Life cycle inventory data for the Italian agri-food sector: background, sources and methodological aspects

Purpose For the development of any life cycle assessment study, the practitioner frequently integrates primary data collected on-field, with background data taken from various life cycle inventory databases which are part of most commercial LCA software packages. However, such data is often not generally applicable to all product systems since, especially concerning the agri-food sector, available datasets may not be fully representative of the site specificity of the food product under examination. In this context, the present work investigates the background, sources and methodological aspects that characterise the most known commercial databases containing agri-food data, with a focus on four agri-food supply chains (olive oil, wine, wheat products and citrus fruit), which represent an important asset for the Italian food sector. Methods Specifically, the paper entails a review of currently available LCI databases and their datasets with a twofold scope: firstly, to understand how agri-food data is modelled in these databases for a coherent and consistent representation of regional scenarios and to verify whether they are also suitable for the Italian context and, secondly, to identify and analyse useful and relevant methodological approaches implemented in the existing LCI databases when regional data are modelled. Results Based on the aforementioned review, it is possible to highlight some problems which may arise when developing an LCI pertaining to the four Italian agri-food supply chains, namely: 1. The need for specific inventory datasets to tackle the specificities of agri-food product systems. 2. The lack of datasets, within the existing DBs, related to the Italian context and to the abovementioned supply chains. In fact, at present, in the currently available LCI DBs, there are very few (or in some cases none) datasets related to Italian wine, olive oil, wheat-based products and citrus fruit. The few available datasets often contain some data related to the Italian context but also approximate data with that of product systems representing other countries. Furthermore, the present study allowed to identify and discuss the main aspects to be used as starting elements for modelling regional data to be included in a future Italian LCI database of the abovementioned four supply chains. Conclusions The results of the present study represent a starting point for the collection of data and its organisation, in order to develop an Italian LCI agri-food database with datasets which are representative of the regional specificities of four agri-food supply chains which play an important role in the Italian economy.

ACCOUNTING PROVISION OF JUSTIFICATION OF COSTS OF HOP GROWING WITH ITS STATE SUPPORTING (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE CHUVASH REPUBLIC)

The modern hop-growing industry occupies a small share in the structure of domestic agricultural production. However, being the main supplier of hops, as the most important agricultural raw material for many sectors of the economy, it has been on the rise in recent years and is increasing production volumes every year. This is largely facilitated by financial government support in terms of reimbursement of current and capital costs associated with the establishment of hops and the cultivation of hops. The purpose of the study is to consider the main theoretical and methodological aspects of organizing production accounting, which will provide unified approaches to justifying costs for filing applications by hop farms for government subsidies. As a result of the analysis, it turned out that there is no updated regulatory framework for accounting for the reflection of costs in hop-growing farms, including the basic industry standard “Hop-growing. Terms and definitions ”, and in the very mechanism for issuing state subsidies, the question of the structure and content of the information carrier about the costs incurred has not been finally worked out. A small number of international and Russian studies to determine the essential characteristics of hops as a biological asset have a negative impact on the construction of the accounting process. Consideration of the theory and study of the practice of organizing the accounting of costs in hop farms made it possible to update the accounting procedures for the main agro-technological stages in accordance with the current regulatory documents in this area and to put forward the thesis on the need to use 1 ton of alpha-acid as a calculating unit and a universal meter when making calculations with counterparties

LABOR ECONOMICS AND LABOR LAW: METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CORRELATION

The article reveals the features of solving the problems of labor activity, proceeding from the study of the foundations of labor economics (as a direction of economic science, directly dealing with such problems) and the provisions of labor law (which regulate the process of ensuring everyone the right to work), taking into account the methodological aspects of correlation. It has been established that labor activity is a special form of professional activity of individuals, which is due to the use of scientific and technical means. It has been determined that one of the main problems of labor economics is the problem of a low level of labor productivity, the solution of which is possible through the development of scientific and technological progress, improvement of existing or development and implementation of new resource-saving technologies, improvement of the production process of product, automation of the production process, taking into account aspects of social processes and guarantees of ensuring the optimal level of remuneration and an appropriate level of social protection, the development of education and science, ensuring an adequate level of health care, guaranteeing labor safety, continuous improvement of qualifications and professionalism by employees. It has been proved that the efficiency of an individual's labor activity depends on his motivation. It was found that one of the problems underlying the economic science of labor is the problem of regulating the personal life and work activities of young professionals in the labor market, in particular – at the expense of ensuring decent working conditions and the right to an adequate level of remuneration. It was determined that in the implementation of strategically established tasks and priorities for the development of labor activity, a special role is played by the observance of the provisions of labor law. Labor law should provide for the proper regulation of relations in labor activity is provided, based on society's perceptions of aspects such as fairness and the framework of freedom. It has been established that changes in labor law for the better in accordance with the needs of the labor market will contribute to an increase in the level of labor productivity, an increase in the level of employment among the population, influence an increase in the level and efficiency of production, an increase in the level of wages, etc. It is noted that the prospects for further research in this direction should be the research of the features and practical aspects of the correlation of professionalism, professional culture, professional competence and professional training in labor activity.

3 Methods and Materials Applied in Electrosynthesis

This chapter is intended as a tutorial for the organic chemist and to serve as an introductory guide to the technical and methodological aspects of electrosynthesis. The most important reaction parameters, methods, and materials are covered both from a practical point of view and in their physicochemical context.

Economic analysis of the world export of educational services

The research looks at the export of educational services as one of the promising spheres for the development of international economic relations. The study focuses on the experience of developed supplier and recipient countries. The theoretical basis of the study is formed by the typology of ways to export services proposed in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The importance of the issue under consideration is due, among other things, to the fact that, according to forecasts, the number of foreign students wishing to obtain higher education will increase to 150 million in 2025, and the volume of exports of higher education will reach $30 billion, which is 3 % of the total volume of trade in OECD services. Most prior research focuses on methodological aspects of education; however, the experience of foreign countries is presented in a limited scope. Using the example of the USA in the context of the management training program, it is shown that a fairly broad methodological system is used abroad, allowing specialists from all over the world to acquire the necessary skills and develop competencies. It is obvious that the pandemic has led to a sharp reduction in the number of foreign students in Germany, as in other exporting countries of educational services. Of particular interest is the EdTech market, which is attractive in terms of its size and growth rates. The key barriers to the global market of educational services are, among other things, increased competition, the presence of a larger number of exporters-providers of educational services, more active classes at mass open online courses, active use of mobile devices; the use of learning models that include personalized and blended learning methods; increasing the degree of confidentiality of data; active development of the institute of continuing education in conjunction with the active use of advanced training courses and vocational training. The research is expected to provide valuable information about the balance of powers on the global market of educational services and will serve as an information base for further scientific research in the field.

THE EFFICIENCY OF PROOF IN CIVIL PROCEDURE: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS

The effectiveness of judicial protection is largely determined by the efficiency of proof. Modern methods of studying the effectiveness of law and legal activity make it possible to analyze issues of the efficiency of proof. What is the efficiency of proof? Should the proof be effective? Is it necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of evidence and for what? Can the efficiency of proof be assessed? How to evaluate and how to ensure such efficiency? What measures and procedural rules reduce costs and increase the efficiency of proof? The answers to these and many other questions are offered in the article, which also reveals the general theoretical and methodological aspects of the problem of the efficiency of proof. In conclusion of this paper the author puts forward the thesis based on the study that the very study and evaluation of the effectiveness of judicial proof allows to minimize its costs, to select the optimal cost-effective procedural means of achieving the goals of proof, to rationalize its procedural order. The study of the effectiveness of proof, thus, makes it possible to rationally choose the most effective and cost-effective alternative to build a procedural mechanism of proof.

Methodological Aspects of the Military-Economic Significance of Agriculture and Modern Problems of Military Food Resources in Ukraine

Today, the study of the military-economic significance of agriculture is given considerable attention by both the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the state as a whole, so the main purpose of the article is to determine some methodological aspects of the militaryeconomic significance of agriculture to strengthen the military-economic potential of the state and reveal the problems of using food resources for military purposes. In the article, the authors analyse statistical data on the dynamics of the main indicators that characterise the military-economic significance of the agro-industrial complex in the general system of national security of the state, as well as the dynamics of their growth over the years, with further research of correlations between these indicators and defence expenditures of Ukraine in order to develop recommendations for assessing the importance of indicators for the development of the agricultural sector in ensuring a sufficient level of military-economic potential of the state. Through the analysis, the economic capabilities of the state to provide Armed Forces were established, the views on determining the share of GDP in the protection of national interests in order to strengthen the country’s MEP were formed, the main priorities for further development of the country as a whole were formulated. Also in the article, using the method of an expert survey based on pairwise comparisons, the indicators of the contribution of the main components to the overall indicator of sufficiency of the level of military and economic potential of the state are evaluated in order to determine the importance of the agricultural sector in the development of this potential. Based on the results, it was determined that the basis of any MEP of the state is the stability of the functioning of industry and the agricultural sector, since this is the basis for ensuring the country’s defence capability as a whole. The collected statistical data and practical results obtained can be useful for specialists in the defence and agricultural sectors of the state, as well as scientists for conducting further research in the area defined in the article

SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL “AESTHETIC CULTURE IN THE PREPARATION OF THE FUTURE ENLIGHTENER” BY PROFESSOR VALENTINA TITARENKO

The article presents generalizations, in line with world and domestic educational processes, ideas and forms of development of scientific and pedagogical school “Aesthetic culture in the preparation of future educators” by Professor V. Tytarenko. The method of historical-retrospective analysis revealed the progressive achievements of the scientific school as a research center and a collective form of scientific creativity in the field of technological education on theoretical and methodological aspects of technological education of students by means of aesthetic culture and design. The study of the laws of formation of aesthetic culture of pupils and students by means of Ukrainian folk crafts began with the search and study of samples of Ukrainian folk embroidery, description of its techniques, distribution in different areas of certain ornaments, colors, traditions. The result of this work were her books “Ukrainian towel as a means of national education and a work of folk decorative and applied arts”, “Poltava traditional embroidery: past and present”. V. Tytarenko is one of the first initiators of conducting comprehensive research and experiments in Ukraine in the field of decorative and applied art, as well as the methodology of scientific and pedagogical research in this field of knowledge. The scientific interests of Valentyna Tytarenko’s scientific school are focused on the study of the laws of formation of the aesthetic culture of pupils and students by means of Ukrainian folk crafts. The creative team of like-minded people has successfully carried out research in recent years, funded by the state budget on “Theory and methods of forming the aesthetic culture of future technology teachers in the process of personality-oriented training”, and today completes research on “Theoretical -methodical aspects of technological education of pupils and students by means of culture and design”. Continuation of basic and applied research on this topic is implemented in the Poltava regional special research group of teachers of labor training and technology “Design as a method of cognition in the educational field of technology”, which works under the leadership of Professor V. Tytarenko. The formulated results of its activity on theoretical and methodological aspects of technological education of pupils and students by means of aesthetic culture and design which we can observe as a result of opening of ways of use of the maintenance and a technique of preparation of future teachers of labor training and student’s youth for training of the Ukrainian national crafts confirm their full conformity. data presented in the materials of dissertation research of representatives of the scientific school.

Conjoint analysis: the assumptions, applications, concerns, remedies and future research direction

PurposeSince the inception of the conjoint analysis technique in the year 1971, papers addressing the epistemological aspects of conjoint analysis are scant. Hence, this paper attempts to address the vacuum of qualitative discourse addressing the epistemological and methodological aspects of conjoint analysis including different issues, challenges, probable solutions, limitations and future direction of conjoint analysis in the recent decade.Design/methodology/approachFor exploring the methodological and epistemological aspects of conjoint analysis, the seminal papers on conjoint analysis were reviewed. Moreover, the authors' experience for the state-of-art review was also taken into consideration.FindingsThe findings suggest that conjoint analysis that roots back since 1971 has not seen much exploration in Asian regions and is mainly used for new product development in the field of marketing or allied areas. Moreover, the reliability and validity of conjoint analysis is always a matter of concern for the researchers that hinders this technique's wider adaptability. Thus, the paper presents some probable solutions to address the focal issues useful for improved reliability and validity of the conjoint analysis technique.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper attempts to familiarize the researchers with epistemological and methodological aspects of conjoint analysis with certain solutions to evolve beyond existing conjoint analysis dimensions in terms of improved validity, reliability, epistemological and methodological aspects of conjoint analysis (CA). Moreover, it acts as a call for research in different research domains, especially in the Asian continent.Originality/valueThere exist certain seminal research papers on epistemological aspects of conjoint analysis. However, there is a dearth of such attempt in the recent decade addressing the application issues of conjoint analysis incorporating the recent issues as well. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to usher the future researcher to understand the methodological aspects of conjoint analysis. It may prevent them from violating the basic assumptions and methodological threshold. This research technique is preferred equally by academicians and practitioners, thus making it imperative to have clarity beforehand for improved research rigor.