INTERNATIONAL VARIATION OF RETURN ON EQUITY IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES

The objective was to analyze the effects of country and firm specific factors on the return on equity in the beverage and tobacco and food and consumer products industries for eleven industrialized nations. The results indicated that country and firm specific factors were important in explaining variation in return on equity within countries but not generally across countries or time.variation on return in equity, globalization, Agribusiness, Industrial Organization,

Designing Catastrophe Bonds to Securitize Systemic Risks in Agriculture: The Case of Georgia Cotton

This article makes an initial attempt to design catastrophe (CAT) bond products for agriculture and examines the potential of these instruments as mechanisms for transferring agricultural risks from insurance companies to investors/speculators in the global capital market. The case of Georgia cotton is considered as a specific example. The CAT bond contracts are based on percentage deviations of realized state average yields relative to the long-run average. The contracts are priced using historical state-level cotton yield data. The principal finding of the study is that the proposed CAT bonds demonstrate potential as risk transfer mechanisms for crop insurance companies.CAT bonds, catastrophe bond pricing, catastrophe insurance, disaster risk, reinsurance, risk securitization, Risk and Uncertainty,

Determinants of Household Participation in Rural Development Projects

This paper provides evidence for determinants of households participation in rural development projects. Study findings are based on qualitative analysis and logistic estimation of a random utility model. Households with higher incomes appear less likely to participate; those with more labor are more likely. Availability of activities of interest to community members could enhance participation.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

COMPUTERIZED MARKETING FOR FRESH PRODUCE - A DEVELOPMENT FOR TODAY

Marketing,

PROFITABILITY ADJUSTMENT PATTERNS IN INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES

The study encompasses an analysis of the variation in speeds of profitability adjustment and accounting bias by developed country and firm size for two important agribusiness industries. Evidence of speeds of profitability adjustment and accounting bias varying by firm size was found in the beverage and tobacco industry and by country in the food and consumer products industry. This suggests that the competitive pressures of integrated international markets are less of a factor in the food and consumer products industry.Agribusiness, International Relations/Trade,

A Suggested Criterion for Selecting between E-V and Stochastic Dominance Analysis Tools

Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Measurement of the delayed neutron fraction and correction of small angle scattering data from a pulsed spallation source

The fraction of delayed neutrons in a moderated beam from the enriched uranium, pulsed spallation source at the intense pulsed neutron source at Argonne National Laboratory has been measured and found to be 0.0283 for 450-MeV protons. Delayed neutrons produce a sample-dependent background in time-of-flight instruments. Because of the distribution of neutron wavelengths in the prompt pulse, the significance of the delayed neutron contribution to the observed scattering profile is strongly dependent on the wavelength and therefore on the magnitude of the momentum transfer. This effect is demonstrated, and a general correction procedure in current use for small angle neutron scattering data is described.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28627/1/0000441.pd

New Instruments at IPNS: POSY II and SAD II

Three new instruments are currently in varying degrees of development/construction at IPNS. One of these, the Glass, Liquid, and Amorphous Materials Diffractometer (GLAD) is the subject of a separate paper in these Proceedings, and so will not be discussed further here. The other two, a second neutron reflectometer (POSY II) and a second small-angle diffractometer (SAD II) are described briefly below. 5 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab

Решение оптимизационных задач для систем массового обслуживання с отказами в условиях неопределенности

Построены математические модели расчета показателей качества функционирования вычислительных сетей, которые можно представить в виде сетей массового обслуживания с отказами. Сформулированы задачи оптимизации показателей качества функционирования таких сетей при заданных ограничениях на максимальную пропускную способность каналов связи и на выделяемые для модернизации сети ресурсы. Построены алгоритмы, которые позволяют решать поставленные оптимизационные задачи в рамках оговоренных ограничений