An examination of motivation factors driving investor behaviours towards socially responsible community energy initiatives

Community energy initiatives play a significant role at the grassroots level in the transition to Renewable Energy Communities and a low-carbon economy. However, these initiatives are hampered by multiple barriers at the market, institutional, organisational, and individual level. Funding cuts of state-supported feed-in tariff (FiT) policy in major markets such as Germany, Japan, China and the additional capping of the number of new installations that could be accredited under the FiT scheme in the UK. In light of these market changes and the need to accelerate the development and growth through the creation of new and/or complementary future community energy models consisting of private investors, a detailed understanding of the dynamics of community energy investor characteristics and socio-psychological motivations is increasingly important. First, a review is conducted including the theories that underpin and explain the factors that affect investor behaviour, after which a conceptual framework to examine investor behaviours towards socially responsible community energy initiatives is developed. The framework is used as the basis to construct and administer a survey involving sampling of 295 UK investors in community energy initiatives and the subsequent statistical analysis of the survey data and discussions of the findings. The results first capture the differences among investors with differingregional affect and investment behaviours. The study also provides the needed insight into better understanding the dynamics of investor characteristics and motivations of community energy initiatives. Results also indicate that investors are predominantly ethically-oriented, particularly toward environmental concerns. Additionally, community and social factors also appear to play significant roles in investor participation while financial orientation is least dominant

A data envelopment analysis based evaluation of sustainable energy generation portfolio scenarios

Generating secure, affordable, and clean energy requires careful evaluation of the costs and associated risks of different energy generation sources. Portfolio optimisation models are commonly used in this regard to help diversify risks associated with generation sources. In recent times, energy policies often require the consideration of the environmental and social effects of such activity. Consequently, sustainability has become a key factor in making energy mix planning decisions. To incorporate sustainability considerations in energy mix planning, the conventional approach has been to add indicators for environmental and social costs to the total generation cost for each available technology in a portfolio optimisation model. However, this approach to developing a sustainable generation mix may not effectively address all dimensions of sustainability. In most cases, the economic dimension is prioritised over social and environmental factors. We examine how various aggregation methods impact the preference among the sources and the optimal portfolio mix and propose aggregation methods that effectively incorporate all sustainability dimensions. We observed that technology ranking based on multiplicative, pairwise interaction, and multilinear aggregation options aligns better with our sustainability goals than additive aggregation. By adopting these methods of aggregation, we were able to include more renewable and clean energy sources in our optimal portfolios

An examination of motivation factors driving investor behaviours towards socially responsible community energy initiatives

Community energy initiatives play a significant role at the grassroots level in the transition to Renewable Energy Communities and a low-carbon economy. However, these initiatives are hampered by multiple barriers at the market, institutional, organisational, and individual level. Funding cuts of state-supported feed-in tariff (FiT) policy in major markets such as Germany, Japan, China and the additional capping of the number of new installations that could be accredited under the FiT scheme in the UK. In light of these market changes and the need to accelerate the development and growth through the creation of new and/or complementary future community energy models consisting of private investors, a detailed understanding of the dynamics of community energy investor characteristics and socio-psychological motivations is increasingly important. First, a review is conducted including the theories that underpin and explain the factors that affect investor behaviour, after which a conceptual framework to examine investor behaviours towards socially responsible community energy initiatives is developed. The framework is used as the basis to construct and administer a survey involving sampling of 295 UK investors in community energy initiatives and the subsequent statistical analysis of the survey data and discussions of the findings. The results first capture the differences among investors with differingregional affect and investment behaviours. The study also provides the needed insight into better understanding the dynamics of investor characteristics and motivations of community energy initiatives. Results also indicate that investors are predominantly ethically-oriented, particularly toward environmental concerns. Additionally, community and social factors also appear to play significant roles in investor participation while financial orientation is least dominant

A data envelopment analysis based evaluation of sustainable energy generation portfolio scenarios

Generating secure, affordable, and clean energy requires careful evaluation of the costs and associated risks of different energy generation sources. Portfolio optimisation models are commonly used in this regard to help diversify risks associated with generation sources. In recent times, energy policies often require the consideration of the environmental and social effects of such activity. Consequently, sustainability has become a key factor in making energy mix planning decisions. To incorporate sustainability considerations in energy mix planning, the conventional approach has been to add indicators for environmental and social costs to the total generation cost for each available technology in a portfolio optimisation model. However, this approach to developing a sustainable generation mix may not effectively address all dimensions of sustainability. In most cases, the economic dimension is prioritised over social and environmental factors. We examine how various aggregation methods impact the preference among the sources and the optimal portfolio mix and propose aggregation methods that effectively incorporate all sustainability dimensions. We observed that technology ranking based on multiplicative, pairwise interaction, and multilinear aggregation options aligns better with our sustainability goals than additive aggregation. By adopting these methods of aggregation, we were able to include more renewable and clean energy sources in our optimal portfolios

Economic Consequences of Mandated Grading and Food Safety Assurance: Ex Ante Analysis of the Federal Marketing Order for California Pistachios

Crop Production/Industries, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing,

Unravelling the attitude-behaviour gap paradox for sustainable food consumption: Insight from the UK apple market

The remarkable progress made by the sustainable food industry as compared to the persistent small market share it holds, presents attitude-behaviour gap paradox which existing research is yet to address. The paper attempts to resolve this conundrum by addressing two key research objectives: Firstly, we draw on Campbell’s paradigm to develop a sustainable product purchase behaviour model by conceptualising and measuring behavioural difficulties in terms of behavioural\ud inhibitors/promoters, which includes Past Purchase, Premium Pricing, and Product Availability and Product Variety barriers. Further to this, we establish the exact role of purchase behavioural inhibitors/promoters from the point of view of Campbell’s paradigm. This is achieved through\ud analyses of actual behaviour data consisting of loyalty card data in the UK with a sample size of 1.8 million customers and supermarket shopper till receipt data in the UK. Evidence from the study established the existence of a sustainable product purchase inhibitor and promoter typology, which are critical to sustainable food purchase behaviour, but their degree of influence differ significantly. Our study subsequently, validates the Campbell’s paradigm theory since we were able to establish using the actual purchase behaviour data that indeed, the purchase inhibitors are what causes the so-called gap between claimed purchase behaviour and actual purchase behaviour. The study further highlights theoretical and managerial implications of the findings

Assessment of the Level of Mercury Present in Soaps by the Use of Cold Vapour Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometric Analysis – A Gambian Case Study

Sixteen brands of soap were analysed for their total mercury content using cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The aim was to find out if the soaps contained mercury and if so, what quantity. In addition, are the quantities acceptable for health purposes. Mercury was found to be present in some soaps which did not indicate it on their labels, as required by law. The amounts of mercury found in the soaps were generally low, and may not lead to any short term mercury-linked health problems. A very low limit of detection was obtained.Keywords: Mercury, The Gambia, Soaps, Indigenous industry, Fluorescenc

Palladium and platinum complexes of vitamin Bâ

Palladium and platinum complexes of pyridoxamine, pyridoxine and pyridoxal have been prepared. The structures of the complexes PtCI2PM.H20, trans-PdC12 (PN)2 and [PLH+ ]2[PtC16] 2- ,H20 have been determined by use of single crystal x-ray studies. The compounds PdC12PH, trans-PdC12 (PN) 2 , cis-PdCI2 (PN)2 and cis PdC12 (PL)2 were also studied by use of carbon-13 nmr spectroscopy. All the complexes have also been characterised by use of infrared spectral studies. In the complexes, PtCI2PM.H20 and PdC12PM, the ligand pyridoxamine is chela ted to the metal through the aminomethyl nitrogen and the phenolate oxygen atoms whereas in the complexes, trans-PdCI2 (PN)2' cis-PdCI2 (PN)2 and cis-PdC12 (PL)2 the vitamin B6 ligands are coordinated to the metal through the pyridine ring nitrogen. The compounds [PLH+ ]2[PtCI6] 2- .H20 and [PMH2] 2+ [PdCI4] 2- .H20have no direct metal-ligand bonding, In all the complexes, the metal maintains a square planar coordination except in [PLH +] 2[PtCI6] 2- ,H20 where the metal is octahedrally coordinated. PH pyridoxamine [PMH ] 2+ = diprotonated pyridoxamine 2 PN = pyridoxine PL pyridoxal PLH+ protonated pyridoxa

Using the Post-Traumatic Growth Model to Explore Trauma Narratives in Group Work with African Refugee Youth

African American youth and African refugee youth encounter systemic racism in similar yet different ways. Because of the inherent traumatic experiences encountered by refugee youth, the added discrimination during their acculturation processes elevates their trauma and stressor- related symptoms. This paper uses the Posttraumatic Growth Model to explore some steps in facilitating an 8-week group therapy for African refugee youth in the US school system. Culturally-sensitive recommendations are also provided

Sustainable Supply Chain Management and the transition towards a Circular Economy: Evidence and some Applications

In the last decades, green and sustainable supply chain management practices have been developed, trying to integrate environmental concerns into organisations by reducing unintended negative consequences on the environment of production and consumption processes. In parallel to this, the circular economy discourse has been propagated in the industrial ecology literature and practice. Circular economy pushes the frontiers of environmental sustainability by emphasising the idea of transforming products in such a way that there are workable relationships between ecological systems and economic growth. Therefore, circular economy is not just concerned with the reduction of the use of the environment as a sink for residuals but rather with the creation of self-sustaining production systems in which materials are used over and over again. Through two case studies from different process industries (chemical and food), this paper compares the performances of traditional and circular production systems across a range of indicators. Direct, indirect and total lifecycle emissions, waste recovered, virgin resources use, as well as carbon maps (which provide a holistic visibility of the entire supply chain) are presented. The paper asserts that an integration of circular economy principles within sustainable supply chain management can provide clear advantages from an environmental point view. Emerging supply chain management challenges and market dynamics are also highlighted and discussed