Management Practices In China Research Articles

#2389 Enhancing immunoglobulin A nephropathy management: insights from the IGAN-MIC project

Abstract Background and Aims Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) comprises a substantial proportion of primary glomerulonephritis cases in China, yet comprehensive nationwide data regarding its diagnosis and treatment are lacking. The Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy Management Quality Improvement Initiative Project in China (IGAN-MIC) seeks to establish an IgAN cohort collaboration network to comprehend real-world IgAN management practices in China. Method The IGAN-MIC project convened 15 Chinese experts from 14 regions to form an expert committee to develop a registry of IgAN patients to evaluate regional differences in IgAN management from 2015 to 2024. The registry will involve comprehensive data collection from electronic medical records, encompassing key aspects including demographic and clinical characteristics, renal biopsies, diagnoses, comorbidities, laboratory findings, and treatment modalities, facilitating a detailed analysis of disease progression and changes in treatment strategies from initial diagnosis through subsequent follow-up periods. Results The IGAN-MIC project has garnered applications from 78 healthcare institutions, with 7 of them already incorporated into the initiative and initiated data collection. As of January 1, 2024, the project has enrolled 543 pathologically confirmed IgAN patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2023 from these 7 centers. At the time of diagnosis, the median (IQR) of age was 38.00 (30.00, 48.00) years; 54.51% were females; the median (IQR) of eGFR was 75.41 (51.93, 104.09) mL/min/1.73 m2 and the median (IQR) 24-hour urinary protein was 1263.50 (645.30, 2362.64) mg/day. For these patients, the utilization rates of RAS inhibitors (RASi), SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucocorticoids at initial treatment were 53.41%, 3.51%, and 42.73% respectively. The utilization rate of SGLT2i from 2022 to 2023 was 9.90%, as the first indication for SGLT2i in CKD was approved in China in September 2022. A detailed outline of patient baseline characteristics is presented in Table 1 below. Conclusion These initial findings in the registry showed that the Chinese IgAN patients were young, had mildly reduced renal function, and with massive proteinuria at the time of initial diagnosis. For initial treatment, only half of the patients received RASi, and only one tenth received SGLT2i. More education needs to be focused on promoting guideline-directed medical therapies in the future. Given that nationwide data on Chinese IgAN patients are limited, the IGAN-MIC project is anticipated to broaden its registry to include more healthcare institutions and Chinese IgAN patients in the future, with the aim of providing a more in-depth understanding of the changing clinical presentations and ongoing follow-up scenarios among IgAN patients, contributing crucial insights to the clinical management of IgAN.

Agricultural management practices in China enhance nitrogen sustainability and benefit human health.

The potential of enhanced agricultural management practices to drive sustainability is rarely quantified at grassroots level. Here we analyse nitrogen use and loss in Chinese cropland, drawing from data collected in 2,238,550 sites in two national agricultural pollution source censuses from 2007 to 2017. We find an upswing of 10% in crop yields and an 8% reduction in nitrogen pollution during this period, owing to the promotion and adoption of various management practices (including the combination of organic and chemical fertilizers, straw recycling and deep placement of fertilizer). These practices have collectively contributed to an 18% increase in nitrogen use efficiency in the country. By fully embracing them, we project that annual cropland pollution could be further reduced by up to 1.4 Mt of nitrogen without compromising crop yields. Environmental and human health benefits are projected to consistently outweigh implementation costs in the future, with total benefits reaching US$15 billion.

The relationship between The collectivism atmosphere and the Employees' advice: the intermediary role of Organizational identification

This study, conducted within a local organization in China, explores the influence mechanism of The collectivism atmosphere on Employees' advice through the lens of social identity and social exchange theories. It seeks to demonstrate the intermediary role of Organizational identitification. The model was validated using reliability analysis, validation factor analysis, normality test, correlation coefficient analysis, and hypothesis testing on a dataset comprising 306 entries, utilizing statistical software SPSS and AMOS. The results indicate that: (1) The collectivism atmosphere significantly and positively affects both Organizational identitification and Employees' advice; (2) Organizational identitification serves as an intermediary in the relationship between The collectivism atmosphere and Employees' advice, suggesting that a deeper sense of Organizational identitification strengthens the impact of The collectivism atmosphere on Employees' advice. This conclusion aids in understanding the intermediary mechanism through which The collectivism atmosphere influences Employees' advice and provides practical insights for effectively stimulating Employees' advice within localized management practices in China.

A Comparative Study of College Management Practices in China and Bangladesh

The fundamental disparities between college administration procedures in China and Bangladesh will be thoroughly compared and analyzed in this thesis paper. The study looks into a number of things, such as institutional culture, curricular design, faculty-student connections, and governance and administration systems. The research advances knowledge of the distinctive opportunities and difficulties in college management in both nations by evaluating these characteristics. The results of this study have significance for enhancing college administration procedures, encouraging global partnerships, and informing educational policy choices.

Evaluating green financing mechanisms for natural resource management: Implications for achieving sustainable development goals

China has made noteworthy strides in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including natural resource management. The country’s economic expansion has put more strain on its natural resources during Covid-19 pandemic, which has contributed to environmental deterioration, the extinction of species, and climate change. Consequently, green finance can create new opportunities for assisting natural resource management practices that support environmental, social, and economic sustainability. In order to realize the SDGs, this study employs a hybrid Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Visekriterijumska Optimizacija i Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) to assess and prioritize important criteria, sub-criteria, and green financing mechanisms for natural resource management in China. Therefore, this study identified six criteria, eighteen sub-criteria, and six green financing strategies for promoting sustainable development and natural resource management methods in China. According to the Fuzzy AHP findings, financial sustainability (0.192), institutional feasibility (0.176), and environmental impact (0.171) are the most crucial criteria. While, the Fuzzy VIKOR findings reveal that carbon markets, green bonds, and green investment funds are the best financial solutions for reaching sustainable development and effective resource management practices in China. This research enables policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders improve sustainable development and natural resource management in China.

The Impact of CEO Change on Enterprise Performance

The chief executive officer (CEO) is the enterprise's leader and plays a crucial role in business growth. Thus, the impact of the CEO changeover on the company and the selection of a suitable replacement are equally crucial considerations. This research utilizes data from Shanghai and Shenzhen-listed corporations. Using China's shares from 2010 to 2019 as the primary sample and earnings per share (EPS) as the performance indicator, we examine the influence of CEO turnover and succession sources on the company's performance. This research examines the pertinent literature and concludes that there are numerous elements that influence corporate performance, such as CEO turnover, firm size, debt ratio, etc. Several control variables are selected to develop an econometric model in order to control the influence of other factors affecting independent variables and dependent variables. This paper focuses on empirical analysis, does descriptive statistical analysis and multiple regression analysis, and employs the PSM-DID model for robustness testing in order to investigate the effect of CEO change on firm performance. After accounting for the endogenous or self-selection bias of the control sample, the study indicated that CEO turnover has a detrimental effect on company performance. From the standpoint of succession types, the corporate performance of listed companies with external successors is inferior to that of publicly traded companies with internal successors. On the basis of the above empirical findings, this study makes related recommendations for the current corporate management practice in China.

Analysis of financial management practices in China's manufacturing sector before and during COVID-19: a comparison with Romania

PurposeThe objective of this study is to investigate how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affects firms' financial management in China's manufacturing sector. In addition, the authors analyze the changes in various financial indicators before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the authors make a cross-country comparison of the COVID-19's impact on financial management between China and Romania.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses the balanced panel data of 2,272 manufacturing listed companies from 2019 to 2020, and applies the t-test method and multiple regression method.FindingsThe results show that firms' financial performance in most manufacturing sub-sectors decreased during the observed period. In addition, the authors find that equity financing, proper liquidity management and an expanded firm scale can improve firms' financial performance. The authors further compare the results with the Romanian results, and find that the negative impact of debt-to-equity ratio on firms' financial performance in Romania is greater than that in China and the positive impact of financial autonomy ratio and working capital ratios is greater in China than that in Romania.Practical implicationsThe findings can help corporate managers make the best financial management decision in response to crisis.Originality/valueThis study is one of the pioneers that analyze how manufacturing companies carried out their financial management during the COVID-19 crisis in the Chinese context, and provides a cross-country analysis of corporate financial management practices in China and Romania.

Contributions and Resistances to Vulnerability of Rural Human Settlements System in Agricultural Areas of Chinese Loess Plateau since 1980

The vulnerability evolution of human settlements system on the micro-scale is a direct indicator of the local impact of global environmental change. Traditional agricultural areas are most vulnerable to climate and market changes. Due to the lack of historical statistics, micro-scale quantitative studies on the historical evolution of vulnerability are extremely scarce. From the perspective of the socio-ecological system, this study conducted field investigations along with quantitative assessment and an ethnographic approach to explore the vulnerability change of rural human settlements system since 1980 in Jia County, an agro-pastoral interlocking area. The study found that the vulnerability of natural, dwelling and social systems has continued to decrease, while human system vulnerability increased. At present, the RHSS is characterized by the poor quality of the river, a depressed rural population and a large gap between the rich and poor as weaknesses, and is characterized by sandstorm disaster reduction, more robust rural roads, adequate water for domestic use and high social security as strengths. Results revealed that ecological projects, increased precipitation, market changes, urbanization siphoning and farmer behaviors are key drivers to the vulnerability change since 1980. The study findings can be directly applied to rural revitalization strategies, vulnerability mitigation and adaptive management practices in China. In addition, the vulnerability evolution under multiple perturbations can provide guidance for settlement planning and construction in traditional agricultural areas among developing countries under global changes.

The Covid-19 outbreak, corporate financial distress and earnings management

This study explores the association between the Covid-19 outbreak, corporate financial distress and earnings management practices in China. We investigate whether firms took advantage of the downturn in economic conditions during the pandemic to adjust their earnings using different earnings management techniques. Utilising a sample of 1832 listed firms and underlying theoretical frameworks (i.e., positive accounting and signalling theory), we find that firms were more inclined to manage earnings during the pandemic period. They favoured using the accrual-based rather than the real activity-based earnings management technique. We also find that firms engaged more in income-increasing practices in the shadow of the outbreak. In addition, our results further demonstrate that financially distressed firms were involved in earnings management, particularly accrual-based earnings management. However, compared to privately-owned firms, state-owned enterprises seem to be involved less in earnings management during the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings from this study raise some concerns for policymakers about the credibility of financial reporting information during Covid-19.

Exploring the Role of Information Technology in Implementing Integrated Green Supply Chain Management in China

This conceptual paper explores the role of information technology (IT) in implementing integrated green supply chain management practices in China. The paper discusses the key principles and goals of green supply chain management, current challenges and opportunities in implementing green practices, and the role of IT in facilitating sustainable practices. The benefits and challenges of adopting IT in integrated green supply chain management are examined, including environmental and social benefits, cost savings and efficiency improvements, as well as technological, organizational, and regulatory challenges. The paper concludes with a summary of key findings and discussions, implications for practitioners and policymakers, and recommendations for future research.

СОЦИАЛЬНО-УПРАВЛЕНЧЕСКИЕ ПРАКТИКИ В СОВРЕМЕННОМ КИТАЕ

The article analyzes the specifics of Chinese business management in a rapidly changing organizational environment. Management practice in China is determined by factors limiting development, authenticity, localization and vertical organization, as well as the choice of non-market management strategies.

The ethics of talent management practices in China, exploring the role of guanxi in talent recruitment and talent development

This paper explores talent management (TM) ethics in China, specifically examines the role of Chinese guanxi in TM practices. Guanxi in the Chinese business context has been widely acknowledged amongst Western academics and business managers, and there is a growing literature on TM and its ethics. However, guanxi-related behaviours and ethical issues arising from TM practices' operation have been overlooked but need to be addressed. This paper explores the roles of guanxi in talent recruitment and development with views of TM ethics. Fifteen interviews were conducted in a case company to explore how guanxi factors impact its talent recruitment and development activities. The roles of guanxi are analysed based on the ethics of elitist TM. This paper also identifies several ethical dilemmas related to guanxi in TM practices. This paper recommends that TM practitioners take account of guanxi effects to discuss TM ethics in China's context.

Changes in cropland soil carbon through improved management practices in China: A meta-analysis

Recommended management practices (RMPs, e.g., manuring, no-tillage, crop residue return) can increase soil organic carbon (SOC), reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and maintain soil health in croplands. However, there is no consensus on how RMPs affect the SOC storage potential of cropland soils for climate change mitigation. Here, based on 2301 comparisons from 158 peer-reviewed papers, a meta-analysis was conducted to explore management-induced SOC stock changes and their variations under different conditions. The results show that SOC stocks in the 0–20 cm layer were increased by 31.8% when chemical fertilization combined with manure application was compared with no fertilizer; 9.98% when no-tillage was compared with plow tillage; and 10.84% when straw return was compared with removal. The RMPs favorably increased SOC stock in arid areas, and in alkaline and fine-textured soils. Initial SOC, carbon-nitrogen ratio, and experimental duration could also affect SOC storage. Compared with the initial SOC stock, RMPs increased the SOC sequestration potential by 2.6–4.5% in the 0–20 cm soil depth, indicating that these practices can help China achieve targets to increase SOC by 4.0‰. Hence, it is essential to implement RMPs for climate change mitigation and soil fertility improvement.

중국 내 다국적 제약사의 노동 관리 전략과 실천

This study aims to investigate the new characteristics of transnational capital's labor control in the process of compliance management practices in China's pharmaceutical industry and the resistance to the control by the local workers. The mechanisms of practicing compliance management mainly involve three aspects: internal monitoring and auditing, compliance training and education, disciplinary punishment. Compliance management as a new disciplinary power is exercised through three technologies: hierarchical observation, normalizing judgment, and examination. We reveal that the compliance management practices in China do not conform to the rational hypothesis pursued by the West, and it is more of a bluff management strategy in nature, which is more concern to the profits rather than discipline and punishment.

Disintegrating the impact of climate change on maize yield from human management practices in China

Climate warming has posed one of the greatest threats to global food security during the 21st century. Evidence suggests that such a threat could be partly offset by promoting food production through human management. Most studies have focused on quantifying the impact of climatic factors on food quantity. However, the contributions of human management practices, including fertilization and irrigation, to food production are yet to be comprehensively understood. Using integrated information on climate, fertilizer use, and irrigation water allocation across China's 208 prefecture-level administrative divisions, as well as four spatial panel models, we have successfully disintegrated the relative effects of climate change and human management practices on China's maize yield. From 1982 to 2013, the average maize yield in maize planting regions in China increased by 1.7 times. The overall impact of human management (fertilizer use and irrigation) on maize yield was higher than that of climate change (based on the optimal spatial Durbin model where the coefficients of most factors were significant at p < 0.01; R2 = 0.65). The vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was the main influencing factor on maize yield followed by nitrogen and phosphorus (N&P) fertilizer use, precipitation, and diurnal temperature range (DTR) respectively. For example, maize yield would decrease by 15.0% per 0.1 kPa increase in VPD and increase by 29% per 10 g added in N&P fertilizer per square meter. Specifically, the VPD negatively influenced the maize yield in the Northern spring and the Southwest maize region, while the increased temperature negatively influenced the maize yield in the Huang-Huai spring-summer maize region. The N&P fertilizer use, precipitation, and diurnal temperature range all positively influenced the maize yield. N&P fertilizer use in the South maize region had a greater effect on improving maize yield than the other regions. The yield in the South maize region benefited more from human activities. This research could provide a timely reference for improving food production in China's maize planting regions and maintaining food security.

Mitigation Strategies for Human-Tibetan Brown Bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus) Conflicts in the Hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Simple SummaryThe conservation of Tibetan brown bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus) and its habitat is of great value to the conservation of sympatric species, which helps to maintain the health and stability of the regional ecosystem. In recent years, human–bear conflicts (HBCs) have intensified in the Sanjiangyuan Region in Qinghai Province, China, decreasing the tolerance of local herders of the species and seriously affecting the motivation of local communities to protect brown bears and other wildlife, with retaliatory killing posing a threat to their survival. Timely development of effective measures and countermeasures for mitigating HBCs is crucial to protect brown bears. The mitigation or resolution of HBC issues is beneficial to both the promotion of people’s livelihoods and the conservation of brown bears on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). At present, there is still a lack of research on the mitigation measures of HBCs on the QTP. This study combined field surveys, semi-structured interviews, and HBC seminars to understand the effectiveness of current mitigation measures and to propose potential mitigation measures in the hinterland of the QTP. This work proposed targeted mitigation measures for HBCs taking into account existing HBC management practices in China and abroad, and the unique geographical environment, laws and regulations, folk culture, and religious beliefs of local regions. Although this study was limited to a single species on the QTP, the results herein are useful for drafting national-level wildlife conservation policies, compensation programs for wildlife damage, and natural resource conservation regulations.Personal injury and property damage caused by wildlife can worsen the relationship between humans and wildlife. In recent years, conflicts between herders and Tibetan brown bears (Ursus arctos pruinosus) (human–bear conflicts; HBCs) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau have increased dramatically, severely affecting community motivation for the conservation of brown bears and other species. Understanding the types, effectiveness, and flaws of current HBC mitigation measures is critical to develop effective strategies to alleviate HBC. From 2017 to 2019, we conducted a systematic field survey regarding HBCs on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In addition, we invited bear specialists and multiple interest groups to hold an HBC seminar and proposed some potential mitigation strategies. We surveyed 312 families via semi-structured interviews and documented 16 types of HBC mitigation measures. A total of 96% of respondents were using more than two mitigation measures simultaneously. The effectiveness evaluation of HBC mitigation measures showed that: (1) removing food from winter homes while herders were at their summer pastures and asking people to keep watch of winter homes were effective at protecting food and houses; (2) traditional grazing methods (human guarding of livestock all day) and solar soundboxes (attached to livestock) were effective at protecting free-range livestock; (3) solar street lights had a deterrent effect on brown bears and were effective in protecting livestock, houses, and people; and (4) due to the unstable power supply of photovoltaic cells and improper installation of ground wires, electric fences were not ideal in practice. Evaluation of the potential mitigation measures at the seminar showed that upgrading electric fence technology, expanding electric fence pilot areas, installing diversionary feeders, and introducing bear spray were the most optimal solutions. This study provides a scientific basis for creating human–bear coexistence plans on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

COVID-19 and earnings management: a comparison between Chinese family and non-family enterprises

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on earnings management practices in China using a sample of family and non-family enterprises. More specifically, this study aims to examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic causes variation in Chinese listed family and non-family enterprises' operations, as reflected in the level of real earnings management (REM).Design/methodology/approachThis study uses three standardised REM indicators, namely, the abnormal level of cash flows from operations, the abnormal level of production costs and the abnormal level of discretionary expenses. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions are applied to compare the earnings management of Chinese family and non-family enterprises during the pre-pandemic period (2017–2019) and the pandemic period (2020).Findings The authors find that Chinese listed non-family enterprises tend to participate in more REM activities than family enterprises before the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the opposite is true during the pandemic. The authors also find that COVID-19 has increased the involvement of family and non-family enterprises in REM activities.Originality/valueThe results of previous studies based on REM using Chinese listed firms may not be applicable under the new social background of COVID-19. As the period after the COVID-19 outbreak is relatively recent, Chinese researchers have yet to study it comprehensively. The present study is amongst the first empirical attempts investigating the effect of a pandemic financial reporting by investigating whether and how the burst of the COVID-19 crisis affected financial reporting through the earnings management practices of listed Chinese family and non-family enterprises. Such information is crucial because it can provide analysis for all stakeholders to make better decisions.

Does straw return increase crop yield in the wheat-maize cropping system in China? A meta-analysis

Straw return into agricultural soil is one of the most important management practices in China. However, the direction and magnitude of crop yield to straw return are inconsistent from individual studies in wheat-maize cropping systems of Chinese upland soils. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis of 1071 comparisons from 177 peer-reviewed publications to evaluate the effect of straw return on the yield in the wheat-maize cropping system varied with climate conditions, management practices, and soil properties. Overall, crop yield response to straw return in the mono-cropping system (11.8%) is significantly greater than that in the double-cropping system (5.5%). The positive effect is obvious in regions with subtropical climates (> 15 °C annual temperature and > 800 mm annual precipitation). Without fertilizer application, straw return has no improvement on crop yield in the mono-cropping system, or even decreases crop yield by 2.42% in the double-cropping system, while it will yield more under N fertilizer application of 150–200 kg ha−1 yr−1 for mono (16.4%) and > 300 kg ha−1 yr−1 for double (6.99%) cropping system. For both cropping systems, yield increase peaked at around 10–15 years. The positive effect of straw return on crop yield is more obvious under the conditions with irrigation, and deep tillage. For straw return method, straw incorporation presents a greater effect than straw mulching does. The increase in crop yield after straw return is closely related to the improvement of soil organic carbon, soil structure and nutrients. Therefore, our results indicate that straw incorporation under the conditions with deep tillage, irrigation and fertilization, has great potential to increase crop yield in the wheat-maize cropping system.

The Impact of Economic Growth and Tiered Medical Policy on the Medical Waste Generation: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve Model

Medical waste has a high environmental risk, economic development and medical policies can affect medical waste generation. Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is an important indicator to measure the macroeconomic development status, and the tiered medical policy plays an important role in the process of China’s medical reform. The study considered the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) of medical waste generation (MWG) in eight cities in China from 2013 to 2019, using economic indicator (GDP per capita) and policy indicator (tiered medical policy) to reveal the impact of economic development and medical policy on MWG. Furthermore, residents, especially the elderly, are the main consumers of medical resources, and medical institutions are the main places where medical waste is generated. Education level can affect waste management practices. Therefore, the research introduced population size, number of medical institutions, aging degree and education level as control variables. The results confirmed the validity of the N-shaped EKC curve between medical waste and GDP per capita. The amount of medical waste would continue to increase with economic growth, but the growth rate was not fixed. Implementing the tiered medical policy had shown a trend towards reducing medical waste. Population size and aging degree positively affected the generation of medical waste. The number of medical institutions negatively affected the generation of medical waste. The effect of education level on MWG could be ignored. Based on the empirical analysis results, this research put forward relevant policy suggestions in the light of medical waste management practice in China.

N limitation increases along a temperate forest succession: evidences from leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption

AbstractForest productivity and carbon (C) sequestration largely depend on soil N and P availability. To date, however, the temporal variation of nutrient limitation along forest succession is still under debate. Leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption are important indicators for predicting nutrient limitation of plant growth. Here, we measured nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in green leaves and leaf litter for all woody species at four stages of temperate forest succession, and analyzed how abiotic and biotic factors affect leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption along forest succession. At the individual scale, leaf N and P concentrations had a significant increase at the end of the succession, while no change in leaf N:P ratio was detected. Nitrogen resorption efficiency (NRE) increased significantly with succession, but P resorption efficiency (PRE) first increased and then decreased. Significant increases in NRE:PRE ratios only occurred at the end of the succession. Moreover, plant N cycling was less responsive to soil nutrient than P cycling. At the community scale, we found that leaf N and P concentrations first decreased and then increased along forest succession, which were mainly affected by Shannon–Wiener index and species richness. Leaf N:P ratio significantly varied with succession and was mainly determined by community-weighted mean diameter at breast height (DBH). NRE increased and was significantly influenced by species richness and DBH, while PRE was relatively stable along forest succession. Thus, the NRE:PRE ratios significantly increased, indicating that N limitation is exacerbated with the temperate forest succession. These results might reflect the intense interspecific competition for limiting resource in a higher biodiversity community. In conclusion, our findings highlight the importance of biotic factors in driving forest ecosystem nutrient cycling and provide valuable information for sustainable fertilizer management practices in China’s temperate and boreal forests.