Browsing by Subject "ranching"
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Item Informal and formal channels of communication preferred and used in the adoption of ranching practices by livestock producers in the state of Nuevo Leon of northeastern Mexico(Texas A&M University, 2005-11-01) Lazenby, William LeeThis descriptive research was undertaken to investigate the preferred channels of communication used in the adoption of livestock production practices by ranchers in the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo Le??n. The study builds on previous research by Freund (1999). Freund??s study concluded that ranchers in Nuevo Le??n preferred the Uni??n Ganadera as their primary source. However, the producers indicated some communication preferences that resulted in the Uni??n adjusting some of their efforts to reach out to their membership. This study was designed to revisit those livestock producers to investigate what changes had occurred in their preferences for communication since the Freund (1999) study. This research was conducted in the state of Nuevo Le??n, Mexico. The methodology used was a survey employing a questionnaire to collect data. The convenience sample consisted of 273 active members of the Uni??n Ganadera Regional de Nuevo Le??n (UGRNL) who attended regularly scheduled association functions. A principal objective of the research was to describe the communication infrastructure used in the state of Nuevo Le??n by UGRNL livestock producers. Another objective of the research was to describe preferred formal and informal channels of communication that livestock producers use to get information about ranching practices. Yet another objective was to describe what UGRNL livestock producers use as primary sources of information when choosing to adopt or reject agricultural practices, as well as investigating what secondary and feedback channels they prefer. Another objective was to determine which husbandry practices UGRNL livestock producers want more information about. Finally, an emphasis of the study was on what communication channels smaller stakeholders prefer, because the Uni??n wants to use that information to improve its diffusion of technology to that particular group of producers.Item The Intersection of Ownership and Leadership in Texas Ranch House: Lessons in Leadership for the Family Business(2012-04-21) Brown, TonyA family business often behaves and operates differently than a nonfamily-owned business. Family matters and dynamics can influence organizational health and business sustainability. Accordingly, leadership in a family business can embody challenges that are both different and magnified in comparison to leadership in other businesses. There is a particular requirement of owners of family businesses to structure the interface of family and business in a manner that assures a successful business while accommodating the interests of the family. This case study identifies lessons in leadership. The report embraces an overarching question regarding the roles and functions of an executive-level organizational leader and narrows the analysis to a focus on the application of the leadership lessons learned to the roles and functions of the owner-leader and his spouse in a start-up, family-owned business enterprise. The examined case is the short-lived Cooke Ranch, documented in the television miniseries Texas Ranch House. A family-owned business needs specific contributions from its ownership in order to thrive and endure. Prominent among these contributions are clarity and intention regarding leadership. A family business embodies overlapping and interdependent parts, each of which has specific leadership needs. The added complexity of family dynamics causes a successful family business to operate, adopt strategies, and make decisions differently than does a nonfamily business. This examination of Cooke Ranch reveals that perspectives, emphases, and behaviors of family business owners may or may not always translate as effective leadership. Owners who are preoccupied with the family and being owners instead of genuinely leading their family business organization can easily forfeit the whole enterprise. The identification of a distinguishable group of elements at the core of ownership?s interface with leadership?s exacting responsibilities in the television documentary Texas Ranch House adds to current research and literature regarding leadership in a family business. Three subsystems - ownership, family, and business/management - comprise an overall family business system that thrives when ownership is mindfully acting in ways that cultivate organizational health and unity. The case study reveals that ownership intersects leadership?s values, purpose/vision of continuity across generations, ethics/trust, decisions, and aligned results at the point it overlaps both the family and business subsystems in an interdependent organization. The report concludes that a thriving family-owned business is unique in composition, strength, and competence and that such a business demands that its leaders and their subordinates practice an advanced degree of organizational citizenship.?