Measures Of Diversification Research Articles

Land use diversification may mitigate on-site land use impacts on mammal populations and assemblages.

Land use is a major cause of biodiversity decline worldwide. Agricultural and forestry diversification measures, such as the inclusion of natural elements or diversified crop types, may reduce impacts on biodiversity. However, the extent to which such measures may compensate for the negative impacts of land use remains unknown. To fill that gap, we synthesised data from 99 studies that recorded mammal populations or assemblages in natural reference sites and in cropland and forest plantations, with or without diversification measures. We quantified the responses to diversification measures based on individual species abundance, species richness and assemblage intactness as quantified by the mean species abundance indicator. In cropland with natural elements, mammal species abundance and richness were, on average, similar to natural conditions, while in cropland without natural elements they were reduced by 28% and 34%, respectively. We found that mammal species richness was comparable between diversified forest plantations and natural reference sites, and 32% lower in plantations without natural elements. In both cropland and plantations, assemblage intactness was reduced compared with natural reference conditions, but the reduction was smaller if diversification measures were in place. In addition, we found that responses to land use were modified by species traits and environmental context. While habitat specialist populations were reduced in cropland without diversification and in forest plantations, habitat generalists benefited. Furthermore, assemblages were impacted more by land use in tropical regions and landscapes containing a larger share of (semi)natural habitat compared with temperate regions and more converted landscapes. Given that mammal assemblage intactness is reduced also when diversification measures are in place, special attention should be directed to species that suffer from land use impacts. That said, our results suggest potential for reconciling land use and mammal conservation, provided that the diversification measures do not compromise yield.

Optimization time-cost-quality-work continuity in construction management using mutation–crossover slime mold algorithm

This study presents the mutation–crossover slime mold algorithm (MCSMA) to balance the time, cost, quality, and work continuity in a particular construction project. The slime mold algorithm is combined with the mutation–crossover method to modify the operating mechanism and increase the ability of finding optimal solutions in the exploration and exploitation space during the optimization process. The optimal exchange problem considers all the logical aspects of occurring activities and the obvious reasoning applied to choose a compromise solution in the project implementation. The MCSMA is compared with five well-known algorithms (i.e., OMOSOS, MOABC, MODE, MOPSO, and NSGA-II) to verify the effectiveness and performance of the proposed model. According to the analysis results, the MCSMA generates a diversification measure for both case studies with 0.501 and 0.485 C-Metric, 0.785 and 0.923 Spread, and 0.843 and 0.806 Hyper-volume. The algorithmic model represents development, improvement, and diversification in the problem of achieving model convergence and wide distribution and gives a better uniformity of optimal solutions compared to the other algorithms.

Legume integration for biological control deserves a firmer scientific base

Diversification measures are widely recognized for their potential to enhance the resilience of agri-food production systems under global change. Nitrogen-fixing legumes commonly feature in diversification schemes, where they exert positive impacts on soil structure, nutrient retention, carbon sequestration or fertilizer reduction. Though legumes are premier tools for conservation agriculture, their impacts on (invertebrate, microbial) biological control are far less clear. As legumes secrete copious amounts of energy-rich (floral, extra-floral) nectar and provide alternative host or prey items for resident natural enemies, their deployment is expected to benefit biological control. Yet, its mechanistic basis is poorly understood and scientific underpinnings weak. In this Perspective piece, we collate data from the published literature and open-access databases on the extent to which different natural enemy guilds interact with 25 legume species that are commonly used as intercrops in the (sub)tropics. Our work unveils how natural enemies regularly forage on legumes, but the portrayal of those interaction linkages –or “biostructure” data- is profoundly incomplete and their ensuing implications for biological control are under-investigated. For instance, merely 4 (out of 167) parasitoids of the globally invasive fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda have been recorded in association with legumes. We hope that this Perspective piece will stimulate further thought, drive a new wave of biodiversity x ecosystem function research, and ultimately result in the design and implementation (or preservation) of more resilient, resource-frugal and pest-suppressive farming systems.

Old Firms and New Export Flows: Does Experience Increase Survival?

In this paper we present new empirical evidence on the relationship between exporting experience and the duration of exports at the firm-product-destination level. We find that the direct effect of experience on export flow survival is negative. However, when we include interactions between experience and firm export diversification measures, this effect becomes positive. This suggests that more experienced firms launch more risky export flows which increases the probability of failure of any individual product-destination pairing.

Crop diversification as a household livelihood strategy under environmental stress. Factors contributing to the adoption of crop diversification in shrimp cultivation and agricultural crop farming zones of coastal Bangladesh

Environmental stressors, potentially aggravated by climate change, pose significant challenges to households whose livelihoods rely primarily on crop production in agriculture or aquaculture, particularly in countries of the Global South. In this context, diversified farming systems, or crop diversification, have been discussed as one adaptation strategy of smallholder farming households to reduce their livelihood vulnerability and increase farm resilience. In coastal Bangladesh, livelihoods based on cultivation of shrimp, prawn, fish, paddy (rice) and other crops are likely to become more vulnerable with accelerated sea level rise, extreme flooding events, cyclone activity, river bank erosion and salinization. While crop diversification in Bangladesh is still low overall, it has been increasing. To understand the factors driving the uptake of diversified cropping in different farming production contexts and allow for policy measures addressing regionally specific needs, we explore the (relative) impact and significance of relevant factors contributing to the adoption of crop diversification practices for (i) shrimp cultivation and (ii) agricultural crop farming zones. We specifically include variables representing subjectively perceived risks to study their role in climate change adaptation. Our findings are based on a quantitative household survey (n = 1188) in nine purposefully selected unions across the Bangaleshi part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta to capture the diversity of the region. Our results show that the prevalence of crop diversification measures is relatively high in the shrimp cultivation zone, but relatively low in the agricultural crop farming regions. In sum, the results show that even though direct economic factors seem to be (still) more important for diversification decisions, our study also suggests that perceived environmental threats and changes can have a favourable influence on crop diversification and should hence be included in studies investigating causes for land use changes. Yet, there are significant differences with regard to the influence of specific factors on the likelihood to diversify in the two respective zones. We conclude that greater uptakes of agriculture and aquaculture diversification could represent a promising and more sustainable approach for smallholders in coastal Bangladesh given appropriate supportive institutional conditions and measures that address specific needs of local communities. A “one-size-fits-all” approach to pushing crop diversification is unlikely to produce adequate and sustainable results.

Analysis of demographic trends in onotowns and state support measures.

The article provides a general analysis of the demographic trends of monotowns. Classification, population, employment, migration trends and state support measures for economic diversification of monotowns in Kazakhstan with prospects for the development of town forming enterprise in case of depletion of raw materials. If in some monotowns we see growth of population then others demonstrate the population outflow, therefore we analyzed existing trends in socio-economic development of monotowns, but significant part of them shows demographic decline and outflow of skilled labor force. We provided a comparative analysis, methods of analytical analysis and a review of foreign and domestic scientific literature. We consider the ways of solving problems and development methods of monotowns. We studied socio-economic development level, international experience in solving problems and evaluated the effectiveness of state aid for monotowns. Nine monotowns due to their location have close economic ties with regional centers, which has a positive effect on their economic development. Population in these cities is generally stable. Economy diversification due to competitiveness of monotowns, balance of labor force, labor resources through demographic indicators such as mortality, migration growth, life expectancy. Vast territory, low population density, demographic growth and decline, remoteness from natural resources and intensive development of deposits, development of monotowns remain one of the most main tasks. The population decline in monotowns is observed in Pavlodar, Kostanay, East Kazakhstan, Mangystau regions, and the population of monotowns in Kazakhstan has decreased over the past five years

Business groups and the impact of industry relatedness on firms' borrowing costs

PurposeThis study analyzes whether industry relatedness between a corporate borrower and its group peers significantly affects that firm's borrowing cost.Design/methodology/approachA regression analysis is run on bank-loan data of a sample of Indonesian companies for 2010–2020. The main variables of interest are the natural logarithms of the borrowing firm's number of affiliates classified within either similar 2- or 4-digit GICS industries, and the Caves weighted index of these firms' related diversification. This index measures how firms in a group are diversified in relation to the borrower. The dependent variable is the all-in credit spread, stated in basis points, over the LIBOR or similar benchmark, as of the loan issuance date.FindingsFindings support the industry-relatedness hypothesis and contradict the risk-reduction hypothesis and show that banks charge lower loan spreads on a borrowing firm that either operates within a similar industry as its affiliate or diversifies into related sectors or industries. Consistent with the co-insurance-effect hypothesis, the results also underline the importance of the parent and first-layer firms as supporting instead of the tunneling vehicles within business groups. These conclusions hold even after segregating the sample and using the loan maturity as the dependent variable.Originality/valueThis study uses a unique diversification measurement based on the borrowing firm's sector or industry, relative to other group members, and offers new insights on business group diversification and bank loan costs.

Review and assessment of import diversification methods and measures in the primary economic sector

The diversification of import plays a very important role in the current world full of risks and political perturbations. Covid-19 lockdowns and Russian - Ukrainian war cause disruptions in supply chains. Therefore, import diversification is very important for ensuring the country's supply security. There are many measures and tools developed for assessing economic diversification, including import diversification though the majority of studies are addressing export diversification and analyzing the importance of economic diversification for economic growth and macro-economic stability in the primary sector. However, risks of supply disruptions, especially in the current globalized world, can cause many problems for specific industries, regions and countries. There is a literature gap on the analysis of import diversification methods and measures in terms of their suitability for economic analysis and decision-making in all economic sectors, including mining. The paper aims to overcome this gap by analyzing import diversification measures based on a systematic literature review and assessing them according to the main criteria of suitability for economic analysis and decision-making: simplicity, data availability, comparability and transparency. The ranking of import diversification methods and measures was provided based on conducted analysis and assessment.

Effects of field-level strip and mixed cropping on aerial arthropod and arable flora communities

Loss of arthropod biodiversity can impair the provision of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. Crop diversification strategies offer the possibility to support arthropod communities without putting aside agricultural land as conservation areas. Within-field crop diversification measures, such as strip cropping and crop mixtures, may provide arthropods with continuity and diversity in food, shelter and habitat at fine spatial and temporal resolutions. However, it is unclear how strip cropping and plant species diversity within strips influences aerial arthropod and weed communities in commercially sized arable fields. In this 2-year study we tested the effects of crop heterogeneity on aerial arthropod and plant communities in organically managed strip fields. We tested effects of configurational crop heterogeneity by comparing sole cropping (MONO) with strip cropping (STRIP), and compositional crop heterogeneity by comparing STRIP with flower-legume-grain crop mixtures grown in strips (STRIPMIX). Aerial arthropod communities were assessed in 138 sweep net transects and plant communities in 124 vegetation plots in cabbage, wheat, sugar beet and barley. Higher configurational crop heterogeneity by strip cropping reduced herbivore abundances and increased natural enemy species richness in organic cabbage strips. Cabbage in MONO had a significantly higher herbivore abundance (+11%) and a lower natural enemy species richness (−57%) than cabbage in STRIP. Higher compositional crop heterogeneity by sowing additional plant species in strips (STRIPMIX) significantly increased plant abundance (+33%), plant species richness (+21%), total aerial arthropod abundance (+45%), and total aerial arthropod species richness (+21%) compared to STRIP. Our work shows that both configuration of crop areas (MONO vs. STRIP) and plant species diversity within strips (STRIP vs. STRIPMIX) can support arthropod biodiversity and natural pest suppression, but that arthropod responses differ between diversification strategies and crop combinations. Further optimization of design and management of within-field crop diversification strategies holds potential to attain biodiversity-based cropping systems which deliver multiple ecosystem services and have a reduced dependency on pesticides.

The asymmetry of shocks in crude oil price in Nigeria

While studies in Nigeria have focused on the consequences of oil price shocks on the economy, they implicitly assumed that oil price changes are symmetrical without specifically testing for asymmetry. This study concentrated on the shock asymmetries and crude oil price volatility in Nigeria. Used were time series data for the years 1981 to 2022 from the Statistical Bulletin of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the World Bank. The data were analyzed using the Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) model, and the findings showed that there is a general tendency for oil price shocks to be around 1.83 percent bigger in declining oil prices than in rising prices. The asymmetric shocks to the price of oil completely dominate positive leverage. In order to minimize the economy's reliance on crude oil exports as its main export (and source of revenue), measures for export promotion and diversification should be put in place.

Hard and soft factors of trade facilitation and export diversification: Evidence for developing and the least developed countries

This study examines how developing and the least developed countries (LDCs) can foster export diversification by considering trade facilitation as an effective policy option. Unlike previous studies, this paper constructs composite indicators—namely, hard and soft factors of trade facilitation—to better clarify which trade facilitation aspect is a matter of priority. Also, it uses the number of products and markets based on Harmonized System (HS) six‐digit level as export diversification measures. Finally, it investigates the differentiated impacts of hard and soft factors on export diversification in the LDCs. For the period 2007–17 and 92 countries, the results reveal that border efficiency promotes variety in products and markets, and the availability and quality of infrastructure enhances variety in markets for the whole sample of countries. Moreover, strengthening the availability and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) plays a significant role in the LDCs' export diversification.

Research on Diversification Strategies of Terminal Operators—Evidence from Polish Seaports

In response to changes taking place in the global environment, seaport terminal operators constantly search for lines of development in their operations, choosing i.a. a strategy of diversification or specialisation. So far, the issue of applying a diversification strategy in business models used by operators of multipurpose terminals has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature on the subject. In view of the above, the purpose of this paper is to identify and hierarchize the motivations for diversification and to specify the areas of diversification strategies and corresponding measures taken by operators of multipurpose terminals. The multi-case-study method was applied to conduct the research, along with the research technique of semi-structured in-depth interviews held with representatives of five terminal operators that had been running their business activity in Polish seaports and applying a diversification strategy. As a result of the completed research study, it was possible to specify the motivations for implementing a diversification strategy, and to hierarchize them. The main motives in selecting a diversification strategy as the main business strategy among the interviewed terminal operators were safeguarding against seasonal or sporadic business cycle fluctuations, and changes taking place in maritime trade and transport. Moreover, four areas of diversification strategies pursued by the terminal operators were identified: cargo diversification, contract diversification, services diversification, and cargo flow direction diversification. The diversification measures taken by the terminal operators in the specified areas were analysed in detail. The most important areas of the diversification measures in the studied entities were cargo diversification and services diversification. A heat map was developed to present the dependencies between the motivations for diversification and the areas of diversification strategies implemented by the terminal operators. The identified specific measures taken by the terminal operators as part of the indicated diversification areas included technical and organisational measures. The diversification strategy developed by terminal operators proved to be an effective strategy in coping with the effects of economic slowdown and disruptions ensuing from the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine. The results of the considerations may be of interest to seaports, transshipment terminals or other entities interested in implementation of a business activity diversification strategy.

Risk-adjusted geometric diversified portfolios

In this paper, exploiting a geometric argument, a novel and intuitive approach to portfolio diversification is proposed. The risk-adjusted geometric diversified portfolio is obtained as the point that is equally distant, for a given distance, from the vertices of the simplex, as they represent the single asset portfolios, the worst portfolios in terms of diversification. The definition of risk-adjusted distance as a special case of weighted Euclidean distance permits to introduce the information on the risks of the assets composing the portfolio in a very general way. The closed form solution for the allocation problem is provided and interesting theoretical properties are proved. Further, a direct comparison with Rao’s Quadratic Entropy maximization problem is outlined, thus yielding a different perspective to the use of such entropy as a diversification measure. Finally, the effectiveness of our proposal is emphasized through a comprehensive empirical out-of-sample exercise on real financial data.

Livelihood Diversification and Household Vulnerability to Climate Shocks in Rural Kenya

This study tests the hypothesis that livelihood diversification mitigates vulnerability to climate shocks among rural households in Kenya. The study is based on two waves of nationally-representative household survey data collected in 2005/06 and 2015/16. A measure of livelihood diversification in the sampled households was computed using Simpson Diversity Index. Comparison of means and correlation analysis was used to test the study’s hypothesis on a sample of 8,483 and 12,217 rural households in 2005/06 and 2015/16 respectively. Consistent with the study’s hypothesis, results indicate lower mean values of livelihood diversification indices for rural households that reported loss in welfare due to climate shocks compared to those that reported no adverse effects in both 2005/06 and 2015/16. Correlation analysis results indicate an inverse relationship between livelihood diversification and vulnerability to climate shocks for all sampled households. Distinctive and nuanced differences in results were found when analysis was disaggregated along income classes and agro-ecological zones. Sensitivity analysis confirmed robustness of the results. Based on these results, it is recommended that rural households be supported to pursue a diverse portfolio of income generating activities and assets in order to build resilience against climate shocks.

AGRICULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS IN FLOODPLAIN ZONE OF MIDDLE GANGA PLAIN

This paper has been attempted to study the difference dimensions of agriculture like crop diversification, cropping intensity, crop combination, crop ranking, irrigation intensity and land use efficiency in floodplain zone of middle Ganga plain. Agriculture plays a very important role in the economic development of our country (India), where 65 percent of rural population is directly or indirectly depended on the agricultural for survival. The largest population of India has been livening in Ganga floodplain so it has necessary to study the different agricultural characteristics. The major objectives of the study are to analyze the spatial pattern of agriculture diversification, crop ranking, crop combination and to calculate the irrigation intensity, cropping intensity, land use efficiency of Jaunpur district. The present study has been exclusively based on secondary data which collected from different offices and websites. Crop diversification measure by Singh (1976) formula which was slightly modified the Bhatia (1965) formula, cropping intensity analyzed with the help of Singh (1974) method and crop combination determined by Kikukazu Doi (1959) method. In the Jaunpur district the irrigation intensity has been 140.10, crop diversification index has been 38.69, cropping intensity index has 100.07. In study area wheat is the dominant crop, paddy dominated as the second crop and maize is the third crop. There are three types crop combinations like wheat-rice, wheat-rice-maize and wheat-maize- rice.

Adopting strategic diversification measures and organizational performance in manufacturing concerns: an empirical overview

The study was on strategic diversification measures and organizational performance. Two research questions were raised to guide the study. The study was anchored on the cost transaction theory. Also, a sample size of 217 was determined using the right statistical formula. Findings revealed a positive relationship between product and geographical diversification on performance. Recommendations and conclusions were drawn along that line.

Регіональна кластеризація з урахуванням підприємств життєзабезпечення міст

The publication examines the problems of housing and communal services, which consist in the unprofitable operation of housing and communal services enterprises, significant amounts of receivables and payables, outdated equipment and lack of finance for their modernization, etc. Potential participants and directions of socioeconomic development in the form of a «Regional Cluster of Urban Life Support Enterprises» are formed. The authors propose to integrate urban life support enterprises into a corporation of utilities of water supply, sewerage and heat supply, which will consist of combining: the enterprises from other sectors; the areas of intellectual development, the enterprises for diversification of services; the regional water refinement complexes; the grouped water supply enterprises; and a municipal information and analytical enterprise. It is noted that in the developed countries of the European Union there is a significant number (more than 2 thousand) of quite similar clusters, and up to 100 countries have programs for creating clusters today. Strategic ways for further work on the formation of such cluster formations for urban life support enterprises of Ukrainian cities have been elaborated. These include: 1. Identification of strategic directions of reform and development. 2. Innovative development of management processes. 3. Innovative development of management technology. 4. Innovative development of the enterprise management system. 5. Development of methods of information and analytical support of enterprise management. 6. Proposal of innovative methods and measures for diversification and integration of activities. 7. Proposal of restructuring models. 8. Proposal of models of the public-private reform. 9. Proposal of models of socioeconomic and intellectual clusters as a strategy for innovative development of both the enterprise and the region. 10. Proposal of individual innovative projects (measures) in the sphere of production and commerce to improve financial and economic sustainability and production-economic reliability.

Using model simulation to evaluate soil loss potential in diversified agricultural landscapes

AbstractAgricultural production is facing a challenging transition through changing political framework conditions and climate change. Innovative field use and land management through temporal and spatial diversification measures support the political efforts to achieve the European Green Deal. However, increasing precipitation intensities through climate change are leading to an increased risk of soil erosion by water. To mitigate such risk, soil erosion should be taken into account when redesigning fields and landscapes. This paper aims to assess the present erosion risk situation in the innovative on‐farm field experiment “patchCROP” with several implemented spatio‐temporal crop diversification measures (field size, flower strips, crop rotation), using the physically‐based Erosion 3D simulation model at the field scale. The modelling results showed that field reshaping from one large field into smaller field segments had the potential to reduce soil erosion. Flower strips reduced the sediment discharge to approximately half of that of small field segments without flower strips. However, as model results indicated, heterogeneous landscapes showed complex erosion and deposition patterns. To identify these, making use of physically based soil erosion models in new field arrangements is a critical future task.Highlights Evaluation of a physically based soil erosion model that can be integrated into field re‐design. Patch crop systems promise to enable higher spatial field diversification. Equal consideration of minor site‐specific topography and modified field design needed to prevent soil erosion. Physically based soil erosion models offer a powerful tool to optimise design of future cropping systems.

Latin American exports during the first globalization: How statistical aggregation and standardization affect our understanding of trade

Data constraints determine the scope of historical research. The gradual digitalization of large sources has increased the number of approaches that can be applied to comprehend the past. Here, we show an example of how trade data can shed new light to better understand growth patterns of Latin America at the end of nineteenth century. Latin American exports during the First Globalization has mainly focused on the high concentration of few products to few markets. In this article, we propose a complementary way to measure diversification by considering the relative number of goods and the number of trade partners. To do so, we had to deal with historical official trade data hardly comparable, which has been homogenized for some countries in a 1910 benchmark (SITC-rev2). From that, we can offer a new measure of trade diversification, internationally comparable over time and across countries. Standardizing trade data also implies some consequences in the sense that the number of items for industrial goods is always greater than those for primary goods, arising the question if lower diversification is an inevitable result of specialization on commodities, or instead, it is a statistical artifact driven by the standard criterium we impose on data.

Does diversification drive tourism demand? A structural change perspective: Evidence from a casino tourism destination

AbstractStructural change in the tourism industry is a potential driving force for tourism demand. Using sectoral‐level data of capital formation, employment, and value‐added as diversification measures, a positive relationship is found to exist between sectoral diversification and tourism demand in Macao. Heterogeneous effects on market origins of varying saturation levels show that sectoral diversification is a potential strategy for attracting visitors from more distant and less saturated origin markets. In order to build up a long‐lasting resilience to external shocks, development policy should focus on cultivating market incentives for private sector stakeholders to participate in the diversification process.