Kristine Casno - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Kristine Casno

Research for Rural Development/Research for Rural Development (Online), Dec 17, 2023

European integration studies, Oct 29, 2019

Contemporary studies in economic and financial analysis, May 25, 2021

Social enterprises are becoming more and more important for social inclusion and reduction of pov... more Social enterprises are becoming more and more important for social inclusion and reduction of poverty. Many countries world-wide have accumulated valuable experience in organization of social entrepreneurship and finding innovative approaches which are also analyzed by academic researchers and discussed on international level. Aim: To identify the specific value segments among consumers of Latvian social enterprise products and services in order to provide practical recommendations for implementation of consumer-focused marketing strategies and more effective communication patterns based on an in-depth understanding of the values within the target audience. Methods: The analysis of previous conducted research and scientific publications, analysis of social enterprise consumer survey results, for survey data analysis are applied analysis of descriptive statistics indicators of central tendency or location – arithmetic mean, mode, median, indicators of variability or dispersion – range, standard deviation, standard error of mean and cluster analysis. Results – The results of this study provided detailed descriptions of the respective segments from the demographic point of view, outlined their shopping behavior, preferences for information channels, which altogether form a comprehensive set of practical recommendations for Latvian social enterprises for more effective communication with consumers as well as for public authorities looking to increase the awareness about social entrepreneurship within Latvian society. Implications: The possible applications of research results for organization of work of social enterprises including application of digital marketing. Originality of This Chapter: Since the academic research has only relatively recently started paying attention to the specific marketing aspects of social entrepreneurship, this innovative study contributes to a persistently growing and valuable body of literature which will serve as a guideline for both social enterprises as well as public authorities seeking to find more effective communication strategies.

European integration studies, Oct 22, 2020

The purpose of this study is twofold-to contribute to the further understanding of social enterpr... more The purpose of this study is twofold-to contribute to the further understanding of social enterprises' marketing by providing a consumers' perspective on the content that social enterprises generate in order for them to be able to better understand their strengths and weaknesses and to establish a reference point with regards the current situation in social enterprise marketing which will allow to compare and measure improvement in the future and, if needed, provide fact-based evidence to assist social enterprises in their call for support from public authorities. For data anlysis such quantitative research methods were used as analysis of descriptive statistics (indicators or central tendency or location (arithmetic mean, mode, median), indicators or variability (range, standard deviation and standard error or mean), testing of statistical hypothesis with t-test and analysis or variance-ANOVA. Results of the research indicate that social enterprise consumers are supportive of social enterprises and their cause and are also interested in the marketing content provided, however, the full potential of word-of-marketing is not used, suggesting that there is significant room for improvement. With regards marketing communication content, social enterprises are most appreciated by consumers for aesthetic and interesting content. On the drawback side-the greatest challenges for social enterprises are to provide content on a regular basis and achieve visibility. Since the comparatively lower evaluations for aforementioned characteristics may be directly associated with lack of financial resources and skills, Authors recommend greater support from Ministry of Welfare of Republic of Latvia for development of support programs with the aim of increasing the marketing skills of social enterprises as well as promoting close win-win cooperation between commercial outdoor, print and online media holders and social enterprises (e.g. in the form of subsidized advertisement spaces while they are not used by commercial clients in return for lower taxes) in order to help social enterprises reach higher visibility.

University of Zagreb, 2021

Latvian social enterprises and social entrepreneurship are becoming important since the adoption ... more Latvian social enterprises and social entrepreneurship are becoming important since the adoption of the Social Enterprise Law in 2017 (effective as of 01.04.2018). The number of social enterprises with the legal status and the number of financial grants awarded to social enterprises has been steadily increasing, reaching 161 and 110 of them have received support over 7 million EUR as of 28.02.2021, data of the Register of Social Enterprises. Covid-19 crisis is continuing to have a negative effect on the sector since Latvian social enterprises were not provided any complementary support despite the double-bottom lines they are achieving. Inability to provide structured support mechanisms in place for social enterprises may have a negative effect on their ability to achieve their social mission, thus diminishing their capabilities to minimize social stratification within Latvian society. In the face of crises, such as Covid-19, digital skills are of utmost importance as often the only way for social enterprises to continue operations, achieve their social goals and remain financially sustainable is to fully embrace the digital environment. While some enterprises are better at embracing the digital environment, others find it more challenging. The purpose of the study is to investigate the activities of Latvian work integration social enterprises in the digital environment and search for effective solutions for strengthening their digital capacity. Tasks-(1) analyze existing research (2) analyze social enterprise level of activity in the digital environment (3) investigate social enterprise management needs for digital skills improvement. Primary research methodsanalysis of social enterprise activities in the Internet and social networks, interviews of management of social enterprises on digital skills improvement options. Research results indicate a need to invest concentrated efforts towards supporting the social enterprises at their initial entry into the digital environment.

European Integration Studies, 2020

The purpose of this study is twofold - to contribute to the further understanding of social enter... more The purpose of this study is twofold - to contribute to the further understanding of social enterprises’ marketing by providing a consumers’ perspective on the content that social enterprises generate in order for them be to be able to better understand their strengths and weaknesses and to establish a reference point with regards the current situation to be able to compare and measure improvement in with regards social enterprise marketing in the future and, if needed, provide fact-based evidence to assist social enterprises in their call for support from public authorities. Among tasks of research are 1) analysis of recent scientific publications associate with social enterprises, their challenges in Europe and in Latvia and specifically with regards social enterprise marketing 2) analysis of online survey, filled out by 329 respondents and conducted by Kristīne Casno in 2019. For data anlysis such quantitative research methods were used as analysis of descriptive statistics (indi...

Regional Formation and Development Studies, 2019

Social entrepreneurship is becoming more and more popular as there is a growing share of people w... more Social entrepreneurship is becoming more and more popular as there is a growing share of people who would like to contribute for social enterprises and are ready to become customers of the social enterprises and in this way participate in reduction of poverty in the country and support entrepreneurship development. For social enterprise marketing communications to be effective, an understanding is necessary not only of the information channels which are most effective but also of the preferences customers hold regarding the information channels that they would like to receive information from. Purpose of research: to investigate the preferences for different information channels among customers of Latvian social enterprises. research methods: scientific publications analysis, analysis of previous conducted research results, social enterprise customers' survey conducted by Kristīne Casno. results of research have indicated that regular customers of social enterprises prefer such information channels as social networks, followed by television and radio.

European Integration Studies, 2019

The purpose of the study is to research the relative importance of various factors that motivate ... more The purpose of the study is to research the relative importance of various factors that motivate Latvian consumers to purchase products and services from social enterprises in order to provide practical suggestions and recommendations for Latvian social enterprises that would allow them to improve their performance. The primary method used by the study is quantitative research by the means of an online survey of Latvian consumers. The results of the research indicate that Latvian consumers find the product / service quality aspects, as well as aspects of social responsibility and convenience of the shopping location, on average, as most motivating to purchase products / services of social enterprises. However, the results of factor analysis highlight the importance of emotional aspects during on-site shopping as well as the importance of digital presence. Such factors as pleasant atmosphere and friendly service have the highest potential to generate repeat purchases among Latvian co...

Contemporary Issues in Social Science