Environmental policy, innovation and performance : new insights on the Porter hypothesis

Jaffe and Palmer (1997) present three distinct variants of the so-called Porter Hypothesis. The “weak” version of the hypothesis posits that environmental regulation will stimulate certain kinds of environmental innovations. The “narrow” version of the hypothesis asserts that flexible environmental policy regimes give firms greater incentive to innovate than prescriptive regulations, such as technology-based standards.Finally, the “strong” version posits that properly designed regulation may induce cost-saving innovation that more than compensates for the cost of compliance. In this paper, we test the significance of these different variants of the Porter Hypothesis using data on the four main elements of the hypothesised causality chain (environmental policy, research and development, environmental performance and commercial performance). The analysis is based upon a unique database which includes observations from approximately 4200 facilities in seven OECD countries. In general, we find strong support for the “weak” version, qualified support for the “narrow” version, and qualified support for the “strong” version as well.PORTHER HYPOTHESIS;ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY;INNOVATION;ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE;BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

Business model configuration and dynamics for technology commercialization in mature markets

Purpose: The food industry is a well-established and complex industry. New entrants attempting to penetrate it via the commercialization of a new technological innovation could face high uncertainty and constraints. The capability to innovate through collaboration and to identify suitable strategies and innovative business models can be particularly important for bringing a technological innovation to this market. However, although the potential for these capabilities has been advocated, we still lack a complete understanding of how new ventures could support the technology commercialization process via the development of business models. Design/methodology/approach: To address this gap, this paper 1) builds a conceptual framework that knits together the different bodies of extant literature (i.e. entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation) to analyse the business model innovation processes associated with the exploitation of emerging technologies; 2) determines the suitability of the framework using data from the exploratory case study of ISIT3D - a firm which has started to exploit 3D printing in the food industry; 3) improves the initial conceptual framework with the findings that emerged in the case study. Findings: From this analysis it emerged that: 1) companies could use more than one BM at a time; hence, BM innovation processes could coexist and be run in parallel; 2) the facing of high uncertainty might lead firms to choose a closed and/or a familiar business model, while explorative strategies could be pursued with open business models; 3) significant changes in strategies during the technology commercialisation process are not necessarily reflected in a radical change in the business model and 4) firms could deliberately adopt interim strategies and BMs as means to identify the more suitable ones to reach the market. Originality/value: This case study illustrates how firms could innovate the processes of their BM development to face the uncertainties linked with the entry into a mature and highly conservative industry (food).This research work was supported by the Roma Tre Scholarship and the “Bit by bit: Capturing the value from the digital fabrication revolution” project, funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (Ref. EP/K039598/1)

Brazilian scientific articles on “Spirituality, Religion and Health”

Abstract Background Studies on “Spirituality, religion and health” (R/S) have been increasing worldwide, including in Brazil. Mapping this production can help researchers to understand this field and also to identify gaps in the Brazilian R/S studies. Objective To analyze the Brazilian scientific articles on “Religion, Spirituality and Health” available on the main electronic databases using a bibliometric approach. Methods A comprehensive review of four major databases (PubMed, Scopus, BVS and Web of Science) was conducted. Three reviewers performed the data analysis. Off-topic articles, articles from Portugal, books and thesis were excluded. Articles were then classified by: Publication year, journal, Central focus in R/S, Academic Area, Main topic and Study Type. Results From 3,963 articles found, 686 studies were included in the final analysis (320 had central focus on R/S). There was an increase of articles in the last decade (most observational), with predominance of mental health issues, and from journals in the field of psychiatry, public health and nursing. Discussion This study enabled us to widen our understanding about how the field of “spirituality, religion and health” has been established and how this field is increasing in Brazil. These findings can help in the development of future Brazilian studies

Complementary Spiritist Therapy: Systematic Review of Scientific Evidence

Spiritism is the third most common religion in Brazil, and its therapies have been used by millions worldwide. These therapies are based on therapeutic resources including prayer, laying on of hands, fluidotherapy (magnetized water), charity/volunteering, spirit education/moral values, and disobsession (spirit release therapy). This paper presents a systematic review of the current literature on the relationship among health outcomes and 6 predictors: prayer, laying on of hands, magnetized/fluidic water, charity/volunteering, spirit education (virtuous life and positive affect), and spirit release therapy. All articles were analyzed according to inclusion/exclusion criteria, Newcastle-Ottawa and Jadad score. At present, there is moderate to strong evidence that volunteering and positive affect are linked to better health outcomes. Furthermore, laying on of hands, virtuous life, and praying for oneself also seem to be associated to positive findings. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies on magnetized water and spirit release therapy. In summary, science is indirectly demonstrating that some of these therapies can be associated to better health outcomes and that other therapies have been overlooked or poorly investigated. Further studies in this field could contribute to the disciplines of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by investigating the relationship between body, mind, and soul/spirit

Clinical Management of Acinic Cell Carcinoma of the Lacrimal Gland

To report a case of acinic cell carcinoma occurred in the lacrimal gland. A 59-year-old man was admitted because of sudden blurring of vision, progressive proptosis of the left eye, and mild double vision in left and down directions of the gaze (Hess-Lancaster test). His medical history detailed controlled bilateral keratoconus and open angle glaucoma. On examination, the best corrected visual acuity decreased from 8/20 till 1/50 in one week. There was a swelling of the left upper eyelid. A hard and tender mass was palpated in the superior temporal left orbit. Ultrasound scan showed an extraconal solid mass, situated in the superior lateral corner of the orbit. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass of two centimeters in diameter, with round well-defined outline, within the lacrimal gland. We per-formed an enucleoresection of the mass, via a coronal approach and a lateral orbitotomy by a piezosurgical device. The lesion appeared nodular, brownish, measuring about 2 7 1.5 cm. Histopathological findings were consistent with acinic cell carcinoma with a microcystic, focally papillary-cystic growth of pattern. Follow-up MRI outcomes led to removal of the residual lacrimal gland for suspicion of recurrence. No tumor recurrences where detected at 7-year follow-up

Every animal matters! Evaluating the selectivity of a Mediterranean bottom trawl fishery from a species community perspective

Bottom trawl fisheries often catch several species simultaneously. However, most studies addressing the catch performance and selectivity of a specific trawl focus on a few commercially important or most vulnerable species requiring management measures. By contrast, the present study considers the multispecies nature of Mediterranean bottom trawl fisheries through a holistic approach that accounts for the full species community in the catches. Specifically, we evaluated and compared the catch performance of the two codends allowed for this fishery, made of 40 mm square (SM40) and 50 mm diamond (DM50) meshes. Results showed that 50 and 80% of the catch in weight and count numbers, respectively, consisted of species without commercial value, demonstrating that large proportions of the catch are not considered when using the existing approach to evaluate the ecological impact of the fishing activity. Significant differences in catch profiles between the two codends were observed, especially for two commercial flatfish species, Arnoglossus laterna and Citharus linguatula, with larger contributions in the SM40. Further, the SM40 codend had a significantly higher retention, compared to DM50 codend, for specific sizes of Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus. The outcomes of the study can be useful for the Mediterranean bottom trawl fisheries management

Canadian clinical guidelines for periodic eye examinations in children aged 0-5 years: Have we got it right?

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