bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cassava commercialization in Southeastern Africa
Authors: Haggblade Steven , Andersson Djurfeldt Agnes , Banda Nyirenda Drinah , Bergman Lodin Johanna , Brimer Leon , Chiona Martin , Chitundu Maureen , Chiwona‐Karltun Linley , Cuambe Constantino , Dolislager Michael , Donovan Cynthia , Droppelmann Klaus , Jirström Magnus , Kambewa Emma , Kambewa Patrick , Meso Mahungu Nzola , Mkumbira Jonathan , Mudema João , Nielson Hunter , Nyembe Mishek , Alexandre Salegua Venâncio , Tomo Alda , Weber Michael 
Published: May 2012

PurposeCassava production surged noticeably in Southeastern Africa beginning in the 1990s. The purpose of this paper is to examine the commercial responses and food security consequences of cassava production growth in the region.Design/methodology/approachThe paper incorporates a mix of quantitative analysis, based primarily on original analysis of national farm household survey data, together with key informant interviews with value chain participants in the three neighboring countries of Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.FindingsIn the cassava production zones, cassava's high productivity translates into per kilogram carbohydrate costs 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the cost of cereals such as maize and wheat, thereby opening up a range of profitable opportunities for commercialization of cassava‐based foods, feeds and industrial products. Despite this potential, cassava commercialization in Southeastern Africa remains in its formative stages, with only 10 per cent to 30 per cent of production currently marketed. Unlike West Africa, where cassava commercialization has centered on marketing prepared cassava‐based convenience foods, the emerging cassava markets in Southeastern Africa have centered on fresh cassava, low value‐added cassava flour, and experiments in industrial processing of cassava‐based starches, biofuels and feeds. Strategic investment in a set of key public goods (breeding, training in food sciences and food safety, and research on in‐ground cassava storage) can help to shape this transition in ways that benefit both commercial interests and the food security of vulnerable households.Originality/valueThe paper compares cassava commercialization across differing agro‐climatic zones, policy environments and food staple zones.
Agricultural‐risk management through community‐based wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe
Authors: Muchapondwa Edwin , Sterner Thomas 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether community‐based wildlife conservation can potentially be added in rural farmers’ investment portfolio to diversify and consequently reduce agricultural risk.Design/methodology/approachThe correlation coefficient is computed from national data on the rates of return on agricultural production and wildlife conservation, to find out whether wildlife conservation is a feasible hedge asset.FindingsThe correlation coefficient between the returns to agricultural production and wildlife conservation for the period 1989‐1999, for which data exist for both activities, is inferior to unity indicating that rural farmers could use wildlife conservation to reduce the risk they face by engaging in agricultural production only.Research limitations/implicationsData on communal agricultural production and community‐based wildlife conservation potentially suffer from at least three limitations. First, wildlife is a unique resource that does not require the usual cash investment to acquire and as such the rates of return on wildlife conservation will likely be overstated. Second, some benefits from wildlife are public and non‐monetised; this results in depressed rates of return on wildlife conservation. Lastly, both the data on agricultural production and wildlife conservation are likely to understate physical and human capital investments; this potentially results in abnormally high rates of return.Practical implicationsEven though the paper makes a case for community‐based wildlife conservation at a national level, the benefits of diversification into wildlife conservation are likely to be high only in those rural areas that can sustain wildlife populations sufficient to generate adequate returns from wildlife activities such as tourism, trophy hunting, live animal sales and meat cropping.Originality/valueThis paper empirically investigates whether the risk that rural farmers face could potentially be managed through diversification into community‐based wildlife conservation and provides paramount evidence that wildlife conservation is a hedge asset in rural Zimbabwe. More investment in community‐based wildlife conservation would also help efforts to conserve wildlife.
The impact of changing marketing conditions on Ugandan banana farmers
Authors: Komarek Adam M. , Ahmadi‐Esfahani Fredoun Z. 
Published: May 2012

PurposeLow productivity and the prevalence of marketing and demand constraints are all interrelated problems for banana growers in East Africa. The purpose of this paper is to examine how different marketing policies can alter the incomes of banana‐growing households in the Ntungamo district of Uganda.Design/methodology/approachA partial equilibrium model and a trader profit‐maximisation model are used to analyse changes in banana market equilibrium conditions, marketing costs and market competitiveness.FindingsThe results indicate that increasing supply relative to demand reduces grower returns. It appears that reducing market power and lowering middlemen marketing costs may lead to higher grower returns. Policies facilitating lower marketing costs for traders are proposed in conjunction with strategies that promote banana processing.Originality/valueDrawing on both primary and secondary data, this paper examines how increasing demand and reducing marketing costs impacts on banana‐grower returns. Furthermore, sources of price movements in the Ugandan banana industry are assessed.
Measuring urban heritage conservation: indicator, weights and instruments (part 2)
Authors: Mendes Zancheti Silvio , Tone Ferreira Hidaka Lúcia 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to set out the weighting of the indicator of conservation (Isc) to assess the state of conservation of urban heritage sites and three key performance indicators (KPIs): significance, integrity and authenticity.Design/methodology/approachThe weighting process was developed using the Delphi technique with the participation of 34 international specialists from all regions of the world.FindingsThe Isc indicator is expressed as a function of three KPIs: significance, integrity and authenticity. All KPIs have the same relative importance in the Isc. The resulting values of the weights of the opinion of the stakeholders in the KPIs were in conformity with theory. Clearly the stakeholders can be divided into two groups of importance. The opinion of the local specialists, long‐standing residents and cultural reference groups were shown to be more important than the opinion of new residents and visitors.Practical implicationsThe indicator may be used for monitoring the state of conservation of the World Heritage Urban Sites.Social implicationsThe indicator allows a non‐biased evaluation of the conservation process of the World Heritage Sites.Originality/valueThe indicator of conservation presented in the paper is the first of its type.
Traditional vs modern Arabian morphologies
Authors: Khalaf Roha W. 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the component attributes of an Arabian city, caught between tradition and modernization, with focus on their reactions to climate and religion.Design/methodology/approachA platform of comparison between Old Kuwait Town and Kuwait City is provided while showing the effects of oil money on the city's urban morphology. The paper's first section describes the emergence of the Islamic city in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf and identifies key concepts in city morphology. An Islamic School of Law, furthermore, is selected to explain who interprets religious text and how concepts in Islam, such as domestic privacy, are translated into design guidelines, which have influenced the Kuwaiti vernacular typology and street pattern. The transition is made to the second section, which compares Old Kuwait Town and Kuwait City based on knowledge gained in the preceding section. Finally, the third section of the paper recommends some architectural and planning specifications.FindingsIt is found that climate and religion have lost their authority at the expense of a paradigm shift in the 1950s.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper focuses on, and is limited to, one case study.Practical implicationsA few architectural and planning specifications are recommended for application in practice to improve contemporary design and to promote a unified morphological outcome in Kuwait City.Social implicationsThe message is to show readers that progress is about working with, and responding to, local determinants rather than applying Western thinking.Originality/valueThe author advocates a look at precedents, because learning from the past helps to design buildings and plan cities that are compatible with local environments and traditions.
www.understandingconservation.org
Authors: Banfill Phil , Bridgwood Barry , Maxwell Ingval 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the development of internet‐based educational support to enable practitioners in built environment conservation (preservation in American terminology) to evaluate and, if necessary, improve their competence. In the UK it is a condition of project grant‐aid of some heritage bodies that the professional leading a conservation project is accredited, and several schemes, peer‐reviewed by professional bodies, have been set up in recent years. Since these require practitioners to provide evidence of their competence, there is a need for an increased understanding of the issues involved. The work aimed to define the basis for the competences and establish an educational framework for professional development in this area.Design/methodology/approachA structured framework of competences, consisting of five units dealing with all the stages of a conservation project, is presented and evaluated against the 1993 ICOMOS Guidelines on Education and Training in the Conservation of Monuments, Ensembles and Sites. The framework is appropriate for all professional disciplines and has been converted to a computer‐assisted self‐learning package that provides support for practitioners in developing their portfolio of evidence for submission for accreditation peer‐review.FindingsThe internet‐based educational support has been available since 2007 and receives over 2,000 visits per month from all over the world. It has the support of all the UK accreditation schemes in built environment conservation.Originality/valueA desk survey of electronic resources in the subject domain suggests that the educational support material described in this paper is unique in the world.
Is the World Heritage label used as a promotional argument for sustainable tourism?
Authors: Marcotte Pascale , Bourdeau Laurent 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to find out if Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), in charge of promoting World Heritage Sites (WHS), use the World Heritage label in their electronic promotional tools, and if so, do promotional arguments include considerations linked to sustainable development.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative and qualitative study was conducted of web site content created by local, regional and national DMOs representing 120 organizations of World Heritage Cities member cities.FindingsResults show that Western European cities are the primary users of the World Heritage label in their promotional material. Cities that obtained their label less than ten years ago use it more often for promoting tourism. Concurrently a significant theme associated with WHS categorisation is the presentation of a must‐see “tourism product”. Conversely the advertising contains little information about the protection of the site or sustainable development actions undertaken since the labelling.Practical implicationsMostly a DMO communicates with tourists and visitors. It would be in the interest of WHS managers who work in partnership with these DMOs to convey why the site was labelled. Further, they need to demonstrate that obtaining the World Heritage status implies implementing sustainable development objectives. Finally, a better understanding of the economic, cultural, social and environmental issues associated with the label would help tourists appreciate their visit more.Originality/valueThe paper is the first insightful study of the World Heritage label usage as both a promotional argument and means of enhancing sustainable tourism practices.
Historic cities as model of sustainability
Authors: van Oers Ron , Pereira Roders Ana 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThis paper is an editorial to JCHMSD's Volume 2 Issue 1. Its purpose is to introduce the selection of papers in the issue.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses the increased focus of national and local authorities, as well as multilateral agencies, on historic cities in a search for a more sustainable process of urban development that integrates environmental, social and cultural concerns into the planning, design and implementation of urban management programmes and projects. The recent adoption of a new policy instrument by UNESCO, the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, is providing a set of general principles in support of sustainable urban heritage management and the paper further explains the first results of a field testing of the embedded Historic Urban Landscape approach in two different geo‐cultural regions of the world (i.e. Central Asia and East Africa). It points to fields of further research, which are linked to the papers selected for this issue.FindingsThe Historic Urban Landscape approach, as promoted in the new UNESCO Recommendation on the subject, facilitates a structuring and priority setting of the manifold needs and wishes in the broader urban development and heritage management process, thereby creating clarity and understanding in an often very complex process with competing demands.Originality/valueThe new UNESCO Recommendation was adopted on 10 November 2011 and this research paper is the first to expound on an implementation of the approach embedded therein, explaining its merits and potential.
Higher education and the imperative to build reputations
Authors: Morrissey Paul 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to suggest that an increasingly powerful global dimension provides an imperative for higher education institutions (HEIs) in differing national settings to build and manage their reputations, and that this affects HEIs at the micro level.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected using semi‐structured interviews from middle/senior managers of social science faculties (or schools), at four case study institutions, three of which are in East Asia; it is the views of these academics and managers about institutional reputation management which form the basis of this paper. Global league tables are interpreted as the medium of reputation, the means to achieve reputation, and the motive to impose reputation management as a key element in strategic directions.FindingsThe research resonates with Hawkins’ notion of a Dominant Education Paradigm, and suggests that this global dimension has penetrated case study institutions in three very different East Asian polities, in the same way that it influences a typical institution in the “Anglo” environment, and that this has resulted in converging institutional governance activities, at the micro‐level, in these unique national contexts.Originality/valueThe author argues that looking through the lens of reputation management is significant in that it demonstrates both changing priorities locally and converging practice globally.
A critical reflection of teacher professionalism in Cambodia
Authors: Tan Charlene , Tee Ng Pak 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the development of teacher professionalism in Cambodia and the issues and challenges in this area.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses Hargreaves’ four ages of teacher professionalism and professional learning to frame the discussion of the development of teacher professionalism in Cambodia.FindingsThis paper argues that the Cambodian government aims to develop the teachers to become autonomous professionals in terms of curriculum and pedagogical improvements. However the reality is that the Cambodian teachers manifest characteristics of both the pre‐professionals and autonomous professionals. This paper also examines the issues and challenges faced in the development of teacher professionalism, which are entwined in the complexities of educational reform, societal and economic development. By identifying some structural, economic and socio‐cultural challenges faced by Cambodian teachers, this paper suggests that Cambodian teachers need greater teacher collaboration within a culture of trust and accountability to become collegial professionals.Originality/valueThe Cambodian case study adds to the literature on the development of teacher professionalism in Cambodia and illustrates the potential of comparative and international research on teacher professionalism between Anglophonic and non‐Anglophonic cultures.
Controversy over abolishing Iranian university entrance examination
Authors: Reza Ghorbani Mohammad 
Published: May 2012

PurposeAlthough the number of higher education institutes in Iran has been increased and the capacity of many universities has been expanded by the government and private sector, the tough competition among senior high school graduates is still a major concern. Authorities have been contemplating other ways to alleviate the discontent of applicants who seek access to free of charge public universities. The Cumulative Grade‐Point Average (CGPA) of senior high school level has recently been proposed by educational authorities as the most effective substitute for measuring students’ academic performances to enter universities. The purpose of this paper is explore the pros and cons of this proposal by interviewing ten purposively selected stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachIn total, ten purposively selected stakeholders were interviewed.FindingsOut of ten informants, six of them supported the modification of the University Entrance Exam (UEE), three supported its abolition, and one supported its continuation and repetition two or three times a year.Research limitations/implicationsSince any innovation or reform in the exam will affect other components in the whole education system, the informants emphasized that it should be done incrementally. The findings of this study contribute to improving the knowledge of the UEE reform options.Originality/valueOver the last few decades, there have been waves of assessment reforms around the world. This paper offers an update of the assessment reform in Iran, which adds information to current literature.
Financial well‐being of Malaysian college students
Authors: Fazli Sabri Mohamad , Cook Christine C. , Gudmunson Clinton G. 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between personal and family backgrounds, academic ability, childhood consumer experience, financial socialization, financial literacy, and perceived financial well‐being of college students.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a multi‐stage sampling technique from 11 public and private universities across Malaysia and the sample consists of 2,219 college students. Structural equation modelling was utilized to test the hypotheses.FindingsChildhood consumer experiences such as savings habits contribute to students’ financial well‐being (money saved, current financial situation, and financial management skills). Financial socialization agents, for example, through parents and religion sources could increase college students’ financial well‐being. Financial literacy was related to financial well‐being. There were important differences between the Malay and Chinese ethnic groups in Malaysia.Research limitations/implicationsOverall, implications and recommendations for future research, teaching, and public policy are also provided for parents, college administrators, counselors and educators.Originality/valueThis research provides meaningful information about how various factors (childhood experience, financial socialization, and financial literacy) predict students’ financial well‐being.
CME that impacts most physicians: a survey
Authors: Vakani Farhan , Jafri Fatima , Rahman Sara , Jafri Wasim 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to objectively assess the best type of continuing medical education (CME) activity that makes the most impact on the physicians’ behavior in changing their practices and to derive future needs for planning effective CME activities.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a survey. A questionnaire was designed, pilot‐tested and administered in a CME session to all the health physicians of a private medical university in Sind province of Pakistan. The questionnaire incorporated seven core items that assessed the impact of different types of CME activities on the physicians. The respondents rated the impact of CME based on their competence, performance, patient care processes and management on a five‐point Likert scale. Respondents’ responses in terms of type, committed time, usefulness, sponsorships and settings were also analyzed.FindingsA total of 194 health physicians completed the questionnaire (response rate=100 per cent); 56 per cent of the responses were from female physicians. A majority of the respondents in their replies ranked local large‐group lectures, symposiums and workshops higher than journal clubs, conferences and on‐line CMEs. More than half of the respondents rated the impact of CMEs on a five‐point Likert scale as good or very good. This was in relevance to increase in their competence, performance, patient care processes and change in management style.Research limitations/implicationsThe data generated through the survey are subject to desirability bias and may over‐represent the responses. The other limitation was the single university setting.Practical implicationsThe methodology can thus be adaptable by CME planners within the region to assess the impact of the current CME activities in improving physicians’ competence and professionalism, and in designing effective academic activities for the future.Originality/valueThere is no other study that demonstrates the impact of the types of CME on physicians in the Pakistani medical profession and hence this paper is of high interest.