scholarly journals Examining the relationship between vertical coordination strategies and technical efficiency: Evidence from the Brazilian ethanol industry

Agribusiness ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 793-812
Author(s):  
Ana Claudia Sant'Anna ◽  
Jason S. Bergtold ◽  
Aleksan Shanoyan ◽  
Gabriel Granco ◽  
Marcellus M. Caldas
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Vertical Coordination ◽  
Coordination Strategies ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Relationships Between Industrialized Agriculture and Environmental Consequences: The Case of Vertical Coordination in Broilers and Hogs

1997 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura L. Martin ◽  
Kelly D. Zering
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Product Management ◽  
Vertical Coordination ◽  
Pork Industry ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
The North ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis paper examines the relationship between industrialized production in the pork and broiler industries and the natural environment. Historical perspectives are presented regarding the movement toward increasingly concentrated and coordinated pork and broiler production units in the South. The relationships between animal by-product management and environmental quality, both at the farm level and within a geographic region, are addressed. Using the North Carolina pork industry as a background, current regulations and potential policy implications to protect environmental quality are discussed.

scholarly journals Nitrogen management in wheat based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
André Luis Vian ◽  
Christian Bredemeier ◽  
Marcos Alexandre Turra ◽  
Cecília Paz da Silva Giordano ◽  
Elizandro Fochesatto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Shoot Biomass ◽  
Sensor Field ◽  
N Dose ◽  
Plant Emergence ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACT: Biomass production and nitrogen (N) accumulated in wheat shoots may be used for quantifying optimal topdressing nitrogen doses. The objective of this study was to develop and validate models for estimating the amount of biomass and nitrogen accumulated in shoots and the N topdressing dose of maximum technical efficiency in wheat using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) measured by an active optical canopy sensor. Field experiments were carried out in two years and treatments consisted of N doses applied at plant emergence and as topdressing. NDVI, shoot biomass and N accumulated in shoots at the growth stage of six fully expanded leaves and grain yield were evaluated, being determined the topdressing N dose of maximum technical efficiency (DMTE). The NDVI was positively correlated to shoot biomass and N content in shoots and models for the relationship between these variables were developed and validated. The DMTE was negatively correlated with the NDVI value evaluated at the moment of N topdressing application. Thus, NDVI evaluation by an active optical canopy sensor can be used for nitrogen fertilization in variable rate, allowing the adjustment of applied N doses in different areas within a field.

scholarly journals The Impact of Information Technology on Motor Carrier Productivity

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Starr McMullen
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Marketing Strategy ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Malmquist Index ◽  
Satellite Communications ◽  
Efficiency Change ◽  
Motor Carrier ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines the relationship between motor carrier productivity, marketing strategy, and use of information technology for a sample of U.S. general freight commodity carriers. We use a unique data set containing information on firm marketing strategy and information technology use collected in a survey of Class I and II motor carrier firms (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1999). The measure of productivity used here is the non-parametric Malmquist Index as explained in Grosskopf (1993) and previously applied to general freight motor carriers by McMullen and Okuyama (2000). The Malmquist Index is decomposed into two components: economic efficiency change (EC) and technical efficiency change (TC). A tobit model regression model is used to examine the relationship between firm productivity, marketing strategy, and use of information technology. Information technologies included in the tobit analysis are electronic data interchange (EDI) and satellite communications (SATCOM). We also include firm size, use of owner-operators, and percent unionization as explanatory variables in the tobit regression. Results indicate that use of EDI has a positive and significant impact on economic efficiency (EC). Firms that try to market their product by providing service at the "lowest freight rate" are found to exhibit greater technical efficiency (TC), suggesting that productivity and cost measures that ignore marketing strategy may be biased. Finally, economic efficiency (EC) is found to be significantly greater for firms that are more heavily unionized.

Coordinating cereal farmers and buyers: evidence from Mali

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Vroegindewey ◽  
Veronique Theriault ◽  
John Staatz
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Vertical Coordination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cost Characteristics ◽  
Production Prices ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how various transaction-cost characteristics influence the choice of vertical coordination (VC) structures (e.g. different contract types) and horizontal coordination (HC) structures (e.g. different farmer organization types) to link smallholder farmers efficiently with buyers. It analyzes the relationship between vertical and horizontal structures, and the economic sustainability of different structure combinations. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual framework to predict coordination structures as a function of transaction-cost characteristics, compares predictions for the Malian cereals market to empirical evidence using 15 case studies, and then analyzes structure combinations. Findings Asymmetric scale between farmers and buyers; uncertainty in production, prices, policy, and contract enforcement; and quality and quantity debasement lead to selections of structures with high levels of control. Vertical and horizontal structures demonstrate a complementary relationship in certain core coordination roles, while exhibiting substitutability in the provision of other coordination activities. The marketing cooperative and marketing contract pairing is the most prevalent combination. Research limitations/implications The conceptual framework is useful for explaining the selection of coordination structures, and can be applied in other contexts to strengthen external validity. Originality/value The framework facilitates predictions and explanation of both VC and HC structures, with empirical application on a country and value chains receiving little attention in the literature.

scholarly journals Tradeoff between efficiency and perceived quality: evidence from patient-level data

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 591-598
Author(s):  
Saima Bashir ◽  
Muhammad Nasir
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Efficiency Score ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Satisfaction Level ◽  
Patients Satisfaction ◽  
Facility Assessment ◽  
Provider Attitude ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Obstetric Services ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objectives To estimate technical efficiency scores of District Headquarter Hospitals (DHQHs) for obstetric services and to explore the relationship between the efficiency of DHQHs and the patients’ satisfaction about the quality of services provided. Design, Setting and Participants Data from Health Facility Assessment (HFA) survey is used for efficiency measurement. The data on patient’s perceptions and other control variables are taken from Client Exit Interviews part of the HFA survey. Two-stage residual inclusion, Ordered Logistic Regression and Least square dummy variable techniques are used to investigate the relationship between technical efficiency and patients’ satisfaction level. Main Outcome Measure(s) and Results The average efficiency score for Pakistan’s DHQHs is 0.52, and not a single hospital is fully efficient. Moreover, the relationship between technical efficiency and patients’ satisfaction is found to be negative and statistically significant indicating that an increase in hospital efficiency tends to decrease patients’ satisfaction. The disaggregated analysis reveals that patients’ satisfaction associated with the healthcare provider attitude and communication is more affected by technical efficiency. Conclusion Patients’ satisfaction level is more sensitive to physician’s attitude and communication. This makes sense because the longer the consultation time, the more accurate the diagnosis would be. This, together with a comforting and confident physician, is likely to achieve better patients’ satisfaction.

scholarly journals Analysis of economic issues relating to the dairy sector, with emphasis on price transmission

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 61-70
Author(s):  
Péter András Popovics
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Products ◽  
Price Transmission ◽  
Vertical Coordination ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Dramatic Decline ◽  
Symmetry Relations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Milk And Dairy Products ◽  
The Eu

The dramatic decline in consumption after 1990 was an important problem during the analysis of the sector. Even today, consumption is still below the degree that was before the political change, and significantly lags behind the EU level.The importance of this topic is emphasized by the fact that surplus milk could be marketed through the increased domestic consumption; this would create a more stable and calculable situation for farmers. Therefore, I considered it important to reveal what factors and by what shares influence the consumption of milk and dairy products. The relationship, time series and cross-sectional analysis based on national and international databases demonstrate the relationship between the consumption of milk and dairy products and the other determining factors of consumption in Hungary and in the EU-25 through diagrams. I draw the conclusion that there is a medium correlation between the development of the economy, the higher income level and the consumption of milk and dairy products. Just before our EU accession, the dairy sector was one of the most critical industries of Hungarian agriculture, which is why I chose this for my analysis. I regard as a new scientific result the econometric analysis of the asymmetric market conditions in the price transmission approach within our dairy sector between 1995 and 2003. I confirmed and quantified that the market is under an oligopoly and defined the direction of price adjustment. Furthermore, I regard as a new result in the price transmission analysis (also published in the article published with Dr. József Tóth), that the three possible dimensions (elasticity, a symmetry relations,lag) are analysed simultaneously.Therefore,a more sophisticated picture is given on price transmission. The theoretical advantages and disadvantages are verified by an example of a vertical coordination based on the horizontal cooperation in the dairy sector (Alföldi Tej Ltd).

scholarly journals Market Structure Conduct Performance Hypothesis Revisited Using Stochastic Frontier Efficiency Analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleem Shaik ◽  
Albert J. Allen ◽  
Seanicaa Edwards ◽  
James Harris
Keyword(s):  
Market Structure ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Efficiency Measure ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Frontier Efficiency ◽  
The Relationship

Stochastic frontier analysis, which is used to estimate technical efficiency, is extended to examine the market structure, conduct and performance hypothesis for the U.S. trucking industry. The technical efficiency measure takes into account not only the relationship between inputs used in the production of output, but it also examines the importance of market structure conduct factors to the performance of the firm. An empirical application to U.S. trucking carriers over the period 1994-2003 is examined. Results reveal that average haul, average load, debt-to-equity and market concentration significantly affected technical efficiency. Capital, fixed and variable input variables were significant in the production function equation.

scholarly journals How People Initiate Energy Optimization and Converge on Their Optimal Gaits

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Selinger ◽  
Jeremy Wong ◽  
Surabhi Simha ◽  
Maxwell Donelan
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Energy Optimization ◽  
Coordination Strategies ◽  
Human Experiments ◽  
Optimal Coordination ◽  
Optimal Gait ◽  
Reinforcement Learning Models ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship

A central principle in motor control is that the coordination strategies learned by our nervous system are often optimal. Here we combined human experiments with computational reinforcement learning models to study how the nervous system navigates possible movements to arrive at an optimal coordination. Our experiments used robotic exoskeletons to reshape the relationship between how participants walk and how much energy they consume. We found that while some participants used their relatively high natural gait variability to explore the new energetic landscape and spontaneously initiate energy optimization, most participants preferred to exploit their originally preferred, but now suboptimal, gait. We could nevertheless reliably initiate optimization in these exploiters by providing them with the experience of lower cost gaits suggesting that the nervous system benefits from cues about the relevant dimensions along which to re-optimize its coordination. Once optimization was initiated, we found that the nervous system employed a local search process to converge on the new optimum gait over tens of seconds. Once optimization was completed, the nervous system learned to predict this new optimal gait and rapidly returned to it within a few steps if perturbed away. We model this optimization process as reinforcement learning and find behavior that closely matches these experimental observations. We conclude that the nervous system optimizes for energy using a prediction of the optimal gait, and then refines this prediction with the cost of each new walking step.

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