scholarly journals Employment changes in the sustainable energy sector in Scotland

Author(s):  
Ronald William McQuaid ◽  
Ariel Bergmann

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the development of “Green” jobs in one region of the European Union, Scotland, where the government has sought to develop renewable and sustainable energy industries and associated employment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses selected secondary data and policy documents and conceptualises issues concerning employment in the renewable energy sector. Findings – It analyses published data and projections on employment in renewable energy sectors, considering the reasons for the lower actual job creation. Many of the jobs in the renewable energy sector are likely to be high skilled, so there is need to support the development of low-skilled workers and job seekers so that they can enter and progress in the industry. Similarly there is a strong gender bias in the industry which may similarly reduce the entry and retention of the best staff and inhibit social equity. Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests that “Career first” recruitment and development policies are needed which emphasise improving both productivity and the “quality” and attractiveness of sustainable, long-term careers in the sector. Practical implications – In addition to relying on general labour attraction policies and separate industry-specific skills initiatives for those already in work, more attention needs to be given to developing sustainable employment with career progression for people moving into, or already in, the industry. Originality/value – The links between support for those moving into jobs and developing the skills of existing workers in sustainable industries have been under researched and this paper adds new conceptual developments, in terms of “Career” first approaches and empirical analysis of employment in renewable industries in Scotland.

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satya Widya Yudha ◽  
Benny Tjahjono

The development of renewable energy in Indonesia is still in a relatively fledgling state, yet it is forecast to increase. The Government of Indonesia has formulated and implemented several strategic programs, compiled under several binding frameworks, namely the National Energy Policy and the General Plan for National Energy. The government is committed internationally to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions as part of its Nationally Determined Contributions. However, unearthing the dynamics of renewable and sustainable energy in Indonesia requires a detailed stakeholder analysis of all relevant and major actors. This paper aims to provide a stakeholder analysis of actors in the renewable and sustainable energy sector in Indonesia as a whole, using a Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental (PESTLE) analysis methodology. The results have indicated that existing policies are not yet perfect, given that the renewable energy industry is still quite minimal, especially in the current conditions of falling oil prices. In the future, it is hoped that the government can formulate a breakthrough policy to improve existing policies in the renewable energy sector, such as by giving ease to investors in the renewable energy sector, including the effective and efficient supply chain management of renewable energy.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ademir M. Nascimento ◽  
Liguang Liu ◽  
João Ricardo Cumarú Silva Alves ◽  
Pierre Oriá

PurposeThis paper seeks to analyze the relationship between China and the Northeast region of Brazil, aiming to identify how the renewable energy sector is being developed.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyzed secondary data from the official databases from China-Brazil chambers of commerce to establish the main points related to renewable energy in Brazil's Northeast.FindingsIt is possible to notice the main investments, highlighting the wind energy as a more prominent source recently. The authors also point the huge influence from China on Brazil's Northeast energy sector.Research limitations/implicationsIt is difficult to identify the amount of Chinese capital due to the large number of mergers and acquisitions that has been taking place in recent years.Practical implicationsIdentification of regions that have been receiving investments and the main interests of Chinese investors in the renewable energy sector.Social implicationsDemonstration of how the renewable energy sector has taken an important turn in Brazil due to Chinese investment.Originality/valueTo evaluate a regional consortium, analyzing its strategies for partnerships with China to help each other in global questions, as is the case of renewable energy.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Zimon ◽  
Marek Sobolewski ◽  
Grzegorz Lew

European countries are increasingly using renewable energy. Poland is an outsider of such solutions. The Polish energy sector is primarily based on energy produced from coal. However, environmental changes and regulations of the European Union are forcing the increased use of energy from renewable sources. Renewable energy is an industry that is still developing in Poland. At the same time, Poland is a country where the political decisions of the government over the last few years have resulted in a significant limitation of the possibilities of renewable energy development. These actions have also resulted in lowering the profitability of the currently operating renewable energy enterprises, especially those from the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises. An opportunity for SMEs operating in the renewable energy sector is to merge into industry purchasing groups. The aim of the article—and at the same time the research question—is: Is it financially safer for renewable energy companies to operate within purchasing groups compared to companies operating independently in this industry? Traditional ways of purchasing can be transferred to integrated purchasing systems, which will be created by purchasing groups associating renewable energy companies. For this purpose, the financial effects of the implementation and functioning of the purchasing groups in the renewable energy sector in relation to entities operating independently were examined. In the research of renewable energy SMEs, a comparative analysis of key indicators determining the possibility of continuing the activity of these entities was made. The following indicators were examined: current financial liquidity ratio, return on sales, operating cycle, cash conversion cycle, share of receivables in current assets, share of inventory in current assets, turnover ratios, level of receivables, liabilities and profitability. The scientific literature is dominated by studies on purchasing groups in the pharmaceutical and construction industries. Thanks to the research conducted, it has been indicated that the renewable energy industry can also improve its profitability, and thus the possibility of safe continuation of operations by extending the business model to inter-entity cooperation within purchasing groups. Increasing the efficiency of individual entities of the renewable energy industry within purchasing groups becomes particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistical analyses and their graphic presentation present the significant impact on the safety and profitability of renewable energy entities in the form of purchasing groups.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-47
Author(s):  
Marian Woźniak ◽  

Electricity is one of the factors shaping the quality of life of society. The Polish energy sector is to a large extent identified with fossil fuel used in conventional energy, based mainly on hard coal, which is not fully in line with the current energy policy of the European Union. Therefore, today it is necessary to use renewable energy more efficiently, which, in addition to the clearly indicated economic effect, also accentuates environmental effects. The purpose of the work is to show the opinions of young people aged 15–24 in terms of their awareness of the interpretation of myths about renewable energy, which is a key problem in the development of the modern energy sector, and to indicate the directions of development of the energy policy in Poland.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijke Welisch ◽  
Gustav Resch ◽  
André Ortner

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to provide estimation results for feasibility of renewable energy source (RES) deployment in Turkey, the Western Balkans and North Africa. From these results, the potential for cooperation in renewables production between the countries and the European Union (EU) is assessed and evaluated, in a mid- (2030) and long-term (up to 2040) perspective. Design/methodology/approach The authors focus on the quantitative assessments undertaken on the extent to which RES cooperation can create mutual benefits, identifying costs and benefits for both sides, but in particular with respect to RES target achievement (2020 and 2030) at EU level. The potentials for RES generation in Turkey, North Africa and the Western Balkans are calculated under different policy pathways, taking into account different levels of economic and non-economic barriers that could occur. Findings Overall, the authors found that increasing RES deployment in the three analysed regions and initiating or intensifying cooperation with EU28 Member States leads to mutual benefits. Concretely, these benefits become apparent in terms of the EU Member States importing renewable energy sources for electricity with a good resource quality and adding on to their targets for RES deployment. At the same time, substantial savings occur for the EU, in turn leading to income and investments in the cooperating regions. Originality/value The assessment underlying this paper is the first of its kind to the authors’ knowledge that opens up the geographical spread in comparison to merely assessing cooperation between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. Furthermore, the multitude of policy parameters analysed provides detailed and robust insights concerning a broad variety of different possible scenarios.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Rialp-Criado ◽  
Seyed Meysam Zolfaghari Ejlal Manesh ◽  
Øystein Moen

Purpose This paper aims to elaborate on the crucial effects that a seemingly detrimental policy change in Spain has had on the international entrepreneurial activities of domestic renewable energy (RE) firms. Design/methodology/approach Primary data were collected from nine RE companies in Spain and then triangulated with secondary data and interviews from informants in other local institutions. Findings Domestic RE firms, due to an institutional scape driver action, reacted to an increasingly uncertain and generally more adverse renewable energy policy framework in this country by preferring to internationalise towards foreign markets that had lower political uncertainty than the domestic one. Research limitations/implications This paper complements previous research primarily on firm-specific factors that enhance internationalising firms’ survival and growth through a focus on the impact of a changing institutional-political environment at the home country-level. Practical implications Practitioners in the RE sector should analyse the risk of focusing only on the home market, as it can be too dependent on uncontrolled variations in domestic energy policy. Social implications The findings indicate that a more stable and supportive, long-term perspective in the domestic RE policy is essential for the sustained growth and development of this emerging industry. Originality/value To analyse the strategy by which a number of purposefully selected companies were able to use international expansion as a survival-seeking strategy against a drastic policy-level change in the domestic RE market.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 312-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Beneking ◽  
Saskia Ellenbeck ◽  
Antonella Battaglini

Purpose Following the issuance of the Renewable Energy Directive in 2009, the European Union (EU) is explicitly pushing for member states to cooperate with third countries to meet their EU 2020 targets. So far, no single joint project is planned or in place yet. This paper aims to look at the opportunities for and barriers to possible RE exports from North Africa into the EU through the concept of a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. Design/methodology/approach Thus, the SWOT for a possible implementation of Article 9 projects are analyzed using expert and stakeholder knowledge. A qualitative assessment was undertaken using data collected through one stakeholder workshop in North Africa, in-depth interviews and a qualitative literature review. The analysis was structured within a three-tier analyzing concept distinguishing between macro, micro and acceptance parameters. Findings From the SWOT analysis, some lessons are drawn, future possible measures are identified and conclusions for policymakers are discussed. The authors find that no easy solutions exist as most parameters can be both a strength and a weakness or a threat and an opportunity at the same time depending on future developments and the specific ideological perspective. Originality/value This paper provides new information and analysis of renewable energy sources projects in North Africa – application of the SWOT method on Article 9 cooperation projects – application of a three-tier analysis to cope with the complexity of the topic – taking into account often neglected socio-political aspects such as public acceptance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jefferson Marlon Monticelli ◽  
Ivan Lapuente Garrido ◽  
Marcelo Curth ◽  
Luciana Marques Vieira ◽  
Fábio Dal-Soto

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the influence of SOEs on institutions. The authors argue that in some cases there are differences in institutional shape between the shape that is actually demanded by an institution’s institutional environment and the shape that the institution itself believes is demanded of its institutional framework. The authors observed a behavior specific to institutions that change their institutional shape in response to demands, irrespective of whether these demands are legitimate, and this behavior was primarily in response to demands from governments and SOEs. The authors call this situation institutional dysmorphia and contrast it with institutional isomorphism. Design/methodology/approach This study is characterized by the qualitative approach and descriptive form. It is also a documentary study employing the systematic review technique and critical appreciation in a research group. The case of the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES) is analyzed to examine the different relationships between Brazilian SOEs and BNDES. It used secondary data provided by reports, papers and relevant magazines. The authors compare them with the conceptual purpose originated in the Medicine field. Findings The study is illustrated by the case of the BNDES and the various different relationships between Brazilian SOEs and BNDES are examined. This is a qualitative and descriptive documentary study, employing the systematic review technique. Specific behavior is observed in institutions that change their institutional shape in response to demands, irrespective of whether these demands are legitimate, and these demands mainly come from the government and from SOEs. Research limitations/implications The authors use of secondary data from only one country that was used to present these arguments. The focus was restricted to the institutional framework comprising one institution and SOEs. Private firms were not considered in this institutional framework, but they must be included in a macro-environment. Institutional pressures are dynamic and asymmetric. The dynamism of institutional change was not evaluated, and neither was the evolution of the relationships between government, SOEs and institutions. Finally, researchers need to understand not only top-down models of institutional effects but also the institutional process that incorporates both institutional influence and firm responses. Originality/value The term institutional dysmorphia is proposed through the contrast with concepts such institutional isomorphism, with reference to the institutional logics and institutional complexity of these institutions’ and SOEs’ environment. The situation described institutional dysmorphia happening in emerging countries context and might open new avenues for research.


Author(s):  
Dwight H. Perkins

The Chinese economy during the first three decades of rule by the Chinese Communist Party was organized in a fundamentally different way from that of market economies in much of the rest of the world and from what the Chinese economy became in the 21st century after three decades of market-oriented economic reform. Beginning in the mid-1950s, China introduced a centrally planned command economy patterned on that of the Soviet Union. This economic system involved the abolition of household agriculture in favor of collectives, first called “agricultural producer cooperatives” and, later, “Rural People’s Communes.” Industrial inputs and outputs were allocated by administrative means in accordance with a plan developed by the State Planning Commission, and market forces were largely eliminated in industry and large-scale commerce. Wages were set, and skilled workers were allocated to jobs by the government rather than by a labor market. Even many consumer goods were rationed, although some were allocated to households through the market; prices paid to farmers also played a limited role in government procurement of agricultural products. This highly centralized nonmarket, Soviet-type system, however, was introduced into the very different context of a developing country that was extremely poor. From the beginning, China’s leadership and that of Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong, in particular, explored alternatives to these rigid central controls. The result of these explorations more often than not was economic disaster, leading to the 1959–1961 famine in which roughly thirty million people are believed to have died. The government and the leadership also pursued political goals, notably during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), that disrupted the economy and slowed economic growth. Economic studies during this period thus focused on how the economy was organized, how it made the transition from a market economy to a nonmarket command economy, and how the institutions and performance of this command economy performed in various periods. Describing the institutions was easier than measuring performance because, from 1958 to 1960, China published data that grossly exaggerated China’s economic performance. After 1960, given the reality of famine and a poorly performing economy more generally, the government simply stopped publishing statistical data on economic performance. Many analysts outside China thus had to piece together the data that did leak out, and much of their work managed to capture what was happening. The publication of increasing amounts of official data, beginning in 1979, filled in some of the gaps in the earlier literature. Most Chinese economists from 1949 through 1978 were expected to follow the government/party line at the time in anything they published; however, there were exceptions in which individual economists and officials stated views on economic matters that did not reflect the dominant government/party line.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhurima Deb ◽  
Aarti Agrawal

Purpose The purpose of this study has been to understand brand India’s potential for financial inclusion in the future. As, digital channels like mobile banking (m-banking) are likely to provide better coverage and more cost-effective services to the unbanked population of India. Conventional banking might not be cost-effective for low-ticket-size transactions, hence financial inclusion, which is on the “Digital India” agenda of the Government of India (GoI), might not be feasible. However, to understand brand India’s potential for financial inclusion in the future, it would be essential to understand Indian customers’ attitudes toward m-banking, especially those who have not yet adopted it. This would bring out the potential of m-banking as a channel to drive financial inclusion based on customers’ intentions to adopt it. Until every Indian has access to a wider range of financial services, there cannot be financial inclusion. Similarly, until every Indian adopts digital channels to access a wider range of financial and non-financial services, the GoI’s initiatives for “Digital India” cannot be realized. Furthermore, a review of the literature suggests that there are very few studies concerning m-banking worldwide and still fewer in the context of India. Design/methodology/approach The present study used IBM SPSS and Amos software to test the conceptual model developed using secondary data. Findings The findings of the study suggest that subjective norm, output quality and personal innovativeness have impacts on the perceived usefulness of, and attitudes toward, the ultimate adoption of m-banking. Originality/value The paper is the original work of the authors. An attempt has been made to integrate all the existing literature on m-banking to develop a complete model for the technology’s adoption.


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