Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D12115
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Online from website of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona. 2 pages., Article cites definitions that include corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a sense of responsibility toward the community and the environment that companies incorporate into their business models. Includes resources that journalists can use to report on CSR. Identifies a source of data about the top 100 companies with the best CSR reputation.
12 pages., Via online journal., This article is concerned with the shaping of agricultural knowledge among farmers, in the context of the rapid changes Polish agriculture has been subject to since the time of the country's EU accession. The theoretical underpinnings of this work have been described in terms of the significant notional categories, i.e. knowledge, knowledge-cultures and sources of knowledge. The research made use of the joint interviews method. Interviews were run with representatives of different generations in 10 farming families in central Poland. The main research objective was to determine sources of farming knowledge among farmers. The use of joint interviews allowed for the identification of sources of knowledge of different kinds. These reflect a division into farmers' closer and more distant surroundings, i.e. to the family and neighbours on the one hand, and to institutions and media on the other. Knowledge acquisition among farmers is in fact found to be a complex process, reflecting socialisation in a multi-generation environment of family and neighbours, on the one hand, and the impact of the institutional and legal system, on the other. In a general sense, this corresponds to the well-known division of sources of knowledge into the tacit and the explicit, with the acquisition of tacit (i.e. informal) knowledge not meeting with any more major obstacles thanks to proximity in a sense that may be cultural (i.e. the agriculture itself), family-related (and in fact multi-generation) and spatial (physical proximity in a given locality). Microsocial conditioning thus plays a major role in the shaping of this source of knowledge. However, the most important factor distinguishing contemporary cultures as regards knowledge on farming is the capacity to adapt to conditions set by the institutions supporting the latter's development. Formal knowledge flowing into farming families from their institutional surroundings requires growing adaptability and preparation if a succession of innovations are to be taken on board. The multi-source nature of knowledge and the achievement of some kind of balance in this respect actually poses a major challenge for the future functioning of family farms as cultural microsystems.
USA: Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D10800
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138 pages., Thesis also is available online from Purdue University by open access, using the URL below., Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Science degree at Purdue University.
Contributed by author to the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center and University Library, University of Illinois., Purpose was to explain and predict Indiana residents' level of interest in engaging with Purdue University based on level of concern for social and community issues, level of anomie, past interactions with Purdue, and perceptions of Purdue. Findings confirmed that Extension's programmatic areas are addressing perceived needs in the state and that individuals are interested in these programmatic issues. "Land-grant universities can continue to rise to the challenge and deliver state-of-the-art education, research, and resources for all people, as long as they listen to the public and address critical social, community and stakeholder issues."
12 pages., Online via UI e-subscription., Authors examine dimensions of globalization and propose three research domains in which psychology scholars can contribute to further understanding of our global society.
8 pages., More than 800 Australian adults responded to an electronic questionnaire distributed via email and social media. Respondents "were challenged to accurately perceive silhouettes corresponding to an obese body mass index (BMI) in themselves and others. Misperception of weight status was more likely to exist among those with a BMI less than 18.5 - or 30 or more ("overweight" and "obese"). "Silhouettes may act as an effective visual cue in initiating weight related discussions."
9 pages., Through in-depth interviews with farmers having an existing relationship with extension advisors, researchers explored the processes of of advisory relationship building, maintenance, and the nature of commitment to an advisor. Findings identified six guidelines associated with increasing commitment to an advisory relationship.
Online via UI Library electronic subscription., Highlights the similarities between contemporary literature on participatory communication and publications by M. K. Gandhi on Indian rural development. Also recommends a simple model of applying the concept of participatory communication in present day rural development projects in India as an extension of the "Gram Swarajya" idea propounded by Gandhi.
13 pages., Online via Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)., Analysis among adolescents (12-17 years old) revealed four types of food preferences: varied diet, avoiding vegetables, low appetite, and healthy diet. Urban versus rural residence was among the major predictors for food preferences.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 102 Document Number: D10892
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Online from the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, Lexington, Kentucky, Rural Blog. 3 pages., Describes the editorial approach of two award-winning local newspapers in focusing on the human toll of changing market forces in the dairy industry.
