Exposing agricultural cooperatives to competition.

We examine the optimal regulation of agricultural markets when farmers have organized their activity in a cooperative which is the monopoly supplier of an upstream product and which competes with a single rival firm in selling a homogenous downstream product. The rival's marginal cost is private information and therefore the rival expects to earn an information rent. We show that the optimal access price discriminates against the private rival because rent is more valuable in the cooperative than in the private firm, and the regulator therefore sacrifices some cost efficiency in order to shift rents. Thus, while competition will benefit farmers, consumers and tax payers, the extent of competition should optimally be somewhat limited.Agricultural markets; cooperatives; regulation; access pricing.

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF GOAL ALIGNMENT, INTERVENTIONS, AND MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS ON INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECTS

Innovation has become an important facet of engineering design, both in industry and the academy. Many senior-level engineering design courses encourage students to develop innovative solutions to open design projects from industry sponsors. Like industry, these academic problems are tackled by teams of students. Student teams that function at the highest level are more likely to reach the innovative solutions for which they are searching. The research presented in this work focuses on two main areas: (1) understanding what motivates engineers when working on innovative design projects and (2) determining the effects of goal alignment interventions on design teams working on innovative design projects. An exploratory survey was developed, validated, and administered to students in the capstone course at Clemson University to determine which motivational factors engineering students perceive to be most effective when working on innovative design projects. The initial results show that (1) “passing the class”, (2) “impressing the industry sponsors”, and (3) “making an ‘A’ in the class” are the three factors that most effectively promoted innovative design. Conversely, (1) “cash prizes”, (2) “increased project budget”, and (3) “receiving patents” are the three factors that least effectively promoted innovative design. A second exploratory study was conducted to determine if the effects of setting common goals could be quantified. Five of eighteen design teams were selected and guided to set common goals as a team during week five of their design experience. It was found that the teams that received interventions had an immediate increase in level of performance (p-value = 0.14) and motivation (p-value = 0.19) when compared to teams that did not receive interventions

Navigating the Inflation Reduction Act : impacts on the battery industry, transatlantic trade and green transitions

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in August 2022, is a significant step towards climate and clean energy in the United States. While it aligns with domestic climate goals, concerns exist about its potential impact on global environmental initiatives and trade. The IRA's provisions targeting China's dominance in the battery supply chain could disrupt the European market and challenge the EU's competitive advantage in green industries. The thesis aims to analyse the IRA's impact on transatlantic cooperation in global climate governance and the green energy transition, examining its alignment or conflict with the European Green Deal. It also explores the IRA's protectionist approaches and their implications for a sustainable supply chain. The potential impact on transatlantic trade and the response of the EU are essential considerations. The research aims to contribute to understanding the global battery market and the IRA's effects on competition towards green transitions.M-IE

A review of an attempt to create shatter cones with magnetic flyer plate technology

The feasibility of creating shatter cones in a controlled laboratory environment is discussed. Magnetic flyer plate technology, which generates high amplitude shock waves in test materials is discribed. Considerable sample shear and break up was observed, however, no shatter cones are found in the tested samples

Measuring renewables’ impact on biosphere integrity: A review

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Unpacking democracy: The effects of different democratic qualities on climate change performance over time.

There are no trade-offs between strengthening democracy and mitigating climate change. Climate change cannot be used as an excuse to weaken democratic institutions. Democratic qualities have no effect on CO2 over time or across countries. Deliberative, participatory, liberal, egalitarian, and electoral qualities are tested.publishedVersio

Lyden av støy : en fenomenologisk inspirert analyse av musikalsk støy og opptaksteknologier

Sammendrag Opptaksteknologier står svært sentralt i vår daglige omgang med lyd og musikk. I over hundre år har disse teknologiene utviklet seg, til de i dag har blitt så raffinerte at vi vanskelig kan høre forskjell på en naturlig og en teknologisk reprodusert lyd. Likevel vil opptaksteknologiene alltid påvirke og forandre vår persepsjon av lyder. Oppgaven sentrerer seg rundt to temaer, musikalskstøy og opptaksteknologier, som knyttes sammen ved hjelp av fenomenologisk teori. Ved å fokusere på basisegenskaper ved støylydene forsøker oppgaven å avdekke hvordan de forskjellige teknologiene påvirker og forandrer vår persepsjon av slike lyder. Tre musikalske verk, som alle baserer mye av komposisjonen på opptaksteknologier, er valgt ut for å belyse disse temaene. Musikken spenner fra Pierre Schaeffers musique concréte, hvor grammofonspilleren er den sentrale teknologien, til avant-garde komponisten John Cage som benytter seg av magnetbånd, til elektronika duoen Coldcut som komponerer ved hjelp av digitale samplere. Både musikalsk og teknologisk er det et stort spenn mellom de eksemplene som her blir undersøkt, men analysen avslører at teknologiene og musikken har mange likhetstrekk og deler mange fundamentale egenskaper

Do people prefer offshore to onshore wind energy? The role of ownership and intended use.

Global investments in offshore wind energy are expected to escalate over the coming decades, fueled by improvements in technology, declining costs, and increasing political support. The complexity, scale, and location of these developments make international ownership and export of electricity more feasible. We examine how the general public's acceptance of wind energy will be affected by a political shift in focus from onshore to nearshore or offshore locations, from local or national dominance of ownership to international dominance, and from meeting local or national needs to meeting international ones. We use a nationwide choice experiment with 1612 individuals in Norway to reveal the preferences for these attributes and apply a mixed logit regression model to estimate the willingness to pay to avoid certain outcomes. We show that, although respondents prefer offshore and nearshore locations to onshore ones, they are even more concerned with maintaining local or national control both through ownership and intended use of the added electricity. Although the preferences for national ownership are strong for both nearshore and offshore alternatives, the preference for meeting national needs becomes less important when wind energy developments are located farther off the coast. Three wind energy scenarios are used to further investigate these preferences: 1) international consortium for offshore wind energy, 2) national alliances for nearshore wind energy, and 3) local energy communities for onshore wind energy. We also discuss how a shift to nearshore and offshore wind energy can be enabled by paying greater attention to people's concerns over national control of wind energy resources.Do people prefer offshore to onshore wind energy? The role of ownership and intended use.publishedVersio

Motivasjon & arbeidsmiljø

Problemstilling: Hvordan kan pedagogisk leder/styrer arbeide med motivasjon for å styrke arbeidsmiljøet i personalgruppen?publishedVersio