Search results for "Energy Engineering and Power Technology"

Bold ambition, blunted agency? : Examining top management perspectives on a circular economy transition in Finland

2022

The circular economy is proposed as a company-driven means to further sustainability transitions. Top managers have a critical role in fostering the circular economy as they are responsible for shaping and implementing a company's sustainability strategy and performance. In this paper, we adopt a microfoundations perspective to enhance our understanding of the influence of top managers as agents of the sustainability transition to the circular economy. In a qualitative research study, we interviewed 34 top managers of Finnish companies that are actively pursuing the circular economy. The main implication of our study is in exploring the role of top managers, as they engage in actively struc…

Intellectual Capital as a Key Factor of Socio-economic Development of Regions and Countries

2013

Abstract The main goal of the paper is to present the concept of intellectual capital (IC) from regional perspective and define intangible assets as knowledge that can be converted into value or profit. Most of the measurement methods designed by now apply for measuring the intellectual capital at corporate level. Some efforts are being made to present the IC concept in the regional perspective. Development of research on a new regional approach to the intellectual capital theory has been noticed. A sample model of IC for countries and its main sub-components have been presented as well. Some selected knowledge indicators for measuring intellectual capital at national level have been illust…

Editorial to the ‘Special Issue—Solar Photovoltaic System Engineering’ of AIMS Energy

2020

Leadership – A Key Factor to a Succesful Organization – Part II

2013

Abstract Leadership is the well-known and often discussed process nowadays of influence exerted by one person, accepted and followed by all, over the other factors (human resource) that he works with, in order to reach the organizational goals. This research is the second part of a long cycle aimed to determine the knowledge and application of the leadership concept in the Romanian organizations considering the influences imposed by the external environment, often characterized by frequent changes. These changes may have positive or negative effects on organizations, and that is why organizations have to react fast in order to take advantage of opportunities and to protect from threats. We …

Changing Managers for a Changing Economy – The Need for Creativity and Leadership

2013

Abstract The present paper aims to identify new approaches of management by re-considering business comportment and attitudes. The research looked into specialized literature on new development of business in the post-crisis era and, on another hand, on leadership and organizational culture, in order to establish a possible profile of the most efficient management and organizational culture adapted to the new challenges of business environment, intending to demonstrate that managers need to develop leadership traits and re-shape organizational culture for a better business performance.

The IMF Lending Activity – A Survey

2014

Abstract This paper presents the evolution of the IMF lending arrangements approved between 1953-2013. The study covers both non-concessional and concessional loans. The findings show that the volume of the IMF loans has fluctuated significantly and the value of the IMF lending has increased over a period of economic or financial crisis, as the debt crisis of the 1980s, the Tequila crisis in 1994-1995, the Southeast Asia crisis in 1997-1998, Russia in 1998, Brazil in 1998-1999 and Argentina in 1999-2002 or the global financial crisis since 2008.

On the distribution of lightning current among interconnected grounding systems in medium voltage grids

2018

This paper presents the results of a first investigation on the effects of lightning stroke on medium voltage installations' grounding systems, interconnected with the metal shields of the Medium Voltage (MV) distribution grid cables or with bare buried copper ropes. The study enables us to evaluate the distribution of the lightning current among interconnected ground electrodes in order to estimate if the interconnection, usually created to reduce ground potential rise during a single-line-to-ground fault, can give place to dangerous situations far from the installation hit by the lightning stroke. Four different case studies of direct lightning stroke are presented and discussed: (1) two …

Analysis of Lipophilic Extractives from Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oils

2022

Fast pyrolysis bio-oils (FPBOs) originating from forest residues contain extractive-derived substances, which may form a separate, sticky layer with char particles on the surface of these bio-oils. In this study, first, the removal of extractive-derived substances from the bio-oil top phase was studied by common solvents with different polarities. In this case, the results indicated that when aimed at the maximum yield of single-phase fuel oil and thus the maximum amount of extractives removed, the use of n-heptane or n-hexane seems to be of benefit for this purpose. For safety reasons, the use of n-heptane was recommended. Second, an analysis practice (extraction time and the way of mixing…

Modeling biomass char gasification kinetics for improving prediction of carbon conversion in a fluidized bed gasifier

2014

Gasification of biomass in a fluidized bed (FB) was modeled based on kinetic data obtained from previously conducted thermo- gravimetic analysis. The thermogravimetric analysis experiments were designed to closely resemble conditions in a real FB gasifier by using high sample heating rates, in situ devolatilization and gas atmospheres of H 2 O / H 2 and CO 2 / CO mixtures. Several char kinetic models were evaluated based on their ability to predict char conversion based on the thermogravimetric data. A modified version of the random pore model was shown to provide good fitting of the char reactivity and suitability for use in a reactor model. An updated FB reactor model which incorporates t…

E-Fairs: a Cyber-Physical System for Aggregation and Economy of Scale in e-Commerce

2018

In recent years, the e-commerce arena has deeply changed because of the advent of new business models and the growing weight of huge global actors like Amazon. Some business models create competition between users, and the product price tends to rise (e.g., online auctions); other models, including group-buying, make users cooperate, and the price tends to go down. The present study extends the group-buying model and proposes a cyber-physical system called e-fair, in which both sellers and buyers are grouped to negotiate on a specific product or service. E-fairs minimize the global purchase price and the shipping resources respectively with the aggregation of demand and supply as well as or…