Analysis of a Monitoring System for Bacterial Wilt Management by Seed Potato Cooperatives in Ethiopia: Challenges and Future Directions

Collective action is required to deal with various complex agricultural problems such as invasive weeds and plant diseases that pose a collective risk to farmers. Monitoring systems could help to stimulate collective action and avoid free-riding. The paper develops a novel framework consisting of essential elements of a monitoring system for managing a complex disease like bacterial wilt in potato crops. The framework is used to explore how seed potato cooperatives in Ethiopia operationalised the essential elements of a monitoring system and identifies which challenges remain to be overcome. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, reflective workshops, participant observation, and document analysis. We found that the cooperatives had organised a self-monitoring system to monitor disease occurrence and the disease management practices of their members. Monitoring committees were in charge of the data collection and enforcement of sanctions on farmers who did not adhere to the cooperatives’ bylaws. The main challenges included the dependency on visual observation, which does not disclose latent infections, limited financial incentives for the monitoring committee members, lack of trust, weak peer monitoring, and the social and ecological interdependency between producers of ware and seed potatoes. Suggestions are provided to strengthen the monitoring systems of farmers’ seed potato cooperatives in Ethiopia. In addition, we discuss the broader value of our novel framework for describing and analysing monitoring systems for future research and intervention.

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The motives for cooperation in work organizations

Journal of Institutional Economics ◽

10.1017/s1744137409990038 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 315-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

HELENA LOPES ◽

ANA C. SANTOS ◽

NUNO TELES

Keyword(s):

Collective Action ◽

Management Practices ◽

Future Research ◽

Relational Satisfaction ◽

Cooperative Behaviour ◽

Moral Norms ◽

Work Organizations ◽

Norms And Values ◽

Common Goals

Abstract:This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of cooperation in productive ventures, conceived of as collective action endeavours that require cooperation rather than mere coordination. It is argued that cooperative behaviour is grounded on three kinds of ‘common goods’, defined as goods that are shared and recognized as beneficial by the workers. These comprise common goals, relational satisfaction, and moral norms and values. The commonly held goods are associated with motives and behavioural rules which constitute both the reasons for cooperating and the means through which the dilemmatic nature of cooperation is overcome. It is further argued that the binding character of these rules is closely linked to humans’ ability and opportunity to communicate. Normative guidelines relative to management practices and directions for future research are also derived.

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Advantages and potential challenges of data management in e-maintenance

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering ◽

10.1108/jqme-03-2018-0018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 378-396 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽

Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽

Janne Härkönen ◽

Harri Haapasalo

Keyword(s):

Data Management ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Management Practices ◽

Future Research ◽

Conceptual Approach ◽

Content Type ◽

Different Types ◽

Maintenance Systems ◽

Industry Leader ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.

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Organizational Commitment and Lean Sustainability: Literature Review and Directions for Future Research

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13063357 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 3357 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amal Benkarim ◽

Daniel Imbeau

Keyword(s):

Organizational Commitment ◽

Literature Review ◽

Lean Manufacturing ◽

Affective Commitment ◽

Management Practices ◽

Employee Commitment ◽

Future Research ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

Narrative Literature Review ◽

Key Aspects

The vast majority of works published on Lean focus on the evaluation of tools and/or the strategies needed for its implementation. Although many authors highlight the degree of employee commitment as one of the key aspects of Lean, what has gone largely unnoticed in the literature, is that few studies have examined in-depth the concept of organizational commitment in connection with Lean. With this narrative literature review article, our main objective is (1) to identify and analyze an extensive body of literature that addresses the Lean Manufacturing approach and how it relates to employee commitment, emphasizing affective commitment as the main type of organizational commitment positively associated with Lean, and (2) to highlight the management practices required to encourage this kind of commitment and promote the success and sustainability of Lean. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview that can help researchers and practitioners interested in Lean better understand the importance of employee commitment in this type of approach, and as well, to identify related research questions.

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Detection of Road-Surface Anomalies Using a Smartphone Camera and Accelerometer

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21020561 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 561

Author(s):

Taehee Lee ◽

Chanjun Chun ◽

Seung-Ki Ryu

Keyword(s):

Monitoring System ◽

Poor Performance ◽

Road Surface ◽

Monitoring Systems ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Acceleration Data ◽

Road Surfaces ◽

Road Surface Monitoring ◽

Surface Monitoring ◽

Acquisition Method

Road surfaces should be maintained in excellent condition to ensure the safety of motorists. To this end, there exist various road-surface monitoring systems, each of which is known to have specific advantages and disadvantages. In this study, a smartphone-based dual-acquisition method system capable of acquiring images of road-surface anomalies and measuring the acceleration of the vehicle upon their detection was developed to explore the complementarity benefits of the two different methods. A road test was conducted in which 1896 road-surface images and corresponding three-axis acceleration data were acquired. All images were classified based on the presence and type of anomalies, and histograms of the maximum variations in the acceleration in the gravitational direction were comparatively analyzed. When the types of anomalies were not considered, it was difficult to identify their effects using the histograms. The differences among histograms became evident upon consideration of whether the vehicle wheels passed over the anomalies, and when excluding longitudinal anomalies that caused minor changes in acceleration. Although the image-based monitoring system used in this research provided poor performance on its own, the severity of road-surface anomalies was accurately inferred using the specific range of the maximum variation of acceleration in the gravitational direction.

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Hepatic stellate cells: current state and open questions

Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1515/hsz-2021-0180 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Claus Kordes ◽

Hans H. Bock ◽

Doreen Reichert ◽

Petra May ◽

Dieter Häussinger

Keyword(s):

Hepatic Stellate Cells ◽

Stellate Cells ◽

Essential Elements ◽

Future Research ◽

Heinrich Heine ◽

Current State ◽

Open Questions ◽

Sinusoidal Endothelium ◽

Cell Niche ◽

Space Of Disse

Abstract This review article summarizes 20 years of our research on hepatic stellate cells within the framework of two collaborative research centers CRC575 and CRC974 at the Heinrich Heine University. Over this period, stellate cells were identified for the first time as mesenchymal stem cells of the liver, and important functions of these cells in the context of liver regeneration were discovered. Furthermore, it was determined that the space of Disse – bounded by the sinusoidal endothelium and hepatocytes – functions as a stem cell niche for stellate cells. Essential elements of this niche that control the maintenance of hepatic stellate cells have been identified alongside their impairment with age. This article aims to highlight previous studies on stellate cells and critically examine and identify open questions and future research directions.

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We are “the Resistance”: Predictors and consequences of self-categorization into the emerging movement to oppose Trump

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations ◽

10.1177/1368430220974758 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 136843022097475

Author(s):

Samuel Hansen Freel ◽

Rezarta Bilali ◽

Erin Brooke Godfrey

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Social Movements ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Collective Action ◽

Social Movement ◽

Efficacy Beliefs ◽

Future Research ◽

Identity Consolidation

In a three-wave longitudinal study conducted in the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency, this paper examines how people come to self-categorize into the emerging social movement “the Resistance,” and how self-categorization into this movement influences future participation in collective action and perceptions of the movement’s efficacy. Conventional collective action (e.g., protest, lobby legislators)—but not persuasive collective action (e.g., posting on social media)—and perceived identity consolidation efficacy of the movement at Wave 1 predicted a higher likelihood of self-categorization into the movement 1 month later (Wave 2) and 2 months later (Wave 3). Self-categorization into the Resistance predicted two types of higher subsequent movement efficacy perceptions, and helped sustain the effects of conventional collective action and movement efficacy beliefs at Wave 1 on efficacy beliefs at Wave 3. Implications for theory and future research on emerging social movements are discussed.

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How Collective-Action Failure Shapes Group Heterogeneity and Engagement in Conventional and Radical Action Over Time

Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0956797620970562 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095679762097056

Author(s):

Morgana Lizzio-Wilson ◽

Emma F. Thomas ◽

Winnifred R. Louis ◽

Brittany Wilcockson ◽

Catherine E. Amiot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Movements ◽

Collective Action ◽

Latent Profile Analysis ◽

Profile Analysis ◽

Social Identification ◽

Future Research ◽

Group Efficacy ◽

Before And After ◽

Using Data ◽

Over Time

Extensive research has identified factors influencing collective-action participation. However, less is known about how collective-action outcomes (i.e., success and failure) shape engagement in social movements over time. Using data collected before and after the 2017 marriage-equality debate in Australia, we conducted a latent profile analysis that indicated that success unified supporters of change ( n = 420), whereas failure created subgroups among opponents ( n = 419), reflecting four divergent responses: disengagement (resigned acceptors), moderate disengagement and continued investment (moderates), and renewed commitment to the cause using similar strategies (stay-the-course opponents) or new strategies (innovators). Resigned acceptors were least inclined to act following failure, whereas innovators were generally more likely to engage in conventional action and justify using radical action relative to the other profiles. These divergent reactions were predicted by differing baseline levels of social identification, group efficacy, and anger. Collective-action outcomes dynamically shape participation in social movements; this is an important direction for future research.

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Earnings management and equity incentives: evidence from the European banking industry

International Journal of Accounting and Information Management ◽

10.1108/ijaim-08-2017-0094 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 244-261 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mohammad Alhadab ◽

Bassam Al-Own

Keyword(s):

Earnings Management ◽

Management Practices ◽

Banking Industry ◽

Future Research ◽

Loan Loss ◽

Content Type ◽

Loan Loss Provisions ◽

Equity Incentives ◽

European Banking ◽

European Banks

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of equity incentives on earnings management that occurs via the use of loan loss provisions by using a sample of 204 bank-year observations over the period 2006-2011. Design/methodology/approach The authors use the data of 39 European banks to test the main hypothesis. Several valuation models and regressions are used to measure the main proxies for executives’ compensation and the determinant factors of loan loss provisions. Findings The empirical results reveal that earnings management that occurs via discretionary loan loss provisions is associated with equity incentives in the banking industry. In particular, European banks’ executives with high equity incentives are found to manage reported earnings upwards by reducing loan loss provisions. The results therefore show that income-increasing earnings management via discretionary loan loss provisions is widely practised by the executives of European banks and that this is partly motivated by executives’ compensation. Practical implications The findings of this paper present important implications for regulators in the European Union, who should take further steps to reform the regulatory environment to monitor and mitigate the earnings management practices that occur via the manipulation of loan loss provisions. Earnings management practices do not just negatively affect subsequent performance but are also found to lead to firms’ failure. Thus, regulators should take the necessary reforms to protect the wealth of stakeholders (investors, creditors, etc.). Originality/value This study provides the first evidence on the relationship between equity incentives and earnings management in the European banking industry. The study sheds more light on an issue of great interest to a broad audience that does not receive much attention in the prior research, thus opening new avenues for future research.

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Risk assessment of waterborne protozoa: current status and future trends

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182099004746 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 117 (7) ◽

pp. 205-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

C. J. GIBSON ◽

C. N. HAAS ◽

J. B. ROSE

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Management Practices ◽

Assessment Methods ◽

Detection Methods ◽

Current Status ◽

Future Research ◽

Microbial Risk Assessment ◽

Microbial Risk ◽

Chemical Risk Assessment ◽

Low Levels

Throughout the past decade much research has been directed towards identifying the occurrence, epidemiology, and risks associated with waterborne protozoa. While outbreaks are continually documented, sporadic cases of disease associated with exposure to low levels of waterborne protozoa are of increasing concern. Current methodologies may not be sensitive enough to define these low levels of disease. However, risk assessment methods may be utilised to address these low level contamination events. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to microbial risk assessment for waterborne protozoa. Risk assessment is a useful tool for evaluating relative risks and can be used for development of policies to decrease risks. Numerous studies have been published on risk assessment methods for pathogenic protozoa including Cryptosporidium and Giardia. One common notion prevails: microbial risk assessment presents interesting complications to the traditional chemical risk assessment paradigm. Single microbial exposures (non-threshold) are capable of causing symptomatic illness unlike traditional chemical exposures, which require a threshold to be reached. Due to the lack of efficient recovery and detection methods for protozoa, we may be underestimating the occurrence, concentration and distribution of these pathogenic micro-organisms. To better utilize the tool of microbial risk assessment for risk management practices, future research should focus in the area of exposure assessment.

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