This thesis deals with the problem of specifying of peripheral areas in dissertations at the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development of the Faculty of Science at Charles University in Prague. There have been many thesis concentrating on the identification of peripheral areas in particular territory in last twenty years. Authors of these dissertations created their own methodologies of this specifying. This work aims to further discover and examine ways the authors try to identify peripheral areas using secondary data and tries to find potential common features of this identification. The thesis applies different methods of identifying of peripheral areas from analyzed dissertations in the region of Rokycany district. The work describes similarities and differences of results. In the end the most appropriate method of identifying of peripheral areas is recommended.

As a consequence of deregulation in the airline industry, market forces rather than public service considerations increasingly dictate services to and from airports in Europe’s peripheral areas. The new market advocates market-driven management practices as a means of satisfying airline customers and implies that airports that adopt a more marketorientated approach than their rivals will perform better. This study investigates the theoretical foundations of a market orientation, which can be defined as the organisationwide generation, dissemination and response to market intelligence. The main aim of this study is to examine the relationship between market orientation and the performance of airports in Europe’s peripheral areas. The research methodology was implemented using a questionnaire-based survey that was administered to the managers of 217 airports in 17 different countries. Usable responses from 86 airports were received and analysed. The findings of this study suggest that airports wishing to outperform competitors can do so by adopting a market orientation and should seek to continually monitor and improve the way in which they gather, disseminate and respond to market intelligence. This will be particularly effective when market turbulence is high and/or when the focus of the airport is on developing leisure services. In addition, market orientation was found to have a positive effect on performance because it means that airports are more likely to be innovative in their approach to marketing. This means that airport managers should try to develop a market-orientated culture with innovative marketing practices in mind, and visa versa. The fact that independently-owned airports have significantly higher levels of market orientation than regionally-owned or nationally-owned airports suggests that independent ownership is more conducive to the development of a market orientation. The findings of this study do have a number of limitations, the most notable being that they are restricted to airports in Europe’s peripheral areas. It is recommended that future research should be conducted on airports worldwide in order to investigate differences between a wider range of airport types and geographical regions. In addition, the findings of this study suggest that a stakeholder orientation is important for airports seeking to improve their performance, especially smaller airports that are publicly-owned. It is recommended that future studies should investigate antecedents to and consequences of a stakeholder orientation. Future studies should also investigate whether a stakeholder orientation has a greater effect on performance than a market orientation does, and whether the two types of orientation complement each other.

Owing to their gigantic participation in global economic growth, the phenomenon of SMEs internationalization has become the centre of attention for numerous researchers. Starting from Uppsala model (1977) to born-global approaches today, scholars have been coming up with several theories and models time to time. An in-depth study of literature concerning SMEs internationalization, however, reveals that extant literature has primarily focused on firms that are operating from metropolitan or core regions of the world. It has largely ignored the vast peripheral and non-metropolitan regions of the world from where a great number of SMEs are operating in foreign markets. Particularly increasing number of small high-tech firms with ‘low to no demand’ in domestic market coupled with higher returns available in global markets are induced to internationalize despite intimidating challenges of periphery. Consequently, internationalization phenomenon from said locations, even in face of daunting challenges that hinder SMEs growth, turns out to be an attention-grabbing area – hence worth-investigating! The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of internationalization that is being pursued by SMEs located in non-metropolitan regions that offer unique constraints and challenges. More specifically, the objective is to explore the kind of entrepreneurial skills and talent that is required to develop networking relations with key players and to eventually internationalize from a peripheral location. To carry out this research, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted informally with key individuals from five small high-tech international firms located in North region of Sweden – a non-metropolitan region. Based on the findings, a conceptual model is developed which underlines that an entrepreneur in non-metropolitan regions should: possess global mind-set, social and team formation skills, and, industry experience; develop social, business and incessant snowball networks by efficiently utilizing his social skills; understand the peripheral challenges like: lack of financial resources, scarcity of non-tech professionals, being far away from core markets, absence of agglomeration advantage and travelling time and cost; and on the same time exploit the peripheral advantages which include loyal, hardworking, less salaried and easily retained employees, and, easy life and exotic climate that exclusively prevail in non-metropolitan regions. Having possessed skills, developed networks, and exploited the opportunities, the entrepreneur is now able to build a pool of potential and strength which minimizes the effect of constraints that he has already understood . As a result he can successfully pursue internationalization from a non-metropolitan region. We believe that this study has contributed both theoretically and practically and will inspire future empirical or conceptual research regarding this important topic. / CiiR(Centre for Interorganizational Innovation Research)

As a consequence of deregulation in the airline industry, market forces rather than public service considerations increasingly dictate services to and from airports in Europe’s peripheral areas. The new market advocates market-driven management practices as a means of satisfying airline customers and implies that airports that adopt a more marketorientated approach than their rivals will perform better. This study investigates the theoretical foundations of a market orientation, which can be defined as the organisationwide generation, dissemination and response to market intelligence. The main aim of this study is to examine the relationship between market orientation and the performance of airports in Europe’s peripheral areas. The research methodology was implemented using a questionnaire-based survey that was administered to the managers of 217 airports in 17 different countries. Usable responses from 86 airports were received and analysed. The findings of this study suggest that airports wishing to outperform competitors can do so by adopting a market orientation and should seek to continually monitor and improve the way in which they gather, disseminate and respond to market intelligence. This will be particularly effective when market turbulence is high and/or when the focus of the airport is on developing leisure services. In addition, market orientation was found to have a positive effect on performance because it means that airports are more likely to be innovative in their approach to marketing. This means that airport managers should try to develop a market-orientated culture with innovative marketing practices in mind, and visa versa. The fact that independently-owned airports have significantly higher levels of market orientation than regionally-owned or nationally-owned airports suggests that independent ownership is more conducive to the development of a market orientation. The findings of this study do have a number of limitations, the most notable being that they are restricted to airports in Europe’s peripheral areas. It is recommended that future research should be conducted on airports worldwide in order to investigate differences between a wider range of airport types and geographical regions. In addition, the findings of this study suggest that a stakeholder orientation is important for airports seeking to improve their performance, especially smaller airports that are publicly-owned. It is recommended that future studies should investigate antecedents to and consequences of a stakeholder orientation. Future studies should also investigate whether a stakeholder orientation has a greater effect on performance than a market orientation does, and whether the two types of orientation complement each other.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-05-30T11:38:11Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Marcelo Iury de Oliveira - 2014.pdf: 7898061 bytes, checksum: ad28076091ee11ce73000383eac88fc2 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-05-30T12:24:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Marcelo Iury de Oliveira - 2014.pdf: 7898061 bytes, checksum: ad28076091ee11ce73000383eac88fc2 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-30T12:24:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Marcelo Iury de Oliveira - 2014.pdf: 7898061 bytes, checksum: ad28076091ee11ce73000383eac88fc2 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This paper aims to analyze the uses ethnography, sociability and demonstrations played by residents of the peripheral areas in patrimonializated turistificados spaces and the historic town center of Goiás. These two phenomena, heritage and tourism, began to set up and modify economic behavior, political, cultural and social of the town since its early operationalization of processes, which intensified with the title of World Heritage, received in 2001 by UNESCO. The political and economic practices changed and (re)signified the uses and social practices established by the residents of the peripheral areas in the historic center. The ennoblement of goods and patrimonializated spaces, caused especially by the title of World Heritage made ​​the senses and uses of goods and patrimonializated spaces were targeted mainly for tourist consumption. From this social, political and economic antagonistic scenario, this work seeks to interpret and (re)present themselves as residents of the peripheral areas, “up there”, and traverse these socio-spatial boundaries and appropriate use, and extraordinarily daily, streets, alleys, plazas, shops, churches, museums and other spaces patrimonializated the historic center, is to reproduce some cultural and religious practices or to operationalize and oxygenate the tourist market undertaken this “piece” patrimonializado City of Goiás. / Esta etnografia objetiva analisar os usos, sociabilidades e manifestações reproduzidas pelos moradores das áreas periféricas nos espaços patrimonializados e turistificados do centro histórico da Cidade de Goiás. Estes dois fenômenos, patrimônio e turismo, passaram a configurar e modificar a conduta econômica, política, cultural e social da cidade desde a operacionalização de seus primeiros processos, que se intensificou com o título de Patrimônio Mundial, recebido em 2001, pela UNESCO. As práticas políticas e econômicas modificaram e (re)significaram os usos e práticas sociais estabelecidas pelos moradores das áreas periféricas no centro histórico. O enobrecimento de bens e espaços patrimonializados, provocado especialmente pelo título de Patrimônio Mundial, fez com que os sentidos e usos dos bens e espaços patrimonializados fossem direcionados, sobretudo, para o consumo turístico. A partir deste cenário social, político e econômico antagônico, este trabalho busca interpretar e (re)apresentar como os moradores das áreas periféricas, os “lá de cima”, atravessam essas fronteiras socioespaciais e usam e se apropriam, cotidiana e extraordinariamente, das ruas, becos, praças, comércios, igrejas, museus e demais espaços patrimonializados do centro histórico, seja para reproduzir alguma prática cultural e religiosa ou para operacionalizar e oxigenar o mercado turístico empreendido neste “pedaço” patrimonializado Cidade de Goiás.

Tyrimo objektas - Lietuvos kaimiškosios savivaldybės. Tyrimo dalykas – kaimiškų savivaldybių socialinis - ekonominis vystymasis. Darbo tikslas – suformuoti periferinių regionų struktūrinių pokyčių valdymo principus. Uždaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti vietovių vystymosi specifiką ir periferiškumo problemas teoriniu aspektu. 2. Parengti periferiškumo vertinimo metodiką pritaikant ją praktiškai. 3. Ištirti Lietuvos struktūrinius pokyčius ir jų valdymo specifiką. 4. Parengti periferinių savivaldybių struktūrinių pokyčių valdymo modelį. Tyrimo metodai: lyginamosios analizės, loginės analizės ir sintezės, duomenų sisteminimo ir statistinių duomenų analizės, palyginamosios analizės, grafinio vaizdavimo ir modeliavimo metodai, taip pat kiekybinių rodiklių analizei taikomas koreliacijos metodas. Lietuvos savivaldybių pasiskirstymas pagal periferiškumo lygį pateiktas naudojant GIS kompiuterinę programą. / Research object - rural municipalities of Lithuania. Research subject - social – economical development of rural municipalities. Research aim - to compose the possibilities for peripheral areas structural changes management. Objectives: 1. To analyze specific of areas development and periphery in the theoretical aspects. 2. To compose methodic of peripherality evaluation and adapt it in practice. 3. To analyze specific of Lithuanian structural changes and their management. 4. To compose a structural changes management model of peripheral municipalities. Research methods: comparative, logical analysis and synthesis, analysis of both: data systematizing and statistical data, graphical depiction and modeling, correlation.

In this thesis was created a medium-term draft of actions for the local development needs of village Staré Město pod Landštejnem based on economic, social and organizational possibilities that the village has. This draft was based on the analysis of themes from a questionnaire survey among residents of the village, interviews with local actors, existing development documents related to the community and the author's own ideas. A part of this thesis is the geographical characteristics of the village area and the analysis of literature dealing with the countryside, especially its local and regional development, spatial planning and territorial development of rural settlements and the surrounding landscape, including the analysis of materials prepared for the municipality. Another important output of the thesis is to summarize and supply the existing principles for spatial and landscape planning in the village.

Since 1994, the South African Government has developed two strategic policies that embrace the principles of sustainable development: Tourism and Land Reform. Both policies seek redress and economic development for previously disadvantaged black people, but both policies were not integrated to form part of a sustainable development strategy for communities. In terms of the land redistribution programme (as one leg of the land reform programme), the commonage sub-programme has primarily advocated an agrarian style development despite the decline in contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product. By promoting one development option, other livelihood opportunities such as tourism have not been explored. The White Paper on Tourism (1996) has also recognised the limited integration of local communities and previously neglected groups as an impediment to sustainable tourism development in South Africa. The aim of this study is to provide integrated planning guidelines for sustainable tourism development for commonages in Namaqualand. The study poses the question: What role could sustainable tourism play in commonage projects? In an attempt to fulfil the aim of the study and answer the research question, nine objectives were devised to guide the direction of the study. The objectives primarily focussed on conceptualising land redistribution and sustainable tourism through various local and international case studies in order to draw commonalities and identify negative and positive impacts of these approaches. In so doing, the sustainability of a purely agrarian focus of land reform policies across the global spectrum was brought into question. Various debates concerning the sustainable tourism concept are also considered, including a discussion on its subset ecotourism and sustainable tourism through Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). The sustainability of tourism in peripheral and desert areas is discussed in the context of the case-study area, Namaqualand, which is recognised geographically and politically as a rural/peripheral area featuring a desert ecosystem. The methodological theory is derived from the Critical Social Science school of thought, which sees the study delving beyond surface illusions to uncover the real structures in order to help people change the world. A six-step case-study approach based on this paradigm was adopted. Six commonage projects and one sustainable tourism project (Rooiberg Conservancy project) were selected through non-probability purposive sampling. In adopting the case-study approach, the study followed six steps: Determination and definition of the research questions <ul> <ol>1. Selection of the cases and determination of the data gathering and analysis techniques</ol> <ol>2. Preparation to collect the data</ol> <ol>3. Collection of the data</ol> <ol>4. Analyses of the data</ol> <ol>5. Formulation of the recommendations based on the results obtained from data.</ol></ul> The synthesis of the literature and empirical research resulted in the formulation of integrated planning guidelines for sustainable tourism on commonages based on the concept of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) approach, as adopted for local government planning in South Africa. The following factors formed the basis for the guidelines:< <ul> -- baseline information; -- vision and goals; -- objectives; -- legislation and control measures; -- impact management and mitigation; -- communication and decision-making; -- implementation including funding incentives; -- monitoring and evaluation; and -- feedback and control.</ul> Limitations of time and finance prevented the researcher from consulting with the appropriate stakeholders on these guidelines in order to obtain their buy-in, but emphasis is placed on the recognition of the guidelines as a framework for comprehensive sector-planning for sustainable tourism development on commonages in Namaqualand. Copyright / Thesis (PhD (Tourism Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Tourism Management / unrestricted

Within the framework of the research focused on the polarization of space, or peripheral areas of Czechia respectively, approaches of cultural geography have been applied to a significant extent recently. As far as the issue of such areas development is concerned, the importance of the so- called "soft" socio-cultural development factors (including social and human capital) has been accentuated. The way-out is the belief that with the limited development potential of the peripheral (and rural) areas, activity and activism of local communities (quality of social and human capital) as the important internal (endogenous) development factor become more important. Despite the number of attempts, which have been made, we are not able to find exhaustive answers to questions relating to the actual importance of social and human capital (and different forms thereof) in the (socio-economic) development of these areas or the mutual relation (conditionality) thereof. For this reason, problems can be seen both in the area of theory and methodology (conceptualization) and, in particular, in insufficient verification of such theoretical concepts by means of empirical research, be specific in particular at the micro-regional up to local level. The dissertation therefore focuses on identification and explanation of...

Skilled and educated workers are somewhat of a rarity for many rural and peripheral communities. The global migration trend where younger residents of these communities tend to leave for more populated areas leaves the communities with an older population that struggles to find new employees to replace those who retire. However, this does not mean that rural and peripheral communities are unattractive areas. Second-home owners verifies how these areas are attractive for certain individuals for various periods. More importantly, previous research show how second-home owners are often highly educated within their fields, they invest time in their host community, and they can potentially become permanent members of the society. Thus, this study aims to explore second-home owners potential of acting as a recruitment resource for the local labour market of the host community. This is done by using Vilhelmina municipality in Västerbotten county, Sweden, as an example. By using quantitative methods, the findings of this study suggest that the occupational background of second-home owners causes them to be a potential recruitment resource for the local labour market. However, the findings for the study suggest that the willingness to contribute to the local labour market is a mixed bag. Nevertheless, this study contributes to the current understandings of labour recruitment in rural and peripheral areas by confirming the possibility for extension of second-home owners as a resource. / Part of a research project at the Department of Geography at Umeå University called: Is the temporary population a resource?