Search results for "Energy source"
showing 10 items of 615 documents
Facilitators of and Barriers to Sustainable Development in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Descriptive Exploratory Study in Romania
2021
In the context of growing concerns regarding the deterioration of the environment and the increase in social inequalities, the concept of sustainability emerged as a response of companies, in order to contribute to community goodwill. The drivers and obstacles for the businesses engaging in sustainable policies have been explored at large by scientific literature. However, research gaps were observed, namely regarding SMEs, that tend to have a less formal and more fragmented approach to sustainability. The goal of our study is to determine the main barriers and facilitators for sustainability that Romanian SMEs face, and the connections between them and with the firms’ characteristics. Our …
Toward Value Co-Creation: Increasing Women’s Presence in Management Positions through Competition against a Set Target
2017
Despite empirical evidence that women’s presence in management positions is a source of value co-creation for firms, these positions are still male-dominated. Some evidence from experimental economics suggests that one reason for this imbalance is that women shy away from competition. However, most of these studies have focused on competition systems that pit individuals against each other. We present an economic laboratory experiment that compares competition against others with competition against a set target. The crucial difference is that whereas the former involves competing against opponents, the latter does not. Our results show that significantly more women are willing to compete a…
Sexism and Aggression in Adolescence.¿How Do They Relate to Perceived Academic Achievement?
2018
Sexist attitudes are rooted in patriarchal structures, which uphold traditional gender stereotypes, and which are still found in society today. Scholars have found gender differences in perceived academic achievement, with girls performing better than boys, and negative relationships between sexism and perceived academic achievement. Moreover, perceived academic achievement and sexist attitudes have been associated with aggression and different kinds of violence. This study examined the associations between sexist attitudes and perceived academic achievement (using self-report data). The study also assessed the mediating role of physical and verbal aggression in the relationship between sex…
A Comparative Analysis of the Social Performance of Global and Local Berry Supply Chains
2016
The goal of this paper is twofold: to comparatively analyze the social performance of global and local berry supply chains and to explore the ways in which the social dimension is embedded in the overall performance of food supply chains. To achieve this goal, the social performance of five global and local food supply chains in two countries are analyzed: wild blueberry supply chains in Latvia and cultivated raspberry supply chains in Serbia. The study addresses two research questions: (1) What is the social performance of the local and global supply chains? (2) How can references to context help improve understanding of the social dimension and social performance of food supply chains? To…
Charakterystyka Palczatki Gerarda (Andropogon gerardi) jako rośliny energetycznej
2017
Celem przeprowadzonej analizy jest charakterystyka palczatki Gerarda jako rośliny energetycznej. Jest to trawa preriowa fotosyntezy typu C4, która nie jest popularnym gatunkiem w Polsce. Artykuł ma charakter przeglądowy i niniejsze opracowanie dotyczące Andropogon gerardi ma na celu zaprezentowanie możliwości jej przydatności w polskich warunkach środowiskowych jako biomasy do produkcji bioenergii na podstawie doniesień z literatury. Powolne tempo wzrostu po okresie zimowym oraz łatwość zachwaszczania plantacji powoduje, że Andropogon gerardi stanowi mało opłacalną roślinę energetyczną w warunkach polskich. Dodatkowo, zostały porównane koszty założenia plantacji w stosunku do wierzby krzewi…
Willingness to Adopt Biochar in Agriculture: The Producer’s Perspective
2017
Most research on biochar has focused either on the mechanistic or the biophysical aspects, and there has been relatively little research into the social applicability and acceptance of biochar as a soil enhancer in agriculture. However, whether to adopt biochar in their practice is ultimately the farmers’ decision, and their willingness to do so is crucial. Here, we show the producer’s perspective on adopting biochar, using Polish farmers as a case study. Poland is an interesting case study because biochar has only recently attracted the attention of researchers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders there. We performed standardized, semi-structured interviews with 161 Polish farmers to eva…
LCA applied to an anaerobic digestion plant for biomethane and digestate production
2019
Nowadays it is paramount to promote bioenergy for climate protection, energy security and creation of income/jobs. In this perspective, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) for biogas and digestate production seems to be a viable way to simultaneously improve waste management while producing Renewable Energy Sources (RES). The main objective of this work is to assess the environmental impact associated with biomethane and digestate production from an AD plant as Global Warming Potential, expressed in CO2 equivalents. Therefore, a LCA was carried out for the production of biomethane ready for the injection into the Italian distribution natural gas grid. A mix from different waste sources (cattle manure …
Productivity of an Atriplex halimus shrubbery and effects of grazing on lambs
2009
The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate the productivity and forage quality of Atriplex halimus, 2) investigate modifications to shrub structure induced by grazing, and 3) assess live weight changes in lambs grazing on A. halimus with and without a feed supplement (wheat straw ± barley grain). The results showed that A. halimus had low productivity (approximately 1000 kg DM ha–1) but high tolerance to grazing by lambs, although minor modifications in plant structure due to grazing were observed. Lambs grazing A. halimus as a sole diet lost weight (about 60 g lamb−1 d–1; P < 0.01), probably as a consequence of the high salt content of the forage reducing bot…
Spoilage of oat bran by sporogenic microorganisms revived from soil buried 4000 years ago in Iranian archaeological site
2015
Abstract The Bronze Age archaeological site of Shahr-i Sokhta (30° 39′ N; 61° 24’ E), located today in southeastern Iran, Sistan region, is a special archaeological deposit in which the exceptional preservation of human, plant and animal remains, due to the dry climate of the region, can provide detailed information on one of the first complex proto-urban societies. In recent years, there has been growing interest in changes in local climate and environment as major reasons why the settlement was abandoned about 4000 years ago. Food shortage has been regarded as a direct effect of these changes. No attention has been paid to the potential health hazards associated with ancient urban/domesti…
Alternative Ways of Energy Supply in Rural Areas
2019
Optimization of thermal energy and electricity production processes using renewable energy source (RES) is extremely important for agricultural horticultural, and production farms. The article is devoted to the search for the best available techniques to the optimize the process of obtaining heat energy from RES to meet the energy needs in Polish agriculture. The food industry is particularly energy-intensive and as a result, when introducing various innovative technological processes, strong emphasis is placed on rational energy consumption and minimizing its losses, as well as on the secondary use of waste heat. The direct result of using RES devices is also a reduction in greenhouse gas …