No 1/2011, March | Agris on-line Papers in Economics and Informatics

The Technical Efficiency Analysis – Case of Agricultural Basic Industry in Slovakia

P. Bielik D. Hupková No 1/2011, March

ABSTRACT

The agricultural companies are operating in the environment with high level of competition and therefore it is for them important to retain respectively to improve their market position to reach higher measure of production process efficiency. As the principal measurement of the production performance was applied technical efficiency which is the assumption to reach the total economical efficiency of company. According to the results we can state that the technical efficiency measure has during analysed period declining trend. Since the year 2001 when the technical efficiency measure reached the highest level was registered decline of the technical efficiency, except the year 2005. The average level of the technical efficiency measure during the years 2006 and 2007 is possible to explain with increasing differences between the analysed companies. Just few companies achieved very good results in the production process. Based on the results of the technical efficiency measure is possible to expect deepening of differences between the companies in future.

KEYWORDS

the Data Envelopment Analysis - DEA, Technical Efficiency, Agricultural Enterprises, Basic Industry

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Consequences of BSE disease outbreaks in the Canadian beef industry

J. Stephen Clark L. Čechura No 1/2011, March

ABSTRACT

This study examines farm to wholesale prices spreads to measure the impact of the BSE disease outbreak on the Canadian beef industry. The study uses structure break tests developed by Gregory and Hansen (1996) and Hansen (1992) examine possible breaks within co integrating relationships. The study finds evidence that the industry began realignment as a result of the UK BSE disease outbreak, and the Canadian BSE disease outbreak was simply the largest realignment of the process beginning with the UK disease outbreak. However, the only statistically significant break was the BSE disease outbreak itself in May 2003. Stability was not restored until the border was reopened in 2005. Specific results indicated that the processing sector exploited the border closure in May 2003 to enhance its market power and that the system returned to a competitive one after the border re-opened in July 2005.

KEYWORDS

Beef industry, price transmission, BSE, market power, parameter instability, cointegration with structural break

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Is there any future for cash crops in developing countries? The case of vanilla.

I. Pokorná L. Smutka No 1/2011, March

ABSTRACT

A generally used term for easy marketable commodities usually with high prices is cash crops As a result of it these commodities are produced by many developing and especially least developed countries (LDC). These crops have witnessed fluctuation in prices during the last decade. We can suppose that these products would be the domain of developing countries nevertheless the opposite is true. Vanilla is a very good example of those products especially because just very few producers exist. We can suppose that vanilla trade would be the sphere of very few producers and beside that the agents would deal mostly with the demand site on the international market. However, the international vanilla market shows slight differences. Nevertheless, it can be grown just in very few areas. Madagascar belongs between the most well known producers. The aim of this paper is to analyse the international vanilla trade with regards to the production and consumption side and specifics of cash crops in general. International vanilla trade is even higher than the production itself. These results indicate that vanilla is being re-exported and the trade is not just a normal commodity trade but being use as a investment instrument as well.

KEYWORDS

Cash crops, vanilla, international trade, RCA.

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Analysis of Development of Investments in the Agricultural Sector of the Czech Republic

D. Žídková H. Řezbová E. Rosochatecká No 1/2011, March

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to analyse the investment activities realized in the agricultural sector of the Czech Republic during the period of 1998-2009. The study focuses on the development of the volume of investments in agriculture, their composition and economic efficiency. The analysis is based on data from the Aggregate Agricultural Account drawn up by the Czech Statistical Office (Český statistický úřad, ČSÚ). Investment activity is studied on the basis of such indicators as the gross fixed capital formation, net fixed capital formation, gross investment rate, requirements for investments. The impact of selected factors influencing the gross fixed capital formation and its composition is evaluated.

KEYWORDS

investment activities, agricultural sector, gross fixed capital formation, requirements for investments

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Implementation of subontology of Planning and control for business analysis domain

I. Atanasová No 1/2011, March

ABSTRACT

Ontologies are at the heart of the semantic web. They define the concepts and relationships that make global interoperability possible. However, as these ontologies grow in size they become more and more difficult to create, use, understand, maintain, transform and classify. As ontologies become common in more applications and as those applications become larger and longer-lived, it is becoming increasingly common for ontologies to be developed in different area of public sector of economics. Ontologies present special challenges to the problem of conceptual modeling. This paper describes the process of the implementation of a subontology of forecasting and evaluations for business analysis domain in order to develop an easy and correct way to find the needed statistical information in a knowledge base.

KEYWORDS

ontology, forecasting, assessment, Protégé, implementation

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Social Networks as an Integration Tool in Rural Areas – Agricultural Enterprises of the Czech Republic

E. Červenková P. Šimek T. Vogeltanzová M. Stočes No 1/2011, March

ABSTRACT

Social networks have been growing at a rapid pace. Social media represent one of the most significant phenomena of today's world and are more and more integrated from the private sphere into the commercial one (e.g. into marketing where social media already play a substantial role). The present paper is aimed at introducing an initial study on the use of social media in agricultural enterprises. The study was thus targeted at agricultural enterprises – both legal entities (public limited companies, limited liability companies and last but not least cooperatives) and natural persons (farmers) that farm the total area of more than 100 hectares (a basic selection criterion of the survey). This interesting study was conducted by means of a questionnaire survey that included information on social media awareness, development and use within the respective group of respondents (bigger agricultural enterprises). The paper deals with social media as such and naturally with the survey results. The data retrieved from the questionnaire were used not only for monitoring social networks integration in the agrarian sector (important factor in rural areas) but as well for exploring the potential of modern information tools in agriculture promotion. The survey has been carried out in mutual cooperation of the Department of Information Technologies with the Information and Consulting Centre, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

KEYWORDS

Social media, social network, Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, agrarian sector

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Application of Electronic Data Collection in Research of Socio-Economic Importance of Forest Functions

V. Pospíšilová J. Pospíšil J. Hučko No 1/2011, March

ABSTRACT

The main topic of the project is the application of electronic data collection using the web interface to the research of the socio-economic importance of forest functions. A unique system for data collection, the provision of evidence and processing was designed. The system leads to the simplification of the research, to the possibility of extending the investigation in the field and to the survey of forest visit trends in the long term. The approach will enable the formation of an extended database. The paper describes the steps of the project’s implementation. The e-survey started at the end of September 2010 continues to this time.

KEYWORDS

E-survey, forest functions, assessment, web development, agile methods.

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Understanding and Adaptation of the Concept of Competences in the Water Sector

Ch. Thanopoulos N. Manouselis Ch. M. Stracke No 1/2011, March

ABSTRACT

Competence models are proved as the most sufficient tool in order to support organizations and companies to achieve their main goals (e.g. selection of the most competent employees) and to enhance the offering training opportunities and help individuals with their personal performance. This article focuses on the identification of the main issues that will support the development of a successful and adaptable competence model in the water sector. An introductory overview of competence, competence model and competence modeling process is following by the investigation of the usefulness of the competence model in all the water sector domains. The scope of this study is the analysis of the water sector requirements for competence modeling, based on the initial results of a European survey that takes place in the context of EU project WACOM (www.wacom-project.eu).

KEYWORDS

Competence, water competence model, water sector

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