Impact of contract farming on yield,costs and profitability in low‐value crop: evidence from a low‐income country

Lentils, a low‐value and highly nutritious crop, are Nepal's largest pulse cash crop. However, the majority of the nation's smallholders produce lentils on very small plots of land. The large gap in lentil yields between Nepal and other lentil‐producing countries underscores the importance of improving yields and income of smallholders. When it comes to the financial viability of small farms, particularly in developing countries, and globalisation, contract farming (CF) may prove useful in achieving efficiency and profitability in smallholder lentil farms in Nepal. This study employs the propensity score matching approach to examine the effects of the adoption of CF on yields, profitability and costs of smallholder lentil farms in Nepal. Findings from this study reveal that contrary to popular belief, CF adoption by lentil producers in Nepal has a positive and significant effect on per‐hectare revenues, profits and yield and a negative impact on variable and transportation costs. The study finds that only very smallholder lentil farms (0.01‐0.05 ha) benefit from CF.     

Analysing the bias in the primal-dual upper bound method for early exercisable derivatives: bounds,estimation and removal

We analyse the primal-dual upper bound method for Bermudan options and prove that its bias is inversely proportional to the number of paths in sub-simulations for a large class of cases. We develop a methodology for estimating and reducing the bias. We present numerical results showing that the new technique is indeed effective.     

When Does Customer Orientation Hinder (Help) Radical Product Innovation? The Role of Organizational Rewards

Prior marketing literature offers a compelling theoretical rationale in support of two contradictory propositions, namely, that customer orientation is negatively related to (i.e., hinders) radical product innovation and that customer orientation is positively related to (i.e., helps) radical product innovation. In this research, the contextual conditions that determine the validity of these contradictory propositions are identified. Drawing from the literature on organizational rewards, two types of organizational rewards—outcome based and strategy based—are identified as being the key contextual conditions. It is hypothesized that when outcome‐based rewards are in effect, customer orientation is negatively related to radical positive innovation and, that when strategy‐based rewards are in effect, customer orientation is positively related to radical product innovation. Results from a survey of 156 manufacturing firms, and from a survey of 97 of their customers, provide support for these hypotheses. While prior research has attempted to explain the contradictory nature of the relationship between customer orientation and radical product innovation using typology‐based and mediator‐based approaches, the contextual condition‐based approach has not been well developed. This gap is addressed by the present research. From a practitioner perspective, the research is important because it identifies a concrete mechanism that new product development managers can deploy, in tandem with customer orientation, if they intend to generate radical product innovations. Given the potential gains that flow from radical product innovation, the research findings are expected to be of considerable interest to managers of new product development projects.     

Are Food Certification Costs Misestimated? Exporter‐Perspective on the European Standard

Food safety regulations aimed at controlling food contamination have sometimes been criticised as excessive burdens, disadvantaging smaller firms and exports from developing nations. Reported food safety expenditures appear relatively small (from <1 to 7% of the value of production) but can erode profit margins for many firms. This article responds to claims that reported firm‐level expenditures do not reflect true costs of compliance with food safety systems. We estimate incidental cost savings and uncounted costs associated with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification among Philippine seafood producers by modelling the interactions between conventional production and food safety expenditures using translog cost functions. Results indicate a significant underestimation of reported HACCP costs by an average of US$1.10 for a dollar of reported expenditure.     

When do strategic alliances inhibit innovation by firms? Evidence from patent pools in the global optical disc industry

Research and development (R&D) consortia are specialized strategic alliances that shape the direction and scope of firm innovation activities. Little research exists on the performance consequences of participating in R&D consortia. We study the effect of patent pools, a unique form of R&D consortia, on firm performance in innovation. While prior research on alliances generally implies that patent pools enhance firm innovation, our study finds the opposite. Analyzing data on systemic innovation in the global optical disc industry, we find that patent pool formation substantially and significantly decreases both the quantity and quality of patents subsequently generated by licensors and licensees relative to the patenting activity of nonparticipants. Our empirical findings suggest that patent pools actually inhibit, rather than enhance, systemic innovation by participating firms. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coordination and cooperation in asymmetric commons dilemmas

In this paper we discuss laboratory experiments that address the problem of self-governance in an asymmetric commons dilemma. Small-scale irrigation systems that provide food for hundreds of millions of people around the world are probably the most common example of such dilemmas. Here, we formulate an abstract dilemma in which subjects make both a decision about investment in the provision of infrastructure associated with the use of a resource and about how much to extract from the common-pool resource made available by this infrastructure. The impact of inherent asymmetry in irrigation systems on the provision of a resource and the impact of communication on the capacity of the group to solve the two-level commons dilemma of cooperation and coordination based on the analysis of the experimental data are discussed.     

The adoption of international accounting standards by small and closely held companies: evidence from Bahrain

This study examines the accounting practices and the degree of adoption of international accounting standards (IASs) by small and closely held companies in Bahrain. It finds that 86% (31) of the 36 companies responding to the questionnaire applied IASs and they considered IASs to be very relevant for them. All firms prepare balance sheets, and the majority prepares income statements and cash flow statements. They also duly audit these statements. The data collected also revealed that the quotient influence on whether or not a firm adopted IAS was exerted by their external auditors. External auditors exerted the greatest influence on getting firms to adopt IASs. Banks and company partners were the primary users of company financial statements; inventories, depreciation, disclosure on financial statements, and the presentation of current assets and liabilities. The main IASs followed by a majority of firms are those pertaining so. Some of the standards were considered totally irrelevant, contrary to the prevailing idea that adoption of IASs creates an information overload for small and closely held companies. The results of this study indicate that a majority of our respondents did not find that it was costly to adopt or interpret IASs. Those few firms that experienced some difficulties sought clarification from their external auditors. About 84% of those who adopted IASs strongly agreed that using IASs improves their organization's ability to financial assistance from the banking sector. Also, about 90% of the respondents fully agreed that IASs help to achieve the objectives and improve the effectiveness of financial reporting.