Craft Enterprises Research Articles

DIGITAL REVOLUTION: HOW SOCIAL COMMERCE TRANSFORMS ALGERIAN ART CRAFTS

The craft sector, in addition to constituting an invaluable cultural, social and historical heritage, is a leading niche with high added value, which, associated with the power of ICT, is experiencing a major ascent like never before. Social networks are today the most widespread communication media in the world. Having as main vocation to develop the reputation of others, craft enterprises have also taken advantage of these tools to take advantage of the actions and network that each of them offers, this allows them to include handmade items in a strategy of artisanal renewal. The objective of this article is to observe, through a quantitative study with artisans’ entrepreneurs but also Algerian consumers, the impact of social commerce on the motivation and behavioral intention of Algerian consumers towards artisanal products.

Sustainability Analysis of the Revolving Fund Program of the LPDB (Revolving Fund Management Institution): MICMAC Method Approach

The importance of access to credit for micro, small, and household craft enterprises, including cooperatives, has become a major focus in improving working capital financing and capital accumulation to support industrial income. The government through the LPDB (Revolving Fund Management Institution) has launched a revolving fund program that aims to strengthen the capital base of cooperatives, increase the capacity of human resources in business and financial management, and increase the role of cooperatives in expanding employment opportunities and reducing poverty. According to data from the Cooperative Business Development Division of the Denpasar City MSME Cooperative Office, from 2021 to 2023, there were five cooperatives that received the LPDB revolving fund program, but did not consistently reapply for the funds. This raises concerns regarding the sustainability of the program and the factors that influence it. This study aims to identify the factors that influence the sustainability of the LPDB program for cooperatives in Denpasar City. Using the MICMAC (Matrix of Cross Impact Multiplications Applied to a Classification) analysis method, this study reveals that the revolving fund administration requirements and members' information and knowledge about the revolving fund have the most significant direct influence. These findings underscore the importance of simplifying the administrative process and improving member knowledge to ensure the success of the program. In addition, active member participation emerged as an important predictor of program sustainability, highlighting the importance of members' direct involvement in supporting their economic activities. Thus using this method can uncover critical factors, and provide a comprehensive understanding that can inform policy adjustments and strategic implementation to improve program sustainability.

Improving the production technique of pat based on multicomponent fruit and berry paste

The object of this study is the technology of making fruit pat based on apple, apricot, and rosehip paste. To increase the organoleptic and physical-chemical quality indicators, the technology of functional fruit pat for functional purposes has been improved by using fruit and berry paste as a fruit base. Accordingly, a technique for the production of fruit and berry paste (apple 50 %, apricot 35 %, rosehip 15 %) was devised. The peculiarity of the technique is a short-term, 30–40 s, concentration at 52–54 °C in a rotary evaporator, which will positively contribute to the preservation of the functional ingredients of raw materials, unlike conventional batch vaporizers. The paste has an improved viscous structure and organoleptic properties compared to the control, which makes it possible to recommend it as a fruit base for pat. The viscosity of the pat mass based on the paste at 50 °C is 225 Pa∙s, which is 20 % higher than the control ("Fruit" pat), which will contribute to better structure formation. At the same time, the sample with the paste has better indicators of taste and smell, which can be characterized as natural and harmonious. The new pat has a natural orange saturated color and is characterized by a long-lasting consistency, and the content of functional ingredients significantly exceeds the control sample. The quantitative content of dietary fiber, vitamin A, C, β-carotene is important, according to which the devised pat based on the paste can be classified as a functional product. The new products are characterized by an organic composition of raw materials, do not contain artificial dyes and flavors, and the proposed technological solutions simplify the process of their production, which makes it possible to recommend the technology for implementation at craft enterprises

Prädiktoren der Umsetzung von BGM-Elementen in Betrieben – Ergebnisse einer Querschnittstudie in einem süddeutschen Landkreis

Predictors of the implementation of workplace health management measures in companies – results of a cross-sectional study in a southern German district Objective: Workplace health management (WHM) can be divided into four components: occupational safety and health (OSH), workplace reintegration management (WRM), workplace health promotion (WHP) and human resources development (HRD). In order to identify predictors of the degree of implementation of WHM measures in companies, we analysed data from a survey of 222 company managers, each of whom represented a company in the district of Reutlingen. Method: The data collected included structural data on the company (e.g. number of employees, availability of a company doctor), the implementation of typical WHM measures in the four areas of OSH, WRM, WHP and HRD, as well as opinions and attitudes of the managers on various WHM aspects. Within the framework of multiple regression analyses, we designed the degrees of implementation of WHM measures in the four areas as the four variables to be explained; structural company data such as the number of employees, but also attitudes of managers relevant to WHM were included as explanatory variables. The attitudes in question had previously been formed on the basis of an exploratory factor analysis from the managers’ WHM-related opinions collected by questionnaire. Results: Three of the four final regression models showed a high explained variance (corrected R2>0.25), one model a moderate explained variance. Three regression models showed the relevance and statistical significance of certain WHM-related attitudes of managers for the implementation of measures in the companies. For example, the attitude “WHM/WHP creates added value for companies” made a considerable contribution to the explained variance of two dependent variables (WHP and HRD scores). The presence of a safety officer in the company had a significant positive influence on the degree of implementation of the respective measures in all four models. In craft enterprises, the degree of implementation (OSH, WHP, HRD scores) was significantly lower than in other enterprises. Conclusion: In addition to companies’ “objective”, structural operational characteristics, the general attitudes of company managers toward WHM are factors that decisively explain the implementation of WHM elements in companies. Keywords: workplace health management (WHM) – attitudes of company managers on WHM aspects – cross-sectional study – multiple regression analysis

Social interaction on craft fairs

Although digitalisation has had an impact on the business of fairs, especially during the years of the pandemic, the Covid-19 crisis has clearly shown that social interaction is vital for small businesses, such as craft enterprises. The physical co-presence of craft objects, makers and users as well as the immediateness of personal contact play a major role at craft fairs. Fairs revolve around trade, which is furthered by the many cultural and social aspects that constitute them. We argue that social interaction in marketplaces goes beyond economic transactions and show that face-to-face interactions are essential for building trust and social order. We identify different types of social interaction at craft fairs, all of which are collaborative ‒ fostering a sense of community, developing products and increasing their visibility ‒ in addition to being an economic transaction. This study is based on ethnographic research on craft fairs and craft producers in the field of furniture and garment making. We conclude by arguing that the findings on craft fairs can also be generalised to other cases.

RESEARCH ON PRODUCT INNOVATION OF CHINESE TRADITIONAL CRAFT ENTERPRISES

Their route of advancement will be limited if they adhere to strict orthodoxy, and innovation is challenging. To examine the mechanism of product innovation in traditional craft firms in China, this research looks at the management and staff of front-line businesses. This study examines the structural relationship between social capital and product innovation capability from the perspective of social capital. It also examines the connection between learning orientation, social capital, and product innovation capability. Finally, it examines the moderating role of cross-border search on the influence of learning commitment on product innovation capability. The findings indicate that learning orientation and its three dimensions mediate the relationship between social capital and product innovation ability, and cross-border search positively modifies the relationship between learning orientation and its three dimensions and product innovation ability. Social capital and its three dimensions have a significant impact on product innovation ability. This study offers a useful reference for the management style of Chinese traditional craft firms based on theoretical research.

Craft development in learning organization (LO): economic approach

Purpose: The aim of the study is to show that the craft is a form of learning organization, which in its activity takes into account the aspect of continuous training of employees and improvement of all functional areas. Design/methodology/approach: The main approach and subject of the analysis was the level of knowledge and general theoretical and state-legal findings of the information available in the literature about the craft sector and the possibilities of developing and supporting enterprises in the SME sector. The basic research method was the use of desk research, and on the basis of the information collected in this way, an analysis of the possibilities and impact of support programs for the craft sector in Poland was conducted. Findings: The article presents the idea of a learning organization from the aspect of craft enterprise development, the process of knowledge building, and the assumptions and principles of using the Polish Craft Incubator Program. The main result of this study is to illustrate the situation with regard to craft enterprises and the possibilities of their development in the current socio-economic conditions. Research limitations/implications: The data and conclusions were drawn up on the basis of an overall assessment (analysis of secondary sources) and not on the basis of facts (primary studies). The prepared applications should be a prerequisite for further research in the field of crafts in Poland. Practical implications: An additional practical result is to indicate the possibility of using the Polish Craft Incubator program as a source of obtaining financial resources in the learning process. Originality/value: The value of the paper is to increase the awareness of owners of craft enterprises, by showing them the possibility of using new organizational concepts and government programs. The article has primarily educational value and is a general concept of stimulating creative action towards building learning organizations. The content of the article is addressed to craftsmen and all cooperating entities operating in the field of supporting crafts. Keywords: Learning organization, learning orientation, organizational learning, economic development, sustainable craft. Category of the paper: General review.

Creativity and Social Capital: The Pillars of Venice’s Success in the New European Bauhaus Programme

This article explores six craft-based urban social innovation initiatives implemented in Venice between 2014 and 2021, considered decisive for the candidature of the city in the New European Bauhaus programme. Adopting a qualitative approach based on multiple case study methods, it reconstructs how the promotion of traditional craft enterprises entered the local policy agenda through mechanisms that strengthen the embeddedness of the issue. The article emphasises the polycentrism of social innovation initiatives and highlights the importance of creativity as a tool to trigger co-design processes, of the projects as contexts for knowledge and information sharing, and of events and happenings as contexts for strengthening social capital and increasing its accessibility. In the final part of the paper, some limitations that are emerging and new research lines for the future are suggested.

Digitalisation in Craft Enterprises: Perceived Technostress, Readiness for Prevention and Countermeasures-A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Digital technologies are increasingly used in the craft sector. Innovative technologies have several benefits for businesses but working with them can also induce negative feelings and stress. Data are lacking on perceived stress as well as the resulting strain and effects on health. However, information is needed about the principles of healthy working conditions in the context of digitalisation in the craft sector. To identify targeted starting points for preventive interventions to reduce technostress, we studied the perception of managers and employees of craft enterprises about digitalisation. Method: 26 guideline-based interviews were conducted with managers and employees in the craft sector to assess their understanding of digitalisation and the perceived effects on their health. The data analysis was based on a structured qualitative content analysis. Results: In the administrative area, digitalisation is perceived as simplifying work, as information, for example, becomes more easily accessible. The actual craft work, however, is perceived as more psychologically stressful, e.g., due to technologically more complex heating systems. Likewise, an increased stress experience is described in connection with constant accessibility and workplace surveillance. To reduce the stress experience, clear prevention wishes such as digital breaks or more participation in decisions about digital technologies are stated. Conclusion: Managers and employees in craft enterprises experience increasing psychological strain due to technostress. However, there is a willingness to take preventive interventions and a desire for more support in creating healthy working conditions in the context of digitalisation.

Perceived software usability and usability-related stress in German craft enterprises.

Digitalisation is reaching German craft enterprises which must increasingly deal with complex software. The usability of the software is crucial for the effective use in everyday work and insufficient usability is associated with increased stress and strain. It thus seems necessary to identify possible usability-related stressors in craft-enterprise software. Here we examine how users evaluate the usability of craft-enterprise software and whether usability is associated with perceived work-related stress. To assess the perceived usability of German craft-enterprise software, an online survey was conducted with 161 participants from craft enterprises using a validated usability questionnaire based on ISO 9241-110. In addition, 26 guideline-based interviews were conducted to identify the experience of managers and employees with craft-enterprise software, possible usability-related stress and strain. Both studies show that craft enterprises use software but only to a limited extend. While back-office administrative processes are routinely supported by software, mobile software support to manage customer service is used less frequently. Increasing complexity of craft-enterprise software is posing growing demands on the users. Software usability was rated to be crucial in the online survey, but the available software is only rated to be acceptable. This was also reflected in the interviews. Participants described usability problems and their relevance as stressors during software use. In consequence, the users experience strain such as feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. It can be concluded that improving the usability of craft-enterprise software should reduce work-related stress and support craft enterprises to master the digitalisation process.

Impact of Locavorism on the Gastronomic Tourism Development in Sumy Region

The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of locavorism on the development of gastronomic tourism the Sumy region. The research methodology is based on the collection of factual data, the synthesis and analysis of information material, and the study of scientific and practical developments of domestic and foreign experts in the field of gastronomic tourism. Locavorism as a model of food consumption, features of this concept, reasons and history of its occurrence are analyzed. The main signs of locavorism and the connection with gastronomic tourism have been studied. Examples of reflecting the principles of locavorism in the Sumy region through authentic dishes and gastronomic festivals are presented. Five basic principles of locavorism are identified: consumption of only local food (grown and produced in the region of human habitation), seasonality (characterized by consumption of fruits and vegetables according to the season, refusal of imported food), environmental friendliness (due to reduced globalization and logistics costs load on the environment), naturalness (rejection of products grown by genetic engineering technologies), support for local producers (use of products made by local producers). The analysis showed that locavorism has many positive features. These are, in particular, the revival and popularization of traditional regional cuisine, the development of local producers of agricultural products and producers of organic products, the creation of local craft enterprises, the reduction of imports, the positive impact on ecology, and the improvement of the population health, which in the long run will contribute to the health of the nation. It has been established that the development of locavorism will make it possible to establish a direct connection between urban consumers and rural producers, which will enable craft producers to sell their products at decent prices and will contribute to the development of rural areas, and increase the rural population employment.

Designing Innovative Craft Enterprises in India: A Framework for Change Makers

Although artisanal crafts and craftsmanship are in high demand globally, the benefits artisans receive are often negligible. The rules of the open market also make it difficult for them to compete. A number of Indian enterprises have introduced innovative organization models to catalyze social change and support artisans’ wellbeing by involving them more directly in the organization. Based on a review of literature on social entrepreneurship and organization design using a design thinking lens, and three case studies on craft enterprises in India, we find that artisans cannot be empowered separately from their communities. Further, any design intervention seeking to bring about social change through artisan participation must be grounded in an in-depth understanding of local context, artisans’ needs, and market dynamics. We contribute new knowledge about the crucial role of the change maker in successfully transforming a design intervention into a sustainable enterprise, and propose an original framework for designing innovative organizations based on effective participation and empowerment of the artisans producing goods for sale.

Application of Realtime Robotics platform to execute unstructured industrial tasks involving industrial robots, cobots, and human operators

Small and medium-sized craft enterprises are still characterized by production process involving human labour to a large extent. The possibility of a safe interaction of the operator in the collaborative working area of the machine, and the development of an easy-to-program robotic cell, would pave the way to the introduction of automation in such an environment. This paper proposes an application of a commercial platform for collision avoidance, based on Dynamic Road-map algorithms, to execute unstructured industrial tasks involving industrial robots, cobots, and human operators at the same time. An example is presented in a pick-and-place and assembling application, in which the components are feed by a conveyor belt with random order and random flow rate. The adopted platform enhances the possibility to exploit in the same robotic cell both industrial robots and human labour, thus allowing a reduction of costs and more precise applications. Moreover, the possibility to calculate at run-time alternative trajectories to avoid obstacles (both human being and other robot in the cell), avoiding to make the robot temporarily inactive, allows to improve the system productivity.

Attitudes of Company Executives toward a Comprehensive Workplace Health Management-Results of an Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study in Germany.

Workplace health management (WHM) in Germany aims at maintaining and increasing the health and well-being of employees. Little is known about company executives’ attitudes toward WHM. To gain more insight, we conducted a large-scale survey in companies in the German county of Reutlingen in 2017. We sent a standardized questionnaire to 906 companies, containing inter alia 26 self-constructed declarative statements depicting company executives’ opinions on various WHM aspects; 222 questionnaires could be evaluated. By exploratory factor analysis we assigned the 26 items to six factors reflecting different attitudes toward WHM. Factor values were standardized to a scale from 0 to 10. The attitude ‘positive view of general health services in the company’, for example, achieved by far the lowest mean agreement (3.3 points). For the attitude ‘general skepticism toward WHM’, agreement and disagreement were balanced (5.0 points). Using multiple regression analyses, we searched for variables that could partially explain respondents’ agreement with attitudes. In conclusion, a general WHM skepticism was widespread, but not dominant. The idea that general health services should be offered in companies was predominantly rejected. Older respondents and respondents from smaller companies and craft enterprises were more skeptical than average about WHM and its possible extensions.

A Feasibility Study of a Robotic Approach for the Gluing Process in the Footwear Industry

Manufacturing processes in the shoe industry are still characterized to a large extent by human labour, especially in small and medium craft enterprises. Even when machinery is adopted to support manufacturing operations, in most cases an operator has to supervise or carry out the task. On the other hand, craft footwear industries are called to respond to continuous challenges to face the globalization effects, so that a rapid adaptability to customer needs is required. The industry 4.0 paradigms, which are taking place in the industrial environments, represent an excellent opportunity to improve the efficiency and quality of production, and a way to face international competitors. This paper analyses and proposes a robotic cell to automatize the process of glue deposition on shoe upper, which exploits a new means of depositing the glue compared to State-of-Art applications. While the latter mainly adopt glue gun spraying systems or pneumatic syringes, the proposed robotic cell is based on an extrusion system for the deposition of molten material originally in the form of a filament, similar to all extent to those adopted for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Two cell solutions are designed and tested. In the former the extruder is the robot end effector and the shoe upper is grounded to the cell frame. In the second, being the reciprocal, the shoe last is clamped to the robot wrist and the extruder is fixed to the cell frame. The peculiarities of the two solutions are pointed out and compared in terms of cell layout, hardware, programming software and possibility to develop collaborative applications. A self developed slicing software allows designing the trajectories for glue deposition based on the CAD model of the shoe upper, also allowing driving the inclination of the extruder nozzle with respect to the vectors normal to the upper surface. Both the proposed cell layouts permit to achieve good quality and production times. The solution with the mobile extruder is able to deposit glue at highest end-effector speed (up to 200 mm/s). On the other hand, the solution with the mobile shoe upper and fixed extruder seems to be more appropriate to enhance collaborative applications.

Healthy Nutrition of Schoolchildren of Aboriginal Population in the North

Healthy nutrition has a positive impact on human body functioning, however, the foundation of long and active life is laid in childhood and teenage years. The article provides information about using normative, technical and technological documents for organization of nutrition for schoolchildren in secondary education institutions located in places of residence of aboriginal population in the Far East. State policy concerning the development of these areas is expressed in a number of regulating documents of the federal level, where serious attention is paid to organization of hot meals for schoolchildren. On the territory of the Russian Federation ‘Rospotrebnadzor’ acts as a regulating and controlling body in the field of organization of nutrition in secondary education institutions and ‘SanPin’ is the principle regulating documents. The authors analyzed the requirements put forward by the regulator, which cannot take into account all specific features of physiology of schoolchildren’s nutrition, regional specificities and traditional nutrition culture, which underlines topicality of the research. Exclusion of traditional for Northern people food and its replacement with food typical of Central Russia cannot improve health of the rising generation. If we change this situation, it could enhance children’s health in the region and promote the development of local craft and small enterprises dealing with storing-up traditional food stuffs.

Kindred spirits: Doing family through craft entrepreneurship

While there is a tradition of viewing both craftwork and entrepreneurship as characteristically individualistic and autonomous activities, this article examines the way in which social ties of family and kinship are often integral to many entrepreneurial ventures. Instead of a neat divide between ‘separate spheres’, work and home permeate each other in meaningful ways. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 20 workers from UK craft gin distilleries, this article explores how kinship and intimacy are put to work in craft enterprises. Findings show that the involvement of family and kin is vital to the operations of many craft businesses. Working together with spouses and siblings brings benefits and challenges and involves negotiating task and role allocation, often through invoking heteronormative notions of suitability and complementarity. Such concerns are bound up with how family and kin are understood by participants. Their reflections on entrepreneurial kinship involve both narratives of work and visions of a lifestyle which are both familial and entrepreneurial.

Playing to learn or to win? The role of students’ competition preference on self-monitoring and learning outcome when learning with a serious game

ABSTRACT This study investigates how students’ competition preference as a trait variable, in conjunction with students’ state self-monitoring, affects learning outcome when learning with a serious game. In particular, it is investigated whether competition preference moderates the relation between self-monitoring and learning outcome. For the study, 86 students (M age = 13.39, SD age = 0.58) played a serious game to learn about the entrepreneurship of craft enterprises. Competition preference and self-monitoring were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Learning outcome was assessed in terms of students’ mental model accuracy (MMA) by using structural assessments of knowledge before and after gameplay. The results show that competition preference significantly and negatively predicts learning outcome, whereas self-monitoring serves as a significant positive predictor. By testing different percentiles of students’ competition preference, our findings further indicate that the positive relation between self-monitoring and learning outcome occurs only for students with low to moderate competition preference. These results underline the necessity to take into account students’ individual preferences when designing serious games and similar interactive learning environments.

Process of customer loyalty in very small craft enterprises: an exploratory study of the steps and skills of the owner-manager

Customer loyalty, already studied by many practitioners and researchers, continues to be topical due to the benefits that loyal customers provide to the business. There are, in the literature, tools developed for companies to retain customers who become demanding and rare. Very small craft enterprises (VSE) which are booming presently represent the next economy. However, the proprietors of such ventures, though mostly illiterate, have to adapt not only to the different stages for establishing long-lasting relationships with customers, but also to the necessary skills in the process. In this line, interviews were held with 25 groups of group-based VSE proprietors. The data collected shows that the process of customer retention follows three steps during which the owner-manager must develop skills and specific skills.

Data Usage in Talent Management – Challenges for SMEs in the Field of Skilled Crafts

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the main challenges and opportunities in the context of the use of innovative technologies in the management of talent in small and medium-sized craft enterprises. The systematization of literary sources and approaches has shown that the complexities of talent management processes in the personnel management system are related to the consequences of socio-economic, demographic, and climatic changes in society, the activation of globalization processes, and the rapid development of information technologies. The article analyzes the impact of digitization on the talent management process, as well as identifies the main factors that impede the transition of small and medium-sized enterprises to the use of HR software solutions. The study used methods of bibliometric analysis and predictive analytics and selected the activity of small and medium-sized craft enterprises in Germany. Literature research has shown that in most small and medium-sized craft enterprises, the decision to use innovative technology approaches to the process of talent management in small and medium-sized enterprises is the sole responsibility of the company owner. The results of data analysis using software products play an important role in reducing the risk of making wrong decisions, especially in the talent management process. In the course of the research, it is established that the use of information technologies of data processing allows us to determine the level of qualification of employees, their psychophysiological parameters, as well as to monitor the dynamics of changes of certain professional characteristics. The main threats and challenges arising from the use of information systems with elements of artificial intelligence of data processing, when managing talents, are highlighted in the work. The results presented in this article may be useful for small and medium-sized business leaders to promote the practice of using innovative technology approaches in the enterprise talent management process. Keywords: skilled labor; digitization; human resources management; small and medium enterprises, talent management.