Social Responsibility Project Research Articles

Implementing Post-Pandemic Economic Parity: A Potential Restoration Through Distributive Justice

Abstract This paper explores the economic disparities created and augmented by the Pandemic and implores the state to adopt redistribution schemes based on the philosophy of distributive justice. The pandemic created and augmented gaping class inequalities, by pushing some into unemployment and poverty, while catalysing others’ prosperity. This may or may not have involved a fault element on the part of those that profited from the pandemic, which is to say, while some may have actively exploited the situation to increase their profits at the cost of general interests, others may have simply gained profits while retaining ethical practices in their conduct of business. This Paper argues that, irrespective of the fault element, States must implement a special financial scheme that necessitates companies that gained enormous profits from the pandemic to contribute towards assisting those who were financially crushed by the pandemic. The paper will build this on the philosophy of distributive justice, examining the ‘difference principle’ as well as ‘luck and responsibility egalitarianism’. Simply put, this means that States must enforce a system that neutralizes the ‘luck’ element that the pandemic induced in the society, through a financial scheme best suited for its situation. This may be achieved through levying a special tax for a period of time on particular business entities and/or by requiring companies to include a special corporate social responsibility project in line with the quantum of additional profits owing to the pandemic. Arguably, corporate houses that exploited the pandemic must not be placed at par with those that merely happened to profit from it (say, for instance, a pharmaceutical company that may have manipulated the drug market to increase prices and limit supply of an important drug, as opposed to a food/essentials delivery chain that naturally saw an increase in the number of consumers ordering deliveries online). But the obligation to carve out a part of their profits for social redistribution is not founded on whether they are at fault or not. Any fault may, of course, be used as a basis for levying a higher penalty or other legal measure, apart and distinct from the obligation that this paper builds on. The scheme that is proposed by the Paper is not to penalize but is based on the philosophy of distributive justice and thus does not require that the company was ever in violation of laws, but merely that the pandemic that devastated most people happened to be a profitable enterprise for others in contrast. It is in the State’s interests to negate the widened gap of economic disparities thus created, and this justifies that the Government would require such corporate houses to carve out a fraction of their fortunes for those who suffered severely. The Paper builds primarily on the philosophical foundations of distributive justice, urging its practical implementation in post-pandemic the economy. States must adopt creative measures to restructure patterns of privileges created or amplified by such unprecedented (at least in recent history) circumstances, as the pandemic.

A Social Responsibility Project Example: Sustainable Fabric Toys Project

Sustainability has emerged as a prominent and crucial topic in various domains and societies, aiming to create a more livable world. It represents a goal of establishing an ethical, greener, and progressive society and world in all its aspects. The awareness of finite resources, environmental concerns, and the significance of intergenerational resource transfer has brought forth several challenges, including excessive use of raw materials and natural resources, harsh and labor-intensive working conditions, environmentally damaging waste generated during production, as well as the issue of rapidly depleting textile products with short lifespans and subsequent waste. In light of these pressing concerns, it is of utmost importance for designers and artists to exert efforts toward sustainability, minimizing resource consumption, and fostering awareness and focus. This study focuses on the revaluation of surplus production or waste raw materials and accessories originating from the fashion and textile industries. The project "Sustainable Textile Product Designs of Cloth Dolls and Toys with Social Responsibility Awareness" encompasses activities that utilize these materials to promote and support social awareness and solidarity. This text, conveying the project, aims to draw attention to sustainability in textiles and toy choices for preschool children, anticipating it will contribute to awareness and recognition within the realms of environmental cycles, eco-design, and sustainability. Anchored at Dokuz Eylül University's Faculty of Fine Arts, this project, grounded in design, product development, and application, has employed an “applied” research methodology. The expectation is that the emergence of new and creative ideas focused on recycling and advanced transformation will foster a specific consciousness in society and individuals across various domains.

Lessons learned in medical students’ remote social responsibility experiences during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: With the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, face-to-face medical education was interrupted. To make first-year students a part of the fight against the pandemic, “We, as well, are in the Fight Against Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)!” remote social responsibility project was implemented in May 2020. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the perceptions and opinions of medical students regarding their remote social responsibility experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Thematic content analysis of short-written reflection data collected to provide a deep insight into the experiences of the medical students was carried out. Results: The meaning and achievements of the remote social responsibility project revealed seven themes: “perception of social responsibility”, “perception of being medical students”, “perception of being a physician”, “fight against the pandemic”, “affective achievements”, “acquisition of generic skills” and “corporate commitment”. The findings draw attention to understanding the meaning of social responsibility, medical students’ and physicians’ role and responsibility in protecting health during the pandemic. Conclusion: Medical students providing social responsibility opportunities for their students during the pandemic enables them to be a part of the fight against the pandemic and ensure important gains. These gains also valuable in preparing them for pandemics and similar emergencies in their future professional lives. In addition, competencies such as communication in crisis environment, access to evidence-based information, informing the society that will prepare for crisis situations should be gained in the medical education.

"DOVE ÖZGÜVEN PROJESİ" ÜZERİNE BİR ELEŞTİREL SÖYLEM ÇÖZÜMLEMESİ

In this research, Van Dijk's critical discourse analysis was applied to selected advertisements published on Dove Self-Esteem Project's YouTube page as part of the campaign that started in 2004 as a social responsibility project. During the analysis of the commercials, the table prepared by Ayvaz and Livberber (2019), who adapted Van Dijk's news discourse model to the advertisement, was used as a reference. As a result of the examination, it was found that the language and discourse used in the campaign were part of a marketing communication process and the project's sole and basic purpose was not to address the pressure on women's beauty perception and social problems, as claimed in the campaign. It was determined that the goal of the campaign was to increase sales, strengthen the brand's image, and increase its reputation. It was found that Dove Self-Esteem Project was trying to build a new beauty perception that was dependent on the products defined and produced by the brand, rather than removing the beauty pressure on women in the long term. In this context, the main finding of the research is that the beauty perception produced through the female body was reproduced as a new version with the commercials produced within the campaign.

The University Students’ Awareness of Hyperreality on Social Media and Problematic Social Media Usage: A Qualitative Study

How social media has changed people’s perception of reality is a question of debate in recent years. Excessive social media usage particularly among young people has begun to worry parents, educators and youth researchers. Hence; the study aims to detect how young people are aware of their social media usage and their ability to differentiate the reality between social media and their normal life. The 3rd grade Graphic Design students, consisting 30 persons of population, in a university in Konya started a social responsibility project called “ThisIsNotYourLife” in the first term of 2021-2022 academic year. Regarding the fact that those students have an awareness in a certain extent, the sample was crewed from this population. 27 of the population participated in the study to make an in-depth interview. Thematic analysis was employed depending on Baudrillard’s Simulations Theory and Griffiths’ addiction variables used in the BSMAS as SM addiction components. The study concluded young people could hold a balance between the reality of their normal life and social media life and control their social media usage if they are given an awareness task or training. The study is thought to make contributions to social media usage research and professionals who work on young people’s addiction behavior.

Factors Affecting Community Participation in Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility Projects: Evidence from Mangrove Forest Management Project

Community participation in an environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) project can help business enterprises effectively develop projects that respond to the actual demands of the community and effectively utilize a firm’s resources. This study aims to investigate factors that affect community participation in each stage of environmental corporate social responsibility project development. The environmental corporate social responsibility project explored in this study is a sustainable mangrove forest management project in the Pakprasae sub-district of Rayong province in Thailand. This study has tested whether enterprise-related factors (such as perceived CSR credibility and organization–public relationship (OPR) quality) and participant-related factors (such as ecological knowledge, perceived ecological values, and expected benefits from participation in the project, both monetary and non-monetary related benefits) could predict community participation in an environmental corporate social responsibility project development initiated by a business enterprise. Questionnaire surveys were administered to 355 community members who were the target group of this environmental corporate social responsibility project from June to July 2022. The collected data were inspected and analyzed using an inferential statistical technique. Multiple regression analyses were performed to test significant factors that affected community members’ participation in planning, implementing, and monitoring the project. The results revealed that perceived ecological values were the strongest predictor of participation in all stages of the project, including planning, implementing, and monitoring the project. Perceived CSR credibility and OPR quality also significantly affected participation in all stages, whereas ecological knowledge significantly affected participation only in the monitoring stage. These findings suggest that to promote community participation in each stage of environmental corporate social responsibility project development, it is important to enhance community members’ perceived ecological values, and community members should be educated in ecology to enhance participation in the monitoring stage.

Transforming Street Business Model in a Matsu Island Village: Practice of University’s Social Responsibility in Taiwan

This study aims to analyze the influences of the street revitalization project, conducted by the University Social Responsibility (USR) project and implemented by researchers at a TW university (a code name) in a commercial area in Tangqi Village, Beigan Township, Lienchiang County (also called Matsu Islands). A literature review, field investigations, interviews, and workshops as well as civil community meetings, were used to collect primary and secondary data in this study. This study concludes the following. (1) The TW University specializes in educating and developing talent, Research and Development (R&D), and international studies. These specializations expand the scope of its social responsibilities to maintain an interactive dialog with the town in question about the goal of the USR Project. The ongoing dialogue between the researchers and the townspeople explains and updates the locals about the aim of the project, the business model, and about the desirable economic impact that the project has on the area. (2) The implementation of the USR project by TW university changes consumption patterns in the street area of Tangqi Village. These changes were the result of the creation of a business culture receptive to international visitors as well as the establishment of a mobile payment system. Further changes include the image of the street area, a mobile technology application for local shop owners, the packaging of souvenirs and hands-on activities, and the integration of English as part of the business activities.

The Monetary Value of Corporate Social Responsibility: The Impact of Tea Trees Growing Project between Corporates and Taiwan’s Aboriginal Farmers on Consumers

The first hypothesis of this study is to dissect the factors that impact consumers’ preference toward a specific corporate social responsibility (CSR) project via the framework of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The second hypothesis is to evaluate a monetary value for CSR among consumers through their WTP. The willingness to pay (WTP) in relation to those influential factors is used to represent the monetary value of CSR for the tea tree growing project implemented by corporates among indigenous tribal farmers in Taiwan. The components of CSR covered in this study are product safety, economic security for contractual farmers, the protection of the environment, and the conservation of ecology. Such efforts encompass the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities of CSR. The corresponding highest and lowest monetary values of CSR per hectare of tea trees are USD 92,232 and USD 141,762, respectively. The overall average monetary value of CSR per hectare is USD 118,035. These values represent the specific amounts that a corporation can potentially contribute to society when it contracts tea production to aboriginal farmers.

Investigation of University Students' Internet Addiction Levels and Social Media Use Characteristics: A Descriptive Study

Excessive Internet use can lead to addiction and cyber bullying behaviors based on technology especially among the young. The aim of this study was to examine the Internet addiction levels and characteristics of social media use of peers following peer education regarding Internet addiction and cyber bullying awareness conducted among university students. This study is the second stage of the İzmir Universities Platform Administration Era of Dokuz Eylül University Social Responsibility Project: Digital Citizenship: Do Not Be Addicted and Bully, Use the Internet Consciously and Safely. The study examines the Internet use characteristics and Internet addiction levels of young people through interviews with university students who attended the peer awareness education with their peers. The study sample consisted of 1644 students, of which 188 students were entitled to receive a certificate following completion of peer education, selected by random sampling. The data were acquired through a Peer Interview Form, Internet Addiction and Cyber Bullying Peer Satisfaction Survey, and Internet Addiction Scale. The research findings revealed that Internet addiction was higher in male students than in female students, and the students who used the Internet more than 4 hours a day had high levels of loss of control, desire to stay online, and social relationship breakdowns. The students used the Internet mostly for social interaction/communication, listening to music, and watching movies rather than education and academic purposes. This study demonstrated that peer education can be used as an effective method in awareness studies regarding Internet use.

Investigation of the Effect of Peer Awareness Training Activity on Internet Addiction and Cyberbullying Level

Internet addiction, which is defined as negative emotions affecting the cognitive control of an individual due to inability to limit their Internet use and the disruption of the functionality of daily activities performed by the individual, is commonly observed in young people and it negatively affects their psychological health. Studies carried out on peer awareness can improve understanding on Internet use and have a preventive effect on Internet addiction. In this study conducted as part of the İzmir Universities Platform Administration Era of Dokuz Eylül University (2019), Social Responsibility Project: Digital Citizenship: Do not Be an Addict and a Bully, Use the Internet Consciously and Safely, the effect of peer awareness training on Internet addiction among university students was examined. A total of 188 students (140 female; 48 male) studying in eight universities in İzmir constituted the sample of the study. The data of the study were collected via a 33-item survey including socio-demographic information and information on Internet use developed by the researchers and the 12-item Short Form of Young’s Internet Addiction (YIA) Test (Young, 1998). The data were collected from the students at the beginning and end of the Peer Awareness Training via the Peer Awareness Training Knowledge Measurement Survey. The Short Form of YIA Test was only employed to collect data from the students at the beginning of the training. The findings show that approximately 50% of the 188 undergraduate students had a score higher than the average score on the YIA Test and this is an indicator of addiction. There was no significant correlation between the YIA Test scores of students and their age groups or income levels (p>0.05). A low, positive, and significant correlation was found between Internet use duration (r=0.212, p

Mathematical Models for Milk Dispatching Problem

This study considers the milk dispatching problem for a small-sized distribution company. The milk dispatching problem can be seen in many reallife applications. Under a social responsibility project, several organizations, including companies and municipalities, distribute bottled milk for children to primary schools and impoverished families without any charge. These companies generally use capacitated vehicles for distribution and should consider available hours of the schools as well as the families. The planners generally want to minimize their expenses, such as fuel oil and storage costs. Under those restrictions, the problem turns out to be a capacitated vehicle routing problem with time windows (CVRPTW). One of the main objectives is to minimize total traveled distance considering the vehicle type to reduce the fuel consumption of the vehicles. Another objective is to minimize serving the customers late to reduce the storage cost of undelivered milk. To achieve those objectives, we formulated mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) and constraint programming (CP) models for the problem. To verify and compare our mathematical models, we modified well-known instances from the literature, including problem-specific parameters. The comprehensive computational results show that both models are very competitive for the problem. However, it should be noted that the MILP model outperforms the CP model in terms of solution quality and CPU time for the instances with a long planning horizon.

Family capital and parental involvement among parents in public elementary and secondary schools in the Philippines: perspectives of parents and children

ABSTRACT This paper examines the different forms of family capital in the context of parental involvement in children’s schooling. This paper has three-fold goals. First, it ascertains the level of parental involvement of Filipino parents as perceived by the parents themselves and their children. Second, it investigates the impacts of various forms of capital on parental involvement. Third, it determines which type of capital will have a significant impact on parental involvement. This paper is based on a survey among elementary and secondary students and their parents of purposively selected 29 elementary and secondary schools in the Philippines. These schools were selected as they were part of a corporate social responsibility project. This paper concludes that parental involvement among parents from low-income households is generally low. Parents are relatively more involved in parenting for education. Results of the multiple regression analysis reveal that membership in CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer), participation in community activities, parent’s level of education, and family size predicted parental involvement. The results point to the idea that parents with better social and human capital are likely the ones who will be more involved in their children’s education.

Social Responsibility Programs may Strengthen the Medical Students’ Role to Fight against COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: We aimed to explain the details of the “We, as well, are in the Fight Against Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)!” “online” Social Responsibility Project as a model to be used in medical education in the COVID-19 fight. The Project has been developed as a part of Phase 1 Medicine and Social Responsibility Program at Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine in Turkey, and aimed to increase the social responsibility, awareness and sensitivity of the students in COVID-19 pandemic days.
 Material and Methods: All project phases were developed in collaborative work with Faculty Dean’s Office, Project Coordination Team, facilitators, and project groups student representatives. The Project was conducted online in May 2020 in 33 student groups, each of which comprised 10-15 students and an academic staff of the Faculty. All materials were shared simultaneously via the official website of Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine.
 Results: Various types of materials like reminders, infographics, videos, and other visuals have been prepared for the Project. Students shared all these materials via social media such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp groups. International students translated some materials into different languages to share the materials in their home-countries. The materials were prepared by Project Coordination Team by having the opinions and suggestions of the faculty members and students.
 Conclusion: Social Responsibility Project is thought to facilitate improving the sensitivity of the students in COVID-19 crisis. The Project has also contributed to improve the students’ capacity in the management of infodemic and accessing to the community.

BAFRA ZEMBIL KNITTING AND ZEMBIL KNITTING MASTER: NURAN GUNGOR

Herbal knitting is the name given to the process of knitting with various techniques after plant stems or branches and leaves are turned into strips. It is a handicraft that dates back to ancient times. Today, this handicraft has begun to be forgotten with the advancement of technology and the change in living conditions. Zembil knitting, which is the subject of the research, has an important place among Bafra handicrafts. In 2010, Anadolu Sigorta opened a Zembil knitting course in Bafra within the scope of the “One Master, Thousand Masters” Social Responsibility Project, under the consultancy of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in order to revive the professions that were on the verge of disappearing, Nuran Gungor was the instructor of the course as a zembil knitting master. With this project, it is aimed to support the family budget and provide a profession for the women participating in the zembil knitting course. Our aim in this study; to draw attention to Bafra zembil knitting and to promote zembil knitting, to give information about the life and works of Nuran Gungor, who practices and teaches this art. For this purpose, detailed information is given under the headings of the raw materials used in knitting zembil and the preparation of these raw materials for knitting, the process steps of knitting zembil. In addition, the current state of herbal knitting and information about Bafra zembil knitting are mentioned. The work of Nuran Gungor, who was a zambil knitting instructor at Bafra Public Education Center, was included, and his contributions to zambil knitting were emphasized.

The Influence of Media Coverage of Corporate Social Responsibility Projects on the Market Value of Shares of Russian Companies

The study empirically analyzes the impact of media coverage of corporate social responsibility projects both in the media and by the official press centers of companies on the market value of the shares of these companies. Such coverage can have both positive and negative effects. The research interest is whether corporate social responsibility projects are important to investors. The purpose of this study is to create a model for assessing the impact of media coverage of corporate social responsibility projects on the market value of companies' shares. Based on data on the market value of shares of Russian companies, using regression models, the influence of the press coverage of such projects on the market value of shares was estimated. Thus, the hypothesis was confirmed that official company news about corporate social projects and news published by external sources have a connection with the market value of shares. In addition, the study found that corporate social responsibility project news published by a company has a greater impact on institutional investors, while news published by external sources has a greater impact on individual investors. An industry-specific phenomenon has been identified. News published by the company on corporate social responsibility projects has a greater impact on stock prices in the metals, telecommunications, fuel, oil and gas and energy industries, while the coverage of such projects in external sources has a greater impact in the banking sector, construction and development, and the financial sector. The models proposed in the study have fairly high predictive and explanatory quality. This suggests that Russian public companies are following an international trend towards an increase in the number of corporate social responsibility projects and information about such projects is quite important for investors. The application of the proposed model allows us to understand how the market expectations will change as a whole, and therefore to predict the movement of shares in the short term.

Container Kindergarten Project as a Social Responsibility Project

“ACT FOR”, a social responsibility project unit is a sustainable solidarity platform that was established at the design faculty for the aim of creating collective act between designers and people in need. The main aim of this project is to enhance design students’ critical perspectives on how to prepare a social responsibility project for their local environment and work collaboratively with other disciplines. The design students are expected to understand the importance of social responsibility activities and its’ role for the universities and the community. They are also expected to learn how their attitudes translate into behaviour and action while they are questioning what just and unjust is in their local environment. This study reports on Container Kindergarten Project as a social responsibility project. Believing that the success of social responsibility projects should be in harmony with the needs of the community, “ACT FOR” designers firstly analysed the needs of their local environment. Later, we developed the project for a chosen primary school where 25 children were trained in a space that could not meet the ventilation, heating and spatial organization requirements and continued to provide education as an unhealthy living space for children. After the conceptual phase, we prepared the necessary drawings and found sponsorships for the implementation. With this project, the design students learned how to solve problems and make design management to finalize the project. They learned how to work as a team with different disciplines to ensure homogeneous distribution of tasks. At the end, the design students discovered the healing aspect of the design. With all difficulties and contributions, it taught the multi-dimensional education method that they never experienced before. As a result, the community-university relationship is one of the most important points in determining and meeting the needs of a community. Therefore, universities play a major role in raising awareness in this subject.

Özel Bakım Gereksinimi Olan Bireylerde Ağız-Diş Bulgularının Değerlendirilmesi

Amac: Ozel bakim gereksinimi olan cocuklarda agiz sagligi problemleri, genel saglik sorunlarina ek olarak ortaya cikan buyuk bir saglik sorunudur. Bu calismanin amaci, Istanbul ilinde ozel egitim veren okullarda muayene edilen ozel bakim gereksinimi olan bireylerin agiz-dis sagligi verilerinin degerlendirilmesidir. Gerec ve Yontemler: Bu kesitsel calisma Istanbul Universitesi Dis Hekimligi Fakultesi Pedodonti Anabilim Dali ile Istanbul Universitesi Dis hekimligi Fakultesi Engelsiz Gulusler Ogrenci Kulubu sosyal sorumluluk projesi olarak Istanbul ili icerisinde ozel egitim veren okullarda gerceklestirildi. Agiz ve dis sagligi taramalari icin her bir tarama oncesi ozel olarak izin alindi. Agiz muayenesi gun isiginda tek kullanimlik ayna, sond ve presel yardimi ile yapildi. Muayenede cocuklarin yaslari, engel durumlari, ilac kullanip kullanmadiklari, dis curugu varligi, dental travma varligi, dis sikma ve malokluzyon durumlari kaydedildi. Verilerin degerlendirilmesinde uygun istatistiksel testler/analizler kullanildi ve anlamlilik duzeyi 0,05 olarak belirlendi. Bulgular: 42’sinde otizm, 111’inde mental retardasyon ve 10’unda Down sendromu olmak uzere 163 ozel bakim gereksinimi olan bireyin agiz ici muayenesi yapildi. Her uc grubun DMFT ve dft ortalamalari arasinda istatistiksel olarak anlamli bir fark bulunmadi (p>0,05). Down sendromlu bireylerde notral okluzyon gorulme orani, otizmli bireylerden daha dusuk bulundu (p<0,05). Sinif II malokluzyon icin gruplar arasi fark gorulmezken, Sinif III malokluzyon gorulme oraninin zihinsel engellilerde otizmlilere gore daha yuksek, Down sendromlu bireylerde hem zihinsel engelli bireylerden hem de otizmli bireylerden daha yuksek oldugu goruldu (p<0,05). Sonuc: Ozel bakim gereksinimi olan bireylerin dis curukleri, malokluzyon, dislerde asinma, bruksizm, dental travma ve agiz-dis sagligi acisindan takip edilmeleri ve agiz-dis sagligi acisindan yakindan takip edilmeleri gerekmektedir.

La caracterización glocal como estrategia comunitaria: Competencias pertinentes del gestor social del conocimiento

En el presente proyecto, se definen los conocimientos previos que tiene el gestor socialdel conocimiento basado en la normativa de las Instituciones de Educación Superior, larepresentación de la misma en el contexto de la localidad como escenario pertinente que necesitaconocer el docente-gestor, ya que el trabajo es in situ, vital para la coyuntura del trabajo que realizaen su acercamiento a la comunidad. La metodología es participativa, con un diseño bibliográfico. Losnúcleos teóricos son: lineamientos para el diseño de proyectos de responsabilidad social,reglamentos de funciones de los gestores de Gestión Social del Conocimiento, gestión de recursos,instructivos para el manejo de matrices de informes y matrices de seguimiento y monitoreo de laimplementación de los proyectos en las prácticas de vinculación con la colectividad. La perspectivade las funciones del gestor se entrelazan con las funciones sustantivas como: Investigación, GestiónSocial del Conocimiento y Posgrado. El objetivo, es caracterizar las funciones de seguimiento ymonitoreo del gestor de proyectos de responsabilidad social como gestor de vinculación dentro delas funciones glocales siendo su perspectiva y proyección el efectuar un trabajo social relevante yparticipativo con la comunidad.

Governance Capabilities and Sustainability Concerning “Corporate-NGO” Collaboration: the Case of Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital in Bangladesh

This paper attempts to evaluate the governance capabilities of Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital (LFH), a corporate social responsibility project in Bangladesh, in terms of significant long-term social impact, operationally defined as sustainability for the present study. Drawing on the SCALERS model proposed by Bloom and Chatterji (2009), under their proposed seven “capabilities” which determine the extent to which a project is able to scale “wide” and “deep,” the paper assesses the prospect of “scaling up” the project to create significant long-term social impact. The study used focus group discussions and interviews to collect data in four villages of remote chars (island bars in the river beds) located in the Jamuna River at Gaibandha district in the northern part of Bangladesh. In total, four FGDs were conducted. Managers from the corporation (Unilever Bangladesh Limited) and the non-governmental organization (Friendship)—who were directly assigned to the project—were interviewed. Some of the key findings of the paper include the following: (i) LFH’s governance capabilities are limited; (ii) although the initiative provides vital healthcare services to some of the most vulnerable and desperately poor communities, management of the project in terms of stakeholder participation—has been marginal; and (iii) the extent to which the project is able to scale—“wide” and “deep” was found to be low. To the question—“What does the project ultimately result in?”—the result found was that—the project did not bring about any significant participation of the community, except being mere recipients of health care service; no significant effort toward income generation for long-term sustainability of LFH; commitment of Unilever Bangladesh Limited (UBL), in this case, was limited mainly to financial resources; entire dependence on a single source of fund (UBL in this case) was identified as another cause of vulnerability for this project. Some of the major lessons arising out of the study may have relevance for other studies. The study suggests issues that need to be considered for significant long-term social impact of other similar initiatives.

Proyecto de fortalecimiento de docentes de educación inicial: estrategias para el desarrollo temprano del lenguaje en el aula

It´s been amply proved that there is an early and determining relationship between the knowledge of academic, standard language, and a higher level of achievement at school. We also know that children belonging to lower socio-economic status face an early disadvantaged situation, which limits the maximum development of their potentialities; in these cases, it is common that, by the time they have enrolled in school, it is already too late to close the growing gap between them and more economically advantaged groups. The present university social responsibility project provided a group of public preschool teachers with scientific, evidence-based, information, regarding the relation between early vocabulary, literacy development, and its implications for good school achievement. We shared a specific intervention proposal with the teachers, for early vocabulary teaching, based on dialogic or shared reading and the use of certain word learning strategies, both explicit and implicit.