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1 – 10 of over 31000Serdar Durdyev, Kerim Koc, Ferhat Karaca and Asli Pelin Gurgun
Reportedly, green roof (GR) makes a significant contribution towards a truly sustainable-built environment; however, its implementation is yet to hit a sufficient level in…
Abstract
Purpose
Reportedly, green roof (GR) makes a significant contribution towards a truly sustainable-built environment; however, its implementation is yet to hit a sufficient level in developing countries. Thus, this study assesses GR implementation strategies in developing countries by providing a comparative analysis through experts in Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Turkey.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a four-step methodological approach to achieve the research aim: literature review, focus group discussion, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) analysis and correlation analyses. First, a literature review followed by a focus group discussion is used to determine 18 (out of 25 initially) strategies for the selected context and these are classified into three categories: governmental and institutional support, knowledge and information and policy and regulation. Afterward, the identified GR strategies are evaluated using the FAHP with the data gathered from the experts in the countries studied. Finally, correlation analyses were used to observe the strength of agreement between the assessments of experts from the included countries.
Findings
The findings indicate that financial incentives, low-cost government loans and subsidies and tax rebates are the essential strategies for the wider adoption of GR. Evaluating the policy and regulations strategies also showed that mandatory GR policies and regulations and better enforcement of the developed GR policies are ranked as the most prominent strategies. The findings show a low level of agreement among respondents from Kazakhstan, while there is a high level of agreement between the experts in Malaysia and Turkey.
Research limitations/implications
The research contribution is twofold. First (research implication), the study identifies the strategies through a complete literature review. Second, the identified strategies are evaluated through the lenses of experts in three developing countries which are hoped to provide (practical contribution) a better understanding of the most effective strategies that require attention and enable the frontline stakeholders (particularly government authorities) to focus on them.
Originality/value
The study findings provide a good point of departure to explore the strategies for broader adoption of GRs in developing economic setting.
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Sergio Jesus Teixeira, Carla Maria Lopes Casteleiro, Ricardo Gouveia Rodrigues and Maria Dulce Guerra
This study aims to pursue better understanding and investigation of the factor that can have an impact on the level of entrepreneurial activity. To achieve this, statistical…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to pursue better understanding and investigation of the factor that can have an impact on the level of entrepreneurial activity. To achieve this, statistical analysis was conducted. Indicators from 22 countries of the European Union were reunited to compare the differences between entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
To analyse entrepreneurial intentions in Europe, two databases of the Global Databases Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) were used, namely, “GEM NES Key Indicators 2007-2015” and “GEM APS Key Indicators 2001-2015”, available at www.gemconsortium.org/data/sets, considering only the data from 2015 and analysed with IBM SPSS Statistics tool. Each original database includes 60 countries, and this study is limited to an analysis of only countries of the European continent, resulting in a sample of 22 countries.
Findings
The major determinants of the entrepreneurial intention in the countries studied were: “perceived capacity”; “entrepreneurial intention” itself which will, in fact, influence the “rate of nascent entrepreneurship”; “governmental and political factors” in relation to the respective “financing for the entrepreneur”; and “basic education and training” in entrepreneurship which influences “research and development”.
Research limitations/implications
This study has few limitations because, as it refers to a European analysis, it would require a more generalized analysis of the factors, such as to include more and better indicators for the demographic, economic and institutional determinants of the entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurship in the European countries under study. For future research on the explanation of commercial activity, we must address the methodological problem of distinguishing the effect of business intentions from other determinants, as these also influence entrepreneurial attitudes. Despite the conceptual and empirical limitations, the conclusions of the study imply and provide several recommendations for the future policy of entrepreneurship in Europe.
Practical implications
In the past decades, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intentions have gained increasing attention from academics, governments and politicians around the world. It is seen as a critical factor for economic growth and development of a country, as it contributes to the solution of fundamental macroeconomic issues such as increased employment, development of competitiveness, innovation and the creation of economic and social values. Therefore, academics and researchers, governments and politicians are interested in identifying the differences and causes between countries that influence the level of entrepreneurship as a phenomenon associated with business activity in a country.
Social implications
Results reveal that some of the key determinants of entrepreneurial intention in the European countries are related to policy factors, like “governmental and political factors” and “basic education and training” in entrepreneurship. In this way, the study can help politicians elaborate the policies related to entrepreneurship, implying an increase in entrepreneurial intentions in a country and consequently implications for socio-economic development.
Originality/value
To achieve the originality of the study, two databases of the GEM of 2015 were used and duly adapted. In this way, the value of the article is very significant, as it is possible to group data from several countries, to test hypotheses and to arrive at very useful conclusions that may be of interest to policymakers at both the European and national levels. The adoption of adequate policies promotes and supports entrepreneurship in the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy, which is the European Union’s growth strategy.
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the status, values, and attributes of dual education. It investigates key elements of the dual education system in four selected countries…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the status, values, and attributes of dual education. It investigates key elements of the dual education system in four selected countries while examining and recommending dynamics and roles for governmental policy, technical and vocational institutes, and employers in developing a dual education system in Thailand to generate a competitive workforce. The tripartite system of technical and vocational institutes, employers, and government in Thailand’s dual education is central to this study.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a documentary study, a survey, in-depth interviews, and responses from a focus group from technical and vocational institutes, employers, and the government.
Findings
This study found growing interest among technical and vocational institutes, employers, parents, and students in dual education. Within the tripartite system framework, the nine essential factors to improve the capacity of Thailand’s dual education system are: the technical and vocational institutes, curriculum, in-school teachers, accredited qualification, students, employers, in-company trainers, government policy, and government and related agencies. The government, companies, and technical and vocational institutes must collaborate for mutual trust and benefit while ensuring the quality of dual education programs.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine the status and development of dual education in Thailand through the collaboration of key players. This study reflects the challenges of a major developing country in developing a dual education system, which other countries might face.
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Nirza Dinhucha Gonçalves Fumo and Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour
The purpose of this research is to shed light on the main barriers faced by Mozambican micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and their implications in respect to the support policies…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to shed light on the main barriers faced by Mozambican micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and their implications in respect to the support policies available for these enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was made on those barriers faced by the MSEs and on the policies and governmental instruments of assistance available for MSEs. Then, a two‐step research was conducted. The first phase consisted of collecting data from 21 MSEs in Mozambique, mainly by means of interviews where the main barriers faced by those interviewed were identified and hence, this led to the second phase, which was interviewing governmental/support entities in order to know what they had done to minimize those barriers which had been identified by the entrepreneurs.
Findings
The results show that financial and competitive barriers are the main barriers faced by the analyzed MSEs. These barriers vary according to the field of activity of the enterprises.
Originality/value
This study serves to enrich the state of the art on the subject of smaller enterprises in Africa and will specially help to fill the lack of academic research available about Mozambique.
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Imrat Verhoeven and Evelien Tonkens
In this chapter, we analyze the interactions between local governments and citizens’ initiatives. In the Netherlands, local governments take up the role of civic enabler based on…
Abstract
In this chapter, we analyze the interactions between local governments and citizens’ initiatives. In the Netherlands, local governments take up the role of civic enabler based on a modest approach that leaves citizens room to invent and design initiatives on what they deem to be public issues by facilitating and activating their efforts. We focus on how a proactive form of this approach toward citizens’ initiatives in deprived neighborhoods affects citizen–government relations. Our research is based on a case study in the city of Amsterdam. We find that particularly more women and migrants took up a wide variety of initiatives, which suggests that the neighborhood approach is more inclusive than deliberative approaches. We also find that initiators developed a positive attitude toward public institutions that enable them and that they started to see frontline workers as collaborators in their initiatives with whom they could have personal and authentic interactions, as opposed to the cool bureaucratic response from government officials that they were used to. To close the chapter, we discuss some risks of the proactive enabling approach, we compare our findings to problems that citizens’ initiatives often face during their interactions with local institutional actors in the Netherlands found in other literature, and we briefly discuss possible implications of practicing a modest enabling approach for developments in governance.
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Allan Oswaldo Villegas Mateos and José Ernesto Amorós
The entrepreneurial ecosystem approach tries to understand the mechanisms underlying new business creation and helps develop tools, governmental policies and support systems that…
Abstract
Purpose
The entrepreneurial ecosystem approach tries to understand the mechanisms underlying new business creation and helps develop tools, governmental policies and support systems that enhance the outcomes of entrepreneurship activities. To ensure a better understanding of those mechanisms, this study aims to contrast regional policies in emerging economies that are designed to foster local new business creation and development.
Design/methodology/approach
One of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s surveys, the National Experts’ Survey, was applied to a sample of N = 675 key informants in Mexico at ten entities, seven of whom were categorized as non-centrally located. The authors used non-parametric statistics to compare the differences between centrally and non-centrally located experts.
Findings
The main results indicate that non-centrally located experts perceive their regions to be in a worse position than centrally located experts in terms of government policies regulation, post-school education and commercial and physical infrastructure, but surprisingly in a better position regarding financial access, general government policy, government programs, primary and secondary education, R&D transfer, market dynamism and openness and cultural and social norms.
Practical implications
These findings have policy implications for all levels of government in Mexico, which must prioritize the homologation of opportunities for people in both large and small cities.
Originality/value
The replication of a Chilean study contributes to the empirical literature of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems in emerging economies.
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Giang NT Nguyen, Thinh Gia Hoang, Tam Minh Nguyen and Thanh Thien Ngo
This paper aims to explore the motivational factors and contextual facilitators of female entrepreneurs in Vietnam’s coffee industry and also the barriers facing them.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the motivational factors and contextual facilitators of female entrepreneurs in Vietnam’s coffee industry and also the barriers facing them.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts the grounded theory approach, using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 31 women entrepreneurs in the coffee industry in the rural Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Findings
This study found that necessity-driven factors play an important role in motivating female entrepreneurs to advance their careers. However, these factors may be transformed into the opportunity-driven motives. Furthermore, the findings suggest that Asia’s collectivism culture and family support significantly affect the success of the women entrepreneurs, although gender inequality is not perceived as a serious constraint in entrepreneurial activities.
Research limitations/implications
This study has implications for the literature of women entrepreneurs regarding motivations and contextual influences in agricultural and rural areas of Vietnam. However, the sample size is relatively small which limits the concept generation of the study. For further research, a larger sample size with different business sectors should be considered to generate more explicit findings.
Practical implications
The findings from this study can assist the policymakers in developing strategies and governmental policies to support the career advancement of women entrepreneurs and improving gender equality in Vietnam.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature about understanding the motives and the roles of socioeconomic contexts in women’s entrepreneurial activities in agricultural and rural areas.
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Japan’s civic environmentalism combines a tradition of local protest and activism with a national environmental movement that is limited in size and policy influence. A strong…
Abstract
Japan’s civic environmentalism combines a tradition of local protest and activism with a national environmental movement that is limited in size and policy influence. A strong legislative and administrative response to the country’s severe pollution crisis of the 1960s and 1970s helped tamp down that era’s wave of protests and keep the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in power. While the state has generally supported local organizations engaged in environmental improvement activities, it has erected barriers that limit the scope of non-governmental organization (NGO) activities and inhibit the development of an influential national environmental movement. The 1990s reforms, inspired in part by the citizen response to the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, made it easier for NGOs to attain legal status and raise funds. Yet Japan’s civic environmentalism – by most measures – still lags well behind that of peer industrialized countries. The 2011 tsunami and nuclear crisis brought another opportunity for major reforms to the nation’s civic environmental culture – but the evidence to date indicates that the much anticipated transformation is turning out to be of a lesser magnitude than many had initially expected.
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China is currently developing and promoting an industrial cluster policy at the government level. By enacting the ‘Opinion on promoting industrial cluster development’, China is…
Abstract
China is currently developing and promoting an industrial cluster policy at the government level. By enacting the ‘Opinion on promoting industrial cluster development’, China is supporting the development of industrial clusters. Building an industrial cluster is done by using a single factor but requires many additional factors like regional characteristics, competitiveness factors are also diversified. To evaluate the competitiveness of the Chinese automobile industry cluster, a competitiveness element index should be developed and a competitiveness evaluation method is needed to evaluate the importance of each element. To accomplish this objective, this research applied the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and focused on the importance of the competitiveness elements.
This research investigated the character is tics regarding cases of clusters and also analyzed the competitiveness of the Changchun automobile cluster located in northeastern China. The purpose of this research is to help Korean enterprises who enter China in the hopes that Korea will emerge as a top automobile production country.
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Cuc Nguyen, Howard Frederick and Huong Nguyen
The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of governmental support policies and socio-cultural influences on female entrepreneurship in rural Vietnam. As such, the study…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of governmental support policies and socio-cultural influences on female entrepreneurship in rural Vietnam. As such, the study addresses an important literature gap concerning female entrepreneurship within rural communities in South East Asia.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with six female entrepreneurs and six female non-entrepreneurs in northern Vietnam to examine the influence of various environmental factors on female entrepreneurship in a rural setting.
Findings
The results suggest that government pro-entrepreneurship policies, together with private sector interventions, have had an impact on rural Vietnam. Yet females in rural and remote Vietnam are still constrained by societal prejudices, financial limitations, and limited entrepreneurship educational opportunities.
Originality/value
The paper's originality lies in its review of the circumstances confronting women in rural Vietnam and its findings concerning the impact of environmental factors on female entrepreneurship in this setting.
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