Riflessioni storiche sulle relazioni internazionali di Dionisio, tiranno di Eraclea Pontica

Starting from the historical work of Memnon’s of Heracleia, which has been handed down to us by Photius’ excerpta, we can reconstruct the role of the polis of Heracleia Pontica, in the complex historical period after Alexander’s III death. With this paper, I will analyse the tyrannical period, and in particular Dionysius’ tyranny. During his tyranny, Dionysius of Heracleia Pontica was able to realize a complex network of relationships; he succeeded in making the city an undisputed protagonist of that historical period. He knew how to juggle the struggles among the Diadochoi and he was able to forge relations with some of them, and with some poleis of the Black Sea area, like Sinope, aiming to increase his power and that of his homeland

Clinical applications of squamous cell carcinoma antigen-immunoglobulins M to monitor chronic hepatitis C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the main cause of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in Western countries. Over time, the majority of cirrhotic patients develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common fatal cancers worldwide - fourth for incidence rate. A high public health priority need is the development of biomarkers to screen for liver disease progression and for early diagnosis of HCC development, particularly in the high risk population represented by HCV-positive patients with cirrhosis. Several studies have shown that serological determination of a novel biomarker, squamous cell carcinoma antigen-immunoglobulins M (SCCA-IgM), might be useful to identify patients with progressive liver disease. In the initial part of this review we summarize the main clinical studies that have investigated this new circulating biomarker on HCV-infected patients, providing evidence that in chronic hepatitis C SCCA-IgM may be used to monitor progression of liver disease, and also to assess the virological response to antiviral treatment. In the last part of this review we address other, not less important, clinical applications of this biomarker in hepatology

Callia e la confederazione euboica

Callias of Chalcis is the main figure of Euboean history in the mid-fourth century b.C. Aeschines (III 85-105) dedicated a long exursus to him, thanks to it we could understand and analyze the close relationship between Athens and the island, during the reign of Philip II of Macedonia. The complex question of the existence of the Euboean koinon in the fourth century is very interesting, and the debate among scholars is still open. A reconstruction of the events of the life of this character, on which a specific study is still missing, and a review on the controversial question of Euboean koinon are the focus of this paper

12 Opportunities on the Journey to Net Zero

The University of Derby has published the ‘Twelve Opportunities’ guides to help SME owners and managers navigate this wealth of support and to celebrate real-life decarbonisation interventions that include examples of carbon reduction, cost saving and clean growth. The guides signal some of the key steps along the pathway to Net Zero and describe examples of how some companies are already innovating in order to be resilient and competitive in the sustainable economy of the future. Together they otfer a route map to decarbonisation, by providing SMEs with a set of tools, resources and inspiration to accelerate their journey towards Net Zero

Configuration of enterprise support towards the clean growth challenge: a place-based perspective

Although clean growth has been identified as one of the grand challenges of the UK Industrial Strategy, public policy paid little attention to the configuration of business support towards enhancing clean growth potential of SMEs. The dominant approach of policymakers to the design of enterprise support interventions appears to be ‘place-blind’ and downplays the challenges that SMEs face in engaging with the clean growth policy agenda. Based on a mixed methods methodology, involving a survey of 306 businesses, a range of public engagement exercises and an extensive interview schedule, the study explores SMEs engagement with the clean growth challenge and associated business support mechanisms. We conceptualise the nexus of place-policy-practice as a way of framing policymaking approach in addressing the challenge. As part of the clean growth policy implementation, business support mechanisms need to move beyond a singular focus on energy efficiency and shift towards a holistic approach to capacity building for sustainable development. Small business needs to project a district voice in the definition of place in the local industrial strategies and have access to enterprise support which is place-based, policy-informed and practice-relevant.N/

Building an empirically grounded conceptual frame for business networking as a mechanism for pro-environmental business growth

Whilst there is a growing body of evidence relating to the environmental capabilities, eco innovation, sustainable supply chains and green skills of individual SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), much less attention has been paid to networked approaches to pro-environmental SME support. The empirical studies that do exist mostly take a firm centric approach. This study takes a network centric view to describe hitherto under-explored features of network functionality based on case analysis of a single business support network in the East Midlands of the UK. The resulting conceptual framework offers an analytical tool that can be used to study network functionality for pro-environmental SME development more widely. Empirical data for this case analysis of a single regional low-carbon business network is drawn from interviews with 25 stakeholders, analysis of programme level data and documentation, ‘insider’ observation of network activity and evidence from both independent and internal evaluations. The study charts key aspects of network provision and its impact upon SMEs and wider stakeholders. The paper then presents a conceptual model of pro-environmental business networking that identifies key internal features of network activity as well as various external drivers of multi-stakeholder engagement in the shift to a more sustainable local economy

Towards a conceptual framework of enterprise support for pro-environmental small and medium-sized enterprises: A contextualised review of diverse knowledge domains

Whilst there are well-established bodies of knowledge about enterprise support and the role of entrepreneurial learning for SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises) in general and a growing body of evidence relating to environmental capabilities, green/eco-innovation, sustainable supply chains and green skills for SMEs in particular, there is little empirical and peer reviewed literature that address approaches to enterprise support specifically focussed on the needs of the growing number of pro-environmental SMEs. This study undertakes a contextualised review of diverse knowledge domains to identify the key features of enterprise support for pro-environmental SMEs. In doing so, the paper plots the knowledge journey of experienced academic programme providers, from the initial design of an enterprise support programme for pro-environmental SMEs, through a thematic review of academic, grey and other related literature and finally presents a propositional and normative conceptual framework that proposes eight key features of enterprise support for pro-environmental SMEs. The resulting ‘framework for action’ aims to offer a practical tool for providers of pro-environmental enterprise support to review and improve their own provision, an analytical frame for other researchers in this field and a benchmark for SMEs seeking guidance on their pathway to net-zero business performance

Pro-environmental enterprise support: Developing a framework to unlock the potential of SMEs in sustainability transitions.

Although entrepreneurship is well recognised as a crucial element in fostering economic development and growth, it is yet to be viewed as a significant force in sustainability transitions. Public policy related to the performance and growth of small businesses has, to date, paid little attention to the support mechanisms that help SMEs build capacity towards sustainable development. This paper offers a framework of pro-environmental enterprise support developed through a two-round e-Delphi study, followed by a 2.5-hour virtual focus group involving 21 experts across the spectrum of business support agencies, local authorities, and EU-funded projects delivering pro-environmental enterprise support in England. The findings indicate that support for pro-environmental SME capacity building includes attention to; eco-innovation, environmental strategy, environmental capability development, responsible leadership, sustainable value proposition, greening of supply chains, and clean growth skills. The study also concludes that support programmes and interventions need to be more attuned to the specifics of entrepreneurial learning; the challenges small business face in accessing, capturing, and utilising resources; and that broadening the scope and reach of pro-environmental support programmes needs to be matched by the competences of business support professionals

Green Growth Trends in the East Midlands 2022

Green growth plays a pivotal role in sustainable development as it balances economic growth and the care for the natural environment. There is a district lack of data on the green growth trends regionally and nationally. This report is based on the 7-year study of the green growth trends in the East Midlands undertaken by the Derby Business School and the East Midlands Chamber. Collected as part of the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), this unique data set presents an insightful picture of the business engagement with the green growth. The data shows there has been almost 30% increase in the green growth activity in the East Midlands during the period 2015-2022. There is an increasing trend of diversification into new green products and services as well as green markets. Green skills development is an important factor for green growth success. Businesses urgently require support with green funding and finance to capitalise further on the green growth opportunities in the region and beyond. Policy and business support agencies are critical in supporting increasingly diverse green growth strategies of small and large businesses