Social science perspectives on managing agricultural technology

TechnologyAgricultural researchResource managementFarmer participationEvaluation

Farmers, seeds and varieties : supporting informal seed supply in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is characterized by an enormous diversity in agro-ecosystems, crops and varieties, with the informal seed systems dominant in seed supply for almost all crops. The book addresses strategies and approaches through which professionals can support informal seed supply, and links these with the conservation and use of the huge genetic resource base of crops and local varieties. The book looks at informal seed supply from a number of different angles, introduces key concepts and strategies, and presents case studies from Ethiopia and other countries. It deals with the technical aspects of, quality and availability of, and access to seed, and of supporting informal supply. It also deals with the role of farmers in the conservation and management of local crops and varieties, and the participation of farmers and communities in plant breeding and research. It takes a particular interest in the role of farmer organizations in seed supply, and how this role can be strengthened by developing community and small-scale seed enterprises. The aim of all the strategies, case studies and reflections on experiences presented in this book is to improve the availability of and access to quality seeds and varieties, thereby improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Ethiopia and beyond

Social science perspectives on managing agricultural technology

Experiences of 15 social science research fellows who recount their roles in particular research projects at the International Agricultural Research Centers they were appointed. In addition to highlighting the contributions social scientists can make in the field of agricultural research, their papers offer a candid look at the kinds of work in which the Centers currently are engaged.Technology, Agricultural research, Resource management, Farmer participation, Evaluation, Farm Management, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Uncovering the nature of the relationship between outsourcing motivations and the degree of outsourcing: An empirical study on Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises

Prior literature has identified several outsourcing motivations, such as cost reduction and access to expertise, and deciphered the influence of these variables on outsourcing decisions. In another stream of outsourcing studies, researchers have gauged the degree of outsourcing, unearthing how companies may choose to outsource a set or processes instead of the whole business function. In this article, we draw on both of these streams of outsourcing research to study the relationship between outsourcing motivations and the degree of outsourcing within a particular business function. We probe the effect of nine motivation items on outsourcing decision through an empirical study using survey data gathered from 337 small and medium-sized enterprises. We find that cost reduction, a focus on core competence and business/process improvements are all associated with a higher degree of outsourcing, but interestingly, access to expertise is negatively associated with the degree of outsourcing. This finding suggests that companies that outsource mainly to acquire external expertise outsource only a limited number of processes within a specific business function. Our main theoretical contribution lies in uncovering the dynamic nature of outsourcing motivations, meaning that as companies outsource a larger degree of their business processes, some motivation items become more accentuated and others fade in importance

Essays on Industrial Organization.

This dissertation develops new methods to analyze firm behaviors and provides estimates and predictions that inform antitrust and innovation policies. The first chapter shows that horizontal merger policies may be tougher when taking into account a merger's effects on the composition of product offerings in addition to the merger's price effects. The second chapter quantifies and decomposes the effects of vertical integration. I show that the investment coordination effects are pro-innovation and dominate the price effects. The results suggest that vertical integration policies should fully consider the potentially positive dynamic implications of a vertical merger. Both chapters are empirical studies in the context of the US smartphone industry. The third chapter develops identification strategies for a general class of matching games and estimates the formation of investment relationships between venture capitalists and biomedical startups. The estimates show that unobservables may be as important as observables in determining which VC invests in which startup firm, and understanding these unobserved factors is important for innovation policies.PhDEconomicsUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133240/1/chnyyang_1.pd

A study of organisational response to the management of operational property assets and facilities support services as a business resource - real estate asset management. Vol. 1-2

The research was driven by three objectives: • to clarify the nature and strength of the link between strategic business planning and the contributory role of the corporate real estate assets; • to model the management processes that are necessary for a proactive approach to real estate provision and their ongoing management as operational facilities; and • to develop an integrated management development model for real estate asset management that is built on continuous improvement. The underlying aim of the study is to develop models and frameworks that justify and provide for the competencies necessary for the continuous alignmof the operational real estate assets to changing business requirements. The above research objectives were operationalised by investigating three related organisational variables - structure, processes and competencies. The main findings reflect a situation in which organisations are looking to optimise on all its business resources. The dynamics of the market place and the pace of technological development are forcing many organisations to look at their operational assets more closely. The evidence from the case studies organisations supports the following: Structure - It is not so much the positioning in terms of closeness to corporate management, but the level of influence that real estate/facilities executives have on the corporate decision making processes that relate to operational facilities issues. Processes - A proactive management approach must provide for procedures that incorporate the strategic business intentions in facilities dimensions and be in a position to provide solutions to business needs. Competencies - It is incumbent upon the real estate/facilities department to understand the nature of the business they are supporting and develop competencies that support the corporate strategic intent. The research proposes an integrated resource planning framework that incorporates the requirements of three principal business resources; people, technology and property. The proposed framework regards Real Estate Asset Management, REAM, as an integrative planning and management process that considers the outcome in operational facilities provision as matching the requirements of people, technology and property; to consciously create the desired workplace environment as defined by real estate variables (via the strategic facilities brief) and facilities services variables (via the service levels brief). The proposed framework was validated against a panel of experts practising in the field of real estate and facilities management. The contribution in knowledge in the field may be viewed in terms of a critical examination of the role of operational facilities as a business resource and the implications this has on the practice of real estate asset management in an organisational setting

The impact of regional supply network structure and governance on the resilience of resource extractive regions: the case of South Australia

This thesis examines the adaptation processes among mining equipment and technology services (METS) firms’ in the South Australian resource sector from 2014 till 2016 during a global downturn in resource commodity prices. Of special interest was the effect on the METS firms of the structure and governance of the resource industry regional supply network in terms of their ability to adapt to the downturn and the implications for regional resilience. The research was driven by the common problem faced by METS suppliers operating in resource extractive economies of how to prosper in spite of fluctuating mineral commodity prices. Downturns in commodity prices usually result in significant job losses, reduction in GDP growth and economic decline. It requires resilience at the firm and regional level to not only cope and recover from external shocks, but also to create new technological paths. Previous research into the regional development of resource-extractive regions has proved that the development of technology and knowledge intensive, value-adding industries around resource extractive activity enhances the resilience of resource economies. A diverse and technology intensive METS sector emerging naturally in proximity to resource extraction sites is potentially able to use its accumulated knowledge and capabilities to overcome the consequences of a decline. In the right environment, METS firms can develop high value-added products and services that can have other industrial applications and find new niches in domestic and overseas markets. The ability of local METS companies to diversify and innovate results in the lateral transfer of technologies developed initially to serve the resource sector, encouraging regional economic diversification and the development of alternative growth paths during a decline in the resource sector. Supply chain relationships are critical to the strategic diversification and innovation of regional METS experiencing resource constraints. Their ability to innovate and diversify depends not only on their own internal research and development efforts, but mostly on their collaboration with customers and supply chain partners around customer problems and solutions. Since there are multiple shared suppliers and clients, a regional supply network serves as a conduit for information and knowledge transfer. Our knowledge of the impact of the structure and governance in a regional supply network and firm diversification and innovativeness is still limited, however. There is a lack of conceptual explanation specific to how network governance in a regional supply network influences METS firms’ ability to respond during those periods when the whole network is experiencing constrained resources. To address this problem in the current research, a multilevel conceptual framework was developed, and a mixed-method research design adopted. The findings demonstrated that formal and informal instruments of regional supply network governance impact firms’ strategies and facilitates both short- term adaptation and the long-term adaptability of regional METS. The research contributes to the economic resilience literature by providing empirical evidence of the role of regional supply network structure and governance as factors influencing regional firms’ strategies at the micro-level. In turn, the strategies and behaviour of regional METS firms at the micro level impact adaptability and regional resilience at the meso-level. Therefore, a coordinated effort by governing bodies through policies and resource allocation is required to ensure the formation of well-connected, integrated regional supply networks that can foster long term adaptability and resilience in resource extractive regions.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation & Innovation Centre, 201

Lessons of the 1999 Abolition of Intra-EU Duty Free Sales for Eastern European EU Candidates

At the end of June 1999 the intra-EU duty free shopping was abolished among the fifteen member nations. The opponents of this resolution argued that such a tax-free sales sector created jobs EU-wide and hardly reduced the value added and excise tax revenue of individual countries. In their opinion, the duty free trade not only contributed to the reduction of the travel fare within the EU but also could be characterised as a supplement to the normal retail trade for some products. Such ‘old’ ideas are increasingly gaining popularity in some Eastern European EU candidates in the context of the preparation process for the introduction of the Single Market and the EU membership in the near future. This study primarily shows that the arguments mentioned above were neither significant enough nor conclusive to maintain the intra-EU duty free shopping. Furthermore, the abolition of such tax free sales was approved in the EU in order to ensure the allocation efficiency of the VAT and excise tax system within a single market. Several arguments against the intra-EU tax free shopping examined in the study provide some helpful policy orientations for EU membership candidates.duty free shopping, EU single market, value added and excise tax harmonisation, eastern european candidates