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1 – 10 of 10Philip M. Osano, Mohammed Y. Said, Jan de Leeuw, Stephen S. Moiko, Dickson Ole Kaelo, Sarah Schomers, Regina Birner and Joseph O. Ogutu
The purpose of this paper is to assess the potential for pastoral communities inhabiting Kenyan Masailand to adapt to climate change using conservancies and payments for ecosystem…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the potential for pastoral communities inhabiting Kenyan Masailand to adapt to climate change using conservancies and payments for ecosystem services.
Design/methodology/approach
Multiple methods and data sources were used, comprising: a socio‐economic survey of 295 households; informal interviews with pastoralists, conservancy managers, and tourism investors; focus group discussions; a stakeholder workshop. Monthly rainfall data was used to analyse drought frequency and intensity. A framework of the interactions between pastoralists' drought coping and risk mitigation strategies and the conservancy effects was developed, and used to qualitatively assess some interactions across the three study sites. Changes in household livestock holdings and sources of cash income are calculated in relation to the 2008‐09 drought.
Findings
The frequency and intensity of droughts are increasing but are localised across the three study sites. The proportion of households with per capita livestock holdings below the 4.5 TLU poverty vulnerability threshold increased by 34 per cent in Kitengela and 5 per cent in the Mara site, mainly due to the drought in 2008‐2009. Payment for ecosystem services was found to buffer households from fluctuating livestock income, but also generates synergies and/or trade‐offs depending on land use restrictions.
Originality/value
The contribution of conservancies to drought coping and risk mitigation strategies of pastoralists is analyzed as a basis for evaluating the potential for ecosystem‐based adaptation.
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This chapter evaluates the impacts of and response measures to COVID-19 pandemic on the practice of tourism in the wildlife conservancy model in Kenya thus proposing response…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter evaluates the impacts of and response measures to COVID-19 pandemic on the practice of tourism in the wildlife conservancy model in Kenya thus proposing response interventions to possible tourism crises in the future.
Methodological Design
The study uses the qualitative exploratory experience design and collects data from purposely selected conservancies' leaders and other documented materials from two main wildlife conservancies association in Kenya.
Findings
The chapter presents findings on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on wildlife conservancy-based tourism, how conservancies responded to the pandemic and conservancy leadership perspectives on how to model future tourism and related activities in the conservancies based on the lessons they have learnt from the COVID-19 experience.
Research limitation/Implications
With the wildlife conservancy-based tourism model in Kenya being a relatively new phenomenon, the study provides important lessons for comparison with other such initiatives in other places in the event of tourism crises in the future.
Originality/Value
This chapter argues that better preparedness to crises and uncertainties by various tourism types and models can help mitigate against adverse effects of similar uncertainties in the future. Consequently, the findings offer a glimpse of proposals and solutions to the wildlife conservancy-based tourism models that continue to be established in Kenya and in the region.
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Girdhari Bora, Rajiv Kumar and Ajil Joseph
Community health workers (CHWs) are vital to addressing public health system limitations in developing countries. However, effective identification and support of underperforming…
Abstract
Purpose
Community health workers (CHWs) are vital to addressing public health system limitations in developing countries. However, effective identification and support of underperforming CHWs remains a challenge. This study develops a predictive model to proactively identify underperforming CHWs, facilitating targeted interventions for improved CHW programmes.
Design/methodology/approach
We developed a predictive model to identify underperforming CHWs in Uttar Pradesh, India. Data from 140,101 CHWs over a 12-month period was used to build, test and validate the model. Classification techniques, ensemble modeling and a model tuning algorithm were employed for accuracy optimization and early identification.
Findings
Logistic regression, decision trees and random forests yielded the best performance. While ensemble models offered no significant performance improvements over the base models, the model tuning algorithm effectively increased prediction accuracy by 19 percentage points. This enabled early identification of poor-performing CHWs and high-risk CHW clusters early in the year.
Practical implications
The developed model has significant potential to improve CHW programmes. It enables targeted support, feedback and resource allocation, leading to enhanced CHW performance, motivation and healthcare outcomes in the communities they serve. The model can provide personalised feedback to help CHWs overcome challenges and dynamic clustering facilitates proactive identification and tailored support for those at risk of underperformance.
Originality/value
This study is the first attempt to use predictive modelling to identify underperforming CHWs, advancing the nascent field of CHW performance analytics. It underscores the effectiveness of digital technologies and data in improving CHW programmes.
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Joseph Lwaho and Bahati Ilembo
This paper was set to develop a model for forecasting maize production in Tanzania using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) approach. The aim is to forecast…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper was set to develop a model for forecasting maize production in Tanzania using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) approach. The aim is to forecast future production of maize for the next 10 years to help identify the population at risk of food insecurity and quantify the anticipated maize shortage.
Design/methodology/approach
Annual historical data on maize production (hg/ha) from 1961 to 2021 obtained from the FAOSTAT database were used. The ARIMA method is a robust framework for forecasting time-series data with non-seasonal components. The model was selected based on the Akaike Information Criteria corrected (AICc) minimum values and maximum log-likelihood. Model adequacy was checked using plots of residuals and the Ljung-Box test.
Findings
The results suggest that ARIMA (1,1,1) is the most suitable model to forecast maize production in Tanzania. The selected model proved efficient in forecasting maize production in the coming years and is recommended for application.
Originality/value
The study used partially processed secondary data to fit for Time series analysis using ARIMA (1,1,1) and hence reliable and conclusive results.
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Keywords
Michael Hicks and Dagney G. Faulk
As a component of a benefit-cost analysis into the efficacy of publicly funded facility incentives, the purpose of this paper is to examine the county-wide impact of business…
Abstract
Purpose
As a component of a benefit-cost analysis into the efficacy of publicly funded facility incentives, the purpose of this paper is to examine the county-wide impact of business incubators, makerspaces and co-working spaces on employment, proprietor’s employment and the average wage per job. The period under analysis is 1971 through 2015 across Indiana’s 92 counties.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a unique data set on facility incentives in Indiana, a spatial panel model, which includes a unique identification strategy to account for underlying conditions identified as a source of incubator success in earlier studies, is developed.
Findings
This study finds no statistically significant impact of these facilities on total employment or average wage per job during this period. There is a statistically meaningful impact of co-working spaces on proprietor’s employment, but the effect is an economically insignificant one-time increase of 2.3 jobs in the typical county, which can be interpreted as shifting employment from traditional employment to proprietorship employment.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical estimate of the contribution of modern facility incentives on measures of local economic activity.
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This paper illuminates the mechanisms through which marketing practice and institutions produced, normalized and institutionalized systemic racism in support of imperialism…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper illuminates the mechanisms through which marketing practice and institutions produced, normalized and institutionalized systemic racism in support of imperialism, colonization and slavery to provide impetus for transformational change. Critical race research is drawn on to propose paths toward decolonial and anti-racist research agenda and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper integrates multidisciplinary literature on race, racism, imperialism, colonialism and slavery, connecting these broad themes to the roles marketing practices and institutions played in creating and sustaining racism. Critical race theory, afro pessimism, postcolonial theories, anti-racism and decoloniality provide conceptual foundations for a proposed transformative research agenda.
Findings
Marketing practices and institutions played active and leading roles in producing, mass mobilizing and honing racist ideology and the imagery to support imperialism, colonial expansion and slavery. Racist inequalities in market systems were produced globally through active collusion by marketing actors and institutions in these historical forces creating White advantage and Black dispossession that persist; indicating an urgent need for transformative anti-racists and decolonial research agendas.
Research limitations/implications
Covering these significant historical forces inevitably leaves much room for further inquiry. The paper by necessity “Mango picked” the most relevant research, but a full coverage of these topics was beyond the scope of this paper.
Practical implications
Marketing practitioners found themselves at the epicenter of a crisis during the Black Lives Matter protests. This paper aims to foster anti-racist ad decolonial research to guide practice.
Social implications
This paper addresses systemic and institutional racism, and marketplace inequalities – urgent societal challenges.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is the first in marketing to integrate multidisciplinary literature on historical forces of imperialism, colonization and slavery to illuminate marketing’s influential role in producing marketplace racism while advancing an anti-racist and de-colonial research agenda.
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Fredrick M. Nafukho and Machuma A. Helen Muyia
The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of entrepreneurship education and training in Kenya as a strategic approach to addressing the unemployment problem among…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of entrepreneurship education and training in Kenya as a strategic approach to addressing the unemployment problem among the school and university graduates in Kenya and Africa in general.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a critical review of the literature method to achieve its purpose and to answer the key research question. The literature search included a computerized search of accessible and available material on entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial spirit, entrepreneurship education and training programs, history of entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship models, Africa and entrepreneurship development.
Findings
It is shown that the development of entrepreneurial spirit and competencies should be a lifelong process. Addressing Africa's socioeconomic development in an entrepreneurial way requires learning successful lessons from within and without Africa. Specific examples of successful use of entrepreneurship to develop micro, small and medium‐sized enterprises in Africa and other parts of the world, especially the USA, are cited in the paper. A case study of using technology to promote entrepreneurship in Africa is provided.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is limited since it is based on a review of the literature. Quantitative and qualitative research studies focusing on entrepreneurship and socioeconomic development in Africa are recommended.
Originality/value
There are limited studies that focus on the issue of entrepreneurship and socioeconomic development in Africa. This paper and the special issue in particular have laid down pioneering ground work for research on entrepreneurship and socioeconomic development in Africa.
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Howard Thomas, Michelle Lee, Lynne Thomas and Alexander Wilson
Ambrose R. Aheisibwe, Razack B. Lokina and Aloyce S. Hepelwa
This paper aims to examine the level of economic efficiency and factors that influence economic efficiency among seed potato producers in South-western Uganda.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the level of economic efficiency and factors that influence economic efficiency among seed potato producers in South-western Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyses the economic efficiency of 499 informal and 137 formal seed producers using primary data collected through a structured questionnaire. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the study sites and specific farmers. A one-step estimation procedure of normalized translog cost frontier and inefficiency model was employed to determine the level of economic efficiency and the influencing factors.
Findings
The results showed that mean economic efficiencies were 91.7 and 95.2% for informal and formal seed potato producers, respectively. Furthermore, results show significant differences between formal and informal seed potato producers in economic efficiency at a one percent level. Market information access, credit access, producers' capacity and experience increase the efficiency of informal while number of potato varieties, market information access and producers' experience increase economic efficiency for formal counterparts.
Research limitations/implications
Most seed potato producers, especially the informal ones do not keep comprehensive records of their production and marketing activities. This required more probing as answers depended on memory recall.
Practical implications
Future research could explore panel data approach involving more cropping seasons with time variant economic efficiency and individual unobservable characteristics that may influence farmers' efficiency to validate the current findings.
Social implications
The paper shows that there is more potential for seed potato producers to increase their economic efficiency given the available technology. This has a direct implication on the economy through increased investment in the production and promotion of high yielding seed potato varieties to meet the growing national demand for potatoes.
Originality/value
The paper bridges the gap in literature on economic efficiency among seed potato producers, specifically in applying the normalized translog cost frontier approach in estimating economic efficiency in the context of potato sub-sector in Uganda.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-10-2021-0641
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Nancy Tsz Yin Cheng, Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong and Rob Law
This study aims to offer a comprehensive review of mobile payment (m-payment) research in hospitality and tourism.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to offer a comprehensive review of mobile payment (m-payment) research in hospitality and tourism.
Design/methodology/approach
This study systematically reviews 105 m-payment-themed publications retrieved from five research engines including EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Content analysis is used to draw insights from the articles.
Findings
Results show that research on m-payment in hospitality and tourism is generally categorized into consumer, supplier and policy dimensions. This study proposes a framework to summarize the demand–supply research standpoints and conditions that qualify research outcomes while providing contemporary policy-related discussions. Four research priorities for future studies are recommended.
Practical implications
Knowledge accumulation and policy-related discussions identified in this study equip practitioners with the opportunities and challenges brought by m-payment. This study provides recommendations according to the factors that drive adoption of m-payment.
Originality/value
This study addresses the academic gaps by critically analyzing m-payment research in hospitality and tourism and identifying four research priorities for future studies.
Details