Subsistence agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe: how to break the vicious circle?

Subsistence agriculture is probably the least understood and the most neglected type of agriculture. In a globalised, market-driven world, it remains at the same time a myth and a marginal phenomenon. CONTENTS: Subsistence Agriculture in Development: Its Role in Processes of Structural Change; Franz Heidhues, Michael Brüntrup. Institutions and Technologies for Subsistence Agriculture: How to Increase Commercialization; Zvi Lerman. Policy Options to Overcome Subsistence Agriculture in the CEECs; Joachim von Braun, Daniela Lohlein. Decision Making Patterns of Subsistence Farmers in Bulgaria; Plamen Mishev, Philip Kostov. Commercialisation of Subsistence Agriculture in Transition Economies: On Imperfect Competition, Market Development and Support Policies; Ernst-August Nuppenau. Development Perspectives of Subsistence Farms in Southeastern Poland: Social Buffer Stock or Commercial Agriculture? Martin Petrick, Ewa Tyran. The Market Potential and Patterns of Contemporary Agriculture in Romania's Northwestern Plain; Csaba M. Kovács. Subsistence Farming in Bulgaria: Between Tradition and Market Requirements; Diana Kopeva, Nivelin Noev. The Significance of Subsistence Farming in Georgia as an Economic and Social Buffer; Hannah Kegel. Agrarian Reform and Subsistence Agriculture in Russia; Vladimir Yefimov. Economic Background and Development Opportunities of Individual Subsidiary Holdings in the Ukraine: Some Empirical Evidence; Andriy Nedoborovskyy. Modeling Subsistence Agriculture in Russia: Effects of Total Productivity Changes and Reduction of Marketing Margins; Peter Wehrheim, Peter Wobst --

The Mediating Effect of NPD-Activities and NPD-Performance on the Relationship between Market Orientation and Organizational Performance

Empirical research has demonstrated that a market orientation has in general a positive effect on organizational performance. The potential benefits of a market orientation have, however, not been realized because academics and practitioners do not yet understand the modus operandi that transform market orientation into superior organizational performance. Recent research has demonstrated that the proficiency in new product development (NPD) activities might be the key in the conversion of market orientation into superior NPD-performance, and hence, organizational performance. This study is designed to test a set of hypotheses related to the interrelationships among market orientation, the proficiency in NPD-activities, NPD-performance, and organizational performance. The results from a sample of 126 manufacturing firms in the Netherlands present evidence for the mediating role of the proficiency in several NPD-activities and NPD-performance in the relationship between market orientation and organizational performance. The fact that this mediating role has been found thus provides a better understanding of how market-oriented behaviors are transformed into superior value for customers.performance evaluation;innovation;statistical analysis;market orientation;studies

Determinants of emerging technology commercialization: evidence from MEMS technology

The term “emerging technology” refers to new technologies that create substantial changes to industry evolution and enterprise management. Nowadays, such technologies are mainly based on the development of information technology, internet technology, biotechnology and other interdisciplinary areas with potential industrial applications. Although emerging technologies have created opportunities for technological and economic innovation, their “creative destruction” characteristics also result in a very high failure rate in their commercialization processes. Most of the recent studies on the commercialization of emerging technology have focused on developed areas such as the United States, Japan, and the European Union, with few studies on developing countries like China. The present thesis seeks to fill this gap. Taking 112 Chinese MEMS enterprises as a sample, this thesis empirically investigated the determinants of emerging technology in China. Furthermore, a case study (Wuxi BEWIS Sensing Technology, Ltd.) was employed to analyze how these determinants affect the real commercializing process in the Chinese economy. Through multiple regression analysis, the empirical results show that technology property, market conditions, regional innovation network, and enterprise capability are determinants of MEMS commercialization, whereas social environment and policy and regulation do not have significant impacts on the performance of MEMS commercialization.O termo “tecnologia emergente” diz respeito a novas tecnologias que estão a gerar mudanças substanciais na evolução da indústria e na gestão das empresas. Atualmente essas tecnologias baseiam-se sobretudo no desenvolvimento da tecnologia de informação, da tecnologia de internet, da biotecnologia e de outras áreas interdisciplinares com potencial de aplicação industrial. Embora as tecnologias emergentes tenham criado oportunidades para a inovação, tecnológica e económica, as suas características de “destruição criativa” também resultaram numa elevada taxa de insucesso nos processos de comercialização. A maioria dos estudos recentes relativos à comercialização de tecnologia emergente têm-se focado em regiões desenvolvidas tais como os Estados Unidos, o Japão, e a União Europeia, existindo poucos estudos em países em vias de desenvolvimento como é o caso da China. Esta tese procura contribuir para o preenchimento dessa lacuna. Partindo de uma amostra de 112 empresas chinesas de sistemas microeletromecânicos (MEMS), procurou-se investigar empiricamente os determinantes de tecnologia emergente na China. Além disso, foi efetuado um estudo de caso (Wuxi BEWIS Sensing Technology, Ltd.) para analisar como esses determinantes afetam o processo real de comercialização na economia chinesa. Os resultados empíricos, obtidos através de análises de regressão múltipla, mostram que a propriedade tecnológica, as condições de mercado, a rede regional de inovação e a capacidade empresarial são determinantes para a comercialização de MEMS. Por outro lado, constata-se que o ambiente social, a política e a regulamentação não têm impactos significativos no desempenho da comercialização de MEMS

Opportunities of University Business Incubation in the Less Favoured Regions of Transition Countries

The idea of setting up university business incubators (UBIs) has recently gained attention in the less favoured regions of the new entrants of the European Union. But the foreign best practices almost always derive from highly developed regions, which makes them difficult to adapt. In the lagging behind regions universities are unable to accomplish such a project without local government support and EU subsidies. Thus university business incubation can and must be interpreted as a local economic development tool. The main objective of present paper is to answer the question whether a UBI programme can be successful in a less favoured region of a transition country or not, and which are the main peculiarities that have to be considered when adapting the patterns of more developed regions. Raising the question is underlain by the observation that the international literature of business incubation pays little attention to the problem of the necessity and feasibility of incubation. First we review the most important findings of literature on UBI’s contribution to the enhancement of local university-industry relations with a special emphasis on the service providing function and the spin-off process. Second we interpret the results of an empirical analysis carried out in the Szeged sub-region, Hungary. We examined the expectations of local SMEs towards university-related incubation on a sample of 170. We supplemented this by analysing the entrepreneurial motivations of the students and, as a new feature, PhD students of the University of Szeged on samples of 286 and 134. Moreover we examined the sparse process of spin-off formation with interviews. The attitudes of local SMEs towards incubation are rather heterogeneous but some characteristic patterns can be identified. The analysis of students and PhD students and the interviews reinforced the hypothesis that incubation can only be the second step in enhancing the local knowledge commercialization, a well-developed pre-incubation strategy must be implemented prior to that. In the concluding part on the basis of the literature review and the empirical analysis we point out the factors which are necessary to consider in our opinion when planning and managing a UBI project in a less favoured region.

High-Performance Integrated Window and Façade Solutions for California

The researchers developed a new generation of high-performance façade systems and supporting design and management tools to support industry in meeting California’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, reduce energy consumption, and enable an adaptable response to minimize real-time demands on the electricity grid. The project resulted in five outcomes: (1) The research team developed an R-5, 1-inch thick, triplepane, insulating glass unit with a novel low-conductance aluminum frame. This technology can help significantly reduce residential cooling and heating loads, particularly during the evening. (2) The team developed a prototype of a windowintegrated local ventilation and energy recovery device that provides clean, dry fresh air through the façade with minimal energy requirements. (3) A daylight-redirecting louver system was prototyped to redirect sunlight 15–40 feet from the window. Simulations estimated that lighting energy use could be reduced by 35–54 percent without glare. (4) A control system incorporating physics-based equations and a mathematical solver was prototyped and field tested to demonstrate feasibility. Simulations estimated that total electricity costs could be reduced by 9-28 percent on sunny summer days through adaptive control of operable shading and daylighting components and the thermostat compared to state-of-the-art automatic façade controls in commercial building perimeter zones. (5) Supporting models and tools needed by industry for technology R&D and market transformation activities were validated. Attaining California’s clean energy goals require making a fundamental shift from today’s ad-hoc assemblages of static components to turnkey, intelligent, responsive, integrated building façade systems. These systems offered significant reductions in energy use, peak demand, and operating cost in California

Africa's changing agricultural development strategies: past and present paradigms as a guide to the future

In this paper, Christopher L. Delgado, of IFPRI's senior research staff, takes a critical look at the changing paradigms of agricultural development that have influenced agricultural policy in Africa since the colonial era. The review shows how current approaches to meeting Africa's agricultural challenges to the year 2020 developed. It concludes that Africans have had relatively little input into the intellectual bases of strategies affecting their rural areas, a situation that must be changed if future strategies are to be effective in dealing with Africa's problems of development.Agricultural policy Africa., Agricultural economics and policies, agricultural development,

Organic Rural Innovation Systems and Networks: Findings From a Study of Ethiopian Smallholders

Agriculture in Ethiopia is changing. New players, relationships, and policies are influencing the ways in which information and knowledge are used by smallholders. While this growing complexity suggests opportunities for Ethiopian smallholders, too little is known about how these opportunities can be effectively leveraged to promote pro-poor processes of rural innovation. This paper examines Ethiopia’s smallholder agricultural sector from an innovation systems perspective to understand the changing roles, responsibilities, and interactions of diverse actors in relation to smallholder livelihoods. The paper uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative research tools to paint a picture of the innovation landscape at both the system and local levels. Findings suggest that public sector extension, administration, and related service providers form a closely-knit network in rural Ethiopia with the ability to influence smallholder access to knowledge and information. Given the Government of Ethiopia’s priorities of improving rural welfare by increasing market access among smallholders, these findings suggest the need for policies and programs designed to strengthen innovative capabilities among rural service providers from the public sector, and to create more space for private and civil society actors to participate in smallholder innovation networks.Ethiopia, Agricultural development, innovation, technology, Social networks, Social learning, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Training participation among Malaysian higher learning institutions’ academia: a systematic review

Attainment of the Malaysian Education Blueprint depends on effective training strategies and continuous professional development among academicians. In retrospect, the effectiveness of these programs depends on the degree of participation of employees’ and hence, reflects in the quality of Malaysian Higher Education system. Preliminary interviews conducted with several public universities’ training officers highlighted that low training participation as one of the most pressing challenges. There is lack of motivation among academicians to participate in training programs since they are not properly linked with vital human resources functions such as successive planning, promotion and annual performance appraisal. Since training programs are costly investment, participation to completion is therefore a precondition for such investment to be worthy. This paper presents a systematic review of existing training participation literatures to establish the empirical gaps and gain in-depth understanding on factors affecting training participation. Our reviews indicate that factors affecting training participation could be grouped into several recurring themes which are training-related factors, individual-related factors and organizational-related factors and job-related factors. Learning theories, training models, Theory of Human Capital and Theory of Planned Behaviors are commonly used as the basis of these factors. Direction of future studies is discussed