Analysis and intuition in strategic decision making. The case of California

Many management scholars believe that the process used to make strategic decisions affects the quality of those decisions. However several authors have observed a lack of research on the strategic decision making process. Empirical tests of factors that have been hypothesized to affect the way strategic decisions are made notably are absent. (Fredrickson, 1985) This paper reports the results of a study that attempts to assess the effects of decision making circumstances focusing mainly on the approaches applied and the managerial skills and capabilities the decision makers built on during concrete strategic decision making procedures. The study was conducted in California between September 2005 and June 2006 and it was sponsored by a Fulbright Research Scholarship Grant

Value chain analysis of Paprika and Bird's Eye Chillies in Malawi

Total LandCare Malawi (TLC) is implementing a three-year USAID-funded Spice Promotion in Commercial Enterprises (SPICE) project in collaboration with NALI Limited and ASSNAP. The main aim of the project is to link small-scale spice producers to high-value markets and develop the competitiveness of bird’s eye chillies and paprika through commercial upgrading of the major players in their respective value chains. Under the SPICE project, TLC commissioned the paprika and bird’s eye chillies’ value chain study in February 2010 with the overall objective of providing technical guidance, professional expertise and knowledge on the current status of the paprika and bird’s eye chillies sector in Malawi and the prospects for value addition of the two crops in Malawi. The study covered Dowa, Dedza, Ntcheu, Salima, Nkhotakota, Nkhatabay, Mzimba and Thyolo districts. A value chain approach was used to identify the main players in paprika and bird’s eye chillies sub-sectors, the governance of the respective value chains, the vertical and horizontal linkages along the value chains and opportunities for value chain upgrading. A review of the different policies that relate to agriculture was also done to highlight the extent to which different policies promote or inhibit paprika and bird’s eye chillies production and marketing in Malawi. An analysis of the institutional framework was also conducted to determine the degree of coordination between different institutions in the paprika and bird’s eye chillies sub-sector. Among the major findings of the study, male farmers dominate the production of both paprika and bird’s eye chillies in Malawi and the two crops are largely sold to large-scale traders, most of whom are also exporters of the commodities. The smallholder farmers allocated relatively less land (18 percent) to paprika production in 2009/2010 season, compared to 40 percent of land to bird’s eye chillies. Although production is dominated by small-scale farmers, a number of commercial producers are also involved, such as Africa Invest Malawi. Some of the commercial producers are also engaged in out-grower schemes with the smallholder farmers. It was also observed that a large proportion of the farmers of both paprika and chillies access their seed through market-based sources. Among the major constraints facing the smallholder farmers is access to market information, especially as it relates to prices. Gross margins for bird’s eye chillies were found to be significantly higher (MK79,057/Ha) than that of paprika in the study areas (MK11,553/Ha). The Malawi paprika value chain has a number of actors. Paprika is mostly grown by smallholder producers, with Africa Invest Malawi being the only commercial producer. Apart from NALI LTD that buys fresh paprika as an ingredient into its Mango achar, most of the paprika is sold to large-scale traders/players as de-seeded pods. Most of the Malawi paprika is exported to spice manufacturing companies and brokers in South Africa. The brokers then export the product to Europe and USA, among other markets. The governance of the Malawi paprika value chain rests with the final buyers. In this buyer-driven chain, the quality demanded by the international buyers is enforced through prices. Similarly, the bird’s eye chilli value chain also has few players. The producers are mostly smallholder farmers, who sell their dry chillies to large-scale traders (Nali LTD, Africa Invest Malawi, Cheetah Malawi LTD, and Duconti Produce, among others). The large-scale traders export the commodity mostly to brokers in South Africa, and to end-users in Europe, the United Kingdom and others parts of the developed world. In this buyer-driven chain, prices are dictated by the final consumers. In order to improve the paprika and bird’s eye chillies sector in Malawi, there is an urgent need to substantially increase the production levels and the productivity of the two crops. Specifically, there is need to improve the paprika and bird’s eye chillies seed system; improve farmer’s agronomic practices through the provision of quality agricultural extension services and also improve the organization of farmers into groups. In order to improve marketing of the two commodities there is need to promote legally-binding contracts between producers and buyers, promote value-adding activities and processes so that different players experience value chain upgrading, promote domestic demand for chillies and paprika, promote vertical linkages among the buyers of paprika and chillies, and also improve the quality, timeliness and utilization of market information. On the policy front, there is an urgent need to develop a horticultural policy, as the sector is operating without a policy, an institutional framework or a legislative framework. It is expected that the three-year SPICE project will help the targeted farmers to address the major constraints and challenges highlighted in this report.value chain analysis; paprika; bird's eye chillies; Malawi

Sosiaalinen media kasvatuskumppanuuden tukena päiväkotiryhmässä

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli selvittää, miten sosiaalista mediaa voi hyödyntää vanhempien kanssa tehtävässä yhteistyössä varhaiskasvatuksessa. Tutkimus toteutettiin Kangasalan Touhulassa 3-6 -vuotiaiden lasten ryhmässä. Lapsiryhmän vanhemmille ja työntekijöille luotiin yhteinen keskusteluryhmä Facebookiin. Vanhempien osalta osallistuminen ryhmään oli vapaaehtoista. Ryhmässä keskusteltiin kasvatusta koskevista teemoista, jotka liittyvät arkeen sekä kotona että päiväkodissa. Vanhemmilla ja varhaiskasvattajilla on kaikilla paljon erilaista lasten kanssa toimimiseen liittyvää tietoa ja taitoa. Keskusteluryhmän tarkoituksena oli mahdollistaa tämän tiedon jakamista tasa-arvoisesti vanhempien ja varhaiskasvattajien välillä. Tavoitteena oli lisätä yhteisöllisyyttä ryhmän vanhempien ja työntekijöiden välillä sekä ryhmän vanhempien välillä. Tarkoituksena oli myös selvittää, miten internetissä toimiva keskusteluryhmä käytännössä voisi toimia ja miten sosiaalista mediaa voisi muuten hyödyntää kasvatuskumppanuudessa. Tutkimus oli toiminnallinen tutkimus ja tutkimusaineisto koostui keskusteluryhmän sisällöistä, keskusteluihin osallistuneille vanhemmille tehdyistä kyselytutkimuksista sekä ryhmän työntekijöille tehdystä teemahaastattelusta. Kaikkien lasten vanhemmat eivät osallistuneet keskusteluryhmään, joten niille vanhemmille, jotka eivät osallistuneet, tehtiin oma kyselytutkimus kehittämisideoiden saamiseksi. Tutkimuksen tuloksissa kävi ilmi, että keskusteluryhmä ei toiminut täysin mutkattomasti tässä konseptissaan, vaan kehitettävää vielä olisi. Suurin haaste oli alusta, eli Facebook, jolla keskusteluryhmä toimi. Kokeilulla oli ollut kuitenkin ollut sekä työntekijöiden että vanhempien mielestä myös positiivisia vaikutuksia. Kyselyissä ja haastattelussa ilmeni myös hyviä kehittämisehdotuksia siitä, kuinka sosiaalista mediaa voisi hyödyntää vanhempien kanssa tehtävässä yhteistyössä.The purpose was to find out how social media could be used in communication between parents and early childhood education personnel. The aim was to increase social engagement between parents and early childhood education workers as well as among parents. Finding out how internet based electronic forum could work in practice was also a goal in this study. The study was conducted in collaboration with Touhula Kangasala in a group of children over 3 years old to ensure the usefulness of questions concerning upbringing. A group was created for personnel and for parents to join in Facebook. Parent participation was voluntary. The material consisted of conversations in the group and of a survey aimed to the participating parents. Another survey was given to the parents who did not participate to get ideas to further improve the concept. The material was analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The results of this study suggest that there were problems in this concept and more work is needed to get it work without a problem. The main concern was Facebook as the platform for the group and the lack of time available to participate in conversation. Overall, this study suggests that there are possibilities for using social media in communication between parents and early education employees, but more work needs to be done for it to work. Most parents who participated would have liked to continue the group after the study concluded

Edible Coating Berbasis Pati Sagu dengan Penambahan Antimikroba Minyak Sereh pada Paprika: Preferensi Konsumen dan Mutu Vitamin C

Paprika merupakan salah satu jenis sayuran buah yang memiliki prospek pasar yang cerah dan terbuka lebar baik untuk pasar domestik maupun ekspor. Namun, paprika merupakan sayuran buah yang tidak awet dan mudah rusak (perishable commodity) sehingga paprika memerlukan penanganan pascapanen yang tepat agar dapat meningkatkan masa simpannya. Salah satu teknologi potensial untuk diterapkan pada paprika yaitu pelapisan permukaan paprika dengan bahan edible (dapat dimakan) dan ditambah dengan antimikroba alami untuk menghindari serangan mikroba. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh konsentrasi minyak sereh dan lama perendaman terhadap sifat kimia dan organoleptik (warna, aroma, tekstur dan rasa) paprika merah yang diberi perlakuan edible coating berbasis pati sagu dan antimikroba alami minyak sereh. Selain itu juga dianalisis Perubahan mutu kimia vitamin C pada paprika merah selama penyimpanan. Perlakuan yang diberikan untuk pengujian karakteristik sensori yaitu (a) konsentrasi minyak sereh 0,2% dan 0,4% dan (b) lama pencelupan dalam formula edible coating yaitu 3 dan 5 menit. Paprika lalu disimpan pada suhu 8°C. Sebagai kontrol dilakukan juga pengamatan terhadap paprika yang tidak di coating dan yang di coating namun tanpa menambahkan minyak sereh. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perlakuan coating tidak berpengaruh nyata pada penerimaan panelis terhadap atribut aroma, tekstur, rasa maupun penerimaan keseluruhan paprika. Perlakuan coating hanya berpengaruh nyata pada penerimaan panelis terhadap atribut warna paprika merah. Panelis dapat menerima perlakuan coating pada paprika, baik dengan atau tanpa penambahan antimikroba. Kandunganvitamin C pada paprika dengan perlakuan 0,4% minyak sereh pada suhu 8°C pada hari penyimpanan ke-27 masih tetap tinggi yaitu 1,5 mg/100g

Vezetési és döntési rendszerek a versenyképesség szolgálatában - Összefoglaló a Vezetési és döntési rendszerek kutatócsoport munkájáról = Management and decision making systems supporting competitiveness

A „Vezetési és döntési rendszerek” alprojekt kutatói a döntéshozatal minőségének és a versenyképességnek a kapcsolatát vizsgálták. Alapkérdésünk az volt, hogy mely vállalatok a sikeresebbek, azok, amelyek a döntéshozatali közelítésmódok közül a szigorúan racionális, analitikus gondolkodást, felfogást favorizálják, vagy inkább a kreativitást ösztönző és középpontba állító, a kreatív döntéshozatali és vezetési stílust követő cégek. Azt tapasztaltuk, hogy a vállalatok menedzsmentjének egyre többször kell megbirkóznia vészhelyzetekkel és azok következményeivel. Az üzleti döntések és az üzleti teljesítmény, az üzleti siker kapcsolatának vizsgálatára külön kutatási irányt jelöltünk meg. A felelős döntéshozatal témakörében a mi kutatásunk a konkrét döntéseket helyezte előtérbe, amely új közelítésmódot jelent. Ugyanis nem csak specifikus CSR gyakorlatokkal foglalkoztunk, hanem konkrét vezetői döntésekben vizsgáltuk meg a CSR és a fenntarthatóság elemeit. ______ Within the framework of the “Management and decision-making systems” subproject we investigated the link between the quality of decision making and competitiveness. Our basic question was the following: which companies are more successful, those who are strictly follow the rational/analytical way of decision making or the others who mainly focus on creative decision making and creative management. We found that nowadays the company managements more often face to crisis situations and their consequences. We initiated a focused research on the relationship of the business decision making, business performance and business success. When we did research in the field of the responsible decision making we focused on concrete decision cases, that was a brand new approach. We have not analyzed the CSR practice, but identified CSR and sustainability elements in concrete management decisions

Dietary effect of red paprika used to enhance the coloration of red tilapia (oreochromis niloticus)

Red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is one of the famous fish cultures in the aquaculture industry, especially in Malaysia. The appearance of redness makes the fish more attractive for customers to buy. Therefore, to achieve quality products it is necessary to research how to improve the color quality of tilapia as desired by customers. The purpose of this study was to identify the dietary effect of red paprika used to enhance the coloration of red tilapia. This study is an experimental quantitative study. Red tilapia was obtained from Freshwater Hatchery, University Malaysia Terengganu. A descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data in this study. This study shows that red paprika has an effect on the length and weight of red tilapia, where the highest length and weight gained (1.79 cm and 12.37 g) given red paprika 2% and the lowest length and weight gained (0.63 cm and 2.5 g) which given 4% red paprika. Only 2% of red paprika treatment showed different growth performance. The crude protein, lipid, and moisture composition of tilapia were also higher at 2% red paprika treatment. Meanwhile, the highest composition of ash is feed with 4% red paprika content. The result of this research showed that the caudal and dorsal either muscle or fin showed the highest color at the fish which fed with 8% red paprika. It could also improve the coloration of the red tilapia. Future studies suggest the use of Dunaliella salina microalgae which is one of the richest sources of carotenoids

Incentives and constraints for the use of organic seeds in organic farming: example of Capsicum annuum seeds in the Netherlands and Spain

The EU legislation on organic farming was aimed at forcing the use of organic seeds in organic production. However, there are striking differences in its implementation across the EU and the use of organic seeds is still sparse. This study examines the use of organic seeds for sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) production in a pilot study for the Netherlands and Spain. In order to identify existing incentives and constraints, a supply chain analysis is applied, derogation requests for using non-organic seeds are analysed and interviews with stakeholders of the supply chain are conducted. Based on the findings, recommendations are given on how each stakeholder can participate in improving the implementation of the EU law, promoting the use of organic seeds

Racionális és intuitív döntéshozók Kaliforniában és Magyarországon (Analysis or Intuition – Strategic decision making in California and Hungary)

Stratégiai döntéseket jellemzően a vállalatok felső vezetői, vezérigazgatók és elnökök hoznak. Ennek szellemében a szerző negyven felső vezetőt kérdezett meg két nagyon különböző régióban (Kaliforniában és Magyarországon) egy összehasonlító kutatás keretében. A két országban tizenkét válaszadó vezérigazgató, elnök, alelnök vagy felelős vezető volt (rájuk mint Vezetőkre hivatkoztunk), miközben nyolcan alapítói és többségi tulajdonosai voltak saját vállalkozásuknak (őket nevezzük Vállalkozóknak). A kutatás három területre irányult: 1) Hogyan hoznak döntéseket a felső vezetők a valóságban a világ e két különböző táján 2) Mennyiben különböznek – ha egyáltalán különböznek – a Vállalkozók és a Vezetők az alkalmazott döntéshozatali közelítésmódot tekintve, amikor az analitikus gondolkodást az intuícióikkal kombinálják 3) Mik a hasonlóságok és a különbségek a menedzsmentképességekben és a döntéshozatali rutinokban a Vállalkozók és a Vezetők között a vizsgált menedzsmentkultúrákban? ______ Strategic decision making is usually conducted by a firm’s top management, led by the CEO or the President of the company. In keeping with this, 40 top level managers in two very different regions (California, USA and Hungary) were targeted in a comparative research study. In the two countries, twelve of the managers were CEOs, Presidents, Vice Presidents or Chief Officers (hereafter referred to as Executives) while eight were founders and majority owners of their own enterprises (hereafter referred to as Entrepreneurs). The research focused on the following 3 areas: 1) How top level managers really make strategic decisions in these two different parts of the world; 2) How Entrepreneurs and Executives differ, if at all, in their approach to strategic decision making when they combine analytical thinking with their intuition; 3) The similarities and differences in management skills and decision making routines between Entrepreneurs and Executives within the investigated management cultures

Evaluation of color intensity enhanced by paprika as feed additive in goldfish and koi carp using computer-assisted image analysis

Body color intensity of red-colored koi carp Cyprinus carpio and goldfish Carassius auratus auratus varieties were measured to evaluate the effect of paprika used as a feed additive. Digital photos of the experimental fish were processed and analyzed by using special software. The red, green and blue (RGB) values of images were recorded and grayscale values of R, G and B were analyzed. The RGB values seem to play different roles in the development of the visible 'redness' of the two species. In most cases the B values decreased continuously during the administration of the paprika as a carotenoid feed additive, which seemed to have no effect on this process. The G values remained unchanged or decreased slightly as redness increased due to paprika feeding. The R values had a tendency to increase due to paprika feeding but significant differences can be expected only after 4 weeks at the feeding conditions applied here. Both the initial rate of redness and genetic background are thought to influence the rate of red color intensity change, which was observed to be different in the two fish species studied here