Title: The effect of Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility on industrial SMEs’ innovation

Abstract:

This article analyses how Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility (ECSR) strategies may help to enhance innovation among small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). We test our hypotheses over a large sample of 2,620 industrial SMEs in Spain. We find empirical support for ECSR driving innovation as measured by the innovative effort or R&D and its outcomes in terms of product and process innovation. In addition, we distinguish the effect of ESCR on innovation among innovative and non-innovative SMEs. The effect is more intense for the later, suggesting an important role of ECSR on firms’ transformation. Our study contributes to the literature by analyzing the effect of ECSR in promoting innovation, as opposed to most studies that examine only on green-innovation. Besides, we examine the neglected research area of SMEs environmental strategies. Our findings on the instrumental value of ECSR related to innovation strengthen the business case of pro-environmental strategies, specifically for SMEs.

Biography:

Elisa Aracil is a Professor of Economics at Universidad Pontificia-ICADE in Madrid. She has built her career in a variety of roles related to investment banking and the academic world. Her research focuses on sustainable finance, sustainable banks, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental related innovations, digitalization and the progress towards teh Sustainable Development Goals . She has published in top scientific journals such as Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Business Ethics: A European Review, International Journal of Emerging markets and Global Policy. She has presented her work in peer-reviewed academic conferences such as the Academy of International Business (AIB), the European International Business Academy (EIBA) and the Academy of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Knowledge Conference (ACIEK), formerly GIKA and INEKA. She is a researcher at several competitive research projects, and a member of CETIS-PhD program at Universidad Pontifica Comillas.

Title: EFFICIENT SOLUTION FOR LARGE HEAT PUMPS: SEWAGE HEAT RECOVERY

Abstract:

Inside the sewer there is a hidden and rarely used, stable temperature energy source to be found: the communal, household and industrial wastewater. A heat pump based technological solution has been developed to harness and utilize energy resided in wastewater to heat and cool buildings. This means for a city like Paris the potential of min. 200 MW energy-generation!

The challenges are to use this valuable resource on site amongst city circumstances, to make it upsizeable to several MWs requirements and to achieve a highly efficient system (COP above 6!) in order to make it financeable. Driven from the technology solution’s “independence” from the sewers (nothing installed inside the pipeline) the system’s implementation is flexible, after ten years of development its possible size only depends on the wastewater flow. The technology developed has been monitored during operation for over 8 years at different locations (sizes: 1 - 3.8 MW). Learning from this unrivalled operational experience and the monitored performance data the technology solution has been improved through minimizing energy consumption, evolving efficiency of heat exchange, optimizing maintenance requirements and SCADA system.

Additional benefits recognised during realization of the projects:

- sewage is recognised renewable heat source

- locally zero CO2 emission, 2050 ready solution

- combined and centralized heating and cooling system

- potential heat source for district heating and cooling

- potential external use of remaining heating or cooling capacities

- satisfying simultaneous heating and cooling needs

- use sewage as heat transporting medium

- free allocated and valuable spaces remain on rooftops

Biography:

Mr. Pal Kiss, President of MAHOSZ, Managing Director, THERMOWATT Ltd., Since 2008, Mr. Kiss has served as the MD of the THERMOWATT Ltd. mainly developing and implementing its proprietary, heat pump based technology – co-invented by Mr Kiss – using the heat of sewage for cooling and heating large buildings and districts, patented in 37 countries now. In parallel, Mr Kiss is currently President of the Hungarian Heat Pump Association (MAHOSZ) and member of the EHPA ICHP (large heat pump) work group. His former placements include Development Director of the Hungarian Ministry of Environment where he supervised EU grant financed investments in the fields of wastewater, drinking water, flood protection and solid waste management with a total value of 1.5 billion Euros. Formerly he held MD and deputy MD positions at water and wastewater civil works companies adding to 20 years experience in the water and environmental sector and over 10 years in the energy field.

Title: Effect of Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility on industrial SMEs’ innovation

Abstract:

This article analyses how Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility (ECSR) strategies may help to enhance innovation among small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). We test our hypotheses over a large sample of 2,620 industrial SMEs in Spain. We find empirical support for ECSR driving innovation as measured by the innovative effort or R&D and its outcomes in terms of product and process innovation. In addition, we distinguish the effect of ESCR on innovation among innovative and non-innovative SMEs. The effect is more intense for the later, suggesting an important role of ECSR on firms’ transformation. Our study contributes to the literature by analyzing the effect of ECSR in promoting innovation, as opposed to most studies that examine only on green-innovation. Besides, we examine the neglected research area of SMEs environmental strategies. Our findings on the instrumental value of ECSR related to innovation strengthen the business case of pro-environmental strategies, specifically for SMEs.

Biography:

Dr. Francisco Javier Forcadell is an associate professor of management in the Rey Juan Carlos University, and professor in ESIC Business and Marketing School. He has held visiting professorship at some universities around the world. His research and teaching revolve primarily around Strategic Management and Corporate Social Responsibility. He was a consultant at Spanish’ Economy Ministry. He is the author of 17 international publications, focusing on diverse aspects of CSR, innovation, and corporate strategy. He has published in several top journals (six of them listed in the top 10th percentile of JCR categories), including Research Policy, Long Range Planning, Journal of World Business, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Business Ethics: A European Review, Journal of Economic Surveys, Journal of Business Research, Scientometrics, and Global Policy.

Title: Advanced remote sensing methods for environmental development monitoring

Abstract:

This research presents advanced remote sensing methods and techniques for monitoring and analysis of environmental development. The research deals with novel state-of-the-art technology for spatial data collection based on satellite imagery as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Preprocessing, classification of satellite and aerial imageries, as well as methods for the land-cover mapping, environmental monitoring, and environment development analysis will be shown and explained in real cases. Furthermore, some methods (and measures) for the accuracy assessment of the land-cover classification and remotely sensed measured and collected values will be discussed. The entire process of environmental development monitoring will be shown on real case studies. All newly developed and presented methodology was based on the open-source software and tested on the open-source data. Therefore, presented procedures can be easily used, free of charge, in the environmental development monitoring and analysis of various applications and areas around the world.

Biography:

Assistant Professor Mateo Gašparović, Ph.D. is the Head of the Chair of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing of the Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb. As a scientist, Prof. Gašparović actively works on the development and application of advanced remote sensing and photogrammetry methods in environmental science, geoinformation system, documentation of cultural heritage and the development of UAVs. He is giving lectures on Geoinformation Systems and Advanced Remote Sensing at the Faculty of Geodesy. Prof. Gašparović is currently the Vice-Dean for Business and Finance at the Faculty of Geodesy. He is a project manager on project “Advanced photogrammetry and remote sensing methods for environmental change monitoring – RS4ENVIRO” funded by the University of Zagreb and researcher on projects “Geospatial Monitoring of Green Infrastructure by Means of Terrestrial, Airborne and Satellite Imagery – GEMINI” and “Retrieval of Information from Different Optical 3D Remote Sensing Sources for Use in Forest Inventory – 3D-FORINVENT” funded by Croatian Science Foundation

Title: Strategic Talent Management: The Impact of Employer Branding on the Affective Commitment of Employees

Abstract:

The need for employers to be seen differently has intensified in recent years, mainly due to the increased availability of employment opportunities and the lack of talent in the labour market. Under this reality, the employer branding (EB) concept gains more and more relevance in attracting, involving, and retaining high quality employees in the process of managing talents for sustainable enterprise development.

This research focuses on the role of Human Resource Management strategies applied in the employer branding (EB) process, highlighting their importance in talent retention through affective commitment, evident in certain organizational cultures, which are sustained over time. Talent management is, today, the critical factor for organizational performance. A talented workforce with inimitable and sustainable characteristics, is a source of competitive advantage for organizations and contributes to organizational success.

 The methodological framework applied to this study is quantitative, and the data collection was carried out with the application of an employer branding and an affective commitment questionnaire. The sample of the quantitative study was composed of 172 individuals, working in Portugal, exercising different positions in the different sectors of activity. Results indicate a high level of affective organizational commitment (AOC) of employees in the organizations surveyed. Findings showed which dimensions better allow for developing the bonds of affective commitment responsible for the retention and involvement of the “talents”, namely the identification with the “mission, vision, and values” of the organization, the perception of support and justice in the “managerial processes”, identification with the principles and values of “organizational culture”, and a good “reputation and communication” of the organization. It is, therefore, on these dimensions that talent management practices should focus.

Biography:

Patricia Alves is an Economics Teacher for the Government Department of Education and Science of Portugal with a Master's degree in Human Resource Management (ISLA) and pursuing a PhD in Business Management. Her research interests include employer branding, talent management, strategy, knowledge transfer, sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship management. Before, Patricia Alves was Territory Manager for Philip Morris International and member of the Management Board of FRIOPAL, SA. (Iglo-Olá distribution in the central region of Portugal).

Title: Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and its impact on UK Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES)

Abstract:

In the light of the growing concern over global warming and the EU’s ambitious goal of 80% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the UK Government has recently introduced a new legislation targeting the energy performance of commercial buildings. This legislation which is called Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES), requires the commercial buildings to hold an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of minimum E or above, before any deal can be made on the property. The EPCs were first introduced in the UK in 2008 and have been considered an energy signal tool for the market ever since. The process for generating non-domestic EPC in the UK is usually carried out in a software called SBEM, which is simplified energy model of the building. Considering the available evidences from the literature that the EPCs generated through different software for the same building tend to be different from one another, it is of high importance to investigate the accuracy and reliability of EPCs, especially with new requirements, where failing to secure the minimum levels required by the MEES can result in hefty penalties. The current study generates the EPCs for three UK hotel buildings by using a combination of detailed site survey and thermal analysis simulations and compares them against the existing commercial energy assessment for the concerning buildings generated through SBEM. Furthermore, this study will also investigate the potential discrepancies and the reasons behind this.

Biography:

Shiva Amirkhani is a registered architect from Iran with a master’s degree from Bartlett, UCL, focusing on the impact of built environment on human health, comfort and wellbeing. Her research interests include energy analysis of the buildings and building simulation, the impact of built environment on human health and comfort and sustainable design. She started her PhD in January 2019 at UWL and her project is about the UK Government’s MEES legislation and its impact on hotel buildings. In her PhD she is focusing on energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness and occupant thermal comfort in hotel building.

Title: Delivery of multiple ecosystem services in pasture by shelter created from the hybrid sterile bioenergy grass Miscanthus x giganteus.

Abstract:

The benefits of shelter in increasing crop yields and accelerating ripening has been well researched in fruit, arable and horticultural crops. Its benefits to pasture, despite its importance for livestock production, is less well researched. In this work, Miscanthus shelterbelts were established on an intensively irrigated dairy farm. Seven key ecosystem services associated with these belts were identified and quantified. Pasture yield and quality were recorded in Miscanthus-sheltered and control field boundaries with little shelter. Pasture yield increased by up to 14% in the sheltered areas downwind of Miscanthus. Pasture quality was equivalent in the sheltered and open areas.Miscanthus provided more favourable nesting sites for bumblebees and for New Zealand endemic lizards (skinks) compared to field boundaries. The sheltered areas also had higher mineralisation rates of organic matter and higher numbers of earthworms. Using a high-yielding sterile grass such as Miscanthus to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services also produced a bioenergy feedstock. In conclusion, full benefits of shelterbelts to the farming system cannot be fully assessed unless direct and indirect benefits are properly assessed, as in this work.

Biography:

Christopher Paul Littlejohn is a farmer residing in Uganda. Previous to this he was researching energy grass use for the Green Elephant Company, whose mission was to bring sustainable energy use to Uganda. He completed his PhD research in New Zealand on the ecosystem benefits of incorporating energy grass production into dairy agricultural systems and has worked closely with MiscanthusNZ to further promote this work. At present he is helping to establish Proton carbon and renewable diesel plants in New Zealand and Uganda. Previous to his PhD Chris was farming in the UK before becoming a teacher in 2010 and teaching in both the UK and NZ at school, tertiary and University level.

Title: Significance of Demand Response in Light of Current Pilot Projects in China and Devising a Problem Solution for Future Advancements

Abstract:

The electric power sector contributes significantly to China’s economic growth. However, rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to energy shortages. More than 70% of customers’ demand is fulfilled by fossil fuel sources that threaten the environment. The rapid increase in demand and the need for decarbonization has forced China to work on demand side management as a way of meeting the power needs of the country. Though DSM is receiving much importance in China over the past few years, it is still in the early phases of development in comparison to other developed countries. At first, this paper points out the need of demand response , which is an aspect of the DSM, for maintaining power system stability and integrating variable renewable energy resources such as wind (on-shore and off-shore) and solar (photovoltaic and concentrated solar power). Then, it assesses China power sector reforms and changes in demand response policies over the period of time to promote demand response programs. It also reviews current demand response pilot projects in China, identifies technical and policy barriers in implementing these projects and proposes recommendations to make it successful across the whole country.

Biography:

MUHAMMAD FAIZAN TAHIR received the B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from UET Taxila, in 2011, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from The University of Lahore, Pakistan, in 2015. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in power system and automation with the South China University of Technology. He was a Lecturer with The University of Lahore, from 2012 to 2016. His research interests include renewable energy, demand response, load management, and integrated energy system planning.

Title: Optimal Distributed Generation Alocation to Find Optimal Voltage Profile With Minimum DG Investment Cost in a Smart Neighborhood

Abstract:

Distributed Generations (DGs) have a productive capacity of tens of kilowatts to several megawatts, which are used to produce electrical energy at close proximity to consumers, which of the types of DGs can be named solar cells and Photovoltaics (PVs), fuel cells, micro turbines, wind power plants, and etc. If such kinds of power plants are connected to the network in optimal places, they will have several positive effects on the system, such as reducing network losses, improving the voltage profile, and increasing network reliability. The lack of optimal placement of DGs in the network will increase the costs of energy production and losses in transmission lines. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the location of such DGs in the network so that the number of DGs, installation locations, and their capacity are determined to which the maximum reduction in network losses occurs. Besides, by applying an appropriate objective function, the evolutionary algorithm can find the optimal location of renewable units with respect to the constraints of the issue. In this paper, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm are used to address the placement of wind and photovoltaic generators simultaneously in two states: With and without considering the effects of greenhouse gas emission. In this regard, first, an analytical method for optimal DG (wind and PV) placement is presented, then, the proposed approach is applied over a real study case, and the simulation carried out using the MATLAB program; hence, the placement problem was solved using GA and PSO and implemented in the IEEE 33-bus radial distribution system. The obtained results were compared and analyzed. The results of the simulation show the improvement of the voltage profile and the reduction of losses in the network.

Biography:

Mohammadeza Fathi is a as a professional power engineer and electrical panel board manufacturer with more than 8years of industrial experience. His main working experiences have been associated with industrial electricity systems as engineer in power stations and power control centers(PCC), Tehran Metro, Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway Operation Co with more than 8years. He has also certified with a B.Sc and M.Sc. degree in power Technology Engineering from Azad University. His M.Sc. thesis was on the application of Optimal DG Placement to Find Optimal Voltage Profile Considering Minimum DG Investment Cost in Smart Neighborhood. He has also would like to pursue a PhD in this field

Title: Design and Optimization of an Integrated Turbo-Generator for Vehicle Exhaust Electrical Energy Recovery

Abstract:

The performance of turbo-generators significantly depends on the design of the power turbine. This research aims to design and optimize an integrated turbo-generator for diesel engines. The goal is to generate electricity from the vehicle exhaust gas. Electrical energy is derived from generators using the flow, pressure, and temperature of exhaust gases from combustion engines and heat-waste. In the case of turbo-generators and thermoelectric generators, the system automatically adjusts the power provided by an inverter. Typically, vehicle exhausts are discarded to the environment. Hence, the proposed conversion to electrical energy will reduce the alternator charging system. This work focuses on design optimization of a turbo-generator for 2500 cc. diesel engines, due to their widespread usage. The concept, however, can also be applied to gasoline engines. Moreover, this model is designed for a hybrid vehicle. Charging during running will save time at the charging station. The optimization by variable van angles of 40°, 50°, 62°, 70°, and 80° shows that the best output power is 62°, which is identical to that calculated. The maximum power outputted from the designed prototype was 1262 watts when operating with an exhaust mass flow rate of 0.1024 kg/s at 3400 rpm (high performance of the engine). This research aims to reduce fuel consumption and reduce pollution from the exhaust, especially for hybrid vehicles.

Biography:

Prasert Nonthakarn works as professors at Department of Industrial Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, Thailand. Teaching in the field of mechanical design, automation, simulation and control system for 20 years and has been working machine design for the factory as well as the tools for agricultural processing.

Title: A chitosan from Aspergillus niger cultured on post-harvest waste based substrate promotes growth and induces defence responses in Oryzae sativa – a sustainable agronomical strategy

Abstract:

Global climatic changes and expansion of the world population is the major concern of food insecurities. Sustainable agriculture and environmental friendly strategies are emerging to intensify the crop improvement to challenge the issues in plant development, yield increase and protection against pests and pathogens. The present research involves induction of defense mechanism in Oryzae sativa by an elicitor (chitosan), extracted from the Aspergillus niger. The fungus was cultivated from the post-harvest wastes of paddy as substratum in solid-state fermentation.  Chitosan was extracted, characterized and used as a seed priming, antibacterial as well as a chemical elicitor for inducing the systemic responses of the rice. Interestingly, a significant increase in plant height with a higher number of lateral roots was observed in primed seeds when compared to control. Increased content of phenolic compounds and activity of peroxidases and polyphenol oxidase enzymes were evidenced in plantlets grown from the primed seeds. Thus, our results have established the potential of the novel chitosan to stimulate plant growth as well induce defense responses. Consequently, the application of chitosan will reduce the use of chemical pesticides, which will minimize the health hazards and pollution posed by chemicals.

Biography:

Stanley-Raja Vethamonickam is currently working as Senior Research Fellow in a DST-SERB project and perusing Ph.D in Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India. He has seven years of research experience working with various agricultural crop diseases and pest management. He is currently involving research in sustainable agricultural strategies to manage the rice diseases and pests. In this research elicitor compound which promotes plant growth as well as induce defense mechanism was extracted from fungus Aspergillus niger which was cultivated in the post-harvest paddy wastes thus providing an eco-friendly strategy to manage and utilize the agricultural wastes efficiently.

Title: A Sustainable Energy Efficient Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)based Framework for e-healthcare

Abstract:

The internet of things ( IoT) is becoming very popular in several fields due to its autonomous, low-cost sensor operations. In health and medical applications, IoT devices develop ecosystems to detect patient health conditions such as blood pressure, oxygen level, heartbeat, temperature, etc. and take appropriate measures in an emergency. This is used to transfer healthcare data from patients to remote users and post-analysis medical centers. Various solutions have been suggested to monitor the health condition of patients using the Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) based upon low power nodes but demanding and interesting difficulties are preventing increased energy consumption and communications costs. The issue of unbalanced energy consumption between biosensor nodes degrades the timely transmission of information from patients to remote centers and negatively affects the medical system. In addition, the patient's sensitive data is transmitted over the insecure internet and is subject to vulnerable security risks. The privacy of data and malicious traffic integrity are therefore another major problem in medical research. This research paper aims to establish a proposed sustainable, secure and energy-efficient Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) based framework for e-healthcare which aims primarily at decreasing the overhead contact and energy usage between biomass sensors while conveniently transmitting health data, and also at safeguarding patients' medical information against unauthentic and malicious nodes. The simulation findings reveal that the suggested architecture improves network efficiency of medical devices by 18%, packet loss rates by 44%, an end-to - end time delay by 26%, energy consumption by 29% and ties violations by 48% compared with other state-of-the-art approaches.

Biography:

Prof. Tanzila Saba earned her PhD in document information security and management from Faculty of Computing, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia in 2012. She won the best student award in the Faculty of Computing UTM for 2012. Currently, she is serving as an Associate Chair of Information Systems Department in the College of Computer and Information Sciences Prince Sultan University Riyadh KSA. Her primary research focus in recent years is Medical Imaging, Pattern Recognition, Data Mining, MRI Analysis, and Soft-computing. She has above two hundred publications that have around 4370 citations with h-index 42. Her mostly publications are in biomedical research published in ISI/SCIE indexed. Due to her excellent research achievement, she is included in Marquis Who’s Who (S & T) 2012.” Currently, she is an editor and reviewer of reputed journals and on the panel of TPC of international conferences. She has full command of a variety of subjects and taught several courses at the graduate and postgraduate levels. On the accreditation side, she is a skilled lady with ABET & NCAAA quality assurance. She is the senior member of IEEE. Dr.Tanzila is the leader of the Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics Research Lab at PSU and active professional members of ACM, AIS and IAENG organizations. She is the PSU WiDS (Women in Data Science) ambassador at Stanford University and Global Women Tech Conference. She earned the Best Researcher award at PSU for consecutive 4 years. She has been nominated as a Research Professor at PSU since September 2019.