Global Chains Research Articles

Incentivizing Healthy Food Choices Using Add-On Bundling: A Field Experiment

Problem definition: How can retailers incentivize customers to make healthier food choices? Price, convenience, and taste are known to be among the main drivers behind such choices. Unfortunately, healthier food options are often expensive and not adequately promoted. However, we are observing recent efforts to nudge customers toward healthier food. Methodology/results: In this paper, we conducted a field experiment with a global convenience store chain to better understand how different add-on bundle promotions influence healthy food choices. We considered three types of add-on bundles sequentially: (i) an unhealthy bundle (when customers purchased a coffee, they could add a pastry for $1), (ii) a healthy bundle (offering a healthy snack, such as fruit, vegetable, or protein, as a coffee add-on for $1), and (iii) a choice bundle (the option of either a pastry or a healthy snack as an add-on to coffee for $1). In addition to our field experiment, we conducted an online laboratory study to strengthen the validity of our results. Managerial implications: We found that offering healthy snacks as part of an add-on bundle significantly increased healthy purchases (and decreased unhealthy purchases). Surprisingly, this finding continued to hold for the choice bundle, that is, even when unhealthy snacks were concurrently on promotion. However, we did not observe a long-term stickiness effect, meaning that customers returned to their original (unhealthy) purchase patterns once the healthy or choice bundle was discontinued. Finally, we show that offering an add-on choice bundle is also beneficial for retailers, who can earn higher revenue and profit. Funding: This research was supported by the James McGill Scholar Award Fund, the Scale AI Chair Program, IIVADO (Institut de valorisation des données) Fundamental Research Project Grant, and two Discovery Grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.0336 .

Women Workers’ Initiatives in the Field of the Social and Solidarity as a Space for Transforming the Domestic Care System: Potential and Challenges in the Ibero-American Sphere

A just socio-ecological transition calls for a transformation of the care system that ensures the sustainability of human life. This process involves recognising and revaluing unpaid care work it also means improving working conditions in this sector, characterised by the overwhelming contribution of women, including many migrant women, in global care chains. This paper analyses the opportunities and limitations of the social and solidarity economy in this transformation. Using the multi-level perspective on change as a framework and a methodology that combines an innovative collaborative workshop with 54 stakeholders in the Spanish context with interviews with leaders of care cooperatives in Honduras, Uruguay and Spain, transformative strategies for revaluing these essential services and addressing the structural challenges they face are identified.

Green Packaging and Environmental Safety in Ghana’s Hospitality Industry: A Systematic Review

This study seeks to review on green packaging practices on environmental safety in Ghana’s hospitality industry. The reviewed studies adopted a cross-sectional study design. A systematic review was carried out with the aid of online research journal websites as well as other in-context articles. While conducting this study, the key words in the search query were directed towards the impact of green practices on environmental safety in Ghana. Areas noted in relation to this study was use of green practices in hotels. Therefore, there was linkage of papers pointing out the impact of green practices on environmental safety. The results revealed that, hotels fared well in environmental health but badly in eco-labeling and certification. At 34%, hotels supported sustainability. Results affect MDGs, volunteering, and environment. Hierarchical multiple regression demonstrated that hotel size, class, national hotel trade association engagement, and manager remuneration increased environmental performance. No performance improvement from global chain link. Many Ghanaian hotels provide green enhancements. Most municipal hotels affect the environment. Sustainability demands hotel personnel green management training. Based on observations and interviews, they promote resilience in solid and liquid waste management, renewable energy development, green designs, energy efficiency, water conservation, and green environmental regulatory compliance. Conclusion: The research shows that hotels are important to their communities' economies, but if we neglect their environmental impact, they may damage the ecosystem. There is a need for hotels that invest money into environmental audits or certification programs like eco-labels to get monetary recompense for their environmental efforts.

The Unhappy Marriage of Care and the Global Market: ‘Soft Backsliding’ in the Narratives of Two Romanian Badanti

This paper encompasses an analysis of the novels written by two Romanian badanti who emigrated from Eastern Europe to Italy at the beginning of the 21st century, namely Liliana Nechita (Romania) and Lilia-Bicec Zanardelli (the Republic of Moldova). The reading grid of these narratives is a Marxist feminist one, as it continues the analytical framework of Lise Vogel and links it to the last decades’ “new gender arrangement” (Lutz) that emphasises the outsourcing of reproductive labour towards migrant and gendered labour-power. The work of these badanti partakes in the global care chain of our world-system, which privileges families in the West and affects poor households in the East. The novels written by the two workers show how agents directly involved in this global division of labour explain their own history, as it is shaped by their new working experience. However, their literary inquiry will circumscribe a contradictory rhetoric, also called “soft backsliding”, that combines emancipatory insights with reactionary ideologies related to the nation-state, family and Christianity. This study aims to explain them as both methods of subjective subsistence in capitalism and a virtual path to political radicalization.

Global care chains and empowerment through the social economy: women’s participation in care cooperatives

Global care chains and empowerment through the social economy: women’s participation in care cooperatives

Trade Network Resilience of the Global Photovoltaic Industry Chain

Based on the trade data of the global photovoltaic (PV) industry chain from 2005 to 2021, this paper constructs a global PV industry chain trade network model and analyzes its static resilience and dynamic resilience characteristics, reaching the following conclusions. The static resilience of the trade network is analyzed through aggregation, transmission, hierarchy and matching. The upstream polysilicon trade network is relatively loose, while the midstream and downstream trade networks appear to aggregate significantly. The average path length is short and the average clustering coefficient is high, indicating that the global PV industry chain trade network has high transmission efficiency and small-world characteristics. The global PV industry chain trade network is hierarchical. The degree distribution slope of the upstream polysilicon trade network is the largest and has a high level of hierarchy. Meanwhile, the global PV industry chain trade network is a heterogeneous network, which strengthens the connection between the core countries and edge countries, making the global PV industry chain trade network more resilient. Regarding the dynamic resilience of the trade network, the deterministic disturbance strategies have a greater impact on network performance than the random disturbance strategies, indicating that targeted impacts exert greater impact on the resilience of the global PV industry chain trade network. For the deterministic disturbance strategy, the interference based on intermediate centrality has a higher impact on the overall resilience of the network than the interference based on degree centrality, thus the influence of the country with strong trade radiating ability on the network elasticity is greater than that of the country with strong transit ability.

Escape from the periphery. World-system of cinema and Polish film

The main aim of this text is to outline the possibilities of applying Immanuel Wallerstein’s world-systems theory to the analysis of cinema. Concepts developed by Wallerstein, especially the notion of the relationship between the core and the periphery of international political-economic systems, can be useful in trying the hegemony of Hollywood cinema in the global circulation of film content, as well as the positions smaller film industries occupy in relation to it. The assumptions of this theory will be tested using the example of the cinema of Central and Eastern Europe in recent decades, making it possible to determine its relative hierarchy in the global chain of production and consumption of audiovisual content. Special attention has been focused on Poland, presented as a model example of a local film industry attempting to emerge from the peripheral position it occupied after the political transformation of 1989.

A multifaceted ecological approach to explore links between environmental factors and the epidemiology of disorders of gut-brain interaction.

Disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) are characterized by debilitating symptoms not explained by structural or biochemical abnormalities. While functional conditions present with complex, likely heterogeneous pathophysiology, we aimed to investigate if proxy measures of sociocultural and environmental factors are associated with the prevalence of various DGBI in populations across the world. We performed an ecological study utilizing peer-reviewed published datasets reporting for 26 countries prevalence rates of DGBI (Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study, RFGES), with six independent variables: Helicobacter pylori prevalence and household size as proxy measures for orofecal infections, gross domestic product per capita (GDP), and median age as a proxy measures for socioeconomic development, density of fast food outlets (FFO) per 100,000 population as proxy measure for processed food exposure, and suicide mortality rate per 100,000 people, and world happiness scores were used as a proxy for psychological stress. The data were retrieved from publicly accessible datasets (United Nations, CIA World Factbook, World Bank, World Happiness Report, commercial/financial reports of a global FFO chain). We used linear regression to assess variables in univariate and multivariate analysis and report standardized β coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The regression model revealed that the overall prevalence of DGBI was inversely associated with both GDP per capita (β = -0.57, 95% CI: -0.92, -0.22, p = 0.002) and happiness scores (β = -0.433 95% CI: 0.821, -0.065, p = 0.023), while being positively associated with H. pylori prevalence (β = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.008, 0.81, p = 0.046). The prevalence of functional constipation (FC) was also inversely associated with GDP per capita (β = -0.50, 95% CI: -0.86, -0.13, p = 0.01) and happiness scores (β = -0.497, 95% CI: -0.863, -0.132, p = 0.01), while being positively associated with H. pylori prevalence (β = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.91, p = 0.007). The Multivariate model analysis revealed that combining the factors of H. pylori prevalence, suicide rate, household size and happiness scores showed statistically significant association with FC (p = 0.039). Household size (β = -0.43, 95% CI: -0.82, 0.038, p = 0.033) and suicide rates (β = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.90, p = 0.004) were statistically significantly associated with functional diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was associated with GDP per capita (β = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.79, -0.014, p = 0.043) and happiness scores (β = -0.390, 95% CI: -0.778, -0.003, p = 0.049). Utilizing publicly available data, the prevalence of DGBI across diverse countries is linked to various socio-cultural and environmental factors. Collectively, the data suggests that the prevalence of DGBI is increased in less prosperous regions of the world.

Pilot Testing on The Level of Knowledge and Perception of Green Practices in Livestock Sector Among Local Consumers

The livestock sector is vital to the global food chain. The demand for livestock products increases proportionally with the global population. Rearing livestock animals comes with inevitable environmental impacts. Adopting green practices in the livestock production chain may help lessen the impact. This pilot study aims to identify local consumers' level of knowledge and perception of adopting green practices in the livestock sector. A questionnaire consisting of three sections (Demography, Knowledge, Perception) was developed. Thirty-two respondents who are the primary decision-makers for household grocery shopping participated in the study. The respondents comprise 50.00% private sector employees, 28.13% government servants, and the rest are unemployed. The education level of the respondents is 40.63% with a diploma or equivalent, 34.38% with a higher degree, while the rest completed either secondary or primary education. The majority of the respondents (75.00%) chose price as the main criteria they considered when buying livestock products, followed by quality (68.75%), origin (46.88%), certification (31.25%), and only 12.55% included environmental impacts in their decision making. An average of 73.61% of the respondents have general knowledge of the green practices in the livestock sector. About 78.65% of the respondents positively perceive the idea of adopting green practices in the livestock sector. The correlation between education level and the respondents' knowledge and perception of green practices in the livestock sector was also evaluated. Overall, the study revealed a strong positive correlation between education level and green practices knowledge and education level with positive perception towards adopting green practices in the livestock sector. Based on the data collected, it is recommended that the study be conducted with a larger population to give a more accurate representation of the livestock consumer in Malaysia.

ANALYZING AND FORECASTING CO2 EMISSIONS IN THE ALUMINUM SECTOR USING ARIMA MODEL

The urgent and pressing challenge posed by global climate change underscores the critical need for immediate and decisive action, particularly in the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to facilitate a trajectory towards sustainability. The significance of the aluminium industry, characterized by its notable carbon footprint, accentuates the importance of conducting comprehensive and environmentally conscious analyses within this sector. Heightened environmental apprehensions surrounding aluminium production necessitate the development of effective approaches for emission forecast. The primary aim of the article is to elucidate the present situation and future predictions of carbon emissions within the global aluminium industry, particularly in the context of escalating concerns regarding global climate security. The research concluded that there will be a decrease in CO2 emissions within the aluminium industry in the future as a result. Through meticulous assessments and exhaustive forecasts of CO2 emissions across the global aluminium industrial chain system, this study employed the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model to scrutinize data spanning from 2005 to 2030. By furnishing valuable insights into prospective emission patterns and providing guidance for the formulation of sustainable policy measures, this research assumes a pivotal role in shaping data-driven strategies aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of aluminum production. Consequently, it contributes significantly to the collective endeavor to combat climate change and foster a more resilient and sustainable future for humanity.

Enhancing Urban–Rural Integration in China: A Comparative Case Study of Introducing Small Rural Industries in Huangyan-Taizhou

Strengthening urban–rural linkages (URLs) has been proposed by UN-Habitat within the framework of ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ to narrow down urban–rural differences via shaping new urban–rural relationships. Like URL, the aim of urban–rural integration (URI) has been promoted by the Chinese government since 2019 to address existing urban–rural divides. This concept underlines the ‘rural revitalisation’ strategy and emphasises a two-way flow of urban–rural development factors. Introducing and upgrading ‘appropriate’ rural industries is crucial to stimulate and facilitate the circulation of urban–rural development factors. This research studied three neighbouring villages, situated in urban–rural interface areas in Huangyan-Taizhou, China, each driven by different types of small industries supported by URI. It analyses the impact of small rural industries on the flow of development factors between urban and rural areas. The results showed that small-scale rural industries have been enhanced URL by decreasing urban–rural differences by creating new job opportunities to attract an in-flow population, increasing investments, and upgrading public services and infrastructure. Indigenous industries demonstrated lower profitability but exhibited greater resilience compared to industries linked to global production chains and rural tourism. Thus, this study demonstrates the imperative to carefully consider the opportunities and potential risks associated with pursuing strategies of URI through rural industry development. By providing empirical insights from URI projects in China, this study contributes to theoretical and policy dialogues concerning the concepts of both URL and URI by exploring the localization of SDGs. Furthermore, it offers valuable practical knowledge and experience for other global regions confronting similar challenges to urban and rural development.

The Global Care Chain: Analyzing the Increasing Feminization of Care Work Across Borders

With the rise in globalization, there has been an increase in migration, specifically labor migration. Women migrating to perform care labor has exploded after women formally entered the global labor market. Although many female migrants are independently traveling as the primary breadwinners of their households, they remain underappreciated, invisible, under-waged, and exploited. Upon relocating from countries in the global south to conduct care work in more affluent nations or communities, they leave their dependents behind, ultimately in the care of another female, typically a family member, or yet another more impoverished woman. At this point, the global care chain is not a single, linear chain but rather an intersecting one composed of numerous chains that multiple women become a part of. Therefore these intersections between the public and private, the paid and unpaid, and the productive and reproductive forms of care work are present. In addition, although globalization and neoliberal policy have benefited <i>some</i> women globally, it has dramatically made women who migrate for global care work and labor suffer. When women migrate, the global care chain often becomes an entire phenomenon through which many things intersect. On the one hand, we witness capitalism, feminization of migration, globalization, and neoliberalism interacting while also intersecting with care, emotional work, and gender relations. The goal of this paper is to examine and connect the intersectional effects on women by examining global care work in Asia and Latin America. In addition, we ask the following questions: How can we create change so that women's work is no longer invisible? How can we build a society where individuals are esteemed not just on monetized work but also on reproductive work? Will reproductive labor ever be considered labor? And finally, we will propose some preliminary solutions to begin framing steps forward.

Histopathology and transcriptome profiling reveal features of immune responses in gills and intestine induced by Spring viremia of carp virus

The immune system of bony fish closely resembles that of mammals, comprising both specific (adaptive) and non-specific (innate) components. Notably, the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) serves as the first line of defense within the non-specific immune system, playing a critical role in protecting these aquatic organisms against invading pathogens. MALT encompasses a network of immune cells strategically distributed throughout the gills and intestines, forming an integral part of the mucosal barrier that interfaces directly with the surrounding aquatic environment. Spring Viremia of Carp Virus（SVCV）, a highly pathogenic agent causing substantial harm to common carp populations, has been designated as a Class 2 animal disease by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China. Utilizing a comprehensive array of research techniques, including Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE)、Alcian Blue Periodic Acid-Schiff (AB-PAS)、transcriptome analysis for global gene expression profiling and Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR), this study uncovered several key findings: SVCV is capable of compromising the mucosal architecture in the gill and intestinal tissues of carp, and stimulate the proliferation of mucous cells both in gill and intestinal tissues. Critically, the study revealed that SVCV's invasion elicits a robust response from the carp's mucosal immune system, demonstrating the organism's capacity to resist SVCV invasion despite the challenges posed by the pathogen.

Biofungicides Based on Plant Extracts: On the Road to Organic Farming.

Phytopathogenic fungi are responsible for diseases in commercially important crops and cause major supply problems in the global food chain. Plants were able to protect themselves from disease before humans played an active role in protecting plants. They are known to synthesize a variety of secondary metabolites (SMs), such as terpenes, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds, which can be extracted using conventional and unconventional techniques to formulate biofungicides; plant extracts have antifungal activity and various mechanisms of action against these organisms. In addition, they are considered non-phytotoxic and potentially effective in disease control. They are a sustainable and economically viable alternative for use in agriculture, which is why biofungicides are increasingly recognized as an attractive option to solve the problems caused by synthetic fungicides. Currently, organic farming continues to grow, highlighting the importance of developing environmentally friendly alternatives for crop production. This review provides a compilation of the literature on biosynthesis, mechanisms of action of secondary metabolites against phytopathogens, extraction techniques and formulation of biofungicides, biological activity of plant extracts on phytopathogenic fungi, regulation, advantages, disadvantages and an overview of the current use of biofungicides in agriculture.

Migrant domestic workers and transnational foodcare chains in pandemic times

AbstractIn view of heightened food security issues in COVID‐19 times, we employ a transnational lens to give bifocal attention to migrant women’s experiences during the pandemic, as they sought to secure access to food for themselves and for left‐behind children and family members in Indonesia and the Philippines. In conjunction with the classic idea of global care chains and the notion of foodwork, we propose the idea of transnational foodcare chains. This distinctly agentic, migrant, and maternal food labour came to the fore under exceptional times of pandemic‐induced social distancing, economic precarity, and limited travel. First, we argue that these foodcare chains are multi‐relational, involving interdependence and reciprocity among a web of caregivers to secure food gaps. Second, we suggest that foodcare chains also extend to friendship networks forged among fellow migrant domestic workers in Singapore. Third, under pandemic conditions, we argue that foodcare chains enter the domain of well‐being and healthcare as food becomes evoked as medicine and cures. Drawing on findings from 40 qualitative interviews with Indonesian and Filipino migrant domestic workers in Singapore, we focus on developing, within studies of food (in)security, the idea of foodcare chains by foregrounding the maternal, relational, and often invisible labour of achieving food security for migrant women and their left‐behind families.

Formation in coffee production: knowledge from the Coffee Farms of Ituango

This article presents Ituango's coffee producers as knowledgeable individuals who possess a wealth of valuable insights. The research methodology employed was narrative-based, designed to capture the lived and told experiences and perspectives of the growers in a participatory and dialogic manner. The narratives were grouped according to thematic affinities into two categories: technological evolution and adaptation to change; and coffee growing, a formative path. The first category contains testimonials that highlight the history of coffee growing in Ituango and perceptions about the evolution of technology in coffee production. The second category is comprised of testimonials that emphasize coffee culture as a vocation centered around family. The skills of the coffee producers were recognized in creating support networks, promoting collective work, enabling continuous learning, promoting women's participation in coffee farming, and fostering critical thinking to adapt to technological advances in their environment. All these contributions from coffee growers are significant in the global coffee chain sustainability.

Current status of the global production chain of giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Objective: To determine the current state of the global production chain of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, identifying its links and the characteristics of the techniques used. Design/Methodology/Approach: Studies over a period of 20 years (2001-2022) about the production chain of M. rosenbergii were reviewed and analyzed. The information was synthesized in tables and the most relevant production and farming data are offered as an output. Results: The following links of the production chain were identified: production, processing, and commercialization. The Macrobrachium rosenbergii farming and the main technologies used to improve its production are described. Study Limitations/Implications: There is limited systemic information about the M. rosenbergii production chain. The topics addressed the specifics of production, processing, and marketing. Findings/Conclusions: To improve the M. rosenbergii production chain, the following aspects must be guaranteed: the supply of post-larvae (PL) specimens, the development of better monoculture practices, and its integration with other species of commercial importance. The organization of the production chain must also be reviewed, considering its direct and indirect participants.

Enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of expanded graphite/ice phase change materials through in-situ polymerization of sodium polyacrylate in cold chain logistics

The growing demand for high-quality food and medicine has propelled the expansion of the global cold chain logistics market. Passive cold chain logistics, utilizing phase change materials (PCMs), has emerged as an advanced and environmentally friendly technology. This study addresses current challenges in phase change materials, including leakage and low mechanical strength, by introducing a novel composite phase change material (cPCM) with enhanced thermal conductivity and flexibility. The expanded graphite-sodium polyacrylate (EG-PAAS) dual network framework, formed through vacuum impregnation and in-situ polymerization, results in a cPCM (H2O@EG-PAAS) with high thermal conductivity (5.64 W·m−1·K−1) and substantial latent heat (263.1 J·g−1). Addressed prolonged cooling times in phase change materials, accomplishing rapid cooling and uniform temperature distribution. The 8 L insulation box was maintained below 8 °C for 1124.1 min, rendering it a promising solution for efficient and flexible cold chain transportation.

Adaptive modifications in plant sulfur metabolism over evolutionary time.

Sulfur (S) is an essential element for life on Earth. Plants are able to take up and utilize sulfate (SO42-), the most oxidized inorganic form of S compounds on Earth, through the reductive S assimilatory pathway that couples with photosynthetic energy conversion. Organic S compounds are subsequently synthesized in plants and made accessible to animals, primarily as the amino acid methionine. Thus, plant S metabolism clearly has nutritional importance in the global food chain. S metabolites may be part of redox regulation and drivers of essential metabolic pathways as cofactors and prosthetic groups, such as Fe-S centers, CoA, thiamine, and lipoic acid. The evolution of the S metabolic pathways and enzymes reflects the critical importance of functional innovation and diversifications. Here we review the major evolutionary alterations that took place in S metabolism across different scales and outline research directions that may take advantage of understanding the evolutionary adaptations.

Spatial and component structure analysis of the inclusive circular economy: SGICE

Modern statistics and scientific research consider the circular economy rather one-sidedly, essentially as recycling and reuse of resources. The article proposes methodology (concept) of the global inclusive circular economy, which can be considered as a complex multidimensional system, the main components of which are the economic, sociological, ecological and circular aspects of the country's life. To achieve this goal, the GNU regression, econometrics and time-series library was used – an applied software package for econometric modeling, a part of the GNU project. Accordingly, we will define the global inclusive circular economy as the SGICE (Global Inclusive Circular Economy) system, characterized by the vector of functions. For the most exhaustive consideration of the entire range of opportunities of the global inclusive circular economy, the study developed and accordingly analyzed the integrated index of the development of the global inclusive circular economy (IGICE) by ecological, economic, social and circular components with isolated weakly correlated indicators. The ranking of countries was carried out separately by the components of the index, on the basis of which circular cores were distinguished: the social component (Belgium, the Czech Republic, USA, China, France, Greece, Austria, Australia), the ecological component (Japan, Denmark), the economic component (Germany, China), which became the basis for the model of formation of global inclusive circular chains. The conducted cluster analysis based on the component indicators of the index of the global inclusive circular economy confirmed the formation of a large circular gap (gap) in the ecological and circular components. This indicator is introduced for the first time and makes it possible to comprehensively analyze the country and highlight additional effects that arise from the moment of implementation of circular business projects and the inclusion of the country (on the basis of firms, corporations) in global circular chains of added value. After all, the main problematic aspects are the illegal trade in waste and growing smuggling, which cause serious negative social consequences and actualize the inclusive component in the justification of the global inclusive circular economy paradigm. Waste reduction combined with wise use of resources has the potential to address the gap resulting from the scarcity of natural resources and a growing global population or consumption. The formation of circular trade will contribute to: the determination of priority materials for trade and the required level of processing capacity, coordination of material quality standards, promoting demand for used goods and secondary raw materials, removing unnecessary regulatory barriers and avoiding environmentally harmful activities such as non-compliance, poor regulation and informal recovery.