Hasil untuk "Commercial geography. Economic geography"

E. B. Ali, V. Anufriev, Bismark Amfo

Green economy development strategies and the transition from conventional economic development models to green economy has become necessary due to the negative impact of conventional economic development models on the local and global environment. Despite Ghana’s effort to transition to green economy that is made evident by the implementation of a number of green economy related policies and strategies, the country is yet to record any significant achievement in that regard. This study therefore used the SWOT analytical tool to access the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats of Ghana’s green economy transformation efforts. The results revealed that the country’s geographical location, environmental policies, potential for green energy mix, a young and dynamic population, the country’s effort to reduce poverty levels and illiteracy rates are the main strengths. However, factors such as weak institutions, inadequate funding for green technologies innovations, inadequate long term policies for green strategies and inadequate political will are some key weaknesses. The study further found commercial interests in driving the development and transfer of green technology, cross-border collaborations and global attention to climate change, local and international support for green economy, awareness and understanding of environmental protection as some of the major opportunities. Inadequate commitment to support technology development and transfer, cost of green technologies, increasing threat of climate change and corruption were identified as

SANDA GHEORGHE GABRIEL

This paper reviews the contributions of social tourism to sustainable tourism and critically assesses their potential to drive sustainable tourism in the future. Social tourism has gained wide recognition for the benefits it brings to citizens who would otherwise not be able to participate in tourism. Social tourism also delivers benefits to the tourism industry, to destinations and to provide a positive return on investment for governments. However, whilst policy makers extol the virtues of social tourism, programmes have struggled to remain resilient under pressure on public finances caused by the global financial crisis.

GHERGHINA LILIANA

The paper presents the identified consumers’ preferences and attitudes towards own-brand food products, with the research being carried out specifically on Lidl’s own-brand food products, sold in Romania. Theoretical concepts relating to branding are presented, as well as consumers’ preferences and attitudes. This was followed by the development of the research methodology and the implementation of a survey-based study, on the basis of which the results were obtained together with the most relevant conclusions. Starting from an understanding of the main consumer preferences regarding Lidl’s own-brand food products— namely demand and purchase frequency—the key criteria influencing purchasing decisions were identified, as well as the level of satisfaction with respect to the organoleptic properties of the products. In addition, the degree of consumer satisfaction regarding shelf life, price discounts and loyalty rewards, preferences concerning payment methods, the average monthly expenditure allocated to such purchases, and the way in which consumers evaluate the prices of Lidl’s own-brand products were also analysed. Based on the research findings, conclusions and recommendations were formulated aimed at enhancing consumer loyalty, thereby contributing to a higher level of satisfaction, increased brand awareness, and a stronger market repositioning of these products within consumer perception.

Mingyi Li, Jinghu Pan

Street vitality is a significant indicator of a city’s capacity for sustainable development. Significant progress has been made on the basis of measurements of a single indicator of street vitality, but few studies have used multisource data to measure street vitality in a comprehensive way. In this study, in order to explore the multidimensional vitality characteristics of streets, streets were taken as the analysis unit, and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) evaluation model with combined weights was used to identify the spatial pattern of streets vitality from social, economic, and cultural dimensions using multisource spatial data such as Baidu heat map, Meituan store rating, and cultural facilities points of interest in the main urban area of Qingdao City, China. Using a Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) model, the spatial correlations and differences between street built environment components and multidimensional street vitality were examined, to reveal the influence mechanism of street vitality creation in each street. The study found that the comprehensive vitality of the streets in the main urban area of Qingdao City exhibits the spatial differentiation features of “weak east–west, strong central, multicenter, cluster type”. Furthermore, although commercial and public services are essential for enhancing street vitality and attracting crowds, a very high degree of functional mix has not resulted in a high degree of street vitality. Lastly, high spatial heterogeneity between built environment factors and street vitality necessitates considering the functional positioning and development basis of the street, tailoring to local conditions and policies, considering the street’s vitality development status and development needs, complementing strengths, promoting coordinated development, and releasing and enhancing the street’s vitality. Therefore, it is essential to explore street vitality and its influencing mechanisms to improve people’s quality of life and promote sustainable urban development.

Jhon Wilder Sánchez-Obando, Luis Fernando Castillo-Ossa, Néstor Darío Duque-Méndez et al.

Abstract Science, technology, and innovation (STI) systems are fundamental to the economic development of any nation. However, their high hierarchy and centralization create inequities for the more dispersed regions to access their benefits. Traditional approaches to STI system decentralization have been through public control and investment policies, posing a challenge for emerging economies. Given these conditions, it is necessary to explore alternative approaches such as open innovation (OI), which can facilitate bringing the STI system to the regions by breaking its hierarchical structure; and organizational ecology (OE), which can contribute to the construction of ecosystemic appropriation of STI in the regions. The objective of this research is to propose a conceptual model that addresses the need to decentralize Colombia's STI system through an alternative approach to public policy governance, utilizing OI and OE. The methodology used for this research is Design Science Research (DSR), which allows for the creation of an artifact-type model, validated through the representational validation technique, supported by a cross-impact analysis matrix completed by 67% members of the subregional STI committees in the department of Caldas. The result is a conceptual model that integrates the components of Colombia's STI system, decentralizes them through OI factors, and ensures the ecosystemic appropriation of STI in the regions through OE factors. Model criteria, such as organizational readiness, collaborative capacity, absorptive capacities, intellectual capital, technological capital, and local niche, are presented as key elements in the decentralization of the STI system and the ecosystemic appropriation in the co-creation of a mutualistic STI system in Colombia's regions. The findings of the model represent an integrated model that unfolds sequentially; the first phase develops the decentralization through OI factors, and the second phase develops the ecosystemic appropriation from OE factors. This research contributes an integrated OI and OE model as an alternative to the traditional STI system decentralization approach from public policy governance and nation-region control, overcoming the hierarchical barrier of the system and granting ecosystemic appropriation of science, technology, and innovation in the regions.

Andrey A. Avdashkin

In the post-Soviet period, migrants from Asian countries were unevenly distributed across Russian regions, which influenced the emergence of ethnic markets in the 1990s. In order to advance the field of migration and border studies, it is important to understand why communities of Vietnamese rather than Chinese or Central Asian migrants have formed in some cities. The presence of migrants suggested designating certain places with ethnic terms, etc. The paper is intended to answer the following questions: what is the geography of the settlement of migrants from Vietnam, in what cities and why exactly were Vietnamese markets formed and what migration institutions arose thanks to them. The archival documents from the post-Soviet era, and the results of the Autor’s field work in Magnitogorsk, Orenburg and Ufa made the source base for the research. The materials collected in Moscow, Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg provided great assistance. The methodological basis of the manuscript is the theory of mobility. Vietnamese communities were formed by migrants who did not leave Russian cities after 1991. The Vietnamese in these cities were engaged in commercial entrepreneurship, established Vietnamese markets and social infrastructure, invited compatriots through these institutions, and provided various kinds of support to “their own” people. However, the economic instability in Russia led to the immobility of the Vietnamese, both intentionally or involuntarily, which had a profound impact on the geography of the Vietnamese settlement in Russia and the ways of organizing social ties.

Matthew McDonald, K. S. Hayibo, Finn K. Hafting et al.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology offers a promising means to alleviate environmental and electricity costs challenges for cryptocurrency miners. To analyze this promise, this study investigated the feasibility of using electricity from individually optimized PV systems to power: 1) an individual Bitcoin miner, 2) a DIY intermodal shipping container holding 50 miners, and 3) a commercial mining farm container holding 408 miners. In a controlled lab environment, miners were monitored for electricity use. Then using these values, numerical simulations of both the PV system yield and sensitivity ranges based on the Bitcoin price, Bitcoin halving events, and miner hardware were investigated for informed financial planning. In addition, sensitivity for geographic locations in North America, utility electric rates and PV capital costs were analyzed. The profitability and return on investment (ROI) varied by location primarily because of the geographic distribution of solar flux and utility rates. The ROI for using PV with Bitcoin mining was found to be negative for Toronto and Montreal because of low-cost electricity, while it was 8% for Calgary. In the U.S. cities evaluated, the ROIs were substantial and ranged from 34% in New York, to 64% in Boulder, and up to 104% in Los Angeles. Although the study is based in North America regarding energy rates, climate, and energy laws, the analysis methodology is generalizable globally and grants the average cryptocurrency business the knowledge to make an informed decision on whether to pursue this venture from a financial and environmental perspective. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in cryptocurrency mining by providing an economic means of environmental preservation by powering cryptocurrency miners with renewable solar energy.

ABRAMIHIN CEZARA, PhD Associate Professor, ȘARAI NATALIA, Master of economics

Lifelong learning is essential to support competitiveness and social inclusion. In the article, aspects of the organization of the lifelong learning process are studied, such as: strategies, forms of learning and directions for inclusion in the concept of the European Education Area.

CEAUSESCU AURELIAN IONUT

The purpose of the current paper is to identify the factors determining the budget deficit and their influence on Romania's economic performance. The reason for choosing this theme was the fact that the issue of the budget deficit is a current topic, both within the scientific community and among public decision-makers. Debates regarding the optimal size of the government sector, its influence on economic growth, the effects of public debt and the budget deficit on social welfare, the sustainability of fiscal and budgetary policies are still open.

Rahma ZIGHED, Sabri MEKIMAH

تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تحديد مدى تأثير نظام إدارة المعرفة وفق معيار Iso 30401 على أداء الموارد البشرية في المؤسسة المينائية بسكيكدة، حيث تم الاعتماد على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي مع استخدام الاستمارة لجمع البيانات، والتي وزعت على عينة عشوائية من العمال قدر عددهم 304 عامل، حيث تم تحليلها بواسطة برنامج Spss، وقد توصلت الدراسة إلى أن نظام إدارة المعرفة يؤثر على أداء الموارد البشرية بنسبة متوسطة والتي قدرت ب63,5%، هذا ما يستوجب على المؤسسة الاهتمام أكثر بمتطلبات نظام إدارة المعرفة لما لها من أثر واضح على أداء المورد البشري. This study aims to determine the impact of the knowledge management system according to the ISO 30401 standard on the performance of human resources in the port company -Skikda, based on the descriptive analytical approach questionnaire, was distributed to a random sample of workers, amounting to 304 workers, It was analysed by Spss, The Study showed that ISO 30401 influences the performance of human resources at an average rate, which was estimated at 63.5%.This requires more attention of the ISO 30401 as they have an impact on performance

Dilek Gönçer-Demiral, Meltem Ince-Yenilmez

There is a relationship between the trade flows of the countries and their economic growth potential and development. One way to analyze the trade flows of countries with each other is the use of network analysis techniques. Network analysis uses a visual, mathematical and statistical approach to identify and quantify the structural properties of networks. In this study, the relationship of the first 50 countries in the world in terms of export volume was evaluated with Gephi 0.9.2, one of the social network analysis programs. The effect of the COVID-19 epidemic disease on the commercial flows of the countries is the main purpose of the study. The existence of the effective role of geographic proximity in commercial flows, the commercial partners of the countries, the centrality criteria and the existence of countries that have an active role in the world are clarified with this study.

Stephanie K. Moore, Stacia J. Dreyer, J. Ekstrom et al.

The 2015 U.S. West Coast domoic acid event was caused by a massive harmful algal bloom (HAB) that consisted mostly of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia australis. It was unprecedented in its toxicity and geographic extent and resulted in extended and widespread closures of the lucrative commercial Dungeness crab and popular recreational razor clam fisheries. The fishery closures led to federal fisheries disaster declarations and generated an economic shock for coastal communities that depend on access to these marine resources. This study reports on the socioeconomic impacts of the 2015 HAB across 16 fishing communities on the U.S. West Coast using primary survey data. The survey instrument, deployed in the summer of 2017, collected information on sociodemographic and economic factors hypothesized to confer resilience or vulnerability to HABs, data quantifying individual impacts, and the coping and adaptive actions taken by individuals to deal with the event. The vast majority of survey participants (84%) were negatively impacted by the 2015 HAB, but individuals employed in fishing-related occupations experienced greater financial, emotional, and sociocultural impacts than those employed in other sectors. Further, those employed in fishing-related occupations were less likely to recover financial losses suffered as a result of the event. This study identifies the pathways through which HABs affect fishery-dependent and fishery-associated sectors of U.S. West Coast communities. The understanding gained can help inform efforts to prepare for future HABs, mitigate their socioeconomic impacts, and aid recovery.

Nikolaos Petridis, K. Petridis, Emmanouil Stiakakis

Abstract In this paper, a study for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) trade is conducted by using graph theory. In specific, exports and imports for UN COMTRADE data code 854810 which corresponds to waste and scrap of prim cell are collected for 175 countries around the world, spanning the period from 2002 to 2014. WEEE trade networks are generated for each year and communities are produced applying spinglass community detection algorithm. Communities are compared with groups of countries produced by applying detection community algorithms on networks based on common currency, differences in CO2 levels, geographical distances, common language, colonial ties, and regional trade agreements (RTA). An estimation of the factors that affect key network metrics has also been conducted, using a random effect linear regression. The model assesses the effect that economic, environmental, geographical, and social, as well as intra-country commercial agreements have on degree of nodes, betweenness score, and clustering coefficient. The results indicate that communities of WEEE trade network are very similar with groups produced by clustering countries regarding CO2 emissions and distance. Distance, contiguity, common currency, colonial ties, common language, and differences in CO2 levels tend to affect significantly the degree of countries engaged in WEEE trade network. Betweenness score is affected only by common currency while clustering coefficient by common language and CO2 levels between countries. A statistical validation of WEEE network, with Erdos – Renyi, Small – World and Scale – Free networks, was conducted. The results reveal that in, cycle, and middle clustering coefficients of Erdos – Renyi and Small – World networks were statistically equal to the corresponding of WEEE network for the period 2004–2008, while Scale – Free's out and clustering coefficients coincided with WEEE's across all years.

Charlotte A. Birkmanis, J. Partridge, L. Simmons et al.

Abstract Many of the world’s shark populations are in decline, indicating the need for improved conservation and management. Well managed and appropriately located marine parks and marine protected areas (MPAs) have potential to enhance shark conservation by restricting fisheries and protecting suitable habitat for threatened shark populations. Here, we used shark occurrence records collected by commercial fisheries to determine suitable habitat for pelagic sharks within the Australian continental Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and to quantify the amount of suitable habitat contained within existing MPAs. We developed generalised linear models using proportional occurrences of pelagic sharks for three families: Alopiidae (thresher), Carcharhinidae (requiem), and Lamnidae (mackerel) sharks. We also considered aggregated species from the Lamnidae and Carcharhinidae families (‘combined sharks’ in the models). Using a set of environmental predictors known to affect shark occurrence, including chlorophyll-a concentration, salinity, sea surface temperature, and turbidity, as well as geomorphological, geophysical, and sedimentary parameters, we found that models including sea surface temperature and turbidity were ranked highest in their ability to predict shark distributions. We used these results to predict geographic regions where habitat was most suitable for pelagic sharks within the Australian EEZ, and our results revealed that suitable habitat was limited in no-take zones within MPAs. For all shark groupings, suitable habitats were found mostly at locations exposed to fishing pressure, potentially increasing the vulnerability of the pelagic shark species considered. Our predictive models provide a foundation for future spatial planning and shark management, suggesting that strong fisheries management in addition to MPAs is necessary for pelagic shark conservation.

CEAUȘESCU IONUT

We proposed that in this short paper we make a brief analysis of rural development. We started from its definition as a process, as a direction of action and as a phenomenon, reaching its 3 plans (economic, social and ecological), as well as the 2 main forms of rural development, namely sustainable and multifunctional. The two forms of rural development are complementary, sustainable development being the qualitative side, having as object the definition of the rules to be followed on the use of resources and the direction of present activities, so as not to prejudice the interests of future generations in their use. Multifunctional development refers to the quantitative side, ie the generation of multiple activities, in compliance with the criteria imposed by sustainable development, as well as obtaining income from them, which should be an alternative to traditional income-generating activities.

C. Pérez-Rivera, H. Ramírez-Mendoza, Susana E Mendoza-Elvira et al.

Abstract Porcine deltacoronavirus has caused great economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. In this study, we carried out the first detection, sequencing and characterization of this virus in Mexico. We analysed 885 rectal samples by multiplex RT‐PCR to determine coinfections. In addition, the Spike gene was amplified, sequenced and analysed phylogenetically. We found 85 positive samples for porcine deltacoronavirus, representing 9.6% of the total samples, and we determined that the most frequent coinfection was with porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (54.1%). Four sequences of Mexican isolates were most closely related to those of the United States. The antigenic regions and the glycosylation site of the strains obtained coincide with those previously reported. This relationship is probably related to the commercial exchange of pigs between the US and Mexico and the geographical proximity of these two countries.

Emilie Fortin-Lefebvre, Sofiane Baba

Support services - also known as accompaniment practices and advisory services - are essential for the development of small businesses. In terms of support services specific to Indigenous businesses, the literature is rather silent. Yet, one can expect that the recent and growing market-related entrepreneurial trend in Indigenous communities will generate increasing accompaniment needs in those contexts. The objective of this research is to better understand the entrepreneurial ecosystem and its current synergy, as well as identifying the challenges of Indigenous entrepreneurship. To do so we rely on a qualitative methodological approach, focusing on the Indigenous entrepreneurial ecosystem in Quebec, Canada. Overall, our research highlights the need to adapt support services to Indigenous-related entrepreneurial issues. This research paves the way for a broader discussion related to how local governments, economic development organizations, funding agencies, and business support services organizations can work together for a comprehensive economic development strategy within Indigenous contexts.

B. Sovacool, Götz Walter

Francois Bastardie, Silvia Angelini, L. Bolognini et al.

Given the great overfishing of the demersal resources in the Northern Adriatic Sea (geographical sub-area [GSA] 17), along with the fishing pressure in marine habitats, evidence strongly supports the need to evaluate appropriate management approaches. Several fishing activities operate simultaneously in the area, and the need to minimize conflicts among them is also a social concern. We applied a spatially and temporally explicit fish and fisheries model to assess the impact of a suite of spatial plans suggested by practitioners that could reduce the pressure on the four demersal stocks of high commercial interest in the GSA 17 and that could promote space sharing between mutually exclusive activities. We found that excluding trawlers from some areas has lowered the effective fishing effort, resulting in some economic losses but providing benefit to the set netters. Not every simulated fishing vessel is impacted in the same way because some fishing communities experienced different economic opportunities, particularly when a 6-nautical mile buffer zone from the coast was implemented in the vicinity of important fishing grounds. Along this buffer zone, the four stocks were only slightly benefiting from the protection of the area and from fewer discards. In contrast, assuming a change in the ability of the population to disperse led to a large effect: Some fish became accessible in the coastal waters, therefore increasing the landings for range-limited fishers, but the discard rate of fish also increased, greatly impairing the long-term biomass levels. Our evaluation, however, confirmed that no effort is displaced onto vulnerable benthic habitats and to grounds not suitable for the continued operation of fishing. We conclude that the tested spatial management is helpful, but not sufficient to ensure sustainable fishing in the area, and therefore, additional management measures should be taken. Our test platform investigates the interaction between fish and fisheries at a fine geographical scale and simulates data for varying fishing methods and from different harbor communities in a unified framework. We contribute to the development of effective science-based inputs to facilitate policy improvement and better governance while evaluating trade-offs in fisheries management and marine spatial planning.

A. D. Andres, Andrew MacGillivray, O. Roberts et al.