1,720,963 research outputs found
The role of blockchain technology in supply chain relationships: Balancing efficiency and relational dynamics
Full text linkThe increasing adoption of blockchain technology (BCT) is transforming operations and relational dynamics within agri-food supply chains. Despite a growing number of studies, the impact of BCT on supply chain relationships remains underexplored. This research identifies the salient elements of the link between BCT and relationships. It explores these empirically to understand the impact of BCT adoption and implementation on supply chain relationships in the agri-food industry, relying on social exchange theory and focusing on trust, formal information flow mechanisms, and quality of information flows and communication.
This study undertakes a multiple qualitative case study analysis of seven Italian companies involved in the agri-food industry operating in the wine, beer, and dairy sectors who are considered pioneers of BCT adoption. The results indicate a positive impact of BCT on the automation of supply chain contracts and operational efficiency, on one hand, and the increased quality of relationships, on the other. Supply chain coordination is required for BCT to be effective. In highly concentrated sectors, the contractual power exerted by big players is a vital factor, while in more fragmented and dispersed industries the role of persuasion, relationships, and supply chain contracts are key.
Three key insights emerge and are discussed. These concern: (i) the rethinking of the role of trust in supply chain relationships impacted by the adoption of BCT; (ii) the enhancement of information-sharing and flow mechanisms in supply chain relationships through the adoption of BCT; and (iii) the optimization of information flow quality and communication dynamics through the adoption of BCT.
This study contributes to the existing literature by providing novel empirical evidence regarding the impact of BCT on relationships. It further contributes to the existing literature by analyzing the impact of blockchain applications on the upstream and downstream levels of the supply chain from a management perspective and by identifying the beneficial exchanges, norms, and principles that shape interactions when BCT is implemented
The Water Footprint Assessment of Electricity Production: An Overview of the Economic-Water-Energy Nexus in Italy
No full textThe term “water-energy nexus” has remarkable implications in the sustainable management of water resources. The aim of this paper is to analyse the production of electricity, from an economic and technical perspective, using the water footprint and economic water productivity approaches. After comparing the percentage of contribution of fossil and renewable sources to the production of the electricity sector, the study then compares the percentage of contribution of fossil and renewable sources to the consumptive water footprint of Italian electricity production for each year analysed. Furthermore, distinguishing between renewable and fossil sources, the paper proceeds to assess the total consumptive water footprint generated by each energy source for the electricity production in Italy during the period 2007–2016. The study represents an original contribution for the identification of policies and managerial implications in the context of the energy sector, serving as a practical guide. The results, in fact, confirm the need for scientific and practical efforts to manage electricity production in an integrated perspective and provide a first glance at addressing the optimal design of energy source mix in the Italian regulation context, contributing to reducing the water footprint, without ignoring the economic aspects
Toward a Quadruple Bottom Line: Social Disclosure and Financial Performance in the Banking Sector
No full textThe present study aims to analyze the existence of a possible significant relationship between social disclosure and financial performance in banking institutions. This phenomenon was analyzed by considering the percentage of female executives on boards, and the implementation of the equal opportunity policy when it was applied. We used a sample of 61 banks from European Union countries (between 2015–2017), and sampling was environmental, social, or governance (ESG)-driven in order to capture the effect of non-financial disclosure provided by Bloomberg. A cross-section econometric model was built in order to examine the relationship between the percentage of female directors on boards and the equal opportunity policy. Both the independent variables of banks and performance indicators were adopted as dependent variables. Our study provides empirical evidence that while there is a lack of efficiency and performance when boards are fragmented, the enactments of equal opportunity policies create a good reputation for the firm and the positive performance of staff. The study aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on social sustainability and on the phenomenon of the glass ceiling, and provides political and entrepreneurial implications
The impact of direct environmental, social, and governance reporting: Empirical evidence in European‐listed companies in the agri‐food sector
No full textEnvironmental risks and efficiency performances: The vulnerability of Italian forestry firms
No full textThis study adopts a nonparametric approach to assess the efficiency performances in the forestry firms and then stratifies them according to an environmental risk metric, revealing the existing nexus between economic profitability, environmental vulnerability and risks. Data cover the period 2013–2015 and refer to 69 Italian firms which carry out forestry and use forest areas. Results highlight that the input- and output-oriented efficiency performances in Italy are, on average, higher for forestry firms belonging to the medium and high environmental risk classes. Nevertheless, forestry firms exposed to low environmental risk show greater improvement towards efficiency over time, demonstrating that the adoption of responsible firm strategy can lead to concrete operative results, both economically and environmentally, even in a short-term perspective. As a scientific contribution, both methodological and empirical, the study highlights managerial and policy implications in terms of environmental risk management strategy for the Italian forestry firms and devoted regions
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
How Did Organizational Resilience Work Before and after the Financial Crisis? An Empirical Study
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to assess the role of organizational resilience as an attitude, depending on the adoption of corporate governance, environmental and social practices (CESPs), in order to react to unexpected shocks, while preserving business sustainability. Organizational resilience is defined as the capacity for an enterprise to survive, to adapt and to grow in a turbulent change or unpredicted situation. Since organizational resilience is a latent path-dependent construct, it can be evaluated through long-term outcomes in an integrated perspective. The hypotheses are tested analyzing the economic performance of U.S. companies listed in Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P 500) and their environmental, social and governance (ESG) data has been extracted from Asset4. The period in the study covers 14 years, from 2002 to 2015, collecting the seven years before and after the 2008 financial crisis. The results of the empirical analysis highlight that economic performances of listed companies are influenced, over the 14 year period considered in the study, not only by the traditional sustainable pillars (SEPs), but also by the corporate governance ones (CESPs)
Reclaimedwater for vineyard irrigation in a mediterranean context: Life cycle environmental impacts, life cycle costs, and eco-efficiency
Full text linkThe agricultural sector in the Mediterranean region, is increasingly using reclaimed water as an additional source for irrigation. However, there is a limited number of case studies about productbased life cycle analysis to ensure that the overall benefits of reclaimed water do indeed outweigh the impacts. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methods are used in this study to investigate the environmental impacts and costs of vineyard cropping systems when tertiary reclaimed water is used as a supplementary source of irrigation water (integrated system). The conventional production system utilizing 100% groundwater was used as a reference system. As a proxy for sustainability, eco-efficiency, which combines economic and environmental performance, was assessed. The LCA revealed that the integrated system could reduce the net environmental impact by 23.8% due to lower consumption of irrigation water (−50%), electricity (−27.7%), and chemical fertilizers (−22.6%). Nevertheless, trade-offs between economics and the environment occurred as an integrated system is associated with higher life cycle costs and lower economic returns due to lower crop yield (−9.1%). The combined eco-efficiency assessment (ratio of economic value added to total environmental impact) revealed that the integrated system outperformed in terms of eco-efficiency by 12.6% due to lower environmental impacts. These results confirmed that reclaimed water could help to ensure an economically profitable yield with net environmental benefits. Our results provided an up-to-date and consistent life cycle analysis contributing to the creation of a valuable knowledge base for the associated costs and benefits of vineyard cultivation with treated wastewater
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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