Leadership in a Changing Agriculture in UK

The recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in Europe has had significant implications for Leadership in the UK. The move from economic support for food production, to support for environmental deliveries has created the need for a new culture where leaders are very conscious that alliances leading to added political strength and financial viability are now likely to be far more effective than charismatic leadership from the front and top of organizations. The paper will go on to develop the theme of leadership strategy by drawing on many of the writings of the leadership academics and gather experts opinions and ideas regarding farmer's culture and its implications for leadership. The paper concludes that the problem for the agricultural industry at the moment is that so many changes are occurring that a consistent future is very hard to define. Therefore, agricultural leaders now have to articulate the new policies as they evolve on an almost daily basis. The need is for clear and informed leaders who engage widely across society.Leadership, UK Agriculture, Leader's characteristics, Agricultural and Food Policy,

Collaboration within the UK Farm Industry

This paper addresses the effectiveness of the traditional models of cooperation, and analyses best practices in other commercial sectors in order to identify transferable elements. The Report of the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food (2002) identified a need for farmers to cooperate and collaborate more effectively in their business activities in order to be more competitive. The Plunkett Foundation (1992) suggests that in order to play an important role in the maintenance of the rural economy the Farmer Controlled Business should adopt more imaginative approaches. Using an inductive grounded theory approach and guided interview techniques, experts in the field of business collaboration were selected using a purposive sample approach and interviewed using an iterative Delphi model. Interviewees were leading academics, government officials and managers of the most profitable and/or innovative EU based cooperatives. Having been asked to identify and evaluate the operational characteristics of traditional models of cooperation, respondents were encouraged to identify the ideal characteristics of any replacement business frameworks. A culture of "arm focus"and a lack of "global" understanding were identified as very important factors affecting cooperation. In addition to this, the intrinsic limitations of the traditional model of cooperation were recognized as an important limitation, as well as the personal characteristics and skills of the members were identified as relevant barriers. The paper concludes that addressing the problems of culture and attitude is a long-term process. Therefore the solution could come from models, where the members do not necessarily have the required vision or culture, but they are part of a bigger organization that has the needed consumer and food chain focus. The key factor is to gain recognition of the need to fundamentally address organizational structure.cooperatives, collaboration, supply food chain, organizational structure, farming, Agribusiness, Industrial Organization,

Traceability and Assurance Protocols in the Global Food System

In the 21st century, the food supply chain has become a complex, interconnected system with strategies that are aimed at creating improved products to satisfy consumers' demand for safer foods. To stay competitive and ensure consumer confidence, agribusiness firms develop and implement strategies that take into account not only traditional economic factors driving the food demand, but also issues such as food safety and quality. Traceability and assurance protocols help agribusiness companies improve and refine their production processes, thus providing better control over, and transparency of, food quality and safety throughout the food supply chain. This paper reports on the empirical results of focus interviews conducted during the 2004 IAMA conference to determine the current implemented levels of traceability and assurance protocols and considers some of the issues regarding the benefits, costs and constraints of implementing those protocols.Food, Safety, Quality, Traceability, Assurance, Agribusiness, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Réalcalinisation électrochimique des bétons armés carbonatés : une alternative de prévention contre la corrosion

Les objectifs de ce travail ont été d'évaluer les paramètres d'application du traitement électrochimique de réalcalinisation (rae) et l'influence des caractéristiques liées au béton armé sur cette technique. L'étude a été orientée vers une intervention à caractère préventif sur les structures urbaines en béton armé dégradées par carbonatation, c'est-à-dire lorsque le taux de corrosion des armatures n'est pas encore important. Le traitement de rae a été appliqué sur des échantillons en béton armé dont l'enrobage a été partiellement ou totalement carbonaté. L'efficacite du traitement a été évaluée sur la base de caractéristiques physico-chimiques et électrochimiques (alacalinite, potentiel, résistance de polarisation, spectroscopie d'impédance). L'ensemble du travail indique que, lorsque la corrosion des aciers n'est pas trop avancée, il est possible de récuperer l'alcalinite du béton que ce soit dans le cas d'une carbonatation partielle ou totale. Ceci montre que la réalcalinisation électrochimique permet dans ces conditions d'augmenter la durée de vie des structures en béton armé.The parameters of application of electrochemical realkalisation (rae) treatment was evaluated i this work. Also, the influence of characteristics related to concrete has been analysed. The study of rae was focused as a preventive measure for urban reinforced concrete structures suffering the process known as carbonation, but without significant corrosion of the reinforcement. For this, carbonation was previously induced on the reinforced concrete specimens until obtaining two levels: partial or fully carbonated concrete. The efficiency of rae was evaluated by analysys of physicochemical and electrochemical characteristics (alkalinity, open circuit potential, linear polarization resistance, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy). Results showed that when the corrosion of the reinforcing steel is not important, the alkalinity of bulk can be achieved on either partial or fully carbonated concrete by applying the rae treatment. Therefore, in these conditions the life cycle of reinforced concrete structures can be improved

The Political Economy and Institutional Foundations of Inequality, Social Mobility and Education Disparities: Essays from the Developing South

This doctoral dissertation seeks to understand key underlying institutions (formal and informal) that reproduce inequality and social rigidity in Chile, mainly focusing on vicious dynamics taking place in the realm of education (school and tertiary level). Education is a key institution in society, playing a fundamental role in the reproduction of inequality through the selection of leaders (generally from privileged social backgrounds) and also via the socialisation of new generations – perpetuating worldviews, ideologies and social norms. However, it may also play a crucial role in the transformation of prevailing institutions through technical knowledge, political deliberation and/or cultural change, and thus in creating new development pathways for society. In order to analyse the role of formal and informal institutions in the perpetuation of inequality and social rigidity, taking education as a critical case study, this dissertation develops four essays from a political economy and institutional analysis approach. The first essay sets the scene by analysing the political economy of inequality in Chile from an historical perspective. The second essay investigates the political economy of the Chilean school system and its role in the reproduction of inequality. The third paper highlights the importance of informal institutions, and their role in shaping individuals’ preferences. The fourth and final paper analyses the joint effect of social class and institutional horizontal differentiation of the tertiary education system on intergenerational social mobility and labour market trajectories of graduates.Government of Chile The University of Cambridge The World Ban