Search Results (28)

The B Corp certification is a voluntary designation granted by B Lab. This nonprofit organization evaluates two main aspects of a company’s operations: the positive impact generated by its daily activities and how its business model reflects unique practices that yield positive outcomes for its stakeholders. Sistema B is at the forefront of the B movement in Latin America and the Caribbean, working to develop an ecosystem that enables B Corps to harness market forces to address social and environmental challenges. However, the B Corp movement in this region faces significant challenges, primarily due to a lack of government support, including tax benefits and legal recognition. This study aims to advance the existing literature on B Corps by examining sustainability-oriented hybrid organizations that strive to reconcile profit generation with social impact within the context of Mexico’s socioeconomic landscape. Additionally, it seeks to enhance the understanding of how ventures navigate trade-offs between financial and social objectives, and to identify factors that can help address these challenges. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with Mexican B Corps to explore the entrepreneurial motivations related to social objectives, the B Corp movement, and the internal organizational dynamics of balancing social and economic logics. We discuss how tensions arise and are managed, as well as the issues regarding regulatory tensions in Mexico and the challenges that stem from organizational complexities. Future research directions are also outlined. Full article

This study explores how machine learning can optimize financial risk management for non-profit organizations by evaluating various algorithms aimed at mitigating loan default risks. The findings indicate that ensemble learning models, such as random forest and LightGBM, significantly improve prediction accuracy, thereby enabling non-profits to better manage financial risk. In the context of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, which underscored the volatility of financial markets, this research assesses a range of risks—credit, operational, liquidity, and market risks—while exploring both traditional machine learning and advanced ensemble techniques, with a particular focus on stacking fusion to enhance model performance. Emphasizing the importance of privacy and adaptive methods, this study advocates for interdisciplinary approaches to overcome limitations such as stress testing, data analysis rule formulation, and regulatory collaboration. The research underscores machine learning’s crucial role in financial risk control and calls on regulatory authorities to reassess existing frameworks to accommodate evolving risks. Additionally, it highlights the need for accurate data type identification and the potential for machine learning to strengthen financial risk management amid uncertainty, promoting interdisciplinary efforts that address broader issues like environmental sustainability and economic development. Full article

In the last decade, agricultural cooperatives have become increasingly popular in the food industry. This paper aims to shed light on the extensive literature on agricultural cooperatives. Design/Methodology/Approach: In conducting this review, we applied the bibliometric review method. Initially, we retrieved 1249 bibliometric data from the Scopus database, which were reduced to 364 documents after applying the PRISMA guidelines. The data were filtered using the following keywords: “agricultural marketing cooperatives”, “agricultural marketing societies”, “performance”, “value chains”, and “supply chains”. Findings: According to our findings, the present research is primarily focused on smallholders, sustainability, and supply chain management topics. We found that current research lacks an understanding of why agricultural cooperatives fail in terms of finances, investments, and implementation of strategies. We conclude that agricultural marketing cooperatives in their current state and legal form might not be flexible enough to compete in markets due to global and sustainability concerns. Finally, we provide a practical roadmap for researchers, investors, policymakers, and non-profits. Limitations: The main limitation of our review is that it contains only studies found in Scopus and examines only the English language literature. Originality/Value: Bibliometric analyses focused on agriculture cooperatives are scarce, and this paper provides a broader perspective of the existing literature. Moreover, it identifies research gaps and current trends in the field while providing a detailed description of how agricultural cooperative research has evolved over time. Full article

The study aims to enhance the sustainability of non-profit organizations by analyzing factors contributing to the adoption of digital marketing by non-profit organizations. For this purpose, this study presented a research model on digital marketing adoption reflecting the characteristics of non-profit organizations based on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework. The research model was analyzed using structural equation modeling on a sample of 303 staff members of non-profit organizations in South Korea. The results of the study suggest that entrepreneurship, competitive pressures, digital environment change, compatibility, and lack of human resources have an effect on the adoption of digital marketing in non-profit organizations. The findings can contribute to helping non-profit organizations better engage in digital marketing activities and, therefore, strengthen their sustainability by being more efficient in obtaining the financial resources they need. Full article

(1) Background: Missing Middle (MM) housing may be critical to address decreasing housing affordability and to achieve critical density in transit-oriented neighborhoods; however, its production is in decline. We report on a case study of housing development around a new light-rail transit line in the Region of Waterloo, Canada, investigating the puzzle of how a residential building boom coincided with decreasing housing affordability. (2) Methods: Following participatory co-creation and communication of background research characterizing housing demand with stakeholder partners, we created a data narrative arguing that MM housing was desired by residents and profitable for developers and then used it to guide semi-structured interviews with planners and real estate industry stakeholders. Based on these interviews, we developed a qualitative system map and causal loop diagrams that demonstrate interactions between key actors (residents, brokers, planners, developers, and investors) as mediated by boundedly rational real estate demand expectations. (3) Results: Our interviews identify multi-faceted barriers, beyond demand perception, to MM housing development. Systems analysis illustrates how high-density, small-unit high-rise development can become locked in, concurrently locking out MM housing. (4) Conclusions: Our research identifies barriers to MM housing supply by articulating the systemic feedbacks between the planning and land/housing market realms and reveals key leverage points, empowering planners to develop policies that catalyze hoped-for housing market supply responses to increase housing affordability. Based on these findings, we suggest targeted interventions: multi-unit base residential zoning, MM site plan typologies, non-profit and co-op financing, unit-mix requirements, pre-build MM condo purchase by municipalities or non-profits, and MM demonstration projects. Full article

With the advent of the digital economy era, the relationship between consumers and brands is changing. The mode of marketing, especially the paradigm of brand management, also needs to be adapted to change. Brand orientation has triggered a heated discussion on the dominant paradigm of market orientation and a new revolution in brand management. In view of the primary position of brand orientation in the management domain, it is necessary to sort out a systematic scientific knowledge mapping, clarify the research context and progress, and discover research focuses and limitations for strengthening the construction of brand-oriented theories. This study conducts a scientific quantitative analysis of 169 literatures and 7187 references from the Web of Science in the field of brand orientation by comprehensively using methods of scientific knowledge mapping and traditional literature review. The findings show that: (1) Concentrating on the core issue that “whether and how brand orientation becomes an effective strategic orientation of an organization”, brand orientation research includes six major hot spots and has been extended to fields including non-profit organizations, retail, service, manufacturing, e-commerce, and tourism. (2) As a multi-dimensional construct, brand orientation affects organizational performance directly through internal branding and external customer perception, and it is influenced by organizational culture, leadership, competition environment, funding sources, and brand cooperation. The relationship between brand orientation and market orientation has evolved from mutual substitution to synergy. Full article

In this paper, we provide useful lessons from a quantitative analysis across several nonprofit organisations undergoing generational change due to the implementation of the Australian government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This paper contributes to the field in demonstrating the usefulness of the approach in revealing how change has to occur at both the micro and macro levels of the organisations involved, affecting both followers and transforming leadership, whilst simultaneously reinforcing the need to address the strategic and operational risks inherent in such transformational change. It represents a follow-up to an earlier published longitudinal qualitative research and provides further evidence on the key findings associated with the development of the NDIS Implementation Framework. The current paper considers the importance of the risk and opportunity conundrum associated with the implementation of the NDIS among Australian nonprofit service providers. This paper recognises that, as entities operating ostensibly outside the purely commercial realms of service design and delivery, nonprofit service providers are potentially handicapped by an historic lack of relevant and necessary market-based skills. The risks necessitate an accelerated programme of skill development and skill acquisition to enable the full range of opportunities to be realised. The change management processes, identified using the conceptual framework of readiness → implementation commitment → sustainability, as discussed in this paper, highlight the potential financial consequences which have substantial impacts on such nonprofit service providers. Organisations in these settings are challenged by ongoing financial sustainability issues where very small financial margins, resulting directly from the generational business model shift from a supply-driven system to a demand-driven system, may prove the difference between organisational survival and failure. Full article

Quantitative real-time PCR and genomic sequencing have become mainstays for performing molecular detection of biological threat agents in the field. There are notional assessments of the benefits, disadvantages, and challenges that each of these technologies offers according to findings in the literature. However, direct comparison between these two technologies in the context of field-forward operations is lacking. Most market surveys, whether published in print form or provided online, are directed to product manufacturers who can address their respective specifications and operations. One method for comparing these technologies is surveying end-users who are best suited for discussing operational capabilities, as they have hands-on experience with state-of-the-art molecular detection platforms and protocols. These end-users include operators in military defense and first response, as well as various research scientists in the public sector such as government and service laboratories, private sector, and civil society such as academia and nonprofit organizations performing method development and executing these protocols in the field. Our objective was to initiate a survey specific to end-users and their feedback. We developed a questionnaire that asked respondents to (1) determine what technologies they currently use, (2) identify the settings where the technologies are used, whether lab-based or field-forward, and (3) rate the technologies according to a set list of criteria. Of particular interest are assessments of sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, scalability, portability, and discovery power. This article summarizes the findings from the end-user perspective, highlighting technical and operational challenges. Full article

The building industry currently consumes over a third of energy produced and emits 39% of greenhouse gases globally produced by human activities. The manufacturing of building materials and the construction of buildings make up 11% of those emissions within the sector. Whole-building life-cycle assessment is a holistic and scientific tool to assess multiple environmental impacts with internationally accepted inventory databases. A comparison of the building life-cycle assessment results would help to select materials and designs to reduce total environmental impacts at the early planning stage for architects and developers, and to revise the building code to improve environmental performance. The Nature Conservancy convened a group of researchers and policymakers from governments and non-profit organizations with expertise across wood product life-cycle assessment, forest carbon, and forest products market analysis to address emissions and energy consumption associated with mass timber building solutions. The study disclosed a series of detailed, comparative life-cycle assessments of pairs of buildings using both mass timber and conventional materials. The methodologies used in this study are clearly laid out in this paper for transparency and accountability. A plethora of data exists on the favorable environmental performance of wood as a building material and energy source, and many opportunities appear for research to improve on current practices. Full article

Public financial aid is approached as one of the most important tools allowing, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, to implement many of their investment intentions, thus improving their competitive position in the market. It is granted to enterprises regardless of whether they are of profit-oriented or a non-profit nature. The main goal of this article is to assess the effectiveness of public aid in the aquaculture sector. Authors reviewed the aid measures allocated to three carp farms located in the Barycz Valley, the biggest center for carp breeding in Europe. These three farms accounted for half of the aid beneficiaries over the period of analysis, and are considered to be representative according to the typical farms approach. They also account for 85% of the total grants allocated to the sector. After identifying differences in investment strategies, the authors investigated whether these differences could be reflected in the financial situation of the selected enterprises. The analysis covered the value of the financial liquidity factors, profitability, the level of debt and the increase in assets during the years 2012–2016. The research suggests that part of the benefits expected from public aid are not fully captured in the traditional performance ratios, especially when ecosystem-enhancing measures are involved. Full article

The popularity of electronic cigarettes in the United States and around the world has led to a startling rise in youth nicotine use. The Juul^® e-cigarette was introduced in the U.S. market in 2015 and had captured approximately 13% of the U.S. market by 2017. Unlike many other contemporary electronic cigarette companies, the founders behind the Juul^® e-cigarette approached their product launch like a traditional high-tech start-up company, not like a tobacco company. This article presents a case study of Juul’s corporate and product development history in the context of US regulatory actions. The objective of this article is to demonstrate the value of government-curated archives as leading indicators which can (a) provide insight into emergent technologies and (b) inform emergent regulatory science research questions. A variety of sources were used to gather data about the Juul^® e-cigarette and the corporations that surround it. Sources included government agencies, published academic literature, non-profit organizations, corporate and retail websites, and the popular press. Data were disambiguated, authenticated, and categorized prior to being placed on a timeline of events. A timeline of four significant milestones, nineteen corporate filings and events, twelve US regulatory actions, sixty-four patent applications, eighty-seven trademark applications, twenty-three design patents and thirty-two utility patents related to Juul Labs and its associates is presented, spanning the years 2004 through 2020. This work demonstrates the probative value of findings from patent, trademark, and SEC filing literature in establishing a premise for emergent regulatory science research questions which may not yet be supported by traditional archival research literature. The methods presented here can be used to identify key aspects of emerging technologies before products actually enter the market; this shifting policy formulation and problem identification from a paradigm of being reactive in favor of becoming proactive. Such a proactive approach may permit anticipatory regulatory science research and ultimately shorten the elapsed time between market technology innovation and regulatory response. Full article

SARS-CoV-2, with an infection fatality rate between 0.5 and 1%, has spread to all corners of the globe and infected millions of people. While vaccination is essential to protect against the virus and halt community transmission, rapidly making and delivering safe and efficacious vaccines presents unique development, manufacturing, supply chain, delivery, and post-market surveillance challenges. Despite the large number of vaccines in or entering the clinic, it is unclear how many candidates will meet regulatory requirements and which vaccine strategy will most effectively lead to sustained, population-wide immunity. Interviews with experts from biopharmaceutical companies, regulatory and multilateral organizations, non-profit foundations, and academic research groups, complemented with extensive literature review, informed the development of a framework for understanding the factors leading to population-wide immunity against SARS-CoV-2, in particular considering the role of vaccines. This paper presents a systems-level modeling framework to guide the development of analytical tools aimed at informing time-critical decisions to make vaccines globally and equitably accessible. Such a framework can be used for scenario planning and evaluating tradeoffs across access strategies. It highlights the diverse and powerful ways in which data can be used to evaluate future risks and strategically allocate limited resources. Full article

The question of whether the liberalization of the gas industry has led to less concentrated markets has attracted much interest among the scientific community. Classical mathematical regression tools, statistical tests, and optimization equilibrium problems, more precisely non-linear complementarity problems, were used to model European gas markets and their effect on prices. In this research, the parametric and nonparametric game theory methods are employed to study the effect of the market concentration on gas prices. The parametric method takes into account the classical Cournot equilibrium test, with assumptions on cost and demand functions. However, the non-parametric method does not make any prior assumptions, a factor that allows greater freedom in modeling. The results of the parametric method demonstrate that the gas suppliers’ behavior in Austria and The Netherlands gas markets follows the Nash–Cournot equilibrium, where companies act rationally to maximize their payoffs. The non-parametric approach validates the fact that suppliers in both markets follow the same behavior even though one market is more liquid than the other. Interestingly, our findings also suggest that some of the gas suppliers maximize their ‘utility function’ not by only relying on profit, but also on some type of non-profit objective, and possibly collusive behavior. Full article

Cause-related marketing (CRM) is a globally popular marketing technique due to its value to multiple stakeholders such as the companies, the consumers, the non-profit organizations, and the society. The key to successful CRM is the consumer purchasing the cause-related product, and experimental methodology was adopted mostly during this process. Therefore, this paper systematically reviewed the CRM literature that measured consumers’ purchase intentions using the experimental methodology. A systematic literature research was undertaken examining five databases and 68 qualified articles were identified. The results showed that CRM in most qualified studies is manipulated as a tactical marketing program and the products are mainly low-cost and low involvement. Moreover, the CRM is more effective than the ordinary marketing or sales promotion strategy, such as discount and coupons. Furthermore, the specific characteristics of the CRM program (e.g., donation amount, cause type, message framing) have shown positive outcomes but mixed effects are persistent. Recommendations for implementing CRM programs and for future research were discussed. Full article

Health promotion campaigns are used to raise awareness about health issues with the purpose of improving health outcomes and community wellbeing. They are important for increasing community awareness of health behavior changes. In the application of health promotion, social marketing can be used to influence changes in individual behavior. Social marketing encourages the social behavioral change of the target audience. This social behavioral change refers to the behavior of a certain number of target audiences, not just individual behavior. This research identified various social marketing success criteria to improve the performance of health promotion using decision-making method. Fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (F-DEMATEL) is a structural causal relation method that has been verified effectual in congregating the viewpoints of professionals and thus providing information of greater reliability in various areas. F-DEMATEL method helps to identify the core problems and direction of improvement in complex systems by quantifying the degree to which criteria attributes interact with each other. This research applied F-DEMATEL to evaluate the complex interrelation success criteria of social marketing in order to effectively implement health promotion. Several effective criteria were derived from this research. These influential criteria are “Designing effective Communication message”, “Meeting the needs of beneficiaries”, “Providing more benefit than cost”, “Marketing mix elements”, “Customer orientation”, “Organizational advantage” and “Market selection”. The practitioner must consider the needs of the recipients to accomplish a successful social marketing campaign in health promotion. Moreover, the practitioner also has to design an attractive message and marketing mix strategy to communicate the benefits of the behavioral change to the target audience. Besides, the message delivered by the known organization increases the success of social marketing in promoting healthy lifestyle. This study provides important information for the non-profit organization about selecting the significant criteria to lead to the success of the campaign. Full article