Indian IT software engineers in Japan : a preliminary analysis

In this study, the work and life of Indian IT engineers in Japan engaged in software development were examined through a questionnaire survey. Findings were further supported by comparative analyses with Chinese and Korean software engineers. While Indian IT software engineers appeared rather satisfied with their life overall in Japan, they seemed rather dissatisfied with their work conditions including such things as fringe benefits, the working-time management of the company, levels of salary and bonuses, and promotion opportunities. It was made clear that profiles and perceptions of Indian engineers and those of Chinese and Koreans in Japan were different.

Does market upgrading benefit farmers? : market differentiation, contract farming, and professional cooperatives in China's pork processing industry

This study tested whether contract farming or farmers professional cooperatives (FPCs) improved the social benefit of pork production and income of breeding farmers in China. The main concern of this study is whether institutional arrangement like contract farming or FPCs actually improved the welfare of farmers as expected. To answer this question accurately, we estimated the differentiated market demand of pork products in order to quantify the benefit by transaction types. Our study finds that contract farming or FPCs improved the benefits of pork products, but farmer's income remained lower than that of traditional transaction types. This finding is new in terms of quantifying distribution of the economic values among sales outlets, agro-firms and farmers. It is more reliable because it explicitly captures impacts from both demand side and supply side by structural estimation. In practice, we need to keep it mind the bargaining power of small farmers will not improve instantly even when the contract farming or FPCs are introduced.