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Purpose – This study draws from ecological systems theory (EST) as the conceptual basis to answer the question: what affects the entrepreneurial resilience of rural women business owners in a time of crisis? Design/methodology/approach – Evidence was gathered from two in-depth interviews with each of 13 participants, three months apart, during the 2020-2021 pandemic. Thematic analysis was applied, along with measures to ensure trustworthiness. Findings – Immediate social contexts challenged entrepreneurial resilience with family care obligations, homeschooling, and unsupportive close relationships. Certain institutional contexts such as enterprises’ industry and business models also demanded more resilience – with healthcare and in-person-only retail operations being most affected. Beyond contexts, entrepreneurial resilience ebbed and flowed with recursive ecosystem interactions especially with close, personal relationships. Business owners demonstrated agency with coping strategies to bolster resilience including focusing on community and collaboration, employing clarity around roles to navigate business and personal commitments, appropriate distancing from ecosystem relationships at critical times, and strategic application of new ways of doing business to accommodate COVID restrictions. Originality/value – This study is unique in that it was conducted as a significant health and economic crisis was unfolding, offering insight into the development of entrepreneurial resilience, over time, and focusing on a relatively unexplored field of rural women entrepreneurship. Keywords – Resilience, Entrepreneurial resilience, Women entrepreneurs, Rural entrepreneurs, Ecological systems theory Paper Type – Research paper

Clayoquot Sound is a remarkable and rare coastal temperate rainforest ecosystem on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is home to the Indigenous Ahousaht Nation and a place where chinook salmon and people are interdependent. The health and well-being of the Ahousaht community have been reliant on the Nation’s relationship to salmon for many generations. The Ahousaht stewarded the chinook salmon in the Megin River successfully and sustainably for generations through their complex traditional Indigenous legal system. Now, the genetically diverse population of chinook salmon in the Megin River is on the verge of extinction as the salmon face several human-caused ecological and socio-political threats. In this paper, I specifically explored the relationship between the decline of Megin River chinook salmon and the decline of Ahousaht traditional law as a wicked problem. I used a qualitative approach that combines Indigenous and Western methodologies, such as: systems thinking; describing the biophysical and socio-cultural attributes of the Megin River; ethnographic interviews with knowledge holders; developing a framework for articulating the traditional Ahousaht legal system; and, making recommendations to address the problem. I concluded that the timeline of replacing the traditional Ahousaht legal system (a legal system of spiritual and natural characteristics derived from the Ahousaht relationship to life-giving forces in the region) with that of Canadian law (a legal system of economic and social policy foreign to the natural cycles of the region) corresponds directly with the decline of the Megin River chinook and should be considered as one of the causes of decline. I recommend that additional research be conducted using a systems thinking approach to identify where systemic interventions are required to build new relationships, structures, and institutions that uphold Indigenous knowledge and legal frameworks to address conservation challenges.

Front-line maintenance supervisors play a key role at BC Transit, as this role directly interacts with and oversees front-line staff. These front-line leaders are responsible for overseeing most of the organization’s communications and change initiatives. This research investigates the front-line leadership role that organizations rely on as their main conduit for communication of organizational goals and change management initiatives to front-line staff. Front-line leadership roles are the roles in an organization that deal directly with the front-line staff daily. This research investigated the challenges a front-line leader can face while working in this role. This research study engaged BC Transit’s front-line maintenance supervisors and the front-line staff from two different sites within the greater Victoria, British Columbia area. The main research question asked was, “how can BC Transit assist in the development of front-line maintenance supervisors so that they develop the capabilities and skills to lead front-line staff effectively?” Based on this overarching research question, data was collected from a focus group and an online survey that revealed five themes: define and document roles and responsibilities, strengthen hiring processes, develop formal training, focus on team-building and resolve communication barriers. Recommendations offer strategies for the development of front-line leaders, including enhancing overall support for front-line leaders and relationships between front-line leaders and the front-line staff. Keywords: front-line leadership, communication, development, relationships, roles and responsibilities.

In sporting industries, including the golf industry, there is a long-standing history of gendered practices events, exclusion, and “typical ‘ expectations” (Breger et al. 2019 p. 274 These practices are evident in golf through gendered language, gendered dress code, gendered history, gendered leagues, and gendered tee blocks. Specific gendered practices within the golf industry, such as gendered language, contribute to participants’ experiences in important ways. Through gendered language such as “cart girl,” and “lady golfer,” the golf industry is perpetuating gendered ideals, and through a gendered dress code and gender marked tee blocks, the industry is propagating ideas about women’s ability levels in the sport. Women’s professional golf is a topic of increasing academic concentration (Bowes Kitching, 2020a), but there is a gap in research regarding how gendered language and practices impact women in the industry. Golf is historically referred to as a “gentleman’s game” (Billings et al., 2018 p. 97) and has been historically exclusionary to women (Bowes et al., 2020a). Golf participation rates are also lower for women than for men, ( Snelgrove, Wood, 2015 and women often leave the sport due to the experiences they have through their involvement. Augusta National Golf Club, one of golf’s most distinguished golf clubs (Swart et al. 2003 where the Master’s Tournament takes place, did not allow female members to join as members until 2012. When they finally allowed their first two female members, it was a great win for women’s golf (Andrews 2012 p. 2) and allowing for more equitable participation in the industry. In addition, there is a history of policies that discriminate against women in golf, and often the experiences women have as a result of these exclusionary policies impacts their participation and comfort in participating. Often, the policies can also limit their involvement in the sport or impact retention and lead to more women leaving the sport. Largely, little research exists on women’s experience as participants in the sport (Mitchell et al., 2016). In recent years, diversity and women’s golf initiatives have been prominent in Ontario and the rest of Canada. In 2020, the PGA of Canada created a Diversity Inclusion Task Force with industry professionals to allow underrepresented populations the chance to participate in golf (PGA of Ontario, 2020). Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada launched a Women in Coaching program (Golf Canada, 2020), and Golf Canada and Golf Ontario have recently launched a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Alliance with Korn Ferry (Golf Ontario, 2020). These initiatives bring together diverse and underrepresented voices to contribute to diversity and inclusion in the golf industry and are significant in allowing various populations to experience the sport. However, more research is needed in the area of women in golf to accurately understand women’s experiences. Research concerning women in golf is fundamental as Canadian women continue to gain employment in the golf industry and increasingly play the sport. Women also have increasingly busy work and home lives, and “fewer are maintaining lifelong roles as engaged sport participants” (O’Reilly et al., 2018 p. 16). The trouble goes beyond the sphere of sports participation. Oftentimes, golf is in fact used to host informal business meetings, and when women miss out on participating in these types of opportunities, it can impact their career advancement. It is also well known that golf provides opportunity to men to socialize and strengthen networking, but it does not always have the same social benefit for women (Agarwal et al. 2016 This research aims to fill the gap in the literature surrounding women’s experience in the golf industry, including gendered roles and the assumptions women face. This thesis in particular, aims to gain insight into the gendered practices in golf from an insider’s perspective and raise awareness of how gendered practices affect women in the golf industry. Interviews with 10 female golfers who work in the industry were conducted with the aim of understanding how gendered practices in golf have impacted women in Ontario. This research contributes to the areas of sport sociology, gender studies, and communications studies with regard to sports and gender.

Pressed specimen of Paeonia lactiflora. https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25204/Kipot.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

Pressed specimen of Berberis thunbergii. https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/25209/StewartRyan2.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

Winning essay - English Department Competition 2021-2022 Winning essay - English Department Competition ENGL 115 https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/26017/Hoffe.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y

This synthesis paper introduces a conceptual model which explains how boundary spanning practices use relational, cognitive and structural social capital to facilitate innovation in public-private partnerships (PPPs). Social capital is a multidimensional concept used by scholars from different disciplines to demonstrate the benefits of accessing resources through relationships in social networks. Past research has shown that social capital can accelerate positive innovation outcomes for organizations facing complex challenges, including PPPs that seek to share costs, resources and risks across sectors to develop and sustain competitive advantage. In practice, many PPPs fail to achieve anticipated innovation outcomes, due in part to a breakdown of social relations between partners. The conceptual model is described and illustrated across three components of the dissertation by portfolio: Journal article, online course/learning module and instructional video. Based on results of a qualitative research study that investigated critical incidents on innovation projects in PPPs from the perspectives of public and private sector innovators, the model identifies practices that help leaders across sectors find ways to collaborate more effectively to manage innovation. Three modes of inference were used to analyse interview data, which referenced different industries and types of innovation, producing a holistic understanding of the interaction of social capital and innovation in PPPs. A critical realist, interdisciplinary approach combined theory and empirical data to identify generative mechanisms of innovation outcomes on PPP projects. A knowledge dissemination section describes how the research findings are being made accessible to meet the needs of practitioners as well as academic researchers.

The city of Toronto is experiencing rapid growth in vertical settlement patterns with the construction of very tall high-rise residential buildings that are classified as super high-rise’s by the Ontario Building Code. Due to their height and complexity, SHR buildings present challenges for firefighters during firefighting operations. This research study was conducted to explore the preparedness of firefighters to these vulnerabilities which can impact life-safety and what limits or support preparedness. Using a mixed methods sequential design, a survey questionnaire was distributed to Toronto Fire Service firefighters, and this was followed by interviews; the survey and interviews explored firefighter risk perception, technical and environmental knowledge, training, and preparedness capacities. The findings suggested there were differences in commands and districts with respect to these measurable properties, and firefighters were also split in their perception of risk. In conclusion, the influencing factors that support or limit preparedness are leadership, technical and environmental knowledge, training, and budgetary and organizational priorities. Optimism bias and technical and environmental knowledge were found to influence firefighters’ risk perception and their ability to accurately assess risk. Keywords: Super high-rise, preparedness, risk perception, vulnerabilities, training, technical and environmental knowledge, capacity.

This mixed methods research project is a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada statement that “the way we educate our children and ourselves must change” (2015, p. 317). An examination of literature identified narrative pedagogy as an effective and culturally universal method of teaching and learning, and one that is effective for the development of intercultural competence. Indigenous content and narratives were therefore included in an introductory sociology course offered in a post-secondary institution in Alberta, Canada. The Intercultural Development Inventory® was used to measure the intercultural competence or sensitivity of the students both pre-and post-course. An online focus group was also employed to gather qualitative data related to the experience of the students with narrative teaching and their thoughts and feelings related to Indigenous peoples and cultures. The inclusion of Indigenous content and narratives was shown to both increase intercultural sensitivity in a measurable way and to increase understanding of Indigenous cultures, and the issues faced by Indigenous peoples in mainstream society. These research results have implications for how we teach our students, how we prepare our teacher training programs, how we might employ antiracist teaching, and move forward in decolonization and reconciliation.