Functional Social Organization to Obtain the Region of Origin Cotija Cheese Collective Brand

Objective: To identify the functional elements which impact the processes of patrimonial activation to obtain the Region of Origin Cotija Cheese Collective Brand, through collective social action as the basis of territorial development in the Sierra of the states of Jalisco and Michoacán. Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative study was conducted, based on the tradition of rural sociology, where the categories of analysis of the Localized Agrifood Systems approach were used. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews with different social actors were applied where there was an inquiry about the technical, organizational, economic and political aspects that have an impact in obtaining seals of quality, destined to the protection and differentiation of emblematic foods. Results: After an attempt to obtain the Denomination of Origin, given the particularities of the Localized Agrifood System involved in the production of Cotija cheese, the decision was to obtain a Collective Brand whose prerequisites adjusted better to the characteristics of their productive systems. Obtaining the seal was an important achievement in terms of the horizon that this signal generated for producers and for the territory. However, this is only the beginning in a process of constant valuation that must be redefined throughout time. Study Limitations/Implications: It is an exploratory study that only addresses the internal dimension of the productive system of Cotija cheese; a deeper analysis ought to broaden the study of the social networks implied in the processes of valuation, including actors outside the territory. Findings/Conclusions: Mexico’s agrifood heritage is a strategic resource that must be protected for cultural, economic, food security and health reasons. This should be assumed as an obligation of the State in co-responsibility with academia, producers and consumers. Obtaining a collective brand is only one step within an unfinished valuation process that must be maintained through collective action and market stimulus.

AVALIAÇÃO FINANCEIRA ATRAVÉS DA FERRAMENTA VALUATION, PELO MÉTODO DO FLUXO DE CAIXA DESCONTADO, NO BANCO DE CAPITAL ABERTO ITAÚ UNIBANCO HOLDING S.A

The valuation process of companies is essential for investors to estimate the fair value of a company. Once it has been established, it is possible to compare with the market value and thus judge whether an asset is cheap, fair or expensive. There are several methodologies for calculating the valuation of a company, among which the following stand out: method of market multiples; discounted cash flow method; method based on the book value. In this sense, the present work aims to evaluate the fair price of the shares of Itaú Unibanco bank (ITUB4) through the discounted cash flow method. For this, data about the company were used from the balance sheet and the statement of income for the year, made available on the internet by the bank. After these data analyzes and the establishment of some assumptions, the cash flow for the next 10 years was projected. From this, the flows were brought to present value, to calculate the fair price of the company's shares, using an appropriate discount rate. As a final result, the model indicates that the shares are undervalued by the market, that is, they are cheap and with a growth potential of 32%.

USING EYE-TRACKING TO SUPPORT BIG DATA DRIVEN PROPERTY VALUATION TOOLS

Building and using large scale, Automated Valuation Models (AVM) is one of the key multi-disciplinary pursuits in the study of cities and their economies. The methods used in building these AVMs such as ‘hedonic price modelling’ require a ‘co-design’ approach which needs significant collaboration and feedback between the modellers and the users of these models. The success of this collaborative approach depends crucially on our ability to capture the inputs and feedback from users without the bias and uncertainties present in traditional data collecting methods. In this paper, we explore and demonstrate the use of ‘eye-tracking’ technology in devising an objective methodology for collecting user feedback for co-design exercises. We employed a remote eye tracker in conjunction with traditional questionnaires to capture the decision making process of participants as buyers while selecting a property among a set of available options. We then compared the factors they reported to be important in their decision-making process to the factors they actually considered when looking at property listings. In our experiments, we found that pictures and maps captured more than 95% of the attention from buyers compared to the descriptive or statistical information showing the significance of the interface and medium of the valuation process. When responding to questionnaires, participants as property buyers reported that the attributes of a property such as number of beds, baths, quality of construction from pictures and location are equally important in selecting one over others. In contrast, when measured by an eye-tracker, we found that the participants gave significantly more attention to the quality of construction and location of the property compared to other factors. These preliminary results, though not definitive, demonstrate the value and usefulness of eye-tracking as a technique for capturing and measuring the factors that influence the desirability and in turn the price of a property. This methodology when controlled for characteristics of the participants, the properties and the medium of communication has the potential to help us to identifying and quantifying the relevance of parameters during property valuation and hence improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the corresponding hedonic price models.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Work of Property Valuers: A Glance at the Polish State of Play

This article presents how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the valuation profession in Poland in the early stages of its most severe restrictions and limitations. This study is the first to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the professional activities of property valuers. In particular, it aims to identify the difficulties associated with valuers’ activities during the first lockdown and the impact of restrictions on business performance. The data analyzed come from a survey of Polish valuers in September 2020. The questions were of a closed-ended nature. Using a five-point Likert scale, respondents expressed their opinions on the difficulties and benefits of their work in the first COVID-19 period. The results show that the respondents experienced difficulties related to the pandemic and noted its negative impact on business performance. The most significant problem was the limited access to public institutions supporting the valuation process and providing market data on real estate transactions. The respondents also indicated other problems related to property valuation, as well as some positive effects for their business.

How bountiful is the ocean? Participatory valuation of human–nature relationships in Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa, Japan

Valuations of nature are vital for effective conservation planning, and discussions are underway globally on improving the valuation process. Plural valuations of human–nature relationships are the key for better, more inclusive decision-making, which is demonstrated in this research using a case study on human–ocean relationships on Ishigaki Island, a part of the Yaeyama archipelago, Japan. We applied a network analysis to text data obtained from answers on questionnaires with open-ended questions to quantify the importance of values with respect to the pluralities among local people. Therefore, five core elements encompassing the values of the human–ocean relationships on Ishigaki Island were proposed as follows: “Livelihood,” “Attachment and inspiration,” “Local marine culture,” “Respect and fear for nature,” and “Anthropocene environmental problems.” The “Anthropocene environmental problems” element included social and environmental problems caused by various human activities including excessive tourism development, and the data collected through tourism market value analysis implied that past ecosystem service assessments may have over-valued or even triggered this issue. The “Respect and fear for nature” element was found to be important as a potentially unique value in these regions, but this is currently understudied within the literature related to ecosystem services and nature’s contributions to people. This study is among the first works to extract and visualize place-based human–ocean relations in an Asian country. We hope that our methods and findings will be applied to other areas, especially to the local communities of understudied countries and regions, to drive the transformative change of coral reef governance in the Anthropocene.

Development of the My Cult-Rural Toolkit

The EU H2020 RURITAGE project takes 20 case studies, considered to be Role Models (RMs) of successful heritage-led rural regeneration from Europe, to analyze them and transfer knowledge and learning to a network of Replicators (Rs). To quantify the success of these RURITAGE interventions, a monitoring framework has been developed which includes a range of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and a co-monitoring program. This program takes a bottom-up approach working with key stakeholders to understand their values. The My Cult-Rural Toolkit described in this paper has been designed and developed to support the co-monitoring program. The toolkit includes various methods allowing expert and non-expert engagement with the landscape valuation process through embodied and situated approaches. All the co-monitoring tools share the principle of gathering data through real-time interaction in the place of interest, following principles of the embodied approach to ecosystems’ valuation. The toolkit employs both participatory hands-on workshops (Mini-Landscapes, Object Mapping, and Walking Maps) for in-depth understanding of values attached with landscape, and digital mobile apps (Rate my View App and Landscape Connect App) for exploratory, participatory mapping. This paper describes the toolkit and discusses benefits and limitations of its usage in the context of co-monitoring of cultural and natural heritage (CNH) inspired rural change.

Farmers’ Perception on Development Induced Farmland Expropriation in Ethiopia: A Review

Expropriation of farmland is one of the major options for many countries to meet the demands of emerging developments taking place in the urban-rural interface. This is commonly practiced without the consent of the farmers on a non-discriminatory basis in compliance with the law by compensation. In Ethiopia, the status of displaced farmers by expropriation of farmlands due to the expansion of towns and development projects, their perception on expropriation and compensation laws, participation in the valuation process and compensations are not clear and needs to be articulated. From this review, it is clear that none of the expropriate felt proud of the government's plan of farmland expropriation; but they supported the establishment of development-induced projects; and that they don't know about the laws and regulations of farmland expropriation and compensation in Ethiopia. Expropriates deeply felt bad that their farmland was expropriated without involving them in decision-making. Ten years annual income won't adequately compensate the loss of all the rights. Hence, open ventilation to understand the priority of the people and reviewing the prevailing expropriation and compensation laws will enable the government and to make a smooth environment for the project's undertaking. Farmers should have equal rights for participation within the expropriation process i.e. must be told, consulted, involved, and empowered to form such decisions.

Is it possible to improve methods of intellectual property valuation?

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify ways to improve or simplify the quality and accuracy of IP valuations via accounting regulation improvements. Methodology/approach: This research relies on qualitative research methods such as case law analysis and comparative research of accounting standards and approaches. Findings: Evidence from this study points towards the conclusion that financial statements currently only reflect a historic financial record of the particular business, profoundly biased by a conservative tangible assets perspective. The central thesis of this study is that it makes sense to adopt a comprehensive intellectual property valuation strategy to ascertain the specific value of the intangible assets since the comprehensive application of valuation models is likely to yield superior results to using them separately. Research limitations/implications: Although the proposed approach seeks to bring more clarity to the valuation process while simplifying the appraisal of intellectual property assets, its efficacy is subject to increased transparency, a maturing intellectual property market, and credible data availability. Originality/value: This study makes a valuable contribution to research on methods that facilitate accurate intellectual property valuation while offering an alternative valuation model which combines the strengths of individual valuation models.