Impact of Genetically Engineered Varieties on the Cost Structure of Corn and Soybean Production in Canada

This paper investigates the impact of genetically engineered (GE) varieties on the cost structure of corn and soybean production in Canada. Employing an adoption index for each farm and a time trend with farm‐level data on production costs of grain corn and soybeans from 2000 to 2007, a translog cost function and the associated input‐share equations are estimated. The use of the adoption index improves the estimates of technological change and multifactor productivity (MFP) growth. The results demonstrate that the adoption of GE corn and soybean reduced the variable costs of production by 0.62% per year. The MFP of corn and soybean grew by 2.0% per year during the study period, and 31% of this growth is attributable to GE varieties of these crops. The results also reveal that the adoption of GE varieties reduced the cost shares of fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides, and machinery in corn and soybean production. While the adoption of GE varieties increased the cost shares of seeds and custom works including labor, only the former was statistically significant.     

Predictors of flexible working arrangement provision in small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

SMEs comprise 99.7% of all private sector businesses in Australia and employ 70% of the private sector workforce. They are therefore important to policies on flexible work arrangements (FWAs). The provision of FWAs has been found to usually contribute positively to employee well-being and business performance. However, the majority of studies focus on large firms and it is unclear whether these associations apply equally to SMEs. Using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Business Longitudinal database for 2007–2011(n = 2788), this study investigates the extent to which factors such as firm size, industry sector, terms of employment, employees’ skills and use of the internet at work affect the provision of FWAs in SMEs. The findings show that smaller businesses are constrained by resources to provide FWAs, but do so in pursuit of industry norms and/or as a result of the profile of their employees. It is also easier to provide FWAs in certain industries than in others and use of the internet facilitates the provision of FWAs.     

On the efficiency of ‘single window’

In many countries, the process of obtaining government approval for different projects involves interaction with multiple government agencies at various levels. This often makes the approval process inefficient by unnecessary lengthening it. In this paper we study the effect of a re-organization of the approval process towards making it a single window clearance system, on the efficiency of the entire process. We have used the expected queue length and the expected waiting time in the system at the stochastic steady state as measures of inefficiency of an approval system.     

Does good governance matter for FDI inflows? Evidence from Asian economies

This paper examines the effects of the six components of good governance on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in 15 Asian economies for the period 1996–2007 using a fixed effect model for panel data with heteroskedasticity corrected standard errors. The study also employs the feasible general least square (FGLS) and Prais-Winstein panel estimation methods in order to check the consistency of the results with the fixed effect model. The empirical results reveal that of the six components of good governance, political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, rule of law, and control of corruption are the key determinants of FDI inflows, as they exhibit consistent results under different models. However, the study finds no significant evidence with voice and accountability and regulatory quality in FDI inflows. The study reveals that human capital, infrastructure, lending rate, and GDP growth rate also have a significant influence on FDI inflows. We conclude that a country which can enhance its governance environment in general is likely to attract more foreign direct investment despite offsetting deficiencies in other dimensions of good governance such as voice and accountability and regulatory quality.     

An Examination of Changes in Residents' Perceptions of Tourism Impacts Over Time: The Impact of Residents' Socio-demographic Characteristics

This study investigates whether there has been a change in residents' perceptions of various tourism impacts over time and the impact of residents' socio-demographic characteristics on those changes. A survey of local residents (n?=?732 in 2004 and n?=?590 in 2009) was carried out for collecting the data for this study which was then followed by focus groups, conducted in 2012, consisting of academics, local residents and the tourism experts to validate the outcome from the survey. The results suggest that there has been significant increase in the level of agreement of the Sunshine Coast residents during this period on some of the tourism impacts such as job creation, attracting more investment, providing more business for local people and more cultural exchange between tourists and residents. The results also suggest that there is a significant decline in their perceptions of tourism negatively affecting the way of living of local residents and likelihood of residents suffering from living in a tourism destination. The residents also feel that there will be a decline in parks and other recreational areas for local residents with growth in tourism. The study also found that demographic variables such as age, gender, income, education and occupation are likely to influence residents' perceptions of tourism impact over time. Implications for future tourism development plans for the region are discussed.     

Pension,possible phaseout,and endogenous fertility in general equilibrium

The rich literature on Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG)-type pensions provides a notion that when pension return is dominated by the market return, generally it is impossible to phase pension out without hurting any generation. We show that PAYG pensions can indeed be phased out in a much richer framework where fertility is endogenous and general equilibrium effects are present. Interestingly, the factor that helps us to phase the pension out in a Pareto way is hidden in the structure of PAYG pension itself. Individualistic agents fail to recognize the benefits of their fertility decision on these programs and, therefore, end up in an allocation that is strictly dominated by the allocations that internalize this externality. Exploiting this positive externality, competitive economy can improve its allocations and can reach the planner's steady-state in finite time where each generation secures as much utility as in the competitive equilibrium. Clearly, it is possible to transition in a Pareto way to an economy either with no pension or with pensions whose return is not dominated by market return.     

Leaving home: Food choice behavior of young German adults

Like other western countries, Germany too reports record numbers of overweight and obese individuals with young German adults in a particularly high-risk position. As such, this study sought to investigate if food choice varied by the place of residence (dependent or independent) of these young adults. Using a self-administered questionnaire, analyses of quantitative data from 305 German students between the ages of 18 to 24 years indicate that students living in the family home consume more serves of both fruit and vegetables each day in comparison to young adults living independently. Further, higher proportions of dependent students eat more serves of every food group each day in comparison to their independent counterparts. The study finds a significant difference in mood, weight concern, and attitudes towards healthy eating between students under 21 years old and those above 21 years old. This study demonstrates clear implications for a number of stakeholders. The individuals themselves must better develop skills in both food choice and food management, including budgeting. Parents can facilitate this development whilst the children are in the family home and then encouraging empowerment once the student makes the transition to college or university. The article includes implications for marketers and social marketers; the former must offer more information and guidance on food choice, for example, through better food labelling, the latter must address these message issues for future attitude and behavioural change campaigns.     

Exploring Residents' Perceptions of the Social Impacts of Tourism on the Sunshine Coast,Australia

ABSTRACT

This study identified residents' perceptions of major social impacts from tourism and their social concerns. A survey of households on the Sunshine Coast region covering the hinterland residential, hinterland high tourist activity, coastal residential and coastal high tourist activity areas of the three shires (Caloundra City Council, Maroochy Shire and Noosa Shire) was carried out to assess residents' perceptions of social impacts. Altogether 732 responses were received. Based on the perceptions of the respondents, the survey results suggest that if rates of resident perceptions are aligned with actual impact, tourism has the highest impact on traffic congestion. Residents perceived that the opportunity to meet people from other regions of the world provides a valuable experience for respondents to better understand their culture and society. The study also found a number of significant correlations between residents' concerns and tourism impact variables. It revealed that the principal area of concern was the lack of capacity of roads and transportation followed by perceived negative impacts on the surrounding environment and crime related incidents.