A Review of Issues Pertaining to Soil Deterioration in Canada

In Canada, there exists a perception that the annual costs of soil deterioration to farmers are enormous and that, unless something is done quickly to ameliorate the problem of soil degradation, agricultural production potential could be threatened. In this paper, we argue that the on-farm costs of soil degradation are grossly overstated and that Canada' s agricultural future is not on the verge of a catastrophe. Further, we argue that concern with conservation is a philosophical issue which is not readily analyzed in a neoclassical economic framework. However, where this framework has been employed by (primarily) physical scientists, the analysis has resulted in on-farm loss estimates which are somewhat misleading.
Au Canada, on perçoit que les coûts annuels aux fermiers à cause de la détérioration du sol sont énormes et que, à moins que quelque chose soit faite bientôt pour améliorer le problème de dégradation du sol, la production potentielle agricole pourrait être menacée. Dans cette étude, nous avançons que les coûts sur la ferme de la dégradation du sol sont grandement exagérés et que le futur agricole au Canada n' est pas sur le point dse catastrophe. En plus, nous avançons que le souci de conservation est une issue philosophique qui n' est pas facilement analysée dans un cadre néoclassique économique. Cependant, là où ce cadre fut utilisé par (surtout) des spécialistes des sciences physiques, les estimations de l' analyse montraient une perte sur la ferme et ceci porte quelque peu à confusion.     

Is there an Environmental Kuznets Curve for clearcutting in Canadian forests?

This study investigates the macroeconomic forces underlying forest clearcutting practices across Canada. In keeping with the relevant literature on environmental degradation, three forces are assumed to influence forest clearcutting: per capita gross domestic product (GDP), technology, and population density. While previous work has used models that assume linear relationships between the latter two variables and environmental degradation, this paper employs a more flexible (quadratic) model. Pooled regression analysis in the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie, and British Columbia regions between 1975-99 indicates that while technological change tends to have an inverted U-shaped relationship with forest area clearcut, population and GDP/capita tend to have the opposite effects. This last variable finding strongly rejects the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis of an inverted U-shaped relationship between GDP/capita and forest area clearcut in Canada.     

Rice Production,Trade and the Poor: Regional Effects of Rice Export Policy on Households in Vietnam

Analysing Vietnam's rice export policy and recent export ban in the context of rising food prices, this study combines insights from a regionally‐disaggregated or ‘bottom‐up’ CGE model and a micro‐simulation using household data. Three main conclusions are drawn. First, although there is little impact on GDP, there are substantial distributional impacts across regions and households from different export policies and market conditions. Second, both rural and urban households, including poor households, benefit from free trade, even though domestic rice prices are higher. Finally, under free trade, relatively large gains accrue to rural households, where poverty is most pervasive in Vietnam.     

Farm-based modelling of the EU sugar reform: impact on Belgian sugar beet suppliers

A mathematical programming model, calibrated on individual farmdata, is used to analyse the reform of the common market organisation(CMO) in the sugar sector of the European Union. The model includesa precautionary farm supply function for out-of-quota sugarbeet that is estimated as part of a simultaneous system of first-orderconditions. Simulation results from a sample of Belgian sugarbeet farms show that the sugar CMO reform induces differentsupply and income effects across farms depending on their shareof out-of-quota sugar beet relative to their total beet supplyand their quota rent. A further cut in the minimum price ofsugar beet initiates structural change in the farm sector.     

International Comparisons of Public Sector Performance

Abstract

Measuring and comparing the overall performance of countries' public sectors requires agreement on definitions and objectives of government. I argue that such an agreement is about finding a consensus rather than about finding better definitions. Measuring government requires a number of leaps of faith, where certain definitions, assumptions and statistics are accepted as good enough for measurement and comparison. The political science and economic research community have a different tradition of dealing with such agreements and leaps of faith, and this is reflected in their approaches to measuring and comparing the performance of public sectors. The implications of these traditions are particularly visible in the usefulness of measurement and indicators for policy makers.     

Linking turnover to organizational performance: the role of process conformance

ABSTRACT

Despite substantial evidence for the negative effect of turnover on performance, several studies also note offsetting positive effects hereby recognizing an optimal rate of turnover. These mixed results stress the need to examine under which conditions turnover is more harmful or beneficial to the organization. Using panel data from 30 divisions of the same agency, this study examines the impact of process conformance – the extent to which there are prescribed standards and rules related to the task. Results support a non-linear, inverted U-shaped relationship for those tasks with a high process conformance.     

Servitization: Disentangling the impact of service business model innovation on manufacturing firm performance

As manufacturing businesses operate in an ever more competitive, global economy where products are easily commoditized, innovating by adding services to the core product offering has become a popular strategy. Contrary to the economic benefits expected, recent findings pinpoint implementation hurdles that lead to a potential performance decline, the so-called ‘servitization paradox’. In this paper, we analyze this paradox by disentangling the value creation and value appropriation processes of 44 national subsidiaries of a global manufacturing firm turned product-service provider, in the 2001–2007 period. Our findings show that the firm under study is able to successfully transcend the inherent substitution of products by services and to enact complementary sales dynamics between the two activities. Moreover, labor-intensive services such as maintenance, which imply higher levels of customer proximity, further enhance product sales. Empirical results also reveal a positive yet non-linear relationship between the scale of service activities and profitability: while initial levels of servicing result in a steep increase in profitability, a period of relative decline is observed before the positive relationship between the scale of services and profitability re-emerges. These findings suggest the presence of initial short-term gains but also indicate the existence of a ‘profitability’ hurdle; profitable growth seems feasible only to the extent that investments in service capability are translated into economies of scale. In helping to clarify the performance implications of service innovation, our findings suggest pathways to sustainable growth through servitization for manufacturing firms.     

Managing human resources across cultures: a comparative analysis of practices in industrial enterprises in China and The Netherlands

Abstract Although researchers and practitioners have come up with many good ideas for improving the employment relationship, there is no evidence for universally applicable practices. Prior theoretical work and research in the area of (international) human resource management indicate that cultural and contextual constraints are responsible for the problematic nature of transference of practices. This study illustrates and explains the contextual as well as cultural boundaries through a direct comparison of practices as used in a matched sample of industrial companies in China (n=97) and The Netherlands (n=47). It is argued that differences in organizational structure, cultural values and labour regulations account for the variation between countries. The results show considerable differences between China and The Netherlands in the HRM practices of industrial enterprises. Also, the organizational culture of the companies studied varies between the two countries and the differences found are clearly in line with differences on the national cultural level.     

Managing electronic communications: a new challenge for human resource managers

Advances in information and communication technology are not only changing the way work is conducted but also influencing the development of human resource management (HRM) as a field of practice. In order to understand how HR managers are grappling with this issue we review the misuse of electronic communication in the workplace through the international literature and also recent court and tribunal cases in Australia. In particular, we consider the impact of new communication technologies in blurring of the boundaries between home and work and the way in which this is being dealt with by HR managers. In this paper we draw out the challenge of balancing the interests of employees and organisations, and outline the tension between HR as a strategic partner and employee champion. While not advancing a dystopian view, we argue that in many workplaces new surveillance technologies are being routinely utilised to increase employer control and that such low-trust practices are likely to be counterproductive and may undermine the profession of human resources management.