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Abstract

Details

Journal of Modelling in Management, vol. 17 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5664

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 18 May 2020

Cinzia Colapinto, Raja Jayaraman and Davide La Torre

Most countries face important economic, social and environmental challenges and are strongly committed to invest in research and development (R&D) activities to help support the…

Abstract

Purpose

Most countries face important economic, social and environmental challenges and are strongly committed to invest in research and development (R&D) activities to help support the long-run economic sustainable growth. This paper aims to extend the previous research on macro-economic growth models and introduces endogenous variables to determine the amount of investments in R&D activities.

Design/methodology/approach

The model considers four different criteria and six economic sectors and aims at finding the optimal allocation of labor across different sectors. The model also endogenously determines the amount of investments in pollution abatement activities together with energy-related R&D efforts. The paper presents an application to the case of Kazakhstan, an emerging Asian country, that aims to become one of the top 30 most developed countries in the world by 2050.

Findings

The model shows the limits of the Kazakh agenda that identified too ambitious goals as the country has to go through a sociotechnical transition that involves a range of modifications in institutional structures, together with changes in user practices and the technological dimension. Kazakhstan should invest more in R&D activities able to develop sustainable energy sources to face the current electricity consumption demand and to reduce the greenhouse gas emission in the future.

Originality/value

The paper provides valuable knowledge for researchers and policy makers interested in the impact of R&D on the long-run economic sustainable growth.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 58 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2018

Aymeric Vié, Cinzia Colapinto, Davide La Torre and Danilo Liuzzi

Energy and environmental concerns have gained a significant role in public policy agenda as well as in energy economics literature. As policies often rely on imprecise information…

Abstract

Purpose

Energy and environmental concerns have gained a significant role in public policy agenda as well as in energy economics literature. As policies often rely on imprecise information on data and goals, fuzzy goal programming (FGP) modeling is a relevant choice to evaluate multi-criteria sustainability. This technique is suitable for the analysis of the Europe 2020 strategy plan dealing with several possibly conflicting objectives in economy, environment, energy and employment. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a FGP model for sustainable implementations for all European Union (EU) countries with respect to Europe 2020 policy goals and provides insights for decision makers to better satisfy conflicting criteria by suggesting optimal allocations of workers in several economic sectors.

Findings

The analysis shows an overall great performance of European Union countries in the environmental and social criteria and outlines the needs for significant additional policy measures to reduce energy consumption while increasing the economic output. Comparing the performance of countries within the European Union between those who adopted the euro and those who maintained national currencies shows that Euro countries tend to perform worse in terms of Europe 2020 sustainability, opening opportunities for further research to better investigate on the causes and determinants of these differences.

Originality/value

The paper presents a conceptual model of sustainable development that improves understanding of the concept and reconciles highly competing policy objectives in a common framework. Applying this model to all European Union countries offers both comparison and policy recommendations at a large new scale.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 57 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2018

Andrea Luciani and Davide Del Curto

The purpose of this paper is to describe the cross-fertilisation process between the concept of resilience and building conservation. The authors discuss how the conservation…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the cross-fertilisation process between the concept of resilience and building conservation. The authors discuss how the conservation field can address new issues posed by climate change and whether the concept of resilience plays a role within the framework of sustainable building conservation.

Design/methodology/approach

Starting from the use of resilience as a “travelling concept”, different interpretations of the term emerging from different fields are compared and interrelated in order to understand how this concept can impact future research in building conservation.

Findings

In addition to summarising recent developments in conservation theory with a special focus on how sustainability has influenced the field, this work also suggests some lines of research where resilience could foster interdisciplinary approaches to building conservation and presents some controversial outcomes.

Originality/value

The paper raises a discussion on how the concept of resilience could renew the field of building conservation, helping contemporary society to address the challenges of climate change.

Details

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1266

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 January 2024

Valentina Cucino, Giulio Ferrigno, James Crick and Andrea Piccaluga

Recognizing novel entrepreneurial opportunities arising from a crisis is of paramount importance for firms. Hence, understanding the pivotal factors that facilitate firms in this…

Abstract

Purpose

Recognizing novel entrepreneurial opportunities arising from a crisis is of paramount importance for firms. Hence, understanding the pivotal factors that facilitate firms in this endeavor holds significant value. This study delves into such factors within a representative empirical context impacted by a crisis, drawing insights from existing literature on opportunity recognition during such tumultuous periods.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a qualitative inspection of 14 Italian firms during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The authors collected a rich body of multi-source qualitative data, including 34 interviews (with senior managers and entrepreneurs) and secondary data (press releases, videos, web interviews, newspapers, reports and academic articles) in two phases (March–August 2020 and September–December 2020).

Findings

The results suggest the existence of a process model of opportunity recognition during crises based on five entrepreneurial influencing factors (entrepreneurial knowledge, entrepreneurial alertness, entrepreneurial proclivity, entrepreneurial personality and entrepreneurial purpose).

Originality/value

Various scholars have highlighted that, in times of crises, it is not easy and indeed very challenging for entrepreneurs to identify novel entrepreneurial opportunities. However, recent research has shown that crises can also positively impact entrepreneurs and their capacity to identify new entrepreneurial opportunities. Given these findings, not much research has analyzed the process by which entrepreneurs identify novel entrepreneurial opportunities during crises. This study shows that some entrepreneurial influencing factors are very important to identify new entrepreneurial opportunities during crises.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 31 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 March 2019

Davide Settembre Blundo, Anna Lucia Maramotti Politi, Alfonso Pedro Fernández del Hoyo and Fernando Enrique García Muiña

The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of a hermeneutic-based approach as innovative way to study the Cultural Heritage management in a mesoeconomic space.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of a hermeneutic-based approach as innovative way to study the Cultural Heritage management in a mesoeconomic space.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper builds a theoretical framework based on the analysis of relevant literature in the field of cultural economics, heritage economics and conservation and restoration techniques. Then, after having defined the conceptual hypothesis, a hermeneutical interpretative model is designed for the analysis of the processes of Cultural Heritage management with particular regard to the strategies of stakeholder engagement.

Findings

The research shows how the mesoeconomic space is that border area where it is possible to solve more easily the conflicts that arise as a result of the different expectations of stakeholders. Hermeneutical analysis, applied in iterative form, allows us to find common connections, points of contact and convergences between the interpretative horizons of the various stakeholders.

Practical implications

The application of the interpretative model allows the identification of the expectations of stakeholders, improving the knowledge of the tangible and intangible attributes of works of art, in order to design appropriate interventions of restoration, conservation and valorization.

Social implications

The new model of analysis, based on hermeneutic methodology, is designed to understand and describe the social and economic relations between the different stakeholders involved in the management of Cultural Heritage.

Originality/value

This paper examines for the first time the Cultural Heritage sector within the mesoeconomic area between the micro and the macroeconomy. In addition to this mesoeconomic analysis and conceptual approach, the authors introduce as methodology the economic hermeneutics that represents an innovative tool in the field of economic and business disciplines.

Details

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1266

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 June 2021

Alessandro Lai and Riccardo Stacchezzini

This paper aims to trace subsequent steps of the sustainability reporting evolution in terms of changes in the organisation fields and professional jurisdictions involved. As…

6256

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to trace subsequent steps of the sustainability reporting evolution in terms of changes in the organisation fields and professional jurisdictions involved. As such, it highlights the (interrelated) organisational and professional challenges associated with the progressive incorporation of “sustainability” within corporate reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on Suddaby and Viale’s (2011) theorisation of how professionals reshape organisational fields to highlight how organisational spaces, actors, rules and professional capital evolve alongside the incorporation of sustainability within corporate reporting.

Findings

The paper shows organisational spaces, actors, rules and professional capital mobilised during the recent evolution of sustainability reporting, starting from a period in which there was no space for sustainability, to more recent periods in which sustainability gained increasing momentum beyond initial niches, and culminating in more integrated forms of sustainability reporting.

Research limitations/implications

Although the analysis is limited to empirical evidence collected by prior research and practice on sustainability reporting, the paper offers a view to imagine how the incorporation of sustainability within corporate reporting relies on and affects organisational fields and professional jurisdictions.

Originality/value

The paper offers a lens to interpret corporate and professional challenges associated with the more recent evolutions of sustainability reporting practice and standard setting. It also allows framing the papers accepted in the special issue on “new challenges in sustainability reporting” and concludes by suggesting an agenda for future research.

Details

Meditari Accountancy Research, vol. 29 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-372X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 July 2021

Davide Giacomini, Mattia Martini, Alessandro Sancino, Paola Zola and Dario Cavenago

This paper aims to analyse stakeholder sentiment about the corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions implemented by Italian companies between February 20, 2020 and April 20…

1033

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse stakeholder sentiment about the corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions implemented by Italian companies between February 20, 2020 and April 20, 2020, which was the first peak in the outbreak of the COVID-19 health emergency in Italy.

Design/methodology/approach

Using sentiment analysis, the impact of COVID-19 on CSR actions is analysed through reactions to the news published on Twitter by a sample of Italian news agencies.

Findings

The analysis indicates that the actions most appreciated are those that are more radical, e.g. where the company has converted part of its production to make goods that are useful in dealing with the COVID-19 emergency. The study identifies a new category of actions definable as “crisis-shaped CSR.”

Practical implications

This is one of the first studies concerning the effects of the pandemic on both CSR actions and organizational legitimacy.

Originality/value

This work explains which strategic approach to CSR is the most effective in supporting corporate reputation in times of crisis, this study identified which of the CSR initiatives adopted by companies in Italy were more effective in stimulating positive interactions and sentiment among the general public.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. 21 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 July 2019

Luigi Mastronardi, Luca Romagnoli, Giampiero Mazzocchi, Vincenzo Giaccio and Davide Marino

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships in alternative food networks (AFNs) between the purchase of food, the motivations of consumers and their…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships in alternative food networks (AFNs) between the purchase of food, the motivations of consumers and their socio-demographic profiles.

Design/methodology/approach

The study includes a total sample of 1,200 individual questionnaires, administered to the customers of 34 AFNs in different urban areas. The methodology employed is multilevel regression analysis, which is useful for dealing with data with a nested structure.

Findings

The results allowed us to depict some findings: the most important motivations in purchasing decisions are the perceived quality as well as comfort with the location of the markets, shopping experience, variety of offered products and delivery methods. Other interesting results relate to the presence of children in the families and the role of women in the choice of quality food.

Practical implications

The observations could represent a basis for thinking about how to improve consumers’ behaviour and, at the same time, try to remove the obstacles to a greater recognition of the importance of AFNs by consumers.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the debate on food policies. Indeed, the integration of the results into food policies could help to intercept the consumers’ trends and promote a transition of the food system towards a path of sustainability, in which the AFNs are the organisational expression of a change that concerns a wide geography and a large number of social and economic actors.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 121 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 October 2021

Mauro Lombardo, Gianluca Rizzo, Alessandra Feraco, Marco Alfonso Perrone, Chiara Bellia, Davide Lauro, Massimiliano Caprio, Alfonso Bellia and Elvira Padua

The menopausal transition (MT) is a period when there may be an increase in visceral fat mass and a worsening of cardiometabolic risk factors. Few studies have evaluated the…

Abstract

Purpose

The menopausal transition (MT) is a period when there may be an increase in visceral fat mass and a worsening of cardiometabolic risk factors. Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of plant-based low-calorie diets on groups of women at different stages of MT. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of a high plant-to-animal protein ratio diet in women of similar age but with different fertility statuses.

Design/methodology/approach

Subjects were divided into three groups according to their fertility status at the baseline: “premenopausal” (n = 11), “perimenopause” (n = 14) and “postmenopause” (n = 18). Body composition (BC) was measured at the beginning and after eight months of treatment. Individualised lifestyle treatment included a strong component of plant-based foods.

Findings

Forty-three overweight or obese Caucasian women (age 52.3 ± 4.5 years, body mass index 30.6 ± 5.4 kg/m2, fat mass 33.1 ± 9.3 kg data presented as means ± SD) were included in the study. Mean physical activity was 8.4 ± 7.6 metabolic equivalent of tasks/week. Subjects had an improvement in BC (fat mass −5.6 ± 4.0 kg, p < 0.001 protein −0.3 ± 0.5 kg, p < 0.001), HDL-C and systolic blood pressure values. Waist circumference and hip circumference decreased by 4.1 ± 3.1 cm and −6.0 ± 4.3 cm, respectively. Weight loss resulted in a significant improvement in some blood lipid values, such as total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Adherence to a high plant protein diet helps adult women with different fertility statuses to improve BC and reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Long-term studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings.

Originality/value

In pre-peri- and post-menopausal adult women, a diet high in plant proteins improves body composition and reduces cardiovascular risk factors.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 52 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

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