This research explores why a metallic basketball hoop is referred to as sacred within the secular realm of sports, drawing on Phil Jackson’s insights alongside the ideas of Mircea Eliade and Dōgen Zenji. Phil Jackson, known as the “Zen Master,” holds the most NBA championship rings as a coach. In Sacred Hoops, he explores a basketball world entangled with commercialism, violence, and scandals, while presenting a vision of the sport as “sacred.” Jackson’s Western religious background and his exploration of concepts (...) like “enlightened mind,” “no-mind,” and “action without intention” align closely with Eastern Zen principles. This article also examines Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane, where he explores the coexistence of the sacred and profane throughout history, and Dōgen Zenji’s philosophy of “casting off body and mind.” Using creative hermeneutics as its methodology, this study attempts to reinterpret the idea of sacredness in sports. The key findings are: (1) sacredness can emerge from the mundane/everyday world, with sports providing a space for such awareness; (2) Eliade views sacredness externally through the Western concept of hierophany; (3) Dōgen Zenji’s Eastern view focuses on internal transformation through casting off body and mind; (4) this study emphasizes the difference between Eastern and Western views of the sacred, proposing an Eastern interpretation; and (5) through mindful practice, basketball players can unify with the game, transcend individual limits, and achieve tranquility and sacredness. (shrink)

Publications by Chinese researchers in scientific journals have dramatically increased over the past decade; however, academic misconduct also becomes more prevalent in the country. The aim of this prospective study was to understand the perceptions of Chinese biomedical researchers towards academic misconduct and the trend from 2010 to 2015. A questionnaire comprising 10 questions was designed and then validated by ten biomedical researchers in China. In the years 2010 and 2015, respectively, the questionnaire was sent as a survey to biomedical (...) researchers at teaching hospitals, universities, and medical institutes in mainland China. Data were analyzed by the Chi squared test, one-way analysis of variance with the Tukey post hoc test, or Spearman’s rank correlation method, where appropriate. The overall response rates in 2010 and 2015 were 4.5% and 5.5%, respectively. Data from 15 participants in 2010 were invalid, and analysis was thus performed for 1263 participants. Among the participants, 54.7% thought that academic misconduct was serious-to-extremely serious, and 71.2% believed that the Chinese authorities paid no or little attention to the academic misconduct. Moreover, 70.2 and 65.2% of participants considered that the punishment for academic misconduct at the authority and institution levels, respectively, was not appropriate or severe enough. Inappropriate authorship and plagiarism were the most common forms of academic misconduct. The most important factor underlying academic misconduct was the academic assessment system, as judged by 50.7% of the participants. Participants estimated that 40.1% of published scientific articles were associated with some form of academic misconduct. Their perceptions towards academic misconduct had not significantly changed over the 5 years. Reform of the academic assessment system should be the fundamental approach to tackling this problem in China. (shrink)

In economic researches, much effort was devoted to the problem of how to increase the economics of countries. However, the development of a country may fluctuate a lot due to international and domestic problems. Thus, we should also evaluate the robustness of countries against unexpected economic recessions. In this paper, we use perturbation to quantify the robustness of countries using two renowned algorithms: method of reflections and fitness-complexity method. The robustness characterizes the stability of countries’ competitiveness against economic recessions. The (...) experiments in the international trade networks show that FCM could characterize the robustness better than MR. High fitness countries of FCM have strong robustness against economic crises, which enlarges the application fields of FCM. Additionally, we simulate the trade conflict between USA and China. The simulation results show that China suffers much in the trade conflict, while USA loses very little and has strong robustness in this conflict. (shrink)

Prediction is one of the major challenges in complex systems. The prediction methods have shown to be effective predictors of the evolution of networks. These methods can help policy makers to solve practical problems successfully and make better strategy for the future. In this work, we focus on exporting countries’ data of the International Trade Network. A recommendation system is then used to identify the products that correspond to the production capacity of each individual country but are somehow overlooked by (...) the country. Then, we simulate the evolution of the country’s fitness if it would have followed the recommendations. The result of this work is the combination of these two methods to provide insights to countries on how to enhance the diversification of their exported products in a scientific way and improve national competitiveness significantly, especially for developing countries. (shrink)

Among measures tackling the impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the selling of private insurance policies covering individual infection is overlooked by the ethics literature. To record the “COVID Claimania” in Taiwan and to assess its ethical implications, we collected 38 policies from 10 insurers sold between January 2020 and May 2022 and found that their risk calculation of the COVID‐19 prevalence ranged from 0.5% to 11.08%. In reality, the prevalence by the end of 2022 was 37% in Taiwan. Selling private (...) insurance policies is ethically problematic in three ways. First, it represents the insurance industry's irresponsible risk‐taking profit‐seeking behaviors. Second, it would jeopardize the effectiveness of the disease‐prevention measures by inducing uncontrollable moral hazards. Third, it would expose the insurance companies to unbearable financial risks and cause substantial negative external impacts. The government should intervene in the private insurance market in preparation for future public health emergencies. (shrink)

Many prior studies on minority entrepreneurship have found that some consumers display a strong bias against products from minority ventures. Not surprisingly, discrimination against products sold by minority-owned businesses increases the failure rate for such ventures. This paper seeks to verify the extent of consumer discrimination for minority products, and investigates whether it varies among different products. Building on insights from the theory of consumer discrimination, we conducted a comparative behavior experiment on 155 subjects for the expected pricing of two (...) new products (common products and products with ethnic characteristics). Consistent with prior literature, we found that potential consumers held a bias against common products from minority ventures and offered a lower price. However, the theory of consumer discrimination could not be applied to the products with ethnic characteristics. Instead, potential consumers viewed ethnic characteristics products from minority ventures as being high quality and offered higher prices. This finding complements the theory of consumer discrimination and provides useful knowledge for minority entrepreneurs: minority entrepreneurs can employ price discrimination to strengthen the ethnic brand’s impression by integrating ethnic cultural features into new products. (shrink)

The meshed control theory assumes that cognitive control and automatic processes work together in the natural attention of experts for superior performance. However, the methods adopted by previous studies limit their capacity to provide in-depth information on the neuromotor processes. This experiment tested the theory with an alternative approach. Twelve skilled golfers were recruited to perform a putting task under three conditions: (1) normal condition, with no focus instruction (NC), (2) external focus of attention condition (EC), and (3) internal focus (...) of attention condition (IC). Four blocks of 10 putts each were performed under each condition. The putting success rate and accuracy were measured and electroencephalographies (EEGs) were recorded. The behavioral results showed that the NC produced a higher putting success rate and accuracy than the EC and IC. The EEG data showed that the skilled golfers’ attentional processes in the NC initially resembled those in the EC and then moved toward those in the IC just before putting. This indicates a switch from more automatic processes to cognitive control processes while preparing to putt. The findings offer support for the meshed control theory and indicate the dynamic nature of neuromotor processes for the superior performance of athletes in challenging situations. (shrink)

This paper uses WIOD data to calculate and analyze the dominant comparative advantage of Chinese manufacturing global value chain based on the WWZ method and empirically studies the influence of digitization on the competitiveness of manufacturing GVC. The main findings are as follows: The competitiveness of Chinese manufacturing GVC has been improved as a whole. The GVC competitiveness of different types of industries is quite different: GVC in middle- and low-knowledge-intensive industries have the highest competitiveness, while those with middle- and (...) high-knowledge-intensive industries have the lowest competitiveness and apparent shortboard industries. Digitization is conducive for enhancing the competitiveness of manufacturing GVC. In terms of industries, digitization has a significant positive effect on the GVC competitiveness of middle and high-knowledge-intensive industries but not on low knowledge ones. As for the sources of digital input, the positive effect is more outstanding. Also, it is more remarkable when it comes to the software and information technology service industry. As for the mechanism of action, labor productivity is an effective way to improve the manufacturing GVC competitiveness digitally. Finally, after a robustness test, the positive effect of the digital input remains robust. (shrink)

Aiming at the long repressed politico-semiotic dimension of Dream of the Red Chamber, this essay employs Lacanian theories of discourse and subjectivity inconjunction with the Chan Buddhist idea of enlightenment to analyze the coming into being of the what Zizek defines as a “modern subject” at the historical juncture of the Manchu conquest of China. Attempting to come to terms with the historical trauma caused by the Manchu conquest, the novel re-examines the fate of the emerging Chinese modernity founded in (...) the discourse of qing or “feeling” by re-visiting the last forty years or so of the Ming resistance against the invasion. The examination, however, reveals that the subject involved in this nationalist struggle unwittingly becomes a “modern subject” because of what Zizek describes as a “redoubled renunciation”: he who sacrifices his particular attachment for the purpose of bolstering the universal Cause ends up losing both. Also unprecedented in classical Chinese literature is that this “modern subject” eventually is able somehow doubly to “identify with the symptom/ sinthome” as his only consistency: “man” on the level of the “framed story” in the metafictional structure of the novel, and “contingency” on the level of the framing story. (shrink)

因為現代醫藥之發達與進步，我們身體的痛已大多有了消解之道；但思想、心理與性靈的病卻是越來越讓我們感到憂傷，越來越教我們心生恐懼，也越來越侵犯到我們原本一心盼望單單純純地「活在此時此刻」這極其謙卑的權利 與心願。 顯然，現代科技仍然效力有限，而無端的生命苦難更是難以預期與估量。我們還是得時時回頭看看自己這一身，回頭想想自己這一生，並同時回頭思量自己這一顆心到底蘊藏著什麼寶貝，或許，這樣的自力救濟與自力更生纔是生 活的王道。 且讓我們一起來細細品味兩千多年前這一位東方的「生命療癒先行者」――莊子到底是怎麼看待他自己這一身、這一生、這一世以及時時刻刻跳動在「此時此刻」的這一顆心，而其中又有何特殊光景值得莊子大書特書，這也許是 人類千年不變的生命共業。 原本，我們一出生就無法自外於大自然，而「自然」原來就在我們完完整整的這一身，它的符碼（甚至是密碼）就藏在我們人人心底，就靠我們自己來記憶，來存取，來開啟我們與生俱來的自我療癒的能力，而莊子如是言，如是 行，如是思量，如是觀想，如是腳踏實地，如是心無旁鶩，如是存活於此時此刻──而他已然為我們落下這八個無比精采的篇章： ◆逍遙之遊──莊子一心渴望真自由，而他到底是如何滿足這心底深沉的渴望？又是如何從地面起身躍向那無邊無界的天空？ ◆齊物之論──莊子彷彿心無是非，口無虛言，而只是靜觀萬物，平等看待這世上的一切，他是如何能夠保有這份真真切切的「自知之明」？如何在夢醒之際清清楚楚地守著這僅有的清明之心？ ◆養生之主──莊子先是如同一般人，一心只盼望健健康康，無疾也無病，但他還深刻地警覺生命最大的痛──死亡隨時隨處在窺伺著我們，我們又能如何真正地跳出這幾乎無所不在的死亡的幽谷？ ◆人間之世──莊子深知世上難免無妄之災，更難防故意之敵，但我們還是得盡量避禍，盡力解厄，同時盡心地處理好所有與我們相連相繫的人際關係；不過，當不順心不如意之事迎面而來之際，我們又當如何舉重若輕地一肩承 擔？莊子顯然有他自己的法子。 ◆真人之身──莊子不是教主，也不想開宗立派，他只是始終關心本來無價無償的生命到底該怎麼被我們認真地看待，而那「無用之用」的奧妙又有誰能真正了解？ ◆渾沌之死──就莊子看來，「渾沌」本無生亦無死；而如果說我們總是自己在「找死」，並不是死亡找上我們，這雖然看似重話，卻可能有警醒人心的作用。原來，莊子的「生命之壺」暗藏玄機，而縱然生死之謎究竟無解，但 我們又何妨放下心來，自由自在地在這世上走上一回。 ◆自然之道──莊子當然不懂現代科技，但他已經知道運用機械的後遺症。設想時下所謂的「科技新貴」能夠放下「釣魚上鉤」的念頭，靜靜地佇立水岸，觀賞那魚兒水中游，大概就將別有一番生活情趣與生命體悟。 ◆幸福之夢──莊子應該和任何人一樣，都想幸幸福福過一生，但我們到底該怎麼尋找終生的伴侶（甚至是「絕配」）？日子又該怎麼過得舒適？而和自己又能如何做一輩子的至親好友？這些問題的解答，可能就是打開那幸福之 門的鑰匙吧！ 作者：葉海煙 輔仁大學哲學博士，美國哈佛大學訪問學人、東吳大學哲學系教授兼系主任、長榮大學哲學與宗教學系教授兼系主任、台灣哲學學會會長、錢穆故居執行長、台南市哲學學會會長。現任南神神學院神學研究所專任哲學教授、國立 成功大學兼任哲學教授。專長道家哲學，當代新儒學，當代倫理學比較研究，台灣文化研究。著有《莊子的生命哲學》、《老莊哲學新論》、《道德、理性與人文的向度》、《中國哲學的倫理觀》、《人文與哲學的對話》、《傳 統倫理的現代挑戰》、《莊子的處世智慧》、《老子診療室》、《臺灣學入門》、《道家倫理學：理論與實踐》、《哲學與人生》、《哲學在哪裡》等近二十種著作。.

Ben shu wei "Song Ming shi qi Chang Jiang zhong you de ru xue yan jiu" cong shu zhi yi: ben cong shu shi ren wen she hui ke xue chong dian yan jiu ji di-Wuhan da xue Zhongguo chuan tong wen hua yan jiu zhong xin tou biao, jing jiao yu bu zu zhi zhuan jia ping shen tong guo, zheng shi pi zhun de jiao yu bu ren wen she hui ke xue 2001 nian du zhong da (...) yan jiu xiang mu, xiang mu pi zhun hao shi 01JAZJD720008, ding yu 2004 nian qian hou wan cheng. ke ti zu zhu chi ren wei Guo Qiyong jiao shou, "Jiangxi zhi xue"shi Zhu Xi ti chu de yi ge gai nian, zhu yao zhi chu zi yu Jiangxi Jinxi Lu shi jia zu yi men de xue shuo, qi nei he shi Lu Jiuyuan de xin xue; di 2 quan ze shi you "Song Yuan xue an" suo zai zhi Xiangshan xiong Zhangfu, Suoshan de xue shuo; di 3 quan wei Xiangshan xiong di de di zi men de si xiang. Ben shu quan mian kao cha Jiangxi zhi xue zai Song dai Chang Jiang zhong you xing qi de xue mo yuan yuan, zhu yao xue shuo, yu Luo xue Min xue Zhejiang zhu xue zhe (Lü Zuqian, Yong Shangsi xian sheng deng) zhi jian de guan xi, yi ji qi dui Wang (Yangming) xue xing qi de nei zai guan lian xing, bing yan ji dui xian dai xin ru xue de tan tao. ben shu de xie zuo jiang zhu zhong si xiang kao gu de fang fa, zai quan mian yan jiu you guan dian ji de ji chu shang, dui you guan ren wu de chu sheng di, huo dong de di qu (ru jia zu suo zai cun luo, xue zhe shu xin wang lai, jiang xue, hui jiang, shu yuan deng) jin xing shi di de kao cha, guang fan di yun yong fang zhi, nian pu, shu yuan zhi, jia pu deng cai liao, ba si xiang jia huan yuan yu ju ti huan jing zhi zhong, zai ju ti she hui de li shi de jia zu de bei jing xia kao cha qi si xiang de nei han, jie shi qi jing shen suo zai, bing jin er yin shen chu qi yi yi yu jia zhi. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Understanding Confucian Philosophy: Classical and Sung-MingChenyang LiUnderstanding Confucian Philosophy: Classical and Sung-Ming. By Shu-hsien Liu. Westport and London: Praeger, 1998. Pp. xii + 273.Understanding Confucian Philosophy: Classical and Sung-Ming, by Shu-hsien Liu, a leading contemporary Neo-Confucian scholar, aims to present the Confucian tradition [End Page 312] from a contemporary Neo-Confucian perspective and purports to provide some background clues to what has led to the Third Epoch (...) of Confucianism, that is, the emergence of the contemporary Neo-Confucian movement.As its title suggests, the book is divided into two parts. Part 1 deals with Classical Confucianism, and part 2 is a study of Sung-Ming Confucian philosophy. The Classical period begins with an informative chapter on the historical background to the emergence of Confucian philosophy, which is particularly useful if the book is to be used as a university-level text. The historical chapter is followed by chapters on Confucius (Kong Zi), Mencius (Meng Zi), The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean, and the Book of Changes. Part 1 ends with a chapter on the transformation of Confucianism since the Han dynasty. Compared with similar books on Confucian philosophy, the chapter on Confucius appears sketchy, but its treatment of Confucius' central concept, jen (ren), is first-rate, clear, and insightful. The chapter on Mencius is more elaborate. It surveys virtually every key concept of Mencius' philosophy. As with similar works by Chinese scholars, the sheer number of quotations in this chapter may appear excessive to Western readers. Hsün Tzu (Xun Zi), another key classical Confucian philosopher, is only mentioned in passing, although this is not surprising in a book written from a Neo-Confucian perspective; in the Neo Confucian tradition Hsün Tzu is considered unorthodox.The chapter on the Book of Changes is a breath of fresh air in that it has adopted a developmental point of view. The author argues that there are four layers of meaning in the work: it offers a system of mystical symbolism, a system of rational/natural symbolism, a system of cosmological symbolism, and finally a system of ethics/metaphysical symbolism. Professor Liu says of the four systems, "each one succeed[s] the other and yet interpenetrate[s] the other" (p. 74). Overall, Classical Confucianism is analyzed according to three inseparable aspects—spiritual, political, and popular—which define the heritage as well as the burden of this tradition.At first I was a bit surprised to see that the chapter on "The Characteristics and Contemporary Significance of Sung-Ming Neo-Confucian Philosophy" is at the beginning, not at the end, of part 2 on Sung-Ming Neo-Confucian philosophy. But it turns out that this chapter contains a brief survey of some major Neo-Confucian philosophers of the period and serves well as an introduction to part 2. Recognizing Chu Hsi's (Zhu Xi) contribution to the movement of the Second Epoch, Liu spends two chapters out of six on this great Sung philosopher. The chapter on Wang Yang-ming aims "to destroy the myth once and for all that there is no discrepancy between Lu [Hsiang-shan] and Wang and that there is not a close relationship between Wang and Chu [Hsi]" (p. 198). This goes against a widespread (mis)conception that Wang and Chu represent two distinct lines of Neo-Confucianism.Part 2 ends with a chapter on Huang Tsung-hsi (Huang Zongxi), arguably the most liberal of all Sung-Ming Neo-Confucian philosophers. Liu regards Huang as the culmination of an unfinished Sung-Ming Neo-Confucian philosophical tradition, from which the contemporary Neo-Confucian movement should take up the cause. Altogether, part 2 is not as systematic in introducing Sung-Ming Neo-Confucian philosophy as is part 1 on Classical Confucianism. [End Page 313]As a synthesis of various articles previously published by the author over a twenty-five-year period, the book bears both the strengths and the weaknesses of works of this kind: there are in-depth studies focused on specific topics of particular interest in the Neo-Confucian movement, but there is occasionally a lack of smooth transition from one chapter to another or... (shrink)

[1] Xian Qin juan (shang) -- [2] Xian Qin juan (xia) -- [3] Qin Han juan -- [4] Wei Jin Nan Bei chao juan (shang) -- [5] Wei Jin Nan Bei chao juan (xia) -- [6] Sui Tang Wu dai juan (shang) -- [7] Sui Tang Wu dai juan (xia) -- [8] Song Liao Jin juan (shang) -- [9] Song Liao Jin juan (xia) -- [10] Yuan dai juan -- [11] Ming dai juan (shang) -- [12] (...) class='Hi'>Ming dai juan (zhong) -- [13] Ming dai juan (xia) -- [14] Qing dai juan (shang) -- [15] Qing dai juan (zhong) -- [16] Qing dai juan (xia) -- [17] Jin dai juan (shang) -- [18] Jin dai juan (xia) -- [19] Suo yin juan. (shrink)

Tian dao guan shi Zhongguo zhe xue de zhong yao gai nian, ye shi ru jiao de yi ge zhong yao wen ti, ji, shen me shi tian dao? Qi jin wei zhi, ji hu suo you de Zhongguo zhe xue zhu zuo, dou ren wei tian dao jiu shi zi ran gui lü. Ben shu jiang tong guo wen xian zi liao xiang dang dai de du zhe shuo ming, Zhongguo gu dai de tian dao, jiu shi (...) tian zhi dao, shang tian zhi dao. (shrink)

Ben shu xi tong chan shu liao Zhongguo zhe xue de yuan qi, fa zhan he wei lai.quan shu gong fen cheng si ge da bu fen:yuan qi yu chu xing; er, ge ming hua de ding xing; san, xin shi dai de zhuan xiang;si, zou xiang quan qiu hua shi dai de Zhongguo zhe xue.

[v. 1] Xian Qin juan -- [v. 2] Qin Han juan -- [v. 3] Wei Jin Nan Bei Chao juan -- [v. 4] Sui Tang Wu Dai juan -- [v. 5] Song Liao Xi Xia Jin Yuan juan -- [v. 6] Ming Qing juan.

Ben shu zhi zai yong zhe xue yan jiu de fang shi zheng ti lun shu fo xue ti xi. wei le shi pu tong da zhong neng chu kui wan zheng de fo jiao xi tong, zuo zhe fen bie cong fo jiao de ge di yu pai bie,zhe xue si xiang guan dian,si miao jian zhu yi ji fo jing shu ji lun zhu deng fang mian jin xing liao xiang jin de xu shu ji tao lun. (...) shu zhong chu le dui fo jiao wen hua zhi shi de zheng li yu chuan hang, hai hui jie he you zuo zhe zai de zhe xue ji Zhongguo wen hua ling yu zhong di yan jiu cheng guo. ben shu zun zhong zong jiao ben shen, zai xie zuo shou fa shang shi fen yan jin, fo jing ji xue zhe guan dian jie zhi yi yin yong xing shi lie chu, bing bu zuo ping lun ; dui zhuan men de shu yu hui dai you jiao zhu,jian suo shen zhi shi fan wen yuan wen de shuo ming, ke du xing qiang bing yi yu cha yue. (shrink)

Ben shu dui Luling Wang xue de yan jiu, zhu yao cong yi xia liang fang mian zhan kai: shou xian, zhong dian jie shao le ti chu Luling Wang xue de li lun yi ju he Luling Wang xue fa zhan de ge ge jie duan de jie ding, te dian ji qi zhu yao de dai biao ren wu. Qi ci, ju ti lun shu le Luling Wang xue fa zhan de ge ge jie duan de zui zhu (...) yao dai biao ren wu de zhi xue li lu, xin xue si xiang, jing xue te dian. Tong guo dui Luling Wang xue zong ti shang de yan jiu, gai kuo he zheng li yi ji dui ge ge fa zhan jie duan zhu yao de dai biao ren wu Wang xue si xiang de bu tong shi jiao de tan tao chan fa, cong zong ti shang rang shi ren jiao wei xi tong de liao jie Luling Wang xue de gai mao ji qi cao chuang, fa zhan, ding sheng ji shi wei de li shi guo cheng he zhong yao dai biao ren wu de Wang xue si xiang. Tong shi, zai qian mian yan jiu de ji chu shang, dui Luling Wang xue zai Jiang you Wang xue nai zhi Yangming hou xue fa zhan guo cheng zhong de zhong yao di wei yi ji dui zhong wan Ming ru xue si xiang fa zhan de ying xiang zuo le zong jie. (shrink)

Mengzi dui yu ru jia si xiang he Zhonghua wen ming de gong xian ju gong zhi wei, xue xi ru jia si xiang, chuan cheng Zhonghua wen ming, yang cheng du li ping deng de ren ge, bu neng bu du"Mengzi". "Mengzi" shi yi bu zheng zhi shu ji, jiang de shi wei jun zhi dao. Yi ci wei xian suo, ben shu zai shu li Mengzi qi ren de ji chu shang, zhuo zhong cong xing shan (...) lun, ren zheng lun he ren ge lun san ge fang mian chan shu liao Mengzi de si xiang ti xi. (shrink)

[1]. Xian Qin liang Han juan -- [2]. Wei Jin Nan Bei chao juan -- [3-4]. Sui Tang Wu dai juan -- [5-6]. Song Liao Jin Yuan juan -- [7-8]. Ming Qing juan -- [9]. Jin dai juan.

Tu (Chinese history and philosophy, Harvard U.) offers a panoramic view of the core values of Confucian intellectual thought that have kept it vital for more than two millennia, and underlie the recent resurgence in eastern Asia. Of interest to students of either China or religion and ethics. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

In countries such as China, where Confucianism is the backbone of national culture, high-social-status entrepreneurs are inclined to engage in corporate social responsibility activities due to the perceived high stress from stakeholders and high ability of doing CSR. Based on a large-scale survey of private enterprises in China, our paper finds that Chinese entrepreneurs at private firms who have high social status are prone to engage in social responsibility efforts. In addition, high-social-status Chinese entrepreneurs are even more likely to engage (...) in social responsibility efforts as they become more politically connected and as the region becomes more market-oriented. These findings extend the upper echelons perspective of CSR into Chinese context by shedding light on antecedents of CSR from a new perspective and clarifying the boundary conditions of the social status–CSR link from the institutional perspective. (shrink)

The issues of organizational wrongdoing damage organizational performance and limit the development of organizations. Although organizational members may know the wrongdoing and have the opportunity to blow the whistle, they would keep silent because of the interpersonal risks. However, leaders can play an important role in shaping employee whistleblowing. This study focuses on discovering the mechanisms of how authentic leaders influence employee whistleblowing with a sample from China. Results demonstrate that authentic leadership is positively related to internal whistleblowing. Team psychological (...) safety partly mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and internal whistleblowing. Personal identification partly mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and internal whistleblowing. The study contributes to the extant theory by filling the gap between leadership and whistleblowing. (shrink)

This study uses a rational ethical decision-making framework to examine the influence of moral intensity (potential harm and social pressure) on whistleblowing intention and behaviour using organisational commitment as a moderator. A scenario was developed, and an online questionnaire was used to conduct an empirical analysis on the responses of 533 participants. The mean age and years of work experience of the respondents were 31 and 8.2 years, respectively. The results show, first, that while moral intensity is correlated with whistleblowing (...) intention, only the potential harm is positively correlated with such intention. Second, potential harm and social pressure differentially affect whistleblower choice of using an internal or external channel. Third, organisational commitment has a moderated mediation effect among moral intensity, whistleblowing intention and behaviour. Fourth, whistleblowers may be grouped into four conceptual types: indifferent, rebel, mature and spoil. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed. (shrink)

Volume 52, Issue 10, September 2020, Page 1105-1107.

The principle-based approach is a methodology to classify and analyse argumentation semantics. In this paper we classify seven of the main alternatives for argumentation semantics using a set of new robustness principles. These principles complement Baroni and Giacomin’s original classification and deal with the behaviour of a semantics when the argumentation framework changes due to the addition or removal of an attack between two arguments. We distinguish so-called persistence principles and monotonicity principles, where the former deal with the question of (...) whether a labelling or extension of an argumentation framework under a given semantics persists after a change, and the latter with the question of whether new labellings or extensions are created after a change. We furthermore show in which sense labelling-based and extension-based semantics lead to subtly different principles and results. Our results can be used for choosing a semantics for a particular application, or to guide the search for new argumentation semantics, but they have been used also in the design of algorithms. (shrink)

ABSTRACT Early modern alchemy studied both matter and life, much like today's life sciences. What material life is and how it comes about intrigued alchemists. Many found the answer by assuming a vital principle that served as the source and cause of life. Recent literature has presented important cases in which vitalist formulations incorporated corpuscular or mechanical elements that were characteristic of the New Science and other cases in which vitalist thinking influenced important figures of the Scientific Revolution. Not merely (...) speculative, vitalist ideas also motivated chymical practice. The unity of life science and material science that is found in many formulations of Renaissance alchemy disintegrated in Georg Ernst Stahl's version of post-Cartesian vitalism. (shrink)

Blasting in water-conveyance tunnels that cross rivers is vital for the safety and stability of embankments. In this work, a tunnel project that crosses the Yellow River in the north district of the first-phase Eastern Line of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project was selected as the research object. A complex modeling and numerical simulation on embankment stability with regard to the blasting power of the tunnel was conducted using the professional finite difference software FLAC3D to disclose the relationships between the (...) blasting seismic waves with vibration velocity and embankment displacement under different excavation steps. Calculation results demonstrated that displacement generally attenuated from the tunnel wall to the internal structure of rocks under the effect of blasting seismic waves. The tunnel wall was in tension, and tensile stress gradually transformed into compressive stress with increased depth into the rocks. The curtain-grouting zone was mainly concentrated in the compressive zones. For different excavation steps, the vibration velocity at different feature points was high at the beginning of blasting and then gradually decreased. The resultant displacement was relatively small in the early excavation period and slowly increased as blasting progressed. The effects of different excavation steps on the safety of surrounding rocks and embankment under blasting seismic waves were simulated. We found that the blasting-induced vibration velocity was within the safe range of the code and that the calculated displacement was within the allowed range. Numerical simulation was feasible to assess the safety and stability of engineering projects. (shrink)