No abstract

Comprehending the change characteristics and controlling factors of regional cultivated land resources is one of the important preconditions for their healthy development. The main objective of this study is to analyze the spatial–temporal variation characteristics of cultivated land and controlling factors in the Yangtze River Delta region. Thus, the mathematical–statistical, land use dynamic degree model, principal component analysis, and geographically weighted regression model were used to analyze the change in cultivated land area and social–economic factors in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2009 to 2018. The results showed that the cultivated land area and per capita cultivated land area had a decreasing trend from 2009 to 2018, decreasing by 8.5 × 104 ha and 0.0039 ha, respectively. From the perspective of spatial patterns, the rapidly decreasing areas of cultivated land were mainly distributed in the southeast, while the slowly decreasing areas of cultivated land were becoming concentrated in the northwest, and the slowly increasing areas presented as scattered distribution, which was also the same spatial distribution for the per capita cultivated land area in the Yangtze River Delta region. Among these factors, population (POP) and the total power of agricultural mechanization (TPAM) had a positive spatial correlation with cultivated land. The gross domestic product (GDP) had a negative spatial correlation with cultivated land, which revealed that cultivated land was intensely affected by human activities. Moreover, the spatial distribution and influence degree of the controlling factors differed in regions. Our research is expected to reveal the relationship between economic development and cultivated land protection for providing references for strengthening regional cultivated land management, maintaining the healthy development of regional resources, and rational utilization of cultivated land.

Creativity theory suggests that effective solutions to creative problems depend on both divergent and convergent thinking (Cropley 2006). Using an experiment in which participants solve insight problems, I investigate the effect of incentive schemes on creative problem-solving performance. I find that both piece-rate pay and a flat wage plus public recognition generate higher performance with divergent thinking training than without. Consistent with the idea that incentives may promote more convergent thinking than divergent thinking, piece-rate pay generates lower creative problem-solving performance than the flat wage in the absence of divergent thinking training (flat wage plus recognition has a neutral effect). The study suggests that when employee performance depends on creative problem solving, firms should implement incentive schemes and/or control systems that promote both divergent and convergent thinking.

Firms often use causal models to align decision-making with strategic objectives. However, firms often operate in changing environments such that an accurate causal model can become inaccurate. Prior research has not examined the consequences a change in the accuracy of causal models may have for managerial learning. Using an experiment, we predict and find that providing an accurate causal model positively affects managerial learning, and this positive effect is not reduced by encouraging a hypothesis-testing mindset (HTM). However, when the model subsequently becomes inaccurate, we predict and observe that providing a causal model alone negatively affects managerial learning, although this effect is partially mitigated by additionally encouraging a HTM. Our results can inform designers of control systems about the potential implications of providing a causal model when its accuracy changes over time and demonstrate how simple encouragement of a HTM moderates the effects of providing a causal model.