scholarly journals Efficiency Analysis as a Tool for Revealing Best Practices and Innovations: The Case of the Sheep Meat Sector in Europe

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3242
Author(s):  
Alexandros Theodoridis ◽  
Sotiria Vouraki ◽  
Emmanuel Morin ◽  
Leticia Riaguas Rupérez ◽  
Carol Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Accounting Data ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Adoption Of Innovations ◽  
Sheep Meat ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Modern Technologies

The slow adoption of innovations is a key challenge that the European sheep sector faces for its sustainability. The future of the sector lies on the adoption of best practices, modern technologies and innovations that can improve its resilience and mitigate its dependence on public support. In this study, the concept of technical efficiency was used to reveal the most efficient sheep meat farms and to identify the best practices and farm innovations that could potentially be adopted by other farms of similar production systems. Data Envelopment Analysis was applied to farm accounting data from 458 sheep meat farms of intensive, semi-intensive and extensive systems from France, Spain and the UK, and the structural and economic characteristics of the most efficient farms were analyzed. These best farmers were indicated through a survey, which was conducted within the Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in the Europe (iSAGE) Horizon 2020 project, the management and production practices and innovations that improve their economic performance and make them better than their peers.

scholarly journals Evaluating 3D Printers Using Data Envelopment Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4209
Author(s):  
Theodore Papatheodorou ◽  
John Giannatsis ◽  
Vassilis Dedoussis
Keyword(s):  
Data Envelopment Analysis ◽  
Fused Deposition Modeling ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Programming Technique ◽  
Fused Deposition ◽  
Efficiency Performance ◽  
3D Printers ◽  
Using Data

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is an established powerful mathematical programming technique, which has been employed quite extensively for assessing the efficiency/performance of various physical or virtual and simple or complex production systems, as well as of consumer and industrial products and technologies. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether DEA may be employed for evaluating the technical efficiency/performance of 3D printers, an advanced manufacturing technology of increasing importance for the manufacturing sector. For this purpose, a representative sample of 3D printers based on Fused Deposition Modeling technology is examined. The technical factors/parameters of 3D printers, which are incorporated in the DEA, are investigated and discussed in detail. DEA evaluation results compare favorably with relevant benchmarks from experts, indicating that the suggested DEA technique in conjunction with technical and expert evaluation could be employed for evaluating the performance of a highly technological system, such as the 3D printer.

The Costs of Production in Systems Which Differ in Their Perceived Effects on Animal Welfare. 1. Eggs and Broilers

1997 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-171
Author(s):  
John Hill ◽  
Carol Asby ◽  
Ian Sturgess
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Broiler Production ◽  
Perceived Effects ◽  
Costs Of Production ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Equipment Costs

This paper considers what animal welfare is and the importance of animal welfare to the consumer. It also considers how different production systems are perceived in terms of kindness to animals, and outlines a method of assessing the costs of animal welfare by analysing the costs of intensive egg and broiler production and comparing them with costs of free-range production by using data from the UK. The extra costs associated with free-range production are due to higher labour, feed, building and equipment costs.

scholarly journals Modelling Carbon Emissions Efficiency from UK Higher Education Institutions Using Data Envelopment Analysis

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Adefarati Oloruntoba ◽  
Japhet Tomiwa Oladipo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Data Envelopment Analysis ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Emission Efficiency ◽  
The Uk

Aims: To correlate the energy and carbon emission efficiency relative to research income, gross internal area, and population for all the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the UK and to assess the comparative carbon emission efficiency of HEIs relative to economic metrics. Study Design:  Analytical panel data study. Place and Duration of Study: This paper evaluates the energy efficiency of 131 HEIs in the UK subdivided into Russell and non-Russell groups from 2008 to 2015. Methodology: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Malmquist productivity indexes (MPI) are used for the efficiency calculations. Results: The empirical results indicate that UK HEIs have relatively high energy efficiency scores of 96.9% and 77.6% (CRS) and 98.5%, 86.3% (VRS) for Russell and non-Russell groups respectively. Conclusion: The evidence from this study reveals that HEIs are not significantly suffering from scale effects, hence, an increase in energy efficiency of these institutions is feasible with the present operating scale but would need to work on their technical improvements in energy use. Malmquist index analysis confirms the lack of substantial technological innovation, which impedes their energy efficiency and productivity gain. Findings show that pure technical efficiency accounts for the annual efficiency obtained in the DEA model, the technological progress in contrast is the source of their energy inefficiency.

scholarly journals Holding the government to account for its finances: the “Unsung” heroes of the UK parliament scrutiny unit

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Ferry ◽  
Larry Honeysett ◽  
Henry Midgley
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Accounting Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Literature ◽  
Vital Part ◽  
Financial Cycle ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThis paper describes the role and remit of the Scrutiny Unit, which assists members of parliament (MPs) with the analysis of accounting data.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is developed through an understanding of the secondary literature and practical experience of the work of the Unit.FindingsThe Scrutiny Unit is an unappreciated and yet vital part of the way in which financial scrutiny operates within the UK parliament. It translates to MPs key financial and economic documents including the budget and accounts. It is a unique institution, covering the entire financial cycle of approval and accountability within parliament.Originality/valueThis is the first descriptive piece on the Unit in an accounting journal and contributes to our understanding of how financial accountability works within the UK parliament.

Financial sustainability in Italian farms: an analysis of the FADN sample

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Dono ◽  
Rebecca Buttinelli ◽  
Raffaele Cortignani
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Cash Flow ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Free Cash Flow ◽  
Financial Sustainability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Random Effects Models ◽  
Financial Variables

PurposeThe paper examines the factors that influence the production of cash flows in a sample of Italian farm accountancy data network (FADN) farms to generate information useful for calibrating policies to support farmers' investments.Design/methodology/approachAn econometric analysis on the sample estimates the influence of structural, economic, commercial and financial variables on CAFFE, i.e. the cash flow that includes the payments to the farmer's resources and the free cash flow on equity (FCFE). The econometric problem of endogeneity is treated by adopting the Hausman test to choose between fixed and random effects models. The results for Italian agriculture and its types of farming (TFs) are examined based on the FCFE/capital depreciation ratio, where FCFE subtracts from CAFFE the opportunity cost payments to the farmer's resources. This ratio identifies TFs with problems of sustainability of the production system.FindingsThe results show that increasing the productive dimension, in particular the endowment of farmland and working capital, is still essential to stimulate the production of cash flows of Italian agriculture. Without this growth, increasing the depreciable capital base is ineffective. FCFE does not compensate for depreciation in several TFs, which in various cases could also improve by improving economic efficiency and commercial position.Research limitations/implicationsAssessing the factors that most influence cash flows can help to better calibrate rural development measures to the territories and farming types that most need public support. Our analysis procedure can be applied to all production systems equipped with farm accounting networks; however, the criteria for rewarding farmer resources and calculating the replacement value of agricultural capital need to be better discussed.Originality/valueThe specification of rural development policies rarely takes into account the financial sustainability conditions of farms, as well as the factors that determine them, in defining the support parameters and the selection criteria for funding. Our approach, based on the analysis of FADN data, considers these aspects and provides ideas for better calibrating public support for investments among agricultural territories, sectors and types of farms.

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