Search results

The purpose of this paper is to present qualitative evidence on strategies undertaken by 34 innovative small firms.

The sample of innovative firms is solely recruited from the agri-business sector that are located in contrasting environments varying from rural areas with low urban influence to areas with high urban influence and “main” urban or city areas. The authors discuss strategies in the light of a theoretical approach that incorporates a resource-based view, dynamic capabilities (DCs) and social network theory.

Although there is diversity in strategies across the 34 innovative small firms, irrespective of their “rural” or “urban” environment, qualitative evidence sheds light on differences in the way that strategies are pursued.

The study indicates that small firms in rural environments can be just as innovative as their counterparts in urban environments; however, the authors demonstrate that they adopt different strategies, which have been shaped by their environment, to achieve innovation. The authors use the qualitative evidence to develop the theory of DCs and classify the sample into four clusters which marries the environmental context and innovative DCs.

The paper makes a contribution to a research gap on the way that the environment can shape management strategies in innovative small firms. It contributes to a limited literature in this area.

The ageing of rural Chinese populations is challenging health and social policy, driving growth in rural nursing homes. Living environment plays a role in enhancing elderly quality of life (QoL), however, the impact of the built environment and care services are under-studied. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the built environment and care services on the QoL of elderly people within rural nursing homes in China.

A total of 242 residents of nursing home were surveyed, of which 76 percent were male and 24 percent were female. In total, 25.6 percent were aged between 60 and 69, 40.1 percent between 70 and 79, 31 percent between 80 and 89, and 3.3 percent were 90 or above. Quantitative data were analyzed through factor analysis, reliability test and multiple regression modeling.

The authors identified six built environment factors (room distance, space, barrier-free design, indoor environment, fire safety, and support facilities) and three services factors (i.e. daily care services, cleaning services, and healthcare services). QoL was measured over four dimensions: QoL, physical health, psychological health, and social relationships. Elderly QoL could be accurately predicted from room distance, space, barrier-free design, indoor environment, daily care services, and cleaning services.

Interventions in design of the built environment and the provision of care services are proposed, including dimensions of living space, heating, and provisions for qualified care providers.

This paper provides a clear picture about elderly special requirements on their built environment and healthcare services, helping architects, engineers and facilities managers understand elderly needs and improve built environment during design and operation stages.

The purpose of this paper is to undertake a qualitative case-based analysis of the factors affecting the capability of primary sector rural entrepreneurs to manage regulation. The authors suggest a conceptual framework to aid understanding of their skill and capability when managing regulation.

Using a multiple case study approach the entrepreneurial skill of rural entrepreneurs is examined in light of three sets of factors: institutional regulatory, social capital and economic market.

The case analysis indicates diversity in the skill of rural entrepreneurs to manage regulation across sub-sectors including dairy and stock farming, fruit growers and vegetable/horticultural producers. The conceptual framework indicates that there are three areas that influence entrepreneurial skill: relationships with national cooperatives, relationships with the institutional regulatory environment and relationships with the economic market environment. This provides the authors with a conceptual framework to aid understanding of the interplay of factors affecting entrepreneurial skill and capability to manage regulation.

This study contributes to the emerging stream of literature highlighting the importance of industry sector context for understanding the complex and differing regulatory effects on entrepreneurs’ skill and hence capability to manage. Case comparisons allow the authors to explain and understand why entrepreneurs that operate similar businesses within the same sector respond differently to regulation.

The purpose of this research is to show that initiatives to adequately address poverty reduction through the provision of housing units in rural communities in Ghana have come from both local and offshore resources. However, very little has been done to assess the impacts of these initiatives so that best practices can inform public policy to enhance the quality and quantity of rural housing in Ghana. This paper explores the impact of one such initiative, namely the Habitat for Humanity International Ghana's (HHIG) intervention in the rural housing subsector.

To understand and appreciate HHIG's intervention, field data collection and community interfaces were organised. Extensive use was made of the case study approach or narratology. Under this approach, six of the 29 local HHIG affiliates were studied using an exploratory approach for in depth probing.

This study shows that the provision of housing units through HHIG's initiative has had a positive impact on poverty reduction through an enhanced housing environment, formation of micro enterprises, enhanced access to social services, skills transfer and improved security.

As an object of consumption, the introduction of housing into rural economies in Ghana can have tremendous significant and positive impacts; implying that it can be used as an entry point in efforts aimed at reducing rural poverty in Sub Saharan Africa.

The study is the first of its kind to reveal HHIG's immense contribution towards the creation of more liveable housing environments in rural Ghana and its link with poverty reduction.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of runner’s concern for the environment plays as a source of differentiation in the type of race they choose to participate. The study also seeks to explore how the environmental consciousness relates with participation motives in an urban and rural race setting.

Participants from urban and rural races were surveyed to explore the relationships between their environmental consciousness, their race selection type and the sport tourism motivational profile for the runners in each of these race locations.

A logistic regression was statistically significant in predicting urban vs rural race choice, correctly classifying 84 percent of cases. Increases in motivational responses relating to self-enrichment, social needs, catharsis and aggression were all associated with an increased likelihood in choosing an urban race. Conversely, motivational constructs related to tourism (e.g. destination attributes) were particularly effective in classifying rural race participants. Subsequent tests revealed significant differences in five of the nine race motives between runners based on their low, medium and high levels of environmental consciousness.

Implications from this study serve to extend the literature on sport and tourism sustainability by understanding the environmental paradigm and sport tourism motives of distance runners in urban and rural race destinations.

This study also serves event organizers from a practical standpoint by offering suggestions to market and execute events in line with participants’ underlying motives which were found to be different in an urban vs rural setting.

In a highly competitive event space like road races, effective differentiation and marketing are paramount to attracting participants. This study advances the research in this area by exploring the role that runners’ concern for the environment plays in their destination and event choice, as well as the differences that may exist in the sport tourism motivational profile for runners at an urban vs rural race destination.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the psychosocial work environment on the turnover of civil service cadre officers in rural areas in Bangladesh.

Physical intimidation, mental health and well-being, organisational impediments, decision latitude, psychological job demands and social interaction were developed as variables to examine in relation to job satisfaction and turnover. This study gathers 406 responses from Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) cadre officers in rural areas to test the hypotheses.

The findings indicate that physical intimidation increases employee turnover, whereas psychosocial job demand decreases it. Physical intimidation reduces job satisfaction, whereas decision flexibility and social interaction enhance job satisfaction, hence reducing the turnover of civil service cadre officers in rural Bangladesh.

This research contributes to the creation of context-specific and targeted public sector support, particularly the interventions and policies addressing the work environment in rural areas.

With the urbanization development in China, natural ecological environment and ecological environments in rural areas have been affected. Therefore, the characteristics and classification of rural greenway were analyzed on the basis of eco economic model theory, the resources of ecological, cultural, recreational and industrial greenway planning were evaluated, and the structure characteristics of rural greenway network are analyzed. A mathematical model of space superposition analysis is constructed. Taking SunYea town of Feixian county in Shandong as the object, starting from the green road network space, greenway system, service facilities, transfer system and identification system and other aspects, the construction of the rural greenway was carefully planned. Practice has proved that rural greenway planning research has improved the scientific nature of the allocation of resources, and has a certain exemplary role for the construction of rural greenway network in similar areas.

The purpose of this study is to determine factors influencing rural consumers' inshopping behaviours and to examine rural retailers' perceptions of the current rural retailing environment.

This study was comprised of two phases. In Phase 1, consumer surveys were conducted in three rural US communities. In Phase 2, in‐depth interviews with retailers selected from the same communities were conducted.

The findings of the consumer surveys supported all hypothesised relationships, except the direct effect of community attachment on inshopping intention. The findings of the retailer interviews provided useful insights as to the challenges rural retailers are currently facing.

The findings have implications for both retailers and community leaders in rural places who wish to improve their understanding of the challenges and opportunities rural retailers face and subsequently develop strategies to promote inshopping behaviours.

This study examined both consumers and retailers in the context of rural retailing. Thus, the findings provide a more complete picture of the current retail industry in rural communities.

The present work provides an integrated view of rural entrepreneurship and sets the agenda for future research in the area. Rurality defines a territorially specific entrepreneurial milieu with distinct physical, social and economic characteristics. Location, natural resources and the landscape, social capital, rural governance, business and social networks, as well as information and communication technologies, exert dynamic and complex influences on entrepreneurial activity in rural areas. Rurality is viewed as a dynamic entrepreneurial resource that shapes both opportunities and constraints. Rural entrepreneurship is depicted as a three‐stage sequential process highly influenced by specific territorial characteristics. The proposed research agenda addresses issues related to theoretical studies concerning entrepreneurial processes in rural areas and more applied issues concerning the formulation of integrated and competent policies supporting entrepreneurship in such areas.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different types of domestic waste disposal in rural China and the major factors that affect rural household waste disposal behavior.

Stratified and randomly sampled household data are used to describe the disposal of domestic waste in rural China, including domestic garbage and organic waste (human excreta, livestock waste, and kitchen waste); econometric models are estimated to quantify the major determinants of household domestic garbage and human excreta disposal.

While about 30 percent of the domestic garbage in 2008 was discharged to appropriately designated places, more than 40 percent of the garbage was discharged casually. Organic waste at the time of data gathering was still largely used in agricultural production, although a falling trend has been evidenced in recent years. Based on econometric analysis, it becomes clear that income growth, rising population density, and transportation improvements have significantly improved domestic garbage disposal, but negatively affected the recycling of human excreta. The provision of an adequate garbage collection service has the most positive effects on garbage management.

The analyses are based on primary survey data. The results will have significant policy implications on the management of rural domestic waste to maintain better rural environment.