6,477 research outputs found
Resilience and food security in a food systems context
This open access book compiles a series of chapters written by internationally recognized experts known for their in-depth but critical views on questions of resilience and food security. The book assesses rigorously and critically the contribution of the concept of resilience in advancing our understanding and ability to design and implement development interventions in relation to food security and humanitarian crises. For this, the book departs from the narrow beaten tracks of agriculture and trade, which have influenced the mainstream debate on food security for nearly 60 years, and adopts instead a wider, more holistic perspective, framed around food systems. The foundation for this new approach is the recognition that in the current post-globalization era, the food and nutritional security of the world’s population no longer depends just on the performance of agriculture and policies on trade, but rather on the capacity of the entire (food) system to produce, process, transport and distribute safe, affordable and nutritious food for all, in ways that remain environmentally sustainable. In that context, adopting a food system perspective provides a more appropriate frame as it incites to broaden the conventional thinking and to acknowledge the systemic nature of the different processes and actors involved. This book is written for a large audience, from academics to policymakers, students to practitioners
The food quality schemes of the European Union and their implications on the Hungarian market [védés előtt]
It is becoming increasingly important for consumers to know exactly what kind of foods they consume, while it is increasingly vital for food producers to excel from the competition in the global market. This requires a great deal of information exchange between these two market players. The most common way to do this is through various food labels. I have focused on one group of such labels in my research, trying to find out as much useful information as possible about the geographical indications (GI) of the European Union. I was looking for answers to the following questions:
1, How well-known are the labels of EU GI products among Hungarian consumers, and how well do they know their meaning?
The awareness of the GI labels in Hungary is definitely low (in the best case, it was 31%), even if this number is not much lower than the average in the EU. This number is probably too low for these labels to be effective marketing tools for producers. It also includes the fact that only 50% of those who said they know the label know at least approximately the meaning of the label. Can you build a marketing campaign currently on these markings? Probably not an effective one, but what gives hope is that awareness of the labels compared to previous surveys is constantly increasing. The EU focuses on GI products, so this growth is expected to be continued. So far, the EU has completed more than 30 international agreements, which allow the recognition of many EU GI outside the boundaries of the EU and the recognition of non-EU GI inside the territories of the EU. GIs represent an increasingly important aspect of trade negotiations between the EU and other countries. The Commission separates around €50 million year after year to support quality products in the EU and all over the world. Taking this into account, these labels can play an important role in the food markets in the near future.
2, What is the level of trust in the labelling of EU GI products, and what influences this trust?
About half of the respondents said that they trust the logo. When we analysed the possible variables, which can influence trust, we concluded that knowledge of logos is important because if someone knows the label, they have more than three times the chance to trust them, while in terms of meaning, the chance is almost double. Based on the research, we can say that gender, education, and age do not affect trust in EU GI labels. In the case of place of residence, it can be said that someone who lives in a more urban environment trusts less in GI labels. All in all, consumer education is most needed to build confidence in GI, as those who recognize the labels on food packaging or are aware of what those labels mean will treat these products with much greater confidence.
3, How often do consumers buy EU GI certified products, and what affects it?
More than 35% of those surveyed are regular customers of GI-labelled products. The frequency of purchases is mostly determined by consumer confidence (the result is not significant for the PDO). Women become much fewer regular customers (not significant for the PGI). In terms of age, the older a consumer is, the less likely it is to become a regular buyer (not significant for PDO), while residents of rural, smaller settlements are more loyal buyers of PGI products. The highest level of education has no detectable effect here either. So, in this topic also, we have to repeat that the most important thing is to inform consumers as widely as possible.
4, In the Hungarian market, what is the market size of products with geographical indication, examining the example of discount stores?
The number of GI products available in Hungarian discount stores is limited, with an average of 11 products per store. The supply is fairly constant; however, even though there are only a limited number of GI products on the shelves, they are at least always available to consumers and are part of the chains ’core product portfolio. However, the number of GI products usually increases during the thematic days (e.g., Greek days). We can see that the supply is very limited for GI products, so buyers rarely meet face to face with the label, they are even less likely to find out about the meaning of the markings on their own. Targeted information on GI labels is needed for consumers, and for that they start to appreciate them.
5, In Hungarian discount stores, what is the price premium of products with a geographical indication compared to their direct substitutes, estimated from below?
The average price premium for GI products is 29% in the Aldi, 46% in the Penny Market and the highest was in Lidl with 54%. Overall, the average premium was around 43%. It is also important to mention that in addition to supply, prices did not really change during the observations. Although the price of some products may also change during promotional periods, consumers can plan to purchase GI products in advance. On the other hand, discount stores provide a continuous market for producers as well.
6, Are geographical indications positively related to comparative advantages in the beer market?
Our results show that the number of GI-registered beers is positively related to comparative advantages. Countries with traditional beer products closely linked to their place of origin are usually with a higher level of comparative advantages as the number of GI beers positively determines SRCA indices. From this, it can be concluded that it is not pointless to promote the increase in the number of GI products and devote resources to GI labels
Private Equity: Antecedents, Outcomes, Mediators, and Moderators
As private equity’s financial heft and influence on the business landscape has intensified, so too has scholarly interest in the phenomenon. We review recent progress in private equity research, with a focus on the private equity industry’s later-stage buyout segment. To synthesize and integrate current findings, we construct a framework that encompasses not only antecedents and outcomes of private equity’s activities, but also mediators and moderators of the relationships that drive these outcomes. Based upon the gaps and learning opportunities that are surfaced by this framework, we develop recommendations for future private equity research. The proposed research agenda is particularly germane to management scholars, whose theories and perspectives have thus far been productively, yet relatively sparingly, applied in private equity research
Traineeship Report at the European Banking Authority – A critical assessment of the EBA’s stance on its 10 years of activity
Internship Report presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Law and Financial MarketsFrom the outset of its edification, the European Banking Authority’s (EBA) governance arrangements, procedures, and structure have been called into question, in particular in the context of the establishment of the Banking Union (BU) and consequently the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). The extant studies have been treating the EBA with open criticism of its powers, decision-making processes, and regulatory independence. Since the EBA just turned 10 years old, it is appropriate to consider the recent advances in the EU’s supervisory and regulatory landscape.
In the plea for a new fresh impetus on the EBA’s contribution to the Europeanisation of Banking Regulation and Supervision, this Report aims at shedding light on the academic research about the Agency, which was afforded by the unique opportunity of engaging in a traineeship at the EBA. Thus, we aim at answering the following research question by recuring to an interview process that collected the EBA’s staff viewpoints on the literature’s outstanding criticism points: Over the course of its 10 years of activity, has the EBA been meeting the expectations that were placed on it and rectified the shortcomings pointed out to its predecessor?
While touching upon the EBA’s role in building up a Single Rulebook, supporting national supervisors with the necessary technical expertise, and spreading good practices which are paramount to walking towards a ‘more’ European setting, this Report finds that the legislator’s expectations placed on the EBA of advancing micro-prudential supervision and mitigating its predecessor’s regulatory gaps are progressively being attained. Contrary to the academic literature’s scepticism, the EBA remains a valuable piece in ensuring regulatory convergence, and financial stability, and has proven to be properly equipped to adapt to the potential pitfalls that might arise within the EU banking supervisory and regulatory framework.Desde os primórdios da sua edificação que os mecanismos, procedimentos e estrutura de governação da Autoridade Bancária Europeia (EBA) têm vindo a ser postos em causa, especialmente no contexto do estabelecimento da União Bancária e consequentemente do Mecanismo Único de Supervisão (MUS). Os estudos existentes têm criticado fortemente os poderes, o processo decisório e a independência regulatória da EBA. Uma vez que a EBA celebrou recentemente o seu 10º aniversário, é pertinente considerar os avanços recentes no campo regulatório e de supervisão europeu.
Perante a necessidade de abrir espaço para uma nova perspetiva a respeito do contributo da EBA para a europeização da Regulação e Supervisão Bancária, o presente Relatório pretende dar a conhecer a investigação académica que foca na Agência, cuja oportunidade foi proporcionada pela ocasião de realizar um estágio na EBA. Neste sentido, procuramos responder à seguinte pergunta de pesquisa, recorrendo a um processo de entrevistas que visou recolher os pontos de vista dos funcionários da EBA sobre as críticas tecidas pela literatura existente: Ao longo dos seus 10 anos de atividade, a EBA tem correspondido às expectativas que lhe foram depositadas e retificado as deficiências apontadas ao seu antecessor?
Ao abordar o papel da EBA na construção de um conjunto único de regras para toda a Europa, num esforço para providenciar a sua perícia técnica aos supervisores nacionais e difundir boas práticas que são primordiais para caminhar para um cenário 'mais' europeu, este Relatório considera que as expectativas do legislador depositadas na EBA de promover supervisão microprudencial e mitigar as lacunas regulatórias apontadas ao seu antecessor estão a ser progressivamente alcançadas. Contrariamente ao ceticismo manifestado pela literatura académica, a EBA permanece enquanto peça essencial para garantir a convergência regulatória e estabilidade financeira, e provou estar devidamente equipada para se adaptar aos possíveis entraves que podem surgir no quadro regulatório e de supervisão bancária da União Europeia
Energy Supplies in the Countries from the Visegrad Group
The purpose of this Special Issue was to collect and present research results and experiences on energy supply in the Visegrad Group countries. This research considers both macroeconomic and microeconomic aspects. It was important to determine how the V4 countries deal with energy management, how they have undergone or are undergoing energy transformation and in what direction they are heading. The articles concerned aspects of the energy balance in the V4 countries compared to the EU, including the production of renewable energy, as well as changes in its individual sectors (transport and food production). The energy efficiency of low-emission vehicles in public transport and goods deliveries are also discussed, as well as the energy efficiency of farms and energy storage facilities and the impact of the energy sector on the quality of the environment
Constitutions of Value
Gathering an interdisciplinary range of cutting-edge scholars, this book addresses legal constitutions of value.
Global value production and transnational value practices that rely on exploitation and extraction have left us with toxic commons and a damaged planet. Against this situation, the book examines law’s fundamental role in institutions of value production and valuation. Utilising pathbreaking theoretical approaches, it problematizes mainstream efforts to redeem institutions of value production by recoupling them with progressive values. Aiming beyond radical critique, the book opens up the possibility of imagining and enacting new and different value practices.
This wide-ranging and accessible book will appeal to international lawyers, socio-legal scholars, those working at the intersections of law and economy and others, in politics, economics, environmental studies and elsewhere, who are concerned with rethinking our current ideas of what has value, what does not, and whether and how value may be revalued
Empowering Information Systems Users: The Role of Timely and Customizable Information for User Engagement and Selection Behavior
Information systems (IS) increasingly empower their users by strengthening users’ capability and autonomy to make their own decisions how to use and engage with IS. Specifically, users are empowered when they have sufficient knowledge to make rational decisions within IS and sufficient control to shape their experience with IS. In line with these pillars of empowerment, technological advancements unlock new possibilities for IS providers to empower users with access to high quality information (e.g., by providing timely updates of dynamically changing information) and with the ability to control the information stream (e.g., by implementing interfaces to customize websites). As a result, users have greater autonomy to actively shape their user experience to their likening, making them less dependent on having to identify IS that match their needs. At the same time, empowering users pays off for IS providers, as empowered users are known to form more positive attitudes and intentions to engage with the empowering IS. This thesis addresses the two aforementioned pillars of empowerment through knowledge and empowerment through control. Four studies shed light on how the increasingly prevalent practice of empowering users with timely and customizable information affects user engagement as well as users’ selection behavior.
The first strand of this thesis investigates user empowerment through timely information in the context of decision support systems (DSS) that aid users in their selection of which (physical) location to visit. To avoid congestion at locations, such DSS communicate how busy each location is by displaying crowding information (CI), accompanied by timeliness cues indicating when this CI was retrieved (e.g., “updated just now” vs. “average over the last year”). Helping users avoid crowded locations becomes all the more important during periods of extraordinary pathogenic risk, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where physical distancing is imperative for the containment of the pathogen. Against this background, the first study in this thesis investigates how CI with different levels of timeliness affects how users select between differently crowded medical practices. The results demonstrate that while the display of CI is generally useful for users to avoid crowded locations, providing particularly timely CI (i.e., updated close to real-time) leads users to select less crowded locations even more effectively. Moreover, this effect is strongest for individuals who exhibit low levels of health anxiety – an important contextual variable influencing user behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second study extends the findings of the first study by investigating a context in which hedonic motives may encourage users to seek instead of avoid crowds. Specifically, the study examines how timely CI affects users’ choice between differently crowded bars. Despite users longing for the presence of others as part of their visit experience, the results show that particularly timely CI makes users more aware of potential costs of congestion (e.g., prolonged wait times) and consequently leads users to select less crowded locations – thereby corroborating the previous findings in the utilitarian context of selecting a medical practice. Importantly, timelier CI also increases user engagement in that users express a greater intention to reuse the DSS providing the CI. This finding indicates that timely CI not only contributes to the containment of congestion, but also allows DSS providers to retain users more effectively and thereby achieve recurring impact on the reduction of crowding.
The second strand of this thesis investigates user empowerment through customizable information in the context of (banner) ads on websites. As ads oftentimes cause irritation and stifle user engagement with the website, first website providers have begun to empower users to customize how many ads they agree to have displayed. Despite website providers hoping to thereby enhance user engagement, it is unclear how users respond to the ability to customize ads they never asked for. Against this backdrop, the third study investigates how the provision of ad quantity customization (AQC) affects user engagement and which ad quantity levels users opt for. The results demonstrate that offering AQC consistently enhances user engagement in that users with access to AQC stay longer on the website and visit more sub-pages than users who cannot customize ad quantity. Counter-intuitively, a website with ads that offers AQC elicits even greater user engagement than a website that is entirely free of ads by default. In addition, the effect on user engagement is strongest for users accessing the website with a mobile (vs. stationary) device. Interestingly, users do not configure AQC to eliminate ads altogether, but instead opt for 29.0% of the default amount of ads to be displayed.
The fourth study seeks to extend the previous findings by shedding light on the underlying mechanism that drives the effect of providing AQC on user engagement. The findings suggest that offering AQC elicits perceived empowerment as a pivotal stimulant with two important outcomes: First, users pay closer attention to the website, thereby discovering more information useful to them and consequently experiencing a greater fit between the website’s information and their own needs. Second, the feeling of being in control over ads, as typically immutable and irritating website elements, elicits a sense of enjoyment. Both informational fit and perceived enjoyment then lead users to engage more intensely with the website.
Overall, this thesis showcases the role and importance of IS-enabled user empowerment by providing a more comprehensive understanding of how empowering users with timely and customizable information affects user engagement and users’ selection behavior. In doing so, this thesis answers calls for research that urge scholars to not only shed light on emerging phenomena, but also to enable and empower IS users. The studies in this thesis contribute to IS research on empowerment by (1) revealing the importance of timeliness of information as a thus far under-investigated source of empowerment and by (2) uncovering ad customization as a hitherto largely neglected, yet important piece of web customization that complements our understanding of empowerment mechanisms. In addition, this thesis also offers valuable insights and actionable recommendations how DSS providers and policy makers can harness empowerment through timely CI to recurringly reduce crowding without infringing on users’ freedom. Likewise, this thesis guides website providers how to leverage ads as website elements that users enjoy to customize to boost user engagement with the website as a whole
International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022
This conference proceedings gathers work and research presented at the International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022 (IASSC2022) held on July 3, 2022, in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. The conference was jointly organized by the Faculty of Information Management of Universiti Teknologi MARA Kelantan Branch, Malaysia; University of Malaya, Malaysia; Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta, Indonesia; Universitas Ngudi Waluyo, Indonesia; Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Philippines; and UCSI University, Malaysia. Featuring experienced keynote speakers from Malaysia, Australia, and England, this proceeding provides an opportunity for researchers, postgraduate students, and industry practitioners to gain knowledge and understanding of advanced topics concerning digital transformations in the perspective of the social sciences and information systems, focusing on issues, challenges, impacts, and theoretical foundations. This conference proceedings will assist in shaping the future of the academy and industry by compiling state-of-the-art works and future trends in the digital transformation of the social sciences and the field of information systems. It is also considered an interactive platform that enables academicians, practitioners and students from various institutions and industries to collaborate
Financial reporting in Europe: Accounting for regulatory and technical challenges
This thesis explores the challenges facing financial reporting in Europe both regulatory and technical in nature. This has involved research into the background of European legislation and conducting face to face semi-structured interviews with senior elite actors from institutions governing the regulatory and technical arrangements of general-purpose financial reporting practice in Europe. European companies are required to disclose information about their financial affairs. The European legislation governing company financial reporting was delegated to the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) by the EU institutions via Regulation 1606/2002. This thesis argues that European agencies (represented by EFRAG) are caught in a devolved regulatory relationship where the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has been able to assume a relatively strong self-regulatory position. This weakens the agency that European legislative institutions have over their own legislation with regards to financial reporting practice. This thesis argues this loss of agency by European institutions over their legislation governing accounting practice is not a fait accompli but is challenged and contested as European institutions seek and need a more co-regulated arrangement. A key argument developed in this thesis is that regulatory arrangements governing accounting practice are evolving in terms of the distribution of responsibilities and control over European financial reporting practice. To understand how the regulatory landscape governing European accounting practice is changing we employ an investigative lens that is grounded in accounting. This investigative lens employs three elements that are regarded in the literature review as significant technical challenges facing accounting practice in Europe. The first of these is retaining or not prudent accounting practice, the second is concerned with the development of non-financial reporting and the third, concerns with installing the public interest not just investor interests in financial disclosures. It is through this investigative lens that this thesis assesses the extent to which regulatory arrangements and agency governing accounting practice in Europe are shifting sands
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