The Benefits and Costs of Zero Tillage RD&E on the Canadian Prairies

The development and adoption of zero tillage has profoundly transformed cropping systems in Western Canada. In this paper, we describe key drivers and aspects of this innovation process and quantify the overall economic impacts of adoption and the benefit cost of research development and extension, which accelerated the adoption. Estimating on‐site and off‐site benefits we find very high benefit–cost ratios, suggesting a need to maintain institutions that can foster the development of similar innovations. Le développement et l'adoption des techniques sans labour (TSL) ont profondément transformé les systèmes de culture dans l’Ouest Canadien. Dans cet article, nous décrivons les principales causes et les aspects de ce processus d'innovation et quantifions les conséquences économiques de l'adoption et le avantage‐coût de recherche‐développement et vulgarisation, ce qui ont accéléré l'adoption. Estimer les bénéficies sur site et hors site nous avons trouvé que les ratios avantage‐coût est très élevé, ce qui suggère la nécessité de maintenir les institutions qui favorisent le développement d'innovations similaires.     

ENGAGING TIMESHARE OWNERS IN TOURISM DESTINATION MANAGEMENT: TOURISM PLANNING AND TOURISM MARKETING IMPLICATIONS

It is important to understand tourists' willingness to participate in tourism planning and the factors influencing their willingness because they are an integral part of the destination and ultimately one of the main buyers of the product. Timeshare owners are a special group of tourists who have additional connections with the tourism destination through their timeshare. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among timeshare owners' perceptions of tourism planning, civic engagement, sense of place, and willingness to participate in tourism planning.

This study was based on a questionnaire survey of U.S. timeshare owners. The total sample size was 302. A two‐stage structural equation modeling approach was applied in data analysis. Results from the measurement model suggested that the model fit the data quite well. Results from the structural model suggested that timeshare owners' perceptions of tourism planning, their past history of civic participation, and their sense of place significantly impact their willingness to participate in tourism planning, while timeshare owners' past experience in political participation did not significantly affect their willingness to participate in tourism planning. Implications of the findings in tourism planning and tourism destination marketing are presented.     

Regional Clusters, Location Tournaments and Incentives: An Empirical Analysis of Factors Attracting Japanese Investment to Singapore

This paper develops a new model for testing the role of incentives in FDI location choice by integrating the theory of the MNE with new approaches to location theory. From the theory our paper derives four testable hypotheses related to the role of policy variables in the location choice of Japanese MNEs in Singapore. Specifically we test for the existence of regional investment clusters and national tournaments as key elements in the FDI location decision. We also test for differences in the incentive preferences of export-oriented versus market-oriented investors and for first investments compared to reinvestments. Using survey data from 134 Japanese MNEs our study confirmed the existence of a Southeast Asian regional investment cluster and a location tournament between regional states. Our study also found that different incentives attracted export-oriented and market-oriented investors, but there were no significant differences in the incentive preferences of first investors compared to re-investors. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.     

An Economic Analysis of Western Canadian Grain Export Capacity

Record grain supplies combined with insufficient grain export capacity in the 2013–14 and 2014–15 crop years resulted in depressed Western Canadian grain prices costing producers several billion dollars. The exceptional size of the crop and the harsh winter weather contributing to this costly event raise an important question as to whether additional investment in export capacity is warranted. This study systematically assesses the need for additional grain export capacity in Western Canada. Somewhat conservative grain production forecasts and rational expectations storage are used within a spatial mathematical programming model to simulate a competitive market, moving grain to export positions. We find in the absence of additional export capacity there will be increasingly frequent periods of costly congestion. A 10 million tonnes (Mt) (5 Mt) improvement in both rail and West Coast capacity implies $9.2 billion ($6.0 billion) of cost‐saving benefits for the producers over the 2016–25 period. While these estimates are sensitive to future realized production levels, their magnitude suggests that innovation to increase export capacity is economically important for grain producers in Western Canada. Des approvisionnements records de grains combinés à une capacité exportatrice insuffisante de ces derniers en 2013–14 et en 2014–15 ont engendré le bas prix du grain de l'Ouest canadien représentant une perte de milliards de dollars pour les producteurs. La production exceptionnelle et l'hiver particulièrement rude ont contribué à cet événement coûteux et soulèvent une question importante concernant le besoin pour des investissements additionnels en capacité exportatrice. Cette étude évalue systématiquement le besoin pour une capacité exportatrice accrue des céréales provenant de l'Ouest canadien. Les prévisions relativement prudentes de production de grains et l'anticipation rationnelle de stockage servent dans le cadre d'un modèle de programmation mathématique spatiale pour simuler un marché compétitif, transportant le grain vers les points d'exportation. Les trouvailles indiquent qu'en l'absence de capacité supplémentaire exportatrice, surviendront des périodes de plus en plus fréquentes de congestion coûteuse. Une amélioration de 10 Mt (5 Mt) à la capacité ferroviaire et de la Côte Ouest suppose des réductions de coûts à la hauteur de 9,2 milliards de dollars (6 milliards de dollars) pour les producteurs pour la période entre 2016 et 2025. Ces estimations étant liées à l'atteinte de futurs niveaux de production, leur importance suggère que l'innovation en vue d'accroître la capacité exportatrice s'avère économiquement essentielle pour les producteurs céréaliers de l'ouest du Canada.     

Intersectionality of Ethnic and Entrepreneurial Identities: A Study of Post‐War Polish Entrepreneurs in an English City

An understanding of ethnic and immigrant entrepreneurship is developed in this paper by exploring how ethnic and entrepreneurial identities intersect. Bourdieu's concept of habitus frames the analysis of narratives of five post‐war Polish entrepreneurs in Leicester. The narrative analysis illuminates the multilayered and nuanced nature of identities. The Polish origin of these entrepreneurs’ habitus was interpreted in light of individual and collective experiences gained growing up in the United Kingdom. While Polish identity was pertinent, it did not define the narrative of entrepreneurship. Our contribution is a theoretically informed, rich qualitative study of what ethnic identity means to individuals and how it intersects with entrepreneurial identity.     

The responsiveness of industry wages to low‐frequency shocks in Canada

Abstract The first objective of this paper is to examine the empirical relationship between low‐frequency shocks to labour demand and average wages on an industrial basis using a Canadian longitudinal data set. We estimate a fixed‐effects model that controls for workers’ unobservable attributes. The second major objective is to extend the existing industry‐based literature by estimating a specification allowing for a comparison between the degree of wage responsiveness of within‐firm stayers and between‐firm movers. The findings indicate that average wages by industry tend to respond positively to low frequency changes in employment, and that there is some degree of wage flexibility within firm‐worker matches.     

External transparency or internal capture? The role of third‐party statements in adding value to corporate environmental reports11

The paper seeks to evaluate the extent to which verification statements appearing in published corporate environmental reports promote organizational transparency and the empowerment of external parties. To this end, a detailed content analysis was performed on such statements appearing in reports short‐listed for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Environmental Reporting Awards for the first seven years of the scheme since its inception in 1991/92. Key issues focused upon included those of verifier independence, degree of rigour applied to verification work, whether the performance dimension is meaningfully addressed in verification statements and the extent to which such statements may be considered to ‘add value’ for external constituencies. Our analysis of the basic characteristics of these ‘leading edge’ statements raises fundamental questions concerning the independence of verification. There is much evidence of auditee control over the process, with an overriding emphasis on the environmental management systems at the expense of commentary on performance‐based ‘first order’ audit. The disturbing conclusion revealed is that current verification practice exhibits a ‘managerial turn’ rather than representing corporate commitment to external transparency and accountability. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

The political economy of tourism in North Africa: Comparative perspectives

Tourism has become a salient sector in the economic‐development strategies of North Africa, despite the fact that the states of the region have met with varying degrees of success in their attempts to expand and develop their tourism sectors. This article adopts a political‐economy approach to the analysis of tourism in North Africa. Its aims are to highlight the main aspects of the region's political economy that have influenced outcomes in the tourism sector of each country, and then to explain the political dynamics that underlie the tourism sectors of the region. This article asserts that all North African states now have embraced tourism—albeit with varying amounts of enthusiasm—as a key economic industry. It examines the relationship between tourism and economic reform in the region, followed by the political dynamics of the sector, arguing that tourism is a very political affair, but for reasons different than in other sectors of the economy. It concludes with some observations on the strategic and developmental challenges that confront the development of tourism in North Africa. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Factors Influencing Partial and Complete Adoption of Organic Farming Practices in Saskatchewan, Canada

Using a sample of organic producers in Saskatchewan, Canada, this study uses a Tobit model to identify the factors that discourage or encourage the complete adoption of organic farming and to assess why farmers differ in the share of total cultivated crop area they allocate to organic practices. In particular, the study evaluates the effect of transaction costs on the decision to convert partially or completely from conventional to organic practices. The results highlight the importance of lowering certain transaction costs to encourage the adoption of organic management practices. Significant transaction costs were found to include infrastructure and services, satisfaction with marketer performance, marketing problems, and Internet use. Results suggest that farmers with smaller land holdings are more inclined to undertake complete adoption. While the education levels of organic farmers show no significant effect on the probability of adoption, younger organic farmers allocate significantly less of their cultivated area to organic practices. À partir d'un échantillon de producteurs de cultures biologiques de la Saskatchewan, au Canada, nous avons utilisé un modèle Tobit pour déterminer les facteurs qui encouragent ou découragent l'adoption totale des pratiques agricoles biologiques et les raisons pour lesquelles le pourcentage des superficies consacrées aux cultures biologiques varie d'un producteur à l'autre. Nous avons également examiné les répercussions des coûts de transaction sur la décision de passer, en totalité ou en partie, des pratiques conventionnelles aux pratiques biologiques. Les résultats ont fait ressortir l'importance de réduire certains coûts de transaction afin d'encourager l'adoption des méthodes agronomiques biologiques. Les coûts de transaction les plus importants incluaient les infrastructures et les services, l'efficacité des intermédiaires, les problèmes liés à la mise en marché et l'utilisation d'Internet. Les résultats autorisent à penser que les producteurs agricoles qui possèdent de petites superficies sont plus enclins à adopter en totalité l'agriculture biologique. Alors que le niveau de scolarité des producteurs ne semble pas avoir de répercussions sur la probabilité d'adopter l'agriculture biologique, les jeunes producteurs de cultures biologiques consacrent beaucoup moins de leurs superficies cultivées à la culture biologique.     

Western Canadian producers’ attitudes towards wheat breeding funding

In 2017, the federal government initiated national consultations for two new crop royalty systems that could be used to support additional crop breeding. In this study, we examine wheat growers’ attitudes towards breeding research and assess their inclination to contribute more to wheat variety development through checkoffs or enhanced royalties. We report a random effect probit estimation for a survey of 877 western Canadian wheat producers that took place from November 2018 to January 2019. We found at least 26% of survey respondents were willing to pay more to support additional wheat breeding. However, this support is contingent on the model for revenue collection and where additional revenue is invested. Producers generally favored increased checkoffs over enhanced royalty collection. Among the royalty options presented, the farm saved seed royalties mechanism had less support than the simpler to implement end-point royalties mechanism. We also found support is much higher if new royalty mechanisms are used to support university or government programs versus private breeding programs. This result suggests developing widespread producer support for enhanced royalty collection may require broader commitments for funding, ownership, and control of crop breeding programs.