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This collection includes scholarly publications, working papers, and research outputs with a focus on sustainability.
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Publication Ecomedia Literacy. A Quickstart Guide(2024) López, AntonioPublication Triggering Change: An SDG2 Challenge Competition Hosted by John Cabot American University in Rome(Emerald Publishing, 2024) Favorite, Michèle; Carnini Pulino, SilviaPublication Motivations for ESG Investment Among Leaders in the MICE Industry(2024) Hieker, Carola; Gannon, Greg; Philips, Emily Nan; Majmudar, SohilThe Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry faces mounting pressure to address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns over its environmental impact. This research investigates the driving forces behind ESG investment decisions among MICE industry leaders. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study begins with an exploratory expert interview, followed by targeted questions for focus groups involving senior industry figures. Insights from the focus group discussions inform the development of a comprehensive questionnaire, capturing key motivators identified by participants. The survey was subsequently distributed to a broader cohort of MICE industry leaders, resulting in responses from 76 individuals.The findings highlight that leadership responsibility and the desire to inspire others are pivotal motivators for ESG investment, transcending company size and revenue. Simultaneously, external pressures—such as talent attraction and reputation enhancement—also play a significant role. However, the presence of opaque and localized regulations poses a formidable obstacle, hindering genuine commitment from all MICE industry leaders. This research contributes unique insights to this industry, and further investigation is warranted to understand motivators for ESG investment not only in the MICE industry but also in comparable growing sectors.Publication Crowdfunding for sustainability: How environmental activism moderates support for B2B and B2C campaigns(Elsevier, 2024) Maiolini, Riccardo; Nasta, LuigiThis study explores the influence of customer investors' perceptions on their willingness to invest in sustainable crowdfunding campaigns. Specifically, it examines whether emphasizing a product's direct impact on consumers (B2C) or its broader industrial impact (B2B) affects investment decisions. Using a between-subjects experiment with 304 participants, the research investigates how environmental sustainability activism moderates investment behavior. The study found that higher levels of environmental activism decrease support for B2C campaigns compared to B2B campaigns. These results suggest that sustainability-focused backers prefer projects due to perceived greater systemic impact.Publication The role of natural resources, fintech, political stability, and social globalization in environmental sustainability: Evidence from the United Kingdom(Elsevier, 2024) Andlib, Zubaria; Scicchitano, Sergio; Padda, Ihtsham Ul HaqNumerous studies illustrate that natural resources, financial technologies, social globalization, and political stability are essential factors that influence environmental sustainability. Therefore, researchers in developed nations must explore these interconnections further, mainly when these nations focus on achieving net zero emissions targets. The present analysis illuminates the connotations among natural resources, political stability, fintech, social globalization, and CO2 emissions in the UK. The current analysis has taken the time frame, 2000Q1 to 2021Q4, and employed the latest approach, i.e., the bootstrap ARDL technique, for estimation. The empirical results revealed that natural resources and social globalization are escalating CO2 emissions. Nonetheless, political stability and fintech lead to decreased CO2 emissions in the specific case of the selected developed nation. The present analysis confabulates an uni-directional connotation between all the chosen economic indicators and environmental degradation in the UK. As per the observed empirical outcomes, developed nations must initiate policies and programs to utilize natural resources efficiently without compromising environmental sustainability. In addition, governments in developed nations should encourage financial technologies and political stability to promote ecological sustainability.Publication The Routledge Handbook of Ecomedia Studies(Routledge, 2023) López, Antonio; Ivakhiv, Adrian; Rust, Stephen; Tola, Miriam; Chang, Alenda Y.; Chu, Kiu-waiThe Routledge Handbook of Ecomedia Studies gathers leading work by critical scholars in this burgeoning field. Redressing the lack of environmental perspectives in the study of media, ecomedia studies asserts that media are in and about the environment, and environments are socially and materially mediated. The book gives form to this new area of study and brings together diverse scholarly contributions to explore and give definition to the field. The Handbook highlights five critical areas of ecomedia scholarship: ecomedia theory, ecomateriality, political ecology, ecocultures, and eco-affects. Within these areas, authors navigate a range of different topics including infrastructures, supply and manufacturing chains, energy, e-waste, labor, ecofeminism, African and Indigenous ecomedia, environmental justice, environmental media governance, ecopolitical satire, and digital ecologies. The result is a holistic volume that provides an in-depth and comprehensive overview of the current state of the field, as well as future developments. This volume will be an essential resource for students, educators, and scholars of media studies, cultural studies, film, environmental communication, political ecology, science and technology studies, and the environmental humanities. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis. com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Deep gratitude for the generous support of those institutions that provided funding to enable this volume to be available simultaneously in print and open access: University of Oregon Libraries Open Access Publishing Award, Frank J. Guarini School of Busi-ness at John Cabot University, University of Vermont Humanities Center, University of California Santa Barbara, University of Lausanne, and School of Humanities at Nanyang Technological University.Publication Ecomedia Literacy Bringing Ecomedia Studies into the Classroom(Routledge, 2023) López, AntonioThe purpose of this chapter is to introduce the methodology of ecomedia literacy and demonstrate how ecomedia studies can be incorporated into any educational setting. Ecomedia literacy is defined as the ability to evaluate and critically engage how everyday media practice enables us to live regeneratively within Earth’s ecological parameters for the present and future. The primary analytical heuristic for this approach is the “ecomediasphere,” which analyzes “ecomedia objects” (gadgets, texts, platforms, etc.) from four different perspectives: ecoculture, political ecology, ecomaterialism, and lifeworld. An ecomedia object is something that has agreed upon properties, but its meaning and use change according to environmental context.Publication Unleashing the power of innovation and sustainability: Transforming cereal production in the BRICS countries(Elsevier, 2024) Magazzino, Cosimo; Gattone, Tulia; Usman, Muhammad; Valente, DonatellaAmidst escalating food insecurity and climate change threats, which exacerbate food shortages and increase agricultural emissions, this paper explores transformative strategies in cereal production within the BRICS countries from 1990 to 2021. The uncontrolled growth of intensive agriculture, aimed at satisfying the growing global demand for food in a context already threatened by climate change, has led to a uniformity of crops with devastating impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, resulting in a transformation of soil and its capacity to implement ecosystem services, such as food, fiber, and raw material production, nutrient recycling, carbon sequestration, clean water availability, and the regulation of water regimes and local temperatures. These changes have had negative consequences on agricultural production. Thus, sustainable agriculture faces three closely related challenges: reducing environmental impact, in-creasing productivity, and adapting to and mitigating climate change. This analysis utilizes advanced econometric tools such as panel second-generation unit root tests, Westerlund’s cointegration test, second-generation long-run estimators, and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test, together with several machine learning algorithms, to investigate the influence of technological innovations and improved land management on cereal yields. The findings demonstrate a positive correlation between technological advancements, enhanced land management for cereal cultivation, and the food production index with increased cereal output. At the same time, emissions from agriculture significantly reduce yields over time. Furthermore, an interaction analysis reveals that the comprehensive integration of these factors significantly boosts cereal productivity. The study also identifies directional causal relationships between technological and emission factors and cereal production, suggesting a complex interplay with land use. Sustainable land use is one of the key conditions for ensuring the ecological resilience of agricultural practices in terms of providing ecosystem services. Implementing these strategies calls for a collaborative approach among governments, policymakers, farmers, researchers, and other stakeholders, considering each BRICS nation’s unique environmental, socio-economic, and local contexts, and fostering regional cooperation to promote sustainable agricultural practices.Publication Corporate social performance and cost of debt: the relationship(Emerald Publishing, 2017) Magnanelli, Barbara Sveva; Izzo, Maria FedericaPurpose – This paper aims to investigate the link between corporate social performance (CSP) and cost of debt financing. Despite academic debate has focused on the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and CSP (expressed through accounting and market measures of profitability), few empirical researches have analysed the relations between CSR, cost of debt and its relation with the risk profile of a firm. The literature on the cost of debt determinants generally documents a negative association between measures of the risk of the firm and its cost of debt. The literature on CSR defines risk reduction as one of the potential benefits related to CSR activities. Thus, the expectation is that high CSP scores are inversely related to cost of debt. Design/methodology/approach – Using a unique data set of 332 firms over a time period of five years antecedent to the global financial crisis, a linear regression model is applied. Findings – The results show a positive relation between CSP and cost of debt, demonstrating that CSR is not a value driver with an impact on the firm’s risk profile. Practical implications – The research has also practical implications as it makes managers aware of the potentiality of CSP to reduce the firm’s cost of debt. Originality/value – These findings enlarge the empirical research on the value of CSP, expanding it towards a quite new area of investigation: the cost of external financing.Publication Marketing sustainable financial products to specific target segments: the case of the Italian market(2019) Signorini, Alessandro; Torosantucci, GaetanaOriginality of the study. Sustainability is generally classified as the balance between economic, social, and environmental factors in the decision making of an organization (Ralph and Strubbs, 2014). In order to fill the criteria of sustainability, the organizational decisions must constantly try to ensure economic stability and growth in the long term, strive to social equity, and preserve the natural environment for the future generations (UNESCO, 2011). This article focuses on one specific aspect of sustainability, sustainable banking, that can be defined as the attempt from commercial and investment banks to include sustainability and social responsibility factors in their operations. In particular, the emphasis is on the offer of banking and financial products and services that have social and environmental sustainable elements along with economic stability and profitability (Boitan, 2015). The inclusion of sustainable elements can be based on a voluntary and independent initiative that banks implement in order to better match the needs of their consumers. Alternatively, banks can adhere to established sustainability frameworks that offer guidelines on how banking and financial products can incorporate sustainable factors (Boitan, 2015). The three most common and well-known frameworks are the Equator Principles, the United Nations Global Compact, and the United Nations Environment Program Financial Initiative (http://www.equator-principles.com, www.unglobalcompact.org, www.unepfi.org).Publication Fake Climate News: How Denying Climate Change is the Ultimate in Fake News(2020) López, Antonio; Share, JeffPublication Bella Gaia and the Pedagogical Power of the Overview Effect: An Interview with Kenji Williams(2020) López, AntonioBella Gaia (Beautiful Earth) is a performance that combines a world-music inspired soundtrack with projected graphics, animations and video to educate about climate change. A hybrid of art and science, the nonlinear performance is an example of an emerging form of ecomedia in which remote sensing media are used to transform audiences to experience Earth as an organic, living organism. Bella Gaia’s creative director and creator, Kenji Williams, discusses this new form of educational experience. The violinist, composer and filmmaker incorporates a neuro-science driven methodology to create “immersive live theater, mixed reality, and interactive data visualization.”Publication Ecomedia: The metaphor that makes a difference(2020) López, AntonioMedia is an ambiguous metaphor that changes meaning depending on how it’s used by educators. Typically media are only characterized by how they represent reality and communicate ideas. Consequently, the metaphor assumes a taken-for-granted meaning that media are immaterial with no environmental impact. Instead, the term ecomedia signals media’s inherent environmentality. This essay introduces our special issue on ecomedia literacy by exploring how the ecomedia metaphor affords a deeper awareness of media’s environmental footprint.Publication Ecomedia Literacy: Decolonizing Media and the Climate Emergency(2021) López, AntonioPublication Algorithms and Climate: An Ecomedia Literacy Perspective(2022) López, Antonio; Frenkel, OliviaDrawing on examples of Bitcoin and climate disinformation, this article demonstrates why Big Tech algorithms have a significant environmental impact and how media literacy educators can respond. Big Tech algorithms reinforce the economic models of surveillance and carbon capitalism, which are dependent on two forms of extractivism: data harvesting and resource extraction. To encourage a holistic environmental analysis of algorithms, ecomedia literacy’s four zone approach enables an investigation from the perspectives of ecoculture, political ecology, ecomateriality, and lifeworld. For media literacy educators, the challenge is to develop curricula and methods that address these different standpoints, which can include critical media literacy, design justice, civic media literacies, news and misinformation literacies, and ethical algorithm audits.Publication Navigating Brand Purpose in the Post-Pandemic Era: Insights from Marketing Agencies on Supporting SDGs through Strategic Delineation and Execution(Emerald, 2024) Feri, Alessandro; Ind, Nicholas Jonathan; Tjandra, Nathalia ChristianiPurpose This study aims to investigate the role of marketing agencies in aligning brand purpose with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the post-pandemic era. This study explores whether and how marketing agencies delineate and execute brand purpose in a way that supports sustainable consumption and marketing models. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with 35 senior managers at UK-based marketing agencies. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using NVivo software for inductive coding. Findings The study reveals that brand purpose in the post-pandemic era is increasingly aligned with the SDGs. Marketing agencies play a pivotal role in this alignment, as they not only help to delineate and execute the brand purpose but also do so in a way that amplifies perceived authenticity in the eyes of the brand stakeholders. Originality/value This research underscores the significance of marketing agencies in delineating and executing brand purpose that aligns with the SDGs. It enriches the literature by illustrating how agency expertise contributes to the evolution of brand purpose, guiding businesses towards responsible marketing practices and consumption patterns that support a sustainable future.Publication Contemporary forms of slavery(European Parliament, 2018) Scarpa, SilviaThis briefing aims to clarify the concept of contemporary forms of slavery and analyse the legal obligations of States, as well as recent international developments at global and EU levels. It highlights the inconsistent application of the concept by global governance actors and discusses the inclusion of various exploitative practices within this conceptual framework. It also examines the prevalence of contemporary forms of slavery and assesses the policy framework for EU external action. The briefing then recommends possible action by the EU, including: promotion of a more consistent definition and use of the concept of contemporary forms of slavery and further clarifications on the relationship with the human trafficking and forced labour frameworks; a role for the EU as catalyst in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Targets in the field of all contemporary forms of slavery; support for standardising methods of data collection globally. Finally, the paper invites the EU to assess the possibility of drafting a new treaty on contemporary forms of slavery, as a way to fill some existing loopholes at the international level.Publication Key Factors for Success of Social Enterprises in Italy: Analysis of Financial and Operating Performance(2016) Magnanelli, Barbara Sveva; Raoli, Elisa; Sacchi, AgneseAbstract: Assessing social performance is one of the greatest challenges for practitioners and researchers in social entrepreneurship. Even though social enterprises (SEs) have the main goal of achieving social purposes, they should also be able to economically and financially survive to meet their aim and accomplish their tasks. To this purpose, we investigate if the key factors leading to the financial and operating performance are the same as those of for-profit firms, by using Italian data at a firm level during the period 2002-2013. We find that the standard financial and operating factors characterising for-profit firms’ performance play a crucial role for SEs’ results as well. Moreover, territorial and socio-economic variables seem to have a positive impact on financial performance. From a policy perspective, this may imply that further programs (e.g. safety-oriented and those promoting facilities in the territory) should be locally adopted to support the SEs’ activity and development.Publication Deconstructing Chipotle: Media as Environmental Education(2016) López, AntonioChipotle, a popular fast food restaurant that promotes a sustainability message (“Cultivate a Better World,” “Food with Integrity”), produced two viral animated media campaigns, “Back to the Start” (Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2011, August 25) and “The Scarecrow” (Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2013, September 11). According to the New York Times, “Back to the Start” was rated by Zeta Interactive as one of the Top 10 videos in Internet buzz in 2011. The award-winning “The Scarecrow” also achieved critical praise. Both spots use clever animation and popular culture references to promote a sustainability message, allowing Chipotle to position itself as an ethical food alternative in relation to more conventional fast food venues. Chipotle uses its media campaigns to educate consumers about opposing food production paradigms (local and familyfarming versus factory farming). However, some critics have argued that the campaign is misleading and that Chipotle’s sustainability practices are contradictory and ambiguous; its marketing strategy could be considered to be an example of “greenwashing,” which is the practice of marketing unsustainable products as being positive for the environment. Drawing on media analysis techniques and ecocriticism, students critically assess in a written assignment (six to eight-page paper) the messaging Chipotle uses to promote its ethical and environmental food brand to explore environmental ideologies and ecological discourses. This assignment builds on five lessons: 1) media as environmental education; 2) environmental ideologies; 3) ecocriticism and environmental discourses; 4) food systems and marketing; and 5) greenwashing. The written assignment and lesson plan prompts students to evaluate Chipotle’s environmental claims, and to determine if its media campaigns can be reconciled with its actual business practices. In doing so students gain insights into how media act as a kind of environmental education (or “miseducation,” as the case may be).Publication Ecomedia Literacy & SDGs: A Handbook for Higher Ed(2024) López, AntonioThis handbook provides a guide for integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into liberal arts and sciences curricula through the framework of ecomedia literacy. Ecomedia literacy investigates the relationship between media, information and communication technology (ICT), and environmental sustainability, considering both the ecological impacts of media systems and the role of media in shaping environmental awareness and actions. The handbook offers key concepts, learning objectives, interdisciplinary applications, and practical activities to help educators incorporate ecomedia literacy and the SDGs across various disciplines in higher education.