Farmers use credit from commercial credit providers to finance production activities. Commercial credit providers have to predict the financial sustainability of the enterprise to ensure that the borrower will have the ability to repay the loan. A Delphi study was conducted to explore what factors are used as indicators of loan-repayment ability of farmers. The objective was not only to identif...

A farm food safety risk assessment tool for fresh produce and salmon farms were developed and the Delphi-based approach was utilised to identify and aggregate the opinions of experts on the food safety hazards and diseases faced in the farms while simultaneously certifying the scientific contents of the tool. The expert panels also serve to validate the methodology used in the farm food safety ...

BACKGROUND The criteria for stopping Delphi studies are often subjective. This study aimed to examine whether consensus and stability in the Delphi process can be ascertained by descriptive evaluation of trends in participants' views. METHODS A three round email-based Delphi required participants (n = 12) to verify their level of agreement with 8 statements, write comments on each if they con...

The world-wide diffusion and recognition of Technology Foresight suggests that it is of value for quite diverse types of economies and societies. Its merit as an important tool of strategic intelligence for policy-making also in small countries and transition economies depends on a careful tailoring to specific needs. Practice of Foresight is rather diverse also among small countries, but appro...

Standardized and objective design criteria for evaluating web-based learning platforms can effectively distinguish the quality of a platform and, therefore, contribute in improving web-based learning outcomes. This is a two-phase study, in which Delphi technique and heuristic evaluation were employed in the first phase to develop the evaluation criteria and scale of web-based learning platforms...

The purpose of this study is to explore the ranking of international airlines operation cost control strategies based on empirical studies of an international full-service airlines operation in Taiwan. Cost control has become more and more important for airlines in recent years, especially after experiencing a severe increase in crude oil prices and the 2008 serious financial crisis. In this st...

Background and aims: The ability to acquire the best evidence efficiently is important for busy healthcare professionals who have to make decision within a limited time. However, the current available assessment tools in evidence-based medicine (EBM), e.g. Berlin questionnaire and Fresno test, were not designed for examining evidence-searching capability. The objective of this study was to deve...

European Union is an important global actor in terms of economy, welfare and soft security but its institutional development and ambitions has to consider both the issues of grand challenges, resilience, disaster management, in accordance with its citizens’ will and skills. The Lisbon Treaty as well as the recent legislation on civil protection produced incremental change and improved the Emerg...

Methods Recruitment will comprise two phases. In the primary phase, individuals identified through a systematic review of the literature of yoga for musculoskeletal conditions will be invited to participate. In the secondary phase, a snowball technique will allow primary phase participants to recommend other researchers to contribute to the Delphi process. Inclusion criteria are involvement in ...

Introduction. The Delphi technique is widely used in library and information science research. However, many researchers in the field fail to employ standard statistical tests when using this technique. This makes the technique vulnerable to criticisms of its reliability and validity. The general goal of this article is to explore how nonparametric statistical techniques could mitigate this dra...