Greenhouse gas emissions trading in the European Union — Background and implementation of a “new” climate policy instrument

Conclusions  The EU ETS is a grandiose experiment that could pave the way for the EU becoming a pioneer in market mechanisms to counter global change. The speed of its implementation has surprised seasoned observers of Brussels decision processes. However, a timid approach to the national allocation of allowances could reduce the credibility of the instrument and prevent learning that will be crucial for later, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, it will reduce the private sector acquisition of emission credits from the CDM which is necessary to embark on a global strategy for emissions reduction. A short-term bow to powerful interest groups from sunset industries risks shutting off the way forward for the sunrise industries that will grow on mitigating global climate change.     

Assessing the Efficiency of Risk Mitigation Strategies in Supply Chains

Mitigating supply chain risk is a critical component of a company's overall risk management strategy. Drawing upon Contingency Theory, we posit that the appropriateness and effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies are contingent on the internal and external environments and that there is no one‐size‐fits‐all strategy. While literature on risk management has proposed a variety of tools and techniques for effectively evaluating and managing supply chain risks, comprehensive assessment of the efficiencies of alternative risk mitigation strategies has not been addressed in the literature. Such an assessment will help managers select the appropriate mitigation strategy for a given decision‐making environment. To this end, this study is first of its kind in evaluating and proposing efficient supply chain risk mitigation strategies in the presence of a variety of risk categories, risk sources, and supply chain configurations. We combine an empirically grounded simulation methodology with data envelopment analysis and nonparametric statistical methods to analyze and rank alternative mitigation strategies. We find that the more efficient strategies focus on flexibility rather than on redundancy for supply chain failures. Our research presents several interesting and useful managerial insights for deciding what strategies are most capable of mitigating risks in a variety of contexts.     

碳关税对高耗能产品贸易的影响——基于大国关税模型的局部均衡分析

应对气候变化,发展低碳经济,越来越成为国际社会的共识。美国《清洁能源与安全法案》的通过使高耗能产品贸易面临极大挑战。借助大国关税模型,从局部均衡分析的视角分析得出碳关税的征收将导致高耗能产品的世界市场价格下降,贸易量萎缩,高耗能产品出口国遭受净福利损失。我国作为一个发展中贸易大国应该积极推动自主创新,发展低碳经济;充分利用CDM机制,争取节能减排资金和技术;积极开展环境外交,参与碳排放规则的制定。     

The internationalization of energy supply structures

The World Energy Conference will be held in Munich in mid-September. It will have to deal with diverse and complex problems of energy policy, for the seventies have presented tremendous challenges in the energy field. The control over oil—with 46% of the world supply still by far the most important source of energy—has been reorganized and two oil crises have exposed the flow of supplies to severe disruption and political hazards. As far as can be foreseen, the supply is unlikely to keep abreast of the world-wide rise of energy consumption. To replace the oil gradually will therefore be the major task in the energy field in the coming decades. What will be the supply position between now and the year 2000? And which structural changes will have to be effected?     

浅析低碳经济对我国三大产业的影响

伴随着经济的不断发展,资源紧缺、环境破坏、气候变化等问题日益严重,人类生存面临着严峻的考验与挑战。在此背景下,以＂低能耗、低排放、低污染＂为目标的经济模式——低碳经济,受到全球各界的密切关注。发展低碳经济被列入了我国第十二个五年计划的议程中,发展低碳经济无论是在中国还是在世界已经成为必然的趋势,中国2010年碳排放量依然高居世界碳排放量国家之首,面临这样严峻的形式,发展低碳经济成为中国亟待解决的问题。本文将从低碳经济对我国三大产业影响的角度进行分析,探讨发展低碳经济对我国的影响。     

Customer and Supplier Portfolios: Can Credit Risks be Managed Through Supply Chain Relationships?

While supply chain risk has been the subject of an ever‐increasing amount of research attention, the importance of credit risk has been less studied, at least by supply chain researchers. Yet, there may be risks inherent within a firm's portfolios of supply chain relationships that are manifested in the credit risk of a firm. Moreover, portfolio characteristics may serve as a signal to the external market regarding these risks. While customer and supplier portfolio characteristics may impact the firm's exposure to risks, the specific issue of how portfolio characteristics relate to credit risk has rarely been examined by supply chain scholars. This research bridges extant works in supply chain management and finance to relate supply chain characteristics to a critical reputational outcome, namely credit ratings. In this research, we utilize a sample of firms that recently underwent an initial public offering to empirically examine the theoretical predictions of Resource Dependence Theory regarding the relationships between different supply chain portfolio characteristics and credit risk.     

Economic Challenges in the Clean Energy Supply Chain: The Market for Rare Earth Minerals and Other Critical Inputs

The past few years have witnessed an increased impetus toward renewable energy to replace fossil fuels that has been driven both by environmental and national security concerns. Recent political instability in North Africa and the Middle East has added to concerns about the security of petroleum supplies. Nevertheless, renewable energy technologies are also exposed to supply chain risks for key inputs, especially rare earths, for which China is the dominant supplier. Rising price pressures in the rare earth market, due to increased demand, as well as China's tightening of export quotas, have magnified concerns about the availability of rare earths. This has led countries to develop strategies to find other sources, to substitute other materials, and to recycle. Over the longer term, the viability of the market for rare earths is dependent on the growth in demand for products requiring rare earth, the ability to find alternative supply sources to China, and possibly increased government support.     

《能源宪章条约》下可再生能源投资仲裁案及启示——以西班牙投资仲裁案为主线的考察

为了加速可再生能源产业的发展,多数国家都制定了相关激励措施以吸引跨国公司的投资。但是,随着政策的变化,相关的法律争端也随之产生。除了国际贸易争端以外,与可再生能源相关的投资争端也大量出现,其中以西班牙最为典型,所涉投资案件也最多。随着"一带一路"倡议的推进,我国投资者在海外可再生能源领域的投资会大幅增加。与此同时,我国能源领域对外开放的幅度正在加大,可再生能源领域的外资也会越来越多,但我国现有法律制度并不足以规范可再生能源的未来发展。本文分析西班牙相关法律政策变化及仲裁庭的裁决,以期对我国可再生能源法律政策的发展和完善,以及可再生能源领域的海外投资者保护提供启示,也为我国分析评估是否加入《能源宪章条约》提供借鉴。     

发展低碳经济对我国出口的影响分析

从20世纪80年代起,臭氧空洞、全球气候变化等一系列的全球环境问题向人类敲响了警钟,为应对全球气候变化和非可再生能源枯竭等问题,以低能耗、低污染、低排放为特征的"低碳经济"成为全球热点。首先分析了我国现有的能源、出口结构和发展低碳经济的必要性,进一步阐述了我国发展低碳出口的挑战和机遇,进而提出了改变高能耗和高排放的贸易结构、实现产品结构和技术层次的升级、优化产业结构、征收出口碳税等相应政策。     

Snapshots of the Future: Darfur,Katrina, and Maple Sugar (Climate Change,the Less Well-Off and Business Ethics)

Climate change represents a significant challenge to the entire planet and its inhabitants. While few, if any, will be able to escape totally the effects of climate change, it will fall most heavily, at least initially, on the poor, regardless of where they reside. We may observe already possible scenarios. The tragic situation in Darfur may be less an ethnic conflict and more a clash between marginal farmers and herdsmen in an increasingly more arid local climate. More powerful storms on the scale of hurricane Katrina, which affected the poor more than other economic groups, may become commonplace. The alteration of the maple sugar cycle may be a harbinger of stress on the world’s flora and fauna that humanity depends upon. Mainstream climatologists have concluded that human behavior, primarily the effects of industrialization, causes human-induced climate change. Left unchecked climate change will have serious consequences for humanity, especially the poor. Business, the primary agent of industrialization, is both the problem and the solution. This paper will apply the ethics of philosophers John Rawls (the difference principle), Robert Nozick (the Lockean Proviso, climate is a natural resource), and Aristotle, along with the work of strategist Michael Porter. Understanding how climate change management fits into a firm’s strategic opportunity will contribute to the ability of business to develop the technologies and business processes necessary to cope with climate change. The paper will conclude with a brief discussion of GE’s Ecomagination program as an example of a promising moral response to climate change.     

Multiple psychological climates and employee self-regulatory focus: Implications for frontline employee work behavior and service performance

Frontline employees (FLEs) play a critical role in shaping customer experiences and purchase intentions in retail settings. Yet not all FLEs display the same work behaviors or motivational tendencies. Adopting person-environment fit theory, this research investigates whether multiple work climates can coexist within a workplace to support FLEs with different work behaviors. Using multisource data from 285 FLEs and 31 supervisors in the retail banking sector, this study examines whether a quality-focused climate and an initiative-focused climate positively influence FLE service performance via different FLE behaviors. It also examines the moderating effect of FLE self-regulatory focus on the relationship between work climate and FLE behaviors. The results demonstrate that when FLEs are willing to innovate and take risks, a work climate that supports initiative-taking will encourage them to go beyond prescribed job roles to satisfy customer needs. In contrast, when FLEs seek to minimize or avoid risks, a work climate that reinforces rule adherence will support them in using standardized procedures to satisfy customer needs. Managers should not assume that one climate fits all or that one climate is better than the other as this study shows that a quality-focused and an initiative-focused climate can operate in tandem to enhance FLE service performance.     

Sustainability and the False Sense of Legitimacy: How Institutional Distance Augments Risk in Global Supply Chains

Supply chain scholars have begun to recognize the institutional influences on supply chains, yet scarce attention has been directed toward the fact that global supply chains often comprise different institutions. This omission represents a severe shortcoming because the understanding of what constitutes legitimate behavior may vary substantially between contexts. This conceptual study employs the institutional distance concept to the case of supply chain sustainability risks. It focuses initially on paradoxical situations in which both the buyer and the supplier fully comply with stakeholder expectations within their own legitimacy contexts, yet the buyer's stakeholders still withdraw legitimacy from and harm the buyer. The study analyzes the causal microfoundations of how and why such paradoxical risks manifest, drawing on stakeholder theory and institutional theory. The analysis shows that accounting for the differing legitimacy contexts is necessary for explaining these risks, thereby substantiating our initial claim that institutional distance matters to global supply chains. The study yields important implications for corporate practice in that it highlights an inherent trade‐off in many global supply chains.     

Transformation of China's sovereign wealth fund since the 2008‐2009 global crisis

China Investment Corporation (CIC) transformed its initial investment strategy of focusing mainly on the US financial sector during 2007‐2008 into a new strategy of diversified investments across geography and sectors since 2009. Massive financial losses and domestic political backlash during the global financial crisis of 2008 gave impetus to CIC's rethinking of strategy. In the midst of the crisis, CIC engineered a capacity‐building and reorganization exercise to reposition itself for a new strategy that has since allowed for more diversification of investments. A more receptive global investment climate for sovereign wealth funds has also aided CIC's efforts to present itself as a responsible global investor and facilitated its investments. Postcrisis, CIC's new strategy of diversification is characterized by continued investments in the financial sector, but with new investments increasingly directed to real sectors of energy, natural resources, and real estate in both developed and emerging economies. Notwithstanding a global recovery that is fraught with uncertainties, CIC's judicious timing in making diversified investments, and its attention to reducing risks and enhancing returns, have been rewarded by an impressive turnaround in performance since 2009. Going forward, the success and sustainability of the new strategy will be contingent on how well CIC can navigate domestic bureaucratic rivalry and the shifting climate of the international investment environment in the medium to long term. Ultimately, CIC's shareholder, the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), holds the key to its future direction and goals. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

CLIMATE CHANGE,Change International Negociations？

China,as the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world,should have its fair share in combating against climate change.China＇s position on climate negotiations means a lot to international community.     

How is Business Adapting to Climate Change Impacts Appropriately? Insight from the Commercial Port Sector

Adaptation to climate change impacts is a key research topic in business ethics that poses substantial implications on the good lives of human beings. The commercial port sector is a highly relevant study focus with its pivotal roles in supply chains and international trade. Hence, it is important to investigate whether the port planning system and practice is appropriate in tackling climate change impacts. But beforehand, we must thoroughly understand the attitude and behaviors of port planners and operators on ports’ climate adaptation planning. Through a survey towards 21 ports (seaports and dry ports) in Canada, the paper investigates the attitude and behaviors of port planners and operators on ports’ climate adaptation planning. Towards the end, we propose a new approach so as to enable port stakeholders to carry out climate adaptation planning effectively. The paper offers important insight to researchers to investigate the ways in developing effective climate adaptation plans and practice for ports and other business sectors.     

Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Response to Sustainability Initiatives: Evidence from the Carbon Disclosure Project

This paper investigates the effect of female representation on the board of directors on corporate response to stakeholders’ demands for increased public reporting about climate change-related risks. We rely on the Carbon Disclosure Project as a sustainability initiative supported by institutional investors. Greenhouse gas emissions measurement and its disclosure to investors can be thought of as a first step toward addressing climate change issues and reducing the firm’s carbon footprint. Based on a sample of publicly listed Canadian firms over the period 2008–2014, we find that the likelihood of voluntary climate change disclosure increases with women percentage on boards. We also find evidence that supports critical mass theory with regard to board gender diversity. These findings reinforce initiatives being undertaken around the world to promote gender diversity in corporate governance while demonstrating board effectiveness in stakeholder management.     

What European Union in the “Age of Uncertainty”? Weathering the Geopolitical Storms in a World of Perpetual Crises

Intereconomics - A world of risks and uncertainties can also be a world of opportunities. How and how quickly the EU adapts to the socio-political, economic, energy and climate transitions at hand,...     

Oil and the economy: evolution not revolution

Oil price shocks have had significant effects on the U.S. economy, keeping energy supply, energy policy, and energy security always in focus. The U.S. energy industry has become more efficient and productive, with increased output despite a smaller energy sector. Since the oil price shocks of the 70s, both the impact of oil price shocks and the way we think about them have changed. The impact of an oil price shock on GDP and core inflation is much smaller in magnitude than in the past and depends on the source of the price shock. The recent shale boom in the U.S. has significantly increased oil production to a record high. The short-cycle supply response of shale producers to price changes have trimmed the peaks and troughs of oil prices in the medium term. The shale boom has lowered our dependence on foreign oil and made us less vulnerable to a classic oil supply shock, but we need to contemplate the vulnerabilities that arise from the externalities of our energy use, which will become more critical as we go forward.     

东北亚地区能源竞争与合作问题研究

东北亚地区各国的能源供应一直处于“各自为战”状态。随着经济全球化时代的到来,能源的生产、运输、供应与消费均被纳入国际化轨道,全球范围内争夺石油资源的竞争日趋激烈。中、日、韩三国同在东北亚地区,石油资源储量贫富不一,石油自身优势不尽相同。对区外石油的依赖,特别是对中东石油进口的依赖进一步增强,使中、日、韩三国均受到供应安全隐患的威胁,惟有加强合作,才能改善本地区的能源安全状况。中、日、韩三国能否找到能源合作的利益交汇点?阻力何在?本文将在客观分析的基础上对开展地区能源合作提出若干建议。     

An empirical analysis of risk mitigation in the pharmaceutical industry supply chain: A developing‐country perspective

Global pharmaceutical supply‐chain risk mitigation has become an important issue in the corporate boardroom. This article reports on the empirical findings of the quantification of risks that decision makers consider most important when deciding on a risk portfolio to mitigate and the manner in which risks are prioritized according to their importance. The empirical findings suggest that decision makers attached great importance to counterfeit, Food and Drugs Board, and exchange‐rate fluctuations. With respect to risk‐mitigation strategies, risk reduction is considered most important, followed by risk avoidance. Dynamic sensitivity analysis with respect to a change (increase) in the Food and Drugs Board did not result in any change in the ranking of risk policy options, while a change (increase) in counterfeit resulted in a change in the ranking between risk reduction and risk avoidance. Risk avoidance ranked number one, followed by risk reduction. Implications distilled from this article are far‐reaching for the Ghanaian pharmaceutical firms' managers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.