Maize in China: Production Systems, Constraints, and Research Priorities

Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Global Coal Risk Assessment: Data Analysis and Market Research

Coal-fired power plants are the largest contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. In 2010, 61 countries produced coal and 104 countries consumed it. Global coal production reached 7,228.712 million tonnes that year and coal consumption reached 7,238.028 million tonnes. More than 60 percent of the coal consumed was used to generate power.This working paper assesses current global coal risks to the climate. It identifies the countries and companies involved in global coal production and consumption, and sheds light on global trends by mapping the proposed new coal power plants and related infrastructure. The paper is organized into five parts. Part 1 lists the proposed new coal-fired plants around the world, based on available data. Part 2 lists existing coal-fired plants. Part 3 offers an overview of the global coal trade, including analyses of country trends. Part 4 summarizes available studies of coal financing. Part 5 notes data gaps that can be filled by future research

Production costs of pears and apples in Xinjiang (China)

China is the most important pear producing country in the world, and one of the most important as far as it concerns apples. Nevertheless, its international role is not so relevant: traded volume in relation to production is relatively small yet growing fast. Xinjiang is a large and mainly deserted region in northwest China that covers one-sixth of China's land. However, thanks to abundant water resources, good lighting conditions and altitude, this area represents an ideal setting for pomefruit production, and has in fact a very long tradition. Unfortunately, due to a disadvantaged location and a poor economy this province do not attract enough capitals, passing unnoticed despite of its valuable resources. Economic analysis are therefore necessary to assess to which extent this market turns out to be approachable. The aim of this paper is to describe in detail the situation of the fruit growing industry in Xinjiang, as far as it concerns two important pomefruit varieties: Xiang Li pear, a local and very appreciated variety, and Fuji apple. After locating the most vocated producing areas for both species and identifying the productive standards, we then proceed on counting up the production costs, using a well-established methodology adapted to the particular situation. The target of the analysis are small and mid-size farms, since they represent the vast majority of the orchards of the area. The costs aggregates are: base orchard management cost (BOMC), farm full cost (FFC) and total production cost (TPC). These aggregates group together costs related to similar productive factors. The picture of the situation outlined by this survey is that of a marginal area, where however fruit growing, compared to other agricultural activities, grants a good income. It also emerges that fruit growers in Xinjiang (and in China), are hardly coming out of a situation of general backwardness, striving to adapt to a larger business mainly through exportation to other provinces. Farms are however mainly familiar and small, and only a few big local enterprises seem to possess the right requirements to give local production the right impetus to reach successfully outside markets.Xiang Li fragrant pear, Fuji apple, Production cost, China, Fruit growing

Exploring the factors influencing business model innovation using grounded theory: the case of a Chinese high-end equipment manufacturer

Business model innovation is vitally important for firms to gain competitive advantages and improve their performance. While it has attracted much attention recently, considerable work is still needed to properly understand business model innovation. This study aims to examine the factors influencing business model innovation through a case study of Shaanxi Blower, a high-end equipment manufacturer in China. Using grounded theory in terms of open coding, axial coding and selective coding, this case study found seven main factors that influenced business model innovation, namely, market pressure, government policy, entrepreneurship, culture and strategy, technology, human resources, and organizational capabilities. Market pressure, government policy and information technology are external factors, whereas, entrepreneurship and technological innovation are internal factors. Culture and strategy, human resources, and organizational capabilities are the guarantee factors. This study’s findings add to the growing literature by developing a more holistic understanding of the factors that influence business model innovation in the Chinese context, which indicates a possibility for Chinese high-end equipment manufacturers to improve their competitiveness and performance through better management of their business model innovation. View Full-Tex

Research on Rural Tourism Product Development from the Perspective of Education—A Case Study of Huangu Town, Ziyang County, Shaanxi Province

Nowadays, the rapid development of rural tourism for the economic development of rural areas. However, with the trend of increasingly diversified, personalized and experiential tourism demands of tourists, rural tourism products have different degrees of “lag” in resource development, business philosophy, service level and other links. At the same time, educational tourism, as a new form of special tourism, is favored by the tourism market, but it also faces “bottleneck” problems such as shortage of tourism resources and single form of activities. This paper tries to combine rural tourism with educational tourism from the perspective of education. Starting from the idea that educational tourism develops in rural areas to excavate the cultural connotation of rural tourism resources and improve the product level, this paper studies the development of rural educational tourism products under the background of experience economy. And through the empirical study of Huangu Town area in Shaanxi Province to demonstrate and guide the development effect of rural educational tourism products in concrete practice