Business Commons^™

Food Entrepreneurship Curricula, Joseph J. Mpagalile, Wenceslaus R. Ballegu, Jeremia Makindara

INTSORMIL Presentations

SUA Food Entrepreneurship Program Mission Statement: To educate and assist entrepreneurs in developing their sorghum based food manufacturing business. Covers ideas generation, market research, business development, regulations, food safety, brand development, sales and distribution, and with a focus on product development.

Developing Entrepreneurship, The Tanzania Experience: Sua-Intsormil Project, Joseph J. Mpagalile, Wenceslaus R. Ballegu

INTSORMIL Presentations

Project Title: Building a Sustainable Infrastructure for Product Development and Food Entrepreneur/Industry Technical Support: A Strategy to Promote Increased Use of Sorghum and Millet in East Africa.

Long Term Program Objectives: Development of successful entrepreneurial businesses that add-value to sorghum and millet such that:

~Farmers have an established outlet for cash sales of high-quality sorghum and millet

~Small businesses or cooperatives develop processing capabilities enabling the incorporation of sorghum and millet into a wide variety of food products

~Markets and market channels for sorghum and millet-based products develop.

Further develop research, extension and marketing expertise of National Agricultural Research Institutes …

Developing Entrepreneurism: Student Training And Involvement, Curtis L. Weller

INTSORMIL Presentations

Student training is an important component of INTSORMIL UNL-SUA-UNZA project. One current project, "Measurement of Starch Digestibility in Starch and Flour from Tannin containing Sorghum" by N.L. Mkandawire, C.L. Weller, D.J. Rose, and D.S. Jackson, is outlined in this presentation.

Economic Analysis Of Small Scale Sorghum Processing In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Jeremia Makindara, Joseph J. Mpagalile, Wenceslaus Ballegu

INTSORMIL Presentations

Due to small scale food processing initiatives, several entrepreneurs dealing in small scale sorghum processing have emerged in Tanzania and especially in urban centers such as Dar es Salaam. The recent initiative that has contributed to this is the SUA-INTSORMIL Project that started in 2005. However, despite such initiatives being received by many entrepreneurs, very few economic studies have been conducted to assess the benefits obtained by sorghum processing entrepreneurs and the challenges they face are not well explained. This study therefore assessed costs and benefits obtained by small scale sorghum processing entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam and the challenges …

Sorghum And Pearl Millet Seed Value Chains In Zambia: Opportunities And Challenges For Smallholder Farmers, Priscilla Hamukwala

INTSORMIL Presentations

Sorghum and pearl millet rank second and third, respectively, as important staple cereals after maize.

-There are new market developments in the beer industry requiring farmers to increase productivity and production

-These markets can significantly affect access to improved seed, and thus increase decisions on utilization

-Even though market developments indicate great potential for the two crops, their supply has remained erratic

-There was need therefore to identify the constraining factors to steady supply of sorghum & millet grain through conducting a seed value chain

-Little is known about the existing seed acquisition channels, extent of utilization, how they function …

Two Essays On Momentum Strategy And Its Sources Of Abnormal Returns, Yu Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation studies the sources of the momentum abnormal returns. The first essay attempts to find the relative role of cross-sectional and time-series variances in generating returns from the momentum strategy. By decomposing the returns from the momentum strategy both theoretically and empirically, the first essay finds that own-stock autocovariance is an important source in generating momentum returns. More interestingly, the own-stock autocovariance comes primarily from the loser portfolio. This finding provides another explanation to the recent finding that the loser portfolio is the driving force of the momentum abnormal returns.

Based on the above discovery from the first essay, …

Consolidating And Implementing An Employee Handbook At Souza’S Dairy, Inc., Adrianna Souza

Dairy Science

The objective of this senior project was to create a more useful handbook that employees will read, condensing the existing but still retaining the important information. Along with updating the handbook, I plan to implement the use of the employee handbooks. An employee handbook is an important solution to help employers and employees have consistent information. An outdated employee handbook can create problems in the workplace. New and changed laws occur every year and the firm will want to ensure that the employee handbook and policy handbook are up to date with the most recent laws and policies to mitigate …

Feasibility Of Operating A Training Facility On The Central Coast, Katrina Young

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of American And Australian Preferred Wine Label Attributes, Taylor Lee Hansard

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Study Of An Enomatic Wine Bar In San Luis Obispo, Eric Daniel Maida

Agribusiness

The purpose of this project was to determine whether it would be feasible to open an Enomatic Wine Bar in downtown San Luis Obispo.

There were two major costs involved in this project, the development of the facility and the operation of the business. Once all of the costs were determined, they were entered into an Excel spreadsheet providing the Enomatic Wine Bar Budget and the Income Statement. From the Enomatic Wine Bar Budget and the Income Statement a Return on Investment of 27% was realized.

Using the figures from the Enomatic Wine Bar Budget and the Income Statement, it …

Financial Feasibility Analysis Of A Custom Harvesting Business Of Wine Grapes In Fresno County, Jacob Constance

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine if it was financially feasible to start a custom harvesting business of wine grapes in Fresno County. A fully amortizing loan for $120,000 was taken out at a four percent interest rate and loan term of five years. The custom harvesting business in Fresno County was analyzed using capital budgeting techniques and forecasted financial documents. It is concluded to be profitable over an eight year span to establish and maintain a machine harvesting business based on the investment analysis that provides a net present value of $69,450.37 at a discount rate of 12 percent, …

A Cost Benefit Analysis Of Utilizing Solar Panels On Bates Nut Farm, Brandon Walter Ness

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Optimal Palm Oil Processing Plant Size In South Sumatera, Shelly V. Gozali

Agribusiness

This study was conducted to determine if the palm oil processing plant with a capacity of thirty tons per hour is the optimal size for the Sutopo Lestari Jaya Company. This report represents two important techniques when performing the analysis. A net present value has been calculated in determining the feasibility of the palm oil processing plant in the next ten years after it is built. A break-even analysis has been performed to determine the number of units produced to cover the fixed cost after the processing plant operates.

It is concluded that the processing plant with a capacity of …

Observational Study Of Retail Wine Venues In San Luis Obispo In Relation To Shelf Space And The Amount Of Wine Sold, J. (James) Calvin Mead

Agribusiness

This study was conducted in order to gain valuable information related to the retail wine industry and find similarities and differences in wine shelf space from store to store. All the stores were unique to some degree, but they also shared several aspects of the wine display. For example, some stores were similar in relation to the number of wine brands they offered, structure of the wine displays, prices of wines, types of promotions, types of packaging, number of sections based on varietals or countries, and overall ratings. Averages, frequencies, one-way analyses, multiple comparisons, and descriptive statistics were all calculated …

Price Comparisons Of Selected Produce Between Farmers’ Markets And Grocery Stores In San Luis Obispo County., Jacqueline De Figueiredo

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine the price comparisons of selected produce between farmers' markets and grocery stores in San Luis Obispo County.

All data was collected through out an eight week period and recorded to determine if prices, on average, are lower at famers' markets compared to their neighboring grocery. This data was used to compare prices of commodities at farmers' markets and neighboring grocery stores in San Luis Obispo County for five selected produce items. The data collected includes prices of each commodity, location, and date. After collecting the data, the final step in determining if prices are …

The Archway Investment Fund Semi Annual Report, December 2010, Bryant University, Archway Investment Fund

Archway Investment Fund

No abstract provided.

Financial Statements Are About To Get A New Look, Clemense Ehoff Jr.

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Business

In October 2008, The FASB and the IASB issued a discussion letter for comment proposing a complete redesign of financial statements. This was the result of a project that began for both boards in 2001. More than 200 comment letters were received from individuals, accounting firms, professional societies, corporations, and others from the business community. The FASB and IASB have analyzed the input, and are currently preparing an exposure draft scheduled for release in early 2011. This paper reviews the proposed changes to the financial statements, summarizes the favorable and unfavorable responses contained in the comment letters, and examines the …

Diagnostic Tools For The Elevator Business, Clemense Ehoff Jr.

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Business

Although much has been written about elevator maintenance from the engineering perspective, little has been written about elevator maintenance from a business perspective. This paper explores some of the business diagnostic tools useful in evaluating elevator maintenance performance and setting elevator performance objectives. These tools may also be applied to other types of maintenance operations.

Research Project For Rokenbok Educational Foundation, Brian Becker-Tirrill, Paul Eichen, Stefanie Kurtz-Harris, Jennifer Tracy

Program Design and Evaluation

Research project on Equipo de Ingenieros en Accion (Team of Engineers in Action), a collaborative program of Rokenbok Educational Foundation and Center for Academic and Social Advancement.

Quantitative Hedge Fund Selection, Melvyn Teo

Research Collection BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre

Prior research has shown that small funds, young funds, and local funds outperform their older, larger, and distant counterparts. According to the literature, hedge fund performance is driven by fund capacity constraints, managerial incentives, and local information. I revisit these studies on hedge funds and test whether their results hold up in recent data. By doing so, I lay the foundations for a quantitative hedge fund selection framework.

Innovative Entrepreneurs' Workbook: A Guide For Innovators And Entrepreneurs, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu

Research Collection Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This is a workbook for individuals who have decided to start their long winding entrepreneurial journey. It is organized into four parts. The first part introduces the aspiring entrepreneur to the process of identifying an innovation opportunity and refining for market readiness. The second part provides insights into a product or service development. The third part lays out the key steps involved in building a new company. This part includes IP strategy for a startups, a topic rarely discussed in many text books or workbooks. The last part will discuss the art of securing the early deals. This book was …

Minerva 2010, The Honors College

Minerva

This issue of Minerva celebrates the 75th anniversary of Honors at the University of Maine! It includes an article on the college's 75th anniversary celebration; a look into the inaugural Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) symposium; and discussions on 2010 Honors Read, Persepolis, as well as 2011 Honors Read, The Omnivore's Dilemma. Other highlights include an article on Honors graduate and historian, Kristen Gwinn, and her book Emily Greene Balch: The Long Road to Internationalism.

December 2010, Inland Empire Business Journal

Inland Empire Business Journal

What Planet Are You On? Six Steps to Simplify Remote Management Managing people and projects from different cities, states, time zones, or countries is infinitely more difficult. You might as well be on different planets. Jim Bain gives us some tips that can make sure that they are on the same planet as their remote team members

The Impact of Caregiving on Business Did you know that the average cost to employers per working caregiver is $2,110 per year. This costs U.S. employers $33 billion a year. However, programs designed to help employees deal with eldercare and other caregiving issues …

Is Portfolio Performance Related To Whether A Manager Has An Ivy League Education?, Jonathan Janos

Business/Business Administration

No abstract provided.

Performance Attribution: Are Sector Fund Managers Superior Stock Selectors?, Nicholas Scala

Business/Business Administration

Abstract:

Do equity sector fund managers outperform diversified equity fund managers? This paper examines this question during 2000-2009 by formulating simulated portfolios of Fidelity Select Sector Funds with weights similar to the sector weightings of actual multi-sector equity fund portfolios. The returns of the simulated portfolios were then netted against the actual portfolios to determine which outperforms. The results indicate that Sector Fund managers have superior stock selection ability, with one notable exception: the small-cap value investment style. Small-cap value multi-sector equity fund managers outperformed the simulated portfolios, indicating superior stock selection ability by fund managers in that category. Although …

The Performance Of Nigerian Stock Exchange Sectoral Indices: January 2009 December 2010, Alvan E. Ikoku, George Okorie

Bullion

The paper reviews the performance of the sectoral indices during the first twenty-four months of their existence, i.e., between their inception in January 2009 and December 2010. The authors seek to examine not only the raw performance of the indices but also their risk-adjusted performance. The results of the analysis will facilitate the allocation of capital by institutional as well as individual investors in the Nigerian equity market. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 discusses the transformation of the indices and their correlation. In section 3, we examine the nominal performance of the sectoral indices …

The Role Of Economic Community Of West African States (Ecowas) In Promoting Borderless Trade In West Africa., Adam J. Akperan, Sanni Ganiyu Kayode

Bullion

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen countries, founded in 1975. Its mission is to promote economic integration in "all fields of economic activities, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters". This paper examines the role of CBN economy and monetary policies on the heels of borderless trade amongst the ECOWAS State. ECOWAS aims to promote peace, co-operation and integration in economic, social and cultural activity, ultimately leading to the establishment of an economic and monetary union through the total integration of the …

Optimal Designs Approach To Portfolio Selection, Etukudo A. I.

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

In order to obtain the best tradeoff between risk and return, optimization algorithms are particularly useful in asset allocation in a portfolio mix. Such algorithms and proper solution techniques are very essential to investors in order to circumvent distress in business outfits. In this paper, we show that by minimizing the total variance of the portfolio involving stocks in two Nigerian banks which is a measure of risk, optimal allocation of investible funds to the portfolio mix is obtained. A completely new solution technique – modified super convergent line series algorithm which makes use of the principles of optimal designs …

Relationship Between Inflation And Stock Market Returns: Evidence From Nigeria, Omotor G. Douglason

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

The linkage between stock prices and inflation has been subjected to extensive research in the past decades and has arouse the interests of academics, researchers, practitioners and policy makers globally, particularly since the 1990s. The issue has been the apparent anomaly of the negative relationship between inflation and stock market returns as most studies in the industrialized economies have shown. This paper investigates this relationship using monthly and quarterly data of Nigeria for the period 1985 to 2008. The findings of this paper seem to suggest that stock market returns may provide an effective hedge against inflation in Nigeria.

Statistics For National Development, Sani I. Doguwa

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

Good statistics that has been collected according to agreed good practices are crucial as a tool for development. Gross domestic product (GDP) and other measures of economic activity such as Gross National Income (GNI) together with their individual components, show how the economy is responding to government policy and other influences. The balance of payments can demonstrate the requirement for policy adjustments and is also one of the indicators scrutinised by potential foreign investors in the country. Agricultural statistics clearly have implications for longer-term planning, particularly if they show a move away from the land into urban areas or a …