scholarly journals Learning from the Past in the Transition to Open-Pollinated Varieties

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Freshley ◽  
Maria Mar Delgado-Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Hybrid Seed ◽  
The Past ◽  
External Agents ◽  
Hybrid Seeds ◽  
High Yielding Varieties

In Nepal, hybrid seed introduction caused major yield gains in agricultural production, but at high environmental costs. The development of high-yielding open-pollinated varieties has spurred hope for more sustainable production systems. Nepal’s government is interested in boosting their use. This research aimed to identify farmer perceptions on the factors behind the past adoption of hybrid seeds in order to propose guidelines to support the diffusion of open-pollinated varieties. Using in-depth interviews, a focus group and participant observation we explored how the process of hybrid seed diffusion has taken place in Panchkhal valley, a representative case study. Social influencers such as change agents, peers, neighbours and seed sellers, as well as economic gains emerged as major reasons for hybrid seed adoption. We learnt that the role of external agents, on which most of the governmental strategies rely, changed over time as peer-based strategies became essential after the diffusion process started. To boost the adoption of open-pollinated seeds, efforts should concentrate in developing high-yielding varieties, engaging early-adopters among influential caste members and seed sellers, distributing seeds to both disadvantaged and wealthy farmers, and using different instruments, from institutional agencies to NGOs, to deliver training on sustainable farming techniques and their economic and environmental advantages.

scholarly journals The Role of the Social Capital in Rural Development. Case Study Analysis of Village Research Camps in Romania and Hungary

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 584-598
Author(s):  
Tibor Farkas
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Statistical Data Analysis ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Village

Abstract Social capital represents an increasingly used term in social sciences, but its application in rural development is not widespread. In this study, we assess the social capital of villages where we have organized village research camps over the past decade. The research utilizes a specific methodology, synthesizes the research carried out in the village research camps. Methods included statistical data analysis, questionnaire survey, interviewing, and participant observation. Among the results, we found that the social capital of the studied villages and the condition of their local communities are different. These also affected the effectiveness of development activities. The study examined the role of social capital and how the development of social capital can contribute to the development of villages. In summary, our assumption is that there is a link between social capital and rural development, but this relationship is not always evident or one-way.

scholarly journals Integrality of care: challenges for the nurse practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 504-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solange Meira de Sousa ◽  
Elizabeth Bernardino ◽  
Karla Crozeta ◽  
Aida Maris Peres ◽  
Maria Ribeiro Lacerda
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Nursing Management ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Units Of Analysis ◽  
Integration Of Services

ABSTRACT Objective: to understand the role of the nurse in the collegiate management model of a teaching hospital, in the integrality of care perspective. Method: a single case study with multiple units of analysis, with the theoretical proposition "integrality of care is a result of the care offered to the user by multiple professionals, including the nurse". Data were obtained in a functional unit of a teaching hospital through interviews with 13 nurses in a non-participant observation and document analysis. Results: from the analytical categories emerged subcategories that allowed understanding that the nurse promotes integrality of care through nursing management, team work and integration of services. Final considerations: the theoretical proposition was confirmed and it was verified that the nursing management focus on attending to health care needs and is a strategy to provide integrality of care.

scholarly journals Working together: A methodological case study of 'engaged scholarship'

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 20-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Cuthill
Keyword(s):  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
The Past ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Introductory Discussion

The concept of engaged scholarship, as a 'new' and participatory approach to knowledge production, has received much attention over the past decade. However, the term is clouded in ambiguity. This paper presents some introductory discussion around concepts of engaged scholarship, and then focuses in detail on a methodological case study of participatory action research as an example of engaged scholarship in practice. Discussion revolves around reflections on practice, drawing largely from recent reports on participatory democracy and the role of unversities in society.

Public leadership and strategies of Czech municipalities during the COVID-19 pandemic – municipal activism vs municipal passivism

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Plaček ◽  
David Špaček ◽  
František Ochrana
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Strategic Behavior ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Capital City ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Leadership

PurposeThis paper discusses the role of public leadership and the strategic response of local governments to the external shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors examine the typical Czech response with regard to how the leadership of municipalities in the Czech Republic responded to this extremely negative external stimulus.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use qualitative research methods for this investigation. They have chosen the case study method (see Yin, 2009; Stake, 1995; Klonoski, 2013). The general case is the Czech Republic. Mini-cases consist of municipalities from the Znojmo region, municipalities of the Central Bohemian region and the municipal districts in the capital city of Prague. Furthermore, the method of participant observation was used.FindingsThe authors’ analysis of the problem of local government responses to the pandemic crisis shows that municipal leaders responded with a variety of (non-)adaptation strategies. It appears that certain framework factors influenced the various local governments' behavior.Originality/valueThe article examines the strategic behavior of Czech municipal leaders regarding the pandemic crisis based on the observation of the reactions of local governments in the Czech Republic to the pandemic crisis and strives to define their basic strategies.

Abortion: Woman's Right and Legal Problem

1971 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Moody
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Criminal Prosecution ◽  
Legal Problem ◽  
Consultation Service ◽  
Legalize Abortion

Howard Moody is pastor of Judson Memorial Church in New York City and a Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. In 1967, Moody brought together a small group of clergymen to help counsel women with “problem pregnancies.” Risking public censure and criminal prosecution, the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion referred thousands of women for safe abortions. In addition, Moody and others formed a coalition to support the passage of a bill to legalize abortion. The New York Legislature passed such a bill in April, 1970, which permits abortions by licensed physicians within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. On July 1, 1970, the New York Clergy Consultation Service, which had served as a model for other organizations in other states, was disbanded and reconstituted as Clergy and Lay Advocates for Hospital Abortion Performance. The new organization is designed to deal with local restrictions on abortions and the growth of high-priced “abortion brokers.” This article is reprinted from the March 8, 1971 issue of Christianity and Crisis, Copyright © 1971 by Christianity and Crisis, Inc. The article is used with permission and is reprinted not only as a commentary on a controversial issue but as a case-study of the problems involved when clergy and churches take on the role of social and cultural change-agents. It's definitely not easy, but apparently it can be done. Dr. Moody wishes to acknowledge the assistance of his associate, Arlene Carmen.

scholarly journals SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL LIFE CYCLE: CASE STUDY IN A PATRONAL UNION

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matias Trevisol ◽  
Fernando Fantoni Bencke ◽  
Luccas Santin Padilha ◽  
Darlan Jose Roman
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Situational Leadership ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Organizational Life ◽  
Organizational Life Cycle ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Company Union

Studies involving the topics of organizational life cycle and situational leadership institutions in the third sector, as a union, was little explored in the literature. Moreover, recent changes in the Brazilian legislation brought new challenges to these organizations. This study seeks to fill these gaps, to analyze the role of leadership and organizational life cycle in a company union, linking theories against the employers' association. The metaphor of the organizations life cycle allows the analysis of organizations at different stages and, consequently, the role of leadership in the development of courses. The research was qualitative, used methods of case study and oral history, and descriptive and exploratory. Data collection used documental analysis, non-participant observation and in-depth interviews with seven leaders who experienced the historical trajectory of the institution. Among the main contributions of this study, it stands out as a theoretical contribution, the association of situational leadership theories and the organizational life cycle in a union representation institution, still little explored in the literature. Among the practical contributions highlight the situational leadership as alternative for sustainability for organizational cyclic life of a union, which now depend on its resources and internal management capabilities for their survival.

scholarly journals The feminist critique

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-161
Author(s):  
Fernanda Neubauer ◽  
Michael J. Schaefer
Keyword(s):  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Feminist Critique ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
The Past ◽  
Marajó Island ◽  
And Gender

We discuss the important role of the feminist critique in bringing awareness to gender, childhood, and identity research, and in giving voice to the perspectives of underrepresented groups. As a case study of ancient social lives and gender, we discuss a range of Marajoara identity markers interpreted through the study of ceramic tangas (female pubic coverings) from Marajó Island in the Brazilian Amazon (A.D. 400-1400). There, tangas were made and used by women as a material representation of social position, gender, and individual identity. We argue that identity constitutes a fundamentally important aspect of archaeological research, and that the strongest case studies in identity are those that encompass a variety of gendered inferences to understand social lives of the past.

National Museums, National Narratives, and Identity Politics

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Lleras
Keyword(s):  
Identity Politics ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
National Museum ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
National Narratives ◽  
The Past ◽  
National Museums ◽  
Insight Into

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the surge of identity politics and the diversification of heritage and the tensions that arise with the traditional role of national museums that are expected to support the model of a unitary national identity through their narratives and collections. Engaging with distinct patrimonies and transformations in museums checkmates stagnant notions of heritage, but in turn, these actions might also instigate resistance to change. A case study at the National Museum of Colombia will provide an insight into competing notions of heritage, which can be understood as the relics of a material past, but may also be seen as the meanings created about the past. This analysis instigates thoughts about the role that history and historians might play in the elaboration of narratives of identity.

The role of the officers’ mess in inclusive military leader social identity construction

Leadership ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 174271502110636
Author(s):  
Edward Gosling
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Military Leader ◽  
Leadership Identity ◽  
Leader Identity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Legal Traditions ◽  
Shared History ◽  
Integral Feature

Leadership is fundamentally a social phenomenon, and a leader’s legitimacy in personal and social terms is determined partly by how effectively they incorporate the prototypical leader identity. Using the historical British officers’ mess as a case study, this article presents a conceptual examination of the function place can perform in the construction of collective leader identities and the interconnected influence shared history, materiality and social interaction can have in encouraging inclusivity in leadership. Leadership identity is an integral feature of military life which has historically drawn on complex cultural and legal traditions to underwrite the individual’s right to command. This article will argue that social places such as the officers’ mess have been utilised as a means of cultivating cohesion in the past and that they may have an application in furthering inclusive collective leader identities in the future.

Participant-Observation as a Method for Analyzing Avatar Design in User-Generated Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 469-481
Author(s):  
Jeremy O. Turner ◽  
Janet McCracken ◽  
Jim Bizzocchi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Close Analysis ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Participant Observer

This chapter explores the epistemological, and ethical boundaries of the application of a participant-observer methodology for analyzing avatar design in user-generated virtual worlds. We describe why Second Life was selected as the preferred platform for studying the fundamental design properties of avatars in a situated manner. We will situate the specific case study within the broader context of ethnographic qualitative research methodologies, particularly focusing on what it means to live – and role-play - within the context that one is studying, or to facilitate prolonged engagement in order to have the research results accepted as trustworthy or credible (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). This chapter describes a case study where researchers can extract methods and techniques for studying “in-world” workshops and focus groups. Our speculations and research questions drawn from a close analysis of this case study will illuminate the possible limitations of applying similar hybrid iterations of participation-observation tactics and translations of disciplinary frameworks into the study of user-generated content for future virtual world communities. Finally, we will review the broader epistemological and ethical issues related to the role of the participant-observation researcher in the study of virtual worlds.

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