KONDISI SOSIAL EKONOMI PARA PELAKU USAHA MIKRO, KECIL DAN MENENGAH (UMKM) PADA MASA PANDEMI COVID-19 DI KELURAHAN HELVETIA TIMUR

Based on the results of the research conducted, even though the Covid pandemic condition which caused a decrease in the income of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises players, they were still able to survive and were still sufficient to meet their needs. The education of the children of UMKM actors is fulfilled up to the informal sector. Adequate living conditions because it is already a permanent home. All MSME actors and their family members are registered in the BPJS program, as well as their employees are registered in the BPJS manpower program. Social interactions with family are harmonious, as well as with fellow business actors. Apart from the ability of MSMEs to maintain their economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors suggest that the government be able to provide assistance that can be distributed evenly so that new and old MSMEs can compete in the future

Assessment of the Fragility of the Municipal Waste Sector in Serbia Using System Dynamics Modelling

This research develops a novel methodology for municipal waste management in Serbia, based on system dynamics modelling. The methodology shows how a country and relevant institutions should address complexities in the waste management sector. Waste management is a critical issue globally, which heavily impacts the economic development of a country, including the general quality of life within a society. The designed simulation generates different scenarios of the Serbian municipal waste system for reaching the 2035 recycling rate targets. Methodologies such as the theory of constraints, fragility analysis, and systems dynamics were implemented in the model. The scenarios and fragility modelling were conducted with the system dynamics modelling methodology in the Ventity simulation environment. The designed model has elements of discrete event simulations, system dynamics, and agent-based modelling. Importantly, real-world data for the period of five years (from the year 2016 to 2020) was used in the case study. This research undoubtedly reveals that the informal sector is the key source of fragility to the dynamic system considered. During the considered period, the informal sector contributed 62.3% of all separated waste to the system. Consequently, this research concludes that for the waste sector in Serbia to reach the 2035 EU goals, the existing practice in waste management has to be changed significantly and will benefit from the modelling approach used here. The whole system is highly dependent on the informal sector, which, in its current form, is volatile, unregulated, and fragile to aggressive regulative policies.

E-waste Management In Indian Microscale Informal Sectors – An Environmental Perspective Towards Policy Regulation

Inappropriate e-waste processing in the informal sector is a serious issue in developing countries. Field investigations in microscale informal recycling sites have been performed to study the impact of hazardous metal(loid)s (released from e-waste dismantling) on the environment (water and soil). Eight hazardous metal(loid)s (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, As, Hg, Ni and Cr) were found at elevated levels in the monitored water and soil samples (Sangrampur, West Bengal) as a consequence of widespread informal e-waste handling and primitive processing. Pd, Cu and As were found in high concentrations in water samples (1.62, 1.40, 0.03 mgL-1 respectively). Significant levels of Cu, Pd and Cd were detected in collected soil samples, both topsoil (Cu up to 2328.60 ± 217.60, Pb up to 342.90 ± 32.36 and Cd 18.34 ± 3.81 mgkg-1) and subsurface soil (2491.40 ± 276.20, 1853.33 ± 144.79, 25.90 ± 9.53 mgkg-1), compared to the levels of Zn, As, Hg, Ni and Cr. The results of seasonal variation indicated that higher levels of these hazardous meta(loids) were detected in the pre-monsoon (Nov – May) season than the rest of the year, as open dumping/burning of e-waste were practiced commonly and frequently in the monitored sites. The results highlighted that the composition and the handling of e-waste were important factors affecting the metal(loid) concentrations. E-waste policy and legislation have great influence on the handling and disposal procedures. A novel improved e-waste management practice has been proposed to encourage eco-friendly and safe e-waste disposal. It is recommended that regulatory agencies and manufacturers should create a road map to convince the informal sector to develop a systematic approach towards a more standardized formal e-waste management practices at the microscale field level.

Peningkatan Kualitas Dan Kuantitas Produk Umkm Sari Buah Jeruk Sebagai Minuman Imunostimulan Alami Untuk Menarik Daya Beli Masyarakat di Masa Pandemi

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet. One way to fight COVID-19 is to increase the body's immunity by consuming various vitamins which have function as an immunostimulant. One of them is vitamin C which is found in many fresh fruits. This opens up the opportunities for people in the informal sector to provide immunostimulants drinks. The Small Medium Enterprise (SME that produce fresh orange juice are considered prospective during this pandemic. However, in reality, their consumers has actually decreased, as experienced by SME Kishi Sari Jeruk Segar in the Surakarta City. This SME also faces several problems, i.e: seasonal stock of oranges so that the cost of supply of raw materials is unstable and juice drink products are not durable. Our community service team helped this SME in 2 aspects. In the production aspect, a refrigerator was provided to store raw fruit materials so that they do not damage quickly and to produce frozen juice. Meanwhile, in the marketing aspect, we designed a nutritional information facts information of the orange juice especially on immunostimulant content. This is expected to increase the MSE product attractiveness. Abstrak Saat ini pandemi COVID-19 belum berakhir. Salah satu cara melawan COVID-19 adalah meningkatkan imunitas tubuh dengan mengkonsumsi vitamin. Jenis vitamin yang terbukti berfungsi sebagai imunostimulan adalah vitamin C. Vitamin C banyak terkandung dalam buah segar seperti jeruk. Hal ini membuka peluang usaha bagi masyarakat di sektor informal untuk menyediakan imunostimulan dalam bentuk minuman. UMKM sari buah jeruk dipandang prospektif di masa pandemi ini. Namun kenyataanya jumlah pembeli produk UMKM sari buah jeruk justru mengalami penurunan seperti yang dialami oleh UMKM Kishi Sari Jeruk Segar di kota Surakarta. UMKM ini juga menghadapi beberapa permasalahan lain berupa stok bahan baku buah jeruk yang bersifat musiman sehingga cost supply bahan baku tidak stabil serta produk minuman sari buah jeruk yang bersifat tidak tahan lama. Usaha yang telah dilakukan oleh tim pengabdian kami meliputi 2 aspek. Pada aspek produksi diberikan almari es untuk menyimpan bahan baku buah agar tidak cepat busuk dan memproduksi sari buah jeruk frozen/beku. Solusi ini akan menjamin harga jual produk yang stabil serta produk yang memiliki daya tahan penyimpanan yang lebih panjang. Sedangkan pada aspek pemasaran dilakukan pencantuman informasi mengenai kandungan nutrisi yang berkhasiat sebagai imunostimulan. Hal ini dilakukan untuk meningkatkan daya tarik produk UMKM.

Barriers of growth within an informal sector business: narratives of women subsistence entrepreneurs in South Africa

PurposeThe study explores growth barriers experienced by a sample of women subsistence entrepreneurs operating within the informal sector in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe paper utilizes a descriptive-exploratory research approach and design relying on semi-structured interviews. A purposive sample of 45 women subsistence entrepreneurs formed the participant pool.FindingsThree main narratives emerged. First, a sense of personal contentment existed as a potential barrier for women subsistence entrepreneurs. Second, the women subsistence entrepreneurs had no expansion strategy due to their circumstances. This served as a barrier to growth. Finally, challenges emanating from the home-front served as a limit to the growth of the informal sector business.Research limitations/implicationsBased on the findings, strategies are offered to assist the women subsistence entrepreneurs in tackling the identified barriers to the growth of the informal sector business. A limitation of the research concerns issues that accompany qualitative research. Notably, these include sampling issues.Practical implicationsBased on the findings, strategies are offered to assist women subsistence entrepreneurs in tackling the barriers that affect their businesses.Originality/valueGiven the popularity of the informal sector in emerging nations such as South Africa, the study proffers suggestions that assist the advancement of subsistence entrepreneurship, especially within the informal sector. The role of women in all this is heightened.

A Review on Global E-Waste Management: Urban Mining towards a Sustainable Future and Circular Economy

The trending need for smarter electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is surging globally by the year and is giving rise to huge amounts of outdated EEE going into landfills. This has caused enormous threats to our environment and the health of living beings due to its unsustainable ways of collection, treatment and disposal of waste EEE or E-waste. With increasing E-waste, the formal sectors lack infrastructure, technology and expertise required to collect and process the E-waste in an environmentally sound manner. This article is intended to bring out the global best practices in the field of E-waste management, to shed light on the importance of policy implementation, technology requirement and social awareness to arrive at a sustainable and circular economy. Although about 71% of the world’s populace has incorporated E-waste legislation, there is a need to enforce and implement a common legal framework across the globe. The article explains the gap created among the stakeholders and their knowledge on the roles and responsibilities towards a legalized E-waste management. It further explains the lack of awareness on extended producer responsibility (EPR) and producer responsibility schemes. Despite various legislations in force, numerous illegal practices such as acid leaching, open incineration, illegal dumping carried out by the informal sector are causing harm to the environment, natural resources and the safety of unorganized and unskilled labor. The article discusses the crucial need for awareness amongst stakeholders, consumer behavior and the global challenges and opportunities in this field to achieve a low-carbon, circular economy. To conclude, the article highlights the importance of common legal framework, EPR and licenses, transformation of the informal sector, benchmark technologies, responsibilities of various stakeholders and entrepreneurial opportunities to enhance the formal capacity. The article wholly advocates for transparency, accountability and traceability in the E-waste recycling chain, thus creating a greener environment and protecting our planet and natural resources for future generations.

COVID-19 and the Livelihoods of the Migrant Workers

The spread of the corona-virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and subsequent nationwide lockdown in India from March 22, 2020 to control its further outbreak brought turmoil in the lives of millions who are primarily involved in the informal sector. A primary survey was conducted in the District of South 24 Pgs. in the state of West Bengal, India to know the effects of COVID-19 on rural livelihood, particularly of the migrant workers. Types of disruptions of rural livelihood of the households have been explored in the study. Perceptions of the effects of shocks of COVID-19 on the rural households have been assessed in terms of the following variables: loss of assets, loss of income, food insecurity/shortage, death of livestock, decline in consumption, decline in health conditions, socialization, effects on education, problems in accessing health facilities. Types of government supports provided to the households have been found for the study area. The role of the government in overcoming the crisis of livelihood has also been assessed.