Culture

"This book traces and analyses the recent evolution in thinking about the development of aboriginal people's communities. Since 1969, aboriginal people have set three goals for the future -- economic self-reliance, self-government, and cultural autonomy. Examples discussed in this book illustrate the central issues in economic, political and cultural development, how aboriginal people view those issues, and how they have set about solving development problems.

"The development project in both capitalist and socialist contexts has augmented the power of technocrats while invalidating alternative knowledge systems rooted in the traditions of local communities, thereby disenfranchising them. Recreating space for the autonomy of such communities requires cross-cultural communication in a collaborative effort to examine the limitations of the reductionist sciences and how they have shaped the development effort. Alternative ways of knowing and ways of sharing knowledge so as to reinforce core community values need to be explored.

"Over the past decade, there have been various culture-related entrepreneurship studies. With limited exception, little culture-related research has been undertaken into entrepreneurial attitude. Most entrepreneurial attitude research has focused on western oriented, non-Indigenous entrepreneurs though at least one study investigated the entrepreneurial attitudes of Indigenous entrepreneurs. Culture is important to Indigenous people and they have strong feelings toward their self-determination, their land, and their heritage.

"This exploratory research aims to fill a gap in the literature. The current theory of entrepreneurial attitude toward opportunity recognition (EOR) is primarily based upon a non-indigenous entrepreneurship theory. Yet, there are significant differences between non-indigenous and indigenous forms of entrepreneurship. Non-indigenous entrepreneurship tends to emphasise economic objectives whereas indigenous entrepreneurship tends to embrace both economic and non-economic objectives.

"This study assessed tourists' motivations and satisfaction in participating in authentic Mi'kmaw tourism activities in Nova Scotia, Canada, as well as the ideas, perceptions and components of sustainable cultural tourism development from the Mi'kmaw perspective. To solicit the tourists' perspective, surveys were administered to tourists visiting the existing Mi'kmaw cultural tourism sites in Nova Scotia, while the Mi'kmaw perspective was obtained through key informant interviews.

"Based on a case study of a Native-operated criminal justice organization, this article uses Hofstede'sfive dimensions of national cultural differences to examine the connections between cultural values and management practices. It concludes that Hofstede's dimensions can provide insights into the differences between Native and non-Native cultures and how Native organizations may draw on traditional cultural values to improve organizational effectiveness. In general, Native cultures are described as collectivist, egalitarian, adaptive, and tolerant.

"The purpose of this research is to examine Gitga'at First Nation approaches and objectives concerning the use of local biological and cultural resources through the lens of a locally-driven proposal to establish an eco-cultural tourism enterprise. [...] This research may be beneficial to other communities interested in eco-cultural tourism development or other development activities dependent on local resources use."

The tools, traditions and relationships that it takes to re-build First Nations, to realize good governance, were the three key elements discussed at the Aboriginal Financial Management Association of B.C.- INAC conference on Governance and Accountability, held in Vancouver, June 10-11, 2002.

"This study explores the question: how can Aboriginal communities foster a supportive climate for Aboriginal entrepreneurs and business start-up? The literature review finds a high degree of compatibility between the characteristics and strategies of community economic development and Aboriginal economic development. The unique aspects of Aboriginal economic development are further examined, including the history of Aboriginal communities, challenges faced, the importance of long-term approaches, cultural issues that impact Aboriginal economic development, and critical success factors.

"This study examines the historical development of corporate governance structures in First Nations communities in British Columbia, where development corporations are employed to assist privately-owned and community-owned entrepreneurial enterprises. First Nations entrepreneurial activity functions in an environment where business must market to a global economy while preserving traditional values, beliefs and other cultural elements. A brief history of First Nations and their enterprise development efforts is presented.