Introduction of the trend-adjusted crop insurance program

2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 412-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
HongSeok Seo ◽  
Taehoo Kim ◽  
Man-Keun Kim ◽  
Bruce A. McCarl

Purpose Recently, USDA-RMA introduced a Trend Adjusted-Actual Production History (TA-APH) program, which increases APH by a trend factor to cover yield changes over time. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the TA-APH program on farmer participation, coverage election, and risk by analyzing data before and after the program. Design/methodology/approach Since the program was carried out in selected counties, the authors employ a difference in differences approach doing comparisons of insurance participation and coverage levels between eligible and ineligible counties. Findings The authors find that farmers within the counties where the TA-APH program was available experienced an increase in insured acres of 3 percent for corn and 5 percent for soybeans. The authors also find the farmers eligible for the program purchased lower coverage levels relative to those not eligible. However, the magnitude of that negative effect is relatively small, −0.9 percent in corn and −1.3 percent in soybeans. Collectively the evidence shows the TA-APH program does increase the guaranteed yield level mitigating farmer risk. Research limitations/implications The data set used only permitted analysis at the county level, thus the authors could not look at the individual farmer choices. Practical implications The results suggest that if a greater level of farmer risk protection is desired from crop insurance, the authors find that the trend adjustment as implemented was a successful way to achieve this. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on the crop insurance by evaluating the program controlling for a non-participating groups, farming experience, liability rates, and subsidy rates. In doing this, it fulfills an identified need to study the actual impact on participation rates and coverage levels elected.

2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy A. Delbridge ◽  
Robert P. King

PurposeThe USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) made several changes to the crop insurance products available to organic growers for the 2014 crop year. Most notably, a 5 percent premium surcharge was removed and organic-specific transitional yields (t-yields) were issued for the first time. The purpose of this paper is to use farm-level organic crop yield data to analyze the impact of these reforms on producer insurance outcomes and compare the insurance options for new organic growers.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a unique panel data set of organic corn and soybean yields to analyze the impact of organic crop insurance reforms. Actual Production History values and premium rates are calculated for each farm and crop yield sequence. Producer loss ratios and subsidized premium wedges are compared for yield, revenue and area-risk products before and after the instituted reforms.FindingsResults indicate that RMA succeeded in improving the actuarial soundness of the organic insurance program, though further refinement of organic t-yields may be necessary to accurately reflect the yield potential of organic producers and avoid reductions in program participation.Originality/valueThis paper provides insight into the effectiveness of reforms intended to improve the actuarial soundness of organic crop insurance and demonstrates the effect that the reforms are likely to have on new and existing organic farms. Because this analysis uses data collected independently of RMA and includes farms that may or may not have purchased crop insurance, it avoids the self-selection problems that might affect analyses using crop insurance program data.


Facilities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shang Gao ◽  
Sui Pheng Low ◽  
Hua Qian Gong

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the activity-based workspace (ABW) on employee belonging. Place attachment theory (PAT) is used as a proxy to understand and measure the belongingness of employees to their physical workplaces. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a bank’s newly retrofitted ABW office is conducted, providing fresh perspectives on the effect of ABW on employee belonging. A questionnaire survey was used to understand employee belongingness. Surveys are conducted with employees of the bank (n = 100) who experienced the transition from the conventional open-plan office with designated seats to an ABW, to understand and compare the change in employee belonging after the transition, by studying the level of belonging achieved in the space before and after. Findings The results showed that there was a positive sense of belongingness amongst employees working in the ABW space, as per the PAT framework and an increased sense of belongingness compared with the previous conventional open-plan office. However, ABWs were found to also have a negative effect on employees’ sense of control and security. Originality/value Maslow’s hierarchy of needs indicates that a feeling of belonging is fundamental to humans. The need for belonging is also applicable in the workplaces of today’s progressive corporate organisations, where there is increased pressure and incentive to appeal to and retain talent. This research was conducted in response to the huge growth in interest in activity-based working across the corporate real estate community. As there has been no prior research done in the area of the emotional need for belongingness in ABW.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 780-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianwei Liu ◽  
Jinah Park ◽  
Karen Xie ◽  
Haiyan Song ◽  
Wei Chen

Commercial hosts are becoming increasingly common in peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation sharing. Yet the interplay between commercial and individual hosts has been unclear. This study investigates the effect of properties managed by commercial hosts on the individual hosts in the neighborhood. Specifically, we hypothesize that an increase in commercial properties, which have competitive advantages, would penetrate neighborhood markets and cannibalize the online popularity of individual properties. We test these hypotheses using a large-scale, longitudinal data set collected from a leading P2P accommodation-sharing platform in Beijing. The findings show that an increase in commercial properties is associated with a decline in the popularity of individual properties in the neighborhood. However, the negative effect of commercial properties is weakened when there is a higher price difference between the two ownership types and a higher density of tourist attractions. The implications for service operations and strategies for P2P accommodation-sharing businesses are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 2107-2125
Author(s):  
Linlin Wang ◽  
Zhaofang Chu ◽  
Wan Jiang ◽  
Yifan Xu

Purpose This study aims to build on equity theory to assess the effect of chief executive officer (CEO) underpayment on the accumulation of firm-specific knowledge, accounting for the moderating effects of the CEO compensation gap and the clarity of the board’s informal hierarchy. Design/methodology/approach This study starts with all firms listed in the Execucomp database for the period 1992 to 2006. Then, all data sources are merged and entries with missing information are excluded. The final data set used for model estimations includes 1,152 firm-year observations. The command xtreg in Stata 12 with the fixed-effect option (fe) is used to estimate the relationship between CEO underpayment and firm-specific knowledge. Findings This study proposed and examined the role of CEO underpayment in discouraging CEO willingness to invest firm-specific human capital and, accordingly, to adopt a strategy of accumulating lower levels of firm-specific knowledge assets. The empirical analyses strongly support this argument. Moreover, CEO compensation gaps and the informal hierarchy of boards negatively moderated this relationship. That is, CEO underpayment had a weaker negative effect on firm-specific knowledge when the CEO compensation gap and the clarity of the board’s informal hierarchy were high. Originality/value Prior studies from the knowledge-based perspective have focused on the importance of firm-specific knowledge in enabling a firm to achieve superior financial performance. However, relatively little attention has been paid to CEOs’ willingness to accumulate firm-specific knowledge. The present study contributes to the knowledge-based view of the firm. This study integrates equity theory with the knowledge-based view of the firm by highlighting how unfair compensation of CEOs may discourage them to fully realize a firm’s potential to generate specific knowledge. By incorporating the fairness issue of CEO compensation into the knowledge-based view, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the origins of firm-specific knowledge.


2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 1778-1789
Author(s):  
Hongkang Lin

Purpose – The clustering/classification method proposed in this study, designated as the PFV-index method, provides the means to solve the following problems for a data set characterized by imprecision and uncertainty: first, discretizing the continuous values of all the individual attributes within a data set; second, evaluating the optimality of the discretization results; third, determining the optimal number of clusters per attribute; and fourth, improving the classification accuracy (CA) of data sets characterized by uncertainty. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed method for the solution of the clustering/classifying problem, designated as PFV-index method, combines a particle swarm optimization algorithm, fuzzy C-means method, variable precision rough sets theory, and a new cluster validity index function. Findings – This method could cluster the values of the individual attributes within the data set and achieves both the optimal number of clusters and the optimal CA. Originality/value – The validity of the proposed approach is investigated by comparing the classification results obtained for UCI data sets with those obtained by supervised classification BPNN, decision-tree methods.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Ren ◽  
Guiyao Tang ◽  
Andrea Kim

PurposeDrawing on a motivational model of proactive behavior, this study theorizes that employment status, reflective moral attentiveness (RMA), and organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) constitute the can-do, reason-to, and energized-to motivational states, which interact to induce organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment (OCB-E).Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted random coefficient modeling (RCM) analysis with a multisource, time-lagged data set collected from 235 employees in Chinese firms.FindingsThis RCM analysis found that more OCB-E resulted from standard employees with higher levels of RMA and OBSE.Originality/valueThe value of this research lies in understanding of the antecedents of green behavior at the individual level by identifying specific motivational states and highlighting the coexistence of motivational states in predicting OCB-E. These findings provide new insight into the theory of developing and managing green OCB performers in today's workplace characterized by workforce mixing.


Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nóra Obermayer ◽  
Viktoria Erika Toth

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the individual and organizational factors that influence knowledge sharing (KS) behavior within Hungarian organizations. Design/methodology/approach The data were obtained from 238 completed questionnaires collected via the LimeSurvey system. The analysis is based on applied quantitative methodology, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The research investigated the relationships between individual and organizational characteristics and the KS behavior at individual and global levels. Findings Among individual factors, significant relationships have been identified regarding the generation and position of individuals, and KS behavior, while gender and education do not seem to play a significant role. With respect to organizational factors, the size of the organization and the tenure of individuals are found to be significant. Research limitations/implications The results of the analysis are limited because the data set was not large enough to investigate inter- and intra-industry variability. Practical implications The outcome of this research can support the design of managerial and organizational processes and incentives that will potentially facilitate KS in a more efficient and effective manner. Such improved KS is likely to improve the overall performance of knowledge-intensive organizations. Originality/value The original value of this research is that individual and organizational characteristics have been identified that influence KS behavior. The study focuses on a single country, Hungary, and provides relevant insight into the organizational dynamics of a specific national context.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1570-1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanfei Feng ◽  
Trichy V. Krishnan

Purpose Companies in the B2B service sector often sign a series of successive contracts instead of one long contract with their vendors. Economic researchers have shown how the lengths of stand-alone contracts are influenced by economic factors such as asset specificity and economic volatility, but have not researched into contracts that are part of a continuous series. The purpose of this study was to explore if being a part of a series of contracts influences the length of the focal contract and the rental rate. Design/methodology/approach The authors use data collected from the oil drilling industry to empirically test their hypotheses. The data set consists of 2,621 contracts involving jack-up rig hiring in the Gulf of Mexico region. Findings The authors empirically show that the series duration affects both the length and rental rate of each constituent contract, even after considering all other plausible economic factors. Specifically, the duration of a series has a positive effect on the length and a negative effect on the rental rate of the constituent contract. Originality/value Although contract length is as vital as the rent in B2B service transactions, it is rather unfortunate that marketing scholars have not researched much into this topic. The findings offer a new insight into the forces that shape the B2B service contracts and thus help the B2B managers make a better decision in service contracts.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaxin Ming ◽  
Jing (Elaine) Chen ◽  
Chenxi Li

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effect of acquisition modes on customer behavioral loyalty to enrich our knowledge of the effectiveness of acquisition modes and how to better target customers in the service industry.Design/methodology/approachUsing a data set from a large commercial bank in China, this study conducts a series of empirical analyses to examine the impacts of two types of acquisition modes (i.e. the gift acquisition mode and customer referral) on customer behavioral loyalty.FindingsGift acquisition has a negative effect on customer behavioral loyalty, as measured by the dropout probability, consumption amount and consumption frequency. Furthermore, this negative relationship could be weakened if the customer is referred by an existing customer.Originality/valueAlthough prior studies have investigated the effectiveness of some acquisition modes in terms of customer loyalty, customer acquisition through the provision of gifts, which is widely implemented in marketing practice, has not been well investigated. This study addresses this research gap and identifies the joint influence of acquisition modes on customer behavioral loyalty, further enriching our knowledge of the effectiveness of different acquisition modes.


Author(s):  
Naoki Ando ◽  
Yongsun Paik

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between foreign subsidiary staffing and subsidiary performance by focussing on two staffing practices: first, the ratio of parent country nationals (PCNs) to foreign subsidiary employees and second, the number of PCNs assigned to the foreign subsidiary. Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses predicting curvilinear relationships between the assignment of PCNs and subsidiary performance are tested using a panel data set consisting of 4,858 foreign subsidiaries of Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs). Findings – The results demonstrate that the two staffing practices have different effects on subsidiary performance. The ratio of PCNs to foreign subsidiary employees has an inverted U-shaped relationship with subsidiary performance, while the number of PCNs assigned to the subsidiary has a linear and negative effect on subsidiary performance. Research limitations/implications – The results of this study are subject to limitations. First, the sample used in this study consists solely of the foreign subsidiaries of Japanese firms. This research design limits the generalizability of the findings of this study. Second, other decisions related to subsidiary staffing such as the ratio of PCNs in the subsidiary's top management team need to be examined to advance understandings of the relationship between subsidiary staffing and subsidiary performance. Practical implications – MNCs need to identify the appropriate number of PCNs at which they can achieve the optimal trade-off with the PCN ratio to enhance the competitiveness and the performance of a foreign subsidiary. In doing so, they need to take into consideration that an increase in the number of PCNs has an immediate negative effect on the workplace morale of host country nationals. Originality/value – This study incorporates two staffing practices into its analyses and shows that they have different implications for subsidiary performance. The results suggest that focussing on one staffing practice alone limits understanding of the complex relationship between foreign subsidiary staffing and subsidiary performance.


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