How Does Industrial Digitalization Affect Enterprise Environmental Performance?

Despite the increasing use of digital technology in industrial production, how industrial digitalization affects the environmental performance of production activities remains unclear. This research contributes to the literature on the relationship between industrial digitalization and enterprise environmental performance by employing a large sample of Chinese manufacturing enterprises. Results indicate that the environmental performance of manufacturing enterprises has been significantly improved in the process of industrial digital transformation. Structural and technology effects are the influencing mechanisms. Industrial digitalization reduces the production scale of heavy polluting enterprises and improves product innovation and green total factor productivity, but it has an insignificant effect on total factor productivity. Moreover, industrial digitalization improves enterprise environmental performance by introducing front-end cleaner production technologies, rather than by increasing pipe-end pollutant treatment facilities.JEL Classification: Q56, O13, L86

Optimal Power Investment and Pandemics: A Micro-Economic Analysis

This paper derives the optimal investment policy of an electricity producer during a pandemic. We consider three problems: (1) investing in a gas-fired plant, (2) investing in a wind plant, and (3) investing in the best of a gas plant and a wind plant. Optimal investment boundaries are characterized and valuation formulas derived. For single technology projects, a pandemic postpones wind investment, but can accelerate gas investment when the relative price of gas decreases. For choices between the two technologies, a substitution effect can reinforce the single technology effects, accelerating gas investment under certain conditions. The paper examines the impact of pandemic parameters, economic parameters and policy parameters on the investment boundaries, the values of projects and the premium for green energy.

Women and Media as a tool to Attract Online News Readers in Indonesia

The rapid development of technology effects changes in the delivery of news information from printed media to online media. This positive change was not followed by the changes in media perceptions towards gender. In online media such as indosport.com, there are still many women as news objects by presenting them in quite interesting photos and videos as well as making tantalizing titles. This research aims to find out how women's representations are shown on the news on Indosport.com. How is the reader's position on the news, and who become the subject and object of the news on indosport.com. The research data comes from news on the online news portal indosport.com for the period November 2019 to March 2020. The data analysis technique in this study uses critical discourse analysis from Sara Mills. The results shows that women are shown on the news in a bad position. They are often shown in interesting photos and videos in order to become a magnet for readers. News writers and netizens play a role as subjects in the news, while women become the objects in the news. The reader's position is directed according to the thoughts of the writer and netizens, namely men.Key words: critical discourse analysis; Sara Mills; online media; indosport.com

Digital library evaluation measures in academic settings: Perspectives from scholars and practitioners

Evaluation criteria and appropriate measures are critical to the success of digital library evaluation. The key problem is a lack of specific measures, especially from a heuristic perspective, corresponding to diverse dimensions and criteria. This study explored a variety of measures for digital library evaluation focusing on their appropriateness. It also compared the similarities and differences in perceptions of the appropriateness of digital library evaluation measures of two groups. Sixty-one participants were recruited representing scholars and academic digital librarians. The participants were instructed to fill in an in-depth survey consisting of 174 measures associated with 10 evaluation dimensions and 82 criteria. The findings of this study highlight the most appropriate measures in each dimension and show significant agreement in identifying appropriate measures by digital library scholars and librarians. Differences in the rating of the measures were found between the two groups in the dimensions of “interface design,” “system and technology,” “effects on users,” “administration,” “user engagement,” and “context.” The significance of this study lies not only in the integration of the perspectives on measures from both researchers and practitioners, but also in providing an inclusive list of measures to guide practitioners to effectively evaluate digital libraries in academic settings.

Multi-Scale Rheo-Mechanical Study of SMA Mixtures Containing Fine Crumb Rubber in a New Dry-Hybrid Technology

Aiming to study the rheo-mechanical effects of fine crumb rubber into gap graded stone mastic asphalt (SMA) mixtures, a multi-scale experimental approach was adopted. Therefore, in the perspective of the reuse of end of life tires’ in asphalt layers, the adopted new dry-hybrid technology effects have been investigated from the mastic, mortar and mixture points of view. The new rubberized asphalt production technology allows the use of rubber powder as filler, the rubber amount optimization being validated through multi-scale performance tests. Mastics and mortars’ complex modulus measured with dynamic shear and torsional tests were related to the mixture stiffness modulus recorded in direct tension-compression mode. The rheological properties of mastic are strictly influenced by the rubber presence, and consequently the asphalt mixtures stiffness and thermo-sensitivity are connected to the mastic and mortar rheo-mechanical behavior. Results are consistent through the adopted approach and reveal that with the new dry-hybrid technology, overcoming the wet and dry limits, it seems to be possible obtaining more durable and eco-friendly bituminous pavement layers.