Is the Vietnamese garment industry at a turning point? : upgrading from the export to the domestic market

Vietnam’s garment industry has been loosely characterized by the duality based on market orientation: export and domestic. Export-oriented garment suppliers were typically SOEs and foreign invested firms, while those producing for the domestic market have been mostly small, private companies. With a booming economy, other industrial sectors have emerged, and the garment industry is no longer the sector most favored by workers. Wage rates have been increasing, and a supplier’s ability to cope with this through successful upgrading has been the key determinant of whether it can further grow and flourish. Those who fail to cope are finding themselves in an increasingly difficult position. This paper looks at both the export- and domestic-oriented garment suppliers, and attempts to highlight how the industry can further develop by examining the bottlenecks that vary depending on the type of supplier. It suggests that in the long run, upgrading and value addition in the domestic market will be the key strategy.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Building a Film/TV Production Industry to Boost its Economy and Unite its Divided Cultures

This paper discusses how Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) can boost its stalled economy by generating jobs and increasing film-tourism, while simultaneously helping unite its culturally divided nation, by building a film/TV production industry looking to Northern Ireland's successful model following its similarly violent history. Evidence is presented substantiating that BiH has the infrastructure and workforce from which to grow a film/TV production industry, but it must be built through large-scale foreign productions like Northern Ireland did with Game of Thrones. Examining studies conducted by industry experts, strategies are offered for building a competitive and sustainable film/TV production industry in BiH. Results reveal more research is needed evidencing film/TV production can unify people from different ethno-religious/political groups in post-conflict societies.

The hosiery industry: Report on the cost of production of hosiery in the United States

At head of title: Department of Commerce. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. E.E. Pratt, Chief ...

The knit-underwear industry: Report on the cost of production of knit underwear in the United States

At head of title: Department of Commerce. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. E.E. Pratt, Chief ...

The women's muslin-underwear industry: report on the cost of production of women's muslin underwear in the United States

Department of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.

Big business in the Russian economy and politics under Putin's rule; The Russian power industry shortly before reforms; Ukrainian metallurgy: the economic link in the oligarchical system. OSW Study 5/2002

Big business in Russia: The pace of ownership transfer in the Russian economy has speeded up considerably over the last year. There has been a significant rise in the number of acquisitions of whole enterprises, and large blocks of shares in individual firms and plants. Similarly the number of mergers, bankruptcies and take-overs of failing firms by their strongest competitors has grown. The Russian power industry: This study is an overview of the current condition and principles on which the Russian power sector has been functioning so far. This analysis has been carried out against the background of the changes that have been taking place in the sector since the beginning of the 1990s. This text also contains a description of guidelines and progress made so far in implementing the reform of the Russian power industry, the draft of which was adopted by the government of the Russian Federation in summer 2001. However, the purpose of this study is not an economic analysis of the draft, but an attempt to present the political conditions and possible consequences of the transformations carried out in the Russian power sector. The final part attempts to evaluate the possibilities and threats related to the implementation of the reform in its present shape. Ukrainian metallurgy: The metallurgic sector, like the east-west transit of energy raw materials, is a strategic source of revenue for Ukraine. Over the last ten years, this sector has become Kiev's most important source of foreign currency inflows, accounting for over 40 per cent of its total export revenues. The growth of metallurgic production, which has continued almost without interruption since the mid-1990s, has contributed considerably to the increase in GDP which Ukraine showed in 2000, for the first time in its independent history.

Experiments in beef production in Alabama /

"February 27, 1908."

Beef production in Alabama /

"February 16, 1911."

Foreign manufacturing, regional agglomeration and technical efficiency in UK industries: a stochastic production frontier approach

The paper examines howfar foreign manufacturing investment in UK industries, together with the spatial agglomeration of those industries, affect technical efficiency. The paper links research on the estimation of technical efficiency,with those literatures demonstrating the economies associated with foreign direct investment and spatial agglomeration. The methodology involves estimation of a stochastic production frontier with random components associated with industry technical inefficiency, and a standard error. The paper also explores whether the degree of foreign involvement has a greater impact on technical efficiency where the domestic industry sector is characterized by comparatively high productivity and spatial agglomeration. The policy implications of the analysis are discussed.

The effects of foreign acquisition on domestic and export markets dynamics in China

Using recent data from the Chinese manufacturing industry and the generalised propensity score, this paper establishes economically significant causal effects of foreign acquisition on domestic and export markets dynamics.

Exchange rate economic exposure and hedging:the significance of currency options

This thesis focuses on the theoretical examination of the exchange rate economic (operating) exposure within the context of the theory of the firm, and proposes some hedging solutions using currency options. The examination of economic exposure is based on such parameters as firms' objectives, industry structure and production cost efficiency. In particular, it examines an hypothetical exporting firm with costs in domestic currency, which faces competition from foreign firms in overseas markets and has a market share expansion objective. Within this framework, the hypothesis is established that economic exposure, portrayed in a diagram connecting export prices and real exchange rates, is asymmetric (i.e. the negative effects depreciation are higher than the positive effects of a currency depreciation). In this case, export business can be seen as a real option, given by exporting firms to overseas customer. Different scenarios about the asymmetry hypothesis can be derived for different assumptions about the determinants of economic exposure. Having established the asymmetry hypothesis, the hedging against this exposure is analysed. The hypothesis is established, that a currency call option should be used in hedging against asymmetric economic exposure. Further, some advanced currency options stategies are discussed, and their use in hedging several scenarios of exposure is indicated, establishing the hypothesis that, the optimal options strategy is a function of the determinants of exposure. Some extensions on the theoretical analysis are examined. These include the hedging of multicurrency exposure using options, and the exposure of a purely domestic firm facing import competition. The empirical work addresses two issues: the empirical validity of the asymmetry hypothesis and the examination of the hedging effectiveness of currency options.

The Current State of Argentina's Oil Industry

An oil wealthy country, Argentina has repeatedly tried and failed to capitalize on its potential. The unfortunate energy policies of subsequent Argentinean government and a lack of investment capital have been two of the main reasons that have significantly limited the production of export oil in the recent past. Yet, with recent discoveries and changes to the country’s hydrocarbon laws, there may be a new dawn for Argentina’s oil industry. Since 1999 when Argentina’s oil production peaked at approximately 800,000 barrels per day, there has been a 24 percent decrease in its oil output. The country’s oil reserves have also been in steady decline. Yet, the recently enacted reforms by Argentina’s government to incentivize foreign investment in the oil industry seem to be working, allowing investors to negotiate the terms of exploration directly with local governments. As a result, foreign investment is increasing, as well as new willingness to finance exploration of untapped reserves. Also, the discovery of shale oil in Argentina may provide the potential to become a key exporter in the region. Nonetheless, there are challenges that need to be overcome and it may be years before the various oil projects underway become profitable. The success of current oil projects, coupled with the potential of shale oil, new discoveries and the sustainability of the current energy policy reforms will likely determine if Argentina is finally able to fulfill its potential and exert itself as an oil exporter country in Latin America.

The significant role of third-party logistics (3pl) operators as fosterers of organizational performance in colombian companies

La eliminación de barreras entre países es una consecuencia que llega con la globalización y con los acuerdos de TLC firmados en los últimos años. Esto implica un crecimiento significativo del comercio exterior, lo cual se ve reflejado en un aumento de la complejidad de la cadena de suministro de las empresas. Debido a lo anterior, se hace necesaria la búsqueda de alternativas para obtener altos niveles de productividad y competitividad dentro de las empresas en Colombia, ya que el entorno se ha vuelto cada vez más complejo, saturado de competencia no sólo nacional, sino también internacional. Para mantenerse en una posición competitiva favorable, las compañías deben enfocarse en las actividades que le agregan valor a su negocio, por lo cual una de las alternativas que se están adoptando hoy en día es la tercerización de funciones logísticas a empresas especializadas en el manejo de estos servicios. Tales empresas son los Proveedores de servicios logísticos (LSP), quienes actúan como agentes externos a la organización al gestionar, controlar y proporcionar actividades logísticas en nombre de un contratante. Las actividades realizadas pueden incluir todas o parte de las actividades logísticas, pero como mínimo la gestión y ejecución del transporte y almacenamiento deben estar incluidos (Berglund, 2000). El propósito del documento es analizar el papel de los Operadores Logísticos de Tercer nivel (3PL) como promotores del desempeño organizacional en las empresas colombianas, con el fin de informar a las MIPYMES acerca de los beneficios que se obtienen al trabajar con LSP como un medio para mejorar la posición competitiva del país.

Improved beef production from supplementation of Hereford, Brahman and crossbred cattle grazing low and medium quality pastures in the subtropics of Australia

Subtropical grasslands are low in organic matter digestibility (OMD) (0.60) and nitrogen (N) (15 g/kg) for much of the year and this limits cattle production which is characterized by low calving rates and low weaning weights. Production has been based on Bos taurus British breeds of cattle but this is changing and now many breeding herds comprise B, indicus cows and their crosses. This change has increased some aspects of production, but low calving rates persist. A 4-year study was undertaken with a view to improve calving rates and weaner output by supplementing cows grazing either native or improved pastures with a high protein oilseed meal (cottonseed meal; CSM) on four sites. These sites were subdivided into a total of 36 paddocks to allow for two replications in a 3 breeds X 3 supplementation rates X 2 pastures factorial design. Selected cows (no. = 216) from Hereford (H), Brahman (B) and Brahman X Hereford (BH) breed types were set to graze either native pastures (0.45 to 0.62 OMD, 8 to 15 g N per kg; low quality) or improved pastures (0.47 to 0.67 OA ID, 10 to 22 g N per kg; medium quality). Cows were given either 0, 750 or 1500 g/day of CSM for 130 days from calving until 4 weeks into a 12- to 13-week mating period. The CSM was given as two meals per week. Live weight at mating of cows on the low quality pasture was increased (P < 0.01) over those not supplemented by feeding either 750 g CSM per day (H and B cows) or 1500 g CSM per day tall cows). There was no significant effect of supplementation on the mating weights of B cows grazing the medium quality sites. Calving rate of B cows was not increased by their supplementation on either low (4-year mean 58.3 %) or medium quality pastures (66.8%) but did tend to be higher in H cows when supplemented at 1500 g CSM per day on the low (66.7 v. 78.0 (s.e. 6.09) %; P < 0.1) and medium quality pastures (70.5 v. 93.5 (s.e. 4.72) %). An increased calving rate (65.8 (s.e. 6.6) % to 83.2 (s.e. 5.82) % in supplemented BH cows grazing low quality pastures approached significance (P < 0.1) when given CSM at 1500 g/day but there was no increased trend in calving rate when this breed type was supplemented on medium quality pastures. Weaning weights of calves from and B and BH cows were increased (P < 0.05) by supplementation of their darns at 750 g/day and for calves weaned from H cows supplemented at 1500 g/day of CSM. Supplementation at 1500 g/day on low quality pastures increased weaner output per cow mated by 120% for H, by 65% for BH cows and by 50% for B cows. Weaner output was increased by 34 and 40%, respectively, for B and H cows when supplemented at 750 g/day and grazing medium quality pastures but there teas no significant effect of supplementation on output from BH cows. Responses in many parameters differed between years. These results were interpreted as a response to the protein in the oilseed meal supplement by B, taurus and B. taurus X B. indicus cross cows grazing on the subtropical pastures. The study also highlighted that responses to the meal differed between breed types, between the quality of the grazed pasture and between the years of supplementation.