Patrizia Lombardi and Valentina Ferretti
Policy makers are frequently challenged by the need to achieve sustainable development in cities and regions. Current decision-making processes are based on evaluation support…
Abstract
Purpose
Policy makers are frequently challenged by the need to achieve sustainable development in cities and regions. Current decision-making processes are based on evaluation support systems which are unable to tackle the problem as they cannot take a holistic approach or a full account of actors. The purpose of this paper is to present a new generation of evaluation systems to support decision making in planning and regeneration processes which involve expert participation. These systems ensure network representation of the issues involved and visualization of multiple scenarios.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review is used for both revising existing evaluation tools in urban planning and the built environment and highlighting the need to give stakeholders (industry, cities, operators, etc.) new tools for collaborative or individual decisions and to facilitate scaling up solutions. An overview of the new generation of decision support systems, named Multicriteria Spatial Decision Support Systems (MC-SDSS) is provided and real case studies are analyzed to show their ability to tackle the problem.
Findings
Recent research findings highlight that decisions in urban planning should be supported by collaborative and inclusive processes. Otherwise, they will fail. The case studies illustrated in this study highlight the usefulness of MC-SDSS for the successful resolution of complex problems, thanks to the visualization facilities and a network representation of the scenarios.
Research limitations/implications
The case studies are limited to the Italian context.
Practical implications
These SDSS are able to empower planners and decision makers to better understand the interaction between city design, social preferences, economic issues and policy incentives. Therefore, they have been employed in several case studies related to territorial planning and regeneration processes.
Originality/value
This study provides three case studies and a review of the new MC-SDSS methodology which involve the Analytic Network Process technique to support decision-making in urban and regional planning.
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Marta Bottero and Valentina Ferretti
The paper, which is based on an integrated approach that is able to aid the comprehension of complex phenomena, aims to investigate innovative models and tools in the field of…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper, which is based on an integrated approach that is able to aid the comprehension of complex phenomena, aims to investigate innovative models and tools in the field of sustainability assessment of territorial transformations. The model has been applied to a real case study related to the choice of alternative projects for the requalification of a downgraded urban area in Turin (Italy).
Design/methodology/approach
The work proposes the use of a comprehensive key environmental indicator framework and multi‐criteria analysis to evaluate the sustainability of different strategies. The evaluation has been performed through the application of the analytical network process (ANP) and by means of a set of indicators, which have been arranged according to the Driving Force‐Pressure‐State‐Impact‐Responses (DPSIR) framework. The assessment model provides priority lists of the importance of the considered indicators and alternatives. All the analysis elements are modelled with the ANP, taking into consideration the interconnections between the indicators and their respective cumulative importance.
Findings
According to the aim of the paper, the most important element in the performed analysis refers to the variation of the well‐being of the population, followed by the changes in the accessibility and attractiveness of the area, then by the effects on the real estate market and the presence of new cycle tracks.
Originality/value
The work is the first study at a national level and one of the first applications at an international level in research concerning the use of the DPSIR framework integrated with an ANP analysis.
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Valentina Della Corte, Giovanna Del Gaudio and Fabiana Sepe
Increased awareness about the importance of a safe, healthy nutrition has changed human interactions with food and increased worldwide demand for high quality and ethical food. In…
Abstract
Purpose
Increased awareness about the importance of a safe, healthy nutrition has changed human interactions with food and increased worldwide demand for high quality and ethical food. In this respect, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the concept of ethical food and the nature of kosher food production, assessing common traits and the main differences between the two. A literature review was undertaken in order to verify the direction in which further studies might proceed.
Design/methodology/approach
A research review on current literature was carried out exploring concepts of ethical food and food certification underpinning kosher businesses by means of an analysis of both producers’ and consumers’ perspectives. In order to proceed with an accurate analysis, the paper matches both the conceptual analysis and the bibliometric one. The overlap between these two forms of analysis makes results robust and useful for future research.
Findings
This review reveals common points between ethical and kosher food because attention is given to both processes and products and the way the market perceives them as expressions of trustworthy and safe production. Furthermore, the analysis reveals an under emphasis on kosher food in the academic world and the results reveal the importance of empirical analysis.
Research limitations/implications
The analysis is focused mainly on kosher food production as an expression of ethical food. It would be interesting, however, to expand the analysis to other types of ethical certification such as Halal food, for example, in order to perform comparative evaluations.
Practical implications
From a practical point of view, it is interesting to note that kosher food is conceived as very safe food and that non-religious people are sensitive to this, which opens new horizons for ethical food. It also offers the possibility that firms that have never considered entering the field of ethical food certification may do so to expand their businesses. This implication also reveals that there is a higher attention on sustainability and safety in agro-food market. Therefore there are great opportunities of expansion for ethical food.
Social implications
From a social point of view, this paper is of importance for several reasons. It deals with a relatively new and relatively unexplored issue; it points out the relevance of sustainability and safety in food market and consumer behavior, it presents the possibility of exploring knowledge interactions between different perspectives (multidisciplinary approach) and cultures which, in the opinion, will present significant challenge in relation to agro-food business research in the future.
Originality/value
The originality of this work is that of systematizing a literature review of ethical food, enlarging its scope and boundaries with specific reference to kosher food. It also highlights the need to focus on both management and marketing, since up to now there has been a lack of academic contributions to these areas of research. Directions for further research are outlined.
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Valentina Ndou, Paola Scorrano, Gioconda Mele and Pasquale Stefanizzi
The wide development of digital platforms permitted the birth of new financing modalities, namely, crowdfunding, where the crowd of individuals and investors can supply the…
Abstract
Purpose
The wide development of digital platforms permitted the birth of new financing modalities, namely, crowdfunding, where the crowd of individuals and investors can supply the necessary financial resources for venture creation and growth. While the extant literature has focused on analyzing the dynamics and features of crowdfunding campaigns, few studies have focused on understanding how crowd investors decide which ventures to invest in and which factors influence their decision-making process. Due to this gap, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors influencing the choice to invest in an equity crowdfunding campaign, by defining a set of indicators useful to evaluate the risk of the campaign.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical research study of Italian equity crowdfunding campaigns has been conducted to identify quantitative indicators useful for evaluating the risk in a crowdfunding campaign.
Findings
Findings demonstrate that the risk indicators proposed to represent important gauges that investors can usefully consider ex ante to assess the degree of riskiness of the investment in the equity crowdfunding campaign.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of the study regarding the size of the sample that is small due to the necessity to extract enough information in pre and post-equity campaigns. Also, the lack of historical data is another limitation.
Originality/value
The originality of the studies relies on the proposal of quantitative indicators for the evaluation of the risk in equity crowdfunding campaigns for “crowd” investors to reduce information asymmetries.
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Valentina Salomoni, Gianluca Mazzucco, Carlo Pellegrino and Carmelo Majorana
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the bond behaviour between fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets and concrete elements, starting from available experimental evidences…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the bond behaviour between fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets and concrete elements, starting from available experimental evidences, through a calibrated and upgraded 3D mathematical‐numerical model.
Design/methodology/approach
The complex mechanism of debonding/peeling failure of FRP reinforcement is studied within the context of damage mechanics to appropriately catch transversal effects and developing a more realistic and comprehensive study of the delamination process. The FE ABAQUS© code has been supplemented with a numerical procedure accounting for Mazars's damage law inside the contact algorithm.
Findings
It has been shown that such an approach is able to catch the delamination evolution during loading processes as well.
Originality/value
A Drucker‐Prager constitutive law is adopted for concrete whereas FRP elements are assumed to behave in a linear‐elastic manner, possibly undertaking large strains/displacements. Surface‐to‐surface contact conditions have been applied between FRP and adjacent concrete, including the enhancement given by the strain‐softening law according to Mazars' damage model. The procedure has been introduced to describe the coupled behaviour between concrete, FRP and adhesive resulting in specific bonding‐debonding features under different load levels.
Valentina Sommovigo, Chiara Bernuzzi and Ilaria Setti
This study aims to analyse whether and when victim incivility may be related to work-to-family conflict and then burnout among emergency workers.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyse whether and when victim incivility may be related to work-to-family conflict and then burnout among emergency workers.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 304 Italian emergency workers from five firehouses and six emergency rooms completed questionnaires, examining: victim incivility, work-to-family conflict, social support seeking and burnout symptoms. Descriptive analyses, confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation models were conducted.
Findings
Victim incivility was positively associated with burnout symptoms, both directly and indirectly, as mediated by work-to-family conflict. Additionally, social support seeking exacerbated (rather than mitigated) the impact of work-to-family conflict on burnout symptoms.
Practical implications
Organisations can greatly benefit from implementing family-friendly practices and providing their workers with training programmes on how to deal with difficult victims.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature on workplace incivility and work–life interface by supporting for the first time the notion that victim incivility can spill over into emergency workers' family domain and by clarifying how and when victim incivility is related to burnout symptoms.
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Valentino Moretto, Gianluca Elia and Gianpaolo Ghiani
Differently from traditional approaches that rely on the analysis of single dimensions of the tourism phenomenon, this study aims to experiment a systemic approach based on…
Abstract
Purpose
Differently from traditional approaches that rely on the analysis of single dimensions of the tourism phenomenon, this study aims to experiment a systemic approach based on structured and unstructured data sources to elaborate a composite index to measure the tourist competitiveness of marginal areas, with the final aim to design and plan proper socio-economic development strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology adopted to carry out the study follows a four-step process and relies on indicators that are both relevant and accessible. The first step concerns the analysis of the literature about the existing approaches to calculate a tourism index. The second step concerns the definition of the indicators and the collection of data by using both structured and unstructured sources. The third step focuses on the population of the data set. Finally, the fourth step aims at calculating the tourism index through a composite-based methodology and using it for a pilot application in a Southern Italy province.
Findings
The study calculates a synthetic tourism index for each of the 97 municipalities of the Province of Lecce (a city located in the southeast of Italy). The proposed index combines administrative, institutional and open data sources to derive a single indicator for each municipality, thus supporting decision-makers in understanding the complex reality and competitiveness level of territories in the tourism industry.
Originality/value
The main elements of originality of the study are the breadth and typology of data sources considered to calculate the composite indicator of tourism competitiveness (both structured and unstructured); and the use of weighting and aggregation procedures in the methodological issues.
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Francesco Campanella, Luca Ferri, Luana Serino and Annamaria Zampella
This paper aims to analyze the role of intellectual capital in the underexplored relationship between sustainable performance and credit access among private firms in Italy, where…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the role of intellectual capital in the underexplored relationship between sustainable performance and credit access among private firms in Italy, where over 90% of businesses are small and medium enterprises. While D’Apolito et al. (2024) have investigated sustainability-linked bank financing among Italian listed small and medium-sized enterprises, this study takes a different approach by focusing on private firms and examining the influence of environmental, social and governance criteria on their credit access. The research seeks to deepen the understanding of how sustainable practices impact financial outcomes and access to funding for private enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
To investigate the relationship between sustainable performance and credit access as well as the moderating role of intellectual capital, this study employs an ordinary least squares regression model. It utilizes an innovative measure of sustainable performance for private firms – the legality rating issued by the Italian Competition Authority in 2022 – drawing on prior research to establish a robust analytical framework.
Findings
The findings highlight the importance of incorporating environmental, social and governance criteria into the credit evaluation process for private firms. They underscore the critical role of intellectual capital – comprising human capital, structural capital and relational capital – as a moderating factor in the relationship between sustainable performance and credit access.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the moderating role of intellectual capital in the relationship between sustainable performance and credit access among Italian private firms. While substantial research exists on environmental, social and governance performance in large listed firms, there remains a notable gap concerning the sustainability criteria of private and unlisted entities. This study addresses this gap by providing insights into the unique dynamics of sustainable performance and financial access in the context of private enterprises.