The Benefits of Learning in Clusters: Analyzing Upward Mobility for Skilled Workers in the Cebu Furniture Cluster

2008 ◽  
Vol 40 (10) ◽  
pp. 2435-2452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Beerepoot

Recent debates emphasize the role of collective learning as a major factor in facilitating and maintaining competitiveness for clusters of small enterprises in developing countries. However, few studies on learning in industrial clusters in developing countries have analyzed the benefits from learning by looking at improved workers' positions and conditions in the cluster. This paper fills this gap in the existing literature by focusing on whether workers in the furniture cluster in Metro Cebu (the Philippines) have access to upward mobility within employment in the cluster, based on their formal and informal learning. This paper demonstrates that their ‘embodied expertise’ is rewarded only to a small extent and labour movements are more the result of job insecurity than of pursuing opportunities for upward mobility within employment.

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Caroline Adams

Beekeeping is a highly skilled form of animal husbandry that dates back to centuries. It has become a popular hobby in the United Kingdom, but as an activity has rarely featured in geographical research. In this article, I present beekeeping as an interesting site of study for cultural geographers interested in enskilment processes, education and expertise. This article draws on in-depth ethnographic research with a community of hobby beekeepers in Lancashire, United Kingdom, to give a detailed analysis of the enskilment process of novice beekeepers, how this process is being shaped and influenced by a trend towards increasingly formal education tools within the community, and what this means for those interested in the power of skilled practice and expertise. In doing so, it explores issues around formal and informal learning environments, the role of social context in shaping learning, the power of government advice, and it illustrates the complexity introduced by close engagement with an insect.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Quinn ◽  
Christopher Woodruff

We discuss the value of experiments in illuminating constraints on the growth of firms in developing countries. Experiments have provided insight into both the value and the difficulty of alleviating capital constraints in small firms. They suggest that urban, low-skilled labor markets appear to work reasonably well for firms, although there is a suggestion that frictions in markets for skilled workers may have more effect on firms. While observational data suggest that managerial training is important, experiments have shown that the traditional methods of delivering this training to small enterprises, at least, are not effective. Finally, while most work has focused on alleviating supply constraints, recent experiments have shown that positive demand shocks can be sufficient to generate firm growth. Experiments have been particularly illuminating in uncovering patterns in individual decision making, showing how agents respond to the specific changes in circumstances or incentives generated by the experiment. They are most valuable when they complement insight driven by theory.


Author(s):  
Sineenat Suasungnern ◽  
Nico Irawan ◽  
Atchara Salee ◽  
Ada Marie Gallego Mascarinas

The study is using a qualitative strategy to describe the HR perspective towards the Role of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in Thailand by using the pervious instrumental study review. Then, the data was classified into three parts: Part I: MNCs in developing countries; Part II: Overview the context of Thailand; Part III: Review the Role of MNCs in Thailand from the HR Perspective. As Thailand is a developing country which takes into account of globalization activities, hence, MNCs play an important role to enhance the level of economic growth. The developing countries must improve their infrastructure and skilled workers to be reach the competitive advantage among region and attractive to foreign direct investments. The result of the study showed the characteristics in social context in Thailand, how the beliefs of Thai society impact ethical behavior, attitude in business and implications of HR practices. Thai political context is identified the situation of replacement employees. The study describe that the qualification require has go to foreigners rather than Thai workers. Thai labor laws has identified the inequality of Social Security Circumstances between private sector, agricultural workers, and public employees. and the role of MNCs in Thailand from the HR perspective. It shows that HRD systems must be able to enhance and build a quality program to put people to work. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-242
Author(s):  
Mariusz Bednarek ◽  
Juan Carlos Neri Guzmán

Abstract This paper is an attempt to analyze some of methodologies and models used to identify the most important factors to promote competitiveness on different levels: international, national, regional, industrial, and under a systemic and cluster approach. The purpose is to support the design of an appropriate model to analyze competitive performance of a local industry in Mexico, specifically the candy industry. The results are useful to understand the areas of opportunity present in the candy industry and allow proposing strategic actions to promote competitiveness. The goal of this article is to propose a strategic agenda to strengthen the competitiveness factor that makes the cluster approach distinctive among others, namely the role of actors and linking businesses. This paper presents partial results of research of a doctoral thesis analyzing the case of the candy industry from the point of view of industrial clusters. The research is relevant considering that it presents a methodology for measuring the degree of functionality of a productive activity considered as “outstanding” in a local economy under international operation standards, which is not common in studies of developing countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 250 ◽  
pp. 07002
Author(s):  
Alexander Ivanov ◽  
Svetlana Tolstikova ◽  
Larisa Ovcharenko ◽  
Tatiana Morozova

This paper focuses on the specifics and preconditions for building major competencies that are envisaged for enhancing higher education for sustainable development (ESD). It looks into the professional development of specialists in higher education, factors affecting individual stages of professional development of these specialists, as well as into the role of the environment in their professional development. Furthermore, it studies the formal and informal learning as the important setting leading to the creation of the major competencies for linking globalization, complexity and environmental responsibility and channelling them to students through the teaching process in higher education.


1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-68
Author(s):  
JØRGEN KARTHUM HANSEN ◽  
STEIN HANSEN

This study addresses the role of multilateral development banks and their effectiveness in bringing environmental considerations, issues and consequences into structural and sectoral adjustment programmes in developing countries. It addresses a series of complex generic issues showing that such programmes cannot be meaningfully studied in isolation from other aid cooperation and government development programmes. The study proposes and discusses alternative explanations on how the multilateral development banks may have influenced thinking in borrowing countries. By looking more closely at the Philippines the study provides an insight into the dynamics and diversity of such programme lending and how its design can affect resource management and the environment in benign or adverse ways. It shows what complementary remedial action can be taken when institutional barriers, policy failures and market failures threaten the environment. It provides an analysis of how awareness of such interlinkages has emerged since 1980 and manifested itself in aid cooperation in general and in economy-wide adjustment lending in particular since 1987, while gradually being absorbed in governmental development plans and programmes with varying degrees of domestic ownership. In particular, we find that there seems to have been shifts in the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank's environmental policies after the publication of the Brundtland Commission Report in 1987.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document