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This paper aims to examine the convergence and divergence of business and production practices in the global wine industry, particularly focusing on Pinot Noir producers in Burgundy, New Zealand and South Africa (SA). This study explores the interplay between firm-specific factors and regional contexts to identify competitive advantage drivers among Pinot Noir producers.

This research uses a comparative analysis approach, using data from a comprehensive winery level survey. This study applies methodologies akin to value chain analysis to unravel the configuration of productive and technology/knowledge creation activities within wineries across three regions.

This analysis reveals both convergence and divergence in business and production practices among Pinot Noir producers in Burgundy, New Zealand and South Africa. Although there is a degree of convergence in marketing, distribution and competition strategies, differences exist in production practices and firms’ capabilities. Burgundy emphasizes tradition and terroir expression, contrasting with the modernization and innovation focus observed in New Zealand and South Africa. However, all regions share a commitment to quality as a competitive advantage.

This study acknowledges limitations such as the focus on a specific grape variety and regions, the absence of performance impact analysis and the need for additional variables like environmental, institutional and cultural factors and consumer preferences to provide a comprehensive understanding of industry dynamics.

The insights from this study offer practical implications for winemakers, industry stakeholders and policymakers. Producers can optimize production and marketing strategies based on regional contexts and market segments, whereas stakeholders can identify emerging trends and opportunities in the global wine market. Policymakers can develop targeted policies supporting innovation, sustainability and competitiveness.

This paper provides a unique contribution by conducting a comparative firm-level analysis across distinct wine-producing regions, shedding light on the nuanced interplay of factors shaping competitive advantage among Pinot Noir producers. This study’s comprehensive data set and methodological approach enhance understanding and offer valuable insights for industry stakeholders and policymakers.

The main objective of this study is to analyze consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for country-of-origin (COO) labels of two processed food products, disentangling the value of information (VOI) that consumers place on COO information from the value they place on specific countries of origin.

A convenience sample of 96 university students completed a face-to-face experiment that included a multiple price list and a discrete choice experiment. Data are analyzed employing interval censored regressions, and random parameter logit models.

Our results indicate that, on average, consumers place a higher value on origin information when a country name is explicitly mentioned. Furthermore, COO information is, on average, more relevant to consumers for products with low involvement than for products with high involvement. Finally, the effect of ethnocentrism is heterogeneous across product categories.

Mandatory COO labeling may or may not reinforce domestic bias, depending on the rationale behind consumer support. If consumers are driven by blind ethnocentrism, it may lead to market inefficiencies. However, if they use COO as a cue to align their stated preferences with their choices, it will not. For this alignment to occur, consumers must be fully informed about product attributes, which requires new and smart methods of communicating product attributes.

The present study contributes to the literature on COO food labels, being the first in Italy to disentangle the VOI consumers place on origin information itself from the value they place on specific countries of origin. In addition, it is the first study that applies this methodology across different product categories, each of which has a different level of cultural sensitivity to consumers.

Window shading has always been an effective technique to control the access of solar radiation; however, inappropriate selection of the shading technique, location and optical properties may lead to an increase in energy consumed for cooling and artificial lighting. Venetian blinds (VBs) are a type of adjustable shading devices that can be installed to the interior, exterior or in between glass panes of a window and that can be easily implemented in both new and existing buildings. This study aims to investigate the impact of three VB parameters: slat angle, reflectivity and location on the overall energy consumption of a residential space with a south-facing facade under the hot arid desert climate of Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. For the purpose of globalizing the findings, the same investigations were applied for two other cities of similar climates: Cairo, Egypt, and Arizona, the USA.

A test room was modelled for energy simulation, with a 20% window-to-wall ratio. A VB was assigned with alternatives of being located to the indoor, outdoor or in between double glass panes. High, medium and low reflectivity values were applied at each location at slat angle alternatives of 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75° and 90°.

Results showed VB performance across slat angles, where up to 20.1% energy savings were achieved by mid-pane high reflectivity VBs in Riyadh, while the value exceeded 30% in case of being externally located. A similar performance pattern occurred in the other two cities of hot arid desert climates: Cairo and Arizona.

The study is limited to VBs at a fixed position, with no upward movement for partial or full openness conditions. The effect of blind control and operation on performance, such as the amount and duration of openness/closure of the blind and changes in slat angle across time, in addition to VB automation, shall be investigated in a future study.

The better understanding of VB energy performance achieved would enhance a more rational selection of VBs, which would benefit the construction industry as it would assist designers, real estate developer companies, as well as end-users in the decision-making process and help to realize energy-efficient solutions in residential buildings. VB production entities would also benefit by manufacturing and promoting for energy-efficient products.

In this study, a matrix of combinations of three VB parameters was developed, and the effect of these combinations on the overall energy consumption of both artificial lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems was evaluated and compared to identify the combinations of higher efficiency. The literature showed that these three parameters were hardly investigated in a combined form and hardly assessed by considering the overall energy consumed by both artificial lighting and HVAC.

This study examines the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on innovation, considering the role of the three dimensions of intellectual capital (human capital, structural capital and relational capital). Specifically, the analysis explores the direct effect of CSR and intellectual capital on innovation, the effect of CSR on intellectual capital, and the mediating effect of intellectual capital on the relationship between CSR and innovation.

Data were collected from a sample of 101 Tunisian firms operating in various industries. The conceptual model of direct and indirect effects was tested with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4 software.

CSR is positively related to innovation, as well as all dimensions of intellectual capital. Structural capital is the only dimension of intellectual capital that has a significant effect on innovation. CSR affects innovation through its impact on structural capital.

Most studies have examined the direct effect of CSR on innovation in firms in developed countries. In contrast, this research sheds light on the mediating role of intellectual capital in this relationship, underlining the specific role of human capital, relational capital and structural capital. In addition, the study focuses on a developing country, which thus differentiates it from previous studies.

In Hong Kong, over 20,000 private residential buildings will be 50 plus years old by 2039. However, building maintenance has not been owners’ popular interest because of the high cost as well as the complexities in justifying whether the quantities and prices of the maintenance works are reasonable. This paper therefore aims to validate the practicality of adopting Scan-to-BIM: Terrestrial Laser Scan (TLS) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) to perform quantity take-offs (QTO) for estimating building maintenance costs.

A 64-year-old tenement building was selected to conduct a case study. In this instance, the building had undergone a Scan-to-BIM survey approach to generate QTO for the bills of quantities for external painting works. The Scan-to-BIM approach includes site visit, positioning of scanning equipment, assignment of circular scan routes, point cloud registration and identification of residual error. After that, time, cost and quality data were logged into contrast with QTO on as-built plans for external wall plastering works.

The “time”, “cost” and “quality” of the Scan-to BIM practice were then examined and compared with the prevailing practices of manual measurements on as-built drawings. As noted from the results, the initial cost of Scan-to BIM is high, owing to the cost of equipment, software and capable available operators. However, the authors identified that the time and cost can be significantly minimised by developing and implementing efficient practices such as preparing a detailed scan plan, equipping modeller with quantity surveying knowledge, using automated object recognition and 5D BIM software packages such as Vico Office and CostX.

The upshot is that Scan-to-BIM could be one of the measures to advance the clarity in the QTO and estimated price of the maintenance projects.

The practicability of Scan-to-BIM has received limited attention on existing building maintenance project. The Scan-to-BIM approach was examined using a case building of a 64-year-old tenement building. The approach demonstrated in this research study is promised to advance the clarity in the QTO and estimated price of maintenance project.

This paper aims to provide conceptual clarity on the different approaches of place branding in the literature. It discusses three main approaches and provides a new definition of place brands that acknowledges the full multi-sensory experience of place brands. This paper also elaborates brand management within the three approaches.

Conceptual paper

This study identifies three co-existing approaches of place branding and provides a definition of place brands for each of them. The first approach conceptualises place brands as symbolic constructs that identify and differentiate places from others. Brand symbols such as logos and slogans are central, assuming that brand meaning resides in them. The second approach views place brands as images and associations in the minds of target groups, whereby brands reside in individuals’ minds (the cognitive). This paper aligns with a third approach that views place brands as experiential, multi-sensory constructs. Brands invite not only mental representations in people’s minds but especially also multi-sensory embodied experiences. The authors thus define place brands as marketing systems that consist of dynamic performative assemblages of symbolic, discursive, institutional and material elements that selectively invite certain multi-sensory and embodied experiences of place by stakeholders and target groups.

This paper contributes to conceptual clarity by providing an analytical framework identifying three main approaches to place branding. The authors further reflect on the implications of each approach for brand management. This paper also builds on recent literatures to provide a new and contemporary definition of place brands as multi-sensory experiences that encompasses embodiment.

Currently, digital transformation is a process that cuts across different sectors of activity, including banks. One of the examples is the availability of products and services on digital channels. This study aims to identify the changes implemented in the digital channels of banks in Portugal that were driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to the acceleration of digital transformation.

The methods involve a qualitative approach, from the analysis of a selection of 30 results and accounting reports from ten banks between 2019 and 2021 using the Leximancer software to identify the main themes and concepts.

Four themes and 40 most relevant concepts were identified from the results of the analysis. In conclusion, banks have reinforced digital channels regarding products and services with apparent concerns associated with security.

This article aims to contribute to two conceptual maps that allow us to understand the measures implemented by banks in digital channels during the pandemic.

This investigation aims to enable managers to define other initiatives within the scope of digital channels and enhance those already implemented.

The scientific articles identified and published so far do not specifically address the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the digital channels of banks in Portugal. The originality of this article arises from this gap identified regarding the absence of similar scientific studies. The pandemic is a new phenomenon that occurred for the first time in 2019 and globally, so it is essential to know the impacts on Portuguese banks.

This chapter examines which coping mechanisms citizens used during the pandemic and how these mechanisms related to overall well-being. Using the Transaction Theory of Stress and Coping to frame the analysis, the chapter investigates predictive factors for various coping strategies and identifies which groups were more likely to use adaptive as opposed to maladaptive strategies. I examine how coping strategies used in April 2020 predict change in well-being, measured by life satisfaction, in November 2020. Americans reported greater use of maladaptive coping and less use of the adaptive coping strategies compared to their Finnish counterparts. Americans reported more frequent use of religious coping strategies. Interestingly, worrying about COVID-19 did not increase the use of maladaptive coping for Finns or Americans. Regarding the effect of the coping strategies on life satisfaction, the analyses revealed that those who reported using maladaptive strategies in April 2020 showed a significant decrease in life satisfaction in November 2020. However, this finding was only significant for Finnish residents. Unexpectedly, Finnish and US residents who reported using Active/Expressive and Planning coping reported a decrease in life satisfaction from April to November 2020. Finally, Finnish and US residents who were married, had higher self-esteem, or had higher social capital were more likely to report an increase in life satisfaction from April 2020 to November 2020. These findings raise questions for future research. The context of the pandemic may have created a unique situation that rendered coping mechanisms to behave in unusual ways.

This paper aims to carry out a systematic review based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to assess the adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) in workers.

Three electronic databases were searched up to March 2022. The population was restricted to adults, workers in any professional area, without special diets and no specific health conditions. Their adherence to the MDP was assessed by any a priori method/instrument. Two reviewers independently applied the eligibility criteria and performed the data extraction from each study included. In case of disagreement, a third reviewer was consulted.

Of the 590 studies found, 46 were included. Most of the studies were carried out in Europe, between the years 2019 and 2022 and were cross-sectional studies. The minimum sample size was 38, and the maximum was 1,74,638 participants. Most studies included both males and females; six included only females and nine only males. The three most prevalent types of workers under study were health professionals, factory workers and firefighters. The most used method for assessing adherence to the MDP was the Mediterranean diet score. Overall, workers showed low or moderate adherence to the MDP.

This systematic review conducted to assess the adherence to the MDP in workers displays an urgent need to improve diet quality in the workplaces.

Some existing studies have begun to discuss how trade will change the environment from a country or province perspective. However, so far, only a limited number of studies have provided evidence at the product level. This study aims to investigate the environmental impacts of trade at the product level.

The effects of importing intermediates and capital inputs on energy performance are examined using theoretical analysis. Empirical analyses are conducted using data on product trade, and the effects of importing intermediate inputs and capital inputs on energy efficiency are identified using a Propensity Score Matching-Difference in Difference (PSM-DID) estimation.

The results demonstrate that importing intermediates and capital inputs effectively enhance energy efficiency. Importing these inputs from foreign markets leads to increased productivity and ultimately improves energy performance.

This research provides new evidence on the relationship between importing and energy use at the product trade level. It offers insights into enterprise behaviors regarding importing intermediates and capital inputs, contributing to a deeper understanding of the environmental effects of trade. Additionally, a micro-theoretical model is developed to examine the impacts of imports on energy efficiency, complementing existing literature with theoretical insights.