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This paper aims to experimentally evaluate the performance of a parallel hybrid propulsion system for use in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The objective is to combine all the individual components of the hybrid electric propulsion system (HEPS) into a modular test bench to characterize the performance of a parallel hybrid propulsion system, and to evaluate a rule-based controller based on the ideal operating line concept for the control of the power plant. Electric motor (EM) designed to supplement the power of the internal combustion engine (ICE) to reduce the overall fuel consumption, with the supervisory controller optimizing ICE torque.

The EM was able to supplement the power of the ICE to reduce fuel consumption, and proved the capability of acting as a generator to recharge the batteries drawing from ICE power. Furthermore, the controller showed that it is possible to reduce the fuel consumption with a HEPS when compared to its gasoline counterpart by running simulated representative UAV missions. The findings also highlighted the challenges to build and integrate the HEPS in small UAVs.

The modularity of the test bench allows each component to be changed to assess its impact on the performance of the system. This allows for further exploration and improvements of the HEPS in a controlled environment.

This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) on serious games in the BPM domain, in order to answer: RQ1 – what are BPM games' learning objectives and design characteristics? RQ2 – How rigorously each BPM game was evaluated in terms of their effectiveness and entertainment?.

We followed the PRISMA statement method and systematic literature review standards. Selected studies were analyzed using qualitative evidence synthesis.

We found 37 references that describe 15 serious games within the BPM domain. Games are diverse, ranging from analog games that need a few hours to complete to complex digital games that require many sessions. Game evaluation should be generally improved as 27 publications can be considered as quasi-experimental or nonexperimental and potentially biased.

Future research should focus on developing new games about process implementation and using other notations besides BPMN. More studies testing the reliability and validity of existing games in different settings and using more rigorous experimental designs are also necessary. Practitioners can identify thoroughly evaluated games relevant to their learning objectives.

This is the first SLR about BPM games. It consolidates the literature, analyzes, describes and categorizes 15 games with respect to their internal characteristics and evaluation reliability.

We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.

We compare the financial stock performance of companies that participate in the Carbon Efficient Index (ICO2) and those that participate only in market-wide indices of the BM&FBovespa (the IBOV, IBrX50, and IBrX100). The data includes the daily quotations of the shares from these four indices for September 2010 to December 2014. We exclude companies from market-wide indices that also participated in the ICO2. We use the stock market and average volume liquidity indices in order to analyze liquidity. We employ financial indicators to analyze the performance of the indices. Returns of companies participating in the ICO2 exceed those of all other companies except those participating in the IBrX50. The returns of all indices are statistically similar. There is a proven long-term equilibrium relationship between the indices’ returns. The ICO2 does not present obvious superiority in terms of the Sharpe and Jensen indices, although the results surpass those of the market-wide indices. Although the financial performance of sustainable companies does not surpass that of other companies, the economic benefits are similar. Thus, even though the financial result presents no significant difference, it is crucial to acknowledge that investing in sustainable stocks does not result in financial loss; rather, it has a positive environmental impact. The literature connecting the performance of the shares of the ICO2 and broad indices is scarce. Our study improves understanding of how company stocks can generate economic benefits to both society and companies.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the innovation strategies of the sugar–energy industry in Central-Southern Brazil with regard to its resource structure and results.

The data were collected through a questionnaire covering the three-year period from 2015 through 2017. The results were extracted based on a combination of factor analysis and multiple regression analysis.

The innovation strategies of Brazilian sugar–energy companies are characterized as defensive and imitative based on the resources dedicated to innovation and the implementation of innovation with respect to products, processes, eco-innovation and cost reductions.

The sample is representative, but it does not cover all companies in the Brazilian sugar–energy industry. The data were acquired using a survey, and the results could not be compared to the financial results of the companies.

Sugar–energy companies need to define their innovation strategies, as these strategies lead to different results that can be achieved only through the management of resources dedicated to the generation and implementation of innovations. Managers and analysts need to know the profile of these innovation strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of the results based on the resources that were invested.

This study presents an exploratory model that identified two factors related to innovation efforts and three results. It is possible to define the innovation strategies of companies in the Brazilian sugar–energy industry, which is one of the most competitive in Brazil.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a context-specific scale to assess faculty job satisfaction for Ecuadorian higher education institutions.

A draft questionnaire was developed after reviewing the literature. Then, following a pilot study the questionnaire was administered to a stratified random sample of 261 faculty members of an Ecuadorian University. An exploratory factor analysis based on a pairwise polychoric correlation matrix was carried out to validate the scale.

A 24-item faculty satisfaction questionnaire was developed. The scale showed high reliability and validity. Following an exploratory factor analysis five dimensions emerged: 1) rewards and benefits, 2) IT and facilities services, 3) administrative and other campus services, 4) teaching support and development and 5) working relationships.

Although our sample size is considered good, the ratio subjects to items of 6:1 was just above the recommended minimum. Due to the split questionnaire design for the research support and community services support sections and the fact that more than a half of the participants did not fill them we had to exclude the items from those sections from the analysis.

The scale can be used by higher education institutions to assess faculty satisfaction periodically.

To our knowledge this is the first study to develop a context-specific instrument to measure job satisfaction in Ecuadorian higher education institutions using exploratory factor analysis.

The aim of this research is to assess the impact of the motivational dimensions of slow fashion (exclusivity, equity, authenticity, functionality and localism) on environmental and socially sustainable consumption.

The necessary information to conduct the empirical analysis was obtained through an online survey administered to consumers of slow fashion. Data processing was carried out using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique.

The obtained results demonstrate that exclusivity and equity significantly influence environmentally and socially sustainable consumption. However, the results indicate that authenticity and localism only have a significant influence on socially sustainable consumption and not on environmental consumption. Furthermore, the findings also reveal that functionality has a significant impact solely on environmentally sustainable consumption.

This study is based on self-reported data collected from buyers aged between 18 and 29, commonly known as Generation Z. Future research could enhance the generalizability of the findings by conducting comparative studies involving other age groups, both older and younger, who are interested in sustainable fashion. Although existing literature suggests that this generation shows a stronger preference for products and brands that promote environmentally and socially responsible practices, broadening the scope to include other demographics could provide a more comprehensive understanding of sustainable fashion consumption.

The findings suggest the importance of developing value propositions that align slow fashion with motivational factors such as exclusivity and equity. Moreover, the practical nature of these motivational dimensions is evident in maximizing their effects on environmentally friendly behaviors, care behaviors and social responsibility. It is recommended to emphasize attributes of garment scarcity, durability, degree of personalization, provenance benefits and information on the company’s social responsibility to foster environmentally and socially sustainable behaviors.

This research contributes to a better understanding of the motivational dimensions that influence sustainable consumption measures and provides valuable information for managers in the fashion industry by clarifying the attributes that act as triggers from the consumer’s perspective.