Precision agriculture is a knowledge-based system that enables producers to apply precise amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, water, seeds, or other production inputs to specific areas where and when plants need them for optimal growth. It is a promising group of technologies that could theoretically increase crop productivity and profitability, reduce chemical use, and decrease environmental d...

This paper reports an experiment conducted to assess the contribution of a computer system in the milking parlor to the detection of mastitis and estrous (udder infection and the time to inseminate the cow). The experiment was carried out in a herd of 700 cows in Israel. It was found that the computer system contributed markedly to the cows' productivity and profitability. (

We set out to give a brief outline of key studies that look at the benefits/costs of outsourcing production and services. The bulk of the evidence suggests that farming out physical components, both domestically as well as from overseas, enhances both productivity and profitability. However, the net benefit arising from outsourcing services is less clear-cut.

this paper originates the theory of buyer concentration for a main raw material input for a single processing industry. the oligopsony concentration is obtained and subsequently decomposed into several factors, affecting indirectly the industry’s profitability. it is found that the leading firms’ efficiencies hypothesis is reaffirmed due to variations associated with the marginal productivity d...

25 The taxi sector presents many challenges to adequately serve the demand while maximising 26 efficiency and profitability and minimising externalities. Many authors have dealt with the 27 ‘taxi industry’ by modelling and forecasting its activity, usually using limited, incomplete or 28 no trustable data to validate their model. The present paper tackles a different point of view. 29 The appli...

This paper investigates how a firm’s R&D strategy influences the firm performance as measured by productivity and profitability. A formal production model is introduced to define and interpret alternative ways of measuring the impact of R&D. Studying 1,767 randomly selected firms from the Swedish manufacturing sector, the main findings are: (i) firms which apply persistent R&D perform better th...

*This paper is the result of work being undertaken as part of a collaborative research program entitled ‘The Performance of Australian Enterprises: Innovation, Productivity and Profitability’. The project is generously supported by the Australian Research Council and the following collaborative partners: Australia Tax Office, Commonwealth Office of Small Business, IBIS Business Information Pty ...