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Lies on labels, or cases of misleading consumers on the example of vegetable oils Full text
2019
Hernik, J., West Pomeranian Univ. of Technology in Szczecin (Poland) | Grinberga-Zalite, G., Latvia Univ. of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava (Latvia)
In 2018, the Polish Trade Inspection in the whole country carried out an assessment of unrefined vegetable oils and olive oils of various categories. First of all, the correctness of marking, physicochemical parameters, storage conditions, traceability of products and their dates of minimum durability were assessed. In total 380 batches of products were inspected. Results of the examination show that producers cheat consumers by providing, for example, untrue nutritional values or false information about dietetic or health traits. The purpose of this article is to determine what consumers should know to verify the correctness of information on product labels independently. The theoretical part of the article was based on the EU regulations analysis regarding vegetable oils properties, including the characteristics of olive oil. The empirical part concerned data from Polish Trade Inspection reports, as well as statistical data on production and sale of oil and olive oil from the portal Statista. In this article methods of documentary research and comparative analysis were used. For the main conclusion it can be assumed that products of poor quality or incorrect labeling can be found in each product category; therefore, consumers should pay attention to such elements as information in their native language, a full list of ingredients, or correct indication of nutritional values.
Show more [+] Less [-]Modelling impact of urban-rural income convergence in the EU Full text
2019
Auzina-Emsina, A., Riga Technical Univ. (Latvia) | Ozolina, V., Riga Technical Univ. (Latvia)
Urban-rural income convergence provides an opportunity to reduce the income inequality, ensuring cohesion and increasing economic output. The results show that urban-rural income convergence is a continuous tendency in the EU; the urban-urban income gap declines – rural population received 79% of net income of population living in cities in 2017 (in 2010 it was 69%). The rural population accounts for 27.3% of the EU and any changes have notable impact on the rest of the economy. Nationally the urban-rural income convergence dramatically differs amid the EU countries. In order to model an impact of urban-rural income convergence, a comparative-static approach that involves an input-output model is applied. Two scenarios are estimated for Latvia’s economy: rural net income in Latvia is assumed to be 89% of cities net income (as in the Euro Area average) in both scenarios, in the first one the saving rate is constant; in the second rural households anticipate the additional net income as a gift (saving rate for extra net income is equal to zero). The results of the first scenario argue that households final demand expenditures increase by 4.5%, output by 2.7%. The largest increase of output is modelled in chemical products (8.9%), paper products (8.7%), electrical equipment (6.2%), pharmaceutical products (6.1%), and textile (5.8%) industries. In the second scenario, the output increase: 3%. The results certify that the increase and convergence of income in rural areas are important even in advanced economies, such as the EU countries. The national and EU policies are welcome and can give notable impact on economic growth.
Show more [+] Less [-]Legal aspects and support instruments for social entrepreneurship in the Baltic States Full text
2019
Perkune, L., Latvia Univ. of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava (Latvia) | Licite, L., Latvia Univ. of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava (Latvia)
Social entrepreneurship plays an increasing role in society. It is evidenced not only by the inclusion of a section on social entrepreneurship in the Europe 2020 strategy but also by the engagement of European countries in making legal documents on social entrepreneurship as well as designing support programmes in order to help entrepreneurs to start up a social entrepreneurship business. The research aim is to characterise the legal aspects of social entrepreneurship and support instruments for the promotion of social entrepreneurship in the Baltic States. In order to achieve the aim, the research analysed legal acts and strategic policy documents regulating social entrepreneurship in Latvia as well as analysed the legal framework for social entrepreneurship in Lithuania. To do the analysis, the research examined the kinds of support for starting up a social entrepreneurship business in the Baltic States. The research has found that no uniform definition of social entrepreneurship is available in Europe, which does not result in a unanimous opinion on what a social enterprise should be. In the Baltic States, the Social Enterprise Law has been passed in Latvia and Lithuania; besides, the laws mainly focus on the integration of target groups into society, addressing no other essential problems that could be solved by means of social entrepreneurship, e.g. environmental protection.
Show more [+] Less [-]Information technology competency management in financial sector: literature review Full text
2019
Supe, L., BA School of Business and Finance, Riga (Latvia) | Natrins, A., BA School of Business and Finance, Riga (Latvia | Mikelsone, E., BA School of Business and Finance, Riga (Latvia | Sarnovics, A., BA School of Business and Finance, Riga (Latvia
Rapid technology development has had an evident impact on the financial sector during the last eight years. The financial sector experiences changes and it is important for the contemporary financial organizations to set a sustainable business perspective through competency management to ensure competitiveness. The current paper additionally focusses on fintech. Information technology development and competency management are the basis of the research. Authors of this research performed literature review to clarify the technology management competency model proposed by Doggett, McGee and Scott (2013) with the purpose of customizing the model for finance and technology knowledge-intensive fintech companies.
Show more [+] Less [-]Practical evidence of web-based idea management systems: classification and application view Full text
2019
Mikelsone, E., BA School of Business and Finance, Riga (Latvia) | Volkova, T., BA School of Business and Finance, Riga (Latvia | Liela, E., BA School of Business and Finance, Riga (Latvia
Multiple information systems have been developed during the last decade to gain more from collaboration, knowledge management and ideas. One type of such tools is the idea management systems (IMS) – a manageable systematic tool to generate and evaluate ideas. However, there is a lack of research which explores what web-based IMS are, and how they materialize practically. To fill the gap, the paper aims to create classification and application description of web-based IMS by adapting the theoretical and empirical research approaches. To achieve this aim, first, scientific papers, book chapters, and proceedings focused on the idea management and IMS were analysed using a systematic literature review method and content analysis technique. Based on the analyses, several possible classifications of IMS criteria were found. Second, commercially available web-based IMS evaluation was conducted to verify the criteria and to add data-based classification criteria. Analysis of IMS has helped to characterize parities and disparities of web-based IMS. Results prove that IMS could be classified by their application focus – as ‘active’ and ‘passive’. Dominant type is the active IMS. IMS could also be classified by the sources involved in the idea management – internal, external or mixed IMS. The main structural features of the web-based IMS are idea generation, idea evaluation, and idea retention. Results prove that there are no important differences between theoretical and empirical research results. .
Show more [+] Less [-]Content marketing decisions for customers’ desired value in the tourism sector Full text
2019
Repoviene, R., Vytautas Magnus Univ., Kaunas (Lithuania) | Pazeraite, A., Vytautas Magnus Univ., Kaunas (Lithuania)
In a landscape of increasing customer/firm interactions in digital space, content marketing, which aims to generate prospects and sales to foster customers’ brand engagement, brand awareness and trust, is on the rise. Notwithstanding, despite significant marketing specialist interest, scientific content marketing research is not widely developed. Therefore, it encourages the need for new studies in the content marketing field. This paper introduces theoretical and practical aspects of content marketing decisions for the creation of desired customer value in the tourism sector. The aim of the presented research is to determine which combinations of content marketing decisions could create the desired value for the customer in the tourism sector. Understanding the content marketing decisions that create the desired value for customers could lead to a proper implementation of content marketing in the tourism sector. The presented results of q-sort study indicate twelve different combinations of content marketing decisions which could be used by tourism organizations in order to create desired value for their customer. Thus, it means that increasement of desired customer value can be made in the light of content marketing usage. The paper ends with insights, conclusions, limitations and future research possibilities.
Show more [+] Less [-]Typologie structurale des élevages camelins au Sahara septentrional Algérien - cas de la willaya de Ghardaïa Full text
2019
Ben Semaoune, Youcef | Senoussi, Abdelhakim | Faye, Bernard
Une enquête a été réalisée auprès de 100 éleveurs de dromadaires répartis sur les trois zones de la willaya de Ghardaïa. Les informations recueillies ont permis d'élaborer une typologie structurale des systèmes d'élevages pratiqués après analyse statistique. Celle-ci a fait ressortir 5 types d'éleveurs camelins représentant leur diversité. Type 1: représentant 33% de l'effectif des éleveurs enquêtés; ce sont des éleveurs qui possèdent des troupeaux mixtes (camelins, ovins et caprins) avec un faible effectif camelin ou que des troupeaux camelins avec un faible effectif. Type 2: (19% des éleveurs) ces éleveurs possèdent des troupeaux mixtes à dominance cameline. Type 3: (18% des éleveurs) ces éleveurs possèdent des troupeaux mixtes à dominance ovine avec un effectif moyen de camelins. Type 4: (11% des éleveurs) ces éleveurs possèdent des troupeaux d'ovins et camelins seulement. Type 5: (19% des éleveurs) ils possèdent des troupeaux mixtes à dominance ovine et un effectif réduit de camelins. La promotion d'activités durables d'élevage dans le Sud algérien est indispensable pour contribuer à assurer un approvisionnement régulier en protéines animales pour les populations oasiennes.
Show more [+] Less [-]Importance of a soil seed bank to regenerate Algerian camel rangeland | Importance d'une banque de semences du sol pour régénérer des parcours camelins algériens Full text
2019
Khenfer, Benhoua | Chehma, Abdelmadjid | Huguenin, Johann | Université Kasdi Merbah Ouargla | Systèmes d'élevage méditerranéens et tropicaux (UMR SELMET) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
Source Agritrop Cirad (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/593834/) | International audience | The study focuses on the potential impact of a soil bank on the renewal of pastoral vegetation required by climatic constraints. Soil samples from Saharan grazed ecosystems in Southern Algeria were collected from 6 types of rangelands during 2017 winter and then placed in greenhouse plateaus. Only 31 species germinated, including a larger number of ephemeral species (27) mainly from 4 families on 19: Asteraceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae and Cariophyllaceae. On the other hand, surface floristic surveys have allowed to inventory 63 species, with a predominance of ephemeral species (36) mainly from 4 families on 22: Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae and Fabaceae. The ANOVA test shows that there is a trend for a significant difference between the specific richness of the vegetation in place (p = 0.002) and that of the seed bank (p<0.001). The largest number of plants comes from Saharan routes such as wadi beds and depressions and the smallest number comes from salt soil routes. The similarity between the density of the seed banks and the existing vegetation was low (Jaccard index = 0.36) indicating that the seed bank alone would not be enough for the regeneration of all the vegetation. The indices of the highest similarities were attributed to the typical Saharan salt soil (0.25) and wadi beds (0.20). It will therefore also be necessary to preserve the surface vegetation in the form of a seed bank collected in spring, put in tusks, or even nurseries to be able to regenerate it. | L'étude porte sur l'impact potentiel d'une banque du sol sur le renouvellement de la végétation pastorale nécessité par les contraintes climatiques. Des échantillons de sols des écosystèmes pâturés sahariens du Sud algérien ont été prélevés dans 6 types de parcours pendant l'hiver 2017 puis placés dans des plateaux de serre. Seulement 31 espèces ont germé dont un plus grand nombre d'espèces éphémères (27) surtout de 4 familles sur 19: Asteraceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae et Cariophyllaceae. Par contre, les relevés floristiques en surface ont permis d'inventorier 63 espèces, avec une dominance d'espèces éphémères (36) surtout de 4 familles sur 22: Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae et Fabaceae. Le test de l'ANOVA montre qu'il y a une tendance pour une différence significative entre la richesse spécifique de la végétation en place (p = 0,002) et celle de la banque de graines (p<0,001). Le plus grand nombre de plantes est issu des parcours sahariens type lits d'oueds et dépressions et le nombre le plus faible provient de parcours de sols salés. La similitude entre la densité des banques de semences et de la végétation en place était faible (indice de Jaccard = 0,36) indiquant que la banque de semences seule ne serait pas suffisante pour la régénération de toute la végétation. Les indices des similarités les plus élevés ont été attribués aux parcours sahariens types sols salés (0,25) et lits d'oueds (0,20). Il faudra donc aussi conserver la végétation de surface sous forme de banque de graines collectées au printemps, mise en défens, ou même pépinières pour pouvoir la régénérer.
Show more [+] Less [-]Structural typology of camel farms in the Northern Algerian Sahara - case of Ghardaïa willaya | Typologie structurale des élevages camelins au Sahara septentrional Algérien - cas de la willaya de Ghardaïa Full text
2019
Ben Semaoune, Youcef | Senoussi, Abdelhakim | Faye, Bernard | Université de Ghardaïa | Université Kasdi Merbah Ouargla | Systèmes d'élevage méditerranéens et tropicaux (UMR SELMET) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
Source Agritrop Cirad (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/591016/) | International audience | A survey was conducted to determine the structural typology of animal husbandry in Northern Algeria. One hundred camel breeders spread over the three regions of Ghardaïa province were surveyed. Statistical analysis of the collected data revealed 5 types of camel breeders, classified by the diversity of their herds. Type 1: representing 33% of the breeders surveyed; are breeders who have mixed herds (camels, sheep and goats) with a small camel population or only camels. Type 2: representing 19% of breeders, these breeders have mixed herd dominated by camels. Type 3: representing 18% of breeders, these breeders have mixed herd dominated by sheep, with a moderate number of camels. Type 4: representing 11% of breeders, these breeders own only sheep and camels. Type 5: representing 19% of the breeders, they own mixed herd with ovine dominance and few camels. The promotion of sustainable livestock activities in southern Algeria is essential to help ensure a steady supply of animal protein for the oasis populations. | Une enquête a été réalisée auprès de 100 éleveurs de dromadaires répartis sur les trois zones de la willaya de Ghardaïa. Les informations recueillies ont permis d'élaborer une typologie structurale des systèmes d'élevages pratiqués après analyse statistique. Celle-ci a fait ressortir 5 types d'éleveurs camelins représentant leur diversité. Type 1: représentant 33% de l'effectif des éleveurs enquêtés; ce sont des éleveurs qui possèdent des troupeaux mixtes (camelins, ovins et caprins) avec un faible effectif camelin ou que des troupeaux camelins avec un faible effectif. Type 2: (19% des éleveurs) ces éleveurs possèdent des troupeaux mixtes à dominance cameline. Type 3: (18% des éleveurs) ces éleveurs possèdent des troupeaux mixtes à dominance ovine avec un effectif moyen de camelins. Type 4: (11% des éleveurs) ces éleveurs possèdent des troupeaux d'ovins et camelins seulement. Type 5: (19% des éleveurs) ils possèdent des troupeaux mixtes à dominance ovine et un effectif réduit de camelins. La promotion d'activités durables d'élevage dans le Sud algérien est indispensable pour contribuer à assurer un approvisionnement régulier en protéines animales pour les populations oasiennes.
Show more [+] Less [-]Optimization of housefly larvae production on pig wastes and brewers’ grains for integrated fish and pig farms in the tropics Full text
2019
Mafwila Kinkela, Patrick | BWABWA, Denis | Nyongombe, Nathan | Kambashi, Bienvenu | Mafwila, Jacques | Dochain, Denis | Bindelle, Jérôme | Rollin, Xavier
peer reviewed | Lack of appropriate animal waste management methods in many smallholder farms in the tropics often leads to environmental problems, especially in locations with high population density such as urban and peri-urban areas. On farms integrating pig production to fish farming, manure can be turned into a valuable feed source of high quality protein for fish through housefly larvae and contribute to intensify fish production and reduce cost of fish feed. Three experiments were carried to optimize operating conditions for maggot production on animal wastes and industrial byproducts found in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The comparisons were: (1) production on pure substrates (manure or brewer’s grains) or mixtures with lysine or blood; (2) exposure time to flies for the insemination of the substrates: and (3) dynamics of larvae production. Mixing brewers’ grains with Lysine or manure and/or blood more than doubled the amount of larvae that were harvested. Brewers’ grains are a good source of energy, but are probably deficient in essential amino acids to support the growth of maggots. It also appears that only the first days of laying eggs are important since no difference was observed between temporary and permanent exposure of the substrates to houseflies. The peak of larvae production was reached 6 days after exposure. The addition of cow blood in increasing doses to a mixture of brewers’ grains and manure linearly increased the production of maggots.
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