Search results for " Business"
showing 10 items of 5387 documents
Parameter identification and state estimation of a microalgae dynamical model in sulphur deprived conditions: Global sensitivity analysis, optimizati…
2014
International audience; In this article, a dynamic model describing the growth of the green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii , under light attenuation and sulphur‐deprived conditions leading to hydrogen production in a photobioreactor is presented. The strong interactions between biological and physical phenomena require complex mathematical expressions with an important number of parameters. This article presents a global identification procedure in three steps using data from batch experiments. First, it includes the application of a sensitivity function analysis, which allows one to determine the parameters having the greatest influence on model outputs. Secondly, the most influentia…
Are alternative food networks winning strategies to increase organic SMEs profitability? Evidence from a case study
2020
The aim of this study was to understand how and how much alternative food networks (AFNs) contribute to increasing the profitability of the organic SMEs, compared to traditional organic sales channels. For this purpose, an economic analysis and an in-depth interview were carried out in a case study located in the Sicilian northern coast. Findings showed a clear convenience of the participation to alternative food networks compared to the case in which all farm production was conferred to traditional sales channels, highlighting an increase both of farm profit (+76.9%) and net income (+72.1%). However, the in-depth interview revealed that AFNs are a mean, not only to have economic benefits, …
From Metaphor to Practice: Operationalizing the Analysis of Resilience Using System Dynamics Modelling
2017
This paper operationalizes an analysis of resilience for social-ecological systems using system dynamics (SD) modelling. Resilience is a versatile concept that continues to gain popularity among researchers who study ways to reduce the vulnerability of social-ecological systems to a wide range of disturbances. However, its application in the policymaking domain still remains underdeveloped because it is difficult to understand the mechanisms that might enhance resilience and to measure the impact of potential policies. This paper proposes to use SD modelling as a tool to analyse resilience using simulations to quantify system response to disturbances and a causal analysis to identify ways t…
Four Perspectives of Applied Sustainability: Research Implications and Possible Integrations
2017
How is applied sustainability being understood and implemented in academics’ and practitioners’ circles? Participants to the workshop “Sustainability Performance Assessment” within the ICCSA 2017 conference are confronted with this overarching question, which they address from their specific backgrounds and theoretical standpoints.
Behaviour of consumers of conventional and organic flowers and ornamental plants in Italy
2013
The paper analyses preferences and motivations of Italian consumers of flowers and ornamental plants, both conventional and organic. The results helped to outline their profile. Purchases are still done in the traditional places (flower shops for cut flowers and plant nurseries for potted plants), however positive trend is found for potted plants purchases at large distribution chains. Some differences came out as to purchase motivations: cut flowers are mainly bought in special occasions whereas potted plants purchases are linked to personal use. The results confirm a positive relationship between the purchase of flowers and plants and the age of the interviewees, besides showing that wome…
Taxonomic investigations on Psoralea palaestina (Fabaceae), a critical species of Mediterranean flora
2016
Psoralea palaestina is a critical and unappreciated species described from Palestinian territories, and currently treated as synonym of P. bituminosa, nowadays known as Bituminaria bituminosa. Nomenclatural investigations allowed to ascertain that it was validly described for the first time by Bassi (1768) and not by Gouan (1773), as previously thought. Extensive taxonomic investigations revealed that this very peculiar legume is morphologically well differentiated from the other allied known species. Therefore, it has to be properly treated at specific level and transferred to the genus Bituminaria, thus proposing a new combination: Bituminaria palaestina. Based on literature, herbarium an…
Vegetation of feather grass steppes in the western Pamir Alai Mountains (Tajikistan, Middle Asia)
2016
Aims: To propose the first syntaxonomical scheme for the graminoid steppe vegetation of the montane and alpine zones in the Pamir-Alai Mts. in Tajikistan with some remarks on its environmental gradients. Location: Tajikistan. Methods: A total of 155 relevés were sampled in 2015 using the seven-degree cover-abundance scale of Braun-Blanquet and subsequently 148 of these relevés were selected and classified by the modified TWINSPAN method using the four step interval scale with cutoff levels of 0%, 5%, 10% and 25% and total inertia as a measure of cluster heterogeneity. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. The detrended correspondance analysis wa…
Consumer preferences for fig fruit (Ficus carica L.) quality attributes and postharvest storage at low temperature by in-store survey and focus group
2017
Fig (Ficus carica L.) is cultivated mainly in southern Italy and in several countries of the Mediterranean area. According to official statistics the quantities of fresh fig placed on domestic market are low, though the home consumption is known to be relatively high in summer. The objective of this study was to discover consumers’ preferences for sensory, quality attributes of fresh fig and primary drivers of liking, in order to enhance fruit marketing value. An in-store consumer test and two focus groups were carried out to assess preferences in regards to fresh figs after 3 and 7 days of storage at low temperature: the selected sensory, intrinsic and extrinsic attributes were ranked by c…
Chemical–Physical, sensory analyses and consumers’ quality perception of local vs. imported loquat fruits: a sustainable development perspective
2020
Local products and their distribution through short supply chains play a key role in the sustainable development of many rural areas, as affirmed by the 2030 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Agenda. Moreover, in the last years, more and more consumers have shown a specific interest towards local production, pushed by the need for healthy eating, protecting the environment, and boosting the local economy. However, the cultivation of local fruit varieties or ecotypes has considerably decreased in the last decades because of their low production potential. As a result, many farmers have been forced to replace local orchards with few worldwide grown cultivars, causi…
On Some Misconceptions Concerning Digital Banking and Alternative Delivery Channels
2016
A great deal of conceptual confusion surrounds the notions of digital banking and innovative alternative delivery channels that support banking and other financial transactions globally. The authors contend that the concepts of digital banking and associated delivery channels are ambiguous and restrictive; their usability has been undermined and their purpose and objective have, to a large extent, been misunderstood. Against this backdrop, the authors offer an inclusive definition of digital banking and delivery channels and provide logical explanations of these terms that can benefit scholars, the telecommunication sector, the banking industry, policy makers, and service providers (in term…