Generic brands and product differentiation strategies

Generic or own brand products were initially only lesser expensive copies of the branded label alternative, but nowadays, pricing alone is not enough in order to survive in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) or Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)markets. With this in mind manufacturers of generic brands have adapted to this rapidlygrowing niche by investing in design and marketing during the initial phase in order to be perceived as having a quality product comparable to that of the branded products. In addition, they have gone further ahead with a second phase and resorted to innovativeproduct differentiation strategies and even pure innovation in many cases. These strategies have granted generic brands constantly increasing market shares and a position of equals relative to national brands.Using previous analyses and case studies, this paper will provide conceptual and empirical evidence to explain the surprisingly fast growth and penetration of generic supermarket brands, which in their relatively short lifespan, have grown to rival the historical market leaders, the branded products. According to this analysis, the main conclusion is that the growth in generic brands can be explained not only by price competition, but also by the use of innovative product differentiation strategies.

Long-term impacts of forest harvesting related soil disturbance on log product yields and economic potential in a New Zealand forest

Abstract

Audit report on the Pocahontas County Solid Waste Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Pocahontas County Solid Waste Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Avaluació de l'aptitud de bioestabilitzats com a esmena orgànica per a la rehabilitació de sòls

L’objectiu d’aquest estudi ha estat avaluar l’efecte que té sobre algunes propietats fisicoquímiques del sòl i el creixement de plantes, l’adició del producte compostat obtingut a partir de la fracció orgànica dels residus sòlids urbans de recollida no selectiva, material anomenat bioestabilitzat. S’ha dut a terme un bioassaig amb blat (Triticum aestivum), utilitzant bioestabilitzat procedent de dues plantes de tractament mecànic i biològic, Vacarisses i Mataró, que s’ha aplicat a diferents dosis en un sòl de baixa qualitat. S’ha observat una relació positiva entre el creixement del blat i la dosis de bioestabilitzat aplicada. Pel que fa a la germinació, ha estat lleugerament estimulada per les dosis intermèdies de bioestabilitzat assajades. En quant a les propietats fisicoquímiques del sòl, s’ha observat un increment de la salinitat en funció de la dosis de bioestabilitzat aplicada, que en les més elevades podria ser problemàtica. També, el contingut de matèria orgànica ha augmentat de manera proporcional a la dosis, cosa que ha millorat les propietats físiques del sòl. Per altra banda, s’han trobat continguts d’impropis (vidre, plàstic ...) i concentracions d’alguns metalls pesants bastant elevades, així com una considerable variabilitat entre les partides de bioestabilitzat. Finalment, es conclou que abans de permetre l’aplicació de bioestabilitzat per a la rehabilitació de sòls degradats, cal aprofundir més en l’estudi d’aquest material.

Audit report on the Crawford County Area Solid Waste Agency Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Crawford County Area Solid Waste Agency Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities program for the City of Lone Rock, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities program for the City of Lone Rock, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the North Central Iowa Regional Solid Waste Agency for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the North Central Iowa Regional Solid Waste Agency for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Wayne-Ringgold-Decatur County Solid Waste Management Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Wayne-Ringgold-Decatur County Solid Waste Management Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Waste Authority of Jackson County for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Waste Authority of Jackson County for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Butler County Solid Waste Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Butler County Solid Waste Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Wood waste processing in Iowa, 1996

The objective of this report is to gain a better understanding of the wood waste market in Iowa through surveying the processors of wood waste. A survey was sent out by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Management Assistance Division to 147 public waste management organizations and private businesses with a questionnaire which asked for details of any wood waste processing operation.

Audit report on the Delaware County Solid Waste Disposal Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Delaware County Solid Waste Disposal Commission for the year ended June 30, 2014

French summaries of product characteristics: content in relation to therapeutic monitoring of psychotropic drugs.

The prescription information (summary of product characteristics, SPC) is compiled by the pharmaceutical industry as required by the national regulatory authorities. They vary in their content about the properties of drugs and about the usefulness of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in the blood of patients. Based on a previous study carried out in Germany, the degree of agreement of French SPC for 59 psychotropic drugs with the existing medico-scientific evidence in the area of TDM was examined using a recently developed instrument. A summary score of SPC content (SPCC) related to TDM (SPCC(TDM)) has been calculated and compared with the level of recommendation of TDM of the AGNP-TDM expert group consensus guidelines for TDM in psychiatry [AGNP: Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Neuropsychopharmakologie und Pharmakopsychiatrie (Association for neuropsychopharmacology and pharmacopsychiatry)]. Among the antidepressants, antipsychotics, tranquillizers/hypnotic agents and mood stabilizers, the highest SPCC(TDM) scores in the French SPC were reached for imipramine (16), haloperidol (6), clonazepam (8) and lithium (23), respectively. Results were similar to those obtained from the analysis of German SPC, and considerable disagreement was found between the information on TDM in SPC and existing medico-scientific evidence, albeit less in the case of mood stabilizers. Taking into account the recommendations of the AGNP-TDM expert group guidelines, there is a deficit in the French SPC concerning TDM-relevant information. An amelioration of this situation could help to improve the clinical practice of TDM of psychotropic drugs, as the SPC is a widely used tool.

Audit report on the Great River Regional Waste Authority for the year ended June 30, 2014

Audit report on the Great River Regional Waste Authority for the year ended June 30, 2014

Biofuel Co-Product Uses for Pavement Geo-Materials Stabilization, TR-582, 2010

The production and use of biofuels has increased in the present context of sustainable development. Biofuel production from plant biomass produces not only biofuel or ethanol but also co-products containing lignin, modified lignin, and lignin derivatives. This research investigated the utilization of lignin-containing biofuel co-products (BCPs) in pavement soil stabilization as a new application area. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the performance and the moisture susceptibility of two types of BCP-treated soil samples compared to the performance of untreated and traditional stabilizer-treated (fly ash) soil samples. The two types of BCPs investigated were (1) a liquid type with higher lignin content (co-product A) and (b) a powder type with lower lignin content (co-product B). Various additive combinations (co-product A and fly ash, co-products A and B, etc.) were also evaluated as alternatives to stand-alone co-products. Test results indicate that BCPs are effective in stabilizing the Iowa Class 10 soil classified as CL or A-6(8) and have excellent resistance to moisture degradation. Strengths and moisture resistance in comparison to traditional additives (fly ash) could be obtained through the use of combined additives (co-product A + fly ash; co-product A + co-product B). Utilizing BCPs as a soil stabilizer appears to be one of the many viable answers to the profitability of the bio-based products and the bioenergy business. Future research is needed to evaluate the freeze-thaw durability and for resilient modulus characterization of BCP-modified layers for a variety of pavement subgrade and base soil types. In addition, the long-term performance of these BCPs should be evaluated under actual field conditions and traffic loadings. Innovative uses of BCP in pavement-related applications could not only provide additional revenue streams to improve the economics of biorefineries, but could also serve to establish green road infrastructures.