Dora Marinova

• PhD
• Professor at Curtin University

Dairy farmers are grappling with serious business challenges, including rising operational costs, labour shortages, unstable milk prices, changing consumer preferences, long hours with minimal downtime and unstable weather patterns due to climate change impacts. Using a telephone-based representative survey and interviews with 147 Australian dairy...

This paper conducts an assessment on the social-ecological resilience of China’s Dongting Lake (and its three sections – East, West and South Dongting Lake) in relation to the perturbations of the Three Gorges Dam using a set of resilience-based indicators. Expert scoring is applied to identify the different states of the lake and their resilience...

Inter-firm collaboration and networking have significantly increased in the context of technological innovation, changing the business environment and contributing to rapid and global integration. Being at the heart of technological innovation and commercialization, the venture capital (VC) industry has adopted inter-firm alliance as a common pract...

The article investigates the impact of venture capital investment and investment syndication on enterprise lifecycle and success using the exit history of venture capital backed companies in Australia. It is observed that the venture capital backed companies tend to outperform those which are not while companies receiving syndicated venture capital...

The paper analyses the differences in venture capital (VC) firms, proposes a classification of the firms andempirically investigates their investment and co-investment behaviour. The VC firms are not homogeneous and beside funds they possess a diverse set of nonfinancial resources which they optimize. A classification is developed based on VC firm...

Despite being an important physical environment capable of promoting social sustainability, sense of community and contributing to a better quality of life, residential streets and neighbourhoods have not attracted significant research interest until now. The integrated physical interconnected network of houses, front yards, walkways, alleyways and...

The global food industry has experienced significant changes in recent years due to shifts in consumer preferences and technological advancements. Understanding the evolving consumer patterns and trends, particularly regarding sustainability, is crucial for businesses to remain competitive and adapt to changing market conditions. The current trends...

Flexitarianism, the conscientiously reduced consumption of meat and other animal-based foods, addresses a range of intricate issues concerning dietary choices, ethics and sustainability. While the definition and motivations for flexitarianism vary, flexitarians wield the power to influence dietary norms and promote a transition towards more sustain...

Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown, in-vitro, cellular or cultured meat, is seen as a cutting-edge advancement in food technology, offering a novel solution to avoid some of the negative impacts of the traditional meat industry, related to climate change, environmental pollution, animal welfare and public health. Despite this potential, consu...

Diet is of key importance for human well-being. It is a modifiable risk factor influencing human health and that of the planet. The food choices we make significantly impact not only our personal health but also environmental sustainability. National dietary guidelines play a crucial role in promoting healthy eating habits, managing and controlling...

The drive of meeting the net zero strategy by the global communities has been driving the food industries to be innovative by capitalising on the techno-functions of proteins isolated from plants. Novel milk and dairy protein alternatives have been designed to resolve issues with water and land usage, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss...

For generations, the conventional sources of dietary proteins were based on animals such as cattle, pigs, fish, birds, and crustaceans. The gradual rise of earth’s temperature, diminishing of the ozone layer and devastating disasters due to global warming and climate changes have led to innovations in food production using plant-based protein alter...

Despite scientific evidence about the imminent threat of climate change, people and governments around the world are slow in taking sufficient action. Against these bleak outlooks, Generation Z (Gen Z) born 1995–2010 will inherit the consequences of prolonged inaction. This research delves into the climate change concerns of Australia’s university...

Stories are considered to be the most popular form of lore, which can facilitate the moral and ethical deliberation of sustainability for our children. It is evident that children respond better to stories than any other form of communication. Once the stories end, the lessons remain. The values tangled with the lesson transmit as they grow. Storie...

Farmers across the world face criticism on environmental and animal welfare concerns, as well as are increasingly being affected by climate change. We explored the willingness of cattle and poultry producers in Australia and Brazil to consider alternative enterprises and diversification of their businesses. Twenty-seven farmers, 14 from Australia a...

Stories considered to be the most popular form of lore, which can facilitate the moral and ethical deliberation of sustainability to our children. It is evident that children response better with stories than any other form of communication. Once the stories end, the les-sons remain. The values tangled with the lesson transmits ahead as they grow....

Integrated virus genomes (prophages) are commonly found in sequenced bacterial genomes but have rarely been described in detail for rhizobial genomes. Cupriavidus taiwanensis STM 6018 is a rhizobial Betaproteobacteria strain that was isolated in 2006 from a root nodule of a Mimosa pudica host in French Guiana, South America. Here we describe featur...

The objective of this study is to investigate how sustainability aspects are currently communicated in primary education in Bangladesh and whether teachers are exploiting the synergies between folklore and learning in the curriculum and classroom. Conducted within government primary schools in 2020-2022, the study uses a mixed-methods methodology c...

Sustainability and sustainable development are now centre-stage in economic, environmental, social and educational activities around the world. However, these are not only complex concepts, but the perspective and understanding vary in different places, time, geographical and economic conditions. What is of particular relevance to Bangladesh, is th...

Sustainability and sustainable development are now centre-stage in economic, environmental, social and educational activities around the world. However, these are not only complex concepts, but the perspective and understanding vary in different places, time, geographical and economic conditions. What is of particular relevance to Bangladesh, is th...

Scientific evidence shows that current food systems are impacting the planet in ways that are unsustainable and detrimental to human health. Various technological advances have been made in response, one of them being the development of new food products known as novel alternative proteins, including cultured meat, plant-based meat analogues, algae...

Discourse on microentrepreneurs research on short stay accommodation was not in existence before 2008. After 2009, several concepts and constructs were developed and a few till date have been empirically tested, but a majority of those that have been tested relate to economics, leaving the social, cultural, and environmental perspective backward. T...

The term “alternative proteins” describes alternatives and substitutes to animal-based foods. This area is gaining popularity fast as humanity tackles the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, land- and sea-use changes and food security. Some alternative protein sources have existed for millennia, including tofu, tempeh and seitan, but o...

Given the complexity of the connections between food and climate change, this chapter describes the links between greenhouse gas emissions, extreme weather events and food production. It also specifically analyses the impact of industrial fishing on the ability of oceans to store carbon. Vulnerability of food production to climate change and extrem...

It appears that a disconnect between food and disease mitigation has occurred with development. In contrast, the chapter examines the link between food and non-communicable diseases, then the threats caused to human health by zoonotic viruses and infections, and finally the prospects of losing the power of antibiotics to improve human conditions. A...

Our relationship with the marketing of food occurs spontaneously, often unconsciously and although we think we have control, the choices we make are not happening in a vacuum. The chapter examines the role of food marketing highlighting the need for a change towards facilitating a sustainability transition. It elaborates on what food marketing shou...

In addition to climate change, the current planetary emergency is also triggered by significant anthropogenic modifications in the planet’s biophysical systems. The chapter covers issues related to land use, water, soil fertility, application of chemical fertilisers and impacts on biodiversity. All these problems are interrelated and manifested dif...

Circular agriculture is defined. Five underlying principles, namely regeneration, land-effectiveness, integrated management, focus on quality food and localisation, are outlined together with comments on what is necessary for a transition to circularity from the current linear agricultural model. The overall message of the chapter is that it is pos...

Generation Z, the largest population cohort on this planet, is already proving to be environmentally aware and socially active as demonstrated with its support for the climate strikes and other related movements. The chapter analyses how these young people engage with food and diets – issues that are gradually becoming a political, environmental, s...

The human response in defying situations, such as the present planetary emergency combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, is to find technological solutions allowing society to transition on a new trajectory that transforms the current practices for good. The chapter outlines the need to transition to better food production practices and introduces ne...

Although Medicago sativa forms highly effective symbioses with the comparatively acid-sensitive genus Ensifer, its introduction into acid soils appears to have selected for symbiotic interactions with acid-tolerant R. favelukesii strains. Rhizobium favelukesii has the unusual ability of being able to nodulate and fix nitrogen, albeit sub-optimally,...

Policy and administrative inventiveness for regulating business-to-individual relationship is incongruent. Government legislations and local government administrative laws for business-to-individual relationships in the short-term rental arrangement generates two kinds of laws: location-based and density-based, which tend to create confusion and in...

Nutrition professionals (nutritionists and dietitians) assess nutritional and food-related health problems. They also identify appropriate interventions and support people in making dietary and lifestyle changes. The current climate change emergency constitutes a global threat to health, and the nutrition professionals can promote some diet-related...

This paper explores the relationship between urban traffic, retail location and disease control during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and tries to find a way to simultaneously address these issues for the purpose of street recovery. Drawing on the concept of the 15 min city, the study also aims at seeking COVID-19 exit paths and next-normal operating...

Introduction. Global population has witnessed significant changes in the way food is produced and consumed. Although this has benefitted population health, it has also contributed to climate change and unsustainable use of natural resources. Materials and methods. Сomprehensive literature review. Results and discussion. The characteristics of four...

The Bangladeshi folklore cultural heritage embraces myriad proverbs, adages, sayings, folktales, and folksongs, including the songs of the Baul mystic minstrels. Many are linked to various aspects of agriculture – from tilling to harvest, storage of yields, and consumption. The paper draws on this folklore to develop the concept of traditional sust...

Within the theoretical framework of psychological reactance and impression management, this study conducted in Sydney, Australia, in 2020–2021, explores the acceptance by men of alternatives to animal-based foods. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 36 men who have visited a vegan restaurant and have eaten a plant-based burger. The...

Flexitarianism – a word combining “flexible” and “vegetarianism”, has found its way into English since the early 2000s. After introducing flexitarianism, the chapter discusses sustainable diets and why human eating habits, particularly in the West, need to change. It offers ideas how to mainstream flexitarianism so that plant-based food choices bec...

The size of food wastage, including loss – during the production and supply chain, and waste – in retail and consumption, is a serious problem. Although food loss and waste differ across various parts of the world, the West is a major contributor to the problem. Food packaging adds to the severity of the situation as it heavily relies on plastics w...

The chapter interprets the meaning of sustainability and the concept of planetary health that links together human and ecological well-being. Food production and consumption need to sit within the planet’s geophysical boundaries and a planetary diet should allow the projected 10.9 billion people to live comfortably on Earth. The transitioning to su...

Growing prosperity, but also disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and consumer preferences are changing global meat consumption. We investigated the 2000–2019 trends in 35 countries monitored by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. We also tested relationships with Gross Domestic Pro...

This paper argues that veganism is the ideal diet for a religious and spiritual biblically endorsed lifestyle. Both Christians and Jews are guided by the Old Testament’s injunctions and writings, which equally support a vegan lifestyle. Areas of discussion include G-d’s first intention, the biblical goals of preservation of health, compassion for a...

Personal eating habits are deeply ingrained in people's consciousness and challenging to change. This exploratory longitudinal case study (2015–2020) in Sydney, Australia uses a sustainability social marketing intervention to influence more sustainable and healthier dietary choices through the intake of plant-based foods. A group of 30 adult partic...

Being an integral part of the past cultural heritage, the traditional Bulgarian folklore festivals, carnivals, and celebrations are continuing to promote sustainable practices that venerate and respect nature. The article focusses specifically on celebrations related to food and plant growing. It reviews the intangible cultural heritage of the Bulg...

India faces extensive challenges of rapid urbanization and deficits in human well-being and environmental sustainability. Democratic governance is expected to strengthen public policies and efforts towards sustainability. This article presents a study in Pune, India, which aimed at exploring perceptions about public participation in urban governanc...

The Bangladeshi folklore cultural heritage embraces myriad proverbs, adages, sayings, folktales, and folksongs, including the songs of the Baul mystic minstrels. Many are linked to various aspects of agriculture – from tilling to harvest, storage of yields, and consumption. The paper draws on this folklore to develop the concept of traditional sust...

This chapter summarizes the global problems associated with livestock production and meat consumption and shows solution strategies through replacing animal products with plant-based alternatives. The positive effects of plant-based alternatives on human health and the environment are reviewed together with approaches for reducing world hunger. Psy...

China is the world's top consumer and largest importer of soybeans used as human food and livestock feed. Since the 1980s, China's meat consumption has been growing despite this being an inefficient way of feeding the world's largest population. It diverts resources which can be used directly for human consumption. If the Chinese people were to mai...

This article expands the evidence about integrative thinking by analyzing two case studies that applied the collaborative decision-making method of deliberative democracy which encourages representative, deliberative and influential public participation. The four-year case studies took place in Western Australia, (1) in the capital city Perth and s...

This paper explores the relationship between crowding and streets as public open spaces in high-density urban environments from the perspectives of perceived density and human needs, two antecedents to crowdedness. City streets are the places through which various forms of crowding are perceived and experienced. Hence, they can play a role in easin...

This paper explores the relationship between crowding and streets as public open spaces in high-density urban environments from the perspectives of perceived density and human needs, two antecedents to crowdedness. City streets are the places through which various forms of crowding are perceived and experienced. Hence, they can play a role in easin...

This exploratory study of Gen Z consumers (n = 227) examines perceptions and opinions about cultured meat of young adults residing in Sydney, Australia. It uses an online survey and describes the findings quantitatively and through the words of the study participants. The results show that the majority (72%) of the participants are not ready to acc...

High levels of trust in government are important in addressing complex issues, including the realization of the mainstream sustainability agenda. However, trust in government has been declining for decades across the western world, undermining legitimacy and hampering policy implementation and planning for long-term sustainability. We hypothesize t...

Most climate change messages depict a picture of the devastating effects that anthropogenic activities have on the environment, expecting to mobilise human action. Built on the daunting scientific evidence, these gloomy messages can potentially emotionally harm a young audience. By contrast, this study explores the impact of Autonomous Sensory Meri...

The COVID-19 pandemic is requiring us to reconsider our relationship with the animal world. A large proportion of newly emerging diseases have a zoonotic origin, and human society should acknowledge that it has severely impacted the habitat of animals through livestock production and consumption as well as land clearing for agricultural purposes. T...

Previous studies show that extreme disasters, such as earthquakes, have enormous impacts on individual and organizational behavior, including self-protection. While such experience is important for risk control processes, the influence of disasters on corporate performance and stakeholder perceptions, especially that of investors, has not yet been...

Background Cupriavidus strain STM 6070 was isolated from nickel-rich soil collected near Koniambo massif, New Caledonia, using the invasive legume trap host Mimosa pudica. STM 6070 is a heavy metal-tolerant strain that is highly effective at fixing nitrogen with M. pudica. Here we have provided an updated taxonomy for STM 6070 and described salient...

Background Cupriavidus strain STM 6070 was isolated from nickel-rich soil collected near Koniambo massif, New Caledonia, using the invasive legume trap host Mimosa pudica. STM 6070 is a heavy metal-tolerant strain that is highly effective at fixing nitrogen with M. pudica. Here we have provided an updated taxonomy for STM 6070 and described salient...

Background Cupriavidus strain STM 6070 was isolated from nickel-rich soil collected near Koniambo massif, New Caledonia, using the invasive legume trap host Mimosa pudica. STM 6070 is a heavy metal-tolerant strain that is highly effective at fixing nitrogen with M. pudica. Here we have provided an updated taxonomy for STM 6070 and described salient...

Rebranding men’s dietary choices in the mind of the mainstream Australians to include more plant-based options, is a difficult task. Eating meat is a way to satisfy nutritional requirements but also has an embedded symbolism of power to which Australian men are accustomed. Vegetarian men are seen by the majority of the male population and the socia...

Background: Sustainable management of the natural environment is essential. Continued environmental degradation will lead to worsened health outcomes in countries and across generations. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for viewing the preservation of natural environments and the promotion of health, well-being and heal...

Background Cupriavidus strain STM 6070 was isolated from nickel-rich mine roadside soil near Koniambo massif, New Caledonia, using the invasive legume trap host Mimosa pudica. STM 6070 is a heavy metal-tolerant strain that is highly effective at fixing nitrogen with M. pudica. Here we have provided an updated taxonomy for STM 6070 and described sal...

Purpose A bad safety accident at a manufacturing company usually results in casualties and economic losses. The company affected by such an accident must deal with pressure from multiple stakeholder groups. Employees, in particular, play a key role in pushing the affected company to develop strategies to improve occupational safety and health. The...

Many research articles have been published about people’s perceptions and acceptance of eating insects as novel foods in Western countries; however, only a few studies have focused on Australian consumers. The aim of this work is to explore attitudes towards edible insects of younger Australians (Millennials and Generation Z) with data collection c...

This study investigates the impact of government incentive measures on the energy-saving behavior of residents and the impact path. Previous literature has discussed the influencing factors of residents' energy-saving behavior but rarely considered the intrinsic relationship and interaction among those factors. Thus, this paper studies the effect o...

Abstract Background: With an annual meat consumption of 110 kg per capita, Australia is one of the top countries in the world according to this indicator. High meat consumption, however, is associated with adverse impacts on the planet’s ecological systems and also has potential undesirable impacts on human health due mainly to cancer risk. Despite...

This research adds to the literature studying the effects of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on domestic innovation performance and the moderating effect of a technology gap between host and home countries. New definitions of observed technology gap and expected technology gap are proposed. An observed technology gap captures the existing...

Sustainable design is emerging as an increasingly important concern for the global urban population. Usually sustainable design is associated with economic, ecological and social aspects with the importance of the physical environment often ignored, particularly in the social sciences. However, the physical and social dimensions should be inseparab...

Traffic congestion is one of the most vexing city problems and involves numerous factors which cannot be addressed without a holistic approach. Congestion cannot be narrowly tackled at the cost of a city’s quality of life. Focusing on transport and land use planning, this paper examines transport policies and practices on both the supply and demand...

China is the world's top consumer and largest importer of soybeans used as human food and livestock feed. Since the 1980s, China's meat consumption has been growing despite this being an inefficient way of feeding the world's largest population. It diverts resources which can be used directly for human consumption. If the Chinese people were to mai...

Traditional hegemonic masculinity can be traced on the typical man's plate where meat represents the centerpiece. Meat consumption dominates the current marketing discourse which builds on masculinity to reinforce the stereotyped gender-based diets. In light of scientific evidence about the detrimental impacts of meat consumption on human wellbeing...

City smog is an increasingly severe environmental hazard in China. People are eager for ways to protect themselves from city smog. By utilizing two laboratory experiments based on real context of city smog, this paper investigates the impacts of sunk cost and cognitive dissonance on individuals’ risk perception of city smog. In Experiment 1, the re...

Introduction A well-established body of literature demonstrates that health and equity are strongly influenced by the consequences of governments’ policy and resultant actions (or inactions) outside the health sector. Consequently, the United Nations, and its agency the WHO, have called for national leadership and whole-of-government action to unde...

The existing literature has explored the existence of reverse technology spillover through outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), which means domestic firms improve their technological innovation and productivity due to overseas investment activities. This paper aims to examine how the host country affects reverse technology spillover from OFDI....

With physical and social aspects being inseparable within urban environments, design for sustainability needs to include the link between the distance and sense of community. However, only a few studies examine residential suburbs and specifically focus on the physical and social interactions occurring within the streets and adjacent to them spaces...