Blockchain applications in agriculture: Revolutionizing the food supply chain

Duong Hoai An, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, Vietnam

'Blockchain applications in agriculture: Revolutionizing the food supply chain' is your definitive guide to the transformative impact of blockchain technology on agriculture and the modern food supply chain. In this comprehensive volume, we begin with “Introduction to blockchain technology,” laying the groundwork for readers of all backgrounds. From there, we delve into the intricate relationship between blockchain and the agriculture industry in “Overview of the agriculture industry”. The heart of the book explores practical applications in agriculture and the supply chain, including “Blockchain-based supply chain management,” “Farming and crop management,” “Livestock management and animal welfare,” and “Food safety and quality assurance.” We also explore how blockchain revolutionizes “Agricultural finance and insurance” and fosters “Sustainable agriculture and supply chain sustainability”. Drawing on “Case studies and real-world examples,” you’ll see blockchain in action, offering invaluable insights for farmers, supply chain professionals, academics, and policymakers. Our forward-looking chapter, “Future Trends and Challenges of Blockchain,” anticipates the evolving landscape of this groundbreaking technology. This book stands out for its depth, practicality, and relevance. It is equally suitable for reference, as a methodological guide, for classroom adoption, or as essential reading for researchers and practitioners in the fields of agriculture, technology, supply chain management, and policy. Whether you’re seeking to optimize farming practices, enhance supply chain transparency, or understand the regulatory implications, 'Blockchain applications in agriculture' equips you with the knowledge and inspiration needed to navigate the future of food production and distribution. Join the agricultural revolution today.

New quality management for the nonprofit sector

Guido Cuyvers, Thomas More University College, Belgium

For a long time, quality has been the center of attention in the nonprofit sector, influenced by all kinds of developments in society. Due to, among other things, the interference of the government and the increasing competition, all divisions in the nonprofit sector are obliged to work systematically with their quality. Quality has become necessary. However, as more people gain experience with quality assessments, visitations, and accreditations, so does the criticism. This has to do with how quality is assessed and with the criteria that are used. We will examine this critically in this book. Many questions remain unanswered, and contradictions have not been resolved. Moreover, it is no easy task to have all noses pointing in the same direction. In short, there is still work to be done. This book broadens the traditional vision of quality and quality assurance to a vision and approach that is compatible with the support of the organization’s missions in the nonprofit sector. Incidentally, we will speak of quality development rather than quality assurance. The use of the term ‘quality development’ hopes to inspire people to look differently at quality and how their organization deals with it. Furthermore, this book provides nonprofit organizations with methodologies and tools that can help in the process of permanent quality development. The pursuit of quality for nonprofit organizations is approached from a development perspective and a broader social context. This distinguishes it from the traditional quality management manuals. It offers a constructive and appreciative approach that is compatible with the specific mission of various nonprofit organizations (such as education, health care, social work, and government). The approach is also integral because everyone in the organization, as well as the external partners, is involved.

Cross-cultural Business and Management: Perspectives and Practices

Edited by Chandan Maheshkar, East Nimar Society for Education (ENSE), Indore, India and Vinod Sharma, SCMHRD, Symbiosis International University Pune, India

Culture is a 'cumulative custom of beliefs, values, rituals, and sanctions practiced by a group of people, province or country'. It is a more sensitive dimension of internationalization of any business and making it perform in a culturally diverse environment. Sometimes, nations/states lose their normative significance in a cross-cultural setting (e.g., India, South America). It is because they undermine their earlier philosophies of norms, values, and beliefs or neglect the cultural significance of other nations. In the current business and workplace dynamics, cultural components introduced significant changes in the core assumptions of business practices and skill expectations. This paradigm shift has forced business executives and managers to know how cultural differences affect inter- and intra-organizational functioning. It has made gaining cross-cultural compatibility a serious concern for business and academic communities worldwide. Therefore, this book facilitates business leaders, expatriate managers, business executives, academicians and scholars to explore different cross-cultural business perspectives and practices.

Handbook of Research on Cross-culture Business and Management

Edited by Chandan Maheshkar, East Nimar Society for Education (ENSE), Indore, India and Vinod Sharma, SCMHRD, Symbiosis International University Pune, India

As organizations and businesses continue to expand in the cross-border and multicultural markets, culture needs to be taken into consideration. At present, culture introduces significant changes in the core assumptions of business practices and skill expectations. Gaining cross-cultural compatibility is now a serious concern for businesses and organizations. Appreciating the overall view of cross-cultural business environment, 'Handbook of Research on Cross-culture Business and Management' is a significant attempt to contribute a piece of knowledge on different aspects of cross-cultural business and management, facilitating practitioners and academicians to explore different cross-cultural business practices and develop competencies. This book will be a unique source for cross-cultural business and management practices, helping people of both industry and academia to understand the cross-cultural business environment and improve management practices.

Effective Corporate Governance: Theory and Best Practices

Kirimi Barine and David Minja

Corporate governance has attracted considerable attention worldwide, especially in light of the widely publicized, high-profile global corporate failures and scandals. Since Corporate Governance contributes to the success of any institution, it must therefore be prioritized. In this very practical book, 'Effective Corporate Governance' explores the theories and models of corporate governance as well as the regulatory framework in which corporate governance operates. The authors have also talked about the pillars and best practices for good governance, including what a good board looks like and, at the same time, giving practical ideas on how to measure corporate governance health and what to do to get back on track. In addition, it includes case studies from the African context where the authors have extensively consulted with both for profit, not for profit and government institutions. This book will keep you relevant and ahead of the game whether you are a leader or student of leadership in the public or private sector, a religious institution or even a small and medium enterprise.

The Faces and Stakes of Brand Insertion

Edited by Sébastien Lefait, Aix-Marseille University, France and Sandrine Villers, Paris 8 University, France

With traditional forms of advertisement facing increasing challenges, brand placement - the integration of a product or brand in a work of art - has exploded. It has become a lucrative phenomenon whose goal is to produce a reaction of purchase in the mind of the receiver (reader, viewer or listener). This volume seeks to complement extant studies of product placement strategies by introducing a methodology more systematically related to the field of cultural studies, especially where the reception and impact of product placement are concerned. It explores the many iterations of brand placement in popular culture, with a consideration of the crossover between advertisement and art in everything from Wes Anderson, "Blade Runner" and the "Fast and Furious" franchise, to music videos, late night shows and plastic art. The book considers the impact of brand placement in TV series on teenagers, as well as the evolution of such placement in literature. The originality of this volume is that, when the impact of the placement is mentioned, it is to be understood as an intended aesthetic impact at least as much as a prompt to buy a product. Consequently, the placement of consumer goods in a cultural production, the book suggests, may both increase the sales of specific products and positively impact the production’s ratings. This book is perfect for researchers and students interested in marketing, brand placement, mass media, art, film, and cultural studies.

Market Orientation of Nonprofit Organizations: An Indian Perspective

Renjini D., Cochin University of Science and Technology, India and Mary Joseph T., Cochin University of Science and Technology, India

This book is an insightful account on market orientation and how it enhances the performance of non-profit organizations in India. The book provides the readers with a succinct, yet comprehensive view of scholarly research on the concepts of market orientation, non-profit marketing, and organizational performance of non-profit organizations and demonstrates why and how market orientation can be an effective organizational orientation for Indian non-profit organizations. Despite the growing importance of non-profit sector in socio-economic well-being of societies, academic debate and research in developing economy context in this field is glaringly sparse. This book attempts to addresses this gap in literature by analyzing market orientation and related concepts against the background of environmental conditions in a typical emerging economy context. Therefore, it will be especially beneficial to academics, researchers, students and practitioners in the fields of non-profit management, strategic marketing and social work, desirous of advancing their knowledge in nonprofit market orientation in these settings.

Selflessness in Business

Edited by Dominika Ochnik, University of Opole, Poland

The book deals with a controversial and seemingly paradoxical relationship between selflessness and business. It depicts the primary and lasting controversy between the selfish (egoistic, competitive) and selfless (pro-social, co-operative) behavior in view of social, organizational and individual benefits. Therefore, it takes a step towards finding a solution to some of the challenges of the twenty-first century, particularly sustainable growth. The miscellaneous and transatlantic background of the Authors origins (USA, Colombia, Germany, Poland, UK, Spain) and their various perspectives (psychological, economic or philosophical) guarantee multi-voiced argumentation for strong relationships between selflessness and business. Selflessness is understood from a social perspective as related to self-transcendence and connectedness to others. This perspective can be helpful in providing a deeper understanding of pro-social behavior in organizations and its implications for productivity and effectiveness. The manifestations of this approach can be found in acts such as organizational altruism, loyalty, quantum leadership, or pro-social vocational interests. One can make an in-depth analysis of selflessness’s manifestations on a social, organizational and individual level. The ensuing question is how to achieve self-regulation in order to maintain sustainable growth, and selflessness turns out to be the answer. This book offers strong evidence for high organizational and individual benefits stemming from selfless behavior. Therefore, it is not selfish behavior that enables and encourages productivity and effectiveness but rather selfless behavior. The book also tackles gender issues in business, especially regarding the social female role as being traditionally related to selflessness. The authors aim to reveal possible solutions to present and future challenges and enhance the meaning of positive outcomes of selfless behavior in business and work environments, which seems to be crucial and indispensable for future growth. The book will be useful not only for academic and business specialists but also for everyone interested in a broader perspective at contemporary challenges of business and organizational psychology.

Spoilt for Choice: How senior managers select professional advisors

Wienke Seeger

How do senior executives, such as CEOs and CFOs, interact, select and appoint professional advisors? Based on a successful PhD project, the research in this book explores the interactions between advisors of large professional service firms and senior executive clients on an evidence-based academic level. The research journey and the author’s reflections are charted step-by-step, providing an example of how to analyse unstructured qualitative data, reach theoretical saturation and capture emerging substantive theories. Moreover, by taking a unique holistic and inductive approach, this study offers a series of practical insights on how to combine and apply Kathy Charmaz’ constructivist grounded theory with an auto-ethnographic stance. Divided into eight chapters, the author uses empirical data and rigorous analysis to uncover two distinct decision-making processes, namely (a) the client’s decision to develop and maintain a relationship with the advisor and (b) to select and appoint the advisor for a particular project or services. Mapping these to one common conceptual framework a second complementary model emerges - a type of decision-making matrix with the foci ’competitiveness, skills and merit’, ‘continuity and embeddedness’, ‘control and manage’ and ‘trust and empathy’ - which offers the reader an alternative perspective of client decision-making. This book will be useful for practitioners and researchers alike who have an interest in understanding either naturalistic decision-making processes, the complexities of relationship development and procurement dynamics, as well as applied qualitative research methods.

Spoilt for Choice: How senior managers select professional advisors

Wienke Seeger

How do senior executives, such as CEOs and CFOs, interact, select and appoint professional advisors? Based on a successful PhD project, the research in this book explores the interactions between advisors of large professional service firms and senior executive clients on an evidence-based academic level. The research journey and the author’s reflections are charted step-by-step, providing an example of how to analyse unstructured qualitative data, reach theoretical saturation and capture emerging substantive theories. Moreover, by taking a unique holistic and inductive approach, this study offers a series of practical insights on how to combine and apply Kathy Charmaz’ constructivist grounded theory with an auto-ethnographic stance. Divided into eight chapters, the author uses empirical data and rigorous analysis to uncover two distinct decision-making processes, namely (a) the client’s decision to develop and maintain a relationship with the advisor and (b) to select and appoint the advisor for a particular project or services. Mapping these to one common conceptual framework a second complementary model emerges - a type of decision-making matrix with the foci ’competitiveness, skills and merit’, ‘continuity and embeddedness’, ‘control and manage’ and ‘trust and empathy’ - which offers the reader an alternative perspective of client decision-making. This book will be useful for practitioners and researchers alike who have an interest in understanding either naturalistic decision-making processes, the complexities of relationship development and procurement dynamics, as well as applied qualitative research methods.

Currency Risk Management

Selected Research Papers

Edited by M.S.V. Prasad, GITAM Institute of Management, India and G. V. Satya Sekhar, Gitam University, India

Currency Risk Management (CRM) is vital for any business engaging in international trade. Fluctuations and uncertainty within currency markets mean that businesses must seek to effectively manage and anticipate potential risks when striking international deals. In a rapidly changing and volatile global business environment, CRM is now more than ever of critical importance. However, what risks should businesses hedge – and how? With so many viable strategies for hedging currency exchange risk, it is crucial that businesses either outsource or have a specialized team to ensure effective and efficient management of currency exchange risks. But how does CRM operate in an emerging market? And what are the key factors that influence the chosen CRM strategies? Organized in association with Indian Bank, GITAM’s national conference on CRM sought to highlight the trends, problems, and prospects of CRM in India. Taken from the conference proceedings, this book presents 9 innovative research papers that consider differing CRM practices. From a comparative study of India and China to an assessment of CRM strategies used by commercial Indian banks, this book offers an invaluable insight into CRM from the perspective of an emerging market. As a whole, this book addresses India’s shift to a market-determined exchange rate regime and the inevitable problems caused the by the high volatility of exchange rates. Aimed at students enrolled in commerce and management courses, this collection of research papers will also be of interest to researchers in international finance.

Financial Innovation: Theories, Models and Regulation

G. V. Satya Sekhar, Gitam University, India

Financial innovation is a regular feature of the global financial system. Financial innovation results in greater economic efficiency over time. In the process of creating a new financial product, besides basic theory of financial management, a financial engineer needs to acquire knowledge of optimization and financial modeling techniques. Modern financial innovation is underpinned by a rich literature including the seminal studies by Levich (1985), Smith, Smithson, and Wilford (1990), Verghese (1990), Merton (1992), Levine (1997), John D Finnerty (2002), Tufano (2003) and Draghi (2008), among many others. This book corresponds to the need to provide an integrated study on financial innovation and the economic regulatory mechanism. A key part of financial innovation covered in the book is the process of creating innovative financial securities and derivative pricing that offers new pay-offs to investors. The book also covers a selection of empirical studies corroborating financial innovation theories. It also exposes myths surrounding performance evaluation models. This book is presented in six chapters. The first chapter outlines important considerations on the application of financial innovation theories. The second chapter presents the theories that underpin financial innovation practice. The third chapter focuses on use of technology for financial modeling. The fourth chapter identifies the relationship between financial innovation and the wider economic system. The fifth chapter discusses the place of financial innovation in the global financial system. The sixth and final chapter presents a comparative analysis of India and the United States.

Financial Management

A practical and accessible introduction for students and entrepreneurs

John Smeur, Windesheim University College, Netherlands

This book introduces key concepts and methods in business financial management. It consists of two parts. Part one is structured around start-up investments and key financing decisions facing entrepreneurs during their first year in business. The instruments examined include the investment budget, financing plan, the opening balance sheet, financial planning for profits and liquidity, the closing balance sheet and a complete treatment of ratio analysis. Part two is about cost prices, budgeting and variance analysis, profit calculation methods and break-even point and, finally, calculations of the returns to alternative investment options. All of these subjects are treated in an accessible, stepwise manner and are accompanied with illuminating examples. The combination of theoretical rigor and simple explanations makes the present volume indispensable for both students and entrepreneurs.

Marketing & Economics

An integrative approach to making effective business decisions in the global marketing world.

Sultan Kermally

This book bridges the disciplines of economics and marketing and brings them to bear on the analysis of contemporary business problems. The world has changed dramatically over the last four decades. Sociologically, technologically, economically and politically speaking the world is changing at an increasing pace. The spread of ideas and values are reinforcing the impact of globalization on various business operations and activities. As the late Peter Drucker once remarked: “while you were out the world changed.” To make sense of to the world we live in, we are compelled to draw from diverse disciplines and subjects.This book focuses on the contributions of economics and marketing. The basic principles, theories and issues of economics are selected and are integrated with key elements and principles of marketing. Marketers, in conventional as well as in digital markets, are encouraged to integrate marketing with economics in order to make successful and effective business decisions. Marketing and Economics are subjects dealing with business – business of private firms, not-for-profit organisations and that of government. Economics involves allocation of scarce resources. Scarcity in economics is relative scarcity, scarcity in relation to demand. Written in a casual, accessible language and taking very little for granted, this book is for anyone who is curious about economics and marketing. It provides the essential analytical framework necessary for thriving in today's business. In its diverse chapters it covers topics such as offshoring, the circular economy, benchmarking, mergers and acquisitions, knowledge and innovation, services industries, customer relationships, advertising and communication, among others. It is particularly well suited to undergraduates in business or economics and its fresh perspectives on today's challenges would be of interest to business managers and marketing professionals.

Value-based Marketing Strategy

Pricing and Costs for Relationship Marketing

Santiago Lopez

This book offers novel methods for developing Value-based marketing strategies aimed at increasing revenue and profits. The Value concept relates all the benefits offered by a product with its price and the effort required to obtain it. Global competition requires managing Value rather than individual products or brands. This fosters customer loyalty, and provides a solid basis for relationship marketing. The book takes a practical, step-by-step approach to explain: • How the forces of supply and demand interact with customer Value; • The relationships between benefits, quantities, prices and costs; • How to develop effective competitive strategies; • How to manage inventory and product mix efficiently; • How to apply the Value model to increase profitability, and solve major marketing problems. The book sets forth several new approaches for marketing and pricing decision-making: • The concept of Value integrates marketing, finance, economics and accounting, in order to link Value-based pricing with relationship marketing. • The law of supply and demand is restated with quantity as a function of Value instead of price; this makes it a more realistic and practical tool for understanding today´s highly competitive business environment. • The confrontation and complementation concepts provide useful tools for guiding marketers into new segments, and pricing products accordingly. They play a key role for devising win-win strategies, not only with customers, but also with competitors. • The Value Matrix is a practical tool for understanding the product´s positioning, analyzing its competition, setting prices and developing strategy. It aims at achieving an optimal balance between customer loyalty and product mix profitability. • The Value Life Cycle illustrates how Value acts as a force that constantly changes revenue, providing insight for developing strategies in each phase of the product´s life cycle. • Analogies with physics illustrate how policy constraints create resistance to sales velocity, thereby determining the rate at which a firm advances towards its financial and marketing goals. • The strategy for pricing business services applies Value to balance supply with demand; this leads to increased revenue. • The marketing approach set forth unifies product portfolio and inventory management with Value-based pricing for maximizing income. Clear explanations and accessible language make this book ideal for marketing professionals and non-specialists. Advanced readers may refer to the appendices, where the subjects are analyzed further and the mathematical foundations are laid out; numerous solved problems of pricing and costs are included.

Supply Chain Optimization under Uncertainty

Supply chain design for optimum performance

Barrie Michael Cole

Drawing on cutting-edge research, this book proposes a new 'Supply Chain Optimization under Uncertainty’, technology. Its application can bring many proven benefits to supply chain entities, any associated service providers, and, of course, the customers. The technology can provide the best design and operating solution for a Supply Chain Network (SCN) that is subject to any prevailing conditions of Operational Uncertainty (OU). A SCN is defined as a network of production facilities, distribution centers and retail sales outlets. OU is defined as any relevant combination of i) multiple process objectives e.g. a business needs to maximize operating profits and to minimize inventory levels, ii) fuzziness (<, <=, >, or >=) e.g. sales <= 1500 t/mth and iii) probability e.g. sale of fertilizer is dependent on probabilistic rainfall. Following this method always enables the determination of realistic optimum supply chain solutions, since the effects of any operational uncertainties are always provided for. The book is arranged in two parts. The first part covers the theory and recent research into supply chain optimization under uncertainty. The second part documents the application of the newly proposed technology to an agricultural fertilizer’s (NPK, South Africa) supply chain.