Bassam Hamdar

An efficiency approach to managing Mississippi's marginal land based on the conservation reserve program (CRP)

Abstract The US Congress established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985. The program, administered by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), is a voluntary long-term cropland retirement program. USDA pays farm owners an annual per-acre rent and reimburses them for one-half of the cost of establishing a permanent land cover in exchange for retiring highly erodible cropland for 10 years. The program is meant to boost net farm income and improve environmental quality over the life of the program (1986–1999). The paper presented here is a linear programming application to the economic modeling of Mississippis marginal agricultural land conversion to timber use. Under the adopted crop and timber prices, costs and yields, the optimal solution to maximize net returns to land was realized by placing all cropland into timber use. However, results from this analysis indicate that from an economic standpoint, the optimal solution is highly sensitive to changes in crop and timber prices. Returns from timber production will not be realized until well into the future as compared to annual returns from crops. A farmers personal time horizon may indeed impact on his land-use decision. Perhaps other criteria such as the 10 years stability of CRP rent payments or externalities associated with crop retirement such as a desire for wildlife habitat will affect farmers land-use decisions. Results from CRP sign-ups indicate that Mississippis farmers have utilized the CRP by converting almost 514 800 acres of marginal cropland into trees.

A new era for efficient food manufacturing in the Lebanon: the experience of Conserves Modernes Chtaura

Addresses the way in which Conserves Modernes Chtaura (CMC) of Lebanon is tackling the challenges of increased competition in the Lebanese food industry. Describes the company’s attempts to re‐structure its supply chain to improve links with farmers and raise quality standards, as the Lebanon enters a new era of food processing. Concludes that the continuous globalisation of food markets will necessitate the elimination of all subsidies and import control policies currently operated by the Lebanese government. Food processing will be transformed by a much higher degree of complementarity with the farming industry, through vertical alliances, and with the retail industry, through improved supply chain management. Gives the most important strategies that CMC are currently pursuing.

Organic farming: economic efficiency approach of applying layer litter rates to greenhouse grown strawberries and lettuce.

Abstract The agricultural sector is becoming more and more concerned with implementing environmentally friendly practices in order to enhance environmental quality and lessen environmental degradation. The paper presented here is an identification of costs and benefits associated with applying ammonium nitrate, layer hen litter at 7 ton/ha, and layer hen litter at 14 ton/ha as fertilizers to greenhouse grown strawberry and lettuce, through the utilization of the Net Present Value (NPV) technique which compares benefits and costs. The results of this technique indicated that, after deducing costs from benefits, layer hen litter at 7 ton/ha or 14 ton/ha was found to be more profitable than ammonium nitrate. However, for environmental safety, the lower rate of layer hen litter (7 ton/ha) is preferred to the higher rate (14 ton/ha) because it is less than the critical 13 ton/ha, considered to cause water contamination by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Strengthening the linkages between research and extension in agricultural higher education institutions in developing countries

Abstract This article provides background information on the conditions and limitations of the integrated system teaching, research and extension in agricultural higher education institutions in developing countries as a development strategy. A theoretical framework for the interface between research and extension is discussed. A typological model is proposed to explain external and internal linkage factors. Organizational and operational linkage strategies are suggested. Given this set of linkage factors, because of underlying infrastructure, human resource, and organizational advantage, research and extension programs conducted by these institutions are envisaged to be very effective.

Hospitality Management Curriculum and Potential Market Competencies: An Assessment of the Compatibility of AUST Graduates with that of the Lebanese Hospitality Job Market

Background: The recurring dilemma encountered by the academic programs in the Hospitality Management field is how applicable these programs are to the realities of the job market. That is, matching academic preparation to desired competencies sought by the market. This paper provides a positive insight into the elements that have led to the success of the curriculum of the Hospitality Management Department at the American University of Science and Technology (AUST) in Lebanon. It is a unique case which offers lessons to be learned, and which are applicable on a larger scale. Aims: This paper presents a brief description of the travel and tourism sector in Lebanon, and the requirements necessary in the development of adequate human resources to cover the market’s needs. The paper provides necessary facts to assess the potentiality of the university’s graduates and what the Faculty of Business and Economics of AUST can offer to create a value-added workforce. Original Research Article Hejase et al.; JSRR, Article no. JSRR.2014.9.01

Economic and Behavioral Assessment of Motivation Factors of Lebanese Monetary Donors to Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)

In recent years, non-profit organizations proved to play a vital role in the community especially in a small country like Lebanon where goods and services to the population are very limited and only few alternatives are obtainable. Private individual charitable giving has gained much importance as a source of support for non-profit organizations. The aim of this paper is to assist these charitable organizations to better understand the motivating factors of Lebanese donors. This paper conducted a research on the effect of the gender and educational level of donors on their donation decisions, to know what motivates them to give to charity, what hinders them from giving more, and what affects their choice of the recipient Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). Data from 235 respondents in Beirut, the authors were able to deduce three potential motivating factors affecting the donor; religion, human sympathy, and social solidarity, and three potential de-motivating factors (or barriers); non-transparency, lack of post donation reports, and the insistence in the request of donations. Moreover, three potential factors affecting the decision of donors to choose the recipient NGOs: Good reputation, same religious affiliation, and importance of the cases requesting donations. The results of this study will provide valuable insights into how donors engage with these non-profit organizations as well as pave the way for the NGOs to effectively influence the decisions and intentions of donors.

Trauma Awareness and Education in Lebanon : An Exploratory Study

Trauma is considered nowadays a leading cause of death worldwide. It is a known fact that tens of millions of people are injured or disabled every year; children, pedestrians, cyclists and the elderly are among the most vulnerable of road users. However, research supports the fact that a better management of ‘Trauma’ patients leads to an increase in the survival rates and a decrease in morbidity and mortality. In an effort to lessen the burden of death and disability from injury, a spectrum of activities needs to be considered, ranging from surveillance and basic research to prevention programs, to ‘Trauma’ management, among which prevention is the most prominent and vital. Furthermore, efforts are exerted to encourage the preventability of road traffic injuries and promote good practices related to helmet and seatbelt wearing, no drinking while driving, no speeding, and being visible in traffic. This paper elaborates on the importance of the primary care of the injured patients and more importantly, awareness and appropriate training of the health care providers. The purpose of this research is to assess the Lebanese healthcare providers’ knowledge and opinion on ‘Trauma’ education and training towards increasing the awareness of ‘Trauma’ care in Lebanon, improving the education of the health care providers and standardizing the management of ‘Trauma’ patients. A quantitative exploratory research is used utilizing a survey questionnaire as a basis for quantitative analysis using descriptive statistics and causal regression techniques. Research outcomes are to be used as a foundation for recommendations to the Lebanese public sector as well as to the private healthcare institutions so as to promote them to introduce better policies into ‘Trauma’ management principles, and guidelines for more effective practices. To cite this article [Hejase, H. J., El Skaff, D. Hamdar, B. & Hejase, A. J. (2017). Trauma Awareness and Education in Lebanon: An Exploratory Study. The Journal of Middle East and North Africa Sciences, 3(10), 8-31]. (P-ISSN 24129763) (e-ISSN 2412-8937). www.jomenas.org. 2

Decision Making under Stress : An Exploratory Study in Lebanon

Nowadays, balancing work and family is getting more demanding, finding time for oneself is difficult, and the demands of work are overwhelming; life is becoming more stressful. Stress has become one of the factors that decisionmakers must contend with in most life-or-death situations. In business, stress can be detrimental to the success of managers when making key decisions. This paper presents an exploratory study on the effect of stress on decision makers. It focuses on the impact of stress throughout the decision-making process and not only at the time of decision. It also highlights the importance of mitigating stress in order to reach an effective decision. The impact of stress is studied from two perspectives, one of the decision makers themselves and another of their subordinates. The findings of the research give a holistic view on stress and its impact on decision makers, and an insight into business stress mitigation strategies. The research adopts a quantitative approach where data is gathered from different conveniently selected employees, through survey questionnaires that are used to gather insight into the employees’ perception of managers’ performance under stress. Detailed results of the survey questionnaires are stated and are analyzed using the software SPSS for quantitative data. This research suggests that a better understanding of the interplay between stress and an individuals judgment and decision-making activities may yield a better understanding of how people reach the choices they make under stress. To cite this article [Hejase, H. J., Hamdar, B., Hashem, F., & Bou Sleiman, R. (2017). Decision Making Under Stress: An Exploratory Study in Lebanon. The Journal of Middle East and North Africa Sciences, 3(12), 1-16]. (P-ISSN 24129763) (e-ISSN 24128937). www.jomenas.org. 1

A Review of Land Utilization in the U.S.: Agricultural and Forestry Land Use Competition

ABSTRACT The domination of forestland and forest policies by agriculture is a major problem in the U.S. Historically, forestland presented a formidable obstacle that had to be overcome if farming was to take place. Thus, forestland was converted to agricultural land. Forestland was cleared and put into production of agricultural commodities. Therefore, it can be shown that there is a relationship between agricultural land use and forestland use. This relationship has shown forest use to be a weak competitor for agricultural land. This study traces out the historical interactions between agricultural and forestry policies. Trends in agricultural and forestry land use are identified and related to specific policies and/or institutional connections.