Gregory A. Baker

THE MARKET FOR GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS: CONSUMER CHARACTERISTICS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Conjoint analysis was used to explore consumer preferences for food products that are the product of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The results of a cluster analysis indicated that consumers fell into three homogeneous groups based on their preference for a branded, low-priced, or GMO-free product. There were some differences between the segments based on the sociodemographic characteristics of age, education, and income. However, consumers in the segment that wished to avoid GMOs were most easily distinguished from consumers in the other two segments based on their high level of risk averseness and belief that GMOs do not positively affect the quality or safety of food products. Implications for food marketers and policymakers are discussed.

Consumer preferences for food safety attributes: A market segment approach

Market segments for fresh produce are developed based on consumer preferences for food safety and other product attributes. Conjoint analysis was used to determine consumer preferences and cluster analysis was used to identify the market segments. The results indicate that a majority of consumers would be willing to pay a modest price premium for a program that would certify and label produce as complying with established food safety regulations. A small market segment for produce grown with limited pesticide usage was also identified. ©1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Computer Adoption and Use by New Mexico Nonfarm Agribusinesses

This research explores characteristics that influence computer adoption and successful use in nonfarm New Mexico agribusinesses. Results indicate that computer adoption is related to firm characteristics such as size and type of business, but unrelated to manager characteristics, including age and education. Manager involvement in the computer purchase decision is the most important characteristic affecting computer effectiveness as measured by user satisfaction and number of applications.

STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS OF CONSUMER FOOD SAFETY PREFERENCES

This study examines the tradeoffs consumers are willing to make relative to food safety attributes and other product attributes, such as quality and price, and develops implications for both the government and private sector firms. Conjoint analysis was used to elicit consumersÂ’ preferences for fresh Red Delicious apples. The attributes studied include price, product quality as depicted by the level of defects, a variable representing the level of pesticide usage and the associated cancer risk, and a variable representing different levels of government inspection. The results indicated that most consumers have a strong preference for increased food safety. Government policy options that are explored include stricter production standards, improved regulatory monitoring, and government-defined labels. Private industry options that are examined include grower labels, retailer labels, and third party labels.

Strategic Planning and Financial Performance in the Food Processing Sector

Research on the impact of formal strategic planning on firm performance has yielded mixed results. In this study, approximately 200 executives in five food processing industries were surveyed to examine the relationship between formal strategic planning and financial performance. A multiple indicator measure of strategic planning was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Results of the strategic planning-performance model indicate that use of strategic planning tools has a positive impact on financial performance as measured by the 3-year average pretax return on assets.

Managing quality in California food processing firms

The study evaluates the factors critical to effective quality management in California food processors. The survey results indicate that food processors perform relatively well in terms of the support given by senior management and the role of the quality department. However, the firms perform relatively poorly in the areas of training and employee awareness. Firms in which the responsibility for quality management is shared throughout the plant tend to perform better with respect to 8 of the 10 critical quality factors.

Agribusiness graduate education: The international component

This article describes the various approaches used by graduate business schools to internationalize their curricula. Minimum requirements for the international business component are suggested. Elements of the international component including curricula, faculty development, student internships, student exchanges, and language requirements are addressed. Finally, the implications for graduate agribusiness programs are discussed. ©1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Critical success factors for managing quality in food processing firms

Factors critical to successfully managing quality in the food processing industry are identified and include: the role of top management, the role of the quality department, employee relations, training, and process management. Little relationship was found between a factors importance and firm performance with respect to that factor. Thus, while a factor might be important to successfully managing quality, the firm may not be managing it well. This suggests that many companies have a long way to go to improve quality management. Firms with decentralized quality structures had higher overall levels of quality performance than those in which quality was the responsibility of a single department. ©1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The development of a Mentor Program to foster career management

Because of dramatic changes in the employment environment and the increased frequency with which employees change jobs and careers, career management has become increasingly important. This article introduces and evaluates an academic Mentor Program that was developed in response to these changes. The Mentor Program provides students with many benefits including career counseling, practical work experience, employment opportunities, and networking.

Drought, water access, and urban agriculture: a case study from Silicon Valley

ABSTRACT In California, the growing popularity of urban agriculture (UA) has unfolded against a backdrop of historic drought. While UA is often celebrated as an urban sustainability strategy, it must be able to persist during drought if it is to perform these functions. Using Santa Clara County – the geographic core of Silicon Valley – as a case study, we use interviews and surveys to explore the implications of drought for UA. We show how developing an understanding of water access for UA during a drought requires examining the social and institutional context of water management and use. In metropolitan California, the highly decentralised water supply system combined with the diverse institutional arrangements that support UA create an uneven landscape of water access. Consequently, the pressure to change water-consuming practices – that is, the stress that institutional drought responses place on different water users – is geographically and socially differentiated. Among UA water users, responses to drought have also varied, in part because the possibilities for change are constrained by the sociotechnical arrangements of UA sites and the different purposes of UA.