Estimation of technical efficiency and output growth decomposition for small-scale rice farmers in Eastern India

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Decomposition Analysis ◽  
Output Growth ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Rice Farming ◽  
Eastern India ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Production Growth

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate the degree of technical efficiency, determinants of technical inefficiencies and driving forces behind the production growth for a panel data set collected during the 1998/1999 and 2004/2006 Kharif cropping season, from 452 small-scale rice farming households in the Giridih and Purulia districts of Eastern India. Design/methodology/approach The estimations of technical efficiency utilize stochastic frontier production function with a sub-model of inefficiency effects at both aggregated farm level and disaggregated plot level where traditional varieties (TVs) and high-yielding varieties (HYVs) are differentiated. The output growth decomposition analysis identifies the main contributor to the total rice production growth. Findings The results indicate that the sampled farms are operated at moderate levels of technical efficiency. The production of HYV rice is associated with higher technical efficiency compared to TV rice. Farming experience, education attainment, landholding size, the share of non-agricultural income and the share of land in the lower terraces account for the differences in technical inefficiencies across the sampled farms. The decomposition analysis suggests that as technical efficiency decreased, technical change is the main source of production growth during the survey period. Research limitations/implications The small sample size applied in the analysis will result in an insufficient representativeness of the study area. Originality/value This paper fills the literature gap as estimations of technical efficiency that account for subtle differences in adopted rice varieties are still rare in India.

A GM(1,N)-based economic cybernetics model for the high-tech industries in China

Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 672-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng-Xin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Differential Equation ◽  
Patent Application ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Total Output ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fixed Assets ◽  
Grey Differential Equation ◽  
Medical Equipments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an economic cybernetics model based on the grey differential equation GM(1,N) for China's high-tech industries and provide the necessary support to assist high-tech industries management departments with their policy making. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the principle of grey differential equation GM(1,N), the grey differential equations of five high-tech industries in China are established using the net fixed assets, labor quantity and patent application quantity as cybernetics variables. After the discretization and first-order subtraction reduction to the simultaneous equation of the five grey models, a linear cybernetics model is resulted in. The structure parameters in the cybernetics system show explicit economic significance and can be identified through least square principle. At last, the actual data in 2004-2010 are introduced to empirically analyze the high-tech industrial system in China. Findings – The cybernetics system for China's high-tech industries are stable, observable, and controllable. On the whole, China's high-tech industries show higher output coefficients of the patent application quantity than those of net fixed assets and labor quantity. This suggests that China's industry development mainly depends on technological innovation rather than capital or labor inputs. It is expected that the total output value of China's high-tech industries will grow at an average annual rate of 15 percent in 2011-2015, with contributions of pharmaceuticals, aircraft and spacecraft, electronic and telecommunication equipments, computers and office equipments, medical equipments and meters by 21, 16, 13, 10, and 28 percent, respectively. In addition, pharmaceuticals, as well as medical equipments and meters, present upward proportions in the gross of Chinese high-tech industries significantly. Electronic and telecommunication equipments, plus computers and office equipments exhibit an obvious decreasing proportion. The proportion of the output value of aircraft and spacecraft is basically stable. Practical implications – Empirical analysis results are helpful for related management departments to formulate reasonable industrial policies to keep the sustained and stable development of the high-tech industries in China. Originality/value – Based on the grey differential equation GM(1,N), this research puts forward an economic cybernetics model for the high-tech industries in China. This model is applicable to the economic system with small sample data set.

Technical efficiency and its determinants in the Indian textile garments industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulla ◽  
Shiv Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Textile Industry ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Efficiency Score ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose This paper aims to examine technical efficiency and its determinants in Indian textile garments industry in post-agreement on textiles and clothing regime and evaluate the technical efficiency among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) firms. Design/methodology/approach This study uses unbalanced panel data for the period 2005–2010 to 2015–2016. The stochastic frontier function is used to estimate technical efficiency and its determinants. Findings The results show that the overall ecosystem of textile garments’ value chains could be improved to enhance the technical efficiency thereof. The result also reveals that small-scale firms have the highest technical efficiency scores, and medium-scale firms have the least technical efficiency score among all the categories of MSMEs. Research limitations/implications The textile garments industry needs to define its innovation strategies, as these strategies lead to different results that can be achieved only through the management of resources dedicated to the generation and implementation of innovations. Practical implications This study has shown that to offset India’s cost disadvantage in the international markets, there is a need to develop an ecosystem of textile manufacturing and value chains, eliminate the inverted duty structure (where inputs are taxed at a higher rate than the final product) and switch over from shuttle looms toward shuttle-less looms. This would unleash the potential of textile and garments industry and make it globally competitive and technically efficient. Further, there will be an alignment with the ease of doing business with an appropriate mix of policy, technology, institution, infrastructure, information and services. Originality/value Using frontier production function takes stochastic context into account for the dynamic character of technical efficiency and its components. Most of the past studies have assessed technical efficiency at the aggregate level using three-digit National Industrial Classification (NIC) or four-digit NIC code. An analysis at higher levels of aggregation masks the variation in technical efficiency. This study used five-digit NIC data to measure the firm-specific technical efficiency of the textile industry. According to the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind in the Indian textile industry using stochastic frontier approach and panel data. Further, it also looks at the contribution of different determinants in technical efficiency to the firms.

scholarly journals Effects of agricultural credit on wheat productivity of small farms in Sindh, Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 592-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Ali Chandio ◽  
Yuansheng Jiang ◽  
Feng Wei ◽  
Xu Guangshun
Keyword(s):  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Small Farms ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Agricultural Credit ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of short-term loan (STL) vs long-term loan (LTL) on wheat productivity of small farms in Sindh, Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The econometric estimation is based on cross-sectional data collected in 2016 from 18 villages in three districts, i.e. Shikarpur, Sukkur and Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh, Pakistan. The sample data set consist of 180 wheat farmers. The collected data were analyzed through different econometric techniques like Cobb–Douglas production function and Instrumental variables (two-stage least squares) approach. Findings This study reconfirmed that agricultural credit has a positive and highly significant effect on wheat productivity, while the short-term loan has a stronger effect on wheat productivity than the long-term loan. The reasons behind the phenomenon may be the significantly higher usage of agricultural inputs like seeds of improved variety and fertilizers which can be transformed into the wheat yield in the same year. However, the LTL users have significantly higher investments in land preparation, irrigation and plant protection, which may lead to higher wheat production in the coming years. Research limitations/implications In the present study, only those wheat farmers were considered who obtained agricultural loans from formal financial institutions like Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and Khushhali Bank. However, in the rural areas of Sindh, Pakistan, a considerable proportion of small-scale farmers take credit from informal financial channels. Therefore future researchers should consider the informal credits as well. Originality/value This is the first paper to examine the effects of agricultural credit on wheat productivity of small farms in Sindh, Pakistan. This paper will be an important addition to the emerging literature regarding effects of credit studies.

Technical efficiency and input-driven growth in Indian engineering goods industry during post-reform period: stochastic frontier approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasim Akram ◽  
Asheref Illiyan
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Capacity Utilization ◽  
Output Growth ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Efficiency Change ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reform Period

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the performance of Indian engineering goods industry by measuring the technical efficiency and input-driven growth.Design/methodology/approachThe study used the panel data of six firms from the period of 1991–92 to 2014–15 compiled from Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), India and output-oriented econometric techniques such as pooled OLS model, and stochastic frontier approach has been applied to measure the technical efficiency.FindingsThe results suggest that the prime sources of high performance in engineering goods industry, which has recorded 8.8% output growth, are primarily contributed by inputs driven growth (8.2%) during the post-reform period, while the effect of technological change is minimal (0.1%) and technical efficiency change is negative (−0.2%). It was due to sluggishness, outdated technology and underutilization of resources in Indian economy.Research limitations/implicationsThis research paper is limited to engineering goods industry based on concorded macro data. The recommendations are that India should pursue policies and programs which may focus on technology acquisition, skill enhancement of labor, better capacity utilization, R&D and infrastructure development that may augment the technical change and technical efficiency change of the sector.Originality/valueThis research provides robust and significant estimates of technical efficiency and adds valuable insights to the existing literature by identifying the potential areas that improves the performance of Indian engineering goods industry.

A method of locating the 3D centers of retroreflectors based on deep learning

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
BinBin Zhang ◽  
Fumin Zhang ◽  
Xinghua Qu
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Data Augmentation ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Recognition Rate ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Large Field ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ellipse Detection

Purpose Laser-based measurement techniques offer various advantages over conventional measurement techniques, such as no-destructive, no-contact, fast and long measuring distance. In cooperative laser ranging systems, it’s crucial to extract center coordinates of retroreflectors to accomplish automatic measurement. To solve this problem, this paper aims to propose a novel method. Design/methodology/approach We propose a method using Mask RCNN (Region Convolutional Neural Network), with ResNet101 (Residual Network 101) and FPN (Feature Pyramid Network) as the backbone, to localize retroreflectors, realizing automatic recognition in different backgrounds. Compared with two other deep learning algorithms, experiments show that the recognition rate of Mask RCNN is better especially for small-scale targets. Based on this, an ellipse detection algorithm is introduced to obtain the ellipses of retroreflectors from recognized target areas. The center coordinates of retroreflectors in the camera coordinate system are obtained by using a mathematics method. Findings To verify the accuracy of this method, an experiment was carried out: the distance between two retroreflectors with a known distance of 1,000.109 mm was measured, with 2.596 mm root-mean-squar error, meeting the requirements of the coarse location of retroreflectors. Research limitations/implications The research limitations/implications are as follows: (i) As the data set only has 200 pictures, although we have used some data augmentation methods such as rotating, mirroring and cropping, there is still room for improvement in the generalization ability of detection. (ii) The ellipse detection algorithm needs to work in relatively dark conditions, as the retroreflector is made of stainless steel, which easily reflects light. Originality/value The originality/value of the article lies in being able to obtain center coordinates of multiple retroreflectors automatically even in a cluttered background; being able to recognize retroreflectors with different sizes, especially for small targets; meeting the recognition requirement of multiple targets in a large field of view and obtaining 3 D centers of targets by monocular model-based vision.

Disaster communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-259
Author(s):  
Alicia Mason ◽  
Lynzee Flores ◽  
Pan Liu ◽  
Kenzie Tims ◽  
Elizabeth Spencer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disaster Communication ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Post Disaster

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the crisis communication strategies used by the Caribbean medical tourism industry in the 2017 hurricane season, and also evaluate the quality of the disaster communication messages delivered via digital mediums. Design/methodology/approach This study includes a comprehensive, qualitative content analysis of 149 risk and crisis messages from 51 healthcare organizations distributed through digital media. The medical tourism providers (MTPs) include hospitals, medical tourism facilitators, practitioners/private physicians, specialty clinics, and dental and cosmetic providers. Findings Nearly half of the MTPs included in the data set delivered no post-disaster information to external audiences. The most prominent post-disaster message strategy utilized was conveying operational messages. Furthermore, an unexpected finding was the sheer magnitude of unrelated health-oriented and promotional destination marketing content disseminated before, during and after these events. Research limitations/implications This analysis excludes internal organizational channels of communication which may have been used to communicate risk and crisis messages during these events (i.e. employee e-mails, announcements made through intercom systems, etc.). Our analysis does not include content disseminated through medical tourism forums (i.e. Realself.com, Health Traveler’s Forum, FlyerTalk Forum). Practical implications Small-scale MTPs can improve on any weaknesses through proactive planning and preparation by creating organizational goals to complete basic crisis communication training courses and in doing so support the applied professional development of disaster and crisis responders in the Caribbean region. Second, MTPs exposed to similar risks of natural disasters may use these findings for comparative analysis purposes to support their own organizational planning. Finally, this study supports the continued utility of the National Center for Food Protection & Defense guidelines for analyzing and evaluating organizational performance. Originality/value Currently much of the academic scholarship of applied disaster communication narrowly focuses on the response strategies of one organization, or analyzes one social media platform at a time (i.e. Twitter). A strength of this analysis is the inclusion of an organizational sector (i.e. Caribbean medical tourism providers) and the range of platforms from which the content was captured (e.g. websites, org. blogs and social media networks).

A critical evaluation of integrated care: a case study of the supported discharge service

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Louise Ware
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Integrated Care ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Discharge Process ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Supported Discharge Service as a case study of integrated care. The paper will critically evaluate integrated care with regard to patient outcomes, patient satisfaction and cost and productivity. Design/methodology/approach A retrospective mixed methods case study design was adopted utilising patient satisfaction questionnaires, therapy outcome measure and a performance dashboard to measure improvements in patient satisfaction, patient outcomes and cost and productivity. Findings Measured improvements were observed in the integrated discharge process and analysis of the findings demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in patient outcomes, high levels of patient satisfaction and improved productivity subsequently leading to financial savings. Research limitations/implications Due to convenience sampling, the small sample size and a short time frame when analysing patient outcomes, the generalisability of results is limited. Despite this, with integrated care being polymorphous the findings can be utilised to develop theoretical principles to make assertions about integration (Wikfeldt, 1993). Originality/value This paper draws on the importance of integration as the principal driver of reform within the healthcare system. Even though on a small scale, the case study provides evidence to support the use of integration to improve patient outcomes, patient satisfaction and financial savings.

Technical efficiency of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bereket Zerai Gebremichael ◽  
Hailemichael Tesfay Gessesse
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Credit Unions ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Ownership Type ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Efficiency Performance

Purpose The paper aims to evaluate the technical efficiency of African Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and examine if there is performance difference by ownership type. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) assuming that the translog production functions to estimate the technical efficiency of 134 Microfinance Institutions operating in 36 African countries. The parametric SFA is preferred over the non-parametric, as it captures the random and inefficiency effects. Though the suitable approach is SFA, for the purpose of consistency and robustness of the results, the alternative data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach is also run and the results are compared with those derived from SFA. Findings In our analysis we have found that African MFIs are technically inefficient. The average technical efficiency for the sample institutions is 0.489, which is quite low and suggests that on average, African MFIs are achieving only 48.9 per cent of the maximum achievable output. Our results also revealed the presence of significant technical inefficiencies with considerable differences in inefficiency among the MFIs. Further, we found statistically significant difference in the efficiency performance among the different ownership types of MFIs. More importantly, the NGO and non-bank financial institutions are relatively more efficient, while the cooperatives/credit unions are the least efficient. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the continuing debate on the effect of ownership type on performance of institutions. Moreover, it indicates the importance of using certain approaches and complementing them with other alternatives for a better insight. Practical implications The study found that the least efficient type of MFIs are the cooperatives/credit unions. This might be related to the nature of these institutions where the members are owners and borrowers. This might affect efficiency negatively, although it may somehow address the agency problem. Originality/value This paper provides an evidence on efficiency performance of African MFIs, taking a large data set and applying SFA. DEA was also used to complement the SFA results. It provides useful empirical evidence and perspective on this important issue for policy makers and analysts.

Transnational immigrant entrepreneurship: effects of home-country entrepreneurial ecosystem factors

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carson Duan ◽  
Bernice Kotey ◽  
Kamaljeet Sandhu
Keyword(s):  
Home Country ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Immigrant Entrepreneurship ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policies And Programs

PurposeThe purpose of this theoretical paper is to explore how immigrants' home-country entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) factors impact transnational immigrant entrepreneurs (TIEs). The paper draws on the dual embeddedness and transnational entrepreneurship theories to explore how the home-country EE influences transnational immigrant entrepreneurship (TIE).Design/methodology/approachThis research adopted a qualitative case study methodology involving content analysis of secondary data. It analyzed data set against the existing EE framework to constructively explore the home-country effects.FindingsThe findings reveal that all home-country EE domains and associated factors affect TIEs. The paper established six testable propositions with regard to the home-country EE domains: accessible market, human capital, social culture, infrastructure and business support and government policies. A number of new factors were identified for each home-country EE domain. Finally, the paper provided future research directions.Research limitations/implicationsCare has to be taken in generalizing the findings from this research due to the small sample of contemporary Chinese immigrants in Australia and New Zealand. The propositions also require empirical testing.Practical implicationsThe findings contribute to the TIE literature by identifying new factors of the home-country EE and presenting testable propositions. The results have impact on immigration policies and programs.Social implicationsTransnational immigrant entrepreneurship can be a pathway to help immigrants to integrate into mainstream society. The findings from this article indirectly contribute to immigrant social development.Originality/valueThis original article fills research gaps by analyzing how home-country EE elements affect TIE. It reveals that the EE framework is effective for investigating it.

Tail events in the FX markets since 1740

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Abildgren
Keyword(s):  
Exchange Rate ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Nominal Exchange Rate ◽  
Stress Tests ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Quarterly Data ◽  
Tail Events

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of the so-called “small-sample problem” within quantitative exchange-rate risk management. Design/methodology/approach – The authors take a closer look at the frequency distribution of nominal price changes in the European foreign exchange markets. Findings – The analysis clearly illustrates the risk of seriously underestimating the probability and magnitude of tail events when frequency distributions are derived from fairly short data samples. Practical implications – The authors suggest that financial institutions and regulators should have an eye for the long-term historical perspective when designing sensitivity tests or “worst case” scenarios in relation to risk assessments and stress tests. Originality/value – The authors add to the literature by analysing the distribution of nominal exchange-rate fluctuations on the basis of a unique quarterly data set for ten European exchange-rate pairs covering a time span of 273 years constructed by the authors. To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first study on nominal exchange-rate changes for a large number of exchange-rate pairs based on quarterly data spanning almost three centuries.

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