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The term ‘exploitation’ is much used both in common parlance and as a research term when examining environmental phenomena. However, when examining the plethora of writings on the environment it quickly becomes obvious that neither is there a commonly accepted definition of the term, nor has there been a critical examination of the concept. Consequently, the term ‘environmental exploitation’ is currently poorly understood, left unexplained or undertheorized. The failure to properly comprehend the concept is a serious gap in the environmental literature which needs to be addressed since it leads, inevitably, to normative confusion and policy errors.

The purpose of this paper is to enter the debate on the antecedents of knowledge exploration and exploitation by investigating the role of social capital and environmental dynamisms. The contribution is grounded on existing insights that no empirical evidence exists on the link between social capital and exploration/exploitation behaviors.

The model considers three social capital dimensions – structural, relational and cognitive. It also considers the moderation effect of environmental dynamism on the link between social capital and knowledge exploration and exploitation. Head physicians from Italian hospitals were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The data set consists of 174 observations, analyzed using seemingly unrelated regression techniques.

This research provides evidence of the positive effect of structural, relational and cognitive social capital on knowledge exploration and exploitation – thus adding to a literature which has thus far concentrated on contextual and structural properties. Cohesive and strong ties are instrumental to gain access to external knowledge assets and stimuli, and to recombine the knowledge available within the unit.

The results can support hospital managers in designing initiatives that recognize the centrality of network ties for strategies of continuous improvement. Social networks represent the locus in which hospital units can identify and acquire knowledge from outside and the locus in which knowledge can be shared and recombined. Managers should encourage initiatives that support systematic connections among units.

This research provides evidence of the positive effect of structural, relational and cognitive social capital on knowledge exploration and exploitation – thus adding to a literature which has thus far concentrated on contextual and structural properties. Cohesive and strong ties are instrumental to gain access to external knowledge assets and stimuli, and to recombine the knowledge available within the unit. The results adds to conflicting evidence on environmental dynamism –shown here to exert a direct positive impact on exploitation and exploration, as well as to moderate the link between relational and structural social capital and exploration.

The purpose of this paper is to bring the attention of the intellectual capital (IC) research and practice communities to the value of IC in hotels' efforts to resolve or mitigate environmental problems over time. This research has been set to examine the relationships between key KM and IC concepts including environmental knowledge structures and exploitation and exploration of environmental knowledge (EK) as drivers of environmental organisational learning. The research has also examined the relevance of pro-environmental behavioural intention capital (PEBIC) as a component of structural capital and therefore an integral part of the intellectual capital of hotels.

The data analysis technique used to test the proposed conceptual model is partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Sample received from 87 companies from the Spanish hospitality sector in a longitudinal study (six years).

The results support that environmental knowledge structures (exploitation and exploration) has a positive impact on PEBIC over time. In other words, environmental organisational learning has the capability to create structural capital in hotel over time.

The research has addressed the challenges of exploration and exploitation of EK and PEBIC from a perspective not previously covered in the extant literature, further improved by the longitudinal nature of this study. Our focus on the hospitality sector makes this research relevant for management structures at numerous of hotels, as well as to their supply chains around the world. In addition, this research highlights the value to create structural capital through EK and organisational learning in the context of take care of our natural resources.

Entrepreneurship research has grown in both quality and quantity over the past decade, as many theoretical innovations and important empirical research findings have been introduced to the field. However, theoretical approaches to understanding entrepreneurship remain fragmented, and empirical findings are unstable across different contexts. This chapter describes features of a multi-level process view of new venture emergence that adds coherence to the entrepreneurship theory jungle and brings order to idiosyncratic empirical results, by explaining how ideas become organized into new ventures. The centerpiece of this effort is enactment theory, a general process approach specifically developed to explain organizing processes. Enactment theory – and Campbellian evolutionary theorizing more generally – has a long history of use within and across multiple levels of analysis. Consequently, the description here illustrates how organizing unfolds across multiple levels of analysis and multiple phases of development. After describing the theorizing assumptions and multi-level process view of new venture organizing, the chapter explores implications of applying this perspective by suggesting new research directions and interpretations of prior work. The aim is to advocate process theorizing as a more productive approach to understanding new venture emergence.

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to an indigenous community that lives in the periphery of Taiwan. The Dao on Orchid Island have had to face serious abuse of their human rights in terms of ecological exploitation and environmental injustice. The article highlights the empowerment of the indigenous group through collective learning. In this process the importance of being represented at both local and international levels is emphasized. Despite the democratization and implemented mechanism to protect indigenous peoples' rights and dignity, the issue of self‐determination and dependency on financial compensation still remains unsolved.

Data are collected and elaborated primarily using recognized research methods that are common in social anthropology (Bernard). Field research was conducted in 2007, 2008, and 2011 in Taiwan. A variety of interviews and formal and informal conversations formed the basis of data collection. According to qualitative content analysis, concepts and procedures developed by Gläser and Laudel, Bernard, as well as Schmidt were applied.

The outcomes of the research highlight the need to investigate the dynamic between modern technologies and the fight of vulnerable minorities in multicultural and democratic countries. Collective learning, solidarity, and presence at national and international levels are essential to improve empowerment to gain justice and respect of human rights.

The indigenous Dao were excluded from decision making processes regarding the government's appropriation of land on Orchid Island to be used to store nuclear waste. The Dao gained power due to educational technologies within a local and global network. Although Taiwan promotes its cultural diversity nowadays, social and environmental justice is still a goal to reach.

The paper provides valuable insights of an indigenous community in Taiwan and their struggles against environmental injustice and exploitation. Due to the fieldwork, a unique and authentic picture of the indigenous peoples' situation is offered.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how sustainability can become a source of competitive advantage for mature manufacturing sectors where technologies are standardized, and innovation is mainly generated across the value chain and not by individual companies.

From the methodological point of view, this research estimates the sustainability status of ceramic production in the Sassuolo district (Italy), using the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) model, and changing the observation point for the analysis, from the enterprise (micro level) to the entire sector (meso level).

This paper provides an analysis of the environmental, economic and social impacts of the four main types of ceramic tiles manufactured in Italy, both in aggregate terms for the entire sector and per square meter of product.

The methodological approach used in this research is easy to replicate both for companies when designing their sustainability strategies and for public decision makers when assessing the sustainability performance of a sector or supply chain.

For the first time, a socio-economic impact assessment is proposed for the ceramic sector, conducted in parallel with the environmental impact assessment through stakeholder mapping and prioritization.

This paper conceptualizes the theme of relations and interdependencies between ceramic producers organized in industrial districts and the territories in which they operate in order to determine empirically the sustainability performance of Italian ceramic sector, using the LCSA model with a territorial extension that presupposes an innovative contribution to current literature and practice.

This research examines environmental negotiations in two countries, Mexico and Ecuador, currently undergoing democratic transition. We examine the ability of democratizing political systems to respond to the pressures intrinsic to emerging pluralism. Using a comparative case study approach we examine environmental policy making for conservation. Mexico and Ecuador are at different stages in the democratization process with Mexico being more advanced than Ecuador. We conclude that Mexico’s approach to communicative forums and its management of environmental decision making in a pluralist context is more systematized and less prone to corruption given the stronger set of democratic institutions. In comparison we find that Ecuador’s political institutions remain weak and subject to informal pressures from emerging environmental groups as well as from established interests from the pre-democracy era.

The aim of this paper is to review some of the critical information needs in Sub‐Saharan Africa and the challenges that face libraries in the region in establishing digital libraries as a way of overcoming the great information shortfall in the region.

A selective survey of relevant literature is carried out in the study with focus on the role of libraries and information in social development, sectoral information needs and the issues involved in the establishment of digital libraries.

The paper argues that lack of social development in Africa is exacerbated by lack of adequate information. The paper concludes that, through better information gathering, processing and especially by taking advantage of today's digital transfer of knowledge, countries in the Sub‐Saharan region can experience rapid economic, social and political development.

The paper concludes that digital libraries in the Sub‐Saharan region can be strategic gateways to the global information and a boost to development in the region. The goal of establishing digital libraries in the region can be achieved through measures such as adoption of modern information communication technologies, amassing relevant digital content, investing in digital skills for library staff and users, strategic partnerships between local institutions, and funding agencies and above all government‐backed strategy on digital libraries.