Parthenope University of Naples
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Simony as strategy? The role of political contributions in managing ESG engagement
No full textThis study examines the relationship between political contributions and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) measures in US firms. Using data from LSEG Workspace (2010–2023), we implement GMM-SYS estimation to analyze the impact of corporate political donations on ESG metrics. Our results show that political contributions increase the ESG Score (through the E and G pillars) but also cause more ESG controversies for the firm. This suggests that firms may resort to political donations to obtain artificially high ESG Scores, which however do not translate into fewer ESG controversies. This work makes three key contributions. First, it bridges a gap in the literature by empirically examining the interplay between political donations and ESG performance across the
three ESG pillars. Second, it highlights the dual role of political contributions: enhancing ESG scores while exacerbating ESG controversies, thus raising concerns about greenwashing practices. Lastly, our findings emphasize the importance of strengthening regulatory oversight to ensure that political activities do not undermine corporate sustainability goals
Assessment of Seismic Capacity of Building Envelope Nonstructural Components
No full textThis paper describes an innovative “testing set” for assessing the seismic capacity of building envelopes consisting of a specialized testing equipment and a companion testing protocol. The equipment has been designed for assessing the seismic capacity of either building envelopes or their components, based on a historical review of testing machine for such nonstructural elements. The testing protocol is designed to adapt recent code provisions to building envelopes. The testing set is proposed for both external cladding systems and precast concrete panels’ connections. In the latter case, the experimental activity led to an assessment criterium for the connections seismic desig
Assessing the environmental sustainability and justice dimensions of nuclear electricity under circular economy and energy transition frameworks
No full textThis study is framed within the international political context that shows on one side the risks of nuclear plants of being under attack in conflicts among countries (e.g., the present war between Russia and Ukraine) and on the other side the decarbonization policies of many countries including EU members, focused on equalizing nuclear and renewable sources for the generation of electricity. A systematic literature review is adopted, with the goal of understanding if nuclear electricity is environmentally sustainable as well as environmental and socially just in circular economy (CE) and energy transitions. According to some scenarios based on a higher role of nuclear electricity, results suggest the need to take into account the increase of ionizing radiations, Uranium depletion and water consumption. The impact of nuclear is also higher when compared with renewables (e.g. wind) in terms of total material requirement and, again, water consumption. LCA studies included in this review also highlight the impacts of the nuclear fuel cycle and in particular the Uranium stage as well as the decommissioning stage where the impacts of open cycles versus partially closed or totally closed cycles are compared. The analysis of the sample assessment of environmental and justice dimensions in the nuclear fuel cycle show that the selected articles focus on the whole life cycle of nuclear electricity and three main stages such as Uranium mining, decommissioning operations and identification of sites for spent nuclear fuel disposal. The integration of justice dimensions in the study resulted important in improving the understanding of the impacts of the nuclear fuel cycle on local communities in mining regions, or those who live near nuclear power plants or disposal facilities. The challenges of LCA in assessing the impacts of nuclear energy have been analysed suggesting the strong need for considering further impact categories and more comprehensive frameworks when evaluating its sustainability and role in decarbonization scenarios. In that, this study acknowledge that it is essential take into consideration the nexus between CE and energy transitions. Finally, the case study of the Italian Nuclear Programme is also discussed in the light of current critical narrative on nuclear energy
Attestazioni interne e servizi di attestazione sulla conformità della rendicontazione di sostenibilità: articoli 8, 9 e 12 del decreto legislativo 6 settembre 2024, n. 125
No full textEnvironment, Innovation and Tourism: Challenges for Sustainability in Europe
No full textThe aim of this chapter is to verify whether innovation in tourism contributes to the reduction of pollution in search for an environmentally friendly role played by the sector. We analyse the connection between the degradation of the environment, given by carbon intensity per GDP, and an innovative measure of innovation in tourism through a dynamic panel estimation technique on 15 European countries from 2005 to 2019. In particular, we use a pooled mean group estimator (PMG) which investigates the existence of a long-run stable relationship among the variables even in the presence of different dynamics in each country. The analysis shows a steady beneficial effect of tourism innovation on CO2 emissions, revealing a positive contribution of innovation to the reduction of pollution and a role of tourism as an environmentally friendly activity. Detrimental effects—however—might derive from an increasing pressure when tourism approaches a critical threshold
Electrospun Polybenzimidazole Membranes: Fabrication and Fine-Tuning Through Physical and Statistical Approaches
No full textPolybenzimidazole (PBI), a high-performance polymer known for its exceptional thermal stability and chemical resistance, was processed by solution electrospinning to manufacture fibrous non-woven membranes. The process was repeated under different conditions by adjusting four main settings: the polymer solution concentration, the flow rate, the voltage applied between the needle and the collector, and the separating distance. To clarify the interplay between process parameters and material properties, a Design of Experiment (DOE) approach was used to systematically analyze the effects of said parameters on microstructural properties, including fiber diameter, porosity, and air permeability, pointing out that the increase in viscosity improves fiber uniformity, while optimizing the applied voltage and the needle–collector distance enhances jet stability and solvent evaporation, crucial for defect-free fibrous microstructures. Post-processing via calendering further refined the membrane texture and properties, for example by reducing porosity and air permeability without significantly altering the fibrous morphology, particularly at low lamination ratios. Thermal and mechanical evaluations highlighted that the obtained electrospun PBI membranes exhibited enhanced flexibility, but lower tensile strength compared to cast films due to the underlying open pore microstructure. This integrated approach—combining experimental characterization, DOE-guided optimization, and post-processing via calendering—provides a systematic framework for tailoring PBI membranes for specific applications, such as filtration, fuel cells, and molecular sieving. The findings highlight the potential of PBI-based electrospun membranes as versatile materials, offering high thermal stability, chemical resistance, and tunable properties, thereby establishing a foundation for further innovation in advanced polymeric membrane design and applications for energy and sustainability
Water Body Detection in Sentinel-2 Satellite Images to Integrate GIS Data for Rome Smart City
No full textThe water bodies (rivers, lakes, seas and oceans) often constitute founding elements of the cities landscape, so a monitoring action to preserve their environmental value is undoubtedly necessary. Remotely sensed images can offer
quick, effective and economic support for monitoring water bodies, providing their position, form, extension, consistence and state of health. This article aims to highlight how Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) applied to Sentinel-2 satellite images allows to monitor water bodies and detect the variations over time connected to disturbing causes due to climate change and phenomena such as drought and floods. The city of Rome is taken into consideration particularly significant for the presence of both an important river such as the Tiber (third in Italy by length), and for a long stretch of coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The results demonstrate that a fast procedure is possible for water body detection in Rome to integrate Geographic Information System (GIS) data and support monitoring plan.
In fact, NDWI applied in QGIS allows to obtain a map of the area which, suitably classified using maximum likelihood algorithm, produces an identification of water bodies with high accuracy (user, producer and overall accuracy values
are all greater than 98%)
Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in SMEs: Evidence from Italy
No full textThe rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) has been predominantly driven by large organizations, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face slower adoption rates, widening the technological uptake gap. This study explores the factors influencing employees’ intention to adopt AI technologies in Italian SMEs using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). By integrating organizational, technological, and individual dimensions, the research provides a nuanced understanding of AI adoption in smaller organizational contexts. Data were collected through Prolific, with a final sample size of 333 participants.
The results highlight the critical role of organizational culture in shaping employees’ perceptions of the usefulness, ease of use, and personal utility of AI technologies. From a technological perspective, employees in Italian SMEs frequently used generative AI and virtual assistants, reporting tangible benefits that were reflected in higher TAM scores for perceived usefulness, ease of use, and personal utility.
Gender differences emerged as a notable factor, with women reporting lower perceived personal utility scores than men, suggesting disparities in perceived benefits or confidence in AI-related tasks. Other individual factors, such as age, education, and work experience, did not significantly affect TAM scores. This suggests that organizational and technology-related factors play a more significant role in influencing AI adoption behaviors in SMEs.
Theoretically, this study extends the TAM framework by integrating multi-dimensional organizational culture and specific AI technologies as antecedents of AI adoption.
In terms of practical implications, Italian SMEs seeking to enhance AI adoption should prioritize investments in AI training programs and the cultivation of a digitally oriented organizational culture. Technology providers should focus on user-friendly designs and demonstrating the benefits of AI tools
