Performance Measurement Systems, Competitive Priorities, and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies: Some Evidence from the Aeronautical Sector

Purpose – When acquiring advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT), the greatest caution should be taken regarding the performance measurement system to be used: the decision regarding new investments should not be conditioned by the excessive use of financial indicators to the detriment of the strategic objectives that motivated the investments. It is intended to analyze the aeronautical sector, for which the purchase of AMT is qualifying criteria, with two intentions: first, to identify the performance measurement systems that are used, and second, to test their correspondence with the objectives that motivated the investments. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of the 20 plants in the population was conducted via a postal questionnaire plus a structured interview. The unit of analysis has been maintained through the triangulation of data sources. Findings – The findings suggest that both financial and non-financial indicators are used, with the latter gaining predominance over the former on some occasions, even though there is no clear correspondence between strategy and the measurement of performance. In the light of the findings, the question of what inspires a company’s performance measurement system is still open, especially in those cases where there is no explicit strategy. With regard to practical implications, what seems to be indispensable is an improvement in the determination of the critical variables that should be used to measure performance. Research limitations/implications – Being valuable for academics and practitioners, this contribution relies, rather, on the possibility of a logical extrapolation to circumstances where the findings might apply, and researchers can judge whether the particular findings would be valid. Originality/value – Provides new evidence on the adaptation of the make-up and combination of the type of performance measures currently used by plants in the aeronautical industry, one of the sectors in which technological innovation is of the utmost importance.Publicad

Adopting and Implementing AMT: New Data on Key Factors from the Aeronautical Industry.

The objective of this paper is to take a greater in-depth look at which factors might be considered to be key to the performance of investments made in advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT), given their supposed positive effects, and on the influence that the time these factors are taken into account during the adoption and implementation process can have on that relationship. It provides a specially devised empirical analysis in the aeronautical sector in the south of Spain. A survey of the 20 plants in the population was conducted via a postal questionnaire between July 1999 and April 2001, with a structured interview being held at a later date. The testing of hypotheses was performed by applying the t-test to independent samples. The results show that the only factor that has a clear and positive effect on performance is the training of personnel. It can also be seen that a lack of strategic planning contributes to dampening the effects of investments. These results may be of some help to management staff and public administrators in charge of promoting the process of technological innovation, by indicating actions that need to be taken in order to successfully adopt and implement AMT.

Livelihood strategies of cacao producers in Ecuador: Effects of national policies to support cacao farmers and specialty cacao landraces

This study identifies the livelihood strategies pursued by small cacao farmers in the Guayas coastal region inEcuador, where two distinct cacao varieties are grown: thefineflavor variety, Cacao Nacional (CN), and a hybridvariety (CCN-51). Enhancing CN production is regarded as an economic development strategy since CN varietybeans are characterized by premium prices in international markets. This study aims to assess the trade-offsfaced by small cacao producers in the production of specialty (CN) vs. commodity (CCN-51) cacao and how theyaffect their livelihoods. A detailed household survey sampled 188 households. Based on activity variables, fourlatent profiles of livelihood strategies were identified, which were related to capital asset endowment and in-come share variables. The results show that there was not a clear gap between cultivation of CN and CCN-51, as60% of the sampled households simultaneously grew both varieties. The results indicate that the variable“shareof land allocated to CN”does not significantly contribute to discriminating among profiles. Households with alow share of land allocated to CCN-51 showed higher income diversification strategies and vice versa. Our studyalso shows that the lack of appropriate incentives may threaten the future cultivation of CN since the Nationalpolicy for CN rehabilitation has had little impact on the more cacao-driven profiles that have a lower assetendowment. The design, structuring and maintenance of a domestic differentiated value chain for the CNvariety, together with income diversification measures and prior improvement on the asset endowment of theseprofiles, seems to be the pathway to improve the livelihoods of small farmers and increase the success of thecurrent policy forfineflavor cacao rehabilitation at the national levelinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Livelihood strategies of cacao producers in Ecuador: Effects of national policies to support cacao farmers and specialty cacao landraces

This study identifies the livelihood strategies pursued by small cacao farmers in the Guayas coastal region inEcuador, where two distinct cacao varieties are grown: thefineflavor variety, Cacao Nacional (CN), and a hybridvariety (CCN-51). Enhancing CN production is regarded as an economic development strategy since CN varietybeans are characterized by premium prices in international markets. This study aims to assess the trade-offsfaced by small cacao producers in the production of specialty (CN) vs. commodity (CCN-51) cacao and how theyaffect their livelihoods. A detailed household survey sampled 188 households. Based on activity variables, fourlatent profiles of livelihood strategies were identified, which were related to capital asset endowment and in-come share variables. The results show that there was not a clear gap between cultivation of CN and CCN-51, as60% of the sampled households simultaneously grew both varieties. The results indicate that the variable“shareof land allocated to CN”does not significantly contribute to discriminating among profiles. Households with alow share of land allocated to CCN-51 showed higher income diversification strategies and vice versa. Our studyalso shows that the lack of appropriate incentives may threaten the future cultivation of CN since the Nationalpolicy for CN rehabilitation has had little impact on the more cacao-driven profiles that have a lower assetendowment. The design, structuring and maintenance of a domestic differentiated value chain for the CNvariety, together with income diversification measures and prior improvement on the asset endowment of theseprofiles, seems to be the pathway to improve the livelihoods of small farmers and increase the success of thecurrent policy forfineflavor cacao rehabilitation at the national levelinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A Bias-adjusted three-step approach for analysing the livelihood strategies and the asset mix of cocoa producers in Ecuador

This study applies the Bias-Adjusted Three-Step approach with covariate and distal outcomes for identify the livelihood strategies pursued by small cacao farmers in the Guayas coastal region in Ecuador, where two distinct cacao varieties are grown: the fine flavor variety, cacao Nacional (CN) and a hybrid variety (CCN-51). A detailed household survey sampled 188 households. Four latent profiles of livelihood strategies were identified based on activity variables; these were related to capital assets used as covariate and income share variables used as distal outcomesPostprint (published version

The Role of Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria and Bifidobacteria in the Prevention and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Other Related Diseases: A Systematic Review of Randomized Human Clinical Trials

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic inflammation of the small intestine and colon caused by a dysregulated immune response to host intestinal microbiota in genetically susceptible subjects. A number of fermented dairy products contain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria, some of which have been characterized as probiotics that can modify the gut microbiota and may be beneficial for the treatment and the prevention of IBD. The objective of this review was to carry out a systematic search of LAB and bifidobacteria probiotics and IBD, using the PubMed and Scopus databases, defined by a specific equation using MeSH terms and limited to human clinical trials. The use of probiotics and/or synbiotics has positive effects in the treatment and maintenance of UC, whereas in CD clear effectiveness has only been shown for synbiotics. Furthermore, in other associated IBD pathologies, such as pouchitis and cholangitis, LAB and bifidobacteria probiotics can provide a benefit through the improvement of clinical symptoms. However, more studies are needed to understand their mechanisms of action and in this way to understand the effect of probiotics prior to their use as coadjuvants in the therapy and prevention of IBD conditions

Are Sugar-Reduced and Whole Grain Infant Cereals Sensorially Accepted at Weaning? A Randomized Controlled Cross-Over Trial

We are immensely grateful to the primary care pediatricians, Enrique López, Francisco Carrillo, Begoña Pelegrín, Eva María Rodriguez, Matilde Zornoza, María Fuensanta Costa, Antonio Iofrío, Sebastian Lorente, Santiago Carbajo and Gregorio Vicente who actively collaborated in recruiting and monitoring the infants. We would like to acknowledge the support of Isabel Vasallo for the trial monitoring, David Prieto for helping us with the statistical analyses, Fabien Gandolphe for the unconditional support to make this project possible and Romy Jacobs for working on this study during her internship. Lastly, we would like to thank all parents and children who participated in this study.The way infants are fed during the complementary period can have a significant impact on infants’ health and development. Infant cereals play an important role in complementary feeding in many countries. In spite of well documented benefits of a low sugar and high whole grain diet, commercial infant cereals are often refined and contain a high amount of sugars. The aim of the present study was to compare the sensory acceptability, gastrointestinal tolerance and bowel habits of two commercially available infant cereals in Spain with varying sugar and whole grain contents in infants at weaning. Forty-six healthy infants (mean age = 5.2 ± 0.4 months) received one of the two infant cereals containing either 0% whole grain flour and a high sugar content produced by starch hydrolysis (24 g/100 g) (Cereal A) or 50% whole grain flour and a medium-sugar content produced by hydrolysis (12 g/100 g) (Cereal B) in a randomized, triple blind, cross-over controlled trial. Both types of infant cereals were consumed for seven weeks. The cross-over was carried out after seven weeks. Sensory acceptability, anthropometry, gastrointestinal tolerance and adverse events were measured, and results evaluated using a linear regression model. No significant differences were observed between groups in any of the main variables analyzed. Importantly, the long-term health implications of our findings represent a wake-up call for the food industry to reduce or even eliminate simple sugars in infant cereals and for regulatory bodies and professional organizations to recommend whole grain infant cereals.ICEX Invest Spain 201503473FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional)-"Investment Program of foreign companies in R&D activities"-2015, under "Smart Growth Operational Programme" by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivenes

Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials

The consumption of sugar-free foods is growing because of their low-calorie content and the health concerns about products with high sugar content. Sweeteners that are frequently several hundred thousand times sweeter than sucrose are being consumed as sugar substitutes. Although nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) are considered safe and well tolerated, their effects on glucose intolerance, the activation of sweet taste receptors, and alterations to the composition of the intestinal microbiota are controversial. This review critically discusses the evidence supporting the effects of NNSs, both synthetic sweeteners (acesulfame K, aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, neotame, advantame, and sucralose) and natural sweeteners (NSs; thaumatin, steviol glucosides, monellin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, and glycyrrhizin) and nutritive sweeteners (polyols or sugar alcohols) on the composition of microbiota in the human gut. So far, only saccharin and sucralose (NNSs) and stevia (NS) change the composition of the gut microbiota. By definition, a prebiotic is a nondigestible food ingredient, but some polyols can be absorbed, at least partially, in the small intestine by passive diffusion: however, a number of them, such as isomaltose, maltitol, lactitol, and xylitol, can reach the large bowel and increase the numbers of bifidobacteria in humans. Further research on the effects of sweeteners on the composition of the human gut microbiome is necessary