Bocong Yuan, Zhaoguo Wang and Jiannan Li
The West Africa coastal area faced with the serious health challenge is the most underdeveloped place. Through making the visualized spatial analysis of this area, this study aims…
Abstract
Purpose
The West Africa coastal area faced with the serious health challenge is the most underdeveloped place. Through making the visualized spatial analysis of this area, this study aims to identify which factor of social vulnerability predominantly affects infant mortality.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the spatial data available from NASA-affiliated institution and a geographic information system for analysis.
Findings
This study reveals that the Poverty and Adaptive Capacity Index, as economic aspect of social vulnerability, is spatially correlated with the infant mortality rate, whereas the Population Exposure Index, as population aspect of social vulnerability, does not. Thus, the economic rather than population factor is probably the driving force of high infant mortality.
Originality/value
This study clarifies the determinant of infant mortality in the West Africa coastal area in space dimension.
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Hui-Wen Deng and Kwok Wah Cheung
The National People’s Congress (NPC) of People’s Republic of China, the highest organ of state power, is popularly seen as a rubber-stamp entity. However, it has been…
Abstract
Purpose
The National People’s Congress (NPC) of People’s Republic of China, the highest organ of state power, is popularly seen as a rubber-stamp entity. However, it has been substantially evolving its roles to accommodate the governance discourses within China’s political system over the decades. This study aims to explore the changes of governance discourse of the NPC within China’s political system through which to offer a thorough understanding of the NPC’s evolving substantial role in current China.
Design/methodology/approach
This study deploys a historical approach to explore the changes of governance discourse of the NPC that has seen a growing importance in China’s political agenda, as argued by this study.
Findings
The authors find that the NPC has been substantially evolving its role within China’s political system in which the Chinese Communist Party has created different governance discourses. Besides, the NPC and its Standing Committee have asserted its authority as a substantial actor within China’s political system. The NPC is no longer functioned as a rubber-stamp institution, though it is still popularized as a rubber stamp by many scholars.
Research limitations/implications
This study is a historical elaboration on the development of NPC under three governance discourses. It might be, to some extent, relatively descriptive in nature.
Originality/value
This study, therefore, sheds some light on a revisit on the governance discourses in current China.
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China has, apparently, more trade union members than the rest of the world put together, but the unions are subservient to the Party-state. The theme of the paper is the gap…
Abstract
China has, apparently, more trade union members than the rest of the world put together, but the unions are subservient to the Party-state. The theme of the paper is the gap between rhetoric and reality. Issues analysed include union structure, membership, representation, and the interaction between unions and the Party-state. We suggest that Chinese unions inhabit an Alice in Wonderland dream world and that they are virtually impotent when it comes to representing workers. Because the Party-state recognises that such frailty may lead to instability it has passed new laws promoting collective contracts and established new tripartite institutions to mediate and arbitrate disputes. While such laws are welcome they are largely hollow: collective contracts are very different from collective bargaining and the incidence of cases dealt with by the tripartite institutions is tiny. Much supporting evidence is presented drawing on detailed case studies undertaken in Hainan Province (the largest and one of the oldest special economic zones) in 2004 and 2005. The need for more effective representation is appreciated by some All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) officials, but it seems a long way off, so unions in China will continue to echo the White Queen: “The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday – but never jam today” and, alas, tomorrow never comes.
Min Li, Wenyuan Huang, Chunyang Zhang and Zhengxi Yang
The purpose of this paper is to draw on triadic reciprocal determinism and social exchange theory to examine how “induced-type” and “compulsory-type” union participation influence…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to draw on triadic reciprocal determinism and social exchange theory to examine how “induced-type” and “compulsory-type” union participation influence union commitment and job involvement, and how union participation in the west differs from that in China. It also examines whether the role of both organizational justice and employee participation climate (EPC) functions in the Chinese context.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross-sectional data are collected from 694 employees in 46 non-publicly owned enterprises, both Chinese and foreign, in the Pearl River Delta region of China. A multi-level moderated mediation test is used to examine the model of this research.
Findings
Union participation is positively related to organizational justice, union commitment and job involvement. In addition, organizational justice acts as the mediator among union participation, union commitment and job involvement. Specifically, the mediating role of organizational justice between union participation and union commitment, and between union participation and job involvement, is stronger in high-EPC contexts than low-EPC contexts.
Originality/value
Instead of examining the impacts of attitudes on union participation, as per most studies in the western context, this research examines the impacts of union participation in the Chinese context on attitudes, including union commitment and job involvement. It also reveals the role of both organizational justice and EPC in the process through which union participation influences union commitment and job involvement.
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Zhaoguo Zhang, Chi Zhang and Danting Cao
At present, the number of corporates certified by ISO14001 in China is ranked first in the world. This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of ISO14001 certification and the…
Abstract
Purpose
At present, the number of corporates certified by ISO14001 in China is ranked first in the world. This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of ISO14001 certification and the moderating effect of financial performance and external institutional pressures on the effectiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper selects Shenzhen and Shanghai A-share listed companies in the heavy polluting industry from 2010 to 2017 as the research sample, and studies the impact of ISO14001 certification on corporate environmental performance and the moderating effect of financial performance and external institutional pressures.
Findings
This paper finds that ISO14001 certification has a positive impact on corporate environmental performance; corporate financial performance has a positive moderating effect in the relationship between ISO14001 certification and corporate environmental performance; government regulation, industry competition and media supervision also have positive moderating effects; and corporate environmental information disclosure has not yet had a positive moderating effect.
Originality/value
Most of the current empirical research on this topic are carried out in the context of developed countries, and lack empirical evidence from developing countries. This paper will help to make up for this deficiency. In addition, this paper will help explain why the effectiveness of ISO14001 certification generates variation in different corporates and under what conditions it will play a positive role.
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He Weifeng, Zhang Zhaoguo and Zhu Shasha
This study aims to investigate the relationship between the ownership structure of firms and the private benefits of control through an analysis of Chinese listed firms.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between the ownership structure of firms and the private benefits of control through an analysis of Chinese listed firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a sample of Chinese firms, cases were examined where there had been a transaction involving non‐tradable stock. The cases where there had been stock transactions which both did and did not involve the transfer of control within a single year were selected. The difference between these two types of transaction was used to estimate the private benefits of control in Chinese listed firms. Regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between ownership structure and private benefits of control in Chinese listed firms.
Findings
The results show that the average private benefit of control is 18.52 percent in China. The regression results show a significant, positive relationship between the controlling shareholders, the combined shareholdings of the second to fifth largest shareholder and private benefits of control. However, there is a negative but insignificant relationship between the tradable share value and private benefits of control. With regard to the relationship between managerial shareholding and private benefits of control, the regression results show a positive but insignificant relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Further insights into the private benefits of control can be obtained by inspecting the change around major corporate events involving significant ownership changes. In this study, the focus was on non‐tradable stock. Investigating all stock would be a fruitful area for future research.
Practical implications
In China, firms should optimize the ownership structure and curb expropriation by controlling shareholders. This would help to promote a sound development of Chinese listed firms and the capital market.
Originality/value
The research provides useful information on the impact of ownership structure on private benefits of control in a sample of listed firms in China.
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Norhidayah Abdullah and Wee Ching Pok
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship of separation of cash flow rights (CFR) and control rights (CR) and debt policy of Malaysian listed family firms.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship of separation of cash flow rights (CFR) and control rights (CR) and debt policy of Malaysian listed family firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample of this study consists of 256 observations from companies listed in the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia for the period between year 2005 and 2009. The multivariate ordinary least square regressions have been conducted in order to examine the relationships between separation of CFR and CR and debt.
Findings
The study reveals that the separation of CFR and CR does not lead to the increase of debt policy among Malaysian listed family-owned firms. Thus, the results suggest there is no expropriation of minority interests in Malaysian family-owned firms. The plausible reason is that Malaysia has better investor or shareholder protection laws compared to other emerging markets such as Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines.
Research limitations/implications
The first limitation is the underestimation of CFR and CR because the affiliated business of unlisted firms and foreign companies are excluded. The second limitation is the presence of 100 percent ownership in firms controlled by family-owned firms or in firms that are controlled by another firms which are under the controlled of family-owned firms, or both, will lead to equal proportion of CFR and CR. Thus, the degree of separation of CFR and CR of such firms are indeterminable.
Originality/value
This paper investigates the expropriation of minority interests by Malaysian family-owned firms on which has not been explored.