Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chains : Complexity, Custody and Contention

Paper delivered at the 21st Logistics Research Network annual conference 2016, 7th-9th September 2016, Hull. Abstract Purpose: The sustainability of oil palm cultivation is highly contentious. Demand for the product is strong, albeit with the market being largely divided between the bulk sale of oil to Asian markets and premium certified sustainable palm products to Europe. These disparate end-user markets place different production demands on upstream suppliers. This paper will explore the complex and contentious nature of sustainability in the context of the palm oil supply chain. Specifically, this study considers the economic, ethical and environmental aspects emerging from efforts to create sustainable palm oil supply chains with a view to developing supply chain ‘regulation without government’ as a possible solution. Research Approach: Case-based research involved empirical observation of upstream actors, document analysis and consequent theory testing through semi-structured interviews with growers, mills, refiners, certifiers of sustainable palm oil, NGOs, retailers and leading European manufacturers of palm oil containing products. Findings and Originality: Different interpretations of sustainability have created conflict at the point of production with what are perceived to be Western values regularly conflicting with the perceived needs of palm oil producing countries. Traceable supply chain custodies created by large downstream manufacturers may isolate smallholders and reduce their ability to be incorporated into some certification schemes. Though downstream actors can pay a significant value-chain premium for certified products, due to a wider lack of global demand for certified palm oil, sustainable products are ending up in other supply chains with no premium being paid to growers. Research Impact: The presented study is relatively unique in palm oil research for its empirical grounding, bringing together the first-hand insight, thoughts and perceptions of stakeholders throughout the supply chain. Additionally, this paper contributes to the reactive-proactive continuum theory for sustainable supply chain practices by discussing how key stakeholders influence behaviour. Practical Impact: Insights from this research will help raise awareness of the supply chain dynamics of the palm oil industry, the challenges faced by upstream buyers and how well-meaning efforts to support socio-economic development, from various stakeholders, potentially harms efforts to drive sustainable production of oil palm. Alternative routes for developing sustainable supply chains should be initiated from within the supply chains rather than solely through external activism. The implications of this are far-reaching as the consumer base for palm oil continues to grow globally

Quota Enforcement in Resource Industries: Self-Reporting and Differentiated Inspections

Quotas or permits are frequently used in the management of renewable resources and emissions. However, in many industries there is concern about the basic eectiveness of quotas due to non-compliance. We develop an enforcement model of a quota-regulated resource and focus on a situation with signicant non-compliance and exogenous constraints on nes and enforcement budget. We propose a new enforcement system based on self-reporting of excess extraction and explicit dierentiation of inspection rates based on compliance history. In particular, we use state-dependent enforcement to induce rms to self-report excess extraction. We show that such system increases the eectiveness of quota management by allowing the regulator to implement a wider range of aggregate extraction targets than under traditional enforcement, while ensuring an ecient allocation of aggregate extraction. In addition, inspection costs can be reduced without reductions in welfare.Enforcement, Non-compliance, Self-reporting, Dierentiated inspections, Quotas, Emissions standards, Resource Management

Mathematically Promising Students from the Space Age to the Information Age

On October 4, 1957, with the launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union, the world entered the Space Age and the United States became quite concerned that the Soviet Union had a head start in the space race. A year later, realizing that the support of gifted and talented mathematics and science students was critical to national security, the United States federal government passed the National Defense Education Act (NDEA), providing aid to education in the United States at all levels, primarily to stimulate the advancement of education in science, mathematics, and modern foreign languages. Also, during this time, “new math” was introduced with an emphasis on more abstract concepts and unifying ideas. One of the most unique of the projects developed during that time, the Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (CSMP) from McREL, Midcontinent Research for Education and Learning, continues to be available online at http://ceure.buffalostate.edu/~csmp/. Although never fully implemented as intended, some of the “new math” projects along with the NDEA contributed to the dominance of the United States in science and technology in the latter part of the twentieth century as they inspired thousands of students to enjoy mathematical investigations and to pursue degrees in mathematics, science and technology

A LANCASTERIAN APPROACH FOR SPECIFYING DERIVED DEMANDS FOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Demand and Price Analysis,

Potentiale for overflytning af korte bilture til cykel og gang

Formålet med dette paper er at belyse mulighederne for at få en større del af de korte ture i bil afviklet til fods eller på cykel for herigennem at opnå en miljø- og sundhedsmæssig gevinst. I projektet er op- stillet en logistisk valgmodel, der anvendes til at belyse, hvilke forhold, der især har betydning for at vælge gang og cykel, og hvor meget forskellige virkemidler kan fremme gang og cykeltrafik frem for korte rejser i bil som fører. Desuden beskrives de faktorer, der har størst betydning for valg af cykel og gang henholdsvis bil på rejser på op til 22 km. Især bakker og temperatur viser sig at have betydning, ud over bilejerskabet. Af socioøkonomiske forhold har især antallet af børn betydning. Der belyses yderligere effekten af diverse virkemidler til at fremme overflytning af korte bilture til gang og cykel. Undersøgelsen viser, at virkemidler, der forbedrer cyklisters rejsehastighed og øger bilisternes tidsfor- brug og omkostninger, vil påvirke konkurrenceforholdet væsentligt. Det samlede potentiale for over- flytning vil være mellem 12 og 16 % af bilrejserne på korte rejser, svarende til 11⁄2-21⁄2 % af den sam- lede biltrafik. De sundhedsmæssige effekter vil være procentvist større med lavere dødelighed til føl- ge, fordi flere vil cykle – især på daglige ture til arbejde. Men at opnå så positive resultater vil forud- sætte en meget omfattende indsats for ændring af byernes trafikarealer

Treatment of Zygomatic Complex Fractures with Surgical or Nonsurgical Intervention:A Retrospective Study

Objective:Evaluate the 1-year treatment outcome of zygomatic complex fractures with surgical or nonsurgical intervention.Materials and Methods:One hundred and forty-two consecutive patients with a zygomatic complex fracture were enrolled. Sixty-eight patients underwent surgical intervention and 74 patients nonsurgical intervention. The 1-year examination evaluated cosmetic and functional outcome including malar symmetry, ocular motility, occlusion, mouth opening, neurosensory disturbances, and complications.Results:Forty-six patients allocated to surgical intervention responded to the 1-year follow-up examination. Satisfying facial contour and malar alignment was observed in 45 patients. All patients presented with identical position of the eye globe without enophthalmos and normal ocular movement. A habitual occlusion was seen in all patients with a mean interincisal mouth opening without pain of 49 mm. One patient presented with minor ectropion. Wound infection occurred in five patients. Persistent infraorbital neurosensory disturbance was described by 19 patients. The 1-year radiographic examination showed adequate fracture alignment in all patients with satisfying facial contour. However, dissimilar position of the orbital floor was seen in three patients having orbital reconstruction. None of the patients were re-operated or needed secondary correction of the zygomatic complex or orbital floor.Conclusion:Surgical intervention is an effective treatment modality of depressed zygomatic complex fractures, whereas a nonsurgical approach is often used for nondisplaced fractures. Most zygomatic complex fractures can be treated solely by an intraoral approach and rigid fixation at the zygomaticomaxillary buttress. Further exposure of the zygomaticofrontal junction or inferior orbital rim is necessary for severely displaced fractures, which require additional fixation.</jats:sec

2015 Heartland Delta Virtual Conference

Reflections and resources from the 2015 virtual conference