Economic analysis of water use in Illinois agriculture

Approximately 28,000 acres of field and specialty crops were irrigated in Illinois in 1966. Supplemental irrigation of corn accounted for over one half of this acreage. Important elements in the decision to invest in irrigation equipment for corn include the expected effect of irrigation on year-to-year fluctuations in income and on average income. Regression models were used to estimate the influence of moisture variables on corn yield. Moisture deficits were calculated using the season with the highest yield as a base. Although these models indicated a reduction in income variance as a result of removing moisture deficits by irrigation, they did not uniformly indicate an increase in average net income under irrigation. One of the regression models was then used as a basis for a dynamic programming analysis. A moderate gain in expected income from corn was obtained by employing the irrigation policy dictated by dynamic programming rather than the policy from a moisture-deficit model. The dynamic programming results were also superior to a commonly used rule of thumb for supplemental irrigation. In addition to the economic analysis of the irrigation of corn viewed as a single crop, it was necessary to examine its role in the context of the total farm business. The competitive position of ' corn in the rotation was evaluated and it was found that corn remained as an important crop after introduction of irrigation and consideration of the crop alternatives of snapbeans and cucumbers. Labor distribution was an important factor in determining an optimal cropping pattern. General rules were developed for adjusting leases on rented farms to provide economic incentives for both landlord and tenant to adopt supplemental irrigation. The results of all of the analyses would have been substantially improved with crop-response data from experiments in which the range of variation of water and complementary cultural practices included economically optimal levels of these inputs.U.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Department of the InteriorOpe

Hail Suppression: Impacts and Issues: Final Report Technology Assessment of the Suppression of Hail

published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewedOpe

What are the competences in information system required by managers? Curriculum development for management and public administration degrees

[EN] This paper analyzes the competences required by executives to manage information system, and consequently, the competences that must define the information system subjects in non-technical degrees, degrees, such as Public Administration or Business Management. This work reviews the literature about business managers competences on Information Technologies (IT) and compares the theory with the traditional body of knowledge about information systems taught at business schools. By analyzing the executives function, their role in the information system management, and, above, all the importance of their decisions in the effective integration of IT in business processes, this work proposes specific development in seven knowledge areas that facilitate the acquisition of these types of executive competencesDevece Carañana, CA.; Peris-Ortiz, M.; Rueda Armengot, C. (2016). What are the competences in information system required by managers? 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J Manag 17:155–171Cegarra-Navarro JG, Sánchez-Vidal ME, Cegarra-Leiva D (2011) Balancing exploration and exploitation of knowledge through an unlearning context: an empirical investigation in SMEs. Manag Decis 49(7):1099–1119Chan YE, Reich BH (2007) IT alignment: what have we learned? J Inf Tech 22:297–315Chan YE, Sabherwal R, Thatcher JB (2006) Antecedents and outcomes of strategic IS alignment: an empirical investigation. IEEE Trans Eng Manag 51(3):27–47Croteau AM, Bergeron F (2001) An information technology trilogy: business strategy, technological deployment and organizational performance. J Strateg Inf Syst 10:77–99Crowston K, Myers MD (2004) Information technology and the transformation of industries: three research perspectives. J Strateg Inf Syst 13(1):5–28Dent-Micallef A, Powell T (1998) Technologies de l’information: nécessités stratégiques ou sources d’avantage concurrentiel? Une étude empirique dans le secteur de la distribution aux Etats-Unis. Rev Can Sci Adm 15(1):39–64Devece C (2013) The value of business managers’ ‘information technology’ competence. Serv Ind J 33(7/8):720–733Doll WJ, Torkzadeh G (1987) The relationship of MIS steering committee to size of firm and formalization of mis planning. Commun ACM 30(11):972–978Earl MJ (1996) The risks of outsourcing IT. Sloan Manag Rev 37(3):26–32European Commission (2015) ECTS Users’ Guide 2015. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. doi: 10.2766/87592Hambrick DC, Brandon G (1988) Executive values. In: Hambrick DC (ed) The executive effect: concepts and methods for studying top managers. JAI Press, GreenwichHambrick DC, Mason PA (1984) Upper echelons: the organization as a reflection of its top managers. Acad Manag Rev 9(2):193–206Hotho S, Champion K (2011) Small businesses in the new creative industries: innovation as a people management challenge. Manag Decis 49(1):29–54Jarvenpaa SL, Ives B (1991) Executive involment and participation in the management of IT. MIS Q 15(2):52–69Lado AA, Wilson MC (1994) Human resource systems and sustained competitive advantage: a competency-based perspective. Acad Manag Rev 19(4):699–727Lado AA, Boyd NG, Wright P (1992) A competency-based model of sustainable competitive advantage: toward a conceptual integration. J Manag 18(1):77–91Lederer AL, Mendelow AL (1988) Information systems planning: top management takes control. Bus Horiz 31(3):73–78Oh W, Pinsonneault A (2007) On the assessment of the strategic value of information technologies: conceptual and analytical approaches. MIS Q 31(2):239–265Osbaldeston M, Barham K (1992) Using management development for competitive advantage. Long Range Plan 25(6):18–24Penrose ET (1959) The theory of the growth of the firm. Basil Blackwell, OxfordReich BH, Benbasat I (1996) Measuring the linkage between business and information technology objectives. MIS Q 20(1):55–81Reich BH, Benbasat I (2000) Factors that influence the social dimension of alignment between business and information techonology objectives. MIS Q 24(1):81–113Riegner C (2007) Word of mouth on the web: the impact of web 2.0 on consumer purchase decisions. J Advert Res 47(4):436–447Rockart JF (1988) The lines takes the leadership. Sloan Manag Rev 29(4):57–64Sabherwal R, Chan YE (2001) Alignment between business and IS strategies: a study of prospectors, analyzers, and defenders. Inf Syst Res 12(1):11–33Sanchez R, Heene A, Thomas H (1996) Towards the theory and practice of competence-based competition. In: Sanchez R, Heene A, Thomas H (eds) Dynamics of competence-based competition: theory and practice in the new strategic management. Elsevier, London, pp 1–35Senge PM (1990) The fifth discipline: the age and practice of the learning organization. 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Working with Other Disciplines

In this paper the term "discipline" simply refers to a specialized field of knowledge. Each discipline thus defined usually has a professional association and at least one journal. Equating a discipline to a profession is not completely satisfactory for all purposes but it is consistent with common usage and convenient for the task at hand. Within a university context, a discipline corresponds approximately to an academic department, and disciplines develop when both faculty and administration come to recognize reasonably distinct areas of inquiry

Hail Suppression and Society

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