Towards a synthesized critique of neoliberal biodiversity conservation

During the last three decades, the arena of biodiversity conservation has largely aligned itself with the globally dominant political ideology of neoliberalism and associated governmentalities. Schemes such as payments for ecological services are promoted to reach the multiple ‘wins’ so desired: improved biodiversity conservation, economic development, (international) cooperation and poverty alleviation, amongst others. While critical scholarship with respect to understanding the linkages between neoliberalism, capitalism and the environment has a long tradition, a synthesized critique of neoliberal conservation - the ideology (and related practices) that the salvation of nature requires capitalist expansion - remains lacking. This paper aims to provide such a critique. We commence with the assertion that there has been a conflation between ‘economics’ and neoliberal ideology in conservation thinking and implementation. As a result, we argue, it becomes easier to distinguish the main problems that neoliberal win-win models pose for biodiversity conservation. These are framed around three points: the stimulation of contradictions; appropriation and misrepresentation and the disciplining of dissent. Inspired by Bruno Latour’s recent ‘compositionist manifesto’, the conclusion outlines some ideas for moving beyond critique

Intelligent system in the context of business process modelling

The article deals with the features and characteristics of intelligent systems for modelling business processes. Their classification was made and criteria for comparison were developed. According to the comparative analysis of existing expert systems for intelligent analysis, a reasonable choice of system for modelling business processes of a particular enterprise has been carried out. In general, it was found that the introduction of intelligent systems for modelling business processes of the enterprise and forecasting its activities for future allows management of the company to obtain relevant and necessary information for the adoption of effective management decisions and the development of a strategic pla

Banking on Her: The Effects of Microfinance on Women’s Autonomy in Developing Economies

Once applauded as a way to empower the world’s poorest, and in particular benefit women, the practice of microfinance is now perceived with a much more cautious and nuanced lens. Some perspectives state that microfinance improves women’s lives and uplifts communities, while others claim that it increases over-indebtedness and does not provide a viable path to escape poverty. In order to determine if microfinance is an effective use of resources to empower women, this paper analyzes the relationship between women’s autonomy and microfinance to provide further insight into its proposed positive and negative effects. Using ordinary least squares regression analysis, the study analyzes data from 45 different developing countries using data from the World Bank and the United Nations. Autonomy is operationalized in a variety of ways to test for robustness, such as female secondary school enrollment, women participating in decision-making, and female unemployment and labor force participation rates. Findings show that microfinance has little positive effect, if any, on women’s autonomy, with the percent of female borrowers being the only significant microfinance-related influence. Even then, this variable only affects female secondary school enrollment and the poverty headcount ratio. This study contributes to the body of literature focusing on women’s empowerment and microfinance to help determine future policy approaches

Financing for Small Southern Style Restaurants

The focus of this case study was to explore the strategies small restaurant business owners used to acquire capital funding to sustain their business through the first 5 years of business. The participants for this study included 4 purposefully selected small restaurateurs in New York State who have been in business for a minimum of 5 years. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the organizational life cycle theory supported by working capital management theory and the liability of newness. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with each restaurant owner, and archived data. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis of the interviews and content analysis of the documents. Five themes emerged that small business owners might benefit in acquiring financing to assist in sustaining the business longer than 5 years. The themes included education, third party auditor, economic conditions, banking track record, and a solid professional team. The results of this research may contribute to social change by identifying strategies needed to be successful in the financing process. The findings of this research may improve upon the knowledge of entrepreneurs and, consequently, strengthen the U.S. economy by educating America\u27s job creators