Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Miroslav MIMRA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Machinery Utilisation, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Miroslav KAVKA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Machinery Utilisation, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Karel TOMŠÍK Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Marián STRUHÁR Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Machinery Utilisation, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Application of the "boundary line analysis method" for the optimisation of the number of tractors used in an agricultural company Abstract: The "boundary line analysis method" calculates the minimal total annual operational costs used for the optimisation of number of tractors owned by agricultural companies. This calculation reflects the actual need of tractors used in the selected time periods during a year. The above method is based on data gained during five day periods (so-called pentads) in the plant production Farm Estate Lány which belongs to the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. Based on the annual use of tractors in the company, operational costs involve tractors owned and hired. The calculated curve changes in relation to the total annual costs for the owned tractors. The economically optimal number of the owned tractors would be reached at the minimum point where the total annual costs curve is low whilst all working operations in the company have been done. Due to the use of tractors during the pentads, it is recommended to own exactly the number of tractor-machine sets given by the calculated minimum. For all the other works, it is advisable to use hired tractors, operationally leased tractors or outsourced services. Keywords: costs optimisation, tractors deployment, tractor number optimisation Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 1-8 Volume: 60 Issue: 1 Year: 2014 DOI: 10.17221/3/2013-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/3/2013-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201401-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:60:y:2014:i:1:id:3-2013-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Giacomo GIANNOCCARO Author-Workplace-Name: Department Agricultural Economics and Policy, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain Author-Name: Julio BERBEL Author-Workplace-Name: Department Agricultural Economics and Policy, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain Title: Farmers' stated responses towards the chemicals use under the CAP liberalization Abstract: The research aims to analyze the farmers' preferences towards the chemical input use in the case of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) being removed after 2013. The analysis is based on a survey of European farmers carried out in 2009. The intended responses of farmers to the CAP liberalization are analyzed by the logit model regressions. Although for the majority of respondents there would be no change in their intentions if the CAP were suppressed, about 20% would intend to decrease the amount of chemicals. The effects of the CAP liberalization appear not to be univocal and strongly case-specific, as it substantially differs across the European regions, farm locations and socio-economic structures. Keywords: Common Agricultural Policy, farmer's intended behaviour, logit regression, spatial heterogeneity Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 9-20 Volume: 60 Issue: 1 Year: 2014 DOI: 10.17221/57/2013-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/57/2013-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201401-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:60:y:2014:i:1:id:57-2013-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Godwin Odo ONOGWU Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension; Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria Title: Determinants of the intra-industry trade in cereal and miscellaneous edible preparations: the evidence for Nigeria and the ECOWAS partners Abstract: The trade liberalization processes of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are implemented through such interventions like free international trade, common external tariff wall, the consolidation or freezing of custom duties and non-tariff barriers to the intra-trade among others. However, the extent to which these efforts have translated to the intra-industry trade in the prepared foodstuff products has not been investigated yet. The objectives of this study are to assess the intra-industry trade theory in cereal and miscellaneous edible preparations; to evaluate the growth rates of simultaneous exports and imports in these prepared foodstuff sub-sections; to evaluate the extent of the intra-industry trade in the sub sections, and to determine the effects of the Nigeria's and partners' characteristics on the intra-industry trade. The results revealed that the intra-industry trade in cereal preparations are positively and significantly influenced by the partners' gross national income (GNI) per capita and the partners' foreign direct investment (FDI), but they are negatively influenced by the Nigeria's household final consumption expenditure. Also, the intra-industry trade in miscellaneous edible preparations is influenced positively by the partners' GNI per capita and the partners' households' final consumption expenditures, while the Nigeria's foreign direct investment and the value added by manufacturing negatively influence the intra-industry trade in the product sub-sections within the ECOWAS sub-region. Both exports and imports growth rates of these products fluctuate, but more in the imports of miscellaneous edible preparations. Cost saving options in transportation, the use of efficient machines during the production, processing and packaging are recommended. Keywords: ECOWAS, intra-industry trade, prepared foodstuffs, cereal preparations, miscellaneous edible preparations Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 21-30 Volume: 60 Issue: 1 Year: 2014 DOI: 10.17221/18/2013-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/18/2013-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201401-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:60:y:2014:i:1:id:18-2013-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Eva CIHELKOVÁ Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of International Relations, University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Euro-Mediterranean relations and their heading. On the way to a differentiated multilateralism? Abstract: The European Union pays a primary attention to the development of neighbouring relations; it means the relations with countries in the immediate vicinity of its external borders. This is done for the sake of prosperity, stability and the spread of democratic values in the world. In this sense, a kind of the privileged region have always created the states of the Southern and Eastern or eventually Northern Mediterranean with which the European Economic Community began to develop cooperation immediately after its formation. Then since the mid-1990s, the EU set out a goal to create a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area and thus to move closer to the interlacing of the two entities in the form of integration. The outline of the process of development of Euro-Mediterranean relationships (including the changes of bilateral approaches and the conditioning factors) is the objective of this article. It is divided into three sections, which cover different stages of the development of these relationships over time and escalate in terms of two-way approaches to a new quality of cooperation (including the three stated research questions). The result of these relationships could become a Euro-Mediterranean Alliance that is outlined as a differentiated form of multilateralism in the conclusions of the paper. Keywords: good governance, European Neighbourhood Policy, European Union, Euro-Mediterranean Alliance, Mediterranean, partnership, regionalism, strategic partnership Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 31-48 Volume: 60 Issue: 1 Year: 2014 DOI: 10.17221/153/2013-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/153/2013-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201401-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:60:y:2014:i:1:id:153-2013-AGRICECON