Tsuyoshi Kawakami and Ton That Khai
Describes a research project into emerging health risks to farmers in the Mekong Delta. It is a joint effort between Vietnam and Japan. Subjects include workload studies of rice…
Abstract
Describes a research project into emerging health risks to farmers in the Mekong Delta. It is a joint effort between Vietnam and Japan. Subjects include workload studies of rice harvesting, canal maintenance and time‐budget among local farmers. Seminars are then conducted, and improvements formulated and implemented.
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Yaw A. Debrah and Ian G. Smith
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on…
Abstract
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.
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Viet Khoi Nguyen, Hoang Thi Hai Yen, Tong Van Khai, Linh Huong To and Nguyen Tien Duc
The purpose of this paper is to find out the distribution of benefits, costs, and value added among the actors and problems in the practical management in dairy milk value chain…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to find out the distribution of benefits, costs, and value added among the actors and problems in the practical management in dairy milk value chain, especially in one of the most important dairy areas in Vietnam to see how they upgrade in the value chain.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was carried out in Bavi, Hanoi where a large amount of fresh milk is produced annually. The content of the survey was built before conducting in Bavi with 160 questionnaires. The questionnaires were based on the criteria which reflect the main objectives of the paper such as the actor’s profits and costs, the relationship among these actors, and the advantages and disadvantages in the dairy milk’s value chain. Some part of results of the paper was evaluated by conducting interviews with the relevant target groups in the value chain of dairy milk. Data collected were aggregated and analyzed by SPSS20, Excel. The calculation of cost and profit margin of each actor in the chain was also be presented by a quantitative tool for value chain analysis.
Findings
This study pointed out the systemized problems in the value chain of one of the biggest dairy companies in Vietnam. This study revealed some wicked problems in the value chains of Vietnam under globalization.
Research limitations/implications
This study could not cover all of the detailed actors in the dairy value chain.
Originality/value
The value of income in the chain is distributed unequally. The benefits that farmers receive are inadequate with the costs they have to pay. This is a particular chain, in which the main factors boosting the chain are factories, and an increase in revenue also reflects the benefits of them. The result is that the value added in the chain is also biased toward the dairy plant. The paper also pointed out the shortcomings in the cost calculation of farmers. All the expenses, such as wages and the opportunity cost, are calculated in the total cost of the dairy plant, whereas dairy farmers do not mention these costs. Thus, in terms of benefits, farmers suffer more disadvantages, thus they should be received more value. In terms of management, Bavi’s authorities could not manage the output of milk in the perfect way. The lax management has led to a series of counterfeit goods that appear on the market today. These low-quality products are sold right on the highway and the Bavi’s tourist destination.
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Indochina has undergone tremendous change in the past decade to achieve good economic performance. However, the continuation of this strong economic performance depends on an…
Abstract
Indochina has undergone tremendous change in the past decade to achieve good economic performance. However, the continuation of this strong economic performance depends on an efficient logistics infrastructure. Examines the region’s logistics realities. Specifically, the paper finds that the logistics infrastructure is still rather backward with inadequate transportation networks, inefficient customs procedures, and basic materials handling facilities. Based on this, proposals are made regarding some strategies for managers, MNCs and logistics providers who are keen to enter this emerging market.
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Nguyen Thuy Trang, Steven W. Kopp, Vo Hong Tu and Mitsuyasu Yabe
The purpose of the present research is to examine the comparative values that urban Vietnamese consumers place on attributes of rice that is produced using environmentally…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present research is to examine the comparative values that urban Vietnamese consumers place on attributes of rice that is produced using environmentally friendly methods. The authors consider the impacts that this may have on the livelihoods of rural Vietnamese small farmers. Rice is an “impure public good” that includes both “private” and “public” attributes that consumers consider in their purchase decisions. Consumers make tradeoffs between environmentally and socially beneficial practices (public goods) and perceptions of product quality (private goods). The authors used latent class modeling to investigate the values associated with attributes of rice that is produced using sustainable farming practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a discrete choice experimental design in which consumers stated their choices among combinations of rice attributes. The survey provided responses from 360 urban Vietnamese consumers and allowed to estimate the preferences and nonpecuniary values for rice grown using different levels of environmentally beneficial production methods.
Findings
The results identify two segments of rice consumers: one group of consumers who are sensitive to price and the other group who are sensitive to environmental issues. The individual characteristics are reflected in the choices of production methods and in the willingness to pay for environmentally beneficial outcomes of those methods.
Research limitations/implications
Given the number of independent variables measured, the sample was relatively small, such that confirmatory statistical methods were inconclusive. However, the authors used multiple analytical tools that provide corroboration of the significant determinants of the utility functions for the two segments.
Practical implications
The results provide directions for production of rice at a national level, as well as practical implications for consumer-oriented communications.
Social implications
Results suggest that the emerging middle class of Vietnamese consumers are willing to pay more for rice that is produced using methods that are beneficial to the environment. Results also indicate challenges to provide sustainably-produced rice to poorer groups of consumers.
Originality/value
The study provides important context for consumer preferences within emerging economies. This also adds to a growing literature that uses the choice experiment method to estimate consumer valuation of the outcomes of various agricultural practices.
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Nur Khairlida Muhamad Khair, Khai Ern Lee, Mazlin Mokhtar and Choo Ta Goh
The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers and challenges faced by chemical industries in Malaysia causing to the low participation in Responsible Care program. Also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers and challenges faced by chemical industries in Malaysia causing to the low participation in Responsible Care program. Also, this paper aims to propose a solution to address the issues in implementing Responsible Care by introducing a Simplified and Integrated Management System for Responsible Care.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was distributed to 132 Responsible Care signatory companies in Malaysia, and they were given a week to return it via e-mail. Combining the inputs from the survey and document analysis, a Simplified and Integrated Management System for Responsible Care (SIMS-RC) was proposed.
Findings
Responsible Care signatory companies faced barriers in implementing product stewardship code and they also faced challenges in getting employees’ commitment from all levels. Taking the inputs received from Responsible Care signatory companies and document analysis, an SIMS-RC was proposed as a closed-loop process which consists of quality, environmental, health and safety management system.
Research limitations/implications
Some of the chemical companies were unable to share their thoughts in the survey due to the companies’ confidential reason.
Originality/value
Abundant literature has discussed about the limitation of Responsible Care that needs to be improved. Therefore, several elements and procedures of the program need to be revised and innovated to help the signatory companies to continuously improve their performances and encourage more participation in Responsible Care program. The findings will add value to the current body of knowledge and Responsible Care signatory companies which seek to improve Responsible Care implementation through an integrated management system approach. The proposed SIMS-RC is a simple, integrated, holistic and process-oriented management system in which it blends Responsible Care into quality, environmental, health and safety management system.
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Assadej Vanichchinchai and Songwut Apirakkhit
The purpose of this research is to identify a province in Thailand where total transportation cost for shipping grocery goods from this province to customers in all other…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to identify a province in Thailand where total transportation cost for shipping grocery goods from this province to customers in all other provinces is the lowest.
Design/methodology/approach
Transportation distances among provinces, freight rate and the number of population in each province were gathered. Total transportation cost was computed by taking distance, tapering freight rate and population including that in original province into account.
Findings
Based on pre-set assumptions, it reveals that Saraburi province has the lowest total transportation cost.
Research limitations/implications
This research emphasizes only transportation cost. For future research, other monetary and non-monetary factors such as land, labor, investment incentive, local government regulation should be considered together.
Practical implications
This is an industry-based research especially for retail and fast-moving consumer goods businesses.
Originality/value
This practitioner paper is one of the first to identify population, freight rate and distance-based warehouse location which can be determined as a location for Thailand’s logistics hub, particularly for retail or fast-moving consumer goods business in Thailand.
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Marcelo Castro, Alvaro Reyes Duarte, Andrés Villegas and Luis Chanci
The aim of this study is to estimate the technical efficiency of the massive and economically important crop of rice in Ecuador, and then conduct a comparison between groups of…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to estimate the technical efficiency of the massive and economically important crop of rice in Ecuador, and then conduct a comparison between groups of farmers with and without insurance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use an input-oriented data envelopment analysis approach (DEA) to estimate technical efficiency scores. The DEA is combined with the double bootstrap approach in Simar and Wilson (2007) to study factors that may affect technical efficiency. This method overcomes the traditional two-stage DEA approach frequently used in the efficiency literature. The authors thus research the role of insurance on rice efficiency production using this technique and sizeable field-level survey data from 376 rice farmers distributed in five provinces during the 2019 winter cycle in Ecuador.
Findings
Most uninsured rice farmers operate with increasing returns to scale, which means that farms improve their resource use efficiency by increasing their size. However, since scale efficiencies are relatively high, it appears that inefficiencies are explained by inadequate input use. Also, the authors find evidence that insured farmers have a negative relationship with technical efficiency in rice production. In other results, when exploring the influence of additional variables on efficiency, the authors find that parameters related to transplanting, high education, farm size and some locations are positive and statistically significant.
Social implications
The results of this work are relevant for policymakers interested in evaluating technology performance, risk management instruments and farm efficiency in an industry in a developing country such as rice production in Ecuador.
Originality/value
This paper is the first attempt to estimate farm-level technical efficiency employing the double bootstrap approach to assess the efficiency and its determinants of Ecuadorian rice producers.