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International environments introduce a number of learning-related barriers for students endeavoring to understand global business practices. One way in which these obstacles can be addressed is through participation in temporary learning environments (TLEs), such as trade fairs and similar events. This paper aims to examine how international trade missions (ITMs) – a type of short-term, study-abroad experience – were used as TLEs by students at an Atlantic Canada university as part of their EMBA curriculum to gain practical experience in international business environments.

This study explores the ways in which students benefitted from participation in the ITMs and resulting TLEs. Accordingly, an online survey that explored export-related issues and learning outcomes was administered to EMBA students who participated in this program to ascertain the ways in which these events furthered their educational experience and how the ITMs enabled them to perceive challenges and strategies related to international market expansion.

A survey of ITM participants revealed that students gained insights into firm-level barriers to internationalization in addition to a practical understanding of general challenges in international trade. At the same time, some observations suggested that more emphasis could be placed on pre-trip preparations and post-trip networking. The paper concludes with discussions on how short-term study abroad opportunities can serve as TLEs, in addition to proposing future ways in which the ITMs could provide even more experiences for the students.

The value-added from this paper is found in two ways. The first is to illustrate how ITMs can be a form of a TLE for students. The second, linked contribution, is to reinforce and to provide further evidence on how the TLEs – a short study-abroad opportunity – can be an environment in which students obtain valuable, hands-on international business experience.

This study aimed to document the life experiences of child miners (CMs) engaged in small-scale gold mining system (SSGMS) in Paracale using qualitative and ethnographic approaches. Findings revealed that the SSGMS started even before the Spaniards came in 1572. Pagbibitâ (underground mining), and pagkocompressor (underwater mining) were identified as types of SSGMS (pagkakabod) with common organizational structure and CMs. Their differences were in the nature of work, roles, costs, income, equipment, and processes. Majority of the CMs are males, out-of-school youth, eldest children, and have worked from two months to nine years. Altruistic factors, a source of inspiración, motivated them to engage on mining. They view their families as poor, and mining as their primary means of livelihood and family tradición. Their life threatening or work-related risks and impoverished living conditions unquestionably infringe their children’s rights. Their aspiración include having permanent employment, better family life and community, finishing their studies, and sending their siblings to school. Perseverance and hard work are their means to realize them.

Their experiences of labour explotación and destitution are indeed social issues. Espousing social development and community organizing frameworks, good governance, holistic alternative livelihood and learning system may minimize their plight as child miners.

Summarizes the findings of the VAR 1991 Market Research report which surveys the market research industry and examines the importance attached to various marketing activities, particularly in the light of the current recession. Highlights three main topics: the importance of market research to successful marketing; performance ratings for market research agencies; the weaknesses to be addressed by those agencies.

Steeped in tradition, the New Zealand Law Society began removing restrictions on marketing law firms about 12 years ago, with virtually all restrictions dismantled by 1994. As a result, legal firms are now free to use a variety of marketing tools, although some are more diligent and inventive than others. The purpose of the study was to explore the forms of marketing communications being used by legal practices and to identify the type of firm more likely to be communicating with existing and non clients. The results indicate that most firms focus primarily on technical quality (the job, the work required), rather than services quality (the experience, the feeling).

This edited book contains a selection of papers that were originally presented at the XII World Congress of Rural Sociology held in Goyang, South Korea, in July 2008. Contrary to the case of conference proceedings, this volume includes papers that underwent a peer review process and, therefore, possess the quality of finished research manuscripts. The idea of publishing a selection of the most significant papers read at the 2008 World Congress stems from the desire to share the wealth of research presented at the conference with interested individuals who could not attend the event. Additionally, this will be the first of a series of volumes containing the most salient works presented at world congresses and reflecting the research characterizing contemporary rural sociology. As this sociological sub-discipline evolves along with society and the rural world, it appears of paramount importance to make salient research available to the international scientific community.

Accounting for over 90% of goods traded globally, Maritime Transport is undeniably the main mode of international transport for goods throughout the world. Despite the global financial crisis in 2008, growth in international seaborne trade continued, albeit at a slower rate of 3.6% in 2008 as compared with 4.5% in 2007. The volume of global sea‐borne trade for 2008 totaled 8.17 billion tons as estimated by UNCTAD (2009). Maritime transport is more critical to the development of the small Caribbean states than for most other regions because they exist as islands in the Caribbean Sea, and consequently are heavily reliant on foreign trade. However, despite the advancement in the area of maritime transport globally, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) continue to be plagued with high transport costs, inadequate port and transport infrastructure and a lack of coordinated maritime transport policies among others. It can, therefore, be widely appreciated that in order for LAC to achieve sustained economic development there is need for improved maritime transport cooperation in the region. This paper seeks to use the examples of Trinidad and Tobago from the Caribbean and Venezuela from Latin America to examine the ways in which Maritime Transport Cooperation can be enhanced in order to encourage development and growth in the Greater Caribbean region

To demonstrate that adult learning can be improved through the use of eclectic digital resources to enhance instructional methods rather than through learning skills in isolation.

During the past two decades, a significant research has focused on adults as learners. Many adults take classes for skills improvement, job advancement, and personal understanding. The demand for training programs to help workers keep current and competitive is growing. It is likely that more adults from all walks of life will be continuing their education in a variety of settings. For example, librarians do instruction for their communities in the areas of internet searching, electronic database use, and personal computing skills. Many of their students are adults, including other library staff members, community members, and non‐traditional students.

A learning program that includes digital resources helps provide the opportunity for instructors to help their students make connections and form relationships across the boundaries of classroom, discipline, skill, and background. By incorporating an eclectic assortment of digital resources into computer/internet‐related training an instructor ensures that adult learners are better able to connect what they have learned in life and are learning in the classroom.

Relies on availability of internet access.

Librarians are frequently in the position of providing computer/internet‐related training for a wide variety of audiences, including adults.

Librarians are perfectly poised to combine sound pedagogy with their expert knowledge of available digital resources to promote adult achievement in technology education. An instruction program integrated with evocative digital resources provides the opportunity for instructors to reduce anxiety and to help their students make connections and form relationships across the boundaries of classroom, discipline, skill, and background.

In aging societies all over the world, an increased understanding of age and age-related insights is critical to theory development, generalizations, model adaptations and managerial insights. Researchers and managers mostly rely on chronological age for adapting their approaches; they assume chronological age as a customers’ characteristic and neglect differing behaviors between individuals of the same age. When motivations enter the fray, chronological age as an individual’s attribute becomes indiscriminate. Consequently, findings adopting this age concept differ widely.

This special issue of the Journal of Services Marketing consists of ten articles that focus on different aspects of aging.

The articles change perspectives on age when describing ageing from an individual’s perspective. The articles also comment on social needs and discuss well-being in later life stages.

The authors offer a broad view on age and ageing to promote age-related research.