Are there dynamic productivity gains from agricultural trade?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanki Moon

PurposeThe primary purpose of this paper is to take an in-depth look at the question of whether liberalizing trade in agriculture can generate dynamic productivity gains comparable to those in the manufacturing sector.Design/methodology/approachIn contrast to the manufacturing sector that has generated firm/plant-level trade data, there is a lack of farm-level trade data that are needed for empirical measurement of dynamic productivity gains. Therefore, the authors use thought experiments to analyze the sequence of events that would occur when trade is liberalized for agriculture; delineate the expected behaviors of the actors involved in the trade and draw inferences about whether there would be dynamic productivity gains from agricultural trade.FindingsThe central finding is that there would be little dynamic gain from agricultural trade at the farm level due to the limited role of producers in shaping their international competitiveness. Yet, agricultural trade may generate dynamic gains if states or input supply corporations respond to the freer trade environment by making more investments for research and development (R&D). Further, when intraindustry prevails, there can be productivity gains at the industry level due to the transfer of resources from less to more efficient farm producers.Originality/valueThe findings of the paper are expected to present insights into value for researchers working in the area of agricultural trade; for agricultural trade policymakers in developing countries and for trade negotiators engaged in reforming or designing World Trade Organization (WTO)’s trade rules for agriculture.

Significance Comparisons with two formerly fast-growing Asian neighbours, Japan and South Korea, suggest that China will continue to slow for another decade. Analysis of global growth trends over 50 years points to a strong force of ‘regression to the mean’, meaning that continued high-speed growth is statistically unlikely. Impacts Continued Chinese economic slowing will reduce global demand for resources such as iron ore and coal. Achieving productivity growth will require deepening reforms to increase the role of the market, the private sector and competition. World Bank economists emphasise that imposing stricter financial discipline is a key step to enhancing market-based productivity gains.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 590-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaomin Li ◽  
Seung Ho Park ◽  
David Duden Selover

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop the theoretical linkage between culture and economic growth and empirically test the relationship by measuring culture and how it affects labor productivity. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a cross-section study of developing countries and regresses economic productivity growth on a set of control variables and cultural factors. Findings It is found that three cultural factors, economic attitudes, political attitudes, and attitudes towards the family, affect economic productivity growth. Originality/value Many economists ignore culture as a factor in economic growth, either because they discount the value of culture or because they have no simple way to quantify culture, resulting in the role of culture being under-researched. The study is the first to extensively examine the role of culture in productivity growth using large-scale data sources. The authors show that culture plays an important role in productivity gains across countries, contributing to the study of the effects of culture on economic development, and that culture can be empirically measured and linked to an activity that directly affects the economic growth – labor productivity.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  

Purpose The authors wanted to find out the most important mechanisms for encouraging innovative behavior in the Indian manufacturing sector. Design/methodology/approach The researchers collected data from Indian manufacturing organizations. They distributed questionnaires and received 288 complete ones. Items measured critical concepts. For OJ one example was “I have been fairly rewarded for the effort I put forth”. For KS, one sample was, “When I have learned something new, I tell my colleagues about it” and, “When they have learned something new, my colleagues tell me about it”. Meanwhile, IB was measured using items such as “I generate original solutions for problems”. Findings It highlighted the pivotal role of OJ in bolstering employees’ IB. When companies treat employees fairly, it encourages positive social interactions that lead to perceptions of supportiveness and trustworthiness. Employees reciprocate these sentiments with positive behavior. The study also showed the positive predictive influence of KS on IB. Finally, the results showed that the relationship between OJ and IB is complex, but KS is a pivotal mediator. Promotion of OJ, KS and IM is “vital” to spark innovation. Originality/value The authors felt their most important finding was to highlight the critical role of the underlying mechanism of KS, which is where individuals exchange implicit and explicit knowledge to create new knowledge. In addition, previous researchers have looked at the role of organizational justice in encouraging innovative behavior, but evidence from non-Western countries is scarce.


Author(s):  
Francis Kasekende ◽  
Sentrine Nasiima ◽  
Sam Omuudu Otengei

PurposeThe paper examines the mediator role of person-organization fit on the relationships between reward management, employee training, emotional exhaustion and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among employees in the manufacturing sector in Uganda.Design/methodology/approachThe study took a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical design. Using a sample of 380 respondents, data were obtained in two studies, the 2nd study being carried out after 8 months from the 1st. Using statistical program for social scientists (SPSS) and analysis of moment structures (AMOS), six hypotheses were tested and analyzed.FindingsResults indicate that employee development and person-organization fit were significant predictors of OCB. The influence of Reward Management and Emotional Exhaustion on OCB was inconclusive since in the 1st study it was positive and significant while non-significant in the 2nd study. Person-organization fit emerged as a full mediator of the Reward Management, Emotional Exhaustion–OCB relationships; and a partial mediator of the Employee Development–OCB relationship.Practical implicationsManufacturing firms will be able to implement HR policies and practices that are relevant for increased employee exhibition of extra role activities. They will be able to adhere to efforts that increase person-organization fit in order to reduce emotional exhaustion for OCB exhibition.Originality/valueThe study demonstrates that person-organization fit acts as a conduit for the translation of all the inputs of reward management and employee exhaustion and, part of the inputs of employee development into increased worker exhibition of extra role activities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruggero Golini ◽  
Federico Caniato ◽  
Matteo Kalchschmidt

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the role of the plant in a manufacturing network (MN) affects the configurations of the flows of goods among plants, suppliers and customers and how these configurations, in turn, affect the extent of adoption and effectiveness of supply chain (SC) integration. Design/methodology/approach Three research questions are developed at the plant level and then tested using an international survey (IMSS 6) featuring 364 plants which are part of an intra-company MN from 18 countries. Findings Five configurations of flows of goods emerge from the analysis. These configurations appear to be related to the role of the plant in the network and to the effectiveness of SC integration practices, but not to their extent of adoption. Research limitations/implications Research limitations include the focus on specific industries (assembly industries) and limited size of the clusters which did not allow for a deep investigation of each single cluster. Originality/value The paper creates a bridge between two literature streams (MNs and SC management) by means of an innovative flow-based perspective that can help researchers and practitioners to disentangle the two interwoven perspectives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafiu Adewale Aregbeshola

Purpose The deterministic role of various macroeconomic fundamentals on the attractiveness of countries to inflow of FDI is well documented in literature. The role of market size, infrastructural development, inflation and exchange rates differential have been supported as determinants of FDI direction. However, no documented study has benefited from diverse measures of institutional adequacy as presented in this study. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts various econometric approaches that include descriptive statistics, fixed effects models, LM test of independence, feasible generalised least squares regression and SUR estimations. Findings This study unveils the specific impacts and explanatory power of each of the variables along country lines, and the author compares the results of some emerging markets in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America to some selected countries in Africa. Using data set from various sources over a period of 44 years in a seemingly unrelated regression environment, this study suggests that poor technological capability, inadequate political system, weak productivity gains are major deterrents to the attractiveness of African countries to inflow of FDI. Research limitations/implications The major limitation of this study revolves around availability of usable data, which compels the researcher to limit the focus and the span of time series. Practical implications The study suggests the need to improve institutional quality in emerging economies, especially countries in Africa in order to enhance their attractiveness to FDI inflow. More importantly, the study found that low capital productivity gains hinder the attractiveness of African emerging markets to FDI inflow. Social implications To alleviate poverty, attraction of FDI is considered important, and the improvement of institutional functionality in that regard is found to be important. The need to augment technological improvement is considered very important and critical. Originality/value This serves to confirm that the article entitled “The Machination of Foreign Direct Investment Flow to Emerging Markets – A focus on Africa” is my own original work, envisaged to contribute to the debate about the role of macroeconomic fundamentals, especially capital productivity gains as determinants of a country’s attractiveness to inflow of foreign capital in academic literature. All the sources used and consulted have been fully acknowledged by a way of complete referencing. The author hereby agrees to the terms and conditions as stipulated by the publisher and the editorial board of this prestigious journal.


2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Wiengarten ◽  
Annachiara Longoni

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of uncertainty on workplace accidents at the plant level. Furthermore, this study explores such relation in complex settings (i.e. manufacturing networks) and assesses whether or not information sharing in such environments can reduce the potentially negative impact of uncertainty on accidents. Design/methodology/approach To assess the relationships between uncertainty, accidents and information sharing the authors utilise cross-country survey data collected through the sixth iteration of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey. The authors conceptualise workplace accidents through production time lost due to accidents. Furthermore, the authors conduct multiple regression analyses to test the hypotheses. Findings Results suggest that procurement, production, and demand uncertainties do indeed lead to an increase in workplace accidents at the plant level. Furthermore, the negative impact of uncertainty can be significantly reduced through information sharing. Originality/value This study represents a comprehensive attempt to simultaneously assess the impact of uncertainty on workplace accidents at the plant level and the possible moderating impact of information sharing.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik ◽  
Evelyn S. Devadason ◽  
Chandran Govindaraju

PurposeThis study examines the influence of human capital, overall and by dimensions, on the export performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan. The study also investigates the role of absorptive capacity in the relationship between human capital dimensions and export performance.Design/methodology/approachData from 586 manufacturing sector SMEs were collected for analysis. The study applied covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) to estimate the hypothesized relationships.FindingsAs a whole, human capital was found to exert a direct and indirect impact on export performance, particularly for the medium-sized firms and for firms with medium to high levels of export intensities. Nevertheless, not all dimensions of human capital mattered for export performance. Education and training were found to pose the greatest influence on export performance of those firms.Research limitations/implicationsThe results suggest that when devising appropriate policies for SMEs, the impact of different dimensions of human capital need to be considered for addressing challenges related to the internationalization of firms. In short, developing the right human capital is essential for SMEs to compete at the international level.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies, this study decomposed the influence of different dimensions of human capital on export performance and assessed the mediating role of absorptive capacity. The study is also among the pioneering studies in SMEs sector of Pakistan to analyze the role of absorptive capacity in the relationship between various dimensions of human capital and export performance.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2019-0198


Author(s):  
Alba Manresa ◽  
Jasna Prester ◽  
Andrea Bikfalvi

Purpose Firms innovate and sophisticate their offerings to remain competitive. This sophistication often finds opportunities in servitization. Given that many customers expect the service offering from manufacturing companies, it is crucial to research what capabilities drive service offerings and their impact on performance. The purpose of this paper is to test the capabilities–service–performance chain. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model is proposed and the research hypothesis is tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) performed on a data set corresponding to 205 Spanish and Croatian manufacturing firms. Findings Using SEM, this research analyses the causal model between manufacturing, organizational and digital capabilities on base, intermediate and advanced services, and their impact on both service and financial performance. Research limitations/implications This study has some limitations: the advanced service construct was mostly developed on case-based research. Some constructs have low convergent validity and reliability. The relative smallness of the data set used and its two-country provenance could raise issues about the international nature and generalizability of the findings. Practical implications Digital capabilities are important for the provision of all three groups of services in terms of using digital devices in data acquisition, helping to make the manufacturing company more agile. Originality/value The present study also contributes to the conceptual framework of servitization by providing a new and more up-to-date definition of capabilities and services, also considering digital capabilities, which are less explored. It also contributes to being the first to explore the entire manufacturing sector [nomenclature statistique des activités and économiques dans la Communauté éuropéenne (NACE) 10–31].


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