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This paper aims to investigate the extent to which greenhouse gas (GHG)-sensitive companies in the FTSE 100 disclose carbon emission information in their annual reports and stand-alone reports during the period of 2004-2012 and how they respond to the launch of legally binding GHG-reduction schemes – the European (EU) Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and the Climate Change Act (CCA).

A 42-item disclosure index is constructed to analyse the quality of corporate GHG disclosures. The authors initially chart the development of corporate GHG disclosure from 2004 to 2012, analyse the trend of disclosure development and compare variances for the convergence of disclosures. Subsequently the authors carry out a t-test to assess the significance of post-EU ETS and -CCA changes and the difference between GHG trading account holders (AH) and non-account holders (NAH).

The results show that GHG disclosures have been increasing over time, both in number of firms making disclosures and in the amount of information being reported, which indicate the movement towards normativity. The authors also find that the disclosures reach the peak after the enactment of EU ETS and CCA, and firms with carbon trading accounts are more responsive to these schemes than those without accounts. Nevertheless, the quality of the disclosure remains low, which may justify the further government intervention of mandating carbon reporting.

This is the first paper that has examined the regulatory effects on GHG disclosures in an environment where GHG emission triggers direct cost for companies.

This paper empirically examines the implementation pattern of different types of lean management (LM) techniques on the shop-floor. Based on the socio-technical systems framework, LM techniques are classified as social improvement tools and technical process standardization and stability practices. This categorization facilitates investigating their implementation relationship in a complex production system.

Based on the survey data from managers of the three major US auto-manufacturers and their suppliers (n = 137), measurement scales are developed using confirmatory factor analysis for the LM process improvement, stability, and standardization constructs. Hypotheses are tested by applying the Sobel test technique for mediating regression.

Statistical results confirm the mediation role of LM improvement tools between standardization and stability goal practices, indicating that technical process-oriented practices are not directly related and that their association is impacted by the corresponding implementation of social tools on the shop-floor.

The results indicate that LM practices should not be randomly implemented on the shop-floor but rather adopted and executed based on a systematic pattern. In LM systems, the implementation of process stability, standardization, and improvement practices on the shop-floor are more tightly integrated than traditionally assumed.

This study establishes a new categorization of specific LM tools based on social and technical characteristics. The conclusions highlight the importance of adopting a social emphasize of continuous improvement to establish a technical focus of process standardization and stability for LM implementation success.

This paper aims to present a multi-fidelity surrogate-based optimization (MFSBO) method for computationally accurate and efficient design of microfluidic concentration gradient generators (µCGGs).

Cokriging-based multi-fidelity surrogate model (MFSM) is constructed to combine data with varying fidelities and computational costs to accelerate the optimization process and improve design accuracy. An adaptive sampling approach based on parallel infill of multiple low-fidelity (LF) samples without notably adding computation burden is developed. The proposed optimization framework is compared with a surrogate-based optimization (SBO) method that relies on data from a single source, and a conventional multi-fidelity adaptive sampling and optimization method in terms of the convergence rate and design accuracy.

The results demonstrate that proposed MFSBO method allows faster convergence and better designs than SBO for all case studies with 49% more reduction in the objective function value on average. It is also found that parallel infill (MFSBO-4) with four LF samples, enables more robust, efficient and accurate designs than conventional multi-fidelity infill (MFSBO-1) that only adopts one LF sample during each iteration for more complex optimization problems.

A MFSM based on cokriging method is constructed to utilize data with varying fidelities, accuracies and computational costs for µCGG design. A parallel infill strategy based on multiple infill criteria is developed to accelerate the convergence and improve the design accuracy of optimization. The proposed methodology is proved to be a feasible method for µCGG design and its computational efficiency is verified.

This paper aims to investigate the extent international and domestic guidelines have influenced the content of corporate environmental reporting (CER) in the context of China’s radical institutional transition from bureaucratic secrecy to openness, marked by the first nationwide guidelines on Open Government Information (OGI) and Open Environment Information (OEI), effective in 2008.

The study develops a research instrument that captures international and Chinese national guidelines pertaining to environmental information disclosure. This instrument is used to analyse 471 reports of leading 100 listed Chinese companies for the critical period between 2006 and 2010. Chi-square test statistics are used to analyse the significance of differences in reporting items supported by Chinese guidelines versus those supported by international reporting guidelines only.

Partial convergence in climate-change reporting co-exists with divergent China specific interpretation of climate change. The coercive institutional influences of the Chinese government’s guidance in OGI and OEI led to the rapid growth of CER in 2008 compared to 2006, despite compliance being voluntary.

The study is innovative in explicitly measuring any changes in reporting relative to the potential for additional reporting. Such a method more accurately evaluates the effect of institutional influences on reporting. The study provides a fresh profile of the content and the reporting medium of CER, with a particular focus on climate change in the Chinese context. The findings highlight research into CER based on annual reports risks results being incomplete and misleading. Findings have practical implications for policy makers in other emerging economies.

This study aims to leverage inertial sensors via a walk test to associate kinematic variables with functional assessment results among walkable subjects with chronic stroke.

Adults with first-ever stroke survivors were recruited for this study. First, functional assessments were obtained by using Fugl–Meyer Assessment for lower extremity and Berg balance scales. A self-assembled inertial measurement system obtained walking variables from a walk test after being deployed on subjects’ affected limbs and lower back. The average walking speeds, average range of motion in the affected limbs and a new gait symmetry index were computed and correlated with the two functional assessment scales using Spearman’s rank correlation test.

The average walking speeds were moderately correlated with both Fugl–Meyer assessment scales (γ = 0.62, p < 0.01, n = 23) and Berg balance scales (γ = 0.68, p < 0.01, n = 23). After being modified by the subjects’ height, the new gait symmetry index revealed moderate negative correlations with the Fugl–Meyer assessment scales (γ = −0.51, p < 0.05) and Berg balance scales (γ = −0.52, p < 0.05). The other kinematics failed to correlate well with the functional scales.

Neuromotor and functional assessment results from inertial sensors can facilitate their application in telemonitoring and telerehabilitation.

The average walking speeds and modified gait symmetry index are valuable parameters for inertial sensors in clinical research to deduce neuromotor and functional assessment results. In addition, the lower back is the optimal location for the inertial sensors.

This study developed and tested a consumer relations model to determine linkages among brand identity, reputation and value congruence with positive Word-of- Mouth (WOM) intentions.

An intercept survey was conducted during which 350 participants were asked about their perceptions of the store from where they are most likely to purchase coffee among options including multi-national corporations (MNCs) that have global brand identity and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with local brand identity.

Reputation and value congruence were positively related to positive WOM intentions. Unexpectedly, respondents indicated more positive WOM intentions toward SMEs than MNCs.

The findings suggested that value congruence and reputation are positively associated with WOM intentions. Yet, consumers indicated greater WOM intentions toward SMEs than MNCs, which implies that SMEs may be unique and have the ability to create more emotional attachment between businesses and consumers.

To promote consumers' positive WOM intentions, corporate/brand communication practitioners need to build a favorable reputation through effective communication that externalizes organizational values among consumers and includes companies' commitment to the communities in which they operate.

Like SMEs, MNCs should build quality relationships with the local community where they conduct business. Also, based on definitions of values and values congruence in the research literature, an original five-item scale of value congruence was developed and validated to measure the congruence between consumers' personal values and their perceptions of a company's values in the context of consumer relationship management.

Tabbing and stringing are the critical process for crystalline silicon solar module production. Because of the mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficients between silicon and metal, phenomenon of cell bowing, microcracks formation or cell breakage emerge during the soldering process. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of soldering on crystalline silicon solar cells and module, and reveal soldering law so as to decrease the breakage rates and improve reliability for crystalline silicon solar module.

A microscopic model of the soldering process is developed by the study of the crystalline silicon solar cell soldering process in this work. And the defects caused by soldering were analyzed systematically.

The defects caused by soldering are analyzed systematically. The optimal soldering conditions are derived for the crystalline silicon solar module.

The quality criterion of soldering for crystalline silicon solar module is built for the first time. The optimal soldering conditions are derived for the crystalline silicon solar module. This study provides insights into solder interconnection reliability in the photovoltaic (PV) industry.

The game strategies differ when different regions participate in the oil game. Under what circumstances will different participants choose cooperation or sanction strategies? This is the core issue of this paper.

Regarding the current and future game behavior between different regions in the oil trade, this paper constructs an evolutionary game model between two regions to explore the possibility of sanctions strategies between the two sides in different situations.

The research finds: (1) When the benefits of in-depth cooperation between the two regions are greater, both sides tend to adopt cooperative strategies. (2) When the trade conflict losses between the two regions are smaller, both sides adopt sanctions strategies. (3) When a strong region trades with a weak region, if the former adopts a sanctions strategy, the net profits are greater than the benefits of in-depth cooperation between the two regions. If the latter adopts a sanctions strategy, the net profits are less than the trade conflict losses between the two regions. There will be the strong region adopting a sanctions strategy and the weak region adopting a non-sanctions strategy. At this time, the latter should reasonably balance the immediate and future interests and give up some current interests in exchange for in-depth cooperation between the two regions. Otherwise, it will fall into the situation of unilateral sanctions by the strong against the weak.

There is no paper in the existing literature that uses the evolutionary game method to analyze the oil game problem between the two regions. This paper constructs a two-party evolutionary game model composed of crude oil importers and crude oil exporters and, based on this, analyzes the evolutionary stability between the two regions under sanctions and cooperation strategies, which enriches the energy research field.

The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the interactive conflicts between business and governmental authorities in the regulatory process of an emerging business model: sharing economy. Focusing on bike sharing system, the study also investigates the conflict-handling strategy of bike sharing companies and government regulation.

An evolutionary game model is introduced to illustrate the interactive conflict between bike sharing companies and government regulation, combined with system dynamics (SD) to simulate the evolutionary conflict-handling strategies between the two players.

The dynamic strategies of the two players are observed, and under five conditions the conflict outcomes are evolutionary stable states. Simulations show that each party sacrifices part of its interest and adjust its strategy according to that of the other, indicating the conflict-handling strategy as a compromising mode. Furthermore, the strategies of bike sharing companies are sensitive to additional operation and maintenance costs for producing low-quality bicycles and costs of positive regulation, which provides theoretical guidance for regulatory authorities.

The station-less bike sharing come up in China recently, and it is an important research field of entrepreneurship. Owing to the uniqueness and novelty of the phenomenon, conflicts and challenges exist during the regulation process. Thus, the study practically contributes to the conflict-handling strategies of businesses and government under the context of sharing economy. Methodologically, as a novel issue with less available data to carry out empirical research, this study combines evolutionary game theory with SD to shed light on the complex interactions between businesses and government. The research method can be applied to other entrepreneurial studies.