Planting flexibility: Implications for agricultural sustainability

There is a general belief that federal commodity programs restrict adoption of more sustainable production systems. In the 1990 farm legislation, Congress introduced limited planting flexibility to address these concerns and to reduce federal farm program costs. This program estimates the impact of planting flexibility on selected agricultural sustainability indicators and its policy implications. Results show that planting flexibility is a necessary but not sufficient condition for implementing more sustainable production systems. Other factors such as the availability of economically viable alternatives, macroeconomic conditions, and local resource and environmental concerns need to be considered. Policy reforms can help in achieving economic and environmental gains only in locations with economically viable alternatives. In other cases, increased research and development of new systems are needed to achieve desired results.     

A cross-country comparison of corporate governance and firm performance: Do financial structure and the legal system matter?

We blend the corporate governance and the financial structure/legal system literature streams to study whether firm performance is enhanced when its governance structure embodies the demands of the host country’s financial structure and legal system. Using a sample of 1736 unique firms representing 22 countries, we find that the joint effect of a country’s financial structure and legal system does matter when explaining the relationship between performance and the overall level of corporate governance in a given country. The results also suggest that firms operating in the market/common combination countries tend to command higher market valuations than firms with a comparable level of corporate governance that operate in the bank/civil combination countries.     

Work–family conflict,family satisfaction and employee well‐being: a comparative study of Australian and Indian social workers

Work‐to‐family conflict and family‐to‐work conflict have been widely investigated as antecedents of well‐being in various employee groups. However, these studies have largely been performed in Western countries, and only a few studies have investigated the phenomenon using both Western and non‐Western samples. The present study contributes to the literature by investigating work–family conflict experiences of social workers in Australia and India. More specifically, it explores the impact of work‐to‐family conflict and family‐to‐work conflict on well‐being and the mediating role of family satisfaction in this relationship. Our findings reveal the direct negative effects of work‐to‐family conflict on well‐being and family satisfaction in both groups and of family‐to‐work conflict on well‐being of Indian social workers. There is evidence that family satisfaction mediates work–family conflict and well‐being relationships in both samples. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for HRM policies in social service agencies of both countries.     

Off‐farm work,land tenancy contracts and investment in soil conservation measures in rural Pakistan

This study examines the impacts of participation in off‐farm work and land tenancy contracts on the intensity of investment in soil‐improving measures and farm productivity. A multivariate Tobit model that accounts for potential endogeneity between the intensity of investment and the off‐farm work and tenancy contract variables is estimated for 341 rural households in Punjab province of Pakistan. An instrumental variable approach is also used to analyse the impact of tenancy contract and off‐farm work on farm productivity. The empirical results show that participation in off‐farm work and tenure security tends to increase the intensity of investment in long‐term soil‐improving measures. We also find that increases in off‐farm work and tenure security exert significant and positive effects on farm productivity.     

Internet Adoption Among Malaysian Companies

The Internet technology is prevalently used in companies for business purposes. This research attempts to investigate the characteristics that are thought to influence such strategic decision of Internet adoption among the companies. Understanding the characteristics of Internet strategy in the business world helps the management to efficiently and effectively invest in Internet adoption plan. A survey was conducted to gather information from Malaysian companies. One hundred and fifteen usable responses were obtained for analysis. The findings of the study suggest the firms that wish to adopt higher level of Internet adoption should take account the support of information technology employees, overseas investment, and participation in international markets.     

How do foreigners perceive? Exploring foreign diners’ satisfaction with service quality of Chinese restaurants

China has received 138 million inbound trips in 2016. The purpose of travel may vary but these international travelers visit Chinese restaurants as an integral part of their travel experience. Our study tries to comprehend their dining experience and regional differences in service quality (SQ) perceptions. The findings indicate that food and process quality significantly influence satisfaction and behavioral intentions. More importantly, the results reveal that international travelers roving through all the six continents hold significantly different perceptions regarding SQ attributes of Chinese restaurants. Additionally, we found proficiency in Chinese language as a significant contributor in generating dissimilar perceptions.     

economic and environmental tradeoffs in agricultural sustainability: A Perspective

Concern for the economic and environmental impacts of production systems is at the heart of the debate on agricultural sustainability. Ideally, if a system is to be sustainable, it must also be economically viable, while not adversely affecting the environment. The appropriate balance between environmentally friendly systems and economic returns is not clear, as it depends on the period under consideration and hinges on the perspective used. Current evidence suggests that there are tradeoffs between achieving economic and environmental goals, at least in the short run, with given technology. Analysis suggests progress can be made by identifying agricultural systems and site-specific criteria associated with these systems, which eliminate the clearly unsustainable agricultural practices, rather than seeking a system that is defined as sustainable.The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Economic Research Service, or the view of other U.S. Department of Agriculture or Economic Research Service staff members.