Maria Manuela Santos Natário
The aim of this paper is to reflect and evaluate the factors that influence regional competitiveness and propose a conceptual model for regional competitiveness in Peripheral Regions. These regions have specificities and singulars characteristics distinct of central regions and need certain specifications to develop innovation and competitiveness. The entrepreneurship and innovation process require an important involvement of local actors and the creation of networks. This paper reflects upon the factors that influence regional competitiveness, enhancing the concept of regional innovation systems, the triple helix model and the concept of entrepreneurship to develop dynamics of innovation and competitiveness.
Amutha D
India now ranks first in the world in the combined production of fruits and vegetables. Out of 370 million tons of fruit production in the world, India accounts for 30 million tons. India has produced 49,360,000 t fruits and 93,000,000 t vegetables during year 2009-2010. The major fruits grown in India include mango, banana, papaya, orange, mosumbi, guava, apple, pineapple, sapota, ber, pomegranate, strawberry, litchi etc. Sapota, also known as “Chikku” in North India, being a deep rooted and drought-resistant crop has been found to be an ideal plant for two tier cropping system with chillies as an intercrop in dry areas of Tuticorin district. This paper attempts to examine cost and returns of Sapota cultivation in Tuticorin District. The present study is based on primary data covered only six months period (2014). The proportionate random sampling technique has been adopted to select 60 Sapota farmers from Vilathikulam and 60 Sapota farmers from Puthur blocks of Tuticorin district. Percentage analysis, averages, ranking method and standard deviation chi square tests and probability analysis were used for the analysis. The results from this study were found that the total cost of production was Rs.9257.10 in Vilathikulam whereas in Puthur, it amounted to Rs.6034.60. The direct cost accounted for 70.14 per cent in total cost of production in Vilathikulam whereas in Puthur it accounted for 60.48 per cent. The indirect costs accounted for 29.89 per cent of total cost of production in Vilathikulam and 39.52 per cent in Puthur. Among the components of indirect costs, interest on fixed capital formed the major item. It accounted for Rs.1327 in Vilathikulam and Rs.1259.80 in Puthur. The other components of indirect cost included, annual share of establishment cost, depreciation and interest on working capital and they accounted for 3.44 per cent, 4.49 per cent and 7.59 per cent respectively in Vilathikulam and 4.83 per cent, 5.31 per cent and 8.51 per cent respectively in Puthur. Thus, it could be concluded that investment in Sapota orchard was economically feasible and financially viable in both the blocks.
Hrabrin Bachev
This paper suggests a new holistic framework for analyzing, assessment and improvement of environmental management using agro-business as an example. It incorporates an interdisciplinary approach combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Ecology, Technology, Behavioral and Political Sciences, and presents a modern framework for analyzing and evaluating the system of environmental management including: specification of specific managerial actors, needs and spectrum of feasible governing modes (institutional environment; private, collective, market, and public modes) at different level of decision-making (individual, farm, eco-system, local, regional, national, transnational, and global); specification of critical socio-economic, natural, technological, behavioral etc. factors of managerial choice, and feasible spectrum of (private, collective, public, international) managerial forms; defining and assessing comparative and absolute efficiency of individual management forms and the system of ecomanagement; suggesting realistic approach for improvement of forms of public intervention in eco-management, etc.
Tony Carter and Demissew Diro Ejara
Besides the social and economic benefits of increasing minority employment and supporting minority-owned businesses, hospitals can make a positive difference by bringing true diversity to urban hospital board structures. These boards of directors, now underrepresented by the minority populations of their communities, have the power and influence to determine the priorities of their institutions. Hospitals often are the largest employers in their communities and, as such, have the social responsibility of serving their communities in an equitable manner. This work primarily focuses on the data collected and analyzed regarding minority representation in the following areas: hospital governance; administrative and professional employment opportunities at the hospitals; and hospital purchasing practices.
Mamta Chhabra Sharma and Sandeep Kumar Sharma
Food security is primarily associated to socioeconomic as well as environmental conditions of an ecosystem. The improvement in the agricultural sector and the upgrading of the food security situation are seen as vital constituents to sustainable development. However, continuing population growth, impacts of climate change and ecological degradation add to an unprecedented blend of pressures that threaten existing struggles and solutions. Strategies should be evolved so as to reduce the food gap by comprehensive food production on existing agricultural space and need not necessarily produce more food as a trade of ecological degradation. The environmental impact of food production should be reduced, particularly greenhouse gas emissions and stress on water and natural ecosystems. This article discusses the challenges and opportunities of inclusive growth in a sustainable way.
Mohammad Saif Ahmad
Change is one of the basic characteristics of nature itself. Peoples, organizations, nations and their socioeconomic and political philosophies have been constantly changing. India, after experiencing abject poverty under foreign yoke, adopted, after independence, socialist pattern of development that led to tremendous achievements in different fields until the dismemberment of the erstwhile USSR. Thereupon, the process of LPG (liberalization, privatization and globalization) started everywhere in one form or the other. The 1990’s and first decade of the 21st century witnessed overall global prosperity. India achieved remarkable progress during the period but suffered from complacency and oversized confidence as many countries made much more commendable progress on a number of socio-economic fronts compared to India. A number of books were written on Indian economic potential during the period and the authors, in their over-enthusiasm, depicted India as the imminent economic superpower. During the last five years, particularly after 2008, overconfidence has given way to more sensible and reasonable understanding of the difficulties that still lie ahead for India to harness its full potential.
Davis Nyangara, Melody R Nyangara and Batsirai W Mazviona
This paper reviews the ethical and corporate governance issues that characterized the 2003/4 Zimbabwean banking crisis. There are contrasting views on the legal and moral roots of the crisis, and consequently, different analysts have come up with different assessments of the morality and professional propriety of measures adopted by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), as bank regulator, in response to the developments in the banking industry. While there is an almost universal acknowledgement among analysts that corporate governance and ethical shortcomings contributed to the crisis, there appears to be no universal theory justifying the response of the regulator. A critical review of the events surrounding the crisis, with some benefit of hindsight, points to a form of collective responsibility among bankers, regulators, and politicians. This analysis draws on deontological and teleological ethical theories to assess the resolution of the myriad of ethical dilemmas that characterized the period before and during the crisis. The analysis also relies on legal and prudential guidelines on good governance in banking institutions, in particular the Banking Act (Chapter 24:20).
Endager Abera, Mezgebu Yitayal and Measho Gebreslassie
Background: Health workers turnover is an increasing problem that threatens the functioning of the health care sector worldwide, especially in developing countries. There are very few studies on turnover intention in low-income countries, especially in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess turnover intention of health workers and its determinants in University of Gondar Referral Hospital, Ethiopia.
Methods: Institutional based cross sectional study was conducted from March to April, 2014 at University of Gondar Referral Hospital on 394 health professionals using stratified random sampling techniques. The data were cleaned, coded, entered into EPI INFO version 3.5.3, and transferred and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify factors associated with turnover intention.
Results: overall, 52.5% of the health professionals reported to have turnover intentions. Respondents who have degree and above academic rank [AOR=2.717(95%CI:1.192,6.190)]; nursing profession [AOR= 7.668(95%CI: 2.913,20.188)], laboratory profession[AOR 9.153,(95% CI: 2.925,28.636)], work experience of 2.1 to 5 years [AOR=1.937,(95% CI: 1.142,3.288)] and income level of 2100 to 2259 [AOR =0.431(95% CI: 0.213,0.871)] were significantly associated with turnover intention of the health professionals.
Conclusions: In this study, turn over intention of health professionals was found to be high. Educational level, profession, work experience, income are significantly associated with intent to turnover. Hence, it is worth strengthening human resources for health management at hospital level through implementing retention strategies.
Priyono Iyon Priyono
Motivating role in the repair process of studying the subject management Department, University of Surabaya BUANA PGRI ADI carried on half anomalies Human Resource Management academic year 2010/2011. This learning process improvement tool is to improve student achievement that took HRM subjects, by providing motivation to learn by trial and discussions at the beginning of the treatment course.
The method developed in this learning process improvement to take medication or to motivate students to learn in a group. The first in the second group of students (class of parallel) are not given treatment motivated. The results of the quantitative evaluation of the treatment given to motivate students are students with an A (25%), B (75 %), and assess the C, D and E as well (0%). While a student at the value obtained parallel class A (8.35%), B (41.66%), C (50%) and also assess the D and E (0%). Statistically by using t-test assessing student learning motivation given by the reality of the level of 95% to the value given by the students who are not motivated to learn.