An analysis of meal sharing reviews to explore serendipity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina A. Petruzzi ◽  
Áurea Rodrigues ◽  
Michelle Moraes ◽  
Antonia Correia
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Traditional Markets ◽  
Potential Market ◽  
Positive Variation

In the period 2008-2018, the positive variation of tourism industry receipts was higher than the worldwide GDP growth (UNWTO, 2019a). In 2018, the European Union was the region with the highest total tourist receipts, while France and Italy were amongst the top six tourism earners in the world (UNWTO, 2019a). In the case of France, “consumer foodservice accelerated its digitalisation in 2018, which allowed for improved customer experiences and/or production optimisation. Whilst operators widely innovated in terms of digital tools to consolidate or gain share, digital usage varies significantly between channels” (Euromonitor International, 2019a: 45). The mentioned adaptation is not only related to the use of new technologies, but to the experience itself. In the Italian market, for example, “consumers are also showing themselves to be increasingly willing to try new products, ingredients and flavours” (Euromonitor International, 2019b: 33). Cross-cultural empirical studies confirm that novelty-change is a fundamental dimension inherent to innovation in food products (Guerrero et al., 2009). Another important aspect for travellers’ food experiences is surprise, which was related to the simplicity, complexity and genuineness of these moments (Goolaup, Solér & Nunkoo, 2018). In recent years, the number of innovative tourism experiences in terms of sharing economy initiatives has increased (WEF, 2019). Amongst the factors that influenced the growth of sharing economy after 2007 were the reduction of consumer trust in corporations and the purchasing power of consumers (European Union, 2013). In this context, some activities emerged and became key sectors in this area, such as home and car-sharing (Sigala, 2015), which is expected to present a revenue variation from USD 15 billion to USD 335 billion in the period 2014-2025 (UNWTO, 2019b). Concerning meal-sharing platforms, they are considered a potential market, which is currently underdeveloped (UNWTO, 2019b). Conceptually, the sharing economy can be defined as “individuals offering their underutilized assets to others using digital platforms” (Bakker & Twining-Ward, 2018: 13). Thus, amid the aspects that differentiate sharing economy practices from traditional markets are the digital technologies that are used to match consumers and sellers, as well as the word of mouth reviews (Schor, 2014; WEF, 2017). Furthermore, the sharing economy is used to be related to eco-friendly initiatives, like the circular economy (OECD, 2019).

scholarly journals Oil Price Uncertainty, Globalization, and Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from the European Union

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3429
Author(s):  
Svetlana Balashova ◽  
Apostolos Serletis
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Total Factor Productivity ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Price Volatility ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Price Uncertainty ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Factor Productivity ◽  
Tfp Growth

This paper uncovers linkages between oil price uncertainty, total factor productivity (TFP) growth, and critical indicators of knowledge production and spillovers. It contributes to the literature by investigating the effects of oil price volatility on TFP growth, controlling for two different channels for TFP growth; benefits from the quality of the national innovation system and from adopting new technologies. We use an unbalanced panel for 28 European Union countries for the period from 1990 to 2018. We find that oil price uncertainty has a negative and statistically significant effect on TFP growth, even after we control for technological advancements and the effects of globalization. We also find that the scale of research and innovation and international trade are positive contributors to TFP growth.

scholarly journals Are International Indices Good Predictors of Economic Growth? Panel Data and Cluster Analysis for European Union Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6003
Author(s):  
Manuel Carlos Nogueira ◽  
Mara Madaleno
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
European Union ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
Environmental Performance Index ◽  
European Union Countries ◽  
And Cluster Analysis

Every year, news about the publication of rankings and scores of important international indexes are highlighted, with some of the most prestigious being the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), the Human Development Index (HDI), the Ease of Doing Business (EDB), the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and the Global Entrepreneurship (GEI). A country’s progression in these indices is associated with economic growth, especially since several empirical studies have found evidence to reinforce these beliefs, the indices having been built based on the scientific literature on economic growth. Building a database on these indices for European Union countries between 2007 and 2017 and using panel data methodologies and then 2SLS (Two-Stage Least Squares) to solve the problem of endogeneity, we verify empirically through panel data estimates, what is the relationship between the mentioned indices and the European Union countries’ economic growth for the period. However, as the European Union is made up of diverse countries with different economic and social realities, we divided the countries into six clusters and made an individual interpretation for each one. We found that human development and competitiveness play an important role in economic growth, and entrepreneurship also impacts this growth. Regarding income distribution, applying the Gini index, we found that only human development mitigates inequalities.

scholarly journals The Role of the Sharing Economy for a Sustainable and Innovative Development of Rural Areas: A Case Study in Sardinia (Italy)

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Battino ◽  
Salvatore Lampreu
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Innovative Development ◽  
The European Union

Depopulation is a problem felt in many regions of the European Union, mainly affecting inland and rural areas. In many cases, these areas are characterized by economic, social, and infrastructural marginalization. Their rehabilitation is desirable in view of a better balance of social and infrastructural management. This said, there are no proven solutions for depopulation that can be applied to all territories in the same way. On the contrary, if we examine progress in the fields of ITC and digitization, we can gather interesting suggestions on how to deal with this issue. This essay intends to analyze these aspects and to examine ways to strengthen, through programs and instruments of the sharing economy, the competitiveness and potential attraction of geographical areas considered marginal and that risk demographic collapse.

E-Government at Supranational Level in the European Union

2011 ◽  
pp. 501-506
Author(s):  
F. Amoretti
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Information Society ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
White Paper ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Common Information ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Community Programmes

The term “e-government” became part of the political vocabulary toward the end of the 1990s. Previously, with the onset of new technologies, it found its place in the wider “semantic container,” the information society. To respond to the United States and Japan’s economic challenge, the European Commission drew up a “White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness, and Employment: Challenges and Ways Forward to the 21st Century” (the so-called Delors’ White Paper). The construction of the IS is considered one of the five fundamental priorities of the Union to create a “common information area” based on ICTs and telematic infrastructure. E-government was the key element of significant community programmes (i.e., IDA [Interchange of Data between Administrations] and TEN-TELECOM [from 2002 renamed eTen]). A decisive step toward the development of EU policies for e-government came with the approval, in June 2000, of the Action Plan “eEurope 2002: An Information Society for All.” Guidelines were fixed for greater use of the Internet, and the initiative “Government online: electronic access to public services, [which] aims to ensure that citizens have easy access to essential public data, [...] [and, in order to improve] efficiency in the public sector, will require a re-thinking of internal organisation and of electronic exchanges between institutions” (Council of the European Union & Commission of the European Communities, 2000, p. 22). A few months previously, based on numerous EC documents, the Council of Europe of Lisbon indicated an ambitious objective for the European Union: “to become the most competitive and dynamic economy based on knowledge in the world, capable of achieving sustainable economic growth, creating new and better jobs and more social cohesion.” The so-called “Lisbon strategy” to permit Europe to recover the delay accumulated compared to the U.S., was intended to guide community policies up to 2010. It is in this context, interwoven with different and often conflicting pressures (economic competition and social cohesion, market logics, and the language of rights) that action plans are formulated and policies for e-government implemented in Europe.

Enlargement Policy and European Union Politics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eli Gateva
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eastern Enlargement ◽  
Accession Process ◽  
Integration Project ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

Enlargement has always been an essential part of the European integration. Each enlargement round has left its mark on the integration project. However, it was the expansion of the European Union (EU) with the 10 Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs), Cyprus, and Malta, unprecedented in scope and scale, which presented the EU with an opportunity to develop a multifaceted set of instruments and transformed enlargement into one of the EU’s most successful policies. The numerous challenges of the accession process, along with the immensity of the historical mission to unify Europe, lent speed to the emergence of the study of EU enlargement as a key research area. The early studies investigated the puzzle of the EU’s decision to enlarge with the CEECs, and the costs and benefits of the Eastern expansion. However, the questions about the impact of EU enlargement policy inspired a new research agenda. Studies of the influence of the EU on candidate and potential candidate countries have not only widened the research focus of Europeanization studies (beyond the member states of the Union), but also stimulated and shaped the debates on the scope and effectiveness of EU conditionality. Most of the analytical frameworks developed in the context of the Eastern enlargement have favored rational institutionalist approaches highlighting a credible membership perspective as the key explanatory variable. However, studies analyzing the impact of enlargement policy on the Western Balkan countries and Turkey have shed light on some of the limitations of the rationalist approaches and sought to identify new explanatory factors. After the completion of the fifth enlargement with the accession of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, the research shifted to analyzing the continuity and change of EU enlargement policy and its impact on the candidate and potential candidate countries. There is also a growing number of studies examining the sustainability of the impact of EU conditionality after accession by looking into new members’ compliance with EU rules. The impact of EU enlargement policy on the development of European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and comparative evaluations of the Union’s performance across the two policy frameworks have also shaped and expanded the debate on the mechanisms and effectiveness of the EU’s influence. The impact of the Eastern enlargement on EU institutions and policymaking is another area of research that has emerged over the last decade. In less than two decades, the study of EU enlargement policy has produced a rich and diverse body of literature that has shaped the broader research agendas on Europeanization, implementation, and compliance and EU policymaking. Comprehensive theoretical and empirical studies have allowed us to develop a detailed understanding of the impact of the EU on the political and economic transformations in Central and Eastern Europe. The ongoing accession process provides more opportunities to study the evolving nature of EU enlargement policy, its impact on candidate countries, the development of EU policies, and the advancement of the integration project.

Data Protection in the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union: An Unequal Playing Field

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-494
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Zell
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Data Protection ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Location Based Services ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
The Eu

With the negotiation of its Data Protection Regulation, the European Union seeks to reform an outdated set of laws that has failed to address the evolving data protection challenges inherent in new technologies such as social networks, e-commerce, cloud computing, and location-based services. This article addresses the forthcoming Data Protection Regulation as well as the current state of data protection law in the EU, with a particular focus on Germany. The first part of the article examines Germany's robust data protection framework and the EU's existing authority. The article then raises key issues related to data protection in Germany and the EU—namely, discrepancies in data protection standards and enforcement among EU Member States—as illustrated by recent, high profile cases involving household names like Facebook, Apple, Google, and Amazon. Through this analysis, the article attempts to explain how and why companies doing business in Germany, but established in other EU Member States, are subject to less stringent data protection standards than German companies. Lastly, the article synthesizes the issues in debate with regard to the draft Data Protection Regulation and offers perspectives on what the Regulation could and should mean for data protection in the EU.

The Exploitative Abuse Prohibition

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 737-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadashi Shiraishi
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Intellectual Property Rights ◽  
Competition Law ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Bargaining Position ◽  
Functional Equivalent ◽  
Japanese Law ◽  
Holistic Research

The prohibition of exploitative abuse has attracted increasing attention in recent years, activated by many modern issues, also involving intellectual property rights. This article takes a bird’s-eye view of the policy distance between the United States, a core supporter of nonintervention, and the European Union, a core supporter of modest intervention. The article also examines the response of Japanese law, which includes the prevention of abuse of a superior bargaining position, a functional equivalent to the prohibition of exploitative abuse in this context. The provision against abuses of a superior bargaining position in Japan has been recently enforced in the context of private lawsuits as well. Such a holistic research framework will enable us to explore the potential responses of competition law to the challenges raised by data protection, the sharing economy, and other modern issues.

scholarly journals European Union Entrepreneurship and Innovativeness Support Policy for Businesses

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zofia Wysokińska
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Knowledge Based Economy ◽  
Level Of Economic Development ◽  
Main Factor

The development of entrepreneurship as well as research and innovation have direct impact on growth in the level of economic development as well as the prosperity of individual citizens and society in general. The primary goal of policies involving research and technological development is establishing the European Union as a leading knowledge–based economy. Innovativeness is also the main factor in improving the competitiveness of companies. The key to improving the economic situation in Poland is the strengthening of innovative attitudes among entrepreneurs. An efficiently running institutional system guaranteeing effective support instruments for entrepreneurs and the scientific–research sphere as well as guaranteeing the unhindered transfer of knowledge should prove helpful. As the main factor in improving the competitiveness of companies, innovativeness is mainly the result of the development of collaboration between the spheres of science and business as well as the use of patent achievements in companies. The drive behind future growth in the European Union will be sectors based on knowledge and innovation. However, these require a solid industrial network and resources allowing the utilization of new technologies. To a great extent, growth in entrepreneurship and innovativeness as significant factors in the economic development of Europe and Poland is dependent on the elimination of administrative barriers for companies and the introduction of the facilitating of information and communication (ICT) as needed for them to function.

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