On the nature and magnitude of cost economies in hog production

In this article, we assess the impact of farm size on production cost and evaluate the marginal costs and margins by considering that input prices may change with the scale of production. By using French hog farm data, we estimate a system of equations including a feed price function, input demand functions, and an output supply function based on a technology approximated by a combined generalized Leontief‐Quadratic form. Our results suggest that the marginal costs are over‐estimated when the adjustment of the feed unit prices to a change in farm size is not controlled for. More specifically, the cost economies for large farms (enjoying the highest profits) arise primarily from lower feed prices, with technological scale economies having little impact. In contrast, farms with no hired labor exhibit technological scale economies and reach higher price‐cost margins compared to larger farms.     

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Memory work versus memory-work and its utility in heritage tourism

This paper advocates researching the diverse, unstructured, idiosyncratic personal and autobiographical memories of individuals – visitors, tourists, local residents and geographically dispersed patrons associated with heritage resources and heritage tourism attractions. ‘Memory-work’, conceptualized by Frigga Haug and her collaborators in the 1980s as a feminist constructionist method, is differentiated from ‘memory work’ (without hyphen) as defined in the scholarly literature from different disciplines in the past three decades. For the purposes of this paper, memory work is then conceptualized as a qualitative, interpretivist research approach focused on memories, which employs a range of methodologies and techniques to elicit and ‘process’ memories, and draws on memory theory for analysis. It is argued that memory work can provide useful insights for academic knowledge production and applied research in heritage tourism. A few examples of specific research techniques are presented to illustrate the diverse spectrum of how memory work can be carried out in practice. It will moreover be discussed how memory distortion and ‘false memories’ are to be treated, how memory work differs from other qualitative modes of enquiry, and what its benefits and limitations are.     

Attributional complexity of monoculturals and biculturals: Implications for cross-cultural competence

Cross-cultural Competence (CC) of managers in globally dispersed MNE affiliates is one of the most effective means to overcome the liability of foreignness. Although managers high in biculturalism may have more resources than monoculturals to acquire (and deploy) CC in mitigating liability of foreignness, this has not been adequately examined. We contribute by examining the influence of two new antecedents of CC –biculturalism and Attributional Complexity. In four studies, we find that these antecedents are related to CC, effectiveness outcomes, and show incremental value over established personality traits in predicting them. We discuss contributions, limitations, future directions, and managerial implications.     

Diabetes-Drehscheibe

Das Deutsche Diabetes-Zentrum in Düsseldorf forscht – sein Ziel: die Belastungen durch den Diabetes mellitus für den Einzelnen und für die Gesellschaft zu verringern. Die enge Kooperation mit der Ambulanz und der Klinik für Stoffwechsel krankheiten am Universit?tsklinikum Düsseldorf sorgt dabei für eine gro?e N?he zur Praxis.