Suitable orchard land in regions of high elevation, arid climates, and alkaline soil conditions is becoming more limited due to urban sprawl. With the loss of suitable farmland, increasing input costs, and the lack of sound fertility information for these regions, fruit growers face challenges in producing high quality fruit to meet local and general market demand. The question that arises is whether fruit growers can supply sufficient quantities of quality fruit to take full advantage of local and global demand. Government data for population, fruit production, and fruit consumption in Utah were reviewed to determine the potential size of the local market, and determine whether growers have opportunities to increase production to meet unsatisfied demand for high quality local produce. In addition to market analysis, fertility-based management strategies are needed to optimize yield and fruit quality in production areas of high elevation, arid climates, and alkaline soils. Three different approaches were used to investigate the effect of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) on tart cherry fruit quality and yield at high elevations, arid climate conditions, and in alkaline soils. The approaches of this study include: a rate-response evaluation using the industry-standard Triple-16 fertilizer (16-16-16), and comparison of P and K fertilizer formulations to determine the most cost effective sources of these nutrients with regard to yield and fruit quality. Additions of P and K maintained adequate yield and fruit quality, but showed no significant difference among treatments, where historically aggressive nutrient management had been practiced. Fertilizer additions did result in a significant increase in yield and fruit quality where nutrient management programs were historically much less aggressive. There is no advantage of higher cost fertilizer formulations over standard low-cost sources (i.e.; Triple-16). Moreover, there is no significant advantage to splitting fertilizer application over time during the growing season. An analysis of government data indicates that, over the past 40 years, Utah has become a net importer of apples (1997), peaches (1987), and sweet cherries (2005), indicating increased local market opportunities. Increasing the fruit supply to the local market can best be accomplished by increasing yields and fruit quality on existing orchard acreage. Optimizing annual P and K nutrient management is an important key to maximizing yield and fruit quality. The results provide foundational guidelines of nutrient management for optimizing tart cherry production and fruit quality under regionally specific conditions.

Poor quality seed is the major constraint limiting both the productivity of potato crops and the expansion of the potato industry in Vietnam. Despite numerous attempts to establish a certified seed system, the most practical solution is to import clean foundation seed of the desired variety and physiological age. With imports from Europe and North America proving to be immature and too expensive, Western Australia (WA) has emerged as a potential source of high quality seed. While seed imports from WA are unique in that the varieties imported have been selected by researchers in Vietnam as being suited to the agro-ecological environment in the Red River Delta (RRD), no assessment of the economic benefits to smallholder potato farmers from the use of WA potato seed has been undertaken. In 2006/08, the yield and profitability of three potato varieties Eben, KT3 and Atlantic in two locations were compared where the crops had been derived from new seed imported from WA (VN0), seed derived from crops cultivated in the RRD after one generation (VN1) and two generations (VN2). There was a significant difference in the yield produced between the three different seed sources but not between the locations. For all varieties, and in both years, the yield decreased with the number of multiplications in Vietnam. Furthermore, the marketable yield declined significantly from the first crop (VN0) to the third crop (VN2). The decline in yield and tuber quality with each successive generation was associated with an increase in PVY and PVX infection. Not unexpectedly, differences in yield and marketable yield between the seed generations had a significant impact on the gross income for each variety. / VN0 seed of all varieties produced the highest gross income (VND 2.4 to 4.1 M/sao) compared to VN1 (VND 1.9 to 3.1 M/sao) which was significantly higher than VN2 (VND 1.4 to 2.4 M/sao). However, while high quality seed is more productive, it is also more expensive. As a result, significant differences were observed between the seed costs. VN0 seed was almost two times more expensive (VND 10,500 – 11,000 per kg) than VN1 and VN2 seed (VND 6,000 – 6,500 per kg). Despite the higher costs, VN0 seed provided the highest net incomes compared to VN1 which was significantly higher than VN2. Farmers who retained seed received a higher net income (VND 0.13 – 0.6 M/sao) than those who did not retain seed. Ways to improve the accessibility of affordable, high quality potato seed to farmers in the RRD are discussed.

This research was conducted within the context of smallholder livestock production and government attempts to improve this through a transfer of technology approach. Participatory action research (PAR) was used to enable action for change to emerge, while the research provided understanding and a basis for this action. Tombolo village in South Sulawesi, Indonesia was the location for this research, which first identified the problems and needs of the farmers, and then participatively developed strategies to meet these needs. Fodder security throughout the year was found to be the major constraint to cattle production. Forage technology was introduced, including fodder tree legumes and grasses, resulting in improved livestock production and many associated livelihood benefits. The introduction of these new technologies was adapted by stakeholders to local issues and needs. The extension services had previously aimed to improve livestock production through breeding and veterinary health measures, and had assumed that sufficient fodder was available for livestock. The formation of a learning group of farmers, who used group discussion to set their own agenda, was employed to identify this shortcoming, and how to sustainably overcome it. Participants were able to apply their experience and enhance their cognitive skills to find new meanings and knowledge to plan and take actions to improve their practice and situation. This thesis documents the process of change required to move from a “Transfer of Technology” approach to a “learning approach”. The research has shown that there is considerable potential for the application of PAR to rural community development in Indonesia. More specifically in Tombolo village PAR enabled farmers and extension staff to be empowered by becoming active participants in the research process and take action to improve their own practice. It helped them to analyse the situation to make the technology more appropriate, while also learning how to change the extension methods used towards one in which all stakeholders became partners in developing their situation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The goal of this work was to quantify the effects of eucalypt woodland blocks on the productivity of native pastures. This research was conducted on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. Tree planting or retention is seen by many as an important tool in addressing the problems of soil degradation resulting from clearing and pasture improvement that threaten the sustainability of pasture systems. In particular these are dry land salinity and erosion, both of which affect large areas of agricultural lands in the south east of Australia. Whilst native tree cover remains over substantial portions of Australian pasture lands, mainly on steeper slopes and poorer soils, little has been done to measure the effects of trees on pasture productivity and soil fertility on the Southern Tablelands. Previous studies in other areas have shown a range of effects�from facilitation to inhibition�of pasture growth in the presence of trees. Soil fertility beneath trees has been shown by a number of workers to be elevated in comparison with situations in the open. Given that the range of effects may be highly site dependent, application of results from one area to another may not be valid. Thus it is necessary to measure tree effects on a regional scale if results are to be reliable. Pasture productivity was assessed over a two year period on four sites in the vicinity of Bungendore, New South Wales. A pair of plots was selected on each site, one plot in a block of eucalypt woodland, and the other nearby in an exposed, open situation. Plots were chosen to be as similar to each other as possible with the exception of tree cover. Treed plots had a tree basal area of between 10 and 20 m2 ha-1 and plots had an area of 900 m2. Two of the sites were on granitic soils and had a tree cover consisting predominantly of Eucalyptus pauciflora. The remaining two sites were on soil derived from sedimentary rocks with tree cover consisting mainly of E. mannifera, E. dives and E. melliodora. Perennial native pasture species present were similar across all sites, although their relative contributions to standing biomass varied between sites. As the plots were grazed during the period of measurement, productivity and offtake were measured seasonally using exclosure cages on each plot. Pasture standing biomass was assessed using the comparative yield technique. Microclimate was monitored in each plot by automatic weather stations. Soil moisture to a depth of 45 cm was measured by time domain reflectometry using permanent probes in each plot. Ten additional survey plots on each site, covering the range of tree basal area from 0 - 30 m2 ha-1, were assessed each season in the second year for standing biomass, soil fertility and pasture quality; expressed by nitrogen content and dry matter digestibility. Pasture floristics were measured using the dry-weight-rank method. These additional plots were chosen to be as representative of the paddocks as possible. Over the two years that productivity was measured, it was found to be higher under trees than in the open. This was predominantly due to higher winter and spring growth within treed plots. Grazing offtake was also found to be higher under trees, partly accounting for lower standing biomass found in the treed plots. Wind run, evapotranspiration and photosynthetically active radiation were all reduced by the presence of trees. Beneficial effects of shelter from winds may largely explain the higher productivity observed in the treed plots, and could outweigh negative effects of below ground competition and radiation interception by tree canopies at low to moderate tree densities. Soil moisture was not affected by the presence of trees. Soil fertility also did not differ between treed and open plots nor was there any difference in pasture nitrogen content or dry matter digestibility. On the sites where soils were derived from sedimentary rocks, pasture floristics were found to be related to tree basal area. Themeda ausfralis biomass was negatively related to tree basal area, and was partially replaced by large tussock species such as Poa sieberiana and Chionochloa pallida. A reduction of pasture quality resulted, particularly as the latter species is not grazed to any significant extent. Given the desirability of having deep rooted perennial components in grazing lands, the results of this study indicate that it may be possible to utilise trees to assist in preventing or reducing a range of adverse environmental consequences arising from agricultural activities, without unduly compromising pasture productivity. Additionally, the wide range of environmental conditions provided by a mix of treed and open pasture promotes a higher degree of heterogeneity of the herbaceous layer. This may assist in maintaining productivity over a greater range of climatic conditions than would be the case with a more homogeneous pasture.

Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The creation of shareholder wealth has become the key of corporate success. A setback in achieving this is a lack of commitment and participation in productivity initiatives at shop floor level in South Africa and companies are faced with competitive challenges of promoting innovativeness relating to productivity improvement amongst employees. It has increasingly been recognized that by introducing a carefully crafted incentive scheme, it may be possible to induce workers to work both harder and smarter and use existing technologies in new and better ways that enhance their productivity. The purpose of the study is to evaluate to what extend gainsharing can be a solution to the predicament. The empirical data used during the study was based on questionnaires that were administered amongst managers of Eskort Ltd. The research established that gainsharing would induce employees to effectively participate in problem solving or productivity improvement initiatives in the company. The majority of participants feel that gainsharing will benefit the company to deliver on client requirements; help enhance teamwork; create a feeling of ownership; share a portion of saved-cost for productivity improvement purposes; stimulate organization learning; improve communication between management and employees; stimulate employees to make suggestions on ways to improve productivity; and increase profit and reduce costs. The study clearly illustrates that money can be the primary drive for motivation to certain employees within the company. Further more based on the results of the empirical study the researcher came to the conclusion that motivated employees will be more productive and as a result have a positive influence on the value drivers employed by the EVA methodology. EVA is a value based performance measure, an investment decision tool and also a performance measure indicating the absolute amount of shareholder value created. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Birth weight (BW) (n =1277) and weaning weight (WW) (n = 1090) of calves, pregnancy rate (PR) (n = 1386), calf crop born (CCB) (n = 1386), calf crop weaned (CCW) (n = 1294), cow’s weight at palpation (CW) (n = 1474) and cow body condition score (BCS) (n = 1473) were evaluated from 1994 to 2006 in 143 F1 cows sired by Brahman (B), Boran (Bo) and Tuli (T) bulls and born to Angus and Hereford cows. Mouth scores (MS) (n = 139) were assigned to the remaining cows in 2004 and 2005. Fixed effects included sire breed of cow, dam breed of cow, and calf’s birth year/age of cow; random effects included cow and sire of cow. BW and WW were evaluated using the same model and adding gender for both and age for WW. All two-way interactions were tested for significance. Calf’s birth year/age of dam was significant for all traits (P < 0.05) except WW. BW for calves out of F1 B, Bo and T bulls were 35.08, 34.76 and 34.87 kg, respectively, and were not different. WW differed (P < 0.05) for calves out of F1 B, Bo and T cows (235.87, 221.10 and 208.35 kg, respectively). PR (0.922, 0.955 and 0.936, respectively), CCB (0.881, 0.931, 0.890, respectively), CCW (0.848, 0.898 and 0.869, respectively), did not differ among F1 B, Bo and T cows. CW when cows were 8- or 9-year old were 600.78, 514.63 and 513.14 kg, respectively, for F1 B, Bo and T cows, with those sired by B being heaviest (P < 0.05). BCS for B-, Bo- and T-sired cows were 5.23, 5.48 and 5.18, respectively, with F1 Bo cows having highest scores. Higher MS (P < 0.05) were assigned to Bo and B-sired cows (0.95 and 0.94, respectively) compared to T-sired cows (0.78), when both broken and solid incisors were scored 1, and smooth scored 0. When both smooth and broken were scored 0, and solid were scored 1, higher scores were assigned to B- (0.53) compared to T-sired cows (0.24), the Bo-sired cows being intermediate. Higher reproductive rates were found for Boran-sired cows, but Brahman-sired cows weaned heavier calves.

The current project addresses the productivity improvement of a manual assembly line by making use of operations analysis in the framework of Lean production. A methodology is proposed that helps to improve the productivity of any production process. The methodology consists of selecting a product or product family to be studied followed by current process study. Once the existing process is documented, all the assembly tasks involved must be timed using time study techniques. Operations analysis enables the reduction of non-productive tasks and results in a set of standardized work elements along with the set of standard procedures for performing the operations. Assembly line balancing along with the associated operations analysis assists in constructing or re-configuring an assembly system, which is the key step in improving the overall performance of an assembly line. Following this approach, two manual assembly line configurations (single stage parallel line and five-stage serial line) are constructed for a case study. The results show that by changing over to the single stage assembly line configuration the operator productivity is doubled when compared to the existing assembly method.

Suitable orchard land in regions of high elevation, arid climates, and alkaline soil conditions is becoming more limited due to urban sprawl. With the loss of suitable farmland, increasing input costs, and the lack of sound fertility information for these regions, fruit growers face challenges in producing high quality fruit to meet local and general market demand. The question that arises is whether fruit growers can supply sufficient quantities of quality fruit to take full advantage of local and global demand. Government data for population, fruit production, and fruit consumption in Utah were reviewed to determine the potential size of the local market, and determine whether growers have opportunities to increase production to meet unsatisfied demand for high quality local produce. In addition to market analysis, fertility-based management strategies are needed to optimize yield and fruit quality in production areas of high elevation, arid climates, and alkaline soils. Three different approaches were used to investigate the effect of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) on tart cherry fruit quality and yield at high elevations, arid climate conditions, and in alkaline soils. The approaches of this study include: a rate-response evaluation using the industry-standard Triple-16 fertilizer (16-16-16), and comparison of P and K fertilizer formulations to determine the most cost effective sources of these nutrients with regard to yield and fruit quality. Additions of P and K maintained adequate yield and fruit quality, but showed no significant difference among treatments, where historically aggressive nutrient management had been practiced. Fertilizer additions did result in a significant increase in yield and fruit quality where nutrient management programs were historically much less aggressive. There is no advantage of higher cost fertilizer formulations over standard low-cost sources (i.e.; Triple-16). Moreover, there is no significant advantage to splitting fertilizer application over time during the growing season. An analysis of government data indicates that, over the past 40 years, Utah has become a net importer of apples (1997), peaches (1987), and sweet cherries (2005), indicating increased local market opportunities. Increasing the fruit supply to the local market can best be accomplished by increasing yields and fruit quality on existing orchard acreage. Optimizing annual P and K nutrient management is an important key to maximizing yield and fruit quality. The results provide foundational guidelines of nutrient management for optimizing tart cherry production and fruit quality under regionally specific conditions.

This thesis studies information in financial markets from three perspectives: the role of information asymmetry in alleviating dividend payers’ seasoned equity offering (SEO) announcement returns, the leading behavior of equity analysts who collect and process information, and the pricing of productivity-related information. More specifically, Chapter 1 studies whether the market reacts less negatively to dividend payers’ SEO announcements. Using US data from 1975 to 2002, I find that prior to SEO announcement dates, dividend payers have less information asymmetries than non-dividend payers. This difference was not large before the mid-1980s, but increased dramatically since then. This finding, together with the disappearing dividend puzzle documented in Fama and French (2001), suggests that a firm’s dividend status was not an important signal for SEOs prior to the mid-1980s, but became important since then. The market reacts less negatively to dividend payers’ SEO announcements since the mid-1980s. Chapter 2 studies equity analysts’ leading behavior in equity recommendations. I develop a measure of leading recommendations based on the observation that other recommendations move towards those of the leader. I find that analysts who are more likely to lead are past leaders, past All-American stars, analysts from large brokerage houses, and analysts with fewer recommendations. I find that the market reacts more strongly to recommendations of leaders and leaders are less likely to be terminated from their jobs. Chapter 3 examines the link between productivity and the cross-section of security returns. The CAPM and CCAPM have had problems finding empirical validations. In contrast, by creating factor mimicking portfolios with respect to productivity, I introduce a stock market factor that mimics the driving force behind the CCAPM. First, I find that the productivity factor affects the overall market return and that on average it contributes 0.75 to 2.41 percent annually, for the range of productivity factors I construct. Further, I show that productivity is priced even when the market excess return and factors based on size and book-to-market are included in standard asset pricing tests. However, the market excess return and the book-to-market factor still explain asset returns.