Vol 2, No 2

Table of Contents

  1. Research Article
    Providing Sustainable Food in Urban Thailand PDF
    Kanang Kantamaturapoj, Peter Oosterveer, Gert Spaargaren

    Increasing demand for sustainable foods can be a driver for environmental improvements along the food-supply chain as a whole. Research in Western Europe has confirmed the importance of distribution channels in supplying sustainable food and particularly in how they are able to combine consumer concerns with the specific presentation of sustainability in the shop. In the urban areas of Thailand only some distribution channels for sustainable food are available, such as supermarkets and specialized shops (including specialized restaurants). Supermarkets mostly offer sustainable products, but the range of sustainable products depends on the location of supermarket. Specialized shops focused on organic products, healthy food, or special dietary needs.

    This paper reviews sustainable food providers i.e. supermarkets and specialized shops in Bangkok and combines literature review and empirical fieldwork. The focus was on the shop as the location where providers encounter consumers. Sustainability was observed at three levels; the general level, the shop level, and the product level. In particular communication, information, and other trust-building mechanisms at shop level were explored.

    The paper concludes by confirming the central role of specialized shops and supermarkets in transition processes towards more sustainable food provision. Their engagement creates a pressure on other actors in the food supply chain such as producers, government agencies, and consumers to also shift their practices. Different strategies can be identified as ways to increase sustainability in food provision.

  2. Research Article
    Effects of Firm Size and Market Structures in Technological Innovation: A Review of Literature PDF
    Munongo Simon, Chitungo K. Shallone
    This paper reviews the literature dealing with the effects of market structure and firm size on firm technological innovation. Numerous empirical studies have been conducted to investigate whether monopolies or competitive markets influenced the firms' need to actively innovate and improve productivity and product quality. The overall evidence is best characterized as mixed as the results are regarding to the importance of competition, firm size, investment climate, and countries considered (developed and developing). The growth of economies depends on the growth and survival of industries and firms. If you analyze national or multinational economies, industry competition, or company management, it is important to know how industries develop and change. A crucial part of this change, in many industries and for overall economic growth, is continual development of new or improved production methods and products.

  3. Research Article
    The Catalytic Role of Hotel Industry in Sustainable Tourism Development in Calabar, Nigeria PDF
    Eja, Eja .I., Otu, Judith.E., Agbor, Emmanuel. A, Inyang, Ita O.
    Today, the need for tourism development has  been advocated by the various stakeholders and scholars in this great industry. The driving mechanism towards this challenge is predicated upon the in availability of other sub-systems that will  pilot this laudable industry and make it more viable. This paper critically focus on the  hotel industry as a panacea for sustainable  tourism development in Calabar. A total of one hundred and twenty seven (127) hotels were assessed and the data were analyzed using the Pearson' Moment Correlation and the correlation coefficient of 0.89 and coefficient determination of 0.62 were obtained. This means that 62% of the variation in the growth of hotels is contributed to the increase in the number of tourist influx in Calabar. This result therefore, shows that the hospitality industry vis-à-vis the hotel industry is capable of shouldering the challenges and also boosting  the image of tourism in Cross River State in general and Calabar in particular. Therefore, if hotel industry and tourism must be sustained, a mechanism must be put in place that would ensure tourism  related  activities al l year round in Calabar.

  4. Research Article
    Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Economic Growth in Nigeria PDF
    O. T. Oyelola, I. O. Ajiboshin, Lukman Raimi, S. Raheem, C. N. Igwe
    This paper underscores the importance of entrepreneurship as a realistic mechanism for sustainable economic growth in Nigeria considering the experiences of developed nations like the United States and vibrant economies like China and India. The paper discusses that entrepreneurship has been instrumental in economic growth, balanced regional development and job creation in most dynamic economies, where technology is changing at a faster rate and the product lifetime cycle is shrinking. The methodology adopted in this paper is the narrative-textual case study (NTCS); it is a social science research method that relies on the information and data from several sources for problem-solving or problem-identification. The paper reveals that the right business environment for entrepreneurship is lacking in Nigeria on account of the challenges of frequent power outages, bad roads, multiple taxes extortion of money from SMEs by government officials, lack of genuine support service for SMEs and expensive transportation/telecommunications costs have all combined to inhibit entrepreneurship and economic growth. The paper therefore concludes that government should focus on capacity building, improving infrastructure, judicious utilisation of the oil wealth and enabling environment thereby leading to sustainable economic growth.

  5. Research Article
    Sustainable Micro-Finance for Small-scale Rice Processors in the Rural Region of Igbemo-Ekiti, Nigeria PDF
    Joseph Omoniyi Basorun
    Small "“scale food processing structure in developing countries has become a critical issue, now that many find it difficult to sustain food production.  This study, therefore, reports the small-scale rice processing situation in Igbemo-Ekiti, Nigeria vis-à-vis the investors' capabilities.  Seventy two (72) processors were interviewed in twenty one (21) residential quarters of the town.  Using the Pearson's Correlation test of processor's variables, findings reveal strong relationship between processor's income, mode of operation, processing activities, expenditure, and institutional assistance.  Policy measures are advanced based on research findings.

  6. Research Article
    Geographical View of Mineral Resources: The Case Northeastern Montenegro PDF
    Goran Rajovic, Jelisavka Bulatovic

    This paper examines the geographical view of the mineral resources of north-eastern Montenegro. Greatest economic significance is area ore occurrences, then metal ores and non-metals. The diversity and complementarily of mineral resources is a basic characteristic of the considered geographic space, which is of special importance to its future development. Contemporary and future use of mineral resources for commercial purposes requires a new approach that needs to be consistent with the concept of sustainable development.

  7. Research Article
    Redressing the Energy Challenge of Gas Flaring in Nigeria: The MEEs Approach PDF
    Lukman Raimi, W. L. Towobola, L.I. Madueke
    This paper examines the need to redress gas flaring activity in Nigeria considering the negative social-economic effects of this unethical practice. The paper makes use of secondary data enriched by the narrative-textual case study (NTCS), an emerging social science research method widely used in Management, Entrepreneurship and Economics (MEEs). The authors observe that gas flaring became endemic in Nigeria because the nation's regulatory agency lack the political will to stop gas flaring recklessness of the major multinational oil companies. The authors therefore counsel on the need for policy makers to be more proactive in enforcing extant gas policy and sanctioning erring multinational oil companies. The paper concludes that energy challenge of gas flaring can be redressed through the formulation of national gas flaring policy, enforcement of national policy & international protocols on gas flaring, sanctioning of culpable multinational companies, optimal gas utilisation through energy liberalisation, adoption of Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and genuine political will on the part of government.