Farmland transition in China and its policy implications

China’s land use structure is closely related to its economic development. Based on the theoretical analysis framework of China’s farmland transition (FT), this paper establishes an evaluation index system for quantifying FT from two dimensions, the dominant transition and recessive transition, and uses K-means clustering to quantitatively divide the phases of FT in China over the past four decades. The results show that the FT in China has experienced several phases from slow transition, rapid transition, to steady transition and innovation transition, and demonstrates clear regional differences. The dominant transition phase, social and ecological farmland transition, mainly occurred during 2000–2010. The economic farmland transition occurred earlier, during 1990–2000. Spatially, the economic farmland transition gradually shifted from the southeast coastal area to the inland. The “structure-function” transition of China’s farmland in the past four decades can be divided into four phases: the preliminary exploration and development phase, the steady development and expansion phase, the market-oriented reform and deepening phase, and the reform and innovation phase. Finally, relevant policy implications and suggestions were proposed for the optimal management and regulation of farmland according to the characteristics of FT, its challenges and people’s new demand for farmland functions.     

Do Farmers and the Environment Benefit from Adopting Integrated Pest Management Practices? Evidence from Kenya

We estimate the impacts of a bundle of integrated pest management (IPM) practices on mango yield, mango net income, insecticide use, human health and the environment, using recent household survey data of mango growers in Kenya. We employ a multinomial endogenous switching treatment regression model with an ordered probit selection rule to establish counterfactual outcomes. Our results indicate that IPM‐adopting farmers have higher mango yields and mango net income, and also use lower quantities of insecticide and cause less damage to the environment and to human health. In addition, switching from one IPM to multiple IPM practices generates greater economic, environmental and human health benefits. These results suggest intensification of IPM‐adoption efforts and encouragement of the use of multiple IPM practices. These positive outcomes could be achieved through greater provision of technical support and extension services to farmers.     

业主BIM在综合管廊中的应用研究

BIM和综合管廊均是当前我国工程建设领域的热点方向,目前BIM在综合管廊中的应用主要集中在设计、施工阶段,尚未形成全生命周期的应用体系。为进一步推进BIM技术在综合管廊建设、运维中的应用,从建设单位角度,探讨了管廊建设过程中BIM的应用价值、组织方式、实施要点;并分析了当前综合管廊建设中业主BIM推广的阻力和未来的发展方向。     

Corporate Sustainable Development: is ‘Integrated Reporting’ a Legitimation Strategy?

In the field of sustainability reporting (SR), the so‐called ‘integrated report’ (IR) is gaining momentum. In spite of its voluntary nature, a growing number of firms are adopting IR by participating in the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Pilot Programme. Stimulated by concerns on the use of SR as a legitimation strategy, the paper investigates whether the decision to adopt an IR stems from the need to repair legitimacy threats. By showing that IR adopters have significantly higher Bloomberg ESG disclosure ratings relative to non‐adopters, we reject the hypothesis of firms adopting IR as a response to a poor rating. Additionally, we show that other proxies of legitimacy pressures (size, leverage, profitability, industry) do not play a role in explaining IR adoption. Overall, our evidence suggests that corporate engagement in IR is not a matter of strategic legitimation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

连续箱梁冬季电伴热施工

电伴热系统的保温原理是利用当交变电流经伴热电缆通过伴热管壁时,在集肤效应和邻近效应的作用下,电流不是均匀沿着管壁流动,而是集中在伴热管内表层通过,在管壁电阻的作用下,通过电流发热,经传导使模板温度升高,保温层粘贴于伴热电缆外侧以减少热量的散失,降低整个系统的电能消耗,有利于减少整套系统的运行费用。     

打车软件的经济效益评价——基于AHP—模糊综合评价模型

打车软件作为O2O模式下的应用,受到了乘客与司机的广泛关注.通过建立乘客与司机经济效益的多级评价指标,基于重庆实证研究采集的数据,采用模糊数学方法对打车软件的经济效益做出了评价.经实证计算的综合评价结果显示打车软件对乘客的效益较高,突出体现在多样需求满足与乘客候车时间上;而对司机的效益相对较低,主要是受到较低激励水平的影响所致,但对司机较好的方面是能通过软件进行路线、碎片化时间等自主安排.综合乘客与司机两者的经济效益来看,打车软件总体的经济效益较高,基于上述研究的结果,针对打车软件存在的一些问题提出了相应的建议.     

The post-industrial landscapes of Riotinto and Almadén,Spain: scenic value,heritage and sustainable tourism

The Riotinto and Almadén mining areas in Spain are two of the best examples of European experiences in restoring the heritage of traditional mining activities. Initially promoted by public administrations, particularly municipal bodies, with the active participation of private companies and the local community, these projects are an international reference in the protection and preservation of the mining-industrial heritage and the tourist use of buildings, machines and landscapes.     

Explanatory Factors of Integrated Sustainability and Financial Reporting

The complexity of the business world has led to growing demands being made of companies regarding the information provided on their financial performance, corporate governance and contribution to developing sustainability. In response, some leading companies have begun to publish integrated reporting, in the form of a document providing a coherent summary of this information, thus facilitating stakeholder engagement. This paper examines the validity of the hypotheses of the theories of agency and of signalling, and analyses the political costs and those borne by owners in voluntarily developing this new type of business document. More specifically, in order to determine their prevalence among the suggested reasons for these paradigms, we analyse the effect of industry concentration, together with other factors, in the development of integrated reporting. The analysis of a non‐balanced sample of 1590 international companies for the years 2008–2010, in which a logistic regression methodology is applied to panel data, reveals the negative impact of industry concentration on the development of a more pluralist report, simultaneously taking into account stakeholders, sustainability and the long‐term viewpoint, as well as questions of responsible investment, business ethics and transparency. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Adverse risk interaction: An integrated approach

This paper studies adverse interaction between credit and market risk. We develop a comprehensive Merton-type model, in which payment ability of borrowers is driven by the overall economic growth, while the level of their liabilities is sensitive to market variables. To illustrate the model, we apply numerical simulations to estimate credit, market and integrated Value at Risk from the loss distribution using industry-wide data from the Serbian banking sector. We show that—even after accounting for presence of market risk in the banking book—the total risk remains higher than the simple sum of credit and market risk. The results emphasize the importance of integrated approach to assessment of economic capital.     

BIM技术在设计施工一体化建设中应用研究

传统项目生产模式存在信息交流障碍,造成低效;设计施工相分离,带来众多问题。设计施工一体化将设计施工相结合,解决了传统模式下的一部分问题,但长期的设计与施工分离使得我国现行模式下的设计施工的融合存在问题。本文从信息角度出发,分析了BIM(Building Information Modeling)的发展,提出BIM在建设项目设计施工一体化中的应用技术路线,为设计和施工的有效结合提供支持。