负向影响。与此同时,耕地流转对农业环境效率也存在正向的直接效应,正负效应基本抵消;(3)耕地利用规模主要通过改变化肥和机械投入强度进而负向影响农业环境效率。研究结论:农业环境效率受耕地流转、利用规模、利用方式和强度等多重因素影响,呈现明显的传导路径,因此,为了提高农业环境效率,在积极推行土地流转和规模化经营政策时,要注意结合地区农业生产力和地理环境,避免盲目扩大经营规模,同时鼓励规模经营主体引进农业绿色环保技术,注重农业生产资料的合理利用。     

The effects of anticipated goal‐inconsistent behavior on present goal choices

Prior work has examined how, in the pursuit of long‐term goals, past goal behavior influences present goal choices. Instead, the present work focuses on how anticipating future goal behavior, specifically future goal‐inconsistent behavior, influences present goal choices. For example, how anticipating overspending on an upcoming vacation influences current spending behavior. The authors propose that the effect of anticipated goal‐inconsistent behavior on present goal choice is moderated by the perceived changeability of the future behavior. When future goal‐inconsistent behavior is perceived as changeable, consumers tend to imagine it away, and it has no systematic effect on present goal choices. However, when future goal‐inconsistent behavior is perceived as unchangeable, consumers accept it as a matter of fact, and systematic effects occur. Specifically, some consumers not only fail to buffer against future goal‐inconsistent behavior's negative consequences, but tend to exacerbate those consequences by increasing their goal‐inconsistent behavior in the present. Four studies examine this surprising behavior, using an individual difference (the response‐to‐failure scale) to identify when and for whom it occurs. The studies demonstrate the role of perceived changeability using various manipulations across multiple critical goal domains such as spending, eating, and academics.     

Consumers’ valuation for food traceability in China: Does trust matter?

Food safety is a very important topic in China. We investigate Chinese consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for food traceability using a choice experiment. Given that consumers’ trust in the food system may affect their preferences and WTP, we also assess the interaction between consumers’ trust in government’s supervision of food safety and food labels and consumers’ preferences for traceable food products. Using data collected from a choice experiment on Fuji apples in a face-to-face survey in six Chinese cities, the results show that (i) consumers are willing to pay for traceable food but their valuations can differ upon the degree of their trust in government’s supervision of food safety and food labels; (ii) consumers are willing to pay for traceability with strong evidence of preference heterogeneity; (iii) government is not the most trusted safety inspection and certificate authority as found in prior studies using animal food products in China.     

人力资源管理实践对制造企业转型升级的影响——基于泉州企业的实证研究

构建人力资源管理实践行为策略影响制造业转型升级的理论模型，以327家泉州制造企业为研究对象，通过问卷调查和结构方程模型分析,检验人力资源管理实践对制造企业转型升级的作用机制。结果表明，人力资源管理实践行为策略对企业转型升级具有显著的影响，组织创新气氛在两者之间起到部分中介作用。说明制造企业可以通过工作设计与人力资源规划、员工招聘与选择、员工培训与开发、绩效评价及薪酬与激励等策略的调整来促进企业转型升级。     

The relationship between principals’ configuration of a bundle of HR practices for new teachers and teachers’ person–organisation fit

Abstract

Based on studies in the private sector showing the positive effects of strategic human resources management (SHRM) on performance, many stress the value of adopting SHRM in the public sector. However, until now, the argument for applying SHRM in the public sector remains largely theoretical. Especially in educational contexts, it is unclear through which mechanisms SHRM affects performance. Therefore, this paper zooms in on the relationship between the configuration of a bundle of human resources (HR) practices and person–organisation (P–O) fit. A mixed methods design was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from principals and teachers in 56 Flemish primary schools. The qualitative data, which provides insight into principals’ configuration of HR practices, were converted into numerical scores and analysed, together with the quantitative teacher data, using multilevel analysis. The results show that both principals’ strategic and HR orientation are associated with teachers’ P–O fit. This study contributes to the research field of SHRM in education by studying a bundle of HR practices and how this relates to the fit of teachers’ own values with the school culture. The practical implications for schools are discussed.     

Climate Change and Preparations for the Tide of Traumatic Stress: Implications for Asia-Pacific Human Resources

Although attention to the business risks posed by natural disasters fueled by climate change has grown, the toll that disasters have on human resources in the form of traumatic stress is comparatively neglected. It is common for more than 20% of people exposed to natural disasters to develop traumatic stress disorders that can last for years. In the workplace, traumatic stress hurts attendance, the quantity and quality of output, and relationships. Fortunately, businesses can promote employee resilience and recovery. Given the Asia-Pacific region’s high risk of natural disasters, businesses operating there should include employees’ traumatic stress in their disaster preparedness.     

Access to Finance,Financial Development and Firm Ability to Export: Experience from Asia–Pacific Countries

With particular reference to Asia–Pacific countries, the present study examines how access to finance and financial development affects firms’ ability to enter export markets. Using firm‐level data from the World Bank Enterprises Survey, we found that access to finance plays a significant role in improving firms’ ability to export. In addition, development of the financial sector fosters export market entry. Among the financial development indicators, reach of the banking sector variable is most prominent. The present study suggests that improvements in access to finance and financial development (increases in the reach of the banking sector) enable firms operating away from capital or major cities to enter export markets easily. The present study supports policy intervention to strengthen access to the financial sector, which would encourage firms to export, and to facilitate export market entry for remotely located firms.     

Hen housing system information effects on U.S. egg demand

The U.S. egg industry has been moving rapidly towards “cage-free” aviary housing as an alternative to conventional cages for hens. A choice experiment was used to evaluate the U.S. public’s willingness to pay (WTP) for egg attributes including housing system, color, size, and certifying agency. A significant difference in WTP for hen housing systems was found using video information treatments describing hen housing systems. When respondents were shown videos of egg production systems, they were indifferent between cage-free aviary and the alternative enriched colony hen housing system whereas with no video information the respondents clearly preferred the cage-free system. Results point towards potential public misunderstanding of the costs and benefits associated with the “cage-free” egg label designation and highlight potential discrepancies between industry commitments and informed consumer preferences.     

Are consumers at the base of the pyramid willing to pay for nutritious foods?

Base of the Pyramid (BoP) consumers living in the urban informal settlements of developing countries spend over 60% of their income on food, yet malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency remain widespread among these populations, pointing to the inadequacy of the foods they consume in terms of quality and quantity. In this paper we examine BoP consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for nutritious multi-composite porridge flour (improved flour) in the informal settlements of East Africa. The analysis is based on experimental data collected from 600 households in the informal settlements of Kampala, Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya (300 in each country) in 2016. We use Tobit regression models to analyse determinants of WTP for the improved porridge flour. Results show that both Kenyan and Ugandan BoP consumers are willing to pay a premium for the improved porridge flour. In addition, providing nutrition information about the flour, characteristics of household head, economic status of the household, and presence of young children between six and 59 months in the household, influence WTP for the safe and nutritious porridge flour. The paper concludes by providing recommendations for enhancing nutrition among poor consumers in the informal settlements of developing countries.