Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort:
Hottest Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Type:
All Topic Review Biography
Topic Review
Measuring the Efficiency of Energy and Carbon Emissions
The International Energy Agency (IEA, 2013) believes that energy efficiency should be taken as the first fuel rather than a hidden fuel and regards it as “a key tool for boosting economic and social development. From an economic perspective, efficiency is defined as the full and most efficient use of limited and scarce resources to satisfy people’s wants and needs given the technology, that is, produce more with less. If there is no way to make someone better off and nobody worse off, then the situation is Pareto efficient. Extending this concept to production economics, a 100% Pareto–Koopmans efficiency is achieved if and only if no inputs or outputs of any decision-making unit (DMU) can be improved without worsening the other inputs or outputs. However, in most management and social science applications, the theoretically possible Pareto efficiency is unknown. Therefore, it is replaced by relative efficiency, which is fully efficient if and only if other DMUs cannot improve inputs or outputs without worsening some of its other inputs or outputs on the basis of empirically available evidence. In this case, measuring production efficiency is actually evaluating whether there is waste of input by comparing the minimum input with the actual input while the output is unchanged or evaluating whether there is an output shortage by comparing the actual output with the maximum output with the input unchanged.
  • 469
  • 17 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Measuring Short Food Supply Chain Sustainability
Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are one of the most direct approaches to more directly connecting consumers with producers. The scaling-up of SFSCs is often challenged by critical issues which can be overcome with identification of the most sustainable, replicable schemes.
  • 203
  • 29 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Measuring Process Innovation Performance at State-Owned Companies
Several state-owned companies (SOEs) have successfully implemented process innovation. Human resources and organizational factors, such as leadership, problem understanding, strategy, and culture, affected the success of process innovation in SOEs, even more than the research and development budget, support, and commitment factor of a given company. Meanwhile, cost efficiency was the main factor driving a company’s motivation to implement process innovation. The success factors in implementing process innovation are an essential consideration for the management of other SOEs eager to improve their company’s innovation performance, especially process innovation. Success factors were carried out comprehensively for all implementation indicators of process innovation, including inputs, process (idea generation, idea selection, and idea implementation), outputs and outcomes, diffusion, culture, strategies, and push and pull factors. 
  • 268
  • 06 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Measuring Online Sensory Consumer Experience
Customers often consider that the information and visualizations of the product do not align with reality and entail a degree of uncertainty. To reduce the perceived risk of buying online, consumers strive to experience diverse components of e-commerce websites, predominantly sensory communication (e.g., high-quality pictures).
  • 791
  • 15 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Means Test
A means test is a determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for government assistance or welfare, based upon whether the individual or family possesses the means to do without that help.
  • 846
  • 09 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Maturity Models and Sustainable Indicators A new relationship
In this study, we investigate the relationship between the sustainability indicators proposed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the goals defined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the COBIT maturity model. As a result, we obtained a set of 50 indicators covering four dimensions of sustainability. In the Environmental dimension 11 indicators were observed, in Economic 06 indicators were listed, in Social 14 indicators were listed, and in the Governance dimension there were 19 indicators converging between COBIT and GRI. These 50 indicators were validated through content analysis of sustainability reports from 9 IT companies worldwide. In this analysis, it was observed that the SDGs are incorporated in the strategic goals of 7 of the 9 companies analyzed.
  • 549
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Mathematical Economics
Mathematical economics is the application of mathematical methods to represent theories and analyze problems in economics. Often, these applied methods are beyond simple geometry, and may include differential and integral calculus, difference and differential equations, matrix algebra, mathematical programming, or other computational methods. Proponents of this approach claim that it allows the formulation of theoretical relationships with rigor, generality, and simplicity. Mathematics allows economists to form meaningful, testable propositions about wide-ranging and complex subjects which could less easily be expressed informally. Further, the language of mathematics allows economists to make specific, positive claims about controversial or contentious subjects that would be impossible without mathematics. Much of economic theory is currently presented in terms of mathematical economic models, a set of stylized and simplified mathematical relationships asserted to clarify assumptions and implications. Formal economic modeling began in the 19th century with the use of differential calculus to represent and explain economic behavior, such as utility maximization, an early economic application of mathematical optimization. Economics became more mathematical as a discipline throughout the first half of the 20th century, but introduction of new and generalized techniques in the period around the Second World War, as in game theory, would greatly broaden the use of mathematical formulations in economics. This rapid systematizing of economics alarmed critics of the discipline as well as some noted economists. John Maynard Keynes, Robert Heilbroner, Friedrich Hayek and others have criticized the broad use of mathematical models for human behavior, arguing that some human choices are irreducible to mathematics.
  • 1.6K
  • 31 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Maternal Placenta Consumption in Mammals
Placentophagia is a common mammalian behavior, and the first scientific study of the potential effects of human maternal placentophagia on lactation was in 1917. More recently, in the 1970s, human placentophagia was reported in North America with a trend toward increased consumption. There are different hypotheses about the women and nonhuman mammals’ motivation towards placentophagia, but few have been subject to hypotheses testing. In women, the controversy continues; on the one hand, researchers attribute benefits like increased breast milk, weight gain in newborns, decreased postpartum depression and fatigue, and improved mothers’ mood. In contrast, bacterial or viral infections, hormonal, or trace elements that could become toxic for both the mother and baby are reported as possible health risks. Other reports argue a lack of scientific rigor to support the self-reported benefits of placentophagia. Also, the way the placenta is prepared (raw, cooked, dehydrated, processed, or encapsulated) alters its components, and thus the desired effects.
  • 903
  • 07 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Materials of Silk pillowcases
Choosing the right silk vs cotton pillowcase is an important decision that can significantly impact your sleep quality, skin, and hair health. Silk and cotton pillowcases are two popular options, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. This article will compare silk and cotton pillowcases to help you determine which material is the better choice for your needs.
  • 94
  • 31 May 2024
Topic Review
Material Passport
A material passport is a document consisting of all the materials that are included in a product or construction. It consist of a set of data describing defined characteristics of materials in products, which give them value for recovery, recycling and re-use. The core idea behind the concept is that a material passport will contribute to a more "circular economy", in which materials are being recovered, recycled and/or re-used in an open traded material market. The concept of the 'material passport’ is currently being developed by multiple parties in mainly European countries. A possible second-hand material market or material-bank could become a reality in the future. Similar concepts are being developed by several parties. Other names for the material passport are: circularity passport, cradle-to-cradle passport, product passport.
  • 816
  • 11 Oct 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 169
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Encyclopedia of Fungi
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Video Production Service
Feedback