Non-economic Benefits Research Articles

Searching for Life Satisfaction in Nature through Tourism: An Exploratory Research on Hikers

Abstract Hiking is a walking activity carried out in predetermined natural environments. It is practised by many people because it does not require much equipment and expertise, and it also offers its participants a much more economical leisure time activity than other sports branches, besides providing positive impacts on health and well-being. In this respect, the study investigated whether there is a relationship between hikers’ perceptions of nature, the benefits they get from hiking, and whether there is a relationship between hiking and life satisfaction. A qualitative approach was adopted, and a semi-structured interview form was prepared by utilising the relevant literature. In this context, interviews were conducted on 24.04.2023–11.06.2023 with 21 hikers over the age of 18 who were hiking in nature groups in Eskişehir with purposive and snowball sampling methods. The answers obtained were subjected to descriptive analysis. The results revealed that almost all the participants started hiking with intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivations. The findings also show that hiking has an important place in the lives of individuals, that it positively affects the lives of the participants, and that its non-economic benefits make significant contributions to increasing the life satisfaction of the participants.

Holistic entrepreneurial inventory: a framework for the integration of spirituality in entrepreneurial performance

PurposeThis study aims to explore the constructs of spirituality (SP) and entrepreneurial performance (EP) and their measurements to identify their connections. Attending to the needs of entrepreneurs to face the current global crisis, this research establishes a framework that integrates SP to enhance EP.Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on a comprehensive literature review and a comparison between constructs to come across with the proposal of a conceptual framework.FindingsFor SP, spiritual well-being was found as a good measure which, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, has never been used in entrepreneurship. EP has been typically measured by economic indicators, but recently, noneconomic benefits and effects on stakeholders have also been considered, so an integrated approach is proposed. The main contribution is a framework called holistic entrepreneurial inventory (HEI), which integrates the main elements of the constructs in a matrix showing their interconnection. It is accompanied by a scorecard for entrepreneurs to identify strengths and weaknesses in SP and EP.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a theoretical research and proposal; further empirical research could help confirm the present conceptual findings.Practical implicationsTo help entrepreneurs identify the areas where they would like to improve, understanding the connection between SP and EP, which are dynamic states in constant change.Originality/valueEP has been mainly focused on exogenous causes. The HEI scorecard may give entrepreneurs a different perspective from the innermost part of their being.

Immigration and integration policy change in France during Sarkozy’s era

This paper sheds light on the factors behind the introduction of restrictive immigration and integration policy in France between 2002 and 2012, which is closely associated with Nicholas Sarkozy and his party Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Using the evidence from semi-structured interviews, conducted with The Republicans (UMP) elected representatives, political advisors and civil servants, the paper argues that the introduction of restrictive immigration policies is explained not only through electoral pressure from the radical right Front National, but also by publics’ perceived economic concerns, cultural anxieties around Islam, as well as the effects of the EU integration. The paper also contributes to immigration policy liberalisation scholarship, by highlighting the importance of non-economic benefits migration brings, which take a form of soft power, as a way to increase French influence (rayonnement) in the world, contrary to the previous literature that explains liberalisation from economic advantages of skilled migration.

Modeling the economic impact for Chile of an import ban on genetically modified maize.

We estimate producer and consumer surplus changes due to a possible GM maize import ban in Chile, which produces only non-GM grains for internal use. Without foreign non-GM sources, the ban's effect on domestic maize prices would be so significant as to induce Chile to switch from net exporter to net importer of animal products. Fixed factor owners in farm production would benefit significantly, although non-GM maize imports would moderate gains. Total social welfare measures would decline considerably, requiring large offsetting noneconomic benefits for a ban's political viability. Without non-GM imports, internal maize prices would likely eliminate domestic animal product industries; with possible imports, industries and final consumers would suffer, but much less. Currently, the country is a net importer of grain and a net exporter of pork and poultry, and so most welfare losses on the demand side of the market for maize would be in terms of the economic rents generated by the pork and poultry sectors. International competition would protect final consumers to the extent that animal product imports based on GM feed were permitted.

Integrating monetary and non-monetary valuation for ecosystem services in Piatra Craiului national park, Southern Carpathians: a comprehensive approach to sustainability and conservation

The concept of ecosystem services and their valuation has gained significant attention in recent years due to the profound interdependence and interconnectedness between humans and ecosystems. As several studies on valuation of forest ecosystem services have stressed the human-nature interactions lately, in the research study area, the environmental conditions shows rapid changes while human pressures on forests intensify. Thus, the research questions are as follows: (i) what are the the monetary and non-monetary value of ecosystem services provided by forests in Piatra Craiului National Park and (ii) their relationship with other variables, focusing on identifying differences and resemblances between each approach. The R PASTECS package was utilized to analyze primary statistical indicators for both monetary and non-monetary values, revealing significant variability in the results (s% monetary 141% and s% non-monetary 62%). Both monetary and non-monetary assessments were computed at the management unit level and the data used was provided by the Forest Management plans and photograph analysis which have significant value as indicators of ecosystem services. The correlation between nature and culture was assessed through social-media based method, highly known to stimulate participant engagement while the quantitative data was assessed through forest data computation and PCA method for visualization. The research highlighted that, in monetary terms, the minimum value of identified ecosystem services was €34 and the maximum value exceeded €570,000 at management unit level and in non-monetary terms, the values ranged from 1 to 5 (kernel score). The research reveals a substantial variability in both types of valuations. Strong associations between certain variables (monetary value with carbon stock and stand volume), moderate connections (slope with stand productivity), and weaker relationships (non-monetary value with altitude, age with slope, type of flora with altitude, and altitude with stand productivity) were revealed. The findings provided valuable insights for policymakers, land managers, and stakeholders involved in natural resource management and conservation, emphasizing the importance of considering both economic and non-economic benefits in decision-making processes. The integrated approach of this study shows how we can better assess the mixed value of ecosystem services, contributing to the ongoing actions of raising awareness and social responsibility.

Family governance structures in family businesses: A systematic literature review and future research agenda

ABSTRACTFamily governance as a research field has recently attracted scholarly attention. The article aims to contribute to family business literature by consolidating the extant research on family governance. Our systematic literature review comprises 52 articles on family governance in 24 peer-reviewed journals between 1993 and 2023. The findings reveal family complexity as one of the preeminent reasons to adopt family governance structures. The study further identifies that the adoption of family governance structures by family businesses results in family and business-related transformation and leads to various economic and non-economic benefits. Finally, we suggest potential avenues for conducting future research.

Exploring the determinants of destination satisfaction: a multidimensional approach

Tourism, as one of the major contributors to the world GDP, offers a wide range of economic and non-economic benefits to global society. The exchange of culture and values through travel and tourism improves harmony among people, which is essential for global peace. Consequently, governments have started giving policy significance to the tourism sector and making budget allocations for its promotion in their respective countries. This increased attention on tourism promotion through policy initiatives has fostered research attempts on various aspects of tourism, making it relevant and contemporary. However, few research attempts have been made to study the precursors of destination satisfaction. Therefore, the present study aims to fill this gap by studying the determinants of destination satisfaction through a multidimensional approach. The current study aimed to examine the dimensions of destination satisfaction and its role in deciding the destination loyalty. The study reveals interesting findings that helps the administrative apparatus in the tourism industry to come up with tailor-made policies to sustain and further enhance economic growth. The study findings reveal that factors such as satisfaction with destination characteristics, destination environment, and price significantly influence destination satisfaction among tourists visiting the Maldives. These findings underscore the importance of price as a determining factor in tourists' decision to visit the Maldives, suggesting the promotion of guesthouse tourism to provide a range of price options to attract a diverse tourist base. Additionally, the study emphasizes the necessity to enhance the quality of destination characteristics and prioritize environmental conservation efforts to ensure a positive tourist experience. The results highlight the important dimensions that determine the destination satisfaction of tourists visiting Maldives.

Reassessing Non-economic Benefits: the Black Metropolis and Regional Variation in Blacks’ Cultural Expression Employment

Reassessing Non-economic Benefits: the Black Metropolis and Regional Variation in Blacks’ Cultural Expression Employment

Presenteeism as a moral hazard problem: Implications for the human resource management

Abstract Information asymmetry about the employee's state of health means that workers may decide to work (or not) when they are sick, which turns presenteeism into a principal-agent relationship. From this new perspective, presenteeism can be explained by some distinct and original factors such as implicit incentives related to motivation and a sense of autonomy (empowerment, job usefulness, and recognition) and explicit incentives given by wages and other non-economic benefits (training and career prospects). In a sample of European workers using multilevel (by country) Tobit models, we find that short-term incentives and workers' empowerment increase presenteeism, while long-term incentives reduce it. As expected, supervision is ineffective in controlling presenteeism, while relationships based on trust have a positive impact. Finally, we propose several practices related to incentives, training, monitoring, occupational health and safety and job design specifically intended to manage presenteeism and its consequences in six areas of the human resources function.

One Size Does Not Fit All: A Comparison of White, Latinx, and Black Student's Unadjusted and Adjusted GPAs in a College of Business and Public Administration of a Hispanic Serving Institution

Because higher education creates more informed individuals, healthier citizens, social prestige, job satisfaction, and numerous other non-economic benefits, it is important that all members of society have opportunities for successful educational achievement. Using data for undergraduate students enrolled in a business college of a large Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), this study documents the existence of an unadjusted GPA gap between White students and ethnic minority students. This study also shows that the unadjusted GPA gaps decrease when socio-economic indicators are introduced in the analysis. The gaps continue to decrease when units-taken, transfer status, age, and student status are added to the analyses. Findings also show that although the differences between White and Latinx GPA can be explained by the covariates used in the analyses, the same cannot be concluded for Black students. Adding the same covariates reduces the gaps but does not eliminate them. Latinx students thus appear to benefit more than Black from being enrolled in a HIS. To sum up, while a significant amount of the difference between White and Latinx students can be explained by differences in socioeconomic status and other factors introduced in the regression analyses, the same cannot be said about Black students. We think that this is an important outcome that deserves substantial investigation. One size does not fit all.

Sustaining New England's iconic tourism landscapes: An exploratory study to examine perceptions of value from farmers and fishermen

Tourism generates billions of dollars in New England. Maine and Vermont rely heavily on the iconic imagery of lobstering and dairy farming to attract visitors to their states. The collapse of either industry would not only deal a direct economic and cultural blow to their respective states but be compounded by their impact on the tourism industry. How do these industries work in symbiosis with tourism? From the biological world, symbiosis is the close interaction of two different species in a mutually beneficial or parasitic relationship. To what extent do these primary sector industries benefit from tourism and how might the benefits of tourism be more effectively shared with farmers and fishermen? Using in-depth interviews, this exploratory study captures perceptions of tourism’s value to farmers in Vermont and fishermen in Maine as a place to start this important conversation. While tourists consume less than 10% of the bounty from Vermont dairy farmers and Maine lobstermen, producers capture a variety of other benefits from tourism, including such economic benefits as the opportunity to promote their company or industry brand, attract new customers, generate supplemental income, and create employment opportunities, along with non-economic benefits such as the opportunity to provide authentic experiences, create great places, showcase their conservation efforts, and highlight their family’s pride and heritage. Public policy could redistribute the benefits of tourism to facilitate a more mutually beneficial symbiosis, including direct subsidies to producers, preservation of working landscapes, marketing and branding activities, and investment in cooperative infrastructure.

Corporate social responsibility: to the issue of origins

The article substantiates the need for a unified approach to the study of such economic phenomena as corporate social responsibility, business ethics, corporate culture and sustainable development. The author proposes to develop A. Carroll’s ideas on the gradual increase in the level of social responsibility of business as it develops on the basis of the renewability principle of economic and non-economic benefits. The objective nature of business participation in the production of not only economic, but also non-economic resources is substantiated. Risks for businesses of prematurely taking on excess obligations are noted. The article explains the need for an existential choice of the enterprise management to take responsibility for the consequences of its activities as a condition for implementing the concept of corporate social responsibility. The implementation of this choice occurs at a certain level of development of the individuals involved in the business.

Maintaining Legitimacy: The Environmental Management Practices and Green Innovation on Indonesian Manufacturing Companies

Maintaining legitimacy through environmental management practices and green innovation is often seen as less supportive of the company's efforts to improve performance and competitive advantage. This paper aims to analyse the legitimacy motivation of companies participating in the performance rating assessment program in environmental management (PROPER). Another goal is to find out the effectiveness of the motive to maintain legitimacy in improving environmental performance and competitive advantage. The document analysis employs to analyse data. The findings indicate that maintaining the legitimacy of stakeholders is the motivation for manufacturing companies to carry out environmental management and green innovation. The data also suggest that maintaining legitimacy from a wider range of stakeholders brings more tangible economic and non-economic benefits, such as higher environmental performance and competitive advantage, compared to focusing solely on maintaining legitimacy from the government. The findings also show that the PROPER deconcentration policy which is being promoted to improve supervision of companies in environmental management by involving the provincial government, companies and universities is effective in increasing the number and compliance of companies in environmental management. However, the government needs to look for breakthroughs so that companies apply environmental practices beyond compliance by considering several points from the criteria or requirements for exceeding compliance in article 6, such as the implementation of environmental management systems, achieving energy efficiency, saving water, reducing and utilizing waste. non-hazardous materials and solid waste, are transferred to the criteria or compliance requirements in article 5.

Value generated by the multiplier effect of investments by the pharmaceutical industry in Italy: proposals to promote competitiveness and attractiveness

Pharmaceutical industry investments in Italy must be supported with a reform process that promotes simplifications to generate an attractive ecosystem that can enhance innovation. Key actions include facilitating the start-up of clinical trials, promoting public-private partnerships to support technology transfer, integrating data infrastructures to overcome the logic of silos, expanding programs for prevention and early identification of diseases, simultaneous reimbursement for therapy and diagnostic testing, and launching a structural program for early access to therapies. The total contribution of the sector in the last 10 years to the Italian economy was € 315 bn. Looking at employment (67 thousand people employed in the sector in 2020), it is possible to estimate about 280 thousand jobs activated in Italy just in 2020. An Altems study quantified a leverage effect of 2.77 in terms of benefits to the Italian NHS from direct investment in clinical research, which means that for every € 1 invested by companies in clinical trials, € 1.77 of additional savings were generated for the NHS. Applying the multiplier on R&D investments of the entire pharmaceutical sector in 2020 (€ 1.6 bn), we could estimate approximately € 4.4 bn in benefits for the NHS. In addition to these benefits there are the noneconomic benefits of clinical research, including early access for patients to innovative therapies, resulting in improved clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients and caregivers in general.

Using Community Conversations to explore animal welfare perceptions and practices of rural households in Ethiopia

There is a scarcity of data on animal welfare and its impact on livelihoods to inform animal welfare initiatives in Ethiopia. Perceptions and practices of rural households toward animal welfare are influenced by socio-cultural, demographic, and agroecological factors. We conducted Community Conversations in two geographically and culturally diverse regions of Ethiopia to explore the attitudes and practices of rural households regarding animal welfare and its impact on livelihoods. Community Conversations are facilitated dialogues among rural households to explore their perceptions, practices, constraints, and needs and identify and co-create solutions to improve the welfare of their animals. We used single- and mixed-sex discussion groups to understand community members' gendered perceptions of animal welfare and influence their attitudes and practices toward gender-equitable roles in animal welfare management. In the Community Conversations, community members readily described the biological needs of their animals but there was also a good acknowledgment of the behavioral and affective state needs of animals. Identified constraints for animal welfare included feed and water shortage, limited veterinary support, and poor animal handling practices. Community members described the welfare of their animals as being intertwined with their own livelihoods and identified productive, public health, and non-economic benefits of good animal welfare. Raising awareness of animal welfare within rural communities through Community Conversations is a useful way to both identify livestock production needs as well as engage community members in making practical improvements in animal welfare. The understanding of perceptions, practices, and needs of rural households in animal welfare helps engage communities in starting behavioral change and provides insights into developing context-specific welfare improvement interventions. Community Conversations are also an effective way to feedback community voices into planning to build a bottom-up implementation of animal welfare programs.

Costs, Benefits, and Welfare Implications of USAID Investment in Agricultural Research through U.S. Universities

AbstractThe U.S. Agency for International Development has invested limited funds in international agricultural research through U.S. universities. We present a meta-analysis of impact case studies from this investment. The median net present value of economic impacts at purchasing power parity is PPP$8.4 billion compared to a cumulative investment of US$1.24 billion over 1978–2018. About four-fifths of these economic benefits accrued to individuals with incomes under $5.50/day and about 29% to those in extreme poverty. In addition to these limited case studies evaluating financial benefits and costs, we present several types of additional non-economic benefits.

How platform-based internet hospital innovation affects doctors’ active stress coping efforts: The conservation of resource theory perspective

Doctor's effort of active stress coping is a key factor for keeping stability of healthcare system in the COVID pandemic. The Internet hospital breaks through the boundaries and expands external resources of the physical hospital, but brings doctors stress and challenges. However, it is not clear how Internet hospital innovation affects doctors' active stress coping effort. To address this question, based on conservation of resource theory (COR), we explore the issue and examine the model through a face-to-face situational investigation of 174 doctors from 66 Internet hospitals with complete online service functions in China. The results show that the personal characteristics and energy resources provided by platform-based hospital will promote doctors to actively respond to stress. The increase in object and condition resources will lead to doctors' avoidance of coping with stress in the short term, but help doctors to actively cope with stress in the long term. We extend the COR theory by considering platform-based feature of Internet hospital and suggest that hospital should continue to promote technological innovation for its long-term benefits. This study contributes to the growing literature on platform-based healthcare innovation and its non-economic benefits for healthcare professionals.

Going organic or staying traditionalistic? The role of agriculture information system

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how use of agriculture information systems could impact farmers' intention to convert from traditional to organic agriculture production in the mountainous areas of Northern Vietnam, based on a research framework developed from integrating Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior. Specifically, the authors aim to test the direct impact of use of agriculture information systems on converting intention and the interaction between use of agriculture information systems and perceived economic benefits, perceived non-economic benefits of organic production and market access on the formation of converting intention.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a sample survey that included 634 agriculture-producing households in Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Cao Bang provinces of Northern Vietnam. The logistic regression was used for data analysis.FindingsResearch findings indicate that perceived economic benefits, non-economic benefits, market access and use of agriculture information systems positively support the converting intention. Moreover, the use of information systems strengthens the links between the converting intention and perceived economic benefits, perceived non-economic benefits and market access.Originality/valueThis research is innovative in incorporating the use of agriculture information systems as both direct contributor and moderator in converting decisions.

Resident Empowerment and Support for Gaming Tourism: Comparisons of Resident Attitudes Pre- and Amid-Covid-19 Pandemic

Grounded in Weber’s theory of formal and substantive rationality, this study aims to examine the influences of economic and noneconomic factors, namely resident empowerment and trust, on resident support for gaming tourism, a controversial type of tourism development. In particular, with data collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study also examines how resident perceptions of economic and noneconomic benefits of tourism have changed as a result of the pandemic. Findings show that perceived economic benefits and trust in government were significant determinants before and during the pandemic; however, the effects of empowerment seem to be mixed, depending on how controversial gaming tourism was at the time of data collection. Results suggest gaming tourism is viewed more critically during periods of high volume and that when gaming tourism dries up, residents start to become more supportive and to see the economic and noneconomic benefits in a different light.

CONSIDERATIONS ON THE IMPACT OF HIGHER EDUCATION FROM AN ECONOMIC AND NON-ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

The impact of higher education is reflected in both individual and collective benefits, economic and non-economic. For example, if pursuing higher education means an increased chance of employment at the individual level and of being better paid, at the macroeconomic level, a higher share of the population with higher education is associated with lower unemployment rates, with an increase in productivity and, consequently, with an acceleration of economic growth. The economic advantages of higher education are complemented by non-economic advantages such as: increased manifestation of civic spirit, increased care and better health, a decrease in crime etc. among the population with higher education. This article aims to highlight some of the economic and non-economic benefits, individual or collective, of higher education, starting on the one hand from information in the literature and on the other hand from official statistical information, using EU statistical information.