Abstract
Abstract
This study underscores the use of a non-expert mental approach to identify and explain the capabilities used by microentrepreneurs to communicate fire relief information and develop resilience for post-fire disasters. Research on fire risk communication and disaster management rely heavily on technical skills and experts’ knowledge to provide post-disaster recovery support for victims of fire outbreaks. This top-down approach is reactive because it only provides short-term post-disaster solutions to people whose livelihoods are damaged by fire and fails to explain how these fire victims can develop resilience for recurrent disasters. Studies that incorporate non-experts’ knowledge to design support packages for fire victims provide a more realistic approach to helping these vulnerable people recover their livelihoods. However, existing research does not tell what capabilities are used by non-expert micro-entrepreneurs to improve fire relief communication and develop coping mechanisms for post-fire disasters and how they apply such capabilities.
Based on a confirmatory Factor Analysis of survey data from 367 micro-entrepreneurs in a Ghanaian central market and a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with nine of the entrepreneurs running different merchandized businesses, we found that these businesspersons relied more on their formal basic education, informal knowledge, and communication devices to communicate post-fire information and build resilience for their businesses. Utilizing the findings, we developed a commercial fire relief model to explain the relationship between microentrepreneurs' capabilities to communicate fire relief information and their resilience to fire disasters. Our findings contribute to the literature on how entrepreneurs’ mental models enhance their resilience to cope with adverse conditions. The study has policy implications for experts who design disaster relief packages for commercial fire victims to incorporate non-expert mental models in the design of fire relief communication, especially in low-income settings.
Keywords: Ghana; mental models; micro-entrepreneurs; resilience; fire disasters; fire relief communication; risk communication
This study underscores the use of a non-expert mental approach to identify and explain the capabilities used by microentrepreneurs to communicate fire relief information and develop resilience for post-fire disasters. Research on fire risk communication and disaster management rely heavily on technical skills and experts’ knowledge to provide post-disaster recovery support for victims of fire outbreaks. This top-down approach is reactive because it only provides short-term post-disaster solutions to people whose livelihoods are damaged by fire and fails to explain how these fire victims can develop resilience for recurrent disasters. Studies that incorporate non-experts’ knowledge to design support packages for fire victims provide a more realistic approach to helping these vulnerable people recover their livelihoods. However, existing research does not tell what capabilities are used by non-expert micro-entrepreneurs to improve fire relief communication and develop coping mechanisms for post-fire disasters and how they apply such capabilities.
Based on a confirmatory Factor Analysis of survey data from 367 micro-entrepreneurs in a Ghanaian central market and a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with nine of the entrepreneurs running different merchandized businesses, we found that these businesspersons relied more on their formal basic education, informal knowledge, and communication devices to communicate post-fire information and build resilience for their businesses. Utilizing the findings, we developed a commercial fire relief model to explain the relationship between microentrepreneurs' capabilities to communicate fire relief information and their resilience to fire disasters. Our findings contribute to the literature on how entrepreneurs’ mental models enhance their resilience to cope with adverse conditions. The study has policy implications for experts who design disaster relief packages for commercial fire victims to incorporate non-expert mental models in the design of fire relief communication, especially in low-income settings.
Keywords: Ghana; mental models; micro-entrepreneurs; resilience; fire disasters; fire relief communication; risk communication
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - 6 Sept 2022 |
| Event | 19th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility and the 10th Organisational Governance Conference, Université des Mascareignes, Mauritius - Duration: 6 Sept 2022 → 10 Sept 2022 |
Conference
| Conference | 19th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility and the 10th Organisational Governance Conference, Université des Mascareignes, Mauritius |
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| Period | 6/09/22 → 10/09/22 |
