Price vs. revenue stabilization through a buffer stock: Which is more financially feasible for LDCs?

Optimal control theory is used to analyze the implications of the adoption of price and LDC export revenue stabilization objectives by an international buffer stock for cocoa. The results obtained for the period 1956–76 suggest that the stabilization of either price or revenue at systematic trend would reduce the instability of both variables from that during the sample period. Although the stabilization of revenues at systematic trend decreases their average level, the stabilization of price has the opposite effect. Because of this, it may be financially feasible for the LDCs to provide the necessary resources for a price-stabilizing buffer stock.     

An analysis of International Bulfer Stocks for cocoa and copper through dynamic optimization

Optimal control theory is used to analyze buffer stock price stabilisation. Linear econometric models of the world cocoa and copper markets are estimated over the period 1956-75 and the simulated to determine the “systematic” price for each commodity—the price when stochastic sources of market variation are suppressed. Stabilization at this price reduces the instability of producer revenue and also increases total revenue for both commodities. However, the buffer stocks are expensive. Net costs over the period 1966-76 are estimated at $1.7 billion for cocoa and $0.9 billion for copper.     

Academic Underachievement and Recovery: Student Perspectives on Effective Career Interventions

Academic achievement has a significant influence on various career development and decision‐making factors. Therefore, it is important for career counselors to understand how past academic underachievement affects students’ current lives and to develop interventions that might ameliorate negative effects. This study examined the experiences of 9 ethnically diverse college students who had experienced and overcome academic failure. Data were collected by individual interviews and analyzed based on the consensual qualitative research method. Four themes emerged in relation to participants’ academic underachievement and recovery: attitude, study strategies, external support, and coping difficulties. The results suggest that underachieving students are better able to cope with and overcome academic difficulties when they set clear career goals, use effective learning strategies, consciously put forth more effort, and receive external support.     

Counseling trainees’ academic burnout,meaningful work,and career choice satisfaction: A resilience framework

This study focused on examining counseling trainees’ perceptions of meaningful work as a resilience factor against decreased career choice satisfaction, which is related to burnout experience. As a result of latent moderated structural equation modeling, academic burnout and meaningful work were significantly related to career choice satisfaction. Furthermore, meaningful work significantly buffered the negative relationship between academic burnout and career choice satisfaction. Our findings suggest that meaningful work plays both compensatory and protective roles against the negative effect of academic burnout on career choice satisfaction. We provided implications for counselor training and preparation.