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ABSTRACTThe fresh produce supply chain is characterized by large (mainstream) farms that are located far from consumers, and capacity‐constrained (local) farms that are located close to the consumer. In this setting, we study: (i) how leadtime and capacity asymmetry between mainstream and local farms affect a retail grocer's order policy for fresh produce, and (ii) how various operational mechanisms can increase the amount sourced from local farms. We show that this supply chain structure is disadvantageous for local suppliers (farms) because it induces the retailer to treat the local supply as a de facto responsive supply without paying a premium for the responsiveness. This disadvantage is exacerbated when the retailer's objective is to achieve a high service level. We study three mechanisms that can improve conditions for local farms: working with an intermediary, backhauling, and a retail order policy, purchase guarantee, that explicitly supports local farms. The intermediary and backhauling mechanisms help the local farm by making local supply more attractive to the retailer, inducing her to order more locally sourced produce. The intermediary reduces the retailer's overstock and stockout costs whereas backhauling increases the average margin. The purchase guarantee order policy helps local farms at the expense of retail profit. However, we show that purchase guarantee and backhauling are complementary mechanisms that together can benefit the retailer and local farms.

ABSTRACT Purpose: The objective of this study is to understand how the process of absorptive capacity (ACAP) is developed, by analyzing the behaviors and abilities of a group of companies, their routines and processes and the mechanisms of learning and knowledge governance. The companies operate in the metal mechanics sector and they are based in the southern region of Brazil. Originality/value: The relevance consists of the operationalization of component elements and in the development of organizational mechanisms of dynamic capacity (Meirelles & Camargo, 2014), as means of ACAP development (Wang & Ahmed, 2007) in organizations belonging to the metal mechanics sector. Design/methodology/approach: It is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive empirical research, carried out by a multiple case study. It seeks to investigate in detail three organizations of the metal mechanics sector, by analyzing the procedures, resources, mechanisms, and systems, which makes it possible for them to develop absorptive capacities. Content analysis was performed in order to analyze the data. Findings: The researched companies develop absorptive capacity through some behaviors and abilities, such as relationship capacity, learning capacity, and people's training capacity, and through routines and processes, especially information search routines, market monitoring routines and risk management. Finally, the researched companies develop absorptive capacity by learning mechanisms and knowledge governance, such as researches, information exchange among clients, suppliers and other companies.

In this article, cross-border effects of different market design options are analyzed using Switzerland as a case study, which is strongly interconnected to larger neighboring markets. An investigation is conducted with an agentbased model where in one scenario all market designs are represented according to the current legislation, and in another, energy-only markets (EOM) are assumed in all considered countries. The results show that wholesale electricity prices are highly dependent on the chosen market design and in the annual average up to 27% higher in the EOM scenario. Due to expected larger interconnector capacities, this increase is evident in all simulated markets. Further, the results indicate that the planned market design changes in the neighboring countries decrease investments in Switzerland. However, generation adequacy is still guaranteed due to the high Swiss hydropower storage capacity. Our results suggest that, under the current circumstances, a domestic mechanism in Switzerland is not required.

In this article, cross-border effects of different market design options are analyzed using Switzerland, which is strongly interconnected to larger neighboring markets, as a case study. An investigation is conducted with an agent-based model where in one scenario, all market designs are represented according to the current legislation, and in another, energy-only markets (EOM) are assumed in all considered countries. The results show that wholesale electricity prices are highly dependent on the chosen market design and in the annual average are up to 27% higher in the EOM scenario. Due to expected larger interconnector capacities, this increase is evident in all simulated markets. Furthermore, the results indicate that the planned market design changes in the neighboring countries decrease investments in Switzerland. However, generation adequacy is still guaranteed due to the high Swiss hydropower storage capacity. Our results suggest that, under the current circumstances, a domestic mechanism in Switzerland is not required.

This book aims at providing cases with inspiring findings for global researchers in capacity allocation and reservation. Capacity allocation mechanisms are introduced in the book, as well as the measures to build models and the ways to achieve supply chain coordination. In addition, it illustrates the capacity reservation contract and quantity flexible contract with comparisons and some numerical studies. The book is divided into 7 chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the background and the latest development of the research. Chapter 2 introduces how to manage downstream competition through capacity allocation in symmetric market, including proportional mechanism and lexicographic mechanism. Demand competition is introduced in Chapter 3 as well as the uniform allocation mechanism and the comparisons among three different mechanisms. In Chapter 4, we give information about demand competition with fixed factor allocation, and the comparison with other allocations. Chapter 5 provides the optimal strategies under fixed allocation with multiple retailers and the impacts of fixed proportions. Chapter 6 illustrates how to achieve supply chain coordination through capacity reservation contract and its comparison with the quantity flexibility contract, and in Chapter 7 we describe outsourcing decisions and order policies in different systems with some numerical studies. We sincerely hope that this book can provide some useful suggestions and inspirations for scholars around the world who have the same interests in this field. .

In this article, cross-border effects of different market design options are analyzed using Switzerland as a case study, which is strongly interconnected to larger neighboring markets. An investigation is conducted with an agentbased model where in one scenario all market designs are represented according to the current legislation, and in another, energy-only markets (EOM) are assumed in all considered countries. The results show that wholesale electricity prices are highly dependent on the chosen market design and in the annual average up to 27% higher in the EOM scenario. Due to expected larger interconnector capacities, this increase is evident in all simulated markets. Further, the results indicate that the planned market design changes in the neighboring countries decrease investments in Switzerland. However, generation adequacy is still guaranteed due to the high Swiss hydropower storage capacity. Our results suggest that, under the current circumstances, a domestic mechanism in Switzerland is not ...

In this paper, we discuss the implementation of Capacity Remuneration Mechanisms (CRM) in the European Union (EU). We first illustrate that the costs of CRMs in the EU are significantly lower than in the US. Next, we discuss how the Clean Energy Package (CEP) intends to limit the future role of CRMs. Two steps are introduced to check if CRMs are really needed: a European resource adequacy assessment and a national implementation plan to improve current electricity market design. In case residual adequacy concerns persist, the CEP also includes provisions to guide the design of a CRM. Last, we discuss the role of the consumer in securing resource adequacy in the future.

In Germany and beyond, various capacity mechanisms are currently being discussed with a view to improving the security of electricity supply. One of these mechanisms is a strategic reserve that retains generation capacity for use in times of critical supply shortage. We argue that strategic reserves have specific advantages compared to other capacity mechanisms in the context of the European energy transition. To date, however, the debate on capacity mechanisms has largely been restricted to national contexts. Against this background, we discuss the feasibility and potential benefits of coordinated cross-border strategic reserves to safeguard electricity supply and aid the energy transition in Germany and neighboring countries at large. Setting aside strategic reserve capacity which is deployed only in the event of extreme supply shortages could improve the security of electricity supply without distorting the EU's internal electricity market. In addition, overall costs may decrease when reserve procurement and activation are coordinated among countries, particularly if combined with flow-based market coupling.

This study examined teachers' capacity building as genuine mechanism for achieving human capital development in Nigeria. The study is delimited to Delta North Senatorial District of Delta state, Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study. This study adopted the descriptive survey design. The population of this study covers all school teachers in Delta North Senatorial District of Delta state. The sample of this study consisted of 330 teachers. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 3 out of 9 local government areas that constituted Delta North Senatorial District of Delta state. Twenty schools were selected using the simple random sampling technique of which about 15 teachers were purposively taken from each school. The instrument adopted in the study was the questionnaire titled: Teacher Capacity building Inventory (TCBI). It was constructed by the researcher. The data collected were collated, coded and analyzed with descriptive statistics because of their appropriateness to the research questions. The outcome of the study revealed that the extent to which teachers' capacity building can enhance the achievement of human capital development in Nigeria is very high. There were several challenges militating against teachers' capacity building in Nigeria and that the itemized strategies were laudable for improving teachers' capacity building in Nigeria. Conclusion was reached based on the findings and useful recommendations were made, which include among others that attention should be paid to development programmes that would make teaching career appealing and geared towards achieving human capital development in Nigeria. Government should device more strategies that will enhance capacity building of teachers' Educational administrators and policy formulators should implement policies that would surmount the challenges facing teachers' professional development in Nigeria.