Marius Michels, Johannes Möllmann and Oliver Musshoff
Adoption rates of commodity futures contracts among farmers are rather low in Europe despite their political support. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the…
Abstract
Purpose
Adoption rates of commodity futures contracts among farmers are rather low in Europe despite their political support. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) can contribute to the understanding of farmers’ intention to use commodity futures contracts. Here, the authors explicitly distinguish between usage motives for price risk reduction and speculation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on an online survey with 134 German farmers using partial least squares structural equation modeling to estimate the TAM.
Findings
The intention to use commodity futures contracts is mostly driven by farmers’ motivation for speculation rather than price risk reduction. Assuming risk averse farmers, this result could explain low adoption rates. Furthermore, perceived ease of use has a positive effect on the intention to use commodity futures contracts.
Practical implications
Handling of price hedging instruments should be facilitated to increase farmers’ adoption. Effective marketing trainings, which can demonstrate the ability of commodity futures contracts to reduce price risk, could increase farmers’ motivation to use them for their risk management instead of speculation.
Originality/value
This study analyzes path relationships between constructs expected to influence the intention to use commodity futures contracts which are allowed to be estimated by the TAM in one model. Here, the authors explicitly distinguish between usage motives for price risk reduction and speculation. This is the first study applying the TAM to price risk management tools.
Details
Keywords
Johannes Möllmann, Marius Michels and Oliver Musshoff
The outstanding reform of the Common Agriculture Policy allows for changes regarding its most criticized component, the direct payment scheme. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
The outstanding reform of the Common Agriculture Policy allows for changes regarding its most criticized component, the direct payment scheme. The purpose of this paper is to investigate farmers’ acceptance of subsidized whole farm income insurance (WFI) and single-crop, multi-peril revenue insurance (RI) that are associated with a reduction of direct payments.
Design/methodology/approach
By applying a generalized multinomial logit model on data of a discrete choice experiment, German farmers’ preferences, expressed as their willingness to pay (WTP), for WFI and RI are revealed.
Findings
The results show a positive WTP for WFI and RI. The average farmer has a higher WTP for WFI than for RI. By increasing the coverage level, the negative influence of a reduction of direct payments on WTP for insurance can be compensated. Individual risk attitude and assessed importance of direct payments for the farm business show a statistically significant influence on the WTP.
Practical implications
The results suggest that, even if direct payments were abolished in order to subsidize WFI or RI, German farmers’ WTP for both insurance products would remain positive. However, to finally assess whether subsidizing insurance is the right means of providing public support, it is necessary to assess whether farmers’ WTP meets the costs for such an insurance scheme.
Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study investigating German farmers’ WTP for WFI and RI using an experimental approach by explicitly considering the partial to complete replacement of direct payments by subsidized insurance.
Details
Keywords
Howard Thomas, Michelle Lee, Lynne Thomas and Alexander Wilson
Sabine Boerner, Marius Linkohr and Sabine Kiefer
This paper aims to investigate the moderating role of top management team (TMT) longevity on the TMT diversity‐firm performance relationship.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the moderating role of top management team (TMT) longevity on the TMT diversity‐firm performance relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents results from a quantitative longitudinal study of 59 TMTs in German companies in different industries.
Findings
For age diversity, dominant educational background diversity, and diversity in dominant industry experience, the curvilinear moderating effect of TMT longevity on the TMT diversity–firm performance relationship is confirmed. However, for organizational tenure diversity, the form of the moderating effect is contrary to expectations (being u‐shaped).
Research limitations/implication
In line with previous studies, the results were sensitive to the performance measures in use. Furthermore, the results should not be generalized since they may be sensitive to the sector under study and the small sample size.
Originality/value
First, a curvilinear moderating effect of TMT longevity on the TMT diversity‐firm performance relationship is investigated for the first time. Second, although the selected diversity dimensions have been investigated in previous TMT studies, they are examined simultaneously for the first time. Third, this study analyzes TMTs of large and medium‐sized German corporations operating in a variety of sectors. Fourth, relating demographic data on TMTs collected in 2004 to performance data for the years 2004 to 2007, the present paper presents one of the few longitudinal studies in the context of TMT diversity.
Details
Keywords
Marius Gabriel Gehrisch, Ingo Klingenberg and Stefan Süß
Compared to wholly owned subsidiaries (WOSs), certain international organizational forms such as international joint ventures (IJVs) often fail. Moreover, associated expatriations…
Abstract
Purpose
Compared to wholly owned subsidiaries (WOSs), certain international organizational forms such as international joint ventures (IJVs) often fail. Moreover, associated expatriations to these organizational forms also regularly fail, which contributes to or exacerbates the problem described above. To address this issue, this article aims to investigate the effect of expatriates’ role conflict on their desire to terminate an international assignment and on venture performance, measured as managerial satisfaction, by comparing expatriates who are delegated to an WOS with expatriates who are delegated to an IJV.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on role theory, a vignette-based experimental study was conducted with role conflict and organizational form as experimental variables. After conducting two pilot studies, data were gathered by means of an online questionnaire targeting organizational assigned expatriates (AE) for the main study.
Findings
The results indicate that role conflict negatively influences managerial satisfaction with venture performance, but has no effect on expatriates’ desire to terminate an international assignment and show no moderating effect of the organizational form. Additionally, we found a significant direct effect of organizational form on managerial satisfaction with venture performance. Hence, participants were less satisfied with IJVs compared to WOSs.
Originality/value
Studies in international business research lack experimental investigations. This article addresses this deficiency for the presented topic by applying a vignette-based experimental approach, thereby drawing causal inferences. Moreover, we extend role theory to the context of IJVs and contribute to organization research, as this article is the first to make a comparison between WOSs and IJVs for the context of role conflict. Fertile opportunities for future re-search are also provided.
Details
Keywords
François Des Rosiers, Alain Bolduc and Marius Thériault
This research paper investigates the effect of drinking water quality on property values in Charlesbourg, a major municipality (70,000 inhabitants) of the Quebec City region where…
Abstract
This research paper investigates the effect of drinking water quality on property values in Charlesbourg, a major municipality (70,000 inhabitants) of the Quebec City region where repeated water‐related health problems were experienced in 1990 and 1991. In this paper, 807 bungalow sales are sampled from the data bank of the Quebec Urban Community (QUC) Appraisal Division, and environmental information pertaining to local drinking water quality levels supplements data on physical, neighbourhood and access attributes. Our findings indicate that water‐related health hazards exert a detrimental and measurable impact on higher property values, with the average duration of the warning period per sector clearly emerging as the dominant factor. More precisely, market segmentation suggests that the higher the price of the property, the sharper the decline in market value because of this factor. In the current case study, the most severely affected properties of the upper third segment of the market experienced drops in value ranging from 5.2 to 10.3 percent of mean sale price.
Details
Keywords
Marius Oosthuizen and Caren Scheepers
The case study uses a strategic foresight method, scenario-planning, to examine the strategic options for a financial services firm. As such, it covers the fields of strategy…
Abstract
Subject area
The case study uses a strategic foresight method, scenario-planning, to examine the strategic options for a financial services firm. As such, it covers the fields of strategy, environment of business, innovation, digital disruption and organizational change as they relate to the firm’s ability to adapt to changes in the environment of business in an emerging market context.
Study level/applicability
The case was developed with master's-level students in mind, particularly those seeking a master of business administration, masters in strategic foresight or related management degrees.
Case overview
The case of NEDBANK, a longstanding and successful financial services firm based in South Africa is confronted with major challenges from competitors because of technological change in the industry as well as having to expand their market penetration across Africa. A rising regulatory burden, tough economic conditions and the need to access low income markets, provide a significant organizational development challenge as a decades-old bank, known for a relational approach to banking, has to navigate the new domains of “fintech”, micro-lending and public sector banking.
Expected learning outcomes
Students will gain comprehensive insight into the industry environment in emerging markets, understand the strategic management challenge before financial services firms in this environment and be able to consider the alternative strategic interventions that may be used to ensure corporate sustainability amid these challenges. Simultaneously, the case provides a comprehensive view into the use and application of scenario-planning for strategic management.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Subject code
CSS: 11: Strategy
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this monograph is to present the first English translation of a unique French colonial report on women living under colonial rule in West Africa.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this monograph is to present the first English translation of a unique French colonial report on women living under colonial rule in West Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
The issue begins with a discussion of the contribution this report makes to the history of social development policy in Africa, and how it serves the on‐going critique of colonisation. This is followed by the English translation of the original report held in the National Archives of Senegal. The translation is accompanied by explanatory notes, translator’s comments, a glossary of African and technical terms, and a bibliography.
Findings
The discussion highlights contemporary social development policies and practices which featured in identical or similar forms in French colonial social policy.
Practical implications
As the report demonstrates, access to basic education and improving maternal/infant health care have dominated the social development agenda for women in sub‐Saharan Africa for over a century, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future in the Millennium Development Goals which define the international community’s agenda for social development to 2015. The parallels between colonial and post‐colonial social policies in Africa raise questions about the philosophical and cultural foundations of contemporary social development policy in Africa and the direction policy is following in the 21st century.
Originality/value
Though the discussion adopts a consciously postcolonial perspective, the report that follows presents a consciously colonial view of the “Other”. Given the parallels identified here between contemporary and colonial policy‐making, this can only add to the value of the document in exploring the values that underpin contemporary social development practice.
Details
Keywords
In 2021, the last year for which data are available, a record 517,000 robots were installed in manufacturing facilities globally. A new study focusing on the United States finds…
Details
DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB282434
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
In this paper, we deal with one form of bonded labour generating under the brokerage system. We have led a qualitative survey in a small village of South India to study the…
Abstract
In this paper, we deal with one form of bonded labour generating under the brokerage system. We have led a qualitative survey in a small village of South India to study the phenomenon of brokerage. In this village, labourers are seasonal migrants who in order to migrate, take advance from brokers. The village is characterised by a high number of brokers who are in competition to attract labourers to their team. In this environment, labourers have the bargaining power to demand high amount of advance. Therefore, brokers bond them in order to reduce their bargaining power and to avoid competition.