How does agricultural production outsourcing services affect chemical fertilizer use under topographic constraints: a farm-level analysis of China.

Agricultural production outsourcing services (APOS) are an important means to promote green and low-carbon development of agriculture in China. Topography is the key factor limiting the development of APOS. There is little research on the influence relationship between APOS and farmers' chemical fertilizer use from the perspective of topography. Based on the theory of economies of scale, this study empirically evaluated the effect of APOS on chemical fertilizer use and their differences from the perspective of nutrient elements under different topographic conditions by using micro survey data for farmers in China and econometric methods. The results show that APOS can reduce farmers' chemical fertilizer use, and this effect is more obvious for farmers with large farmland sizes and high education levels. Farmland topography directly affects the fertilizer reduction effect of APOS in China. Compared with plain areas, hilly and mountainous areas weaken this effect. To enhance the fertilizer reduction effect of APOS, China should fully consider farmland topography when promoting APOS development. In plain areas, farmland scale management should be further encourage to better utilize APOS as a means of reducing chemical fertilizer use. In hilly and mountainous areas, high-standard farmland construction and small agricultural machinery use can alleviate the constraints of topographical on the scale expansion of APOS. It is necessary to fully consider the differences in farmers' resource endowments and their awareness of purchasing agricultural services in promoting APOS development, especially in regard to the farmers with small farmland sizes and low education levels.

Impact of agricultural production outsourcing services on carbon emissions in China.

Increasing food output while reducing agricultural carbon emissions (ACE) is a major challenge to achieving green agriculture in China. Previously unexplored research regarding the relationship between agricultural production outsourcing services (APOS) and ACE is investigated using household microsurvey data in China and econometric methods, and the influencing mechanism is also tested empirically. The results reveal that APOS increases the total ACE and reduces ACE per unit area. The mechanism test shows that APOS are beneficial to the expansion of rice planting areas and farmers' adoption of agricultural green production techniques. The increasing effect of rice planting area on ACE was greater than the decreasing effect of green production techniques. In the future, China should accelerate the selection and breeding of rice varieties with low carbon emissions to reduce the increase of ACE caused by large-scale land management in the process of APOS development. Policy support and subsidies should be strengthened for APOS organizations to purchase green production techniques, so as to further drive farmers to adopt green production techniques and reduce ACE. It is also necessary for China to encourage small-scale farmers to outsource their agricultural production activities to APOS organizations. The role of collective action consciousness of agricultural production in increasing the supply capacity of APOS organizations should be enhanced.

Terceirização e estabilidade no emprego: estudo sobre a hierarquia de valores laborais de trabalhadores terceirizados / Outsourcing and stability in employment: study on the hierarchy of labor values of outsourced workers

Com funções de guiar o comportamento e expressar necessidades, os valores humanos emergem das interações entre as pessoas e seus contextos específicos, incluindo sistemas ambientais da vida no trabalho. Valores relativos ao trabalho podem ser definidos como fatores desejados pelas pessoas no contexto laboral, funcionando como metas a serem alcançadas nesse contexto. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a hierarquia de valores laborais em trabalhadores terceirizados, quanto a: "Estabilidade", "Realização profissional", "Relações pessoais" e "Prestígio". Foram investigados 106 trabalhadores terceirizados de uma universidade pública, de diferentes ocupações, amostra com predominância do sexo feminino (68%) e média de idade de 34,58 anos (DP = 9,50), com uso da "Escala de Valores Relativos ao Trabalho" (EVT). Foram consideradas as variáveis: sexo, idade, escolaridade e classe econômica. Resultados indicaram a "Estabilidade" como o principal fator na hierarquia dos valores laborais. A flexibilização no trabalho no capitalismo contemporâneo caminha de forma contraditória com tendências dos trabalhadores terceirizados investigados em sua valorização da "Estabilidade"

Human values emerge from the interactions among people and their specific contexts, including environmental systems of the work life. Work values can be defined as targets and factors considered important by people in the employment context, functioning as goals to be achieved. The purpose of this research was to determine the hierarchy of work values in outsourced workers in a context of flexibility, concerning the categories 'Stability', 'Professional achievement',' Social relations' and 'Prestige'. A sample of 106 outsourced workers of a public university was investigated; it was predominantly female (68%) and an average age of 34,58 years (SD = 9.50) using the 'Escala de Valores Relativos ao Trabalho' (EVT). Variables gender, age, education and economic status were considered. Results indicated that the 'Stability' was the main factor in the hierarchy of work values. The trend to flexibility in labor conflicts with the trend of outsourced workers in their prioritization of Stability

The decision-making matrix of propensity to outsourcing hospital services in Bandar Abbas, Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of managers' propensity for outsourcing the services in hospitals using decision-making matrix. METHODS: The applied, cross-sectional study was conducted at three hospitals affiliated to Bandar Abbas University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2013, and comprised managers and employees of four service units: radiology, laboratory, nursing, and nutrition services. Data was collected using two questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Data was analysed using SPSS 16 and by using decision-making matrix. RESULTS: Of the 122 subjects in the study, 12(9.8%) were managers and 110(90.2%) were other employees. The highest and lowest propensities for outsourcing were related to nutrition (66.6%) and nursing services one (8.33%). The decision-making matrix showed low outsourcing of the nursing, radiology, and laboratory services based on the services' features. However, there were difference between the results obtained from laboratory service decision-making matrix and the propensity for laboratory service outsourcing. CONCLUSIONS: The difference between the results obtained from the matrix and managers' viewpoint can be due to the lack of managers' sufficient attention to the features of hospital services when making decisions on outsourcing them.