Socio-economic Ecosystem Research Articles

Agency, generic ecosystems and sustainable development: Part 2 agency as an ecosystem

Purpose This paper is in two parts. The purpose of the first part was to explore the basis for the creation of an agentic ecology theory that could provide a generic multidisciplinary context-free manifold that can be applied to specific domains and contexts. As an element of this, it explored the relationship between agency and its agents (at various foci) and the nature of agency ecologies. It also explored the relationship between viability and sustainability. In this second part, the purpose is to create an agency model that will recognise the analytical and decision-making attributes of the viability–sustainability relationship by centring on the modelling a socioeconomic ecosystem and a social disciplinary species model. Design/methodology/approach Agency theory will be used to model a generic agency ecology and its environment of subordinate elements – especially those subordinates that can be used as amenities to satisfy the needs to agency development. Part 1 of the paper took a tour of concepts relevant to the representation of ecosystem structures and their application. Part 2 will centre on delivering a schema capable of embracing agency ecology from which applications may derive. Findings It is shown agency theory is not only a modelling schema but can also provide diagnosis to examine the condition of, or for locating problems within, an agency in its ecosystem environment. This is illustrated within a socioeconomic context. Research limitations/implications The paper is conceptual in nature, without any to diagnose any substantive issues within the socio-economic context. Originality/value A generalized agency ecology approach is proposed over this two-part paper that is novel through the use of 3rd order cybernetics.

ЗАКОНОМІРНОСТІ ТА ЕКСТРАКТИВНІ МАКСИМИ МОДЕРНІЗАЦІЇ ІНСТИТУЦІОНАЛЬНОГО БАЗИСУ РЕГІОНАЛЬНОГО РОЗВИТКУ

The article analyzes the patterns of regional development, points to the need to study and justify the patterns of regional development, which allows to choose the optimal vectors for the formation of the institutional core and the most effective options for modernizing the institutional aspects of regional development. development. The purpose of the article is to determine the essence of the laws of regional development as one of the aspects of the methodological basis for the modernization of the institutional base of the Ukrainian state. Emphasis is placed on the priority steps to eliminate gaps and reasons that prevent the implementation of the basic strategic plans of state formation. Among them: standardization of decentralization aspects in the Constitution of Ukraine; harmonization of actions of central and local executive bodies, local self-government bodies and civil society institutions with the approval of priority state-building strategies; activities in the framework of public dialogue to develop a state strategy for regional development, taking into account the laws focused on the modernization of productive forces, the activation of the whole set of functions that contribute to the consolidation of the nation in the socio-humanistic direction. The study found that the processes of decentralization of power affect the development of productive forces through a number of factors of synergy, which include natural, geographical, ecological, socio-humanitarian, scientific, technical and competitiveness. The general scientific priority in the article is dialectical and systematic cognitive methods, by which the region is considered as a complex socio-economic ecosystem, which constantly interacts in the process of development with other subjects of the institutional environment of the country, interdisciplinary comparisons, economic-mathematical, balanced and systematic methods. analysis may be included to determine the impact of certain social phenomena on research in relevant areas of human activity. The result of the study is the formation of the author's vision of the essence of the main modernization aspects of regional development as an institutional basis for state formation.

Fifty years of criteria development for selecting wetlands of international importance

The Ramsar Convention’s criteria for the identification of wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites) and its associated guidance have been widely influential, not only in the selection of Ramsar sites, but also in the development of similar criteria to identify internationally or nationally protected areas for biodiversity through other processes. Over 50 years there has been a conceptual broadening of the scope of the criteria from an initial focus on waterbirds, as well as progressive development of interpretive guidance, allowing meaning and interpretation to develop to support criteria that have been unchanged since 2005. However, establishing criteria based on the provision of cultural or socioeconomic ecosystem services for humans, although regularly discussed at recent conferences of parties, remain unresolved, with opposing views among contracting parties. A pragmatic way forward may be to establish a status ‘badge’ or attribute that acknowledges the value of a Ramsar site to human communities, distinct from the site selection criteria. Allowing parties themselves to ‘award’ this status to appropriate sites would give flexibility for differential national uptake, perhaps being more frequently applied by some parties than others.

Formation of educational ecosystems through the digital transformation of the educational environment

Cognitive and digital transformation stimulates both academic and applied interest in the concept of socio-economic ecosystems. Today, traditional interaction chains in education, cooperation forms, for example, network ones, should give way to new organizational-economic interaction mechanisms – educational ecosystems. Research purpose is development of theoretical approaches to the formation of cross-geographic educational ecosystems through the digital transformation of the educational environment. The study is based on general scientific methods of systematization, comparison and generalization of research in the field of formation and functioning of ecosystems. Structural-functional and integrated approaches were used to develop the concept of formation of educational ecosystems. A comparative analysis of three overlapping ecosystem concepts (business ecosystems, knowledge ecosystems and innovation ecosystems) was carried out. The type, approaches and strategies for the formation of cross-geographic educational ecosystems have been determined. It is noted that digital transformation forms a digital educational environment, which can serve as the basis for the formation of cross-geographic educational ecosystems. As a typical basis for the formation of an educational ecosystem, it is proposed to use a business ecosystem as a form of socio-economic interaction of actors. As a strategy for the formation of an ecosystem, a structural strategy is defined with the allocation of a core – a leading university or an association of universities, and as actors – universities, students, post-graduate students, teachers, employees, graduating students, employers and other stakeholders. It is noted that the core plays a key role in the formation of a cross-geographic educational ecosystem. An effective strategy of the educational business ecosystem depends on the ability of the core to place other participants in positions and endow them with roles, on the one hand, corresponding to the strategy of the ecosystem as a whole, on the other hand, ensuring the actors’ satisfaction.

Research on Socio-Economic Ecosystems of Resilient Regional Cities

Natural disasters, wars, economic collapses, or some combination of these stretch far back in history. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic downturn is the latest example of a globally unsettling event. However, while the crisis is global not every region will react, and most importantly, recover in the same way. Examples of resilience to such events can be found and studied at local levels, such as municipalities, all the way up to the differences in responses by nations. Learning the lessons from previous challenges is key to mitigating future ones. Focusing locally on cities and their resiliency in the face of economic and social upheaval is an important foundation for this type of research. In Japan, Professors Takashi Yamamoto, Masaaki Takemura and Mayuri Ishida are now collaborating to investigate how to increase the economic resilience of regional cities within the country. Together they developed and have been conducting a series of research projects, which ultimately intend to increase the number and strength of economically resilient regional cities in Japan.

Transformação digital na Educação Superior: modos e impactos na universidade

Estruturadas no modelo Humboldtiano do início do século 19, as universidades iniciam a terceira década do século 21 enfrentando novos e complexos desafios na sociedade digital contemporânea. Para a Educação Superior, de um lado, a transformação digital apresenta intensa demanda por modificações estruturais nas formas de ensino e aprendizagem (Educação Digital Modo 1) e, de outro, oferece uma gama de mecanismos para modificação das estruturas organizacionais das instituições de ensino (Educação Digital Modo 2). Neste artigo, analisamos os fatores e atores que caracterizam esses dois modos de educação digital e apresentamos mapa estratégico de possibilidades de projetos de transformação digital universitária, com abrangência nos dois modos de educação digital. Tratam-se de mudanças organizacionais culturais e estruturais, entre as quais destacam-se as capacidades relacionais de coprodução com os demais atores do ecossistema socio-econômico (i.e., na sociedade digital a publicação acadêmica valiosa revela conhecimento coproduzido).

Theories of socio-economic ecosystems: patterns and development trends

The genesis of integration processes at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels of modern activities of business entities indicates the presence of conceptually new levels of development based on the active use of resource potential, intellectual capital and digital transformation. Practice shows that instability in certain markets affects the complementary segments of the socioeconomic space and necessitates the search for ways of interaction that allow them to function as a single “organism” to achieve a synergistic effect and aggregate strengthening of resistance to external determinants. The social and economic ecosystem is a peculiar structure of synergistic interaction between the authorities, business, technological leaders and socio-economic subjects of the region. In the conditions of uneven development of territories, it becomes necessary in the process of making management decisions to rely on the existing communities of economic agents based on the system theory. The use of the theory of socio-economic ecosystems contributes to the elimination of disparate management processes, the achievement of strategic goals of the socio-economic development of the region. Within the framework of the systematic approach, trends and patterns of development of socio-economic ecosystems are presented. The main tasks of a socio-economic ecosystem are to implement best practices to meet the daily needs of the elements of this ecosystem. Since the ecosystem is located in time and space, then it has historical, geographic, ethnic, political and economic boundaries. In our study, we will rely on the economic and territorial boundaries of the ecosystem

Metamodern digital trends as a factor in increasing the productivity of agricultural organizations

The article identifies the main features of the metamodern -
 the era of fluctuations between structured and systemic modernity and vague and indefinite postmodernity. The technological trends of the era are revealed - digitalization of all spheres of civilization's life, their impact on the socio-economic ecosystem is determined. The author notes the penetration of digital technologies into all spheres of the economy, and, in particular, into the agro-industrial sector. The factors hindering the introduction of digital technologies in the agro-industrial complex are identified. The most important digital technologies that can increase the productivity of agricultural production have been identified. The scientific work used the logical and historical research methods, the comparative method, the analogy method, the systematic approach. The conclusion is made about the influence of digital trends of metamodern on the agricultural sector of the country's national economy as a factor in increasing the productivity of agricultural enterprises and their competitiveness in the domestic and world markets.

Organizational Culture in the Focus of Improving Risk Management in the Enterprise

The article considers the manifestations of the phenomenon of economic risk in the socioeconomic ecosystems of industrial enterprises, examines and differentiates the pragmatic and cultural aspects of the concept of "economic risk management". In terms of methodology, the study is based on the operational theory of risk management, and also uses tools to describe the organizational culture of risk management. Pragmatic and cultural differences in the characteristics of economic risk are identified at the level of stable forms of management activity with the involvement of the main provisions of the operational theory of risk management. The phenomenon of risk is considered in the ontological space as an artificial category of activity of industrial enterprises and other economic agents that form a socio-economic ecosystem. This phenomenon is studied as a specific form of social communication associated with the desire to assess the uncertain future in the present time, mainly from the point of view of analysis and management of the level of economic risk in the enterprise.

Using of digital technologies in the educational process of higher school

The transformation of the global economic space at all levels of socio-economic eco-systems has been indicated, which is caused by the digitalization of all spheres of public life. The level of transformation of world civilization is commensurate with the revolution of including new ways of energy supply for industry and people’s life, bright discoveries, that change the space due to the achievements of scientific and technological progress.The role of digitalization in the educational process of higher education in the formation of social skills, high professional competencies of future graduates and their demand in the labormarket has been investigated. Problems of introduction of digital technologies in higher Education institutions, connected with weak preparation of the teaching staff and students in the sphere of use of computer technologies, technical problems and change of the purpose of educational activity have been identified. The results of the introduction of elements of digital technologies in the technological process of teaching students basic disciplines on the example of microeconomics have been revealed empirically. The result of the research is a real improvement in the assimilation of theoretical material using digital technologies, a better understanding of it and the possibility of its application in professional activities.It has been concluded, that it is necessary to include elements of digital technologies in the educational process of higher education, because they provide new opportunities for teachers increasing the interest and involvement of students in the studied disciplines and for students in the implementation of their creative and intellectual potential, obtaining deeper knowledge and skills in demand. For the country, this is an opportunity to get managers and specialists of the future, able to ensure stable economic growth and social development of the nation.

Industry 4.0 from a few aspects, in particular in respect of the decision making of the management

AbstractThe fourth industrial revolution, often identified as the terminology of Industry 4.0, more and more enforces changes and modifications from each participant of the socio-economic ecosystem. These enforced corrections concern the households, the governmental areas in different degrees, but the operation of the company sectors is rearranged most strongly by them. The study analyses this latter structure in the following respect: which are the most important supports of Industry 4.0 and what kind of competency elements are required from the employees and the management? According to the research data to be introduced, the domestic companies lag behind in preparations for the challenges raised by Industry 4.0; the international experiences are more favourable in this field. After—partial—review of the professional literature, the author concludes that the business sphere is in a condition before paradigm shift due to Industry 4.0. As per the analysis of decision-making based on digitalization, the question in the subtitle is answered—Industry 4.0 does not change fundamentally the traditional management functions of the company sector, but the decision-supporting applications based on digitalization must be learnt and applied. That statement seems to be founded that only company management, being able to live with decision making based on digitalization, can win competitive advantage.

Socio-economic ecosystems in modern Russian agribusiness

The article provides a comparative analysis of various areas of the modern theory of economic ecosystems. The authors identified the relative advantages and disadvantages of the theory of business ecosystems, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and socio-economic ecosystems. The authors investigated the problems of modern agribusiness, their background and solutions. The authors proved that the Russian agro-industrial business has great development potential, and the theory of socio-economic ecosystems can become the scientific basis for the development of agro-industrial business in modern conditions.

Ecosystem Companies: The Stages of Development and Limits

The article discusses ecosystem companies. This is a set of enterprises that produce a wide range of goods and services in various industries and under a single brand. The development of an ecosystem forms an attitude towards it as a brand, and not as a legal entity or a group of companies. This brand is represented as a set of goods and services from different industries. This study clarified the boundaries of the concept of socio-economic ecosystem and the target properties of its elements. These elements are harmony, complementarity, universality, seamlessness and connectedness. The article formulates the sequence of transformations of the company into an ecosystem. Transformation occurs through micro-, meso- and industrial levels of activity. This allowed us to structure the levels of ecosystem development. The initial level is a separate enterprise, then to the industry structure and, as a result, to the industrial structure. Ecosystem companies form a new approach to managing large and complex structures. Its main difference is a set of cyclic and point solutions. Such control is characterized by milder effects. Ecosystem management is a set of unique non-cyclic solutions that form the concept of ecosystem development. There are three ways ecosystems interact with each other. The first is an explicit partnership, the second is secretive in a parasitic form, and the third is indirectly through an intermediary ecosystem. Similar ways of interaction in the future will lead to integration processes of merging and absorption of ecosystems. These processes require a particular managerial staff, taking into account large and complex structures.

The professional and educational ecosystem as a driver of development collaboration between engineering education and production

The formation and development of human capital as to thecurrent and future needs of production is a serious challenge for moden enterprises. Human capital, which is based on knowledge and skills, is themost important factor of production that determines the competitiveness and efficiency of the enterprise. One of the ways to solve this problem is the formation of the enterprise vocational education ecosystem, by combining with various educational organizations. The authors formulate the concept of a professional and educational ecosystem as a type of socio-economic ecosystem. The importance of interaction between ecosystem subjects as the basis for the emergence of synergistic effects is emphasized.The theoretical conclusions are supported by empirical material on the example of the professional and educational ecosystem of a large helicopter enterprise. The characteristic of the enterprise’s professional and educational ecosystem is given. Emphasis is placed on the structural and specific description of the professional and educational ecosystem. The reasons for the formation of the professional and educational ecosystem of the enterprise and the way of its development are analyzed. The analysis of the effectiveness of the professional and educational ecosystem can be based on the stakeholder theory, based on the assessment of the results of the ecosystem by its main participants. In order to analyze the effectiveness of the professional and educational ecosystem of the enterprise, a survey of its participants was conducted on the importance of knowledge and skills acquired as a result of training, and satisfaction with them. On the basis of the poll results, a perceptual map was built by the analysis of Needs&Gaps. She demonstrated the most important attributes, describing the results of the professional and educational ecosystem from the perceptual of importance and satisfaction of participants in this ecosystem. The construction of the perceptual map made it possible to draw a conclusion about the high assessment of the participants of the ecosystem of practical skills acquired in the learning process. The results of the analysis of the professional and educational ecosystem of the enterprise confirm its effectiveness in solving the problem of human capital formation.

The strategy of interaction between a transitive university and external actors in ensuring the reduction of migration risks

This article analyzes the issue of the strategy of interaction between a transitive university and external actors in ensuring a reduction in migration risks. Regional universities, resorting to cost reduction, often do not always can constructively construct a scientific and educational policy and internal university management. This leads to the fact that the regional university becomes a transit platform for subsequent educational and labor migration. What should be the strategy of interaction of a regional university with external actors to ensure the reduction of migration risks? Refusal of the policy of “closed doors” and structural self-identification, the result of which should be a conceptual idea as the fundamental methodological construct of the policy, are necessary conditions for ensuring the transition from the transit state of the university as a platform for educational and labor migration, to a transitive one, providing the conditions for the transition to new high-quality states as a result of resolving contradictions. Structural self-identification should be aimed at the subsequent formation of a strategic vision of oneself and instrumental ways of overcoming multi-level risks. The proactive interaction of a transitive university with external actors in ensuring the reduction of migration risks and the balanced development of the region’s human resources should include a set of priorities regarding the vital elements of the region’s ecosystem. There are areas relevant to reflecting the needs of the subjects and integratively interconnecting both the internal attitudes of the subject and the external conditions for their applicability in the region. This is a positive social infrastructure, a comfortable urban environment, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, technological solutions, communication channels with industries and organizations, open lectures and short-term courses. The strategy of accelerated development as an initiative interaction of a regional university with external entities, including a key idea, is the main condition for the transition to a transitive state as a source of development of the socio-economic ecosystem of the region.

Identification of ecosystem service bundles and driving factors in Beijing and its surrounding areas

In high-intensity human activity areas, such as metropolises, rapid changes in land use, agricultural intensification, and population urbanization have resulted in profound and complex transformations in socio-economic ecosystems. The study of ecosystem service (ES) bundle is conducive to various aspects, such as determination of the variation characteristics of ES; identification of the mechanism of interdependence within ES; and driving mechanism of socio-economic-ecological factors to ES to maintain the sustainable development of the region. The research areas include Beijing and its surrounding areas. Ten ES, including grain providing (GP), water yield (WY), carbon sequestration (CS), soil retention (SEC), purified water service, cultural services, and habitat quality (HQ) were selected for valuing and mapping. The ES paired trade-offs and synergetic relationship, bundle was determined, and the bundles' service types and spatial distribution characteristics were analyzed. Subsequently, GeoDetector was used for detecting the factors affecting the bundles' distribution. Results showed that WY, CS, SEC, and HQ were bounded by Tai-hang and Yanshan Mountains. Among the 45 pairs of ES, 38 pairs bore significant correlation. Multiple services had different degrees of positive and negative correlations with other services. For example, GP had a high positive correlation with WY while bearing a high negative correlation with HQ. Seven bundles include SEC, culture, urban, HQ, agriculture, water supply and purification, and water purification. Various factors played decisive roles in the bundles’ spatial distribution. Among them, the investment capacity and demand for ecological protection depend on the level of GDP and POP. The formulation of agricultural planting plans is inseparable from TADEM. ASL is directly related to species richness. Results indicate that bundle research can identify the areas of the formation of co-occurrence of trade-offs and synergies and support the formulation of ES optimal management plans for different regions through further research of the driving mechanism.

Automated Surface Water Extraction Combining Sentinel-2 Imagery and OpenStreetMap Using Presence and Background Learning (PBL) Algorithm

Surface water bodies play important roles in socioeconomic development and ecosystem balance. The fast-developing technology of remote sensing offers opportunities for the automatic extraction and dynamic monitoring of surface water bodies. Compared with other medium- and low-spatial-resolution remote sensing images, such as Landsat and MODIS, Sentinel-2 imagery provides higher spatial resolution and revisit frequency, making it more suitable for surface water extraction. The existing research works on surface water extraction using Sentinel-2 imagery remain focusing on the construction of water indexes, which is easily affected by shadows and built-up areas. In this study, we propose an automated surface water extraction method based on the presence and background learning algorithm (ASWE-PBL) using Sentinel-2 imagery and OpenStreetMap (OSM) data. The OSM data are used as the auxiliary data to automatically select water samples, and the PBL algorithm is adopted to predict the water presence probability. ASWE-PBL is validated using six typical study areas in China, and the modified normalized difference water index, the automated water extraction index, and the random forest classifier are employed for comparison. Moreover, feature optimization, parameter sensitivity, computation cost, and future work are analyzed and discussed. The experimental results show that ASWE-PBL can effectively suppress noise caused by shadows and built-up areas and can obtain the highest kappa coefficient for five study areas but not for Guangzhou and that the ten-spectral-band composite of Sentinel-2 imagery is a better feature combination scheme than that of spectral and water indexes.

Applying endosymbiosis theory: Tourism and its young workers

Building on systems theory and its applications in tourism management, we introduce the natural science evolutionary ‘endosymbiosis theory’ to interpret the inter-dependencies of youth employment and tourism. Tourism organisations are located within a tourism industry or a sub-system, which in turn is bounded within a broader socio-economic ecosystem. We mobilise three classifications of symbiosis - mutualism, commensalism and parasitism to: a) test the analytic utility of this theoretical approach as a means to unpack the young worker and tourism employment relationships, and b) unify hitherto disparate literatures on the youth-tourism employment relationship. In particular, we model the explanatory value of endosymbiosis theory, navigating the ethicalities and moralities of the social sciences, in progressing our understanding of the tourism-young worker intersection.

Different typologies of ‘co-working spaces’ and the contemporary dynamics of local economic development in Rome

ABSTRACTCo-working spaces of different types are emerging as new economic and social intermediaries in the contemporary process of urban regeneration and urban economic growth. Despite their relevance, literature still fails to explore their role in the surrounding local economy. This paper intends to fill that gap, providing empirical evidence from the city of Rome and suggesting new policy perspectives. First, a taxonomy of the different spaces is provided, assessing their role in the related socio-economic ecosystem. Three main typologies have been identified: CWS1 acting as a ‘social incubator’ with an educational role and closer links to local authorities, CWS2 or ‘start-up incubator’ providing economic and technical support to the entrepreneurs-to-be, CWS3 or ‘real estate incubator’ which are mainly a commercial product. Their locational patterns are then discussed, highlighting the planning implication of their settlement in some in-between urban peripheral areas of Rome. Finally, suggestions for the creation of public/private partnerships or ‘social leases’ are proposed, foreseeing the integration of such spaces in the local offer of amenities. The current research paves the way for further discussion on the renewal of cities’ governance tools, processes of urban regeneration and policies tackling the new urban entrepreneurial class.

Innovation-centric courses in hospitality management education in Dubai

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an overview of how a Dubai-based higher education institution in hospitality management has leveraged the enabling macro-environment for building innovation-centric courses in hospitality pedagogy. The policy-level initiatives focusing on innovation adopted by the UAE, and Dubai, in particular, are analyzed along with their impact on the higher education landscape.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory research design with an experimental component based on iterative approach has been adopted in this paper.FindingsThe synthesis of the exploratory analysis with the outcome of the experiment for developing innovation-centric courses and assessments which integrates elements of sustainability underscores the necessity for a scalable roadmap for developing an innovation-driven ecosystem. Implications for stakeholders in deploying the proposed roadmap are discussed.Originality/valueThe experience curated from the design development and delivery of innovation-focused courses with the mandated framework in a specific geography (in this case Dubai, UAE) attests to the originality. The research adds value by proposing an implementable roadmap for stakeholders to foster an innovation-driven socio-economic ecosystem that encompasses elements of sustainability.