Chinese farmer income’s fluctuant trajectory in the 1970s

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-722
Author(s):  
Yanping Zhao

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the farmers’ income and to analyze the factors affecting the farmers’ income as well as rural life during the People’s Commune period. Design/methodology/approach The study’s data are drawn from unique account books of production team and a great deal of rural archives from the aspects of commune, production brigade and production team during the People’s Commune period. Findings The fate of the people’s commune is closely related to the income of its members. This study tries to explore the answers to “what determines members’ income” and “what influences their income,” which include the impact of the materialization on farmers’ income, the gender structure of the household labor force, the life cycle of the family and the population and so on. The main reason for farmers’ income differentiation is the difference in the demographic structure of the farmers, while the social system and traditional culture strengthen the role of this factor. Originality/value The biggest feature of the study is that it deeply explored the unique account books of production team from a micro-view, and studied the issue of People’s Commune from the level of farmers using the methods of historical textual research and mathematical analysis. This study is a supplement of the research on the family level which has long been lacked in the academic community.

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 87-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Creaser

Purpose Library impact and how to evaluate it has been debated for a number of years. While the activity – the busy-ness – of the library is now routinely measured and described, the difference the library makes is less tangible and harder to measure. Libraries in all sectors and worldwide are grappling with this issue, and the purpose of this paper is to summarise international standards available to support them. Design/methodology/approach The first international standard concerning library impact, ISO 16439 Information and documentation – methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries, was published in 2014 after several years in development. Findings The standard describes a range of methods for assessing library impact which have been used across the world in a variety of libraries in all sectors. Originality/value This paper summarises the key methods described in the standard, and gives references for further reading.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska

PurposeSocial capital, understood as intangible community values available through a network of connections, is a factor in the development of societies and improving quality of life. It helps to remove economic inequalities and prevent poverty and social exclusion, stimulate social and regional development, civic attitudes and social engagement and build a civic society as well as local and regional identity. Many of these tasks may be implemented by libraries, which, apart from providing access to information, may also offer a number of services associated with social needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the roles and functions that libraries may serve in local communities in terms of assistance, integration and development based on classical social capital theories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the classical concepts of social capital in the context of libraries. It analyses the findings of Pierre-Félix Bourdieu, James Coleman, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, Nan Lin, Ronald Stuart Burt, Wayne Baker and Alejandro Portes. Based on their respective concepts, the paper analyses the role of the contemporary library in the social life of local communities. In particular, it focuses on the possible new functions that public libraries may serve.FindingsA critical review of the concept of social capital revealed certain dependencies between libraries and their neighbourhoods. With new services that respond to the actual social needs, libraries may serve as a keystone, namely they may integrate, animate and engage local communities. This, however, requires a certain approach to be adopted by the personnel and governing authorities as well as infrastructure and tangible resources.Originality/valueThe social engagement of libraries is usually described from the practical perspective (reports on the services provided) or in the context of research on the impact of respective projects on specific groups of users (research reports). A broader approach, based on original social theories, is rarely encountered. The paper draws on classical concepts of social capital and is a contribution to the discussion on possible uses of those concepts based on an analysis of the role of libraries in social life and in strengthening the social capital of local communities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 915-919
Author(s):  
Krasimira Stefanova Petrova

Pre-school age is an intensive period in the life of a person which offers great potential for development. The dimensions of the impact of the social environment (children, parents and other adults) on the child’s personality are multifaceted. This accounts for the emphasis on social norms, goals and ideals. Education is the one factor that can best provide the socialization of adolescents.The changes in modern society have led to redefining the parenting patterns for bringing up children. The role of the family as an environment for transferring social experience has never lost its significance. Children need continuous care in order to handle societal failures; they need support for mastering the culture of behavior, as well as timely and appropriate help for ensuring conflict-free communication and for enabling them to take responsibility for their own choices and actions.Psychological studies show that various factors influence both the upbringing of children as well as the parents’ attitudes towardsthem. The relevant factors include: the childhood experiences of the parents; the unrealized needs of the parents; interpersonal relations in the family that are characterized by emotional depth and style that are considered to have established "a standard".The parameters of the actuality of the research problem are based on the interrelationship of the social and educational aspects that are related to the position of the child and his personal assertion in society:- Atpre-schoolage, thechildgraduallyfitsintothesocialsystem, whichistheresult of learningexperiences, actionsandrelationships, awarenessandrediscovery of theselfandtheworld of otherpeople.- Thechildbecomesaware of thenorms of behaviorandthemeaning of actions–their ownandother people’s - andlearns to takeresponsibilityfortheiractions.- Oneyearbeforeschool starts, the childdevelopstheability to accepttheposition of othersand to takeintoaccounttheirownandothers’perspective.- For a successfulpersonalrealization, itisimportantforchildren to havetheskills to worktogetherandcommunicatein a group. Thisisthecompetencethatdirectstheirbehaviortowardsco-ordination, co-operationandsynergy.The abovementioned specific features of the child's personality are the result of the intentional educational interactions between the kindergarten and the family and are related to the acquisition of knowledge, rules and norms, and of value-oriented patterns that define behavior. The foundations for thisare laid during the pre-school age and are considered the most stable and lasting, often referred to as the "basic personality structure". Along with them, the "behavioral potential" of the child, which is demonstrated at different ages, is shaped and developedthrough upbringing. Consequently, behavior is seen as a specific manifestation of the personality associated with its selective attitude towards the influence of various factors in the social environment. The direction of the educational activitiesinspires the motivation for personal behavior aiming at growth and self-actualization. Hence, the presence of a certain skill level which imposes a new approach to learning - replacing the mechanical reproduction with the acquisition of competences for and attitudes towards interaction in a changing environment. What is appropriate for achieving these goals is the applicationof functional models for cooperation, individualization and differentiation of the educational process. These ensure that the child is provided with conditions for activity and for mastering basic, sustainable rules for conscious participation and development that are important for the success of each of his activities. This is a type of social education that is achieved through exploring the social fabric andacquiring the skills for learning, choosing and communicating.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1612-1630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Wang ◽  
Harmen Oppewal ◽  
Dominic Thomas

Purpose Several studies have shown that superstitious beliefs, such as beliefs in “lucky” product attributes, influence consumer purchase behaviour. Still, little is known about how social influence, in particular mere social presence, impacts consumer superstition-related purchase decisions. Drawing on impression management theory, this paper aims to investigate the effect of social presence on consumer purchase decisions of products featuring lucky charms including the role of anticipated embarrassment as a mediator of the social presence effect. Design/methodology/approach In three studies, participants select products that feature or do not feature a lucky charm. They make these selections under varying conditions of social presence, as induced by the shopping setting in the scenario or through the use of confederates or fellow participants observing them make a real product selection. Participants are students from Australia and China. Findings The studies show that social presence makes consumers less likely to select products that feature a lucky charm. This suppressing effect is mediated by the consumers’ anticipated embarrassment. Research limitations/implications The study investigates the effect of social presence but does not investigate different parameters of social presence such as the number of people present and their familiarity. The study investigates effects for purchase settings but does not include effects of usage and neither does it look into differences across product types or lucky charm types. Practical implications Marketers should be careful to not make lucky charms too publicly salient. Online settings are more suitable than mortar-and-brick settings for selling products featuring a lucky charm. Originality/value The present research is the first to investigate consumer purchase behaviour for a product featuring a lucky charm. It is also the first to investigate the impact of social influence on superstition-based decision-making.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussein Ali Ahmad Abdoh ◽  
Oscar Varela

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of product market competition on capital spending (investments) financed by cash flow (CF), and the role of financial constraints (FC) on these effects. Design/methodology/approach The Herfindahl-Hirschman index of concentration measures competition. Earnings retention, working capital, the Kaplan and Zingales (1997) index and CF shortfalls measure FC. Regressions relating capital spending to competition are performed for the full sample, as well as financially constrained and unconstrained, and growth and value firms’ sub-samples. For robustness, large reductions in import tariffs are examined to exogenously measure competition, with the impact of these on capital spending tested via the difference-in-difference method. Findings The results show that competition fosters valuable investments when firms are financially unconstrained, especially for growth firms, and reduces these investments when they are financially constrained, especially for value firms. Practical implications The role of policy makers in alleviating FC should be focused toward growth firms that operate in competitive industries. As well, increasing financial pressure on value firms in competitive industries can have desirable effects, as it forces these firms to reduce investment inefficiency. Originality/value Many firm-specific and environmental factors drive the relation between competition and investment. Khanna and Tice (2000) find profitable firms increasing and highly levered firms decreasing investments in response to Wal-Mart’s entry into their markets. Jiang et al. (2015) suggest that environments with predictable growth drive a positive relation between competition and investments. This study claims that another factor that affects this relation is the firm’s level of FC.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Siti Djazimah ◽  
Ihab Habudin

Islam has expressly regulate the division of tasks and roles between husbands and wives fairly. Although the husband is obliged to provide sustenance for his wife and children, but the family law of Islam does not forbid a wife from helping her husband in making a living with her husband's consent and does not interfere with her obligations as a housewife. There is a wife in a family of craftsmen in the village of Tegal Kembang, Imogiri, Yogyakarta, which acts as the main breadwinners for their families. This article examines the wives who work as the wage earners by using the concept of maqa> s} id ash-shari'ah < 'ah. The impact that emerges of the role of the kapok craftsmen woman is more on the impacts that are in positive traits and it is associated with the hajjiy and daruriy needs. The wife who has an income has the economic independence power that can even sustain the needs of the family. Social interactions that occur in kapok craftsmen community, make a strong emotional connection between kapok craftsmen. While the social interaction with the "outside world" (consumers) clearly provides insight of the Kapok Craftsmen. As for the negative impact of the mother's role of Kapok craftsman towards parenting does not seem significant.[Islam secara tegas telah mengatur tentang pembagian tugas dan peran antara suami dan istri secara adil. Walaupun suami berkewajiban memberi nafkah kepada isteri dan anak-anaknya, tetapi hukum keluarga islam tidak melarang istri membantu suaminya dalam mencari nafkah dengan persetujuan suaminya dan tidak mengganggu kewajibannya sebagai seorang ibu rumah tangga. Ada istri pada keluarga perajin kapuk di dusun Tegal Kembang, Imogiri, Bantul,  Yogyakarta, yang berperan sebagai pencari nafkah utama bagi keluarganya. Tulisan ini mengkaji para isteri yang bekerja sebagai pencari nafkah dengan menggunakan konsep maqa>s}id asy-syari<‘ah. Dampak yang ditimbulkan dari peran yang dijalankan para ibu perajin kapuk adalah lebih pada dampak yang sifatnya positif dan hal ini terkait dengan kebutuhan yang sifatnya daruriy dan hajjiy. Para isteri yang mempunya penghasilan tersebut memiliki kemandirian dalam ekonomi bahkan dapat menopang kebutuhan keluarga. Interaksi sosial yang terjadi dalam komuitas perajin kapuk, menjadikan kuatnya hubungan emosional di antara perajin kapuk. Sementara  interaksi sosial dengan “dunia luar” (konsumen) jelas memberikan wawasan perajin kapuk semakin bertambah. Adapun dampak negatif peran ibu sebagai perajin kapuk terhadap pengasuhan anak tidak nampak secara signifikan.]


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Najafi Auwalu Ibrahim ◽  
Rosli Mahmood ◽  
Muhammad Shukri Bakar

PurposeThis study aims to explore the relationships between strategic improvisation, organizational culture and higher education institutions (HEIs) performance. The dynamic nature of today’s environment, increased population and demand and budget cuts have created a lot of pressure on HEIs around the world. Hence, the need for effective human resource capable of providing advanced policies for efficiency and sustainability of these institutions.Design/methodology/approachA total of 229 questionnaires were filled and returned by academic leaders from HEIs in Kano state, Nigeria. The study used partial least squares path modelling to test the hypotheses postulated.FindingsThe major findings indicate that both strategic improvisation and organizational culture dimensions have direct relationship with HEIs performance. However, only innovative culture moderates the relationship between strategic improvisation and HEIs, while bureaucratic culture and supportive culture fail to support the proposed hypothesis.Research limitations/implicationsMore studies are needed to further validate the impact of strategic improvisation (SI) on other public sector performance. Also, future studies should use longitudinal approach to establish at which stage SI has more impact on performance. Also, future studies should identify the difference that exists between units, department and faculty leaders, as some are more likely to engage in SI due to the nature of their specialization.Practical implicationsIt is obvious that HEIs performance is not only limited to organizational factors but also individual characteristics such as ability to improvise. Hence, HEIs should consider SI ability during employment to ensure efficiency, performance and sustainability. Moreover, organizational culture of HEIs needs to be updated and to be more flexible in accommodating new initiatives or failure to encourage display of such ability.Originality/valuePrevious studies especially in the for profit sector have demonstrated the role of SI and organizational culture on performance. Thus, the present study is one of the early studies in the non-profit sector, specifically the HEIs. Moreover, the inconsistent result of the previous findings necessitates the study to test the moderating effect of organizational culture.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1773-1788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weng Marc Lim

Purpose This paper aims to define the conceptual boundary of the selfie and to discuss the role of the selfie in the social media marketplace. Design/methodology/approach This paper extensively reviews and draws themes from the extant literature on consumer identities in the social media marketplace to explain the selfie phenomenon and to identify potentially fruitful directions for further research. Findings Current insights into the selfie phenomenon can be understood from socio-historical, technological, social media, marketing and ethical perspectives. Research limitations/implications Despite the limitations of a general review (e.g. absence of empirical data and analysis), this paper identifies multiple avenues to extend existing lines of inquiry on the selfie phenomenon. Thus, this paper should encourage further research on the topic in the academic and scientific community. Practical implications The selfie can be used as a marketing tool to improve marketing performance and accomplish marketing-related goals. Originality/value This paper sheds light on how marketing academics and practitioners can better understand the impact of the selfie in the social media marketplace.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-139
Author(s):  
Naval Bajpai ◽  
Kushagra Kulshreshtha ◽  
Prince Dubey ◽  
Gunjan Sharma

Purpose In the present era of modernization, the social group members interact with each other with selfish and unselfish intents. However, the unselfish means and ends build a long term relationship among people. On the other hand, selfish ends bud out unethical means such as abuses, violence and fights. The situation becomes tough when the same becomes evident among the family relationship and as a consequence the elderly are being treated unfairly. Out of such cases, some are reported and the majority of them remain unreported, which eventually becomes the cause of concern for the social welfare agencies. Thus, this paper aims to examine the elder abuse (EA) tendency in metro, non-metro and religious cities. Design/methodology/approach For this study, a mixed-method approach is used to develop survey instruments, validate findings using qualitative and quantitative data sources for better generalization of results. The present study explored and confirmed the related factors using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis for the establishment of a valid scale of EA. Further, the difference of perceptions among the elders for abuse across the metro, non-metro and religious cities was statistically checked using the ANOVA and post hoc techniques. Findings The present study identified the traces of EA and created a comprehensive understanding of it. The present study manifests the prevailing practices of EA in society by discussing the demerits of dependency and modernization. Moreover, the present study assesses the pervasiveness and the repercussion of dependency and the impact of modernization on EA followed by a discussion on how the victim elders may handle the situation. In the present study, a scale is developed to identify EA because of the dependency of the elderly and the modernization of society. Originality/value Some exclaiming thoughts such as the dependency of elders elevate the chances of EA on one side, while modernization of society hampers the social/family bonding leading to EA. The inconsistent development across the region has created modernization as a significant factor for EA. The level and depth of modernization across locations such as metro, non-metro and religious cities are the cause for varying degrees of EA. Based on the literature review, the present study has sensed the presence of EA in society at large by developing a scale for the aforesaid purpose.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 228-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Elizabeth Taylor ◽  
Susan Balandin ◽  
Erin Wilson ◽  
Kevin Murfitt

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review published research on retail customer service communication with people with complex communication needs (CCN) and impacts on their social inclusion.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers searched electronic databases EBSCOHost and Web of Science and found no studies on retail customers with CCN. The search was expanded with the intention of exploring factors affecting people with disability as a group and to locate the experience of people with CCN within findings. Studies found were reviewed by the first author and two external reviewers.FindingsTwelve articles met the broadened inclusion criteria. Analysis using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) found the literature demonstrated some environmental and personal factors that are likely to construct disability in the retail environment for people with CCN. The authors proposed further research to further explore ICF factors not identified in research and to establish links with social inclusion.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed to understand the role of retail customer service communication in the social inclusion of people with CCN.Social implicationsThe social inclusion of people with CCN will be assisted by findings on good practice customer service communication.Originality/valueShopping is rarely considered in social inclusion research. This review discovered an absence of research into the impact of retail customer communication on inclusion of customers with CCN and proposed a framework for further enquiry.


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