Additive Structural Decomposition Analysis and Index Number Theory: An Empirical Application of the Montgomery Decomposition

In recent years, a large number of empirical articles on structural decomposition analysis, which aims at disentangling an aggregate change in a variable into its r factors, has been published in this journal. Commonly used methods are the average of the two polar decompositions and the average of all r! elementary decompositions (Dietzenbacher and Los, 1998 Dietzenbacher, E. and Los, B. 1998. Structural decomposition techniques: sense and sensitivity. Economic Systems Research, 10: 307–323. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar], D&L). We propose to use instead the ‘ideal’ Montgomery decomposition, which means that it satisfies the requirement of factor reversal imposed in index number theory. We prefer it to the methods previously mentioned. The average of the two polar decompositions is not ‘ideal’, so that the outcome depends on the ordering of the factors. The average of all elementary decompositions is ‘ideal’, but requires the computation of an ever increasing number of decompositions when the number of factors increases. Application to the example of D&L (four factors) shows that the three methods yield results that are close to each other.     

The impact of environmental corruption on green consumption: A quantitative analysis based on China's Judicial Document Network and Baidu Index

In developing countries, green consumption is still in its infancy, and the institutional environment is very important for it. In the implementation of environmental policies to stimulate green consumption, environmental corruption may affect production cost or residents' environmental responsibility. This paper aims to reveal the impact of environmental corruption on green consumption, quantify environmental corruption by collecting the cases of China's Judicial Document Network, and quantify green consumption by constructing an evaluation index system based on Baidu Index. First, baseline results show that environmental corruption is negatively correlated with green consumption. Second, impact path test is carried out from production side, sales side and consumption side. In the production side, environmental corruption inhibits green consumption by weakening green products quality and environmental investment. In the sales side, environmental corruption suppresses green consumption by weakening sales expenses and market share of green products. In the consumption side, environmental corruption inhibits green consumption by reducing government information disclosure and environmental responsibility. Third, threshold effect test is carried out from the perspective of economic basis and human capital basis. The impact of environmental corruption on green consumption is not significant as per capita GDP is lower than 9600 yuan. As the per capita GDP is higher than 13000 yuan, the inhibition of environmental corruption on green consumption is weakened. As the average education is more than 8.14 years, the inhibition effect is significantly weakened. Fourth, this paper compares the spatial impact of different types of environmental corruption on surrounding green consumption by building a spatial Durbin model. Environmental bribery has a higher inhibition on local green consumption, and environmental malfeasance has a higher negative impact on surrounding green consumption.     

Reconsidering the ‘Symmetry’ Between Institutionalization and Professionalization: The Case of Corporate Social Responsibility Managers

The assumption of a mutually supportive, ‘symmetric’ relationship between institutionalization and professionalization is central to the institutionalist perspective on professional work. Our inductive qualitative study of corporate social responsibility (CSR) managers in multinational corporations (MNCs) prompts to rethink the validity of this assumption. We show that as the institutionalization of CSR advances and consolidates, CSR managers are pushed to the organizational periphery. This indicates that the relationship between professionalization and institutionalization can be ‘asymmetric’ under certain conditions. To advance the study of this asymmetry, we develop a conceptual framework and a set of corresponding propositions that explain why some groups are able to advance their professionalization projects, while others cannot. Our study makes three main contributions to the literature: First, we explicate under which conditions the relationship between institutionalization and professionalization is more likely asymmetric than symmetric. Second, our explanation of the shifting organizational positions of different professional groups allows for further delineating occupational from organizational professionals. Third, we contribute to the CSR literature by examining the dynamic yet ambiguous role of CSR managers as driving forces behind the implementation of CSR.     

基于历史文化价值的保护规划——以佛山历史文化名城保护规划为例

本文阐述了历史文化名城保护规划的作用。以历史文化名城佛山为例,分析了历史文化价值在保护规划之中的基础性地位,归纳了佛山名城的四个价值历史文化要点,提出了基于历史文化价值的保护体系构架和保护的具体内容,并就名城展示体系和规划实施保障提出了具体措施。     

Towards Sustainable Development in the Arab Middle East and North Africa Region: A Longitudinal Analysis of Environmental Disclosure in Corporate Annual Reports

This paper presents the first comprehensive analysis of corporate environmental disclosure in the Arab Middle East and North Africa region. Using a detailed research instrument containing 55 items, content analysis of the annual reports of 180 non‐financial companies listed on nine major stock markets was conducted over a 5‐year period. The calculation of an unweighted disclosure index indicates that, although the level of disclosure might be considered relatively low by international standards, it varies by country. Perhaps of greater significance for the future of sustainable development in the region, disclosure is shown to have increased significantly over the period 2010–2014. Further analysis shows that although there are some differences relating to categories of disclosure, this is a region‐wide phenomenon not driven by a subset of countries or types of company. This benchmark study provides a systematic picture for policy‐makers in the region and, for future researchers, both substantive findings and methodological insight. © 2017 The Authors. Business Strategy and the Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Business Models for Frugal Innovation in Emerging Markets: The Case of the Medical Device and Laboratory Equipment Industry

This study investigates business models for frugal innovation (i.e. a specific form of resource-constrained innovation) in the medical device and laboratory equipment industry in the context of emerging markets. Based on original data from five case studies, we investigate how firms can set up value creation and value capturing mechanisms to reach new customer segments in remote rural areas with unprecedented value propositions. With this research, we contribute to the literature on frugal innovation and business models in emerging markets. It is among the first empirical studies to apply a fine-grained perspective on resource-constrained innovation in emerging markets. In doing so, we focus on its most disruptive form, which is when these innovations entail entirely new applications. We advance and detail the value proposition for frugal innovation in these industries and argue that frugal innovation create new markets. Further, we show how firms set up their value creation and value capturing mechanisms to achieve the value proposition and identify two distinct Research & Development (R&D) strategies for frugal innovation.