1,720,978 research outputs found
Blockchain for agricultural sector: the case of South Africa
No full textNew technologies are playing a fundamental role in the postmodern era of globalization where interpersonal interactions at the international level and the exchange of goods, services, information and capital are the basis of all activities. The agriculture sector is constantly facing numerous challenges including the steady growth of the population, climate change, the increasing number of catastrophes, the loss of biodiversity and the spread of parasites. This paper analyzes the impacts of Blockchain applications in agriculture and the food supply chain, through a survey literature review, providing the various players in the agriculture value chain with new tools and key technologies to improve production and distribution processes. To demonstrate the importance of applying the Blockchain in the agriculture sector, especially for emerging countries, the case of South Africa is examined. This focus is one of the unique aspects of this paper, which is the first to deal with this kind of solution applied to the South African context. Our findings indicate that Blockchain, in the e-agricultural context, has the potential for reshaping the entire sector, contributing also to the resolution of the food crisis. This paper discusses the overall implications, limits, challenges and potentials of these applications, from a critical point of view
Management delle nuove tecnologie per l'inclusione e l'innovazione sociale
No full textNo abstract availabl
Global value chains in the era of 4IR: new paradigm of business models for SMEs
Get PDFThis paper presents a brief literature review of previous studies methodologies, models, and contexts in studying firms’ upgrading in Global Value Chains (GVCs). The key context of this paper is set within Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Through the literature review, this paper offers to identify the opportunities of theoretical novelty and ways to elaborate on understanding firm dynamics in Global Value Chains in the context of 4IR. The approach based on Business Model (BM) innovations and new forms of organizing for business (such as platforms) is used to synthesize from previous research findings and build on to newer explanations of firms’ entry, learning, and upgrading within GVCs
Do science parks sustain or trigger innovation? Empirical evidence from Italy
No full textThe effectiveness of science parks in fostering tenants' innovative performance is still an open issue. The literature is not conclusive on whether these structures trigger and provide active support to firms' innovation and to the development of successful research networks, or are simply the result of local political interests, with no effective impact on tenants. Relying on an original dataset on 26 Italian science parks, 470 firms located in the parks and a matched group of 511 firms outside the parks, we study the impact of science parks on firms' innovative performance and investigate what features make science parks effective, putting particular emphasis on the role of research networks. We find that: (i) firms' innovative performance is stronger for tenants than for off-park firms; (ii) the intensity of innovative activity depends upon the strength of the research networks; (iii) the positive effect of science parks on innovation holds for firms that are already innovative, while there is no positive effect of being in the park for firms without patents. From a policy
perspective, our results suggest thatthe initiatives promoting the activities of science parks can be effective only on a selected group of very innovative firms
The Sino-German alliance for the fourth industrial revolution: dynamics and policy implications
No full textThis paper tries to answer to the recent discussion concerning the interaction between China and Germany in the field of Industry 4.0, pointing out the policy implications of this collaboration. The analysis is carried out at both qualitative and quantitative levels, with a main focus on the specific features of each country. The qualitative analysis identifies for both Germany and China the features of the innovation systems and the strategies implemented to boost the innovation process. The quantitative analysis exploits trade data, patent data and a bibliometric approach to identify trends that demonstrate the close cooperation of China and Germany. All the analytical process is conducted keeping in mind the environment of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As a final goal, the paper provides insights on the policy implications that the Sino-German alliance has in both countries
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