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11 – 20 of over 2000There is a great deal of interest in ecosystem or natural capital accounting and in methods to estimate monetary valuations of ecosystems. This paper aims to explore methods that…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a great deal of interest in ecosystem or natural capital accounting and in methods to estimate monetary valuations of ecosystems. This paper aims to explore methods that may assist agricultural (livestock grazing) enterprises to estimate the monetary value of the productive capacity of the ecosystems they use. Such estimations are expected to provide a more complete set of information about the performance of pastoral operations and may assist them to assure ecological and economic sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies five different methods for valuation of the productive ecosystems used in extensive agricultural (grazing) systems. The methods apply different approaches to valuation described in the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) and Australian Accounting Standards (AASs). To do this, the paper uses financial information drawn from the long-term performance of an economically and environmentally sustainable pastoral enterprise.
Findings
SEEA- and AAS-compliant methods to measure the value in use of provisioning ecosystems are practical and useful. The estimations contribute to a reasonable range of fair values required by AASs and improve the availability of information that would be useful in improving the performance of the operation and compare it to reasonable alternate management strategies.
Research limitations/implications
The SEEA is an international standard and AASs are closely aligned to the International Accounting Standards, so the methods described in this paper are likely to be generalisable to enterprises grazing low-rainfall rangelands in other countries. However, their ability to appropriately accommodate the extensive modifications to ecosystems caused by cultivation and fertilisation needs to be tested before they are applied to grazing operations in high-rainfall areas or other forms of agriculture such as cropping or horticulture.
Practical implications
The availability of standards-compliant methods for ecosystem valuation means that companies who wish to include ecosystems on a voluntary and informal basis as sub-classes of land in their general purpose financial reports may be able to do so. If these methods are SEEA-compliant, they could be combined with information about the ecosystem type, extent and condition to produce a set of national ecosystem accounts so that the contribution of ecosystems to the economy can be estimated.
Social implications
Many of the enterprises that rely on extensive agricultural ecosystems are unable to generate sufficient financial returns to cover their obligations to owners and creditors. The ability to determine the monetary value of the annual inputs provided by the ecosystems may assist landowners and citizens to detect and avoid depletion of their economic and ecological resources.
Originality/value
This paper applies an explicit interpretation of AAS and draws from valuation methods recommended in the SEEA to demonstrate that current accounting standards (national and corporate) provide a strong foundation for the valuation of the ecosystems used as economically significant factors of production.
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Hyejune Park, Chae‐Mi Lim, Vertica Bhardwaj and Youn‐Kyung Kim
The purpose of this study is to identify shopper segments based on benefits sought from TV home shopping and profiled the identified segments in consumer characteristics and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify shopper segments based on benefits sought from TV home shopping and profiled the identified segments in consumer characteristics and market behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 887 consumers who had watched a TV home shopping channel was used. The analyses involved running a factor analysis based on benefits sought, a cluster analysis based on the identified factors, and χ 2test and ANOVA for profiling the segments.
Findings
Four benefit segments of TV home shoppers were identified: convenience seekers, product‐oriented shoppers, uniqueness seekers, and apathetic shoppers. Each consumer segment exhibited significant differences in demographic characteristics (i.e. gender, age, education level), consumer characteristics (i.e. time‐consciousness, price‐consciousness), and behavioral outcomes (i.e. satisfaction with TV shopping, repurchase intention).
Research limitations/implications
This study confirms that benefit segmentation can be a useful tool for targeting TV home shoppers. However, the findings of the current study should be interpreted with caution due to non‐random sampling method and limited number of scale items for benefits sought and variables used in describing segments.
Practical implications
The results provide marketing suggestions for each of the benefit segments of TV shoppers.
Originality/value
Considering that virtually no benefit segmentation research has been conducted on TV shoppers, this study provides a new perspective to the segmentation of TV home shoppers.
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As a result of the changes caused by the preparation of foods gradually passing out of the home into the hands of manufacturers, there has arisen an absolute need for a complete…
Abstract
As a result of the changes caused by the preparation of foods gradually passing out of the home into the hands of manufacturers, there has arisen an absolute need for a complete supervision of the public food supplies. A supervision which shall place some limit upon the substitution of cheaper and inferior methods and dangerous materials in place of the standard formerly used in our homes.
Looks at the eighth published year of the ITCRR and the research, from far and near, involved in this. Muses on the fact that, though all the usual processes are to the fore, the…
Abstract
Looks at the eighth published year of the ITCRR and the research, from far and near, involved in this. Muses on the fact that, though all the usual processes are to the fore, the downside part of the industry is garment making which is the least developed side. Posits that the manufacture of clothing needs to become more technologically advanced as does retailing. Closes by emphasising support for the community in all its efforts.
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Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects…
Abstract
Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.
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Under the auspices of the “People's League of Health,” Professor F. E. Dixon, F.R.S., delivered an address before the Medical Society of London on March 25th. It was, he said…
Abstract
Under the auspices of the “People's League of Health,” Professor F. E. Dixon, F.R.S., delivered an address before the Medical Society of London on March 25th. It was, he said, obvious that organic foodstuffs were liable to bacterial decomposition. Something must be done to prevent certain foodstuffs from putrefying. The methods were sterilisation, destroying the micro‐organisms by heat or by preventing their growth by chemical substances. None of the chemical substances prevented the growth of the micro‐organisms which caused food poisoning. Putrefaction, in a sense, was the safety‐valve which indicated the condition of the food, and if they used preservatives they allowed the malignant organisms to grow. In Great Britain they had a Committee which sat in 1901, but nothing was done until 1912, when the Ministry forbade the use of preservatives in milk. France, Germany, the United States, and Sweden had absolutely forbidden the use of boric acid except in certain cases, and all countries had forbidden sulphites in meat. These, if sprayed on meat, masked incipient putrefaction and brought back the bright red colour. The United States allowed the use of benzoic acid, under certain conditions which had to be reported.
Examines the ninth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects…
Abstract
Examines the ninth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.
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