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Agroforestry can address multiple environmental challenges across the agricultural sector, for example biodiversity loss and soil degradation. However, agroforestry uptake remains low in Germany. Since economic considerations are important for farmer uptake, this paper compares the economic performance of conventional arable farming with silvoarable alley cropping in Brandenburg. Using a modelling approach, the net present value (NPV) is calculated to assess the competitiveness of alley cropping with poplar compared to arable farming under different scenarios. These scenarios cover a range of crops, rotation schedules, alley widths, woodchip prices, and yield levels. Additionally, policy measures that can compensate for potential economic losses associated with transitioning to agroforestry are considered. Results show that short rotation alley cropping had higher NPVs than medium rotation alley cropping, mainly due to cash-flow characteristics. Short rotation alley cropping can be competitive at high woodchip prices without policy support, while at low or average prices alley cropping needs subsidies to be competitive. Medium rotation systems at all price levels were not competitive unless policy support was provided. Current policy payments were unable to make silvoarable alley cropping competitive except at high woodchip prices. When subsidies increase, alley cropping can be competitive even at low or average woodchip prices and over a range of site conditions. Besides policy support, economic performance was strongly influenced by woodchip prices, relative yield potential of poplar and arable crops, and site conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies suggest regime type—particularly democracy—is associated with economic performance. However, in the Middle East and North Africa, regimes are mostly non-democracies, yet there is a wide variation of economic performance. To understand this variation, this study investigates how institutions impact economic performance in MENA countries. The study utilizes panel data on twenty-one MENA states from 1996 to 2018. The main results of the appropriate fixed-effects model suggest that institutional quality impacts economic performance across countries in MENA. Specifically, the findings show that improvements in labor, investment, public, and political institutions are the key to enhancing real per capita GDP. MENA countries' different research endowments carry different institutional deliverables in their economies. Resource-rich, labor-poor countries, and OECD countries experience better capacity for the effects of institutions on economic performance. Conversely, labor-abundant MENA countries are shown to experience lower economic performance due to the weak existing institutions. Results of the study provide policy implication to enhance the knowledge setting within the institutions for better economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We exploit a unique historical experiment to study how changes in political legitimacy affect economic performance. In historical China, solar eclipses were interpreted as Heaven's wrath incurred by wrongdoings of the ruling class, signaling a decline in the incumbent's legitimacy. Using an original dataset covering over 2000 years, we document that when total solar eclipses occurred, climate shocks had a greater negative impact on economic performance. The key mechanism appears to be that total eclipses significantly intensified the effect of climate shocks on civil conflict. Our findings thus highlight the importance of political legitimacy during periods of economic downturn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach of evaluating the final scores of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods according to the strength of association with real-life rankings is interesting for comparing MCDM methods. This approach has recently been applied mostly to financial data. In these studies, where it is emphasized that some methods show more stable success, it would be useful to see the results that will emerge by testing the approach on different data structures more comprehensively. Moreover, not only the final MCDM results but also the performance of normalization techniques and data types (fuzzy or crisp), which are components of MCDM, can be compared using the same approach. These components also have the potential to affect MCDM results directly. In this direction, in our study, the economic performances of G-20 (Group of 20) countries, which have different data structures, were calculated over ten different periodic decision matrices. Ten different crisp-based MCDM methods (COPRAS, CODAS, MOORA, TOPSIS, MABAC, VIKOR (S, R, Q), FUCA, and ELECTRE III) with different capabilities were used to better visualize the big picture. The relationships between two different real-life reference anchors and MCDM methods were used as a basis for comparison. The CODAS method develops a high correlation with both anchors in most periods. The most appropriate normalization technique for CODAS was identified using these two anchors. Interestingly, the maximum normalization technique was the most successful among the alternatives (max, min–max, vector, sum, and alternative ranking-based). Moreover, we compared the two main data types by comparing the correlation results of crisp-based and fuzzy-based CODAS. The results were very consistent, and the "Maximum normalization-based fuzzy integrated CODAS procedure" was proposed to decision-makers to measure the economic performance of the countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of ethnic diversity on economic performance is a divisive topic in literature that needs to be explored further. There are two opposing views about the relationship between economic performance and ethnic fractionalization; it is perceived that highly segregated communities have social conflicts and tensions which affect economic activities in a negative way. On the other hand, ethnically diverse communities are assumed to have more capacity for problems-solving because people have a variety of diverse thinking approaches. The role of institutional quality is hardly discussed in earlier studies while exploring the relation between diversity and economic performance. It is argued in this study that the relation between economic performance and diversity is determined by prevailing quality of institutions in a country. The instrumental variable threshold regression approach is used for an unbalanced panel data of 89 economies covering the time period of 1990–2020 to investigate the relation among economic performance, ethnic diversity, and institutional quality. The empirical outcomes of the paper highlight that the presence of institutional quality up to a certain threshold level is mandatory to increase economic performance through ethnic diversity, while ethnic diversity deteriorates the economic performance, if the quality of institutions is below the threshold level in an economy. The policy makers of ethnically fractionalized societies should focus to improve the quality of institutions for better economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in the Management of Eco-Friendly Supply Chains warrants this study. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is an approach to supply chain management (SCM) that takes into account environmental factors. Therefore, GSCM is vital in shaping the cumulative environmental effect of businesses engaged in supply chain operations. In addition, GSCM may help improve the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. Manufacturing companies, particularly in developing nations like India, are trying to adjust essential procedures and supply chains because of the rising need to be ecologically sustainable. However, such efforts must be deployed strategically to be ecologically sustainable and economically successful. As a result, this study focuses on the relationship between green supply chain management and education that affect environmental sustainability and economic performance. As a further step toward more sustainable development, the mediating function of education is sustainable economic growth and environmental health. The data was collected by distributing a well-crafted questionnaire to manufacturing facilities in India. We employed PLS-SEM to analyze and interpret the data test hypotheses based on data from 415 replies. The findings point to cost and profit as the primary metrics of corporate success. Disposal of trash, usage of resources, and release of greenhouse gases are alternative measures of environmental sustainability. Distributed online links and in-person interviews with employees at companies throughout India who use GSCM procedures provided the basis for the study's primary data set. The data was gathered with the use of an organized survey form. The findings of tests conducted on the hypotheses were considered. According to this research, cost, profit, waste, resource, and GHG emission impacts vary depending on which GSCM techniques are implemented. Green supply chain management strategies significantly affect price, trash disposal, resource utilization, and GHG emissions. There was no discernible trend between GSCM methods and financial success. In addition to discussing the unique elements of sustainable supply chains and the limits of current research, this article also discusses how a company's bottom line will benefit monetarily from establishing a sustainable supply chain. This should inspire more study in this area. Our investigation revealed patterns and voids, and we used that information to outline a thorough plan for future GSCM studies. The research helps manufacturing company management improve their sustainable policies while providing policymakers with pointers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of environmental safeguarding is rising in both private and public spheres. What is meant by the term "green supply chain management" (GSCM)? It is minimizing the negative effects of a company's operations on the natural world. Particularly in the research and academic disciplines of the expanding economy of the China region, the concept of the intersection of green supply chain management and sustainable development is dissected at a foundational level. However, there has been little attention paid to how GSCM, GHC, environmental performance, and economic performance all relate to one another. This study fills that void in the literature by giving hard data to encourage businesses in the China area to adopt GHC (green human capital) and SCM (sustainable supply chain management) in order to significantly improve their environmental and economic outcomes. To better understand the interplay between these ideas, we constructed a conceptual framework. The information was gathered using a survey consisting of questionnaires. Manufacturing companies from ten (10) different areas in China provided the 470 responses. The information was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Research shows that green human capital and green supply chain management have a beneficial influence on economic performance but no discernible effect on environmental outcomes. The results also demonstrate that green supply chain management is an effective act as a mediator between environmental performance and economic performance, with a beneficial effect on both. An initial conclusion may be made that bettering the green human capital stock was more important for China's green economy's growth than bettering the human capital structure. Research like this helps fill out the picture of the green economy and informs policy decisions at the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to extend the understanding of environmental and economic considerations on tourism activities in achieving sustainable development goals. The motivation of the study is to provide the empirical inference of variables based on study topicality and the implications to achieve SDG 8 and SDG 9 specifically. The study used panel data from 2000 to 2021 to check for cross-sectional dependency and performed various panel unit root tests to verify the unit root properties of the variables. With the help of Pedroni and Kao's statistical results, we confirm variables are integrated. The results from OLS modified and dynamic demonstrate the correlation between transformation, measured by patents and publications, and higher economic performance and lower environmental hazard, emphasizing the role of transformation. The results also show that tourism arrivals have a significant positive effect on reducing pollution hazards and increasing economic performance, which shows progress toward sustainable development. Based on the study, it was determined that the contribution of asylum seekers did not positively impact the host countries' economic conditions or environmental improvement initiatives. It was found that higher levels of education play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development through economic growth and mitigating environmental risks. To achieve sustainable development in the G20 economies, promoting tourism, undertaking transformational measures, and enhancing higher education are recommended. These results have significant implications for policymakers, firms, and an agenda of the United Nations sustainable development program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a panel of 17 Latin American countries for the period 2002–18, we study the impact of economic variables on government approval. Our empirical analysis shows that the one economic variable that appears consistently in all estimates is economic growth. More specifically, we show that for each point of additional growth, the approval rating increases between 1.1 and 1.9 percentage points. Other variables, such as inflation, government spending, and the composition of spending, are significant in only some of the specifications used, while growth is remarkably robust in all of them. Among non-economic variables, the lack of solid institutions also appears consistently as significant as well as the lagged value of government approval ratings. These results suggest that a program focused on growth has a positive influence on the popularity of the government. This conclusion is particularly relevant in a region where populism has been remarkably persistent over time and where the norm has been to run large budget deficits to gain popular support, with consequences on inflation and the external accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-farm precision experimentation (OFPE) has expanded rapidly over the past few years. While the importance of OFPE trial design efficiency has been recognized, existing studies have primarily used statistical measures of that efficiency to compare designs. The current article is motivated by the surety that farmers are more interested in economic results than statistical results; Monte Carlo simulations of corn-to-nitrogen (N) response OFPEs were used to compare economic performances of 13 different types of OFPE trial design. Each design type's economic efficiency was measured by the monetary profits resulting from applying the site-specific economically optimal N rates estimated from the data generated by the design type. Results showed that trial design affects the economic performance of OFPE. Overall, the best design was the Latin square design with a special pattern of limited N rate "jump," which had the highest average profit and lowest profit variation in almost all simulation scenarios. A particular type of patterned strip design also performed well, generating average profits only slightly lower than those from the best design. In contrast, designs with gradual trial rate changes over space were less profitable in most situations and should be avoided. Results were similar under various scenarios of nitrogen-to-corn price ratios, yield response estimation models, and field sizes used in the simulations. It was also found that the designs' economic performances were roughly correlated with the spatial property measures of trial designs in existing literature, though much remains unexplained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether there is a premium in country size. We study whether there are significant gains from being a small or a large country in terms of certain socioeconomic indicators and how large this premium is. Using panel data for 200 countries over 50 years, we estimate premia for various sizes of nations across a variety of key economic and socioeconomic performance indicators. We find that smaller countries are richer, have larger governments, and are more prudent in terms of fiscal policies than larger ones. On the other hand, smaller countries seem to be subject to higher absolute and per capita costs for the provision of essential public goods, which may lower their socioeconomic performance in terms of health and education. In terms of economic performance, small countries seem to do better than large countries, compensating for smallness by relying on foreign trade and foreign direct investment. The latter comes at the cost of higher vulnerability to external shocks, resulting in higher volatility of growth rates. This paper's findings offer essential guidance to policymakers, international organizations, and business researchers, especially those assessing a country's economic or socioeconomic performance or potential. The study implies that comparisons with medium-sized or large countries may be of little utility in predicting the performance of small countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether the market-based environmental regulation policy can achieve a win–win situation of economic growth and carbon emission reduction has always been an academic controversial topic. Taking the pilot policy of energy-consuming right trading (ECRT) of China in 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper uses the difference-in-differences (DID) method to investigate the policy impact of ECRT on the economic performance and carbon emissions of firms. An economy-environment composite index has been conducted for testing double dividend effect of ECRT. The empirical results show that ECRT can improve the economic performance and reduce carbon emissions of firms significantly. The double dividend effect is more significant in high-carbon emission firms, non-state-owned firms and prior to COVID-19 pandemic. ECRT policy has Porter innovation mechanism, in which innovation input is the main contribution of economic dividend effect and green technology innovation is the main contribution of environmental dividend effect. The conclusions of this paper provide empirical evidence and policy implications for realizing the common development of economy and environment, accelerating the process of emission reduction and building a national energy trading market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a globalized world cities are increasingly confronted with global shocks. In this context cities need to adopt strategies to increase their economic performance and resilience. One strategy that has become increasingly popular is represented by policies designed to attract the creative class, which are arguably an improvement compared to more traditional policy approaches. However, authors have warned that an excessive focus on attracting the creative class can be detrimental if authorities ignore the importance of historical paths and of traditional variables responsible for economic growth, especially in the case of coordinated economies. As such, in the present paper we investigate the complementarity between the creative input variables and their traditional equivalents in terms of the extent to which they predict economic development and economic resilience. In doing so we focus on the case of Romania, a former communist country, whit a historically more centralized and coordinated economy. The findings highlight the complementarity of the two policy approaches, as traditional variables are correlated with the number of jobs and the income level at the level of municipalities, while the concentration of creative workers is strongly correlated with labour productivity. However, neither traditional nor creative input variables have an impact on the resistance or recovery of Romanian municipalities in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to examine the factors that determine the sustainable performance of the hospitality sector of Pakistan. Particularly, it measures the effect of three green HRM practises on hotels' social, economic, and environmentally sustainable performance. The research model incorporates a serially mediated role of green intellectual capital and green behaviour to connect green training, green benefits and compensation, and green hiring with sustainable performance. The study uses the Social Cognitive Theory and resource-based view theory and analyses data using simple random sampling, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling. Data is collected from the staff of hotels through a dyad approach by employing the self-administered 5-Likert scale questionnaire. The response rate is 99%, and findings show that green intellectual capital and green behaviour serially mediate amongst green performance, green training, sustainable social performance, sustainable economic performance, and environmentally sustainable performance. However, green hiring does not regress directly or partially with the components of sustainable performance. The study's originality develops green HRM practises based on sustainable performance in the hospitality sector in developing nations. The study's findings are important for achieving sustainable development goals, improving the hospitality sector performance, and employees' role in sustainable performance. The study is sector-specific, and future studies may choose the moderated role of factors to determine sustainable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between energy consumption and economic development using yearly data from various demographic, economic, and geographic country groups worldwide. The study examines this link at both an aggregated and per-country basis to reduce potential bias. Additionally, the paper explores the possibility of an asymmetric effect between energy usage and economic performance. The results suggest that an increase in energy usage tends to boost economic output while a decrease in energy usage does not significantly impact most of the studied groups and countries. The findings are presented through maps and tabulated data for readers to visualize and explore in detail. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the link between energy consumption and economic performance, with the goal of determining whether an asymmetric effect exists. The data used in this study is comprised of yearly information from different demographic, economic, and geographic country groups worldwide. The methodology involves both aggregated and per-country analyses to reduce potential bias. The study finds that an increase in energy usage tends to boost economic output, while a decrease in energy usage does not significantly impact most of the studied groups and countries. The findings are presented visually through maps and in detail through tabulated data. The results of this study provide insight into the relationship between energy consumption and economic development and indicate the existence of an asymmetric effect. The study finds that an increase in energy usage tends to boost economic output while a decrease in energy usage does not significantly impact most of the studied groups and countries. The findings are presented through maps and tabulated data, which offer a visual representation of the results and allow for further exploration. Based on these findings, policymakers may consider promoting an increase in energy usage to stimulate economic growth. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of considering an asymmetric effect when examining the relationship between energy consumption and economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental management certification is a common means for companies to conduct environmental management activities. By constructing a comprehensive certification-innovation-performance research framework, this paper analyzes whether environmental management certification can generate innovation incentives and then promote the improvement of corporate economic performance and social responsibility performance. Taking seven-year panel data of companies listed on GEM as a sample, a dynamic effect test including lag periods is carried out. The results show that voluntary environmental management helps to improve economic performance and social responsibility performance, but the influence paths are different. Voluntary environmental management affects economic performance through the mediator variable of green innovation and has a more obvious impact on long-term performance. However, for the performance of social responsibility, the direct effect of voluntary environmental management is significant, and green innovation does not play a mediating role. Regarding voluntary policy, this paper provides new support for the applicability of the Porter hypothesis. The conclusion of this paper has some implications for understanding the impact of voluntary environmental management on enterprise performance and can provide some theoretical support for promoting voluntary environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of success factors of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) dimensions (i.e., green purchasing, internal environmental management, cooperation with customers, eco-design, and investment recovery) and their impact on the Organizational Performance of Manufacturers in Pakistan on three pieces of levels of execution (i.e., Environmental Performance, Economic Performance, and Operational Performance), whereas GSCM practices in developing countries like Pakistan need to be explored. Data was collected from managers of 220 business firms in Pakistan through survey questionnaires with a purposive sampling technique. The target population consisted of managerial employees (business experts and executives) from private business firms, and partial least square-structural equation modeling was used for analysis. All GSCM dimensions were found significant in at least one of the performances, except eco-design on environmental performance and green purchasing on economic performance, either clearly or indirectly. The proposed model assembles and provides the respondents' distinctive working areas: electronic gadgets, automobile process and machinery sectors. Moreover, the appraisal of the connection between five developments of GSCM practices and three builds with the effect of the green distribution of authoritative execution in the Pakistan assembling setting offers an extraordinary theoretical commitment to exploring the green supply chain management field. First, this research is done by studying the green supply chain management dimensions of different performances of manufacturing firms in Pakistan, which has never been done before. Second, it contributes to the existing literature on critical success factors of GSCM. Manufacturing firms should implement GSCM practices to improve all three types of performance, i.e., environmental, economic, and operational. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the global economy has witnessed several uncertainty-inducing events. However, empirical evidence in Africa on the effects of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on economic activities remains scanty. Besides, the moderating effect of governance institutions on the uncertainty-economic performance relationship in Africa and the likelihood of regional differences in the response of economic activities to EPU on the continent are yet to be investigated. To address these gaps, we applied system GMM and quantile regressions on a panel of forty-seven African countries from 2010 to 2019. We find that while global EPU and EPUs from China, USA and Canada exert considerable influence on economic performance in Africa, the effects of domestic EPU and EPUs from Europe, UK, Japan, and Russia were negligible, suggesting that African economies are resilient to these sources of uncertainty shocks. We also find that governance institutions in Africa are not significantly moderating the uncertainty-economic performance relationship. However, our results highlighted regional differences in the response of economic activities to uncertainty, such that when compared to East and West Africa, economic performance in Central, North and Southern Africa is generally more resilient to global EPU and EPUs from China, USA, Europe and UK. We highlighted the policy implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether deserved on not, US Presidents often receive the blame or the credit for the nature of the economy and direction of the country. Therefore, the status of the economy and the country in an election year can be a very important factor in election success for an incumbent President (or his party if an incumbent is not running). This is especially true in 'battleground states' due to the presence of the Electoral College system where Presidential candidates need only win different combinations of states in order to become President. However, the 2020 Presidential election was vastly different from past election cycles in that an additional variable, COVID-19, was added to the decision calculus of voters. Eventually, the 2020 election came down to the extremely slim margins in three states (Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin) and thin margins in two others (Pennsylvania and Michigan). This paper shows that deaths from COVID-19 at the county level played a small role in demotivating voters to turnout in 2020 to cast their vote for Joe Biden as President. In other words, without Covid-19, President Trump's losses within these five states would have been even larger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The satisfaction of clients/owners, though very important as a determinant of construction project performance, has often been given very little attention in pro-environmental-related studies. To this end, this study's aim is to determine how owner's satisfaction (OS) can be realized via health and safety performance (HSP) and economic performance (EP) on construction projects that adopt pro-environmental construction practices (PCP) in Nigeria and to determine how the impact of HSP on OS can vary contingent on the level of EP. This study's aim was realized through data obtained from a survey of 249 construction projects and analyzed by adopting the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results of this study signify that HSP has a significant positive effect on OS; the nexus between HSP and OS is partially mediated by EP, while EP moderates the HSP–OS link with high EP producing the stronger effect. The practical contributions of this research emanate from the fact that its findings show that the existing gap between the level of HSP and OS is partly due to EP. Also, projects with high EP have a greater influence on the HSP–OS relationship. Therefore, to bridge the gap between HSP and OS in construction projects that adopt PCP, due attention should be given to EP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyses the economic and environmental performance of the 353 municipalities in the region of Campania in waste disposal and collection services. The study consists of three steps. Firstly, municipal performance in waste management services from a linear economy point view is assessed. Secondly, a circular economy paradigm is considered, and the economic (costs minimization) and environmental (unsorted waste minimization) performance is measured jointly. For these propose, two different Data Envelopment Analysis models are employed using the information provided by the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research for the year 2016. Third, in order to rank the most virtuous municipalities toward a circular economy paradigm, the study defines a measure of the efficiency deviation from environmental sustainability. The results show a cluster of municipalities in the metropolitan area of Naples and Caserta with a worse performance in the environmental dimension but with a good performance in the economic dimension. The succession of national and regional regulations has accentuated the uncertainty in the executive process and in the management of the waste cycle, creating a regulatory vacuum. Local governments should act on citizen motivations, promoting awareness on environmental issues, and should implement time-saving collection methods. Highlights: We analyse the economic and environmental performance of the 353 municipalities of the Campania region in waste disposal and collection services. Two different input-oriented models are used to analyse the input and output information provided by the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research for 2016. The analysis highlights the importance of jointly assessing the economic and environmental dimension of the production process related to the management of municipal solid waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

China is the largest producer and consumer of HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) in the world. Coal-based route is mainly adopted to produce HFC-134a, which suffers from large waste and CO2 emissions. Natural gas is a low-carbon and clean energy resource, and no research has been found on the environment and economy of producing HFC-134a from natural gas. In this study, CML 2001 method was used to carry out the life cycle assessment of natural gas (partial oxidation)-based and natural gas (plasma cracking)-based routes (abbreviated as gas(O)-based and gas(P)-based routes, respectively), and their environmental performances were compared with coal-based and oil-based routes. Meanwhile, considering that China is vigorously promoting the transformation of energy structure, and the application of electric heating equipment to replace fossil-based heating equipment in industrial field, which has a great impact on the environmental performance of the production processes, the authors conducted a scenario analysis. The results showed that the gas(O)-based route had the most favourable environmental benefits. However, the gas(P)-based route had the highest potential for reducing environmental burdens, and its environmental benefit was the most favourable in scenario 2050. Additionally, the economic performance of the gas(P)-based route was significantly better than that of gas(O)-based and coal-based routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In complex and turbulent environments, improvisation is critical for organizations to respond to unexpected contingencies, seize opportunities, and ultimately improve economic performance. However, existing studies have not yet reached a consensus on the relationship between organizational improvisation and economic performance. This study uses the meta-analysis to explore this relationship as well as the moderating factors that influence it. About 28 related studies and 32 effect sizes are obtained in a comprehensive literature search of 5371 sample data. Heterogeneity test demonstrates that the random-effect model is more suitable for this analysis. The results of publication bias and funnel plot test reveal that no publication bias exists in this meta-analysis. Main effect test discovers that organizational improvisation is positively related to economic performance (r = 0.177, p < 0.05). Moderating effects tests indicate that: (1) In regions with the low-level economy, organizational improvisation plays a more significant effect on economic performance (r = 0.303, p < 0.05); (2) In the turbulent market environment, organizational improvisation plays a more significant effect on economic performance (r = 0.248, p < 0.05); (3) In the eastern cultural background, organizational improvisation plays a more significant effect on economic performance (r = 0.303, p < 0.05). This study enriches the boundary conditions for the effectiveness of organizational improvisation to some extent and deepens the existing research results of organizational improvisation, which has important practical significance for the effective use of organizational improvisation by enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for cocoa has increased over the past years following the growth of cocoa-based products linked to the rise in living standard in highly populated countries. Cacao industry is therefore currently facing the dilemma of producing more cacao while ensuring its sustainability. Cacao monocrops and agroforestry systems (AFS) are two contrasting ways to produce cocoa, yet their impact on yields, contribution to farmer livelihood, cocoa quality remains understudied. Therefore, we reviewed existing literature comparing (1) monocrop cacao farming systems with (2) simple or (3) complex AFS. We found 19 comparisons of the cocoa yields in monocrops and simple AFS and 20 comparisons of monocrop and complex AFS. Three main research findings derive from this work. First, in about one third of cases, cacao trees yield more (or equally) in AFS than in monocrops. However, when considering only simple AFS, cacao trees yield more or equal to cacao monocrop in 52% of the cases. Second, cocoa AFS yields an average of 14% less than cacao monocrop. Yet, on average simple AFS yielded 2% less than cacao monocrops. Finally, there are too little elements to draw conclusions about the nexus between cocoa quality and cacao tree cultivation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of International Business Studies is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The idea of sustainable development and green supply chain management is considered at the underlying stage in the research and academic fields, particularly in the rising economies of Asia. This research investigates the persuasive force of the firm's green supply chain management practices with the mediating part of the competitiveness and investment recovery. Data was collected from the 12 ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 leather industries based in Pakistan. We distributed the 350 questionnaires at 12 leather industries, and the questionnaire was also transferred on Google Forms, and 50 questionnaire mail to different individuals who work in leather industries of other cities of Pakistan; out of 350 questionnaires, 183 were filled, and the remaining questionnaires were incomplete, and out of 50 emails, we get the response of 33 emails, and evaluated the model of this study by using the partial least square structural equation modeling PLS-SEM. We interact with the employees of leather industries and try to understand how they are following the green practices in their firms. This research uses resource dependence theory as the theoretical base. This study elaborates how the organization's behavior is affected by the external resources of the corporation. The actual outcomes uncover that green supply chain management activities positively impacting the firm's performance, where competitiveness and investment recovery play a mediating role among intra-organizational green practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent democratic regressions and crises suggest democracy is at risk across East and Southeast Asia. One of the factors that can determine democratic stability are citizens' attitudes. While previous research has concentrated on support for democracy-in-principle, this contribution argues that it is political trust, i.e. support for democracy-in-practice, which is crucial for democratic stability. For democracies to be stable, political trust should be high as well as rooted in long-term factors like liberal democratic value orientations or social trust to protect it from short-term fluctuations following economic crises or political scandals. This contribution therefore examines not only the current levels and development of political trust but also whether it is influenced more by long-term factors (liberal democratic value orientations, social trust) or short-term factors (economic performance evaluations, incumbent support). The empirical analysis shows political trust in five East and Southeast Asian democracies (Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan) to be mostly mediocre and primarily dependent on economic performance evaluations and incumbent support. Among the five democracies, citizens in Japan appear most resilient to democratic regressions; on the other hand, Taiwanese democracy seems least equipped to master future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to analyze the influence of environmental practices over the sustainable development of economies which create economic resilience for the economies classified according to different income levels. The authors aim to assess the impact of high environmental degradation (HED) on GDP growth volatility and GDP growth for economies over the long term and short term for the period of 1955–2020 in 124 countries. The findings of empirical analysis conclude that HED economies will have high growth in the long term than their counterparts. The economies of HED have a significant mean difference in volatility with their counterpart control group that implies HED economies have low volatility than the control group. Economies with HED have higher financial development relative to their control economies. The empirical analysis of robustness checks shows that economies with HED have low volatility in GDP and higher growth rates. HED economies enjoy high and sustainable financial development and high gross fixed capital formation, which signifies a high level of investment in their economy than their control counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent global financial crisis in Europe is defined as a debt crisis and a crisis of sudden stops in capital flows. But to a large extent, it was also a competitiveness crisis, which separated the core and the periphery Eurozone countries. The main issue under consideration in this paper is whether the crisis has exacerbated economic performance and imbalances. The data used in the analysis refer to the Eurozone countries, for the period from 2000 up to the last recessionary year for Eurozone (2013), which is divided into the period before and the period after the outbreak of the crisis. To test this hypothesis, an Index of Economic Performance is calculated based on the stability and growth of five indicators that determine the level of competitiveness. The main conclusions of the analysis are as follows: Countries that increase production, improve productivity, maintain or increase employment levels, reduce hourly wages, and reduce working hours instead of laying off people and increase their share of exports are considered the most successful. There is a widening of imbalances in the Eurozone, especially after the outbreak of the financial crisis, highlighting the reasons why some economies have been hit more or less by the recent global financial crisis, affecting in that way their economic development process. The management of the crisis has failed to reduce these imbalances, with the result that the European South and the European North of the Eurozone are diverging, delaying the process of European integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the impact of political competition on economic performance in Indonesia. This study uses a database covering 427 districts in Indonesia, from 2000 to 2013. Political competition is measured using the Herfindahl Hirschman Concentration Index for the district parliament election. This variable is potentially endogenous, because political competition is likely to be non-random and correlated with unobservable variables. To solve this problem, I use the lag of the average political competition within the same province as the instrumental variable for political competition. The degree of political competition boosts real Regional Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) per capita and RGDP growth by 0.7 and 0.6%, respectively. This study also finds that stiffer political competition is associated with lower own source revenue, higher non agricultural RGDP share, and higher Human Development Index (HDI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of both aggregate and disaggregated infrastructural development indices (such as transport, electricity, ICT, and water and sanitation infrastructure indices) on economic performance in Africa. The study used the dynamic system GMM framework and found that both aggregate and disaggregated infrastructural development indices impact positively on GDP per capita growth in Africa. These impacts were shown to be significant in all cases, except for the transportation infrastructure index. The results overwhelmingly confirmed the prevalence of the symmetric hypothesis in the infrastructure–growth relationship in Africa. The study also found some evidence in support of the significant roles of capital, labour and initial GDP per capita in Africa's economic performance, while the role of trade remained negative and muted. The study concluded that through effective public administration, African leaders and policymakers can promote economic performance on the continent by evolving policies that favour increased infrastructural development, human capital development and capital accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable consumption and production of tourism products are the foundation for the sustainable development of the tourism industry. How to reduce the consumption of tourism resources and avoid the destruction of the tourism environment while improving the consumer experience of tourists and enhancing corporate profits is an urgent problem to be solved in the tourism industry. However, tourism enterprises frequently face the trade-off between green performance and economic performance, that is, tourism enterprises improve their green performance through green technology investment, and the green performance positively stimulates the tourist demand, resulting in the increase of tourist numbers in the tourism environment, which not only improves the economic performance, but also worsens the green performance. Based on the above trade-off and considering a green tourism supply chain (GTSC) composed of one green scenic spot and one travel agency, we model and derive the optimal green technology investment, pricing, advertising, and subsidy decisions of the green scenic spot and travel agency in the decentralized, centralized and bilateral cost sharing scenarios. Meanwhile, we explore the impacts of green preference, brand awareness, and tourism environment carrying capacity on the optimal decision makings and performances of the GTSC. Results show that although higher brand awareness can bring higher economic performances to enterprises, it seriously hurts the green performance of the tourism environment; Lower tourism environmental carrying capacity is not conducive to improving the green performance of the tourism environment, and can not create a higher economic performance for tourism enterprises. There is a relative unity between the economic and green performances of tourism enterprises when tourists’ preference for green tourism is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of financial inclusion on the environment-economic performance in the top five Asian emerging economies. The data used for empirical investigation covers the time period from 1995 to 2019. Financial inclusion is measured through bank branches, bank credit, and insurance premiums. To check long-run associations, the panel ARDL approach has been employed for empirical analysis. The empirical evidence confirms the significant associations between financial inclusion-GDP nexus and financial inclusion-CO2 nexus. The findings show that bank branches and bank credit have a significantly positive impact on economic growth and CO2 emissions in the long run. However, insurance premium has no impact on economic growth but it exerts a significant negative impact on carbon emissions in the long run. Furthermore, energy consumption is highly sensitive to economic growth and carbon emissions. The study delivers imperative points for pollution eradication and attaining sustained economic growth. There is a need for government-level efforts to align the targets of financial inclusion with economic growth and environmental policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to understand the benefits that one can achieve for large-scale supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) coal-fired power plants. The aspects of energy environment and economy of 1000 MW S-CO2 coal-fired power generation system and 1000 MW ultra-supercritical (USC) water-steam Rankine cycle coal-fired power generation system are analyzed and compared at the similar main vapor parameters, by adopting the neural network genetic algorithm and life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Multi-objective optimization of the 1000 MW S-CO2 coal-fired power generation system is further carried out. The power generation efficiency, environmental impact load, and investment recovery period are adopted as the objective functions. The main vapor parameters of temperature and pressure are set as the decision variables. The results are concluded as follows. First, the total energy consumption of the S-CO2 coal-fired power generation system is 10.48 MJ/kWh and the energy payback ratio is 34.37%. The performance is superior to the USC coal-fired power generation system. Second, the resource depletion index of the S-CO2 coal-fired power generation system is 4.38 µPRchina,90, which is lower than that of the USC coal-fired power generation system, and the resource consumption is less. Third, the environmental impact load of the S-CO2 coal-fired power generation system is 0.742 mPEchina,90, which is less than that of the USC coal-fired power generation system, 0.783 mPEchina,90. Among all environmental impact types, human toxicity potential HTP and global warming potential GWP account for the most environmental impact. Finally, the investment cost of the S-CO2 coal-fired power generation system is generally less than that of the USC coal-fired power generation system because the cost of the S-CO2 turbine is only half of the cost of the steam turbine. The optimal turbine inlet temperature T5 becomes smaller, and the optimal turbine inlet pressure is unchanged at 622.082°C/30 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of green finance index is a three-tiered process that involves macroeconomic, ecological, and monetary indicators. Therefore, this research is one of the first thorough assessments of the impacts of green financing regulations in China, examining 30 provinces during the period of 2010 to 2017. Data envelopment analysis models for 30 provinces in China have been tested by using non-radial models and longitudinal datasets. The findings demonstrate that between 2010 and 2017, the efficiency of China's provinces such as Beijing, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Zhejiang and provinces of central regions as well as western provinces of country green economies has increased with distinct geographical disparities becoming more apparent. The geographical distribution of economic efficacy in the green economy is greatest in the eastern parts and poorest in the Chongqing, Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Yunnan. The study revealed that sustainable financial growth may be accomplished via the creation of green financing, which can be achieved by employing different solutions across the macroeconomic, institutional, and ecological considerations. The western and central areas, however, have a significant negative association. There are substantial variations in factors at the state and federal level from the viewpoint of dependent variables. Eventually, the research offers some suggestions for future ecological impact of China, along with the creation of new environmental legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel compound power-split hybrid power system based on two planetary gear sets for commercial vehicles is developed. The equivalent lever diagram is used to investigate the components speed and torque characteristics of the system, and then the system dynamic torque control and transmission efficiency are described in equations. Six types of operating modes which are divided into two pure electric modes and four hybrid modes are analyzed by the simplified combined lever diagrams, and their torque decoupling in form of formula is derived. The hybrid transmission (HT) external characteristic is analyzed simultaneously. A control strategy which implements the rule-based (RB) method for the system is depicted. To evaluate the performance of a hybrid vehicle equipped with this hybrid system, the vehicle control and physical models are developed. Then power performance and economic performance simulations are performed. Meanwhile, corresponding tests are carried out to validate simulations. Simulation and test results indicate that, the fuel consumption for C-WTVC of the vehicle equipped with the proposed hybrid system is about 11 L/100 km and it declines by 21% compared with 14 L/100 km of the traditional vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction projects and activities generate waste materials, which impose negative impacts on the environment and contribute towards environmental degradation. In this regard, the implementation of environmental practices (EPs) can play a vital role in reducing the environmental risks associated with waste materials from construction projects. Based on this hypothesis, the present survey study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of different EPs in reducing environmental risks associated with waste materials from construction firms (n = 159) operating in Pakistan. Organizational and government support, regulatory pressure, and economic and environmental performance were among the main determinants of EPs studied in the present study. The partial least squares technique was used for the data collection, assessment, and prediction of the results based on the hypothesis testing for a range of determinants. Compose reliability analysis of determinants showed that all items gave a value of 0.7, which is a clear indication of the reliability of each determinant in the formation of the hypothesis. From all eight hypotheses, H1 (0.475), H4 (0.217), H6 (0.114), H7 (0.210), and H8 (0.149) hypotheses with size effect in parentheses were acceptable due to their positive construction with EPs, while H2, H3, and H5 hypothesis did not show the significant effect with size effect values lower than 0.1. The study demonstrated that current environmental regulations and governing bodies in Pakistan are not sufficiently effective and strict to implement environmental regulations. In this regard, regulatory pressure is necessary to promote EPs along with increasing stakeholders' awareness. Overall, the implementation of EPs not only prepares construction firms to deal with the pressure exerted by regulations and customers but also enhances the environmental and economic performance of construction firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of green construction practices (GCP) has been on the increase in recent years as a means of reducing the negative effects of construction on the natural environment. However, GCP have been discovered to expose the construction workers to numerous health and safety (HS) risks, resulting from a decline in safety investment due to the economic burden associated with its adoption. This study explores the means through which GCP influence the HS performance of construction projects through economic performance. To obtain the views of contractors, a survey questionnaire was developed, and data was collected from project managers and site managers of "class A" contractors, with a response rate of 81.55%. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was adopted to analyze the data. The results show that the effect of GCP on HS performance is fully mediated by economic performance. The study concludes that for projects that adopt GCP to have high levels of HS performance, they are required to have an optimal economic performance. Efforts should be intensified by the government in providing subsidies, tax waivers, and other incentives for adopters of GCP to ensure the economic performance of their projects since it guarantees high HS performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the growth of S&T human scale has demographic dividends analogous to that of economic growth? Inspired by the resource-based theory and able to use the panel data of Chinese key universities, we find that relying solely on the number of S&T personnel may not significantly boost the innovation effect in scientific research. Even though more S&T personnel can greatly raise the number of scientific research achievements (SRA), it's more deeply relying on the increment of S&T service personnel rather than R&D personnel. Meanwhile, more S&T personnel and R&D personnel cannot enhance the quality of SRA, and basic research intensity does not play a mediating role between them. Moreover, no matter what type of S&T human scale cannot improve economic performance, and also, basic research intensity does not play a mediating role between them. The growing S&T human scale can heighten the social performance, while the increasing number of neither R&D personnel nor S&T service personnel in a single dimension will make social performance better, and basic research intensity does not play a mediating role between them as well. Finally, there's significant heterogeneity on the relationship among diverse types, titles and positions of S&T personnel with different levels and types of performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government has given a high priority to economic high-quality development (HQD) in recent years. This study empirically examines whether environmental information disclosure (EID) can promote corporate HQD using a sample of 302 Chinese listed companies from 2012 to 2018. The results show that EID has a positive impact on firms' HQD and intellectual capital plays a mediating role in this relationship. The results remain robust and valid after a series of endogenous and robustness tests. This study significantly contributes to the existing EID literature by exploring the integrated effect of EID on corporate HQD through constructing a comprehensive indicator to measure corporate HQD, which includes economic performance, environmental performance, and social performance. The findings of our study also add impetus for enterprises to improve their EID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data for Italian banks over the 2001–2012 period, we assess the existence of a nonlinear relationship between finance and growth, through the application of alternative measures of financial development. We show that both branch density and aggregate credits over GDP positively contribute to economic performance. While the relationship between branch density and economic activity is shown to be monotonic, an inverted U-shape is found once aggregate credits to GDP are employed as the main measure of financial development. Evidence presented in this paper further reveals that concentrated markets, that is, monopolistic and oligopolistic markets, facilitate economic growth, especially when credits to GDP are employed. Several robustness checks confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of the article is to scrutinize the potential benefits of amalgamating industry 4.0 technologies, lean six sigma practices (LSSP), and circular supply chain management (CSCM) to augment overall performance across economic, environmental, and social dimensions, commonly referred to as the triple bottom line. The research uses survey methodology to collect data from senior-level employees in 224 manufacturing organizations and analyze it using structural equation modeling. Based on the analytical findings, it is evident that Industry 4.0 has a direct and significant impact solely on the economic dimension of triple bottom line performance. The relationship between Industry 4.0 and environmental performance is completely influenced by the implementation of LSSP and CSCM. In terms of social performance, the impact of LSSP appears to be not significant, whereas CSCM acts as a full mediator. Finally, with economic performance, LSSP and CSCM partially mediate between the industry 4.0 deployment and triple bottom line performance. There are some limitations, such as the potential lack of generalizability due to the inclusion of a specific demographic and time frame, for which alternative research strategies, such as longitudinal studies or case-study-based designs, may be more appropriate. Study results may assist senior management in developing a strategic framework to improve their organization's triple bottom line performance, advance its sustainability initiatives, and bolster its market competitiveness.Graphical abstract: The primary objective of the article is to scrutinize the potential benefits of amalgamating industry 4.0 technologies, lean six sigma practices (LSSP), and circular supply chain management (CSCM) to augment overall performance across economic, environmental, and social dimensions, commonly referred to as the triple bottom line. The research uses survey methodology to collect data from senior-level employees in 224 manufacturing organizations and analyze it using structural equation modeling. Based on the analytical findings, it is evident that Industry 4.0 has a direct and significant impact solely on the economic dimension of triple bottom line performance. The relationship between Industry 4.0 and environmental performance is completely influenced by the implementation of LSSP and CSCM. In terms of social performance, the impact of LSSP appears to be not significant, whereas CSCM acts as a full mediator. Finally, with economic performance, LSSP and CSCM partially mediate between the industry 4.0 deployment and triple bottom line performance. There are some limitations, such as the potential lack of generalizability due to the inclusion of a specific demographic and time frame, for which alternative research strategies, such as longitudinal studies or case-study-based designs, may be more appropriate. Study results may assist senior management in developing a strategic framework to improve their organization's triple bottom line performance, advance its sustainability initiatives, and bolster its market competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brazed plate heat exchanger (BPHE) has some advantages over the plate-fin heat exchanger (PFHE) when used in natural gas liquefaction processes, such as the convenient installation and transportation, as well as the high tolerance of carbon dioxide (CO2) impurities. However, the BPHEs with only two channels cannot be applied directly in the conventional liquefaction processes which are designed for multi-stream heat exchangers. Therefore, the liquefaction processes using BPHEs are different from the conventional PFHE processes. In this paper, four different liquefaction processes using BPHEs are optimized and comprehensively compared under respective optimal conditions. The processes are compared with respect to energy consumption, economic performance, and robustness. The genetic algorithm (GA) is applied as the optimization method and the total revenue requirement (TRR) method is adopted in the economic analysis. The results show that the modified single mixed refrigerant (MSMR) process with part of the refrigerant flowing back to the compressor at low temperatures has the lowest specific energy consumption but the worst robustness of the four processes. The MSMR with fully utilization of cold capacity of the refrigerant shows a satisfying robustness and the best economic performance. The research in this paper is helpful for the application of BPHEs in natural gas liquefaction processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is moving towards a environmental restricted scenario where excellence and growth in business is contingent upon good governance and excellent green sustainability related policies, strategies and long-term values to stay ahead in competition. Green supply chain management (GSCM) practices play an essential role in shaping the way of offering environmental sustainable products and services to customers. Existing research insists that multiple pressure push organizations to navigate towards 'eco design', 'green purchasing' and 'cooperation with customers' leading to green supply chain management. But how these factors exactly impact the organisational performance based on green supply chain management is being explored in this research. Hypothesis developed is tested by using multivariate canonical correlation analysis to model the regression relationship of 54 manufacturing organizations. Green purchasing and eco-design are the main contributors of GSCM's organisational performance. Cooperation with customer as major roadblock for organisational's performance and requires management, to ponder over for improved results. The findings coincide with published research articles that were conducted in developing countries, such as Brazil and Jordan, to ensure environmental sustainability with the integration of GSCM practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between basic research intensity and diversified performance is a very important problem that has not theoretically answered. Based on the panel data of universities directly under the ministry of education, considering the three missions of the university and the typical characteristics of basic research, we subdivide the diversified performance into innovation performance, economic performance, social performance and international cooperation performance. We find that enhancing the intensity of basic research can increase the number of patent applications and invention patent applications, but cannot increase the total number of paper publications and the number of English paper publications. Meanwhile, improving basic research intensity does not necessarily promote economic performance, while the promotion effect on social performance needs a lag period of 1 year. Furthermore, enhancing basic research intensity does not necessarily significantly improve international cooperation performance, and even has a significant negative impact after lagged 2 periods. Finally, government support intensity only plays a moderating role between basic research intensity and innovation performance, but not between basic research intensity and other types of performance. This reveals that the government plays a key role in the stage of knowledge production, but its role in the stage of knowledge transformation is relatively limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an appropriate nonparametric two-step approach to conditional efficiencies is used to investigate how size and time affect the performance of companies. Using a dataset of Italian manufacturing firms over the period 2006–2015, we explore the effect of size on the attainable production set (input-output space) and on the efficiency distribution, without making any a priori assumptions on the role of size on efficiency. Main findings suggest that size positively affects the efficiency of companies. By exploring the idiosyncratic efficiency, an additional empirical result from the conditional efficiency approach shows that the economic disparities between North, Centre and South of Italy not only limit the foreign investment but also seem to penalize the productivity of Italian-owned companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the literature on stakeholder management and family firm dynamics, this research analyses the relationship between three constructs: the identification of business families with their family firms (FFs), FFs' orientation toward key non-family stakeholders (NFSs), and the achievement of better economic performance. Data analyses from 374 family and non-family members of 173 Spanish FFs show that a high level of family identification with their firms affects the orientation of FFs toward key non-family stakeholders in setting corporate goals and that this orientation will lead to higher economic performance only when it is built on family identification with the firm. Our results also show that the significance of both relationships changes with the degree of family involvement in the management of the FF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of technical efficiency (TE) of farms is a complex issue largely connected to the efficient use of available resources, which in turn determines their economic performance. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is an established method to estimate TE; however, it is subject to drawbacks which sometimes reduce its ability to account differences in production scales. Indeed, the conventional DEA model allows total flexibility in the weights that a decision-making unit attaches to inputs and outputs, while in some cases, zero weights are attached to variables that are totally omitted in the efficiency analysis. Restricting efficiency weights in the DEA model, without of course eliminating the total weight flexibility assumption, guarantees zero weights, and prevents large differences in weights. In this study, an assurance region (AR) weight restricted model is applied on 66 mussel farms in order to calculate more comprehensive efficiency estimates and to obtain a meaningful and consistent picture of the efficient farm structure in economic terms, which could be potentially used for managerial suggestions, identification of best practices and innovations, and effective decision-making tool concerning mussel farm aquaculture. The cost share of the main production factors is used for imposing weight restrictions on the conventional DEA model, and a comparative descriptive technical and economic analysis of the efficient farms of the restricted and unrestricted DEA models is implemented. The results indicate that the structure of the efficient farm under the restricted DEA model is substantially diversified, formulating a new pattern of production system that achieves a higher economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a large sample of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we investigate the effect of business cooperation realized through a "network contract" on the economic performance of network members. We find that establishing a formal business network has a positive effect on a firm's gross margin ratio and exports, but not on profits. The advantages of this type of networking are stronger in the cases of the following: smaller firms; firms operating in traditional markets; firms operating in turbulent markets; firms located in less developed areas; and firms not part of an industrial district. The characteristics of a network (such as its size, geographical dispersion, and the sectorial diversity of its members) also have an impact on firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]