Drivers and barriers to the adoption and diffusion of Sustainable Jet Fuel (SJF) in the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Sustainable Jet Fuel (SJF) represents an important component of the airline industry's strategy to simultaneously reduce GHG emissions while meeting a growing demand for international air travel. SJFs also have the potential to provide fuel supply diversification and security, enhance fuel price stability and provide regional/rural economic development benefits. This paper measures and ranks perceived drivers and barriers to an economically viable SJF industry in a unique U.S. region, the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW), through personal interviews with key aviation fuel supply chain stakeholders conducted from June to September 2015. In addition to providing a fertile arena for this first effort to systematically assess these drivers and barriers, the U.S. PNW is unique due to the region's long strategic focus on aviation innovation and its importance to the regional economy, the seminal efforts in the region to outline a path forward on SJF beginning in 2010, and the relatively small population spread over a large geographic area with a limited number of “hub” airport nodes which geographically concentrates aviation fuel demand and distribution. Nineteen stakeholder interviewees acknowledge that, in order for regional SJF adoption-diffusion to occur, airline jet fuel buyers must drive the process, particularly as they deal with greenhouse gas (GHG) emission issues and related policy considerations. Important perceived barriers to SJF industry scale-up in the U.S. PNW include the high production costs of SJF and related issues, such as fuel logistics and quality control in the transport, storage, and blending of SJFs. Perceptions around chain-of-custody issues, such as blending, tracking, and crediting of SJFs and future SJF market share projections for the year 2030 were also examined. Incorporating stakeholder input into discussions about adding blended SJF into the U.S. aviation fuel supply provides needed insight for the biofuels industry, policymakers, and researchers.     

工作场所越轨行为的形态、员工反应与组织对策

工作场所越轨行为是指组织成员有意采取的针对其他组织成员或组织财物的违反组织重要主流规范的行为。本文旨在探讨当前工作场所越轨行为的形态特征、员工的反应以及工作场所越轨行为与组织对策间的关系。通过对580名员工的问卷调查,研究发现:(1)生产型过失、损公肥私与合作破坏行为是最常见的工作场所越轨行为类型;(2)员工最不能容忍的是违法行为与合作破坏行为;(3)视情形而定与沉默是员工较可能采取的对工作场所越轨行为的反应方式;(4)曝光与存档有利于防控生产型过失、损公肥私与合作破坏行为,定向引导有助于防控违法行为。     

Globalization and trade union strategy: industrial restructuring and human resource management in the international civil aviation industry

For trade unions, the central problematic of globalization is the growing disparity between the mobility of capital and labour. The ability of capital to operate on a trans-national basis is widely perceived to have precipitated a process of cost cutting as international companies seek to cut workers' remuneration and other conditions of employment. However, systematic empirical evidence on the impact of globalization on human resource management is hard to find, as is any assessment of the differential impact of globalization on different occupational groups or the response of trade unions to any deterioration in their members' terms and conditions of employment. Focusing on the international civil aviation industry, we examine the effects of globalization on human resource management and the national and international strategies developed by organized labour in response. Although the evidence suggests that there is indeed a concerted effort by major airlines to cut costs, trade unions have been able to retard the pace of change and effectively defend the interests of some occupational groups. Moreover, the future course of globalization will be contested through new international strategies and repertoires of collective action developed by the trade union movement.     

Marketing Relationship Management: Antecedents to Survival and Dissolution

ABSTRACT

Though investing in relationships in order to continue them seems intuitive, is every relationship worth further investment? For those partnerships in unstable conditions, it is important to know which ones are headed for dissolution and which ones have the potential to survive.

In addition to assessing the economic value of continuing a partnership, this paper argues that the behavioral quality of a relationship should also be considered if relationship management is to be successful. A Partnership Survival Framework (PSF) is offered, wherein conflict response behaviors are shown to be predictive of not only survival but also the quality of a relationship. Here, the PSF is proposed and tested. Support is found for the framework and theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Local interests or centralized targets? How China’s local government implements the farmland policy of Requisition–Compensation Balance

The Requisition–Compensation Balance of Farmland (RCBF) is a strict policy in China aimed at controlling farmland conversion and replenishing farmland loss caused by urban expansion through a set of top-down quotas. These conflict with local interests, since land conversion from agriculture to construction is a key tool by which local governments attract investment and raise fiscal revenue. How should local authorities respond to this centralized policy? This paper presents a framework “quantity–quality–productivity–environment” to investigate local governments’ coping strategy and the holistic performance of the RCBF. The empirical study indicated that local jurisdictions placed economic and financial growth first and continued expropriating farmland on a large-scale, including land of high quality, for development. However, impelled by compulsory quotas and supervision from governments at higher levels, local authorities would partly replenish the quantity loss through farmland exploitation, regardless of the quality of the new cropland and the possible environmental impact. Consequently, fast requisition and unqualified compensation undermined the capacity of regional agricultural output. We suggest that the RCBF is not capable of guaranteeing food security, whilst farmland supplementation threatens the local environment.     

Understanding Equity in the Recreation User Fee Context

Equity is a major public concern related to recreation fees on public lands. The purpose of this study was to test a three-dimensional model of equity and to examine the perceptions of equity across demographic segments. Data were collected by a telephone survey with residents (N = 366) of two western states. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-dimensional equity model in a recreation fee context. People tended to support democratic equity more than compensatory equity. Greater support was shown for discounted fees for the elderly and persons with disabilities than for discounts for ethnic minorities, low income people, or large families, suggesting the possibility of two sub-dimensions of the compensatory equity construct. Overall, the results do not support that disadvantaged groups seek discounted fees.     

困境与回应：罗尔斯对“原初状态”理论的修正

＂原初状态＂理论既是罗尔斯正义理论的逻辑起点,又是罗尔斯正义原则的论证方法,其要素包括选项预设、信息预设、主体预设、环境预设、心理预设五个方面。虽然罗尔斯的正义理论行文结构严谨,论证审慎小心,结论豁达易行,但他的＂原初状态＂理论同样受到＂社群主义＂和＂自由主义＂的批判。前者批评的焦点集中在契约各方——主体的假设上,后者则集中在社会合作必要性、可能性和利益性方面。出于对以上批评的回应,罗尔斯对＂原初状态＂理论的三个方面即理论适用范围、社会特征、契约主体作了认真的修正,以期进一步增强理论的说服力。     

Aggregate supply response in Tanzanian agriculture

Tanzania is among the many African countries that have engaged in agricultural liberalization since the mid-1980s. in the hope that reforms that introduce price incentives and efficient marketing will encourage producers to respond. This paper assesses that claim by examining the supply response of agricultural output in Tanzania. Our estimates suggest that aggregate agricultural supply response is quite high so that the potential for agricultural sector response to liberalization of agricultural prices and marketing may be quite significant. The long-run elasticity of aggregate food crop output to relative prices was almost unity. Short-run supply responses were estimated at about 0.35 for aggregate food crops and for all (food and export) crops. Liberalization of agricultural markets, where it increases the effective prices paid to farmers, can be effective in promoting production, although complementary interventions, to improve infrastructure, marketing, access to inputs and credit, improved production technology etc, are probably necessary.     

AMBITIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ASSESSING MILITARY PERFORMANCE IN CRISIS RESPONSE OPERATIONS

This paper addresses the issue of measuring armed forces’ performance in crisis response operations. By means of interviews (17 respondents) and a large scale survey (1,253 respondents) field and general officers of the Netherlands Armed Forces (NAF) have been questioned on perceived organisational success in crisis response operations. The Dutch officers assess the NAF's performance positively. A number of senior officers are hesitant about the usefulness of measuring the performance of crisis response operations. According to them the context in which the operations are being executed is too complex. Most interviewees, however, are convinced that measuring performance is useful and should be improved. These military leaders express a strong need for criteria to assess their performance on the job.     

中小学教师职业压力的成因与自我调适

中小学教师承受的职业压力主要来自考试压力、新课改的挑战、工作强度大、角色冲突等几个方面。教师个体的自我调适是缓解压力的关键所在,教师只有合理认知并积极应对,才能变压力为动力,从而提升自身的职业幸福感。