12,108 research outputs found
THE EFFECTS OF MARKET INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS ON SALES REVENUE AMONG FRENCH BEAN PRODUCERS: A CASE STUDY OF OL-DONYO SABUK, MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA
Businesses operate in a world in which information is more readily and publicly available than ever before. Thanks to the development of the Internet, information on market trends, legislation, customers, suppliers, competitors, distributors, product development and almost every other conceivable topic is available at the click of a mouse. Search engines, online libraries, company websites and other sources provide information in an increasingly plentiful, easy to find, and easy to digest way. Small-scale farmers continue to sell their French beans to middlemen at throw away prices yet there are exporting companies that can buy their beans at high prices for profitability. This has been brought about by the possible missing information about the French beans marketing trends and the profitability of the crop, limited access to the necessary capital to make the switch possible, poor infrastructure necessary to bring the crops to export outlets, high risk of the export markets (for instance, from hold-up problems selling to exporters), limited human capital necessary to adopt successfully a new agricultural technology, for instance the Global Good Agricultural Practices (GlobalGAP) and Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs)requirements, and misperception by researchers and policy makers about the true profit opportunities and risk of crops grown for export markets. This study was conducted to assess the impact of market intelligence systems on sales revenue of French bean farmers in Ol-Donyo Sabuk of Machakos County, Kenya. To achieve this overall objective, three specific objectives were addressed, namely; (1) to establish the existing French beans marketing channels in Ol-Donyo Sabuk, (2) to compare the sales revenues of French bean farmers with and without market intelligence systems, and (3) to compare return on capital for different actors within the French bean value chain. Systemic random sampling was used to select 120 farmers for this study. Data were collected through administering questionnaire for personal interviews. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics such as percentages, and means to answer the stated objectives. In addition, statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse data. The study revealed that 30 percent of the 120 sampled French bean producers had access to French bean market intelligence systems, which is a small proportions of farmers compared to those who did not have access. The results revealed that 30 percent of the 120 sampled French bean producers were selling their produce as a group and had access to market intelligence systems 70 percent of the 120 sampled French bean producers not having access to market intelligence systems thus selling their produce to brokers. The results showed that group farmers selling their product to exporters had a higher return on capital as compared to individual farmers selling their produce to middlemen.
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Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that the government and other key players in the horticulture industry enhance extension services to French bean producers by training them on market intelligence systems and stringent EU market requirements in order to improve on sales revenues from the crop and subsequent return on capital. Further the government establishes a French beans value addition plant that will cater for all farmers in French beans production and a high return on capital will go to Kenya economy but not to foreigners who own most of the value addition plants. This will too provide employment to many. The brokers should be removed from the production chain because they misuse farmers making profits where they did not invest and exporters would be advised to improve on their mode of produce payment and produce rejection handling.There is need to do away with hawkers and brokers within the value chain by having binding contracts and steady markets. Based on the findings, policy implications were drawn for improvingthe quality of French beans immensely by farmers through complying with GlobalGAP right from land preparation to harvesting and adhering to stipulated MRLs, proper postharvest handling of the produce with thorough grading and subsequent proper storage
Systematic review of new medics’ clinical task experience by country
OBJECTIVES: There is a need for research which informs on the overall size and significance of clinical skills deficits among new medics, globally. There is also the need for a meta-review of the similarities and differences between countries in the clinical skills deficits of new medics.
DESIGN: A systematic review of published literature produced 68 articles from Google/Scholar, of which 9 met the inclusion criteria (quantitative clinical skills data about new medical doctors).
PARTICIPANTS: 1329 new medical doctors (e.g., foundation year-1s, interns, PGY1s).
SETTING: Ten countries/regions.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 123 data points and representation of a broad range of clinical procedures.
RESULTS: The average rate of inexperience with a wide range of clinical procedures was 35.92% (lower CI 30.84%, upper CI 40.99%). The preliminary meta-analysis showed that the overall deficit in experience is significantly different from 0 in all countries. Focusing on a smaller selection of clinical skills such as catheterisation, IV cannulation, nasogastric tubing and venepuncture, the average rate of inexperience was 26.75% (lower CI 18.55%, upper CI 35.54%) and also significant. England presented the lowest average deficit (9.15%), followed by New Zealand (18.33%), then South Africa (19.53%), Egypt, Kuwait, Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Ireland (21.07%), after which was Nigeria (37.99%), then USA (38.5%), and Iran (44.75%).
CONCLUSION: A meta-analysis is needed to include data not yet in the public domain from more countries. These results provide some support for the UK General Medical Council’s clear, detailed curriculum, which has been heralded by other countries as good practice
Modeling the University Decision Process: The Effects of Faculty Participation in University Decision Making
This paper develops models of decision making in a university setting with and without faculty participation. The models predict values for the level of services or programs offered and the quality of those services in a university setting for either private nonprofit or public universities. These predictions indicate conditions under which outcomes are similar or differ with faculty participation in the decision process. The model predicts that without shared governance that universities may overinvest in non-academic quality (e.g. athletics, recreational activities). This would be exacerbated in for-profit forms of higher education. Notably, nonprofit and/or public institutions are not inefficient relative to for-profit institutions, which questions the rationale for subsidies to for-profit institutions. If academic quality provides positive externalities as has been suggested in the literature, then shared governance may be socially preferred to university decision making without faculty involvement.higher education, faculty governance, university decision making, incentives, nonprofit organization, public organization, organizational behavior
Assessment of LIDAR for Simulating Existing and Potential Future Marsh Conditions in Casco Bay
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) topographic data has revolutionized the rapid collection and subsequent analysis of highly accurate coastal topography. LIDAR data can be collected over relatively large geographic areas, and has been typically used to support mapping of a variety of different shoreline features, along with post-storm impacts
Coastal sand dune geology: Ship Cove, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Maine Geological Survey, Open-File Map 23-119.https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_maps/3278/thumbnail.jp
Coastal sand dune geology: Boat and Zeb Coves, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Maine Geological Survey, Open-File Map 23-117.https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_maps/3276/thumbnail.jp
Coastal sand dune geology: Intervale Road, Harpswell, Maine
Maine Geological Survey, Open-File Map 23-154.https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_maps/3313/thumbnail.jp
Coastal sand dune geology: Cushing Point, Long Island, Maine
Maine Geological Survey, Open-File Map 23-132.https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_maps/3291/thumbnail.jp
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