The Role of Inter‐Organisational Relations and Networks in Agribusiness: The Case for the Polish Fruit and Vegetable Industry

This paper contributes to the ongoing discussions on the benefits of inter‐organisational networks (IONs) in agribusiness. It is based on the field of inter‐organisational relations (IORs) and network approaches that are applied in the framework of the Activities‐Resources‐Actors (ARA) model. The aim of this paper is to recognise and evaluate the distinguishing features of network relationships, which lead to better defined networks in agribusiness. Polish fruit and vegetable producers, processors and traders were investigated in this study. The study reveals that the main objectives of network relationships are to increase profits, this is linked to the optimisation of supplies and provisions, the building of communities and relationships and sustainable development. The outcomes of network relationships have been recognised as the non‐transactional exchange of knowledge and information, mutual adaptations, adjustments and standardisations. They are led by strong transactional relationships in the supply chain, which are based on pricing conditions, terms of payments, formal contracts and cooperation. This study distinguishes five categories of inter‐organisational network relationships they are: very strong operational, strong sustainable, moderate social, weak innovative and very weak shared resources. The paper concludes that the studied networks are characterised by strong activity and actor ties and weak resources bonds. Specifically the lack of shared resources might negatively influence the networks innovation and sustainability in the future

The Features and Categorization of Agribusiness Networks on the Example of the Polish Fruit and Vegetable Industry Enterprises

This paper contributes to the foregoing discussion on networks in agribusiness. It is grounded in business network approach. The aim of the paper is to recognise and evaluate distinguishing features of agribusiness networks. The eighteen Polish fruit and vegetable producers, processors and traders were investigated. Their network activities have been recognised as non-transactional exchange of knowledge and information, mutual adaptations, adjustments and standardizations. They are preceded by strong transactional relationships in the supply chain which are based on pricing conditions and terms of payments, cooperation as well as formal contracts. The network activities are reinforced by common aims, reciprocal trust and commitment, mutual benefits and stability. The main aim of networking is to increase profits and it is correlated with optimization of supplies and provisions, building of community and relationships and sustainable development. The study classifies five categories of agribusiness networks in the queried sample. They are: very strong operational, strong sustainable, moderate social, weak innovative and very weak shared resource. The paper concludes that the studied networks are characterized by strong actor and activity ties and weak resource bonds. Principally, non-appearance of shared resources may influence the weak innovative ability of networks in the fruit and vegetable industry

Hipoteza efektywnego rynku versus analiza techniczna rynku finansowego

Celem artykułu jest porównanie założeń hipotezy efektywnego rynku z efektami analizy technicznej. Problemem badawczym pracy jest: czy hipoteza efektywnego rynku i analiza techniczna mają sprzeczny charakter czy wzajemnie się uzupełniają? Hipoteza efektywnego rynku opiera się na racjonalności inwestora, a analiza techniczna uwzględnia racjonalność i nieracjonalność inwestora. Dlatego, w artykule przedstawiono pojęcie analizy technicznej i jej założenia. W następnej części pracy przedstawiono metodę badań i przedstawiono hipotezę efektywnego rynku finansowego w kontekście założeń i wyników badań z analizy technicznej, porównując je ze sobą. Potem zaprezentowano zakres wykorzystywania analizy technicznej i jej ocenę przez uczestników rynku finansowego. Na końcu przedstawiono wnioski z przeprowadzonych badań

Reguły fiskalne rządów na poszczególnych poziomach władzy w państwach członkowskich Unii Europejskiej

This article reviews the different types of fiscal rules and their properties with respect to various objectives assigned to fiscal policy. Then, it provides a descriptive analysis of the fiscal rules in force in the EU Member States. The characteristics of fiscal rules vary depending on the sub-sector to which they apply. Fiscal rules applying to higher levels government are usually incorporated into multi-annual budgetary framework whereas most rules applied to regional and local governments rely preponderantly on annual schemes. Most of the fiscal rules applied to regional or local levels governments are enshrined in constitution or law, while rules applying to the whole of the general government sector are more frequently based on coalition agreements or political commitments. Similarly, while rules for regional and local governments seem to have relatively strong enforcement mechanisms, rules applying to general and central governments generally don’t envisage ex ante defined actions in case of non-compliance. The analysis also indicates that contract countries tend to have more fiscal rules applied to central government and social security sectors while delegation countries have a higher number of fiscal rules implemented at regional and local level

Nazwy temporalne w gwarach kujawskich

The subject of research in this article are temporal names associated with relative time, occurring in the Kujawy dialects. The research material comes from the Dictionary of dialect and culture of Kujawy and its extensive – numbering several thousand dictionary entries – file. The purpose of the analysis is to describe their motivations and meanings. A review of the names shows that native terms dominate, and that time by the Kujawiaks was not understood as a physical quantity regulated by clock hands. People living according to the rhythm of the seasons, days, liturgical calendar, used temporal names resulting from the observation of repetitive natural phenomena and related to church holidays and annual customs important for their community.Przedmiotem badań w niniejszym artykule są nazwy temporalne związane z czasem względnym, występujące w gwarach kujawskich. Materiał badawczy pochodzi ze Słownika gwary i kultury Kujaw oraz jego obszernej – liczącej kilka tysięcy haseł – kartoteki. Celem analizy jest opis ich motywacji i znaczeń. Przegląd nazw pokazuje, że dominują określenia rodzime, a czas przez Kujawiaków nie był pojmowany jako wielkość fizyczna, regulowana wskazówkami zegara. Ludzie żyjący zgodnie z rytmem, jaki wyznaczały pory roku, dnia, kalendarz liturgiczny, używali nazw temporalnych wynikających z obserwacji powtarzalnych zjawisk przyrody oraz związanych z ważnymi dla ich społeczności świętami kościelnymi i zwyczajami dorocznymi

O sakramencie Eucharystii w Punktach kazań Konstantego Szyrwida na tle mów Piotra Skargi

[full article, abstract in Polish; abstract in Lithuanian and English] The current paper describes Eucharist terminology used in Punkty Kazań by Konstantinas Syrvidas in comparison to nomenclature used by a Polish Jesuit, Piotr Skarga. The author demonstrates how both preachers, writing about the same sacrament, never created proper nouns; they used terminology from the Old and the New Testament, as well as from the scholarly books of the Church, accepted by the Vatican Councils. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Syrvidas nomenclature is poor and homogenous in comparison to Skarga’s one. The author thinks that there are several reasons justifying that problem: Syrvidas wrote Points [Punkty] without any elaboration where he referred to the text of the Holy Bible and the teachings of the Church Fathers; in his turn Skarga addressed his teachings not only to educated people who were to carry God’s word to others, but to the common people, among whom many pagans still remained; Syrvidas’ Points meant to enlighten, whereas Skarga’s goal was to argue. It was probably due to the fact that in the 17th century, religious disputes were less ardent than before; it is also possible that this sermon has been written by someone else and was added to the 2nd volume of the Points.[статья и аннотация на польском, аннотации на английском и литовском языках] W artykule opisałam nazewnictwo Eucharystii występujące w Punktach kazań K. Szyrwida na tle nomenklatury stosowanej przez polskiego jezuitę — księdza Piotra Skargę. Wykazałam, że obaj mówcy, pisząc o tym sakramencie, nie tworzyli nazw własnych. Korzystali oni z nomenklatury stosowanej w Starym i Nowym Testamencie oraz zapisanej w księgach uczonych Kościoła, a następnie potwierdzonej przez sobory. Pomimo tego, nazewnictwo używane przez Szyrwida na tle stosowanego przez Skargę jest ubogie i mało zróżnicowane. Myślę, że mogło złożyć się na to kilka przyczyn jednocześnie: materiał empiryczny z kazań dwujęzycznych jest szczuplejszy objętościowo, wynika to stąd, że Szyrwid pisał Punkty, nie rozwijał myśli, a odsyłał do teksu Pisma Świętego i nauczania Ojców Kościoła; w przeciwieństwie do Skargi, litewski jezuita swoje mowy kierował nie tylko do ludzi wykształconych, mających nieść słowo Boże dalej, ale także do prostego ludu, wśród którego ciągle szerzyło się pogaństwo; Punkty Szyrwida miały na celu oświecenie, a nie — jak u Skargi — polemikę. Wynikało to zapewne z faktu, że w XVII w. spory religijne znacznie już osłabły; niewykluczone też, że kazanie to napisał ktoś inny i zamieścił je w II tomie PK.  Eucharistijos sakramento pavadinimai Konstantino Sirvydo Punktuose sakymų Petro Skargos pamokslų foneStraipsnyje aprašomi Eucharistijos pavadinimai, vartojami Konstantino Sirvydo pamokslų santraukose Punktai sakymų. Sirvydo vartojami pavadinimai yra lyginami su Lenkijos jėzuito Petro Skargos naudojama nomenklatūra. Autorė parodo, kad abu pamokslininkai, rašydami apie tą patį sakramentą, niekada nekūrė naujų pavadinimų; jie vartojo terminiją iš Senojo ir Naujojo Testamento. Nepaisant to, kas pasakyta, Sirvydo vartojama leksika, palyginti su Skargos šių sąvokų pavadinimais, yra gana vienalytė. Autorė mano, kad yra keletas priežasčių, pateisinančių šį faktą: Sirvydas rašė savo pamokslus siekdamas tik aiškinti Dievo žodį ir mokyti lietuvių kalbos, kitaip negu Skarga, šis siekė didesnės raiškos ir ekspresijos savo pamoksluose – jo žodžiai buvo skirti visų pirmą išsilavinusiems žmonėms. Sirvydo pamokslų tikslas buvo šviesti tikinčiuosius, o Skargos tekstai buvo labiau poleminiai. Tai tikriausiai dėl to, kad 17 amžiuje religiniai ginčai buvo ne tokie aršūs nei anksčiau, kai Skarga rašė savo tekstus; taip pat įmanoma, kad Sirvydo pamokslą apie Eucharistiją parašė kas nors kitas ir įdėjo jį Punktų sakymų II dalyje, be lietuviško teksto.Reikšminiai žodžiai: pamokslas, Eucharistija, jėzuitų mokymai, Petras Skarga, Konstantinas Sirvyda

Viability of Clostridium sporogenes spores after CaO hygienization of meat waste

The occurrence of the pathogenic species [i]C. perfringens[/i] and [i]C. botulinum spores[/i] in animal by-products poses a potential epidemiological hazard. Strong entero- and neurotoxins produced by these bacteria adversely affect human health. To inactivate pathogens present in animal by-products, waste must be subjected to various methods of sanitization. The aim of the presented study was to estimate the effect of different doses of CaO on the viability of spores [i] Clostridium sporogenes[/i] in meat wastes category 3. During the research, two doses of burnt lime were added to the poultry mince meat and meat mixed with swine blood contaminated with [i]Clostridium sporogenes[/i] spore suspension. Half of the samples collected for microbiological analyses were buffered to achieve the pH level ~7, the other were examined without pH neutralization. To estimate the spore number, 10-fold dilution series in peptone water was prepared and heat-treated at 80 °C for 10 min. After cooling-down, one milliliter of each dilution was pour-plated onto DRCM medium solidified with agar. Statistical analysis were performed using the Statistica software. Application of 70% CaO caused complete inactivation of [i]Clostridium spores[/i] in meat wastes after 48 hours. The highest temperature achieved during the experiment was 67 °C. Rapid alkalization of the biomass resulted in increasing pH to values exceeding 12. The effect of liming was not dependent on the meat wastes composition nor CaO dose. The experiment proved the efficiency of liming as a method of animal by-products sanitization. Application of the obtained results may help reduce the epidemiological risk and ensure safety to people handling meat wastes at each stage of their processing and utilization

Emergent research themes on sustainability in the beef cattle industry in Brazil: an integrative literature review.

Abstract - Brazil is one of the world’s biggest beef producers and its largest exporter. However, beef cattle ranching is a leading cause of deforestation and habitat conversion in the Brazilian Amazon, which challenges sustainable development. We adopted the triple bottom line (TBL) as a guiding theory of sustainability and assumed the necessity of a production system-specific approach. Based on an integrative literature analysis, we aimed to assess sustainability pillars in beef cattle production. The Web of Science, Scopus and Science Direct databases were searched for studies on mitigating the adverse impacts of beef cattle production before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. We found 108 references in these databases, 46 of which met the criteria for eligibility assessment, and ten studies were selected for textual cluster analysis and thematic synthesis. The review shows emergent research themes on sustainability in beef cattle production. It also elaborates a conceptual model of the sustainability pillars in the technique, science, and social aspects of the beef cattle sector that may guide the managerial and political strategies for the beef cattle supply chain in Brazil and other emerging markets. This study indicates that sustainable beef cattle development requires new digital technologies and ideas about sustainable supply chain management, which provides human, environmental, and animal welfare

Effect of commercially available spices and herbs on the survival of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Enteritidis

Background: Currently, natural food preservation methods are explored, one of which includes the useof herbs and spices.Methods: The study assessed the effect of herbs and spices; either opened directly before the test oropened and stored for three months; on the survival of L. monocytogenes and S. Enteritidis bacilli, isolated from meat. Moreover, the microbiological purity of the investigated herbs and spices was evaluated. The research consisted of the analysis of inhibition zone patterns around the wells with spice pulp after the incubation period.Results: Varied influence of herbs and spices on the survival of bacilli was reported, depending on thespecies. The strongest impact against L. monocytogenes, among freshly opened spices, had: granulatedgarlic (38.63 mm), whole cloves (28.87 mm), savoury (22.25 mm), ground cinnamon (22.13 mm), ground ginger (18.75 mm). As for S. Enteritidis, in the group of freshly opened spices, the strongest effect was found for: granulated garlic (37.25 mm), whole cloves (31.50 mm), and ground cinnamon (18.16 mm). It was reported that the storage of open spices caused a decrease in antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes, except for cloves, oregano, hot pepper, chilli, sage and turmeric. In the case of S. Enteritidis, the following stored spices were not effective: cinnamon, ground black pepper, sage, oregano, basil, tarragon, marjoram, rosemary, coriander, green mint, hot pepper, chilli, curry.Conclusions: It was confirmed, that herbs and spices, because of its antimicrobial activity can be used,e.g. for food preservation, minimizing the amount of chemical additives applied to the product and extending its shelf-life

UV-C Radiation as a Factor Reducing Microbiological Contamination of Fish Meal

Fish meals, added to feeds as a source of protein, may contain pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, effective methods for their sanitizing, such as UV-C radiation, are needed to minimize the epidemiological risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of UV-C radiation on the sanitary state of fish meals. The research materials included salmon and cod meals. Samples of the fish meals were inoculated with suspensions of Salmonella, E. coli, enterococci, and C. sporogenes spores and exposed to the following surface UV-C fluencies: 0–400 J·m−2 for bacteria and 0–5000 J·m−2 for spores. For the vegetative forms, the highest theoretical lethal UV-C dose, ranging from 670.99 to 688.36 J·m−2 depending on the meal type, was determined for Salmonella. The lowest UV-C fluency of 363.34–363.95 J·m−2 was needed for the inactivation of Enterococcus spp. Spores were considerably more resistant, and the UV-C doses necessary for inactivation were 159571.1 J·m−2 in salmon meal and 66836.9 J·m−2 in cod meal. The application of UV-C radiation for the sanitization of fish meals proved to be a relatively effective method for vegetative forms of bacteria but was practically ineffective for spores