Microfinance has been celebrated in the last decade as a new paradigm shift in lending that has achieved immense success in improving the living standards of the poor through the provision of financial services. Institutions involved in microfinance around the world have used innovative loan...

Agribusinesses in the cattle-beef sector use information from both external sources and proprietary sources in the management decision making process. This research reports the results of personal interviews with employees at all levels of the beef market channel, covering the information...

This study determines the entry and exit thresholds of table grape farming with irreversible investment under uncertainty. Real option approach is adopted to consider the investment and management flexibility. Also revenue insurance is introduced to consider the effect of the risk management...

Purpose – Building on the property rights framework, the purpose of this paper is to frame the cooperative business model in terms of strategic options held either by the board or by members. Options that are analyzed include growth and restructuring, dividend allocation, member entry and...

The Almond Board of California proposed to require that all almonds shipped from California handlers be treated to achieve a 4-log reduction in the pathogen that leads to salmonellosis. The Assurance program is expected to add several million dollars to transactions costs in the almond marketing...

This report provides a background analysis of the market for nisin and other commercially available antimicrobial food additives. The report concludes that there is a potential role for a new U.S.-based entity to compete with a nisin product that is cost-competitive or provides quality...