...newly elected Labor party in London gave the Scots (and the Welsh) the opportunity to vote- not for independence, but for devolution. They both voted in favor, taking a major devolutionary step in one of Europe’s oldest and most stable unitary states. - Scotland’s new autonomous status has not necessarily fueled greater calls for independence. - At the heart of most devolutionary moments however, is a strong sense of ethnocultural or economic difference and when sense of difference coincide with conflicting senses of territory, the results can be explosive. - Devolutionary pressures often arise from a combination of sources. - Catalonia produces some 25% of all Spanish exports by value and 40% of its industrial exports. - Economic forces play an even more prominent role in Italy and France. - Italy faces serious devolutionary forces on its mainland peninsula as well one is the growing regional disparity between north and south. The wealthier north stands in sharp contrast to the poorer south. - The most recent of Italian politicians was the Northern League which raised the prospect of an independent state called Padania. The Northern League’s Efforts fell short. - Devolutionary events most often occur on the margins of states. - Distance, remoteness, and marginal location are allies of devolution. - The regions most likely to seek devolution are those far from the national capitol. Many are separated by water, desert, or mountains from the center of power and adjoin...
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...characteristics of residents and existing retailers C) select the general isolated business district or planned shopping-center location D) analyze alternate sites contained in the specified retail location type 3) A trading area can best be defined as ________. A) those competitive stores that interchange customers B) stores that are located in the same shopping center or district C) a geographic area containing customers of a particular firm or group of firms for specific goods and services D) a designation of a retail area by the U.S. Census Bureau 4) A major benefit of a trading-area analysis is that it allows a retailer to determine ________. A) the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of consumers B) a store's image C) the psychographics of shoppers versus nonshoppers D) the response of shoppers to promotional pricing 5) A major benefit of a thorough trading-area analysis is that it allows a retailer to ________. A) increase sales at branch stores with high trading-area overlap B) better match its target market profile with a medium's circulation C) increase the degree of trading overlap among branch units D) better understanding of an area's lifestyles 6) The determination of trading-area...
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...Capital, Consumption, Communication, and Citizenship: The Social Positioning of Taste and Civic Culture in the United States Lewis Friedland, Dhavan V. Shah, Nam-Jin Lee, Mark A. Rademacher, Lucy Atkinson and Thomas Hove The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 2007 611: 31 DOI: 10.1177/0002716206298694 The online version of this article can be found at: http://ann.sagepub.com/content/611/1/31 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com On behalf of: American Academy of Political and Social Science Additional services and information for The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science can be found at: Email Alerts: http://ann.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://ann.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Citations: http://ann.sagepub.com/content/611/1/31.refs.html >> Version of Record - Apr 30, 2007 What is This? Downloaded from ann.sagepub.com at NATIONAL UNIV SINGAPORE on October 14, 2011 Capital, Consumption, Communication, and Citizenship: The Social Positioning of Taste and Civic Culture in the United States By LEWIS FRIEDLAND, DHAVAN V. SHAH, NAM-JIN LEE, MARK A. RADEMACHER, LUCY ATKINSON, and THOMAS HOVE In this article, the authors analyze the field of cultural consumption in the United States. Using the 2000 DDB Lifestyle Study, they examine a cross-section of Americans in terms of their occupational...
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...water supplies continues to be a challenge in an age of ever-increasing population and development. Despite the ongoing challenge, the scarcity of global water resources has only begun to be addressed by the United Nations and other not-for-profit charitable organizations. One of the most important recent milestones has been the recognition in July 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly of the human right to water and sanitation. The Assembly recognized the right of every human being to have access to sufficient water for personal and domestic uses (between 50 and 100 liters of water per person per day), which must be safe, acceptable and affordable (water costs should not exceed 3 per cent of household income), and physically accessible (the water source has to be within 1,000 meters of the home and collection time should not exceed 30 minutes) (United Nations, 2013). UN system activities specially focus on the sustainable development of fragile and finite freshwater resources, which are under increasing stress from population growth, pollution and the demands of agricultural and industrial uses (United Nations, 2013). The earth is now trying to sustain a population of almost seven billion people that all require access to a clean water supply in order to live. A World Economic Forum report in 2010 stated the demand for water is expected to increase, with an analysis suggesting there will be a forty percent global shift between forecasted...
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...Physical Geography Chapter 1: The Discipline of Geography Principles of Geography Geography is the study of the distributions and interrelationships of earth phenomena. Geography is different from other disciplines in that it doesn't have a particular "thing" it studies. Botanists study plants, while geologists are interested in rocks. Geography is defined by its approach or methodology. Geographers describe their discipline as a spatial science. By "space" we aren't talking about celestial space. Geographers are concerned with answering questions about how and why phenomena vary across the surface of the Earth. For instance, geographers investigate patterns of vegetation as they relate to distributions of climate, soils, and topography. Geographers recognize the dynamic nature of Earth's physical systems. The physical geography of Earth changes in response to variations in weather and climate, the shifting of continents, and and the sculpting of coastlines by wave action. By recognizing the Earth system is dynamic, geographers take time into consideration when looking at the spatial patterns of Earth phenomena. Therefore, geographers are playing important roles in understanding the effects of climate change on earth systems. The role of geographers in assessing patterns of environmental change is a theme that reoccurs throughout this book. Figure 1.1 Folded Appalachian Mountains Linear folds of the Appalachian Mountains can be easily seen in this satellite image. (Source: NASA/GSFC/JPL...
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... 3. TLW understand the location of European settlements in the New World. 4. TLW apply reading comprehension strategies to social studies. Skills: 1. TLW demonstrate map skills. 2. TLW demonstrate collaboration skills. 3. TLW demonstrate reading skills. 4. TLW demonstrate comprehension skills. 5. TLW demonstrate writing skills. 3. Applicable Tennessee Standards: * Explain the cultures of the Western Hemisphere’s native peoples prior to European contact. * Pre-Colonial Native American groups. * Determine how various groups resolve conflict. * Identify Native American groups in Tennessee and the Western Hemisphere before European expansion. * Reasons for European exploration and settlement. * Understand how to use maps, globes, and other geographic representations, tools, and techniques to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective. * Identify routes of explorers of the Americas. * Identify cultural groups who inhabited North America in the 17th century. * Reasons settlements are founded on major river systems. * Read and interpret facts from a historical passage about an early American Spanish mission. * Describe the immediate and long-term impact of Columbus’s voyages on native populations and on colonization in the Americas. * Accomplishments of significant explorers and their impact on...
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...well as forecasting the new data include Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce and FRED, Economic Time-Series Database, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Office of Management and budget (OBM), Federal Reserve Releases (FRB), NBER'S Macro-Historical Database, New York's Fed's statistics and data, Statistical abstract of the United States and CIA world fact book. How and why each source is valuable and useful FRED database; allows citizens to see how the country's financial state is. The data includes the national economic and financial date “including interest rates, consumer price indexes, employment and population and trade data. The Bureau of Economic Analysis; includes estimates concerning national, international, and regional economic activity. It also provides statistics decision influenced by the government officials, business people, households and individuals.” (History matters. 2013. Para 3, 5). The Bureau of Labor Statistics gives specific information about employment, unemployment, consumer price index, and producer price index. The Bureau of Labor Statistics updates the United States import prices and export prices. Productivity results are recorded and analyzed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the unit labor cost. The Census Bureau provides a variety of information of population. From how many members are in a household to where those members...
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...pollution includes different types of poisonous gases that change the characteristic of air. The United States and Kenya are affected by pollution; for example, in New York City and Nairobi where there is traffic noise and emission from vehicles, sewage overflows, plastic bottles and bags. Even though both cities are affected by pollution, the methods applied in managing and handling air pollution are different. Despite pollution being a major issue in the world, the United States has greatly improved after the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (Clean Air Act Amendments 1990). United States Environmental...
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...International Business Plan Starbucks India Proposal by Vrushali Paunikar 1 Table of Contents I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………...…………….p.3 II. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………….……………p.4 III. ANALYSIS OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SITUATION……………………...p.6 IV. PLANNED OPERATION OF THE PROPOSED BUSINESS/PRODUCT/SERVICE….. p.11 V. PLANNED FINANCING……………………………………………………………….…..p.16 VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………..…p.17 VII. APPENDIX………………………………………………………………….………….…p.18 2 I. Executive Summary In 1991, the Indian economy experienced a rebirth after the liberalization policies of the new prime minister. Thirteen years later, India has become one of the most exciting economies in the world with a huge increase in foreign investment and consumers who are willing to “spend, spend, spend!” Due to massive outsourcing on the part of foreign companies especially from the United States, educated Indians are now presented with exciting career opportunities, excellent pay, and the confidence to spend more money. Time magazine reports that these new consumers command $10.5 billion in cash to burn. There couldn’t be a more opportune time for the Starbucks Coffee Company to open its shops in the exotic land of India. The following is a proposal to open two new locations of Starbucks in India: one in Mumbai, a highly populated cosmopolitan business city, and the other in the nation’s capital, New Delhi. These locations were strategically picked to ensure success...
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...Discussion question 1 The study of international business is fine if you are going to work in a large multinational enterprise, but it has no relevance for individuals who are going to work in small firms.” This topic can be one that can be argued both ways. Technology has had a tremendous impact on how companies do business. An organization with a web site is able to connect with people all across the world. Understanding this, a company should take the time to both invest and learn advances in technology. This is not solely for large corporations, since if a small business doesn’t take advantage of these strategies, they will be left out of the competition. The days of the paperback phone book are gone. Without information technology, most businesses wouldn’t even exist. Information technology is infiltrating all aspects of business, both large and small. Without it, a company will not be able to keep up with their competition. On the flip side of this theory however is the fact that information technology is cheap, therefore everyone had access to it. This in turn allows all the competition to have the same edge. This may work for a smaller company that has a good marketing campaign. Larger companies have always been able to succeed in the competitive market due to their ability to gain a foothold in the stock market and obtain funding that a smaller company may not be able to do. The ability to advertise allows these smaller organizations to become more lucrative simply...
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...B CHAPTER FOUR THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT OBJECTIVES • To appreciate the importance of the economic analysis of foreign markets • To identify the major dimensions of international economic analysis • To compare and contrast the economic indicators of countries • To profile the characteristics of the types of economic systems • To discuss the idea of economic freedom • To profile the idea, drivers, and constraints of economic transition CHAPTER OVERVIEW When companies source, manufacture, and/or market products in foreign countries, they encounter fascinating and often challenging economic environments. Chapter Four first explores the economic environments of countries in which an MNE might want to operate by discussing the importance of economic analysis and identifying the major dimensions of that process. It then compares and contrasts key macroeconomic indicators, such as economic growth, inflation, and the surpluses and deficits reflected in the balance of payments. Finally, it reviews the characteristics of the major types of economic systems, explores the principles of economic freedom, and concludes by examining the idea, the drivers, and the constraints associated with the transition from a centrally-planned to a market-based economy. CHAPTER OUTLINE OPENING CASE: MCDONALD’S AND RUSSIA’S ECONOMIC TRANSITION [See Map 4.1.] This case exemplifies the extraordinary challenges of operating in a transition economy. In fascinating...
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...Wednesday April 18th, 2012 BUS 800, Section 131 Professor: Jim Diodati Individual Case Assignment Turnitin ID# 243102298 Joseph Nicosia 500198044 TABLE OF CONTENTS Strategic Recommendations 3 Appendix A: Industrial Analysis 6 B: PEST Analysis 6 C: Key Driving Forces 7 D: Porter’s Five Forces Analysis 7 E: Strategic Group Map 7 F: Key Strategic Factors 8 G: Competitor Analysis 8 H: Attractiveness of Industry 8 I: Mission and Vision Statement 8 J: Value Chain 9 K: Financial Analysis 9 L: SWOT Analysis 10 M: Issues 10 N: Rationale for Issues 10 O: Execution Strategies 10 Strategic Recommendations Issues: As one thoroughly analyzes the Loblaw’s Companies Ltd. it is identified that Loblaw’s success is determined by their willingness to serve their customers with high quality products at a level of customer satisfaction at every location. Loblaw’s has transformed the persona of a general grocery store to a superstore with all the necessities for their customers. With such drastic changes and new implementations Loblaw’s success in Canada is correlated to their innovated ways to attract their customers. But there is always room for improvement, especially in a market where new entrants are low but large companies can overwhelm. There are three major issues that Loblaw’s can address to further succeed in this industry. Firstly, Loblaw’s is lacking global presence, by narrowing their market strictly in Canada. Secondly, the Loblaw’s competition...
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...MRKT 5000 Marketing September 04, 2011 Jim Koch And The Marketing of Samuel Adams Beer Executive Summary Currently, the United States beer market is segmented into many segments. The two largest domestic brewers, brewers located within the United States, are Anheuser-Busch and Miller. These two companies control 50 percent and 29 percent of domestic beer sales, respectively. With 80 percent of the beer market controlled by the two megabrewers the United States is a tough environment for a small craft brewer like Samuel Adams to survive. The U.S. population is over 311 million people, the world’s third largest population after China and India. American consumes nearly 200 million barrels of beer a year, or 20 gallons per person, second only to China which has four times the amount of people the United States. Samuel Adams Boston Lager is brewed by the Boston Beer Company and founded by 1984 by Jim Koch using his great–great–grandfather’s 1870 beer recipe. Due to the economic downturn and other environmental forces the general beer market has been flat in recent years, yet quality craft beers like Samuel Adams has seen double-digit growth. The craft brewing industry has had a strong growth curve over the past decade and Samuel Adams has been positioned perfectly to capture this momentum. Technological advances have been a positive development for the Samuel Adams brewing and packaging...
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...in identifying and addressing gaps or mismatches in services or health outcomes. Methods These researchers studied four large health departments, two in California and two in Florida, interviewing key informants from all levels of the organization. They identified five critical factors that enable health departments to use GIS methods to inform service planning: Priority setting-some type of formalized strategic planning activity including traditional health assessments, community-driven planning processes and, in some cases, political mandates. Planning with a geographic focus—identify a purpose for mapping and put program planning and service provision questions into a geographic context. Access to geo-enabled data-availability of population health data and health department service and program data. Resources and technical capacity-resources needed include specialized but widely available GIS software, data management or statistical software, and staff proficient in using the software. Responsive organizational structure-capacity to use information generated through GIS to make changes to services and programs then reevaluate using strategic planning. GIS methodologies provide local health departments with a way to inform decision-making and better align their offerings with community needs and health outcomes....
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...do the social sciences differ from natural and physical science? Competencies covered by this subject 113.1.1 - Social Science Theory and Methodology Scientific Method in Social Science To prepare for further study in this domain, you will want to familiarize yourself with ways in which the scientific method is applied in the social sciences. Keep in mind the crucial comparison between social and natural science. Consider the following questions: What is the scientific method? Scientific Method for Sociology An area of inquiry is a scientific discipline if its investigators use the scientific method, which is a systematic approach to researching questions and problems through objective and accurate observation, collection and analysis of data, direct experimentation, and replication (repeating) of these procedures. Scientists affirm the importance of gathering information carefully, remaining unbiased when evaluating information, observing phenomena, conducting experiments, and accurately recording procedures and results. They are also skeptical about their results, so they repeat their work and have their findings confirmed by other...
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