Positive Social Effects Research Articles

Twirl Store: pioneering sustainable textile practices by closing the loop

Learning outcomes After completion of the case study, the students will be able to make strategic decisions for social entrepreneurship and carry out a sustainability and social impact analysis, assess the benefits of a circular economy-based retail model and investigate ways to preserve these benefits and recognize the ethical and sustainable issues facing the fast fashion sector and how social enterprises are addressing them. Case overview/synopsis The culture of fast fashion had proven to be dangerous for the environment as it had promoted a culture of consumerism and materialism. It had also increased the landfills in different countries. The need of the hour was to upcycle used and unwanted clothes into new innovative items. This idea had been practically implemented by Mrs Sujata Chatterjee of the Twirl Store, the protagonist of this case study. Chatterjee was a social entrepreneur who recognized the environmental and social problems caused by rapid fashion and abandoned apparel in landfills. She launched the Twirl Store, a social enterprise with the mission of advancing circular economy and sustainability practices in the textile sector. Rural women were economically and culturally empowered by the enterprise’s upcycling of used clothing using their abilities, and a sustainable source of income was created. Finding abandoned clothing, sorting and processing it effectively and locating clients who share her commitment to sustainability were difficult tasks for Chatterjee. Despite the difficulties, the Twirl Store served as an example of how circular economy concepts, cultural sustainability and women’s empowerment might be combined, highlighting the importance of social entrepreneurship in addressing global concerns and fostering positive social effects and economic impact. Complexity academic level This case study is applicable for undergraduate as well as post graduate students of management studies. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Effects of bilingualism on the cognitive development of selected Nigerian University undergraduates

This study is an exploration of the perceptions and experiences of Igbo-English bilingual undergraduates in relation to the social, cultural and cognitive benefits and drawbacks of bilingualism. In this study, a questionnaire was designed and then given to 150 Igbo-English bilinguals from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Enugu State University of Science and Technology. All the responses were identified, categorised and analysed qualitatively. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development was adopted as the theoretical framework for this study. The findings showed that bilingualism has both positive and negative social, cultural and cognitive effects. Positively, from the perceptions and experiences of the undergraduates under study, bilingualism improves selective attention, and enhances the auditory stem response, among others, while negatively, it can be viewed as a threat to monolingual culture, and also affects speaking a second language other than that of the home environment, which creates conflict and confusion among parents and children.

Pickleball Participation and the Health and Well-Being of Adults-A Scoping Review.

Pickleball has grown tremendously in recent years, yet little evidence exists regarding pickleball-related injuries. This scoping review extends current work on pickleball participation by identifying positive and negative health effects associated with the sport. We summarize how pickleball impacts the health and well-being of adult participants. Searches were conducted on MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest Nursing, ERIC, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, Scopus, CBCA Complete, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Selected studies considered aspects of health and/or well-being of adult pickleball participants. Using the population/concept/context framework, participants were healthy, able-bodied adults 18years of age or over, who had played pickleball at least once. The positive and negative outcomes of pickleball on participants' health and well-being (concept) within the context of pickleball participation were examined. Full-text articles written in English since 2013 were included. Extracted data were tabulated, and a descriptive summary with thematic analysis was completed. This scoping review comprised 27 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Pickleball is promising as an exercise intervention for all adults, and there is evidence of positive social and psychological effects, and health and fitness benefits to participating in pickleball by older adults. Although we are still in the early stages of studying pickleball, there have been some documented health benefits of using the sport as a physical exercise intervention for adults. More research is needed on the types, prevalence, and severity of pickleball injuries and the sport's impact on younger players.

Exploring the research trends and development of augmented reality and virtual reality in ASEAN countries: a bibliometric study

This review of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) studies uses bibliometric analysis and VOSviewer mapping. This study looks at an extensive set of Scopus articles from reliable sources to determine who contributes to ASEAN AR and VR research, the themes, how people work together, and how people cite each other. A study of bibliographies shows that the number of ASEAN AR and VR research articles has grown significantly since 2010. It also talks about important ASEAN study institutions, authors, and countries. The study themes are shown visually on VOSviewer mapping, showing how AR and VR can be used in healthcare, travel, gaming, and business. Co-authorship and reference networks shed light on how people work together on research projects and how ideas move within and outside of ASEAN. This organized review of ASEAN AR and VR research helps researchers, policymakers, and business stakeholders understand the current situation, find research gaps, and work together. The results can change research, resource use, and policy changes to encourage the growth and use of AR and VR technologies in ASEAN. It can lead to more innovation, economic development, and positive social effects.

Exploratory talk in times of globalisation and digitalisation: a narrative review

Over the last decades researchers and educators have promoted the use of language in collaborative activities in the classroom. Accordingly, there is considerable support for the sociocultural idea that knowledge is the result of a co-constructed activity of students, and that exploratory talk can support them to develop higher-order thinking, high-level understanding, the voicing of personal opinions and ideas, and argumentation skills. Positive learning effects of exploratory talk have inspired researchers all over the world to replicate, refine or elaborate on these early studies, using both quantitative and qualitative methods and often finding similar positive linguistic, cognitive, social, psychological, and pedagogical effects. In this study we present a narrative review into the definition, measurement, and effects of exploratory talk. The review is both a part and an extension of a PhD study on the use of exploratory talk in primary schools in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. Based on this review we will highlight the relevancy of exploratory talk and associated challenges for L1 education in a globalising, diversifying and digitalising context. We will argue that exploratory talk can meet these challenges, but its potential can only be realized fully by a shift towards dialogic teaching as opposed to the IRF/IRE-pattern which still seems to dominate classroom practice.

예술의전당 건립이 현악기점 집적에 미치는 영향

This study aims to explore the relationship between cultural facilities and regions by analyzing the impact of the establishment of the Seoul Arts Center on the agglomeration of stringed instrument stores. A spatial analysis of the distribution change of the Seoul musical instrument industry was conducted, and after the establishment of the Seoul Arts Center, it was confirmed that a new musical instrument store agglomeration centered on string instruments was formed in the area of the Seoul Arts Center in addition to Nag-won Shopping Center in Jongno-gu, which was an existing musical instrument store agglomeration. In addition, the process and factors of the agglomeration of stringed instrument stores around the Seoul Arts Center were examined by dividing them by period, and the causal relationship between the establishment of the Seoul Arts Center and the agglomeration of stringed instrument stores was inferred by analyzing the socio-spatial context and characteristics of the formation stringed instrument stores. This study differs from previous studies in that it analyzes the process of cultural economy emergence through the combination of the local urban context and the social characteristics of stringed musical instruments as cultural products from various perspectives. It also suggests that complex factors are required to trigger positive social and economic effects in a region through the construction of cultural facilities, and that comprehensive planning and consideration are needed in the promotion and operation of cultural facilities.

Comic innocence

In recent years, humour has re-entered the public sphere as a serious and potentially explosive topic of debate, giving rise to social conflicts and controversies. Paradoxically, however, humour has at the same time been passionately (and often aggressively) defended as innocent and harmless. I propose the notion of ‘comic innocence’ to make sense of this paradox. I take Dutch and American studies of racism, white innocence and racial ignorance as a starting point to construct a theory of comic innocence, which is tested through the analysis of responses in both legacy and social media to a serious opinion article on humour (written by the author of this paper), which sparked a scandal in the summer of 2021. I analyse 265 tweets and a small number of related newspaper articles and blog posts to demonstrate the respondents’ “humour ideologies”. I argue that, in the context of the “re-politicisation of humour”, those who defend humour as innocent mobilise and re-articulate three older ideas on humour. First, they emphasise the overall positive psychological, social and political functions and effects of humour. Second, they believe that humour should be protected against a ‘woke’ culture of high sensitivity and censorship. Third, they argue that humour research is a joke, and humour scholars lack a sense of humour. The humour scholar appears in this debate as the most important source of danger: a humourless, left-wing scientist keen on curtailing and censoring humorous expression.

Research on the significance of post a sports virtual community under Pseudo-environment—— Take the Douban group Sports Without Circle as an example

The network community formed by the Douban group once occupied an important part in the development process of China’s network community, but with the indefinite ban and suspension of a number of Douban groups and illegal users by the nationwide campaign to purify the online environment, the vigor of Douban users has gradually decreased, and new media such as Weibo, WeChat, and short videos are also emerging. It impacts the living environment of Douban. However, throughout the entire Douban platform, the group Sports Without Circle still maintains a strong activity and is currently the largest virtual community focusing on discussing sports events and athletes. With case studies, this article explores the causes of construction, interactive behaviour, communication characteristics, and operation mechanism of the Douban group Sports Without Circle under "Pseudo-environment", tries to explore the construction significance and positive social effects of the virtual community of sports culture, and puts forward a prospect for the future development of the Douban group in the era of media convergence.

Use of horse riding in chronic pain therapy

Introduction and purpose: Chronic pain is a struggle itself and also a symptom in many common conditions. Its complexity requires diverse treatment methods including some that might seem unconventional, for example, horse riding. This study gathers information about the use of equine assisted therapy in pain relief.
 Brief description of the state of knowledge: Hippotherapy is known as an important part of care for patients with cerebral palsy, attention deficit and autism. The rhythmical, multidimensional movements of the horse are transmitted to the rider’s pelvis and help in strengthening and stretching the muscles which result in better posture stabilization and balance. The positive effects of equine assisted therapy are not limited to only physical ones but positive social, cognitive and psychological effects can be observed as well. In order to lower the cost and time of the therapy, horse riding simulators were invented. So far, horse riding has been tested as a pain relief tool in entities like nonspecific low back pain, multiple sclerosis and arthritis.
 Summary: Horse riding sessions had beneficial effects on pain levels among patients with nonspecific back pain and arthritis. There is a need to conduct further research in order to properly compare the use of real horses versus horse simulators. Hippotherapy was well perceived by different patient groups so maybe it has the potential to be an important part of pain management in various conditions.

Social determinants of health during and after coronavirus: a qualitative study

BackgroundHealth has multiple dimensions influenced not only by individual factors but also by broader social, economic, cultural, and political structures. The widespread COVID-19 pandemic has multidimensional effects on people’s lives, which can have effects on individuals’ lifestyles after the COVID-19. This study aimed to speculate the social determinants of health during and after the COVID-19, which can lead to more effective planning for promoting community health.MethodsThe present study interviewed 21 experts in social and medical fields during four months. The sampling method was snowball. The interviews were semi-structured and administered in-person or electronic. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to the Brown and Clarke’s six-stage framework to extract themes.Resultsthe participants were 13 males, eight experts in social field, all had PhD, 17 were academic members, and 10 were members of the Social Determinants of Health Research Center. The qualitative content analysis induced seven different social themes that affect the health which included: justice (3 Subcategories), integration (4 Subcategories), acceptance (4 Subcategories), participation (2 Subcategories), adaptation (3 Subcategories), flourishing (4 Subcategories), and cohesion (3 Subcategories).ConclusionsAccording to the present study, a grand plan to cover all positive and negative social effects of COVID-19 should have at least seven different dimensions. However, the present models of effective social determinants in health do not have such comprehensiveness. Future studies may provide a proper model to be used in clinical and research fields.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS PROCESSES IN THE CONTEXT OF ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF FASHION INDUSTRY ENTERPRISES

INTRODUCTION. Sustainable development and victory in competition in the conditions of globalization and international division of labor can be ensured by enterprises that manage the quality of business processes on a systematic basis, which makes it possible to produce high-quality, environmentally safe products in an ethical way.
 THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY is the further development of methodological, methodical and practical approaches to the management of the quality of business processes of a fashion industry enterprise in the context of its achieving sustainable development.
 RESEARCH METHODS. The research used scientific methods of theoretical generalization, analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction, structural-logical analysis, historical method.
 RESULT. The high quality of products and services plays a decisive role in achieving sustainable development of the enterprise. The relationship between sustainable development and quality management at the evolution stages of enterprises and organizations is considered. Four stages have been identified, which correspond to organizational models, determined by a combination of the following features: closed – open system; rational – social thinking. The place of quality management and sustainable development in each organization’s model is determined. The quality chain reaction of E. Deming was supplemented and expanded with additional links of ecological and social component and it was shown that high product quality leads to a positive economic, social and ecological effect, i.e. ensures the sustainable development of the enterprise. The special role of the ecological component of sustainable development is highlighted. In order to avoid and counteract environmental threats, enterprises carry out rational nature management measures and processes of ecologically balanced development. The indicators of environmental protection activities in Ukraine 2016–2020 were reviewed.
 CONCLUSIONS. Sustainable development is the driver of quality management of business processes at the enterprise, which is confirmed by the logical chain of quality improvement influence on the economic, environmental and social components of sustainable development of the producer. The organization model in the period of open systems and social individual ensures comprehensive quality management and sustainable development of the enterprise. The quality management system of business processes at a fashion industry enterprise, which meets the requirements of the international standard ISO 9001: 2015, is a tool for realizing the goals of sustainable development of the enterprise.
 KEYWORDS: sustainable development; quality; quality management; business process quality management system; E. Deming's chain; environmental protection activity.

Price sensitivity of students to their favorite applications and programs

Purpose: The aim of the article is to determine the price sensitivity of students to their favorite 6 applications and programs. Design/methodology/approach: The main research problem is: What is the price sensitivity of students to their favorite applications and programs? The study was conducted using the quantitative method, the survey technique on students in Krakow (Poland) in May and June 2023. The research sample was 424 people. Findings: Every second student would not give up Messenger if it was paid at an affordable price, every third from Instagram and Spotify, every fourth from YouTube, and every fifth from TikTok. They would be less willing to pay, for example, for Facebook. Every third student would be willing to pay up to PLN 20 per month for their favorite application or program (above this amount, they would rather not use it than pay). Every fifth respondent indicated PLN 30 per month as the upper limit. The vast majority of students (71%) declared that if the respondents' favorite application or program was paid at an affordable price, they would continue to use it. One in four respondents said they would look for a replacement (25%). Research limitations/implications: Studying price sensitivity in the new technologies sector is a complex problem and the research presented in this work covers only selected aspects in this field. Practical implications: The research results show young people's declarations of price changes in the new technologies sector. Could raising the prices of their favorite apps cause them to use them less? The new technologies sector can use the research results to set prices for selected applications or programs. Social implications: The research conclusions can be used to determine whether price manipulation for new technologies can result in less use of them by young people, and thus have a positive social effect. Originality/value: The study provides insights into the willingness of students to pay for these services and identifies specific preferences and behaviors regarding the use of paid and free versions of applications. The research results can be used by owners of online platforms, marketers, educators and students. Keywords: price elasticity of demand, consumer price sensitivity, willingness to pay, new technologies, social media. Category of the paper: research paper.

Next-generation innovation: Food security modeling for positive social effects

Next-generation innovation: Food security modeling for positive social effects

Problems and prospects of tourism financing in Sikkim

In Sikkim, tourism is an industry that has a variety of positive economic and social effects. Utilizing both forward and backward connections with other economic sectors like agriculture, industry, and other service sectors, not only increases foreign exchange earnings and the country’s limited resources but also provides opportunities for employment on all fronts, including direct, indirect, and induced employment. However, it has always struggled with administration and insufficient finances. Keeping this in mind, the current study aimed to examine the problem and prospects of tourism financing in Sikkim. The primary data was gathered from 385 respondents (Investors, Stakeholders, and Tourism Businesses) from Sikkim, who were randomly selected from the targeted population. The responses have been collected through a structured questionnaire, and SPSS 25 has been utilized for data analysis. The findings revealed that there is a significant impact of tourism financing on the development of local communities, and there is a significant relationship between the involvement of financial institutions and the development of tourism projects. It has been concluded that tourism financing in Sikkim has resulted in the progress of tourism in the state, which led to the development of local communities and the development of tourism projects.

Biodiesel from Bark and Black Liquor—A Techno-Economic, Social, and Environmental Assessment

A techno-economic assessment and environmental and social sustainability assessments of novel Fischer–Tropsch (FT) biodiesel production from the wet and dry gasification of biomass-based residue streams (bark and black liquor from pulp production) for transport applications are presented. A typical French kraft pulp mill serves as the reference case and large-scale biofuel-production-process integration is explored. Relatively low greenhouse gas emission levels can be obtained for the FT biodiesel (total span: 16–83 g CO2eq/MJ in the assessed EU countries). Actual process configuration and low-carbon electricity are critical for overall performance. The site-specific social assessment indicates an overall positive social effect for local community, value chain actors, and society. Important social aspects include (i) job creation potential, (ii) economic development through job creation and new business opportunities, and (iii) health and safety for workers. For social risks, the country of implementation is important. Heat and electricity use are the key contributors to social impacts. The estimated production cost for biobased crude oil is about 13 €/GJ, and it is 14 €/GJ (0.47 €/L or 50 €/MWh) for the FT biodiesel. However, there are uncertainties, i.e., due to the low technology readiness level of the gasification technologies, especially wet gasification. However, the studied concept may provide substantial GHG reduction compared to fossil diesel at a relatively low cost.

Modernization of Mali’s investment policy in the context of improving the sustainable development strategy

Since 2012, the Republic of Mali has been facing numerous security challenges caused by the separatist uprising led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad and many non-State armed groups. This led to a loss of control by the authorities in several areas where the provision of public services and the operation of development programs were disrupted. The base of the economy - the agricultural sector - suffered, on the one hand, due to physical destruction of infrastructure and delays in the construction of new facilities due to limited financial and implementation opportunities, and on the other - due to limited access of households to agricultural resources and modern irrigation methods, which hindered the development of agriculture, expansion of acreage. The devastating consequences also affected other areas of the country. As a result, there is still an urgent need for humanitarian assistance, especially in the northern part of the country, and food insecurity due to the conflict and dependence on weather conditions remains a serious problem. Thus, money transfer programs from major international donors are one of the main sources of functioning of the economy and society of Mali. However, such dependence, in the end, does not benefit the country much in the context of long-term and sustainable development. This is confirmed by the difficulties that have arisen in recent years in connection with the imposed international sanctions. On the other hand, the country has quite attractive investment potential, but foreign investments pursue in most cases purely private interests of investors, ignoring the issue of social responsibility of business and not contributing to the restoration of the social and environmental spheres of Mali. In this regard, the study is devoted to the problem of sustainable development of the country and the possibility of using investment policy tools to implement policy objectives in this area. To this end, the formation and state of Mali’s sustainable development policy is analyzed; the dynamics of the main indicators reflecting the aspects of sustainable development are assessed; the world experience of implementing the concept of “green” investments that had positive environmental and social effects is reviewed. Conclusions are drawn about the need to revise and modernize the policy of attracting investments into the economy of Mali, which will provide additional opportunities for comprehensive development and increasing the level of independence.

Reflecting on Reacting

The Reacting to the Past (RTTP) games are a unique and innovative approach to teaching history that has been implemented in higher education institutions for over two decades. RTTP is a student-centered approach and the games are designed to encourage student engagement and interaction with the material and with peers. This pedagogy has been successful at the post-secondary level, with research suggesting improved student engagement, self-efficacy, and positive social effects. One of the strengths of RTTP games is the flexibility they offer instructors. The games can be adapted to different levels of difficulty, different class sizes, and different time frames. This flexibility makes RTTP a promising candidate to be applied to the secondary level as well. As there is currently a gap in the literature, in this article I reflect on my efforts to implement John Patrick Coby's Constitutional Convention game to the high school classroom, finding it to be a promising pedagogy worthy of further study.

FORMATION OF THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL INVESTMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERN GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Approaches to defining the essence of social investment are generalized, and conceptual provisions for the development of social investment in the context of modern global transformations are developed. It is determined that social problems are intensifying as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic shocks, wars, high interest rates, recessions in some markets, and a widening gap between developed and developing countries. As a result, the role of social investment in solving common social problems and ensuring sustainable development is growing. It is determined that social investment is being transformed from the State financing of the social sphere to the social responsibility of economic organizations, individuals, and institutional investors. It is proposed to interpret social investment as an investment of material, immaterial, financial assets in the objects of the social sphere and solving social problems in order to receive financial benefits (profit) and a positive social effect (level and quality of a population's life). The basic characteristics of the modern concept of social investment are proposed: strategic nature; money and natural (time, knowledge, skills, social ties) forms; estimated profit that is higher than the profit of a traditional investor at the expense of social and environmental effects; multiple use of capital; variety of forms of implementation; social investments create public goods, improve the level and quality of life, improve the quality of human capital, increase the productivity and investment value of organizations and the national economy, increase social capital, ensure sustainable development; proactivity social investments; new forms of interaction between sectors based on compromise, reaching agreement among the majority, adapting individual and collective interests to regulatory requirements, transforming abstract rules into effective models of interaction, etc. It is noted that further development of social investment is associated with its institutionalization and internationalization.

The Role of Urban Vegetation in Counteracting Overheating in Different Urban Textures

With growing global concerns about climate change, the significance of urban greenery in architecture and urban planning is becoming increasingly apparent. Urban vegetation naturally cools cities, provides comfort and clean air, and has positive social, health, and economic effects. It is essential to ensure passive thermal comfort and safeguard biodiversity. It is widely recognized that urban greenery not only withstands severe outdoor climatic events, but also symbiotically interacts with buildings and citizens. Several studies demonstrated the potential of vegetation to provide outdoor thermal comfort, air purification, noise reduction, and various other ecosystem services. To emphasize the potential of urban green spaces to interact with the local urban morphology in terms of microclimatic aspects, the research examines the dynamic connection between various urban textures and urban green spaces. This study emphasizes how urban green spaces, such as parks, green spaces, and urban greenery, respond to temperature variations in both the present scenario and the projected future. Central to this contribution is the examination of the relationship between urban vegetation and its potential to reduce and counteract urban overheating in both current and projected future scenarios. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of urban vegetation compared to dense urban textures. The interaction between urban block morphology, building types, vegetation, and microclimates is presented here for comparative assessment, highlighting the different thermal behaviour and outdoor comfort responses in various urban areas in current and projected scenarios. Using a microclimatic simulation tool, the research will delve deeper into the potential and constraints associated with the role of urban greens in addressing the increasing temperatures in climate change. This paper presents a comparative microclimatic evaluation of two selected green areas in Parma, Italy, within different urban contexts. The evaluation compares the current situation with a projected future scenario (2050) to determine the most effective factors for mitigating overheating phenomena in existing cities.

Measuring Communities’ Perceptions Towards the Socio-Economic Impact of Community-Based Tourism Development of Tourism Villages in Indonesia (Case from Bogor Regency, Indonesia)

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the impact of community-based tourism (CBT) practices in Ciasmara Village, Bogor Regency, specifically focusing on the social and economic benefits to the community. The study aims to understand how traditional management of community-based tourism affects the local population and to identify potential differences in economic impacts between residents living near tourist sites and those residing farther away.
 
 Method: The research methodology employed a purposive sampling approach, selecting 210 respondents from the community. The study utilized various data analysis techniques, including average score calculations and analysis of variance (ANOVA). These methods were applied to assess the social and economic impacts of community-based tourism practices in Ciasmara Village.
 
 Result: The research findings indicate that the implementation of community-based tourism in Ciasmara Village has led to positive economic and social outcomes for the community. However, a noteworthy observation is the divergence in economic impacts between residents living in close proximity to tourist sites and those residing farther away. The study's analysis, conducted through techniques such as average score calculations and ANOVA, reveals these differences in the economic trends experienced by these two groups within the community.
 
 Conclusion: In conclusion, community-based tourism practices in Ciasmara Village have yielded positive economic and social effects on the local population. However, the study highlights disparities in economic impacts based on residents' proximity to tourist sites. This nuanced understanding underscores the importance of considering the geographical distribution of these impacts when planning and implementing community-based tourism initiatives. Such insights are crucial for ensuring equitable and sustainable development in rural areas, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies that address the specific needs and challenges faced by different segments of the community.