Friday, September 4, 2020

Applying Ethics in Practice Essays - Ethics, Axiology, Free Essays

Applying Ethics in Practice Essays - Ethics, Axiology, Free Essays Applying Ethics in Practice Laura Rubio BSHS/335 Walk 23, 2015 Stephanie Chupein Applying Ethics in Practice As a human administrations proficient there will be times that you don't generally concur with your customer. Furthermore, your own qualities can turn into a moral issue. One thing to remember would be that, as an expert is that you have to put your own emotions aside to support your customer. With my very own qualities one that would turn into a moral issue would be if a pregnant mother came in and was utilizing drugs at that point. I accept unequivocally that no kid ought to be raised into drugs, and that the mother or father ought to be stressed over the prosperity of their unborn kid. I accept that no parent should utilize drugs, particularly a mother that is pregnant with an unborn youngster it against my virtue. I would be careful when helping a family that one or the two guardians misuse drugs. I would ensure that they family got care and that it will assist them with thinking about their family. Any parent that would utilize their cash that they have, or that they get from go vernment assistance be offered to use for drugs and not to take care of their youngsters is a virtue of mine. I accept that all kids ought to have what is required for them to endure including food, safe house, and garments. Despite the fact that I am against guardians that are sedate clients, I would need to figure out how to get around it so I am ready to help the youngsters who might be included. I would have the option to utilize an ethnical model and the code of morals to assist me with settling the issue. The primary thing that I would need to do is recognize the issue. Second I would need to recognize what the potential issues are, third I would need to survey the important morals code. At that point I would need to get a conference. That way I would recognize what might be the best game-plan. I would likewise need to consider what the result might be for different decisions. The ethnical choice model that I would utilize would be the women's activist model. With this model the customer is completely included. This would include the talking with the customer completely and properly so the odds of settling on the correct choices are appropriate. Along these lines the customer comprehends what is happening consistently, and is engaged with their treatment. The code of ethic that I would utilize would be educated assent, skill in my general vicinity, protection and privacy, access to their records, and if there would have been an irreconcilable circumstance to tell them immediately. My fundamental objective would to have the option to assist my customer with whatever implies important to my capacity to support them.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 155

Task Example Be that as it may, if the exploration on atomic weapons may help upset those the activities of the individuals who have sick intensions to make or utilize this weapons, at that point the researchers can be permitted to keep building up these weapons in light of the fact that in such a circumstance it would be for the benefit of the many. Representatives are obliged to be beneficial on the grounds that that is the reason they are utilized. In any case, the business should likewise comprehend that the representatives are people and may every now and then face troublesome circumstances that may influence their efficiency. By and large, a more critical gander at useless representative uncovers that they might be having issues in their own lives. In the soul of never helping to individuals as you would need them to do to you, it is important to attempt to comprehend whether this is the situation with representatives, since that is the thing that the administrator would need to be done to them on the off chance that they were the worker. The ineffective worker likewise has an obligation to the business, and perhaps to different partners of the business that utilizes them. He should consider this and discover approaches to make sure about his monetary life and afterward resign in light of the fact that that would be advantageous to others. John Locke was a devotee to implicit agreement which is a philosophical standpoint that considers everybody to be having an implicit agreement towards these individuals they manage. This resembles the way of thinking of ding the he neighbor as one would need them to do to you. In such a circumstance as the useless employee’s case, he would need the two sides examination their commitments to one another and afterward do what they should do. Regina is by all accounts utilizing the utilitarian way of thinking which contends that the end legitimizes the methods. Such gifts should originate from a state of individual want to help, instead of the narrow minded want to surpass the others. Rather than exploiting people’s bit of leeway to flaunt, Regina’s and the group ought to have figured out how to exploit the basic want to help other people, which is

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Cellular Respiration Lab Report Essay -- essays research papers

Cell Respiration Lab Report I.Introduction In this lab we are estimating the measure of oxygen utilized in both growing and non developing peas. We are estimating the oxygen utilization by taking a perusing of a respirometer lowered in two water showers. The principal shower will be cold water and the second warm to decide the impact of temperatures on oxygen utilization. Our negative control will be glass dabs to quantify to increment or reduction in barometrical weight or temperature changes. There is an immediate connection between oxygen utilization and Carbon Dioxide created, along these lines the more O2 expended the more CO2 delivered. To keep the measure of CO2 created from counteracting any weight picked up or lost from the utilization of CO2 we are including KOH(Potassium Hydroxide) to the respirometers. Since the CO2 will be specifically expelled the adjustment in the volume of gas in the respirometer ought to be legitimately identified with the oxygen devoured. In this test the developing peas, in both water showe rs, ought to devour significantly more oxygen than the non-sprouting peas or the glass dabs, since germination has started along these lines quickening cell responses and the pace of breath. The virus water shower should back the breath off in every one of the three respirometers. II.     Materials and Procedures. For this investigation we have arranged to water showers. One shower is ice water, around 10 degrees Celsius, the other warm, around 25 degrees Celsius. Both water shower...

Nuclear Arms Race free essay sample

Structure Objectives Introduction Background to the Nuclear Arms Race 9. 2. 1 9. 2. 2 9. 2. 3 The Beginning : Birth of the Nuclear Arms Race The Manhatten Project Rationale for the Arms Race in the Post War Period The Nuclear Arms Race : How it is not quite the same as all the Previous Arms Races in History 9. 3. 1 9. 3. 2. 9. 3. 3. The Trinity Test Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings New York Times and the Trinity Test Different Phases of the Nuclear Arms Race in the Post-War Period 9. 4. 1 9. 4. 2 9. 4. 3 9. 4. 4 9. 4. 5 9. 4. 6 9. 4. 7 9. 4. 8 Fear of the Soviets and Communism 945 to 1953 : Period of US Monopoly 1957 to 1968 : Period of Missile Crisis and the ICBM Race 1968 to late 1970s : Period of MIRV and ICBM Race 1981 : Reagans Strategic Modernization Plan 1983 : Militarization of Space-Reagans Star War Program 1984-1991 : Nuclear Arms Race in the Gorbachev Era and the most recent long stretches of crumbling Soviet Union. 1991 to 1997 : Nuclear Arms Race after the Collapse of Sov iet Union Nuclear Arms Race in the Third World and South Asia 9. 5. 1 9. 5. 2 95. 3 9. 5. 4 Acquisition of Nuclear Capability by China and beginning of Arms Race in South Asia India, Pakistan and the Nuclear Arms Race Domino Theory in South Asia General Complexion of Arms Race in South Asia Let Us Sum Up Key Words Some Useful Books Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises 9. We will compose a custom exposition test on Atomic Arms Race or then again any comparable point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page 0 OBJECTIVES This unit manages Arms Race and the Nuclear Threat in the current day world. Subsequent to considering this unit, you will be in a situation to: comprehend the foundation to the atomic weapons contest; clarify how the atomic weapons contest is not the same as all the past arms races; examine the various periods of the atomic weapons contest in the post-war period; and emarnine the atomic weapons contest in the Third World and particularly in South Asia. . 1 INTRODUCTION This unit on Arms Race and Nuclear Threat is a piece of Block 3 which manages what is known as the Cold War Period; I. e. , after the Second World War and the development of what is named as Superpower Dominance. In Unit World War 11: Causes and Consequences (Emergence of Super Powers) you have found out about how the USA and the USSR rose as Superpowers in worldwide governmental issues after the finish of the Second World War. In Unit 7 : Cold War: Meaning, Patterns and Dimensions, you have figured out how the breakdown of Germany and its partners in 1945 prompted the rise of what has been named as Cold War between the-two primary forces of the post-1945 global request * I. e. USA and USSR. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which was managed in Unit 8 of this square was an outcome of the virus war power coalition legislative issues. One thing regular to the post-1945 global request just as the pre-1945 world was the weapons contest. When learning about World War I and 11, you would have most likely found out about the weapons contest which was both quantitative and subjective in character. It would likewise have been seen that the weapons contest in its subjective measurement in both the universal wars was itself probably the best reason for the two wars. From the creation of explosive by Sir Alfred Nobel of the Novel Industries in the First World War time frame, to the innovation of rockets by Germany in the Second World War, it is the quest for a definitive weapon which could win all wars that established the best push for the weapons contest. In this frenzy researchers, countries, individuals, fighters, government officials all fell prey and wound up just slaughtering more noteworthy and more prominent number of regular people. In the current unit, we will focus on the weapons contest in the post-1945 global request. As has been expressed previously, this journey for a subjectively increasingly dangerous weapon was the best rousing component in carrying the world a bit nearer to war, be it the First or the Second World War. The key distinction in the weapons contest before 1945 (I. e. in the interwar period) and after 1945 was the atomic measurement. Preceding 1945, all the arms races in mankind's history never stood up to what is presently prevalently known as the Nuclear Threat. After 1945, the weapons contest that humankind got occupied with turned into the best living danger to life itself as known on this planet. The distinction lies in a single subjective advance in the weapons contest, and that progression was the production of the Atomic or Nuclear bomb in 1945. In this way, from 1945 the weapons contest we talk about in this Unit, remained not, at this point regular yet gained an atomic character and from that point till today, man is occupied with a weapons contest that puts the two gatherings who participate in it, under an unending Nuclear Threat. 9. B ACKGROUNDTOTHENUCLEARARMSRACE 9. 2. 1 The Beginning : Birth of the Nuclear Arms Race The atomic weapons contest between the superpowers started at first in the pre-second world war period between the Germans and the Allied Powers. It was with regards to this contention before the Second World War that in 1938, at the Kaiser William Institute in Germany, Otto Hann and Dr. Fritz Steersman initially spl it the particle. Lise Meitner and Otto Hann later announced this effective parting of the particle adding up to an atomic splitting. It involved happenstance that at this point ever, the best personalities chipping away at the nuclear issue were Jews and that as well, German. Hitlers quick enemy of Semitism during the period sent a large portion of these extraordinary personalities in Germany racing to the USA where they were invited. These escaping researchers educated the American military who were intently observing occasions in Europe. There was across the board fear that Germany may be the first to create the atomic bomb as the information on parting the iota was at that point accessible to it. Albert Einstein excessively was one of the exiles and he knew completely the hugeness of this revelation, for it was he who previously opened the mystery intensity of the iota to the cutting edge world. He cautioned the President of the United States about it. 9. 2. 2 The Manhatten Project T he Americans under President Roosevelt were completely mindful of the global ramifications thus started the race to manufacture the bomb first. Roosevelt dispatched what was the top mystery Man Hatten Project, the greatest logical exertion at any point made costing 2 billion dollars under Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves to develop the nuclear bomb in a record time. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, Herbert York, Edward Teller, Hans Beth and a large group of other logical lights were engaged with the creation of the initial three atomic bombs. The fascinating part of this bomb development was that however the underlying foe was Germany, gradually the genuine adversary for whom the bomb was built ended up being the Soviet Union. Truth be told, Gen. Leslie Groves expressed that he had no deceptions that Soviets were the genuine adversary. - This reality is basic to a comprehension of the post 1945 world. Weapons contest and Nuclear Threat 1 Cold War Period 9. 2. 3 Rationale for the Arms Race in the Post War Period Germany, the primary country with whom the US occupied with the N-Arms race gave up in May 1945 and all its atomic offices were crushed, therefore finishing the main period of an early atomic weapons contest. Notwithstanding this the weapons contest needed to proceed once the weapons had been fabricated. Another foe over the skyline was found Communist Soviet Union. The dread of socialism was ideologically filling the irate pace of the A-Bomb development. In that sense the developing U. S. ilitary-modern complex was not off-base. Socialist USSR was unquestionably the greatest force defying USA and its western partners once Germany crumbled. The world was unquestionably getting separated into two camps, the industrialist and the communist and Europe including Germany was its first casualties. The Allies couldn't take care of business. Something must be discovered, another ex treme weapon which could stop and potentially pulverize the walk of socialism. That something structured at first for extremist Germany and utilized for experimentation in Japan was to be most likely utilized later against the Socialist Soviet association. This was the fundamental ideological battle cry in the American foundation and the unobtrusive explanation behind proceeding with the weapons contest into the post-Second World War world period. The disclosure of the split iota offered certainty to the United States that it could battle the virus war or iron-window ornament that Winston Churchill said had slipped over Europe. It meant that the new war after 1945 would be battled against the USSR. Check Your Progress 1 Note : I) Use the space offered beneath for your responses. ii) C hell your answer with the model answers given toward the finish of the unit. 1) Look at the foundation to the atomic weapons contest. 2) What are the basis for the weapons contest in the post-war period? s 9. 3 THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE : HOW IT IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL PREVIOUS ARMS RACES IN HISTORY 9. 3. 1 The Ikinity Test Of the three bombs built, the first was tried on July 16, 1945 at Alamagordo, New Mexico. It is known as the Trinity Test. The fruitful Trinity Test proclaimed the introduction of the Nuclear-Bomb in mankind's history and the beginning of the atomic age. Neils Bohr, the well known Danish Physicist, prophetically watched the insetting weapons contest and its subjective contrast. In a letter to Resident Roosevelt on 3 July 1944 he referenced that a weapon of unmatched force was being made which would totally change every single future state of fighting. A few researchers envisioning the weapons contest between the US and the USSR asked the American Government to impart the atomic insider facts to Soviet Union and along these lines forestall a weapons contest. Nonetheless, clearly the researchers were excessively gullible of the round of legislative issues just as the power of global governmental issues. Such counsel was rarely heard, and the race was proceeded in the desire for triumph. To the military urgently searching for an approach to manage the Germans, the Japanese qnd at last the Soviets, the Trinity Test h

Friday, August 21, 2020

Activity Analysis

Cost: The cost relies upon what sort of PC is purchased and what kind of web is bought. A PC can go somewhere in the range of $400. 00 to $1000. 00 and rapid web typically costs around $20. 00 per month. For this action a HP PC is being utilized which costs $429. 99 and fast web for $20. 00 per month. By and large expense for one year: $669. 99. Readiness: Must have an email account, realize the email address of the individual the email is going to, and purchase a PC and the web. Time: 35 min-10 minutes to discover email address of the companion and 25 minutes for making an email. Space Needs or setting required: Indoor, PC work area with PC gear, sufficiently bright region, and a the size of the region doesn't make a difference up to a PC work area and seat can fit. Movement Qualities: Teens, youthful grown-ups, and grown-ups may discover this undertaking important. This assignment would likewise be significant to agents. This movement may not be not pleasant for the late people born after WW2. Occupation: Social cooperation, for example, taking part in correspondence with loved ones. Recreation intrigue, for example, unwinding and sentiment of association by speaking with others. Oversight: None Precautions: Those with visual debilitations, intellectual postponements, and legitimate fine engine control may encounter trouble when playing out this undertaking and will require management to give verbal bit by bit methodology. Logical inconsistencies: Not fitting for those with complete visual impairment and a significant intellectual postponement. May not be fitting for those with significant deficiencies of gross and fine engine control. Engine Skills: Sensory mindfulness required. Tactile preparing including visual sharpness, visual security, vestibular capacities, proprioceptive capacities, contact capacities, and weight mindfulness. Neuromusculoskeletal related capacities incorporate joint portability, joint soundness, muscle power, muscle tone, muscle continuance, engine reflexes, and control of willful and automatic developments. Engine aptitudes that are required for this undertaking are gross, fine, crossing the midline, respective reconciliation, and praxis. Likewise postural control and arrangement are significant for this assignment. Procedure Skills: For this undertaking, capacity to focus, memory, and discernment are required. Additionally, thought, sequencing, organizing, making, performing multiple tasks, and judging are utilized for this action. Correspondence/collaboration aptitudes: Interests, self-idea, job execution, social contact, see, impact, and connection to others are essential to this undertaking. Showing and seeing feelings are essential to identify with others. Restraint, relational aptitudes, and self-articulation are additionally required. ADL/IADL Performance Areas: The fine engine abilities of sending an email can be useful in taking care of, eating, dressing, washing, individual gadget care, and individual cleanliness. The intellectual aptitudes of this action can likewise help with individual gadget care and individual cleanliness. This movement can likewise help with correspondence the executives by utilizing the relational abilities expected to send an email. Work/instruction execution territories: This action can be useful for those looking for business and occupation execution. Having the option to send an email will empower an individual to better their vocation by sending proficient messages. It will likewise help with work execution by utilizing subjective, gross, and fine engine control expected to send an email. Recreation/play/social interest territories: This movement can be proceeded as a relaxation action and can upgrade play investigation and cooperation. It can upgrade play by meeting new individuals and investigating new premiums. It can likewise better social support by trading data with loved ones. Ceaseless correspondence with individuals will improve social aptitudes. Adjustment: Potential for adjustment is generally excellent. May utilize raised or extended keys on the console for those with a visual debilitation and low tangible incorporation. May likewise expand the zoom on web pages so an individual can see a bigger picture. With somebody who has restricted ROM, a remote console would work best. Along these lines the individual can set the console on lap. The mouse can be adjusted by amplifying it and including distinctive surface for the privilege and left snap. Along these lines, the individual knows about the various sides. Evaluating: Adding wrist loads to hands will improve arm quality. Putting the console and mouse further from the individual will energize reach while sitting. Utilizing a treatment ball rather than a seat will energize fixation and ability to focus. Making the keys on the console littler and the mouse littler will upgrade fine engine control. Inabilities: Those with psychological wellness issues, for example, discouragement, tension, bipolar turmoil, and character issue would profit by this action by improving social abilities and having somebody they can converse with. Those with strokes, MS, mental imbalance, and rheumatoid joint pain would profit by this movement which would improve social, psychological, and fine engine control abilities. Objective: Within the OT treatment meeting, the patient will have the option to type 100 words inside 10 minutes. Propensities: This action can impact propensities by Environmental Aspects: Sending an E-mail can impact social setting in light of the fact that for most it isn't unexpected to utilize the PC and is the America is starting to utilize the web for sending letters rather than the mail station. For individual setting, this movement is primarily utilized by teenagers, grown-ups, and center adulthood. For Temporal setting, this movement impacts it since cards, for example, occasion cards, compassion cards, wedding solicitations, and birthday cards are being sent through email. This movement impacts virtual setting since it is utilizing the web. It impacts social setting since it is a brisk and simple approach to trade data.

Saturday, August 8, 2020

A Simple Formula for Academic Writing

A Simple Formula for Academic Writing EP 50: A Simple Formula for Academic Writing EP 50: A Simple Formula for Academic Writing Academic writing is simple, really. It is simple to write essays if you know how to write them. Today on the show we will provide you with a simple formula for academic writing. Join Cath Anne on Episode 50 for a tried and true formula for writing academic essays. Use this formula on essay exams, in formal written essay assignments and even for college entrance exams. Looking for study tips, help with essay writing, or advice on how to be a better student? Welcome to The Homework Help Show, a weekly show where we teach, assist, and offer valuable insights for student life. From study hacks to writing tips, discussions about student mental health to step-by-step guides on academic writing and how to write a resume, weve got you covered. Want your questions answered? Write them below or join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #askHHG TRANSCRIPT: Cath Anne: [00:00:00] Hi guys and welcome back to our channel. My name is Cath Anne and this is Episode 51 of The Homework Help Show hosted by Homework Help Global. Here on the show we provide you with valuable content for your academic and student life. We just recorded our fiftieth episode of the show and in order to celebrate we went back to review some of our favorite academic tips and put them into a little compilation video for you guys. As always, dont forget to connect with us on our social media platforms. All Of our information is linked and listed in the description box below and please let us know if you like this type of video. Jump into the comments section and let us know if this is something that you want to keep seeing more of as well. Maybe share with us one of your favorite academic tips as always. If you do like the video feel free to give it a thumbs up and make sure to subscribe to her channel so you dont miss out on any more of our content Today we will cover everything from writing and taking to problem solving and student mental. Lets jump in. Cath Anne: [00:01:23] Okay lets start with some writing tips from writing a thesis statement two youre doing a line to writing a strong conclusion. Cath Anne: [00:01:32] Dont use contractions. Now what are contractions? Again, this is for academic writing. Contractions are words like dont, cant, shouldnt, couldnt, wouldnt, isnt, havent, and hasnt. So these are the shorter forms of words like do not, cannot, could not, would not,, should not, is not, have not and has not. It is better to write out the word in full with the academic paper or in your business writing because it just looks more professional. Notice how for example with cannot. It is one word. Its condensed into ca-nn-ot whereas if you write do not, it still remains as two separate words so thats important to note when you are expanding contractions. This is a really important one because its something that can really slip your mind when youre writing an academic paper and its really important to be attentive to using tractions through your paper. So always make sure that you go over your paper before you get in and make sure that you are not using contractions befo re you handed in because this is one that professors really do not like. It makes your writing seem a little bit too kind of easygoing colloquial so make sure you are avoiding using contractions. Expand those words and sound more fresh. Cath Anne: [00:03:11] Avoid it there are or there is when we write we dont want our sentences to be too wordy or convoluted. We want our sentences to be concise and to the point so use it there are, it adds words that really dont need to be there. Theyre kind of redundant and are not required. Cath Anne: [00:03:32] So for example there are many issues that politicians face daily so that adding a little bit of time and words to your point. You really dont need there are at the beginning of this sentence. Instead you could just write politicians face many issues on a daily basis much more simple, its much more to the point. Cath Anne: [00:04:00] Avoid words like really, very, a lot, and so. So the reason for this is that it weakens your writing when youre using these words. You really do not need to use these words. When you use some of these words it makes your writing not as strong so it makes it come across as a little bit more amateur and you really dont need to use these words. Cath Anne: [00:04:25] Lets talk about what the differences between passive voice and active voice and Im going to use an example to do this. Immigration reforms were implemented by Trudeau that is written in the passive voice. Here we have the past tense of the verb to be. So we have were and we also have the past principle of the verb to implement so implemented and now we also have the word by which is usually something that indicates that we are speaking in the passive voice and as you can see it is just not a very strong sentence it doesnt. It takes away from what Trudeau has done it doesnt put him kind of front and center with the sentence so the sentence would be much stronger if it was written as Trudeau implemented immigration reforms. Cath Anne: [00:05:23] This strengthens the message of the sentence. So there is a difference between the strong verbs and weak verbs. Lets do another example a weak verb is he gave assistance to my friend. So here were using the word gave with the noun assistance. As you can see the word systems can be actually used as a verb. So a stronger way to say this would be. He assisted my friend. Its much more direct and much more straight to the point and the verb is much stronger. You get stronger sense of what the writer is trying to say when theyre using that type of fire. Cath Anne: [00:06:05] You want to explore other points of view and this is absolutely necessary when you are writing an academic paper because you dont only want to provide one view of a topic or one analysis of some research because you want to have a well-rounded analysis. So by presenting and exploring other points of view youre also going to have a stronger argument because youre going to understand what the other person or what the other group of people will say about the topic and you will be able to therefore strengthen your argument. Cath Anne: [00:06:43] One of the first things you want to do when youre beginning to write an essay is make sure you understand the topic and the question thats being asked. When youre doing an essay you really want to take the essay prompt and kind of deconstruct it deconstructing the essay question really helps to kind of frame what youre going to write. It is really important to structure your essay because this gives it a logical flow at one of the most basic and helpful ways to structure an essay is to use the five paragraph structure and because of. Five paragraph essay format is so common your professor will know or your reader will know what to expect. So if anyone hasnt heard of the five paragraph essay Im going to go through it a little bit more in-depth. But basically what it is, its an introduction, three body paragraphs, and then a conclusion. There are tons of templates that you can use if youre a type of person that likes to use a template. Certainly take out a piece of paper and write down your eight your topic and your research question or a thesis and then use three body paragraphs and your conclusion and that gives you a bit of an outline to work with. Cath Anne: [00:08:01] Many of us do not give ourselves enough time to edit. A lot of students do not edit their work but even if you are an incredibly amazing writer youre still going to be need to edit because youre gonna make mistakes. Its just the nature of human beings we all make mistakes so we all have to edit. So make sure that youre giving yourself a lot of time to edit and proofread. And again I know that it is best to save paper if we can, but in this case it can be really helpful actually to print off your essay and do the same thing that you did with the initial essay question just go through and highlight things underlined things cross things out and then you can go back onto your computer and type up and insert all of the edits that you made. Cath Anne: [00:08:56] Paraphrasing refers to the process of taking some language and reworking it in your own words but still capturing the same theme and you really want to make sure that youre not plagiarizing when you do this because it can be really tempting especially if somethings written very eloquently and you dont feel that you can do it justice to kind of copy it and think that no one will notice. That is not the case because we have programs now which can track whether things have been plagiarized or not. So it is likely that when your prof runs something through the plagiarism checker and it comes up as plagiarized then you could be docked for that. So make sure when youre paraphrasing really break down the concepts. In the same way that you did in the initial question really breaks down the concepts in that paragraph. If you think its a really strong paragraph that you want to include in your essay then certainly use it but you have to put it in your own words so make s ure youre going through underlining highlighting circling and then reworking it in your own words. And theres no shame in using a thesaurus or a dictionary to kind of flesh out and figure out new words to use that capture the same essence. Cath Anne: [00:10:23] Make sure you do your research prior to writing and sees the statement being familiar with the information out there will help you to find a legitimate argument and be familiar with the topic that youre discussing. It will make it way easier for you to write an effective thesis statement. Cath Anne: [00:10:43] Dont bury your thesis statement in the body of your first paragraph. You wanted to be at least. The second to last paragraph or the second to last sentence or the very last sentence in your introduction paragraph. Cath Anne: [00:10:57] Finally be creative and use your own words when you copy another persons opinion or argument. You are risking the Tanz of plagiarism. Writing a well crafted original thesis statement will get you good points with your professor and make you stand out as a student when you were writing a thesis statement. Cath Anne: [00:11:18] Make sure to avoid restating the that is given by the professor on the exam. This might be tempting because it just seems easier. However it is indicative of lazy and boring writing. This will only go to show your professor that you dont care very much about the essay question and it wont bode well for you on the exam when youre writing an essay for an exam. You want to be creative and show that you can think in a critical way and independently. Be creative. Use the notes that you have already written prior to your exam and draw on those to develop a well-rounded essay that is creative and interesting and engaging to the professor. Cath Anne: [00:12:02] End with a strong conclusion. Most writing guidelines suggest that it is best to restate the points that youve made through out as well as to summarize your essay in the conclusion. However this is also indicative of boring writing and its an ineffective way to end your essay. Think instead about synthesizing the various points that you have made throughout your exam as a question rather than just simply restating although youre not trying to prove a new point youre going to try to synthesize your points into a well-rounded argument that you have also shown in your essay. Think about it as a way to tie everything together at the end of your essay. Cath Anne: [00:12:48] Learning how to study is crucial for academic success and it is important to find methods that work for you. While everyone has their own study style try incorporating some of these tips into your study routine before you begin to study. Cath Anne: [00:13:04] Make yourself comfortable but not too comfortable. You dont want to fall asleep. Grab a snack a glass of water and a cup of coffee or tea. Always study in the same place every time. When you begin your exam recall the place that you studied this will help you with recall on your test and it will help you drum up some of the information that you studied in that specific place. Cath Anne: [00:13:34] Beware the forgetting curve when you begin to study. There is a tendency to forget very quickly this tendency is even stronger when you are studying new information. This tendency is referred to as the forgetting curve. Forgetting occurs naturally when there is no effort made to retain the information. A way to combat this is to review your notes regularly when you are actively studying. Review your notes every 20 minutes to increase your retention of new information. Cath Anne: [00:14:10] The Pomodoro Technique is a cyclical system. You work in sprints and then you take a break. Working in short sprints increases productivity and taking a break. Increases motivation and creativity. All you need to complete the Pomodoro Technique is a timer. First decide on the task you would like to complete for example if youd like to review all of chapter one that will be your task. Set your timer for 25 minutes and work for a 25 minute sprint. When the timer goes off. Make a checkmark on a piece of paper you have at the side of your desk. This will indicate that youve completed one pomodoro take a five minute break then reset your timer and begin a new 25 minute session complete four rounds of Pomodoro. Once you have completed the full four rounds take a longer break this break can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. Get up stretch walk around. And get something to drink. Once you have completed your longer break you will be ready to jump into a another four r ound session of pomodoro active learning is just as it sounds. Cath Anne: [00:15:35] In order to truly learn a new piece of information you must engage with it and trick your brain into working with it. This activates new neural pathways in the brain which creates new space in the brain for new information. There are a variety of ways that you can incorporate active recall into your study routine and Im going to give you a couple of steps about how to do that. Step 1 copy it all down so youre in class. The T.A. Professor instructor puts a question up on the board record that write that down in your notebook. Dont use a computer use a pen and paper or pencil. And dont worry at this point if you dont understand this is part of the process. Step number two. Start small. Start by breaking a problem down and go through step by step breakdown each component of the problem Ruyter equations drawing out all of the concepts that you have learned thus far right out formulas that you have learned and work diligently with the question, putting everything yo u know into the question. Even if you dont get the correct answer this is going to be a step towards your learning process. Step number 3 do active recall. Once you become familiar with all of the steps involved in solving this type of a problem, engage in active recall by taking a new problem and trying to figure it out from the ground up. You can still break it down into steps write out all the formulas and everything that you think you need to solve the problem and come to a solution. And again make sure you are not looking at the answer. The less you make use of those resources the better you are going to be able to adapt and to be able to do this process in a time crunch on an exam. Cath Anne: [00:17:23] So another way to do active recall is to really hone in on the information that you are learning. Let me explain. Have you ever become frustrated at another student because they seem to have spent a very small time in studying when you have been cramming for weeks and weeks and weeks. Well this is likely because they have honed in on specific information that they believe the professor will be putting on the exam and you may have been staying a bit too broad. So what you want to do when you are studying for an exam is to hone in on very specific information that you think will be on the exam and study that information. You can do this by asking the professor questions about what is going to be on the exam. You can look at key themes that arise throughout the course of this semester. If there is a topic that the professor keeps going back to it is a good bet that that will be on the exam. You can look through your textbook as I mentioned and look for practice qu estions because those tend to be the types of information that will arrive on the exam. You can consult with former students of that class and see if they remember anything that may have been on the test in a year before. Cath Anne: [00:18:46] Basically the reason flashcards work is that they promote something called active recall. This means that it helps you to exercise the muscle which allows you to actively retrieve information from the brain which is one of the most effective ways of studying because its helping you to exercise that muscle of retrieving information. And when you do that over and over and over again it actually strengthens that muscle. Cath Anne: [00:19:14] So it might be tempting to use someone elses cards because as I said they can be a little bit time consuming to make and if youre super busy and youre a student you might not want to take that extra chunk of time that it takes to create your own flashcards, but its really important for you to make your own flashcards because 1, you are going to retain more information if you make them and because one of the most important tenets of taking information is actually learning the information and working with it in your brain and that helps you to retain the information. So even though you might save some time using someone elses flashcards they wont be as effective for you if you do because you wont be as familiar with the content that youre creating. Cath Anne: [00:20:10] Exams are tough but we all have to get through them. Creating a pre-study routine and going into their exam with a positive mindset can help to improve your overall performance. Here are some tricks to incorporate into your study routine that will help you to ace your next exam. Cath Anne: [00:20:29] When you receive a multiple choice test, make sure to read it over thoroughly before you begin answering any questions. Review each question. Sometimes professors will provide hints throughout the test that will indicate the answers to other questions. Reviewing it in advance can help you to answer these questions appropriately. Cath Anne: [00:20:51] Answer the difficult questions first in a multiple choice test. This will allow you to use your brain power for the difficult questions to begin with. Then when you have less brain power you can focus on the easier questions. Cath Anne: [00:21:06] When you receive a multiple choice question, read it twice. Because multiple choice questions are seemingly easy to answer and usually quite short we might rush through them and answer them incorrectly. Take some time to read them over twice and this will enhance your chances of answering them correctly when completing a multiple choice test. Cath Anne: [00:21:31] Check your answers at the end of each page. This will allow you more time at the end of the test even if you do not have time to review the whole test in its entirety. You will be able to know that you have reviewed each page as youve got along when there are only a few questions such as on each page. It is easier to check a test for mistakes. Cath Anne: [00:21:57] Understand that its rare for consecutive answers to be the same on a multiple choice test. If youre trying to figure out the difference between a and b consider your last answer. If your last answer was a it is likely that this next dancer is not also say the same stands for true and false questions. If you are trying to narrow it down you can rely on the fact that it is rare for two consecutive answers to be the same. Cath Anne: [00:22:28] When all of the above or none of the above are present, they are correct 52 percent of the time. Cath Anne: [00:22:37] Although you may have the urge to cram before your test or study as much as you can getting at least 8 hours of sleep before your test is essential. Sleep is an active process where the brain works to heal the body and it produces hormones which are beneficial to repair and growth. This is obviously a major component of learning and processing. This is also time for the brain to reconsolidate memories and things that weve learned or studied during the day. So particularly when you are studying for a test youre going to want to make sure you are getting a good amount sleep so that your body can process everything that youve learned. Cath Anne: [00:23:23] When you wake up in the morning from your really good sleep make sure you are having a healthy breakfast but nothing that is too heavy. You want something a bit lighter because when you are digesting a heavy breakfast this can actually take blood flow away from the brain and youre going to need all the blood flowing to your brain. So you are able to piece that test. Also if you are a coffee drinker try to avoid drinking caffeine right up until the exam time. This will give you the jitters before the test and you are also already full of jitters. So you dont want to increase that in your body. Its fine to have a cup of coffee but maybe limit it to half a cup and make sure youre having it with your breakfast early in the morning and not right up until when your test is happening. Cath Anne: [00:24:09] Write down your anxieties and fears do a bit of a brain dumb. Research has shown that when you do this you can actually free up space in your brain and it will improve the grade that you get on your test writing things down will help you to understand your fears and manage them more effectively. Cath Anne: [00:24:27] Arrive at the test ahead of time. Give yourself lots of time to be there and be present for the test you will want time to mentally prepare and rushing or running late to the exam will certainly increase anxiety because you wont feel as prepared and your body wont be settled and ready to take a test. Cath Anne: [00:24:49] Make sure all your materials are ready to go. For example make sure that your computer is working properly that your calculator has batteries and then its turning on. You want to make sure that all of your pencils are sharpened and that your pens are working well as it will ease your mind when you are entering into the task and it will free up space in your mind so that you can focus on just taking the test. Cath Anne: [00:25:14] Develop some pre-test rituals consistent habits and behaviors can put you at ease in a stressful situation. So when your body is ready to be stressed out some of these habits that youve developed along the way can help to put your body at ease for example go for a short walk listen to some of your favorite music and visualizing your success on a on an exam are all strategies that you can use to put your mind and your body at ease before you go into a test. Cath Anne: [00:25:45] Do a short meditation. It doesnt have to be anything long just close your eyes and breathe deeply and relax your muscles. This might not be for everyone however it is an effective strategy. Ive used it myself before going into an interview and I can tell you that it truly does work. Do this for about five minutes you can do it for up to ten minutes. Set a timer on your phone. Think back to a time when you did really well on a test. You ace the test and you scored well that was you in your zone free capture feelings of what it felt like to be in your zone and experience that by recalling how you actually felt in that situation. Think about how you are calm your muscles were relaxed and your motivation to succeed was very high by visualizing success and by putting your body into that state. You were actually helping to manifest a better agree on your test and you putting your body into a state to be prepared for success. Cath Anne: [00:26:45] Avoid sitting or standing around anxious people. Were all familiar with the group of people prior to an exam who are standing outside the gymnasium or the classroom and they are not prepared for the test. So they are evidently swamped with stress. However standing around these people is not going to help you in the least if you know the room is crowded and you know the people are particularly anxious. Dont worry about being a loner. Find yourself a spot to go and just chill there. Think positive thoughts take deep breaths do your basic meditation and focus on your own preparation and your own future success in the exam. Cath Anne: [00:27:28] While academia will require you to study right and take lots of tests it will also challenge you in other ways from dreading group projects to critical thinking skills. Here are some tips that will help you to navigate the obstacles that you will face throughout your academic career. Cath Anne: [00:27:53] Lets talk about the five steps or the five stages in group formation. First we have forming the forming see what happens when the group first meets each other are introduced to each other they share information about their backgrounds and their experiences their interests they learn about the project and they start to gain an understanding of where they will fit within the group and what role they will take on as the group begins to work together. They move into what is called the storming stage. Unfortunately this state is unavoidable. Every group most especially a new group that has never worked together before will certainly encounter a storming stage in this stage. Group members compete with each other for status and they look for acceptance from the others in the group. They have different opinions on what should be done and how it should be done. And these all present challenges in group formation. This stage will come to a closure when the group becomes more accepting of each other and learns how to work together towards a common goal. Third we have the norming stage when the team moves into the norming stage they are beginning to look beyond their individual goals and towards the bigger picture and the larger project. Theyre no longer focused on individual tasks but rather theyre focused on working together. Theyve developed processes and procedures that will help them to work towards larger goal. They respect each others opinions and they value each others differences. Fourth we have a performing stage in the performing stage. Groups are highly effective. They focus on reaching the goal as a group. The team members have gotten to know each other. They work really cohesively. They trust and they rely on each other. Now I should mention that not every group is going to make it to the performing stage. They may just rest in the norming stage and this is completely fine particularly in cases where you are working with people that are in your class and it is just a small group project. Finally we have the adjoining stage in the adjoining stages. The project has been completed and team members are looking to go their separate ways. This stage takes on a new perspective and looks at the team wellbeing rather than the individual project itself. At this stage you will have completed your project and you may want an opportunity to celebrate what youve done together. Its always important to remember that every team every group regardless of what youre working on will follow these stages of development. Knowing the stages and understanding them will help you to navigate the different challenges you encounter. It will help you to understand where you are in the group process and why some behaviours might be coming out. It will also help you to understand your own role within the group and the different processes that your group members are participating in. Cath Anne: [00:31:00] One of the first tips that you can use to enhance your critical thinking skills in academia is to ask basic questions. So what are the day that is that as we know our social world is really complex and there is tons of information to take in and as students when were going through research and literature. It can often be overwhelming and seem very complicated and just be a little bit over our heads. However we can begin to simply by asking very simple questions. Cath Anne: [00:31:32] So a second tip to developing your critical thinking skills is to question your basic assumptions so particularly when youre running a paper or thinking through a problem you are going to be coming at it with your own biases and analyses from everyday life. We all of these basic assumptions and thats okay but that. Academic quality work must extend beyond out basic assumptions towards analysis and the synthesis of information we check our own assumptions at the door we can go into analysis with a clear head. And go into research with an open mind which is really important. Cath Anne: [00:32:15] Although you will evidently be drawing on academic literature and information when you do the research and write papers it is important to remember to think for yourself. While this does not mean incorporating your own opinion or biases into your writing it does mean that you must analyze the situation through a critical lens. So go back and ask. Basic questions as we discussed what is missing. Is there a gap in the literature. What is this research saying. Does it make sense in relation to other research that youve seen on the topic think through the literature using your own power of deduction. So although you will be drawing on resources to make your point you want to make sure that youre using your own critical thinking skills because youll be increasing that critical thinking muscle. Cath Anne: [00:33:05] Here are some steps to implement the Corson method into your routine. If you are facing a complex problem. Break it down into smaller components. If you get stuck ask yourself what is it that I do not understand. Right. Each small question down. And then ask yourself where are you getting stuck. Give yourself at least 15 minutes on each component of the question in order to understand exactly where you are going wrong or what you dont understand. Consult with other students after the 15 minutes. Maybe they have an idea of how to solve the problem that youre not thinking of. If you are truly stuck then go to your professor after the 15 minutes be able to show your professor exactly where you are getting stuck and ask them a very specific question about the problem you are having. What youre hoping to avoid here is going to the professor right away as soon as you get the question without taking the time to break it down and understand where you might be going wro ng or where there might be a misunderstanding. If you use the Corson technique you are strengthening your critical thinking skills. Cath Anne: [00:34:16] As we near the end of our 50 tips I would like to switch gears and move towards a life and side the classroom student life is stressful. It can be difficult to find a balance between doing well in school and everything you have going on outside of school. Too much stress can be detrimental to your health which is why mindfulness and self care are so important. Cath Anne: [00:34:42] So like you know yoga practice and meditation practice you also have to practice gratitude and thats why it here is that way because it is actually just something you have to work on. Many of us dont realize that our brains are not actually hardwired to practice habitude either. Sounds like a weird statement. Were actually hardwired to the other way and be preventive and look for the dangers in life so that kind of prevents us from naturally seeking thoughts of gratitude. So one of the ways that we can practice gratitude is to wake up in the morning before we even get out of bed. We can make a list in our heads of. Three or five things that were grateful for and then other ways to bring to your life is to look at your whole day through a lens of gratitude. So not just in the morning as we navigate your day. You look at things to be grateful for. So. Whereas. Sometimes we see the negative in life. So say were driving in traffic in Toronto and the highway is real ly bad. That can be a really negative experience but if we frame it through a lens of gratitude we might think Im grateful to have a car to be able to commute to work. I am grateful to be able to have the money to put gas in my car and then that gets you towards closer to a lens of gratitude and you approach life in a more graceful way. Cath Anne: [00:36:28] If meditation is not for you there are some other ways that you can navigate stress and overwhelm. So one of the ways its called 5 4 3 2 1, or 1 2 3 4 5, and its actually a mindfulness and awareness technique that you can use when youre trying to go to sleep and youre feeling restless. It will help them to calm down. If youre in a stressful situation it will bring you more mindfulness and just bring you into the present moment and stop any amazing thoughts. Having so what it is basically you start the number five and you and youre thinking of it as you go down. So you start with 5 and you say- you want to think of the five things they see so youre in a room and you might look at five things you see. So five things I see are my computer my phone my microphone my cup of tea and my glasses. And you literally nailed them out loud if youre a worker in class you may not want to hear anything to yourself but if youre in your car or somewhere alone or youre trying to g et to sleep it might be helpful to let me know loud say in your name. Five things you can see. And then you also want to name five things you can hear so I can hear the dripping tap. I can hear my computer fan running. I can hear the wind outside. I can hear my voice. I can hear the German track so you can name things again if you can. If you can only hear so many things. So the idea is that you want to name five things you can hear and then you want to name five things you can feel so I can feel my hands touching together I can feel my legs on the couch I can feel my feet on the couch I can feel the. I can hear the question. So you want the five things you keep getting calm just this process and then you want to do four things each and then three and then do one. And honestly every time I do this hows the vulnerably. So this is an amazing technique they can use. Its very calming and very mindful. It brings you in the present moment and it makes you not think about all that theres s omething going on in your head and also helps you be a little bit more observant. Cath Anne: [00:39:36] Make smart resolutions and what I mean by smart is S M A R T which is the acronym for making a smart goal. Dont make vague statements about your goals. A lot of times we will set goals but we wont be able to attain them because they are too vague. This is where the smart acronym can come in handy. Use the smart acronym to make defined and achievable goals. Lets go through what the smart acronym stands for. Make goals that are specific measurable attainable relevant and time bound. For example dont say I want to work out or say I want to work out three times a week. This is a very specific goal. Its not as vague as I want to work at more measures that will keep track of it and write down how many times you actually go to the gym within the run of a week. This will help you measure your goal and in the long run help you to be more successful. Make sure your goal is something that you are able to attain. So make sure it is attainable. Dont set a goal that is too l ofty. For example if you are not going to the gym at all now maybe dont make a goal to go seven days a week. Start out with 3 and if you get more. Thats great. Just make sure your goal is attainable. You also want to make sure that your goal is relevant. Is it something that means something to you. What does losing weight or getting fit. Going to the gym mean to you. Does it have meaning in your life. Your goals should have meaning because that will help motivate you along the way and if they dont have meaning then you will be less likely to achieve them. And finally you want to make sure that your goals are time bound. Three times a week that gives you a logical timeframe within which to work and it can help you along the way to being more successful. Cath Anne: [00:41:30] Prep your meals. Mealprep can help with time management. Each Sunday take a few hours to go grocery shopping and get everything you need for the week. Plan out a menu and make meals in bulk use a big pot or a crock pot. Make meals in bulk and then freeze them throughout the week so that you have something to quickly grab while you are trying to focus on school and you dont have to worry about meals smoothies are also a great option for breakfast grab and go make a batch of muffins and have them on hand free self in the morning so you can grab it and run out the door to take the bus or drive to school. Cath Anne: [00:42:06] Know your support network. When things get stressful at school it can be really helpful to know that you have some people in your life that you can fall back on and that you can rely on some students living at a distance from their families may not have these building connections so it can help to foster these relationships. Reach out to these people before you go back to school and ask if theyre willing to help with anything while you are in school. Do you need a drive to school when it is a big snowstorm and know someone that has a truck. Connect with them and see if theyd be willing to do this. Do you need a respite from school or being in the city. Maybe you have family living outside the city could you visit them on the weekend and just have some downtime to do some studying at their home. These are all ways to foster relationships but also to secure your support network so that you feel comfortable moving into a new semester and that you feel secure havin g that support network especially if youre living away from home. Cath Anne: [00:43:06] Stress is a normal part of life but there are times in our lives where we have more stress than other times. For example during exam period if you find that you are not responding to situations the same way as you always will. It could be due to stress. Take a step back articulate stress and find a way to manage and cope with stress. Cath Anne: [00:43:30] Be intentional about your time. Create a schedule that works for you complete difficult tasks during your highest energy times and leave simpler tasks to when you have less energy. If you are a morning person and you have a lot of energy in the morning spend your high energy times to complete difficult tasks leave easier tasks until a time when you have less energy. Figure out a schedule that works for you and for when you have the most energy keeping up on your schoolwork is an imperative aspect of managing your time and managing stress. When you let your schoolwork go it could cause undue stress. You will spend your time catching up and this will cause you more stress in the long run. Spend some time throughout the week finishing readings and completing tasks when you keep up on your schoolwork. You will also save yourself stress during exam time because you will be more familiar with the content of your course and you will require less time to study. Cath Anne: [00:44:36] Tip number fifty. Have fun. For some people you are only in college or university once. Make sure you have fun. Culture has time for new experiences a time to meet your friends and learn new things. Always focus on your studies. However make sure that you build in time to have these wonderful experiences get out into the community do some volunteering and spend time with friends. Cath Anne: [00:45:11] Okay thats it for me this week guys. This has been our 50 academic tips episode. We cant believe we just filmed our fiftieth episode and we look forward to providing you with more valuable content to come. So make sure you stay connected with us. We hope you found some tips that you can incorporate into your academic life. As always we love when you connect with us on our social media platforms and if you want to do so all of our information is linked and listed in the information box below. If you liked this video and you enjoyed this format make sure to give it a like and subscribe to our channel. If you have any questions jump into the comments below and wed love to hear some feedback about whether you liked this type of episode and whether youd like to see more. Let us know what your favorite academic tip is. Thanks so much for joining me you guys happy 51sr episode of The Homework Help Show and we will see you next week here on the show. Take care.

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Smallholders Coping With Food Sector Transformation - Free Essay Example

This chapter provides a description of the data and research methodology used in this study. This study employed investigates the smallholders coping with food sector transformation and the role of social enterprises in Thailand. Both qualitative and quantitative data were carefully planned and collected in order to facilitate the achievement of the objectives set for the study. An overview of the stages of data collection, data discussion, scope of the study, sample and case studies selection, and methods of analysis is provided. Qualitative data was used for making a general mapping and characterization of the agri-food value chain in Thailand. This information provided essential input for designing a survey for collecting quantitative data. Furthermore, qualitative information will be very useful for interpreting quantitative results and complementing them. While quantitative data is analyzed using statistical and multivariate data analysis techniques, such as Probit regression, gross margins regression with selectivity bias solution, and Factor Analysis. All these quantitative methods are summarized and discussed in this chapter according to the research objectives and questions. 5.2 Overview of stages of data collection The different stages of data collection were divided into four steps as follows: First stage, prior to leaving to the field in Thailand, a thorough review of secondary information was undertaken. It consisted of the review of information from international and Thailand sources, including a literature review of previous studies. This stage consisted of interviewing key informants of government institutions, NGOs, private organizations, farmer organizations, universities and donors. The semi-structured interviews explored the information on how agri-food value chains are changing, with special reference to smallholder coping with food sector transformation and the role of social enterprises. The objective of this activity was also determining the role of institutions and organizations in helping small-scale farmers in modern trade supply chains, including the involvement of institutions and organizations in the production and marketing, their current and future plans and limitatio ns. This information was essential for designing pre-structured interviews used in the following stage of the study. Second stage, the main key actors in agri-food supply chain such as supermarkets, suppliers/brokers, wholesalers, Green Net cooperative and the Royal Project were interviewed by using semi-structured questionnaires (please see the questionnaires in Appendix II-1) in order to gather information about their marketing activities, procurement systems, contract farming systems, and marketing development, especially the current and development of participating with modern trade chains. These interviews help to identify the nature and level of participation of smallholders in modern trade chains. It also provided information about market opportunities and threats offered to small-scale farmers by modern trade markets, the constraints faced by farmers trying to enter such supply chains, and key success factors associated with small-scale farmers that are able to gain acces s. Furthermore, market observation were undertaken by the author and research assistances in top supermarkets and wholesale markets in Bangkok and main cities such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Chachoengsao. As a third stage, in-depth interviews and focus groups were undertaken with farmers participating with social enterprises in producing for modern trade markets and farmers selling in the traditional markets. Interviews encompassed the factors that facilitate of impeded their participation with social enterprise in producing for modern trade markets. Interviewing participant and non-participant farmers enabled the exploration of the motivations, benefits and key success factors of these two groups, and the barriers to entry faced by non-participants. This stage provided information to develop the quantitative questionnaires in stage four. The fourth stage, step in quantitative survey, of data collection was consisted of surveying a sample of participating and compar able non-participating farmers in order to collect quantitative information about the issues addressed in the in-depth interviews after the survey instrument was pre-tested in two different rounds with sets of respondents (see more detail about questionnaire and pre-test in section xxx). This stage provides quantitative data on the benefits, constraints faced by farmers and key success factors of farmers. Both qualitative and quantitative information contribute to achieving the objectives and research questions of the study. 5.3 Data discussion Regarding to stages of data collection, it was divided into two main phases according to type of analyses and objectives of the study. First phase aimed at collecting qualitative (secondary information and semi-structured interviews), and was carried out during the period April 2008 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" July 2008. In addition, it aimed at market observation from top supermarkets in main cites, and was carried out during the period Apri l 2008 September 2008. The phase of the surveys investigated the following issues according to the research objectives and questions: Phase I: Qualitative Analysis: Assessing forces and trends in the restructuring of Agri-food value chain of modern trade and small-scale producers in Thailand. 1: To analyse the changing value chain and transformation in the agri-food industry of small-scale horticulture producers and modern trade in Thailand. RQ1 What is the current agri-food supply chain of small-scale producers and modern trade markets in Thailand? RQ2 What are forces and trends driving the restructuring of agri-food value chain and food sector transformation in Thailand? RQ3 What is the role of social enterprise in linking small-scale farmers into modern trade chains? 2: Outline the terms under which small-scale producers interact with modern trade. RQ 4 Do they have proper contracts, or are the transactions more informal and ad-hoc, etc? RQ 5 Do contracts change over time?, and why? RQ 6 How suppliers/producers adjust to/bargain with modern trade? This phase (regarding to objective 1 and 2) refers to the patterns of changes in the different modern food supply chains in Thailand and the impact of policy on these changes, including the role of social enterprises in linking small-scale farmers to the modern trade chains. The study reviewed grey literature and interviewed with key informants from many key informants and institutions industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"middlemenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢- wholesalers, buyers, social enterprises and cooperative managers, the World Vegetable Center- AVRDC, government institutions, NGOs, and Universities (see Appendix II-3). The general of this phase is to make a general characterization of agri-food value chain in Thailand, make a map of the system and collect inputs for the questionnaire design in the second phase. Second phase aimed at collecting quantitative data (survey), and carry out during Jun e 2008 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" November 2008 for the Royal Project case study, and September December 2009 for Green Net case study. Phase II: Survey and Quantitative Analysis: Assessing motives for and impacts of small-scale producersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ participating with social enterprises in producing for modern trade markets for selected products. This phase based on two case studies (Green Net, and the Royal Project) producer surveys which include both participants and non-participants with modern trade contract farming. The surveys investigated the following issues according to the research objectives and questions: 3: Analyses the motivation and challenges of participation of small-scale producers in producing for modern trade chains in Thailand. RQ7 What are the determinants of small-scale farmersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ participation with social enterprise in producing for modern trade chains? RQ8 What are advantage and challenges faced by small-scale farmers participat ing with social enterprise in producing for modern trade market markets in Thailand? 4: Estimating the impacts on small-scale farmers participating with social enterprises in producing for modern trade. RQ 9 Do producers participating with social enterprise in producing for modern trade obtain better outcomes (profits/income) compared to non-participant? RQ 10 Do producers participating with social enterprise gain other non-financial benefits from participation? This phase (regarding to objective 3 and 4), the study involved field survey and collect the data from questionnaires (please see scope of the study in the next section and Appendix II-2). The objective of this phase is to collect quantitative information about variables that determine the participation of small-scale farmers in modern trade chains. 5.4 Scope of the study and survey 5.4.1Qualitative Information The qualitative phase was carried out during the period April July 2008, consisting of in-dep th interviews with different actors involved in the agri-food sector, including government, private sectors (eg., modern trade and supermarkets, suppliers/brokers, buyers and/or wholesalers), NGOs, farmer organizations, universities and farmers. (see Appendix II- list of key informants) A total of 20 in-depth interviews conducted with organizations and institutions, 20 with small-scale farmers that participate in the modern food chains and 20 with small-scale farmers that selling to traditional markets. A à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Snowballà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Sampling used to contact research informants (see example Blandon, 2006 and Robson, 1993). Semi-structured interviews were differently designed for organizations and institutions, buyer/wholesalers, and farmers; participants and non-participants (Please see Appendix II-1). Each interview lasted between one hour and one hour and a half, and in the case of farmers most of the interviews were conducted on their farms. For each interview hand- writing notes and/or tape-record were taken for analyzing and reviews. For analysing the data, notes and tapes were reviewed. This analysis allowed the making of a map of the agri-food system and identifying categories related to the research objectives. 5.4.2Quantitative data collection The objective of the second phase was to collect quantitative information about variables that determine the participation of small-scale farmers with social enterprise in producing for modern trade markets. For this purpose, a survey including participant and non-participant farmers was carried out during June 2008 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" November 2008 for the Royal Project case study and September December 2009 for Green Net case study. The quantitative portion of the study based on small-scale producer analyses (vegetable and rice case studies) which supplying modern trade markets as well as international markets. The survey questionnaires administered from face-to-face interviews 240 (120 f or each case study) small-scale farmers excluding pilot tests. This stage that some attempt made to follow a random sampling procedure, but field reality may result in convenience based sampling. Since the qualitative data collection precedes and feeds into the quantitative data collection, I first outline the schedule for qualitative data collection and then show how this transition into the quantitative part (see Table 5.1). Table 5.1 Steps in quantitative survey data collection Task Description of task 1 Information gathering and preparation of materials needed for the in-depth interviews 2 Pre-test: Semi-structured interviews, focus group 3 In-depth interviews (semi-structured interviews) conducted on a group of key informants 4 In-depth interviews (semi-structured interviews) conducted on a group of suppliers/buyers/wholesalers 5 In-depth interviews (semi-structured interviews) conducted on a group of small-scale farmers 6 Initial Analysis of results from in-depth interviews and comparisons. This will provide inputs to development of the quantitative part, commencing in step 7 below. 7 Development of initial questionnaire for pre-testing 8 Pre-test of questionnaire on a sample of participant farmers 9 Pre-test of questionnaire on a sample of non-participant farmers 10 Evaluation of questionnaire for possible corrections and re-designing of questionnaire 11 Final administration of questionnaire on sample of    participant farmers 12 Review of answers given to ensure clarity and uniformity, at this stage, new information revealed will be added to the questionnaire. 13 Final administration of questionnaire on sample of non-participants 14 Review of answers given to ensure clarity and uniformity, at this stage, new information revealed will be added to the questionnaire 15 Revisit[1] of farmers by the same interviewer to clarify ambiguous issues and ensure consistency [1] Repeat visit will be done if there are any data problems. 5.4.3 Administration of questionnaire and survey: The questionnaire was developed following five steps suggested by Aaker et al. (1998) and Masakure (2005). Step one involved planning what to measure (revisiting research questions, focusing on research issues and getting additional data from secondary and exploratory research). Step two entailed formatting the questionnaire (determining the content of questions, the framing for each question). Step three involved consideration of question wording (evaluating each question according to how respondents would comprehend and their ability to answer). Step four involved sequencing and layout decisions (ordering of questions to create a single questionnaire). Finally, step five involved pre-testing the questionnaire and correcting problems. The entire design was guided by the in in-depth interviews and as shown in steps in quantitative survey data collection (see Table 3). It is important to know that the research supervisory visited in Thailand also involved in these steps for evaluati on of questionnaire for possible corrections and re-designing of questionnaire. The questionnaire divided into five sections. Section one of the questionnaire contained questions relating to Basic household information. Section two collected data on farm characteristics including costs and returns. Section three focused on income and assets of household. Section four assessed the marketing details and the factor of choosing markets. Section five focused on the history and experience of growing. A copy is provided in Appendix II-2. In questionnaire different scales of measurement were used, such as nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales. A number of multi-item scales were included in the questionnaire following Masakure (2005) and Oppenheim (1992). It is important to note that multi-item scales are widely used in marketing research to measure phenomena that cannot be captured directory with one attitude-based question (Masakure, 2005). They are particularly useful when it is not possible to rely on behaviour as an indication of phenomena (Oppenheim, 1992). For example, in this study a multi-item scales was used to measure the perceptions of small-scale farmers on participating with social enterprise in producing for modern trade markets as opposed to using a single item. The advantages of multi-item scales is that specificity of items can be averaged when all items are combined and the researcher is able to make a clear distinction between individuals and factors through combining these items (Masakure, 2005). The final questionnaire was administered by personal interviews, after the completion of each pilot questionnaire, from.. through . . Two trained research assistances from Mae Fah Luang University and Chiang Mai University were recruited and helped the author in this task. The author carried out half of the interviews. Respondents were selected using a two-stage stratified sampling procedure based on the number of centres operated and the geogr aphical areas of operation. To aid the interview process, research assistants first met farmers at an informal gathering. Farmers were free to ask questions related to the research. Participant farmers were told that the information generated would be used sorely for academic purposes. Each interview began with a brief explanation of the research objectives and its purpose. Questionnaires were filled in by the interviewer. The process could be adjourned several times to enable farmers to undertake their normal duties. On completion the questionnaire, the respondent was thanked for their participation. 5.4.4 Case of the study Secondary information from different sources (triangulation) and the information from in-depth interviews with key informants was a key to identify the case studies. The research design, data gathering, analysis and interpretation were based on two case studies approach. Case studies are better at investigating contemporary phenomenon within its real life context, especially when the boundaries between the phenomenon and context are not clear (Yin, 1994). The case study approaches are also powerful in combining qualitative and quantitative data and provide a description and test theory or even generate theory (Masakure, 2005). This study mostly concerned with the role of social enterprises assist smallholders with production and marketing for modern trade markets. Therefore, case studies are more useful in addressing the implications of the restructuring agri-food value chain on small-scale farmers (the relationship-returns, network and social aspects). In consequence, this study u sed two case studies as Green Net and the Royal Project. Below is a brief overview of the current case studies. 1. Green Net (rice case study) Having explained briefly about the Green Net, it is established in 1993 by the group of people wishing to support the environmental and social responsible business. In present, Green Net is one of the largest producers and wholesaler of organic food in Thailand. It also plays as important social enterprise in supporting sustainable development for a better livelihood of small-scale producers and consumers as well as a clean environment for Thailand. At present, there are over 20 product assortments (e.g. organic rice (majority product), vegetables, fruits, teas, cotton etc.) sold through approximately 40 retail outlets in Bangkok and around the country. Beside domestic market, Green Net Cooperative operates fair-trade exports to Europe and the nearby countries in Asia. Please see more detail about Green Net in Chapter 6, section 6.xx. Green Net is currently purchased from farmer groups in the North-eastern, Northern and Central regions of Thailand. Regarding organic rice, majority product, main organic rice price producers for Green Net are cooperatives in Yasothorn Province (North-eastern) , one of the largest organic rice provinces in Thailand, such as Naso Organic Rice Cooperative and Bakruea Organic Rice Cooperative. Therefore, this study is focused on these cooperativesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ members who are small-scale farmers growing organic Jasmine rice as participant farmers. 2. The Royal Project (vegetable case study) The Royal Project (RP) has been playing as an important social enterprise in developing and promoting quality of life for the highland small-scale farmers in various aspects. The RP also becomes one of important agri-food suppliers for both domestic and international markets especially for low-chemical and organic products. The RP has developed the household subsistence farming into the commercial-based production under Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) emphasizing on quality and safety standards in all links of the supply chain. Therefore, the RP, as it now becomes, has represented the linkages between the small-scale farmers and modern trade markets to help themselves in growing useful crops which enable them to have a better benefits. Please see more detail about the Royal Project in chapter 6, section xxx. The RP have 4 research centres and 37 Agricultural Development Centres within 5 provinces in the North of Thailand as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphoon, Phayao and Mae Hong Sorn. The Agricultural Development Centre plays as a main collaboration centre between farmers and the RP to support the RP production and marketing plans. There are 27 Agricultural Development Centre in Chiang Mai (72.79%), 6 centres in Chiang Rai (16.22%), 2 Mae Hong Sorn (5.1%), 1 centre in Payao (2.70%) and 1 centre in Lampoon (2.70). In addition, there are 26,174 householdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s members, 257 villages from 5 provinces, under 37 The RPFà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s development centres. Most farmers are in Chiang Mai (69.25%), Chiang Rai (16.27%), Lampoon (7.38%), Mea Hong Sorn (4.90%), and Phayao (1.51%) in ordered. Vegetable and fruit production are main income resources of the RP. In 2008, The RP had total income about 427.47 million Baht. The main income resource came from vegetables 56.29%, fruits and coffee 16.97% (coffee is about 4.61%), and flowers and trees 5.88%. Chinese cabbage is one of importance crops for the RP which is selling all the year to modern trade markets. Therefore, regarding to in-depth interviews and survey, this second case study is focused on the RP members who are Chinese cabbage producers in Chiang Mai province (Chiang Mai is one of the largest vegetable (cold weather vegetable) production areas in Thailand) as participant farmers. The participant famers come from 3 Agricultural Development Centres in Chiang Mai as Nong Hoi, M ae Hea, and .. The following table (Table 4) shows the summary of scope of the study. Table 4: Summary of scope of the study Phase of study Analysis Data sources Phase 1 :Qualitative Trends Changes in retail points policy. Documents/interviews from key informants, organizations and other administrations. Change in producer and supplier points, and contract policy. Documents/interviews from key-informants from supermarkets, suppliers and farmers. Phase 2: Quantitative Producers/Suppliersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ access Small-scale producer analyses: Royal Project: vegetable producer Green Net: rice producer (Total is 240 farmers) Surveys of small-scale farmers who participate and non-participate with supermarkets, 60: 60 PER CASE STUDY 5. 5 Validity, Reliability and Practicability Regarding to data collection and research methods, one important issue to take into account in this study is that measurement tools used meet the criteria of validity, reliability and practicability. A research instrument meets validity criterion if it is able to measure what is supposed to measure; reliability if it provides accurate and stable measurements; and practicability if it is appropriate according to economic, convenience, and interpretability (Blandon, 2006; Cooper and Emory, 1995 and Robson, 1994). The quantitative research is usually associated with the terms of validity and reliability. On the one hand, qualitative research usually looks for alternative ways to deal with credibility issues (Blandon, 2005). The above measurement criteria are very difficult to evaluate. However, according to Janesick, 2000 and Robson, 1994, an alternative and important tool is triangulation which refers to the use of several data sources and/or the use of multiple methods in the resear ch. Therefore, in this research, qualitative data come from different sources (for example, supermarket, buyer, social enterprise, cooperative, NGOs, donor, farmer, public, private and academic research participants). In addition, several statistical and multivariate research techniques that facilitate methodological triangulation are used in the quantitative analyses. Furthermore, qualitative and quantitative results can mutually validate. Several authors have raised concern about the issue of selectivity bias, or self-selection bias (see example Ali and Abdulai, 2009, Mendola, 2007, Shankar and Thirtle, 2005), such as in this study farmers are not random assigned by the researcher into participation and non-participation groups, and instead self-select themselves into groups. There are many solutions to the selectivity problem, including Heckman correction models, panel data methods, etc. In this study, therefore, the propensity score matching method was used to be addressing t his issue. Finally, the practicability is also taken into account, especially for the quantitative phase, which was conducted in two case studies. The case studies selected for the survey are important social enterprises, which are most important producers/suppliers for modern trade markets in Thailand. In addition, kind of products and the geographical selections were very practical in terms of budget and crop season limitations as well as in term of socio-economic conditions. 5.6 Methods of Analyses The study has two parts of analysis methods, according to the objectives of the study, which organized into two empirical studies as the following; Value Chain Analysis; value chain mapping à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" in order to achieve the objective 1 and 2. Econometric and Statistic Processing of Survey data à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" in order to achieve the objective 3 and 4. 5.6.1 Value Chain Mapping The value chain mapping helped to understand the patterns of agri-food supply chains, forces and trends driving the future food value chain and market development, including the role of social enterprises in helping smallholders with food retail transformation in Thailand. There are many different dimensions of Value Chain Analysis techniques (see example Kaplinsky and Morris, 2002 and Roduner, 2004). However, this research followed the value chain work plan as the following. Value chain work plan This study adopted an approach follow a simple practical methodology borrowed from Miles (2002) and Holtzman (2002) found in the World Bankà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s online à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Guide to Developing Agricultural Markets and Agro-enterprisesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?.The development of a 9 steps work plan is the combination of these approaches that describing the sequence of efforts needed to construct a viable and representative value chain map for the selected case studies. A flow chart il lustrating the overall procedure is depicted in Figure 4. Figure 4. Employed work methodology: chain construction and sector analysis. Part I Establish initial understanding of commodity subsetor Product selection Step 1 Review of existing literature data Step 2 Preliminary interviews/fieldwork Step 3 Identification key issues questionnaire design Step 4 Drawing of preliminary (Value Chain) map Step 5 Part II Refine map and subsector understanding Extensive fieldwork: interview of chain actors Step 6 Visiting of physical facilities institutions Step 7 Quantification and refinement of map Step 8 Re-assessment of results by actors and map finalization Step 9 The value chain mapping helped to understand the patterns of agri-food supply chains, forces and trends driving the future food value chain and market development, including the role of social enterprises in helping smallholders with food retail transformation in Thailand. This methodology helped to understand the patterns of agri-food supply chains in Thailand. 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With data on participants and comparable non-participants in place, these models estimated the following kinds of relationships: Probability of Participation = f(demographic, socio-economic, attitudinal variables) Here, demographic information included variables such as age, family size, education of household head, etc; socio-economic variables may include income, experience in farming, farm size, etc; attitudinal variables included a small number of scale variables that attempt to proxy the smallholderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s welfare priorities, attitudes to risk, etc. Regression models of the determinants of farm economic outcomes (profits per rai). Profits per rai = f(farm variables, socio-economic and farmer variables, participation in modern trade chains). Th ese helped determine the effect of participation with social enterprise in producing for modern trade chains on key farm outcomes, while controlling for other variables that may affect outcomes. A selectivity/endogeneity problem is recognized in such estimation equations, and ways to overcome such problems was explored during analysis stage. In addition, the statistic tool; Factor analysis, was applied on collected survey data; Factor Analysis of the motivation and potential benefits of participant farmers including problems faced by participant farmers. This analysis helped us to look at factor of the motivation and problems faced by participant farmers. The factor interpreted by identifying the variables that have a large loading on the same factor. These methods are described below. 5.6.2.1 Probit regression analysis. In analysis of dependence when the dependent variable is discrete, choice or probability models are used. A particular dependent variable used in this research is the participation with social enterprise in producing for modern trade markets. Explanatory variables are used for determining the probability of the participation with social enterprise in producing for modern trade markets. Probit regression is associated with the estimation of the probability of participation (see example Lattin et al., 2003; Greene, 2000, and Blandon, 2007). To test the determinants of participation with social enterprise in production for modern trade, a probit model is estimated in which the dependent variable equals 1 if the farmer is participate with social enterprise in producing for modern trade markets, and zero otherwise: Yi* = ÃŽÂ ² Xi + ui , (1) where Y = 1 if Yi 0, otherwise Y = 0, and Probability (Yi = 1) = Probability (ui ÃŽÂ ² Xi) = 1 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" F(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" ÃŽÂ ² Xi), where F is the cumulative distribution function for u  [1]  . The ÃŽÂ ² are maximum likelihood estimates. For a description and discussion of the probit model, see, for example, Maddala, 1998, 22-27. The theoretical concept of the probit model application with a list of factors that were indentified from previous studies (see for example Braun, Hotchkiss and Immink, 1989 and Blandon, 2006) and the information provided by in-depth interviews and survey is the following: It is hypothesized that the choice to become a participant farmer was determined by the expected income increase, which can be assumed to be determined by the resource endowments of the farm (farm size, soil quality, land elevation, distance of farm from main road and distance of farm to market). In addition, income potentially earned non-farm determines the of opportunity cost of working on-farm. In the long-run, farmers are facing a choice of earning non-farm income versus on-farm work growing the labour intensive for modern trade crops, especially for organic farming. This choice is determined by the non-farm versus on-farm opportunity costs of family labour. Endowment of human capital and established non-farm employment opportunities determine these relationships for a specific household. It is further hypothesised that household labour force size and composition (womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s share) may be a factor for adoption. A higher share of womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s labour may enhance participation of the modern trade crop. Since the decision is mainly that of the male head of household, his age, education level, and experience in farm are other factors of hypothetical impact for the participation. Based on these hypotheses, the participation model is specified as follows: Participation = f (Hsize, Adult, Female, HHsex, Hhage, Hhedu, Expf, Froad, Fcoop, Fsize, Land, Qsoil, Hincome, Nfincome, NfinL, WealthIndex), where Hsize = hous e size (all members in the family), Labour = total labour available in the household (that is, persons of working age), Female = total female in the household Hhsex = sex of head of household (1 male, 2 female), Hhage = age of head of household (years), Hhedu = head of household education (years) Expf = head of household expericenc in farming (years), Froad = distance of farm from main road (km) Fcoop = distance of farm from cooperative (km) Fsize = farm size (rai). Land = land elevation (1very low land à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 4 high) Qsoil = soil quality (1 very bad à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 5 excellent) Hincome = yearly household income (Baht) Nfincome = non-farm income (%) NfinL = non-farm income from providing labour share (%) Wealth Index = calculated from house area and householdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s assets e.g. car, bicycle and TV The empirical analysis was conducted using the STATA statistical package. The probit estimates can be used to der ive linear probability of participating modern trade crop product, which can be approximated by dF/dx (marginal effect). Table 5.xx is shown a list of socio-economic, farm characteristic variables and attitudinal variables? that hypothetically determine small-scale farmers participation with social enterprise in the modern trade chain which has been used in probit regression. This original set of variables has been chosen considering the literature review and the information provided by in-depth interviews and survey. (see for example Braun, Hotchkiss and Immink, 1989 and Blandon, 2006) Further discussion about these variables presented in the results (please see chapter 7: Results 1 Green Net, and Chapter 8: Results II -The Royal Project). The expected relationships of the explanatory variables and the probability of participating with social enterprise in modern trade chains are also presented in Table 5.xx. Table 5.xx à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Explanatory variables and descriptive statistics determining participation with social enterprise in producing for modern trade. Variables Description Expected Sign Type* Dependent Variable: Participation with Green Net (social enterprise) in production for modern trade 1=yes, 0 = no N/A Independent variables: House size (members in the family) person + SE Total labour available in household person ? SE Total females in house hold person SE Sex of head of household Male/Female ? SE Age of head of household Years ? SE Education of head of household Years + SE Experience in farm of head of household Years + SE Distance of farm from main road km FC Distance of farm from social enterprise km FC Area of farm size rai + FC Land elevation 1 very low land à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 4 high + FC Soil quality 1 very bad à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 5 excellent + FC Yearly household income Baht + FC Proportion of non-farm income % FC Proportion of providing labour share % FC Wealth Index scale + AV Note: * SE stands for socio-economic; FC for farm characteristics, AC for attitudinal variables 5.6.2.2 Regression analysis (Gross Margins Regression) This study used the simple form multiple regression analysis finding the best predicted by a linear combination of the possible explanatory variables to explain how the variation in farm economic outcomes (or dependent) variable, Y, depends on the variation in a predictor (or independent or explanatory) variable, X. The general regression model is given by: Yi = ÃŽÂ ²0 + ÃŽÂ ²iXi + ui where the values of ÃŽÂ ²0, ÃŽÂ ²i are called the regression coefficients and are estimated from the study data called least squares, explained by Lomax  [2]  (1992). The regression models was employed to explore the determinants of farm economics outcomes which helped determine the effect of participation on key farm outcomes (profits per rai), while controlling for other variables that may affect outcomes. It is hy pothesized that the farm outcomes (profits per rai) was determined by the farm variables, socio-economic, farmer variables, and participation with social enterprise in production for modern trade. Based on the hypothesized, the profits per rai regression model is specified as follow: Profits per rai = f(farm variables, socio-economic and farmer variables, and participation with GN) The empirical analysis was conducted using the STATA statistical package. In addition, a selectivity/endogeneity problem is recognized in such estimation equations, and ways to overcome such problems will be explored in the next section (section 5.6.2.3). 5.6.2.3 Selectivity bias The above gross margin regression analysis explores the determinants of farm economics outcomes which help determine the effect of participation on key farm outcomes. There is however, one very important econometric issue with the gross margin regression which needs to be addressed. This is the issue of selectivity bias, or self-selection bias because farmers are not randomly assigned by the researcher into participation and non-participant groups, and instead self-select themselves into groups. In consequence, this profitability difference does not necessarily indicate that participant farmers have a positive impact on profits because it could be caused by selection bias. It is possible that more talented or more enterprising farmers tend to become members of Green Net. Since more talented farmers make higher profits than less talented farmers, it may appear that Green Net membership is increasing profits. In reality, it may be the higher underlying talent levels of participating farmers that creates extra profits. If this is true, then the regression coefficient of gross margins on participation would not really reflect the effect of participation, but rather the mix of the effects of participation and the underlying talent levels. There are many solutions to the selectivity problem, including Heckman correction methods, panel data method, etc. The method for this study is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“propensity score matchingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?method. The basic idea behind propensity score matching method is as follows. The probit model of participation produces a probability of participation for every observation in the sample, including participants and non-participants. This predicted probability (called the propensity score) is based on the observed values for the independent variables and the coefficient estimates from the probit model. In one version of propensity score matching, every participant will be compared to a non-participant based on similarity of propen sity scores. Their outcomes will be compared, i.e, the difference between their gross margins will be computed. Once this is done for all participants, the differences will be averaged and reported as the average difference. This version is called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"nearest neighbourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ matching (NNM). The intuition is that, controlling for the probability of participation, ie., comparisons of participants and non-participants with similar propensity scores, is similar to random assignment to control and treatment groups. There are other versions of propensity score matching. Another method is called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"kernel-basedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ matching (KBM). Here, the outcome of each participant is compared to the weighted average outcomes of all non-participants, where the weights depend on the probability of participation. The output will show a row called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"ATTà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, the average treatment effect on the treated. The value in this row s hown as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"differenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ is the average difference between gross margins of participants and non-participants after matching. It also gives a t-statistic that used for doing a t-test. This study employs statistical matching to address the problem of selection bias. This involves pairing participants and non-participants that are similar in terms of their observable characteristics (Dehejia and Wahba, 2002). When outcomes are independent of assignment to treatment, conditional on pretreatment covariates, matching methods can yield an unbiased estimate of the treatment impact (Ali and Abdulai, 2010). It follows that the expected treatment effect for the treated population is of primary significance. This effect may be given as à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ I I=1 = E (à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ I I = 1) = E (R1 I I = 1) E (R0 I I = 1) where  Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  is the average treatment effect for the treated (ATT),  R1  denotes the value of the outcome for p articipant farmers and R0  is the value of the same variable for non-participant farmers. As noted above, a major problem is that we do not observe E (R0 I I = 1).   Although the difference [ à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾e = E (R1 I I = 1) E (R0 I I = 1) ] can be estimated, it is a potentially biased estimator. In the absence of experimental data, the propensity score-matching model (PSM) can be employed to account for this sample selection bias (see for example Ali and Abdulai, 2010; Dehejia and Wahba, 2002). The PSM is defined as the conditional probability that a farmer participation, given pre-participation characteristics (see for example Ali and Abdulai, 2010; Rosenbaum and Rubin, 1983). To create the conditions of a randomised experiment, the PSM employs the unconfoundedness assumption also known as conditional independence assumption (CIA), which implies that once  Z  is controlled for, participation is random and uncorrelated with the outcome variables as poin ted out by Imbens and Wooldridge (2009).  The PSM can be expressed as, p(Z) = Pr {I = 1IZ} = E{I I Z} Where I = {0, 1}  is the indicator for participation and  Z  is the vector of pre-participation characteristics. The conditional distribution of  Z, given p(Z) is similar in both groups of participants and non-participants. The empirical analysis was conducted using the STATA statistical package. 5.6.2.4 Factor analysis This analysis explores the motivation and main problems faced by participants farmers. The respondents were presented with a list of factors indentified from the literature, focus group and in-depth interviews suggesting potential problems faced by small-scale farmers. They were asked to indicate the important each issue on a Likert scale ranging. First, the mean important score method was used to indicate the important motivation and main problems faced by participant farmers. Then, to enable the factor of participation and problems faced by participant farmers to be better understood and classified into subsets, the importance score were subjected to Factor Analysis. Factor analysis is a multivariate method of exploring the structure of data with the object of data reduction and interpretation, particularly in marketing research which may consist of a number of variables and must be reduced to a manageable level. Therefore, factor analysis allows us to look at a group of va riables that tend to be correlated to each other and allows us to indentify underlying dimensions that explain these correlations (Malhotra, 2007). In terms of the results, the variables included in this analysis were categorised into groups of variables. The next step is testing the appropriateness of the factor model. The useful statistic is the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO), which normally states that a value of KMO greater than 0.5 indicates that the correlation between the pair of variables is desirable. Once the factor analysis demonstrated that it is a proper technique for analysing the data, Principle Component Analysis (PCA), which is one of the most common approaches of factor analysis, is implemented due to the recommendation for the data use in subsequent multivariate analysis. The small numbers of variables were extracted from PCA, which there are several procedures for determining the number of factors (or so-called, principle components). The common approaches are based on Eigenvalue, scree plot (a plot of the Eigenvalue against the number of factors) and the percentage of variance, etc. The first determination is done by only using factors with an Eigenvalue equal to 1 or greater in the analysis. Finally, the factor can be interpreted by indentifying the variable that have a large loading on the same factor. In addition, the factor rotation following the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Varimaxà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? method by means of orthogonalization of the factor can help the interpretation to become simpler and more accurate (Malhotra, 2007). The empirical analysis was conducted using the SPSS statistical package Finally, the study gathered together the value chain analysis (supply chain map) and discussions from the first stage, and the quantitative insights from the second stage to comment on what has been added to the existing stock of knowledge on smallholders coping with food transformation and the role of social enterprises, and make broad policy reco mmendations for the sector. Table 5.xx Decision tree of analysis techniques: 1. Quantitative Analysis Econometric methods Research Questions Number/kind of dependent variable Number/kind of independent variables Analytic strategy Goal of analysis RQ7 Multiple (discrete) Multiple (continuous) Probit Analysis Inverse  cumulative distribution function   associated with the standard  normal distribution RQ9 Multiple (discrete) Multiple (continuous) Multiple Regression: Gross Margin Regression Relationship between several independent or predictor variables and a dependent or criterion variable Strategy: Propensity score matching method Solve the problem of selectivity bias, or self-selection bias Statistic methods Research Questions Variables Analytic strategy Goal of analysis RQ8 Multiple (continuous) Factor Analysis Correlation linear combination of dependents variables with independent variables RQ8 Significant difference of mean scores? Strategy: Wilcoxon Signed rank (0.05%) Significant difference of paired mean scores 2. Qualitative Analysis Research Questions Index Analytic strategy Goal of analysis RQ1, RQ2, RQ3 RQ4, RQ5, RQ6 FIGURES xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx TABLES xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Value Chain Analysis Strategy: supply chain mapping technique Understanding the patterns of agri-food value chains and business potential such as markets, relationships, and critical constrains that limit small-scale farmers growth and industry competitiveness. 5.7 Conclusions In this chapter the data used and research methodology in this study were presented and discussed. The data collection was divided into four stages (2 phases) in order to facilitate the achievement of research objectives. Both qualitative and quantitative information was collected. The first one consisted of secondary information and in-depth interviews (using semi-structured questions) with different players of the agri-food value chains and social enterprises in Thailand. This information was very useful for making a general characterization of the agri-food value chain restructuring and the role of social enterprises in helping small-scale farmers participate with the modern trade markets as well as for designing the questionnaire used for collecting quantitative data through a survey of participant and non-participants farmers in the modern trade chains. In the same way, qualitative information complements and helps to interpret quantitative results. A summary and discussion of quantitative methods were provided in this chapter. Probit regression analysis can assess the determinant factors of small-scale farmers participating with social enterprise in producing for modern trade markets. Gross margin analysis and selectivity bias methods can compare the profitability of participant and non-participant farmers. Moreover, the mean importance scores and Factor Analysis can assess the impact on farmers of a number of problems (variables) faced by small-scale farmers. The following chapters (Chapter 7 and Chapter 8) place the study within the findings regarding the characterization of the agri-food value chain and the role of social enterprises in Thailand.