Economic Resources Research Articles

Evaluation of the perspective of pharmacists on antimicrobial stewardship and the barriers to its consolidation in hospitals: a cross-sectional study.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) are associated with positive outcomes, but seem to be consolidated in few hospitals. This study aimed to evaluate ASPs in Brazilian hospitals and the barriers to their consolidation from the pharmacists' perspective. This is a cross-sectional study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire applied to hospital pharmacists. Data analysis was performed by descriptive statistics and Spearman's ordinal correlation test. A total of 83 pharmacists participated in the study and 45.8% stated that the hospital in which they worked had an ASP. The ASPs were predominantly implemented in public hospitals, with a greater number of beds in the intensive care unit and beds in general. The main barriers to the consolidation of ASPs were: reduced number of pharmacists, time allocated to other demands of the pharmacy, the ineffectiveness of the communication process with doctors, and lack of access to reliable information about antimicrobials in the hospital. Pharmacists that work in hospitals where ASPs were implemented were more confident (p = 0.000) and with a better perception of the barriers that prevent their consolidation (p = 0.003. The ASP was commonly adopted in public hospitals with a greater number of beds. The main obstacles to consolidation were infrastructure, economic, and educational resources.

Sustainable Resource Management and Economic Development: Evaluating the Impact of Rare Earth Mining on Local Economies and Environmental Sustainability in China

Sustainable Resource Management and Economic Development: Evaluating the Impact of Rare Earth Mining on Local Economies and Environmental Sustainability in China

How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is Powering New Tourism Marketing and the Future Agenda for Smart Tourist Destinations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a disruptive technology that is being used by smart tourist destinations (STDs) to develop new business models and marketing services to increase tourists’ experiences and sales, revenue, productivity, and efficiency and STDs. However, the adoption of AI applications and platforms requires a high economic budget for STDs that want to integrate this digital tool into their future agenda and tourism development plans, especially when they set them up for marketing plans and operational processes. This iterative technology needs regular maintenance as well, leading to recurring costs and specialised crews in advanced technologies and marketing activities. This study aims to show the impact of AI advancements on STDs’ tourism marketing to enhance the quality of services and illustrate their future agenda to improve tourists’ experiences. A comprehensive literature review on AI technology and STDs has been conducted to illustrate new tourism marketing in their future agenda. Moreover, this study presents real examples of AI technology in a tourism context to better understand the potential of this digital tool. The findings of the current study support the idea that AI is a multipurpose tool that helps manage, monitor, and analyse sales information; revenue management; minimise prediction errors; streamline operations; and develop better marketing strategies, optimising economic resources, reducing marketing costs, and responding dynamically to changing needs for tourists and residents in STDs. Furthermore, the investment in AI technologies by STDs helps enhance the quality of products and services, and attract new investments, which benefit the regional economies and population’s quality of life. This study is the first to address the use of AI to improve tourist marketing in STDs, which is its primary uniqueness. Also, this study identifies new opportunities and initiatives through AI that can be developed to help tourism marketing in STDs.

Understanding educational inequalities in sports participation through structurally based resources and individual agency - a sequential mediation analysis.

Educational inequalities in sports participation remain a public health issue in the Netherlands. Combining structurally based resources from Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital with Amartya Sen's conceptualization of individual agency may offer new insights into the complex mechanisms that drive these inequalities. Specifically, we posited that the way individuals are able to exercise their agency within the structurally based economic, social, and cultural resources they have access to may help explain educational inequalities in sports participation.Data from two waves of the GLOBE study (2014, 2021) were used to test whether two sequential mediators, structurally based resources followed by individual agency, help explain the relationship between educational level and sports participation. Adults aged 25 and older residing in Eindhoven, the Netherlands self-reported highest attained educational level, structurally based resources (economic, social, and embodied cultural capital), individual agency (self-control, perceived choice, and reflexivity), and sports participation. A sequential mediation analysis using structural equation modelling was used to test the direct effect of education on sports participation, the sequential indirect effect through both mediators, and partial indirect effects through each mediator individually.Educational level was positively associated with sports participation. The hypothesized sequential mediation pathway was not supported; educational level was positively associated with structurally based resources and structurally based resources were positively associated with individual agency, but individual agency was not related to sports participation. Though not through individual agency, structurally based resources helped explain educational inequalities in sports participation.Having access to more economic, social, and cultural resources may empower individuals by increasing their agency. This increased agency was not associated with sports participation, which could be because sports participation is not universally valued as a goal. The conceptualization and operationalization of individual agency in the context of sports participation warrants more research. We found that structurally based resources helped explain a substantial portion of educational inequalities in sport, so we propose that policies alleviating more than just economic barriers to sports participation, but also social and cultural barriers, may help reduce educational inequalities in sports participation in the Netherlands.

Hydraulic traits exert greater limitations on tree-level maximum sap flux density than photosynthetic ability: Global evidence

Transpiration is a key process that couples the land-atmosphere exchange of water and carbon, and its maximum water transport ability affects plant productivity. Functional traits significantly influence the maximum transpiration rate; however, which factor plays the dominant role remains unknown. SAPFLUXNET dataset, which includes sap flux density of diverse species worldwide, provides fundamental data to test the importance of photosynthetic and hydraulic traits on maximum tree-level sap flux density (Js_max). Here, we investigated variations in Js_max of 2194 trees across 129 species using data from the SAPFLUXNET dataset, and analysed the relationship of Js_max with photosynthetic and hydraulic traits. Our results indicated that Js_max was positively correlated with photosynthetic traits at both leaf and tree level. Regarding hydraulic traits, Js_max was positively related to xylem hydraulic conductivity (Ks), leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity (Kl), xylem pressure inducing 50 % loss of hydraulic conductivity (P50), xylem vessel diameter (Vdia), and leaf-to-sapwood area ratio (AlAs). Random forest model showed that 87 % of the variability in Js_max can be explained by functional traits, and hydraulic traits (e.g., P50 and sapwood area, As) exerted larger effects on Js_max than photosynthetic traits. Moreover, trees with a lower sapwood area or depth could increase their sap flux density to compensate for the reduced whole-tree transpiration. Js_max of the angiosperms was significantly higher than that of the gymnosperms. Mean annual total precipitation (MAP) were positively related to Js_max with a weak correlation coefficient. Furthermore, Js_max showed a significant phylogenetic signal with Blomberg's K below 0.2. Overall, tree species with acquisitive resource economics or more efficient hydraulic systems show higher water transport capacity, and the efficiency of xylem hydraulic system rather than the demand for carbon uptake predominantly determines water transport capacity.

National sovereignty in light of international intervention

The Charter of the United Nations prohibits the use of force and stipulates two principles in international relations, namely the sovereignty of States and non-interference in the internal affairs of States. Intervention is illegal. In fact, the principle of non-intervention poses problems, especially when it comes to human rights, intervention in order to spread or protect democracy, intervention to confront the spread of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism, or in order to change political regimes or liberate peoples and others. Accordingly, the sovereignty of states under international intervention is threatened by a number of dangers, and it is feared for the future of national sovereignty, especially after being overruled by the international institutions that sponsor international legitimacy. Sovereignty is the legal basis of the state, which by violating it, the role of the nation-state dissolves, and national loyalty to other concepts is affected, as well as its inability to control its economic resources and the decline of social justice.

Kaskadiertes Entscheidungsmodell für die werterhaltende Kreislaufwirtschaft

Abstract The necessary transformation from a linear to a circular economy enables the decoupling of economic growth and resource consumption. The economic and ecological potential of the circular economy is increased by the simultaneous implementation of several circular strategies. However, this form of implementation requires diverse and complex decisions for operational processing. The developed cascading decision model differentiates these decisions within different levels of the value creation system.

Gifts and Rewards: Exploring the Expenditure of Late Medieval English Queens

ABSTRACT Understanding queenly expenditure is a key part of studying queenship, not least because it provides insight into how queens carried out their roles and responsibilities. But examining such expenditure also serves a purpose in relation to research on the material foundations of queenship. This article examines one aspect of that expenditure, namely the gifts and rewards given by Margaret of Anjou and Elizabeth of York, two fifteenth-century English queens consort. Gifts and rewards serve as signal examples of how these queens used their economic resources and provide an additional entry into how to view these queens in economic and social/cultural terms. It shows that relating the queens’ gifts and rewards to and demonstrating the implications of their practices on both their economic and social roles is a fruitful method of extending our understanding of the economic resources available to the queens and how they used them. This article is part of a research cluster in this issue on the economic power of medieval queens.

Queenship, Wealth and Material Culture in Late Medieval Iberia: Sibila de Fortià’s Evolution from Royal Mistress to Dowager Queen of the Crown of Aragon (1375–1387)

ABSTRACT This paper examines the rise and decline of Sibila de Fortià through the lens of material and economic considerations. The text highlights the intricate interplay between materiality and royal dignity in the life of Queen Sibila. It portrays how her ascent and authority were closely tied to her economic resources and possessions, including symbolic items like the crown and seals. Material culture played a critical role in shaping and projecting the queen's image, especially when her legitimacy was questioned. The paper provides a chronological examination, emphasising the economic and material dimensions of her progression, charting her journey from the king's paramour to her tenure as a queen and finally addressing the challenges encountered during her widowhood. This article is part of a research cluster in this issue on the economic power of medieval queens.

Behavioral self-regulation development in at-risk families: the role of family resources

ABSTRACT Children from disadvantaged families are at greater risk of developing regulation difficulties. Research suggests that family-level resources such as parental education or income are related to self-regulation development. However, most studies looking at the role of family resources have used single estimators of socioeconomic status or applied a composite score, neglecting that an interplay of resources may affect self-regulation outcomes. In N = 248 at-risk children (M age: 65.7 months, 51% female), we examined the effect of economic, cultural, and social family resources on behavioral self-regulation in kindergarten. Results showed that family income, maternal education, and available help in child-rearing predicted the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task performance. The results indicate that behavioral self-regulation is associated with different family resources beyond socioeconomic status.

Mapping Green Supply Chain Practices: An Extensive Bibliometric Review with the SPAR-4-SLR and TCCM Framework

Purpose: The growing global awareness of environmental sustainability and the threat of climate change has prompted organisations to embrace green supply chain practices (GSCP) to minimise their ecological footprint and improve their competitive edge. The primary objective of this study is to offer a comprehensive, insightful analysis of the GSCP utilising the TCCM (theory, context, characteristics, and methods) framework. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study conducts an extensive bibliometric analysis, incorporating the TCCM framework and SPAR-4-SLR (Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews) protocol, to delve into the dynamic field of GSCP spanning 2004 to 2023. Findings: This article offers a nuanced exploration of the intricacies of GSCP research dynamics, shedding light on influential articles, distinguished authors, prominent academic institutions, publication sources and nine key thematic research clusters that have had a substantial impact and propelled this pivotal domain forward. TCCM framework is used to construct an all-encompassing citation network, elucidating five significant domains guided by the theoretical framework. These domains include social and economic theories, resource and strategy theories, innovation and change theories, systems and interdisciplinary theories, and management and organisation theories. Every subcategory within the GSCP realm represents a distinct and unique facet and is supported by an individual theoretical framework and scholarly contribution. Practical Implications: The findings from the bibliometric review yield significant insights for researchers and green supply-chain practitioners. This article aims to guide future research endeavours and policy formulation by evaluating the existing knowledge base and pinpointing diverse research avenues. It underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration among academics from different domains to address the complex aspects of sustainability in supply-chain operations, thus highlighting the multidisciplinary character of green supply-chain research. Originality/Value: To the best of our knowledge, this review study is the first to present a bibliometric analysis of GSCP using the TCCM framework and the SPAR-4-SLR protocol.

Economic Benefits, Enhanced Awareness, and Available Resources: What Factors Navigate Bank Readiness in Basel III Implementation

To maintain sustainable development, business management strategy of modern banks these days cannot neglect international standards. Hence, the main aim of the current study is to explore the factors that influence the readiness of banks in implementation of Basel III requirements based on the context of the Vietnamese banking system. To achieve clear explanations, this research utilizes the data set of 211 questionnaires collected from senior and middle-level managers as well as other management personnel related to Basel III implementation at 20 Vietnamese commercial banks, and performs the PLS-SEM by applying Smart PLS 3 software. The analysis results indicate that both awareness and expected economic benefits have positive impacts on the readiness of banks to implement Basel III requirements. Meanwhile, the effect of available resources is negative but not statistically significant. It can be said that the study provides one of the first evidence to shed new light on the factors that impact the readiness of banks in complying with strict requirements of Basel III, at least in the Vietnamese context. Hence, the findings are expected to provide the helpful guidance for banking leaders and policy-makers in Vietnam, where the banking system is ongoing reform to meet the international standards.

Causes and trends in modern geopolitical changes

In today's world, geopolitical transformations are gaining particular importance, creating new challenges and opportunities for countries. The article aims to identify the causes of geopolitical transformations and determine the main directions of their development. The research methodology involves a holistic approach to the economic development of the world economy, the study of the main geopolitical trends, and the assessment of the impact of military conflicts and competition in digital technologies. The study results revealed that the growth of the economic power of the new centres of power causes a redistribution of global economic resources. In turn, military conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and Israel, significantly affect international relations. The results revealed increased competition in digital technologies, affecting countries' global competitiveness. The study's practical significance lies in determining the strategic directions of the countries' development in the conditions of geopolitical transformation and providing recommendations to reduce the negative consequences of the economic slowdown. The article outlines the role of innovation and technological progress in maintaining economic stability and security. Several recommended measures are provided to increase the stability of national economies and strengthen international cooperation. The prospects for further research are developing political and economic strategies that consider the specifics of modern geopolitical processes.

A Note on the Optimal Speed of Transition: Aghion and Blanchard Revisited

Abstract This note illustrates, by reconsidering the seminal optimal speed-of-transition model of Aghion, P., and O. J. Blanchard. (1994. “On the Speed of Transition in Central Europe.” NBER Macroeconomics Annual 9: 283–319), that optimal transition paths, in general, exhibit nonlinearities and discontinuities. Aghion and Blanchard consider only an approximate solution with a constant unemployment rate over the transition process. The exact solution features an increasing unemployment rate with a discontinuity when the state sector is closed down at the optimally chosen endpoint of transition. Economic transition problems bear many similarities to scrap value problems with free terminal time, often encountered in resource economics. In relation to the transition to a green economy, the discussion in this note therefore casts doubt on the optimality of a green transition discussed in, e.g., the European Union in terms of politically specified rather than optimally designed milestones for emissions reductions, i.e., by −55 % compared to 1990 levels until 2030 and net zero until 2050.

Underestimating the Relationship: Unpacking Both Socioeconomic Resources and Cognitive Function and Decline in Midlife to Later Life.

Although there is robust evidence that socioeconomic position influences later-life cognitive function, two issues limit knowledge regarding the nature and magnitude of these relationships and potential policy interventions. First, most social science research tends to treat cognition as a unitary concept despite evidence that cognitive outcomes are not interchangeable. Second, most biomedical research focuses exclusively on education, with limited attention to economic resources despite robust social science theoretical and empirical rationales for their role. Relatedly, there has been limited attention to how these relationships may vary across cohorts, even as educational and economic contexts have changed. Using the Health and Retirement Study (N = 36,494), we show that failing to attend to different facets of cognition, socioeconomic resources, and cohort differences leads to underestimates in the magnitude of educational and economic disparities in cognitive function and decline. This has important implications for appropriate policy interventions to address these disparities.

The role of natural resources rent, trade openness and technological innovations on environmental sustainability – Evidence from resource-rich african nations

Environmental sustainability is fundamental in ensuring the needs of current generation are not met through exhausting the resources available to meet the needs of the future generations. Nature provides key resources required as factors of production in the production of goods and services. Therefore, it is important to maintain and protect the environment, ensuring that these resources do not deplete. This study investigates the role of technological innovations, trade openness, economic growth and natural resource rents in maintaining environmental sustainability. The data of the top ten natural resource-rich African countries are used for the time ranging from 1996 to 2023. The main novelty of the research is that it considers countries with abundance natural resources in ascertaining the influence of natural resources on environmental sustainability; hence, ascertaining the existence of resource curse in developing nations with abundance natural resources. Data is analysed with the Methods of Moments Quantile Regression that present robust results when heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependency are present. We present that technological innovations, trade openness, renewable energy and governance promote environmental sustainability in these resource-rich nations of Africa. Technological innovations fosters environmental sustainability in the long and short term. We also present that economic growth and natural resource rents worsen the quality of the environment, through raising the emission of carbon. Specifically, natural resource rents significantly raises the emission of carbon in the long term. Policies proposed advocates for the advancement in the rule of law of nations and the promotion of technological innovations.

Influences of economy, energy, finance, and natural resources on carbon emissions in Bangladesh

Understanding the risks posed to humankind, the environment, and overall growth requires a deep exploration of the profound impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially carbon dioxide (CO2), on global climate change. This study explores the complex relationships among economic extension, energy utilization, financial progress, natural resource rents, and CO2 emissions in Bangladesh. By analyzing annual data from 1974 to 2022, our analysis reveals a long-term connection between the variables, as evidenced by the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds test. We found that for every 1% rise in economic growth, energy use, financial progress, and natural resource rents, CO2 emissions rise by 0.13%, 1.50%, 0.39%, and 0.04%, respectively. This is based on the dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) method. The outcomes are further supported by the canonical cointegrating regression (CCR), followed by fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS). By illuminating the causes of Bangladesh's environmental degradation, this study offers actionable policy suggestions aimed at fostering sustainable growth and enforcing strict regulations that effectively mitigate environmental harm.Graphical

Organizational learning programs to fulfilling basic needs at work: significance for work attractiveness and turnover in strained sectors

Purpose This study aims to explore whether participation in employer-provided skills and learning programs can strengthen older workers’ abilities to carry out their work in a meaningful way so that it increases work attractiveness and a willingness to remain in the current job position. Design/methodology/approach A survey was distributed to assistance nurses, nurses and teachers, aged 55 years and older in a Swedish City (n = 1,342), analyzed descriptively and with structural equation modeling. Findings This paper showed positive relationships between active participation in organizational learning programs (OLPs) and autonomy, relatedness, competence and also attractive work. Associations are observed between participation in learning programs, e.g. mentorship, through the strengthened basic needs at work with work attractiveness and lower intention to leave, but not prolonged retirement preference. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional quantitative design restricts drawing causal conclusions about associations. Practical implications OLPs at work may be seen as potential measures to strengthen work conditions, fulfilling basic psychological needs at work and increase work attractiveness in strained welfare sectors. Social implications There are some welfare sectors that – more than others – are strained by challenges to maintain, sustain and develop quality, knowledge and staff due to poor economic and social resources with regard to sustainability, e.g. in the educational and caring sectors. Strengthening organizational measures is needed to support sustainable development. Originality/value This study applies advanced statistical methods, in a large empirical sample, and shows the importance of skills and learning programs for job attractiveness among older workers in female-dominated, strained welfare sectors.

Anthropogenic impacts on the terrestrial subsurface biosphere.

The terrestrial subsurface is estimated to be the largest reservoir of microbial life on Earth. However, the subsurface also harbours economic, industrial and environmental resources, on which humans heavily rely, including diverse energy sources and formations for the storage of industrial waste and carbon dioxide for climate change mitigation. As a result of this anthropogenic activity, the subsurface landscape is transformed, including the subsurface biosphere. Through the creation of new environments and the introduction of substrates that fuel microbial life, the structure and function of subsurface microbiomes shift markedly. These microbial changes often have unintended effects on overall ecosystem function and are frequently challenging to manage from the surface of the Earth. In this Review, we highlight emerging research that investigates the impacts of anthropogenic activity on the terrestrial subsurface biosphere. We explore how humans alter the constraints on microbial life in the subsurface through drilling, mining, contamination and resource extraction, along with the resulting impacts of microorganisms on resource recovery and subsurface infrastructure.

The New Energy State: Offshore Governance Regimes for Renewables as Natural Resources

Maturing renewable energy technologies are birthing new industry configurations, with offshore wind—with the EU holding 80 percent of global capacity—and “energy islands,” as notable examples. However, a clear conceptualization of the role of the state and governance framework is lacking, alongside growing pressure for the state to define the path forward. This paper analyzes recent developments in emerging EU offshore renewable energy regimes, drawing three implications that show the need for new governance frameworks. First, there is a reconfiguration of energy industry structures around changing economics and policies, in a repeat of historical experience. Second, energy islands increasingly represent features of a natural resource in fixed supply, with the economic nature of offshore energy gradually transiting from the sub-domain of renewable energy economics towards natural resource economics. Third, to realize their economic value, governance frameworks are needed to enable these resources to harmonize with other resources in fixed supply, such as the land on which they are sited, which is constitutionally under the stewardship of the state. We set out criteria for governance of these emerging offshore renewables, to underpin the changing industry landscape and new role of the state within it. JEL Classification: L22, L24, L51, Q20, Q24, Q28, Q32, Q38, Q48