Current Issue : January-March Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 5 Articles
To contribute to the emerging knowledge on the sustainability impacts of small, circular clothing reuse businesses in the US, we employed a case study research methodology to empirically test the case of Circular Thrift, an innovative, community-based startup business model with potential to create a circular fashion ecosystem on the firm level. Primary data on circular activities were collected on site within the first year of business operation. The Life Cycle Assessment methodology was conducted to assess environmental impact avoidance. The social impact of reused products was assessed to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the benefits of born circular business models. Tangible environmental benefits accounted for the collection of 10,772 apparel units and resulted in the diversion of 2311.05 kg (approximately 5095 pounds) of clothing from the local landfill. Social impact accounted for 45.86% of the collected items that were given back to the local community. Empirical testing of the environmental benefits of a Circular Thrift business model makes a strong case for scaling up reusable efforts as a means to address post-consumer textile waste at the local community level within the US, where formal and government-regulated resource collection and recovery systems still do not exist....
As competition intensifies in the global medical tourism industry, countries are increasingly seeking effective marketing strategies to enhance their market share. Developing such strategies requires a comprehensive understanding of the expenditure patterns of medical tourists, particularly in emerging destinations with limited historical involvement in medical tourism. This study aims to examine the expenditure characteristics of medical tourists with respect to treatment type, gender, religion, and country of origin. Empirical data were collected from 288 medical tourists (response rate: 82%) receiving healthcare services in Turkey, an emerging hub for medical tourism. Cross-tabulation analyses and chi-square tests of independence revealed statistically significant differences in expenditures based on the aforementioned characteristics. The findings indicate that, on average, female, non-Muslim tourists from developed countries spent more than their male, Muslim, and developing-country counterparts. Additionally, aesthetic treatments accounted for the highest average expenditures among all treatment types. This study offers valuable insights into the expenditure behavior of medical tourists in Turkey, contributing to the broader understanding of competition in the medical tourism sector. These findings can inform the development of strategic roadmaps and targeted marketing approaches in emerging medical tourism markets....
Efforts to lower the barriers for 5G uptake have brought forth accelerated innovation rates in a wide range of verticals. Consequently, the demands for 5G experimentation facilities have recently emerged from small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 3rd party developers, requiring the abstraction of the complexities of the underlying infrastructure, platform, and related management and orchestration (MANO) systems, especially in multi-domain scenarios. This paper proposes a novel approach towards cross-domain service orchestration, which combines the flexibility of supporting different 5G Service Orchestrators (SOs) in various domains, while preserving compatibility through NetApps. The Cross-domain Service Orchestrator (CDSO) is based on ETSI’s Open Source MANO (OSM), with a Requests Handler module on top, which acts as the main integration point to the different domains’ 5G SOs and other custom systems that are northbound. This would facilitate the interworking among independently orchestrated domains in supporting multidomain services. The EU Horizon 2020 project, 5GMediaHUB, is presented as a use case, together with a first implementation of the Requests Handler and corresponding integrations. Nonetheless, the proposed approach is vertical-agnostic and is foreseen to accelerate service innovation and digitalization in any industry by laying the foundations in terms of service management and interconnectivity....
Startups are typically concentrated in major urban centers, while their presence in peripheral regions remains limited, raising important questions about the spatial distribution of innovation and entrepreneurship. This study investigates how different types of startups respond to disparities in regional ecosystem factors, with a focus on the role of support mechanisms in shaping location decisions. We conducted a survey of 202 startups, including 157 located in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and 45 in the peripheral city of Be’er-Sheva. The survey assessed startup typologies such as innovation strategy, international orientation, and R&D intensity, alongside perceptions of the importance and availability of key ecosystem resources. Logistic regression analysis indicated that startups in peripheral regions rely more heavily on government financial support, pointing to a structural market failure that requires targeted policy intervention. In contrast, startups in central regions benefit from stronger proximity-based advantages, particularly collaboration with suppliers and consumers. Startups engaged in open innovation or with international links were especially dependent on external ecosystem resources. These findings highlight the need for differentiated, evidence-based policies to support entrepreneurial activity in peripheral regions, strengthen local innovation ecosystems, and promote more balanced patterns of regional economic development....
This article analyzes the role of sustainable R&D in strengthening the competitiveness of Moroccan industrial companies. The study is employing a deductive approach and qualitative analysis involving interviews with company managers using Sphinx software. The results have shown that sustainable R&D improves product differentiation, optimizes production costs, and facilitates access to international markets through compliance with environmental standards (ISO 14001). It also enhances economic resilience by reducing energy costs and improving access to green financing. However, SMEs face difficulties accessing financing and limiting the adoption of sustainable technologies. The study recommends strengthening public policies, encouraging tax incentives, and promoting partnerships between companies and research centers to facilitate the transition to a sustainable industrial model....
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