Persistence of family farming, learning from its dynamics

Traditionally, the family farm has always been seen as a cornerstone of the agricultural production system. Given social, economic and political evidence (Calus, 2009), this organisational form might still continue to shape agricultural development. However, important changes in social and economic environment (e.g. industrialisation of agriculture, increased risk level and public vision on agriculture) become threats to the traditional model. A SWOT analysis of the family farms indicates the various intrinsic characteristics that make family farms resilient to changing conditions. Even in a changing economic and social landscape these aspects provide them with building blocks for creating new organisational forms or institutional arrangements. This paper shows these building blocks, and is only, prudentially, indicative for possible new institutional arrangements. Creativity may produce numerous outcomes from building blocks. Land tenure is only one example from past and present to show how institutions can deal with a potential threat, such as the large demand for land as production factor. Similar creativity is needed to the exploding capital demand in agriculture. One of the major challenges will be to provide family farms with low-costing capital. Food security and local community viability is the social price for this low cost supply.family farm, corporate farm, peasant, SWOT, Consumer/Household Economics,

Environmental justice in agricultural systems. An evaluation of success factors and barriers by the example of the Philippine farmer network MASIPAG

A twofold challenge arises from the normative aim of environmental justice to the management of agricultural systems: (1) the improvement of food security and livelihood of the rural poor today; (2) the sustenance and enhancement of the long-term productivity and resilience of agricultural systems to future generations. The paper analyzes the success factors and barriers of the Philippine farmer network MASIPAG in simultaneously realizing both objectives - based philosophically on Rawls’ “A Theory of Justice” (1971), conceptually on specific determinants of the relationship between the objectives, and empirically on the results of a comprehensive evaluation of the MASIPAG network.environmental justice, ecosystem services, agriculture, agrobiodiversity, Philippines

Reverse Mentoring and Intergenerational Learning in Nursing: Bridging generational diversity

Covid -19 pandemic urged technical competency and knowledge sharing among the diverse multigenerational workforce. Reverse mentoring is where a technically competent younger employee mentors the senior experienced employee and reciprocally exchanges the work culture and soft skills. Diverse intergenerational learning spurs innovation through sharing knowledge, skills, competencies, norms, and values. The ever-changing nursing practice and education with a multigenerational workforce demand a reverse mentoring approach for intergenerational knowledge sharing to enhance technical competency. Reverse mentoring is known to have benefits on quality of education, better practice outcomes, and employee development. A reverse mentoring strategy is proposed as a sustainable cost-effective intergenerational knowledge-sharing tool in the current era of economic crisis due to the Covid -19 pandemic. This paper aimed to discuss the scope of reverse mentoring and intergenerational learning in nursing. This paper provides an overview of reverse mentoring characteristics, significance, benefits, conceptual framework, implementation strategy, and application in nursing. Keywords: Mentoring; Covid-19; Cultural Diversity; Learning; Nursing; Preceptorship; Intergenerational learning; Multigenerational Workforce

Conceptualising public-private partnerships:a critical appraisal of approaches to meanings and forms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to survey various meanings attached to a public-private partnership (PPP) and related aspects in Western literature, and identify commonalities and differences between them. Additionally, the article intends to critically assess conflicting and overlapping views on contractual and institutional PPPs, their forms and models, and draw insights for transitional economies. Design/methodology/approach – The article contrasts and compares views on PPP meanings, forms and models within Western PPP literature, and also draws comparisons with understanding of partnership aspects in the Russian language sources. The paper examines theories underpinning PPPs, builds connections to PPP advantages and drawbacks, and provides critical assessment of net benefits that PPPs may bring along to the society. Findings – The article concludes that future PPP research in transitional countries such as Kazakhstan and Russia, particularly in the area of organisational and power arrangements in partnerships, may delineate new concepts such as government as a guarantor of a PPP project, social significance of a PPP project, and risk management in a country’s contextual environment. Practical implications – In transitional countries, in which PPPs are in their infancy, clarification of theoretical positions, and identification of commonalities and differences between meanings attached to the PPP terminology may enable better decisions by researchers and practitioners in their selection and further development of partnerships and related concepts. Originality/value – Research in the field of PPPs in transitional countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan is in its infancy. The paper intends to contribute to the body of knowledge about PPPs by providing detailed account and categorisation of their principal meanings, forms, models, underpinning theories, and drawing insights for future research in transitional countries

Intergenerational Learning - a Topic of Discussion or a Reality? Taking a Closer Look at the Academics

In the current sharing economy, intergenerational learning is seen as a solution to the aging society phenomenon. Nevertheless, this field is still in an embryonic stage of development and most studies are either conceptual or based on a qualitative approach. This research concentrates on the academics who analyze the concept of “intergenerational learning” to determine whether they are treating this issue as a research topic or they are actively supporting the process in their daily activity. To achieve this goal, the qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined and a multi-stage research strategy is employed. The latter is dominated by an inductive character which is reflected by the fact that the focus is on analyzing previously researched phenomena from a different perspective. Thus, a documentary study that focuses on the articles published on SCOPUS and Web of Science, during 2008 – 2019, is combined with social network analysis, and the relationships established among the academics are emphasized. The results bring forward that: (i) most academics come from Europe and North America, and they share their knowledge with those who work on the same continent; (ii) most studies regarding intergenerational learning represent the result of the cooperation established between the members of Generation X and Generation Y; and (iii) through intergenerational cooperation, the academics share knowledge regarding education sciences, knowledge management, and human resource management. The results have both theoretical and practical implications. On the one hand, they extend the literature on intergenerational learning by providing an empirical analysis of the intergenerational knowledge flows that are shared among the academics. On the other hand, they ensure the policy-makers that the concept of intergenerational learning is approached from a multi-criteria perspective and it proves that mixed-aged teams are a viable solution for encouraging intergenerational learning

Intergenerational Learning - a Topic of Discussion or a Reality? Taking a Closer Look at the Academics

[EN] In the current sharing economy, intergenerational learning is seen as a solution to the aging society phenomenon. Nevertheless, this field is still in an embryonic stage of development and most studies are either conceptual or based on a qualitative approach. This research concentrates on the academics who analyze the concept of ¿intergenerational learning¿ in order to determine whether they are treating this issue as a research topic or they are actively supporting the process in their daily activity. In order to achieve this goal, the qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined and a multi-stage research strategy is employed. The latter is dominated by an inductive character which is reflected by the fact that the focus is on analyzing previously researched phenomena from a different perspective. Thus, a documentary study that focuses on the articles published on SCOPUS and Web of Science, during 2008 ¿ 2019, is combined with social network analysis and the relationships established among the academics are emphasized. The results bring forward that: (i) most academics come from Europe and North America, and they share their knowledge with those who work on the same continent; (ii) most studies regarding intergenerational learning represent the result of the cooperation established between the members of Generation X and Generation Y; and (iii) through intergenerational cooperation, the academics share knowledge regarding education sciences, knowledge management, and human resource management. The results have both theoretical and practical implications. On the one hand, they extend the literature on intergenerational learning by providing an empirical analysis of the intergenerational knowledge flows that are shared among the academics. On the other hand, they ensure the policy-makers that the concept of intergenerational learning is approached from a multi-criteria perspective and it proves that mixed-aged teams are a viable solution for encouraging intergenerational learning.This work is part of the research project entitled "Strategic development of Intellectual capital. The human resource management practices that foster intergenerational learning" and supported by the Multidisciplinary Doctoral School of SNSPA (Decision 47/04.06.2019).Leon, R. (2020). Intergenerational Learning - a Topic of Discussion or a Reality? Taking a Closer Look at the Academics. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy. 8(2):111-123. https://doi.org/10.2478/mdke-2020-0008S1111238

Succession in Private Firms as an Entrepreneurial Process – A Review and Suggestions of New Research avenues

In considering firm succession as the acts of both entrepreneurial exit and entry, this paper adds to work that seeks to integrate entrepreneurship and family business research. We provide a comprehensive literature review of succession research over the past 35 years and identify seven thematical clusters within which succession can be understood as a distinct part of the entrepreneurial process, and three areas of particular interest for future research seeking to advance the literatures on entrepreneurship, family firms, and governance in private firms. The paper explores theoretical, conceptual, and methodological ways of integrating these findings into the research on entrepreneurship and family business.Family firms; Succession; Entrepreneurship

Towards a Wellbeing-driven System Design for Intergenerational Collaborative Innovation: A Literature Review

Researchers have previously utilized the advantages of a design driven by well-being and intergenerational collaboration (IGC) for successful innovation. Unfortunately, scant information exists regarding barrier dimensions and correlated design solutions in the information systems (IS) domain, which can serve as a starting point for a design oriented toward well-being in an IGC system. Therefore, in this study, we applied the positive computing approach to guide our analysis in a systematic literature review and developed a framework oriented toward well-being for a system with a multi-generational team. Our study contributes to the IS community by providing five dimensions of barriers to IGC and the corresponding well-being determinants for positive system design. In addition, we propose further research directions to close the research gap based on the review outcomes

Development under conditions of inequality and distrust: Social cohesion in Latin America

"This paper analyzes the role of social cohesion in economic and institutional development and, broadly, the creation of welfare in Latin America. The paper defines the concept of social cohesion with reference to the notions of social capital and inequality. Using data and literature on Latin America, the paper argues that low interpersonal trust and entrenched inequality interfere with cohesion. The paper develops and introduces an exploratory index of cohesion structured around the definition proposed. Relying on correlations, and with appropriate caveats, the paper uses this index to explore tentative linkages between levels of cohesion and development outcomes. The paper presents evidence of positive linkages among social cohesion and economic growth, investment and innovation capacity, governmental effectiveness, the quality of public policies, and the predictability of the policy environment. Finally, the paper discusses the significance of these findings and some of the policy implications." from Author's AbstractSocial cohesion, Social capital, Trust, Inequality, Exclusion, Opportunities, Governance, Institutional development, economic growth, Development strategies,

Market leadership through technology – Backward compatibility in the U.S. Handheld Video Game Industry

The introduction of a new product generation forces incumbents in network industries to rebuild their installed base to maintain an advantage over potential entrants. We study if backward compatibility moderates this process of rebuilding an installed base. Using a structural model of the U.S. market for handheld game consoles, we show that backward compatibility lets incumbents transfer network effects from the old generation to the new to some extent but that it also reduces supply of new software. We examine the tradeoff between technological progress and backward compatibility and find that backward compatibility matters less if there is a large technological leap between two generations. We subsequently use our results to assess the role of backward compatibility as a strategy to sustain market leadership