The relationship between corporate social responsibility and corporate financial performance has long been a central and contentious debate in the literature. However, prior empirical studies provide indefinite conclusions. The purpose of this study is to review systematically and quantify the CSR–CFP link in a meta-analytic framework. Based on 119 effect sizes from 42 studies, this study estimates that the overall effect size of the CSR–CFP relationship is positive and significant, thus endorsing the argument that CSR does enhance financial performance. Furthermore, (...) this work sheds light on the causal relationship between CSR and CFP. Subsequent financial performance is associated with prior social responsibility, while the reverse direction is not supported. This finding supports the instrumental stakeholder theory. As predicted, the meta-analysis results indicate that the measurement strategies of the two key constructs of CSR and CFP explain some variations of the CSR–CFP relationship. Last, this study examines the moderating effect of the environmental context on the CSR–CFP link. This work proposes that CSR in the developed world, with a relatively mature institutional system and efficient market mechanism, will be more visible than CSR in the developing world. The results show that the CSR–CFP relationship is stronger for firms from advanced economies than for firms from developing economies. (shrink)

In order to solve a series of problems brought about by rapid development of science and technology, it is necessary not only to conduct in-depth research on science and technology ethics, but also to strengthen ethics education in science and technology. China’s five technical universities exemplify the specific situation and characteristics of ethics at Chinese technical universities, and can be compared to the situation in South Africa. China’s ethics education in the 5TU emphasizes the use of traditional ideological and cultural (...) resources, and practical cases. The teaching methods focus on combining traditional Chinese ethics with foreign experience and teaching methods, aiming at cultivating students’ ability to solve specific problems in the real world. This paper also evaluates and reflects on the short-term and long-term effects of China’s ethics education in science and technology, revealing some special problems. Ethics education in science and technology at the 5TU is based on the principle of “unity of knowledge and behaviour”. It is hoped that China’s ethics education founded on traditional Chinese thought, can make a valuable contribution to the development of global engineering ethics. (shrink)

In order to solve a series of problems brought about by rapid development of science and technology, it is necessary not only to conduct in-depth research on science and technology ethics, but also to strengthen ethics education in science and technology. China’s five technical universities exemplify the specific situation and characteristics of ethics at Chinese technical universities, and can be compared to the situation in South Africa. China’s ethics education in the 5TU emphasizes the use of traditional ideological and cultural (...) resources, and practical cases. The teaching methods focus on combining traditional Chinese ethics with foreign experience and teaching methods, aiming at cultivating students’ ability to solve specific problems in the real world. This paper also evaluates and reflects on the short-term and long-term effects of China’s ethics education in science and technology, revealing some special problems. Ethics education in science and technology at the 5TU is based on the principle of “unity of knowledge and behaviour”. It is hoped that China’s ethics education founded on traditional Chinese thought, can make a valuable contribution to the development of global engineering ethics. (shrink)

Recent work has shown that preschool-aged children and adults understand freedom of choice regardless of culture, but that adults across cultures differ in perceiving social obligations as constraints on action. To investigate the development of these cultural differences and universalities, we interviewed school-aged children (4–11) in Nepal and the United States regarding beliefs about people's freedom of choice and constraint to follow preferences, perform impossible acts, and break social obligations. Children across cultures and ages universally endorsed the choice to follow (...) preferences but not to perform impossible acts. Age and culture effects also emerged: Young children in both cultures viewed social obligations as constraints on action, but American children did so less as they aged. These findings suggest that while basic notions of free choice are universal, recognitions of social obligations as constraints on action may be culturally learned. (shrink)

Knowledge of induced fractures can help to evaluate the success of reservoir stimulation. Seismic P-waves through fracturing media can exhibit azimuthal variation in traveltime, amplitude, and thin-bed tuning, so amplitude variation with azimuth can be used to evaluate the hydraulic-fracturing-caused anisotropy. The Barnett Shale of the Fort Worth Basin was the first large-scale commercial shale gas play. We have analyzed two adjacent Barnett Shale seismic surveys: one acquired before hydraulic fracturing and the other acquired after hydraulic fracturing by more than (...) 400 wells. Although not a rigorous time-lapse experiment, comparison of AVAz anisotropy of these two surveys provided valuable insight into the possible effects of hydraulic fracturing. We found that in the survey acquired prior to hydraulic fracturing, AVAz anomalies were stronger and highly correlated with major structural lineaments measured by curvature. In contrast, AVAz anomalies in the survey acquired after hydraulic fracturing were weaker and compartmentalized by rather than correlated to the most-positive curvature lineaments. We found in five microseismic experiments within the survey that these ridge lineaments form fracture barriers. These findings suggested that future time-lapse experiments may be valuable in mapping the modified horizontal stress field to guide future drilling and in recognizing zones of bypassed pay. (shrink)

Awareness and un-clinging have been emphasised in Buddhist discourse as important facets of mindfulness practice for over 2500 years. However, there is a lack of rigorous research examining the relationship between these two elements and their importance to well-being. To evaluate these abstract constructs, the current study adopted multiple assessment modalities; namely, a self-report scale, experience sampling, and semi-structured interviews. A total of 415 participants completed the questionnaire survey. Among them, 71 participants further took part in the experience sampling procedure (...) and semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that self-reported awareness was mildly correlated with momentary mindfulness but was not significantly correlated with rater-rated mindfulness. Self-reported un-clinging was moderately correlated with rater-rated mindfulness but was not significantly correlated with momentary mindfulness. Un-clinging, but not awareness, can distinguish meditators from non-meditators. Lastly, based on the Buddha’s mindfulness discourse, a path analysis model illustrates that the effects of un-clinging and awareness on stress reduction are mediated by emotional intelligence and non-attachment. Practical implications and future research designs are discussed. (shrink)

By examining the seismic data, logging data, core description, thin sections, rare earth elements, heavy minerals, and detrital zircon U-Pb dating, we studied the sedimentary features and provenance implications of the five fan deltas spread along the 428 Uplift in Bohai Bay Basin during the deposition of the first and second members of the Shahejie Formation. The glutenite volumes of the fan deltas and the erosion volumes of their catchments were calculated as well as the sand-production rates. The results indicated (...) that during the sedimentation of the first and second members of the Shahejie Formation : the true lithology of the 428 Uplift, which was completely eroded, could not be represented by the residual lithology, fan deltas A and B were dominated by Mesozoic igneous rocks from the eastern low uplift, whereas the fan deltas C-E were dominated by sedimentary rocks with interlayers of igneous rocks from the western low uplift, and during [Formula: see text], the volumes of the glutenites of the five fan deltas were [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], respectively, whereas the erosion volumes of the catchments are [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] respectively. The sand production rates of the five fan deltas were 71.9%, 53.8%, 34.7%, 29.6%, and 29%, respectively. Approximately 53.8%–71.9% of the eroded igneous rocks formed the near-source fan-delta glutenites, whereas only 29.0%–34.7% of the eroded sedimentary rocks with igneous rock interlayers formed the near-source fan-delta glutenites. The igneous parent rocks featured higher sand production rates and were responsible for the development of the most sand-rich reservoirs. Based on the research finding, it is possible to predict the development of the sandstone reservoirs at the poorly explored steep slope areas. (shrink)

The traditional Christian version of the Golden Rule, some modern philosophical reformulations, and the Confucian version are compared. It is argued that the Confucian version, in contrast with its Western parallels, is based on shu as bodily or somatic interpersonal care and love, and thus should be understood first of all as a human "way" rather than as a divine rule, a way grounded in the human heart and a way for the human community.

This study examines the mediating role of rumination, state anger, and blame attribution, and the moderating role of trait forgiveness in the relationship between workplace harassment intensity and revenge among employed students at a medium-sized Midwestern U.S. university and full-time employees from various industries in Shanghai, China. We tested the proposed model using techniques described by Hayes. Results within both samples suggested that workplace harassment intensity is positively associated with both major and minor revenge. Results of multiple mediation tests showed (...) that state anger and blame attribution mediated the relationships between workplace harassment intensity and both types of revenge behavior. Furthermore, trait forgiveness moderated the relationship between blame attribution and major revenge. (shrink)

“Thing” and “nothing” are metaphysical themes of thinking for major philosophers both in the West and in East Asia, such as Heidegger, Kant, and Laozi 老子. In light of a discussion of Heidegger’s understanding of thing-ing and no-thing and of his critical interpretation of Kant on the same issue, I shall in this essay reconstruct a Laozian theory of thing and nothing. My conclusion is that thing and nothing are not two “things,” as often assumed by an epistemological approach, but (...) ontologically one thing cut by an absolute limit set up by human rationality which is contained either in our consciousness or in our languages. (shrink)

The consensus problem is presented for the switched multiagent system, where the MAS is switched between continuous- and discrete-time systems with relative state constraints. With some standard assumptions, we obtain the fact that the switched MAS with relative state constraints can achieve consensus under both fixed undirected graphs and switching undirected graphs. Furthermore, based on the absolute average value of initial states, we propose sufficient conditions for consensus of the switched MAS. The challenge of this study is that relative state (...) constraints are considered, which will make the consensus problem much more complex. One of the main contributions is that, for the switched MAS with relative state constraints, we explore the solvability of the consensus problem. Finally, we present two simulation examples to show the effectiveness of the results. (shrink)

This essay shall discuss the moral feeling of being morally moved (daode gandong 道德感动) and explore its philosophical significances in understanding the nature of virtue ethics, especially that of Confucian ethics as exemplary ethics. I would like to argue that the feeling of being morally moved, similar to other feelings such as resentment or indignation, should be seen as one of the most important testimonies or manifestations of our morality or moral consciousness. It has played a very important role of (...) moral judgment and moral cultivation in the history of Chinese moral philosophy and in its everyday moral practices. Instead of being a testimony of morality as cold laws or norms, being morally moved is a testimony to our moral virtues, and it should be a living motive of our moral actions as well. (shrink)

ABSTRACTIn this article, I shall briefly examine the basic characteristics of Confucian familial morality, especially of the concept of filial piety, and argue that ancient Confucians tend to be conservative on allowing breach of filial obligations although they may not entirely exclude particular considerations to exceptional situations to a certain degree. I shall then argue that this conservative aspect of the Confucian idea of filial piety accurately captures some distinctive features of familial relationships and may thus shed light on our (...) understanding of the ethical nature of human family life and our philosophical investigation of familial ethics. (shrink)

This article has a hermeneutical interpretation of 'heng', one key word in the Laozi. The term 'heng' was not known until 1973 when the two silk manuscripts of the Laozi were unearthed in China. On the base of a reintroduction of heng into the text and of my philosophical reading of the Laozi's concept of 'heng', I argue for an alternative interpretation of dao as heng dao. I suggest that heng dao is neither a metaphysical substance nor mystical nothingness. It (...) is rather the differentiated appropriation of nature and life itself as experienced in the everyday. (shrink)

Time-varying output formation control problems for high-order time-invariant swarm systems are studied with nonlinear uncertainties and directed network topology in this paper. A robust controller which consists of a nominal controller and a robust compensator is applied to achieve formation control. The nominal controller based on the output feedback is designed to achieve desired time-varying formation properties for the nominal system. And the robust compensator based on the robust signal compensator technology is constructed to restrain nonlinear uncertainties. The time-varying formation (...) problem is transformed into the stability problem. And the formation errors can be arbitrarily small with expected convergence rate. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. (shrink)

Let Fq be the finite field with q=pr elements, where p is an odd prime. For the ordered elements ξ0,ξ1,…,ξq-1∈Fq, the binary sequence σ= with period q is defined over the finite field F2={0,1} as follows: σn=0, if n=0, )/2, if 1≤n 2 and we leave it open.

In this paper, a heterogeneous diffusive prey-predator system is first proposed and then studied analytically and numerically. Some sufficient conditions are derived, including permanence and extinction of system and the boundedness of the solution. The existence of periodic solution and its stability are discussed as well. Furthermore, numerical results indicate that both the spatial heterogeneity and the time-periodic environment can influence the permanence and extinction of the system directly. Our numerical results are consistent with the analytical analysis.

Exploration of the deep buried sandstones and glutenites of the Paleocene Kongdian Formation of the Bozhong 19-6 structure was a significant success. An integrated analysis of 3D seismic data, logging curves, core observation, thin sections, and casting thin sections was applied to characterize the sequences, petrology, sedimentary facies, and reservoir properties of the glutenite of the Kongdian Formation. The results indicated that the Kongdian Formation mainly consisted of tuffaceous glutenites at the lower section and glutenites in the upper section. The (...) porosities ranged from 0.3% to 17.7%, whereas the permeability ranged from 0.0175 to [Formula: see text], indicating ultralow porosity and ultralow permeability reservoir characteristics. The northern source area, the Chengbei Low Uplift in the west, and the Bonan Low Uplift in the southeast surrounded the Bozhong 19-6 structure and provided abundant proximal coarse-grained sediments for a large-scale fan delta system. The paleogeography, slope type, parent rock type, and lake-level changes were the key factors controlling the glutenite reservoirs. The paleogeography reconstructed by prototype basin analysis controlled the southward-thickening sedimentation pattern of the glutenite. The slope type controlled the multistage development of the glutenite. The parent rock controlled the reservoir quality. The lake-level cycle controlled the stacking pattern of the glutenite. The successful gas discovery in the Bozhong 19-6 structure suggests that the deep buried fan delta system of the Kongdian Formation could have great petroleum potential for future exploration of the Bohai Bay Basin. (shrink)