Investments in bio-energies require deep and accurate analysis to evaluate their economical feasibility both by the investors＇ and the policy makers＇ perspectives. The chance to attain locally organized supply chain...Investments in bio-energies require deep and accurate analysis to evaluate their economical feasibility both by the investors＇ and the policy makers＇ perspectives. The chance to attain locally organized supply chains is presumably higher where there is a higher concentration of human, natural and financial capitals. After a literature review about social capital and energy supply chain （prg. 1）, we investigate the instruments for public direct financial incentive （prg. 2） and the development of the public intervention plans in the agro-energy sector within the Local Development Plans （LDP） by Local Action Groups （LAG）. Then, we present the case study of the Apulia Region （prg. 3） based upon a unique dataset, specifically built that collects LDP data relative to social capital. We finally propose a new methodological approach that makes use of social network analysis investigating the net of relationships underneath the territorial organization of the LAGs and the local supply chains. Results seem to show that site specificities affect the sustainability of biofuels supply chains, and that effect seems to be reciprocally bounded, thus calling for the inclusion of such measures when planning new policies, and for analytical approaches encompassing historical perspectives. Finally, we draw the conclusions.展开更多
The wide application of new information and communication technologies(ICTs) has been argued to be critical to business success of small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) ,especially to those in the developing countr...The wide application of new information and communication technologies(ICTs) has been argued to be critical to business success of small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) ,especially to those in the developing countries.Drawing upon existing literature,this article will examine the determinants of ICTs application in SMEs in China based on data collected from interviews with top managers and/or owners of 70 SMEs.We identify 20 factors affecting ICTs application in SMEs in China and divide them into four broad categories,namely pressures,firm specific factors,technical factors and local milieu.We also pay special attention to the Chinese business environment affecting ICTs application.Our analysis shows that local ICT infrastructure,external pressures from competitors and ICT knowledge of employees are the determinants of Internet application by SMEs,while product characteristics and market target are important factors of e-commerce adoption.展开更多
China has made remarkable gains in industrialization and development. In the last years, in order to ensure the sustainability of its economic and social development, China gave more importance to the innovativeness o...China has made remarkable gains in industrialization and development. In the last years, in order to ensure the sustainability of its economic and social development, China gave more importance to the innovativeness of business enterprises. In the domestic arena, the sustainability of the growth model that China has followed over the past decades has been criticized because of its excessive reliance on capital and resources as opposed to knowledge and innovation. In 2006, that transformation has been at the centre of the government＇s ＂scientific development strategy＂. Today, in fact, innovation and promotion of entrepreneurship are essential conditions for competitiveness of firms and nations, for the long-term growth and, therefore, for the economy as a whole. This paper investigates the level of potential innovation reached in China in 2008 through a disaggregated analysis, evaluating the production capacity of the Chinese provinces. ＂Innovation＂ has been widely studied by economic literature, specially with reference to the output. In this paper, we will refer to the European Innovation Scoreboard （EIS） index, to measure the progress of innovation, which represents the skill to innovate of a territory, but not the achieved innovation. First, we will propose some methodological changes of this method, that allows to obtained a ranking, in order to better understand the results reached by the Chinese provinces; Then we will test a different methodology in order to measure the level of potential innovation overcoming the limits of current practice--from a composite index obtained through a mean of disaggregated indices to multivariate analysis.展开更多
In recent years, the number of the listing corporations in China is increasing, and the promotion of the national economic development is also more obvious. But in the process, because of the short time onto the marke...In recent years, the number of the listing corporations in China is increasing, and the promotion of the national economic development is also more obvious. But in the process, because of the short time onto the market and the lack of the expvrience, some of the listed companies also cannot be compared with the enterprises in the western developed countries in a large extent. Especially in the aspect of the financial management, there are many defects. For example, the control efforts of the financial risks arc inadequate, and the awareness of the management personnel and the employees on the risks is weak, and so on In this case, the listed corporations must strengthen the management of the company＇s financial risks, develop the more comprehensive financial risk managernent system, and thus ensurc that the companies can have the healthy, stable and sustainable development.展开更多
Numerous studies have looked at sustainable tourism as the key to balancing environmental conservation and development in agricultural heritage sites.A microcosm of the traditional rural productive landscape,the Noto ...Numerous studies have looked at sustainable tourism as the key to balancing environmental conservation and development in agricultural heritage sites.A microcosm of the traditional rural productive landscape,the Noto Satoyama Satoumi landscape has been designated as a pilot site for the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System （GIAHS） in Japan.This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of green tourism,focusing on the GIAHS program.The secondary objective is to explore the features of green tourism in Japan.First,the historic development and current state of green tourism in Japan is reviewed.The case in study is a typical green tourism project concerning an organization of farmers in the Noto Peninsula-the Shunran-no-Sato group.The question of how to develop green tourism in the context of the GIAHS project and considering the sustainable development of rural society and its farming systems by increasing incomes of rural households,is investigated.The study combined literature review and in-depth interviews with farm inn owners to investigate tourism development in the depopulated rural areas of Japan,examine its challenges,and present this information to international readers.展开更多
Micro-perspective studies on economic geography in China can be classified into geography of the enterprise, geography of the rural household, and small-scale studies on economic activities. Literature on geography of...Micro-perspective studies on economic geography in China can be classified into geography of the enterprise, geography of the rural household, and small-scale studies on economic activities. Literature on geography of the enterprise includes spatial expansion of the enterprise, industrial location, firm's networks, industrial relocation, industrial clusters, and the relationship between industrial organizations and the environment. Studies on geography of the rural household(GRH) include the theoretical framework of GRH, the locations of rural economic activities, and the interrelation between rural households and geographical environment. Small-scale studies focus on human-land interaction from a land plot perspective, relations between specialized villages and the environment, and regional sustainable development research at site-specific scale. Micro-perspective studies on economic geography attempt to search for the basic unit of economic-geographical landscape, exploring the geographical process and the formation mechanism of geographical phenomena. The exploration of these three perspectives anticipates new approaches to economic-geographical studies with China's special background.展开更多
文摘Investments in bio-energies require deep and accurate analysis to evaluate their economical feasibility both by the investors＇ and the policy makers＇ perspectives. The chance to attain locally organized supply chains is presumably higher where there is a higher concentration of human, natural and financial capitals. After a literature review about social capital and energy supply chain （prg. 1）, we investigate the instruments for public direct financial incentive （prg. 2） and the development of the public intervention plans in the agro-energy sector within the Local Development Plans （LDP） by Local Action Groups （LAG）. Then, we present the case study of the Apulia Region （prg. 3） based upon a unique dataset, specifically built that collects LDP data relative to social capital. We finally propose a new methodological approach that makes use of social network analysis investigating the net of relationships underneath the territorial organization of the LAGs and the local supply chains. Results seem to show that site specificities affect the sustainability of biofuels supply chains, and that effect seems to be reciprocally bounded, thus calling for the inclusion of such measures when planning new policies, and for analytical approaches encompassing historical perspectives. Finally, we draw the conclusions.
基金the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China for the research conducted (Grant no.40571047)
文摘The wide application of new information and communication technologies(ICTs) has been argued to be critical to business success of small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) ,especially to those in the developing countries.Drawing upon existing literature,this article will examine the determinants of ICTs application in SMEs in China based on data collected from interviews with top managers and/or owners of 70 SMEs.We identify 20 factors affecting ICTs application in SMEs in China and divide them into four broad categories,namely pressures,firm specific factors,technical factors and local milieu.We also pay special attention to the Chinese business environment affecting ICTs application.Our analysis shows that local ICT infrastructure,external pressures from competitors and ICT knowledge of employees are the determinants of Internet application by SMEs,while product characteristics and market target are important factors of e-commerce adoption.
文摘China has made remarkable gains in industrialization and development. In the last years, in order to ensure the sustainability of its economic and social development, China gave more importance to the innovativeness of business enterprises. In the domestic arena, the sustainability of the growth model that China has followed over the past decades has been criticized because of its excessive reliance on capital and resources as opposed to knowledge and innovation. In 2006, that transformation has been at the centre of the government＇s ＂scientific development strategy＂. Today, in fact, innovation and promotion of entrepreneurship are essential conditions for competitiveness of firms and nations, for the long-term growth and, therefore, for the economy as a whole. This paper investigates the level of potential innovation reached in China in 2008 through a disaggregated analysis, evaluating the production capacity of the Chinese provinces. ＂Innovation＂ has been widely studied by economic literature, specially with reference to the output. In this paper, we will refer to the European Innovation Scoreboard （EIS） index, to measure the progress of innovation, which represents the skill to innovate of a territory, but not the achieved innovation. First, we will propose some methodological changes of this method, that allows to obtained a ranking, in order to better understand the results reached by the Chinese provinces; Then we will test a different methodology in order to measure the level of potential innovation overcoming the limits of current practice--from a composite index obtained through a mean of disaggregated indices to multivariate analysis.
文摘In recent years, the number of the listing corporations in China is increasing, and the promotion of the national economic development is also more obvious. But in the process, because of the short time onto the market and the lack of the expvrience, some of the listed companies also cannot be compared with the enterprises in the western developed countries in a large extent. Especially in the aspect of the financial management, there are many defects. For example, the control efforts of the financial risks arc inadequate, and the awareness of the management personnel and the employees on the risks is weak, and so on In this case, the listed corporations must strengthen the management of the company＇s financial risks, develop the more comprehensive financial risk managernent system, and thus ensurc that the companies can have the healthy, stable and sustainable development.
文摘Numerous studies have looked at sustainable tourism as the key to balancing environmental conservation and development in agricultural heritage sites.A microcosm of the traditional rural productive landscape,the Noto Satoyama Satoumi landscape has been designated as a pilot site for the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System （GIAHS） in Japan.This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of green tourism,focusing on the GIAHS program.The secondary objective is to explore the features of green tourism in Japan.First,the historic development and current state of green tourism in Japan is reviewed.The case in study is a typical green tourism project concerning an organization of farmers in the Noto Peninsula-the Shunran-no-Sato group.The question of how to develop green tourism in the context of the GIAHS project and considering the sustainable development of rural society and its farming systems by increasing incomes of rural households,is investigated.The study combined literature review and in-depth interviews with farm inn owners to investigate tourism development in the depopulated rural areas of Japan,examine its challenges,and present this information to international readers.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.41471117,No.41201131
文摘Micro-perspective studies on economic geography in China can be classified into geography of the enterprise, geography of the rural household, and small-scale studies on economic activities. Literature on geography of the enterprise includes spatial expansion of the enterprise, industrial location, firm's networks, industrial relocation, industrial clusters, and the relationship between industrial organizations and the environment. Studies on geography of the rural household(GRH) include the theoretical framework of GRH, the locations of rural economic activities, and the interrelation between rural households and geographical environment. Small-scale studies focus on human-land interaction from a land plot perspective, relations between specialized villages and the environment, and regional sustainable development research at site-specific scale. Micro-perspective studies on economic geography attempt to search for the basic unit of economic-geographical landscape, exploring the geographical process and the formation mechanism of geographical phenomena. The exploration of these three perspectives anticipates new approaches to economic-geographical studies with China's special background.
