FOODLIT-PRO: Food literacy domains, influential factors and determinants—A qualitative study

Poor eating habits are increasing the prevalence of weight-related issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Given the demand to improve individuals’ food knowledge and competencies aiming at healthier behaviours, the current investigation explores the concept of food literacy. Considering the lack of a shared understanding of food literacy, this study aims to explore food literacy’s domains, influential factors and determinants. Using a qualitative deductive-dominant content analysis, 30 experts from food-related fields were interviewed. The obtained outcomes were compared to available food literacy frameworks. Agreement among inter-raters was nearly perfect (k = 0.82). Yielding a total of 184 codes nested within 19 categories, identified domains were Origin, Safety, Choice and Decision, Select and Acquire, Plan, Preserve, Prepare, Cook, and Knowledge; influential factors included Nutrition, Psychological, Health, Learning Contexts, Policy, Industry, Sustainability, and Social and Cultural; External determinants were “Access to Food-Related Information”, “Perishable and/or Unreliable Food-Related Information”, “Family Dynamic and/or Identity”, and “Professionals’ Unpreparedness on Food-Related Expertise”, and Internal determinants included “Prioritise Food”, “Convenience and Practicality”, “Time and Financial Management”, “Previous Food-Related Habits”, and “Innate and Learned Flavour Preferences”. In conclusion, more than half of the identified attributes (62.5%) are corroborated by the current literature. However, the manifested content unmatched with the current frameworks of food literacy literature express food-literacy-related fields of action, knowledge, competencies, and determinants that have not yet been explored. As such, this study provides new and useful information concerning food literacy definition and development, by identifying its domains, factors of influence, and potential determinants. Moreover, this work paves the way for new measurements and interventions within this field

A Hybrid Method for Modeling and Solving Supply Chain Optimization Problems with Soft and Logical Constraints

This paper presents a hybrid method for modeling and solving supply chain optimization problems with soft, hard, and logical constraints. Ability to implement soft and logical constraints is a very important functionality for supply chain optimization models. Such constraints are particularly useful for modeling problems resulting from commercial agreements, contracts, competition, technology, safety, and environmental conditions. Two programming and solving environments, mathematical programming (MP) and constraint logic programming (CLP), were combined in the hybrid method. This integration, hybridization, and the adequate multidimensional transformation of the problem (as a presolving method) helped to substantially reduce the search space of combinatorial models for supply chain optimization problems. The operation research MP and declarative CLP, where constraints are modeled in different ways and different solving procedures are implemented, were linked together to use the strengths of both. This approach is particularly important for the decision and combinatorial optimization models with the objective function and constraints, there are many decision variables, and these are summed (common in manufacturing, supply chain management, project management, and logistic problems). The ECLiPSe system with Eplex library was proposed to implement a hybrid method. Additionally, the proposed hybrid transformed model is compared with the MILP-Mixed Integer Linear Programming model on the same data instances. For illustrative models, its use allowed finding optimal solutions eight to one hundred times faster and reducing the size of the combinatorial problem to a significant extent

Integralni pristup poslovnoj ekologiji i njegova primjena na zemlju u tranziciji

In this paper we propose and implement an integral approach to corporate environmentalism. Our integral model accounts not only for corporate environmentalism motivation and conception but also for corporate environmentalism mode and speed of implementation. A broad range of identified corporate environmentalism dimensions helps characterize fi ve basic groups of companies we propose to name “non-compliers,” “legalistic incrementalists,” “greenwashers,” “incremental innovators,” and “radical innovators.” We then seek to empirically verify the soundness of the proposed integral typology by surveying a large sample of Slovenian manufacturing companies. Maximum likelihood probit estimation, exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis and binary logistic modeling are used in the empirical analysis. Our main conclusions are twofold: (1) The integral approach to corporate environmentalism works: in the framework of a small open transitional economy, the model differentiates well among different groups of companies. (2) There are no radical innovators among Slovenian companies, and less than one third of the companies are actively thinking and acting in line of environment-friendly processes and products. This fi nding can be partially explained by the fact that Slovenian economy still has some transitional characteristics.U ovome radu predložen je i implementirani integralni pristup ekologiji na razini poduzeća (poslovnoj ekologiji). Predloženi integralni model ne pojašnjava samo motivaciju i koncepciju ekološkog poslovanja već i načine njegova postizanja te brzinu implementacije. Široki spektar utvrđenih dimenzija korporativnih okruženja pomaže u opisivanju pet temeljnih skupina poduzeća. navedene skupine poduzeća u ovome su radu imenovane sukladno svojim svojstvima te se razlikuju “nepokretljivi”, “minimalni legalisti“, “kvazi zeleni”, “minimalni inovatori” i “radikalni inovatori”. U cilju empirijskog potvrđivanja utemeljenosti predložene integralne tipologije provedeno je anketiranje velikog uzorka slovenskih proizvođačkih poduzeća. U empirijskoj analizi korištena je probit analiza, eksploratorna faktorska analiza, klaster analiza i binarno logističko modeliranje. Glavni zaključak vodi dvjema ključnim postavkama: (1) Integralni pristup poslovnoj ekologiji djeluje: u okviru male, otvorene tranzicijske ekonomije, model razlikuje dobro diferencirane skupine poduzeća. (2) Među slovenskim poduzećima ne postoje “radikalni inovatori”, a manje od trećine poduzeća aktivno razmišlja i djeluje u smjeru proizvodnje ekološki prihvatljivih procesa i proizvoda. Rezultati bi se djelomice mogli objasniti činjenicom da se slovenska privreda još uvijek odlikuje određenim tranzicijskim karakteristikama

Delivery-flow routing and scheduling subject to constraints imposed by vehicle flows in fractal-like networks

The problems of designing supply networks and traffic flow routing and scheduling are the subject of intensive research. The problems encompass the management of the supply of a variety of goods using multi-modal transportation. This research also takes into account the various constraints related to route topology, the parameters of the available fleet of vehicles, order values, delivery due dates, etc. Assuming that the structure of a supply network, constrained by a transport network topology that determines its behavior, we develop a declarative model which would enable the analysis of the relationships between the structure of a supply network and its potential behavior resulting in a set of desired delivery-flows. The problem in question can be reduced to determining sufficient conditions that ensure smooth flow in a transport network with a fractal structure. The proposed approach, which assumes a recursive, fractal network structure, enables the assessment of alternative delivery routes and associated schedules in polynomial time. An illustrative example showing the quantitative and qualitative relationships between the morphological characteristics of the investigated supply networks and the functional parameters of the assumed delivery-flows is provided

Strategies for sustainable socio-economic development and mechanisms their implementation in the global dimension

The authors of the book have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to effectively use modern approaches to developing and implementation strategies of sustainable socio-economic development in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness of economic entities. Basic research focuses on economic diagnostics of socio-economic potential and financial results of economic entities, transition period in the economy of individual countries and ensuring their competitiveness, assessment of educational processes and knowledge management. The research results have been implemented in the different models and strategies of supply and logistics management, development of non-profit organizations, competitiveness of tourism and transport, financing strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises, cross-border cooperation. The results of the study can be used in decision-making at the level the economic entities in different areas of activity and organizational-legal forms of ownership, ministries and departments that promote of development the economic entities on the basis of models and strategies for sustainable socio-economic development. The results can also be used by students and young scientists in modern concepts and mechanisms for management of sustainable socio-economic development of economic entities in the condition of global economic transformations and challenges

Design Challenges for Innovation Management on Agro-Food Sector

Current status of research indicates that we assist to location-specific factor supremacy as determinants in regional attractiveness and sustainability being territorial driven, we offer strong arguments for policy makers in order to enable this long term strategy. We also address another issue heavily disputed between academics-that is the return to local and regional offerings as complementary to global assumption. Assisting today to a hybrid innovation process, relying upon territorial marketing-an umbrella for too many issues cvasi- exploited: eco-clusters, local and regional offerings; traditional products/services exploiting, regional clusters competing for funds; we are focusing on complex industrial -rural system reconfiguration relying upon dynamic evolution of territorial branding into competitive identity, as the disruptive behavior we need in sustainable development. Successful development strategies are based on the ability to build an institutional territorial coherence-social and environmental sustainability being inextricably interdependent, such a complex coordination structure relies on territorial knowledge sharing through expertise polls consultation- as key concept of good governance. This model of innovational resource allocation coordination on agro food chains, relying upon clusterisation through patterns of innovational management deficit, offers a relevant solution for synergic orientation of assistance and mentoring efforts on the sector, enable the capitalization of relevant capabilities and increase the addressability from innovation demand side. Based upon auditing 500 SME’s from agro food sector in Europe and 51 in SE region, the paper is fully documented on there years of data analyzing from Agro Food sector on 10 European countries in the framework on FP6 SPAS European Project.territorial knowledge sharing, innovation resource allocation, disruptive territorial solution, community supported agro food chains

Development of a conceptual framework for integrated analysis and assessment of agricultural systems in SEAMLESS-IF

Production Economics,

The Role of Inbound Open Innovation Sources on Innovativeness and Advantage of New Products in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

This Ph.D. thesis provides a quantitative empirical study based on a theoretical model, which deepens and extends previous models by analyzing the different constructs that concur to innovation performance by utilizing various sources of inbound open innovation in SMEs. It empirically investigates the causal relationship of different sources of inbound open innovation and their effects on new product innovativeness and the effect of new product innovativeness on new product advantage in small and medium-sized enterprises in Petroleum and Gas equipment industry in Iran. The theoretical model considers the relationship between different sources of outside-in (Inbound) open innovation collaborating with external partners like customers, competitors, suppliers, universities, research institutions and consultants, and their separate diverse effects on new product innovativeness and measuring new product innovativeness effect on new product advantage of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Petroleum and Gas equipment industry. Furthermore, based on previous studies, this research contributes to the concept of internal R&D capability and firm's innovation performance, this thesis measures the effect of internal R&D expenditures as annual sales percentage on new product innovativeness, which regarded as organizational R&D strengths and intensity in SMEs of Petroleum and Gas equipment industry. In addition, building on previous literature, organizational declarative memory as one of the components of organizational memory, which interacts, with concepts of facts, events, and propositions is considered to measure its effect on new product advantage. Likewise, in order to ensure the robustness of results, several control variables were included in this research. These controls have to be considered as the internal organizational component or external organizational elements. Firm size, technology turbulence, market turbulence, and competition intensity were added as control variables to account for the effects of extraneous factors on new product advantage (NPA). The research method of this study is a survey, causal (Explanatory) and descriptive quantitative research method based on structural equation modeling (SEM). It is based on a quantitative method using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The survey was done among 150 firms in Petroleum and Gas equipment industry in the Iranian context and the empirical analysis had been done at the firm level. For data collection procedure, the simple random procedure as the sampling method was used between 150 firms in Tehran as the capital region of Iran where the main head offices of these 150 firms are located. 150 SMEs were selected as the target population of this Ph.D. thesis and the dataset was collected from such firms. As the research method is based on partial least square structural equation modeling, (PLS-SEM), the purpose of this research is not only based on predictive approach and forecasting but also to contribute to developing and extending the current existing theory of outside-in (Inbound) open innovation activities in SMEs. This research contributes to theory development of surveying and examining the exploitation of different inbound open innovation sources and their effects on new product innovativeness performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The data collection had been done at the firm level, the CEOs, marketing managers, R&D managers, and new product development managers were the respondents to the questionnaire. The results indicate that not all different types of outside-in (Inbound) open innovation sources positively and significantly affected new product innovativeness in SMEs. This is because of this reason that some sources are financial based which SMEs cannot afford to exploit it inside their firms, and SMEs' weaknesses and challenges in innovation practices arise from their size as well. SMEs in general and in Petroleum and Gas equipment industry in particular in this research according to their small scale and size can limit SMEs potential capacity and organizational capability to use all external sources. Furthermore, SMEs suffer from resource limitation or traditional closed innovation models. SMEs prefer to collaborate with sources that can foster and increase their internal organizational and innovation capabilities and capacities based on partnering/collaborating approach, which do not require investment strategies or investing their financial resources in external innovation sources in order to leverage the level of new product innovativeness. They prefer to use a more collaborative approach and partnership with other external innovation sources rather than exploiting sources, which require financial and monetary sources