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The purpose of this paper is to study triadic market relations between an international aid agency (IAA), local ventures and the poor communities where they are embedded in order to shift the poverty alleviation discussion to account for the perceptions held by each category of actor, especially those of poor communities. Poverty alleviation is a key commitment of the United Nations, and market-driven approaches are increasingly advocated as a means to reduce poverty, particularly among IAAs. One such strategy is to connect ventures in poor communities with international markets. However, research shows that such approaches have mixed success.

The authors conducted a comparative case study of three ventures embedded in urban and rural poor communities receiving support from an IAA. The authors then analyzed the data to determine the mechanisms that led to discrepancies in the perceptions of poverty alleviation held by each actor involved.

This study suggests three such mechanisms: ‘decoupling markets from poverty’, wherein aiding ventures may paradoxically lead to decoupling them from poor communities; ‘overburden stress’, in which ventures cannot fulfil a poverty alleviation role through their market activities because the expectation to do so overburdens the venture; and ‘value divergence’, in which the actors involved evaluate the impact of these approaches differently.

The authors propose that a key aspect of enabling effective poverty alleviation through market-driven approaches in terms of substantial, long-term contributions is to monitor and support the relations between the actors involved – including the poor communities themselves – and explore how each perceives the efficacy of the approach.

El objetivo de nuestro estudio es integrar las percepciones de tres actores: los organismos internacionales, los emprendimientos en comunidades pobres y las propias comunidades pobres, con el fin de cambiar la discusión sobre la reducción de la pobreza hacia las percepciones de los diferentes actores involucrados en las relaciones de mercado, en particular las de las comunidades pobres. La reducción de la pobreza es un compromiso clave de las Naciones Unidas, y en la actualidad se promueven enfoques de mercado como un medio para reducir la pobreza, especialmente entre los organismos internacionales. Una estrategia consiste en conectar emprendimientos en comunidades pobres con mercados internacionales. Sin embargo, investigaciones previas muestran que estos enfoques de mercado tienen un éxito variado en ciertas ocasiones y en otras no.

Realizamos un estudio de casos comparativo de tres emprendimientos en comunidades pobres urbanas y rurales que reciben apoyo de un organismo internacional. Luego, analizamos nuestros datos para determinar qué mecanismos condujeron a discrepancias en las percepciones de cada actor involucrado con respecto a la reducción de la pobreza.

Nuestro estudio identifica tres mecanismos que explican las discrepancias en las percepciones de los actores involucrados con respecto a los enfoques de mercado para la reducción de la pobreza: ‘desvinculación de los mercados de la pobreza’, en donde el apoyo a los emprendimientos puede llevar paradójicamente a separarlos de las comunidades pobres; ‘estrés de sobrecarga’ que captura situaciones en las que los emprendimientos no pueden cumplir su función de reducción de la pobreza a través de sus actividades en el mercado debido a que la expectativa de hacerlo, aunque implícita, sobrecarga al emprendimiento; y ‘divergencia de valores’ que muestra que los actores involucrados a menudo evalúan de manera diferente el impacto de los enfoques de mercado en la pobreza.

Proponemos que un aspecto clave de la reducción efectiva de la pobreza a través de enfoques de mercado que hagan contribuciones sustanciales y a largo plazo es monitorear las relaciones y la eficacia percibida entre todos los actores involucrados en estos enfoques, incluyendo a las propias comunidades pobres.

El objetivo de nosso estudo é integrar as percepções de três atores: os organismos internacionais, os empreendimentos em comunidades pobres e as próprias comunidades pobres, com o objetivo de mudar a discussão sobre a redução da pobreza para as percepções dos diferentes atores envolvidos nas relações de mercado, particularmente as das comunidades pobres. A redução da pobreza é um compromisso chave das nações unidas, e atualmente abordagens de mercado são promovidas como um meio para reduzir a pobreza, especialmente entre os organismos internacionais. Uma estratégia consiste em conectar empreendimentos em comunidades pobres com mercados internacionais. No entanto, pesquisas anteriores mostram que essas abordagens de mercado têm sucesso variado em algumas ocasiões e em outras não.

Realizamos um estudo de casos comparativo de três empreendimentos em comunidades pobres urbanas e rurais que recebem apoio de um organismo internacional. Em seguida, analisamos nossos dados para determinar quais mecanismos levaram a discrepâncias nas percepções de cada ator envolvido em relação à redução da pobreza.

Nosso estudo identifica três mecanismos que explicam as discrepâncias nas percepções dos atores envolvidos em relação às abordagens de mercado para a redução da pobreza: ‘desvinculação dos mercados da pobreza’, onde o apoio aos empreendimentos pode paradoxalmente separá-los das comunidades pobres; ‘estresse de sobrecarga’ que captura situações em que os empreendimentos não podem cumprir sua função de redução da pobreza por meio de suas atividades no mercado devido à expectativa de fazê-lo, mesmo que implicitamente, sobrecarregando o empreendimento; e ‘divergência de valores’ que mostra que os atores envolvidos frequentemente avaliam de maneira diferente o impacto das abordagens de mercado na pobreza.

Propomos que um aspecto-chave da redução efetiva da pobreza por meio de abordagens de mercado que façam contribuições substanciais e a longo prazo é monitorar as relações e a eficácia percebida entre todos os atores envolvidos nessas abordagens, incluindo as próprias comunidades pobres.

This paper aims to revisit the relationship between intangible capital and labour productivity growth using the largest, up-to-date macro database (2000–2015) available to corroborate the econometric findings of earlier work and to generate novel econometric evidence by accounting for times of crisis (2008–2013) and economic recovery (2014–2015).

To achieve these aims, this paper employs a cross-country growth accounting econometric estimation approach using the largest, up-to-date database available encompassing 16 EU countries over the period 2000–2015. The paper accounts for times of crisis (2008–2013) and of economic recovery (2014–2015). It separately estimates the contribution of three distinct dimensions of intangible capital: (1) computerized information, (2) innovative property and (3) economic competencies.

First, when accounting for intangibles, the paper finds that these intangibles have become the dominant source of labour productivity growth in the EU, explaining up to 66 percent of growth. Second, when accounting for times of crisis (2008–2013), in contrast to tangible capital, the paper detects a solid positive relationship between intangibles and labour productivity growth. Third, when accounting for the economic recovery (2014–2015), the paper finds a highly significant and remarkably strong relationship between intangible capital and labour productivity growth.

This paper corroborates the importance of intangibles for labour productivity growth and thereby underlines the necessity to incorporate intangibles into today's national accounting frameworks in order to correctly depict the levels of capital investment being made in European economies. These levels are significantly higher than those currently reflected in the official statistics.

The purpose of this chapter is to identify African financial management practices, highlight their origin and explain how they differ from their Western counterparts. The study identified indigenous African financial practices using literature review, archival sources and library research covering the five areas of Africa comprising Northern Africa, Eastern Africa, Central Africa Western Africa and Southern Africa. The study found out that pre-colonial indigenous African financial management features prevalent use of trade finance, trade credit management, investment management and accounting. While there is also evidence of modification of Western financial management practices to suit African contexts, it is on the whole scarce. This is suggestive of the fact that they were in existence in the first instance. The clear conclusion is that many indigenous African financial management practices pre-dated and foreshadowed their Western counterparts. Yet, it is confounding that this has been largely lost sight of, and both scholars and financial management practitioners depict the former as inferior. There is clearly a need to remedy this situation. Educators need to focus on incorporating ethno-finance concepts into the entire curricula chain from basic to higher education. The anchor point for such curricula is Ubuntu philosophy. Financial management practitioners, on their part, need to shed notions that the indigenous practices are inferior and seek to journalise their day-to-day work experiences to build a body of documented practice.

Geht man den Wechselwirkungen zwischen Flugverkehr und Tourismus etwas nach, so muss sich das jüngste Verkehrsmittel auch im “Zeitalter des Luftverkehrs” bescheiden: Fremdenverkehr, auch internationalen, gab es längst, bevor Louis Blériot im Jahre 1909 den triumphalen Erstflug über den Ärmelkanal ausführte, längst bevor Oskar Bider 1913 als erster Schweizer das Zentralalpenmassiv auf seinem Flug Bern‐Domodossola‐Mailand bezwang. War doch der europäische Flugverkehr in seinen Anfangs‐jahren der Entwicklunginsbesondere vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg und nachher noch bis etwa 1925 — als Verkehrsmittel wirtschaftlich gesehen bedeutungslos; das Flugzeug spielte für die Beförderung von Touristen zwischen Wohndomizil und Ferienort (und übrigens auch im Geschäftsverkehr) praktisch überhaupt noch keine Rolle. Mehr als bescheiden, aber immerhin doch schon vorhanden war demzufolge in jener Zeit auch die gegenseitige Beeinflussung von Flugverkehr und Tourismus: Einerseits lösten die schon recht zahlreich abgehaltenen “Flugmeetings” in den Jahren 1910 bis 1914 und nach 1920 sowohl im Ausland, als auch in der Schweiz eine ungeheure Welle von Flugbegeisterung und kühnen Zukunftshoffnungen für die Fliegerei aus und vermochten Fremde in grosser Zahl aus dem In‐ und Ausland nach den jeweiligen Veranstaltungsorten anzulocken; anderseits konnte das jüngste Verkehrsmittel besonders in den Zentren des Fremdenverkehrs bereits damals auch schon vom Tourismus profitieren. (So führte zum Beispiel die “Aero‐Gesellschaft” in Luzern, gegründet unter anderem auch unter Mitwirkung von seiten des Gastgewerbes, schon während der Jahre 1910 bis 1913 zahlreiche Rundflüge mit Luftschiffen, Land‐ und Wasserflugzeugen als grosse Attraktion für Fremde und Einheimische aus.)

This impact assessment provides empirical evidence from household producer surveys to test the assumptions surrounding the contribution of participatory varietal selection (PVS) activities on seed sector development. The purpose of this paper is to focus on household access and adoption of common bean varieties from seed provision services and local markets to determine if, and under what social conditions, PVS activities stimulated seed uptake and market participation.

The propensity score matching technique and simple regression analysis were used to estimate the impact and compare household performance across three farmer groups located in Hoima, Uganda.

PVS increased access to and adoption of improved varieties and supported additional intermediate development outcomes when farmer group characteristics were aligned with PVS efforts. Specifically, PVS was more likely to stimulate market purchases of newly introduced varieties in the farmer group located closest to markets. The project did not however, improve all the development objectives that were evaluated. PVS most critically, did not increase the probability that households received the specific varieties they desired.

This study found that PVS can support the key pillars of seed sector development. In addition to increasing household access to new varieties, free seed dissemination promoted market participation and stimulated local seed market development.

This study addressed the need to consider intermediate development outcomes in impact assessments of development interventions. The findings clarified the contribution of PVS in the context of broader development goals and identified farmer group dynamics associated with enhanced impacts among rural producers in Uganda.

The study sought to assess and evaluate the information literacy experiences and competencies of nursing students at Aga Khan University, Uganda. A review of information literacy (IL) programs was done to establish the competencies students acquired from the library staff and examine the contribution of IL competencies to the effective utilization of library information resources.

A qualitative descriptive research design was used to describe the participants' experiences regarding IL competencies. The study population included 35 nursing students pursuing a diploma of science in nursing in the second year of study. Purposive sampling was utilized to identify only second-year diploma students who had undertaken the IL training. The study utilized individual interviews and open-ended questionnaires.

The study found that nursing students who attained some IL competencies could easily locate the required information; IL was not integrated into the curriculum as a stand-alone course unit, but rather a few elements were embedded in some of the nursing course units like research, nursing informatics and academic writing. Furthermore, there was no well-developed IL curriculum used for teaching the subject. The study also noted that there was a minimum collaboration between the faculty and librarians in teaching IL at AKU. Findings showed there was a gap in the IL program delivery.

This study extends the literature on the subject by bringing together current views and opinions of the three populations involved to present a more comprehensive view of the challenges academia faces regarding teaching and student acquisition of IL skills.

The basic equations (infinitesimal strain‐displacement relations, constitutive equation, conservation of mass, conservation of momentum, conservation of energy, rate of change of entropy, heat conduction equation, and definition of specific heat) and the governing equations (coupled, coupled‐quasi‐static, uncoupled‐quasi‐static, isotropic‐uncoupled‐quasi‐static and isotropic‐uncoupled‐steady) of thermoelasticity for a linear elastic package are briefly mentioned in the present study. The assumptions and limitations of these equations are also highlighted. Furthermore, two electronic packaging examples with closed form solutions using these equations are provided.

An established specialist in amino coating resins, BIP Chemicals Ltd, has been developing its ‘Beetle’ range of butylated resins for many years.