Sector Claim Research Articles

Food Waste and Power Relations in the Agri-Food Chain. The Fruit Sector in Lleida (Catalonia, Spain)

Studies of food waste claim that its main causes are technological and logistical deficiencies in the first stages of the agri-food chain. The present article discusses this statement using a specific case as a starting point: the production of fruit in Lleida (Catalonia, Spain). Since the 1980s, fruit production in this region has undergone a process of innovation and development. However, the agents who participate in the sector claim that the wasted volume of edible foodstuffs is greater than in previous times. This article argues that studies of food waste do not consider the power relations existing within the agri-food chain. When these relations are asymmetrical, technological innovation and logistics optimisation do not improve the efficiency of the system; rather, they help the hegemonic players to monopolise the commercial margin and transfer some of their running costs to the weaker agents. The ethnographic data for the study were obtained between 2017 and 2019 using qualitative research techniques.

Health and finance in the post-austerity context: the Portuguese experience

Abstract In March 2018, a Mission Structure (EMSPOS) was created in Portugal, under supervision of both Ministries of Health and Finance, to analyze the economic situation of the National Health Service (NHS), and propose recommendations to ensure its financial sustainability. The main concern was the recurrent cycles of overdue debt of NHS hospitals, which reached, in September 2018, more than 1.3 billion euros. These debts cycles, mainly to the pharmaceutical industry, were viewed as a combination of (i) under-budgeting during and following the Great Recession; (ii) expenditure growth related to population aging and new technologies; and (iii) a hospital financing and governance model that provided few incentives towards adequate management. Hospitals' overdue debts limit their autonomy to assume investment compromises, while they deteriorate the NHS negotiation power vis-à-vis suppliers/creditors. Also, these debts were paid through financial bailouts, which shifted from punctual to predictable and regular, constituting an “indebtment reward” that destroyed any incentive towards efficiency and cost containment. The challenge faced by EMSPOS was to ensure better budgets and autonomy to hospitals, both indispensable to face growing needs (the health sector claim), while providing the right monitoring and incentives to avoid new cycles of debt, inefficiencies, and unsustainable expenditure growth (the Ministry of Finance claim). This last request was reinforced by the Post-Program Surveillance (PPS), by the European Commission and Central Bank, that “measure Portugal's capacity to repay its outstanding loans”. The EMSPOS proposed a new governance model that included better budgets with an efficiency-related performance component, a new management contract for hospitals' executive boards, and a path towards more investment autonomy, through the approval of “Activity and Budget Plans”. We will discuss the details of this new models and the challenges of its implementation. Key messages Portuguese NHS hospitals have been facing regular cycles of overdue debt, related to under-budgeting and inadequate governance models. Better budgets and hospital autonomy are needed to face growing needs (MoH claim), and right incentives are needed, to avoid inefficiencies and unsustainable expenditure growth (MoF claim).

The interplay between fish farming and nature based recreation-tourism in Southern Chile: A perception approach

Nature based tourism, ecotourism and other types of recreation are an intangible cultural marine ecosystem services. Due to its geographical conditions, Southern Chile has been worldwide-recognised site by its nature based tourism attraction. Fish farming has had since 1980’s a consistent development in the region with jumps and bumps, but still occupying a dominant role in the region’s economy. Previous reports about perceptions from entrepreneurs of the tourism sector claim that they are living a confrontational reality against aquaculture. The WTP modelling results suggest a general disposition of the tourists to pay some money to avoid further negative environmental impacts on the ecosystem services they enjoy and positively correlated with income. The wealthier is the tourist, the higher is the disposition to pay to avoid. Results from our survey indicate that the majority (67%) of tourists has a negative environmental perception of fish farming activities, while almost half (47%) of the tourists recognise the importance of aquaculture for the economy of coastal communities. Public policies and particularly spatial regional planning should consider the high level of negative interaction showed from this results in order to allow both activities to develop in equity of opportunities.

Application of Labor Laws and Other Compliances in Readymade Garment Industry of Bangladesh

Although, the economy of Bangladesh is primarily dependent on agriculture, Readymade Garment (RMG) industry has emerged as the largest earner foreign currency of Bangladesh in recent years. More than 75% of foreign earnings are coming through export from this very important sector of Bangladesh. In study of Islam & Chowdhuri, [1] presently more than four million workers are working in 4,500 RMG companies of Bangladesh in which 90% are illiterate women who are from the rural areas of the country. The policymakers and the employers of this sector claim that the growth of garment sector has helped employing a huge number of rural women that has subsequently developed their socioeconomic. But, it is a concern of the national and internal observers that the compliances like factory laws, industrial relations laws, employment laws, payment of wages laws, ILO standards, ethics applied in this sector are hardly followed by the RMG companies that make the lives of the workers very misery. Sometimes, the female workers are exploited by employing more hours a day without the payment of overtime by capitalizing their illiteracy and submissiveness. Hence, this paper aims at identifying the level of application of the labor laws and the compliances in RMG industry of Bangladesh that is the only protective measures of the large number of female workers of this sector of Bangladesh. A total of 238 workers of this sector were interviewed in this study with a structured questionnaire. Multivariate analysis techniques such as, Factor Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis were used to analyze the data. Results show that in case of measures for protecting sexual harassment there is a severe problem of the use of the labor laws in this sector followed by physical movement and access control, exit and access path of the company, working hours, and counseling arrangements in the company. This study suggests that the readymade garment companies should address the sexual harassment issue seriously so that the workers will feel safe at their work. They also should focus more on the safety issues, working hours, and counseling of the workers in order to make the working environment more favorable to the workers.

Co-Creation of the Curriculum: Challenging the Status Quo to Embed Partnership

Many individuals in the higher education sector claim that co-creation of the curriculum is an innovative process of student engagement in which students and staff members become partners in curriculum development. This research analyses rare instances of co-creation of the curriculum in the Scottish higher education sector to understand individuals’ different conceptualisations of this collaborative teaching and learning practice. The researcher interviewed ten academic members of staff and ten students who participated in co-creation of the curriculum in Scotland to analyse their perspectives of the benefits as well as the challenges of this form of active student engagement. Staff and students participating in co-creation of the curriculum encounter such challenges as staff and students taking on different responsibilities, increased time and effort involved and institutional inertia as they challenge the status quo. This paper will explore how individuals have overcome these challenges to embed partnership and achieve strong benefits of co-creation of the curriculum, including shared ownership and the engagement of both students and staff in the learning community and their increased satisfaction and professional development resulting from working in partnership.

Canada's Arctic sector claim in historical perspective: a response to Alan MacEachern–PUBLISHER'S NOTE

In Cavell (2017) the opening paragraph states that ‘Alan MacEachern neglects primary evidence cited in my other publications on Bernier (Cavell 2010; Cavell 2011; Cavell 2014; Cavell & Noakes 2010).’

Application of Labor Laws and Other Compliance in Readymade Garment Industry of Bangladesh

Although, the economy of Bangladesh is primarily dependent on agriculture, Readymade Garment (RMG) industry has emerged as the largest earner of foreign income of Bangladesh in recent years. More than 75% of foreign earnings are coming from this very important sector of Bangladesh. Presently, more than four million workers are working in 4,500 RMG companies in which 90% are illiterate women came from the rural areas of Bangladesh (Islam & Muntaquimul Bari Chowdhuri, 2014). The policymakers and the employers of this sector claim that the growth of garment sector has helped employing a huge number of rural women that has subsequently developed their socioeconomic status in Bangladesh. But, it is a concern of the national and internal observers that the labor laws and other compliances like factory laws, industrial relations laws, employment laws, payment of wages laws, ILO standards, ethics applied in this sector are hardly followed by the RMG companies which are making the lives of these workers very difficult. Sometimes, these workers are exploited by employing more hours a day without the payment of overtime by capitalizing their illiteracy and submissiveness. Hence, this paper aims at identifying the level of application of the labor laws and other compliances in RMG industry of Bangladesh that is the only protective measures of this large number of female workers of this important sector of Bangladesh. A total of 238 workers of this sector were interviewed in this study with a structured questionnaire. Multivariate analysis techniques such as, Factor Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis were used to analyze the data collected from the workers on the application of labor laws and other compliances of these companies. The results show that in case of measures for protecting sexual harassment there is a severe problem of the use of the labor laws in this sector followed by physical movement and access control of workers, exit and access path of the company, working hours, and counseling arrangements in the company. This study suggests that the readymade garment companies should address the sexual harassment issue seriously so that the workers will feel safe at their work. They also should focus more on the safety issues, working hours and counseling of the workers in order to make the working environment more favorable to the workers.

Canada's Arctic sector claim in historical perspective: a response to Alan MacEachern

ABSTRACTExplorer Joseph Elzéar Bernier's famous 1909 sector claim on Melville Island is often described as a key moment in the evolution of Canada's sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago. Writers such as Yolande Dorion-Robitaille and Marjolaine Saint-Pierre have argued that Bernier was unfairly deprived of the credit he deserved for his sovereignty contributions. Alan MacEachern has recently stated inPolar Recordthat civil servants in the 1920s were to blame for this supposed unfair treatment. In particular, he sees Oswald Finnie of the Department of the Interior as a man who was determined at all costs to rewrite the historical record. This article contests MacEachern's depiction of Finnie and his colleagues, based on a range of primary source documents. It also emphasises the little-known but very significant role played by James White, who first placed the sector lines on an official map five years before Bernier's 1909 proclamation. The article thus clarifies the complicated relationship between White's 1904 map, Bernier's 1909 claim, an earlier sector claim made by Bernier in 1907, and the views on the sector theory held by influential members of the Canadian civil service at the time when an official sector claim was made by Ottawa in 1925.

J.E. Bernier and the historical record

ABSTRACTIn the 1920s, Canada developed and promoted a sector claim to the Arctic archipelago based on the 1880 transfer from Great Britain and on subsequent occupation, as expressed in licensing, patrols, and posts. The fact that in July 1909 the government-sponsored explorer J.E. Bernier had claimed the sector by planting a flag, indeed, the fact that Canada had him planting flags at all, complicated if not contradicted this narrative. This research note shows that Canadian government officials of the 1920s misunderstood or, more likely, deliberately mischaracterised Bernier's earlier sovereignty work, and in doing so have distorted our historical understanding of it. The note also argues that, contrary to recent writing in this journal, it is likely that Bernier did not make an earlier sector claim in August 1907.

Key competencies of civil engineering faculty graduates in Slovak republic

One of the main tasks of university is to provide an education which supported the expert, as well as the key competencies of graduates. The gained expert competencies are preconditions for the implementation of selected ocupations. On the other hand, there is not always a direct correlation between success of graduates in school and their professional life. Moreover, the employers in the construction sector claim that the key competencies – skills and attitudes of person and its readiness for the life quality are very important. The key competencies enable person to continuously update its knowledge and skills needed in practice. The definition and selection of key competencies of university graduates are always influenced by valuable and crucial needs of society. Therefore, we cannot define the key competencies in generally for the university graduates. This paper is focused on the definition of key competencies for graduates of study programme “Technology and Management in Construction” at Civil Engineering Faculties in Slovakia through the processing of various sources – the competence profile of graduates which was defined by teachers of this study programme and by the structured interviews with employers.

Sector claims and counter-claims: Joseph Elzéar Bernier, the Canadian government, and Arctic sovereignty, 1898–1934

ABSTRACTMany writers have presented Joseph Elzéar Bernier (1852–1934) as a hero whose key role in establishing Canada's sovereignty over the Arctic islands was unjustly downplayed by the government he served. According to this view, the sector claim that Bernier made on 1 July 1909 is the true foundation of Canada's title to the archipelago. This article draws on government files to assess civil servants’ attitude to his sovereignty-related activities. It also describes the role played by James White, whose more sophisticated and effective sector concept predated Bernier's and served as the basis for the official sector claim made in June 1925. The evidence indicates that government officials in the 1920s were well justified in their doubts about Bernier's pretensions. However, even though they rejected his version of the sector theory and resented the campaign of self-glorification on which he embarked after his retirement, their personal relations with him were good, and they took considerable trouble to ensure what they considered to be an appropriate degree of recognition for him. The article therefore clarifies the differences between Bernier's rhetoric and reality, particularly with regard to the sector principle.

Further evidence and reflections on Joseph Elzéar Bernier's 1907 and 1909 sovereignty claims

ABSTRACTFew aspects of Canada's Arctic sovereignty claims have been more misunderstood than the sector theory, which many writers believe originated with and was put forward on Canada's behalf (whether officially or unofficially) by explorer Joseph Elzéar Bernier. However, several Canadian government officials in the 1920s were both shrewd and accurate in their assessment of Bernier's pretensions. This note focuses on the views of civil servant Oswald Sterling Finnie, as recorded in previously unexamined government documents. In the years following Bernier's retirement from government service in 1925, the explorer embarked on a campaign to win the place in history he felt he deserved, only to be thwarted by Finnie and his colleagues. The note also clarifies the differences between Bernier's 1907 and 1909 sector claims and the official sector claim made in 1925.

J.E. Bernier’s Claims to Fame

On 1 July 1909, in the course of patrolling the Arctic on behalf of Canada, Captain J.E. Bernier claimed for Canada the territory between its east and west mainland borders all the way to the North Pole—that is, the entire Arctic Archipelago. Although the legitimacy of his act was considered dubious even by his own government, it introduced the “sector principle” to international practice and has since become a staple in the nation’s claims to Arctic sovereignty. But focus on Bernier’s sector claim has obscured attention from his four voyages for Canada in the first decade of the century, and paradoxically left the broader context for his claim unexplored. This essay frames his 1909 act in relation to his decade-long quest to win fame as Canada’s competitor in the race to the North Pole. The article’s specific contributions are in revealing that Bernier actually made a sector claim during his previous cruise; that his connections in 1908 with American polar challengers Peary and Cook encouraged his 1909 decision; and that although the Dominion Day proclamation was what he would be remembered for, Bernier himself later ascribed surprisingly little significance to it.

Acts of occupation: Canada and Arctic sovereignty, 1918-25

Introduction: A Policy of Secrecy 1 Taking Hold of the North 2 The Danish Threat 3 An Expedition to Ellesmere Land 4 A Citizen of the British Empire 5 Rasmussen in London 6 Wrangel Island 7 Stefansson in London 8 The Sector Claim Conclusion: Canada of Itself Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

‘A little more latitude’: explorers, politicians, and Canadian Arctic policy during the Laurier era

This article examines the evolution of Canadian Arctic policy during Sir Wilfrid Laurier's years as prime minister (1896–1911). Explorer Joseph Elzear Bernier, who commanded three government expeditions in this period, vigorously promoted the idea that he himself had roused the sluggish government to action. He also alleged that Laurier had promised to sponsor a Canadian voyage to the North Pole, a promise that was later broken. However, archival documents show that neither of these claims is true. Instead, Laurier and other members of his government first showed their determination to assert Canada's northern sovereignty in 1897, a year before Bernier came on the scene. Although Bernier hoped that his first northern voyage might be turned towards the pole, there was no promise from Laurier. Subsequent policy developments were often haphazard due to interdepartmental conflicts and personality clashes, but by the end of the Laurier years a reasonably effective Arctic programme had been created. Though Bernier played an important part in carrying out the government's agenda, many of his actions (most notably his famous July 1909 sector claim) were aimed more at enhancing his own fame than at securing Canada's title to the Arctic. The article places Bernier's Arctic career in its proper context, and at the same time highlights the contributions of other men who lacked his flair for publicity. It thus provides a more accurate factual basis for future work on the period.

‘As far as 90 north’: Joseph Elzéar Bernier's 1907 and 1909 sovereignty claims

ABSTRACTJoseph Elzéar Bernier's well known sector claim of 1 July 1909 was predated by a similar, but until now unknown, proclamation in 1907. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, although eager to assert Canadian sovereignty, was unwilling to countenance the first claim because he did not think that the right time for such a gesture had yet come. However, in 1909 Bernier's action was welcomed, but only as a convenient way to counter the widely publicised American claim made by Robert Peary. In the eyes of government officials, neither of Bernier's proclamations held any real importance for Canada's northern sovereignty which rested primarily on the 1880 transfer of ownership from Britain. Bernier believed that his achievements had never been sufficiently recognised, but in fact the problem was that he himself overrated their significance.

SCHOLARSHIP MATTERS

Scholarship matters. It allows faculty to fulfill the responsibilities of their three academic citizenships--in their institutions, in their disciplines, and in higher education in general. Current standards for community college faculty scholarship, however, have excluded faculty from exercising academic citizenship outside of their institutions. The sector claim to a unique teaching mission has been used to exempt or exclude community college faculty from the scholarly obligations and responsibilities understood elsewhere in higher education. The absence of generally accepted norms for scholarly production and validation at most community colleges continues to set them apart from other institutions, including those also serving non-traditional open admissions students. By discouraging externally validated scholarship, community colleges deny their faculty an appropriate voice in higher education and deny the rest of higher education the important voice of community college faculty. By encouraging scholarship that meets the tests of external scrutiny, community colleges can provide their faculty with legitimate higher education citizenship beyond the institution.

Tourism's taxing times: value added tax in Europe and Denmark

In recent times the Business Council of the World Tourism Organisation has been concerned at the escalation in the number of tourism taxes and the rates at which tourism is taxed. There is a justifiable suspicion that governments are looking at the burgeoning tourist industry not from the rational principles of taxation, but simply as a new revenue source, particularly as foreign tourists are not voters in the destination. The tourism industry has to cope with specific taxes, such as a departure tax, and general taxation, such as value added tax (VAT). This article reviews the principles by which tourism should be taxed and focuses on the different rates of VAT in a European context. Using Denmark as a case example, a simulation exercise is carried out to examine the hotel sector's claim that a more efficient and equitable economic solution would result from cutting VAT.