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Article
Publication date: 31 May 2022

Ranjan Chaudhuri, Sheshadri Chatterjee, Prof. Demetris Vrontis and Francesca Vicentini

This study empirically examines the relationship between human capital ecosystems and entrepreneurial ecosystems. The study also investigates the mediating roles of digital…

Abstract

Purpose

This study empirically examines the relationship between human capital ecosystems and entrepreneurial ecosystems. The study also investigates the mediating roles of digital knowledge capability and innovation capability and the moderating role of technology turbulence in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Design/methodology/approach

The study takes inputs from existing literature and resource-based view (RBV) and absorptive capacity theories and develops a theoretical model. Later, the model is validated using the structural equation modeling technique with data collected from India-based startup enterprises.

Findings

The authors found a nexus between human capital and entrepreneurial ecosystems. The study also highlights that enterprises' digital knowledge capability and innovation capability significantly influence the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The study also found that technology turbulence has a significant moderating impact on the relationship between digital knowledge capability and innovation capability in entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Research limitations/implications

The study shows the importance of developing human capital for improving enterprises' innovation capability and digital knowledge capability, which are also important to develop the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Entrepreneurs can use the proposed model in their enterprises for appropriately developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Originality/value

The authors propose a theoretical model for entrepreneurial ecosystems, from the human capital perspective, which entrepreneurs could use to improve the overall organizational performance. Moreover, the model uses technology turbulence as a moderator, which is also a novel approach. The study also adds valuable knowledge to the overall body of literature of intellectual capital.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 August 2014

Glen Barry

The purpose of this paper is to propose a measurable terrestrial ecosystem boundary to answer the question: what extent of landscapes, bioregions, continents, and the global Earth…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a measurable terrestrial ecosystem boundary to answer the question: what extent of landscapes, bioregions, continents, and the global Earth System must remain as connected and intact core ecological areas and agro-ecological buffers to sustain local and regional ecosystem services as well as the biosphere commons?

Design/methodology/approach

This observational study reviews planetary boundary, biosphere, climate, ecosystems, and ecological tipping point science. It presents a refinement to planetary boundary science to include a measurable terrestrial ecosystem boundary based on landscape ecology and percolation theory. The paper concludes with discussion of the urgency posed by ecosystem collapse.

Findings

A new planetary boundary threshold is proposed based on ecology's percolation theory: that across scales 60 percent of terrestrial ecosystems must remain, setting the boundary at 66 percent as a precaution, to maintain key biogeochemical processes that sustain the biosphere and for ecosystems to remain the context for human endeavors. Strict protection is proposed for 44 percent of global land, 22 percent as agro-ecological buffers, and 33 percent as zones of sustainable human use.

Research limitations/implications

It is not possible to carry out controlled experiments on Earth's one biosphere, removing landscape connectivity to see long-term effects results upon ecological well-being.

Practical implications

Spatially explicit goals for the amount and connectivity of natural and agro-ecological ecosystems to maintain ecological connectivity across scales may help in planning land use, including protection and placement of ecological restoration activities.

Originality/value

This paper proposes the first measureable and spatially explicit terrestrial ecosystem loss threshold as part of planetary boundary science.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1998

P.S. Ramakrishnan

Reports that while overconsumption of the world’s natural resources is a problem in developed nations, it is population growth and biological resource depletion that are the bane…

2032

Abstract

Reports that while overconsumption of the world’s natural resources is a problem in developed nations, it is population growth and biological resource depletion that are the bane of developing nations. Uses India as an example for discussing biodiversity, natural resource issues and ecosystem function in an Asian context. Examines the linkages between ecological and social processes when humans are integrated within the structural and functional attributes of the ecosystem. Suggests a holistic approach for the rehabilitation and sustainable development of rural systems, so conserving biodiversity and natural resources.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 25 no. 2/3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 October 2018

Ephias Mugari, Hillary Masundire, Maitseo Bolaane and Mark New

Between 2006 and 2016, local communities in semi-arid Bobirwa sub-district in the Limpopo Basin part of Botswana had endured notable fluctuations in the delivery of critical…

2734

Abstract

Purpose

Between 2006 and 2016, local communities in semi-arid Bobirwa sub-district in the Limpopo Basin part of Botswana had endured notable fluctuations in the delivery of critical ecosystem services. These changes have been coupled with adverse effects on local people’s livelihood options and well-being. However, a few such studies have focussed on the semi-arid to arid landscapes. This study therefore aims to provide recent knowledge and evidence of consequences of environmental change on semi-arid arid landscapes and communities.

Methodology

To examine these recent changes in key ecosystem services, the authors conducted six participatory mapping processes, eight key informant interviews and several rapid scoping appraisals in three study villages. The analyses were centred on changes in seasonal quantities, seasonality, condition of ecosystem service sites, distance to ecosystem service sites and total area providing these services. Drivers of change in the delivery of key ecosystem services and the associated adverse impacts on human well-being of these recent changes in bundles of ecosystem services delivered were also analyzed.

Findings

Results show that adverse weather conditions, drought frequency, changes in land-use and/or land-cover together with unsustainable harvesting because of human influx on local resources have intensified in the past decade. There was circumstantial evidence that these drivers have resulted in adverse changes in quantities and seasonality of key ecosystem services such as edible Mopane caterpillars, natural pastures, wild fruits and cultivated crops. Similarly, distance to, condition and total area of sites providing some of the key ecosystem services such as firewood and natural pastures changed adversely. These adverse changes in the key ecosystem services were shown to increasingly threaten local livelihoods and human well-being.

Research limitations/implications

This paper discusses the importance of engaging rural communities in semi-arid areas in a participatory manner and how such information can provide baseline information for further research. The paper also shows the utility of such processes and information toward integrating community values and knowledge into decisions regarding the management and utilization of local ecosystem services under a changing climate in data-poor regions such as the Bobirwa sub-district of Botswana. However, the extent to which this is possible depends on the decision makers’ willingness to support local initiatives through existing government structures and programmes.

Originality/value

This study shows the importance of engaging communities in a participatory manner to understand changes in local ecosystem services considering their unique connection with the natural environment. This is a critical step for decision makers toward integrating community values in the management and utilization of ecosystem services under a changing climate as well as informing more sustainable adaptive responses in semi-arid areas. However, the extent to which decision makers can integrate such findings to inform more sustainable responses to declining capacity of local ecosystems in semi-arid areas depends on how they value the bottom-up approach of gaining local knowledge as well as their willingness to support local initiatives through existing government structures and programmes.

Details

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-8692

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2011

Frederik J.W. van Oudenhoven, Dunja Mijatović and Pablo B. Eyzaguirre

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach aimed at facilitating nature conservation that builds on the ecological and social synergies that exist in traditionally…

2182

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach aimed at facilitating nature conservation that builds on the ecological and social synergies that exist in traditionally managed landscapes in and around protected areas and integrates conservation and social goals to achieve a reduction in the levels of marginalization of indigenous and local communities while preventing ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on literature research and insights from political and historical ecology and systems theory, a framework was developed to aid the understanding of human‐environment interactions taking place in traditionally managed ecosystems and landscapes and to monitor the role that these interactions play in the maintenance of such systems.

Findings

Virtually all ecosystems and landscapes must be seen as coupled social‐ecological systems whose ability to respond to stresses and change derives from ecological and social characteristics, as well as from the link between these natural and human components. A variety of mechanisms by which indigenous and rural communities help anchor biodiversity and contribute to social‐ecological resilience were identified.

Originality/value

This paper challenges the rationale behind exclusionary approaches to nature conservation. Indicators are developed to facilitate a shift towards the widespread adoption of “human‐centered” conservation practices, in which nature conservation benefits from the inclusion and empowerment of human communities instead of their exclusion and marginalization.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 January 2024

Ting-Cheng Lee and Min-Ren Yan

The purpose of this study is to discuss how organizations can drive organizational performance through human capital (HC) investment through systematic thinking.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to discuss how organizations can drive organizational performance through human capital (HC) investment through systematic thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzes three companies from various industries, adopts systems thinking and uses three leading indicators from the balanced scorecard framework to explore the effects of strategic orientations for HC on innovation ecosystems and organizational performance.

Findings

In terms of academic contributions, this study broadly verifies the innovation ecosystem model for organizations and reveals that customer-oriented, internal process-oriented and innovation learning-oriented HC strategies reinforce the pathways in organizational innovation ecosystems, thereby enriching the literature on innovation ecosystems.

Practical implications

In terms of practical contributions, this study provides a novel HC-based perspective on developmental dynamics and details the relationships among each aspect of the innovation ecosystem and HC strategies.

Originality/value

The proposed architecture and strategic frameworks provide a reference for corporations to implement strategic orientations of HC, drive operations in organizational innovation ecosystems and improve organizational performance.

Details

Measuring Business Excellence, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-3047

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2009

Ronald C. Baird

The purpose of this paper is to explore the response dynamics of management interventions in relation to coastal urbanization and its consequences for ecosystems and society.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the response dynamics of management interventions in relation to coastal urbanization and its consequences for ecosystems and society.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive review of the literature was conducted on the characteristics of cities, sustainability science, and ocean governance/policy.

Findings

In less than two decades the world's urban population is expected to add another 2.1 billion people with the majority located in coastal cities. Dramatic increases in human‐induced stressors to coastal ecosystems are inevitable. The consequences represent one of the most urgent challenges for mankind, yet the magnitude and time lines are under‐appreciated. Many urban challenges (e.g. pollution, infrastructure) do not scale linearly with population size. The result is that the per capita contribution to ecosystem stressors increases with urban growth. The environmental costs of time lags in management response therefore increase per unit time. Reduction of lag times in management responses to coastal urban environmental challenges is paramount and will require anticipation, greater institutional efficiencies, knowledge creation and a focus on action strategies.

Originality/value

The study articulates the ecological consequences of coastal urbanization and the urgent challenge of reducing lags in management response times globally.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 February 2019

Steffen Lehmann

Climate change is occurring around us and impacting on our daily lives, meaning that we have to deal with our cities in a different way. There is also increasing awareness of the…

Abstract

Climate change is occurring around us and impacting on our daily lives, meaning that we have to deal with our cities in a different way. There is also increasing awareness of the need for daily contact with green spaces and the natural environment in order to live a happy, productive and meaningful life.

This reflective essay tells the narrative of how urbanisation has been disconnecting humans from nature. Non-sustainable, non-resilient patterns of urbanisation, along with the neglect of inner-city areas, have resulted in fragmentation and urban decline, led to a loss of biodiversity, and caused the deterioration of ecosystems and their services. Urban regeneration projects allow us to “repair” and restore some of this damage whilst enhancing urban resilience. Connecting existing and enhanced ecosystems, and re-establishing ecosystems both within cities and at the peri-urban fringe is vital for strengthening ecosystem resilience and building adaptive capacity for coping with the effects of climate change.

Cities worldwide need to look for suitable solutions to increase the resilience of their urban spaces in the face of climate change. This essay explores how this can be achieved through the integration of nature-based solutions, the re-greening of neighbourhoods and by correctly attributing value to natural capital. Transforming existing cities and neighbourhoods in this way will enable ecosystems to contribute their services towards healthier and more liveable cities.

Details

Emerald Open Research, vol. 1 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-3952

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1993

Laszlo Zsolnai

Focuses on the basic concepts and principles of alternativeeconomics; a new doctrine of economic thought centred around humancommunities and their natural environments. The ideas…

6775

Abstract

Focuses on the basic concepts and principles of alternative economics; a new doctrine of economic thought centred around human communities and their natural environments. The ideas of Karl Polanyi, Ernst F. Schumacher, and Herman E. Daly are presented as the most important antecedents. Considering the economy as multiple interplay among natural ecosystems, economic organizations and human communities, alternative economics tries to find ways in which economies could have been made more ecologically benign and humane. Demonstrates the practical relevance of alternative economics to two fields: first, the responsibility problematics of economizing and, second, the question of how to form economic policies which serve real development.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 April 2021

Sepehr Ghazinoory, Shohreh Nasri, Roya Dastranj and Alfred Sarkissian

Big Data (BD) is not only a quintessential part of many economic activities but also has evolved into a veritable business ecosystem. However, most Big Data ecosystem (BDE) models…

Abstract

Purpose

Big Data (BD) is not only a quintessential part of many economic activities but also has evolved into a veritable business ecosystem. However, most Big Data ecosystem (BDE) models have a technical, bottom-up focus and mostly lack the capability for a broad socioeconomic analysis. This paper identifies the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) as a useful, operational framework and uses a metaphorical analogy to adapt it for the BDE. The top-down approach adopted here allows for seeing the big picture of the BD ecosystem. Meeting “end-user needs” is the main objective of the proposed BDE framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of this paper consists of two parts. First, the MA is adapted for the BDE through a metaphorical analogy. Then, to operationalize and validate the proposed framework, it is applied to an emerging BD ecosystem.

Findings

In total, four types of services are offered in the BD ecosystem: provisioning information and products; regulating; cultural and supporting services. Direct and indirect drivers of change impact ecosystem processes such as BD service provision. Based on the assessment results, interventions can be devised to remedy problems, sustain the ecosystem or accelerate growth. The proposed BDE assessment framework is applied to an emerging BDE as an example of operationalization and validation of the proposed BDE framework.

Originality/value

The strengths of the proposed BDE framework is that, in contrast to existing frameworks that are technical and bottom-up, it is constructed top-down by a metaphorical analogy from the proven MA framework. It is a generic framework with the ultimate objective of meeting the “end-user needs” and does not focus on a single sector or firm. Also, the proposed BDE framework is multi-faceted and considers broad socioeconomic issues such as regulating, cultural and supporting services and drivers of change.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

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