240 research outputs found
The International multimodal transport of hazardous goods and waste
No full textThe international multimodal transport of hazardous goods and waste is a sector of remarkable economic importance. This transport activity is connected to several productive sectors and it can have considerable repercussions on the environment and health as well as on the safety of the workers and third parties that study in the same field. A certain part of the transport of hazardous goods and waste is managed by organized criminals who can obtain enormous savings by neglecting the measures necessary to protect the environment and safety. The legitimate economy is thus damaged and, above all, the efforts the International Community has made since the fifties-sixties, concerning the regulation of the complex aspects of this activity, are undermined. Two distinct judicial models exist at an international level concerning hazardous waste and goods: "transboundary movement" and "international transport". The purpose of these models is to regulate a phenomenon which, although very complex and articulated, requires a homogeneous view. The international multimodal transport judicial model is here examined in 3 subsequent stages: (1) the general aspects and the details along the entire chain, starting from the loading operations, then going on to the transport itself and ending up with the unloading at its final destination; (2) the controls on the respect of international legislation on this topic; (3) a study case is conducted pertaining to the extensive PCB category which, from a judicial point of view, in certain cases can be considered hazardous goods and in other cases hazardous waste. The aim of the study is to supply decision makers with indications that can be used to improve the efficacy and the effectiveness of the regulations at a UN level and of the cascading particular agreements for the various means of transport. The international multimodal transport judicial model suffers from the uncertainties that were already encountered for the transborder movement model, with particular reference to the lack of a unique interpretation of what is waste and what are goods at an international, regional and national level. This difficulty, which was already present in the first model, has negative repercussions on the second one and diminishes the efficacy and effectiveness of the interventions put into place to solve the real problems of multimodal transport which, if considered separately, would be valid. Even the controls, which are basically objectively complex and costly, come up against difficulties right from the beginning. Finally, the study case of PCBs also shows that the lack of a solution to the fundamental problem reduces the various operations inherent to transport to almost just a heavy bureaucratic practice, which suffers from practical implications that make it difficult to reach the objectives of protecting the environment and safety that the model has established. The attention of decision makers should be concentrated on two fundamental aspects. The first concerns the fundamental theme of the difference between goods and waste which, being unresolved, weakens many parts of the two models and results in the amplification of the problems on the second model. The second aspect regards the controls that should be conducted. The improvement of the technical-judicial model requires the combined study of experts, from both the judicial and technical field
The transboundary movement of hazardous waste: a contribution to improve the present technical-judicial model
No full textThe expression "the transboundary movement of hazardous waste" refers, from the technical point of view, to a series of phases that begin with the creation of a hazardous waste and includes its identification according to international, regional and national standards, its delivery to specialized companies and its movement from the exporting country to the importing country; these phases end with the final destination of the waste (disposal or recovery). From the judicial point of view, this same expression means a set of international regulations, at the UN level, a judicial model constituted by various Multilateral Environmental Agreements-MEAs and in particular the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. In spite of this model, an international market, dominated in certain strategic points by a chain of organized crime, has become established over the last 30 years, with consequent adverse effects on human health and the environment as well as on trade and competition. The illegal movement and transport of hazardous goods and waste undermine international policies and enforcement efforts and put law-abiding businesses at an economic disadvantage. It is here taken into account that there are in fact two judicial models that have to be referred to. Apart from the previously mentioned one, it is necessary to take into consideration the international judicial hazardous goods and waste transport model. The former model is examined (1) from a general point of view and during the various phases; (2) as far as the controls that the international regulations foresee along the chain are concerned; (3) with a case study concerning the PCB category, a category which is very vast and whose contents are sometimes considered as hazardous goods and sometimes as wastes. Because of the great complexity of the problems and in order to have a clear picture, a specific second study, which is closely connected to the first, has been conducted on the technical-judicial aspects of transport. The aim of both studies was to offer useful instruments to decision makers to help them make efficacious interventions. The different interpretations of the basic concept of waste at an international, regional and national level, together with the lack of clearly defined borders between the concept of waste and that of goods, are weak points of the regulations. The unresolved problem in the initial part of the model affects all the phases of the transboundary movement of waste. In particular, the important phase of controls, which in itself is already difficult and costly, is unable to reach its objectives. Decision makers should first of all intervene by establishing a univocal definition of waste and goods. However, the technical-judicial problem can only be resolved by legal practitioners and technical experts in the sector who are known to be super partes at an international level. In particular, it is necessary to monitor the increasingly rapid technological evolution in order to be able to identify what is waste, or has become so and what are (or continues to be) goods, considering the various degrees of development throughout the planet. Only once these aspects have been clarified will a more efficacious control of all the elements that make up the chain be possibl
L’ultima preghiera. Temi, modelli e forme di un epigramma tardoantico (Naucellio, Ep. Bob. 9)
No full textRecensione a "Eucherii Lugdunensis Formulae spiritalis intelligentiae. Instructionum libri duo, cura et studio C. Mandolfo, Turnhout, Brepols Publishers, 2004 (Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina, 66)"
No full text
Consumers’ attitude and purchase intention towards organic personal care products. An application of the S-O-R model.
No full textPurpose of the paper: Guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, the study investigated whether and how six environmental stimuli related to the consumers’ experience with organic personal care products influenced their attitudinal responses (hedonic and utilitarian) which, in turn, affected their buying behaviour.
Methodology: The empirical research builds on an online survey with a sample of 209 consumers. A structural equation model was performed to analyse the data.
Findings: Results showed that knowledge about organic PCP and sensory appeal significantly improved the utilitarian and hedonic attitude towards these products. Contextually, natural content attributes and quality perception positively influence utilitarian attitude. Finally, both the affective and functional attitudinal dimensions significantly increased the purchase intention.
Research limits: Further research is recommended in order to measure the actual purchase behaviour and to extend the investigation to a larger sample that is representative of the general population. Moreover, longitudinal studies are required to examine whether changes in consumer attitude, perception and buying with regard to organic PCP happen in time.
Practical implications: Highlighting the determinants of consumers’ attitude and purchase intention, the paper provides valuable insight to manufacturers and retailers for the increase in organic PCP market share.
Originality of the paper: The study showed that the S-O-R model is an adequate theoretical framework to investigate the decision-making process in the context of organic PCP. Furthermore, the proposed theoretical model sheds light on the role of new relevant variables which affect the consumers’ evaluation towards these products and that have been neglected in past research
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