The paper presents the analysis of a three-stage research conducted by the authors within a social innovation project in collaboration with international master students of Riga Technical University for determining the factors, which motivate people to be involved in the solution of social problems. The authors not only analyse and use the outcomes of the students' research but also provide feasibility study of using the potential of study research at the university, for implementing serious research projects. Data collection from Africa, Asia, America and Europe was organised jointly by all the students via web-based survey for creating an original data base for the collaborative use. The qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the respondents' texts revealed three groups of factors: intrapersonal, interpersonal and external factors which motivate people to be involved in the solution of social problems. Having conducted content analysis of the same texts and comparing the outcomes of the students' and their own research, the authors concluded that study research is worth being used for research projects.
To protect their population during pandemic outbreak, countries apply several preventive restrictions and even shut down their economies to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Since food supply chains in developed countries are complicated and dependent on their external suppliers, these restrictions cause not only economic but also social tension. The limited access to raw materials, packaging material and labour force result in the increasing prices of food products, which forces the population to refuse from quality food products. In the European Union food supply chains, which are negatively affected by protectionist elements and COVID-19 restrictions, the room for manoeuvre of Latvia’s small open economy is limited. The current paper analyses the impact of COVID-19 crisis on global food industry, providing a deeper insight into the case study of Latvia meat supply chains’ experience in overcoming pandemic risks. The research outcomes lead to the conclusion that although COVID-19 impact during first breakout has not caused unexpected and serious consequences for the meat sector companies, the main internal and external risks are associated with further uncertainty and instability in the EU markets. Based on extensive analysis of meat sector specifics, the authors have summarized the recommendations for meat sector companies to better prepare for further potential pandemic situations. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01257 Full Text: PDF
Promotion of social innovation has been identified as one of the EU priorities because it contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of citizens and national competitiveness. In Latvia, concrete ways to promote social innovation remain not defined yet, therefore the study focused on elaboration of alternative scenarios of social innovation development that would enhance the growth of the economy of Latvia: self-initiative scenario, enterprise initiated development scenario and public participation scenario. The authors defined the aim of the research to evaluate social innovation scenarios for the development of the economy of Latvia. The scenarios were evaluated based on the analytic hierarchy process, which led to the conclusion that the most appropriate scenario for the promotion of social innovation in Latvia is the development of public participation scenario. This scenario emphasizes the need to create an appropriate legislative framework for promoting social innovation and the development of financial and information support tools for social innovation promoters and implementers in Latvia.
<em>The<strong> </strong>purpose of the paper<strong> </strong>is to</em> <em>clarify the role of education in promoting social innovation processes in the society based on the main findings of the theoretical study conducted from October 2014 to January 2015 within the project “Involvement of the Society in Social Innovation for Providing Sustainable Development of Latvia” supported by the National Research Program 5.2.</em><strong> </strong><em>EKOSOC-LV. The paper provides the analysis of causal interaction between social innovation and education, as well as two conceptual models which disclose the relationship between social innovation and education and the triple role of education in promoting social innovation; both are elaborated by the authors. </em>
Today technological progress is reshaping global economic development and changing the overall welfare of societies. Therefore, it is important to assess challenges and readiness of the European Union to use its capacity to ensure that technologies benefit people and bring them towards more inclusive societies enhancing opportunities to use artificial intellect for making health, education, agriculture, services and manufacturing industries more efficient and user friendly. The Digital Economy and Society Index analyses the digital performance of the EU Member States across five main dimensions: connectivity, human capital, use of internet, integration of digital technology, digital public services. However, despite intention to jointly develop Digital Single Market, the gap between the EU top digital countries and less digitally advanced countries remains large. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the digital performance indicators of the EU countries, in particular focusing to Poland and Latvia to assess their progress and potential of their human capital's digital skills. The research is based on theoretical literature studies on industrial revolution stages, European Union Commission documents, indexes and publications available in relevant public institutions such as ministries and industry reports. The research employed monographic method, analysis and synthesis methods as well as graphical data analysis. The research results give evidence that currently Poland's human capital is significantly better prepared for making use of future digital economy challenges than Latvia's human capital, and there is a close link between countries' R&D expenditures proportion of GDP and their human capital's readiness to integrate in digital economy.
Economic growth increases the pressure on environmental issues, thus highlighting the importance of waste minimization processes. The waste management approaches in most European countries have so far been relatively little studied and compared at the micro level. The main objective of the current research is to analyze the challenges of waste minimization in European food industry enterprises and identify good practices in the selected countries. The research used a mixed-method methodology, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods, thus providing an in-depth insight into food enterprises’ efforts to reduce their production waste and use their resources more efficiently. The main data collection methods used for the study were secondary data research, discourse analysis, case studies, and focus group interviews. The analysis of the food waste management applications in the European countries’ food sub-sectors leads to the conclusion that since the national initiatives and success factors vary between the countries, it is important to invent such national food waste management systems that are economically justified and technically available for all enterprises regardless of their food waste production volumes. It is also necessary to raise awareness of the strategies that food industry employers, employees, and consumers can use to reduce their waste and thus promote a waste minimization culture in Europe. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-06-03-08 Full Text: PDF
PurposeThe purpose of the study is to examine opportunities for gastronomic tourism development and smart solutions in the regions of Latvia.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is based on a qualitative approach applied to examine the theoretical and legal frameworks for gastronomic tourism, as well as on a case study based on mapping and a typology of gastronomic tourism.FindingsAn analysis of priorities for the Kurzeme planning region (including Talsi municipality) in tourism development revealed that digitalization, the introduction of smart solutions important for travellers and the integration of the digital environment and innovative solutions into tourism services are specified in policy documents. An examination of a mapping of tourist services supplied in the Talsi municipality and the role of gastronomic tourism therein showed that such a mapping can serve as a basis for developing targeted smart and digital tourism products for Talsi municipality, which involves both the target audience and the typology of food tourist behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe examination of smart solutions for the regions of Latvia represented an in-depth case study of one municipality – Talsi. Talsi municipality was selected as a typical gastronomic destination, which offers a wide range of gastronomic tourism opportunities, and this kind of tourism is also referred to in the tourism development strategy of the municipality (region).Originality/valueThis study's contribution is determined by the constantly changing dynamic environment that fosters the differentiation of supply of tourism products, as well as the integration of smart solutions into tourism products. Gastronomic tourism in Latvia and the Baltic states plays a steady role in contributing to the recognition of the cultural environment and regional traditions; therefore, the supply of smart solutions is essential and significant from the regional perspective. The originality of the research is also determined by an examination of smart solutions for gastronomic tourism in the tourism products supplied in the region.
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