Suchergebnisse

Purpose
This study aims to design a set of sustainability indicators that is pertinent to cooperatives longevity. The primary goal of the cooperatives is towards meeting the economic progress of members while satisfying their socio-cultural interests and protecting the environment. As a sustainable and participatory form of business, cooperatives offer an alternative business model to social enterprises.


Design/methodology/approach
Using an extraction process analysis, this study examined and analyzed guidelines, indices, and framework on sustainability used by the public companies. The selected materials were analyzed using Atlas.ti software, whereby common indicators were divided into themes. The indicators were further scrutinized to suit the cooperatives identity and local regulations.


Findings
The results are presented as indicators for cooperatives sustainability that could serve as strategies and performance measurement. Promotion and expansion of cooperatives could be an important instrument for more than one billion people around the world involved in cooperatives either as members/customers, employees/participants, or both.


Originality/value
This work extends and complements the on-going efforts in uplifting the cooperatives sector as the third engine of economic growth in Malaysia. It contributes towards enriching the knowledge of the relationship between sustainable development and sustainability and its influence towards the cooperative sector. It may also provide the building blocks for future studies that could explore the usefulness of these indicators to other business setting having a similar objective like the cooperatives.

Objective: to determine the factors that have contributed to the expansion in the international activities of the subnational actors and to identify the issues that prevail in the relations between the Canadian provinces and the subnational states of North America. Likewise, to identify the strategies and mechanisms that favor the relationships between these subnational governments.
Methodology: the qualitative methodological strategy comprises of two dimensions: the first focuses on the factors which explain these dynamics and on the conceptual revision to refer to the transnational activities of subnational governments in North America, in particular the paradiplomacy. The second one examines official information, reports and publications from national and subnational governments in the region. Subsequently, the international activities of these governments were examined to determine their nature, characteristics and objectives.
Results: it was highlighted that the international activities of subnational governments are linked to economic development and to issues such as the environment, natural resources, sustainable development, security, culture, education, science and technology. They are carried out through institutional deliberation and decision-making forums, international offices and cooperation agreements.
Conclusions: subnational governments contribute to the governance of North America, through the formulation of regional public policies to face common challenges. The agreements are limited in the areas of jurisdiction of the subnational governments and, at the same time, they show/disclose a certain degree of autonomy with respect to the central government.

Background: Public health leaders are confronted with complex problems, and developing effective leadership competencies is essential. The teaching of leadership is still not common in public health training programs around the world. A reconceptualization of professional training is needed and can benefit from innovative educational approaches. Our aim was to explore learners' perceptions of the effectiveness and appeal of a public health leadership course using problembased, blended learning methods that used virtual learning environment technologies. Case presentation: In this cross-sectional evaluative study, the Self-Assessment Instrument of Competencies for Public Health Leaders was administered before and after an online, blended-learning, problem-based (PBL) leadership course. An evaluation questionnaire was also used to measure perceptions of blended learning, problem-based learning, and tutor functioning among 19 public health professionals from The Netherlands (n = 8), Lithuania (n = 5), and Austria (n = 6). Participants showed overall satisfaction and knowledge gains related to public health leadership competencies in six of eight measured areas, especially Political Leadership and Systems Thinking. Some perceptions of blended learning and PBL varied between the institutions. This might have been caused by lack of experience of the educational approaches, differing professional backgrounds, inexperience of communicating in the online setting, and different expectations towards the course. Conclusions: Blended, problem-based learning might be an effective way to develop leadership competencies among public health professionals in international and interdisciplinary context.

Grounded in the goal of troubling the silence that often pervades spaces of inequality in schools, this action research pilot study examined the role soundscapes might play as a catalyst to open spaces for dialogue that recognizes and interrogates the injustices and oppressive structures present in many schools and communities (Gutstein, 2006). Soundscapes have become more common in music classrooms as a way to encourage students to compose without the restraints of standard notation. Originally intended to help "young children to listen to and use the sounds of their own lives and environments as the basis of what were called 'sound compositions'" (Regelski, 2011, p. 30), soundscapes can also be used to help students to read their world and grapple with what stories were told. This project explored the representation of students' lived experience through soundscapes. Student compositional processes emerged from journaling, interviews with community members, and student discussions. This presentation will explore both student dialogue and discussion, as well as educator reaction and responses to the dialogue prompted by the soundscapes. The project indicates that soundscape compositions afforded particular spaces for students to develop dialogue, allowing for shared experience and giving the opportunity to peer into each other's world. This work engages in interdisciplinarity by drawing together fields of music and acoustic ecology with the politically charged nature of school classrooms and systemic sociocultural oppression. Keywords: Soundscape, Inequality, Dialogue, Lived Experience, Silencing

Cet article analyse la mise en oeuvre de programmes publics de lutte contre la pauvreté rurale en Afrique du Sud et fait le parallèle avec les politiques d'aide internationale au développement, en soulignant en particulier un de leurs travers, à savoir leur relative inefficacité. En remobilisant un concept-clé des travaux en anthropologie, celui du courtier, couplé à la redécouverte de l'idée de « point de passage obligé » (gatekeeping) issue de la science politique, cet article montre à quel point les courtiers ont l'ambition de s'imposer comme des intermédiaires hégémoniques au sein d'un univers du courtage très disputé. À cette occasion, notre article s'interroge sur les relations entre les figures nouvelles et traditionnelles du courtage, c'est-à-dire entre les conseils d'administration des comités d'irrigation et les élites tribales. ; This paper studies the implementation of national public policies tackling rural poverty in South Africa and draws a parallel with international development aid public policies, stressing in particular one of their common predicaments, i.e. their relative ineffectiveness. Building on the key notion of "brokerage" in anthropology, and coupling it with the notion of "gatekeeping" derived from the political science literature, this paper demonstrates how much brokers strive to become hegemonic intermediaries within a very competitive brokerage environment. This paper questions the relations between new and pre-existing figures of brokerage, i.e. between an irrigation committee's governing board and village's traditional elites. ; https://www.cahiersagricultures.fr ; am2019 ; Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development

The aim of the author is to present the possible consequences of any further intensification of the global problems which the European Union will have to stand up to, to a larger degree than before. Globalization has not created global problems, but it has contributed to their intensification. There are four groups of global issues that are of particular significance to globalization processes: (1) international security, (2) ecology, (3) demography, and (4) poverty and marginalization. Undoubtedly, the European Union is a 'privileged' region as it comprises safe states. Europe and the United States perceive the prevention of threats to be a common interest, which justifies the claim that the two partners are at least partially chained to each other. However, Europe is vulnerable to the consequences of global threats. In future, poor countries will blame developed countries for their problems, including those related to their natural environment. Adverse demographic trends will result in the European population growing older and there will be a decrease in the numbers of native Europeans. International relations may be destabilized in the long-term by the widening gap between the developed countries and developing ones, and by their feelings of being excluded from globalization processes. An alternative to this scenario could be provided by cohesive and active global policies on the part of the EU, however, it cannot change the adverse consequences of modern global trends by itself.

The Gilded Age in America was the best of times, it was the worst of times—truly a tale of two cities. One bore the fruits and architectural wonders of the industrial revolution, with sprouting skyscrapers and the elite air of America's first billionaires. The other bore much different fruits: those of industrialization— squalor, urban sprawl, and abhorrent labor conditions justifed by liberty of contract. Notions of freedom and equality so hard-fought in the preceding decades and established by the 14th amendment were now out of date, manipulated to encompass antiquated defnitions of economic autonomy and succumbing to the greed of the wealthy industrial class and its permeating ideals of Social Darwinism. Politics were not immune to the influence of America's new bourgeoisie class, often coalescing to form earmark legislation beneficial only to a handful of formidable businessmen and their puppet politicians. Given the political and economic environments, liberty of contract's landmark ruling was based on little to no legitimate constitutional basis. Therefore, the ruling in Lochner v. New York arose in congruence with a financially guided Supreme Court that misconstrued the aim of the 14th amendment. The justices' involvement with political machines and their far-reaching interpretation of the "due process" clause consequently relegated wage laborers as the new American slave power. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Background: Public health leaders are confronted with complex problems, and developing effective leadership competencies is essential. The teaching of leadership is still not common in public health training programs around the world. A reconceptualization of professional training is needed and can benefit from innovative educational approaches. Our aim was to explore learners' perceptions of the effectiveness and appeal of a public health leadership course using problem based, blended learning methods that used virtual learning environment technologies. Case presentation: In this cross-sectional evaluative study, the Self-Assessment Instrument of Competencies for Public Health Leaders was administered before and after an online, blended-learning, problem-based (PBL) leadership course. An evaluation questionnaire was also used to measure perceptions of blended learning, problem-based learning, and tutor functioning among 19 public health professionals from The Netherlands (n = 8), Lithuania (n = 5), and Austria (n = 6). Participants showed overall satisfaction and knowledge gains related to public health leadership competencies in six of eight measured areas, especially Political Leadership and Systems Thinking. Some perceptions of blended learning and PBL varied between the institutions. This might have been caused by lack of experience of the educational approaches, differing professional backgrounds, inexperience of communicating in the online setting, and different expectations towards the course. Conclusions: Blended, problem-based learning might be an effective way to develop leadership competencies among public health professionals in international and interdisciplinary context.

Community diagnosis is defined as a comprehensive assessment of the state of an entire community in relation to its social, economic, physical and biological environment. It is a process of examining the patterns of disease or health status in the community in order to promote health, prevent disease and manage health services for the community people. As per the curriculum of Tribhuwan University, B.Sc. Nursing first year, we were provided an opportunity to fulfill the practicum of community health nursing in the assigned area Shanti Tole and Teentara Tole, Pokhara, Lekhnath, Ritthepani-27 from 18th June to 14th July 2017. Total population of Ritthepani was 4529, male population was 2100 and female population was 2429. Each of the 13 students was assigned with 10 different families for community diagnosis in order to promote the health of the individual, family and community. The main objective of community diagnosis was to find out the health related aspects and to provide preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services to the individual and the community as a whole. All the findings were presented among the key members of the community. On survey, total population of 130 houses was found 565, among them 296 were male population and 269 were female population. Sanitation of the community was inappropriate. People were not using the health facilities effectively so they were found suffering from different kinds of diseases most commonly gastritis. The common health seeking practice was going to governmental hospital and traditional healers.

Background: Public health leaders are confronted with complex problems, and developing effective leadership competencies is essential. The teaching of leadership is still not common in public health training programs around the world. A reconceptualization of professional training is needed and can benefit from innovative educational approaches. Our aim was to explore learners' perceptions of the effectiveness and appeal of a public health leadership course using problem-based, blended learning methods that used virtual learning environment technologies. Case presentation: In this cross-sectional evaluative study, the Self-Assessment Instrument of Competencies for Public Health Leaders was administered before and after an online, blended-learning, problem-based (PBL) leadership course. An evaluation questionnaire was also used to measure perceptions of blended learning, problem-based learning, and tutor functioning among 19 public health professionals from The Netherlands (n = 8), Lithuania (n = 5), and Austria (n = 6). Participants showed overall satisfaction and knowledge gains related to public health leadership competencies in six of eight measured areas, especially Political Leadership and Systems Thinking. Some perceptions of blended learning and PBL varied between the institutions. This might have been caused by lack of experience of the educational approaches, differing professional backgrounds, inexperience of communicating in the online setting, and different expectations towards the course. Conclusions: Blended, problem-based learning might be an effective way to develop leadership competencies among public health professionals in international and interdisciplinary context.

The aim of the author is to present the possible consequences of any further intensification of the global problems which the European Union will have to stand up to, to a larger degree than before. Globalization has not created global problems, but it has contributed to their intensification. There are four groups of global issues that are of particular significance to globalization processes: (1) international security, (2) ecology, (3) demography, and (4) poverty and marginalization. Undoubtedly, the European Union is a 'privileged' region as it comprises safe states. Europe and the United States perceive the prevention of threats to be a common interest, which justifies the claim that the two partners are at least partially chained to each other. However, Europe is vulnerable to the consequences of global threats. In future, poor countries will blame developed countries for their problems, including those related to their natural environment. Adverse demographic trends will result in the European population growing older and there will be a decrease in the numbers of native Europeans. International relations may be destabilized in the long-term by the widening gap between the developed countries and developing ones, and by their feelings of being excluded from globalization processes. An alternative to this scenario could be provided by cohesive and active global policies on the part of the EU, however, it cannot change the adverse consequences of modern global trends by itself.

Flood hazards have become increasingly common and serious over the last few centuries. Volunteers can observe instant flood information in their local environment, which presents a great opportunity to gather flood information. The information provided by individual volunteers is too much for them to truly understand. Corporate volunteers can offer more accurate and truthful information due to their understanding of the roles and requirements of specific tasks. Past studies of factors influencing the success of corporate volunteers in flood disaster are limited. Thus, this research aims to derive the factors that enable corporate volunteers to successfully integrate the flood information to help reduce the number of injuries and deaths being caused by flood disasters. This research used the information success model and the public-private partnership (PPP) model to develop an analytic framework. The nature of flood disaster management problems is inherently complex, time-bound, and multifaceted. Therefore, we proposed a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model to address the key influence factors and the cause-effect relationships between factors. An empirical study in Taiwanese public flood disaster inquiry and notification systems was used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The research results can serve as guidelines for improving the government&rsquo ; s policies and the public sector in the context of corporate volunteer involvement in flood disaster inquiry and notification and in relation to other natural and manmade disasters.

In his monthly column, Professor Frank Peck of the University of Cumbria's Centre for Regional Economic Development will tackle the burning issue of Brexit. This month, he focuses on how leaving the EU could effect the thousands of Cumbrians working in the timber industry. Timber haulage - a common sight on Cumbrian roads. But where does it all come from… and where is it going? The fact is, timber haulage is a visible part of commercial enterprise that plays a major role in rural areas of the North of England. The forestry and timber industry also has considerable reach, not only in providing employment in rural communities, but also through its links to other sectors including agriculture, manufacture of wood and paper products as well as recreation and tourism. According to Cumbria Woodlands, just under 10 per cent of land in Cumbria is covered by woodland (61,671 ha). A significant proportion of this is under public ownership (28 per cent) and managed by the Forestry Commission (including Grizedale and Whinlatter forests). The rest is owned and managed by a wide range of private owners that include, for instance, the National Trust (Tarn Hows) and Center Parcs (Whinfell Forest). Some forested areas clearly have "commercial" objectives, but many woodlands are protected and important for the environment and natural habitats and most are viewed as assets to be used in promoting recreation and tourism.

AbstractThe article examines how regional integration courts can act as judicial brakes, at a time when "constitutional coups" – leaders staying in power past constitutional time limits or other forms of actions against the spirit if not always the letter of the constitution – are alarmingly common. The article discusses how regional courts can be used to modify or protect national rule of law and the constitutional order from the outside (i.e. from the regional integration aspect) and the extent to which this can be valid particularly to promote a uniform interpretation and application of human rights. Although this trend is visible in Europe, it is more striking, because less expected, on other continents, in particular Africa and the Americas, where the developments take place in less than perfect democratic environments. The article contains evidence from cases dealt with in the various regional courts, supporting that a system of political and judicial oversight, especially in regions with weak or fragile democratic systems, can be a useful addition to national judicial or other mechanisms of protection of rule of law and control of the executive. Action by regional courts helps defeat perceptions of majoritarian politics, which in many countries allow for the winner to take all. Under a system of regional oversight, states become aware of the limits they themselves have set and citizens become aware of their possibilities to challenge political power.

AbstractThe Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) states that it is essential for people to understand what constitutes a healthy diet and to know how to use their resources in the most effective way. Iodine is an essential nutrient for mammals, required as a mandatory structural and functional element of thyroid hormones. Previous studies in Latvia highlighted a tendency of reduced level of iodine for newborns, school-age children and pregnant women. No studies in the general adult population had been conducted yet. The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of knowledge regarding the role of iodine in nutrition in the adult population of Latvia. In total 199 adults participated in the survey. Data on the knowledge about the occurrence of iodine in nature and foodstuffs, the role of iodine in nutrition, and its deficiency were obtained. Results of the survey showed that only 4.5% of respondents used iodised salt daily in the diet. One-fourth knew that iodine is widely found in the environment and more than one-third knew all of the main functions of iodine in the human body. Salt and sea food were mentioned as the most common iodine sources. While iodised salt is used rarely, public awareness about the role of iodine is good and potential iodine deficiency in Latvia is likely due to unbalanced diet rather than lack of knowledge.