scholarly journals Business Profile of Australian Nurseries

HortScience ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 456E-456
Author(s):  
Robin G. Brumfield ◽  
Peter F. McSweeney

We surveyed 22 Australian nurseries in 1995 to: 1) develop a profile of Australian nurseries from a production, management, and profitability perspective; 2) compare the data to relevant U.S. benchmarks; and 3) identify trends and potential areas of improvement in the management of Australian nursery enterprises. The study confirmed that Australian nurseries incur high labor costs (38.8% of sales) that are comparable to United States nurseries, while costs of materials and supplies were lower than their U.S. counterparts. Overall, the costs of the surveyed nurseries appeared lower than their U.S. counterparts. Concerns of managers were directed towards recruiting and keeping labor and marketing rather than increasing capital investment to increase production efficiency. Capital expenditures tended to be funded from internal cash flows rather than external borrowings. Many of the nursery managers used relatively simple performance indicators and most business objectives were stated in general terms. Australian nurseries carried more diverse product ranges than the U.S. nurseries. Many of the nurseries adopted quite vigorous marketing strategies with a stronger emphasis on marketing than in those in the U.S. Concerns about the viability of the industry included oversupply, the growth in chain stores business, factors eroding the demand for nursery products and greater regulation.

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-229
Author(s):  
Robin G. Brumfield ◽  
Peter F. McSweeney

A 1995 study of 22 Australian nurseries 1) developed a profile of production, management, and profitability; 2) compared their performance to relevant U.S. benchmarks; and 3) identified trends and potential areas of improvement in the management of Australian nursery enterprises. The study confirmed that Australian nurseries incur high labor costs (38.8% of sales) comparable to United States nurseries, while costs of materials and supplies were lower than in the United States. Australian managers were concerned with marketing and recruiting and keeping labor rather than increasing capital investment to enhance production efficiency. Capital expenditures were funded from internal cash flow rather than external financing. Many of the nursery managers used relatively simple performance indicators, and most business objectives were stated in general terms. Concerns about the viability of the industry included oversupply, the growth in chain stores' business, factors eroding the demand for nursery products, and greater regulation.


HortScience ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 545D-545
Author(s):  
Wen-fei L. Uva ◽  
Thomas C. Weiler ◽  
Robert A. Milligan ◽  
Wen-fei L. Uva

Adoption of technology to achieve environmental stewardship and remain competitive is a high priority for greenhouse businesses. Zero runoff subirrigation (ZRS) technology offers great promise to manage fertilizer inputs while improving production efficiency. This study applied economic engineering methodology to quantify costs and returns associated with adopting ZRS systems and compare profitability of producing crops using alternative ZRS systems for greenhouse operations in the northeastern and north central United States. The production models showed that using ZRS systems to grow greenhouse crops can be profitable if growers select a system best suitable for their crop choices. Among the four ZRS systems studied (ebb-and-flow rolling benches, Dutch movable trays, flood floors and trough benches), the Dutch movable tray system returned the highest profit per square foot week (SFW) greenhouse area for small potted plant production ($0.244/SFW), and the flood floor system returned the highest profit when producing large potted plants ($0.002/SFW) and bedding crop flats ($0.086/SFW). The trough bench system was least profitable had the lowest profit for the two applicable crop categories—small potted plants ($0.183/SFW) and large potted plants (–$0.006/SFW). Sensitivity analysis showed that changes of cost variables generally did not affect the profitability rankings for alternative ZRS systems. Except for labor costs, as the hourly wage increased, the Dutch movable tray system gained advantages for small potted plant and large potted plant production. Among selected costs variables, changes in labor costs and tax rate had the highest impact on the profitability of small potted plant production, and changes in labor costs and initial investment costs had the highest impact on the profitability of large potted plant and bedding crop flat production.


2020 ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
P.I. Kuzmin ◽  
I.K. Mishchenko ◽  
M.E. Oshchepkov

The paper describes the process of developing a discrete-event simulation model of sewing production with consideration of its specific features. The model is developed in the AnyLogic software environment and based on the analysis of specific data of one of the oldest enterprises of the Altai territory, now part of the holding «BTK group» — JSC BMC «Melangist Altai». The direct purpose of using simulation modeling in the activities of enterprises of the garment industry is the optimization of labor costs as a factor in reducing overall costs and improving production efficiency. It is the high costs and, accordingly, prices that are the main reason for the inability of domestic light industry products to compete with inexpensive foreign products. The results of the study are presented in the form of recommendations to enterprises of garment production to optimize the technological scheme of division of labor by operations, redistribution of labor resources, and maximum load of equipment. Modification of the developed model and its subsequent integration with the automated production management systems used at the enterprise will ensure the functioning of the garment factory at a higher level and create additional conditions for the transition to digital production.


2013 ◽  
Vol 655-657 ◽  
pp. 2367-2370
Author(s):  
Min Zhang ◽  
Peng Zhao ◽  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Yun Fei Lv

The implementation of lean production can reduce the inventory and increase production efficiency. Company K is the first one in the world producing vacuum equipment. It faces many problems of production management now. The implementation process of lean production in company K is studied, including 5S, value stream, JIT and Kanban pull mode, cell production and standardization. The aim of this research is to provide some suggestion to other companies to increase their management level and economic benefits.


HortScience ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 608a-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-fei L. Uva ◽  
Thomas C. Weiler

Adopting technology to achieve environmental stewardship is a high priority among greenhouse industry members. Zero runoff crop production systems can protect surface and ground water and use water, fertilizer, and labor resources more efficiently. However, scarce capital and fear of new technology are impediments to change. Our objectives were to characterize decision making and profitability related to zero runoff systems. Managers of 80 greenhouse operations with zero runoff systems in 26 states participated in a survey designed to gather information on the costs–benefits of adoption and production changes and issues related to zero runoff systems for greenhouse operations. The survey results revealed that some adjustments of production practices were essential when adopting zero runoff systems. It also appeared that greenhouse operators believe they are achieving the intended outcomes and efficiencies from their investment. Size of the operation appeared to be closely linked to the growers' willingness to adopt this new technology. Important reasons for making the decision of adopting zero runoff systems were to improve quality of productions, cut production costs, increase production efficiency, and respond to public concern for the environment. Two thirds of the operators surveyed found that special employee training in the operation of zero runoff systems was required. Most employers found in-house training was adequate for their needs. Operators verified that a significant learning curve slows implementation of zero runoff production Adjustments of cultural practices coupled with good production management were keys to growing zero runoff successfully.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Ludmila Kalčáková ◽  
Matej Pospiech ◽  
Bohuslava Tremlová ◽  
Zdeňka Javůrková ◽  
Irina Chernukha

To increase production efficiency of meat products, milk protein additives are often used. Despite a number of advantages, use of dairy ingredients involves a certain risk, namely the allergenic potential of milk proteins. A number of methods have been developed to detect milk-origin raw materials in foodstuffs, including immunological reference methods. This study presents newly developed immunohistochemical (IHC) methods for casein detection in meat products. Casein was successfully detected directly in meat products where sensitivity was determined at 1.21 and specificity at 0.28. The results obtained from the IHC were compared with the Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) and there was no statistically significant difference between the IHC and ELISA methods (p > 0.05). The correspondence between the methods was 72% in total. The highest correspondence was reached in frankfurters (90%), the lowest in canned pâté (44%).


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 564
Author(s):  
Supakorn Potijun ◽  
Chonlada Yaisamlee ◽  
Anchalee Sirikhachornkit

Microalgae have long been used for the commercial production of natural colorants such as carotenoids and chlorophyll. Due to the rising demand for carotenoids and other natural products from microalgae, strategies to increase production efficiency are urgently needed. The production of microalgal biorefineries has been limited to countries with moderate climates. For countries with cooler climates and less daylight, methodologies for the efficient production of microalgal biorefineries need to be investigated. Algal strains that can be safely consumed as whole cells are also attractive alternatives for developing as carotenoid supplements, which can also contain other compounds with health benefits. Using such strains helps to eliminate the need for hazardous solvents for extraction and several other complicated steps. In this study, the mesophilic green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was employed to study the effects of cold stress on cell physiology and the production of pigments and storage compounds. The results showed that temperatures between 10 and 20 °C induced carotenoid and chlorophyll accumulation in the wild-type strain of C. reinhardtii. Interestingly, the increased level of carotenoids suggested that they might play a crucial role in cold stress acclimation. A temperature of 15 °C resulted in the highest carotenoid and chlorophyll productivity. At this temperature, carotenoid and chlorophyll productivity was 2 times and 1.3 times higher than at 25 °C, respectively. Subjecting a mutant defective in lutein and zeaxanthin accumulation to cold stress revealed that these two carotenoids are not essential for cold stress survival. Therefore, cold temperature could be used as a strategy to induce and increase the productivity of pigments in C. reinhardtii.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajam Abid Bashir ◽  
Manish Bansal ◽  
Dilip Kumar

Purpose This study aims to examine the value relevance of earnings in terms of predicting the value variables such as cash flow, capital investment (CI), dividend and stock return under the Indian institutional settings. Design/methodology/approach The study used panel Granger causality tests to examine causality relationships among variables and panel data regression models to check the statistical associations between earnings and value variables. Findings Based on a data set of 7,280 Bombay Stock Exchange-listed firm-years spanning over ten years from March 2009 to March 2018, the results show higher sensitivity of earnings toward cash flows, CI, divided and stock return and vice-versa. Further, the findings deduced from the empirical results demonstrate that earnings are positively related to value variables. Overall, the results established that earnings are value-relevant and have predictive ability to forecast the value variables that facilitate investors in portfolio valuation. The results are consistent with the predictive view of the value relevance of earnings. Several robustness checks confirm these results. Originality/value This study brings new empirical evidence from a distinct capital market, India, and provides a new facet to the value relevance debate in terms of its prediction view. The study is among earlier attempts that jointly measure the ability of earnings in forecasting different value variables by taking a uniform sample of firms at the same period. Hence, the study provides a comprehensive view of the predictive ability of reported earnings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-47
Author(s):  
Tatуana Ivanovna LOMACHENKO ◽  

Nowadays, there is no consensus that digitalization is a threat to business security or an opportunity to comprehensively manage the entire chain of business processes in real time, taking into account incoming data from all assets. However, political and economic instability, demand volatility, and competition are all a set of global challenges that digital transformation has responded to. In industry, the competitive advantage has become not the ownership of the enterprise, the firm, but access to digital technology, on which the efficiency of work with specific resources depends. The processes of forming individual business segments related to production management based on modern digital technology have already been launched and most companies are focused on this direction. The article reveals the features of the evolutionary stage of digital economy development, presents the relationship of this process with the formation of the conceptual framework from the theoretical foundations, substantiated in the 1990s by foreign and domestic scientists to modern approaches in the interpretation of digital economy definitions. The article proposes the structural dynamics of the digital economy in today's realities, revealing internal problems, opportunities for economic growth, maturity and readiness of the state to new ways of doing business in the digital economy and digital transformation, to form the country's national strategy. In addition, the conditions under which digital transformation opens up new opportunities for the business environment, the public sector and society as a whole are presented. Changes in business strategy, organizational forms, business process capabilities, new approaches in working with clients, competitive advantages, increase in profit sources are analyzed. As a result, the efficiency of the whole system increases, which allows to reach a fundamentally new level of production efficiency in a short time.


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