Greening Supply Chains in China: Practical Lessons From China-Based Suppliers in Achieving Environmental Performance

Presents case studies of how five China-based suppliers are meeting international buyers' environmental requirements. Examines management processes; effective low-cost ways to reduce water pollution; and the roles of multistakeholders and third parties

IMPROVING SAFTEY PERFORMANCE IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN LIBYA (CASE STUDY : IN TRIPOLI CITY)

Abstract In both developed and developing countries, the construction industry is considered to be one of the most significant industries in terms of its impact on health and safety of the working population. Construction industry is both economically and socially important. However, the construction industry is also recognized to be the most hazardous. The objectives of this research are to investigate the safety performance in the construction sites. The data were collected from the contractors, consultant, and owners by using questionnaire to evaluate the safety performance in the construction sites. In total, there were 40 questionnaires which were distributed to respondents, with a response rate of 75%. The results show that there was still a lack of commitment from the government, the insurance company, the labor ministry, the owners, consultants, and also the contractors to improving safety performance on the construction sites. The suggestion is to improve the safety performance on the construction sites. The government should follow up the safety performance by visiting the construction sites. The insurance company should be more active in visiting the construction sites. The owners should be more active towards the safety by controlling, visiting the process in the construction sites. The contractors have to train the workers and promote the safety culture and follow up the safety performance. The consultants should control all the tools in the construction sites to insure that those tools are safe. Keywords: Safety performance, construction project, Tripol

Off-track, Off-target: Why Investment in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Is Not Reaching Those Who Need It Most

This report explores why resources are not reaching those who need it most and why progress is slow, uneven, and unjust. Among the reasons mentioned in the report: political priorities lead governments to favor other sectors, improve places already served, or exclude poor and marginalized groups. Furthermore, aid is not well-coordinated, is only loosely targeted according to need, and its effectiveness is constrained by red tape and lack of alignment with government systems. The report recommends key actions for national governments, donors, international agencies and civil society to break the vicious cycle of low investment and poor performance and get off-track countries back on-track to meet the MDGs

Labour Administration Reforms in China

[Excerpt] This publication provides an explanation of the comprehensive labour administration system in China, including its recent advances, with emphasis on its public services functions, such as public employment, labour inspection and social insurance services. With the recent improvements to both the legal framework and the institutions of labour administration, it is believed that these public services will play bigger and more active roles in ensuring compliance with legislation and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of employers and workers alike

End-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling management: improving performance using an ISM approach

With booming of the automobile industry, China has become the country with increasing car ownership all over the world. However, the end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling industry is at infancy, and there is little systematic review on ELV recycling management, as well as low adoption amongst domestic automobile industry. This study presents a literature review and an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach is employed to identify the drivers towards Chinese ELV recycling business from government, recycling organizations and consumer’s perspectives, so as to improve the sustainability of automobile supply chain by providing some strategic insights. The results derived from the ISM analysis manifest that regulations on auto-factory, disassembly technique, and value mining of recycling business are the essential ingredients. It is most effective and efficient to promote ELV recycling business by improving these attributes, also the driving and dependence power analysis are deemed to provide guidance on performance improvement of ELV recycling in the Chinese market

Using Valuation-Based Decision Making to Increase the Efficiency of China\u27s Patent Subsidy Strategies

[Excerpt] “The Chinese government has grown concerned that its patent fee subsidy programs have not funded the most deserving patents, and thus they no longer wish to spend public resources to promote low-value patents. Instead, the government would prefer subsidy programs that encourage the most deserving patents. The Patent Strategy reflects this desire, as the fourth strategic focus of the Patent Strategy recognizes the need to “[o]ptimize [China’s] patent subsidy policy and further define the orientation to enhance patent quality.”19 This Article explains how a disciplined and transparent valuation-based decision making process can help the Chinese government design patent fee subsidy programs that allocate funds more consistently to deserving patents. In addition, this Article offers the outline of a practical valuation model the Chinese government could use to filter patent fee subsidy requests.

Banking reforms, performance and risk in China

We investigate the impact of the banking reform started from 2005 on ownership structures in China on commercial banks’ profitability, efficiency and risk over the period 2000–2012, providing comprehensive evidence on the impact of banking reform in China. We find that banks on average tend to have higher profitability, lower risk and lower efficiency after the reforms, and the results are robust with our difference-in-difference approach. Our results also show that the Big 5 state-owned banks (SOCB) underperform banks with other types of ownership when risk is measured by non-performing loans (NPLs) over the entire study period but tend to have fewer NPLs than other banks during the post-reform period. Our results provide some supporting evidence on the ongoing banking reforms in China, suggesting that attracting strategic foreign investors and listing SOCBs on stock exchanges appear to be effective ways to help SOCBs deal with the problem of NPLs and manage their risk

Sports Performance and Shaping International Image of a China: Towards Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

China is a country that has been using sport in order to reach political goals for many years. Lately such political exploitation of sport is directed at shaping the desirable international image of this country. This is done most of all through hosting sports events, but also through sports victories. The last aspect is the subject of this research. The aim of the article is therefore to investigate the issue of utilization of performance in international sport in order to enhance international image of a China. The research presented in the article is a case study concerning sport as a tool of nation-branding. Its main objective is to analyse motivation of China’s decision-makers to use sports performance in order to enhance the country’s international perception, and to observe how this goals is executed. The main hypothesis to be tested states that China perceives sports performance as an important tool of enhancing its international image.Narodowe Centrum Nauki, projekt nr 2015/19/D/HS5/00513