Hasil untuk "Commercial geography. Economic geography"

Clement Mwaanga, Mushala Wamulume, Edwin Moyo

Abstract This study investigates the influence of ChatGPT, a generative AI tool, on the entrepreneurial intentions of final-year university students in Zambia. Grounded in the technology acceptance model (TAM) and theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the research examines how perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) of ChatGPT influence attitudes towards entrepreneurship (ATE), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioural control (PBC), which in turn shape entrepreneurial intentions (EIs). A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 403 students, and data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that PEOU significantly affects ATE and SN, while PU does not significantly influence any TPB constructs. All TPB constructs (ATE, SN, and PBC) positively predict EIs, with PBC emerging as the strongest predictor. The results suggest that ChatGPT indirectly influences entrepreneurial intentions through cognitive pathways, particularly by shaping attitudes and social norms. The study contributes to the growing literature on digital entrepreneurship and AI adoption, highlighting the importance of ease of use in fostering entrepreneurial cognition. Practical implications for educators, AI developers, and policymakers are discussed, emphasising the need to integrate user-friendly AI tools into entrepreneurship education and support systems. Limitations and future research directions are outlined, calling for longitudinal and qualitative studies further to unpack the complex relationship between AI and entrepreneurial behaviour.

ENACHE IULIANA VIOLETA, MAFTEI ROBERT, DRAGOMIR MADALINA

This study examines the dynamics of inflation in Romania during 2014–2024, a decade marked by overlapping crises that shaped the macroeconomic landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic, the global energy shock, the Russia–Ukraine conflict, and renewed geopolitical tensions significantly altered price trajectories and disrupted expectations. These external pressures interacted with domestic structural rigidities, procyclical fiscal policies, and political uncertainty, creating a complex environment for monetary policy transmission. Using an integrated narrative approach complemented by a regression-based assessment of exchange rate determinants, the paper analyzes the capacity of the National Bank of Romania (NBR) to mitigate inflationary pressures through interest rate adjustments, liquidity management, and communication strategies. Results indicate that while monetary policy contributed to financial stability and partially contained second-round effects, its effectiveness was constrained by weak expectation anchoring, low financial intermediation, and limited fiscal-monetary coordination. A comparative perspective with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary highlights the relevance of institutional credibility and the role of structural features in determining policy outcomes. The paper concludes with policy recommendations aimed at strengthening resilience and improving the transmis-sion of monetary policy in small open emerging economies.

Consuelo Calafat-Marzal, Veronica Piñeiro, Francesc J. Cervera et al.

This study analyses the functional diversity of EIP-AGRI Operational Groups (OGs) in Spain, focusing on their roles as innovation intermediaries. It seeks to identify intermediary functions and enabling conditions that support the achievement of innovative solutions in the agri-food sector. Based on a national survey of OGs, the study applies a mixed-methods design, combining hierarchical cluster analysis and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). The intermediary functions performed by OGs are classified into operational profiles, and key enabling factors are identified. Three distinct functional profiles emerged: Collaborative Leaders, Moderate Innovators, and Emerging Explorers. Human capital and consortium composition were identified as necessary conditions for successful innovation among advanced OGs. Moderate Innovators were characterised by the need for simplified administrative procedures and cost-effectiveness. Emerging Explorers displayed latent potential but required further capacity building. These results provide evidence for differentiated policy support, particularly for capacity building, simplification of procedures, and strategic partner selection.

Lutz Peschke, Kianush Monschau, Frans Folkvord et al.

Abstract Sustainable research and innovation activities are mainly executed in collaborative networks consisting of stakeholders from academia, the economy, politics, and the media-based public considering the knowledge of the natural environment of societies. AI-based tools play an increasing role in knowledge production processes in all stakeholder communities. However, with a view to Mode 3 knowledge production, the context of the deployment of AI-based tools in a creative knowledge environment is not systematically analyzed. This paper focuses on a so-called Screenathon as a new format of knowledge production and knowledge exchange that integrates AI-based tools as a knowledge-producing entity. It follows the concept of an academic firm where creative knowledge environments are the central aspect in the combination of different principles of knowledge production. The Screenathon was executed for 2 days in Utrecht, The Netherlands, where 26 stakeholders from science, economy, politics, industry, and the professional public came together to screen > 12,000 papers about processes in the context of patient-generated health data (PGHD). The papers are the output of an AI-based literature review tool, ASReview. The Screenathon is, therefore, the second step in which the publications found are sorted by human activity into on-topic and off-topic papers. The screening of the papers were proceeded in different cultural locations in the city of Utrecht. In the present paper, the authors evaluate the interplay of a creative knowledge environment and an AI-based learning environment with the help of the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD). It contributes to the understanding of AI’s impact on Mode 3 knowledge production and how it stimulates new forms of academic and educational systems. It could additionally juxtapose communicating and interpreting action in the context of meaning-making as the basis of social systems and include the discussion about the change of the self-rationale in the system knowledge.

DURA CODRUȚA CORNELIA , GHICAJANU MIHAELA

While small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in driving global economic growth, innovation, and employment, they continue to encounter substantial challenges in their efforts to internationalize. Despite their importance, existing research on SME internationalization remains fragmented and lacks theoretical cohesion, leading to inconclusive findings about how SMEs expand and compete globally. This paper addresses this critical gap by systematically reviewing and synthesizing the diverse strands of literature on SMEs’ pathways to internationalization and globalization. Employing the PRISMA framework, a rigorously structured approach for conducting systematic literature reviews, the study ensures transparency and replicability in the selection and analysis of publications. The review draws from the Scopus database, recognized for its extensive coverage of peer-reviewed academic works, and examines studies published over a 20-year period (2004–2024) across multiple subject areas to capture a holistic perspective. Through this process, seven dominant themes emerged, with strategic alliances identified as the most influential driver of SME internationalization, reflecting SMEs’ dependence on collaboration, partnership networks, and resource sharing to overcome size and resource constraints. However, the study also reveals persistent barriers to the effective implementation of these strategies, including limited financial capacity, inadequate managerial expertise, and weak institutional support. By highlighting these challenges, the review not only consolidates existing knowledge but also outlines key directions for future research, emphasizing the need to examine contextual factors such as industry dynamics, digital transformation, and regional policy environments.

Mehmet Çetin, Ceren Ozcan Tatar, Yalcin Ozturk et al.

Ying Yang, P. Campana, B. Stridh et al.

Abstract Solar photovoltaic energy, driven mostly by the residential and commercial market segments, has been growing a lot in recent years in Sweden. In response to the commitment towards sustainability goals, this paper explores the potential of roof-mounted solar photovoltaic projects. This paper focuses on: roof area estimation, potential installed capacity, and potential electricity generation, at the single municipal scale and at the national scale. The following categories of different building types have been investigated: residential buildings, industrial buildings, buildings of social function, buildings of business function, buildings of economic/agricultural function, buildings of complementary function, and buildings of other unknown functions. The analysis starts from Vasteras, a typical Swedish municipality and ranking seventh among the largest cities in Sweden. An estimate of 5.74 km2 available roof area potential is calculated, by considering factors such as building purposes, roof orientations, shadows and obstacles. The total potential installed capacity is calculated, assuming the installation of commercial photovoltaic modules, and design parameters for flat roofs such as inter-row distances and tilt angles. With the inputs of meteorological parameters and geographical information, the potential yearly electricity generation is calculated. The results reveal 727, 848, and 956 MWp potential installed capacity and 626, 720, and 801 GWh annual electricity production for Vasteras on pitched roofs and flat roofs with three scenarios, respectively. The extrapolation of the methodology to the entire of Sweden yields a total of 504 km2 usable roof area and 65, 75, and 84 GWp installed capacity. Finally, we reveal a new understanding of usable roof area distribution and of potential installed capacity of roof-mounted solar photovoltaic systems, which can largely help evaluate subsidy scale and solar energy policy formulation in Sweden.

M. Borca, A. Rai, E. Ramírez-Medina et al.

African swine fever is currently causing a pandemic resulting in devastating losses to the swine industry. Experimental ASF vaccines rely on the production of vaccine in primary swine macrophages, which are difficult to use for the production of a vaccine on a commercial level. ABSTRACT African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a virulent, deadly infection in wild and domestic swine and is currently causing a pandemic covering a contiguous geographical area from Central and Eastern Europe to Asia. No commercial vaccines are available to prevent African swine fever (ASF), resulting in devastating economic losses to the swine industry. The most advanced vaccine candidates are live attenuated strains developed using a genetically modified virulent parental virus. Recently, we developed a vaccine candidate, ASFV-G-ΔI177L, by deleting the I177L gene from the genome of the highly virulent ASFV pandemic strain Georgia (ASFV-G). ASFV-G-ΔI177L is safe and highly efficacious in challenge studies using parental ASFV-G. Large-scale production of ASFV-G-ΔI177L has been limited because it can replicate efficiently only in primary swine macrophages. Here, we present the development of an ASFV-G-ΔI177L derivative strain, ASFV-G-ΔI177L/ΔLVR, that replicates efficiently in a stable porcine cell line. In challenge studies, ASFV-G-ΔI177L/ΔLVR maintained the same level of attenuation, immunogenic characteristics, and protective efficacy as ASFV-G-ΔI177L. ASFV-G-ΔI177L/ΔLVR is the first rationally designed ASF vaccine candidate that can be used for large-scale commercial vaccine manufacture. IMPORTANCE African swine fever is currently causing a pandemic resulting in devastating losses to the swine industry. Experimental ASF vaccines rely on the production of vaccine in primary swine macrophages, which are difficult to use for the production of a vaccine on a commercial level. Here, we report a vaccine for ASFV with a deletion in the left variable region (LVR). This deletion allows for growth in stable cell cultures while maintaining the potency and efficacy of the parental vaccine strain. This discovery will allow for the production of an ASF vaccine on a commercial scale.

Natalia Castejón, Amandine Adrien, Lea Spitzer et al.

H. Niyonsaba, J. Höhler, J. Kooistra et al.

Despite growing interest from entrepreneurs, knowledge on the profitability of commercial-scale insect production is scarce. Insight into the economic figures of insect production is needed by farmers aiming to start insect farms, by banks seeking to provide financing, and by governments planning policy interventions. This review provides an overview of the profitability and underlying economic figures relating to the production of Hermetia illucens, Alphitobius diaperinus, Tenebrio molitor and Acheta domesticus. To enhance data interpretation, we also provide a brief overview of the global insect sector, with specific attention to farm-level operational practices. Sales prices refer to fresh larvae, dried larvae or larvae meal, whereas operational costs include costs for feed, labour, electricity, water and gas. Operational cost components differ per insect species, and therefore the relevant margins are specified for three insect species. The energy, feed, and labour margin for production of H. illucens ranges from € -798 to 15,576 per tonne of dried larvae. The feed and labour margin for production of T. molitor ranges from € 7,620 to 13,770 per tonne of fresh larvae. For production of A. domesticus the feed margin ranges from € 12,268 to 78,676 per tonne of larvae meal. The margin range for A. diaperinus cannot be estimated, due to a lack of data in the literature. The ranges mainly reflect the differences in sales prices, which are found to heavily depend on the geographical market location, type of market (feed or food) and quantity sold. Major operational costs include feed and labour, with feed costs varying substantially within and between insect species. The economic figures and margins presented in this article provide a foundation for the further development of the insect production sector.

R. Massantini, R. Moscetti, M. Frangipane

Abstract Background worldwide chestnut production is ~2.353 Tg (FAO, 2020). The global chestnut production has increased steadily over the last decade, which is due to consumers’ salient beliefs in the health benefits of chestnut consumption. Chestnuts have extraordinary nutritional and organoleptic characteristics and chestnut quality evaluation is paramount. Scope and approach nowadays, chestnuts are essential food items for many people around the world. This state-of-the-art review covers the recent advances in chestnut quality assessment, with particular emphasis on their nutritional characteristics, health benefits and the impacts of processing on shelf life. Our aim is to provide a general framework for enhancing chestnut quality and supply chain sustainability. Key findings and conclusions According to literature, chestnuts may also provide several health benefits, and represent a great economic resource, due to their availability and affordability. This review will be of interest to consumers, will help commercial chestnut producers to select the best chestnut varieties to grow in a particular geographical region and will ultimately improve the quality of the chestnuts produced.

Wei Chen, Haipeng Zhang

Cereal trade is essential for economic and commercial cooperation among countries along the “Belt and Road” (BRI). It helps ensure food security and contributes to building a community of interests and destinies for the BRI countries. Based on the UN Comtrade database, this study, using a network analysis approach, investigates the structural characteristics and spatiotemporal dynamics of cereal trade networks among the “Belt and Road” countries. Results show that: (1) The cereal trade among the BRI countries has formed well-connected and complex trade networks, and the “Belt and Road” initiative has significantly promoted cereal trade networks among the BRI countries. (2) The backbone structures of cereal trade networks along the BRI are in geographical proximity. India, Russia, and Ukraine are the most important trading partners and absolute core nodes in the trade networks, influencing the entire cereal trade networks. (3) The BRI cereal trade networks exhibit significant core-periphery structures, with considerable power asymmetries between the countries reflecting food supply and demand differences. In general, the BRI cereal trade networks have developed from relatively diversified to polarized. Supply chains in the cereal trade network are dominated by a few large countries and are fragile, with weak resilience and low resistance to risk. Therefore, governments should continue to strengthen regional cooperation, optimize cereal trade network structure, enhance their reserve capacity, and build a stronger system to guarantee food security and prevent risk. All these measures will support the food security of the “Belt and Road” countries.

Ilias Alami, Adam D. Dixon, Ruben Gonzalez-Vicente et al.

ABSTRACT We may be witnessing the emergence of a new ‘state capitalist’ normal, a term this Forum proposes to problematise in its geopolitical dimensions. The growing prevalence of state-sponsored entities (encompassing state enterprises, policy banks, and sovereign wealth funds) as leading vehicles of economic activity is a defining feature of our times. This reassertion of state authority is altering configurations of state and corporate power across the world economy while generating a multiplicity of geopolitical tensions. This Forum reflects upon what it means, theoretically, methodologically, and politically, to articulate a geopolitics of contemporary state capitalism. It brings together interventions which draw on various theoretical approaches, including critical political geography, historical materialism, geographical political economy, and power structure research, in order to probe into the multiple spatialities at the core of contemporary state capitalism. The contributions aim to destabilise the assumptions and taken-for-granted ideas which have largely framed the debate thus far, including problematic binaries such as liberal/illiberal, state/market, commercial/geopolitical logics, and realist narratives of interstate power-maximising behaviour. Studying the (geo)political re-organisation of global capitalism requires moving beyond the castigation of a ‘rogue’ state capitalism as well as narratives of a clash between rival political-economic models, and disassembling the category state capitalism.

MIRICĂ ANDREEA, PETCU IONELA-ROXANA

In the context of the digital revolution, data is the most valuable resource which gains in value the more it is used. Freely available open source data and institutional data repositories encourage and connect, both academia and industry. The successful use of open data in creating educational resources better prepare the students as future workforce offering specific paths targeted to a job. In terms of research, open data from the government portals ensures additional path for creation of new knowledge and reveal patterns in the data structure. Nowadays, many public administration bodies produce and collect vast quantities of high structured data. The open data initiatives of sharing the information from organizations to citizens evolve into a global phenomenon. As a result, citizens, as well as researchers are more actively engaged in policy making. Our current research paper analyses the perspective of the impact of “data.gov.ro” open data portal on academic research. The main porpose of the research is to examine and evaluate what are the characteristics of the research papers present in Google Scholar returned to the query data.gov.ro, how many of the research papers are indexed in Google Scholar are also present in Web of Science and what are their characteristics in Web of Science. Our results show that although most of the research papers have only one author and are writen in English, only 20% of the papers indexed in Google Scholar are also present in Web of Science, based on Publish or perish software.

Abdelkrim Ould Rebai, Tarik Hartani, Marcel Kuper

User-led innovation is increasingly happening in a globalized context, connecting local experience to outside ideas, knowledge, and technologies. Alternatively, local innovations designed, manufactured and marketed for a particular context travel to other settings. We analyze the diffusion of a low-cost artisanal irrigation pivot from the Suf Valley (Algeria) to other Saharan regions and even to Saudi Arabia and Sudan. We conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with manufacturers, farmers, government agents, and made field observations on 18 farms in 2020/2021. The diffusion of the pivot was enabled by extending the innovation system to trusted innovation intermediaries in new settings, who played an active role in adapting the technology and support services to local agrarian systems. However, while the innovation homeland can be considered an open innovation environment, manufacturing and after-sales services in the new settings were tightly controlled by manufacturers to secure intellectual property and maintain a monopoly. This study contributes to the debate on the creativity of local innovation actors and their involvement in (supra)national agricultural development.

A. C. Aprotosoaie, E. Gille, A. Trifan et al.

D. Hauser, K. Laidre, H. Stern

Significance The Arctic is experiencing unprecedented rates of sea ice loss in concert with expanding anthropogenic activities that may have compounding effects on marine ecosystems. The Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route have recently seen the advent of commercial traffic, raising questions of how to juggle economic development and conservation. Here we show the vulnerability of 80 subpopulations of seven endemic Arctic marine mammal species to vessel traffic across the Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route during the open-water season, accompanied by estimates of uncertainty that highlight additional research needs. As global, national, and local organizations sharpen their focus on the Arctic, our results provide a framework to evaluate environmental impacts to the region’s most iconic and sensitive species. The fabled Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route that were once the quests of early Western explorers are now increasingly sea ice–free, with routine vessel transits expected by midcentury. The potential impacts of this novel vessel traffic on endemic Arctic marine mammal (AMM) species are unknown despite their critical social and ecological roles in the ecosystem and widely recognized susceptibility to ice loss. We developed a vulnerability assessment of 80 subpopulations of seven AMM species to vessel traffic during the ice-free season. Vulnerability scores were based on the combined influence of spatially explicit exposure to the sea routes and a suite of sensitivity variables. More than half of AMM subpopulations (42/80) are exposed to open-water vessel transits in the Arctic sea routes. Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) were estimated to be most vulnerable to vessel impacts, given their high exposure and sensitivity, and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) were estimated to be the least vulnerable because of their low exposure and sensitivity. Regions with geographic bottlenecks, such as the Bering Strait and eastern Canadian Arctic, were characterized by two to three times higher vulnerability than more remote regions. These pinch points are obligatory pathways for both vessels and migratory AMMs, and so represent potentially high conflict areas but also opportunities for conservation-informed planning. Some of the species and regions identified as least vulnerable were also characterized by high uncertainty, highlighting additional data and monitoring needs. Our quantification of the heterogeneity of risk across AMM species provides a necessary first step toward developing best practices for maritime industries poised to advance into this rapidly changing seascape.

José Luis Cruz, Ivanka Puigdueta, Alberto Sanz-Cobeña et al.

Whereas population is showing increasing distrust rates in the regular agri-food system, Alternative Food Networks (AFN) are gradually gaining space. This paper analyses the role of a specific kind of AFN, Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) and its contribution to the restoration of consumers’ trust in Spain. An online survey (n= 423) focus on trust and concern over food safety was conducted. The survey was addressed to very concerned and active consumers, which are interesting because they represent a powerful consumers’ profile from the policies point of view. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) studied consumers’ preferences on the different SFSC categories. This paper draws a map that signals which of SFSC attributes (such as labelling, common values or direct contact with producers) are more relevant in order to build consumers’ trust. In addition, this paper offers a classification of SFSC consumers according to their priorities. The information provided by the article offers ideas to policy makers and producers for designing their marketing strategies according to different consumers’ demands.

Tarek Atalla, S. Gualdi, A. Lanza

BibiHakime Hosseini, Marzieh Vahdani, Aliakbar Karimi

Globalization is a process that is now being defined and pursued in order to impose Western values on other nations; However, the globalization of Islamic culture is one of the most important goals of Islam, which also plays a key role in achieving a new world order. It seems that one of the strategies for globalization of Islamic culture is "economic progress" and how the relationship between these two variables is the main issue of this article. If this strategy is proved and explained, management and economic jihad will have a new level far beyond providing for the livelihood of Muslims and their worldly welfare, and the wisdom of concentrating the guidelines and slogans of the Supreme Leader in this area will become clearer. The method of this research is analytical and inferential in the theoretical framework of political economy and the findings showed that "economic progress" based on Islamic thought has very different components from the economic development desired by the West. This variable in various ways including; Serious foundation of economic progress on the foundations of Islamic culture, creating a suitable competitor and sometimes alternative for secular economic systems, proving the efficiency of the Islamic system by meeting the basic needs of the people, promoting Islamic culture in the shadow of vitality and attracting social participation, increasing international interaction, propaganda and The media, increasing the faith and religious perspiration of Muslims, can facilitate the globalization of Islamic culture and accelerate its realization.