ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Without exaggeration the basic challenge of management is economics: how to choose to employ scarce productive resources to accomplish limited objectives effectively. It is well recognized today, and increasingly so in post-industrial societies, that information, broadly defined, is a strategic economic resource that must be managed if it is to be productive. A comprehensive literature has developed .in the discipline of economics which concerns information, information systems and information-related phenomena of import to management and the development of management information systems (MIS). Although this literature is vast, this overview attempts to relate some of this work to MIS and MIS research. We highlight results in three general areas: 1) those which concern the effect of information upon economic markets external to the firm; 2) those which concern issues of information and its relation to decision making and the internal organization of the firm; and 3) those which concern questions of allocation and control of information resources within the firm. In particular, attention will be directed to interpretation of the major results related to the effect of information upon markets and upon individual decision making, team theory, agency theory, decomposition theory, resource allocation and pricing, incentives, and information evaluation

ECONOMIC EFFECT OF IMPERFECT INFORMATION ON CONSERVATION DECISIONS

Cotton farmers in the Piedmont region incorrectly believe conservation systems with winter cover crop and no-till cultivation yield less than conventional systems. We model the effect of organic matter on productivity and show how ignoring this effect causes returns to be underestimated. Farmers with imperfect information underinvest in residue management.residue management, organic matter, productivity, comparative statics, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use, Productivity Analysis,

COLLABORATIVE SYSTEMS AND MATHEMATICAL MODELS FOR LEADING ECONOMIC PROCESSES

A collaborative system is an interdisciplinary field located at the intersection of economics, computer science, management and sociology. These systems are focused on building connections between people, equipment and information. In the context of collaborative systems, the mathematical models used to simulate business processes provide information for building applications that help optimizing the business processes and contribute to sustaining economic decisions.collaborative system, mathematical model, simulation, repair, maintenance

Agrarian structure in Poland : the myth of large-farm superiority

In Poland, present policies are aimed at promoting large, mechanized farms over smaller family farms. These policies are based on the perception that large farms offer real economies of scale. But international evidence indicates that such large, mechanized farms are generally less efficient and use less labor than small family farms. The authors analyzed the relationship between farm size and efficiency in Polish agriculture. They used two different methods to do so. First they determined differences in total factor productivity between small and large farms. They then used Data Envelope Analysis to estimate scale efficiencies. The results show that, for the sample of farms analyzed: 1) large farms are not more efficient than smaller farms; and 2) smaller farms are more labor-intensive than larger farms. These results have important policy implications for farm restructuring in Poland and other transition economies facing similar issues and conditions.Environmental Economics&Policies,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Livestock&Animal Husbandry

Fuzzy voting in clustering

In this paper we present a fuzzy voting scheme for cluster algorithms. This fuzzy voting method allows us to combine several runs of cluster algorithms resulting in a common fuzzy partition. This helps us to overcome instabilities of the cluster algorithms and results in a better clustering.Series: Report Series SFB "Adaptive Information Systems and Modelling in Economics and Management Science

Thought for Food: the impact of ICT on agribusiness

This report outlines the impact of ICT on the food economy. On the basis of a literature review from four disciplines - knowledge management, management information systems, operations research and logistics, and economics - the demand for new ICT applications, the supply of new applications and the match between demand and supply are identified. Subsequently the impact of new ICT applications on the food economy is discussed. The report relates the development of new technologies to innovation and adoption processes and economic growth, and to concepts of open innovations and living lab

Do farmers chooseto be inefficient? evidence from Bicol, Philippines

Farming households that differ in their ability, or willingness to take on risks are likely to make different decisions when allocating resources, and effort among income-producing activities, with consequences for productivity. The authors measure voluntary, and involuntary departures from efficiency for rice-producing households in Bicol, Philippines. They take advantage of a panel of household observations from 1978, 1983, and 1994. The unusually long-time span of the panel provides ample opportunities for the surveyed households to learn, and apply successful available technologies. The authors find evidence that diversification, and technology choices do effect outcomes among farmers, although these effects are not dominant. Accumulated wealth, past decisions to invest in education, favorable market conditions, and propitious weather are also important determinants of efficiency outcomes among Bicol rice farmers.Labor Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Economic Theory&Research,Climate Change,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Climate Change

Public management and essential public health functions

The authors provide an overview of how different approaches to improving public sector management relate to so-called core or essential public health functions, such as disease surveillance, health education, monitoring and evaluation, workforce development, enforcement of public health laws and regulations, public health research, and health policy development. The authors summarize key themes in the public management literature and draw lessons for their application to these core functions.Decentralization,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Systems Development&Reform,Public Health Promotion,Enterprise Development&Reform,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,National Governance,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Banks&Banking Reform,Health Economics&Finance

Research and Extension Capabilities: Program Economists in New South Wales Agriculture

In 1997 the economists in NSW Agriculture conducting applied economics research at its larger research stations were assigned to the Department's major programs of the Department. This report reviews some of their achievements since that time. The report begins with a section describing the role of Program Economists and their management. Then follows a brief review of the main areas of interest of each of the twelve economists. A large section of the report is devoted to outlining major areas of research and extension where program economists, often working cooperatively, have made a significant contribution. These areas include: Analyses of market conditions for agricultural products; Field crop economics; Grazing and pasture economics; Integrated weed and pest management economics; Farming systems economics; Provision of farm management information; Research and extension evaluation and policy. Aspects reviewed in these areas included the key findings from research, research objectives, future directions of research and for each area, a selection of the most significant publications produced by program economists. The final section of the report is a listing of publications by program economists since 1997. Since then they have written 9 book chapters, 57 refereed journal papers, 23 refereed research bulletins, 40 papers in conference proceedings, 94 invited and contributed conference papers, 56 miscellaneous reports and work papers; and 43 farm management papers.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Social Principles Underlying Traditional Inshore Fishery Management Systems in the Pacific Basin

Among fisheries management schemes, those based on sole ownership concepts have been relatively little studied. This concept has been most widely applied in the traditional fisheries management or sea tenure systems of the Pacific Basin, where, unlike the West, sole ownership resides in the community or other small social group. Information on Pacific Basin sea tenure systems remains largely anecdotal and unsynthesized. In a partial attempt to overcome that, this article defines and exemplifies six social principles common to many traditional systems of sea tenure in inshore fisheries management in the Pacific Basin, with reference to Oceanian islands, and based on an examination of the literature and supplementary field research. These principles are that: (1) sea rights depend on social status, (2) resource exploitation is governed by use rights, (3) resource territories are defined. (4) marine resources are controlled by traditional authorities, (5) conservation was traditionally widely practiced, and (6) sanctions and punishments are meted out for infringement of regulations. Most remaining systems are hybrids of traditional and modem components, with the latter becoming dominant. Interpretation of the literature without supplementary field verification is severely constrained by the use of the ''anthropological present'' tense.Environmental Economics and Policy, International Development, International Relations/Trade, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,