Influencing Factors for Sustainable Dietary Transformation—A Case Study of German Food Consumption

In a case study of Germany, we examine current food consumption along the three pillars of sustainability to evaluate external factors that influence consumers’ dietary decisions. We investigate to what extent diets meet nutritional requirements (social factor), the diets’ environmental impact (ecological factor), and the food prices’ influence on purchasing behavior (economic factor). For this, we compare two dietary recommendations (plant-based, omnivorous) with the status quo, and we examine different consumption styles (conventional, organic produce). Additionally, we evaluate 1446 prices of food items from three store types (organic store, supermarket, and discounter). With this, we are able to evaluate and compare 30 different food baskets along their health, environmental, and economic impact. Results show that purchasing decisions are only slightly influenced by health-related factors. Furthermore, few consumers align their diet with low environmental impact. In contrast, a large share of consumers opt for cheap foods, regardless of health and environmental consequences. We find that price is, arguably, the main factor in food choices from a sustainability standpoint. Action should be taken by policy makers to financially incentivize consumers in favor of healthy and environmentally friendly diets. Otherwise, the status quo further drives especially underprivileged consumers towards unhealthy and environmentally damaging consumption.

Current Status, Recent Advances, and Main Challenges on Table Olive Fermentation: The Present Meets the Future

Table olives are among the most well-known fermented foods, being a vital part of the Mediterranean pyramid diet. They constitute a noteworthy economic factor for the producing countries since both their production and consumption are exponentially increasing year by year, worldwide. Despite its significance, olive’s processing is still craft based, not changed since antiquity, leading to the production of an unstable final product with potential risk concerns, especially related to deterioration. However, based on industrial needs and market demands for reproducible, safe, and healthy products, the modernization of olive fermentation processing is the most important challenge of the current decade. In this sense, the reduction of sodium content and more importantly the use of suitable starter cultures, exhibiting both technological and potential probiotic features, to drive the process may extremely contribute to this need. Prior, to achieve in this effort, the full understanding of table olive microbial ecology during fermentation, including an in-depth determination of microbiota presence and/or dominance and its functionality (genes responsible for metabolite production) that shape the sensorial characteristics of the final product, is a pre-requisite. The advent of meta-omics technology could provide a thorough study of this complex ecosystem, opening in parallel new insights in the field, such as the concept of microbial terroir. Herein, we provide an updated overview in the field of olive fermentation, pointing out some important challenges/perspectives that could be the key to the olive sector’s advancement and modernization.

Do Citizens of a City that Owns a Local Public Airport Have Attachment to the Airport and Use it?

This research investigates whether passengers living in a city with a local public airport have an attachment to that airport and tend to use it. Focusing on the greater Kansai area with its three airports and Kobe, which owns one of them, Kobe Airport, as an example, an empirical analysis was conducted using a nested logit model and micro data. The result of the basic model shows that passengers living in Kobe prefer the Kobe Airport when compared to passengers living in other cities. An additional analysis based on a questionnaire survey revealed that a certain percentage of respondents choose Kobe Airport because they love it, meaning that the non-economic factor of attachment influences passengers’ decisions. The results of this research suggest that enhancing attachment to an airport might be a possible idea for policy makers of airport cities to increase their passengers.

Living Room Instead of Hotel Room

The chapter explores shared accommodation platforms such as Airbnb and the primary motivations for its customers. This research will be based on the deductive process, which is focused on primary and secondary research. This research aims to analyze the motivation towards either the Airbnb platform or traditional hotel from different perspectives, such as economic, environmental, and social. Additionally, after secondary data research, the questionnaire has been constructed to understand the main concepts of the P2P platform and its customers' needs. The investigation tried to notice what are the motivations which drive individuals to use P2P accommodation service. Through the survey, it was possible to see the motivations mainly related to the economic factor and environmental. Primarily due to the lower price of Airbnb, there is a more significant intent to book through this specific platform.

Adaptive, Resilient Urban Underground Space (UUS)-Subsidence and Economic Impact Spatial Planning Model (USEM): The Extent Development Impact via Cause-Effect Analysis Circa 1980-2050 in Shanghai Megacity

There are multiple factors determined causing the land subsidence (e.g. man-made and natural-climate change) which have impact on the urban built environment economic spectrum e.g. buildings, properties, infrastructures and land. This paper presents the cause-effect investigation of the causing factors which influence the direct-indirect impacting urban economic factor via multi-regression analysis using Shanghai megacity as case study. Factors are selected based on existing UUS-subsidence-economic impact (USEM) framework as well as modification and adaptation from Shanghai Masterplan 2017-2035 (SM 2035) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. Data are gathered secondarily via open sources e.g. scientific journal articles and reports. The results are parallel to previous studies on the current trend for rapid and unconscious UUS exploration development including tunneling seepage and leakage as leading causes for further land subsidence in Shanghai. A further concrete multi-integrated macro-scale USEM’s awareness and knowledge is needed to avoid future costlier damage. The highly regressed causing factors include increasing population, UUS-induced subsidence, underground tunnel leakage, cumulative UUS development and subsidence whereas building prices, reconstruction area ratio, land price, green buildings, tunnel settlement, loss of arable land, number of death and government revenue are the among the most impacted. Officials in Shanghai may further consider results for future USEM masterplans to prevent further unsustainability. It is also found that developing megacity may possess different factors according to their distinct condition.

Regional Development Strategies for Major Cities - According to Economic Indicators - The Region of Aleppo's Greater City as a Case Study: الاستراتيجيات التنموية لأقاليم المدن الكبرى - وفق المؤشرات الاقتصادية - حالة دراسية - إقليم مدينة حلب الكبرى

The aim of the study was to define some developmental concepts and discuss a variety of development theories that addressed economic development and its effect on the development and growth of the regions of major cities. The importance of the economic factor in the development process was emphasized in most development theories, by determining the most suitable investment locations and the best delivery of activities and services based on the best relationships. Afterwards, some Arab and international experiences were examined, which discussed the topic of research based on an analytical study of various economic considerations, and different scenarios were used to set development plans based on the priorities for achieving goals that differed by country. The study assumes that the lack of developmental balance between the city and its region is due to land use inconsistency and a lack of long-term planning for available resources and development potential. This resulted in the loss of many commercial and development prospects, a decline in agricultural output, and a rise in real estate rents in the surrounding areas of big cities in general, and Aleppo in particular. To track the problem, we used the historical method, the inductive method to read the facts, the deductive method to elicit the sources of the problem, the analytical method to analyze the causes, and the results were formulated using the analysis. Then, based on the strategies, theories, and experiences studied in the first topic, a development strategy was proposed based on the development indicators of the Greater Aleppo City region. To promote sustainable growth in the country, this strategy seeks to reduce development disparities throughout the region and achieve equity in the distribution of economic activity.

Analysis and Characterization of Quality Systems in the Natural Medicinal Products Industry in Costa Rica and the World

The use of natural products has been a practice carried out by people throughout history to take care of their health and to alleviate a wide variety of ailments. The reasons for the use of natural medicine at this time, with so many advances in pharmacology, are varied, among which are the dissatisfaction of the immediate needs of people to feel better about themselves and the economic factor. It must be considered that not everything natural is good. Therefore, the products manufactured and distributed under the line of Natural Medicinal Products must go through a verification and certification process, ensuring that they contain sufficient information on their composition and effects to avoid the risks that they may bring to those who consume them. This research describes good practices in the manufacture of natural products and shows the establishment of a Quality Management System in the pharmaceutical industry in different countries of the world. Finally, the use of natural products in Costa Rica is detailed, certain aspects to establish a Quality Management System in the country, as well as its importance.

Energy Potential of Long-Period Oscillations (On the Example of Kakhovka Plain Reservoir, Ukraine)

The energy potential of long-period oscillations is estimated by comparing it with watercourse power. The relaxation time of long-period waves is chosen for the estimation time interval, during which their amplitude decreases e (Euler's number) times from the initial one. According to calculations, the amount of energy produced during this time by the watercourse is 9.35–18.71 million kW×h, while the amount of energy of long-period oscillations is 3–6 times less – 1.60–5.48 million kW×h. The components of the economic factor of using long-period waves and currents for electricity production are the predictability of their magnitudes and location of maxima, long-term availability, concentration.

Restructuring of the Banking Sector Through Merger: Case of Tunisian Banks

In the classical economy, the business is always looking for growth. It tries to protect itself against disappearance and to enter new markets to ensure its growth. It resorts to the merger or the takeover of local companies to more easily solve certain problems. Development today by M&A is the most popular mode. In the context of merger acquisition processes, and its relationship with organizational, process, strategic, economic, political and cultural factors, our paper is designed to study the impact of these various factors on the merger-acquisition.To understand these relationships, we used principal component analysis, ANOVA analysis and multiple regression. A questionnaire was designed on the basis of a documentary analysis leading to the collection of 80 observations, collected from functionaries in the Tunisian banking sector during the period 16 December to 6 January 2016.The results show that the various factors have a positive impact on the success of the merger acquisition operation. It should be noted that the organizational factor is the most influential factor on the acquisition merger process and the least influential economic factor.