scholarly journals Ageing Entrepreneurs and Business Transfer Challenges in Croatia

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
Petra Mezulić Juric ◽  
Mirela Alpeza ◽  
Sunčica Oberman Peterka
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Transfer Process ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
Financial Security ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Commercial Activity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Successful Business

AbstractBusiness transfer as a research topic awakened the interest of researchers in the past few decades. Business transfer is defined as a change of ownership of any firm to another person or legal entity assuring the continuous existence and commercial activity of the enterprise, and it encompasses different kinds of transfers both to family and non-family members. Ageing and consequently retirement are often mentioned as the reasons for entrepreneurs’ exits from the companies and intention to initiate the business transfer process. A successful business transfer process is one of the key prerequisites for long-term sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises. There is a significant number of ageing business owners in Croatia who will exit their companies in the coming years. Considering the number of these entrepreneurs and the influence their exits can have on company stakeholders and national economy in general, it is of great importance to better understand the factors that can influence the choice of their exit strategies. The aim of the paper is to provide an understanding of the dilemmas that the ageing entrepreneurs face when considering different exit modes. The data for the study was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with six ageing business owners. The analysis of the interviews enabled the identification of the challenges that ageing entrepreneurs face in the business transfer process: emotional attachment to the firm, strong preference for family succession and concerns about financial security after retirement. Some of these challenges are a result of the undeveloped business transfer ecosystem, strong tradition and cultural values that imply family succession as the only acceptable exit strategy for retiring company owners in Croatia.

Sudden violent death: social workers’ strategies for coping with a traumatic event in a Bedouin community

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuzha Allassad Alhuzail ◽  
Merav Moshe Grodofsky
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Traumatic Death ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to explore challenges and coping strategies of social workers following the traumatic death of eight women from a Bedouin village in southern Israel. The data highlight how religion and indigenous Bedouin knowledge and customs both assisted and impeded the study participants’ strategies. The findings suggest that familiarity with religion and indigenous knowledge and customs may be useful to social workers in helping to manage traumatic events. However, the findings also suggest that religious and cultural values that encourage suppression of emotion may have long-term negative effects on social workers.

scholarly journals The Resilient Bond With Zhujiajiao: (Re)making Community in a Chinese Tourism Town

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-135
Author(s):  
Siyang Cao ◽  
Wenzhi Wu
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Contemporary China ◽  
The Past ◽  
Chinese Perspective ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Analytical Importance ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article examines how community has been reinterpreted and remade among local residents in relation to the development of tourism in Zhujiajiao, China. Focusing on the narratives and practices of long-term residents, it was found that people generally maintain a resilient bond with their community in Zhujiajiao despite profound local changes. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the article brings to light the complicated and contextual meanings of community that are constantly under negotiation. We argue that the notion of community is reconstructed through narratives of the past, everyday social interactions, and material connections between people and places. Meanwhile, the process of remaking Zhujiajiao community is shaped by cultural values and situated within wider structural conditions. In this way, the article contributes to debates on the analytical importance of relationality and sociality in the recent rethinking of community from a Chinese perspective. It also argues for the need to develop more nuanced understandings of community in contemporary China beyond viewing it as a form of urban governance by focusing on residents’ narratives and practices.

The Effects of Outsourcing in Logistics Services to Competitive Advantage

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mert KILIÇ ◽  
Ayşe GÜNSEL ◽  
Hülya GÜNDÜZ ÇEKMECELİOĞLU
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Fixed Costs ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Logistics Services

As the competitive business landscape has dramatically changed in the past ten to fifteen years, firms have to face the fact that they should take the necessary steps to decrease the fixed costs and increase the quality for the long-term success and survival. Accordingly, the logistics in general, for the manufacturing companies in particular, becomes more and more important. Numerous companies, providing outsource services such as logistics, have emerged to answer this growing demand. Accordingly, in this study, we aim to reveal the effects of Outsourcing In Logistics Services (OILS) on firm competitiveness and success through Semi-structured interviews conducted on the logistics managers of 7 companies. The findings mainly demonstrate that; i) Companies attach a great deal of importance on OILS and ii) OILS contribute obtaining and sustaining competitive advantage which ultimately results in superior performance.

Past and present land reform in Cuba (1959–2020): from peasant collectivisation to re-peasantisation and beyond

Rural History ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Elisa Botella-Rodríguez ◽  
Ángel Luis González-Esteban
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Land Reforms ◽  
Global Era ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Past

Abstract Cuba is a paradigmatic case where the term and concept of the peasantry remains of lived importance. Cuban peasants had a significant role in the past as they did return to the political agenda after the Revolution with particular emphasis under Raul Castro’s administration. However, the Cuban case has not been significantly explored from a long-term perspective that connects the old debates and dimensions of land reforms under developmentalist states to the new agrarian questions in the global era. Based on secondary sources, semi-structured interviews and updated data on land structures, this article explores the long-term process of land reform in Cuba.

“Decent work” in the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sardana Islam Khan ◽  
Timothy Bartram ◽  
Jillian Cavanagh ◽  
Md Sajjad Hossain ◽  
Silvia Akter
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Moral Agency ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ethical Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
External Stakeholders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives of 26 business owners, managers and supervisors on “decent work” (DW) in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative study draws on a framework of ethical human resource management and situated moral agency to establish the ways in which RMG workers are afforded DW. This study uses semi-structured interviews to assess the prospect of DW through applying the ILO’s four-pillar framework of DW. Findings Findings indicate there is a concern among owners and managers of the need to reconcile internal and external pressures to maintain and improve DW. It is evident that ethical practices and moral agency are not self-initiated but in response to mounting political and legal pressures and those of external stakeholders. Employers favour the concept of workers’ participation committees as one means to communicate and negotiate with workers rather than recognise trade unions. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to six organisations in the RMG sector in Bangladesh, but there are implications for all RMG sector organisations to promote reform and DW for all workers. Practical implications DW necessitates major national and international stakeholders to negotiate and cooperate to ensure the long-term competitiveness and survival of the Bangladeshi RMG sector. Originality/value The study calls for reform in a developing country where many workers are denied DW.

scholarly journals “Making do with things we cannot change”: An interpretive phenomenological analysis of relationship resilience among gay men in Singapore

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110179
Author(s):  
Muhamad Alif Bin Ibrahim ◽  
Joanna Barlas
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Intimate Relationships ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Financial Capital ◽  
Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Financial Security ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Gay Couples

Despite evolving social and political attitudes, many countries, including Singapore, still do not recognize couples in same-sex relationships. Much remains to be understood about the processes and strategies that help these couples maintain their relationships, especially in Asian societies. This study explored the ways in which gay men in intimate relationships safeguarded their relationships and remained resilient in Singapore. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine gay men in long-term relationships. The data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The analysis generated three superordinate themes, a) Making do with things we cannot change, b) Remaining resilient through social and financial capital, and c) Our love is stronger than the challenges we face. The emergent themes pointed to the ways in which participants coped with or shielded themselves against socio-political stressors that negatively impacted their relationships in the Singapore context. While some participants sought solace in families of choice, many learned to accept socio-political situations beyond their control. Most participants made do with implicit recognition as they were unwilling to disrupt social harmony. Others used their financial security to overcome structural barriers such as obtaining legal elements of heterosexual marriage. Findings may further current understanding of the ways in which gay couples remain resilient despite the relational challenges in different cultural contexts.

scholarly journals Perception of Youth Towards Live-In Relationships in India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinita Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Relationship ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Financial Security ◽  
The Past ◽  
Testing Ground ◽  
Current Attitude ◽  
Term Basis ◽  
Gender Based

“A live-in relationship is an arrangement where two unmarried people live together on a long-term basis in an emotionally or sexually intimate relationship” (Gopal, n.d.). Live-in relationships have seen a remarkable rise in the Indian society in the past decade. This rise can be attributed to the changing perception of youth towards live-in relationships, the need to test compatibility before marriage or to establish financial security before marriage. This paper aims to study the current attitude of Indian youth towards heterosexual cohabitation, popularly known as live-in relationships. This paper has tried to understand whether gender-based differences play an important role in the formation of attitudes towards live-in relationships, whether live-in relationships have become a presumption for marriage and if it has taken precedence over the institution of marriage. I constructed a questionnaire to assess the current attitude of youth towards live-in relationships and used the survey method to collect data. According to the results, it can be said that gender-based differences play an important role in the formation of attitudes towards live-in relationships. Although live-in relationships help in assessing compatibility before marriage, it has not become a presumption for marriage, so it would be incorrect to say that live-in relationships have become a testing ground for marriage. The results also indicate that live-in relationships have not taken precedence over marriage.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL TRENDS ON BUSINESS PRACTICES

1998 ◽  
Vol 06 (03) ◽  
pp. 333-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAMIN COOPER MAYSAMI ◽  
VALERIE PRISCILLA GOBY
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Chinese Business ◽  
Chinese Entrepreneurs ◽  
Successful Business ◽  
The Impact

The Chinese, the largest ethnic population in the world, have traditionally been successful business owners. From various studies, personal characteristics and management styles, as well as social and cultural values, have been cited as reasons that contribute to the success of Chinese business owners in general, and to the prosperity of Singaporean Chinese entrepreneurs in particular. This article, aims to identify such success factors and to outline the evolution of Chinese-Singaporean culture, which at times impede entrepreneurship, and suggest ways to remedy the situation.

scholarly journals A history of abuse: Documenting the harms experienced by the “Trainspotting generation”

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Weston ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Users ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Social Harm ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of

The story of the past 40 years has been the relentless hollowing-out of industrial Britain leading to long-term unemployment and discarded generations that have been excluded socially and economically (Pearson 1987a, 1987b, Buchanan and Young 2000). In an attempt to block out these harsh social and economic realities of their lives, the youth of the 80s and 90s turned to heroin (Buchanan and Wyke 1987). By adopting a social harm approach to the analysis of semi-structured interviews with twelve opiate users (OUs), I argue that the problems often associated with drug use – experiences of stigmatisation, unemployment, and physical and mental health – might be best understood as harms resulting from a reductionist discourse that misrepresents drugs and drug users as a threat to society and focuses treatment on reducing the risks that OUs pose rather than enhancing the social resources necessary for human flourishing. La historia de los últimos 40 años ha sido el incesante desmantelamiento de la Gran Bretaña industrial hacia el desempleo de larga duración y las generaciones descartadas que han sido excluidas social y económicamente (Pearson 1987a, 1987b, Buchanan y Young 2000). En un intento de bloquear estas duras realidades sociales y económicas de sus vidas, los jóvenes de los 80 y los 90 recurrieron a la heroína (Buchanan y Wyke 1987). A partir de un abordaje de daño social para el análisis de entrevistas semiestructuradas con doce usuarios de opiáceos, aduzco que los problemas comúnmente asociados al consumo de drogas –experiencias de estigmatización, desempleo, y salud física y mental– podrían entenderse mejor como daños resultantes de un discurso reduccionista que representa erróneamente las drogas y a sus consumidores como una amenaza a la sociedad, y enfoca el tratamiento como una reducción de los daños que suponen los consumidores de opiáceos en lugar de enfocarlo en los recursos sociales que se necesitan para la prosperidad humana.

scholarly journals A First Year’s Impact of the Pandemic on the Czech Entrepreneurial Activity

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 52-60
Author(s):  
Ondřej Dvouletý ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
The Past ◽  
Administrative Units ◽  
One Year

Every crisis affects entrepreneurial activity; for some entrepreneurs, it is an opportunity for a new start; others are forced to shut down their businesses. This study aimed to analyze the effect of the global coronavirus (so-called COVID-19) pandemic on Czech entrepreneurial activity. The article exploits the administrative data covering business demographics of seventy-seven Local Administrative Units (LAU1) regions over the years 2008-2020. Data were obtained from the Czech Statistical Office. The study provides insights into the short term effects of the pandemic, i.e. one year after. The results from the panel regression models and placebo tests comparing forecasted values of new businesses registrations and closures with actual values obtained after the end of 2020 do not show that there would be a significant drop in the Czech entrepreneurial activity. On the opposite, the data indicate that the Czech entrepreneurial activity grew and even increased compared with 2019. However, the obtained results need to be interpreted with caution, as many factors influenced Czech businesses’ development. Specifically, we mention the past economic growth, the introduction of public entrepreneurship and SME policy instruments and financial back-ups of the business owners. There are several implications of the conducted research. For instance, there is a need to observe the long-term effects of the pandemic on business demography and its structure. We propose to study changes in bankruptcy rates in the most harmed sectors such as tourism, hospitality, culture or sport and compare them with sectors that could easier transfer their business activities online.

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