The activities of generalist parasitoids can be segregated between crop and adjacent non-crop habitats

Non-crop habitat adjacent to crops may be important for enhancing the activity of natural enemies in crops. However, it is not always clear whether natural enemies that are active in non-crop habitats actually contribute to pest suppression in adjacent crop habitats. We hypothesised that parasitic wasps that utilise the same hosts can be segregated between crop and non-crop habitats in an agro-ecosystem. We tested this hypothesis using the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in vineyards and adjacent native vegetation. We experimentally measured the parasitism rate of larval E. postvittana at six and eight sites in both vineyards and the adjacent native vegetation in two consecutive years. Wild larval Tortricidae were also collected at each experimental site to assess their diversity and related parasitoids. Parasitised hosts were then identified using a PCR-based protocol to examine the parasitoids’ host ranges. The parasitoid Therophilus unimaculatus (Turner) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was most active in non-crop native vegetation, whereas Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitised the most larvae in vineyards. Parasitism of E. postvittana by D. tasmanica was higher on grape than on plantain, which indicates that host plants influence activities in different habitat. Both species shared the same range of tortricid hosts. Overall, our results indicate the two key parasitoids that attack E. postvittana differ in their pattern of habitat use. The native vegetation adjacent to crops may not enhance the activity of some natural enemies for pest control in an agricultural ecosystem. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Knowledge Management as a New Strategy of Innovative Development

Theoretical framework:  The relevance of studying the growing role of knowledge management in the context of ensuring the innovative activity of enterprises is increasing. The results demonstrate a number of important conclusions that have made it possible to expand the existing theoretical and practical aspects of the knowledge management concept.   Design/methodology/approach:  The conducted study in service companies has revealed a low culture of using this concept in the Ukrainian context. In the course of the research, it has been established similar and different features of the influence of knowledge management on innovation of service companies, direct and indirect relationship between variables, complex structure and indirect impact of production, integration, application of information on the speed, quality and number of innovations in enterprises.   Findings:  The complex structure of the relationship between knowledge and innovative activity can be a consequence of insufficient level of personnel competencies, available information and data management technologies, methods and practices of production, integration and application. Therefore, the low innovativeness of the service companies under study in the context of system orientation and technological capabilities of the companies, in particular, in the practice of knowledge management, and the low impact of knowledge and information on the innovation of services and processes on the market of Ukraine have been revealed.   Research, Practical & Social implications:  This is precisely why the strategy of personalization significantly prevails in its use in knowledge management compared to the codification strategy, which is manifested in the limited practice of using systems and technologies for the generation, accumulation, storage, use, dissemination of knowledge.   Originality/value:  In addition, the use of the personalization strategy is explained by the fact that the service companies under consideration focus more on processes, the optimization of which significantly affects interaction with customers and the efficiency of operations

Theoretical Bases for Managing Competitiveness of an Air Transport Enterprise

The aim of the article is to substantiate the theoretical bases for managing competitiveness of an air transport enterprise through identifying features of their functioning and patterns of their development in order to increase competitiveness and create additional competitive advantages. In the course of the research the theoretical bases for managing competitiveness of air transport enterprises are substantiated. There investigated the basic concepts and techniques of managing competitiveness of a transport enterprise as well as approaches to it. The place and role of the concepts of the theory of competition in the system of enterprise management are determined. The dimensions and methods of increasing competitiveness of air transport enterprises are justified

INSTITUTIONAL SECURITY IN RELATIONS OF OWNERSHIP OF NATURAL RESOURCES: STATE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC POLICY AND DECENTRALIZATION

The article defines the natural resource sphere of the national economy as the largest territorial and sectoral complex, which includes land, water, forest, mineral, natural and recreational and other types of resources. The lack of implementation of the allocation of a sufficient amount of funds aimed at the rationalization of nature use and the modernization of environmental infrastructure facilities, as well as the uneven distribution of capital investments for the protection and rational use of natural resources in the region for the period 2016-2022, was established. It is substantiated that in the conditions of decentralization of power, the general basis of institutional support for property relations over natural resources should be corporatization, development of rent relations, improvement of fiscal mechanisms in resource use, market-economic evaluation and capitalization of all-natural resources without exception at the local, regional and national levels. The theoretical foundations of the problems of institutional support in property relations in the conditions of decentralization of power have been deepened by determining the need to create an institutional system of property. This system provides for the development of lease relationships, approaches to investment projects, improvement of natural resource taxation mechanisms by improving the system of local taxes on the use of resources, and assessment of the value of natural resources at the micro, meso, and macro levels. The definition of ecological and economic problems of property relations is formulated, which, unlike the existing ones, are focused on the problems of attracting capital investments and current costs of the state for the protection of the natural environment in conditions of decentralization, as well as the fundamental basis for the formation of an institutional system of property in nature management, taking into account foreign experience. The results of the research can be used in the development of regional and national programs and forecasts on issues of nature management and environmental protection

The Development of Student Research Skills in Second Year Plant Biology

In 2011, students in Agricultural Sciences and Viticulture & Oenology were first provided with opportunities to develop research skills in plant biology through the course Foundations in Plant Science II. Students worked in small groups and completed an open-ended research project under the guidance of an academic mentor. Each group of students were given the freedom to plan and manage an experiment; collect, analyse and interpret data independently and to present their results both orally and in writing. Students reported that the group project was a positive experience where they were able to develop skills in scientific report writing. In 2012, students were challenged by aspects of the research project including experimental design and identifying published papers to support their hypotheses. In 2013, when we provided more support and structure using on-line and in-class tutorials, students were better able to work in groups, source appropriate literature and analyse data using statistics as their confidence in research and questioning ideas had improved

Building Pedagogical Partnership Competence Among Primary School Teachers

The objective of the study was to determine the pedagogical association competence and the methods for its development among primary school teachers. In the investigation, the methods of survey by questionnaire, observation and evaluation of experts were applied. The methods of mathematical statistics were also used to process the results of the data obtained. Results. The general analysis of the research results shows that the majority of primary school teachers have a work experience of 5 to 10 years (35%) and 10 to 15 years (20%). Regarding the pedagogical collaboration with parents, 60% of teachers are involved in it, while 40% are not. However, 70% of teachers involve parents in solving issues related to the education and upbringing of students. conclusions. The study showed that the proposed curriculum was effective in building the pedagogical association competence. Most of the teachers had more than 5 years of work experience, so they had already gained enough experience in upskilling and developing pedagogical partnership strategies. However, according to the results of the work, the proposed training program is highly effective. Perspectives. Future research should focus on studying the effectiveness of the main methods of pedagogical interaction

Entrepreneurial initiative as a factor for the development of the innovation activity of country enterprises

The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of entrepreneurial initiative on the development of innovation activity of country enterprises. The theory of entrepreneurship by clarifying the essence of entrepreneurial initiative got further elaboration in the article. The methodical approach to the analysis and evaluation of the entrepreneurial initiative and its impact on the innovation activity of the enterprises, the results of which are the basis for further development of proposals to stimulate entrepreneurial initiative and development of their innovation activity is suggested. The estimation of innovation activity of 1758 enterprises of Ukraine by calculating the integral indicator of innovation activity revealed its low level for innovation active enterprises. The method of one-dimensional linear regression has determined that an increase in the number of business structures per 10 thousand people of the country's population at a rate of 1.0 causes an increase in the indicator of innovation activity by 0.172. It is proved in the article that development of infrastructure of enterprenerial environment and creation of centers for entrepreneurship development act as an important mechanism of increasing innovation activity of enterprises of the country

Business Risk in Changing Dynamics of Global Village 2

The monograph is prepared based on the presentations and discussions made at the II International Conference “BUSINESS RISK IN CHANGING DYNAMICS OF GLOBAL VILLAGE (BRCDGV 2019)”, November, 7th-08th, 2019, in Ternopil, Ukraine. The aim of this scientific international conference is to provide a platform for professional debate with the participation of experts from around the globe in order to identify & analyze risks and opportunities in today’s global business, and specifically in Ukraine. The conference will provide a framework for researchers, business elites and decision makers to uplift the business ties and minimise the risk for creating a better world and better Ukraine.The Conference is designed to call experts around the globe from different sectors of practices which are effected by globalization and watching changes in Europe as well as in Ukraine. It is an excellent platform for interactions and communication between academicians, corporate representatives, policy makers, representatives of organizations and community, as well as individuals being the part of this globalized world. The 1st edition of this conference was held at the University of Applied Sciences in Nysa, Poland (2017); the 2nd edition took place at Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University, Ukraine (2019); the 3rd edition will be organized at Patna University, India (2020) in cooperation with Indo-European Education Foundation (IEEF, Poland) and its partner universities from Poland, India, Europe and other part of the world.Under modern conditions of globalization nowadays, economic activity is undergoing changes. Innovative technologies, new forms of business, dynamic changes taking place in the world today result in the emergence of the necessity to minimize risks in order to maximize benefits. The cooperation between experts from different fields with the aim to ensure sustainable growth – policymakers, scientists, universities representatives and business elites is essential nowadays. With the purpose to bring them together and discuss the main issues of todays’ global world this conference took place in Ternopil, Ukraine. As Ukraine is now passing through a dynamic period of changes, recommendations coming up from such discussions can be very beneficial for building stronger society and meet the risks globalization brings up. This monograph provides a useful review of economic, financial and policy issues in the context of globalization processes and has proven extremely popular with practitioners and industry advisors. This edition is given the continued high demand and interest for experts form different areas working on diminishing of business risks wishing to keep abreast of current thinking on this subject. According to many experts process of managing risks is currently one of the most relevant business technologies and at the same time it is a complex process which requires ground knowledge in the research field and practical experience. The popularity of business risks management is due to objective reasons such as dynamics of society, interconnections and interdependence between different players in the society, increasing role of human capital in the country’s sustainable developmen