Economic Convenience Research Articles

Beyond economic convenience: Unveiling the motives for engaging in food sharing initiatives

Food waste is a major global problem nowadays because it negatively affects the environment, society, and the economy. Food sharing has lately emerged as an innovative solution to this problem, but little is known about the behavioral intentions of consumers with regard to food sharing initiatives. In this study, we use the theory of consumption values along with a mixed methods approach to analyze the key motives underlying consumers' intentions for using food sharing platforms. We develop a conceptual model to this end, and collect, analyze, and triangulate data to test it by using both a qualitative and a quantitative approach. The results highlight the relevance of epistemic, conditional, and social values in a communitarian sense in driving people's engagement in food sharing. Functional values were found to have a secondary importance for both users and non-users in this regard. A comparison between users and non-users also revealed that emotional values constitute an important factor for the latter. The study contributes to both theory and practice by highlighting the importance of such initiatives in addressing not only environmental issues, but also social needs, and hence contributing to the sustainable development of local communities.

A Cost–Benefit Analysis for the Economic Evaluation of Ecosystem Services Lost Due to Erosion in a Mediterranean River Basin

Soil degradation in Europe is mostly represented by soil erosion that, as a sediment production mechanism, is the main environmental threat to many watersheds, including the Bovilla watershed (Tirana), useful for the supply of drinking water to the city, and therefore, the care of water quality is of particular interest. The soil erosion of the Bovilla watershed was monitored in a work set up in June 2017. Following this work, this research updates the previous data on soil loss at the Bovilla watershed in t/ha/year to September 2019 and focuses on the identification and monetary evaluation of the ecosystem services (ESs) linked to soil erosion (loss of carbon, loss of mineral elements, habitat quality, crop productivity, and sustainable tourism suitability). Then, we applied the replacement cost analysis to test the economic convenience and suggest the adoption of sustainable land management practices (e.g., reforestation) able to improve the quality water in this watershed. The study carried out demonstrates that the values of soil lost due to erosion vary depending on the type of land use (ranging from average values of 120.32 t/ha for bare land to values of 8.16 t/ha for wooded areas). Furthermore, from the application of monetary methods for the evaluation of some ecosystem services linked to erosion (loss of carbonaceous and mineral elements, habitat quality, productivity, suitability for sustainable tourism), it clearly emerges that the value of the productivity of agricultural crops varies from EUR 0 to 35,320.50/ha and that the service represents a more incisive service than the previous ones, so much so as to make the conversion of some agricultural land with high productivity values into wooded areas economically disadvantageous. The data from this study may help to develop Bovilla watershed management strategies for erosion and pollution control and sediment remediation mainly in agricultural lands. A program of measures can be effective for controlling soil erosion, but it must be implemented over long time frames, and it requires relevant investments from the public and private sectors, also with a view to increase the allocation of economic values of monetary compensation aimed at those who decide to start forestation projects on highly productive soils.

Development and Testing of Small-Scale Flash Dryer for Maize Bran

Sun drying is the most common technique used to dry various food products due to its economic convenience. However, it is not effective owing to its unreliable nature leading to microbial deterioration and aflatoxin contamination of food. In Tanzania, about 1.3 million tonnes of maize bran are at risk of deterioration annually due to improper drying. The aim of this study was to design, fabricate and test an efficient small-scale flash dryer for maize bran. Using principles of material and energy balance, a small-scale flash dryer with a throughput of 500 kg of dry product per hour was designed resulting in a nominal diameter of 387 mm and a drying length of 20 m. Design calculations and drawings were done using MS Excel 2021 and SolidWorks 2018 respectively. Empirical procedures were used to fabricate and test the dryer. The material of construction used in the flash duct was food grade (stainless steel, SS 201). A fuel blend of Waste Engine Oil (WEO) and diesel (85%-15%) was used with a novel heavy oil burner. It was observed that at an inlet air temperature of 150 °C and air velocity of 12 m/s, moist maize bran was dried from 37% to 10% w.b. The fabricated flash dryer's energy efficiency, specific energy consumption, and specific energy utilization are 74%, 3.4 MJ/kg water evaporated, and 1.71 MJ/kg dry maize bran respectively. It was concluded that the fabricated small-scale flash dryer displayed improved energy performance compared to others presented in literature. Better instrumentation was recommended for feedback control on burner operation and process monitoring which further enhances the performance of the fabricated small-scale flash dryer.

Disconnected and Online: Privileged Lives of the Transnational Migrants in Mexico City

As global mobility surges, Mexico City has emerged as a favored destination for remote-working professionals due to its unique fusion of cultural allure and economic convenience. This paper explores the interplay between macroeconomic trends and quests for self-actualization among lifestyle migrants, informed by interviews and other fieldwork conducted in Mexico City in early 2023. It unravels the complex interplay of factors shaping attitudes, behaviors, and collective identity among these lifestyle migrants and how their conscious embeddedness dissolves as geographic arbitrage imbues them with new privileges. KEYWORDS: Digital Nomads; Lifestyle Migrants; Transnational Migration; Mexico City; Socio-Spatial Exclusion; Gentrification; Privilege; Embeddedness

Changes in the Cesarean Section Rate Following the Implementation of Guidelines Concerning Cesarean Section on Maternal Request

Traditionally, cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) has been defined as a cesarean section performed at the request of the pregnant woman rather than for medical necessity. It was thought to provide minimal benefits to both the pregnant woman and the fetus and was seen as an inefficient use of healthcare resources. However, the recent rise in the choice and use of cesarean sections is influenced not only by obstetrical factors but also by psychological and socio-cultural factors of the mother, the desire among medical providers to avoid uncertainty, and the pursuit of time and economic convenience, among other complex factors. In particular, there is a growing trend among medical professionals who prefer cesarean sections to avoid costly medical lawsuits. However, if a pregnant woman opts for an elective cesarean section due to the convenience of medical professionals or fear of litigation, even if she prefers a vaginal delivery, it would be considered an unnecessary cesarean section. When a pregnant woman desires CDMR, medical professionals should thoroughly explain the advantages and disadvantages of both attempting vaginal delivery and CDMR so that she can make an informed decision. Nevertheless, if a pregnant woman still chooses a cesarean section after being fully informed, her autonomy should be respected. In such cases, it is recommended that medical practitioners use a minimally invasive surgical method, along with appropriate preoperative and postoperative care, to reduce the morbidity of both the mother and infant and to support a rapid recovery.

Overhauled and Regenerated Steam Turbine: Reconditioning Process and Application

Abstract The present work aims to analyze the economic convenience of using a reconditioned steam turbine within a waste-to-energy plant for municipal solid waste. First, the methodology for the evaluation of the functional conditions of the disused steam turbine will be identified through a complete revision of the turbine itself, paying attention to components subject to greater wear. The considered steam turbine is a disused and malfunctioning machine considered “a disposal.” The overhaul operations necessary for reconditioning are preceded by an analysis of the typical failures of steam turbines that allows to identify the components with the highest incidence of failures and to evaluate the frequency of occurrence and severity of the damage. The analysis of all possible fault chains and the maintenance history of the steam turbine are aimed at defining the inspection methodology to be carried out on the various components. Once the functionality has been verified and the necessary reconditioning operations of the steam turbine have been completed, the possibility of its reuse in a waste-to-energy plant for municipal solid waste will be analyzed. Through appropriate market analysis simulation, the actual possibility of using the reconditioned steam turbine within an existing plant used as a reference plant will be evaluated. The economic evaluations and the calculation of the return time must provide for a comparison of the purchase costs of a revised steam turbine compared to a new one, considering the revenues related to the sale of the electricity produced, the thermal power generated, and the revenues related to waste treatment. In the present work, the authors wanted to underline the importance of considering the waste-to-energy of municipal solid waste as an added value rather than as a mere cost aimed only at the inertization process. In addition, it can be underlined that the use of a reconditioned steam turbine also guarantees economic convenience since the payback time is equal to two years.

Towards the integration of distributed renewables: Operation analysis of pumped storage system under off-design condition based on CFD

Pumped storage plants are increasingly developing to cope with the rapid growth of renewable energy production. Micro-pumped storage (MPS) system is a new storage strategy for distributed energy integration. Centrifugal pump or axial pump replaces conventional pump turbines in this pumped storage system to ensure economic convenience and system flexibility. However, when MPS works in the generating operation mode, the limited high-efficiency range will result in complex hydrodynamic behavior and stability issues under off-design conditions due to renewable integration. At present, the instability mechanism of MPS under off-design conditions is not clear enough, and there is a lack of excellent research methods to analyze this problem. Therefore, this paper firstly introduces the entropy production theory considering the wall effect for visualizing the energy loss. Then the relationship between hydraulic performance and unsteady flow characteristics is established based on the loss characteristics. The results show that the entropy production theory with customized wall functions has higher accuracy and advantages in energy loss analysis compared to the default wall functions. Under partial loading conditions, the spatial-temporal instability of the flow separation point causes a rotating stall within the impeller, which in turn leads to destabilization and a significant reduction in hydraulic performance. Under overload conditions, despite slight changes in hydraulic performance, the most significant pressure fluctuation is six times stronger than the best efficiency point.

Harnessing the sweet potential: the revival of honey dressing in modern wound care

Honey dressings have found wide application in the past and are currently experiencing a resurgence due to their beneficial properties, which aid professionals in their daily practices. Manuka honey possesses properties that are suitable for debridement of chronic wounds, stoma-therapy, and burns. This cultural article aims to review the major literature and benefits of medical honey dressing and underline five important implications (i.e., alternative care for individuals experiencing antibiotic resistance, ease of application, faster healing, shorter hospital stays, and economic convenience in countries characterized by high financial constraints) that at this stage are underdeveloped in the literature.

Circular economy and sustainable agri-food systems

In recent times, scientists and economic policy authorities have been promoting viable solutions to address global emergencies related to human-caused climate change. In particular, there is a growing demand for renewable energy sources, technological innovation and energy-saving systems, and ecological and environmental sustainability of natural resources and the territory. At the center of this global effort, an increasingly significant role seems to be destined for the agricultural sector and agro-energy production systems due to the potential benefits in terms of production costs. However, the interest in non-conventional and low-impact energy sources requires an in-depth investigation not only of the advantages, in terms of availability and economic efficiency, but also of the impact on the environment and the quality of the landscape, as well as on the aspects of the overall intervention that must be adopted to allow the supply of agricultural products to the market. Given this scenario, the broad agro-energy issue would be incomplete without exhaustive economic sustainability analyses, which serve as operational decision support tools to measure the cost-effectiveness of investments in agro-energy production and its use. This study presents a methodological proposal to evaluate the economic convenience of energy investments for the production of renewable energy which represents a trade-off between food and non-food production to promote effective and efficient solutions for the allocation of resources. The results of the research must be read to make the agricultural company competitive, not forgetting that it is called upon to produce agricultural products for the market.

Precision agriculture and competitive advantage: Economic efficiency of the mechanized harvesting of Chardonnay and Nero d’Avola grapes

In this work, the results of the research activity carried out on wineries are presented to demonstrate the economic convenience of carrying out mechanical harvesting. After determining the break-even point, for the introduction of the grape harvester in the company, the production costs and the relative profitability of two cultivars (Chardonnay and Nero d'Avola) were estimated. The research results highlight that the wine entrepreneur can improve profit margins with mechanical harvesting, operating with his machine on a minimum business area of 41.62 ha, otherwise resorting to renting the operation is always convenient as lowering production costs improves economic margins. The positive effects are therefore recorded both in the case of introducing the machine into the company and in the case that the entrepreneur rents the machine.

From the “Green Station” to the “Blue Station”: the role of the renovation of railway stations in the ecological transition of cities. Calculation model and possible measures for mitigation and compensation of impacts.

Nowadays, mobility represents the main productive process: this means that territorial sustainability must necessarily include sustainable movements as a key component. The increase in transport entity and transport routes, economic convenience, and, last but not least, a higher environmental awareness, are leading to higher consideration of the use of railways. In this framework, railway stations represent complex objects requiring significant material flows, which make up their ecological footprint. In this sense, a railway station is the last industrial plant to be accepted in contemporary cities. The last 2 years of pandemics have amplified both the need for tangible sustainability and the demand for active mobility-friendly cities. Discussing the sustainability of a station involves examining and measuring its ecological footprint, to provide active support to the targeted planning and design of mitigation measures. Their impact and effectiveness are certainly amplified by the natural central role of the railway stations. And what if the pursuit of sustainability for the railway stations could be intertwined with the search for quality collective spaces? The answer is positive. The proposed algorithm allows shifting from a qualitative view (so to say, measured on a flat-rate basis), to a quantitative view of the possible improvement actions on the operation and maintenance processes of railway stations. Moreover, through minor adaptations, it could also be applied to industrial or residential processes.

Economic Implications for Farmers in Adopting Climate Adaptation Measures in Italian Agriculture

The purpose of this paper is to provide an assessment of the economic convenience of adopting adaptation measures to climate change at farm level. Concerns raised about climate risks on agriculture indicate that adaptation of the agricultural sector to climate change is necessary to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change. Despite many opportunities to implement climate adaptation measures at farm level, there are several obstacles to their adoption. Farmers’ decision to implement adaptation measures lies in the difficulty of accessing knowledge about adaptation practices and in the lack of resources for upfront investments required by adaptation. The need to investigate economic convenience in terms of costs and benefits of adopting adaptation measures to prevent or reduce damage from adverse climatic events by farmers arises from this consideration. More importantly, climate protection and management of climate change are European environmental policy objectives. However, adaptation to climate change remains complex, and literature on the costs and benefit of agricultural adaptation is limited. Based on these considerations, this paper provides an analysis of the economic convenience of adopting adaptation measures in Italian farms. The economic convenience to implement adaptation measures is calculated on the reduction of the impact of climate damage. Our results show the economic convenience of adaptation measures. These findings help to improve the still too limited access to information on adaptation policies at farm level as well as the benefits that adaptation produces in economic and environmental terms, on human and ecosystem health. This study supports farmers’ decisions in adopting climate adaptation measures and provides information for policy makers to identify specific financial instruments for adaptation measures.

A Cognizance of Green Bond Features Preferential to Renewable Energy Project Financing in Ghana

Issuance of green bonds (GBs) is valuable for developing countries because it provides a market deepening mechanism, which enables greater liquidity for investments in renewable energy (RE) sector. This article is premised on the outlook for the first GB in Ghana. The study investigates the features of GBs, which investors prioritize as preferential for RE financing (REF). Employing the literature, twelve beneficial features of GBs were identified and formed the based for a questionnaire, which was handed to experts in financial institutions to complete. Data were analysed and ranked with the relative importance index and other statistical tests. The findings illustrated that low-interest rates, similar payback period, economic convenience and transparency issuance are among the top preferential features for feasible GB rollouts in Ghana. Findings implied that akin to other worldwide cases for REF, GBs represent a degree of flexibility, which stems from the homogeneity in their respective features. The study illustrates the specific priorities, which must be considered by potential investors. Resultantly, enabling GBs issuers to develop GB packages that suit the needs of the investment community and ultimately contribute to RE targets’ achievement.

Flow Regulation of Low Head Hydraulic Propeller Turbines by Means of Variable Rotational Speed: Aerodynamic Motivations

To date, hydraulic energy is still, among the renewable ones, the most widespread and most exploited to produce electricity. With the current trend to exploit any renewable source available, the limits for the economic convenience of hydroelectric power plants have significantly changed, making it interesting and convenient to use even small heads and low flow rates. In the specific applications of hydraulic turbines operating with low heads, the Kaplan turbine plays the predominant role among the available machines, also given the possibility of carrying out an “on cam” regulation, acting simultaneously on the geometry of the rotor and distributor rows, thus allowing a wide flow rate adjustment range. However, for applications characterized by very low heads and low available powers, it may not be convenient to use complex regulating devices. For this reason, these plants usually use axial machines characterized by a partial regulation (of the distributor or of the rotor), significantly reducing the operating range of the machine compared to the case of double regulation. In the last decade, the development of reliable and less expensive permanent magnet generators and power electronic converters and related new control strategies has paved the way for the concept of regulating hydraulic turbines by means of variable rotational speed. This regulation principle is based on the possibility of acting in the case of using synchronous permanent magnets electric generators and electronic power converters and on the variation of the rotational speed of the machine while keeping the grid frequency constant. The concept can be applied both to pure propellers with fixed a rotor and fixed distributor and to hydraulic axial turbines with regulation based on the modification of the variable guide vane opening angle. Although this new regulation approach, even in the case of the combined guide vane and rotational speed regulation, does not allow to recover most of the energy losses due to the variation of the operating conditions as effectively as the Kaplan double regulation does, the variation of the rotation speed, coupled with the variation of the opening of the distributor row, allows to reduce the tangential kinetic energy losses generated at the turbine exit during the off-design operations of a fixed blade opening angle rotor. At the same time, this type of regulation offers a simple and thus low-cost solution. The present study develops the theory underlying this regulation concept, based on the use of the turbomachinery fundamental equations, and reports the results of the off-design CFD analysis carried out for different combinations of rotation speeds and openings of the distributor, showing the improvement of the hydraulic efficiency over a large range of operating conditions with respect to the single regulation approach.

Preliminary analyses on technical and economic viability of moon-mined propellant for on-orbit refueling

The present study analyses the technical feasibility and economic sustainability of Moon-mined propellant transportation, storage, and distribution to final users. Two technical architectural options are considered for propellant transportation: taking fuel from the Moon or from Earth. Both architectures assume the same storage and distribution system, i.e., the use of an orbiting depot. The depot will be reachable by various types of spacecrafts for refueling. Both architectures are evaluated in terms of technical feasibility, performance and economic convenience. As the estimates of the investment, operational costs, and revenues are highly uncertain, a risk evaluation, i.e. the Monte Carlo analysis, is used to evaluate the exposure of the ventures to factors that could affect the volatility of results and lead them to fail. These analyses identify transporting propellant from the Moon as the most promising solution.

A feasibility analysis on adopting electric vehicles in the short food supply chain based on GHG emissions and economic costs estimations

The transition toward electric mobility is recognised as a powerful contributor to reaching the goal of reducing environmental pressure from the transport sector minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. Over recent years several studies analysed the economic convenience of adopting electric vehicles as well as its impact on greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. However, very few studies evaluated both economic cost and environmental emissions in a real-life environment. This study aimed to investigate the economic costs of battery electric vehicle adoption in the short food supply chain and its impact on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions when compared to corresponding petrol-powered vehicles. It also aimed to examine the influence of policy measures on this transition process. To achieve these objectives, data were obtained from market research and the testing phase of a project co-funded by the European Interreg Med Programme. Based on collected data, economic cost and greenhouse gas emission of both battery electric vehicle and internal combustion engine vehicle use were determined. The results emphasise that when compared to corresponding petrol-powered vehicles, the economic convenience of electric vehicles as well as their positive impact on greenhouse gas emissions is evident after a finite distance is covered, which grows thereafter. Simulated scenarios confirm the importance of the incentives for vehicle acquisition promoted by governments to reduce their economic cost, whilst also confirming the influence that an energy mix consisting of renewable energy sources could have on achieving the environmental benefits of adopting electric vehicles over a shorter period and distance. In light of these results, some recommendations can be provided to promote the spread of battery electric vehicles in the short food supply chain. In detail, financial support is needed to both purchase battery electric vehicles and support projects to obtain lower-cost batteries. At the same time, a great effort should be made by policymakers to create an efficient network of recharging infrastructures also powered by alternative energies to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Simplified framework for economic convenience of base isolation as seismic retrofit solution for existing RC buildings

Modern seismic retrofit strategies aim at increasing the building safety under high intensity earthquakes and minimizing the possible damage and, in turn the expected economic losses (EAL) under frequent and low intensity earthquakes. Classic techniques based on tradition or innovative material such as steel jacketing or FRP wrapping aims at increasing the strength/ductility of reinforced concrete (RC) members, but they do not significantly act in reducing the engineering demand parameters EDPs such as acceleration and drift. On the other side innovative techniques such as base isolation are capable of combining the increase of seismic safety with the significant reduction of acceleration and drift demand on the superstructure, thus, resulting in a significant reduction of the EALs. Although the number of applications is significantly increasing in Italy, its wide use is discouraged by the high cost of installation. Considering the annual savings related to the reduction of the EALs, the payback time (PBT) of the economic investment in a retrofitting by using base isolation can be comparable to that of other techniques. However simple tools to easily assess the PBT knowing major building characteristics are currently not available.This paper proposes a novel framework to estimate the EALs and the PBT of RC buildings retrofitted by means of FRP or Base Isolation based on the main building characteristics (i.e. in-plane geometry, number of floors, seismic). It is implemented in a MATLAB code to perform NLTHs on simplified structural models and calculate the EALs by using the full PBEE framework and considering the uncertainties in the hazard, damage and loss analysis. The framework is validated against the results of a case study building analyzed by means of a refined 3D FEM model and calculating the EAL by means of the FEMA P-58 approach. A parametric study is carried out varying the concrete compressive strength and the reinforcement details to check the sensitivity of the framework to these variables. The preliminary results are presented and discussed.

Renewable energy, carbon capture & sequestration and hydrogen solutions as enabling technologies for reduced CO2 energy transition at a national level: an application to the 2030 Italian national energy scenarios

Globally, climate change, fossil fuel depletion and greenhouse emissions are fundamental problems requiring massive effort from the international scientific community to be addressed and solved. Following the Clean Energy for all Europeans Package (CEP) guidelines, the Italian Government has established challenging and tight objectives both on energy and climate matter to be targeted by 2030. Accordingly, research activities on different topics are carried out in Italy, looking at the installation of intermittent renewable energy systems (IRES), implementation of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) on existing power plants and hydrogen technology and infrastructure penetration for accomplishing the end-users demands. The optimal integration of the above-mentioned technologies is one of the most effective weapons to address these objectives. The paper investigates different energy scenarios for meeting the Italian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) 2030 targets showing how the combined implementation of around +12 GW of IRES and +6 GW of electrolyzers compared to the national estimates simultaneously with the CCS of around 10 Mt of CO2 per year can reduce the CO2 emissions up to about 247 Mt/year. Thanks to the adoption of the well-established software platform EnergyPlan, the integration of IRES plants, CCS and hydrogen-based technologies have been explored, and the most successful results for concurrently reducing the impact of industrial, transport, residential and energy sectors and mitigating the greenhouse emissions substantially relies on the diversifications. Results show both the technical and economic convenience of a 2030 energy scenario which implements properly hydrogen, IRES and CCS penetration in the energy system, meeting the NECP 2030 targets and maintaining both the over-generation of the power plants below 5 TWh and the initial capital expenditure to be sustained for this scenario to occur below +80% compared to the 2019 energy scenario.

Enhanced biofilm formation and denitrification in slow sand filters for advanced nitrogen removal by powdery solid carbon sources addition

Slow sand filter (SSF) is reliable for its economical convenience but is limited by low NO3−-N removal effect and long start-up time. In this study, the feasibilities of powdery poly butylene succinate (PBS) and polycaprolactone (PCL) as solid carbon sources for enhanced nitrogen removal in SSFs were investigated. Results suggested that the PBS with 200 mesh (PBS200) was with better carbon release capacity than PCL with 200 mesh (PCL200). During the start-up phase, SSF added PBS200 (SSFPBS) was found to achieve stable after 8-day adaptation, and 94.2 % NO3−-N and 78.9 % TN would be removed. Though a relative longer start-up time was required in SSFPBS than SSF added PCL200 (SSFPCL), the cost and the risk of secondary pollution caused by excessive COD was lower in SSFPBS. Analyses to biomass and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) revealed that the biofilm structure in SSFPBS was more stable, which was because of higher biodiversity and biomass, as well as higher proteins and lower CO, OCO in EPS. For the study of optimizing the operating performance of SSFPBS (quartz sand/PBS200, 24:1), the results suggested that 90 % NO3−-N could be removed from municipal secondary effluent under the flow rate of 0.07 m/h. Besides, 33 % COD was further removed by two stage filter system. This study demonstrated that powdery PBS-based SSF is a promising technique to eliminate nitrate‑nitrogen pollution.

The Expulsion and Forced Conversion of the Jews of Isfahan: A Comparison between Arak‘el Dawrižec‘i’s Girk‘ patmuteanc‘ and Bābā’ī ben Loṭf’s Ketāb-e anūsī


 The article deals with the persecution and expulsion of the Jews of Isfahan that took place under Shah ‘Abbās II in the years 1656–1662. The events, which occurred at Grand Vizier Moḥammad Beg’s instigation, are told of in a number of contemporary sources, the most important of them being Bābā’ī ben Loṭf’s Ketāb-e anūsī (in Judeo-Persian) and Arak‘el Davrižec‘i’s Girk‘ patmuteanc‘ (in Armenian). The article tries to find a rationale for the differences found between these two accounts, focusing on how the two authors report the murder of a Jewish informer to the Grand Vizier that was perpetrated by other Jews. By analysing how they fashion a different narrative drawing on the same events, the article proposes that their opposite attitudes towards the murderers come from their different intent and approach in writing their works. Bābā’ī’s account follows in the wake of the traditional biblical paradigm of sin and punishment, thus showing less sympathy for the plight of the Jews than one could expect, as from the author’s perspective their suffering was supposedly brought on them by their own sins. On the other hand, Aṙak‘el’s more empathic representation of the Jews and their tribulations could be understood in the light of his own concern about his coreligionists being tempted to convert to Islam for material benefit or economic convenience. This is the reason why Aṙak‘el stresses how the Jews held to their faith and were not lured by the money and gifts the Persians offered them to turn to Islam. He fashions the chapter he devoted to the history of the Jews of Isfahan as a moral tale, complete with a hero and a villain and enhanced with some Jewish flavour details, to show his fellow Armenians how they, too, should resist the allurement of conversion.