“Time, Talents, and Treasure”

2021 ◽  
pp. 164-213
Author(s):  
Richard N. Pitt

As sociologists Howard Aldrich and Martin Ruef explain, “Most nascent entrepreneurs begin with almost nothing but their intentions. Few have access to capital and most cannot afford employees.” In church planting circles, it is often joked that “all a new church needs is a guitar and a microphone.” In many ways, they are right. Overhead costs of a new church are quite low. Much of the labor involved—praying, preaching, and “pastoring”—can be carried out by the founder him- or herself. That said, long-term and sustainable religion entrepreneurship, like other forms of entrepreneurship, requires resources. The biggest challenge for new and continuing enterprises is determining how to get people to support the organization through contributions of “time, talent, and treasure.” In this chapter, we explore the ways church founders generate and utilize two important assets—human and financial resources—necessary to build and maintain new congregations.

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-166
Author(s):  
Magdalena Zaleczna ◽  
Rafał Wolski

Polish Pension Funds Investment - is There A Place For Real Property in A Portfolio?The pension fund investments should be characterised by a long term, low risk and profitability, which implicates the necessity of portfolio diversification. In general, pension funds having regular long-term contributions should develop the long-term policy and its effects would be responsible for the economic position of their future beneficiaries. The ways of capital allocation are also critical in terms of the entire economy, as a constant flow of financial resources provided by pension funds stimulates the activity of its recipients. The typical assets in a pension fund's portfolio in the developed economy are stocks, bonds and real property owing to low (negative) correlation between these assets and their diversified potential. The legal investment limits imposed on the Polish pension funds exclude direct investment in real property, which is responsible - in the authors' opinion - for the lower level of diversification and hinders the risk reduction. The authors analyze the Polish pension fund portfolios focusing on risk and return levels. The aim of the study is to find the answer to the important question about the results of hypothetically added real property to the portfolios of pension funds.


2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-270
Author(s):  
Rima Česynienė ◽  
Marina Neverkevič

The purpose of the paper is to analyse the obstacles to implementing social responsibility initiatives in small and medium-size business firms. The implementing fields and the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in small and medium-size business firms are stressed in the paper. The current situation of CSR in Lithuanian small and medium-size firms is presented. The research data allowed discovering that the main obstacle to implement social responsibility in the small and medium-size firms is the managers’ attitude that social responsibility is a matter of great concern only to large companies. 43% of respondents indicated this obstacle. On the other hand, the research data allowed finding out that in our turbulent environment social responsibility in small and medium-size business firms is not a random phenomenon (71 %), and it is constant concern to managers, which provides for the budget (54 %). The understanding that social responsibility initiatives are only charity or philanthropy is also declined, only 5% of the respondents think so, however, 32 % of firms are supporting charitable initiatives. The most stimulating factors in the implementation of CSR are: staff loyalty and job satisfaction, a better image of the company, long-term competitiveness of the business advantage, the increased consumers requirements. Socially responsible behaviour disincentives are: the lack of human resour-ces (51 %), lack of information about gain from socially responsible activities (50 %), lack of financial resources (28 %). Both theory and practice agree that the implementation of CSR issues is most dependent on the leader’s attitude. The managers of small and medium-size business firms mostly are coordinating the implementation of CSR initiatives (70% of respondents). The results of the empirical research of CSR initiatives implementation in business prac-tices were presented in the possible model of tools which stimulates social responsibility initiatives in small and medium-size business firms. This integrated model includes pu-blic, government and business efforts and interests: 1) improvement of public policy, 2) revitalization of public organizations; 3) encourage and support research, 4) integration of CSR into education, 5) singleness of purpose (depending on companies’ specifics), 6) increase of managers’ consciousness, 7) implementation of a step-by-step approach.


2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 697-712
Author(s):  
Joan Costa-Font ◽  
Valentina Zigante

Abstract The design of public subsidies for long-term care (LTC) programmes to support frail, elderly individuals in Europe is subject to both tight budget constraints and increasing demand preassures for care. However, what helps overcoming the constraints that modify LTC entitlements? We provide a unifying explanation of the conditions that facilitate the modification of public financial entitlements to LTC. We build on the concept of ‘implicit partnerships’, an implicit (or ‘silent’) agreement, encompassing the financial co-participation of both public funders, and families either by both allocating time and/or financial resources to caregiving. Next, we provide suggestive evidence of policy reforms modifying public entitlements in seven European countries which can be classified as either ‘implicit user partnerships’ or ‘implicit caregiver partnerships’. Finally, we show that taxpayers attitudes mirror the specific type of implicit partnership each country has adopted. Hence, we conclude that the modification of long-term care entitlements require the formation of some type of ‘implicit partnership'.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Maria Cardoso da Silva ◽  
Julie Topf

SummaryThe ability of national governments to set and implement policies that protect biodiversity is currently facing widespread scepticism within the conservation movement. Here, we review the literature from several disciplines to outline a positive agenda for how the global conservation movement can address this. We combine the strengths of the people-centred and science-led conservation approaches to develop a framework that emphasizes the importance of ecological infrastructure for the long-term prosperity of human societies in an ever-changing world. We show that one of the major goals of the conservation movement (enhancing global ecological infrastructure to end species and ecosystem loss) remains central and irreplaceable within the broad sustainable development agenda. Then, we argue that the conservation community is now more prepared than ever to face the challenge of supporting societies in designing the ecological infrastructure they need to move towards more sustainable states. Because it is where global and local priorities meet, the national level is where impactful changes can be made. Furthermore, we point out two priorities for the conservation movement for the next decade: (1) substantially increase the amount of financial resources dedicated to conservation; and (2) advance the next generation of policies for ecological infrastructure.


1944 ◽  
Vol 1944 (01) ◽  
pp. 3-14
Author(s):  
Joseph Edwards

I must first apologize for the speed with which this paper has had to be written. I returned from the United States seven days ago and in that time have had to collect my thoughts, scattered to no small degree by a passage which I am sure the censor will have no objection to me describing as rough in the extreme. Some of the views that I shall express are influenced, naturally, by what I have seen in America. In that country there are initiative, scope and financial resources for breeding experiments with farm animals which, outside of Russia, are not rivalled anywhere in the world. Constant attention to the progress of these long-term breeding experiments will be necessary and the need of the stimulating and thought-provoking effect of similar work in this country, preferably in conjunction with the Dominions, is obvious.


2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Jānis Strazdiņš

The aim of the article is to present some main financial causes and effects of „bubble economy”, critically evaluate the utilization of Latvian internal financial resources as a base for transfer to production economy and work morale in long term. The article provides practical solutions on mobilising Latvian internal financial resources through internal borowing in order to facilitate transfer from speculative to production type economy.


1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Myant

Much of the literature on changes in Czech enterprises has been developed around a neo-classical framework with the emphasis on the effects of hard budget constraints and privatization. That, however, provides a limited view of the choices available to enterprises and of the constraints that have been imposed by a weak institutional environment, an often inappropriate policy framework and an approach to privatization that has, in a number of different ways, made subsequent rationalization and modernization more difficult. The effects on, and changes in, enterprises are analysed around experience in four different sectors; light industry, engineering and transport equipment, milk-processing and brewing. This points to the need to place more emphasis on enterprise access to financial resources for modernization and, above all, on the ability of managements to formulate coherent and appropriate long-term strategies. It also points to the desirability of a more active policy framework.


1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Good

The rise of wealth and power within the cattle-owning economy of Botswana has been accompanied by the creation of poverty and weakness. The impoverishment of the San and ‘destitutes’ was a structured, comprehensive, and long-term process, caused less by phenomena such as periodic drought than by an elite of economic and political power, and the exploitation which they practised. The growth economy of recent decades has not ameliorated the situation, but has strengthened the wealthy while neglecting or worsening the plight of the San. The state possesses the financial resources and developmental capacities to alleviate poverty, but its controllers continue to prioritise other matters.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Maja Ivanović-Đukić ◽  
Marija Petrović-Ranđelović ◽  
Miljana Talić

The paper investigates the impact of different factors on the establishment and development of social enterprises (SPs). The aim of this paper is to identify the key stimulants and restrictions of development of SPs in the Republic of Serbia, and to propose measures, the application of which can increase their long-term sustainability. The paper is based on exploratory research using data covering 27 interviews with founders of social enterprises in the Republic of Serbia. By applying the methods of regression analysis, it was found that favorable financial resources (especially grants) are the key stimulants for the establishment of social enterprises, while the enthusiasm of managers of social enterprises has the greatest impact on their development. It was found also that legal regulations and the macroeconomic environment, as well as difficulties in accessing the market, are serious restrictions on the establishment of social enterprises, while lack of knowledge in the field of marketing and management limit the development of social enterprises in the Republic of Serbia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Georg Thomas

Digitalization and digital transformation processes pose chances and challenges to companies in a variety of different aspects. The present paper focuses on the digitalization of HR management in SMEs. The situation if discussed both in the light of SMEs, who are faced with unique challenges in terms of digitalization and its subsequent management. The role of the entrepreneurs/head of SMEs in driving the digitalization process is discussed. In a similar vein, the role HR departments can take both in their own digitalization and in the one of the company is displayed from various points of view, citing evidence that HR departments – especially of SMEs – often lag behind in terms of digitalization, thus not living up to their full potential as internal service partners of companies. An empirical study based on a quantitative survey explored these challenges further. A total of n = 16 experts from HR departments of German SMEs assessed the digital maturity of their own departments. The results show that – in accordance with the findings derived from the literature – HR departments are still struggling with digitalization, barely making use of their data and not connecting yet to other IT systems within the company. Most experts describe the role of their departments as reactive instead of active. These findings are discussed in the light of studies on digital maturity, showing that the situation in Germany/Central Europe for SMEs and their HR departments is a complex one: On the one hand it seems clear, that digitalization can help the companies and departments on a long-term perspective – which, according to some findings, is also well-known to the executives. At the same time, HR departments typically lack the (financial) resources and the involvement to actively work on their digital strategy.


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