Big data and Ag-Analytics

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Woodard

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief and necessarily partial overview of the design, motivation, and use of the Ag-Analytics platform (ag-analytics.org), focussing on integration and warehousing of publicly available research data for broad communities of researchers, including those in the area of agricultural finance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper walks the reader through an overview of the layout and utilization of the Ag-Analytics platform, including a few example applications of some of the tools and web API’s. Findings – Much of the data researchers routinely use in agricultural and environmental finance and related fields are often – strictly speaking – publicly available; however the form in which they are distributed leads to great inefficiencies in data sourcing and processing which can be greatly improved. The goal of the Ag-Analytics open data/open source platform is to help researchers centralize and share in such efforts. Development of systems for disseminating, documenting, and automating the processing of such data can lead to more transparency in research, better routes for validation, and a more robust research community. Practical implications – Some of the tools and methods are discussed, as well as practical issues in data sourcing and automation for research. A few high level introductory examples and applications are illustrated. Originality/value – Development and adoption of such systems and data resources remains seriously lacking in social science research, particularly in the economics, natural resource, environmental, and agricultural finance spheres. This brief provides an overview of one such system which should be of value to researchers in this field and many others.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Kennedy ◽  
Stacey M. Baxter ◽  
Alicia Kulczynski

Purpose This paper aims to examine the importance of celebrity brands in influencing consumer perceptions of celebrity authenticity, which drives positive consumer attitudes and intentions. In addition, the notion of low-celebrity investment is investigated as a factor that diminishes the positive outcomes associated with celebrity brands. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 examines the effect of brand situation (endorsement versus celebrity brand) on consumer attitudes and intentions. Studies 2 and 3 investigate the role of celebrity authenticity in explaining the effects observed in Study 1. Study 4 examines celebrity investment as a bound of the phenomenon. Findings Study 1 demonstrates that consumers report heightened attitudes and intentions towards celebrity brands when compared to endorsements. Studies 2 and 3 provide evidence that authenticity explains the effects observed in Study 1. Results of Study 4 show that when consumers are aware of low-celebrity investment, the celebrity is viewed as inauthentic regardless of brand situation. Research limitations/implications This research is limited as it focuses only on known celebrity endorsers who were matched with products that had a high level of fit. In addition, purchase intentions were measured as opposed to the study of actual purchase behaviour. Practical implications This research has important implications for the development of endorsements and celebrity brands by demonstrating that consumers view celebrities as authentic when they are involved with brands for reasons other than monetary compensation. Originality/value This research shows that consumers have heightened attitudes and intentions towards celebrity brands compared to endorsements. This research identifies celebrity authenticity as the process underlying the observed phenomenon. However, celebrity investment is identified as a boundary condition demonstrating that knowledge of low investment results in a celebrity being viewed as inauthentic.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-21

Purpose This paper reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings If you search images of the word “strategy” on the internet, three of the first seven images to appear on Google (other search engines are available) include chess pieces, while two of the top ten hits involve light bulbs. Aside from the obvious conclusions that any strategic discussion should either involve chess grand masters or well-lit rooms, it is clear that most people assume winning games with lots of moves are possible is the key to a successful strategy. But is this a valid analogy, even at a high level? Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Rosetta

Watch the VIDEO here.Within the Open Science discussions, the current call for “reproducibility” comes from the raising awareness that results as presented in research papers are not as easily reproducible as expected, or even contradicted those original results in some reproduction efforts. In this context, transparency and openness are seen as key components to facilitate good scientific practices, as well as scientific discovery. As a result, many funding agencies now require the deposit of research data sets, institutions improve the training on the application of statistical methods, and journals begin to mandate a high level of detail on the methods and materials used. How can researchers be supported and encouraged to provide that level of transparency? An important component is the underlying research data, which is currently often only partly available within the article. At Elsevier we have therefore been working on journal data guidelines which clearly explain to researchers when and how they are expected to make their research data available. Simultaneously, we have also developed the corresponding infrastructure to make it as easy as possible for researchers to share their data in a way that is appropriate in their field. To ensure researchers get credit for the work they do on managing and sharing data, all our journals support data citation in line with the FORCE11 data citation principles – a key step in the direction of ensuring that we address the lack of credits and incentives which emerged from the Open Data analysis (Open Data - the Researcher Perspective https://www.elsevier.com/about/open-science/research-data/open-data-report ) recently carried out by Elsevier together with CWTS. Finally, the presentation will also touch upon a number of initiatives to ensure the reproducibility of software, protocols and methods. With STAR methods, for instance, methods are submitted in a Structured, Transparent, Accessible Reporting format; this approach promotes rigor and robustness, and makes reporting easier for the author and replication easier for the reader.


2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (9) ◽  
pp. 1969-1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taísa Rezende Teixeira Farias ◽  
Maria Cecília Evangelista Vasconcelos Schiassi ◽  
Patrícia Aparecida Pimenta Pereira ◽  
Vanessa Rios de Souza ◽  
Amanda Maria Teixeira Lago ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of the bodying agents (erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol and polydextrose) and their mixtures on the preparation of mixed Brazilian Cerrado fruit preserves (marolo, soursop and sweet passion fruit). Design/methodology/approach The simplex mixture design was used for product optimization and the preserves evaluated by physical, physicochemical and sensory properties. The research data were analyzed using regression equations on SAS University and exploratory analysis by principal component analysis and parallel factors techniques on Sensomaker software. Findings The results show that erythritol and polydextrose bodying agents should not be used as pure components because they provoked changes in the properties of the final product and negatively influenced the sensory attributes. While the high concentrations of xylitol and sorbitol provided better sensorial acceptance, being considered, therefore, good substitutes for sucrose. Practical implications This research has shown it is feasible to use bodying agents in the preparation of mixed Brazilian Cerrado fruit preserves without added sugar. Social implications The development of mixed preserves could increase population access to the Brazilian Cerrado fruits. In addition, sugar-free preserves are a viable alternative for adding value to the product and satisfy all the consumers. Originality/value The combination of properties of two or more fruits and use of bodying agents can improve sensory, physical and physicochemical characteristics of the final product. However, there are technological challenges to evaluate in the preparation of mixed Brazilian Cerrado fruit preserves without added sugar.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-285
Author(s):  
Louise Kiernan ◽  
Ann Ledwith ◽  
Raymond Lynch

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the conversation activities of design teams to negotiate task conflict and reach consensus. Design/methodology/approach Four case studies were conducted to analyse the conversation activities that teams use in the course of design projects. Findings The conversation activities that teams used to negotiate conflict and bring about consensus were identified. These conversation activities are associated with collaboration, communication and social skills enabling teams to engage in the high level of information exchange and negotiation that is required to manage task conflict. How they were used to negotiate conflict and help reach consensus is also discussed. Research limitations/implications The findings from this research are based on a small number of participants; hence, it cannot be generalised without further study with larger groups. However, the questions this paper has raised can be generalised to other design tasks and groups. Practical implications The findings have implications for the management of design teams and teams working on complex unstructured problems both in industry and education. They highlight how conflict can be constructively managed to bring about consensus that integrates the knowledge and perspective of all team members. Originality/value The benefits of task conflict have been disputed in the literature. This research has identified the conversation activities that facilitate the constructive management of task conflict to bring about consensus that integrates the perspectives and knowledge of a team.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Jones ◽  
Fiona Cheuk

PurposeOften, researchers view silence as antagonistic to equity-aimed projects. Because verbal, written, and textually agentive communications are presumed to be the most valid qualitative-research data, moments of silence are under-analyzed. Yet, we argue that silence holds meaning as data and that it is a valid, rich form of communication.Design/methodology/approachThrough this reflective analysis of silence, we invite readers to reconceptualize silence in research from a critical disability-research perspective with emphasis on crip willfulness. We introduce silence as an interpretive, agentive and relational gesture.FindingsWe attend to silence as necessary in all research because it helps researchers excavate able-bodied expectations about communication in qualitative-data-collection practices.Originality/valueWe demonstrate that silences in research can be an interpretive, relational, and agentive gesture that can teach us about taken-for-granted assumptions about research practices. Revisiting our research encounters with this framing of silence informed by critical disability studies allows us to question how traditional social science research methods value some modalities of expression over others. Rather than viewing silence in research as moments when nothing happens, we show that silence indicates something happening and is valid data.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 832-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Amrollahi ◽  
Bruce Rowlands

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show how collaborative information technology (IT) tools and a crowdsourcing model can be leveraged for the purpose of strategic planning. To achieve this objective, a formal method of open strategic planning (OSP) is proposed. Design/methodology/approach Based on a review of the literature a set of activities, stakeholders, and governing rules are identified in the form of an OSP method. The proposed planning method is implemented in a case study of strategic planning in an Australian university. Observations by the research team, and archival records were used to ascertain the relevance of the used method. Findings A method for OSP is presented and assessed. The method contains four phases: pre-planning, idea submission, idea refinement, and plan development. These phases cover the activities required from conceptualization to preparing and publishing the strategic plan. The findings clarify how the principles of OSP helped the organization to include more stakeholders and provided the opportunity to make the planning process transparent through use of a collaborative IT tool. Practical implications The study provides managers and planning consultants with detailed guidelines to implement the concept of open strategy. Originality/value This study is among the few to propose a method for OSP based on empirical research. The study also shows how collaborative IT tools can be used for high-level organizational tasks such as strategic planning.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celine Louche ◽  
Suzanne Young ◽  
Martin Fougère

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the topic and review the contributions of the special issue papers on cross-sector dialogue for sustainability. The paper also presents avenues for further research. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a review of the current literature on cross-sector partnership and dialogue. It explores the current issues in cross-sector partnerships through a discussion of the papers accepted for the special issue, their focus, findings and key contributions. Findings It highlights three main key research themes and learnings from the special issue papers: a high level of “hybridity” of collaboration forms, which involve important tensions; a need to understand partnership in its context and the importance of the individual level in cross-sector collaboration. Practical implications The authors call for attention to be paid to two forms of myopia: a tendency to view partnerships primarily from a resource-based view (without much attempt to measure societal impact) and a reluctance to be explicitly critical (despite empirical evidence of some suboptimal aspects of partnerships). Social implications The authors call for researchers to move away from a resource-based approach to one that is situated in exploring the value derived from partnerships in the broader societal context. The authors suggest some avenues for further research to move the discussion beyond the partnership imperative. Originality/value The paper outlines the need to critically revisit the very essence of what real partnership means and whether dialogue is really taking place.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Nour Aldeen ◽  
Inayah Swasti Ratih ◽  
Risa Sari Pertiwi

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the awareness and willingness level of millennials in Indonesia toward cash waqf (cash endowment). Cash waqf has gained huge attention in Indonesia because of its flexibility, especially after officially announcing that cash waqf practices are sharia-compliant in 2002 in the country. Millennials comprise 33.75% of the total Indonesian population. Therefore, it is vital to analyze cash waqf from an Indonesian perspective. This study provides vital information for all institutions that are concerned with the enhancement of the cash waqf contributions in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachSelf-structured questionnaires were distributed in Java Island to collect the data. The data were examined by employing suitable statistical tools. Besides, post-interview fact-finding was conducted with cash waqf experts from different related institutions in Indonesia to reach a more in-depth understanding about cash waqf issues.FindingsThe results depict a high level of awareness about cash waqf among millennials in Indonesia. The results further reveal a lower willingness level to contribute to cash waqf of the sample population as compared to their level of awareness about cash waqf. Moreover, cash waqf promotions must focus on delivering a deeper understanding about the concept and how it differs from other types of Islamic philanthropy. The results suggest that waqf trustees in the country must be more transparent. Moreover, the Indonesian Waqf Board should implement stricter rules to monitor waqf trustees.Research limitations/implicationsThis research concerns the willingness and awareness toward cash waqf among Indonesian Muslims who were born between 1980 and 2000.Practical implicationsAs a Muslim-majority country, one would expect Indonesia to make much progress in cash waqf. By providing an explanatory understanding of willingness and awareness of cash waqf among Indonesians, this research can be helpful in designing proper educative marketing campaigns for future endowers to cash waqf activities to ensure cash waqf institutions provide efficient services. It is advisable to emphasize the transparency of waqf organizations. This will add to the nazhir's (waqf trustee) reputation, thereby boosting waqf's national shares by ensuring a proper allocation of cash waqf. The regulator should be more strict in monitoring nazhir’s practices. For instance, it could include a periodic assessment of waqf entities.Originality/valueThis study is original in nature; there is no previous study that addresses the millennial’s perspective toward cash waqf in Indonesia. Hence, this study presents precious information for policy makers, practitioners and researchers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (12) ◽  
pp. 743-757
Author(s):  
Natalia Nakano ◽  
Joao Augusto Dias Barreira e Oliveira ◽  
Maria José Vicentini Jorente

Purpose This paper aims to present an overview of the design thinking (DT) methodology applied to information science research focusing on the user journey. DT stages are essential to understand, create and implement solutions based on the identified problems. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies bibliographic, theoretical and exploratory research based on the literature from DT methodology and information science. Findings The area of information science has not fully incorporated DT methodology on its practices, and DT presents considerable potential to support user experience. Practical implications Raise awareness of the information science community regarding the DT methodology as an alternative to apply to various types of research. Originality/value DT brings a unique contribution to engage people toward innovation in information centers; the paper is original, as it provides insights on the application of DT to improve the user journey related to information.


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