Search results for "media_common.cataloged_instance"
showing 10 items of 1044 documents
An agency approach to debt maturity of unlisted and listed firms in the European setting
2019
Abstract This study analyses the debt maturity of two groups of companies – unlisted and listed – throughout the period 2005–2013. The research takes an agency costs approach to explore the determinants of firms' debt maturity structure for a set of five countries, chosen for being representative of the European Union (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom). Agency costs, as well as institutional and macroeconomic factors, turn out to be decisive in explaining firms’ financial policies regarding debt maturity, during the economic crisis that started in 2007–2008. Our findings indicate that contracting costs had a greater impact on unlisted firms during the post-crisis subperi…
University trustees as channels between academe and industry: Toward an understanding of the executive science network
2013
Abstract Policy makers in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) see “autonomous” research universities as increasingly central to “world class” status, technology development and economic innovation. Trustees or regents (US) and external board members (EU) are seen as a marker of university autonomy. Examining university trustees may shed some light on the role of trustees/external board members play in research strategy, innovation and economic development. Given that a number of trustees of US research universities sit on the boards of directors of large corporations with research interests, we hypothesized that trustees may be an important channel connecting universities to …
Latvia: Both Sides of the Economic Recovery Success Story
2016
Latvian social policy is close to the neoliberal model of the welfare state based on macroeconomic indicators of low welfare state spending, high income inequality, low minimum wage and low degree of decommodification. Latvia was among the first countries to be stung by the crisis in 2008. Key words became: austerity, fiscal consolidation and structural adjustment measures. A minimum social safety network was introduced to improve targeted social support. Funding from the European Social Fund was instrumental in mitigating unemployment, facilitating a large temporary works programme. Latvia joined the Euro zone in 2014 and is quite successfully returning loans. Such is one side of the succe…
A Proposal to Model Ancient Silk Weaving Techniques and Extracting Information from Digital Imagery - Ongoing Results of the SILKNOW Project
2019
Three dimensional (3D) virtual representations of the internal structure of textiles are of interest for a variety of purposes related to fashion, industry, education or other areas. The modeling of ancient weaving techniques is relevant to understand and preserve our heritage, both tangible and intangible. However, ancient techniques cannot be reproduced with standard approaches, which usually are aligned with the characteristics of modern, mechanical looms. The aim of this paper is to propose a mathematical modelling of ancient weaving techniques by means of matrices in order to be easily mapped to a virtual 3D representation. The work focuses on ancient silk textiles, ranging from the 15…
The Contribution of Technological Change on EU's Exports
2013
Abstract The competitiveness of European countries is a constant concern in an environment dominated by the globalization of markets. Export competitiveness is an important dimension of a country's competitiveness. On top of that, in support to competitiveness, innovation is considered as a strong variable according to the Schumpeterian framework. This paper explores the relationship between technological change and international trade according to the OECD technological classification and the United Nations International System of Industrial Classification third revision for the 2 and 3 digit divisions of the manufacturing sector industry. An exploratory analysis is carried out on four Eur…
In-Between ‘Smart’ Urban Growth and ‘Sluggish’ Rural Development? Reframing Population Dynamics in Greece, 1940–2019
2020
Multifaceted demographic dynamics have shaped population growth in Mediterranean Europe, reflecting a metropolitan cycle from urbanization to re-urbanization. To assess the distinctive impact of economic downturns on population dynamics, the present study illustrates the results of an exploratory analysis that assesses urban expansion and rural decline at various temporal scales in Greece, a peripheral country in southeastern Europe. Statistical analysis based on multivariate exploratory techniques outlined the persistent increase of regional populations, evidencing the distinctive role of agglomeration/scale with urbanization and early suburbanization phases (1940&ndash
Impact of reverse logistics on supply chain performance
2013
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of reverse logistics on order and inventory variance amplification in a single-echelon supply chain (SC) and to propose a new order policy for dampening such amplification. Design/methodology/approach – A general review of the literature on sustainable operations and on the impact of reverse logistics on SC performance provides the foundation for the study. The authors use difference equation math approach for modelling and analysing a closed SC. A proper design of experiment and data collected from the European Union statistics validate the obtained numerical results. Findings – The variability of reverse flow in a closed loop S…
An analysis of feed’in tariffs for solar PV in six representative countries of the European Union
2014
Abstract In this paper, after a brief review on the main support policies for Photovoltaic (PV) systems in Europe, the specific situations of six representative countries (France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and the U.K.) are examined, with the purpose of highlighting the main differences in the implementation of the feed’in tariff (FiT) support policies adopted for PV systems. In particular, a comparison based on the calculation of economic indexes, as the Discounted Cash Flows (DCF), the Pay-Back-Period (PBP), the Net Present Value (NPV) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR), for different sized PV systems shows that a specific FiT can sometimes be inconvenient for the producer and that…
Liberalising European electricity markets: opportunities and risks for a sustainable power sector
2003
The process of liberalising European electricity markets, encompassing a wide range of restructuring activities, has mainly been spurred by the attempt to increase the economic efficiency of the whole sector. This process might be used to trigger a development towards a sustainable power sector by increasing the use of renewable energy sources and enhancing energy efficiency on the supply and demand side. However, by taking a closer look at the current trends of the European electricity markets, it becomes obvious that the liberalisation not only implies opportunities but also risks for the creation of a sustainable power sector. Many of these risks are due to market distortions and imperfe…
Composite Indicator of Social Inclusion for European Countries
2013
Social inclusion is one of the key challenges of the European Union (EU) Sustainable Development Strategy. We use four indicators from EU policies to measure social inclusion for the 27 member countries of Europe. In particular, we aggregate the four indicators in a multiplicative composite indicator via a DEA-BoD approach with weights determined endogenously with proportion constraints. We obtain a score of social inclu- sion that allows us to grade the 27 EU countries from 2006 to 2010. In this way, we highlight the specific role played by the four indicators in determining improvements and deteriorations of social inclusion during the European phase of the financial and economic crisis.