Enrique Mesa-Pérez

This paper investigates the role of compliance systems in fostering ethical organizational cultures. It highlights the transition from norm‐based systems, focused on sanctions and rule enforcement, to integrity‐based approaches, prioritizing shared values and reciprocal ethical behavior. Departing from the 2010 Criminal Code reform that introduced corporate criminal liability, this paper is the first to analyze the traceability of ethical leadership in an ethical culture, paying special attention to the role of managerial motivations and organizational factors in institutionalizing an ethical culture through implementing compliance systems. Using institutional theory, this study examines Spanish firms known as “ethical promoters,” providing empirical evidence on the elements supporting the institutionalization of ethical culture. Results from a structural equation model suggest that integrity‐based systems are more effective when supported by managerial commitment and employee engagement. The research also supports the theoretical concept of “evolutive compliance,” integrating isomorphisms to institutionalize ethical culture. Insights from this study emphasize that ethical behavior requires more than a “tick‐boxing” approach, urging companies to embed ethics within their practices holistically.

The complex relationship between water, energy, food, and ecological systems, known as the WEFE nexus, has emerged as a major topic in the debate about sustainable economic development and resource management. This subject is of special interest in Mediterranean coastal areas as rapid economic expansion driven by population growth, higher influx of tourists, and intensification of agriculture is leading to structural water scarcity conditions. However, addressing the diverse range of issues associated with the nexus is a difficult task due to the existence of intricate interconnections, interdependencies, and nonlinearities within and across its various components. Accordingly, this case study applies a combination of participatory systems modeling and network analysis tools to yield insights into the complexity of this nexus in Axarquia, a region with features that make it an example of water-stressed jurisdictions in the Mediterranean. Overall, our results provide a strong foundation to understand the dynamics that govern this nexus in regions where the availability of freshwater resources is a significant concern. Furthermore, they lay the groundwork for the development of models and scenarios to simulate the impact of various policies and interventions on the overall system.

Wastewater reuse is seen as an opportunity to support a circular economy and optimize water resources. However, the use of wastewater is limited by the need for the proper protection of health and the environment and demands a certain minimum quality of treated reclaimed water. The objective of this work is to evaluate the opportunities both for the agents in the water treatment chain (from municipalities to farmers) and for technology providers under the recently approved Regulation EU‐2020/741. The new market and opportunities require new value chains, technology development, governance, risk assurance, and adapted local regulation. Bottlenecks also pose technological, environmental, institutional, economic, and social challenges. The identified needs and barriers must be properly addressed in order to accelerate the transformation of the water sector toward the circular economy. As a conclusion, Reg EU 2020/741 introduces minimum requirements for urban wastewater reuse and requires the definition of risk management and transparency. The real impact of regulation on circular‐economy objectives is limited by water scarcity and crop profitability. Social acceptance is critical for success.

This paper presents an analysis of the perception regarding reclaimed wastewater reuse in agriculture conducted in the European Union regions. The analysis is based upon a SWOT framework and applies a cluster analysis to reduce the dimension of the responses enabling an assessment of the different perceptions of water reuse. More than one hundred key actors identified among the regions participated in the evaluation of the relevance of aspects identified. The results indicate some groups of countries according to natural conditions (water scarcity) and the strategic role of agriculture as a key factor to determine agent’s perceptions and attitudes. The results indicate that the forthcoming EU regulation of water reuse should focus in the problems of the perceived high cost of reclaimed water for farmers and the sanitary risk perception for irrigated crops by consumers as the critical points for fostering the use of reclaimed water in agriculture and the need for regional implementation of the global regulatory framework.