Search Results (1,805)

In the modern era, demand forecasting enhances the decision-making tasks of industries for controlling production planning and reducing inventory costs. However, the dynamic nature of the fashion and apparel retail industry necessitates precise demand forecasting to optimize supply chain operations and meet customer expectations. Consequently, this research proposes the Formicary Zebra Optimization-Based Distributed Attention-Guided Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (FZ-DACR) model for improving the demand forecasting. In the proposed approach, the combination of the Formicary Zebra Optimization and Distributed Attention mechanism enabled deep learning architectures to assist in capturing the complex patterns of the retail sales data. Specifically, the neural networks, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs), facilitate extracting the local features and temporal dependencies to analyze the volatile demand patterns. Furthermore, the proposed model integrates visual and textual data to enhance forecasting accuracy. By leveraging the adaptive optimization capabilities of the Formicary Zebra Algorithm, the proposed model effectively extracts features from product images and historical sales data while addressing the complexities of volatile demand patterns. Based on extensive experimental analysis of the proposed model using diverse datasets, the FZ-DACR model achieves superior performance, with minimum error values including MAE of 1.34, MSE of 4.7, RMS of 2.17, and R² of 93.3% using the DRESS dataset. Moreover, the findings highlight the ability of the proposed model in managing the fluctuating trends and supporting inventory and pricing strategies effectively. This innovative approach has significant implications for retailers, enabling more agile supply chains and improved decision making in a highly competitive market. Full article

Green technologies are strongly present in the energy mixes of countries around the world. In addition to the need to reduce the extraction of non-renewable raw materials and the harmful environmental impact associated with energy production, the trend towards renewable energy development should also be linked to the need to minimize energy poverty stemming from high electricity prices and the need to increase the energy efficiency of existing solutions. These issues formed the basis for the study’s objective, which was to examine the regulatory framework for the development of Poland’s energy system, with particular emphasis on sustainable development. A particularly important aspect of the study was the exploration of the market for green technologies introduced into the energy system in Poland, with a primary focus on solutions dedicated to small, individual consumers (households). The cognitive value of the study and its original character is created by the cognitive aspect in terms of the interests and consumer preferences of households in this area, motivated by economic considerations related to the energy efficiency aspect of RES solutions. In this regard, there is a relatively limited number of current studies conducted for the reference country (Poland), justifying the choice of the research topic and theme. For the purposes of the study, a literature review, as well as legal standards and industry reports, was conducted. A practical study was conducted based on the results of surveys conducted by selected companies involved in the sale and installation of heating solutions. Detailed research was supported by statistical instruments using PQstat software version 1.8.4.164. Key findings confirm significant household interest in green electricity production technologies, which enable improved energy efficiency of home energy installations. Importantly, the potential for lower electricity bills, which can be attributed to low system maintenance costs and the ability to manage consumption, is a factor in choosing renewable energy solutions. Current interest in renewable energy solutions focuses on heat pumps, photovoltaics, and energy storage. Renewable energy users are interested in integrating renewable energy technology solutions into energy production and management to optimize energy consumption costs and increase household energy independence. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vending machines in hospitals offer convenient access to snacks and beverages for employees, visitors, and patients. However, their contents are typically energy-dense and nutritionally poor, which can potentially reinforce unhealthy eating habits. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of introducing healthier vending machine options on purchasing behaviour and consumer perceptions in a hospital setting. Methods: An interventional study was conducted at a university clinical centre in Slovenia. Sales data were collected from a standard vending machine and a pilot machine stocked with healthier products over two 14-day periods. Additionally, a consumer survey assessed factors influencing purchasing decisions and opinions on the healthier offerings. Results: The proportion of healthy items purchased increased from 22% to 39% in the pilot vending machine, indicating a positive shift toward healthier choices. However, total sales declined by 18.81%, suggesting consumer hesitation toward the new product mix. Survey results identified price, ingredients, and visual appeal as the primary factors influencing purchase decisions. Conclusions: The introduction of healthier vending machine options can promote better food choices in hospital environments, though challenges remain regarding consumer acceptance and sales performance. Expanding the variety of healthy items and adopting more competitive pricing strategies may enhance uptake. Further long-term research is needed to assess the sustainability of such interventions and their broader impact on hospital food environments. Full article

Background: Cannabis excise tax structures vary widely across the states in the United States. Standardizing taxes may improve cross-state comparisons and strengthen evaluations of how taxes and prices influence public health outcomes. This study developed category-specific standardized tax metrics for flower, vaping, and edible products by incorporating price and tax structure variations using retail scanner data. Methods: We analyzed cannabis retail scanner data from dispensary point-of-sale systems for flower, vaping, and edible products in 12 states with legal recreational markets from Q1 2020 to Q4 2024. Using retail prices and excise tax policies, we converted taxes in different forms across the supply chain into standardized measures and estimated tax incidence (ratio of standardized taxes to retail prices) for each category. We also evaluated the association between standardized taxes and retail prices. Results: Mean standardized excise taxes were USD 32.58/ounce for flower, USD 180.21/ounce for vaping, and USD 0.024/milligram THC for edible products. Corresponding tax incidences were 13.03%, 13.59%, and 13.09%. Standardized taxes and tax incidences varied considerably across states. Category-specific standardized taxes strongly predicted retail prices, supporting their use as an instrumental variable candidate. Conclusions: Category-specific standardized measures of cannabis excise taxes derived from retail scanner data may support cross-state comparisons and pricing policy evaluation. Full article

Based on panel data from China’s 31 provinces and municipalities covering 2011–2023, this study constructs a multidimensional evaluation system for digital economic development and agricultural industrial chain resilience within the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework. It systematically examines the impact of the digital economy on agricultural industrial chain resilience and its sub-dimensions, while introducing green finance as a moderating variable. The findings reveal: First, the development of the digital economy significantly enhances the resilience of the agricultural industrial chain. This conclusion withstands multiple robustness tests, and the impact of the digital economy on the three dimensions of agricultural industrial chain resilience (resistance, recovery, and reconstruction) varies, particularly exhibiting a negative effect on reconstruction. Second, the enabling effect of the digital economy on agricultural industrial chain resilience shows a significant spatial gradient. Regionally, resilience is ranked as “Production-Sales Balance Zones > Main Sales Zones > Main Production Zones” within grain functional zones, and “Northeast > West > East > Central” across China’s four major economic regions. Third, green finance development exerts a negative moderating effect on the pathway through which the digital economy enhances agricultural supply chain resilience, higher green finance levels weaken the marginal improvement effect of the digital economy. This study fills research gaps regarding the multidimensional impact of digital economic development on agricultural industrial chain resilience and empirically supplements the lack of evidence on the negative moderating mechanism of green finance and its sub-dimensions, providing policy tools for agricultural modernization and resilience governance. Full article

Background: Transportation delays pose significant challenges for perishable products by reducing freshness, shortening selling duration, and causing lost sales during the delay. Methods: Motivated by the growing importance of transportation delays on perishable products, this study develops a single-period analytical expected profit expression to determine the optimal order quantity that maximizes expected profit. The model incorporates deterioration-driven price reductions, lost sales opportunities occurring during the delay, and the shortened selling duration resulting from delayed delivery, without imposing a specific probability distribution on the transportation delay duration. Results: Numerical experiments illustrate how key parameters influence the optimal order quantity and the corresponding expected profit. Deterioration reduces expected profit by primarily reducing the selling price. In addition, a higher disruption probability reduces both the optimal order quantity and the expected profit, while longer selling durations result in larger order quantities and yield higher expected profits. A low initial selling price can result in negative expected profit, indicating cases where placing the order is inappropriate. Conclusions: The findings offer managerial implications for determining optimal order quantities that maximize profit under transportation delays for perishable products. Full article

The food supplement market has expanded rapidly in recent years, driven by demand for health, wellness, and healthy ageing; yet, the integrity of associated Health Claims (HC) remains uncertain. In the European Union (EU), food supplements are regulated under Directive 2002/46/EC, while HC use is governed by Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 (NHCR), which requires scientific substantiation evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority and subsequent authorisation by the European Commission/Member States. Despite this framework, concerns persist regarding unauthorised or non-compliant HC. This study examined the prevalence and compliance of HC on food supplement labels in the Republic of Ireland, comparing products sold in-store and online. A total of 192 food supplements were randomly selected across multiple categories, with HC compliance assessed against the EU Register of Nutrition and Health Claims and mandatory labelling requirements. In total, 2604 HC were identified, with multivitamins and botanicals as the most common categories reviewed. Although most HC referred to vitamins D and C and focused on immune function, only 80.7% of in-store claims and 75.6% of online claims were authorised, and only around one-third used the prescribed wording. Compliance was notably lower for botanicals, reflecting regulatory ambiguities around their use. These findings highlight persistent challenges in enforcing the NHCR, particularly for online sales and botanicals, and underscore the need for greater regulatory clarity and consumer protection. Full article

Aquaculture digitalization is increasingly regarded as a crucial pathway to improving productivity, sustainability, and resilience in the fisheries sector. Policy instruments intended to foster this digital transformation—such as substantial subsidies and stringent regulatory mandates—often face constraints stemming from fiscal limitations, administrative burdens, and implementation inefficiencies. Behavioral interventions (nudges) represent a potentially effective and less resource-intensive alternative, yet their capacity—individually or in conjunction with moderate subsidies and regulatory measures—to foster aquaculture digitalization remains empirically underexplored. Drawing on survey data from 254 fish farmers in the lower Yangtze River region and employing a combination of principal component analysis (PCA), ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, Propensity Score Matching (PSM), and Gradient Boosted Trees (GBT) techniques, this study finds that: (1) Social nudging has a robust and consistent positive effect on digital transformation; (2) The effects of subsidies and regulations are heterogeneous and context-dependent; (3) The negative interactions between nudging and constraints, as well as between nudging and subsidies, are context-dependent and tend to inhibit digital transformation; (4) Policy effects display marked heterogeneity across different contexts, particularly with respect to sales channels, external pressures, producers’ transformation capabilities, and the scale of aquaculture operations. These findings deepen the understanding of how behavioral and structural policies interact in agricultural digitalization, emphasizing that effective policy should combine financial and regulatory measures with efforts to strengthen farmers’ digital awareness and behavioral adaptability. Full article

The purpose of this article is to assess the impact of three major crises—the global economic and financial crisis of 2007–2009, the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), and the energy crisis induced by the war in Ukraine (2022)—on the condition of regional economies in Poland, both before and after their occurrence. These events, which may be regarded as black swan phenomena, were examined using several indicators of regional economic performance: the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), the dynamics of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), industrial output sold, construction and assembly output, and retail sales. The study is based on Statistics Poland GUS data ranging from the first quarter of 2004 to the fourth quarter of 2024. The findings indicate that some Polish voivodeships (Since 1 May 2004, Poland has been divided into regions (NUTS I) and voivodeships (NUTS II). In this division, the region is statistical in nature, but in the presented research we refer exclusively to voivodeships, and therefore we also use the terms “region” and “NUTS II” interchangeably in this work. The interchangeable use of these terms also stems from the practice in Polish literature) (regions) experienced increases in industrial concentration over the study period. In 2009, during the global financial crisis, seven regions (Dolnośląskie, Lubuskie, Małopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, and Pomorskie) exhibited a relatively high degree of industrial diversification. Seven others (Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubelskie, Łódzkie, Śląskie, Świętokrzyskie, Wielkopolskie, and Zachodniopomorskie) showed moderate concentration. The two eastern regions—Warmińsko-Mazurskie (HHI = 194) and Podlaskie (HHI = 315)—had the highest concentration of industrial production in that year. By 2024, the overall pattern remained consistent: seven voivodeships displayed high concentration, eight moderate concentration, and one (Podlaskie) exceptionally high concentration. The degree of cyclical convergence across regions was generally high throughout the examined period. However, notable differences emerged under crisis conditions. Synchronization was strongest during the COVID-19 pandemic, when abrupt and unexpected shocks produced relatively similar regional responses. In contrast, the financial crisis of 2007–2009 and the energy crisis of 2022 generated more heterogeneous regional effects, resulting in lower and more varied levels of convergence. Full article

This paper investigates the interactive effects of live streaming pre-sale modes and return policies within a manufacturer’s two-stage supply chain. On the one hand, in addition to traditional pre-sales, manufacturers can adopt merchant live streaming or commission influencer live streaming to stimulate demand, enhance consumer engagement, and generate social influence. On the other hand, a “Money-back guarantee (MBG)” policy can be implemented to mitigate consumers’ valuation uncertainty. Using a game-theoretic model, we examine the manufacturer’s optimal joint decisions across six scenarios, determining the optimal conditions for activating each pre-sale mode and the MBG policy. Our findings reveal that the effectiveness of an MBG in promoting pre-sales is not universal but highly contingent on factors such as return costs, product satisfaction, and the social influence generated through live streaming. Specifically, traditional pre-sales tend to adopt an MBG only when return costs are low, whereas merchant live streaming pre-sales consistently adopt it under weak social influence. In contrast, influencer live streaming pre-sales are more likely to adopt MBGs when return costs are low; however, with high return costs, the manufacturer’s profit may fall below that of not conducting pre-sales, leading to the abandonment of this mode. Regarding mode selection, under a no-return policy, manufacturers prefer influencer live streaming when social influence is weak but switch to merchant live streaming when it is strong. When offering an MBG, manufacturers tend to commission influencer live streaming when product satisfaction and return costs are low but revert to traditional pre-sales when satisfaction is high. Conversely, with high return costs, manufacturers prefer merchant live streaming under low satisfaction but favor influencer live streaming when satisfaction is high. These findings offer valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance for manufacturers to optimize their pre-sales and return strategies under diverse market conditions. Full article

Advertising is often viewed as an effective strategy for platforms to boost the sales of their private-label (PL) products. Nevertheless, not all platforms adopt PL advertising strategies, and the drivers of these heterogeneous advertising practices across platforms, which differ in PL product quality and supply chain structures (agency (A) vs. reselling (R) modes), remain unclear. Our analysis shows that, without advertising, an increase in PL quality does not necessarily deter the manufacturer from competition under mode A. When advertising is introduced, however, increasing PL quality may sometimes amplify the negative effect of advertising on the manufacturer-branded products’ price under mode A. Moreover, contrary to common belief that advertising always benefits the platform, we identify conditions under which PL advertising leads to a lose–lose outcome for both the manufacturer and the platform, regardless of PL quality. Finally, we find that an appropriately designed advertising effort allows the platform to align the manufacturer’s channel preference with its own—toward either Mode A or Mode R structure. Overall, our findings uncover the strategic interplay between PL advertising, product quality, and supply chain structure, thereby explaining the diversity of platform advertising behaviors in practice, such as JD.com and Taobao. Full article

Background: Childhood obesity and being overweight represent a global public health challenge; the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) contributes to this problem. In Mexico, public health policies have been implemented to improve school food environments. Objective: To assess the school food environment before the implementation of the guidelines for the preparation, distribution, and sale of food and beverages (SFGs) in three primary schools in Mexico City. Methods: A cross-sectional mixed method study was conducted, including structured non-participatory observation of selling points outside and inside of schools, and availability of drinking fountains and lunchboxes contents. A food waste audit assessment was performed to identify the most frequently consumed products, main ingredients, front-of-package labels, and colorants. Additionally, 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with school authorities, teachers, and food vendors. Results: SSBs and UPFs selling points were observed outside and inside in public schools, while in private schools, only inside, with use of delivery food apps. Public schools lacked functional drinking fountains. A total of 345 food waste items were collected across the schools, of which 46.3% were SSBs and 53.7% were UPFs. The main ingredient was sugar (15.6%), the principal front-of-package was excess sugar (37.5%), and the most frequently used colorants were red 40 (25.1%). Interview participants reported awareness of the SFGs; however, they identified barriers such as resistance from parents and students and the economic dependence of school cooperatives on UPFs sales. Conclusions: These findings highlight structural and economic challenges for the effective implementation of public policies promoting healthier school food environments. Full article

Online review images shape consumer perceptions by offering visual cues of product quality and use. Existing studies focus on aesthetics or object presence but overlook the functional balance among image types. This study introduces the Holistic Image Proportion (HIP)—the ratio of holistic to detailed review images—as a key determinant of visual information completeness. Using deep learning (ResNet-101) to classify over 240,000 images from 4450 clothing products, we find an inverted U-shaped relationship between HIP and sales: a balanced mix (HIP ≈ 0.5) maximizes performance. A follow-up experiment confirms that balanced image composition enhances perceived completeness, which fully mediates its effect on purchase intention. Review sentiment further moderates this relationship, amplifying the effect under positive sentiment. This research extends information completeness theory to visual data, highlighting that completeness emerges from functional image composition rather than quantity or aesthetics, offering new insights for multimodal persuasion and e-commerce design. Full article

Biomass gasification, as a thermochemical process, has attracted growing interest due to the increasing popularity of biofuel production based on syngas or pure hydrogen. Moreover, when integrated with CO₂ capture, this method of producing gaseous fuels can achieve negative CO₂ emissions, making it competitive with other production systems based on either fossil or renewable sources. This paper presents the results of a process and economic analysis of synthetic natural gas (SNG) production systems integrated with a commercial fluidized-bed gasification reactor based on Synthesis Energy Systems (SES) technology. The study examines the potential integration of the system with a water electrolyzer at two levels of coupling: one providing oxygen for the gasification process, and the other eliminating the need for CO₂ separation before the SNG synthesis stage. Using a single gasification unit with a raw biomass feed rate of 60 t/h, the system produces 188 t/d of SNG. Integration with a water electrolyzer increases SNG production to 259 and 621 t/d. For cases without electrolyzer integration and under the assumption of zero emissions from biomass processing, the application of CO₂ separation enables the achievement of negative CO₂ emissions. This creates an opportunity for additional revenue from the sale of CO₂ emission allowances, which can significantly reduce SNG production costs. In this analysis, the break-even CO₂ price, above which the SNG production cost becomes negative, is USD 251/t CO₂. In systems integrated with water electrolysis, the cost and carbon footprint of the electricity consumed in the electrochemical water-splitting process have a decisive impact on both the overall SNG production cost and its carbon intensity. Full article

This study explores the core competencies required for sales and marketing roles in the rapidly evolving NEV sector. Adopting an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, it employs a big data-driven approach to construct a competency framework: web crawlers collected NEV-related recruitment data across over 20 major Chinese cities, the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model identified core competency items, and a multi-dimensional consensus scoring process via the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) refined the framework. The resulting validated model comprises nine thematic clusters, reflecting a shift from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales’ traditional skill set. Beyond enriching conventional competencies (customer reception, sales service, CRM, sales support), it highlights emerging capabilities: live-streaming/short-video marketing, digital media operations, and ecosystem-oriented resource collaboration. Further, NGT-based multi-dimensional evaluations (frequency, importance, difficulty) generated a four-quadrant matrix, offering actionable guidance for vocational education and corporate training (VET) curriculum design. Theoretically, this study redefines digital-era automotive sales roles: not mere product sellers, but core actors in user experience co-creation and ecological value integration, which enriches discourse on sales role evolution. Full article