An Incentive Compatible Conjoint Ranking Mechanism

A simple method for making ranking-based conjoint analysis incentive compatible is proposed. The incentive compatible mechanism involves people purchasing a product profile with a probability proportional to its assigned rank. In an empirical application related to consumer preferences for beef attributes, we find that the forecasted market share for a new pasture-raised steak obtained using incentive-compatible rankings was significantly greater than that implied from traditional hypothetical conjoint rankings. People's rankings of ground beef products were not affected by the mechanism or by information about pasture-raised beef.     

考虑空间效应的中国肉牛生产区域集聚及成因

基于新经济地理学理论,运用空间计量经济方法,对中国肉牛生产区域布局的变动及其成因进行实证分析。结果表明:中国肉牛生产区域呈明显的空间集聚特征;2000年以来,肉牛生产地区逐步从非农就业机会较多的中原等区域向饲草资源丰富、经济发展水平较低的东北地区、西北地区和西南地区转移。进一步研究其成因,结果表明:资源条件、经济环境、技术因素和空间互动效应对肉牛生产的区域集聚有不同程度的影响,其中技术、空间误差自相关性、农业劳动力数量、草地面积和粮食产量对中国肉牛生产的区域集聚具有明显的正向影响,而非农就业机会则具有明显的负向影响。     

Quality Policy and Consumer Behavior

Summary

A broad view of the European Union (EU) quality policy to the meat sector is given in this article. It analyses the links between quality policy and consumer attitudes and behavior in the Spanish meat market. Quality programs allow traceability within the chain, which is an important improvement, compared to the traditional way of marketing meat. For this reason, we study the evolution and performance of Spanish meat market from the view of consumer behavior. This paper mentions some basic information in quality policies in Spain, including the results of a survey carried out in 1997, with some practical conclusions.     

Combining Risk Assessment and Economics in Managing a Sanitary–Phytosanitary Risk

The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures provides guidelines for countries to protect domestic production from pests and diseases. The guidelines permit consideration of consumer welfare. We find an optimal set of SPS measures considering total welfare and mitigation strategies. Our model suggests that it is optimal and less restrictive to apply mitigation strategies first and then an additional smaller tariff if necessary. Relative cost of mitigation determines the amount of the mitigation strategies applied in the importing and exporting countries.     

European Consumers' Willingness to Pay for U.S. Beef in Experimental Auction Markets

Consumers' willingness to pay for Irish, Norwegian, U.S. hormone-free, and U.S. hormone-treated beef was studied in an experimental auction market. We ran four simultaneous second-price auctions to elicit efficiently the complete distribution of willingness to pay differences among our four alternatives. Most participants preferred domestic to imported beef, and half the participants preferred Irish to U.S. hormone-free beef. Hormone-treated beef received the lowest mean bid, but 28% of the participants were indifferent or preferred U.S. hormone-treated to U.S. hormone-free beef.     

Implementing natural capital credit risk assessment in agricultural lending

Agriculture has critical impacts and dependencies on natural capital, and agricultural lenders are therefore exposed to natural capital credit risk through their loans to farmers. Currently, however, lenders lack any detailed guidance for assessing natural capital credit risk in agriculture and are challenged by the fact that the relevant material risks vary considerably by agricultural sector and geography. This paper develops a natural capital credit risk assessment framework based on a bottom‐up review of the material risks associated with natural capital impacts and dependencies for Australian beef production. It demonstrates that implementing natural capital credit risk assessment is feasible in agricultural lending, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative inputs. Implementation challenges include the complexity and interconnectedness of natural capital processes, data availability and cost, spatial data analytical capacity, and the need for transformational change, both within lending organisations and across the banking sector.     

Consumer Perceptions of a Potential Fresh Ground Beef and Poultry Product

Abstract

Consumer concerns with the consumption of fat and cholesterol have encouraged many to seek alternatives to regular ground beef. A sample of Louisiana households was surveyed by mail to examine the willingness of consumers to purchase a blended fresh ground beef and poultry product relative to alternative ground products. Multinomial logit analysis was used to analyze the data. The important variables in the Yes versus No purchase decision for the blended product were: beef is one of the household's two most popular fresh meats, the household had consumed hamburger during the last month, the respondent had mixed the two products in the home, age, single adult head, and Caucasian. Gender, children in the household, education, presence of a homemaker, and family income were less important variables.     

Media News Reporting and Perceptions of Beef Safety

Abstract

The typical consumer uses his or her prior perceptions of the safety of fresh beef to evaluate any new, media-reported, safety scares involving fresh beef. Consumer reactions to media reports on the BSE outbreak in England, Oprah Winfrey's negative “hamburger statement,” and major packer recalls of fresh beef were assessed using a mail survey of households in five major U.S. cities. Ordered probit analysis was conducted to estimate the characteristics of the population in which these three issues had the greatest influence on consumer perceptions of beef safety.     

College—Age Consumers' Knowledge and Perceptions of Food Irradiation

Abstract

This paper explores consumers of 18—24 years of age and their perceptions of irradiated ground beef products and role of irradiation on their purchase decisions. Data was collected with a survey of college—age consumers. Results showed that the majority of participants would be willing to purchase irradiated food products. Participants were somewhat concerned about impact of irradiation on safety and taste. The term “irradiated” and cost to consumer had a negative impact on participants' willingness to purchase irradiated ground beef products. The identification of the attributes should provide a useful guidance for the beef industry in terms of determining marketing strategies to increase the level of this segment of the consumer groups’ preference for irradiated products.