Search Results (272)

There is little evidence of the implementation of the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems between universities and businesses, and there is even less research that prioritizes people and implements sustainable development with a territorial focus. In this article, we address a form of collaborative work that integrates academia with business, where the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RIA) are seen as an opportunity to promote and strengthen the management of a business in the communities where it operates, and determine a new way of working from its links with the university. The experience is developed in the provinces of Santiago Rodríguez, Valverde (Mao), and Dajabón in the Dominican Republic, with the aim of contributing, using this new approach, to economic, social, environmental, and governance development in the territory. The conceptual and methodological basis for the university–business link is Working With People, a model that integrates key elements of planning such as social learning, collaborative participation, and project management models. The main catalysts of the experience are the business values and the stakeholders who insert the principles into their programs and projects. Among these is an innovative Family Social Responsibility Program with female entrepreneurs and organic banana production. It is concluded that the implementation of the CFS-RIA Principles has a significant impact on the sustainable development of the region and that the university–business link reinforces the social responsibility of companies, providing an opportunity for the entry of new actors. Full article

Urban perception research has long focused on global metropolises, but has overlooked many cities with complex functions and spatial structures, resulting in insufficient universality of existing theories when facing diverse urban contexts. This study constructed an analytical framework that integrates street scene images and interpretable machine learning. Taking Zhengzhou City as the research object, it extracted street visual elements based on deep learning technology and systematically analyzed the formation mechanism of multi-dimensional urban perception by combining the LightGBM model and SHAP method. The main findings of the research are as follows: (1) The urban perception of Zhengzhou City shows a significant east–west difference with Zhongzhou Avenue as the boundary. Positive perceptions such as safety and vitality are concentrated in the central business district and historical districts, while negative perceptions are more common in the urban fringe areas with chaotic built environments and single functions. (2) The visibility of greenery, the openness of the sky and the continuity of the building interface are identified as key visual elements affecting perception, and their directions and intensifies of action show significant differences due to different perception dimensions. (3) The influence of visual elements on perception has a complex mechanism of action. For instance, the promoting effect of greenery visibility on beauty perception tends to level off after reaching a certain threshold. The research results of this study can provide quantitative basis and strategic reference for the improvement in urban space quality and humanized street design. Full article

Aquatic environments have been a critical source of nutrition for millennia, with wild fisheries supplying protein and nutrients to populations worldwide. A notable shift has occurred in recent decades with the expansion of aquaculture, now representing a fast-growing sector in food production. Aquaculture plays a key role in mitigating the depletion of wild fish stocks and addressing issues related to overfishing. Despite its potential benefits, the sustainability of both wild and farmed aquatic food systems is challenged by anthropogenic pollution. Contaminants from agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, and domestic effluents enter freshwater systems and eventually reach marine environments, where they may be transported globally through ocean currents. Maintaining water quality is paramount to food safety, environmental integrity, and long-term food security. In addition to conventional seafood products such as fish and shellfish, foods such as those derived from microalgae are gaining attention in Western markets for their high nutritional value and potential functional properties. These organisms have been consumed in Asia for generations and are now being explored as sustainable foods and ingredients as an alternative source of protein. Contaminants in aquatic food products include residues of agrochemicals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), as well as brominated flame retardants and heavy metals. Public and scientific attention has intensified around plastic pollution, particularly microplastics and nanoplastics, which are increasingly detected in aquatic organisms and are the subject of ongoing toxicological and ecological risk assessments. While the presence of these hazards necessitates robust risk assessment and regulatory oversight, it is important to balance these concerns against the health benefits of aquatic foods, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, high-quality proteins, vitamins, and trace elements. Furthermore, beyond direct human health implications, the environmental impact of pollutant sources must be addressed through integrated management approaches to ensure the long-term sustainability of aquatic ecosystems and the food systems they support. This review covers regulatory frameworks, risk assessments, and management issues relating to aquatic environments, including the impact of climate change. It aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for researchers, policymakers, food businesses who harvest food from aquatic systems and other stakeholders. Full article

Large Language Models (LLMs) are emerging as powerful tools for automating business process modeling, promising to streamline the translation of textual process descriptions into Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) diagrams. However, the extent to which these Al systems can produce high-quality BPMN models has not yet been rigorously evaluated. This paper presents an early evaluation of five LLM-powered BPMN generation tools that automatically convert textual process descriptions into BPMN models. To assess the external quality of these Al-generated models, we introduce a novel structured evaluation framework that scores each BPMN diagram across three key process model quality dimensions: clarity, correctness, and completeness, covering both accuracy and diagram understandability. Using this framework, we conducted experiments where each tool was tasked with modeling the same set of textual process scenarios, and the resulting diagrams were systematically scored based on the criteria. This approach provides a consistent and repeatable evaluation procedure and offers a new lens for comparing LLM-based modeling capabilities. Given the focused scope of the study, the results should be interpreted as an exploratory benchmark that surfaces initial observations about tool performance rather than definitive conclusions. Our findings reveal that while current LLM-based tools can produce BPMN diagrams that capture the main elements of a process description, they often exhibit errors such as missing steps, inconsistent logic, or modeling rule violations, highlighting limitations in achieving fully correct and complete models. The clarity and readability of the generated diagrams also vary, indicating that these Al models are still maturing in generating easily interpretable process flows. We conclude that although LLMs show promise in automating BPMN modeling, significant improvements are needed for them to consistently generate both syntactically and semantically valid process models. Full article

The concept of sustainability in the supermarket sector has emerged as a strategic priority, as companies are required to reduce their environmental footprint and enhance their social and economic performance. The aim of this literature review is to identify, document, and analyze the key performance indicators (KPIs) applied in the sector, with emphasis on environmental, social, and economic dimensions, and to investigate the extent to which technical energy interventions are linked to business and consumer benefits. The methodology was inspired by the general logic of organized search and selection procedures, and for this reason, elements of the PRISMA framework were used, with a search conducted across multiple international scientific databases and selection criteria ensuring the validity and relevance of the sources. The analysis classified the indicators into the following three categories: environmental (e.g., CO₂ emissions, energy consumption), social (e.g., customer satisfaction, corporate image), and economic (e.g., ESG score, return on investment). The study revealed substantial progress made by supermarket chains globally in adopting energy-efficiency technologies, such as LED lighting and renewable energy with proven benefits in reducing consumption and consequently, improving environmental performance. However, a lack of holistic integration between technical interventions and social-economic indicators was identified, limiting the use of KPIs as a strategic tool for guiding specific sustainability strategies. This research concludes that there is a need to develop unified, sector-specific measurement frameworks that integrate environmental, social, and economic parameters, as well as empirical research that quantitatively connects energy strategies with business and consumer performance through comparable indicators in the context of supermarket operations, thereby opening ground for further exploration of the field. Full article

The transition to hydrogen is an important element of the sustainable transition of Germany’s industry. Regional German municipal utilities play a key role in this transition, as they are at the core position between local demand and regional supply. They play an important role when it comes to planned infrastructure development on the regional level. As energy infrastructure development is a long-term project, they need to deal with the hydrogen transition at a very early stage, including pilot projects, organizational changes, and business model adaptations. Yet, not much is known about how these entities organize the transition to hydrogen. Using a qualitative research approach, this study takes a dynamic-capability perspective to shed light on the hydrogen transition activities of German municipal utilities. Industry and other energy sector participants can learn from these insights on how to organize the transition path towards hydrogen. Findings indicate that strong partnerships play a key role in identifying new opportunities and that balancing risk and benefit is a key challenge when it comes to realizing new technological hydrogen projects. Full article

This paper explores the café–gym symbiosis mode in Xi’an and its key influencing factors. Taking 63 sub-districts in the seven main urban districts of Xi’an as an example, based on the Dianping.com data of 753 cafés and 335 gyms and survey data from 492 questionnaires, this paper uses methods such as the symbiotic degree, symbiotic coefficient, and binary logistic regression model. On the basis of evaluating the symbiotic model between cafés and fitness centers, it explores the key factors influencing the symbiotic model of cafés and fitness centers. The results showed that cafés and gyms in Xi’an have a variety of characteristics, including agglomeration, correlation, complementarity, and combination, laying the foundation for a symbiosis between them. Among the subject symbiosis modes in Xi’an, point symbiosis was the main symbiotic organization mode. Simultaneously, the proportion of the point symbiosis mode was higher in the urban–rural transitional area than in other areas (traditional inner-city areas, mature built-up areas, emerging expansion areas). An asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode dominated the symbiotic behavior mode of entertainment industry objects in Xi’an. In terms of the total weekly entertainment consumer and the additional entertainment consumer dimensions, in the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the proportion of cafés having a large impact on gyms was the highest: 60.00% and 62.86%, respectively. However, from the composite index dimension, in the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the proportion of gyms having a large impact on cafés was the highest: 39.13%. From the symbiotic interface, the physical space within urban residential areas, office areas, commercial areas, and other main material spaces was the important basic support force for the symbiotic development of urban culture and the entertainment industry. The influence of the symbiosis mode of the culture and entertainment industry has stability. From the perspective of the symbiotic environment, cultural and creative elements, government policies, and consumer spending on entertainment foster the formation of an asymmetrical mutualistic symbiosis model between cafés and gyms. Conversely, factors such as marketization, globalization, and demographic factors inhibit its development. These findings offer valuable insights for urban planners and businesses, which help optimize the layout of the urban entertainment industry. Full article

Amid continuous urban population growth and urbanization’s environmental and social challenges, livable cities have become a key priority for governments. Among the various factors influencing urban livability, architectural design integrating natural elements plays a critical role. Melbourne consistently ranks as one of the world’s most livable cities, with its Central Business District (CBD) serving as its core. Since a previous study has highlighted a research gap concerning the role of architecture in livable cities and indicated that the characteristics of biophilic architecture remain unclear, this study addresses the following question: What are the attributes of biophilic architecture in the CBD of the livable city of Melbourne? Subsequently, buildings exhibiting characteristics of Biophilic architecture were surveyed, and photographs capturing the most representative aspects of each building were documented. These characteristics were then coded and analyzed using statistics. The study found that Biophilic architecture is extremely rare in Melbourne’s CBD, with only four of 6375 properties (0.06%) identified as such. The most prominent attributes include connection to nature, natural color tones, and light modulation shaped by the city’s grid layout and strong sunlight. However, the dominance of concrete structures and heritage regulations constrains formal diversity. While Melbourne may not provide abundant examples, its context offers valuable insight into how urban form and policy shape biophilic expression. Future studies should extend this comparative approach to other cities to better understand context-specific adaptations of biophilic design. Full article

At present, the construction of China’s shared manufacturing platform is developing rapidly. However, it is still in the stage of practical exploration, facing numerous challenges, such as difficulties in resource integration, immature business models, and a weak digital foundation. This paper takes Changzhou Zhiyun Tiangong’s “Super Virtual Factory” as an example, utilizing the grounded theory to conduct a case study on this shared manufacturing platform. Using a ‘condition-action-result’ framework, this paper explores the value co-creation (VCC) mechanism in a shared manufacturing ecosystem. We analyze how digital intelligence convergence (DIC) and supply chain collaboration (SCC) facilitate the digital intelligence transformation of consumption, production capacity, and products. The study finds that consumer insight, technological drive, government support, enterprise challenges, and the Changzhou home appliance industry cluster are the internal driving forces for the shared manufacturing ecosystem to carry out industrial ecological VCC; DIC and SCC are the two key elements for digital intelligence technology empowerment. Digital intelligence technology is empowered from three aspects—technology, resources, and structure—enabling organizational members with capability and authority while achieving “decentralization” of industrial chains. Finally, digital intelligence empowerment enables the shared manufacturing ecosystem to achieve VCC of the industrial ecosystem, thereby establishing a VCC model for the digital intelligence empowerment shared manufacturing ecosystem. The results of the study not only help enrich the theory of VCC in shared manufacturing platforms but also provide practical insights for the digital intelligence transformation of traditional manufacturing enterprises. Full article

Every element of our contemporary lives has changed as a result of the widespread use of computing infrastructure and information technology in daily life. Less focus has been placed on the hardware components that underpin the computing revolution, despite the fact that its effects on software applications have been the most obvious. The computer chip is the most basic component of computer hardware and powers all digital devices. Every gadget, including mainframes, laptops, cellphones, tablets, desktop PCs, and supercomputers, is powered by different computer chips. Although there are many different types of these chips, the biggest producers in this field are AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), Intel, and ARM (Advanced RISC Machines). These companies make processors for both consumer and business markets. Users have compared their products based on a number of factors, including pricing, cache and memory, approaches, etc. This paper provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of Intel, AMD, and ARM processors, focusing on their architectural characteristics and performance within the context of burgeoning artificial intelligence applications. The detailed architectural features, performance evaluation for AI workloads, a comparison of power efficiency and cost, and analysis for current market trends are presented. By thoroughly examining core architectural elements and key performance factors, this work provides valuable insights for users and developers to seek optimal processor choices to maximize AI tool utilization in the contemporary era. Full article

This study investigates the use of a hybrid leadership style in three kibbutz factories—two in privatized communities and one in a cooperative community. The factory leaders integrate multiple leadership styles in managing their enterprises. This blended style reflects a hybrid approach to management that has democratic and autocratic elements as well as a transformational leadership style that is also community-oriented. The goals of the managers are to make the factory operations sustainable while remaining loyal to communal values. We conducted 75 interviews in the three kibbutzim with individuals from various ranks, ranging from senior leadership to production workers. In addition, to supplement the information, we analyzed organizational documents, including internal newsletters, reports, and booklets summarizing 50 years of activity, as well as news articles that provided up-to-date information on business transactions that contributed to the success of the kibbutz industries. The result identified a hybrid style that combines the communal, transformational, and democratic or autocratic styles. Many features of communal leadership were evident in the practices of kibbutz members rather than those of outsiders and by strategies focused on maintaining the industry for kibbutz members in the long run and an egalitarian communal style. The hybrid style contains democratic features such as transparent and open communication, and a transformational style was also found in key components of this leadership style, including innovation, professionalism, dynamism, adaptability to environmental changes, and human sensitivity. Full article

The Personal Care Products (PCP) industry, encompassing cosmetics, hygiene, and personal care items, serves millions of consumers daily and operates under constant pressure for innovation, agility, and sustainability. Within this context, supply chains are viewed as complex and integrated systems, composed of interrelated elements whose interactions determine overall performance and are influenced by external factors. Disruptions—particularly those involving indirect suppliers—can propagate throughout the network, affecting operations, reputation, and business outcomes. Despite the importance of the topic, empirical studies that systematically identify and prioritize these risks in the PCP sector remain scarce, which motivated the conduct of this study. Thus, the aim of this research is to identify, analyze, and evaluate the main supply risks faced by the PCP industry, considering severity, occurrence, and detection capability. Methodologically, the research employed an exploratory multi-case design, carried out in three steps: a literature review to identify key supply chain risks; structured interviews with industry experts to analyze and evaluate these risks; and the application of Gray Relational Analysis (GRA) to aggregate expert judgments and construct a prioritized risk ranking. This combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques provided a detailed foundation for analyzing and interpreting the main risks in the Brazilian PCP sector. The results indicate that indirect supplier failure is the most critical risk, prioritized by 70% of the companies studied. Other significant risks include the inability to meet changes in demand, import issues, lack of supply chain visibility, natural and social disasters, and sustainability or reputational concerns. Consequently, this study contributes to a systemic understanding of risk management in the PCP industry supply chain, providing managers with a practical mapping of critical points and highlighting concrete opportunities to strengthen integration, anticipate disruptions, and enhance operational resilience and performance across the sector. Full article

Wholesale sales value is one of the key elements included in the coincident indicator series of the indexes of business conditions in Japan. The objectives of this study are twofold. The first is to comprehend features of dynamic structure of various components for 12 business types of the wholesale sales in Japan, focusing on the period from January 1980 to December 2022. The second is to elucidate effect of business cycles on the behavior of each business type of wholesale sales. Specifically, we utilize our moving linear model approach to decompose monthly time-series data of wholesale sales into a seasonal component, an unusually varying component containing outliers, a constrained component, and a remaining component. Additionally, we construct a distribution-free dynamic linear model and examine the time-varying relationship between the decomposed remaining component, which contains cyclical variation, in each business type of the wholesale sales and that in the coincident composite index. Our proposed approach reveals complex dynamics of various components of time series on wholesale sales. Furthermore, we find that different business types of the wholesale sales exhibit diverse responses to business cycles, which are influenced by macroeconomic conditions, government policies, or exogenous shocks. Full article

China’s rapid urbanization has presented challenges for sustainably revitalizing the historic and cultural heritage within its urban villages. Often, these efforts overlook the crucial roles of community ties and cultural values. This study focuses on 15 representative urban villages in Guangzhou (2019–2024). It tests the core idea that the physical layout of these spaces reflects underlying community structures and cultural values shaped by specific policies. Integrating this understanding into landscape planning can significantly improve revitalization outcomes. We used a mixed-methods approach: (1) Extended fieldwork to understand community networks and cultural practices; (2) Spatial analysis to measure how building density relates to land uses; (3) Sentiment analysis to reveal how people perceive cultural symbols; (4) A coordination model to link population influx with landscape suitability. Key findings reveal different patterns: Villages with strong clan networks maintained high cultural integrity and public acceptance through bodies like ancestral hall councils. Economically driven villages showed a split—open for business but culturally closed, with very low tenant participation. Successful revitalization requires balancing three elements: protecting physical landmarks in their original locations; modernizing cultural events; and reconstructing community narratives. Practically, we propose a planning framework with four approaches tailored to different village types. For instance, decaying villages should prioritize repairing key landmarks that hold community memory. Theoretically, we build a model linking social and spatial change, extending the cultural value concepts of Amos Rapoport to the context of fast-growing cities. This provides a new methodological perspective for managing urban–rural heritage in East Asia. Full article

Effective rural governance is essential for fully advancing rural revitalization and achieving sustainable development in rural areas. The construction and operation of rural governance networks are intrinsically tied to governance effectiveness. Focusing on the Tianlong Tunpu community in Guizhou Province, China, this research applies Actor–Network Theory (ANT) to analyze the transformation of rural governance networks. It introduces the “administrative–social–market” threefold empowerment mechanism to explain the underlying mechanism of this process. The findings indicate that the successful construction and operation of a stable rural governance network hinge on the ability of key actors to continuously mobilize administrative, social, and market resources during translation processes, thereby achieving stable “administrative–social–economic” threefold empowerment. This mechanism is dynamic, adapting through reallocation and adjustment to meet the changing realities of rural development. The study also highlights the combined influence of human and non-human actors in the rural governance network. Among non-human factors, Tunpu culture stands out for its cultural and economic value, serving as a shared foundation for collaboration between local governments, rural elites, villagers, and businesses. This cultural element acts as a cornerstone, ensuring the network’s stability and adaptability over time. Full article