Sustainable Technology and Entrepreneurship最新文献

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the importance of effective vaccine supply chain management (SCM). As the world raced to curb the spread of the virus, the efficient distribution of vaccines became crucial to ending the pandemic. However, the challenges of distributing COVID-19 vaccines globally were exacerbated by the pandemic itself, leading to delays, shortages, and disruptions under disaster conditions. In this study, we use social media analytics to explore the impact of COVID-19 vaccine supply chain challenges from a global perspective. We collected data from two social media platforms—Twitter and the Global Database of Events, Language and Tone (GDELT)—between January 2020 and November 2022. The analysis is developed leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, such as topic modelling and sentiment analysis. We found that vaccine supply chain challenges significantly impacted the ability of healthcare systems to respond to the pandemic, with significant differences between regions (such as in the case of developing countries). Our findings highlight the need for improved coordination and collaboration in vaccine SCM to ensure equitable access. In addition, this research provides valuable practical insight into using social media analytics and its potential to enhance decision-making capabilities for policymakers and industry leaders.

Social ties, as informal institutions, contribute to firms’ performance in emerging economies. Formal market-supporting institutions in emerging economies are in general less developed, social ties cultivated by entrepreneurs thus serve as substitutes for formal institutional support. However, the role of social ties as informal institutions and interactions between social ties and market-supporting institutions are yet to be fully explored. Using the sample of 428 newly listed firms on the Growth Enterprise Market of Shenzhen Stock Exchange of China between 2009 and 2016, this paper examines the interplays among the entrepreneurial founder's political ties and managerial ties, marketization, and firm's productivity, measured by firm-level total factor productivity. Our findings indicate that the entrepreneurial founder's managerial ties enhance firm productivity whilst political ties reduce productivity. We also find that marketization positively moderates the effects of the entrepreneurial founder's political and managerial ties on productivity. Our findings demonstrate the strategic importance of the informal institutions and contribute to an improved understanding of the complementary effects between social ties and marketization in an important emerging economy.

Although sharing has for a long time been a well-established principle to deal with resource shortages on a private level, the important impact of establishing sharing as business principle has only recently been highlighted by business practice as well as research. Sharing can be considered a relevant means to easily enhance resource endowment – nevertheless, making use of sharing in a business context calls for the employment of new, innovative business models. In this paper, we have a deeper look at the evolvement of carsharing business models as we present insights from a longitudinal qualitative-empirical study of six carsharing providers. We employ a process perspective to dig deeper into firm-level influence factors that are core elements of strategic renewal and drivers of subsequent business model innovation. Additionally, we show how strategic activities of the different market players are linked to each other and how this interplay affects our case firms. Our paper sheds light on the strategy renewal-business model innovation interface and contributes to strategy process literature and to business model innovation research.

Smallholder rice producers have limited demand for their locally produced rice due to the complex market outlets choice decisions challenges they become confronted with as well as their limited knowledge of appropriate entrepreneurial traits required for successful rice production and marketing. This study assessed the entrepreneurial behaviours of smallholder rice producers in Ashanti region of Ghana. Using multi-stage sampling technique, the study used primary data collected from 200 rice producers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Entrepreneurial behavior index (EBI) and the multivariate probit model were the methods of analysis. The results showed that most rice producers have medium level of risk-taking ability, innovativeness behaviour, proactiveness behaviour, self-confidence, and decision-making ability. Also, majority of the producers consider retailers as the most appropriate market outlet among the diverse market outlet alternatives in the region. In addition, innovative behaviour, self-confidence, and decision-making ability influenced the choice of market outlet by the rice producers. The study recommends that smallholder rice producers should enhance their entrepreneurial competencies through enrollment and participation in social groups and farmer-based workshops to equip them with networking and social skills. Also, programs designed to improve the entrepreneurial skills of smallholder rice farmers should adopt a tailored approach by taking into account the fact that different farmers have different levels of entrepreneurial skills.

The rate and scope of environmental shock and stresses are now unprecedented in sub-Saharan Africa resulting into increasing intensity and unpredictability of climate change impacts in particular drought. The innovation efforts to enhance adaptive capacity of livelihoods and production systems are on increase. Innovation includes the new ways of doing things differently or improving the existing technologies. Within the agropastoral areas, existing entreprenueral innovations used and factors influencing success are unassessed. Across-sectional household survey among 426 respondents undertaken in March –June 2022, was used to collect perquisite data on innovation adoption. Principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate probit regression models were used to characterize entreprenueral innovation to drought and its determinants among agroapstoral communities. Results showed agropastoral entrepreneurial abilities were exhibited through soil and water management and product enhancement innovation. Multivariate probit model results also revealed that having improved main house roof, access to improved water sources and memberships loan based organizations significantly increased innovation adoption while male household head, level of education, membership to agricultural based organizations and distance to crop markets significantly reduced innovation adoption. While, agropastoralists adopted many innovations it was in a reactive than proactive manner with limited entrepreneurial skills causing ambiguous effects. We recommend ample follow up research to help unearth the proceses and interlinks between innovations and entrepreneurship skills among agropastoralists.

The purpose of the study is to analyse how green reverse logistics technology impacts agricultural entrepreneurial marketing firms’ operational efficiency and sustainable competitive advantage. Systematic literature review and meta-analytical methodology was adopted to execute the current study. Reverse Logistics Model has been used for the current study as the theoretical model grounding the study as it enables a quick reaction and finding resolution for the customer return whilst regaining the highest value that is possible on each returned item. Results indicate that green reverse logistics technology has a strong influence on agricultural entrepreneurial marketing firms’ operational efficiency and sustainable competitive advantage. The study further shows existing research gaps that can be closed by future research studies. The study has limitations which may affect the generalisability of the results since they can only be applied testing the validity and reliability of the developed conceptual model. The study adds to theoretical literature development by extending knowledge on the Reverse Logistics Model theoretical modelling framework since there is paucity of research that have directly applied the same model in agricultural inputs entrepreneurial marketing firms’ operational efficiency and sustainable competitive advantage. Practically, the study enhances the need for adoption of contemporary technologies to solve the current challenges facing agricultural inputs entrepreneurial marketing firms’ sustainable operational efficiency and competitive advantage in the marginalised areas, not only in developing and emerging economies, but also dotted around the world. The study contributes to the conceptual development, theoretical and practical policy directions applicable to any agricultural inputs entrepreneurial marketing firms. A model can be tested to prove its validity and reliability in future similar studies, using alternative methodologies.

The fight against climate change is one of the significant challenges of the 21st century. The European Union's environmental policy has evolved as the perception of the problem has become more evident. This paper examines the environmental commitments made by the European Union on the global scene to verify its involvement and responsibility in environmental policy. A comprehensive analysis of the European Union's environmental policies compared to other countries has been carried out using a comparative methodological framework of these commitments. The results confirm the European Union's leadership in promoting and implementing policies to combat climate change and environmental sustainability, which therefore opens windows of opportunity for technological development and entrepreneurship. Future lines of research are proposed following the conclusions, considering the current economic and environmental situation in an environment of energy crisis and inflation.

Digitalization is a global megatrend that changes companies’ internal and external value-creation activities. The introduction of digital technologies requires organizations to adapt their internal operations and external product and service offerings to remain competitive. Leaders must possess specific skills and characteristics to guide their organization successfully through digitalization. We conducted a literature review to research which leadership skills are required for successful digitalization regarding companies’ internal and external dimensions. We employed an inductive analysis that identified 92 articles from 2011 to 2021, which allowed us to structure the results into nine main themes. We revealed that leaders for successful digitalization must be visionary and customer-centered while embracing change. Supporting properties for successful leadership in digitalization are flat hierarchies, empowering employees, possessing digital savviness, and engaging in partnerships and ecosystems. In conclusion, digitalization requires true leadership, not mere management, to embrace risk-taking and promote teamwork and collaboration. This includes continuous awareness of diversity and cultural differences, which must be actively managed.

Pests are a major threat to tomato producers globally, owing to the substantial yield losses, low-quality produce, and low profitability that they cause. Integrated pest management (IPM) has been promoted as a sustainable, effective, safe, and environmentally friendly approach to manage pests. However, many tomato farmers in low- and medium-income countries still rely exclusively on synthetic pesticides. Moreover, many farmers rarely observe pre-harvest intervals (PHI) after applying pesticides, owing to lack of accurate and timely information on IPM and safe use of pesticides. Information and communication technologies (ICT) could bridge the information gaps on pests and their management and have been deployed in disseminating varied information to farmers worldwide. However, the effect of ICT on pest management practices has not been adequately evaluated. This study applies the propensity score matching (PSM) method to assess the impact of ICT-based pest information services (IBPIS) on the adoption of IPM and observance of PHI, using data collected from 170 Kenyan tomato farmers in 2021. The results show that 48.2% of the farmers adopted at least one IBPIS. Adoption of IPM was at 51.2% of the sample and significantly higher among adopters of IBPIS (64.6%) than non-adopters (38.6%). About 49% of the farmers observed PHI. Further, adopting IBPIS increased the number of pest control methods used by farmers by 22.8%, the proportion of farmers adopting IPM by 21.2%, and the observance of PHI by 61.7%. The study recommends that farmer advisory services incorporate multiple ICT tools to deliver pest information to farmers.

A review of the impact of mobile phone and base station radiation on human health and the environment has been presented here. Cell phone is an important invention in human history that has revolutionized people's lifestyles. As mobile phones have become an integral part of human daily routine, the quality of life around the world has improved significantly. However, concerns about the exposure of people, flora and fauna to radio frequencies are not new. The satisfaction and convenience derived from the use of cellular phones is threatened by claims that the radiation emitted by the devices has unfavarable impacts on human health. The effects of radiation may be classified into non-thermal and thermal. Thermal effects are similar to those of cooking in a microwave oven. The non-thermal effects are not properly defined, but it is been learnt that the these effects are three to four times more hazardous than the thermal, which remains controversial. A brief picture of the Indian scenario of cell phone industry and the number of mobile towers in India was discussed. The effects of radiation emitted from cell phones and base stations on wildlife, humans and the environment were summarized with suitable examples and studies conducted by various voluntary organizations.