scholarly journals Residents’ Perception of Destination Quality: Key Factors for Sustainable Rural Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iulia C. Muresan ◽  
Rezhen Harun ◽  
Felix H. Arion ◽  
Camelia F. Oroian ◽  
Diana E. Dumitras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Sustainable Rural Development ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
North West ◽  
The North

Tourism represents a viable alternative for economic activities in rural areas, and improves the living standards of the communities. The aim of the paper is to assess residents’ perceptions towards tourism destination quality in the North-West Development Region of Romania using the following items: natural attractions: cultural and social attractions; accommodation; food; availability of transportation to destination area; quality of information and communication; hospitality of host community; feeling of security and safety. A survey was conducted to collect the data and a total of 433 questionnaires were validated and analyzed. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Principal component analysis, ANOVA, Scheffe multiple range test) were used to analyze the data. Results show that there are statistically significant differences in residents’ perceptions between counties. Two of the components of destination quality (general infrastructure and tourism potential) are affected by the gender of residents, while the level of education has no significant effect. A weak and indirect correlation was found between the age of residents and their perception towards a quality destination. This study makes two contributions to the existing literature. First, a questionnaire was developed based on the QUALITEST tool adapted to the realities of the research area. Second, we analyzed the perception of residents towards a quality destination in relation to their socio-demographic characteristics and county of residence. Understanding the implications of tourism development from the residents’ point of view helps to increase knowledge about the factors affecting the long-term, sustainable success of tourism destinations.

scholarly journals Urban or Rural: Does It Make A Difference for Economic Resilience? A Modelling Study on Economic and Cultural Geography in Romania

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandru Pavel ◽  
Bogdan Andrei Moldovan ◽  
Karima Kourtit ◽  
Peter Nijkamp
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Economic Resilience ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Explanatory Factors

This article aims at investigating and measuring the economic resilience of local communities (43 urban and 403 rural) in Romania. The study focuses on the implications of the deep economic and financial crisis from 2008 to 2011 and explores the capacity of Romanian local economies in the North-West region to respond to these events. The research consists of developing an appropriate framework for assessing and quantifying community economic resilience, based on previous research of existing literature, and of measuring local economic development through a composite indicator by aggregating a series of variables using principal component analysis. The results show some striking differences between urban and rural communities in terms of impact, recovery, and performance compared with a pre-crisis level. Through regression analysis we were able to not only identify the determinants/explanatory factors for high-impact resilience that helped the recovery after an economic shock, but also the resilience drivers for ‘bouncing forward’ after the crisis, for both urban and rural communities. Our findings show an interesting change in the regional economy: some economic activities from the large urban areas in Romania moved to the nearby rural areas.

scholarly journals Motivational factors affecting informal women entrepreneurs in North-West Province

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanchen Henning ◽  
Kabira Akoob
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
North West ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
The North ◽  
Entrepreneurial Spirit ◽  
The Government

Background: Informal women entrepreneurs in the rural villages of North-West strive to progress from poverty to prosperity. There is a growing appreciation that the conditions that support women’s ability to start and grow ventures may be different from those that help men and therefore there is a need to examine the motivational factors affecting women’s enterprise development.Aim: The study aimed to identify the motivational factors of women in the Mahikeng area to start informal enterprises, the barriers they experience and their developmental business needs.Setting: The study focussed on informal women entrepreneurs in the rural villages of Mahikeng in the North-West province.Methods: In total, 80 face-to-face questionnaires were completed with women entrepreneurs. A principal component analysis of 15 items of the total questionnaire was performed on the data to determine which items could be reduced and transformed into new components.Results: ‘Destitute conditions’, ‘Entrepreneurial Spirit’ and ‘Passion for Product’ emerged as the three underlying motivational factors. The component ‘Destitute conditions’ was ranked as the most important reason for starting an informal business. The need to transcend impoverished conditions (a push factor) and the need for self-determination (a pull factor) were almost equally strong amongst the 80 participants. ‘Lack of financial and business skills’ was ranked as the biggest obstacle to keeping the business running. Ninety-one per cent of the women entrepreneurs reported that they had never received any training from the government or the private sector.Conclusions: Access to basic infrastructure, training, funding and business networks will enable self-efficacy behaviour of women entrepreneurs in the Mahikeng district to move beyond poverty. Recommendations included the establishment of a regional database of informal women entrepreneurs, the improvement of basic facilities and infrastructure and access to microloans as well as training by the formal sector.

Integrated waste water management for a small river basin - a case study

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (11) ◽  
pp. 87-95
Author(s):  
R. Fenz ◽  
M. Zessner ◽  
N. Kreuzinger ◽  
H. Kroiss
Keyword(s):  
Waste Water ◽  
Water Management ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Waste Water Treatment ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Political Issue ◽  
The North ◽  
Waste Water Management

In Austria approximately 70% of the population is connected to sewerage and to biological waste water treatment plants. Whereas the urban areas are already provided with these facilities to a very high extent, effort is still needed in rural areas to meet the requirements of the Austrian legislation. The way, this task should be solved has provoked much controversy. It is mainly the question, whether centralised or decentralised sewage disposal systems are preferable from the ecological and economical point of view, that became a political issue during the last 5 years. The Institute for Water Quality and Waste Management was asked to elaborate a waste water management concept for the Lainsitz River Basin, a mainly rural area in the north of Austria discharging to the Elbe river. Both ecological and economical aspects should be considered. This paper presents the methodology that was applied and the criteria which were decisive for the selection of the final solution.

Systemic School Improvement Interventions in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
North West ◽  
Household Level ◽  
The North ◽  
Improvement Interventions ◽  
Academic Review

Looking at two smaller-scale systemic school improvement projects implemented in selected district circuits in the North West and Eastern Cape by partnerships between government, JET Education Services, and private sector organisations, this book captures and reflects on the experiences of the practitioners involved. The Systemic School Improvement Model developed by JET to address an identified range of interconnected challenges at district, school, classroom and household level, is made up of seven components. In reflecting on what worked and what did not in the implementation of these different components, the different chapters set out some of the practical lessons learnt, which could be used to improve the design and implementation of similar education improvement projects. Many of the lessons in this field that remain under-recorded to date relate to the step-by-step processes followed, the relationship dynamics encountered at different levels of the education system, and the local realities confronting schools and districts in South Africa's rural areas. Drawing on field data that is often not available to researchers, the book endeavours to address this gap and record these lessons. It is not intended to provide an academic review of the systemic school improvement projects. It is presented rather to offer other development practitioners working to improve the quality of education in South African schools, an understanding of some of the real practical and logistical challenges that arise and how these may be resolved to take further school improvement projects forward at a wider district, provincial and national scale.

MORE ON THE QUESTION OF RURAL AREAS MULTIFUNCTIONALITY

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2397-2415
Author(s):  
A.I. Kostyaev ◽  
◽  
S.B. Letunov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Production Functions ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Regional Markets ◽  
Specially Protected Natural Areas ◽  
Protected Natural Areas ◽  
Market Perception ◽  
Market Consequences

The approaches of Russian and foreign scientists to studying rural areas multifunctionality differ significantly. Domestic researchers consider this problem from the standpoint of public goods in agricultural production, agricultural production diversification, rural population livelihoods, land use, and sustainable development of rural areas. In all cases, we are talking about implementation of functions within rural areas without raising the question of buying and selling their intangible attributes. In foreign publications, two pragmatic approaches are seen within the concept of multifunctionality. The first approach is the market perception of rural areas as consumer spaces. In this case, the intangible attributes of the territories (landscape, nature, heritage or culture) are considered as a sold and bought product. The second approach is an approach from the standpoint of protection against negative market consequences in international food trade. The non-productive functions of agriculture are taken into account in the WTO negotiations as non-trade factors. This helps to protect the agriculture of many countries from the destructive effects of foreign trade. The article proposes to move from staged studies of the issue of multifunctionality to a constructive consideration of the material and non-material potential for implementing the rural areas' production and non-production functions. The purpose of the study is to determine the material and non-material basis of rural areas multifunctionality using the example of the North-West of Russia. The objectives of the study are to establish the capabilities of rural areas to perform their functions of: a) the international, b) the federal, c) the regional and d) the local significance; and on the basis of the idea of multifunctionality, to determine the ways for creating consumer spaces in rural areas. The following methods were used: decomposition of goals, the index one, the monographic and the grouping method. We used the materials by: Rosstat, Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, Ministry of Culture of Russia. Municipal areas with the orientation of agricultural products to the international, federal and regional markets have been identified. The characteristic of intangible attributes - the carriers of non-production functions of rural areas for the international, federal, regional and local levels - was given. The objects of specially protected natural areas and objects of cultural heritage are considered in accordance with their level of importance. The sequence of forming the consumer spaces in rural areas has been established in the direction from defining a geographical image through creating an image to developing a brand.

scholarly journals The Factors of Deterioration of Natural Pastures From The View Point of Agricultural Employees in Al-Muthanna Governorate

2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (1) ◽  
pp. 012066
Author(s):  
Emad Fahad Nafeh Al-Bahli ◽  
Mahmoud Hadis Jassim Al-Jumaili
Keyword(s):  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Work Location ◽  
Natural Factors ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract The research aimed to determine the impact studied factors represented by (people’s activities, government activities, natural factors) on the deterioration of natural pastures in the Governorate of Al-Muthanna the point of view of agricultural employees in the governorate. The research included all agricultural employees with a preparatory scientific qualification in agriculture and above in the governorate their number is (94) employees. A questionnaire was prepared to collect the data necessary to achieve the objectives of the research. It consisted of two parts. The first part included the factors related to the employees, which are (term of service, academic achievement, participation in extension activities, job position and work location). The second part included a measure to identify the agricultural employees’ the point of view of on the factors affecting the deterioration of natural pastures. It consists of (46) section spread over (3) field covered by the research. The results showed that government activities have the most impact on the deterioration of natural pastures, it was found a statistically significant difference in the respondents’ point of view about the influence of the studied factors according to their personal characteristics. The researchers concluded the necessity of agricultural expansion in pasture lands and industrial investments, as well as the importance of personal factors in assigning employees who can work in the development of natural pastures, and the researchers recommend activating government laws for the protection of natural pastures to prevent abuses (people’s activities, government activities) that contributed greatly to the deterioration of vegetation cover in the research area and taking into account the factors studied in the selection of workers in the development of natural pastures in the research area.

scholarly journals Indigenous healers in the North West province: A survey of their clinical activities in health care in the rural areas

Curationis ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. N. Shai-Mahoko
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Random Sample ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Simple Random Sample ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Clinical Conditions

The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical conditions brought to indigenous healers by people in the rural areas in search of health care. The demographic variables and preventive, promotive, curative and follow-up activities of indigenous healers were investigated. Data were collected from a simple random sample of 35 indigenous healers. A questionnaire designed by Mogoba (1984) for investigation of training and functioning of traditional doctors in Southern Africa was modified and used to collect data.

Redescription of Paratrophurus anomalus (Rhabditida: Dolichodoridae) from South Africa

Nematology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 543-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebrahim Shokoohi ◽  
Joaquín Abolafia ◽  
Phatu William Mashela
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Tail Region ◽  
New Host ◽  
Lateral Field ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
New Geographical Record

Summary Paratrophurus anomalus is redescribed from the North-West Province, South Africa, associated with the rhizosphere of a willow tree, a dominant ornamental tree in the province. This population is characterised by its adult body length (696 (625-834) μm for female and 706 μm for male), lateral field with four longitudinal incisures, cephalic framework well cuticularised, lip region smooth and lacking annuli, female stylet 19.6 (18-21) μm long, female tail cylindrical, 35 (31-38) μm long, c′ = 2.3 (2.1-2.8), with thick hyaline region forming 31-43% of the tail length, spicules 22 μm long and gubernaculum 12 μm long. Morphologically, P. anomalus is very similar to P. kenanae and P. dissitus, although they differ on the basis of lip region morphology, stylet length, hyaline tail region, and spicule length. In addition, SEM observations are provided for the first time for this species along with a new host and new geographical record of the species from South Africa, providing new information for the revision of Paratrophurus. Molecular analysis of P. anomalus using ITS rDNA showed a close relationship with P. bursifer, P. bhutanensis and Bitylenchus species. In addition, principal component analysis was done for 14 character states of species in the genus.

scholarly journals Design of a Development Index for Spanish Municipalities

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8910
Author(s):  
Ana Nieto Masot ◽  
Gema Cárdenas Alonso ◽  
Ángela Engelmo Moriche
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Development Index ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Economic Diversity ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Variables

Currently, the demographic vacuum and poor development suffered by most areas of Spain are some of the most worrying issues from a territorial point of view, which is why this study is necessary. In this paper, the objective is to create a Development Index with which to study the different realities of rural and urban spaces through demographic and socioeconomic variables of the Spanish municipalities. Principal Component Analysis is carried out, with whose results the index has been prepared. This is then explored with a Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis. The results show that most developed Spanish municipalities and most of the population are concentrated in coastal areas and in the main cities of the country. In opposition, there are interior rural areas with less developed municipalities at risk of disappearance due to their increasing ages and levels of depopulation. Thus, in this paper, new variables and methods are used in the study of the social and economic diversity of rural and urban areas, verifying the inequality that still exists between both.

Quality of Elementary Education in India’s Rural Areas: Results from Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2014

Social Change ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 544-559
Author(s):  
Sangram Charan Panigrahi
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Education ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Elementary Level ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Two Factors

The quality of elementary education plays a critical role in an individual’s growth. Thus it has the capacity to develop a nation’s human resources. This study has examined the capabilities of young students who enrolled at the elementary level in schools located in India’s rural areas and their proficiency in different subjects, specifically their own regional language, mathematics and their knowledge of English. In order to measure the performances of students enrolled in Classes 1–VIII, the study used the principal component analysis (PCA) on original, 12 correlated variables. A standardised regression score of two factors, generated from PCA, was used to measure the status of education at the elementary level for different states. By considering the total score of two factors, using the PCA, it was found that most of the states in the southern parts of the country, that is, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and the North-East region, that is, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, exhibited better academic performances as compared to other states.

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