درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- In many development programs in the third world, the expansion of small home businesses in rural areas has been mentioned as an efficient solution to advance the rural development process and improve the living conditions and income of rural residents. Therefore, the aim of this study is to prioritize the challenges of home business in rural areas of Sari County. Design/methodology/approach - The present study is an applied and descriptive-analytical, for which the method of documentary and survey (questionnaire) were used. The statistical population of the research consists of experts of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Mazandaran Province and the Industry, Mine and Trade organization and the Agricultural Jihad organization in Sari County. Fifteen people were selected as a statistical sample. Six factors of economic and financial, infrastructure, education and innovation, insurance and law, marketing and skills were considered as home business challenges in rural areas of Sari County. In order to analyze the data, the combined DEMATEL method and interpretive structural modeling were used. Findings- The results showed that education and innovation, insurance and law and skills barriers are at the highest level of the model, and economic and financial, marketing, and infrastructure barriers are at the lowest level of the model. According to MICMAC analysis, economic and financial, and marketing barriers with strong impact and weak dependence were identified as the most important challenges for home businesses in rural areas of Sari County. Research limitations/implications - The absence of a comprehensive database for home businesses, especially in rural areas, poor cooperation of experts in completing the questionnaires is the limitation of this study. Creating and organizing a database of home-based businesses are suggested, especially in rural areas that have been less studied and arranging the study platform for other research in this field. Practical implications - Supporting home-based businesses based on local and indigenous capacities and knowledge is a solution that not only promotes the production and creates jobs for the villagers, but also has positive social consequences. Originality/value- The results of this research can be a guiding tool in the executive organizations in charge of issuing home business licenses (Agricultural Jihad Organization, Industry, Mining, and Trade Organization and Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization) and institutions supporting the vulnerable and poor groups (Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation and the Welfare Organization). It could also help the managers implement the prosperity of home businesses as effectively as possible.

Purpose- The main purpose of this study was to identify the drivers responsible for instability of livelihood and to investigate the extent and manner of their influences on each other and on the future livelihood status of villagers in Marivan County. Design/methodology/approach - Applying a descriptive-analytical method and Delphi Technique, the present applied research identifies first, the most important drivers of the current situation of livelihood instability and their eliminating impact on the future livelihood of the deprived villagers in Marivan County. Moreover, applying cross-impact method in Mick Mac software, it analyzes the effect and direct influence of these drivers on each other. Findings- The most important drivers of livelihood instability of rural people in the county are a total of 36 drivers in five categories as follows: Economic failures with the influence (346) and dependence (371), social failures with the influence (290) and dependence (315), environmental-physical failures with the influence (172) and dependence (176), institutional-managerial failures with the influence (351) and dependence (287) and trans-regional failures with the influence (23) and dependence (12). Among them the institutional-managerial failures have the most direct influence (315) and the economic failures have the most direct dependence (371) on the other drivers. The regulatory and two-dimensional drivers and their situation on the graph shows the continuing instability of the villagers’ livelihood in future, thus, this will increase deserted villages and wasted water and soil resources in the region. Research Limitations/Implications- The dispersion of a large number of villages, their small sizes in addition to their lack of accessibility, and the lack of cooperation of some experts to conduct interviews were among the main limitations of the present study. Practical implications - It is suggested to teach villagers about the basic principles of entrepreneurship and taking risks and identifying opportunities. In this regard, making use of entrepreneurial villagers with successful experiences and non-governmental organizations in the region can be effective. Ultimately, plans and programs should be designed and implemented for the regulatory drivers such as fatalism, lack of crisis management policies, recognizing rural development as equal to the traditional agriculture development. Originality/Value- The outcome of this study can be an introduction for subsequent studies for formulating scenarios, executive strategies, policies and planning in order to move towards sustainable livelihoods and the realization of a favorable livelihood for the villagers.