The geography of market failure: Edge-effect externalities and the location and production patterns of organic farming

Perceptions of increasing land scarcity and negative impacts of chemical-based agriculture have led to increasing concern regarding the sustainability of food systems. Incompatible production processes among farming systems may lead to spatial conflicts and production losses between neighboring farms, and the magnitude of such losses may depend not only on the scale of each activity, but also on patterns of land use. Such conflicts can be classified as “edge-effect externalities”—spatial externalities whose marginal impacts decrease as distance from the border generating the negative impact increases. This paper tests the hypothesis that edge-effect externalities have influenced the location and production patterns of certified organic farms, using data from California Central Valley certified organic farmers. Using concepts from landscape ecology and spatial statistics, we investigate difference in parcel geometry and surrounding land uses between organic and non-organic parcels. Using a generalized method of moments (GMM) spatially autoregressive econometric model, we demonstrate that both parcel geometry and surrounding land uses influence the probability of a given parcel being certified organic. We conclude with suggestions for policies to encourage development of organic farming regions.     

Moneyless exchange: Attitudes of participants in Australian community barter systems

Community-based barter systems, known as LETS, appear to have become in-stitutionalised, that is accepted as an alternative exchange system across Australia and in other Western countries. LETS are non-profit enterprises, which allow members of a community to exchange goods and services without cash. A search of the literature reveals that very little empirical investigation has been conducted on these systems. Hence, the purpose of this study is to provide insight on the motivations for the establishment of these systems and to contribute to the literature on community-based barter. This paper reports the findings of a survey of 371 members of Australian LETS. The findings indicate that LETS are most attractive to the unemployed and those with low household incomes. LETS have been established to empower and build cohesive communities; the benefits of membership are both economic and psycho-social, and include a better quality of life, increased freedom and opportunities for using skills. The disadvantages of membership in LETS include limited trading opportunities and some trading problems. While pricing varies across transactions, most members report that they generally buy and sell within the system at the equivalent of the cash price. The success of LETS is based on the establishment and maintenance of good trading relationships and these systems are expected to continue irrespective of the economic climate.     

Project-Specific External Financing and Headquarters Monitoring Incentives

This article analyzes the relationship between a firm's financingand its project incorporation decisions. It is shown that headquartersmay have an incentive to carry out a new project within a subsidiaryrather than within the existing firm. The project is partiallyfinanced through an external claim which is taken on by thesubsidiary even though the parent corporation has sufficientfunds to finance the project on its own. The reason for thisis that reducing headquarters' claim on the project's cash flowmay increase its incentive to monitor the quality of the projectprior to making a continuation investment. This has positiveincentive implications for the manager who is running the project.     

Entrepreneurial exit as a critical component of the entrepreneurial process: Theoretical development

By demonstrating the importance of entrepreneurial exit to the entrepreneur, the firm, the industry, and the economy I contend that our understanding of the entrepreneurial process is incomplete without the inclusion of entrepreneurial exit. I define entrepreneurial exit and demonstrate how this conceptualization provides concepts that are unique from those addressed by researchers in other domains; thus outlining a space for it within the literature. In each phase of the entrepreneurial process I explore the development of an exit strategy, reasons for exit and options for exit.     

Exploring Attitudes Toward Aquaculture Development in the United Kingdom: A Consultative Stakeholder Approach

ABSTRACT

This study explores attitudes toward aquaculture development as a way of providing a sustainable source of seafood through a consultative stakeholder approach. Given that aquaculture is a less familiar concept within southwest England, gaining insight into the views and perspectives of such a development in the region is required to facilitate stakeholder engagement. In-depth qualitative interviews investigate attitudes across five stakeholder sectors: government, fishing/marine, business/catering, tourism/leisure, and environmental/charity. Findings show a mix of stakeholder attitudes, which differ by industry sector, from very negative to very positive. From this, two segments are proposed (commercially focused and environmentally focused) to enable targeted communication and information dissemination strategies based on key areas of concern.     

Colorado Crop to Cuisine

Direct marketing opportunities are experiencing renewed interest across the country as small or specialized agricultural producers look for appropriate distribution strategies for their niche and value-added products. This, together with continued growth in the food service industry, led to interest in and development of a Northern Colorado producer direct marketing effort targeting chefs. This case study details the early stages of development for this project, its marketing successes and the constraints and limitations that continue to challenge its economic feasibility.     

Specificity of CEO human capital and compensation

Much research on top management compensation has focused on the relationship between pay and firm performance. Firms, however, may compensate executives for inputs such as skills, as well as for outputs such as firm performance. This study refocuses attention on the links between managerial abilities and compensation by examining pay differences between types of CEO successors who have differential skills—namely, internal and external successors. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.