Fertilizer demand forecasts are key to the success of long term plans for global food security and the profitability of the fertilizer industry. The study forecasts fertilizer demand in relation to soil nutrient status in nine regions. Asia is expected to account for about 40% of the global forecast of 187.7 million Mt in 2015 and 223.
Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of national culture on private credit availability. The authors particularly focus on the masculinity dimension, as previous studies have not been able to reconcile this dimension in terms of results aligning with expectations. Design/methodology/approach Least-squares regression with country-cluster standard errors is used to estimate the impact of a nation’s cultural dimensions. Culture is assessed using Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions: masculinity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, long-term orientation and indulgence. Estimation controls for country-level measures of economic growth and development, inflation, financial market development and the institutional, legal and bank environments. Data on more than 70 countries were collected from 2005 to 2014. Findings The authors find the masculinity dimension of culture has a significant negative impact on private credit access. Moreover, this result is driven by middle-income versus high-income countries. Interestingly, the authors also find the power distance dimension has a significant negative impact; however, this result is driven by high-income versus middle-income countries. Overall, these results are consistent with the authors’ argument that masculinity may be capturing traditionally defined gender roles, that masculinity (as the authors define it) is different from what power distance is capturing and that the impact of masculinity is influenced by a country’s economic stage. Originality/value The authors’ interpretation of masculinity, coupled with their results, presents researchers with an alternative perspective of a cultural dimension that previous studies have not been able to reconcile in terms of results aligning with expectations. Moreover, the authors show that the impact of the cultural dimensions on private credit differs for high- and middle-income countries, and thus has important implications.
Literature is full of studies on the relationship between trade and investment. Since trade agreements have the potential of altering this relationship, this study employed gravity model analysis to determine how NAFTA might have affected trade and investment among member countries. Overall improvement in NAFTA economy enhanced exports in the region; however, it was relative improvement in domestic economy that attracted foreign investment. Responsiveness plots show that the impact of NAFTA on exports was short lived, but was longer on FDI.
In light of rapid changes in technology and business, institutions of higher education face the difficult task of adapting their curriculum to be general enough to cover all the core concepts of the discipline while being specific enough to prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed by businesses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts that the demand for IT professionals in the United States will continue to increase but the demand will not be evenly distributed across all areas. The BLS breaks future demand into job categories but it does not explore the meta-trends that will drive future job growth and is thus of limited value for curriculum development purposes. This paper reviews existing literature and develops a conceptual framework of the meta-trends driving job growth. This framework is intended to be used as a guide by Information Technology curriculum committees to aid in establishing a curriculum that meets the needs of key stakeholders while avoiding the trap of chasing the latest fads.
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