scholarly journals An Innovative Visualization Tool to Boost and Monitor Circular Economy: An Overview of Its Applications at Different Industrial Sectors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augusto Bianchini ◽  
Jessica Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Need To Evaluate ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Economic And Social Impacts

The quantification of the circular economy and sustainability is a relevant aspect at different levels of applications: (i) the companies need to evaluate and improve the environmental, economic, and social impacts of their products and processes; (ii) the financial bodies must have quantitative information about the potential and risks of different proposed initiatives to select the optimal opportunity; and (iii) the policy-makers must be guided for the coherent definition of strategies at regional, national and international scales, setting realistic targets and measuring their effectiveness. However, the lack of comprehensive and robust approaches to quantify circular economy makes it challenging to apply quantitative methods and indicators in different contexts and compare the results, with the risk of limiting the practical implementation of circular initiatives due to unknown and/or unclear potential and contribution. The ViVACE® tool (Visualization of Value to Assess Circular Economy), developed by the authors, is a promising and effective means to collect data in a systematized manner, helpful to assess sectorial and cross-sectorial indicators about sustainability. It has been applied to different industrial sectors (e.g., plastics, food processing, textile) for different purposes. These applications are described in detail to highlight the potential, versatility, and implications of the proposed tool in boosting the effective transition to a circular economy.

Circular Economy, 3D Printing, and the Biosphere Rules

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Unruh
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Sustainable Manufacturing ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Cradle To Cradle

This article applies the Biosphere Rules—a biomimicry-inspired management framework for circular economy initiatives—to the emerging field of additive manufacturing and three-dimensional (3D) Printing, which are revolutionizing industrial sectors from medical devices to spare parts. They are also potentially keys in the emergence of a true circular economy that will bring about environmentally sustainable manufacturing. This article lays out an established strategy that can guide managers and policy makers in pursuit of a cradle-to-cradle economy.

Event practices as an effective tool of public relations

2021 ◽  
pp. 216-222
Author(s):  
Maryna Pashkevych
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
General System ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Visual Technology ◽  
The World ◽  
Theoretical Generalization ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

Purpose of the article is to turn to the analysis of event practices as an effective tool of public relations for the conceptual understanding of its value potential, which is expressed in communication, contacts, in the harmony of man with the world around him. Methodology is based on the application of general scientific and special methods of cognition, including methods of generalization, synthesis, and analytics, which allow studying event practices as an effective means of social communication. Scientific novelty. Currently, there is a lack of scientific analysis of the key role of domestic event practices in the general system of public relations. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the theoretical generalization of the problem and the definition of categorical statements related to the research topic. Conclusions. As a result of the research, the need to form a new Ukrainian culture of self-realization of individuals, which is due to fundamentally new modifications of socio-cultural institutions, among which the latest event practices used in modern public relations. The impact of PR-methods can be both negative and positive. The nature and functional purpose of these methods depends in general on those who manage and own the technology and their practical implementation. As a result, the role of some PR - technologies in society, to a greater extent, is defined by us as the manipulation of the consciousness of citizens, the role of others - as enlightenment. Due to significant civilizational, technical and technological progress, including the development of the media, the transformation of event technologies in the world and Ukraine has accelerated. Event practices shape public opinion in various cultural spheres and promote positive changes in the mass consciousness. The transition of an essential component of the structure of event practices into a virtualized space will be the essence of the culture of the future. With the development of visual technology, events have acquired new functions - they have become an instrument of political and ideological struggle, a weapon of rebellion, a form of shock, which is an effective tool of modern public relations. This trend, accordingly, increases the role of event practices in the cultural process and in general in public life, stimulates the interest of scientists in their further research.

scholarly journals Circular Economy Performance Assessment

2021 ◽  
pp. 17-33
Author(s):  
Roberto Rocca ◽  
Claudio Sassanelli ◽  
Paolo Rosa ◽  
Sergio Terzi
Keyword(s):  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
New Business ◽  
Efficient Recovery ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Key Enabling Technologies

AbstractThe main aim of the FENIX project is the development of new business models and industrial strategies for three novel supply chains in order to enable value-added product-services. Through a set of success stories coming from the application of circular economy principles in different industrial sectors, FENIX wants to demonstrate in practice the real benefits coming from its adoption. In addition, Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) will be integrated within the selected processes to improve the efficient recovery of secondary resources. This chapter focuses on the definition of a novel Circular Economy Performance Assessment (CEPA) methodology to be adopted within the FENIX project. This implementation activity has been done into two steps. From one side, a state-of-the-art analysis of existing CE methodologies and related KPIs has been executed and the most common circularity assessment methods (and KPIs) have been identified. Subsequently, a totally new CEPA methodology has been developed starting from the findings coming from the literature. This methodology, together with classic LCA and LCC methods, will be exploited for the quantitative assessment of CBMs.

KEBIJAKAN POLITIK KERUKUNAN ANTARAGAMA DI INDONESIA ERA REFORMASI

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-424
Author(s):  
Jamaluddin Jamaluddin
Keyword(s):  
Transition Period ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
New Order ◽  
Reform Era ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Accommodation Space ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The Government ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Cultural Reality

Indonesian reformation era begins with the fall of President Suharto. Political transition and democratic transition impact in the religious life. Therefore, understandably, when the politic transition is not yet fully reflects the idealized conditions. In addition to the old paradigm that is still attached to the brain of policy makers, various policies to mirror the complexity of stuttering ruler to answer the challenges of religious life. This challenge cannot be separated from the hegemonic legacy of the past, including the politicization of SARA. Hegemony that took place during the New Order period, adversely affected the subsequent transition period. It seems among other things, with airings various conflicts nuances SARA previously muted, forced repressive. SARA issues arise as a result of the narrowing of the accommodation space of the nation state during the New Order regime. The New Order regime has reduced the definition of nation-states is only part of a group of people loyal to the government to deny the diversity of socio-cultural reality in it. To handle the inheritance, every regime in the reform era responds with a pattern and a different approach. It must be realized, that the post-reform era, Indonesia has had four changes of government. The leaders of every regime in the reform era have a different background and thus also have a vision that is different in treating the problem of racial intolerance, particularly against religious aspect. This treatment causes the accomplishment difference each different regimes of dealing with the diversity of race, religion and class that has become the hallmark of Indonesian society.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Through Microfinance - A Case of Rural Bangladesh

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Saida Parvin
Keyword(s):  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Donor Agencies ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

Women’s empowerment has been at the centre of research focus for many decades. Extant literature examined the process, outcome and various challenges. Some claimed substantial success, while others contradicted with evidence of failure. But the success remains a matter of debate due to lack of empirical evidence of actual empowerment of women around the world. The current study aimed to address this gap by taking a case study method. The study critically evaluates 20 cases carefully sampled to include representatives from the entire country of Bangladesh. The study demonstrates popular beliefs about microfinance often misguide even the borrowers and they start living in a fabricated feeling of empowerment, facing real challenges to achieve true empowerment in their lives. The impact of this finding is twofold; firstly there is a theoretical contribution, where the definition of women’s empowerment is proposed to be revisited considering findings from these cases. And lastly, the policy makers at governmental and non-governmental organisations, and multinational donor agencies need to revise their assessment tools for funding.

Value assessment of antimicrobials and the implications for development, access, and funding of effective treatments: Australian stakeholder perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Nadine T. Hillock ◽  
Tracy L. Merlin ◽  
Jonathan Karnon ◽  
John Turnidge ◽  
Jaklin Eliott
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Healthcare Resource ◽  
Economic Evaluations ◽  
Value Assessment ◽  
Antimicrobial Drugs ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Stakeholder Perspective ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Potential Use

Abstract Background The frameworks used by Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies for value assessment of medicines aim to optimize healthcare resource allocation. However, they may not be effective at capturing the value of antimicrobial drugs. Objectives To analyze stakeholder perceptions regarding how antimicrobials are assessed for value for reimbursement purposes and how the Australian HTA framework accommodates the unique attributes of antimicrobials in cost-effectiveness evaluation. Methods Eighteen individuals representing the pharmaceutical industry or policy-makers were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and thematically analyzed. Results Key emergent themes were that reimbursement decision-making should consider the antibiotic spectrum when assessing value, risk of shortages, the impact of procurement processes on low-priced comparators, and the need for methodological transparency when antimicrobials are incorporated into the economic evaluation of other treatments. Conclusions Participants agreed that the current HTA framework for antimicrobial value assessment is inadequate to properly inform funding decisions, as the contemporary definition of cost-effectiveness fails to explicitly incorporate the risk of future resistance. Policy-makers were uncertain about how to incorporate future resistance into economic evaluations without a systematic method to capture costs avoided due to good stewardship. Lacking financial reward for the benefits of narrower-spectrum antimicrobials, companies will likely focus on developing broad-spectrum agents with wider potential use. The perceived risks of shortages have influenced the funding of generic antimicrobials in Australia, with policy-makers suggesting a willingness to pay more for assured supply. Although antibiotics often underpin the effectiveness of other medicines, it is unclear how this is incorporated into economic models.

A proposal to enhance national capability to manage epidemics: The critical importance of expert statistical input including official statistics

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
N.I. Fisher ◽  
D.J. Trewin
Keyword(s):  
Data Streams ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Novel Virus ◽  
High Level ◽  
Integration Analysis

Given the high level of global mobility, pandemics are likely to be more frequent, and with potentially devastating consequences for our way of life. With COVID-19, Australia is in relatively better shape than most other countries and is generally regarded as having managed the pandemic well. That said, we believe there is a critical need to start the process of learning from this pandemic to improve the quantitative information and related advice provided to policy makers. A dispassionate assessment of Australia’s health and economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic reveals some important inadequacies in the data, statistical analysis and interpretation used to guide Australia’s preparations and actions. For example, one key shortcoming has been the lack of data to obtain an early understanding of the extent of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases or the differences across age groups, occupations or ethnic groups. Minimising the combined health, social and economic impacts of a novel virus depends critically on ongoing acquisition, integration, analysis, interpretation and presentation of a variety of data streams to inform the development, execution and monitoring of appropriate strategies. The article captures the essential quantitative components of such an approach for each of the four basic phases, from initial detection to post-pandemic. It also outlines the critical steps in each stage to enable policy makers to deal more efficiently and effectively with future such events, thus enhancing both the social and the economic welfare of its people. Although written in an Australian context, we believe most elements would apply to other countries as well.

Ultrasonic Tomography for Rail Flaw Imaging

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Phillips ◽  
Francesco Lanza di Scalea ◽  
Claudio Nucera ◽  
Piervincenzo Rizzo ◽  
Leith Al-Nazer
Keyword(s):  
Human Error ◽  
Ultrasonic Inspection ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Inspection Time ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Ultrasonic Tomography ◽  
Railroad Industry ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Portable System ◽  
High Resolution Images

There is a need in the railroad industry to have quantitative information on internal rail flaws, including flaw size and orientation. Such information can lead to knowledge-based decision making on any remedial action, and ultimately increase the safety of train operations by preventing derailments. Current ultrasonic inspection methods leave such sizing determinations to the inspector, and there can be significant variability from one inspector to another depending on experience and other factors. However, this quantitative information can be obtained accurately by 3-D imaging of the rail flaws. It is the goal of this project to develop a portable system that will improve defect classification in rails and ultimately improve public safety. This paper will present a method for 3-D imaging of internal rail flaws based on Ultrasonic Tomography. The proposed technique combines elements of ultrasonic testing with those of radar and sonar imaging to obtain high-resolution images of the flaws using a stationary array of ultrasonic transducers. The array is operated in a “full matrix capture” scheme that minimizes the number of ultrasonic transmitters, hence simplifying the practical implementation and reducing the inspection time. In this method, a full 3D image of the rail volume identifies the location, size and orientation of the defect. This will help to eliminate human error involved with a typical manual inspection using a single transducer probe inspection. The results of advanced numerical simulations, carried out on a rail profile, will be presented. The simulations show the effectiveness of the technique to image a 5% Head Area Transverse Defect in the railhead. Current efforts are aimed at developing an experimental prototype based on this technology, whose design status is also discussed in this paper.

Territorial capital as a company intangible

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariachiara Barzotto ◽  
Giancarlo Corò ◽  
Mario Volpe
Keyword(s):  
Great Difficulty ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capital Growth ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
A Company

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to explore to what extent being located in a territory is value-relevant for a company. Second, to understand if a company is aware of, and how it can sustain, the territorial tangible and intangible assets present in the economic area in which it is located. Design/methodology/approach – The study presents an empirical multiple case-study, investigating ten mid-/large-sized Italian companies in manufacturing sectors. Findings – The results indicate that the sampled manufacturing companies are intertwined with the environment in which they are embedded, both in their home country and in host ones. The domestic territorial capital has provided, and still provides, enterprises with workers endowed with the necessary technical skills that they can have great difficulty in finding in other places. In turn, companies support territorial capital generation through their activities. Research limitations/implications – To increase the generalisability of the results, future research should expand the sample and examine firms based in different countries and sectors. Practical implications – Implications for policy makers: developing effective initiatives to support and guide a sustainable territorial capital growth. Implications for managers and investors: improving managerial and investors’ decisions by disclosing a complete picture of the enterprise, also outside the firm boundaries. Originality/value – The study contributes to intangibles/intellectual capital literature by shedding light on the importance of including territorial capital in a company’s report to improve the definition of the firm’s value. Accounting of the territorial capital would increase the awareness of the socio-economic environment value in which companies are located and its use.

A Practitioner’s Perspective on Realignment

2016 ◽  
Vol 664 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-235
Author(s):  
Wendy S. Still
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Interagency Collaboration ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Direct Experience ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Alternatives To Incarceration ◽  
Level I ◽  
The City

This article offers a practitioner’s perspective on California’s criminal justice Realignment. Drawing on my direct experience implementing Realignment as the chief probation officer in the city and county of San Francisco, I argue that the San Francisco case illustrates how decarceration can occur without compromising public safety, and I offer a set of lessons for practitioners and policy-makers about how to achieve decarceration despite local political, organizational, and cultural barriers. Specifically, I identify interagency collaboration, investment in community corrections and a commitment to alternatives to incarceration and community engagement with the families of both victims and offenders as key facilitators of decarceration at the local level. I urge observers not to dismiss these lessons as idiosyncratic to San Francisco’s unique locale. Rather, my experience has been that even San Francisco’s exceptionally hospitable local culture is not enough to successfully implement reform; structural arrangements that institutionalize the practical implementation of cultural commitments to reduce reliance on incarceration are required.

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