Secondary sexual development (Masculinity) of bovine males: 1. Influence on carcass composition, cutability, economic value and certain muscles

Differences in carcass composition, cutability, economic value of the carcass and distribution of certain muscle groups, between bulls with secondary sexual characteristics (bulls(+)), those without (bulls(-)), and steers were investigated. Two carcass mass groups (250-300 and 301-350 kg) were compared. Five carcasses of either mass group were studied within each sex condition group. Bulls(+) had a higher meat percentage (P < 0·05) than bulls(-) or steers. They also had a lower bone percentage than steers (P < 0·05), but non-significant differences were found between bulls(+) and bulls(-) for bone percentage. Significant differences (P < 0·05) between sex condition groups were found for percentages of hindquarter, as well as for distribution of high-priced cuts. Steers had the most favourable distribution and bulls(+) the least favourable. Bulls(-) were intermediate. Masculinity significantly (P < 0·05) influenced the distribution of the chuck, neck, brisket and hind shin cuts, whilst mass had a significant effect on the percentage hind shin and percentage thin flank. It was found that the M. rhomboideus was the only muscle of those studied that was significantly affected by masculinity and it was concluded that this muscle could be used as an indicator of the masculinity of the carcass. The economic values of the carcasses of steers, bulls without secondary sexual development and bulls with secondary sexual development differed non-significantly. © 1992.Articl

Secondary sexual development (Masculinity) of bovine males: 2. Influence on certain meat quality characteristics

Differences in meat quality traits between bulls with secondary sexual development (bulls(+), n = 10), those without this development (bulls(-), n = 10) and steers (n = 10) were investigated. All animals had no permanent incisors (A-age group). Significant differences (P 0·05) differences between the three sex condition groups were found. It is concluded that the influence of masculinity on meat quality traits of young bulls is of little practical importance in a classification and grading system. © 1992.Articl

Determinants of South Africa's exports of leather products

This article analyses the determinants of South African exports of raw hides and skins (other than fur skins) and leather (H41) using annual data covering the period 1999 to 2008 for 32 main trading partners. The results show that the importer’s gross domestic product (GDP), South Africa’s GDP, the importer’s infrastructure, the real effective exchange rate and some regional trade agreements are the main determinants of raw hides and skins (other than fur skins) and leather exports. The article then investigates if there is unexploited trade potential. The investigation reveals that among the sample countries – namely; Australia, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (US) have unexploited export potential. It is important from a policy perspective to focus on the unexploited trade potential (in the above-mentioned trading partners) to accelerate growth and alleviate poverty in South Africa.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ragr20hb2016Economic

Marketing strategy implementation in higher education. A mixed approach for model development and testing

This study seeks to extend our knowledge of marketing strategy implementation in the context of international student recruitment. Strategy implementation remains an area of limited focus in the marketisation of higher education literature. Employing a mixed-design methodology on universities in the UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand, a conceptual model is presented and tested on 570 mid-level international marketing managers. Four overall constructs are found to be significant strategy implementation factors: implementation related outcome variables, dimensions of commitment, strategy, and role factors. In light of these findings, several implications are advanced for university management. The study also makes important theoretical contributions: it contributes to a growing body of literature on marketing of higher education; it adds a more nuanced theoretical foundation of marketing strategy implementation by focusing on academic institutions rather than business firms; and it enriches the theory of marketing strategy implementation by taking a cross-national analytical approach