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1 – 10 of 13Martha Blanco, Felipe Montes, Felipe Borrero-Echeverry, Alfaima L. Solano-Blanco, Camilo Gomez, Paola Zuluaga, Hugo Fernando Rivera-Trujillo and Diego F. Rincon
This study aims to identify the most relevant causal factors and the feedback loops of the dynamics between Tuta absoluta incidence in tomato crops and farmers' reactions to the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the most relevant causal factors and the feedback loops of the dynamics between Tuta absoluta incidence in tomato crops and farmers' reactions to the problem. The authors seek to develop a conceptual model based on farmers' know-how to address crop damage by T. absoluta at a local and regional levels in order to determine how to confront this problem in the tomato-growing region of Sáchica, Colombia.
Design/methodology/approach
Community-Based System Dynamics (CBSD) is a participatory research methodology in which a group of stakeholders identifies relevant variables and the cause-effect relations among them which are then arranged into a causal loop diagram. The authors implemented this methodology in a workshop, focused on the farmers' insights related to the pest situation at the local and regional level, to achieve a causal loop diagram that explained pest dynamics and their potential management.
Findings
The relevant factors for the presence of T. absoluta, seen in the causal loop diagram, vary regionally and locally. At the local level, the pest impacts tomato production, farmers' well-being and their cash flow, while at the regional level, it affects market dynamics and environment and promotes regional coordination among farmers. Farmers propose product innocuity as a key regional objective. They also proposed establishing a planting calendar and census of greenhouses to control the pest throughout the region and the tomato supply.
Research limitations/implications
First, the synthesized model could not be validated with the farmers due to the COVID 19 epidemic. However, the authors held sessions with experts to analyze each result. Second, decision-makers from the local government did not participate in the workshop. Nevertheless, the approach of the workshop was aimed at understanding the mental models of the farmers since they are the ones who decide how pests are managed. Finally, even though farmers showed interest in projects aimed at proposing area-wide, long-term and wide pest control strategies, there is a risk that they will not adopt the proposed changes, due to risk aversion.
Originality/value
CBSD has not been applied to agricultural systems to analyze impacts from pests at the local and regional levels. The results of this study contribute to designing future interventions for pest control in the region, along with the factors which may turn out to be “side effects” or unwanted results. To design pest control interventions at a regional level, a sound understanding of the variables or factors that control the system dynamics at various levels is required. This study represents the first step towards that end.
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The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to count the number of international program accreditations at universities in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan; and second, to understand…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to count the number of international program accreditations at universities in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan; and second, to understand why Kazakhstan has dramatically more such accreditations.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology included identifying agencies working in each country, reviewing data on their websites, and analyzing government documents and relevant literature.
Findings
Findings were that Kazakhstan has 645 international program accreditations and Kyrgyzstan has 9. Analysis of the reasons for this difference includes strong government support and incentives for internationalization of higher education in Kazakhstan, furthering the government’s goal of becoming one of the world’s 30 most developed economies by 2050; Kazakhstan’s financial wherewithal to support internationalization policies; and its membership in the Bologna Process. In Kyrgyzstan, on the other hand, few rewards result from the costly and time-consuming process of international accreditation; only programs with existing international connections or institutions with large international student populations seem interested.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations are that the research was based on document analysis and did not include interviews with staff of programs seeking international accreditation.
Practical implications
One implication, i.e., international program accreditation, while an indicator of program quality, also denotes the financial and infrastructural wherewithal to carry it out, plus the perceived benefits and costs of doing so.
Originality/value
The value of this research is that it analyzes the reasons for divergence and different results in two countries that, 25 years ago, were part of the same higher education system.
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Erika Cristina Acevedo, Sandra Turbay, Margot Hurlbert, Martha Helena Barco and Kelly Johanna Lopez
This paper aims to assess whether governance processes that are taking place in the Chinchiná River basin, a coffee culture region in the Andean region of Colombia, are adaptive…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess whether governance processes that are taking place in the Chinchiná River basin, a coffee culture region in the Andean region of Colombia, are adaptive to climate variability and climate extremes.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed research method was used by reviewing secondary research sources surrounding the institutional governance system of water governance and disaster response and semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with producers and members of organizations within the institutional governance system.
Findings
This study found that there is a low response to extreme events. Hopefully, the growing national awareness and activity in relation to climate change and disaster will improve response and be downscaled into these communities in the future. Although, some learning has occurred at the national government level and by agricultural producers who are adapting practices, to date no government institution has facilitated social learning taking into account conflict, power and tactics of domination.
Originality/value
This paper improves the understanding of the vulnerability of rural agricultural communities to shifts in climate variability. It also points out the importance of governance institutions in enhancing agricultural producer adaptive capacity.
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Lorena Carrete, Raquel Castaño, Reto Felix, Edgar Centeno and Eva González
The purpose of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of deeper motivations and inhibitors of green consumer behavior in the context of emerging economies. Based…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of deeper motivations and inhibitors of green consumer behavior in the context of emerging economies. Based on the findings, it aims to provide implications for marketers and policy making.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an ethnographic approach, in‐depth interviews and observational data were used to study 15 Mexican families from four urban regions of Mexico with different incomes. Thematic analysis was used to develop and validate themes and codes.
Findings
The findings highlight three dominant themes related to uncertainty in the adoption of environmentally‐friendly behaviors: consumer confusion, trust and credibility, and compatibility. Overall, green behaviors seem to be ingrained in the traditional heritage of savings and frugality rather than based on strong environmental values. It is suggested that the factors that drive consumers from positive attitudes and intentions to the actual adoption of green behaviors are a combination of perceived personal benefits, decreased perceived risk and uncertainty, a sense of control over costs, and a decomposition and reconstruction of deeply embedded cultural values and practices.
Practical implications
Policy makers and marketers are advised to build on collaborative efforts in order to facilitate comprehension and adoption of environmentally‐friendly behaviors and green products. In order to construct modernity alongside environmental responsibility, it seems indispensable to provide affordable lower‐priced alternatives for the low‐income segments of the market which constitute the vast majority of the population in emerging economies.
Originality/value
Being one of very few available qualitative studies on green consumer behavior, this study delves into the tension between modernity and traditional heritage in the context of emerging economies.
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Martha de Jesús Beltrán Hernández de Galindo, Luis M. Romero-Rodriguez and Maria Soledad Ramirez Montoya
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been gaining popularity as non-formal lifelong learning educational platforms. However, they have been criticized for their low completion…
Abstract
Purpose
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been gaining popularity as non-formal lifelong learning educational platforms. However, they have been criticized for their low completion rate and low ability for networking. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how incorporating entrepreneurial competencies in MOOCs develops attributes of educational innovation and collaborative projects.
Design/methodology/approach
The research followed a three-stage process: in first stage, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify dimensions of entrepreneurial skills and attributes of educational innovation in MOOCs. In the second stage, a quantitative study was carried out, based on the analysis of pre- and post-test surveys taken by a sample of 6,517 participants. In the last stage, the interaction analysis model/computer-mediated communication analysis model was applied through qualitative analysis, using the MAXQDA tool to identify if entrepreneurship opportunities were generated in the interactions within the discussion forums of the MOOCs.
Findings
The results show that the analyzed MOOCs have an overall completion rate of 12.55 per cent, above the average of the rates found in the literature review. However, only 14.29 per cent of the participants expressed at least one opportunity to generate ventures related to the topics of energy in the discussion forums.
Practical implications
This research could help instructional designers and universities to consider the inclusion of entrepreneurship issues in the design of MOOCs’ content and to encourage more activities that promote networking among participants, to identify business potential from the educational materials.
Originality/value
This research is one of the very few studies on entrepreneurship competencies in MOOCs to understand how the inclusion of issues related to entrepreneurship in MOOCs can generate a positive impact on participants.
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Britta Gammelgaard, Satish Kumar, Debidutta Pattnaik and Rohit Joshi
International Journal of Logistics Management (IJLM) celebrated 30 years of its publication in 2019. This study provides a retrospective overview of the IJLM articles between 1990…
Abstract
Purpose
International Journal of Logistics Management (IJLM) celebrated 30 years of its publication in 2019. This study provides a retrospective overview of the IJLM articles between 1990 and 2019.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors applied bibliometrics to study and present a retrospective summary of the publication trends, citations, pattern of authorship, productivity, popularity depicting influence, and the impact of the IJLM, its contributors, their affiliations, and discusses the conceptual layout of IJLM's prolific themes.
Findings
With 23 yearly articles, IJLM contributed 689 specialized research papers on Supply Chain Management (SCM) by 2019. Authorship grew by 42 new contributors adding up to 1,256 unique IJLM authors by 2019. Each of its lead contributors associated with 1.55 other authors to contribute an article in the journal among which 93% are cited at least once. Survey-based research dominated in last 30 years. The h-index of the journal is 73 while its g-index suggests that 133 IJLM articles were cited at least 17,689 times in Scopus. IJLM authors affiliated to the Cranfield University and the US contributed the highest count of articles. Bibliographic coupling analysis groups IJLM articles into eight bibliographic clusters while network analysis exposes the thematic layout of IJLM articles.
Research limitations/implications
The literature selection is confined to the Scopus database starting from 1990, a year before the inception of the IJLM, thereby limiting its scope.
Originality/value
This study is the first retrospective bibliometric analysis of the IJLM, which is useful for aspiring contributors.
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Andrés Pinassi, Hubert B. Van Hoof and Patricia Susana Ercolani
The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that was done among older adults in the city of Bahia Blanca, Argentina regarding their awareness and use of cultural heritage…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that was done among older adults in the city of Bahia Blanca, Argentina regarding their awareness and use of cultural heritage and commercial recreational sites.
Design/methodology/approach
This exploratory study among this historically understudied segment of the population used interviews and historical images to analyze their perceptions about such spaces and to establish a link between those perceptions and their civic identity.
Findings
The study found that appreciation of local cultural heritage sites was considerably lower than appreciation of commercial recreational areas and suggests possible interventions to enhance the use and appreciation of cultural heritage sites.
Social implications
This paper about Bahia Blanca derives its relevance from venturing into an analysis of the opinions about such sites among an age segment, the elderly, that has been poorly addressed in other studies, in particular in the Latin American context. The study reported here generated firsthand information that may serve public servants in making decisions in the context of locally developed cultural policies and presents a methodological model and data collection and analysis techniques that may be of interest for development elsewhere.
Originality/value
In Argentina there is a lack of research studies in the “older adults” age bracket. The contribution of this manuscript lies in creating a connectivity among concepts such as recreation/leisure, heritage and lived space, by using new contributions in the geography of leisure that are associated with the geography of everyday life. The concepts are integrated in the study of subjective spaces of individuals.
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Investigates the differences in protocols between arbitral tribunals and courts, with particular emphasis on US, Greek and English law. Gives examples of each country and its way…
Abstract
Investigates the differences in protocols between arbitral tribunals and courts, with particular emphasis on US, Greek and English law. Gives examples of each country and its way of using the law in specific circumstances, and shows the variations therein. Sums up that arbitration is much the better way to gok as it avoids delays and expenses, plus the vexation/frustration of normal litigation. Concludes that the US and Greek constitutions and common law tradition in England appear to allow involved parties to choose their own judge, who can thus be an arbitrator. Discusses e‐commerce and speculates on this for the future.
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Rofyanto Kurniawan, Suhaiza Hanim Zailani, Mohammad Iranmanesh and Premkumar Rajagopal
The vulnerability issue in supply chains is among the most pressing concerns that firms are currently facing. As a preliminary attempt to address the lack of empirical research…
Abstract
Purpose
The vulnerability issue in supply chains is among the most pressing concerns that firms are currently facing. As a preliminary attempt to address the lack of empirical research, this paper aims to primarily explore the relationship between vulnerability mitigation strategies and supply chain effectiveness with security culture as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are gathered via a survey of 209 Indonesian manufacturing firms. The data are analyzed using partial least squares technique.
Findings
Results indicate that supply chain visibility, supply chain flexibility and supplier development strategies positively affect supply chain effectiveness. Moreover, risk culture positively moderates the effects of supply chain visibility and supplier development on supply chain effectiveness.
Practical implications
The findings may improve supply chain effectiveness by mitigating the effects of vulnerability causes.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on the relationships between vulnerability mitigation strategies and supply chain effectiveness.
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