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Article
Publication date: 3 July 2017

George E. Battese, Hina Nazli and Melinda Smale

Scientists in Pakistan are currently developing biofortified wheat varieties to address widespread zinc deficiency, especially among women and children in poorer rural households…

493

Abstract

Purpose

Scientists in Pakistan are currently developing biofortified wheat varieties to address widespread zinc deficiency, especially among women and children in poorer rural households. The purpose of this paper is to understand how the productivity and efficiency of small-scale and marginal wheat farmers can be improved so that their households may benefit from zinc-fortified varieties.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors estimate a stochastic frontier production function model with data from a survey of wheat farmers conducted in Punjab, Pakistan in 2011.

Findings

The productivities of the newer varieties of wheat were significantly greater than the older varieties, as expected. Farmers growing wheat in the rice-wheat and cotton-wheat zones tend to be more efficient than farmers from the mixed zone. Farmers who wait to adopt a leading variety are not less efficient than earlier adopters, but the longer the time until they switch varieties again, the more inefficient is their wheat production. Older farmers tend to be more technically inefficient than younger farmers, but the effect of education is not statistically significant. Wheat farmers with access to extension advice are more efficient. Farmers whose land suffered from severe salinity or severe toxicity are less productive and less efficient than others.

Research limitations/implications

The authors find no differences in technical inefficiency effects associated with growing the four most popular varieties, either grown alone or with other varieties – suggesting that no single leading variety should be targeted for biofortification. In contrast to some earlier studies, the authors find that small-scale farmers tend to be less technically efficient. This result underscores the need to specifically target this group in promotional programs, and also to complement these with reinforcement of agronomic recommendations.

Originality/value

This project is part of the HarvestPlus program to determine the appropriate variety or varieties to biofortify with zinc so that Pakistan’s population can have better health and well-being. Further, the results show that there it is desirable to undertake further studies to improve the productivity and efficiency of wheat farmers in the Punjab, Pakistan to increase the health and well-being of the population in general.

Details

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-0839

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Article
Publication date: 14 January 2020

Bright O. Asante, Renato A. Villano and George E. Battese

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of crop-livestock diversification among smallholders in the forest-savannah agroecological zone of Ghana.

246

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of crop-livestock diversification among smallholders in the forest-savannah agroecological zone of Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a stochastic input distance function to investigate the evidence of economies of diversification and its effect on determining diversification decisions of smallholders in Ghana. Furthermore, this study also explores evidence of scale economies in integrated crop-livestock systems among smallholder farmers.

Findings

The empirical results show that economies of diversification are significant in determining diversification decisions of smallholders. The economies of scale are evident in integrated crop-livestock systems in Ghana, suggesting that opportunities exist to expand crop-livestock outputs without employing additional inputs or improved production technologies. Crop-livestock diversification is a desirable strategy for improving overall farm productivity among smallholders in Ghana. Economies of diversification were found to be significant among the output combinations, maize with other crops and other crops with livestock, in integrated crop-livestock production systems.

Research limitations/implications

This study is based on a cross-sectional data set. Hence, the findings may be subject to some limitations; however, the authors have sought to minimise such limitations.

Practical implications

The results imply that crop-livestock diversification is a desirable strategy for improving overall farm productivity. Therefore, the findings are useful for policymakers to design appropriate strategies for enhancing the production of specific output combinations in crop-livestock diversification systems among smallholders in Ghana. Specifically, such policies should promote the production and integration of crops such as legumes with other crops, and livestock with other crops in diversified farming systems to enhance overall farm productivity. This will reduce food insecurity and poverty among rural farm households and the entire rural population.

Originality/value

These results indicate that to improve crop-livestock productivity through diversification, and reduce the effect of climate variability, it is imperative to provide the enabling environment that will facilitate and encourage production of these output combinations among smallholders in Ghana. The empirical results enhance the literature by providing empirical evidence of the complementary synergies and economies of diversification in integrated farming systems and, hence, make recommendations for improving these farming systems.

Peer review

The peer review history for this paper is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2019-0274.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 47 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 24 March 2020

Saravanan Venkadasalam, Azhar Mohamad and Imtiaz Mohammad Sifat

This paper is the first comprehensive investigation of the shipping industry's efficiency in five countries from the ASEAN region: Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand…

876

Abstract

Purpose

This paper is the first comprehensive investigation of the shipping industry's efficiency in five countries from the ASEAN region: Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach

Employing Data Envelopment Analysis and Stochastic Frontier Analysis, this paper compares efficiency dynamics of 45 international and offshore shipping providers engaged in fishing and ferrying.

Findings

The results indicate consistently diminishing efficiency from 2011 to 2017, a phenomenon that persists even in the traditionally efficient companies. Thereafter, this paper develops Altman Z-scores for the sampled companies and notice that despite rising inefficiency, most firms remain unencumbered by bankruptcy concerns, especially those with large capital buffers.

Research limitations/implications

In general, this paper observes a negative relationship between bankruptcy risk and efficiency. Furthermore, the paper notices that reducing inputs does not help boost efficiency.

Originality/value

In terms of novel contributions, this paper is the first (to the best of knowledge) to set a Z-score for the ASEAN-based shipping companies.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 14 September 2007

Chris Nash and Andrew Smith

Abstract

Details

Handbook of Transport Modelling
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-08-045376-7

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Book part
Publication date: 10 December 2024

Chia-Ning Chiu

This paper applies the directional distant function and the meta-frontier to analyze the efficiency and technology gap ratio (TGR) of 20 publicly traded restaurant companies based…

Abstract

This paper applies the directional distant function and the meta-frontier to analyze the efficiency and technology gap ratio (TGR) of 20 publicly traded restaurant companies based on the stock market of the United States (US) from 2009 to 2016. The efficiency scores and TGRs are first computed by restaurant types (i.e. quick-service and full-service) and then by marketing strategies (i.e. single-brand and multi-brand). There are three major findings. First, employee utilization has the greatest room for improvement, and restaurant owners and managers should prioritize the improvement of this input. Second, the average TGR of quick-service restaurants (QSRs) is higher than that of full-service restaurants (FSRs), indicating that the inputs of FSRs need to be adjusted in comparison to QSRs. Third, the average TGR is higher in restaurants with a multi-brand strategy in comparison to a single-brand strategy, and the inputs of multi-brand strategy restaurants need to be adjusted accordingly.

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 December 2016

Hsihui Chang and Helen HL Choy

This paper aims to examine the effect of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX), which was signed by President George W. Bush and came into effect on July 30, 2002, on firm productivity.

5992

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effect of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX), which was signed by President George W. Bush and came into effect on July 30, 2002, on firm productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use the total factor productivity (TFP) as our measure of firm productivity.

Findings

Analyzing annual firm-level data from the Compustat database for the period of 1991-2006, the authors find that firm productivity increases at a higher rate in the post-SOX period. The results indicate that, although firms incur significant costs in complying with the requirements of the SOX, they also benefit from these requirements as evidenced by the improved productivity over time post-SOX. There is also a shift in the output elasticities from capital toward labor. The SOX has a positive effect on the output elasticity of labor but a negative impact on that of capital.

Research limitations/implications

The results have the following important implications. The SOX is a value-enhancing regulation in that it not only strengthens a firm’s corporate governance but also improves its productivity. However, compliance with the SOX can impose a long-term cost on firms: the decrease in the capital investment, leading to a decline in the output elasticity of capital. If this decline in the capital investment continues, it can have an adverse effect on firm productivity in the long term.

Originality/value

This paper extends the literature along the line of the actual operational effects of the SOX regulation by examining its effect on the productivity of firms.

Details

Journal of Centrum Cathedra, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1851-6599

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Article
Publication date: 5 February 2020

Oswald Mhlanga

This paper aims to identify drivers of efficiency and their influence on airline performances in South Africa. Unfortunately, the methods currently used to measure airline…

283

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify drivers of efficiency and their influence on airline performances in South Africa. Unfortunately, the methods currently used to measure airline efficiency fail to address the heterogeneity problem, which blurs inefficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

To remedy the heterogeneity problem, this paper adopts the meta-frontier framework to identify drivers of efficiency. The interesting feature of the model is that it ensures that heterogeneous airlines are compared based on one homogeneous technology. The model is tested using a panel data sample of nine South African airlines, which operated from 2015 to 2018.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that structural drivers, namely, “aircraft size”, and “airline ownership” and one executional driver, namely, “the cost structure” significantly influence (p < 0.05) airline efficiency thereby corroborating evidence from some prior studies.

Research limitations/implications

First, because of the small size of the industry, fewer airlines and a lack of detailed data, the study could not consider other important factors such as optimal routing and network structure. Second, a more rigorous analysis over a period of time would yield better understanding about the growth of the industry in South Africa and recognise the variation in the influence of drivers of efficiency on airline performances over time.

Practical implications

The results have potential policy implications. First, as the market in South Africa is too small to operate with a smaller aircraft probably, for airlines that operate with smaller aircraft to operate efficiently they should first identify niche markets where they can have a route monopoly. Second, while all state-owned airlines are perfect statehood symbols that define and represent countries, most state carriers in South Africa are highly inefficient. The researcher recommends policymakers to privatise state airlines or seek equity partners. Many nationalised airlines have turned losses to profits in the run-up to privatisation. British Airways, once a large burden on the British taxpayer, is now one of the world’s most efficient airlines. After the privatisation of Air France and Iberia, all two turned from loss-making concerns into profitable airlines. It, therefore, makes no sense for the South African government to expect state carriers to pursue a commercial mandate with such political interference. The very notion of efficiency itself is at risk.

Originality/value

This paper is a first attempt to identify drivers of operational efficiency using a bootstrapped meta-frontier approach in the airline industry in South Africa. By applying the meta-frontier approach the paper ensures that all heterogeneous airlines are assessed based on their distance from a common and identical frontier.

Details

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6182

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 14 September 2007

Abstract

Details

Handbook of Transport Modelling
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-08-045376-7

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Book part
Publication date: 15 April 2020

Badi H. Baltagi, Georges Bresson and Jean-Michel Etienne

This chapter proposes semiparametric estimation of the relationship between growth rate of GDP per capita, growth rates of physical and human capital, labor as well as other…

Abstract

This chapter proposes semiparametric estimation of the relationship between growth rate of GDP per capita, growth rates of physical and human capital, labor as well as other covariates and common trends for a panel of 23 OECD countries observed over the period 1971–2015. The observed differentiated behaviors by country reveal strong heterogeneity. This is the motivation behind using a mixed fixed- and random coefficients model to estimate this relationship. In particular, this chapter uses a semiparametric specification with random intercepts and slopes coefficients. Motivated by Lee and Wand (2016), the authors estimate a mean field variational Bayes semiparametric model with random coefficients for this panel of countries. Results reveal nonparametric specifications for the common trends. The use of this flexible methodology may enrich the empirical growth literature underlining a large diversity of responses across variables and countries.

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Book part
Publication date: 14 September 2007

W.G. Waters II

Abstract

Details

Handbook of Transport Modelling
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-08-045376-7

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