scholarly journals Shared Mobility in Rural Contexts: Organizational Insights from Five Mobility-as-a-Service Pilots in Sweden

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10134
Author(s):  
Åsa Hult ◽  
Liisa Perjo ◽  
Göran Smith
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Business Models ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
Organizational Challenges ◽  
Local Pollution ◽  
Shared Mobility ◽  
Geographic Differences ◽  
Transport Problems ◽  
Participatory Observation

Despite a growing interest in using Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) as a tool to address rural transport problems, the question of how to organize such a concept remains unanswered. To address this knowledge gap, this article explores organizational elements of rural MaaS pilots. The analysis, which is based on participatory observation and interviews with actors involved in five pilots in rural areas of Sweden, reveals that the motives of the actors involved in rural MaaS both overlap with and diverge from the frequently stated objectives of urban MaaS developments. Both concepts center on complementing and extending public transport, but while urban MaaS is underpinned by the fight against climate change, congestion, and local pollution, the main objective of rural MaaS is to reduce transport poverty. The analysis, moreover, illustrates that despite the geographic differences, actors involved in rural MaaS pilots face similar organizational challenges as have been reported from urban MaaS developments. In both cases, actors struggle with finding their roles, mitigating uncertainties, distributing responsibilities, and negotiating business models. Finally, the analysis finds that rural MaaS puts higher expectations on user involvement than urban MaaS and identifies a risk that rural MaaS developments might contribute to spatial injustice since the studied pilots only supported rural communities with high social capital.

scholarly journals Digitalization in Realization of Ecological and Economic Principles of Managing Sustainable Development of Agrarian Enterprises

2020 ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
М.V. Zos-Kior ◽  
V.Y. Ilin ◽  
I.M. Kyryliuk ◽  
O.V. Solod
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Business Partnerships ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Agricultural Enterprises ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Agricultural Enterprise

The article describes the digitalization of ecological and economic principles of agricultural enterprise development management. It presents effective techniques for adapting enterprises to the challenges of the smart economy, which changes human needs, products, services, value chains, markets, processes, business models, forms of competition and business partnerships. The article proves the efficiency of precision farming, which includes parallel driving, yield mapping, differentiated application of seeds and fertilizers. It is determined that the lack of systemic demand for digital solutions from domestic agricultural enterprises and rural communities and unpreparedness (strategic, financial, technological, personnel, organizational, etc.) of most enterprises and communities to cardinal innovations significantly deter the formation of smart agribusiness in Ukraine. The article describes the system of measured indicators and capabilities of the Hummingbird Technologies platform and consequences of its implementation for land management, in particular normalized relative biomass index, leaf surface index, crop heterogeneity map, plant lodging risk map, weed map, seedling density map, electronic maps creation tasks, task map for differentiated desiccation, task map for differentiated application of herbicides, task map for differentiated application of growth regulators in plants. It justifies the need to intensify the work of rural a community, which try to communicate with agricultural producers on mutually beneficial terms and with other stakeholders for the sustainable development of rural areas. The issues of participation of rural communities in projects to increase soil fertility, organization of organic farms, service cooperatives, which are directly or indirectly related to the effective management of environmental and economic development of agricultural enterprises. The article shows the necessity of professional development of business engineers, personnel and strengthening of role of analytics for agricultural enterprises to digitalize the economic activity.

scholarly journals Wanted: New Business Models for Profitable Expansion of Mobile Telephony in Rural India

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-69
Author(s):  
Harsh Manglik ◽  
Kumar Ranjan ◽  
Raghav Narsalay ◽  
Svenja Falk
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Mobile Network ◽  
Barriers To Adoption ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Urban Markets ◽  
New Business ◽  
Mobile Network Operators

Mobile network operators' agendas for profitable growth include expansion into rural areas of developing countries, especially India. However, capitalizing on that opportunity will not be easy. Our research suggests that operators have yet to create and implement business models capable of driving profitable growth through rural expansion. We found that mobile network operators hold some mistaken assumptions about rural consumers’ needs and desires regarding mobile services. To achieve profitable growth and high performance through rural expansion, operators must develop a more accurate understanding of the mobile value proposition in rural communities, as well as potential barriers to adoption. . Mobile operators in rural markets must also build business models that work in the short term as well as the long term. Sacrificing short-term revenues to expand market footprint may not be the best strategy, because stiffening competition in urban markets will likely prevent operators from cross-subsidizing their rural expansion strategies. This report serves as a “midpoint review” of some key presumptions, strategies and models companies have used to drive their rural strategies over recent years.

scholarly journals Conceptual framework for rural business models

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1130-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florina Răzvanţă Puie
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Rural Economic Development ◽  
Rural Entrepreneurship ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Business models have been developed to contribute to rural economic development, being used to create, deliver and capture economic and social value. The aim of this paper is to conceptualize the context of developing business models in rural areas, how these have evolved over time and what is the impact on future strategies in community development based on rural entrepreneurship. The increasing focus and attention on business model innovation has been seen among researchers in the last two decades, and several studies have been conducted to define the concept of business modeling. However, variations in business model definitions are noticeable and opinions regarding its components, structure and relationships inside a business vary as well. The literature review provided significant definitions on the key concepts on business models in rural entrepreneurship. The results of the research are to contribute in developing a framework on the understanding of various terms, such as business model, rural entrepreneurship, community development, and innovative entrepreneurship, with reference to shedding some light on conceptual meaning, purpose, methodology and scope of application. Capturing the existing trends in economic development in rural areas could be performed, based on the literature reviewed in this paper, in order to analyze the potential for diversification of economic activities, by finding the business models already implemented in the rural communities and measuring the impact they had on community development. In this way, a structure for a business model and an emphasis on business opportunities for the rural areas of interest could be developed.

scholarly journals Entrepreneurship in the rural areas of Romania. The impact of the 2007-2013 EU funding programmes

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1129-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihaela-Cornelia Dan ◽  
Claudia Popescu
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Business Models ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Income Source ◽  
Public Data ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This paper contributes to the research on entrepreneurship in rural areas by focusing on the absorption and investment plans developed with European Funds and implemented in Romania in 2007-2013 for rural development. Entrepreneurship in the European Union is seen as the solution for creating and increasing jobs number, developing new business models, and is related very often with creativity and innovation. Moreover, entrepreneurship is directly linked to the economic performance of regions (Audretsch, D.B., Keilbach, M., 2005), poverty reduction and contributes to the economic advancement of rural communities. The focus on rural areas is given by the fact that almost half of the Romanian population lives in villages or communes (around 45%), and the main income source comes from agriculture. In the same time, there is an important potential for entrepreneurial projects because rural areas are high underdeveloped, there is a lack of services in major fields as education, social services, entertainment etc. Also, we find a high potential in tourism, especially in ecological, adventure or agro-tourism. We develop a theoretical framework to discuss the potential impact of EU Funds on rural development, the access to public funds for rural population, their readiness for business ownership, the most accessible fields for starting a business and regional variables. Our study is based on public data and official reports on the European Funds received by Romania in the budgetary period of 2007-2013 and other market data that round the entrepreneurship frame in rural areas. We analyze the number of start-ups financed by European funds, type and size of enterprises, number of jobs and reasons for contract cancellation. We find that regions with a reach cultural heritage and closer to the Western border have registered more applications and are more interested in self-employment, but also that given the administrative barriers many entrepreneurs decided to cancel the contracts.

TURNING FARMERS INTO SOCIAL FARMER ENTREPRENEURS FOR DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remus Runcan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Development Programme ◽  
Rural And Urban

According to Romania’s National Rural Development Programme, the socio-economic situation of the rural environment has a large number of weaknesses – among which low access to financial resources for small entrepreneurs and new business initiatives in rural areas and poorly developed entrepreneurial culture, characterized by a lack of basic managerial knowledge – but also a large number of opportunities – among which access of the rural population to lifelong learning and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and entrepreneurs’ access to financial instruments. The population in rural areas depends mainly on agricultural activities which give them subsistence living conditions. The gap between rural and urban areas is due to low income levels and employment rates, hence the need to obtain additional income for the population employed in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, especially in the context of the depopulation trend. At the same time, the need to stimulate entrepreneurship in rural areas is high and is at a resonance with the need to increase the potential of rural communities from the perspective of landscape, culture, traditional activities and local resources. A solution could be to turn vegetal and / or animal farms into social farms – farms on which people with disabilities (but also adolescents and young people with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and alexithymia issues) might find a “foster” family, bed and meals in a natural, healthy environment, and share the farm’s activities with the farmer and the farmer’s family: “committing to a regular day / days and times for a mutually agreed period involves complying with any required health and safety practices (including use of protective clothing and equipment), engaging socially with the farm family members and other people working on and around the farm, and taking on tasks which would include working on the land, taking care of animals, or helping out with maintenance and other physical work”

scholarly journals Tackling Rural Health, Energy, … and Technological Issues All at Once: A Call for a Global Interdisciplinary Platform for Strengthening Rural Setting Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Challenges ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Farshad Amiraslani
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Research Studies

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has revealed flaws in rural settings where most people live without the necessary tools, income, and knowledge to tackle such unprecedented global challenges. Here, I argue that despite the research studies conducted on rural areas, these have not solved rising rural issues, notably poverty and illiteracy. I propound a global institute to be formed by governments that provides a platform for empowering rural communities through better training, skills, and competencies. Such global endeavour will ensure the remaining rural communities withstand future pandemics if they occur.

scholarly journals Solid Biomass Energy Potential as a Development Opportunity for Rural Communities

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3398
Author(s):  
Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski ◽  
Paweł Dudziec ◽  
Michał Krzyżaniak ◽  
Ewelina Olba-Zięty
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Development Opportunity ◽  
Biomass Resources ◽  
Administrative Units ◽  
Solid Biomass

Conventional energy sources often do not fully satisfy the needs of a modern economy, especially given the climate changes associated with them. These issues should be addressed by diversification of energy generation, including the development of renewable energy sources (RES). Solid biomass will play a major part in the process in Poland. The function of rural areas, along with a well-developed agricultural and forest economy sector, will be a key aspect in this as these areas are suitable for solid biomass acquisition in various ways. This study aimed to determine the solid biomass energy potential in the commune of Goworowo to illustrate the potential in the smallest administrative units of Poland. This research determined the environmental and natural conditions in the commune, which helped to identify the crucial usable solid biomass resources. The total energy potential of solid biomass resources in the commune of Goworowo amounted to 97,672 GJ y−1. The highest potential was accumulated in straw surplus (37,288 GJ y−1) and the lowest was in wood from roadside maintenance (113 GJ y−1). This study showed that rural areas could soon play a significant role in obtaining solid biomass, and individual communes could become spaces for the diversification of energy feedstock.

scholarly journals Moving beyond Limitations: Designing the Helpdys App for Children with Dyslexia in Rural Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7081
Author(s):  
Andres Larco ◽  
Jorge Carrillo ◽  
Nelson Chicaiza ◽  
Cesar Yanez ◽  
Sergio Luján-Mora
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Self Confidence

Dyslexia is a relatively common language disorder which is generally ignored in rural communities. It hinders children’s learning processes and, in some cases, is the cause of dropouts or violence in schools. The present work strives to create a web and mobile app as a preliminary step towards the diagnosis and treatment of dyslexic children. Apps providing didactic educational games and activities improve literacy skills for students with reading disabilities. The current work incorporates user experience and prototyping to fulfill app requirements. The authors evaluated the apps with the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) tool to assess engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information. The app’s improvements were immediately implemented and tested in the “Escuela Linea Equinoccial” (Ecuador) school, proving its utility for future use in the education system. The app can be a valuable tool for children with dyslexia to progress successfully through school, raising their self-confidence and, thereby, helping them reach their full potential as adults able to make a positive contribution to society.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Community Resilience in Rural China—Taking Licheng Subdistrict, Guangzhou as an Example

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5827
Author(s):  
Jianhong Fan ◽  
You Mo ◽  
Yunnan Cai ◽  
Yabo Zhao ◽  
Dongchen Su
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Social Resilience ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Guangzhou City ◽  
Local Sustainability

Resilience of rural communities is becoming increasingly important to contemporary society. In this study we used a quantitative method to measure the resilience regulating ability of rural communities close to urban areas—in Licheng Subdistrict, Guangzhou City, China. The main results are as follows: (1) Rural systems close to urban areas display superior adapting and learning abilities and have a stronger overall resilience strength, the spatial distribution of which is characterized by dispersion in whole and aggregation in part; (2) the resilience of most rural economic subsystems can reach moderate or higher levels with apparent spatial agglomeration, whilst the ecological subsystem resilience and social resilience are generally weaker; the spatial distribution of the former shows a greater regional difference while the latter is in a layered layout; (3) some strategies such as rebuilding a stable ecological pattern, making use of urban resources and cultivating rural subjectivity are proposed on this basis, in order to promote the sustainable development of rural areas and realize rural revitalization. This work also gives suggestion for the creation of appropriate and effective resilience standards specifically targeted for rural community-aiming to achieve the delivery of local sustainability goals.

scholarly journals What Are the Impacts of Social Innovation? A Synthetic Review and Case Study of Community Forestry in the Scottish Highlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4359
Author(s):  
Carla Barlagne ◽  
Mariana Melnykovych ◽  
David Miller ◽  
Richard J. Hewitt ◽  
Laura Secco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Study Approach

In a context of political and economic austerity, social innovation has been presented as a solution to many social challenges, old and new. It aims to support the introduction of new ideas in response to the current urgent needs and challenges of vulnerable groups and seems to offer promising solutions to the challenges faced by rural areas. Yet the evidence base of the impacts on the sustainable development of rural communities remains scarce. In this paper, we explore social innovation in the context of community forestry and provide a brief synthetic review of key themes linking the two concepts. We examine a case of social innovation in the context of community forestry and analyse its type, extent, and scale of impact in a marginalized rural area of Scotland. Using an in-depth case study approach, we apply a mixed research methodology using quantitative indicators of impact as well as qualitative data. Our results show that social innovation reinforces the social dimension of community forestry. Impacts are highlighted across domains (environmental, social, economic, and institutional/governance) but are mainly limited to local territory. We discuss the significance of those results in the context of community forestry as well as for local development. We formulate policy recommendations to foster and sustain social innovation in rural areas.

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