Efficiency and Technical Change in the Philippine Rice Sector: A Malmquist Total Factor Productivity Analysis

Regional differences in total factor productivity, efficiency, and technological change in the Philippine rice sector are examined for the post-Green Revolution era. Malmquist productivity indices were constructed for 1971–90 and were decomposed into efficiency and technological change. The average annual Malmquist productivity growth was only slightly positive. Productivity growth was negative during the early 1970s, and was followed by a period of positive growth. Growth was negative again in the late 1980s. The period of positive growth coincided with the introduction of new rice varieties while the declines are likely to have been caused by intensification of rice production in lowland farming systems. Certain regions such as Central Luzon, Western Visayas, and Southern and Northern Mindanao had higher rates of technological change than others. This may be due to higher investments in infrastructure and education, increased adoption of tractors, and a better agroclimatic environment.     

Broadband Demand Analysis for Network Building

An increase of broadband demand is forecasted by transitional methods that consider the effect of this increase through many factors, such as customer requirement diversification, and new service introduction and deployment under competition. Broadband demand forecasting has become important for closing the digital divide, promoting regional developments, and constructing networks economically; therefore, a demand forecast model that considers the mechanisms of market structure is necessary. In this paper, a demand analysis method for broadband access combining macro- and micro-data mining is proposed, and the service choice behaviour of customers is introduced as a customer model not only to express the macro trend of market structure, but also to consider area marketing. The proposed method can estimate the potential demand, determine the point at which broadband demand growth peaks in a specified area, and support a decision for ultra high-speed broadband access facility installation.     

The CRM process in retail and service sector firms in Japan: Loyalty development and financial return

Research on customer relationship management (CRM) in general has focused on the effects of customer satisfaction with CRM, customer retention and profit management, and the effects of CRM technique on performance. Conceptually, however, a sequence of effects of CRM is expected, from CRM implementation to financial performance, but this sequence has not been explored. Whilst several definitions of CRM have been proposed, this article defines CRM as relationship-development programmes based on IT. CRM is regarded as the integration of relationship technology (i.e. data consolidating and data mining) with loyalty schemes. Survey research was conducted in Japan in the retail and service industries to test three hypotheses: (1) a firm's relationship orientation has a positive effect on CRM implementation (data warehousing, data mining, using customer data for decision making); (2) CRM implementation has a positive effect on return on equity; and (3) CRM implementation has an indirect effect on return on equity, mediated by customisation. Using a structural equation model the first hypothesis was supported, but the third hypothesis was only partially supported. In these analyses a direct effect of CRM implementation on return on equity (ROE) was supported; however, a negative impact of customisation on ROE was found.     

Water conveyance,return flows and technology choice

This paper develops a spatial conjunctive use model of an irrigation project in which the regulatory agency determines investments in the centralized distribution system and farmers decide the level of on-farm technology in the field. Irrigation return flows are assumed to recharge the groundwater aquifer. It is shown that there is specialization in production with upstream farmers using surface water and downstream farmers pumping from the aquifer. An empirical model suggests that the proportion of return flows has a significant effect on the level of investments in water distribution as well as in the field. For example, if return flows are relatively high, it may be optimal to allow for significant water losses from the canal and the fields. It suggests that the project pricing and technology adoption policies may need to be tempered by consideration of the basinwide impacts of water diversions.     

Roles of Films and Television Dramas in International Tourism: The Case of Japanese Tourists to the UK

It is believed that films and television dramas that are not directly concerned with tourism promotion have become a catalyst for tourism as publicity and promotional media for attracting tourists. This paper considers what roles films and television dramas play in influencing overseas tourists' behaviors in terms of their travel destination selection. The results from the survey of Japanese tourists to the UK gave evidence of a wide range of roles of films and television drams as different stages in respondents' destination choice processes. This paper concludes that films and television dramas have an ability to create destination awareness, consciousness, and images leading to a stronger interest in the destination and actual travel to the destination.