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Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2018) | Viewed by 150492

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sang-Bing Tsai

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Guest Editor
1. Zhongshan Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Guangdong 528400, China
2. Economics and Management College, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin 300300, China
3. Business and Law School, Foshan University, Guangdong 528000, China
4. School of Economics & Management, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 201306, China
Interests: strategic management; business management; applied mathematics; operations management; green technology; sustainability; big data; computer science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Jian Yu

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Civil Aviation University of China, China
Interests: environmental research; sustainability; environment and sustainable development
Prof. Zhen He

E-Mail
Guest Editor
College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, China
Interests: green operation; green technology; environmental research
Prof. Lei Xu

E-Mail
Guest Editor
School of Management, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin, China
Interests: green and sustainable supply chain management; operation management; green technology; environmental research; e-commerce
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue provides a practical and comprehensive forum for exchanging novel research ideas or empirical practices that bridge the latest green environment, green operations and sustainability. Green environment and green operations are a developing trend and have been global topics. We must grasp this trend.

The Special Issue’s distinctive emphasis is on the green environment, green operations and sustainability: Environmental research, green operation, green environment, green technology, sustainability, green management, public health, environment and sustainable development, environment and health risk assessment, green service, green governance, green corporate social responsibility, etc. The use of new theories, technologies, methods, and techniques are emphasized. The Special Issue encompasses theoretical, analytical, empirical research, comprehensive reviews of relevant research, conceptual frameworks and case studies of effective applications in this area.

We invite colleagues to contribute to this Special Issue. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Environmental research
  • Green operation
  • Green environment
  • Green technology
  • Sustainability
  • Green management
  • Public health
  • Environment and sustainable development
  • Environment and health risk assessment
  • Green service
  • Green governance
  • Green corporate social responsibility
Prof. Sang-Bing Tsai
Prof. Jian Yu
Prof. Zhen He
Prof. Lei Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Environmental research
  • Green operation
  • Green environment
  • Green technology
  • Sustainability
  • Green management
  • Public health
  • Environment and sustainable development
  • Environment and health risk assessment
  • Green service
  • Green governance
  • Green corporate social responsibility

Published Papers (30 papers)

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20 pages, 1202 KiB  
Article
Improvement of Eco-Efficiency in China: A Comparison of Mandatory and Hybrid Environmental Policy Instruments
by Zifeng Liang, Manli Zhang, Qingduo Mao, Bingxin Yu and Ben Ma
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(7), 1473; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15071473 - 12 Jul 2018
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 4552
Abstract
China’s environmental problems have long been criticized. The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government have increasingly paid attention to developing environmental protection and included the construction of an ecological civilization in the “Five-in-One” development strategy. The improvement of regional eco-efficiency is [...] Read more.
China’s environmental problems have long been criticized. The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government have increasingly paid attention to developing environmental protection and included the construction of an ecological civilization in the “Five-in-One” development strategy. The improvement of regional eco-efficiency is an important way to realize the coordinated development of the entire society, and environmental policy instruments are a powerful means to enhance regional eco-efficiency. This paper categorizes environmental policy instruments into mandatory, hybrid, and voluntary types. Based on panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2015, the paper discusses the impact of environmental policy instruments on regional eco-efficiency and the means of the impact. The research shows that (1) mandatory and hybrid environmental policy instruments play a significant role in promoting regional eco-efficiency, while the role of voluntary instruments is not significant in promoting regional eco-efficiency; (2) hybrid and mandatory environmental policy instruments have negative interactions; and (3) the level of economic development will positively affect the role of hybrid environmental policy instruments in promoting regional eco-efficiency but negatively affect the role of mandatory instruments in promoting regional efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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32 pages, 2787 KiB  
Article
Novel Method for Perceiving Key Requirements of Customer Collaboration Low-Carbon Product Design
by Aijun Liu, Qiuyun Zhu, Xiaohui Ji, Hui Lu and Sang-Bing Tsai
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(7), 1446; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15071446 - 09 Jul 2018
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3200
Abstract
Low-carbon product design is an important way to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Customer collaborative product innovation (CCPI) has become a new worldwide product design trend. Based on this popularity, we introduced CCPI into the low-carbon product design process. An essential step for implementing [...] Read more.
Low-carbon product design is an important way to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Customer collaborative product innovation (CCPI) has become a new worldwide product design trend. Based on this popularity, we introduced CCPI into the low-carbon product design process. An essential step for implementing low carbon CCPI is to clarify key low carbon requirements of customers. This study tested a novel method for perceiving key requirements of customer collaboration low-carbon product design based on fuzzy grey relational analysis and genetic algorithm. Firstly, the study considered consumer heterogeneity, allowing different types of customers to evaluate low carbon requirements in appropriate formats that reflected their degrees of uncertainty. Then, a nonlinear optimization model was proposed to establish the information aggregation factor of customers based on the genetic algorithm. The weight of customers was obtained simultaneously. Next, the key low carbon requirements of customer were identified. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method was illustrated with a case related to a low carbon liquid crystal display. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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11 pages, 1084 KiB  
Article
Do Socio-Economic Characteristics Affect Travel Behavior? A Comparative Study of Low-Carbon and Non-Low-Carbon Shopping Travel in Shenyang City, China
by Jing Li, Kevin Lo and Meng Guo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(7), 1346; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15071346 - 27 Jun 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4718
Abstract
Choices regarding mode of travel have an evident effect on environment pollutants and public health. This paper makes a significant contribution by examining the differences between low-carbon and non-low-carbon travel mode choices during shopping trips, and how socio-economic characteristics impact individual travel behavior [...] Read more.
Choices regarding mode of travel have an evident effect on environment pollutants and public health. This paper makes a significant contribution by examining the differences between low-carbon and non-low-carbon travel mode choices during shopping trips, and how socio-economic characteristics impact individual travel behavior based on data gathered from a questionnaire conducted in Shenyang, China. The study found that, firstly, low-carbon travel modes were more common than non-low-carbon travel modes for shopping, and the average travel distance by non-low-carbon modes was a little longer than that of low-carbon modes. Secondly, suburban and wholesale specialized commercial centers attracted more residents travelling longer distances by non-low carbon modes, especially private car, compared to regional commercial centers in inner city areas. Thirdly, strong relationships between car ownership, gender, monthly income, and travel mode choices were identified in a binary logistic regression model. This study thus highlights the importance of sustainable transportation policies to advocate low-carbon travel modes and reduce carbon emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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18 pages, 509 KiB  
Article
A Dual-Channel Supply Chain Coordination under Carbon Cap-and-Trade Regulation
by Qi Qi, Jing Wang and Jianteng Xu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(7), 1316; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15071316 - 23 Jun 2018
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3485
Abstract
We consider a dual-channel supply chain coordination under a carbon cap-and-trade regulation. The dual-channel refers to the traditional retail channel and the network direct channel, and both two channels’ selling prices can affect the market demand. We formulate the problem as a supplier-Stackelberg [...] Read more.
We consider a dual-channel supply chain coordination under a carbon cap-and-trade regulation. The dual-channel refers to the traditional retail channel and the network direct channel, and both two channels’ selling prices can affect the market demand. We formulate the problem as a supplier-Stackelberg game model and obtain the optimal pricing decisions and corresponding profits in centralized and decentralized systems. We explore the effects of cap-and-trade regulation on optimal decisions and profits. To improve the performance of the decentralized system, we propose online channel price discount and offline channel price discount contracts to coordinate dual-channel supply chain and provide a transfer payment mechanism to make win-win of both sides. Moreover, we investigate how carbon regulation affects the coordination performance. Numerical examples illustrate the process to find the appropriate price discount coefficient and show the coordination effects of two contracts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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12 pages, 339 KiB  
Article
A New TS Algorithm for Solving Low-Carbon Logistics Vehicle Routing Problem with Split Deliveries by Backpack—From a Green Operation Perspective
by Yangkun Xia, Zhuo Fu, Sang-Bing Tsai and Jiangtao Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(5), 949; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15050949 - 10 May 2018
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3846
Abstract
In order to promote the development of low-carbon logistics and economize logistics distribution costs, the vehicle routing problem with split deliveries by backpack is studied. With the help of the model of classical capacitated vehicle routing problem, in this study, a form of [...] Read more.
In order to promote the development of low-carbon logistics and economize logistics distribution costs, the vehicle routing problem with split deliveries by backpack is studied. With the help of the model of classical capacitated vehicle routing problem, in this study, a form of discrete split deliveries was designed in which the customer demand can be split only by backpack. A double-objective mathematical model and the corresponding adaptive tabu search (TS) algorithm were constructed for solving this problem. By embedding the adaptive penalty mechanism, and adopting the random neighborhood selection strategy and reinitialization principle, the global optimization ability of the new algorithm was enhanced. Comparisons with the results in the literature show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The proposed method can save the costs of low-carbon logistics and reduce carbon emissions, which is conducive to the sustainable development of low-carbon logistics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
18 pages, 6743 KiB  
Article
Spatial Pattern and Population Structure of Artemisia ordosica Shrub in a Desert Grassland under Enclosure, Northwest China
by Jiankang Liu and Kebin Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(5), 946; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15050946 - 09 May 2018
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3844
Abstract
Enclosure is an effective practice for restoring and rehabilitating the degraded grassland ecosystem caused by overgrazing. Shrub species, which are dominant in most desert grasslands in arid and semiarid regions, have some beneficial ecological functions for grassland restoration. However, how the population structure [...] Read more.
Enclosure is an effective practice for restoring and rehabilitating the degraded grassland ecosystem caused by overgrazing. Shrub species, which are dominant in most desert grasslands in arid and semiarid regions, have some beneficial ecological functions for grassland restoration. However, how the population structure and spatial pattern of the Artemisia ordosica shrub changes in a grassland ecosystem under enclosed practice is not well understood. This study, conducted in the Mu Us desert in northwest China, was designed to measure the A. ordosica population according to the chronosequence of enclosure (enclosure periods ranged from 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, and 25 years), contrasting this with an adjacent continuously grazed grassland. The results showed that the enclosed grasslands had a higher number of individuals of different age classes (seedling, adult, aging, and dead group) and greater population coverage, but shrubs had significant lower (p < 0.05) crown diameter and height in comparison with those in continuously grazed grassland. Further, enclosed grasslands had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) Shannon-Wiener index (H) and Evenness index (E), but a significantly lower (p < 0.05) Richness index (R) than continuously grazed grassland. The crown of A. ordosica showed a significant linear positive correlation with height in all plots across succession, indicating that it was feasible to analyze the age structure by crown. The crown-class distribution structure of the A. ordosica population approximated a Gaussian distribution model in all survey plots. Within the population, seedling and adult groups exhibited aggregated spatial distribution at small scales, while aging and dead A. ordosica groups showed random distribution at almost all scales in different plots. The seedling A. ordosica group showed a positive correlation with adults at small scales in all plots except in 10 years of enclosure. However, it showed independent correlation with aging and dead groups at almost all scales. In long-term enclosed plots, the mortality rate of the A. ordosica population increased, therefore assistance management practices, such as fertilization, mowing, interval grazing, and seasonal grazing, must be employed to maintain population stability after long-term enclosure. This study can improve understanding and clarify the effects of enclosures in the desert grasslands of northwest China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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22 pages, 1316 KiB  
Article
Will Happiness Improve the Psychological Integration of Migrant Workers?
by Tian-Cheng Li, Chien-Chi Chu, Fan-Cun Meng, Qin Li, Di Mo, Bin Li and Sang-Bing Tsai
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(5), 900; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15050900 - 03 May 2018
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4493
Abstract
Happiness is a major factor that influences people’s perceptions and behavior. Two-stage least squares regression was applied to investigate the effect of happiness on the psychological integration of migrant workers in China. The data for a total of 1625 individuals were obtained from [...] Read more.
Happiness is a major factor that influences people’s perceptions and behavior. Two-stage least squares regression was applied to investigate the effect of happiness on the psychological integration of migrant workers in China. The data for a total of 1625 individuals were obtained from the 2014 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS). This study describes happiness from three main aspects: happiness, life satisfaction, and economic satisfaction. The psychological integration includes two dimensions of settlement willingness, and trust level; these have gone through dimension-reduced processing by using the weighted average method. The empirical evidence shows, first, that happiness has a significantly positive effect on the psychological integration of migrant workers and second, that the sense of life satisfaction in particular plays a more significant role. The acceleration of the social and political integration in migrant workers will enhance their psychological integration. Additionally, social, cultural and economic integration is found to influence migrant workers’ psychological integration by promoting happiness. Happiness between different generations of migrant workers was found to have a noticeably positive impact on their psychological integration; however, the happiness of the younger migrant workers was more perceivable than that of the other generations. Preferential policies should therefore be provided to improve the happiness of migrant workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 357 KiB  
Article
An Empirical Study of the Impact of the Air Transportation Industry Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Projects on the Local Economy in China
by Yuxiu Chen, Jian Yu, Li Li, Linlin Li, Long Li, Jie Zhou, Sang-Bing Tsai and Quan Chen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(4), 812; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15040812 - 20 Apr 2018
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4681
Abstract
Green development has been of particular interest to a range of industries worldwide, one of which being the air transportation industry (ATI). The energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) projects of the ATI have a huge impact on the local economy. In this [...] Read more.
Green development has been of particular interest to a range of industries worldwide, one of which being the air transportation industry (ATI). The energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) projects of the ATI have a huge impact on the local economy. In this study, the input-output method was used to analyze the indirect economic impact of the implementation of the ECER projects of the ATI on the local economy of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. We examined the direct benefits, backward spread effects, forward spread effects, and consumption multiplier effects. The final results showed that the comprehensive economic income from 2011–2013 in the BTH region reached RMB 4.74 billion. The results revealed that the ECER projects commissioned by the ATI were worth investing from both the economic and social benefits perspectives. To increase the green development effects and promote the sustainable development of the ATI, the special funds provided by the Civil Aviation Administration of China should be invested intensively in basic green technology research and setting green regulating and governance rules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
32 pages, 1514 KiB  
Article
Carbon Emission Reduction with Capital Constraint under Greening Financing and Cost Sharing Contract
by Juanjuan Qin, Yuhui Zhao and Liangjie Xia
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(4), 750; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15040750 - 13 Apr 2018
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 4586
Abstract
Motivated by the industrial practices, this work explores the carbon emission reductions for the manufacturer, while taking into account the capital constraint and the cap-and-trade regulation. To alleviate the capital constraint, two contracts are analyzed: greening financing and cost sharing. We use the [...] Read more.
Motivated by the industrial practices, this work explores the carbon emission reductions for the manufacturer, while taking into account the capital constraint and the cap-and-trade regulation. To alleviate the capital constraint, two contracts are analyzed: greening financing and cost sharing. We use the Stackelberg game to model four cases as follows: (1) in Case A1, the manufacturer has no greening financing and no cost sharing; (2) in Case A2, the manufacturer has greening financing, but no cost sharing; (3) in Case B1, the manufacturer has no greening financing but has cost sharing; and, (4) in Case B2, the manufacturer has greening financing and cost sharing. Then, using the backward induction method, we derive and compare the equilibrium decisions and profits of the participants in the four cases. We find that the interest rate of green finance does not always negatively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the cost sharing from the retailer does not always positively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. When the cost sharing is low, both of the participants’ profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are not less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance). When the cost sharing is high, both of the participants’ profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 9343 KiB  
Article
A Spatial Panel Data Analysis of Economic Growth, Urbanization, and NOx Emissions in China
by Xiangyu Ge, Zhimin Zhou, Yanli Zhou, Xinyue Ye and Songlin Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(4), 725; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15040725 - 11 Apr 2018
Cited by 54 | Viewed by 5400
Abstract
Is nitrogen oxides emissions spatially correlated in a Chinese context? What is the relationship between nitrogen oxides emission levels and fast-growing economy/urbanization? More importantly, what environmental preservation and economic developing policies should China’s central and local governments take to mitigate the overall nitrogen [...] Read more.
Is nitrogen oxides emissions spatially correlated in a Chinese context? What is the relationship between nitrogen oxides emission levels and fast-growing economy/urbanization? More importantly, what environmental preservation and economic developing policies should China’s central and local governments take to mitigate the overall nitrogen oxides emissions and prevent severe air pollution at the provincial level in specific locations and their neighboring areas? The present study aims to tackle these issues. This is the first research that simultaneously studies the nexus between nitrogen oxides emissions and economic development/urbanization, with the application of a spatial panel data technique. Our empirical findings suggest that spatial dependence of nitrogen oxides emissions distribution exists at the provincial level. Through the investigation of the existence of an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) embedded within the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) framework, we conclude something interesting: an inverse N-shaped EKC describes both the income-nitrogen oxides nexus and the urbanization-nitrogen oxides nexus. Some well-directed policy advice is provided to reduce nitrogen oxides in the future. Moreover, these results contribute to the literature on development and pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 1078 KiB  
Article
Attitudes Expressed in Online Comments about Environmental Factors in the Tourism Sector: An Exploratory Study
by Jose Ramon Saura, Pedro Palos-Sanchez and Miguel Angel Rios Martin
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(3), 553; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15030553 - 19 Mar 2018
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 5499
Abstract
The object of this exploratory study is to identify the positive, neutral and negative environment factors that affect users who visit Spanish hotels in order to help the hotel managers decide how to improve the quality of the services provided. To carry out [...] Read more.
The object of this exploratory study is to identify the positive, neutral and negative environment factors that affect users who visit Spanish hotels in order to help the hotel managers decide how to improve the quality of the services provided. To carry out the research a Sentiment Analysis was initially performed, grouping the sample of tweets (n = 14459) according to the feelings shown and then a textual analysis was used to identify the key environment factors in these feelings using the qualitative analysis software Nvivo (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia). The results of the exploratory study present the key environment factors that affect the users experience when visiting hotels in Spain, such as actions that support local traditions and products, the maintenance of rural areas respecting the local environment and nature, or respecting air quality in the areas where hotels have facilities and offer services. The conclusions of the research can help hotels improve their services and the impact on the environment, as well as improving the visitors experience based on the positive, neutral and negative environment factors which the visitors themselves identified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 1404 KiB  
Article
Managing Risk Aversion for Low-Carbon Supply Chains with Emission Abatement Outsourcing
by Qinpeng Wang and Longfei He
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(2), 367; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15020367 - 21 Feb 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4248
Abstract
Reducing carbon emissions, including emission abatement outsourcing at the supply-chain level, is becoming a significant but challenging problem in practice. Confronting this challenge, we therefore break down the practice to focus on a low-carbon supply chain consisting of one supplier, one manufacturer and [...] Read more.
Reducing carbon emissions, including emission abatement outsourcing at the supply-chain level, is becoming a significant but challenging problem in practice. Confronting this challenge, we therefore break down the practice to focus on a low-carbon supply chain consisting of one supplier, one manufacturer and one third-party emission-reducing contractor. The contractor offers a carbon reduction service to the manufacturer. In view of the increasing proportion of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions and absence of carbon reduction policies in developing countries, we adopt the prospect of consumers’ low-carbon preferences to capture the demand sensitivity on carbon emission. By exploiting the Mean-Variance (MV) model, we develop a supply chain game model considering risk aversion. Comparing the supply chain performances of the cases under risk neutrality and risk aversion, we investigate the impact of the risk aversion of the supplier and the manufacturer on the low-carbon supply chain performances, respectively. We show that the risk aversion of chain members will not influence the relationship underlain by the profit-sharing contract between the manufacturer and contractor, whereas they may extend the supplier’s concerning range. Although the manufacturer’s risk aversion has a positive impact on the wholesale price, interestingly, the supplier’s impact on the wholesale price is negative. Furthermore, we propose a contract to coordinate the risk-averse low-carbon supply chain by tuning the aversion levels of the supplier and the manufacturer, respectively. Through numerical study, we draw on managerial insights for industrial practitioners to adopt a low carbon strategy potentially by managing the risk attitudes along the supply chain channel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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14 pages, 359 KiB  
Article
Effects of Vacation Rental Websites on the Concentration of Tourists—Potential Environmental Impacts. An Application to the Balearic Islands in Spain
by José María Martín Martín, José Antonio Rodriguez Martín, Karla Aída Zermeño Mejía and José Antonio Salinas Fernández
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(2), 347; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15020347 - 15 Feb 2018
Cited by 46 | Viewed by 5446
Abstract
The concentration of tourists at certain times of the year can damage sensitive environments. The use of peer-to-peer vacation rental websites has increased greatly during the last decade. This system could either reduce seasonality in touristic destinations where the tourist activity takes place [...] Read more.
The concentration of tourists at certain times of the year can damage sensitive environments. The use of peer-to-peer vacation rental websites has increased greatly during the last decade. This system could either reduce seasonality in touristic destinations where the tourist activity takes place throughout the year at a lower price or on the contrary, it could increase the number of visitors at certain times of the year even more. This paper intends to analyze the effect that these platforms have on tourism seasonality in order to calculate if they help reduce or increase the pressure on the destinations. To do so, the Gini Index has been applied to one of the main touristic spots in Europe, the Balearic Islands in Spain. The conclusion is that this type of accommodation has aggravated the problem, generating a greater concentration of tourists and a higher pressure on the resources of the islands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
14 pages, 471 KiB  
Article
Will Green CSR Enhance Innovation? A Perspective of Public Visibility and Firm Transparency
by Weiwei Wu, Yexin Liu, Tachia Chin and Wenzhong Zhu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(2), 268; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15020268 - 04 Feb 2018
Cited by 68 | Viewed by 8220
Abstract
In response to the asking and requiring of stakeholders to be more environmentally responsible, firms must commit to green corporate social responsibility (CSR). Firms being green and responsible always can acquire intangible resources that are important for firm innovation. Given the scarcity of [...] Read more.
In response to the asking and requiring of stakeholders to be more environmentally responsible, firms must commit to green corporate social responsibility (CSR). Firms being green and responsible always can acquire intangible resources that are important for firm innovation. Given the scarcity of existing research addressing relevant issues in depth, this paper expands our understanding of green CSR by revealing its antecedent effects on firm innovation performance. We also include public visibility and firm transparency as contingency factors to explore the relationship between green CSR and firm innovation performance. Using data collected from publicly listed firms in China, we find that greater innovation performance is associated with an increase in firm green CSR, and the positive relationship between green CSR and innovation performance is moderated by public visibility and firm transparency. Based on the results, theoretical contributions and practical implications are outlined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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15 pages, 327 KiB  
Article
Do Authoritarian Governments Respond to Public Opinion on the Environment? Evidence from China
by Xiao Tang, Weiwei Chen and Tian Wu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(2), 266; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15020266 - 04 Feb 2018
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5115
Abstract
Given its serious impacts on the public’s health, air pollution in China is a matter of strong public concern, particularly in reference to malodorous waste gas. Petition letters related to atmospheric pollution accounted for about 40% of the total petition cases. However, scholarly [...] Read more.
Given its serious impacts on the public’s health, air pollution in China is a matter of strong public concern, particularly in reference to malodorous waste gas. Petition letters related to atmospheric pollution accounted for about 40% of the total petition cases. However, scholarly views differ on whether the Chinese government responds to public opinion on the environment and seeks to improve its environmental governance behavior. For this study, data from national surveys on the public’s environmental satisfaction administered during the period 2011–2015 were analyzed to determine whether the public’s dissatisfaction with the state of the environment in a given year resulted in increased investments by provincial governments in pollution governance during the following year. The study’s findings revealed that governmental behavior in response to public opinion on the environment was selective within the field of environmental governance, with provincial governments being inclined to invest more in waste gas pollution control than in water pollution control. Furthermore, results from this study show that the Chinese government tends to put more efforts into the environmental field where it could more easily achieve short-term benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
13 pages, 1999 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Emission Effects Related to Drivers’ Compliance Rates for Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure System at Signalized Intersections
by Ruohua Liao, Xumei Chen, Lei Yu and Xiaofei Sun
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(1), 122; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15010122 - 12 Jan 2018
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4592
Abstract
Unknown remaining time of signal phase at a signalized intersection generally results in extra accelerations and decelerations that increase variations of operating conditions and thus emissions. A cooperative vehicle-infrastructure system can reduce unnecessary speed changes by establishing communications between vehicles and the signal [...] Read more.
Unknown remaining time of signal phase at a signalized intersection generally results in extra accelerations and decelerations that increase variations of operating conditions and thus emissions. A cooperative vehicle-infrastructure system can reduce unnecessary speed changes by establishing communications between vehicles and the signal infrastructure. However, the environmental benefits largely depend on drivers’ compliance behaviors. To quantify the effects of drivers’ compliance rates on emissions, this study applied VISSIM 5.20 (Planung Transport Verkehr AG, Karlsruhe, Germany) to develop a simulation model for a signalized intersection, in which light duty vehicles were equipped with a cooperative vehicle-infrastructure system. A vehicle-specific power (VSP)-based model was used to estimate emissions. Based on simulation data, the effects of different compliance rates on VSP distributions, emission factors, and total emissions were analyzed. The results show the higher compliance rate decreases the proportion of VSP bin = 0, which means that the frequencies of braking and idling were lower and light duty vehicles ran more smoothly at the intersection if more light duty vehicles complied with the cooperative vehicle-infrastructure system, and emission factors for light duty vehicles decreased significantly as the compliance rate increased. The case study shows higher total emission reductions were observed with higher compliance rate for all of CO2, NOx, HC, and CO emissions. CO2 was reduced most significantly, decreased by 16% and 22% with compliance rates of 0.3 and 0.7, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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11 pages, 459 KiB  
Article
An Empirical Study on Low-Carbon: Human Resources Performance Evaluation
by Quan Chen, Sang-Bing Tsai, Yuming Zhai, Jie Zhou, Jian Yu, Li-Chung Chang, Guodong Li, Yuxiang Zheng and Jiangtao Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(1), 62; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15010062 - 03 Jan 2018
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4849
Abstract
Low-carbon logistics meets the requirements of a low-carbon economy and is the most effective operating model for logistic development to achieve sustainability by coping with severe energy consumption and global warming. Low-carbon logistics aims to reduce carbon intensity rather than simply reduce energy [...] Read more.
Low-carbon logistics meets the requirements of a low-carbon economy and is the most effective operating model for logistic development to achieve sustainability by coping with severe energy consumption and global warming. Low-carbon logistics aims to reduce carbon intensity rather than simply reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Human resources are an important part of the great competition in the logistics market and significantly affect the operations of enterprises. Performance evaluations of human resources are particularly important for low-carbon logistics enterprises with scarce talents. Such evaluations in these enterprises are of great significance for their strategic development. This study constructed a human resource performance evaluation system to assess non-managerial employees’ low-carbon job capacity, job performance, and job attitude in the low-carbon logistics sector. The case study results revealed that the investigated company enjoyed initial success after having promoted low-carbon concepts and values to its non-managerial employees, and the success was demonstrated by excellent performance in its employees’ job attitude and knowledge. This study adopts the AHP method to reasonably determine an indicator system of performance evaluation and its weight to avoid certain human-caused bias. This study not only fills the gap in the related literature, but can also be applied to industrial practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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14 pages, 983 KiB  
Article
The Development Evaluation of Economic Zones in China
by Wei Liu, Hong-Bo Shi, Zhe Zhang, Sang-Bing Tsai, Yuming Zhai, Quan Chen and Jiangtao Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(1), 56; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15010056 - 02 Jan 2018
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 6386
Abstract
After the Chinese reform and opening up, the construction of economic zones, such as Special Economic Zones, Hi-tech Zones and Bonded Zones, has played an irreplaceable role in China’s economic development. Currently, against the background of Chinese economic transition, research on development evaluation [...] Read more.
After the Chinese reform and opening up, the construction of economic zones, such as Special Economic Zones, Hi-tech Zones and Bonded Zones, has played an irreplaceable role in China’s economic development. Currently, against the background of Chinese economic transition, research on development evaluation of economic zones has become popular and necessary. Similar research usually focuses on one specific field, and the methods that are used to evaluate it are simple. This research aims to analyse the development evaluation of zones by synthesis. A new hybrid multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model that combines the DEMATEL technique and the DANP method is proposed. After establishing the evaluation criterion system and acquiring data, the influential weights of dimensions and criteria can be calculated, which will be a guide for forming measures of development. Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone is used in the empirical case analysis. The results show that Transportation Conditions, Industrial Structure and Business Climate are the main influencing criteria and measures based on these criteria are proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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1085 KiB  
Article
Environment-Aware Production Scheduling for Paint Shops in Automobile Manufacturing: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach
by Rui Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(1), 32; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15010032 - 25 Dec 2017
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4921
Abstract
The traditional way of scheduling production processes often focuses on profit-driven goals (such as cycle time or material cost) while tending to overlook the negative impacts of manufacturing activities on the environment in the form of carbon emissions and other undesirable by-products. To [...] Read more.
The traditional way of scheduling production processes often focuses on profit-driven goals (such as cycle time or material cost) while tending to overlook the negative impacts of manufacturing activities on the environment in the form of carbon emissions and other undesirable by-products. To bridge the gap, this paper investigates an environment-aware production scheduling problem that arises from a typical paint shop in the automobile manufacturing industry. In the studied problem, an objective function is defined to minimize the emission of chemical pollutants caused by the cleaning of painting devices which must be performed each time before a color change occurs. Meanwhile, minimization of due date violations in the downstream assembly shop is also considered because the two shops are interrelated and connected by a limited-capacity buffer. First, we have developed a mixed-integer programming formulation to describe this bi-objective optimization problem. Then, to solve problems of practical size, we have proposed a novel multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm characterized by problem-specific improvement strategies. A branch-and-bound algorithm is designed for accurately assessing the most promising solutions. Finally, extensive computational experiments have shown that the proposed MOPSO is able to match the solution quality of an exact solver on small instances and outperform two state-of-the-art multi-objective optimizers in literature on large instances with up to 200 cars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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1968 KiB  
Article
Measurement of Scenic Spots Sustainable Capacity Based on PCA-Entropy TOPSIS: A Case Study from 30 Provinces, China
by Xuedong Liang, Canmian Liu and Zhi Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(1), 10; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15010010 - 22 Dec 2017
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4821
Abstract
In connection with the sustainable development of scenic spots, this paper, with consideration of resource conditions, economic benefits, auxiliary industry scale and ecological environment, establishes a comprehensive measurement model of the sustainable capacity of scenic spots; optimizes the index system by principal components [...] Read more.
In connection with the sustainable development of scenic spots, this paper, with consideration of resource conditions, economic benefits, auxiliary industry scale and ecological environment, establishes a comprehensive measurement model of the sustainable capacity of scenic spots; optimizes the index system by principal components analysis to extract principal components; assigns the weight of principal components by entropy method; analyzes the sustainable capacity of scenic spots in each province of China comprehensively in combination with TOPSIS method and finally puts forward suggestions aid decision-making. According to the study, this method provides an effective reference for the study of the sustainable development of scenic spots and is very significant for considering the sustainable development of scenic spots and auxiliary industries to establish specific and scientific countermeasures for improvement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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704 KiB  
Article
Does Practicing CSR Makes Consumers Like Your Shop More? Consumer-Retailer Love Mediates CSR and Behavioral Intentions
by Ching-Wei Ho
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(12), 1558; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14121558 - 12 Dec 2017
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5666
Abstract
This research paper was designed to examine the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations and environmental concerns on consumer-retailer love and attitude toward the retailer, as well as the subsequent effects on consumer behavioral intentions regarding the retailer, such as repeat patronage [...] Read more.
This research paper was designed to examine the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations and environmental concerns on consumer-retailer love and attitude toward the retailer, as well as the subsequent effects on consumer behavioral intentions regarding the retailer, such as repeat patronage intention and willingness to pay a premium price for products offered by the retailer. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted on consumers for the purpose of investigating five proposed hypotheses. This research applied partial least squares (PLS) to exam the hypotheses and analyze the data. The findings of this research indicated that CSR association and environmental concern both have positive effects on consumer-retailer love and attitude toward the retailer. Also, the results showed that consumer-retailer love has a significantly positive effect on consumer attitude towards the retailer. This paper establishes that consumer-retailer love and attitude toward a retailer are main mediators of the relationship between CSR associations, environmental concern, and consumer behavioral intentions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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933 KiB  
Article
Incentive Policy Options for Product Remanufacturing: Subsidizing Donations or Resales?
by Xiaodong Zhu, Zhe Wang, Yue Wang and Bangyi Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(12), 1496; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14121496 - 01 Dec 2017
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4123
Abstract
Remanufactured products offer better environmental benefits, and governments encourage manufacturers to remanufacture through various subsidy policies. This practice has shown that, in addition to product sales, remanufactured product can also achieve its value through social donation. Based on the remanufactured product value realization [...] Read more.
Remanufactured products offer better environmental benefits, and governments encourage manufacturers to remanufacture through various subsidy policies. This practice has shown that, in addition to product sales, remanufactured product can also achieve its value through social donation. Based on the remanufactured product value realization approaches, governments provide two kinds of incentive policies, which are remanufactured product sales subsidies and remanufactured product donation subsidies. This paper constructs a two-stage Stackelberg game model including a government and a manufacturer under two different policies, which can be solved by backward induction. By comparing the optimal decision of the two policies, our results show that, compared with the remanufacturing sales subsidy, donation subsidy weakens the cannibalization of remanufactured products for new products and increases the quantity of new products. It reduces the sales quantity of remanufactured products, but increases their total quantity. Under certain conditions of low subsidy, the manufacturer adopting sales subsidy provides better economic and environmental benefits. Under certain conditions of high subsidy, the manufacturer adopting donation subsidy offers better economic and environmental benefits. When untreated product environmental impact is large enough, donation subsidy policy has a better social welfare. Otherwise, the choice of social welfare of these two different policies depends on the social impact of remanufactured product donated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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429 KiB  
Article
Coordinating Leader-Follower Supply Chain with Sustainable Green Technology Innovation on Their Fairness Concerns
by Bisheng Du, Qing Liu and Guiping Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(11), 1357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14111357 - 08 Nov 2017
Cited by 59 | Viewed by 5520
Abstract
Sustainable green technology innovation is essential in all the stages of the supply chain development. The members of the supply chain in each stage need to invest in sustainable green technology innovation research and development. However, whether the sustainable green technology innovation investments [...] Read more.
Sustainable green technology innovation is essential in all the stages of the supply chain development. The members of the supply chain in each stage need to invest in sustainable green technology innovation research and development. However, whether the sustainable green technology innovation investments and profits for all the members are fairness concerned is a critical factor to motivate the supply chain members. Motivated by a real business investigation, in this study, a supply chain model with one supplier and one manufacturer is analyzed. We consider fairness concerns for the supplier and the manufacturer with sustainable green technology innovation development. We derive the optimal results in both with and without fairness concern. The results indicate that fairness concerns can promote and coordinate the supply chain members without advantage inequity averseness, to invest more on their sustainable green technology innovation development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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3196 KiB  
Article
Using the D-DANP-mV Model to Explore the Continuous System Improvement Strategy for Sustainable Development of Creative Communities
by Lei Xiong, Cheng-Lein Teng, Bo-Wei Zhu, Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng and Shan-Lin Huang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(11), 1309; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14111309 - 27 Oct 2017
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5494
Abstract
With globalization, the notion of “creative city” has become a core concept of many cities in the world development policies, with real properties being upgraded or used to change, renewal is being conducted, and creative industries are emerging. This trend has reached its [...] Read more.
With globalization, the notion of “creative city” has become a core concept of many cities in the world development policies, with real properties being upgraded or used to change, renewal is being conducted, and creative industries are emerging. This trend has reached its peak in the past decade, with different forms and scales gathering global development momentum among the creative communities to promote the development of creative economies. In recent years, however, there was still skepticism about the sustainability of the current creative communities. Many scholars have pointed out that signs of unsustainability have begun to appear in many creative communities. To overcome these obstacles, the development of rational and highly effective improvement strategy requires a dynamic thinking process. Therefore, this study employs the DEMATEL-based ANP with modified VIKOR (D-DANP-mV) model in presenting an assessment framework for the sustainability of creative communities. This system is used to assess the sustainability of current creative communities and determine how to solve their problems. Thus, continuous and systemic improvement strategies can be developed to achieve the aim of sustainable development. Two creative communities in Taiwan, Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park (TCCIP), and Shen-Ji New Village (SJNV), are used as case studies in this study. Based on the concept of systematic improvement from fundamental issues, the results indicate that the improvement priorities can be determined by applying the D-DANP-mV model. This approach is different from those found by a conventional method with the hypothesis of independent criteria (e.g., diversification of creative talents in TCCIP), and cannot use for performance improvement (e.g., only can be used for ranking and selection among alternatives). Considering these points, unreasonable premises, biased errors, and lack of some real application functions in the process of resource allocation could be more efficient improvement strategies generated in this proposed model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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559 KiB  
Article
Doing Good Again? A Multilevel Institutional Perspective on Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Philanthropic Strategy
by Wei Liu, Qiao Wei, Song-Qin Huang and Sang-Bing Tsai
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(10), 1283; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14101283 - 24 Oct 2017
Cited by 50 | Viewed by 5984
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between corporate environmental responsibility and corporate philanthropy. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2008 to 2013, this paper examines the role of corporate environmental responsibility in corporate philanthropy and the moderating influence of the institutional environment [...] Read more.
This study investigates the relationship between corporate environmental responsibility and corporate philanthropy. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2008 to 2013, this paper examines the role of corporate environmental responsibility in corporate philanthropy and the moderating influence of the institutional environment using multilevel analysis. The results show that corporate eco-friendly events are positively associated with corporate philanthropic strategy to a significant degree. Provincial-level government intervention positively moderate the positive relationship between eco-friendly events and corporate philanthropy and government corruption is negatively moderate the relationship. All these results are robust according to robustness checks. These findings provide a new perspective on corporate philanthropic strategy as a means to obtain critical resources from the government in order to compensate for the loss made on environmental responsibility. Moreover, the institutional environment is proved here to play an important role in corporate philanthropic strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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314 KiB  
Article
China’s Insurance Regulatory Reform, Corporate Governance Behavior and Insurers’ Governance Effectiveness
by Huicong Li, Hongliang Zhang, Sang-Bing Tsai and Aichao Qiu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(10), 1238; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14101238 - 17 Oct 2017
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3913
Abstract
External regulation is an important mechanism to improve corporate behavior in emerging markets. China’s insurance governance regulation, which began to supervise and guide insurance corporate governance behavior in 2006, has experienced a complex process of reform. This study tested our hypotheses with a [...] Read more.
External regulation is an important mechanism to improve corporate behavior in emerging markets. China’s insurance governance regulation, which began to supervise and guide insurance corporate governance behavior in 2006, has experienced a complex process of reform. This study tested our hypotheses with a sample of 85 firms during 2010–2011, which was obtained by providing a questionnaire to all of China’s shareholding insurance companies. The empirical study results generally show that China’s insurance governance effectiveness has significantly improved through strict regulation. Insurance corporate governance can improve business acumen and risk-control ability, but no significant evidence was found to prove its influence on profitability, as a result of focusing less attention on governance than on management. State ownership is associated with higher corporate governance effectiveness than non-state ownership. Listed companies tend to outperform non-listed firms, and life insurance corporate governance is more effective than that of property insurers. This study not only contributes to the comprehensive understanding of corporate governance effectiveness but also to the literature by highlighting the effect of corporate governance regulation in China’s insurance industry and other emerging economies of the financial sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
2892 KiB  
Article
Design of Research on Performance of a New Iridium Coordination Compound for the Detection of Hg2+
by Hailing Ma and Sang-Bing Tsai
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(10), 1232; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14101232 - 16 Oct 2017
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 3643
Abstract
Heavy metal pollution has become one of the most significant pollution problems encountered by our country in terms of environment protection. In addition to the significant effects of heavy metals on the human body and other organisms through water, food chain enrichment and [...] Read more.
Heavy metal pollution has become one of the most significant pollution problems encountered by our country in terms of environment protection. In addition to the significant effects of heavy metals on the human body and other organisms through water, food chain enrichment and other routes, heavy metals involved in daily necessities beyond the level limit could also affect people’s lives, so the detection of heavy metals is extremely important. Ir (III) coordination compound, considered to be one of the best phosphorescent sensing materials, is characterized by high luminous efficiency, easy modification of the ligand and so on, and it has potential applications in the field of heavy metal detection. This project aims to product a new Ir (III) functional coordination compound by designing a new auxiliary ligand and a main ligand with a sulfur identification unit, in order to systematically investigate the application of iridium coordination compound in the detection of the heavy metal Hg2+. With the introduction of the sulfur identification unit, selective sensing of Hg2+ could be achieved. Additionally, a new auxiliary ligand is also introduced to produce a functional iridium coordination compound with high quantum efficiency, and to diversify the application of iridium coordination compound in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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3319 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Oxidation Methods for Waste Soy Sauce Treatment
by Hyun-Hee Jang, Gyu-Tae Seo and Dae-Woon Jeong
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(10), 1190; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14101190 - 07 Oct 2017
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3852
Abstract
To obtain a suitable oxidation method for removing the color and lowering the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of waste soy sauce, Fenton (Fe2+), Fenton-like (Fe3+), and ozone (O3) oxidation methods are used as the target reactions. In [...] Read more.
To obtain a suitable oxidation method for removing the color and lowering the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of waste soy sauce, Fenton (Fe2+), Fenton-like (Fe3+), and ozone (O3) oxidation methods are used as the target reactions. In experimental conditions for Fenton oxidation, the dose of Fe2+ and Fe3+ was varied between 100 mg/L and 300 mg/L. The dose of hydrogen peroxide for the reaction was injected from 100–1000 mg/L. For ozone oxidation, the pH was increased from 3 to 14 and the O3-containing gas was supplied continuously for 30 min through a gas diffuser at the bottom of the reactor at different applied O3 doses (10–90 mg/L). We subjected it to a simple 1:20 dilution with deionized water to identify the comparison result in detail. O3 oxidation shows the highest efficiencies of color removal (81.1%) and COD lowering (64.9%) among the three oxidation methods. This is mainly due to the fact that it has a relatively large amount of hydroxyl radical, resulting in the degradation of organics. Thus, O3 oxidation could be a promising method for removing the color and lowering the COD of waste soy sauce. The critical parameters (pH and applied O3 dose) were varied systematically to optimize O3 oxidation. It was found that the optimum pH and applied O3 dose are 11.0 mg/L and 50.0 mg/L, respectively (color removal = 34.2%, COD removal = 27.4%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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2757 KiB  
Article
Joint Decisions on Production and Pricing with Strategic Consumers for Green Crowdfunding Products
by Yuting Chen, Rong Zhang and Bin Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(9), 1090; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14091090 - 20 Sep 2017
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4583
Abstract
Green crowdfunding is developing as a novel and popular transaction method, which can largely improve the efficiency of raising initial funds and selling innovative green products or services. In this paper, we explore the creator’s joint decisions regarding green crowdfunding products of different [...] Read more.
Green crowdfunding is developing as a novel and popular transaction method, which can largely improve the efficiency of raising initial funds and selling innovative green products or services. In this paper, we explore the creator’s joint decisions regarding green crowdfunding products of different quality levels that can sufficiently satisfy consumer preferences. Firstly, considering the characteristics of a green crowdfunding product, we present four pricing strategies when substitutes exist. Then we propose the optimal pricing strategies to maximize the total profit for the creator under different circumstances, facing strategic and myopic consumers. Finally, for the heterogeneity of consumer valuations, we compare the total profits of the four pricing strategies under different values of the substitution coefficient to obtain the optimal pricing and product strategies under the coexistence of strategic and myopic consumers. According to the result, we find that when the fraction of high-type consumers and the gap between high and low valuations is big, or when they are both small, traditional single pricing shows its benefit. However, when the green crowdfunding products are better than their substitute, a line of green products is more likely to be optimal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 2773 KiB  
Review
Farming for Life Quality and Sustainability: A Literature Review of Green Care Research Trends in Europe
by Marina García-Llorente, Radha Rubio-Olivar and Inés Gutierrez-Briceño
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(6), 1282; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph15061282 - 17 Jun 2018
Cited by 49 | Viewed by 9348
Abstract
Green care is an innovative approach that combines simultaneously caring for people and caring for land through three elements that have not been previously connected: (1) multifunctional agriculture and recognition of the plurality of agricultural system values; (2) social services and health care; [...] Read more.
Green care is an innovative approach that combines simultaneously caring for people and caring for land through three elements that have not been previously connected: (1) multifunctional agriculture and recognition of the plurality of agricultural system values; (2) social services and health care; and (3) the possibility of strengthening the farming sector and local communities. The current research provides a comprehensive overview of green care in Europe as a scientific discipline through a literature review (n = 98 studies). According to our results, the Netherlands, the UK, Norway and Sweden followed by Italy have led the scientific studies published in English. Green care research comprises a wide range of perspectives and frameworks (social farming, care farming, nature-based solutions, etc.) with differences in their specificities. Green care studies have mainly focused on measuring the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Studies that evaluate its relevance in socio-economic and environmental terms are still limited. According to our results, the most common users studied were people suffering from psychological and mental ill health, while the most common activities were horticulture, animal husbandry and gardening. Finally, we discuss the potential of green care to reconnect people with nature and to diversify the farming sector providing new public services associated with the relational values society obtains from the contact with agricultural systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Environment, Green Operations and Sustainability)
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