scholarly journals Does certified food production reduce agrochemical use in China?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihan Nie ◽  
Nico Heerink ◽  
Qin Tu ◽  
Shuqin Jin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of adopting certified food production on chemical fertilizer and pesticide use in China. Design/methodology/approach The authors estimate fixed effect models to track the changes in agrochemical consumption at household level over time and evaluate the effect of certified food production, using an unbalanced panel data set covering 4,830 households in six provinces over the period 2005–2013. Findings On average, the authors do not find significant effects of certified food production on either chemical fertilizer or pesticide consumption among Chinese farmers. The effects are heterogeneous across villages, but the heterogeneous effects show no clear pattern that is consistent with different types of certification. The findings are robust to the use of alternative panel structure and certification indicators. The lack of knowledge about certification among farmers, the price premium and differences in regulation enforcement across regions may explain why the authors do not find negative effects on agrochemical use. Practical implications This study suggests that careful inspections and strong enforcement of certified food production is needed to ensure that the environmental goals of certified food production can be achieved and the reputation of certification in China can be improved. The inspection of certification producers and the enforcement of current regulations should be stricter for the further healthy development of certified food production in China. Originality/value This study is the first attempt to systematically evaluate the impact of food certification on the use of agrochemicals in Chinese agriculture.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bowen Yi ◽  
Da Shi ◽  
Fangfang Shi ◽  
Liang Zhang

Purpose By building on cooperation–competition theory, this study aims to investigate the multidimensional flipped effects of neighborhood hotels on Airbnb listings’ popularity, examining the degree to which such impacts are influenced by hotel types and geographical areas. Design/methodology/approach This study explores the interdependent and competitive relationship between neighborhood hotels and Airbnb from the perspective of effects on Airbnb listings’ popularity by exploring a data set covering 10,492 Airbnb listings and 2,691 hotels from Ctrip. Findings Results reveal that neighborhood hotels’ number of reviews, review ratings and prices each have positive spillover effects on Airbnb listings’ popularity, while quality assurance labels and negative review topic sentiments exert competitive effects on Airbnb popularity. Moreover, the number of budget chain hotels and high-star hotels have positive and negative effects on Airbnb popularity, respectively. Geographical areas also have a moderating effect on the relationship between various hotel-related influencing factors and Airbnb. Practical implications This study can offer hotel managers and Airbnb operators a clearer understanding of these businesses’ coexisting relationship. Findings can also provide Airbnb-specific guidelines for practitioners in terms of site selection, promotional features and development strategies for Airbnb listings. Originality/value This study establishes a cooperation–competition relationship model between hotels and Airbnb and considers the flipped effects of hotels on Airbnb for the first time. It expands previous studies by considering the multidimensional effects of hotels on Airbnb listings’ popularity and by examining the influences of hotel types and geographical areas on hotels’ impacts on Airbnb.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Barati ◽  
Hadiseh Fariditavana

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to first assess how the US healthcare financing system is influenced by income variation. Then, it examines whether or not the impact of income variation is asymmetric.Design/methodology/approachFor the analyses of this paper, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model is implemented to a data set covering the period from 1960 to 2018.FindingsThe results provide evidence that major funding sources of aggregate healthcare expenditure (HCE) respond differently to changes in income. The results also imply that the effect of income is not always symmetric.Originality/valueMany studies have attempted to identify the relationship between income and HCE. A common feature of past studies is that they have only focused on aggregate HCE, while one might be interested in knowing how major funders of aggregate HCE would be affected by changes in income. Another common feature of past studies is that they have assumed that the relationship between income and HCE is symmetric.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Moudud-Ul-Huq

Purpose This paper aims to empirically investigate the impact of bank diversification on performance and risk-taking behavior. The analysis uses an unbalanced panel data set covering the period between 2007 and 2015 for a total of 1,397 banks from ASEAN-5 and BRICS economies. Design/methodology/approach Dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM) has been used primarily to examine the relationship between bank diversification on performance and risk-taking and later, validate the core results by incorporating two-stage least squares (2SLS). Findings Similar to the results of previous studies based on the developed economy, this study also confirms the hypothesis of the portfolio diversification. The key robust result is that the benefits from revenue and assets diversification are heterogeneous and the BRICS banks achieve higher benefit from using both diversification strategies. On the other hand, ASEAN-5 banks fail to show the significant advantage from assets diversification. Among the diverse sources of income, interest is not a major determinant of efficiency and bank’s stability, while ASEAN-5 banks should foster commission and others income as mechanisms for diversification benefit in the region. Originality/value A few studies are available in the current literature which examines the impact of revenue and assets diversification on either bank performance or risk-taking in the developed economy’s context. However, very few studies are found that examine the relationship between bank diversification, performance and risk-taking together. Moreover, to the best of the author’s knowledge, there is a dearth of literature on this topic that built on the comparative analysis between two regions, i.e. ASEAN-5 and BRICS. As a result, the empirical results of this research provide useful information to the stakeholders so that they can enhance bank diversification strategy and implement them successfully by considering the other factors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 987-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongjia Su ◽  
Chunping Liu ◽  
Weili Teng

This paper investigates the differential effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) dimensions on corporate financial performance (CFP) across sectors in China. This research uses a unique data set provided by China Stock Market and Accounting Research (CSMAR), showing expenditure on CSR programs from 568 Chinese publicly traded firm-year observations from 2008 to 2017. Compared to previous studies using scores produced by extra-financial rating agencies, this research quantifies CSR efforts by corporate expenditure on CSR practices, which offers quantitative and precise information in explaining the CSR-CFP link. The results show that the dimension of the environment has negative effects on financial performance in capital-intensive manufacturing industries. The impact of HR expenditure on CFP is negative in the tertiary sector and resourceintensive manufacturing industries. However, CSR investments in the community are positively related to financial performance in resource-intensive industries and other secondary sector (mining, construction, and utilities). Firms, in general, could gain benefits when spending more on business and financial stakeholders.


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kemi Yekini ◽  
Kumba Jallow

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether corporate community involvement disclosures (CCID) in annual reports can be construed as a measure of corporate community development (CCD) or a mere signal of corporate social responsibility (CSR) observance.Design/methodology/approachUsing content analysis and a quality score index, the study examined a panel data set covering the period from 1999 to 2008. The data was collected from a sample of 270 annual reports of 27 UK companies taken from the top 100 companies for corporate responsibility (BITC ranking, 2008). The research framework involves the use of signalling theory to investigate the information content of CCID.FindingsIt is found that the volume of corporate community disclosure (CCID) has a significant association with its total quality score (TQS) although the impact was found to be very small. CCID was also found to be strongly and positively associated with the volume of total CSR disclosed in annual reports. Hence the quantity and quality of CCID in annual reports increased significantly as the quantity of CSR disclosure also increased. Furthermore, the TQS was found to respond to company size and Corporate Governance measures such as audit committee size and board composition, and the existence of standalone CSR Reports, while other measures of public pressure such as leverage, profitability and industrial sector were not statistically significantly related with TQS.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to CSR literature in general and CCID literature in particular. The originality stems from the fact that it employs a signalling framework and a panel study approach as opposed to cross‐sectional only or time‐series only data to examine a less researched social disclosure – corporate community involvement.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darush Yazdanfar ◽  
Peter Öhman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of trade credit as a funding source on profitability among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach – A large cross-sectional panel data set covering 15,897 Swedish SMEs in five industry sectors from 2009 to 2012 was analysed using several statistical techniques. Findings – The study provides empirical evidence that the use of trade credit significantly and negatively affects firm profitability, indicating that SMEs with lower accounts payable are more profitable. Furthermore, liquidity level and firm size are positively related to profitability, while firm age is negatively related to profitability. Practical implications – If firms rely, or are forced to rely, too heavily on accounts payable as a funding source, their long-term profitability could be jeopardized. An efficient financing policy should make the costs related to the use of trade credit more transparent. Thus, firm managers could explicitly use trade credit agreements with their suppliers to control the costs related to this particular financial source. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to focus on the impact of trade credit on profitability in the Swedish context, where SMEs are encouraged to use trade credit as a funding source. In addition, the study is based on an extensive sample of SMEs across several industry sectors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faizul Haque ◽  
Rehnuma Shahid

Purpose This paper examines the effect of ownership structure on bank risk-taking and performance in emerging economies by using India as a case study. Design/methodology/approach We use generalised method of moments (GMM) estimation technique to analyse an unbalanced panel data set covering 217 bank-year observations from 2008 to 2011. Findings Overall, our study results suggest that government ownership is positively associated with default risk and negatively related to bank profitability. Interestingly, we find foreign ownership having a positive effect on default risk and a negative effect on profitability among the listed commercial banks. The effect of ownership concentration on bank risk-taking and profitability appears to be statistically insignificant. Originality/value This study is among the first to consider the impact of ownership on bank risk-taking and profitability from an emerging economy perspective. It also addresses the problem of endogenous relationships among ownership, risk-taking and performance of a bank. This study is likely to have implications for policymakers in undertaking regulatory reforms relating to ownership, risk management and banking sector stability.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darush Yazdanfar ◽  
Peter Öhman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to seek to investigate the impact of cash conversion cycle (CCC) on performance (i.e. profitability) in Swedish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over the 2008-2011 period. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) model to analyse cross-sectional panel data covering 13,797 SMEs operating in four industries. Findings – The study provides empirical evidence that CCC significantly affects profitability. In addition, the firm-level control variables size, age, and industry affiliation significantly affect firm profitability. These findings imply that managers could increase firm profitability by improving their working capital management. Research limitations/implications – The present study is limited to a sample of Swedish SMEs in four industries; further research could examine the generalizability of these findings to other countries and industries. Practical implications – Improved working capital policy could improve firm profitability by reducing the firm's CCC, thereby creating additional firm value. In addition, the results can be used for other purposes, including monitoring of firms by auditors, debt holders, and other stakeholders. Originality/value – The present study contributes to the literature by employing a SUR model to analyse a comprehensive cross-sectoral sample in a high-tax environment. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study to address this issue in the Swedish context based on a large data set covering SMEs in various industries.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darush Yazdanfar ◽  
Peter Öhman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of credit supply on sales growth among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach – The three-stage least square (3SLS) method was used to analyse a cross-sectional panel data set covering 13,548 Swedish SMEs across four industry sectors from 2009 to 2012. Findings – The study provides empirical evidence that trade credit in terms of accounts receivable significantly and positively affects sales growth, indicating that SMEs investing more in accounts receivable are more likely to achieve growth. Furthermore, lagged sales growth and firm size are positively, while firm age is negatively, related to growth. Practical implications – Managers can increase firm growth by efficiently managing the supply of credit to their customers, especially liquidity-constrained firms, thereby increasing sales growth. Originality/value – To the authors’ best knowledge, this is one of the first empirical studies of the impact of credit supply in terms of accounts receivable on sales growth. The study applies the 3SLS method to a comprehensive cross-sectoral sample.


Author(s):  
Jeeyun Oh ◽  
Mun-Young Chung ◽  
Sangyong Han

Despite of the popularity of interactive movie trailers, rigorous research on one of the most apparent features of these interfaces – the level of user control – has been scarce. This study explored the effects of user control on users’ immersion and enjoyment of the movie trailers, moderated by the content type. We conducted a 2 (high user control versus low user control) × 2 (drama film trailer versus documentary film trailer) mixed-design factorial experiment. The results showed that the level of user control over movie trailer interfaces decreased users’ immersion when the trailer had an element of traditional story structure, such as a drama film trailer. Participants in the high user control condition answered that they were less fascinated with, absorbed in, focused on, mentally involved with, and emotionally affected by the movie trailer than participants in the low user control condition only with the drama movie trailer. The negative effects of user control on the level of immersion for the drama trailer translated into users’ enjoyment. The impact of user control over interfaces on immersion and enjoyment varies depending on the nature of the media content, which suggests a possible trade-off between the level of user control and entertainment outcomes.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document