Sustainability of food supply chains – mapping food waste and by-product synergies

Purpose: This conceptual paper introduces the theoretical and methodological basis of an analytical framework conceived with the purpose of bringing industrial ecology perspectives into the core of the underlying disciplines supporting studies concerned with environmental sustainability aspects beyond product life cycle boundaries in a supply chain. Research Approach: To develop the framework, we draw from a previous LCA-driven methodological approach applied to investigate industrial activities with the purpose of defining industrial ecology strategies for the development of ‘eco-industrial clusters’. We expand on this approach by combining it with the waste model for the food sector to classify the inventory of food waste and by-products generated in different stages of a food supply chain. Finally, food waste and by-product flows are considered with basis on the European waste hierarchy model and core industrial symbiosis concepts. These flows depict two time-related scenarios: 1. Present scenarios showing the status quo of current waste and by-product flows, and 2. Future scenarios pointing out potential food waste and by-product synergies along the supply chain. Findings and Originality: Different ecosystems scenarios are expected to emerge from the analysis applied in different industrial stages of a food supply chain: Farming, manufacturing, and retailing. The scenarios are the main outcomes of the analysis process and they ultimately describe potential food waste and by-product synergies not only within and between core industrial activities of the supply chain being studied, but also potential industrial linkages with organisations outside the supply chain that are nonetheless located in areas adjacent to the core industries in the supply chain being analyzed. Research Impact: By bringing industrial ecology perspectives into the analytical framework developed, the paper provides a valuable and innovative contribution to the wider debate on how supply chains meet the challenges of sustainability. Given the pressing challenges faced by the food sector, the framework focuses upon waste minimization through industrial linkages in food supply chains. The combination of industrial ecology practice with basic LCA elements, the waste hierarchy model, and the spatial scale of industrial symbiosis allows the standardization of qualitative analyses and associated outcomes. Such standardization enables comparative analysis not only between different stages of a supply chain, but also between different supply chains. Practical Impact: The analytical approach proposed contributes more coherently to the wider circular economy aspiration of optimizing the flow of goods to get the most out of raw materials and cuts wastes to a minimum. The transition to a circular economy based upon circular design and production, new circular business models involving reverse cycles and cascading of products, by-products and waste, as well as cross-cycle and cross-sector collaborations beyond traditional supply chain boundaries, requires a refreshed understanding of more current circular supply chain archetypes

Bank liquidity and financial stability.

Fluctuations in investor risk aversion are often cited as a factor explaining crises on financial markets. The alternation between periods of bullishness prompting investors to make risky investments, and periods of bearishness, when they retreat to the safest forms of investments, could be at the root of sharp fluctuations in asset prices. One problem in the assessment of these different periods is clearly distinguishing the risk perceived by agents from risk aversion itself. There are several types of risk aversion indicators used by financial institutions (the VIX, the LCVI, the GRAI, etc.). These indices, which are estimated in diverse ways, often show differing developments, although it is not possible to directly assess which is the most accurate. An interesting method in this respect is to link the indicators to financial crises. In principle, financial crises should coincide with periods in which risk aversion increases. Here we estimate probabilities of financial crises –currency and stock market crises– using the different risk aversion indicators as explanatory variables. This allows us to assess their respective predictive powers. The tests carried out show that risk aversion does tend to increase before crises, at least when it is measured by the most relevant indices. This variable is a good leading indicator of stock market crises, but is less so for currency crises.

Human duality in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Trabajo de fin de Grado. Grado en Estudios Ingleses. Curso académico 2021-2022Este estudio tiene como objetivo el análisis de los personajes de Dupin y el villano en la obra Los Crímenes de la Calle Morgue de Edgar Allan Poe, examinando la caracterización de ambos protagonistas y la separación entre ellos. Además, este Trabajo de Fin de Grado presenta la escena del crimen y las opiniones de los testigos que prueban la dualidad del hombre, a la vez que se propone la cuestión de si ambos tipos de hombre, el primitivo y el intelectual, pueden manifestarse en un mismo individuo de forma simultánea.This study tries to offer an analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin and the villain in The Murders in the Rue Morgue, by examining his characterization of both personae and the gap between them. Additionally, this dissertation presents the crime scene and the witnesses’ thoughts proving the duality of man and posing the question of whether the two types of man, the primitive and the intellectual, can be revealed within the same individual

Apropriação da renda por empreendedores rurais: três experiências na produção de café no Brasil

The purpose of this article is to answer the question of whether there are sustainable, economically feasible strategies that can capture agricultural income. To this end, the body of work on why entrepreneurs choose value-capturing and value-adding strategies is analyzed and then a model is built to analyze differentiation in the rural sphere. Four theoretical perspectives are presented: Strategic Positioning Analysis, Resource-Based View, Transaction Cost Economics, and Knight's Profit Theory. Drawing on the model, three strategic experiences from the Brazilian coffee agro-industrial system are examined, divided into three categories: joint interdependence, which presents the strategic focus of value creation through direct exports of good quality coffee, by the Guaxupé Regional Cooperative of Coffee Producers (Cooxupé); sequential interdependence, which examines the quality coffee brand strategy of the roasting company illycaffè; and mutual interdependence, in which the experience of Poço Fundo producers, aimed at adding value to coffee based on the sustainable coffee market, is analyzed. The most successful strategy in terms of representation (number of producers involved) appears to be that which focuses on scale and scope in the marketing of specialty coffees. Another interesting finding regards a new paradigm in the relations between the rural sector and the downstream segment regarding beverage quality and sustainability issues.La pregunta que guía este trabajo es si hay estrategias viables y sostenibles que permitan revertir la caída de los ingresos agrícolas de los pequeños productores. Para responderla, se analizan cuatro diferentes líneas teóricas: Análisis de Posicionamiento Estratégico, Visión Basada en Recursos, Economía de los Costos de Transacción y Teoría del Beneficio de Knight. Con base en un modelo propuesto, se examinan tres experiencias estratégicas adoptadas en el sistema agroindustrial del café: interdependencia conjunta, que presenta la orientación estratégica de creación de valor en exportación directa de café de buena calidad de la Cooperativa Regional de Cafeicultores de Guaxupé (Cooxupé); interdependencia secuencial, que evalúa la estrategia de la marca de café de calidad de la torrefactora illycaffè; interdependencia recíproca, en que se analiza la experiencia de los productores de Poço Fondo, con el fin de añadir valor al café en el mercado de cafés sostenibles. Como resultado, la estrategia que obtuvo mayor éxito en términos de representación es la que tiene foco en escala y alcance en la comercialización de cafés especiales o diferenciados.A questão que norteia esse trabalho é se existem estratégias factíveis e sustentáveis que possibilitem reverter a queda da renda agrícola dos produtores de pequena escala. Para respondê-la, analisa-se como os empresários escolhem estratégias que criam e capturam valor, com o objetivo de apresentar um modelo de análise de diferenciação no segmento. Quatro perspectivas teóricas são apresentadas: Posicionamento Estratégico, Visão Baseada em Recursos, Economia dos Custos de Transação e Teoria do Lucro de Knight. Baseadas no modelo, três experiências estratégicas do sistema agroindustrial do café brasileiro são examinadas, divididas em três categorias: interdependência conjunta, que apresenta o foco estratégico de criação de valor por meio da exportação direta de café de boa qualidade adotado pela Cooperativa Regional de Produtores de Café (Cooxupé); interdependência sequencial, que examina a estratégia de marca de qualidade da torrefadora illycaffè; interdependência mútua, na qual a experiência dos produtores de Poço Fundo é analisada, visando agregar valor ao café com base no mercado de café sustentável. Observa-se que a estratégia mais bem-sucedida em termos de representação (número de produtores envolvidos) é aquela que enfoca escala e escopo na comercialização de cafés especiais. Outro achado interessante diz respeito ao novo paradigma na relação entre o setor rural e o segmento à jusante, em relação à qualidade da bebida e às questões de sustentabilidade