LANDOWNER DECISION MAKING ABOUT RIPARIAN BUFFERS

A two-stage model is used to examine a landowner's decision to use riparian buffers. First, the farmer chooses whether to continue farming or to sell the land for development. If the farmer continues farming, then he or she must decide whether or not to plant a buffer. If the farmer plants a buffer, he or she must choose its type: trees or grass. Simulations of a representative farmer determine the parameters and parameter values that affect each decision. The farmer chooses to plant a buffer unless the net crop price is high or the land rental rate is low. The choice of buffer type is affected by crop price, farm size, relative incentive payments, relative cost share rates, and amount of deer damage.agricultural land-use, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, environmental policy, land-use, riparian buffers, Land Economics/Use,

Examining the Cost of an All-Organic Diet

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

An Examination of Student Performance in Pre-Requisite Coursework and Upper Division Nursing Coursework

Admission and retention of qualified nursing students are essential in meeting the demands of a rapidly changing health care environment and nursing shortage. The purpose of this exploratory correlational study was to determine the relationship between student performance in quantitative pre-requisite coursework and student performance in upper division nursing coursework in order to identify students at-risk for attrition. A series of descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted using pre-existing institutional data. A moderate relationship existed among the chemistry II and first-year upper division nursing courses (r = .21 to r = .40). These results suggest that prerequisite chemistry course performance could be a reliable predictor of academic success

Students make a plan: understanding student agency in constraining conditions

Drawing on Archer’s perspectives on the agency / structure relationship, this paper explains situations where students in varied, challenging circumstances find ways to negotiate difficult conditions. The paper firstly reports specific findings of a study on student access and use of technology in three universities in South Africa; and then uses Archer’s concept of agency to explain the findings. The context of the study is a South African higher education system clearly committed to preparing university students for participation in the knowledge society as is evident in numerous policy documents. However, the response to this rapid worldwide social and economic transformation has occurred simultaneously with the substantial restructuring of a fragmented, divided and unequal sector, the legacy of racially demarcated and differentially resourced apartheid institutions (Department of Education, 2001, Gillard, 2004). Additionally, social demands on South African higher education institutions have intensified in recent years. Increased participation by a diverse range of students has resulted in massification of the sector within a context of limited or even reduced funding (Maasen and Cloete, 2002). As is the case internationally, there are both more and different students entering the sector

A Growth-Focused Spatial Econometric Model of Agricultural Land Development in the Northeast

Using county data for West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, estimation of a system of simultaneous equations shows that population growth, higher taxes, high farmland value, and high initial per capita income accelerate farmland development, but return on farmland, government assistance to farmers, farmland conservation, and farming agglomeration reduce development pressure.farmland, development, regional growth, policy, equilibrium model, spatial autocorrelation, Land Economics/Use,

Regional Growth Impacts on Agricultural Land Development: A Spatial Model for Three States

In this study we attempt to understand the relationship between regional growth in population, employment, and per capita income, and farmland development in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. A spatial simultaneous equations model is estimated using county-level data. Results indicate that while county income growth and agricultural land value increases in neighboring counties increase the rate of farmland loss, growth in county agricultural land values, increases in agricultural land density in neighboring counties, and increases in agricultural income per farm reduce farmland losses. Farmland protection policies were not significant in reducing agricultural land development. This approach, focused on regional growth, provides insight into linkages between growth and agricultural land development that can potentially enhance land use planning.farmland protection, regional growth, rural development, spatial growth equilibrium model, Land Economics/Use,

Adoption of E-Marketing by Direct-Market Farms in the Northeastern United States

Many farms have begun operating websites in order to promote their businesses. This study uses data from a 2005 survey of farms in the northeastern United States to identify characteristics of farmers, farms, and farm businesses associated with website adoption. Following a technology-adoption framework, a probit model of website use is estimated to identify significant relationships. Sales location, product type, number of advertising methods used, high-speed Internet connection, land tenure arrangement, and gross farm sales is found to be significantly related to website adoption.Marketing,

University students as digital migrants

This is a copy of the published version of an article published by the University of Alberta Libraries in Language and Literacy, 14(2): 41-61. Available on: http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/langandlit/article/view/18003/14221.South African university students are on the frontline of a global world. Whether they are attending university in the rural Eastern Cape or urban Johannesburg, the social practice of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has enabled virtual global mobility. The internet has opened up an opportunity for them to easily cross beyond the borders of South Africa and become part of an experience in another part of the world while the cellphone has facilitated this mobility anytime any place. This paper focuses on the students who are migrants into this digital world through analysis of their technology discourses and the role this has in how they engage with and within this digital environment. Using Gee's notion of big 'D' and little 'd' D(d)iscourses (1996), I have examined the meanings held by students in relation to technology. This analysis of language provides insights into students' educational and social identities and the position of globalisation and the information society in both facilitating and constraining their participation and future opportunities

Admitting Opinions and Conclusions in Evaluative Reports: The Trustworthiness Inquiry—Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey, 109 S. Ct. 439 (1988)

In Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey, the United States Supreme Court held that opinions and conclusions in evaluative reports are within the scope of the federal public records hearsay exception if trustworthy. Washington\u27s public records hearsay exception excludes opinions and conclusions in evaluative reports. This Note analyzes the trustworthiness requirement under the federal rule and proposes that Washington adopt the federal rule

Strategies Used by Manufacturing Hiring Managers to Recruit Skilled Workers

Leaders in manufacturing industries are increasingly concerned with the lack of skills among applicants, emphasizing the gap that exists between employer expectations and skills of employees entering the workforce. Developing successful recruitment strategies is critical for hiring managers seeking to hire skilled workers. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore successful strategies hiring managers used to recruit skilled production workers at a manufacturing company in Southeastern South Carolina. The human capital theory, which represents the knowledge individuals provide to enhance productivity, was the conceptual framework. Data were collected from face-to-face interviews with 3 hiring managers and an exploration of company documents that included the standard of quality and excellence policy, the company handbook, and the company website. Data analysis included assessment of word frequencies, keyword coding, and theme identification. Four themes emerged: provide industry and education partnerships to enhance recruitment efforts, maximize community industry specific recruitment, offer computer numerical controlled training as a recruitment incentive, and provide market competitive compensation. By implementing these strategies, managers may have greater levels of success in hiring skilled workers. Implications for positive social change include the potential for manufacturing hiring managers and other industry hiring managers to recruit and retain skilled workers through training, advancement opportunities, and compensation commensurate with employees\u27 skills. Skilled workers may increase organizational productivity and profitability, which may promote economic prosperity in the local community