1,720,991 research outputs found
Social enterprises in rural community development
No full textSocial enterprises are hybrid organizational forms that combine characteristics of for-profit businesses and community sector\ud
organizations. This article explores how rural communities may use\ud
social enterprises to progress local development agendas across both\ud
economic and social domains. Drawing on qualitative case studies of\ud
three social enterprises in rural North West Tasmania, this article\ud
explores the role of social enterprises in local development processes.\ud
The case study social enterprises, despite differences in size, structure,\ud
mission and age, are strongly embedded in their local places and local\ud
communities. As deeply contextualized development actors, these social\ud
enterprises mobilize multiple resources and assets to achieve a range of\ud
local development outcomes, including but not limited to social capita
Social enterprise and regional development : a pilot study
No full textThis preliminary study is an early attempt to explicitly explore the role of social enterprises in regional development. Focusing on North West Tasmania, an isolated and predominately rural region, this study examines three social enterprises based in the region and the nature of their social and economic impacts
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Balancing act: business and household in a small Bolivian city
No full textSucre is a city of micro enterprises. The lines between business and household are often blurred: accounts are mixed, space is shared, and partners from outside the household are rare. On the surface, this kind of business organisation seems most inadequate for economic success. Yet a closer look at the internal workings of Sucre's businesses suggests that the complex 'balancing act' between business and household may represent not sloppy management (as micro-enterprise development agencies often maintain), but a flexible strategy for household well-being. Sucre's businesses essentially follow 'triple bottom line' accounting at the household level, taking into account both financial and non-financial goals.This article is hosted by our co-publisher Taylor & Francis.</p
Little business, big dreams : households, production and growth in a small Bolivian city
No full textQuestions about the role of the "informal sector" color much of the discussion of urban economic development in poor countries. Why is there an informal sector (and how to define it)? Are informal businesses stagnant or dynamic, and can they contribute to development? In the small Bolivian city of Sucre, site of this study, there is no "informal sector"; rather, the entire economy demonstrates informal characteristics. With a handful of exceptions, businesses are all very small and household centered. Most manufacturing is done by hand or with simple machines, and informal labor and trade relationships predominate. This thesis describes Sucre's producers, especially chocolate-makers and carpenters, and the local organizations which work with them to promote business growth. Despite attempts by local NGOs, grassroots organizations, and business people, Sucre' businesses stay, small and informal. The reasons for this include: (A) the size and composition of the local market; (B) the problems of trust and contract enforcement which raise transaction costs (for hiring workers, contracting distributors and forming partnerships); (C) the inability to "catch up" with more efficient, mechanized competitors in neighboring countries; and (D) a tendency for households to diversify their investments as a response to risk and uncertain markets. The main problem impeding business growth in Sucre is not the businesses' informality (which is principally a result of their smallness), but the local social, economic and institutional environment in which they must work. This is an environment in which business owners have learned to survive and even, occasionally, prosper, but one which they have thus far been unable to change
Crossing Boundaries in Rural Research
No full textRural places around the world share common issues related to their positioning outside social, political, and economic centres of power. More than simply tyranny of distance, many issues can be attributed to tyranny at distance: that is, the power of distant decision-makers to direct rural development from afar with little knowledge of rural contexts. In response to the challenge to progress a transformative research agenda for rural sociology, this article theorises a ‘cross-boundary’ approach to research for rural development, to address persisting issues of development ignorance. Cross-boundary knowledge production values the multiple, contextualised knowledges of rural people and brings these into dialogue with academic knowledges across disciplines to inform practical rural solutions. Rural sociologists, with their in-depth understanding of rural community dynamics and larger social structures, are ideally positioned to broker cross-boundary knowledge partnerships that equip rural communities to solve old problems in new ways
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