Improving unsustainable livelihood through marketing interventions

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-118
Author(s):  
Subhojit Banerjee ◽  
Anuj Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Secondary Survey ◽  
Initial Survey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe an initiative to improve the daily earnings of a rickshaw puller by training them to retail branded FMCG products based on a “bulk buying retail selling” model. The paper is based on the findings of a survey conducted 112 rickshaw pullers in a semi-urban district of eastern India. It also dwells on the business of rickshaw pulling and the socio-economic status of the rickshaw puller. Critical issues related to the sustainability and the future of such interventions on a large scale has also been discussed. Design/methodology/approach – An initial survey of 112 rickshaw pullers was done using a structured schedule that captured data related to age, literacy level, earnings per day, ownership and working hours. Some additional aspects related to socio-cultural aspects were also collected as an unstructured interview. A secondary survey from 107 respondents representing different sections of the society who frequently use rickshaw as a means for transport was also done to take an opinion on intervention issues. Findings – Findings of the paper suggest that rickshaw pullers have three distinct strategic advantages of literacy, access and mobility, which makes them a potent resource for marketing intervention. Research limitations/implications – The paper reflects on a systematic intervention plan that can change the socio-economic pattern of rickshaw pulling. A possibility of contributory roles from garage owners and wholesellers is also explored. The proposed scheme may also bail-out the small-scale industries and handicraft businesses in villages. Major limitations of the research are long-term sustainability and large-scale implementation of the proposed model. Practical implications – The paper can act as a manual for small entrepreneurs and NGOs working in the social-development area for implementing schemes targeted at rickshaw pullers. The paper also has valuable points for the consideration of policy makers. Originality/value – The research has given insights in to the livelihood aspect of one of the most essential but neglected modes of transport, i.e. rickshaw pulling. The paper has also identified key strengths that rickshaw pulling has, which otherwise is considered purely physical and low-skilled job.

Societal discontent will increase in Bahrain

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Social Protest ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
Base Level

Significance Although large-scale social protest in Bahrain has been cowed over the ten years since the ‘Arab uprisings’, small-scale demonstrations recur, reflecting a base level of discontent. Mobilising issues include economic pressures, limited political representation (especially of the Shia majority) and, most recently, ties with Israel. Impacts Despite protests, Israel’s and Bahrain’s respective ambassadors will keep up high-profile activity and statements. The authorities are likely to exaggerate the role of Iranian interference in order to deepen the Sunni-Shia divide. If Riyadh manages to extricate itself from the Yemen war, that could partly reduce the pressure on Manama.

School leaders' preferences for teacher applicant characteristics in a large urban school district

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Kyle Ingle ◽  
Namok Choi ◽  
Marco A. Munoz
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Assistant Principals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference

PurposeWe surveyed educational leaders in a large, urban school district in the southeastern United States, examining: (1) the factor structure of scores from a new measure of administrators' preferred teacher applicant characteristics, and (2) the relationships between administrator demographics and their preferences.Design/methodology/approachWe implemented a non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design using the Preferred Teacher Applicant Characteristics Survey (PTACS). We undertook descriptive and exploratory factor analyses in order to examine dimensions and underlying patterns among the 31 survey items. The retained factors served as the dependent variables in our multiple regression analyses.FindingsWe identified a four-factor structure: (1) personal, (2) professional, (3) student outcomes, and (4) demographics. Our analyses suggest that there was not meaningful variability in administrators' preferred characteristics of applicants across racial and gender variables, but revealed a significant difference between principals and assistant principals for applicant demographics.Research limitations/implicationsOur findings are limited in their generalizability to the respondents from a single urban district who completed our survey in spring 2018. Although we cannot establish causation, the significant difference between principals and assistant principals for demographics may result from principals feeling greater pressure from district targets to hire diverse staff than their assistant principal counterparts. It is important to note that preferences for teacher applicant characteristics are different from actual hiring decisions and the availability of preferred characteristics.Originality/valueOur study is the first large-scale use of the instrument in a large US urban school district, a context, which poses significant challenges to the education of youth as well as the hiring and retention of educators.

scholarly journals Supply chain resilience in a developing country context: a case study on the interconnectedness of threats, strategies and outcomes

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 486-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Tukamuhabwa ◽  
Mark Stevenson ◽  
Jerry Busby
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Supply Network ◽  
Catastrophic Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Resilience

Purpose In few prior empirical studies on supply chain resilience (SCRES), the focus has been on the developed world. Yet, organisations in developing countries constitute a significant part of global supply chains and have also experienced the disastrous effects of supply chain failures. The purpose of this paper is therefore to empirically investigate SCRES in a developing country context and to show that this also provides theoretical insights into the nature of what is meant by resilience. Design/methodology/approach Using a case study approach, a supply network of 20 manufacturing firms in Uganda is analysed based on a total of 45 interviews. Findings The perceived threats to SCRES in this context are mainly small-scale, chronic disruptive events rather than discrete, large-scale catastrophic events typically emphasised in the literature. The data reveal how threats of disruption, resilience strategies and outcomes are inter-related in complex, coupled and non-linear ways. These interrelationships are explained by the political, cultural and territorial embeddedness of the supply network in a developing country. Further, this embeddedness contributes to the phenomenon of supply chain risk migration, whereby an attempt to mitigate one threat produces another threat and/or shifts the threat to another point in the supply network. Practical implications Managers should be aware, for example, of potential risk migration from one threat to another when crafting strategies to build SCRES. Equally, the potential for risk migration across the supply network means managers should look at the supply chain holistically because actors along the chain are so interconnected. Originality/value The paper goes beyond the extant literature by highlighting how SCRES is not only about responding to specific, isolated threats but about the continuous management of risk migration. It demonstrates that resilience requires both an understanding of the interconnectedness of threats, strategies and outcomes and an understanding of the embeddedness of the supply network. Finally, this study’s focus on the context of a developing country reveals that resilience should be equally concerned both with smaller in scale, chronic disruptions and with occasional, large-scale catastrophic events.

scholarly journals Narratives of everyday resilience: lessons from an urban kampung community in Surabaya, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirleyana ◽  
Scott Hawken ◽  
Riza Yosia Sunindijo ◽  
David Sanderson
Keyword(s):  
Inner City ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disadvantaged Communities ◽  
Political Network ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose This paper aims to discuss what people perceive as risks and resilience factors, and how they build everyday resilience. Design/methodology/approach The study focuses on Kampung (literally “village”) Plampitan, a neighbourhood in the inner-city part of Surabaya. The research used field observation, in-depth interviews and workshops during community meetings to collect data. Findings The results show how people respond to daily risks and find the support necessary to survive. The problems and risks revealed in the study include crime and economic difficulties, such as unemployment and insufficient income. Coping strategies identified are classified into place-based adaption, people-based network and political network. These strategies can serve as a starting point for local communities to assess their resilience and assist them in enhancing “everyday” resilience. Originality/value The paper argues that the concept of resilience must go beyond top-down approaches to disaster risk management and integrate bottom-up understanding from the perspective of local people, especially among marginal and disadvantaged communities. The paper develops the emerging and overlooked concept of “everyday resilience” and suggests that it is essential in surviving both “everyday” or small-scale chronic risks and large-scale disasters.

Review of Tensile Strain Capacity Prediction Models for Strain-Based Design of Pipelines

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Yeob Park ◽  
James A. Gianetto
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Failure Criteria ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Crack Tip Opening Displacement ◽  
Opening Displacement ◽  
Strain Capacity ◽  
Critical Issues

Abstract In this paper, three tenile strain capacity (TSC) prediction models developed for strain-based design (SBD) of girth-welded pipelines were reviewed, together with a brief introduction of technical backgrounds of their development. Most TSC models rely on small-scale mechanical and fracture toughness measurements to estimate the TSC of pipelines. Hence, we surveyed published experimental and computational data to examine the transferability of small-scale fracture toughness measurements to large-scale pipe fractures. Lastly, some gaps and issues that were found from the review are proposed for improvement of TSC models for SBD. The critical issues found with current TSC models and SBD are (a) differences in strain measurement for full-scale pipe tests/simulations, (b) multiple crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) definitions, (c) no application of J-integral as a toughness parameter, (d) no consensus on failure criteria, and (e) inconsideration of thermal and natural strain aging effects.

Culture and competitiveness in small-scale Latin-American forestry-based enterprising communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos M. Jardon ◽  
Xavier Martinez–Cobas
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Local Culture ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Company Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Small-scale forestry-based enterprising communities are particularly associated with their territory and, therefore, are very conditioned by the local culture. This paper aims to explore the relationship between culture and competitiveness in small-scale Latin-American forestry-based enterprising communities. Design/methodology/approach This study used 212 surveys in companies linked to the production, industrialisation and commercialisation sector of the forestry industry in the province of Misiones (Argentina), using partial least squares to analyse the relationships thereof. Findings Culture and competitive advantages improve the growth of small-scale timber businesses and growth, in turn, increases financial performance. However, culture does not have an impact on competitive advantage and no interaction effect of culture on competitive advantage was detected. The results can indicate that there might be a need to incorporate other concepts and operationalisation that are better suited to the geographical and industrial contexts in developing countries. Research limitations/implications The literature and measures used to operationalise variables in the survey did not necessarily succeed in capturing the culture in the studied small- and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, the design of the sample and subjective measures may partially condition the results. Practical implications For business managers and consultants, this study indicates that they must take into account the local culture to improve performance. Entrepreneurs must reorient the company strategy towards the long term, integrating local culture into their strategy to generate competitive advantages. Social implications Political authorities and social agents should also take into consideration the cultural aspects of the territory when implementing regulations and specific actions to improve the industry and strengthen the sense of community. The results highlight the vitality of animators and development agencies and of any factor that fosters social cohesion. Originality/value The paper shows a new approach to the relationship between culture and competitiveness in small-scale forestry-based enterprising communities, combining performance in a formal sector with the bazaar model.

Reckoning with the barriers to Lean implementation in Northern Indian SMEs using the AHP-TOPSIS approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Saini ◽  
Doordarshi Singh
Keyword(s):  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Extensive Study ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Topsis Method ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The People

Purpose The purpose of this study is to recognize critical barriers for Lean manufacturing practices implementation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) focusing in the context of a developing economy. The advancement of SMEs is of utmost important for a surge in exports while competing with other countries and these barriers have to be given due importance as they play a major role in stalling the overall development of SMEs. Design/methodology/approach In this present investigation, 26 barriers to Lean implementation in SMEs have been identified after an extensive study of the literature available on the subject. After that, the influential barriers were investigated through the Analytical hierarchy process-Technique of order preference by similarity to ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) method using priority weightage given to them by different experts in their industries. The ranking given to the barriers is based on the AHP-TOPSIS method and has been validated by the sensitivity analysis. Findings The investigation reveals that for the successful implementation of Lean manufacturing practices, the will of the management, individual will power and contribution of the people matter a lot apart from other barriers such as flexibility, expertise of the people, resources and resistance offered by the people to new programs. The solutions for overcoming these barriers are also provided in this study and a model has been suggested for the same. Research limitations/implications This work was devoted to the evaluation of obstacles in the introduction of Lean practices and prioritizing them. But it was limited to the medium- and small-scale organizations located in Northern India. Further studies can expand the scope to the large-scale units in the field. Moreover, the scope of this study was confined to the manufacturing sector. Future studies can extend it to the non-manufacturing environments such as the service sector, health care, etc. This investigation was based on the judgments of industry experts and academicians. Another approach such as Viekriterijumsko kompromisno rangiranje can be used for future investigations. Originality/value This study is significant when keeping in mind the contribution of SMEs to a country’s economy, especially in the Indian context.

An analysis of the Gezi Park social movement tweets

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 426-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selcen Ozturkcan ◽  
Nihat Kasap ◽  
Muge Cevik ◽  
Tauhid Zaman
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Shopping Mall ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Social Media Analytics ◽  
Public Park ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Arab Spring

Purpose Twitter usage during Gezi Park Protests, a significant large-scale connective action, is analyzed to reveal meaningful findings on individual and group tweeting characteristics. Subsequent to the Arab Spring in terms of its timing, the Gezi Park Protests began by the spread of news on construction plans to build a shopping mall at a public park in Taksim Square in Istanbul on May 26, 2013. Though started as a small-scale local protest, it emerged into a series of multi-regional social protests, also known as the Gezi Park demonstrations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors sought answers to three important research questions: whether Twitter usage is reflective of real life events, what Twitter is actually used for, and is Twitter usage contagious? The authors have collected streamed data from Twitter. As a research methodology, the authors followed social media analytics framework proposed by Fan and Gordon (2014), which included three consecutive processes; capturing, understanding, and presenting. An analysis of 54 million publicly available tweets and 3.5 million foursquare check-ins, which account to randomly selected 1 percent of all tweets and check-ins posted from Istanbul, Turkey between March and September 2013 are presented. Findings A perceived lack of sufficient media coverage on events taking place on the streets is believed to result in Turkish protestors’ use of Twitter as a medium to share and get information on ongoing and planned demonstrations, to learn the recent news, to participate in the debate, and to create local and global awareness. Research limitations/implications Data collection via streamed tweets comes with certain limitations. Twitter restricts data collection on publicly available tweets and only allows randomly selected 1 percent of all tweets posted from a specific region. Therefore, the authors’ data include only tweets of publicly available Twitter profiles. The generalizability of the findings should be regarded with concerning this limitation. Practical implications The authors conclude that Twitter was used mainly as a platform to exchange information to organize street demonstrations. Originality/value The authors conclude that Twitter usage reflected Street movements on a chronological level. Finally, the authors present that Twitter usage is contagious whereas tweeting is not necessarily.

Organizational learning: a road map to evaluate learning outcomes in knowledge intensive firms

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 11-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arunprasad Purushothaman
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technology Application ◽  
Organization Transformation ◽  
Software Companies ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and measure the organizational learning outcomes in a sample of knowledge-intensive firms like software companies. Design/methodology/approach – The sample chosen for this study comprised software professionals; the software companies were chosen based on the listing in the National Association of Software and Services Companies annual report with financial turnover as a base for classification. The learning outcomes discussed in this study are grounded on the dimensions of the building blocks of learning organization, which are classified as learning dynamics, organization transformation, knowledge management, people empowerment and technology application. Findings – Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in learning outcomes based on the organization’s age. The organizational learning orientation for medium- and very large-scale companies are on the higher side with reduced organization hierarchy; better technology-based learning; structured knowledge management practices; learning-centric talent acquisition, talent management and total rewards. Small-scale companies fared well in organization transformation dimension and large-scale companies constantly nurture the congenial learning environment. Practical implications – The tool can help knowledge-intensive firms to analyze the extent to which organizational practices aligned with learning initiatives are visibly seen in terms of learning outcomes. Thus, the learning culture can be articulated and associated with the growing needs of an organization. Originality/value – Organizational learning initiatives can be enhanced and reinforced through customized organization practices by observing the measures of learning dimensions.

scholarly journals Governance and enterprise restructuring: the case of Macedonia

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mico Apostolov
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Transition Economy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Institution Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Enterprise Restructuring ◽  
The Republic

Purpose – This paper is a case study of the Republic of Macedonia and focuses on the development of governance and enterprise restructuring. Thus, country's effective corporate governance and corporate control, which impact enterprise restructuring, are essential in the analysis of market-driven restructuring through domestic financial institutions and markets. The data used in this article are analyzed with an econometric regression model, which as employed in this study examines the interrelationships between governance and enterprise restructuring and set of policies that influence the governance patterns. Two basic hypothesis are taken in the analysis: first, governance and enterprise restructuring depend on set of policies, such as, large-scale privatization, small-scale privatization, price liberalization, competition policy, trade and foreign exchange system, banking reform and interest rate liberalization, securities markets and non-bank financial institutions and overall infrastructure reform; and second, governance and enterprise restructuring improves over time due to imposed policies. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this article are analyzed with an econometric regression model, which as employed in this study examines the interrelationships between governance and enterprise restructuring and set of policies that influence the governance patterns. Findings – There is still more to be done in order to bring these economies closer to the standards of developed ones. Indeed, it is needed considerable improvement of corporate governance, institution-building to control agency problems and imposing already adopted regulation, as well as, enforcing new enterprise restructuring policies, within existing policies of overall transition economy restructuring. Originality/value – This paper is a contribution to the research developing the business aspects of the Macedonian economy, as there is constant lack of scientific papers that deal with the specific issues of corporate governance and enterprise restructuring.

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