The Tunisia Wheat Market in the Context of World Price Volatility: A Stochastic Partial Equilibrium Approach

Food security is a key objective of agricultural and food policy in Tunisia. The 2007–2008 food crisis highlighted the negative impacts of price volatility on international markets both in terms of food insecurity and budget exposure. Tunisian food subsidy expenditures ranged from $180 million to $710 million in 2006–2010, so volatile world prices meant volatile subsidy costs. Moreover, cereal production in Tunisia still has much instability due to climate conditions, which also influences imports and, consequently, subsidy expenditures. This study applies a structural model to conduct stochastic analyses of trade and policy impacts on food security and budget expenditures in the Tunisian wheat market. The methodology disaggregates durum wheat and soft wheat markets and generates projections of import prices of durum wheat and soft wheat, using projections of world prices provided by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at University of Missouri (FAPRI-MU). The key innovation is the generated stochastic analyses of subsidy costs based on stochastic world price projections and stochastic domestic wheat yields based on historic yield variances. The analysis highlights the sensitivity of subsidy costs to world prices, volumes imported and domestic production, so that alternative policy tools can be considered.     

Balancing irrigation multifunctionality based on key stakeholders’ attitudes: Lessons learned from the Muzza system,Italy

This research aims to evaluate the perceptions of and preferences for irrigation multifunctionality based on an analysis of stakeholder’ attitudes in a large irrigation system in Northern Italy, the Muzza canal. As the first artificial canal built in Northern Italy, this canal articulates a network of open earth canals that distribute water for irrigation, especially maize. The Stakeholder analysis approach and Governance model approach are applied. The collected data highlights: (1) each key stakeholder points of view regarding multifunctionality and ecosystem services, (2) the nature of conflicting attitudes regarding who and how the Muzza system is managed, and (3) the ability or inability to promote agreements among conflicting water demands. The results show how public administration is concerned about how to manage ecosystem services provided by irrigation practices, while private services are focused on how to guarantee the coexistence of consumptive and non-consumptive water uses, highlighting the persistent conflict between farming production and environmental protection. The rural community and civil society call for a debate about the future of irrigation multifunctionality in the Muzza system and the role of irrigation practices in landscape provision and management. In addition, the paper examines if multifunctionality is a characteristic or an objective of irrigation systems. These results can be used by researchers and relevant authorities to customize their interventions based on previous, well-structured knowledge of various stakeholders’ priorities.     

Public system usability analysis for the valuation of cognitive burden and interface standardization: A case study of cross-ATM design

Humans are unable to effectively handle machines that have poor interface and interaction patterns. The Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is one of the machines that is most frequently operated by a wide spectrum of people. Hence, it is common to apply Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) technology in the design of ATMs. User–ATM interaction, however, has barriers such as a user’s working memory limit, lower literacy level, or lack of awareness and access. Moreover, the diversity of interfaces hurt user motivation, perception, and experience significantly. For example, each bank has its own ATM design targeting its customers only and, thus, when clients of other banks come across such a machine, they suffer from cognitive burden and commit many errors. To this end, we conduct an analytical survey of ATMs used in Pakistan through user analysis and heuristics analysis. We figure out the influence of design diversity and user perception on ATM users’ cognitive stress with the cognitive walkthrough analysis on the survey. We also uncover a realism-usability gap by reviewing the sampled ATM screens from the viewpoint of HCI heuristics. Finally, we suggest the guidelines on the cross-ATM design, characterized by the standardized fast-cash menu and the fail-safe mechanism for novices. This study demonstrates that users are reluctant to switch out of their comfort zones, due to learning costs and a lack of motivation. Therefore, we should design public systems in a very standardized way, which becomes more crucial for a user’s cognitive relief as interface and design patterns are becoming more diverse in our daily lives.     

Empowerment and resident support for tourism in rural Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): the case of Pomerania,Poland

Despite empowerment being a crucial component of sustainable tourism, few scholars have quantitatively operationalized empowerment and looked at how it applies to rural societies within the post-communist European Union (EU) member states. Knowing the high priority of sustainable rural development goals within the EU, empowering residents within these post-communist societies has become a pertinent issue especially where those societies appear more reluctant to engaging in democratic ways of decision-making. In response to this gap, this study tests the cross-cultural validity of the Resident Empowerment through Tourism Scale, and then evaluates how empowerment predicts residents’ support for tourism within the municipality of Choczewo, Pomerania, Poland. Using a theoretical perspective that blends Social Exchange Theory with Weber's Theory of Formal and Substantive Rationality, these non-economic empowerment dimensions are coupled with a measure of resident perceptions of economically benefiting from tourism to see if rural residents in Choczewo, Poland, are more swayed by the economic or non-economic benefits of tourism. Results show that residents within this Central and Eastern Europe setting are more influenced by the pride and self-esteem boost associated with psychological empowerment and the perceptions of increased community cohesion (i.e. social empowerment) than the economic promises of tourism.     

基于工作过程的“冲压模具设计与制造”课程学习领域开发

基于工作过程的培养模式为主线,研究开发一种全新的冲压模具设计与制造课程学习模式。开发过程以学生获得职业能力为目标,结合当地制造业特色,选取典型岗位任务,分析职业能力,设计学习情境,进而设计教学活动。     

How technological innovation affects the structure of an industry: entrepreneurship evolution in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry since 1980

Challenges faced by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, including reduced R&D productivity and the expiration of drugs that are high in demand, are recently being addressed through technological innovation. Such innovations are highly likely to change the structure and functioning of the industry. Since 2000, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have actively made strategic alliance, and technological innovations have changed the source of innovation from R&D to entrepreneurship within the industry. In this study, we identify the evolution of entrepreneurship and discuss the changes caused by technological advancements since 1980 by analysing patterns of exporting and acquiring technology data from Medtrack. Over difference period, biopharmaceutical firms have gained new knowledge and improved technology, and have implemented this newly acquired knowledge and innovation to introduce drugs to the market.     

基于因子分析和DEA模型的现代光伏农业技术经济性综合评价研究

发展现代光伏农业是推进现代农业可持续发展的重要途径，对现代光伏农业进行技术经济性综合评价有较强的现实意义，为此，建立了因子分析法和DEA相结合的现代光伏农业技术经济性综合评价模型。首先，利用因子分析法对评价指标进行了降维处理；然后，根据DEA模型需要对指标数据进行了标准化处理；最后，利用DEA模型完成了对50亩智能农业大棚各经营方案的评价，结果表明：将光伏发电和温室大棚种植相结合具有良好的技术经济效益。     

Does Size Matter? Evaluating Corporate Environmental Disclosure in the Australian Mining and Metal Industry: A Combined Approach of Quantity and Quality Measurement

There are an increasing number of companies in the mining and metals sector disclosing environmental sustainability information in their annual reports, sustainability reports and corporate internet web pages. However, there is ongoing debate about the relationship between the quantity and the quality of environmental disclosure. That is, does an increase in number equate to an increase in quality? This study investigates the relationship between the quantity and the quality of environmental disclosure reports. Using content analysis, we examine the environmental disclosure of 55 Australian mining and metal companies which are listed among the Australian Securities Exchange's (ASX) Top 100 mining and metal sector companies. We find that the size of firms influences both the quantity and the quality of corporate environmental disclosure. That is, we find that market capitalization is positively and significantly correlated to the quantity (number of words) and the quality of disclosure. We also confirm that there is a very highly significant, positive correlation between quantity (number of words) and quality of environmental disclosure. In order to investigate any differences between the top performing group and the bottom performing group in terms of environmental disclosure quality, further analysis also confirms that there is a positive relationship between the quantity and the quality of environmental disclosure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

河南省农民消费支出地区差异的实证分析

据2011年河南省统计年鉴调查数据表明,河南省各地区农民支出差异较大,且呈现出进一步扩大的趋势。文章从河南省农民消费支出地区差异的现状着手,对河南省农民消费支出地区差异进行实证分析,找出影响河南省各地区农民消费支出的主要影响因素,并提出解决河南省农民消费支出差异较大问题方案的模型,为合理调整河南省农民消费结构,尽快消除消费支出地区差异较大并继续扩大的现象,实现各地区经济均衡发展提供一定的科学依据。