Investigation of factors that affect the willingness of individuals to share knowledge in the virtual organisation of Taiwanese non-governmental organisations

With the advent of knowledge-intensive economies, plus the ever-accelerating development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), organisational knowledge has become the key driver of an organisation’s value and ultimately, an important source of an organisation’s sustainable competitive edge. Thus, numerous organisations have started to invest heavily in establishing knowledge management systems (KMSs). Subsequently, they wish to access knowledge from individuals in order to enhance their acquisition of knowledge and ultimately transform this into organisational knowledge. Even though existing research studies have evidenced extensively the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators of individuals’ knowledge-sharing behaviour in organisations from diverse perspectives (e.g. organisational behaviour, sociology and psychology), individuals still seem inclined to hoard their knowledge, rather than share it with others in organisations. To this end, this research aims to investigate and identify essential elements related to individuals’ knowledge-sharing behaviour within the complex context of the virtual organisation of Taiwanese Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), comprising the whole system of Taiwanese Farmers’ Associations, by integrating multilevel perspectives of individuals in organisations (the micro-level), workplace networks in organisations (the meso-level) and organisational culture (the macro-level). [Continues.

Determinants of Mobile Commerce Adoption in Developing Countries: Evidence from Rwanda

The rapid development of wireless technology and telecommunication networks has led to mobile devices playing an increasing role in people's lives. Businesses have recognised the value of mobile communication tools and trading platforms. A new type of technology-aided commerce – mobile commerce including mobile financial services – has gained importance in theory and practice. However, in the context of developing countries, the literature on the potential of mobile commerce and its driving factors is still limited. Along five empirical studies conducted in Rwanda, this research identifies the factors that drive the success of mobile commerce and financial services. It defines an appropriate infrastructure (power supply and network connectivity), a suitable regulatory setting, sufficient consumer awareness, and a proper distribution network as crucial for adopting mobile commerce and harvesting its potential. Thereupon, the research derives recommendations to Rwandan policymakers and practitioners in order to achieve economic growth, reduce poverty, and enhance national welfare Rwanda

Agri-food markets towards agroecology : tensions and compromises faced by small-scale farmers in Brazil and Chile

One of the main dilemmas faced by small-scale farmers’ movements advocating for agroecology in Latin America lies in the trade-offs between the economic opportunities arising from the organic food market expansion, and the political principles at the core of their action. To provide insights on this issue, a survey was performed in Brazil and Chile. Between March 2016 and December 2018, data were collected through direct and participant observation, documentary analysis, and interviews conducted to peasant organizations’ leaders, technicians and policymakers. In Brazil, the research focused on the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (The Landless Movement); while in Chile, due to the absence of such a national social movement, it considered a wider set of actors, including the Instituto Nacional de Desarrollo Agropecuario (National Institute for Agricultural Development). The results show how social movements are navigating between the mainstreaming pressures of the conventional markets, dominated by the leading agri-food corporations, and the political efforts they have been doing to build civic food markets as alternatives to conventionalization patterns. Finally, we argue that social scientists should better explain the tensions and compromises the social movements go through in order to coordinate different and complementary marketing strategies

Managing Intellectual Property to Foster Agricultural Development

Over the past decades, consideration of IPRs has become increasingly important in many areas of agricultural development, including foreign direct investment, technology transfer, trade, investment in innovation, access to genetic resources, and the protection of traditional knowledge. The widening role of IPRs in governing the ownership of—and access to—innovation, information, and knowledge makes them particularly critical in ensuring that developing countries benefit from the introduction of new technologies that could radically alter the welfare of the poor. Failing to improve IPR policies and practices to support the needs of developing countries will eliminate significant development opportunities. The discussion in this note moves away from policy prescriptions to focus on investments to improve how IPRs are used in practice in agricultural development. These investments must be seen as complementary to other investments in agricultural development. IPRs are woven into the context of innovation and R&D. They can enable entrepreneurship and allow the leveraging of private resources for resolving the problems of poverty. Conversely, IPRs issues can delay important scientific advancements, deter investment in products for the poor, and impose crippling transaction costs on organizations if the wrong tools are used or tools are badly applied. The central benefit of pursuing the investments outlined in this note is to build into the system a more robust capacity for strategic and flexible use of IPRs tailored to development goals

INVESTIGATING DIGITAL DIVIDE THROUGH VALUE CO-CREATION: EVIDENCE FROM AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES IN CHINA

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Effectiveness of innovation platforms in enhancing technology adoption, productivity and viability : the case of smallholder dairying in Rusitu and Gokwe, Zimbabwe.

Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2017.Despite numerous interventions, low adoption of dairy technologies, low productivity and viability challenges characterize smallholder dairy farming in large parts of the tropics. The problem lies in the unavailability, low adoption rates and disadoption of available improved smallholder dairying technologies. Using Rusitu and Gokwe smallholder dairy projects in Zimbabwe as a case study and a cross-sectional survey of 227 households, this research set out to: (i) explore the innovation domains and their influence on technology adoption patterns, (ii) determine the socio-economic differences between participants and non-participants in smallholder dairy innovation platforms, (iii) assess the effectiveness of innovation platforms in enhancing productivity and viability, and (iv) determine the potential of innovation platforms in enhancing the adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) innovations in smallholder dairying. Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis identified five distinct innovation domains viz: smallholder dairy producers (61.6%), smallholder dairy heirs (15.9%), new and emergent producers (4.6%), smallholder dairy pioneers (2.0%), and market-oriented producers (15.9%). Innovation domains influence the level of dairy technology adoption, notably those with higher levels of participation in innovation platforms. Further comparisons indicated statistically significant differences between innovation platform participants and non-participants regarding dairy herd size, experience in commercial dairying, training received, dairy management systems, and overall Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) (p < 0.01). Propensity Score Matching (PSM) techniques were used to estimate the Average Treatment effect on the Treated (ATT) in determining the impact of innovation platforms on productivity and viability. Results show an ATT value of 0.135 (p < 0.1), while participation in innovation platforms had a positive significant impact on average milk productivity and gross income (p < 0.01). Multinomial Logit (MNL) regression analysis identified participation in innovation platforms to be significant in determining the adoption of CSA innovations such as artificial insemination and fodder production (p < 0.01), and hence the potential of innovation platforms in enhancing the adoption of CSA innovations in smallholder dairying. Innovation platforms have great potential for enhancing technology adoption, productivity and viability in smallholder dairying. This study recommends the promotion, adoption and sustainable funding of innovation platforms as practical tools for developing smallholder dairying

Perceptions and Practice: an Anthology of Impact Assessment Experiences

This book of stories on impact assessment, written by a journalist/editor, with guidance from an experienced development practitioner, is illustrative of CTA’s efforts to promote a culture of organisational learning. It is both entertaining and informative, conveying a serious message in a light style about what might have gone wrong with past attempts at impact assessment. Most significantly, the book shows that, with the correct approach, impact assessment studies can help to shed much-needed light on the intricate social and technical fabric that converts inputs into activities, activities into outputs, outputs into outcomes, and outcomes into impact.This book of stories on impact assessment, written by a journalist/editor, with guidance from an experienced development practitioner, is illustrative of CTA’s efforts to promote a culture of organisational learning..

Numerical modelling of moisture motion in heterogeneous soils using 1D-MIRBF method

In the present paper, we develop an efficient and accurate numerical approach based on one-dimensional-moving integrated radial basis function (1D-MIRBF) and fully implicit modified Picard method for simulating fluid movement in heterogeneous soils governed by the highly non-linear Richards equation. The major advantages of the proposed 1D-MIRBF method include (i) a banded sparse system matrix that helps reduce the computational cost; (ii) the Kronecker Delta property of the constructed shape functions, which helps impose the essential boundary conditions in an exact manner; and (iii) high accuracy and fast convergence rate owing to the use of the IRBF approximation. The performance of the present method is demonstrated through several 1--D and 2--D soil infiltration problems. Numerical results obtained are in agreement with other published results in the literature. This solver for moisture motion in soils will be incorporated into a surface-water-flow solver to handle the surface irrigation problem