Establishment of Regional Green Innovation Value Chains:A Case Study on Tackling the Impeded Diffusion of Green Products

The green innovation value chain is a key step in transforming green,innovative scientific,and technological achievements into productive forces.The establishment of green innovation value chains based on value distribution rather than technical conditions can effectively overcome the common bottleneck faced by different nations during their green innovation endeavors,namely,the substitution of conventional products with green alternatives.This study investigates the impeded diffusion of green products and their underlying causes,analyzes the internal structure and mechanism of the green innovation value chain,and explores the establishment of regional green innovation value chains and the models available for value chain upgrading.

The evolution analysis of agricultural global value chains

With the Uruguay Round bringing agricultural trade into multilateral regulation,the major countries have actively participated in agricultural global value chains(AGVC)and occupied an important position according to their comparative advantages.Utilizing bilateral agricultural trade data of 66 countries based on the OECD Inter-Country-Input-Output Tables(OECD ICIO)from 2010 to 2018,this study applies social network analysis indicators to measure each country’s eigenvector centrality within AGVC and to examine the current global agricultural trade patterns,with particular attention to the changes in the status of world powers within AGVC.The main findings are as follows:first,with the multilateral and regional trade liberalization,growing numbers of developing nations,including China and India,are engaging in international agricultural trade,which contributes to its diversification;second,as AGVC develops,the structure of global agricultural trade networks has become more decentralized and balanced.This is evidenced by the emergence of additional central nodes,and large nations like the United States,which formerly held the most central position as indicated by a drop in its centrality,are becoming less dominant.

How Sense of Ritual in Tourism Impacts Tourists’Co-Creation of Tourism Experience Values:A Study Based on the Theory of Value Co-Creation

Establishing a sense of ritual within tourism consumption scenarios offers tourists the opportunity for interactive engagement.Drawing upon the value co-creation theory,this study constructed an influence mechanism model to examine tourists'active engagement in the process of co-creating tourism experience values.It employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling(PLS-SEM)to empirically test the proposed hypotheses.The findings demonstrate that the model constructed in the present study exhibits robust reliability,validity,and explanatory power.The perception of the sense of ritual in tourism exerts a significant positive influence on tourists’co-creation of tourism experience values,thereby significantly enhancing both the communitas and flow experienced by tourists during their travels.Moreover,such communitas and flow can mediate the influence of the sense of ritual in tourism on tourists’co-creation of tourism experience values.This study contributes to advancing the current research on tourists’co-creation of tourism experience values and the sense of ritual in tourism,thereby providing theoretical foundations for cultivating a sense of ritual within tourism consumption scenarios.

Production Chain Length and PPI-CPI Divergence:Analysis Based on the Global Input-output Price Model

Productivity and international energy price shocks are reflected in PPI and CPI via industrial chains.China’s in-depth participation into the global value chains has increasingly lengthened its industrial production chains.The question is how the changing length of production chains will affect CPI and PPI,as well as CPI-PPI correlation?By constructing a global input-output price model,this paper offers a theoretical discussion on the impact of production chain length on the CPI-PPI divergence.Our findings suggest that the price shock of international bulk commodities has a greater impact on China’s PPI than that on CPI.The effects on both China’s PPI and CPI estimated by using the single-country input-output model are higher than the results estimated with the global input-output model.However,the difference between CPI and PPI variations estimated with the global input-output model is greater than the result estimated with the single-country input-output model,which supports the view that the lengthening of production chains,especially international production chains,leads to a divergence between CPI and PPI.Empirical results based on cross-national panel data also suggest that the lengthening of production chains has reduced the CPI-PPI correlation for countries,i.e.the lengthening of production chains has increased the PPI-CPI divergence.That is to say,policymakers should target not just CPI in maintaining price stability,but instead focus on the stability of both PPI and CPI.Efforts can be made to proactively adjust the price index system,and formulate the industrial chain price index.

Sustainability Assessment of Banana (Musa spp.) Yield Gap Reduction through Value Chain Development Interventions in Smallholder Farming Systems in Manicaland, Zimbabwe

This study evaluated the effectiveness of donor supported agricultural value chain development projects in sustainably narrowing yield gaps for banana smallholder farmer producers in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The study used a mixed methods research design that relied on farmers records for the quantitative analysis and focus group discussion and in-depth interviews for key experts for the qualitative aspects. A mix of regression analysis, t-tests, Pearsons’s correlation and analysis of variance statistical methods were used for the quantitative analysis while thematic response analysis was used for the qualitative engagements. The findings showed that by the end of the activity, the project had successfully narrowed the banana yield gaps to 18.66 tons per hectare working with a potential yield base of 40 tons. However, 5 years after the project closure the yield gap had fallen to 24.7 tons indicating a lack of sustainability of yield gap reduction. However, the yield gap slump does not override the fact that farmers on average were still able to sell approximately 5 tons per every 6 months after 5 years from the project closure which is beyond any poverty threshold. This suggests genuine upward economic mobility. Additionally, in analyzing what factors had the greatest influence on yield gap reduction, the access to fertilizer ranked highest where genetics, irrigation and improved agronomy followed in that respective order. The study further showed that farmers who receive value chain development support whilst at an already commercialized state tend to maintain productivity thresholds higher in comparison to those who are at a pre commercial state. This is evidenced by the fact that the pre commercial farmers had a yield reduction of 30.83 percent after 5 years of the project closure whereas the former realized a productivity growth of 7.84%. In conclusion, whilst the intervention was successful in transitioning farmers out of poverty, more investment should be made towards transitioning smallholder farmers to integrated soil fertility management practices and improvement of agronomic efficiency through stronger on field collaboration between research institutions, the government and development institutions.

The Climate Impact of Large-Scale Distributors:Acting on the Supply Chain

This work aims to analyse the actions that companies working in large-scale distribution carry along their value chains to minimise impacts on climate change.Companies operating in this field are aware that it is less effective to act directly on the core processes and need to involve the upstream value chain in their carbon reduction strategy.These businesses,in fact,need to focus on the indirect GHG(Greenhouse Gases)emissions and depend on how suppliers manage their impacts.In this sector,virtuous companies collaborate with their suppliers to get involved in a common path of quantifying and cutting said impacts together.This aspect is particularly relevant in the case of large-scale retailers.However,the process is not immediate since the supply chain is usually very dense and diverse,for instance,adopting various approaches that do not always coincide.In any case,the key aspect is mapping these suppliers:one of the tools mostly used for this purpose is the survey,as a quick instrument able to reach hundreds of suppliers at the same time,receiving a fast and standardized response,which can easily be processed to form a comprehensive and harmonized mapping of the results as the first step for the subsequent implementation of mitigation strategies.

A Study on the Factors Influencing Value-Added in the Cruise Ship Value Chain Based on the DEMATEL-ISM Model

Cruise value chain is to take the exchange of cruise products and services as the core in a certain spatial scope,and enterprises with core advantages within or between different industries establish associations in accordance with certain technical and economic conditions,so as to realise the multi-dimensional extension and value appreciation of the cruise value chain in the vertical and horizontal links,and ultimately establish a chain-network type of enterprise strategic alliance.This paper tries to analyse the value-added factors of the cruise industry chain by constructing a multi-level hierarchical structural model with reference to the influencing factor analysis methods of relevant literature-DEMATEL(Decision Making Experiment and Evaluation Experiment)and ISM(Interpretative Structural Model).The study shows that the innovation and scale value-added module in the upstream of the cruise industry chain is the core module of value-added of the whole cruise industry chain,and the value-added mainly originates from the design and manufacturing of cruise ships.The middle reaches of the cruise industry chain are mainly cruise operation enterprises,and the specificity of cruise operation determines that its brand value-added is mainly accomplished through the global layout of multinational corporations,and the cruise brand is able to drive the consumption demand and has value-added ability.The downstream value-added of the cruise industry chain is mainly realised through the increase in profits of cruise tourism service products.

Spatial Interaction Between the Industrial Undertaking Capacity and Global Value Chain Position of East Asian Countries

A comprehensive understanding of the spatial interaction between the industrial undertaking capability and the position of the global value chain of the 12 East Asian countries is conducive to strengthening regional cooperation, gaining a say in foreign trade and becoming the dominant player in the global division of labor system. The article reveals the operating rules of the interaction between the industrial undertaking capacity and the global value chain position of East Asian countries by calculating the Global Moran Index(Moran’s I), coupling coordination degree and other indicators. The results show that: in time, the values of industrial undertaking capacity and the positions of global value chain in East Asian countries showed a sustained and stable growth trend, and have a consistent trend of change. Spatially, both of the two indexes had significant positive spatial correlation, with Moran’s I showing an ‘inverted U’pattern, and the spatial aggregation distribution of global value chain position lagged behind the spatial aggregation distribution of industrial undertaking capacity by one year. In terms of spatial coupling coordination, the coupling coordination values of the two indicators show a steady upward trend. Combined with the comparative advantage of each country, this paper provides suggestions for promoting the positions of Chinese and other East Asian industries in the global value chain from the perspectives of enhancing independent innovation capability and upgrading industrial structure.

Does strict environmental regulation enhance the global value chains position of China's industrial sector?

Given the vital importance of global value chains(GVCs)position for a country's international competitiveness,this paper tries to investigate the impacts of environmental regulation on the GVCs position of China's industrial sector.Using the latest value-added decomposition method,we first measure the GVCs position of China's industrial sector from 2003 to 2014.Subsequently,both two-stage least squares(2 SLS)method with panel data and mediating effect model are employed to empirically examine the effects of environmental regulation on China's position in GVCs.The results indicate that environmental regulation has significantly upgraded the GVCs position of China's industrial sector,and the effect is more evident for the sub-sectors with originally lower GVCs position.The mediation effect test shows that increasing R&D investment is an important channel through which environmental regulation affects the GVCs position of China's industrial sector,which verifies the existence of the Porter hypothesis.Further analysis finds that the enhancement of GVCs position of China's industrial sector caused by environmental regulation is mainly achieved through reducing the backward GVCs position.

Effects of Global Value Chain Position on the Carbon Emissions of Manufacturing Industry in China: An Empirical Study Based on the STIRPAT Model

Based on the input-output data from the World Input-Output Database( WIOD),the global value chain( GVC) position of China's manufacturing industry from 2003 to 2014 was calculated,and the relationship between the carbon emissions and global value chain position of China's manufacturing industry was studied based on the improved STIRPAT model. The results show that the improvement of global value chain position could significantly reduce the carbon emissions of China's manufacturing industry. In addition,foreign investment and energy structure hindered the low-carbon development of China's manufacturing industry. The effects of population size and research intensity on the carbon emissions of manufacturing industry were not significant. In the process of participating in the global value chain,China's manufacturing industry should effectively reduce carbon emissions by strengthening environmental regulation,optimizing energy structure and improving production technology.

Urban spatial expansion and its impact on ecological service values of Chongqing City Proper in the last 30 years

Based on the remote sensing images of urban land use of Chongqing City Proper in the last 30years(from 1978 to 2011),The paper focuses on the impact of urban spatial expansion on urban ecosystem service.The charactereristics of urban spatial expansion pattern are expressed by Landscape Expansion Index and Index of Fractal Dimension.Taking advantage of calculation of these two indices,changes of the ecological service values in the main urban area of Chongqing caused by the variation of urban expansion patterns are evaluated and the interrelationship is analyzed.The main conclusions and results are as follows;in Chongqing City Proper,the ecological service value decreased rapidly from 1978 to 2011,especially in the period of 2002-2011.Urban spatial expansion pattern has exerted significant impact on urban ecosystem service value.Edge-expansion pattern broke into a great deal of urban enclaves and caused the disadvantage effect of the function of urban ecological system.At the same time,negative correlation existed between the indices of fractal dimension and the ecosystem service value.

The Impact of Outsourcing on Local Industry Upgrading: a Case of China from a Global Value Chain Perspective

This paper develops a conceptual model to assess effect of outsourcing by integrating the theories of industrial upgrading and global value chain (GVC) governance. Contrary to the widely accepted perception that outsourcing is expected to generate positive spillover in particular, the findings indicate that outsourcing has different effects in different GVC governance modes. Excess outsourcing could structurally inhibit technology and management spillovers to subcontractors within the emerging economy context. Based on a case study of the Chinese textile and apparel (T & A) industry, it is found that the Chinese T & A industry has been trapped in the captive governance relationship with foreign buyers, and at the same time is capped below the function upgrading level. Consequences of the situation and implication are then discussed.

The Sesame (<i>Sesamum indicum L.</i>) Value Chain and Microbiological Quality of Crude Sesame Oil, a Case Study in Western Tigray, Ethiopia

Crude sesame oil (CSO) is the widely used unrefined edible oil. Storage instability, off-flavour, and discoloration are, however, challenges in the industry. The purpose of this study was to map the sesame value chain, assess the suitability of CSO extraction plant, and analyze the microbial quality of CSO and premises environment. A structured Questionnaire and checklist were used to assess the sesame value chain and evaluate the suitability of the CSO extraction plant. Microbiological quality assessment was conducted using standard analytical methods. Stakeholders in the sesame value chain were inclusive of farmers, market mediators, traders, regulatory, extension workers and researchers. Though, illiteracy, inadequate technology, and infrastructure were the drawbacks. The CSO extraction plant was suitable apart from inadequate ingredients and CSO handling and unhygienic practices. Total aerobic bacteria (4.34 - 5.06 log10 CFU/m2 on swap surfaces, 2.44 log10 CFU/g in CSO), total Coliforms (5.81 log10 CFU/g of animal manure and 1.36 log10 CFU of indoor air after extraction), yeasts and moulds (2.31 log10 CFU/g of sesame seed and CSO and 4.47 log10 CFU/m2 of swap sample), Aspergillus species (1.17 - 1.33 log10 CFU/g of sesame seed/CSO, 3.37 - 3.50 log10 CFU/m2 of swap samples), and Staphylococcus aureus (2.09 log10 CFU/g of CSO, 2.56 - 3.22 log10 CFU/m2 of surface swaps, 3.26 - 3.77 log10 CFU/protective clothing, 0.74 - 1.82 log10 CFU of the indoor and outdoor air) were detected. Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Shigella were not detected. In conclusion, potential microbial pathogens were detected to impose food safety problems and economic loss. To improve the sesame value chain and CSO quality workers training on good handling and hygienic practices and thoughtful regulatory implementation are significant.

Parameterless Pruning Algorithms for Similarity-Weight Network and Its Application in Extracting the Backbone of Global Value Chain

Purpose:With the availability and utilization of Inter-Country Input-Output(ICIO)tables,it is possible to construct quantitative indices to assess its impact on the Global Value Chain(GVC).For the sake of visualization,ICIO networks with tremendous low-weight edges are too dense to show the substantial structure.These redundant edges,inevitably make the network data full of noise and eventually exert negative effects on Social Network Analysis(SNA).In this case,we need a method to filter such edges and obtain a sparser network with only the meaningful connections.Design/methodology/approach:In this paper,we propose two parameterless pruning algorithms from the global and local perspectives respectively,then the performance of them is examined using the ICIO table from different databases.Findings:The Searching Paths(SP)method extracts the strongest association paths from the global perspective,while Filtering Edges(FE)method captures the key links according to the local weight ratio.The results show that the FE method can basically include the SP method and become the best solution for the ICIO networks.Research limitations:There are still two limitations in this research.One is that the computational complexity may increase rapidly while processing the large-scale networks,so the proposed method should be further improved.The other is that much more empirical networks should be introduced to testify the scientificity and practicability of our methodology.Practical implications:The network pruning methods we proposed will promote the analysis of the ICIO network,in terms of community detection,link prediction,and spatial econometrics,etc.Also,they can be applied to many other complex networks with similar characteristics.Originality/value:This paper improves the existing research from two aspects,namely,considering the heterogeneity of weights and avoiding the interference of parameters.Therefore,it provides a new idea for the research of network backbone extraction.

The Study of the Application of the Gray Relevancy Analysis to the Value Chain Based Cost Control

Cost problem is always a bottleneck which ties to the development and the competition ability in the enterprise of our country, especially in state-owned enterprise. Practice proves that traditional cost control can not satisfy the needs of enterprises. Enterprises are seeking better cost control approach with great efforts in order to calculate and control cost more accurately, and require cost control system has more strong functions. This paper analyzes value chain based cost control approach, and applies the gray relevancy analysis to the approach rightly.

The Analysis of B2B Business Model from the Viewpoint of Value Chain

Electronic business impacts differently the busines s process in or between the corporations in variant degree. In view of the new fea tures of the internet, critical questions to be answered inclued: what are t he emerging business models and related to this, which strategic marketing appro aches are applied,or emerging. In the paper, the business models in B2B are clas sified into four types as e-procurement, e-marketplace, e-trade exchange, and collaborative trading community from the value viewpoint.And then the paper giv es the measure among the four business models by providing a framework that has been developed on the basis of current commercial Internet business and experime ntal work. The difference between the value chain in traditional commerce and th e one in e-business is compared. And we give the success factors by a case stud y and the barriers to electronic business in the developing B2B business model.

On the Distributive Justice of Land Added Value in the Process of Urban Expansion

It is an unarguable fact that the urban-rural dual structure led to two different results. On the one hand,it had been playing a great role in the city development and prosperity,and on the other hand,it had led the slow development of rural economy and the income gap between rural and urban areas. The government makes efforts to promote the process of urbanization to maintain the sustained development of China's economy and economic transformation which are the two needs of the Chinese reality. But in the top-level design of the policy,the government did not give a fair profits distribution to all social groups. On the contrary,the result of urban development is based on the expense of a part of the people's interests in exchange for the interests of another parts of the people,and especially on the government expropriation in the process of urban expansion. Under Land Administration Law of the People's Republic of China,the government monopolized the expropriation right of the rural land,and the rural collectives and farmers as the land owner and constructors respectively have no rights to decide the land use purposes. In fact,they are forced to accept the land compensation,and because of the little bargaining rights,they gain little from the land value increment. Comparatively,the governments became the biggest beneficiary who made use of the land as a source and capital to earn the achievement in their official career and more money required by the urban development. The paper mainly analyzes the current situation of the distribution of the land added value,elaborates the reasons why the government strives for the land interests,and discusses what farmers lose in the government expropriation. Last but not lest,the author reflects on the land reform and gives a proposal on distribution of land added value.

Expansion Strategy of Agricultural Industrial Chain of Suburban Villages and Towns in the Process of Urbanization——A Case Study of Yongle Town in Nanming District of Guiyang City

On the basis of introducing the connotation of agricultural industrial chain, taking Yongle Town in Nanming District of Guiyang City as an example, this paper analyzes the advantages and constraint factors of the suburban villages and towns in the process of expanding agricultural industrial chain in the context of urbanization. Corresponding strategies of expanding the agricultural industrial chain of Yongle Town in the process of urbanization as follows: vigorously develop the leading enterprises; strengthen the construction of farmers' specialized cooperatives and agricultural associations; build and perfect agricultural industrial chain organizations; set up the public information platform; rely on the food industrial park to propel the deep processing of agricultural products; vigorously develop the logistics of agricultural products; promote the development of operation model of "brand+ standard+ scale"; vigorously develop ecology-oriented rural tourism; give full play to the functional role of the government.

Measurement of International Competitiveness of Clothing Industry under the Background of Value Chain Reconstruction

Relying on cheap labor cost advantage,China is locked in the low-end processing link of the global value chain and obtains a lower profit share.With the deepening of the international division of labor,changes in the distribution of national interests and the spread of anti-globalization in some developed countries,the global value chain is undergoing a new round of large-scale reconstruction and emerging economies are trying to penetrate and extend to the high end of the global value chain.Based on the theory of industrial upgrading and global value chain,this paper focuses on the current development of Chinese apparel industry,the mechanism,development and problems of global value chain reconstruction,analyzes the relevant elements in the apparel industry value chain reconstruction,and proposes the application of data envelopment analysis(DEA)competitiveness model in the value chain reconstruction of apparel enterprises.We use the CCR(C2R)model to simulate the improvement of production efficiency.Finally,we put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions for the value chain reconstruction from the perspective of improving product competitiveness.

The Dark Side of Samsung’s Value Chain: The Human Costs of Cobalt Mining “BLOOD, SWEAT AND COBALT”

Samsung has been implicitly linked to human rights abuses and wider social downgrading propagated within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Reports by different studies have shown artisanal cobalt mines (ASM) to exploit child labour and subject workers to perilous conditions. The IT multinational is dependent upon Congolese cobalt as a key element in lithiumion batteries used to produce their array of electronics. However, irresponsible cobalt sourcing practices undertaken by Tier 1 suppliers, Glencore and Huayou, have resulted in ASM operations being incorporated into Samsung’s global value chain, as Tier 2 suppliers. Analysis of the relationships underpinning Samsung’s cobalt value chain theoretical framework, highlights the presence of a relational governance structure, with captive elements among upstream Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. Samsung is thereby reliant upon both Glencore and Huayou to transmit and enforce private codes of conduct down the value chain to expel human rights abuses. In conjunction, the DRC’s weak and unstable institutional environment has facilitated corruption and the improper enforcement of laws across the ASM industry. It is thereby imperative that Samsung takes ownership of the issues present within its value chain, as both Tier 1 suppliers and the Congolese government have failed to ensure responsible cobalt sourcing practices to date. This report recommends that Samsung adopt a holistic action plan, not only utilising their own resources and capabilities, but also those of critical stakeholders including Tier 1 suppliers, NGOs and the DRC and South Korean governments. Most prominently, this report suggests that supply chain transparency can be improved using certificates of origin and blockchain technology. Furthermore, it is recommended that poverty alleviation is targeted as a key measure through “Cobalt for Development”, an action plan designed to instigate both social and economic upgrading within ASM operations and the wider community. By employing a multi-scalar approach and addressing the issues inherent across multiple governance levels, Samsung can ensure a responsible source of cobalt be sustained.