Pandemic preparedness and response in service hub cities: lessons from Northwestern Ontario

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Schiff ◽  
Bonnie Krysowaty ◽  
Travis Hay ◽  
Ashley Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Homeless Persons ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Chronic Homelessness ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Thunder Bay ◽  
Marginally Housed ◽  
Hub Cities

Purpose Responding to the needs of homeless and marginally housed persons has been a major component of the Canadian federal and provincial responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, smaller, less-resourced cities and rural regions have been left competing for limited resources (Schiff et al., 2020). The purpose of this paper is to use a case study to examine and highlight information about the capacities and needs of service hub cities during pandemics. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on the experience of Thunder Bay – a small city in Northern Ontario, Canada which experienced a serious outbreak of COVID-19 amongst homeless persons and shelter staff in the community. The authors catalogued the series of events leading to this outbreak through information tracked by two of the authors who hold key funding and planning positions within the Thunder Bay homeless sector. Findings Several lessons may be useful for other cities nationally and internationally of similar size, geography and socio-economic position. The authors suggest a need for increased supports to the homeless sector in small service–hub cities (and particularly those with large Indigenous populations) to aid in the creation of pandemic plans and more broadly to ending chronic homelessness in those regions. Originality/value Small hub cities such as Thunder Bay serve vast rural areas and may have high rates of homelessness. This case study points to some important factors for consideration related to pandemic planning in these contexts.

The ecomuseum and solidarity tourism: a case study from northeast Turkey

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-552
Author(s):  
Mustafa Doğan
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the ecomuseum and solidarity tourism and to measure their impact on community development. Design/methodology/approach The study presented here adopts two methods for collecting qualitative data: in-depth interviews and observations. The total number of village households was 42 and the number of households that hosted tourists in their home was 20. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, qualitative methods were employed in the form of lengthy interviews with 13 residents. Findings The findings indicate that tourism for the Bogatepe Village ecomuseum has focused on a solidarity perspective which has provided significant benefits to the community ensuring local sustainable development. The ecomuseum as a concept and a destination has helped to control tourism and strengthened the impact of solidarity tourism on the local community. Research limitations/implications The research presented here must be seen as exploratory. More generally, further research is needed to look at the possibility of developing this type of tourism in other rural areas and similar regions of Turkey (covering both small and large areas) with an important cultural heritage. Originality/value The combination of the ecomuseum and solidarity tourism can provide a sustainable solution for tourism in rural areas and provide a model in the development of tourism to other villages in Turkey. The question is whether it could also be used in larger rural areas. The study underlines that Bogatepe is certainly worthy of future study.

Serving the low-income consumer in a rich economy: Dollar General racks up sales

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glyn Atwal ◽  
Douglas Bryson
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The conceptualization of the Base of Pyramid (BOP) proposes that low-income markets can lead to profitable opportunities for businesses. The purpose of this study is to identify key success factors of a BOP business strategy based on a case study of the discount retailer, Dollar General, in the USA. Design/methodology/approach The research design used in this research is an in-depth case study of Dollar General in the USA. Qualitative methods are applied in both the primary and secondary data collection and during the follow-on data analysis of Dollar General. Findings Dollar General’s strategic profile is achieved through the combination of the following four actions which are tailored to compete effectively at the BOP in the USA: creating the neighborhood discounter, raising aspirational appeal, reducing service and eliminating internationalization. Research limitations/implications The case is specific to Dollar General in a US cultural context. Practical implications The case of Dollar General demonstrates how a discounter retailer should not only follow a low-cost strategy to compete at the BOP. Its ability to craft a distinctive strategy is coherent with meeting the logistical, rational and emotional needs of the low-income consumer in the USA. Social implications Many businesses have neglected rural areas of the USA as being unprofitable. The ability for businesses such as Dollar General to serve the BOP segment can foster the socio-economic well-being of communities. Originality/value The overwhelming body of the BOP literature is based on emerging markets. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the few studies to investigate BOP business strategy in the USA.

Sustainable farming entrepreneurship in the Sunraysia region

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Ratten
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Evolutionary Economics ◽  
Sustainable Entrepreneurship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Rural Economies

Purpose Sustainable entrepreneurship is crucial for the ongoing viability and growth of rural economies. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the role of farm entrepreneurs in the sustainable development of rural regional areas by focusing on the Sunraysia farming community in Australia. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical framework of evolutionary economics is utilized to understand the process of sustainable entrepreneurship for entrepreneurs in rural areas and a case study design is utilized to build theory linking place attachment, innovation legitimacy, and coopetitive behavior to sustainable farm entrepreneurship. The case studies are analyzed using an inductive approach to make theoretical contributions to rural and sustainable entrepreneurship. Findings The key findings are that coopetition is necessary amongst sustainable farm entrepreneurs in order to induce a culture of innovation. Research limitations/implications This study focuses on the Sunraysia region of Australia so might be limited in scope and replication to other geographic areas. Originality/value This study focuses on the role of rural regional areas and the special entrepreneurial characteristics of the Sunraysia region due to immigration and location advantages.

scholarly journals Stakeholders of public-private partnerships in Poland: an analysis of an evolving phenomenon

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Kusio
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Report Analysis ◽  
Original Case ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Personal Context ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose According to the growing role of stakeholders in the implementation of public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives, the purpose of this study is to diagnose the maturity of PPPs in Poland, taking into account the range of stakeholders’ participation in public-private initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The introductory study on the stakeholders of PPPs has been based on the report analysis of Polish initiatives and the case studies’ comparative analysis. The cases represent touristic projects realized within PPPs. Findings The results of the study indicate that the PPPs’ personal context, though recognized internationally, is to a very low extent present in the Polish case. As the PPP market is still in the process of development, the stakeholders’ issue should be taken into consideration in the processes of the PPP development in Poland. Practical implications As regional development is continuously a key issue, especially in rural areas context, the PPP initiatives are of great importance, and therefore the discussion of pros and cons in this context may contribute to the legislation at the regional level. Originality/value The study sheds some light and gives some interesting perspectives on the issue of the personal context of PPPs and social capital. Also, the text describes the path of developing PPPs in Poland and especially the touristic projects. The research part presents the original case study comparative analysis based on table-oriented form and as such enables the new way of contextual analysis.

Unbanked to banked: reintermediation role of banks in e-government services for financial inclusion in an Indian context

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessy Nair ◽  
Mohith Kumar Jain
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to develop a framework to implement electronic delivery systems for connecting federal government with rural citizens using banking infrastructure as a reintermediation platform; and second, to understand the challenges faced by banks in reintermediation for financial inclusion (FI). Design/methodology/approach This exploratory research adopts case study method to gain insights of the challenges faced by banks in e-government services for FI. In-depth structured interviews are conducted with key respondents: branch managers heading banks in rural areas. Findings Preliminary results based on in-depth interviews with branch managers of banks suggest that banks leverage facilitators called Bank Mitras (BM) (friends from bank as per the local language) to disseminate services offered by the banks to rural customers at each village. However, a key challenge faced by banks is the increased dependency on bank employees to complete the process of e-government transactions by the beneficiaries because of trust factor. Research limitations/implications This exploratory research builds on the case study approach using in-depth interviews with the branch managers of five banks as key respondents to develop the preliminary research framework for FI. Practical implications Policymakers can design banking systems to enhance transparency by implementing technologies and decentralizing routine transactions to citizens by enhancing the role of facilitators (BM). Social implications FI aims to reach out and empower citizens with banking facilities for disbursing e-government services. This process needs to be refined for the rural population of India to understand and better use the e-government services and schemes. Originality/value Insights from in-depth interviews with key respondents of the banks were collated and augmented with literature to enhance the rigor of the exploratory research.

scholarly journals The Slow Food Movement and sustainable tourism development: a case study of Mold, Wales

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 432-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy H. Jung ◽  
Elizabeth M. Ineson ◽  
Amanda Miller
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Slow Food ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Tourism Development ◽  
Local Stakeholders

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss stakeholders’ understanding of sustainable tourism development and their experiences regarding the contribution of these movements to sustainable tourism development. The contribution of the Slow Food and Cittaslow Movements to the success of a tourism destination is evaluated by determining local stakeholders’ perceptions of the meaning of these terms and views on their benefits. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach used semi-structured interviews to collect data from 11 purposively sampled local stakeholders. The interview questions spanned knowledge, membership and perceived benefits of the Slow Food and Cittaslow Movements and the contribution of these Movements to sustainable tourism development. The data were analysed using framework analysis. Findings – Varying levels of familiarity with the Slow Food and Cittaslow Movements were evident. Clear economic and personal benefits from membership were acknowledged. It was confirmed that the Slow Food and Cittaslow Movements have contributed to sustainable tourism development and that public–private partnership is key to its success. Research limitations/implications – The specific research context and limited purposive sample suggest great caution in any generalisation of the results. Practical implications – Close and continued involvement of stakeholders plus membership of the Slow Food and Cittaslow Movements can contribute strongly to promoting sustainable tourism development in rural areas. Social implications – It is recognised that the Slow Food and Cittaslow Movements make a substantial contribution to local economies and add value to sustainable practices. Originality/value – Involving local stakeholders in public–private partnerships can contribute to the success of rural tourism destinations when the Slow Food and Cittaslow Movements are considered as alternative approaches to sustainable tourism development.

scholarly journals The role of farm diversification and peasant habitus for farm resilience in mountain areas: the case of the Ötztal valley, Austria

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rike Stotten
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Farm Diversification ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social

PurposeBy examining a case study in Tyrol, Austria, the paper aims to demonstrate the role of farm diversification and the influence of the peasants’ habitus on social-ecological resilience.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a field study conducted in two remote villages of the Ötztal valley, Austrian Alps, this study provides insights into the interplay of tourism and farming and its impact on farm resilience. Qualitative narrative interviews, the so-called farm biographies, served to investigate these issues. Interpretations of data are based on qualitative content analysis.FindingsThe results highlight that farming and tourism are highly enmeshed in the case study area and that the additional income creates room for manoeuvre for the farms to activate their adaptive capability. At the same time, peasant values guide the farming activities. The farms in this study demonstrate a strong farm resilience that is enabled by farm diversification and rooted in their peasant habitus. This positively affects the social-ecological resilience.Originality/valueIn contrast to other studies, which have mainly applied the concepts of social or community resilience to investigate the resilience and vulnerability of rural areas, this study highlights the resilience of farms in mountain areas.

scholarly journals Smart City North: economic and labour force impacts of call centres in Sudbury, Ontario

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Schatz ◽  
Laura C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
New Economy ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Telecommunications Infrastructure ◽  
Call Centres ◽  
Local Labour ◽  
Academic Researchers

Geographers debate the value of telecommunications-mediated jobs (or ‘eWork’) for the economies of smaller, deindustrialised and rural areas. Against the backdrop of globalisation, various regions across Canada are courting knowledge-sector business development. Sudbury, a medium-sized northern Ontario city, has invested heavily in telecommunications infrastructure and touted its assets and resources to potential employers in order to help its ailing economy. Since the late 1990s, Sudbury has attracted some ten new call centres, with a combined labour force numbering about 4,000. In this article, we use Sudbury as a case study to consider the overall effects of eWork on a local labour force and a regional economy. From the combined perspectives of employers, unions, municipal planners, local economic development officials, and academic researchers, we assess the net impact of these new economy jobs.

scholarly journals Intangible heritage, and future past of rural Vietnam: a hero’s journey and creative place-making of Yen Tu’s tourism

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Goh ◽  
Ian Seymour Yeoman
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Hero's Journey ◽  
Place Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intangible Heritage ◽  
The Future ◽  
Tourism Attractions

Purpose This paper aims to look at the future development of new tourism attractions through the visionary project of a leading Vietnamese developer in a remote area of Northern Vietnam in the Quang Ninh province. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from the theoretical perspective of place-making and the hero’s journey, this paper draws insights from a case study, an interview with two key informants in the private sector and literature review, to generate the drivers that will shape the future of tourism development in Yen Tu. Findings This paper identifies the visionary hero (leader), intangible heritage and creative place-making as the key drivers that will reconstruct and repackage the past for developing tourism destinations. Originality/value This paper extends the existing knowledge in the literature about the natural heritage and sacred mountains of Yen Tu, and included creative place-making to gain insights into the future of tourism development in rural areas.

Quantitative assessment of flood discharges and floodway failures through cross-cultivation of advancement in knowledge and traditional practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 435-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buddhi Wahalathantri ◽  
Weena Lokuge ◽  
Warna Karunasena ◽  
Sujeeva Setunge
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Trial And Error ◽  
Flood Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regional Council ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Design Engineers ◽  
Case Study Area ◽  
Flood Characteristics

Purpose The 2011 and 2013 Queensland, Australia flood events caused massive infrastructure damage for low-level stream crossings such as floodways and culverts in regional Queensland. Failures of newly built floodways during the 2013 Queensland flood event in the Lockyer Valley Regional Council area raised significant concerns with respect to floodway design practices adopted in Australia and attracted significant research interest to enhance the resilience of floodways. Review of existing floodway design guidelines indicates that floodway design process is closely related to hydraulic and hydrological aspects. However, conducting a hydrological analysis is a challenging in rural areas, mainly owing to information scarcity. Floodways in rural areas often require a simple and economical solution contrast to more detailed hydrological analysis approaches adopted in urbanised areas. This paper aims to identify and apply the rational method to estimate maximum flood discharges at selected floodway locations in the Lockyer Valley Regional Council area. The paper further attempts to provide the first insight of flood characteristics during the 2011 and 2013 Queensland flood events at three catchment outputs across the selected case study area. It also highlights modern day challenges for practising engineers and researchers when estimating flood characteristics in rural areas. The paper shows that cross-cultivation of advancement in engineering practices and traditional approaches can promote quantitative approaches when assessing floodway damage in regional areas. Design/methodology/approach The research identifies limitations when assessing flood impact in rural regions in collaboration with experience from industry partners and authors themselves. The authors developed a framework to overcome those limitations arising from information scarcity to minimise the trial and error design approaches utilised in the current design practices for floodways. Findings This paper developed a simple and effective hydrological method with minimum inputs. It also provides an example on collating available but scattered resources and traditional method to quantitatively assess flood discharges of a rural catchment in Australia. Flood discharges at three catchment outlets along the Left-Hand Branch Road in the Lockyer Valley Region during both 2011 and 2013 Queensland flood events are estimated for the first time. The findings highlight the impact of flood discharges and flooded period on floodway failures. Research limitations/implications The current research is based on a selected case study area in Australia. However, similar challenges are expected all across the world, due to the scarcity of rainfall and flood measurement gauges. Practical implications Floodway designers can apply similar framework to estimate the flood discharges instead of current practice of trial and error process. This will provide more scientific and reliable estimation and assessment process. Social implications One of the social impacts identified in the broader research is the community outrages and disagreement between floodway design engineers and the community. Following the developed framework in the manuscript, design engineers will be able to justify their assumptions and design work. Originality/value The paper presents a novel framework on collating different and scattered information towards estimating flood discharges in rural areas. The manuscript presents the first insights on estimated flood discharges in the selected case study area during the 2011 and 2013 Queensland flood events. This will enable further research to be performed in a quantitative manner rather than the present approach of qualitative manner.

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