An Economic Analysis of Targeting Soil Conservation Measures with Respect to Off-site Water Quality

This paper analyses the advantages and disadvantages of targeting soil conservation measures on the basis of off-site water quality goals. The Stratford Avon watershed in Perth County and the Big Creek watershed in Middlesex County, both located in southwestern Ontario, are used as case studies. Targeting criteria, used as proxies for measuring the contribution to off-farm damage from particular parcels of crop land, are based on the physical characteristics of the parcels. Alternative conservation tillage practices include fall chisel ploughing, ridge planting, no tillage and buffer strips. At each level of the targeting criteria, the reduction in off-farm damage is estimated using the Guelph Model for Evaluating the Effects of Agricultural Management Systems on Erosion and Sedimentation (GAMES). Economic targeting criteria are based on the value of improved water quality under a conservation practice minus the on-farm costs of adoption of that practice. Targeting conservation policies on the basis of reduction of off-farm damages can result in greater efficiency in public policy. The authors conclude that further efforts in targeting conservation policies have the potential to improve the cost effectiveness of soil conservation programs if technical and administrative problems can be overcome. L'article analyse le pour et le contre du ciblage des mesures de conservation des sols sous l'angle de la qualité de l'eau à l'aval. Le bassin versant Stratford Avon dans le comité de Perth et celui de Big Creek dans le comté de Middlesex, tous deux situés dans le sud-ouest de l'Ontario, sont utilisés comme études de cas. Les critères de ciblage utilisés comme valeurs d'approximation dans la détermination de la part des dégâts causés à l'aval qui est attribuable à des parcelles agricoles données, sont basés sur les caractères physiques des parcelles. Les diverses pratiques de travail de conservation comparées sont la labour au chisel, la culture sur billons, la culture sans labour et l'établissement de bandes riveraines. A chaque niveau des critères de ciblage, la réduction des dégâts infligés à l'aval des exploitations est estimée selon le Modèle d'évaluation des effets des systèmes d'exploitation agricole sur l'érosion et la sédimentation de l'Université de Guelph (GAMES). Les critères de ciblage économiques reposent sur la valeur attribuée à l'amélioration de la qualité de l'eau par une pratique de conservation donnée, moins les coûts réels d'adoption de l'exploitant à cette pratique. Le ciblage des politiques de conservation en fonction de la réduction des dégâts causés à l'aval de l'exploitation peut rendre plus efficientes les politiques du secteur public. Il ressort de ces études que les politiques de ciblage des mesures de conservation offrent la possibilité d'améliorer la rentabilité des programmes de conservation du sol, pour autant parvienne à surmonter les problèmes techniques et administratifs.     

The land cost of agrarian sustainability. An assessment

Improving the sustainability of farms often incurs additional costs for farmers. These costs come from allocating land to the maintenance of the ecological processes (energy and material flows, natural population regulation) required for the agroecosystem to function. Since these costs are not recovered on the markets, farmers see a fall in profits, the financial viability of their farms is compromised, and they suffer the consequences of the environmental services they are providing. All this makes it essential to implement government policies designed to compensate farmers for their efforts. The issue of how to assess sustainability has generated widespread debate within ecological economics, specifically as to whether it is possible to place a monetary value on it and if so, how this should be done. In a previous article we showed that agrarian sustainability involves a land cost, therefore this cost can be translated into monetary values. The purpose of this study is to develop this concept in practical terms by applying it to organic farming. We calculated the land cost of agrarian sustainability (LACAS) in order to compare organic versus conventional management in olive farming, as this crop is grown extensively in Spain and other Mediterranean countries. The results show that the agro-environmental subsidy is not enough to encourage olive growers to make the conversion from conventional to organic methods, because the land cost of sustainability is not adequately offset. They also show that improving agroecosystems can allow the land to take on more functions without increasing the land cost. In our case, encouraging the multifunctionality of the land has permitted a reduction in this cost. The LACAS could be a useful tool, not only for drawing up government policies designed to support organic farming, but also for improving the sustainability of the agrarian sector.     

The effect of non-rural hospital mergers and acquisitions: An examination of cost and price outcomes

This paper examines the direct impact of urban horizontal hospital consolidations on hospital efficiency and prices. Specifically, we measure the extent of cost savings resulting from these consolidations and the extent to which these gains are passed on to consumers. A fixed effects model is tested with data consisting of 4160 unique hospitals, 125 of which were involved in mergers and 1040 in system acquisitions, for over a 10-year time period. We find that hospital consolidation may generate efficiency in some circumstances and some of these gains may be passed on to consumers, but the results are very sensitive to hospital ownership and governance and the structure of the market following the consolidation.     

An Exploratory Investigation of NPD Practices in Nonprofit Organizations*

Studies of practices in new product and service development have focused predominantly on for‐profit organizations, whereas attention to the nonprofit sector has been minimal. Such attention is needed given that nonprofit organizations are unique in their structures and are growing with regards to impact on the world economy and society in general. Moreover, such disparate attention suggests a void in this discipline's understanding of new product development (NPD) practices of nonprofit organizations. Two particular research questions are posed: (1) To what extent are the practices of for‐profit organizations employed in nonprofit organizations? (2) How do the practices of nonprofits compare to those of for‐profit organizations? In the course of answering these questions, the present study reviewed literature and the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) certification work. The study subsequently identified six dimensions of successful NPD efforts: strategy, portfolio management, process, market research, people, and metrics and performance measurement. These dimensions were applied via an in‐depth case‐study methodology to six large, U.S. nonprofit organizations: American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club of America, and Goodwill Industries. The dimensions assisted in categorizing and analyzing the responses of 40 respondents across the six organizations. Results show that some NPD practices of large nonprofit organizations are similar to for‐profit organizations, but other practices are more distinctive and related to the nature of nonprofit organizations. Large nonprofit organizations tend to be very good at articulating their mission, embedding it throughout, and using it to drive programs and activities. These organizations tend to view product development as a tactical endeavor versus a strategic one and do not engage in portfolio management practices for their new programs. Instead, broad criteria such as fit with mission, funding availability, and presence of a champion are used for evaluating programs. The NPD process tends to be informal with little structure, and individual departments and local chapters tend to undertake their own NPD initiatives and have their own process for doing so. Nonprofits place a heavy emphasis on ideation and less emphasis on other activities such as concept development and testing, project evaluation, and business analysis. Pilot testing is the most used type of market research. These results suggest that NPD processes within large nonprofit organizations share some of the same weaknesses as those of for‐profit organizations, with NPD metrics being a particularly weak area. The NPD practices of nonprofits also have some unique characteristics that include the following: a heavy emphasis on the mission, a desire for flexibility, strong influence of external sponsors, and difficulty in assessing long‐term program success. Management of nonprofit NPD and directions for future research are discussed.     

FERTILISER RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON SOIL NITROGEN LEVELS: A TOTAL NUTRIENT MODEL

Tropical rice obtains a major portion of its N uptake from the soil as opposed to fertiliser nitrogen. Therefore N-fertiliser recommendations should be based on the availability of soil nitrogen. This can be done by applying a total nutrient model, developed by Hildreth, which estimates yield as a function of an aggregated nitrogen variable incorporating both soil and applied N. This paper incorporates recent work on the quantification of available N, by soil scientists, into the total nutrient model to provide farm specific optimal N-rates tailored to soil nutrient availability. The methodology, however, is only applicable to samples characterised by a high degree of internal homogeneity.     

Developing an Integrative International Human Resource Model: The contribution of Chinese Multinational Enterprises

This study develops an integrative international human resource IHRM framework in Chinese MNEs mainly by examining the relationship between the intervening factors and IHRM policies and practices. It confirms that IHRM is associated with a variety of contextual and firm-specific factors, including political, legal, economic, socio-cultural factors, international strategy, organizational structure, organizational culture, stage and mode of internationalization, type and niche of industry, international experience, size of international operation, the reliance on international markets and top management perceptions of home HRM systems. These factors have differentiated impact and are changing over time. It also explores the impact of IHRM policy and practice on each other, arguing that there is interplay between IHRM policies and practices.     

Competitive environments and protective behavior

The class of two-person competition games is introduced and analyzed. For any game in this class the set of Nash equilibria is convex and all Nash equilibria lead to the same payoff vector. Competition games are compared to other competitive environments such as unilaterally competitive games and rivalry games. Moreover, protective behavior within competitive environments is analyzed. For matrix games it is known that protective strategies profiles exactly correspond to proper equilibria. It is shown that this result can be extended to the class of unilaterally competitive games.     

Information and communication technology in retailing: A cross-industry comparison

Information technology (IT) may represent a source of competitive advantage for businesses in general and for retailers in particular. However, there is debate in the literature over the usefulness of investing in technology. This paper aims at analyzing the relationship between consumers’ perception on the use of information and communication technology by the retailer and consumer satisfaction with retailer technologies. Results support the need to restrict the investment in IT to what is strictly necessary, although there are significant differences according to retailer activity.     

Critical factors for the expansion of broadband in developing countries: The case of Peru

Many studies have been made on the diffusion and development of broadband, however there are few published studies on the critical factors for advancing broadband services in developing countries. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to understand and identify the critical success factors for the development of broadband services in a developing country context, using the case of Peru. In this regard, this study uses data collected from interviews with Peruvian telecommunications professionals, policy makers and regional telecommunication experts, which is supplemented by official reports and statistical data to determine the critical success factors for broadband in this country. The four factors derived are; (i) expand the availability of infrastructure, (ii) define a national broadband policy that aligns the interests of stakeholders, (iii) develop effective competition in the broadband market, and (iv) stimulate the demand for broadband services. Through a MACTOR analysis the authors found that the objectives of sharing infrastructure, the further deployment of infrastructure and the development of competition in the market for broadband services are those that generate the most divergence between actors. Additionally, the MACTOR analysis determined that no disagreement existed for the objectives related to demand stimulation. Thus, four proposals are offered for the development of Peruvian broadband. The results are relevant for academics and policy makers interested broadband development in developing countries and for rural areas of developed countries.