Advent Research Articles

Mapping the barrier and strategic solutions of halal supply chain implementation in small and medium enterprises

Purpose This study aims to identify the challenges, promote respective solutions and construct strategies for the implementation of the halal supply chain in Indonesia’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach This research used the analytic network process in nine respondents categorised into three groups of relevant stakeholders: government, academia and industry. Findings Seven essential criteria for the implementation of a halal supply chain in SMEs were identified, namely, the process, packaging, storage, transportation, fundamental aspects, supporting policy and technology. Notably, the high cost of adopting blockchain technology was the most crucial issue, particularly in SMEs. Practical implications Through the findings, several critical factors to consider in the implementation of halal supply chains for SMEs were identified. The investment in halal supply chain technology, which incurs a high cost carried by entrepreneurs, is a burden for SMEs. For this reason, further studies are required to formulate and develop cost-effective halal supply chain technology for SMEs. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first attempt of comprehensively mapping the barriers and developing strategic solutions to implement the halal supply chain by Indonesia’s SMEs.

Noisy speech impairs retention of previously heard information only at short time scales.

When speech is presented in noise, listeners must recruit cognitive resources to resolve the mismatch between the noisy input and representations in memory. A consequence of this effortful listening is impaired memory for content presented earlier. In the first study on effortful listening, Rabbitt, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20, 241-248 (1968; Experiment 2) found that recall for a list of digits was poorer when subsequent digits were presented with masking noise than without. Experiment 3 of that study extended this effect to more naturalistic, passage-length materials. Although the findings of Rabbitt's Experiment 2 have been replicated multiple times, no work has assessed the robustness of Experiment 3. We conducted a replication attempt of Rabbitt's Experiment 3 at three signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Results at one of the SNRs (Experiment 1a of the current study) were in the opposite direction from what Rabbitt, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20, 241-248, (1968) reported - that is, speech was recalled more accurately when it was followed by speech presented in noise rather than in the clear - and results at the other two SNRs showed no effect of noise (Experiments 1b and 1c). In addition, reanalysis of a replication of Rabbitt's seminal finding in his second experiment showed that the effect of effortful listening on previously presented information is transient. Thus, effortful listening caused by noise appears to only impair memory for information presented immediately before the noise, which may account for our finding that noise in the second-half of a long passage did not impair recall of information presented in the first half of the passage.

END-OF-LIFE PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES: LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT AND SENSIBILITY ANALYSIS

The use of photovoltaic (PV) systems in energy generation has been grown worldwide. In Brazil, this continuous growth is seen in the increase in the number of consumer units. The expected useful life of PV modules is estimated to be between 25 and 30 years. Therefore, most of these units will be deinstalled in the near future. It is important to evaluate the environmental impacts of the technology in order to safely adopt the use of PV energy. The environmental impact of PV modules is a widely studied topic, often using life cycle analysis (LCA). However, these studies emphasize the production phase and exclude or fail to analyze in detail the uninstallation and disposal phase of PV modules. The use of precious metals and components that contain materials classified as hazardous waste has sparked recent interest in highlighting the impacts and likely benefits related to the end-of-life management of PV modules. In this context, the purpose of work is to analyze the environmental impacts of the phase of uninstallation and disposal of photovoltaic (PV) system for Brazil waste management technologies: Recycling, incineration and landfill. The life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied in three scenarios for disposal of modules: Recycling, incineration and landfill. ReCiPe 2008 method was useful to calculating the environmental impacts, with assistance of SimaPro 8.3 software. The results showed that the recycling scenario had a lower environmental performance compared to the other scenarios. The main cause is the high consumption of electricity in metal recovery stage. Besides, this scenario produces a high amount of waste (residual liquid and sludge). The scenario of recycling will be attractive with technological investment in energy efficiency. The advantage of this scenario is the material recovery (precious metal and materials classified as hazardous waste), as consequence will bring environmental benefits.

Benchmarking Approach to Support Technology Investment Decisions: A Study of Technology Implementation in Last-mile Distribution

Benchmarking Approach to Support Technology Investment Decisions: A Study of Technology Implementation in Last-mile Distribution

European Climate Policy in the Context of the Problem of Methane Emissions from Coal Mines in Poland

This paper presents a thorough examination of methane capture from Polish coal mines, contextualized within the framework of the European Union’s (EU) climate policy objectives. Through a strategic analysis encompassing the interior of coal mines, the surrounding environment, and the macro environment, this study elucidates the complex dynamics involved in methane emissions and capture initiatives. The key findings include a declining trend in absolute methane emissions since 2008, despite fluctuations in coal extraction volumes, and a relatively stable level of methane capture exceeding 300 million m3/year since 2014. The analysis underscores the critical role of government support, both in terms of financial incentives and streamlined regulatory processes, to facilitate the integration of methane capture technologies into coal mining operations. Collaboration through partnerships and stakeholder engagement emerges as essential for overcoming resource competition and ensuring the long-term success of methane capture projects. This paper also highlights the economic and environmental opportunities presented by methane reserves, emphasizing the importance of investment in efficient extraction technologies. Despite these advancements, challenges persist, particularly regarding the low efficiency of current de-methanation technologies. Recommendations for modernization and technological innovation are proposed to enhance methane capture efficiency and utilization.

2023 PESA business environment review

In 2023, the world faced increased local and global headwinds in achieving the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 due to geopolitical factors, global economic variables, advancing technology, and evolving policies and regulations. Despite a 22% rise in global investments for renewable energy, the world fell short of the 76% required for a Net Zero Emissions Pathway by 2050. There was a collective return to fossil fuels, particularly natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), to meet the demand for secure and affordable energy amid global energy supply shocks. As a result of sustained elevated energy prices governments and energy companies are having to consider all three elements of the energy trilemma – affordability, sustainability, and security – in a more balanced way. The energy industry responded to these challenges by increasing investments in gas-oriented resources and the emergence of investments into the critical minerals value chain, indicating a historic convergence of multiple industries to address the global energy transition. Investment in new energy technologies to support decarbonisation continued, albeit at a slower pace than required. The energy transition also accelerated the decommissioning responsibilities of upstream energy producers for their mature infrastructure assets. As Australia and other countries globally, strive to deliver on net zero ambitions, the oil and gas sector continues to grapple with the delicate balancing act of providing reliable, affordable, secure and sustainable sources of energy, which only continues to emphasise the need for fossil fuels during this energy transition.

An integrated vendor-buyer model with sustainability and remanufacturing of returned product

Carbon emission reduction is very crucial nowadays. A proper balance is required for carbon emission reduction and burning of fossils fuels because during fossil fuel burning carbon is emitted and it is essential for industrialization. This study presents an inventory model with green technology where production of new items and remanufacturing of returned items are allowed. Remembering the present global situation, the ordering cost is assumed as variable cost which contain order cancellation and reorder cost. Online order policy is considered with quality of product and a return rate. Keeping in mind the social, economic and environmental aspects, the demand function is considered as sustainability sensitive demand. A nonlinear model is designed based on the above concepts. The model is solved both theoretically and analytically. The main motives of the work are to find the effects of ordering cost, carbon emission cost and green technology investment on the inventory model for suggesting the best policy to the inventory manager. Sensitivity analysis is performed to validate the model. The numerical results prove that ignoring ordering cost, carbon emission cost and green technology investment can lead to a false optimal solution and this can be a huge economical loss for the inventory manager. The results also prove that a sustainable model with carbon emission and green technology investment is more realistic and profitable in compare with the other existing models.

Efficiency and productivity gains of robotic surgery: The case of the English National Health Service.

This paper examines the effect of new medical technology (robotic surgery) on efficiency gains and productivity changes for surgical treatment in patients with prostate cancer from the perspective of a public health sector organization. In particular, we consider three interrelated surgical technologies within the English National Health System: robotic, laparoscopic and open radical prostatectomy. Robotic and laparoscopic techniques are minimally invasive procedures with similar clinical benefits. While the clinical benefits in adopting robotic surgery over laparoscopic intervention are unproven, it requires a high initial investment cost and carries high on-going maintenance costs. Using data from Hospital Episode Statistics for the period 2000-2018, we observe growing volumes of prostatectomies over time, mostly driven by an increase in robotic-assisted surgeries, and further analyze whether hospital providers that adopted a robot see improved measures of throughput. We then quantify changes in total factor and labor productivity arising from the use of this technology. We examine the impact of robotic adoption on efficiency gains employing a staggered difference-in-difference estimator and find evidence of a 50% reduction in length of stay (LoS), 49% decrease in post-LoS and 44% and 46% decrease in postoperative visits after 1year and 2years, respectively. Productivity analysis shows the growth in radical prostatectomy volume is sustained with a relatively stable number of urology surgeons. The robotic technique increases total production at the hospital level between 21% and 26%, coupled with a 29% improvement in labor productivity. These benefits lend some, but not overwhelming support for the large-scale hospital investments in such costly technology.

Exploring equality and sustainability trade-offs of energy transition outcomes in the United States in 2050

With increasing focus on equitable and just energy transition, it is critical to understand the trade-offs of different decarbonization outcomes across economic, environmental, and social sustainability criteria. In this analysis, we use a multi-criteria decision analysis to quantify sustainability outcomes across 32 decarbonization outcomes in 2050 in the U.S. The economic sustainability criteria we use are system cost, national average retail rate, and electricity system employment. The environmental sustainability criteria we use are life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, life cycle water depletion, life cycle land transformation, and air pollution fatalities. The social sustainability (distributional impacts) criteria we use are retail rate equality across states, electricity employment equality across low-income households, and air pollution disparities across census tracts. We evaluate performance across these criteria under eleven different stakeholder preference scenarios. We find that decarbonization policies with indefinitely extended tax credits have the highest sustainability score under equal criteria weighting, with greater investments in renewable energy technologies, and result in better environmental, system cost, job, and air pollution disparities compared to mid-case scenarios, that only include current policies and CO2 reduction targets. We also see that our multi-criteria decision analysis identifies decarbonization outcomes that would not have been identified as optimal under a single objective, which highlights the importance of trade-off analyses to understand decarbonization outcomes more holistically.

Implementing Lean 4.0: a review of case studies in pharmaceutical industry transformation

PurposeThe purpose of this systematic review is to critically analyze pharmaceutical industry case studies on the implementation of Lean 4.0 methodologies to synthesize key lessons, benefits and best practices. The goal is to inform decisions and guide investments in related technologies for enhancing quality, compliance, efficiency and responsiveness across production and supply chain processes.Design/methodology/approachThe article utilized a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology following five phases: formulating research questions, locating relevant articles, selecting and evaluating articles, analyzing and synthesizing findings and reporting results. The SLR aimed to critically analyze pharmaceutical industry case studies on Lean 4.0 implementation to synthesize key lessons, benefits and best practices.FindingsKey findings reveal recurrent efficiency gains, obstacles around legacy system integration and data governance as well as necessary operator training investments alongside technological upgrades. On average, quality assurance reliability improved by over 50%, while inventory waste declined by 57% based on quantified metrics across documented initiatives synthesizing robotics, sensors and analytics.Research limitations/implicationsAs a comprehensive literature review, findings depend on available documented implementations within the search period rather than direct case evaluations. Reporting bias may also skew toward more successful accounts.Practical implicationsSynthesized implementation patterns, performance outcomes and concealed pitfalls provide pharmaceutical leaders with an evidence-based reference guide aiding adoption strategy development, resource planning and workforce transitioning crucial for Lean 4.0 assimilation.Originality/valueThis systematic assessment of pharmaceutical Lean 4.0 adoption offers an unprecedented perspective into the real-world issues, dependencies and modifications necessary for successful integration, absent from conceptual projections or isolated case studies alone until now.

Data acquisition and application of internet of things in financial management

With the rapid development of information technology, Internet of Things technology has become a hot topic in today’s society. This study aims to explore how IoT technology impacts various aspects of financial management, in particular how it changes the collection, processing, and parsing of financial data. Through in-depth literature review, questionnaire survey and experimental design, the research found that IoT technology has a significant positive effect on sales, transaction times and inventory control. But at the same time, data security, privacy concerns and initial technology investment are also challenges that enterprises need to consider when adopting these technologies. Overall, IoT technology offers tremendous opportunities for financial management, but businesses must fully assess the potential risks and benefits when implementing it.

New task-new results? How the gaze cone is influenced by the method of measurement.

Perceiving direct gaze-the perception of being looked at-is important in everyday life. The gaze cone is a concept to define the area in which observers perceive gaze as direct. The most frequently used methods to measure direct gaze threshold fall into two broad groups: First, a variant of the method of constant stimuli, firstly introduced by Gibson and Pick (The American Journal of Psychology, 76, 386-394, 1963). Second, a variant of the method of adjustment, firstly introduced by Gamer and Hecht (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 33, 705-715, 2007). Previous studies found a considerable range of thresholds, and although some influences on thresholds are already known (uncertainty, clinical groups), thresholds often vary for no apparent reason. Another important method is a triadic gaze-perception task, which usually finds triadic gaze direction judgments to be overestimated. In two experiments, we compare the method of adjustment with the method of constant stimuli. Experiment 1additionally examines the influence of the overestimation effect found in the triadic task. Results indicate that thresholds are larger when measured by the method of adjustment than by constant stimuli. Furthermore, Experiment 1finds a nonlinear overestimation factor, indicating that gaze directions near 0° are less overestimated than larger eccentricities. Correcting the thresholds with individually obtained overestimation factors widens the gaze cone but does not eliminate the average difference between the methods of adjustments and constant stimuli.

A Carbon Dioxide Refinery: The Core of a Sustainable Carbon-based Circular Economy

The atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulation (2–2.5 ppmv/year) is the result of the enormous gap between its emissions (37 Gton/year) and its capture, storage, and utilization (<500 Mton/year). Climate has been dramatically affected due to the failure of natural sinks, in working effectively. To address this Gton-scale gap, numerous uses and applications are needed particularly, those consuming vast volumes of this compound and/or rendering longevous products or long lifecycle services. Thus, carbon utilization (CU) can be seen as the step to close the carbon cycle. Among CU, R&D on CO2 chemical conversion has proposed a variety of processes, with different degrees of developmental maturity. These chemical process technologies could be efficiently and effectively integrated into refineries to upgrade emitted CO2. A technology pipeline consisting of a database of these processes and the technology market status should be defined based on published scientific results and patents. Then, an innovative top-down methodology is proposed to eco-design configurations of that refinery, to warrant a sustainable carbon cycle (in terms of energy, environment, and economy) and to change the ways of producing fuels, chemicals, and materials. Additionally, the proposed methodology could be used to identify research and development gaps and needs, for orienting science and technology investments and measures. Hopefully, sustainable CO2 refineries will be implemented to close the carbon cycle of a circular C-based economy and underpin a decarbonized chemical industry.

Information technology investment and rural bank performance in Ghana: the moderating role of ICT diffusion and financial development

PurposeThis study sought to examine the interaction between rural bank performance, information and communication technology (ICT) investment, ICT diffusion and financial development.Design/methodology/approachData were sourced from the Association of Rural Banks (ARB) Apex and World Development Indicators (WDI) for the period 2014–2020. A total of 122 rural banks were used for this study. The study adopted the two-step system generalized method of moments (SGMM) estimation technique in assessing the interactions among variables.FindingsThis study found compelling evidence to support the positive effect of ICT investment on banks’ performance (return on asset and net interest margin). Further, ICT diffusion and financial development positively influence banks’ performance. The results show a positive moderating effect exerted by ICT diffusion and financial development on the impact of bank risk (bank stability) and ICT investment on all three performance measures.Originality/valueThe study focuses on the rural banking sector in the Ghanaian economy, compared to related studies that examine the subject matter for commercial banks. The moderating effects of ICT diffusion and financial development are assessed to guide policy on rural banking development in Ghana.

Greening the BRICS: How Green Innovation Mitigates Ecological Footprints in Energy-Hungry Economies

The escalating energy consumption seen in the BRICS countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, presents a substantial environmental problem, resulting in the depletion of resources, amplified carbon emissions, and endangering the well-being of ecological systems. The study examines the potential of green innovation to alleviate these adverse effects. By combining green technology with strong institutions and responsible energy consumption, we argue that the BRICS nations can significantly reduce their ecological footprint. This research, encompassing data from 1995 to 2022, employs Driscoll–Kraay and panel quantile regression to analyze the complex interplay of institutional quality, energy consumption, green innovation, and ecological footprints across the BRICS countries. Our findings reveal that green innovation is crucial in mitigating the ecological footprint, particularly when combined with resilient institutional quality and controlled energy use. Conversely, factors like high energy consumption, natural resource rent, and urbanization contribute to an increased ecological footprint. Notably, the study emphasizes the critical role of both institutional quality and renewable energy consumption in effectively reducing the ecological burden within the BRICS nations. These findings suggest that prioritizing investments in green technology and institutional development, even amidst high energy demands, represents a viable strategy for the BRICS nations to achieve sustainable growth and environmental responsibility.

Modelling the contribution of green technologies, renewable energy, economic complexity, and human capital in environmental sustainability: Evidence from BRICS countries

Green technological developments and investments are often observed as effective tools for the sustainability of carbon counteraction since they progress energy efficiency and unsoiled productivity. To do this, the main objective of this study is to inspect the effect of green technologies, economic complexity, renewable energy consumption, and human capital on the ecological footprint in the case of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) countries over the span of 1990–2020. Accordingly, this study applied novel and unconventional panel methods that provide reliable and robust estimated findings under slope heterogeneity and cross-dependency issues. The estimated results from cross-sectional autoregressive distributive lag (CS-ARDL) presents that the influence of green technologies, human capital, and renewable energy significantly protects the environment. On the other hand, economic complexity damages the environment in the long run. Furthermore, the evidence confirms that the interactive role of renewable energy consumption is also beneficial to protect the environment. Besides, the interactive role of green technologies and renewable energy consumption significantly protect the environment in the BRICS region. From a policy perspective, this study advocates that it is crucial to accelerate green technological innovations in BRICS economies, including the regulatory policies encouraging an incessant upsurge in the share of green technologies, renewable energy consumption, and human capital into environmental technological progress.

Importance of resection margin after resection of colorectal liver metastases in the era of modern chemotherapy: population-based cohort study.

Resection margin has been associated with overall survival following liver resection for colorectal liver metastasis. The aim of this study was to examine how resection margins of 0.0 mm, 0.1-0.9 mm and ≥1 mm influence overall survival in patients resected for colorectal liver metastasis in a time of modern perioperative chemotherapy and surgery. Using data from the national registries Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry and Swedish National Quality Registry for Liver, Bile Duct and Gallbladder Cancer, patients that had liver resections for colorectal liver metastasis between 2009 and 2013 were included. In patients with a narrow or unknown surgical margin the original pathological reports were re-reviewed. Factors influencing overall survival were analysed using a Cox proportional hazard model. A total of 754 patients had a known margin status, of which 133 (17.6%) patients had a resection margin <1 mm. The overall survival in patients with a margin of 0 mm or 0.1-0.9 mm was 42 (95% c.i. 31 to 53) and 48 (95% c.i. 35 to 62) months respectively, compared with 75 (95% c.i. 65 to 85) for patients with ≥1 mm margin, P < 0.001. Margins of 0 mm or 0.1-0.9 mm were associated with poor overall survival in the multivariable analysis, HR 1.413 (95% c.i. 1.030 to 1.939), P = 0.032, and 1.399 (95% c.i. 1.025 to 1.910), P = 0.034, respectively. Despite modern chemotherapy the resection margin is still an important factor for the survival of patients resected for colorectal liver metastasis, and a margin of ≥1 mm is needed to achieve the best possible outcome.

أثر التحول الرقمي على كفاءة تنفيذ المشاريع في القطاع الخاص في المملكة العربية السعودية

The research aims to identify the role of digital transformation in implementing projects in the private sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of implementation and project management processes through the use of modern technologies and digital technology. It also aims to improve competitiveness and promote innovation in the private sector. The results of the study found that digital transformation greatly affects all aspects of work in the private sector, from internal operations and management to product development. Digital transformation helps companies adapt to technology developments and better meet customer needs. By integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big analytics, and cloud computing, companies can enhance their operations and make informed decisions. Customer interaction can also be improved through the use of digital technology to facilitate the customer experience. And provide better services. However, the report also points out challenges related to digital transformation, such as the necessary investment in technology and the impact of changes to traditional ways of working. 'Digital transformation also requires developing employee skills and providing the necessary support to achieve change. Overall, the study of digital transformation in the private sector highlights the importance of investing in technology and developing effective digital strategies to drive innovation and promote sustainable growth.

REVALUASI AKTIVITAS DI PENDIDIKAN TINGGI SETELAH PANDEMI COVID-19 UNTUK NEGARA BERKEMBANG

The higher education academic system has been affected due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Nowadays, the adjustment in curriculum and research adapt to the pandemic and be used in the future. The research aims to give an evaluation in education and research system in higher education during the pandemic. Moreover, this approach can give the direction for changes and adaptations for this era. The research method uses article reviews in several reputable journal websites, reports, and government regulation continued with comparative analysis. The result is the higher education has affected severely during the pandemic. Tridharma activities need to be evaluated to accommodate the best solving problem for this problem. Almost all Universities in Indonesia has changed their learning system to online and limited research conducted. Furthermore, the biggest challenge lies in internet connection and technology knowledge. In the end, complete evaluation becomes an obligation to fulfil the new learning system before being implemented after the pandemic. Technology investment and quality assurance also need to consider to decide the best learning method for the future.

Nexus between Innovation–Openness–Natural Resources–Environmental Quality in N-11 Countries: What Is the Role of Environmental Tax?

This research investigates the intricate relationship between financial openness, natural resources, and carbon neutrality in the N-11 countries. It provides insights into how environmental tax and innovation can drive carbon neutrality in these nations, thus advancing our understanding of the nexus among financial openness, natural resources, and carbon neutrality. The study aims to offer policymakers perspectives on formulating policies to foster sustainable economic development and environmental conservation in the N-11 nations. The discourse highlights the environmental implications of foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade openness, revealing a complex interplay between economic development, technological innovation, and environmental sustainability. While FDI can facilitate technological transfers and managerial advancements that enhance resource efficiency and promote environmentally friendly practices, its environmental impact varies based on regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms. In countries with weak environmental regulations, FDI may lead to negative outcomes such as pollution hotspots, resource depletion, and ecosystem degradation. Similarly, trade openness can exacerbate environmental degradation through increased production, energy consumption, and waste generation. However, both FDI and trade openness can contribute positively to environmental sustainability when coupled with effective environmental policies, investment in green technology, and the promotion of sustainable practices. Thus, policymakers must strike a balance between economic development and environmental protection by implementing stringent environmental regulations, promoting clean technology transfer, and fostering sustainable development practices domestically and internationally. This research offers valuable insights for policymakers aiming to navigate the complexities of achieving carbon neutrality while ensuring sustainable economic growth in the N-11 countries.