Social enterprises as supply-chain enablers for the poor

Many social enterprises use the poor as producers to improve their living standards. We seek to answer how they do so, from a supply chain perspective. Drawing on various successful social enterprises in Afghanistan, Africa, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Philippines and Sri Lanka, we look at the material, information and cash flows of the micro-entrepreneurs for these social enterprises. We show how a social enterprise helps its associated micro-entrepreneurs by improving the latter’s supply chain operations via: (1) easier access to financial credits; (2) easier access to market information; (3) easier market access; and (4) better access to supplies and raw materials and higher productivity through better health and equipment. We then speculate on how to make social enterprises economically sustainable and propose that social enterprises would be better off enabling micro-enterprises rather than running production operations themselves.     

Resource use efficiency under self‐selectivity: the case of Bangladeshi rice producers

The paper jointly evaluates the determinants of switching to modern rice and its productivity while allowing for production inefficiency at the level of individual producers. Model diagnostics reveal that serious selection bias exists, justifying the use of a sample selection framework in stochastic frontier models. Results revealed that modern variety selection decisions are influenced positively by the availability of irrigation and gross return from rice and negatively by a rise in the relative wage of labour. Adoption of modern rice is higher in underdeveloped regions. Seasonality and geography/location does matter in adoption decisions. Stochastic production frontier results reveal that land, labour and irrigation are the significant determinants of modern rice productivity. Decreasing returns to scale prevail in modern rice production. The mean level of technical efficiency (MTE) is estimated at 0.82. Results also demonstrate that the conventional stochastic frontier model significantly overestimates inefficiency by three points (MTE = 0.79). Policy implications include measures to increase access to irrigation, tenurial reform and keeping rice prices high to boost farm returns and offset the impact of a rise in the labour wage which will synergistically increase the adoption of modern rice as well as farm productivity.     

New marketing channels for food quality products in Norway

Marketing is an important and challenging competitive instrument for small-scale quality food producers. Traditional commercial channels may be unprofitable and small-scale food producers often lack access to a highly concentrated retail sector. In this situation a number of strategic alliances between farmers and between farmers and other public and private actors have emerged. The aim of this paper is to discuss and compare initiatives to develop alternative marketing channels for small-scale specialty food producers. The three examples of emerging channels we investigate are (i) the 'new' farmers markets, (ii) retail initiatives where local producers deliver their produce directly to shops, and (iii) companies founded by large cooperatives to market specialty products. Recent research has justified that such initiatives can be conceptualized as hybrid governance structures, i.e. complex structures that entail properties of both market and hierarchy. We pay particular attention to the problem of quality enforcement in emerging marketing channels.     

Supply chain performance flexibility in the Australian beef industry

The red meat value chain in Australia is undergoing a rapid change due to globalisation, a highly competitive meat market and increased production efficiency and flexibility. This paper aims to investigate how beef producers can increase supply chain performance (SCP) flexibility by improving supply chain practices. A model was developed and hypotheses were formulated based on the literature review of agri-food supply chains. A survey questionnaire was distributed to beef producers in Australia and the results of stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that performance flexibility was significantly influenced by the supply chain practices: customer relationships and information quality (IQ). Given these findings, beef producers should focus on customer relationships and IQ in order to achieve enhanced flexibility in their SCP. The paper discusses the implications and current practices in beef cattle farming industry.     

Optimal Producer Behavior in the Presence of Area-Yield Crop Insurance

Optimal producer behavior in the presence of area-yield insurance is studied. The producer's optimal production and insurance choices are characterized. The effect of the provision of area-yield insurance on production patterns is studied, and sufficient conditions for the provision of area-yield insurance to increase the riskiness of the individual producer's decisions are derived. A separation result is derived for area-yield insurance contracts and stochastic technologies.     

某化工企业扩建工程项目的职业病危害预评价

通过对某化工企业扩建项目的职业病危害因素分布状况进行分析,探讨其防护对策和管理措施。运用检查表法、类比法与定量分级法相结合的原则对该扩建项目可能产生的主要职业病危害因素毒物、噪声、粉尘等进行职业病危害预评价。结果表明,该扩建项目可能产生的主要职业病危害因素有毒物（己二胺、已二腈、氢氧化钠、锰烟等）、粉尘（石棉尘、锰尘等）、噪声、X射线。在正常生产条件下,作业区域有毒作业、粉尘作业分级为O级（安全作业）,该工程属于严重职业病危害建设项目,但由于该工程具备较完善的职业病危害防护设施和管理措施,使发生职业病危害的危险度降到最小,因此该建设项目是可行的。     

新中国农业合作制度形成的经济学解释

新中国的农业合作化是由国家主导的非连续的强制性制度变迁。从经济学的角度分析,这一制度的形成是多种因素共同作用的结果,即马列主义通过合作化对农业进行社会主义改造以实现生产资料公有制的社会主义理论对中国共产党的影响,毛泽东本人对农业合作化的坚定支持,获取制度外收益的利益驱动以及农民的合作降低了制度变迁的成本。     

The Automobile Industry in Paraná: The Case of Renault

SUMMARY

The development process of Paraná has traditionally been closely linked to agriculture. However, given the state's proximity to São Paulo, there have always been attempts to promote industrial development. This occurred initially in the 1970s and became more intensive in the 1990s with the development of fiscal wars between the states to attract investments, especially in the automobile industry. The paper concentrates on an analysis of how the Renault assembly plant was attracted to Paraná, its impact on the state's industrial product and on employment, and on the attempt to attract component producers.

RESUMEN. Tradicionalmente, el proceso de desarrollo del estado de Paraná siempre se mantuvo estrechamente vinculado a la agricultura. Sin embargo, debido a su proximidad al estado de São Paulo, se realizaron constantes esfuerzos para promover su desarrollo industrial. El paso inicial se remonta a los años 70, que evolucionó considerablemente en los 90 con el surgimiento de guerras fiscales entre los estados instigadas para atraer inversiones, especialmente de la industria automotriz. El estudio se concentra en el análisis de cómo se atrajo la instalación de la fábrica Renault al estado de Paraná, su impacto sobre el producto industrial del estado y el empleo, y la tentativa de atraer fabricantes de componentes.

RESUMO. O processo de desenvolvimento do Paraná esteve intimamente ligado à agricultura. Mas dado sua proximidade com São Paulo, sempre se procurou dar um impulso ao desenvolvimento industrial. O primeiro passo para isto ocorreu na década de 70. No entanto, foi a partir de década de 90 que se observa uma maior evolução do desenvolvimento industrial. Parte desse processo foi conseqüência da guerra fiscal travada entre os estados brasileiros para atração de investimentos, principalmente da indústria automobilística. O objetivo desse artigo é de apresentar o processo de atração da montadora francesa Renault para o estado do Paraná, analisar os investimentos realizados e seus impactos, principalmente na geração de emprego e na tentativa de atrair fabricantes ligados ao setor de autopeças.     

Social capital as a heuristic device to explore sociocultural sustainability: a case study of mountain resort tourism in the community of Steamboat Springs,Colorado, USA

This study investigates the feasibility of combining environmental protection and an agricultural revitalisation strategy which includes food tourism in two Danish national parks, Mols Bjerge and Skjern Aadal. Both the parks include significant agricultural holdings and, to a great extent, a “natural” landscape of farmed grassland and arable land. The international research literature documents that park administrations have tended to neglect the role of food and food-based experiences in parks, despite park visitors preferring more attractive eating facilities, purchasing opportunities and food-related interpretation. A survey of food producers and providers in Denmark revealed that traditional, productivity-oriented farmers tended to oppose the establishment of parks, holding the view that “sharing” the land with others diminished their competitiveness. While this view might hamper rapid progress in food tourism, the survey also discovered an emerging trend of small-scale food entrepreneurship, albeit on a fragmented and uncoordinated level. Tourism-oriented food entrepreneurs wanted to see joint marketing and labelling of food products along the lines of OECD's (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) “new rural paradigm”. The study identified governance opportunities that could accommodate the wellbeing of both tourists and food producers, but which requires a proactive role from the national park authorities, especially in marketing and the development of events.     

Certifying catfish in Vietnam and Bangladesh: Who will make the grade and will it matter?

Certification is an increasingly pervasive form of market governance through which retailers and NGOs are able to exert control over producers of primary products in order to secure their commercial and institutional interests. This paper assesses the likely outcomes of emerging certification standards intended to govern production of a new global commodity, Pangasius catfish. This evaluation focuses on Pangasius producers in Vietnam and Bangladesh, and one of the key areas which standards seek to regulate; the environment. We conclude that certification is likely to result in greater differentiation and polarisation between larger and smaller farm operators and will increasingly act to exclude of the latter from access to Western European and North American markets, and that any local environmental gains produced may be of relatively minor significance.