Factors explaining the adoption of risk management instruments in mediterranean irrigated agriculture

Agriculture is highly impacted by different sources of risk. There is a wide variety of management instruments that farmers can use to cover these risks. The objective of this paper is to analyze the explanatory variables for the simultaneous adoption of a large set of risk management instruments. The main innovation is the methodological approach: first, we apply a hierarchical cluster analysis to identify the groups of instruments whose adoption is correlated; second, we use multivariate probit models to analyze the influence of different factors on the simultaneous adoption of the instruments included in each cluster. Explanatory variables capture farmers’ socio-demographic features, perception of risks, risk aversion and subjective perception of past risk experience; farms’ technical-economic characteristics; and perception of local-level climate change. The results show that there are significant differences in the variables influencing the adoption of the risk management instruments. The findings provide useful information to support the decision-making process for three main stakeholders: farmers (optimal choice over the joint use of instruments), providers of agricultural risk management instruments (e.g., the design of new combinations of risk management instruments better targeted to distinct profiles of farmers), and policymakers (policy strategies aiming to promote better risk management within the agricultural sector)

Precautionary savings as an instrument to hedge the risk of hydrological drought in irrigated agriculture

This paper explores the use of precautionary savings as a new risk management instrument that can be implemented to hedge hydrological drought risk in irrigated agriculture, a risk currently not covered by any policy instrument. For this purpose, the Drought Savings Account (DSA) is proposed as a personal savings account to which farmers make regular contributions, with withdrawals allowed in the event of irrigation water supply gaps in order to guarantee a minimum income. The implementation of the DSA is empirically assessed in a Mediterranean-climate irrigation district using an innovative simulation approach. Based on the results obtained, the DSA has proved to be a theoretically suitable policy instrument that can overcome the problems hindering the implementation of agricultural insurance, managing the risk in a more cost-effective way. This cost-effectiveness is a key advantage of precautionary savings over agricultural insurance, since the former instrument minimizes moral hazard and adverse selection problems, and the transaction costs of risk-sharing. Moreover, in this context, precautionary savings may play a significant role as an efficient climate change adaptation measure since the self-insurance strategy adopted does not distort the signals underlying farmers’ own risk exposure, leading to better individual assessment and an adequate management of water supply gaps

The predictive power of farmers’ risk attitude measures elicited by experimental methods

Aim of study: Farmers’ behavior is shaped by their individual attitudes towards risk. Consequently, an understanding of the heterogeneous risk attitudes among farmers is key to predicting their decision-making. Therefore, there is a need for reliable methods to assess individuals’ risk attitudes. The main objective of this paper was to contribute to the existing literature about the external validity of risk attitude measures obtained with diverse experimental methods.Area of study: Irrigated agriculture in a Mediterranean climate region.Material and methods: Two different experimental methods widely applied in the agricultural sector were used to elicit farmers’ risk attitudes in a sample of irrigators in southern Spain: the Eckel and Grossman lottery-choice task and a self-assessment general risk question. We evaluated the explanatory power of both measures for the farming risk borne by farmers, using an approach based on dispersion measures of farming returns.Main results: Results revealed stability across these elicitation methods, but the study yielded no evidence of statistical correlation with the farming risk actually borne by farmers, suggesting that it may not be advisable to use these methods for directly predicting farmers’ decision-making in modeling exercises.Research highlights: The most relevant innovation of this paper was the validation approach followed, based on measures assessing the overall level of farming risk borne by individual producers, and the complementary analyses controlling for key variables that could affect farmer risk-taking

Willingness to pay for improved irrigation water supply reliability: an approach based on probability density functions

In irrigated agricultural systems, a major source of uncertainty relates to water supply, as it significantly affects farm income. This paper investigates farmers’ utility changes associated with shifts in the probability density function of water supply leading to a higher water supply reliability (higher mean and lower variance in annual water allotments). A choice experiment relying on a mean-variance approach is applied to the case study of an irrigation district of the Guadalquivir River Basin (southern Spain). To our knowledge, this is the first study using parameters of these probability density functions of water supply as choice experiment attributes to value water supply reliability. Results show that there are different types of farmers according to their willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in water supply reliability, with some willing to pay nothing (47.8%) while others have a relatively low (28.0%) or high (24.2%) WTP. A range of factors influencing farmers’ preferences toward water supply reliability are revealed, with those related to risk exposure to water availability being of special importance. The results can be used to assist the design of more efficient policy instruments to improve water supply reliability in Mediterranean and semi-arid climate region

The capital budgeting process: a methodological approach based on financial and intellectual value creation

Objeto: El objetivo de este artículo es presentar una novedosa metodología de valoración de inversiones productivas basada en la estimación del valor total creado con cada proyecto de inversión, considerando para ello sus dos componentes: el valor financiero y el valor del capital no financiero, este último derivado del capital intelectual corporativo. Diseño/metodología: Se propone una metodología basada en la técnica multicriterio del proceso analítico jerárquico (AHP, por sus siglas en inglés). En este modelo, se definen cuatro criterios principales (capital financiero, capital humano, capital estructural, y capital relacional), varios subcriterios y las alternativas de inversión. Para determinar el valor total de cada alternativa, se requieren juicios de valor por parte de los directores generales de las empresas, información obtenida a través de un cuestionario basado en comparaciones pareadas, cuyos resultados alimentan una función de utilidad multiatributo. Un caso de estudio del sector agroalimentario ilustra la aplicabilidad práctica del modelo. Aportaciones y resultados: La aplicación empírica evidencia la necesidad de considerar el impacto de las inversiones productivas en el capital intelectual de la empresa, pues este impacto influye en la selección de la alternativa de inversión óptima. Limitaciones: Las conclusiones alcanzadas se consideran aún provisionales, dado que se trata de un estudio pionero con una aplicación empírica reducida a sólo cinco empresas. Implicaciones prácticas: Mediante el modelo teórico propuesto, los directores generales pueden valorar las inversiones productivas incorporando en el análisis, de manera formalizada, la creación de valor del capital no financiero. Este procedimiento permite tomar decisiones más adecuadas, contribuyendo de manera efectiva a seleccionar la alternativa de inversión que maximice el valor de mercado de la compañía. Valor añadido: Como principal aportación de este trabajo se destaca la incorporación del enfoque del capital intelectual en el proceso de valoración de inversiones productivas en la empresa y la propuesta de un marco metodológico formalizado y unificado.Purpose: This paper aims to develop a novel capital budgeting method to improve the quality of the appraisal process for productive investments by decomposing the total value that is created by the new assets into two components: financial value and nonfinancial capital value, the latter stemmed from the intellectual capital of the firm. Design/methodology/approach: This paper proposes a methodology based on the multi-criteria technique called the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Within the model, four main criteria (financial capital, human capital, structural capital, and relational capital), several subcriteria and the investment alternatives are defined. In order to determine the total value of each alternative, CEO preferences are required using a pairwise comparison-based questionnaire, the results of which feed a multiattribute utility function. A case study on the agrifood sector illustrates the model empirically. Findings and Originality/value: The empirical application evidences the need to consider the impact of productive investments on firms´ intangible assets, as this impact actually affects the choice of optimal investment alternative in the real world. Practical implications: Using the theoretical model proposed, CEOs can appraise productive investments by incorporating nonfinancial capital value creation into the analysis. This procedure permits more accurate and successful decision-making and contributes effectively to the selection of the investment option that maximizes firms’ market value. Originality/value: This research provides an important addition to the current literature by integrating intellectual capital into capital budgeting and by proposing a unified methodological framework.Peer Reviewe

Enumeration and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Transarterial Chemoembolization

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and particularly circulating cancer stem cells (cCSC), are prognostic biomarkers for different malignancies and may be detected using liquid biopsies. The ex vivo culture of cCSCs would provide valuable information regarding biological aggressiveness and would allow monitoring the adaptive changes acquired by the tumor in real time. In this prospective pilot study, we analyzed the presence of EpCAM+ CTCs using the IsoFlux system in the peripheral blood of 37 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). The average patient age was 63.5 ± 7.9 years and 91.9% of the patients were men. All patients had detectable CTCs at baseline and 20 patients (54.1%) showed CTC aggregates or clusters in their peripheral blood. The increased total tumor diameter (OR: 2.5 (95% CI: 1.3–4.8), p = 0.006) and the absence of clusters of CTCs at baseline (OR: 0.2 (95% CI: 0.0–1.0), p = 0.049) were independent predictors of a diminished response to TACE. Culture of cCSC was successful in five out of thirty-three patients, mostly using negative enrichment of CD45− cells, ultra-low adherence, high glucose, and a short period of hypoxia followed by normoxia. In conclusion, the identification of clusters of CTCs before TACE and the implementation of standardized approaches for cCSC culture could aid to predict outcomes and to define the optimal adjuvant therapeutic strategy for a true personalized medicine in hepatocellular carcinoma

Insuring Water Supply in Irrigated Agriculture: A Proposal for Hydrological Drought Index-Based Insurance in Spain

In Mediterranean-climate regions, irrigated agriculture is especially vulnerable to the risk of hydrological drought and irrigators are particularly concerned about its negative effects. During a hydrological drought episode, irrigators receive insufficient water to meet their crops’ water needs, giving rise to the so-called ‘water supply gap’. In such circumstances, agricultural production and irrigators’ incomes are considerably reduced. In order to minimize the negative effects associated with water supply gaps, a new index-based drought insurance scheme for irrigation is proposed, linked to the variable ‘stock of water available in reservoirs’. The proposal, although tailored to Spain, could be easily adapted to other countries or regions because the features of hydrological drought risk are similar worldwide. It is expected that the proposed scheme will improve drought risk management in irrigated agriculture, stabilizing irrigators’ incomes and guaranteeing the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the face of global change

O xénero do CEO como determinante da supervivencia da empresa: o caso das pemes agroalimentarias españolas

This research, motivated by previous literature, aims to study the effect of the CEO's gender on the survival of SMEs in the Spanish agri-food sector over time. Spain has been chosen due to the fact that it is one of the countries with the highest survival rate of SMEs. To this end, an empirical analysis of the patterns of SMEs in the agri-food sector was carried out during the period 2000-2015. To do this, we followed the Kaplan-Meier method for a univariate analysis of survival, and a linear regression for multivariate analysis. The results reveal that SMEs in the agri-food sector are more likely to survive if they are run by women. In this sense, this research highlights the need to promote and develop policies and programs that encourage the participation of women in these types of positions of responsibilityEsta investigación, motivada pola literatura previa, ten como obxectivo estudar o efecto do xénero do CEO na supervivencia das pequenas e medianas empresas (pemes) do sector agroalimentario español ao longo do tempo. A elección de España débese a que é un dos países con maior taxa de supervivencia das pemes. Con este fin, levouse a cabo unha análise empírica dos patróns das pemes do sector agroalimentario durante o período 2000-2015. Para iso, seguiuse o método de Kaplan-Meier para unha análise univariante da supervivencia, e unha regresión lineal para a análise multivariada. Os resultados mostran que as pemes do sector agroalimentario teñen máis probabilidades de sobrevivir se son dirixidas por mulleres. Neste sentido, esta investigación pon de manifesto a necesidade de promover e desenvolver políticas e programas que faciliten a presenza de mulleres neste tipo de postos de responsabilidadeEsta investigación, motivada por la literatura previa, tiene como objetivo estudiar el efecto del género del CEO en la supervivencia de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) del sector agroalimentario español a lo largo del tiempo. La elección de España se debe a que es uno de los países con mayor tasa de supervivencia de las pymes. Con este fin, se llevó a cabo un análisis empírico de los patrones de las pymes del sector agroalimentario durante el período 2000-2015. Para ello, se siguió el método de Kaplan-Meier para un análisis univariante de la supervivencia, y una regresión lineal para el análisis multivariado. Los resultados muestran que las pymes del sector agroalimentario tienen más probabilidades de sobrevivir si son dirigidas por mujeres. En este sentido, esta investigación pone de manifiesto la necesidad de promover y desarrollar políticas y programas que faciliten la presencia de mujeres en este tipo de puestos de responsabilida

Desempeño económico-financiero de los distintos modelos empresariales en el sector del aceite de oliva en España

The main objectives of this paper are twofold: first, to identify the different business models that exist in the olive oil sector in Spain; and second, to provide an analysis of the economic-financial performance of each identified business model. The methods used to achieve the two objectives include the factor analysis, the cluster analysis and the economic-financial analysis through the employment of ratios. The results of this paper show that in Spain there are five major business patterns or business models: i) large companies oriented to the olive oil exports; ii) small companies that export not only olive oil but also other complementary products; iii) commercial oil mills operating mainly in the national market; iv) cooperative oil mills oriented to the national market; and v) commercial companies whose main activity is the distribution of olive oil. Of these five business models identified, the most profitable and solvent corresponds to the one formed by the distribution companies, while the model of the large exporting companies presents serious problems of future viability.Los objetivos principales de este trabajo son dos: en primer lugar, identificar los distintos modelos empresariales que existen en el sector del aceite de oliva en España y, en segundo lugar, realizar un diagnóstico del desempeño económico-financiero de cada uno de los modelos empresariales identificados. Los métodos empleados para conseguir los objetivos propuestos incluyen el análisis factorial, el análisis clúster y el análisis económico-financiero mediante el empleo de ratios. Los resultados del trabajo demuestran que en España existen cinco grandes patrones empresariales: i) grandes empresas orientadas a la exportación de aceite de oliva; ii) empresas de reducida dimensión exportadoras no sólo de aceite de oliva, sino también de otros productos complementarios; iii) almazaras de tipo mercantil que operan principalmente en el mercado nacional; iv) almazaras cooperativas orientadas al mercado nacional; y v) sociedades mercantiles cuya actividad principal es la distribución de aceite de oliva. De estos cincos patrones empresariales identificados, el más rentable y solvente corresponde al conformado por las sociedades mercantiles distribuidoras, mientras que el modelo de las grandes empresas exportadoras presenta graves problemas de viabilidad futura

Are Multi-criteria Decision Making Techniques Useful for Solving Corporate Finance Problems? A Bibliometric Analysis // ¿Son adecuadas las técnicas de decisión multicriterio para resolver los problemas financieros corporativos? Un análisis bibliométrico

Corporate financial decision making processes (selection of investments and funding sources) are becoming increasingly complex because of the growing number of conflicting criteria that need to be considered. The main aim of this paper is to perform a bibliometric analysis of the international research on the application of multicriteria decision making (MCDM) techniques to corporate finance issues during the period 1980-2012. A total of 347 publications from the Scopus database have been compiled, classified and analysed. The results obtained confirm: a) an increase in the importance of MCDM in corporate finance; b) the relevance of MCDM techniques in capital budgeting processes (fixed assets investment) and in the assessment of firms' economic and financial performance; c) the techniques based on the multiple attribute utility theory (MAUT) are the most popular in complex decision making situations as they are very simple to implement.------------------------------------Los procesos de decisión de selección de inversiones y de las fuentes de financiación de las empresas se caracterizan por una creciente complejidad, dada la confluencia del cada vez mayor número de criterios a considerar. El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar un análisis bibliométrico de la producción cientíca internacional que ha abordado la problemática asociada a las finanzas corporativas mediante la implementación del paradigma de Decisión Multicriterio (MCDM) durante el periodo 1980-2012. Un total de 347 publicaciones han sido recopiladas de la base de datos de Scopus, clasificadas y analizadas. De los resultados obtenidos cabe destacar lo siguiente: a) se ha producido un considerable incremento del uso de las técnicas multicriterio en finanzas corporativas; b) las técnicas MCDM se han empleado fundamentalmente en la selección de inversiones productivas, evidenciándose igualmente su utilidad para la evaluación de la situación económico-financiera de las empresas; c) las técnicas basadas en la teoría de la utilidad multiatributo (MAUT) han sido las más empleadas, dada su relativa sencillez operativa