Small business in Ukraine: problems and opportunity of efficient functioning

Статтю присвячено дослідженню проблем малого підприємництва та можливості його ефективного функціонування в сучасних ринкових умовах. Малий бізнес є невід’ємною складовою ринкового господарства. Функціонування в сучасних ринкових умовах надає йому гнучкості, мобілізує фінансові й виробничі ресурси, прискорює темпи науково-технічного прогресу, вирішує проблему зайнятості населення. Тому багатостороння підтримка розвитку малого бізнесу та побудова соціально орієнтованої економіки має стати головним вектором реформ в Україні, що служитиме фактором підвищення рівня життя населення та сприятиме процесам інтеграції національної економіки у світове глобальне господарство.The article is devoted to the problems of small business and the possibility of its effective functioning in the current market conditions. Small business is an integral part of the market economy. Functioning in the current market conditions gives it flexibility, mobilizes financial and industrial resources, boosts scientific and technological progress, solves the problem of unemployment. Therefore, multilateral support of small business development and building a socially oriented economy should become the main vectors of reforms in Ukraine, which will serve as factorsof improving standards of life and facilitating the integration of national economy into the world global economy

Transformation of the mechanisms of economic activity in the conditions of structural changes in the economy

The tendency of GDP decline was noted even under favorable conditions in the energy resources market, which isexplained by structural macroeconomic problems. Network, market and hierarchical structures are considered, theircomparative characteristics are carried out. The advantages and limitations of network forms of economic organizationare revealed. Data on the dissemination of information and communication technologies as a basis for the developmentof network mechanisms of economic activity are given. It is concluded that it is necessary to synthesize all three typesof structures for the implementation of an effective industrial maneuver in the structural policy of the state

Psychological methods of manipulation in advertising

This paper analyses the perception and processing of the advertising information by a person carried out under the influence of manipulative advertising techniques. Advertising specialists take them into account and use them in their work by optimizing the impact on the potential buyer.В данной статье анализируется восприятие и обработка рекламной информации лицом, оказавшимся под влиянием манипулятивных методов рекламы. Специалисты по рекламе принимают их во внимание и использовать в своей работе, повышая эффективность воздействия на потенциального покупателя

Oases in the Sahara Desert–Linking biological and cultural diversity

The diversity of life sensu lato comprises both biological and cultural diversity, described as “biocultural diversity.” Similar to plant and animal species, cultures and languages are threatened by extinction. Since drylands are pivotal systems for nature and people alike, we use oases in the Sahara Desert as model systems for examining spatial patterns and trends of biocultural diversity. We identify both the underlying drivers of biodiversity and the potential proxies that are fundamental for understanding reciprocal linkages between biological and cultural diversity in oases. Using oases in Algeria as an example we test current indices describing and quantifying biocultural diversity and identify their limitations. Finally, we discuss follow-up research questions to better understand the underlying mechanisms that control the coupling and decoupling of biological and cultural diversity in oases

Projected impacts of climate change on functional diversity of frugivorous birds along a tropical elevational gradient

Climate change forces many species to move their ranges to higher latitudes or elevations. Resulting immigration or emigration of species might lead to functional changes, e.g., in the trait distribution and composition of ecological assemblages. Here, we combined approaches from biogeography (species distribution models; SDMs) and community ecology (functional diversity) to investigate potential effects of climate-driven range changes on frugivorous bird assemblages along a 3000 m elevational gradient in the tropical Andes. We used SDMs to model current and projected future occurrence probabilities of frugivorous bird species from the lowlands to the tree line. SDM-derived probabilities of occurrence were combined with traits relevant for seed dispersal of fleshy-fruited plants to calculate functional dispersion (FDis; a measure of functional diversity) for current and future bird assemblages. Comparisons of FDis between current and projected future assemblages showed consistent results across four dispersal scenarios, five climate models and two representative concentration pathways. Projections indicated a decrease of FDis in the lowlands, an increase of FDis at lower mid-elevations and little changes at high elevations. This suggests that functional dispersion responds differently to global warming at different elevational levels, likely modifying avian seed dispersal functions and plant regeneration in forest ecosystems along tropical mountains

Towards a more mechanistic understanding of traits and range sizes

ABSTRACT Aim An important, unresolved question in macroecology is to understand the immense inter-specific variation in geographic range sizes. While species traits such as fecundity or body size are thought to affect range sizes, a general understanding on how multiple traits jointly influence them is missing. Here, we test the influence of a multitude of species traits on global range sizes of European passerine birds in order to better understand possible mechanisms behind macroecological relationships. Location Global. Methods We evaluated the effect of life-history traits (fecundity, dispersal ability), ecological traits (habitat niche, diet niche, migratory behaviour, migratory flexibility) and a morphological trait (body size) on the global range sizes of 165 European passerines. We identified hypotheses from the literature relating traits to range size and used path analysis to test them. Results Fecundity, dispersal ability and habitat niche breadth had a direct positive effect on range size. Diet niche position had a direct negative effect on range size. Habitat niche breadth also had an indirect positive effect via higher fecundity. Migratory behaviour had an indirect positive effect via better dispersal ability. Body size had a strong positive direct effect which was reduced by negative indirect effects via several other traits. Main conclusions Geographic range sizes of European passerines were influenced by life-history traits (fecundity and dispersal ability), ecological traits (habitat niche breadth, diet niche position and migratory behaviour) and by body size. Traits influenced range size both directly and indirectly. Body size effects were particularly complex, with positive and negative effects acting over different pathways. We show that it is necessary to disentangle the direct and indirect influence of multiple traits on range size to better elucidate the mechanisms that generate macroecological relationships

Twenty-million-year relationship between mammalian diversity and primary productivity

At global and regional scales, primary productivity strongly correlates with richness patterns of extant animals across space, suggesting that resource availability and climatic conditions drive patterns of diversity. However, the existence and consistency of such diversity–productivity relationships through geological history is unclear. Here we provide a comprehensive quantitative test of the diversity–productivity relationship for terrestrial large mammals through time across broad temporal and spatial scales. We combine >14,000 occurrences for 690 fossil genera through the Neogene (23–1.8 Mya) with regional estimates of primary productivity from fossil plant communities in North America and Europe. We show a significant positive diversity–productivity relationship through the 20-million-year record, providing evidence on unprecedented spatial and temporal scales that this relationship is a general pattern in the ecology and paleo-ecology of our planet. Further, we discover that genus richness today does not match the fossil relationship, suggesting that a combination of human impacts and Pleistocene climate variability has modified the 20-million-year ecological relationship by strongly reducing primary productivity and driving many mammalian species into decline or to extinction