Ethical Problems and Breeding Goals: Pigs

Ethical problems in pig production systems arise when the rights of different stakeholders conflict. These rights can be summarised in the ethical principles of wellbeing, autonomy and justice. The stakeholders who should be considered are the animal itself, the farmer, the consumer (and wider society) and, more generally, the natural environment

Every Student is a Writer: Building Confidence through Tutoring Sessions

Students often feel inadequate as a writer when entering a tutoring session. Tutors can instill confidence in the student by praising what they are doing well. They can also let the student express their ideas in the session, then the tutor and student can build off of those ideas together. Overall, the tutor can help the student see themselves as a writer rather than someone who writes, which will give the student conviction beyond the sphere of the classroom

The effect of different paddock rotation strategies for organic sows on behaviour, welfare and the environment

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Two alternative paddock rotations for dry sows were established on an organic farm: Rotational (40 x 40m moved three times per year) and Set Stocked (120 x 40m in place for one year). Sows showed distinct preferences in the location of dunging and urination within the paddocks (p<0.001), but no differences between the paddocks. Vegetation cover under the sows was similar overall in the two paddock systems, but showed differences over the year. Work to model the potential for nutrient leaching in the two paddock systems is ongoing

The Relative Effects of Salespersons\u27 Ratings on Ability and Effort Criteria.

Performance appraisal is a crucial function of sales managers. Often, performance appraisal information is used as a basis for decisions relating to pay, promotion, and termination. Such decisions can have a substantial impact on the motivation, satisfaction, and productivity of members of the sales force. Despite its importance, little research has investigated the way in which decisions concerning salesperson performance are made. The primary goal of this research was to examine the relative effects of salespeople\u27s ability and effort on decisions relating to promotion, compensation, transfer, and termination. A secondary purpose was to see if salesperson sex influenced these decisions. A sample of 256 subjects participated in the study. In a role playing situation, subjects\u27 responses suggested that a salesperson\u27s ratings on ability and effort criteria play a significant role in determining actions concerning salesperson performance. The results indicated that when a salesperson\u27s performance was characterized as below average, the most coercive actions, including termination, were more likely to be taken when the salesperson was rated low on effort criteria rather than ability criteria. When making decisions concerning good performance, however, subjects were more likely to promote and to transfer to a better territory those salespeople who performed well on ability criteria rather than on effort criteria. There was some evidence of differential treatment of male and female salespeople. Males were more likely to be punished for poor performance but were more likely to be promoted for good performance than were females. The results suggest, however, that ratings on ability and effort performance dimensions have a greater influence on reactions to salesperson performance than salesperson sex

The impact of organic livestock standards on animal welfare – a questionnaire survey of advisors, inspectors and veterinarians

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. A questionnaire survey of organic sector body inspectors, organic advisors and farm animal veterinarians was conducted to examine the respondents’ perceptions of the ability of the organic standards to deliver positive impacts on welfare of organic livestock. A total of 44 separate standards concerning livestock production were extracted from the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Production livestock production standards. The respondents were asked to consider the potential impact of each standard on animal welfare in comparison to the routine practices used on conventional farms, using a five-point scale (improve significantly, improve slightly, no impact, deteriorate slightly and deteriorate significantly). A simple scoring system was used to rank the different standards in terms of their perceived positive impact on animal welfare. The significance of differences between respondent groups and livestock species were examined. Preliminary findings of the survey are summarised and the usefulness of the approach to evaluate livestock production standards is discussed

Is Strategic Management (Still) Responsible for the Demise of Society?

Over fourteen years ago, Bill Richardson stated that modern strategic management is leading to the demise of society with its profit-maximization focus. Furthermore, there is criticism that strategic management research is lacking relevance for practitioners. In contrast to this criticism of academia, practitioners are increasingly engaged in sustainability-related activities and reporting and are moving beyond the historical focus on profits. This study examined trends in strategic management academic and practitioner publications since Richardson\u27s claim. Since academicians are charged with educating future managers for the workforce, we sought to determine if academic strategic management research publications are reflecting the practitioner sustainability movement incorporating social and environmental performance alongside financial performance. Suggestions for future research are presented

ANIMAL WELFARE AND ECONOMIC OPTIMISATION OF FARROWING SYSTEMS

Livestock Production/Industries, alternative housing systems, animal welfare, economic optimisation, farrowing systems, pig,

Trans-Pacific doctoral success – A collaborative cohort model

The San Jose Gateway PhD program is a doctoral partnership between the School of Information at San Jose State University (SJSU) in the USA, and the Information Systems School at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia. Because of Californian legislation, SJSU has not been able to offer PhD degrees. The Gateway Program therefore provides a research pathway for SJSU’s coursework students. It also helps the School to grow the research capacity of academic staff. For QUT, the Program provides the opportunity to advance research agendas and to build strong international connections and partnerships. The Program began in 2008. It is a distance-delivered cohort-based scheme with new students commencing in August of each year. All students are enrolled as part-time students in QUT’s Doctor of Philosophy. Each student is assigned supervisors from both universities. In addition to individual and group supervisory meetings, all students and supervisors meet in a virtual meeting space once a month. The online monthly meetings are supplemented by two residential events each year: (i) a one week face to face residential in August at San Jose State University, and (ii) an online residential in March. This paper will critically reflect upon this unique Program, which has led to high quality research outcomes, rapid completions, and noteworthy graduate employments. Critical consideration of the challenges and future proofing of the approach will also be explored