The impact of integrated livestock disease management for food security in Togo

In sub-Saharan Africa, livestock is one of the key channels through which most households meet their food security needs. However, diseases such as the African Animal Trypanosomosis (AAT) constrain productivity. Using data from 445 randomly sampled small-scale cattle farmers, this paper investigates the role of integrated livestock disease control on household food security. Using a novel approach to link different food security measures to cattle productivity, the paper identifies the channels of impact at the household level. Methodologically, the paper estimated the propensity score matching algorithm to net out the effect of adoption. The results show that households who adopt RDU have record livestock productivity and higher consumption per capita expenditures. They tend to be more food secure, experience lower seasonal food supply fluctuations and experience a lower probability of falling below the food poverty line.     

Regulatory impact assessment: a survey of selected developing and emerging economies

This paper reports on a survey of regulatory impact assessment (RIA) in 16 developing and emerging economies. RIA was playing an increasing role in these countries: eight had introduced RIA in the past 10 years; one had recently redesigned its existing RIA system; another had a long-standing RIA system in place. However, RIA was at an early stage of development in the majority of cases and six countries did not practise RIA.     

Schlucken? Das geht nicht mehr!

Lebensbedrohliche Dysphagie - H?ufige Folge eines Schlaganfalls ist die Schluckst?rung. Sie führt nicht nur zu einer immensen psychischen Belastung für den Betroffenen, sondern kann in ihrer extremen Auswirkung lebensbedrohlich sein. Daher ist eine Dysphagie so rechtzeitig wie m?glich zu erkennen und zu behandeln.     

Unter Umständen: Hebamme studieren

Hebammenkunde/Midwifery (B. Sc./M. Sc.) - Bisher ein Ausbildungsberuf, gibt es in Deutschland jetzt die M?glichkeit, die Qualifikation zur Hebamme an einer Hochschule zu er werben. Dabei umfasst das praxisnahe Studium sowohl den akademischen Abschluss Bachelor of Science als auch die staatliche Prüfung nach den einschl?gigen Berufsgesetzen.     

Financial behaviours of consumers in credit counselling

Positive financial behaviours of consumers are examined using a national sample of consumers who use credit counselling services in the US from a behavioural economic perspective. The findings indicate that consumers in credit counselling may follow a hierarchical pattern in their financial behaviours, paying off debts and adjusting spending before considering saving. Consumers who are older, have a part‐time job (vs. the unemployed), and report a more secure retirement, a better family relationship, and a higher score of self‐evaluation of financial behaviours are likely to report more positive financial behaviours. Reporting more financial behaviours and a higher score of self‐evaluation of financial behaviours, along with several demographic and perception variables, tend to reduce financial stress and increase financial satisfaction among consumers who use credit counselling services.     

Diversity �C diskutieren oder tabuisieren? Eine explorative Studie in Indien

Completing existing forms of diversity, the paper is the first to introduce the distinction between an off-limits form of diversity and a non off-limits form of diversity. This distinction is relevant because we argue that an off-limits form of diversity will result in a shift of intragroup conflicts, while a non off-limits form of diversity will result in an escalation of intragroup conflicts. For the management of diversity, this distinction is important to appropriately assess the risks of rising diversity in organizations. Analyzing data from N?=?96 schools in southern India (Kerala), religious diversity appears to be off-limits, whereas union diversity does not. As expected, union diversity was accelerated positively related to intragroup conflicts. Moreover, this positive relationship was stronger under high levels of religious diversity. In order to explain these results, we explicitly consider the particularites of Kerala. In order to draw conclusions for diversity management in German organizations, we additionally analyze which forms of diversity could unfold analogous dynamics and what implications for managers are to expect.     

Externally Directed and Internally Directed Market Launch Management: The Role of Organizational Factors in Influencing New Product Success

Introducing new products remains a critical challenge for managers. Consumer acceptance of new products is key to new product success and requires the effective implementation of market launch activities. The present study describes the relationship between different types of market launch activities and market‐related, time‐related, and financial market launch success. The study's framework extends previous work on launch management by complementing the view that launch activities are predominantly outwardly directed with the notion that launch management can also be inwardly directed. More specifically, launch activities can both target customers as the external audience, for example, via communication and pricing, and address an internal audience, such as management and sales personnel, for example, using departmental coordination or employee incentives. The study also sets out to investigate how situational factors impact the relative effectiveness of both externally directed and internally directed launch activities in engendering successful new product launches. In particular, product newness, technology drivers, and firm size are considered as relevant variables. Structural equation analysis of data on 178 new products across industries provide empirical evidence that market launch success depends on the intensity of both externally directed and internally directed market launch activities. With regard to the overall impact of internally directed activities, the findings confirm that organizational factors and antecedents indeed play a critical role in new product launch and its respective performance with internally directed activities having an even stronger impact on time‐related and financial success than outwardly directed instruments. Specifically, these internal activities are often viewed as idiosyncratic resources that are hard for competitors to observe and are therefore more difficult—if not impossible—to replicate compared to externally directed activities in market launch. The paper clearly pinpoints that the successful launch of new products is a complex task that also necessitates the implementation of internally directed launch activities. Fast market penetration requires coordination among the different internal players as well as support from top management. Furthermore, the financial objectives of the market launch can only be met if employees and executives both receive the necessary incentives and support to effectively execute the new product introduction. The study also demonstrates that moderators impact the strength of the effectiveness of these two different types of market launch activities. This research provides important implications for launch management by advocating that the two foci on external and internal constituencies should not be pursued in isolation but that instead, the opposite is true.