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The purpose of this paper is to identify the most important characteristics of functional foods and the motives behind its consumption.

The data were collected in the direct interview. The sample (n=200) consisted of 137 women and 63 men at the age of 18-60 years. The research tool was a questionnaire divided into four sections. The first one included quality attributes. The second one included healthful properties, functional components and carriers. The third one concerned the motives for purchasing functional food and included the consequences and values. In the fourth section the participants were asked about gender, age and education.

Among the quality attributes the research reveals six principal components package of information on healthful properties and nutritional value of the product, attributes of taste, health and safety, practical packaging, freshness, purity and naturalness. In terms of health benefits, two components were distinguished prevention of health problems, strengthening of the body and improvement of its functions. Among functional components, the following were distinguished vitamins and minerals, dietary fibre and Omega-3 fatty acids. As the best carriers the following were recognized: cereal products, dairy products, meat products; mixtures of fruits and vegetables. As the most important consequences motivating people to consume functional food the following were recognized: the health effects of proper nutrition resulting from consciousness raising actions promoting health; and the joy of eating and improvement of the appearance. When it comes to the most important motivating factors, good health, long harmonious life and self-esteem were included. The means to achieve these goals are to be responsible for health.

The key factors determining the functional product and motivating for consumption of functional food may establish a basis for actions related to development and consumption of the food. The understanding of the factors that consumers take into account when choosing functional food will help in shaping the optimal strategies for product development. Learning about the basic motivating factors in consumption may be helpful in the development of healthy nutrition education and promotion programmes. The research may provide valuable support for actions related to food products promotion and marketing.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a structural model of factors determining quality of juices and to indicate major variables that are significant for further product development.

Juices of apples, oranges, grapefruits, black currants and mixed fruits were subjected to testing in order to determine the qualitative structure of fruit juices. The following determinations were carried out in all fruit‐juice samples: total solids (Brix), Brix other than sucrose, total acidity, pH, vitamin C content, total sugars, direct‐reducing‐sugar content, saccharose content and volatile acidity. In addition, a sensory assessment in a 5‐grade score scale was carried out, covering the sensory characteristics of taste, flavour and colour. Based on the results of sensory analysis, a total sensory quality index (TSQI) was calculated.

Values of the linear correlation coefficient were calculated, and force and direction of the interdependence between the measured juice quality factors were determined. Analysis of major components was applied to develop a model of the structure of quality characteristics of fruit juices and to disclose latent variables. It enabled disclosure of four independent (orthogonal) areas, which determine the quality of fruit juices, and explain 70 per cent of the total juice quality area. They are represented by: total sugars, total solids (Brix), sensory quality and total acidity.

The research enabled identification of factors determining the fruit juice quality. It may prove very useful for R&D departments, as it informs an enterprise of which areas to focus their product development efforts on. Reducing the number of the major factors to four reduces costs and shortens the time necessary for product design and development.

This study aims to analyze the phenomenon of entrepreneurial spawning in the new context of software startups, revisiting theory and identifying patterns within the emergence of startups/spin-offs in Brazil.

A study of two cases of startups recognized for generating several spin-offs founded by former employees. The authors based the data collection on the following triangulation: 11 in-depth interviews, systematic analysis of 33 resumes from entrepreneurs in spawned firms and document analysis.

Six skills developed in startups were identified: (1) structuring a company, (2) people management, (3) strategic/operational planning, (4) commercial/sales, (5) product development, and (6) behavioral traits. In addition, points of contradiction concerning the literature were found, such as the absence of the location effect, different professional experiences and new local agents to support startups.

The present study covers only two cases in the context of software startups, which requires caution and discretion in extrapolating to other contexts.

The understanding of the phenomenon may reflect in: university programs focused on internships in startups, corporate training programs for entrepreneurs and the design of public policies based on entrepreneurial spawning.

The present study stands out for its access to data from high-impact startups in Brazil, in addition to revisiting the literature bringing a new perspective to the specificities of high-growth software companies.

The existing literature is fragmented across disciplines and does not provide a holistic, comprehensive view on how value is created, deployed and captured. This paper aims to provide a structured view of the current literature and facilitates a theoretical understanding of value creation and capture in buyer–supplier relationships.

A systematic literature review was conducted on 195 articles published in 21 leading journals in marketing, operations management and strategy disciplines.

An integrated, generalizable and expandable framework is proposed based on the causal or interactive relationship among four components, namely, dimensions of value creation; processes and interactions by which buyers and suppliers enable value creation; relationship characteristics that affect these components; and value capture. Two new areas for future studies are also suggested.

The findings are based on papers published in peer-reviewed academic literature. Future studies could include more heterogeneous publications in languages other than English and/or professional journals to compare scholars' and managers' perspectives.

This study offers simple, practical guidelines that managers can apply in their real-world situations to increase the value they gain from their relationships.

The framework does not pretend to be exhaustive because such an attempt would be impractical. Rather, this study provides practical examples for each component, and shows how additional concepts and constructs can be incorporated to make it inclusive and generalizable. Two new manners of value capture other than price negotiations are presented (volume and collaborative benefits).

This paper aims to show the possibilities of implementing the idea of sustainability in the context of energy transformation using the concept of an industrial cluster. The implementation of the idea of sustainability is of particular importance from the perspective of the functioning of the meta-organisations involved in the implementation and promotion of decarbonisation processes. Industrial clusters, as collective actors initiating collective actions and providing complex governance structures, seem to have a great fit with regard to the needs of disseminating and implementing the idea of sustainable development, also in conjunction with energy development.

Empirical evidence is derived from a case study of Mazovia Clustes ICT (MC ICT). Based on the experience of this cluster, this study wants to show the evolution of the industrial cluster through the prism of its growing activity in supporting energy transition. The authors conducted the research in the period 2022–2023 using in-depth personal interviews and an analysis of the secondary data. The primary technique for data analysis and interpretation was conventional qualitative content analysis.

As a result of this study, the authors have distinguished three main areas of cluster activity covering the strategic, operational/project and institutional levels. Within the first area, the cluster’s efforts focused on the development of a strategy and involvement in lobbying and co-legislating. The second area refers to the cluster’s activity in the carrying out of national and transnational projects on the creation and implementation of various energy solutions. The activities undertaken in the third area include support for the development of start-ups in the field of energy and involvement in the launch of an energy cluster and the development of distributed energy in Poland. Although the strategic and operational/project levels are characterised by a commonality of activities and goals, there is additionally a commonality of interests at the institutional level.

This paper has its limitations, which primarily relate to the small research sample (the choice of a case study as the main research strategy) and the methods used (qualitative research). Therefore, it is impossible to generalise the results to the entire population of clusters.

This paper has considerable practical value, as the results of this study may be relevant for public authorities interested in implementing energy transition through industrial clusters. The activities described can also be a source of inspiration for other clusters interested in shaping pro-environmental attitudes.

The cluster’s activities are closely linked to the three pillars of sustainable development, including the social pillar. The solutions developed within the cluster in the context of energy development are aimed not only at increasing energy efficiency and protecting the environment but also at broader social welfare.

This paper makes an additional contribution to the state-of-the-art of the industrial cluster concept by linking it to the idea of sustainable development, in the context of energy transformation. In addition, it sheds new light on issues related to cluster co-operation, combining the case of the industrial cluster with the very fresh and as yet poorly described idea of the energy cluster.