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Assessing the core variables of business managers’ intuitive decision ability: A review and analysis
Get PDFBusiness decisions are frequently based on informed intuition in contrast to a formal analysis. Early man used simple intuition, but through time knowledge increases allowed decision makers (DMs) to move to ‘objectively informed intuition’ (OII). This uses inherent and learnt cognition at both unconscious and conscious levels. A model of business OII is proposed and evaluated using as variables the managers’ personal characteristics and their unique set of objectives. The resultant equation allows assessing decision quality and provides a framework for DMs to work on improvements relative to their objectives. The literature suggests OII stems from a DM’s makeup (business related phenotype), training and experience in a dynamic trio leading to the defining equation. Analyses show business related phenotype is the most important determinant as well as confirming the proposed theory on the determinants of OII success. Practical methods of improving OII are reviewed, and issues worth further investigation outlined. This research is the first encompassing quantitative relationships explaining business OII quality thus enabling improving OII. Suggested further research may refine the equation and expand its core base. This work involves a range of disciplines as different aspects of human characteristics impact on how decisions are made
Understanding apple attribute preferences of US consumers
Get PDFApple preferences of US consumers are widely explored. However, the key factors that drive the importance that US consumers place on apple attributes are rather unexplored. To fill this literature gap, an online survey with 383 US apple buyers was conducted. A two-step analysis consisting of descriptive statistics and partial least squares structural equation modelling indicates that subjective knowledge was the most important factor, determining both the discernment of buyers and attitudes towards US fruit growers. Objective knowledge and sociodemographic factors, other than education, were not found to have any impact. The discernment of a buyer and their ability to distinguish apple varieties had the greatest impact on the importance that US consumers placed on physical and commercial product attributes. It was also found that attitudes towards growers impacted on the importance which consumers place on both types of attributes. Given that consumer attitudes were shown to be a strong driver of their buying preferences, growers and grower associations should also consider highlighting the positive health and societal benefits that their products provide
Identifying consumer groups and their characteristics based on their willingness to engage with cultured meat: A comparison of four European countries
Get PDFCultured meat, as a product of recent advancement in food technology, might become a viable alternative source of protein to traditional meat. As such, cultured meat production is disruptive as it has the potential to change the demand for traditional meats. Moreover, it has been claimed it can be more sustainable regarding the environment and that it is, perhaps, a solution to animal welfare issues. This study aimed at investigating associations between the consumer groups and demographic and psychographic factors as well as identifying distinct consumer groups based on their current willingness to engage with cultured meat. Four European countries were studied: the Netherlands (NL), the United Kingdom (UK), France (FR) and Spain (ES). A sample of 1291 responses from all four countries was collected between February 2017 and March 2019. Cluster analysis was used, resulting in three groups in the NL and UK, and two groups in FR and ES. The results suggest that Dutch consumers are the most willing to engage with cultured meat. Food neophobia and food technology neophobia seem to distinguish the groups the clearest. Moreover, there is some evidence that food cultural differences among the four countries seem to be also influencing consumers’ decision
Understanding apple attribute preferences of US consumers
Get PDFAn encyclopedia entry to enhance the understanding on fresh apples - building on the work of Meike Rombach, David Dean and Tim Bair
Social discount rates for environmental investments
No full textPresentation to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environmen
Meta-analysis of the inclusion of leaf meals in diets of broiler chickens
No full textThe effects of leaf meals on growth performance of broiler chickens have been evaluated in different studies. However, no consensus has been obtained due to the variability of the results. The present study, therefore, aimed to provide a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examining the effects of feeding leaf meals on growth performance of broiler chickens. Literature was searched using Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, and CAB Abstracts. References from eligible studies were also thoroughly reviewed to identify additional studies. Keywords used for searching the articles were leaf meals, broilers, growing, finishing, and performance. The response measures extracted from individual studies for analysis were average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), sample size, and standard error of the mean. Eighteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Average daily feed intake, ADG, and FCR responses to leaf meal-based diets average − 4.82 g, − 5.44 g, and 0.40, respectively. Combining the effect size estimates, our data were highly heterogeneous for ADFI (98.57%) and FCR (81%), and a moderate heterogeneity for ADG (65.11%). Evidence of publication bias was visually confirmed for ADFI, ADG, and FCR from the funnel plots. However, using the weight-function model did not show any evidence of publication bias for ADG (P > 0.05). The meta-analysis study has indicated that leaf meals can positively influence growth performance in chickens
Mechanization in land preparation and irrigation water productivity in the context of climate change: Implications for sustainable rice production and food security
No full textThis study investigates how and to what extent mechanization in land preparation (MLP) can help improve irrigation water productivity (IWP) (measured as rice yield per unit volume of irrigation water). We employed an endogenous treatment regression model to estimate the 2021 China Land Economic Survey (CLES) data collected from Jiangsu province, China. The results reveal that MLP adoption increases IWP significantly; a higher IWP is determined by whether or not farmers adopt MLP rather than through which channel they access their farm machines; the effects of MLP adoption on IWP are monotonically increasing across the selected quantiles
Does agricultural cooperative membership influence off-farm work decisions of farm couples? Evidence from banana farmers in China
No full textMembership in agricultural cooperatives may influence intra‐household decisions regarding the division of household labor. However, the linkages between cooperative membership and labor allocation remain unexplored. To fill this gap, we examine the impact of cooperative membership on off‐farm work decisions of couples engaged in farming, using data collected from 595 banana farmers in China. The recursive bivariate probit model and endogenous‐treatment Poisson regression model are employed to address the self‐selection bias inherent in cooperative membership. The results show that cooperative membership increases the probability of participating in off‐farm work by 38% for husbands and 31% for wives. Having large households reduces the probability of husbands but increases that of wives working off‐farm. Cooperative membership is also associated with more time spent on off‐farm work and higher earnings for both husbands and wives. Our findings point to the potential of agricultural cooperatives to increase farm couples’ off‐farm employment, thus increasing household income and quality of life
Nitrogen optimization coupled with alternate wetting and drying practice enhances rhizospheric nitrifier and denitrifier abundance and rice productivity
No full textOptimizing nitrogen (N) fertilization without sacrificing grain yield is a major concern of rice production system because most of the applied N has been depleted from the soil and creating environmental consequences. Hence, limited information is available about nutrient management (NM) performance at a specific site under alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation compared to conventional permanent flooding (PF). We aimed to inquire about the performance of NM practices compared to the farmer’s fertilizer practice (FFP) under PF and AWD on rhizospheric nitrifier and denitrifier abundance, rice yield, plant growth, and photosynthetic parameters. Two improved NM practices; nutrient management by pig manure (NMPM); 40% chemical N replaced by pig manure (organic N), and nutrient management by organic slow-release fertilizer (NMSR); 40% chemical N replaced by organic slow-release N were compared. The results showed an increased total grain yield (16.06%) during AWD compared to PF. Compared to conventional FFP, NMPM, and NMSR significantly increased the yields by 53.84 and 29.67%, respectively, during AWD. Meanwhile, PF prompted a yield increase of 45.07 and 28.75% for NMPM and NMSR, respectively, (p < 0.05) compared to FFP. Besides, a significant correlation was observed between grain yield and nitrogen content during AWD (R² = 0.58, p < 0.01), but no significant correlation was observed during PF. The NMPM contributed to photosynthetic attributes and the relative chlorophyll content under both watering events. Moreover, relatively higher abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were observed during AWD, and the highest value was found after the late panicle stage. Our results suggest that the AWD–NMPM model is the best option to stimulate nitrifier and denitrifier gene abundance and promote rice production
Droning on.......An investigation of New Zealand's environmental compliance regulatory processes via the ‘eye in the sky’
Get PDFWith the implementation of the Essential Freshwater policies that commenced in 2021, a greater understanding of the environmental compliance regulatory processes with New Zealand would be of benefit for all parties involved. As the majority of farms are required to have Freshwater Farm Plans, regional councils will need to explore efficient processes which could include drone use.
This qualitative study revealed the importance of the environmental compliance officer-farmer relationship, as well as ways to enhance and challenges to the relationship. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 respondents from five Regional Councils and one from Central Government, exploring their view on incorporating drone use in the compliance processes. Qualitative data was thematically analysed.
Respondents reported that a positive relationship between environmental compliance officers and
farmers was important. A positive relationship encouraged farmers to approach compliance officers for assistance with on-farm environmental management and hence enhanced compliance. Questions were raised as to whether it was appropriate for compliance officers to have a positive relationship with farmers, as impartiality may be compromised. Nevertheless, trust is required if drones are to be used to achieve greater efficiency in the processes. Ways to enhance this professional relationship included compliance officers spending time in a region and also spending time with individual farmers. It is beneficial for the compliance officers to have farm management experience and/or skills and knowledge that farmers considered useful. Challenges to building a positive relationship were compliance officers spending a short time in a region and needing to balance time spent between building trust and actual compliance tasks required.
The research concludes that trust is essential if technologies such as drones are to be used to achieve greater efficiency in environmental compliance processes