Search results

The purpose of this paper is to study an innovative rice value chain financing system (VCFS) established in Benin, to identify the determinants of producers and processors access to formal credit, both at intensive and extensive margins. It focuses on multi-stakeholder platforms (MSP) which connect producers and processors in need of credit to potential financial lenders.

The empirical analysis uses rich cross-sectional survey data collected in Northern Benin in 2018. The sample consists of 215 rice producers and 217 rice processors randomly selected through a multi-stage sampling and interviewed with structured questionnaires. The empirical models analyze the determinants of the likelihood to receive a credit and the amount of credit received. To account for the sample selection and censored nature of the main outcome variable, the study considers a Heckman two-stage model coupled with a Tobit model for robustness checks.

The study finds that the MSP are effective in increasing access to formal credit and the amount borrowed. Producers and processors who are members of the MSP are more likely to receive credit and, conditional on being approved for credit borrower, a larger amount. Other key factors that significantly explain access to credit include the use of soft guarantee for securing a loan, the degree of participation in the platform and demographic characteristics. These findings are consistent across the Heckman and Tobit models.

The study attempts to rigorously analyze the factors explaining producers and processors access to credit using cross-sectional survey data. But it has some limitations. The main limitation is the type of data used. Ideally, one would like to run a randomized control trial (RCT) to randomly assign participation in the MSP to causally estimate its impact of access to credit. The second-best option would be to have a panel data covering the period before and after the establishment of the platform. However, in the absence of an RCT or panel data, the study resorts to cross-sectional data and empirical models that account for sample selection bias and the censored nature of the credit received.

One of the key findings of the study is that participation in the MSP (through different value chain stages associations) increases access to formal credit. This highlights an important and effective mechanism, a well-coordinated value chains that integrated lenders, that policymakers can leverage to facilitate access to credit in the agricultural sector.

Access to credit is important to boost agricultural productivity and income. Hence, the findings of the study have social implications in terms of poverty reduction in rural areas.

The study contributes to earlier theories and empirical studies on the demand for credit. It focuses on an innovative VCFS, increasingly adopted in many developing countries, adds originality and value to the understanding of mechanisms to unlock agricultural actors’ access to credit in low-income countries.

Emerging evidence revealed a high rate of dependence of marginal people on forest resources in developing countries for both subsistence use and cash income. The purpose of this paper is to examine the rural livelihoods welfare dimensions of community forest income in south-western Nigeria.

Forest activities and income pattern data were collected from 160 rural households’ selected using multistage sampling approach. Descriptive statistics and Gini decomposition technique were used to analyse the data.

The result shows that forest income accounts for about 38.2 per cent of total household income and was the first ranked source of income in the study area. The Gini decomposition analysis showed that access to forest income is income inequality reducing in the study area. The study findings suggests that household welfare in rural Nigeria could be improved through policies and programmes that can stimulate sustainable access to forest resources and assist households to earn income from alternative sources such as agriculture.

The result of the study helped provide information on the uses and benefits of community forests as it affects the well-being of rural people. Also, it provides the benchmark for policy makers, government agencies and NGO's involved in rural livelihood outcome of forest communities.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamics of food insufficiency and its determinants among farming households in Southwestern Nigeria.

A combination of cluster and systematic random sampling was used to select 40 households in each local government area of the selected two states. This gives a total of 160 households per state and 320 households in all for the first data collection. Visiting the same households during the second data collection, only 150 households’ data were useful for analysis. Panel primary data were adopted and they were collected in two periods of late and early rain, respectively, over a period of nine months. Primary data were collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire, administered on farming households in the area of study. The needed information was collected through the use of interview schedules/questionnaires.

The transition of food insufficiency households to food sufficiency indicated a differential of 4.25 percent, and the transition of food sufficiency to food insufficiency a differential of 9.33 percent. During the agricultural harvest season more households moved to food sufficiency status (16 percent), while off season insufficiency status was 25.3 percent. The probability of households escaping food insufficiency is 0.25, and the probability of households entering food insufficiency is 0.38. The study provides evidence of transient and high incidence of food insufficiency.

Past studies of this nature only captured the food insufficiency status of households using a snapshot study. Hence, this study brought in innovation by examining the dynamics of food sufficiency/insufficiency in two periods. Therefore the question this study asks is: can a farm-household be food sufficient over a particular period of time and food insufficient in other time?

The study aims is to examine the determinant factors of small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs’) intention to adopt the Islamic crowdfunding model as alternative sources of finance.

Using a survey questionnaire, 385 responses were received from owners and managers of SMEs in three states (Kano, Kaduna and Katsina) of northwestern Nigeria and analyses using PLS-SEM 3.0 software.

All hypotheses were found to be significant.

The research focused only on northwestern Nigeria; there is a need for further research to focus on other geographical zones in Nigeria.

Crowd funders and policymakers can use these findings to enable the adoption of the Islamic crowdfunding model.

The previous study has not examined the role of technology acceptance model in the adoption of the financial model; these findings contribute to the crowdfunding literature by filling this gap.

In a world of fast-changing markets, corporate brand is the heart and soul of a company. A company’s employees are crucial in nourishing a successful corporate image. Eventually, organizations require committed employees who orient their energy and drive the company toward a shared vision. However, employees’ deviant behavior can cripple the organization’s brand image. Given this fact, the purpose of this study is to offer strategies that can play a vital role in overcoming destructive deviance and in turn fostering the pavement for building a strong corporate brand image.

Given the purpose, this study used systematic review of literature to analyze the newspaper articles that reported the cases of deviant behaviors exhibited by employees of “Air India” and were published between 2015 and 2017. Further, this study used document analysis to identify and categorize the various forms of deviant behaviors exhibited by employees of Air India.

The current study asserted four chief interventions, namely, talent management strategies, resilience, workplace spirituality and mindfulness to overcome destructive deviance and promote constructive behavior among employees of Air India.

The present study offers vital implications for organizations to curb the escalating deviant behavior among employees in the hospitality industry. These interventions might lay a significant pavement for fostering positive emotions among employees, which in turn could play a crucial role in enhancing service quality and building a strong brand image.

Given the mounting cases of deviant behavior among employees, the present study draws attention to the necessity for a shift in the generic organizational strategies and instigates organizations to integrate the study’s strategies to curb deviant behavior and in turn build a strong corporate image.