In this paper, we employed a blend of multiple and historical case study design, and a mix of institutional, behavioral, resource-based, and multinational theories, to examine the nature of... Show more In this paper, we employed a blend of multiple and historical case study design, and a mix of institutional, behavioral, resource-based, and multinational theories, to examine the nature of multinational companies’ (MNC) engagements in local economic development and capital export practices in an African context. Evidence from our Nigerian case analysis (FrieslandCampina, Nigerian Breweries Plc. and Dangote Cement) confrms the proposition that, faced with a similar degree of uncertainty and constrained institutional environment and laying claims to difering sources of competitive advantage, both local and foreign MNCs would repatriate profts and limit exposures to local value chains (LVCs) mainly as a strategy for mitigating country risks and preserving corporate value. Such limited exposures detach MNCs, especially the foreign ones, from the LVCs, and by doing so push them to deeper reliance on the global value chains (GVCs). Linking local businesses to the GVCs is central in the inclusive development (ID) debate essentially because it allows for the redistribution of economic benefts, helps in building a complementary (rather than competitive) relationship between MNCs and local businesses, and facilitates local businesses’ access to international markets. We, therefore, recommend that in pursuit of the inclusive and sustainable development projects in Africa, industrial policies need to be tailored toward stabilizing the policy environment, protecting investments from risk of expropriation, and incentivizing MNCs’ participation in the LVCs. Show less
Akinyoade A., Kazimierczuk A.H., Ekumankama O. Agbaje T., Dietz A.J. 2020
This report presents the research findings on the key social, economic and agronomic dynamics in communities whose livelihoods depend predominantly on the farming of sorghum in northern Nigeria.... Show moreThis report presents the research findings on the key social, economic and agronomic dynamics in communities whose livelihoods depend predominantly on the farming of sorghum in northern Nigeria. Sorghum has become a major element in producing beer and malt by companies like Nigeria Breweries (NB), which is partly owned by Heineken. The two main objectives of this study were to obtain NB’s diverse sourcing modalities and sourcing practices and to examine farm-level issues. In order to achieve the stated objectives, a mixed methods approach was adopted. Four-stage fieldwork was undertaken in 2018 and 2019 in six sorghum- producing states: Kaduna; Niger; Zamfara; Gombe; Katsina; and Yobe States. Researchers from Dutch and Nigerian academic institutions conducted interviews with six vendors from Kaduna and Kano state, administered a questionnaire survey among 433 farmers in the six sorghum- producing states, and conducted interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) with selected sorghum farmers. Based on the data collected, two main groups of sorghum value chain actors were distinguished for further analysis: ‘regular farmers’ and ‘aggregator-farmers’. The former group is further divided into five sub-groups, based on the size of owned land: smallholder farmers I (< 5 ha), smallholder farmers II (6-10 ha), smallholder farmers III (11-20 ha), middle-range farmers (21-200 ha) and large scale farmers (over 201 ha). The latter group consists of vendors and aggregators who combine their commercial activities with sorghum farming Show less
The aklu documents are accounts of the commodities like beer, flour, sheep. But usually we can not find any verb such as "received" or "gave" in them. Therefore the exact meaning of the... Show moreThe aklu documents are accounts of the commodities like beer, flour, sheep. But usually we can not find any verb such as "received" or "gave" in them. Therefore the exact meaning of the documents remains to be determined. In this study, I made a profile of the persons appear in the documents according to their seal impressions. By observing the characteristics of the groups of the seal impressions, we can find that artisans prepared the commodities and that the members of a few prominet Akkadian families sealed the documents. Show less
It has been assumed that during the late fourteenth and into the fifteenth century, beer replaced wine as the preferred beverage in the areas around the Low Countries and Germany. Authors like... Show moreIt has been assumed that during the late fourteenth and into the fifteenth century, beer replaced wine as the preferred beverage in the areas around the Low Countries and Germany. Authors like Raymond van Uytven, Susan Rose, Max Nelson and Richard Yntema have all demonstrated how this change is reflected in the historical records. The focus of this article is to study how this change from wine to beer consumption may be reflected in the material record. To study this, research has been conducted on the most common material from the fourteenth to seventeenth century: stoneware. A use-function approach was used to gather information about characteristics of drinking vessels, with further information gathered from historical illustrations. Once gathered, these characteristics work as guidelines to apply the specific use-function of either wine or beer consumption to individual vessels. This catalogue of characteristics can then be applied to datasets of stonewares. These characteristics were applied to a dataset of stoneware assemblages from Nijmegen, Dordrecht and Deventer reported in Cities in Sherds (Bartels 1997). These assemblages were classified based upon use. The results from this data indicate an increase in wine vessels after the fourteenth century, contrary to what the historical record has indicated. Future studies in the field could focus on developing more accurate methods to identify vessels. This research could potentially be used as a starting point for future enquiries into the nuances of beverage preferences in the late medieval period. Show less
Quality control of plants is essential and at the same time very challenging.In this thesis, studies involving quality issues of two plants used in the production of two popular beverages, hops (in... Show moreQuality control of plants is essential and at the same time very challenging.In this thesis, studies involving quality issues of two plants used in the production of two popular beverages, hops (in beer) and Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) were undertaken. Hops are used as bittering agents and to increase foam stability in beer brewing. The compounds responsible for this are cis/trans isohumulones, produced by isomerisation of the 3 _-acids present in hops. To evaluate their individual effect, they had to be obtained in gram-scale amounts. For this, 3 methods based on the use of CPC (centrifugal partition chromatography) in combination with selective precipitation methods (DCHA) of trans-isomers were developed. Trans-isohumulones were found to precipitate selectively with _-cyclodextrin. Yerba mate is a popular tea-like beverage consumed in S America made from the leaves of Ilex paraguariensis , a species unique for its high caffeine content. The detection of adulterants i.e., cogeneric authoctonous Ilex species is vital for its quality control. The metabolomic profile of 11Ilex species was determined, resulting in the clear separation of all species. Additionally, arbutin was detected (0.5-10% dw) in several of the tested species but not in I. paraguariensis, though its presence had not been formerly reported. Show less
The qualitative and quantitative analysis of aflatoxin B-1 in a model system (water/ethanol), in different wines and in beer using one- and two-photon-induced fluorescence is discussed. The... Show moreThe qualitative and quantitative analysis of aflatoxin B-1 in a model system (water/ethanol), in different wines and in beer using one- and two-photon-induced fluorescence is discussed. The absorption and fluorescence properties of aflatoxin B-1 depend on the solvent and pH. The two-photon-absorption cross-section was calculated for aflatoxin B-1 in beer and wine (sigma (2) similar to 25 GM) for excitation at 720 nm. A comparison of the one- and two-photon- induced fluorescence results showed that the disturbance due to background emission originating from matrix constituents is significantly reduced under two-photon-excitation conditions. The limit of detection for the one- and two-photon-induced fluorescence was determined. Show less
The female cones of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) are added to beer, providing taste and flavour and contributing to the stability of foam. The main constituents of hop related to these properties are... Show moreThe female cones of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) are added to beer, providing taste and flavour and contributing to the stability of foam. The main constituents of hop related to these properties are generically known as alpha-acids. During the brewing process, these acids are isomerized, resulting in the formation of three pairs of trans-/cis-iso-alpha–acids. The aim of this thesis project was to develop a method for the analysis (Chapter 2 and 7) as well as the purification of iso-alpha-acids (Chapter 3-5). Moreover, the stability of iso-α-acids need to be improved (Chapter 6) since these compounds degrade easily in the light and in the presence of oxygen. We have shown that β-CD is effective to separate cis-isomers from trans-isomers and at the same time increases the stability of the complexed compounds. The pure individual iso-alpha-acids can now be produced from pure alpha-acids, obtained from a CPC separation, followed by isomerization and beta-CD separation of the two isomers. These compounds can be used as reference standard for analytical purposes to replace the DCHA-salts of trans-iso-alpha-acids. It also opens the possibility to use pure iso-alpha-acids in brewery research. An HPLC system using these pure individual iso-alpha-acids as calibration standard was developed as well. The application of 2D J resolved NMR has been developed and seems promising to detect a wide range of compounds in beer. Show less
