| dc.contributor.advisor | Cramon-Taubadel, Stephan von Prof. Dr. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Brenes Muñoz, Thelma | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-06-24T08:44:05Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-06-24T08:44:05Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2015-06-24 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-0022-6036-9 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://dx.doi.org/10.53846/goediss-5155 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | de |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ | |
| dc.subject.ddc | 630 | de |
| dc.title | Empirical investigations into performance and dynamics of agricultural firms | de |
| dc.type | doctoralThesis | de |
| dc.contributor.referee | Brümmer, Bernhard Prof. Dr. | |
| dc.date.examination | 2015-05-07 | |
| dc.description.abstracteng | This thesis presents three selected studies on the topic of performance and dynamics of agricultural firms. It constitutes three empirical investigations which analyze the factors that determine firm performance, changes in firm size, as well as the extent to which firm performance influences firm growth in the context of the agricultural industry.
The first paper analyzes the dynamics of agricultural firms engaged in organic agricultural production in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. This is one of the most developed regions in Germany with respect to a policy framework supporting organic farming and the share of German organic farms located in this region. The main objective in this work is to determine whether organic farms are changing their scale of operation and, if so, which factors contribute to - or stagnate - farm growth and to what extent. To answer these questions we use the System Generalized Methods of Moments estimator. This study analyzes a unique panel data set of 453 organic farms over the period 1993 to 2005. The results reveal that all farms increase area by a maximum of 10 ha and large farms change farm size more frequently than smaller ones. Increases in organic area are influenced by subsidies for organic farming, off-farm employment, and the farmer's age. Farm growth measured in terms of revenue is affected by farm size, land, capital, soil quality, and intensity of livestock production.
The second paper analyzes the performance of agricultural firms in Chile. Chilean food processors are considered a successful case in adding value to agricultural primary production. However, within food processors there are groups which face different production opportunities and market structures. We consider these differences as playing a decisive role when measuring the performance of firms. To determine the performance of the firms in this context, we estimate a Metafrontier function using Stochastic Frontier Analysis. This paper uses the data of 420 food processors over the period 2001 to 2007. We observe dynamic developments in the sectors with a stronger export-orientation for meat, fruit & vegetables and dairy. We can show that meat and fruit & vegetables firms in particular have experienced positive technological change, whereas dairy firms exhibit a slight decrease in efficiency and technical change. The milling and bakery sectors, which mainly produce for the domestic market, display consistently stable efficiency and technical change. The results confirm that an in-depth analysis of these sectors is necessary to evaluate the competitiveness of the agribusiness industry in Chile.
The third paper examines the relationship between firm performance and growth. The objective of this paper is to test this relationship at different points of the distribution of firm growth. This study is based on the data and estimates from previous paper. We also explore the impact of technology gaps and export status on growth. For this, we use Penalized Quantile Regression with Fixed Effects on a panel data. Key results show that firm performance, measured as technical efficiency, has a significant and heterogeneous impact on firm growth, and that the effect is stronger on slow growing firms. Participation in international trade further increases even more positive growth rates. Hence, it then becomes relevant for researchers in the industrial organization field to use indicators for firm performance which capture the entirety of the production process. Furthermore, the non-linearity of the relationship between performance and growth should be considered in future research when analyzing this relationship. | de |
| dc.contributor.coReferee | Klasen, Stephan Prof. Dr. | |
| dc.subject.eng | firm performance | de |
| dc.subject.eng | farm growth | de |
| dc.subject.eng | dynamic panel data | de |
| dc.subject.eng | technical efficiency | de |
| dc.subject.eng | metafrontier | de |
| dc.subject.eng | quantile regression panel data | de |
| dc.identifier.urn | urn:nbn:de:gbv:7-11858/00-1735-0000-0022-6036-9-7 | |
| dc.affiliation.institute | Fakultät für Agrarwissenschaften | de |
| dc.subject.gokfull | Land- und Forstwirtschaft (PPN621302791) | de |
| dc.identifier.ppn | 82818545X | |