Suchergebnisse

Under different carbon regulatory policies, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities will have different impacts on the environmental benefits of the supply chain and corporate carbon emission reduction decisions. In this study, we examine a dual-channel closed-loop supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer selling re-products generated from waste products and a single retailer selling new products and consider two settings: enforcing a carbon tax policy or enforcing a subsidy policy. Under each setting, we put CSR into account, construct two models for the retailer to implement or not implement CSR activities, and analyze the decisions obtained under optimal solutions. Through numerical simulation and comparative research, we observe that the carbon tax policy applies to the supply chain where CSR activities are implemented, while the subsidy policy applies to the supply chain where CSR activities are not implemented. Reasonable selection of CSR implementation methods with low-cost coefficients by the retailer is conducive to eliminating profit conflicts among supply chain members. The government should fully consider the decision-making thresholds of supply chain members to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the policy.

Particulate matter (PM2.5) is a significant public health concern in China, and the Chinese government has implemented a series of laws, policies, regulations, and standards to improve air quality. This study documents the changes in PM2.5 and evaluates the effects of industrial transformation and clean air policies on PM2.5 levels in urban and suburban areas of China's three largest urban agglomerations, Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) based on a new degree of urbanization classification method. We used high-resolution PM2.5 concentration and population datasets to quantify the differences in PM2.5 concentrations in urban and suburban areas of these three urban agglomerations. From 2000 to 2020, the urban areas have expanded while the suburban areas have shrunk. PM2.5 concentrations in urban areas were approximately 32, 10, and 7 μg/m3 higher than those in suburban areas from 2000 to 2020 in BTH, YRD, and PRD, respectively. Since 2013, the PM2.5 concentrations in the urban regions of BTH, YRD, and PRD have declined at average annual rates of 7.30, 5.50, and 5.03 μg/m3/year, respectively, while PM2.5 concentrations in suburban areas have declined at average annual rates of 3.11, 4.23 and 4.69 μg/m3/year, respectively. By 2018, all of the urban and suburban areas of BTH, YRD, and PRD satisfied their specific targets in the Air Pollution and Control Action Plan. By 2020, the PM2.5 declines of BTH, YRD, and PRD exceeded the targets by two, three, and four times, respectively. However, the PM2.5 exposure risks in urban areas are 10–20 times higher than those in suburban areas. China will need to implement more robust air pollution mitigation policies to achieve the World Health Organization's Air Quality Guideline (WHO-AQG) and reduce long-term PM2.5 exposure health risks.

Zhāng Zhàn lived during the Eastern Jin period. Commentary on Lièzǐ is Zhāng Zhàn's attempt to integrate and synthesize the previous achievements in metaphysical studies, merging Confucianism and Daoism while drawing from Buddhist viewpoints. This work represents a theoretical summary of metaphysical themes. This article aims to explore Zhāng Zhàn's concept of xūjìng (emptiness and tranquility), examining its manifestations in cosmology, ontology, and the philosophy of life. This study adopts a qualitative research approach utilizing NVivo qualitative data analysis software, electronic databases, and a thorough analysis of the textual references to xūjìng in the Commentary on Lièzǐ. Three points were discovered: firstly, Zhāng Zhàn's concept of tàixū (supreme emptiness) in cosmology; secondly, his ideology manifests in ontology as zhìxū (ultimate emptiness); thirdly, his ideology manifests in the philosophy of life as xūjìng zìrán (emptiness, tranquility, and naturalness). He asserts that people should not violate the laws of nature and should spiritually transcend the mindset of dealing with everything in the real world. According to Zhāng Zhàn, only by doing so can individuals align with the Dào, surpass the mundane, and attain the state of carefree detachment. This study provides a deeper significance of Zhāng Zhàn's concept of emptiness and tranquility from the perspectives of ontology, cosmology, and philosophy of life. According to Zhāng Zhàn, emptiness is infinite, and only by embodying non-being and making emptiness the essence can one harmonize with the Dào, achieve liberation, and attain a spiritual state of unity with the universe.

To expand the business ethics research field, and to increase society's understanding of Chinese insurance agents' business ethics, we investigated how gender differences are related to agents' business ethical sensitivity and whether or not these relationships are moderated by empathy.
Through a regression analysis of the factors associated with the business ethical sensitivity of 417 Chinese insurance agents, we found that gender played an important role in affecting business ethical sensitivity, and empathy significantly affected business ethical sensitivity. Furthermore,
empathy had a moderating effect on the relationship between gender and business ethical sensitivity. Both men and women with strong empathy scored high on business ethical sensitivity; however, men with strong empathy had higher levels of business ethical sensitivity than did women with little
empathy. The findings add to the literature by providing insight into the mechanisms responsible for the benefits of empathy in increasing business ethical sensitivity.

Parental deployment to war poses risks to children's healthy adjustment. The After Deployment Adaptive Parenting Tools (ADAPT) program was developed for post-deployed military families to promote children's well-being through improving effective parenting. ADAPT combines behavior management with emotion socialization skills for parents, using brief mindfulness practices to strengthen emotion regulation. We used a three-wave longitudinal, experimental design to examine whether ADAPT improved parental trait mindfulness (PTM), and whether the effect was moderated by baseline PTM. We also investigated whether improved PTM was associated with behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects of parenting such as self-reported parental locus of control (PLOC), self-reported parental emotion socialization (PES), self-reported and observed behavioral parenting skills. We analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the ADAPT, with a focus on mothers (n = 313) who were either deployed (17.9%) or non-deployed and partnered with a husband who had been recently deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan and returned (82.1%). Families identified a 4–13-year-old target child (Mean age = 8.34, SD = 2.48; 54.3% girls) and were randomized into ADAPT (a group-based 14-week program) or a control condition (services as usual). At baseline, 1-year, and 2-year follow-up, PTM, PLOC, PES, and parenting skills were self-reported, whereas home-based family interactions involving parents and the child were video-taped and assessed for observed behavioral parenting skills such as discipline and problem-solving using a theory-based coding system. Results showed that mothers with lower baseline PTM reported higher PTM at 1-year while mothers with higher baseline PTM reported lower PTM at 1-year. PTM at 1-year was associated with improved self-reported parenting skills and supportive PES at 2-year, as well as indirectly associated with improved PLOC and reduced nonsupportive PES at 2-year through PTM at 2-year. No associations between PTM ...