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1 – 10 of 14Iza Gigauri, Maria Palazzo, Simona Andreea Apostu and Alfonso Siano
The purpose of this study is to explore the awareness, perception and attitude of consumers from Georgia toward smart, active and intelligent packaging of food products.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the awareness, perception and attitude of consumers from Georgia toward smart, active and intelligent packaging of food products.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on a quantitative research method using a survey questionnaire tool to gather data from consumers in Georgia.
Findings
The scope of the sample is restricted to only one developing country. Yet, the research results are still significant in creating knowledge about innovative food packaging from different country contexts and to understanding the acceptance of intelligent active packaging by consumers.
Research limitations/implications
Intelligent packaging facilitates companies with their sustainability efforts by reducing waste and environmental impact. It increases the desirability of products as responds to customer demands and leads to consumer satisfaction. Intelligent packaging can increase trust in bioproducts; for example, it is possible to track and check or monitor the origin of a product and prove that the product producer has really manufactured a bioproduct.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the discussion of the applicability and use of packaging with enhanced features in the food industry. In this respect, the performed pilot study fills the gap in the packaging literature by investigating consumers’ perspectives on intelligent packaging in Georgia – a non-EU, post-soviet, developing country.
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Paulina Ines Rytkönen, Wilhelm Skoglund, Pejvak Oghazi and Daniel Laven
The purpose of this study is shed light on the underlying forces behind entrepreneurship within a regional innovation system (RIS) in a remote rural region. The authors examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is shed light on the underlying forces behind entrepreneurship within a regional innovation system (RIS) in a remote rural region. The authors examine the following questions: Which are the main underlying forces behind the entrepreneurial process in a rural RIS characterized by traditionally low-tech, small-scale businesses? How can the development of a low-tech regional innovation system be conceptualized?
Design/methodology/approach
The design of the study is based on entrepreneurship theory. Data analysis followed practices used in phenomenography, a research approach used to analyse and identify commonalities and variations in populations' perceptions of a certain phenomenon. Data are composed using semi-structured interviews and a database composed of company information of all firms in the population.
Findings
A proactive mobilization of regional stakeholders and resources can be an important driving force behind the entrepreneurial process and generation of a rural RIS. Innovation can be generated within low-tech industries turning the rural context into an asset. An RIS in a remote rural context can be initiated and orchestrated by regional authorities, but knowledge brokering and orchestration can also be managed by networks of small-scale businesses brought together by mutual benefit and common interests.
Research limitations/implications
Regional innovation systems theory is most often used to study high-tech industries. But by combining regional innovation systems with rural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship context theory is a fruitful avenue to understand the role of rural entrepreneurship in regional development, even in remote and peripheral regions. Innovation does not need to entail high-tech international environments; it can appear as the result of efforts in low-tech industries in rural and remote environments. The authors’ findings need to be scrutinized; therefore, the authors call for more research on regional innovation systems in rural environments.
Practical implications
It is possible for regional authorities to orchestrate a development process through the actions of a strong regional agent but also by supporting the creation of networks of small businesses that are built on trust and common interests.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature with a new perspective to the study of entrepreneurship and of regional innovation systems. Entrepreneurship research with focus on rural contexts most often highlight limits to entrepreneurship and see entrepreneurship as “just running a business”. A perspective that starts from innovation and innovative behaviour, despite the rural context and embedded resources, helps to generate new knowledge that can enrich the understanding of entrepreneurship and also be the foundation for more precise business development policies in rural settings.
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Francesco Tajani, Debora Anelli, Felicia Di Liddo and Pierluigi Morano
The European Commission has established the reference value of the social discount rate (SDR) to be used in the cost-benefit analysis according to the subdivision of the states…
Abstract
Purpose
The European Commission has established the reference value of the social discount rate (SDR) to be used in the cost-benefit analysis according to the subdivision of the states relating to the beneficiaries of the Cohesion Fund. This criterion does not allow to adequately consider the economic, social and environmental conditions of each European states for ensuring an equitable and inclusive growth. The aimof the work is to provide an innovative methodology for assessing the “adjusted” SDR according to the socioeconomic and environmental conditions that differently affect the sustainable development of each European state.
Design/methodology/approach
Through the implementation of a methodological approach that consists of ordered and sequential phases and the synergic adoption of the Multi-Criteria Techniques with the Data Envelopment Analysis, a corrective coefficient of the SDR established by the European Commission is determined.
Findings
The results obtained for the 27 European states highlight how the different conditions of each of them could affect the correct choice of the SDR to be used in the Cost-Benefit Analysis.
Originality/value
The proposed research represents a useful reference for identifying national reference SDR values for each European state, consistent with its specificities and with the goals of inclusive growth of the countries and of social and territorial cohesion. Furthermore, the traceability of the methodology in its phases will allow to adapt the SDR to sudden events or exogenous shocks.
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Waqas Mehmood, Arshian Sharif and Attia Aman-Ullah
The purpose of the present study is to test the effect of financial development and environmental degradation on the control of corruption.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present study is to test the effect of financial development and environmental degradation on the control of corruption.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a dynamic approach known as system GMM to analyze annual data from 90 developed and developing countries over 24 years, from 1996 to 2020.
Findings
The present study shows a significantly negative relationship between financial development and control of corruption and a significantly positive relationship between environmental degradation and control of corruption. The result suggests that improvement in financial development may reduce control of corruption; however, reduction in environmental degradation may reduce control of corruption. The results are consistent across both developed and developing countries.
Practical implications
The study’s findings have significant implications for financial institutions, governmental policy departments and environmental regulatory agencies. The policy outcomes are closely linked to the economic prosperity of countries. In general, developing countries can implement strategies to promote financial development and environmental regulations, even though they may temporarily tolerate corrupt activities. Conversely, developed nations may have differing implications from developing countries.
Originality/value
This study is different from the past literature as none of the studies have been conducted previously focusing on developed and developing countries’ financial development, environmental degradation and control of corruption.
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Adah-Kole Onjewu, Razieh Sadraei and Vahid Jafari-Sadeghi
In spite of wide civic and academic interest in obesity, there are no bibliometric records of this issue in the marketing corpus. Thus, this inquiry is conceived to address this…
Abstract
Purpose
In spite of wide civic and academic interest in obesity, there are no bibliometric records of this issue in the marketing corpus. Thus, this inquiry is conceived to address this shortcoming with a bibliometric analysis of Scopus indexed articles published on the subject.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis followed a five-step science mapping approach of study design, data collection, data analysis, data visualisation and data interpretation. R programming software was used to review 88 peer reviewed journals published between 1987 and 2021.
Findings
A sizable stream of literature exploring obesity has accrued in the marketing area as authors have drawn parallels between the influence of persuasive communication and advertising on human wellbeing and child health. The United States of America is found to be by far the country with the highest number of publications on obesity, followed by Australia and the United Kingdom. The topic dendrogram indicates two strands of obesity discourse: (1) social and policy intervention opportunities and (2) the effects on social groups in the population.
Research limitations/implications
This review will shape future enquiries investigating obesity. Beyond the focus on children, males and females, an emerging focus on cola, ethics, food waste, milk, policy-making and students is highlighted.
Originality/value
This is the first bibliometric review of obesity in the marketing literature. This is especially timely for weighing up the utility of research aimed at understanding and reporting the trends, influences and role of stakeholders in addressing obesity.
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Olumide Olusegun Olaoye, Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Faryan and Mosab I. Tabash
The objective of the research is threefold. First, the study examines the fiscal policy – income inequality nexus in SA. Second, the study addressed the potential asymmetric…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of the research is threefold. First, the study examines the fiscal policy – income inequality nexus in SA. Second, the study addressed the potential asymmetric effects in fiscal policy – income inequality nexus in SA (i.e. we assessed the effects of fiscal policy on income inequality at different quantiles of the income inequality) using secondary data from 1980–2020. Third, the study also identifies the optimal fiscal policy instrument that achieve the greatest distributional objectives.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts the traditional ordinary least square (OLS) and the innovative Quantile estimation techniques.
Findings
The study found that fiscal policy marginally reduces the income inequality at the lower quantiles (t: 0.05). Specifically, the results show that government spending on health and education reduces income inequality at the lower quantiles (t: 0.05; t: 0.25), albeit exerts a statistically weak impact. On the other hand, the results show that at the upper quantiles, fiscal policy has no statistically significant impact on income inequality. However, we do not find either direct or indirect tax to have any impact on income inequality at any conventional level of significance. This suggests that government spending on health and education have the greater potential to reduce income inequality in South Africa. The research and policy implications are discussed.
Originality/value
The study addressed the asymmetric phenomenon in income inequality-fiscal policy nexus in South Africa.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-12-2023-0956
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Moscow’s influence over Belarus has grown stronger since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when part of Russia’s invasion force entered from Belarus. The latest…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB289105
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Nino Paresashvili, Nanuli Okruashvili, Mzia Tikishvili and Dea Pirtskhalaishvili
This paper is dedicated to labor discrimination, the most challenging and acute problem of the modern higher education system, which is one of the primary global concerns of the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is dedicated to labor discrimination, the most challenging and acute problem of the modern higher education system, which is one of the primary global concerns of the 21st century in higher education. This study aims to analyze the causes of discrimination in the higher education system of Georgia, to determine the priority types and forms of discrimination in the process of career management of personnel employed in educational institutions and to develop specific recommendations based on the successful antidiscrimination experience of developed countries, which will contribute to the development of an effective mechanism for eliminating discrimination in the higher education system of Georgia.
Design/methodology/approach
The statistical software package was used to process the data obtained during the research process. Throughout the analysis, numerous statistical techniques were employed, such as conducting an interview, running Mann–Whitney test, hypothesis testing, ANOVA test and much more. It is important to emphasize that various important hypotheses were developed during the research process. Finally, we presented conclusions and recommendations.
Findings
The study found that personnel discrimination is a severe, urgent and pervasive problem in Georgia. As a result of research, hypotheses N1, N2, N4, N5 and N7 were confirmed. In particular, the respondents’ discrimination is influenced by their field of employment; employees with low- and medium-level job positions are the most frequently discriminated against in both the private and public sectors; discrimination in both sectors has an impact on a person's work performance, personal life and health; weakening oversight of discriminatory issues leads to increased discrimination in both sectors.
Research limitations/implications
One of the disadvantages of the mentioned study is that it was only conducted in several Georgian universities. The results of the study can be generalized only to the employees of the universities participating in the study. In the future, research is planned in all universities in Georgia, which will give us a unified picture. In addition, it would be ideal to do international research with foreign colleagues to compare the described findings by country.
Practical implications
The authors anticipate that the mentioned study’s findings will have theoretical and practical implications. Universities must consider the recommendations presented, as doing so will significantly reduce discrimination and employee stress levels. As a result, their performance and sense of belonging inside the organization will improve.
Originality/value
This study is a novelty in terms of Georgian reality, as the discrimination exploration has not been investigated in the higher education. Therefore, all the interested parties, such as policymakers, institutions, scholars and far more, will benefit from the findings.
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In early June, the United States sanctioned three entities -- one Kazakh and two Kyrgyz -- for procuring industrial goods and equipment for Russia’s ultimate benefit, violating US…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB289238
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Bohuslav Pernica, Donatas Palavenis and Jaroslav Dvorak
The study aims to assess military procurement strategy in NATO countries labelled as emerging markets (Czechia, Slovakia and Lithuania) and capitalist Norway, which vary in…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to assess military procurement strategy in NATO countries labelled as emerging markets (Czechia, Slovakia and Lithuania) and capitalist Norway, which vary in national culture as indicated by the Hofstede Culture Compass.
Design/methodology/approach
This comparative case study analyses the procurement of a simple, mass-produced, off-the-shelf military product (FN Herstal MINIMI gun) in four small but very economically free countries from 2008 to 2023. The study answers the research question of how the unit price of MINIMI guns varies across post-communist and historical NATO countries distinguished by the variables operationalising national culture.
Findings
The general disability of the government to control corruption deviates the strategy of military procurement in post-communist defence institutions from an effective strategy of liberal capitalism, minimising the unit price and risks (Norway), to an odd strategy maximising the unit price and risks by preferring middlemen as agent of hidden agenda (Czechia).
Research limitations/implications
Some defence institutions in post-communist countries may be burdened by legislature capture, and detailed research is needed to determine this.
Practical implications
The authors argue that national culture may contribute to significant goal displacement in the procurement strategy adopted by the government in an economically liberal state.
Social implications
Without perfecting the control of corruption in post-communist defence institutions, the NATO burden-sharing debate on 2% of GDP will remain controversial.
Originality/value
With variables characterising national culture and the government’s ability to control corruption, the study elucidates a slow pace of convergence of post-communist countries to NATÓs values and procedures.
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