Business Zone Research Articles

Dealing with a global issue: contributing to poverty alleviation

PurposeTo present one approach to integrating societal expectations in business as adopted by Electricité de France through their Access to Energy Program.Design/methodology/approachThe objective is achieved through three main actions, one of which is explored here: rural electrification through the setting‐up of rural energy services companies in developing countries which bring energy (electricity or gas) services to isolated populations, thereby encouraging the development of local economic activities and contributing to poverty reduction.FindingsFindings range from the importance of an existing and suitable institutional framework, through the reduction of start‐up costs and the cash‐flow problems of these small companies, to the definition of a sustainable model (fee for service) and the provision of accompanying services (gas, water, telephone, etc.) and capacity building.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research will be determined following monitoring and evaluation feedback from these local companies.Practical implicationsWorking in countries with suitable institutional frameworks and with grant financing to cover most of initial equipment investment to keep tariffs low. Establishing local business zones with higher power levels to encourage local economic development. Ensuring maximum equipment efficiency (particularly batteries).Originality/valueIdentification of a sustainable model in rural electrification that is now being replicated on a major scale in Morocco and South Africa.

航空写真を活用した建築形態及び地域別の屋上緑化の潜在性に関する研究

In order to clarify the potentiality of roof greenery revaluating from such construction forms as the higher multistoried ferroconcrete building and the lower residential house in urban area, the research was conducted by analyzing from aerial photographs and GIS data, in Fukuoka City, Kyushu. As the study areas, from 3 different type zones such as the central business and office zone, residential housing zone and the mixed zone, each 2 sample areas were selected at totally 6. Since the weight capacity is controlled by the law, the potentiality of roof greenery was revalued according to each construction type, and suitable greenery way within using grand-cover plants or shrubs were adopted them. The results are as follows: It was become apparent that every 3 type areas showed the similar potentiality of roof greenery around 30% of each total ground area. Furthermore, in case of the central business and office zone, since there were many multistoried ferroconcrete buildings, 44.1% of the roof greenery potentiality showed a possibility of using shrubs. Even in the zones and the residential housing zones, roofs of school and shopping buildings were considered to be able to allow using shrubs.

Allele frequencies of the Profiler Plus™ STR loci in Canary Islands (Spain)

Polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) loci are the most informative PCR-based genetic markers for attempting to individualize biological material. For this purpose, it is necessary to have a database representative of the reference population. The Canarian archipelago is a crossroad for populations from Europe, Africa and South America. This makes it a particularly busy zone for criminal activities and, therefore, for laboratory investigations. In this work, the allele distribution data for the nine Profiler Plus™ tetrameric STR loci (D3S1358, vWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317 and D7S820) were determined from a survey of 240 individuals from the Canary Islands population.

Les zones franches industrielles en République Dominicaine

Free Industrial Zones in Dominican Republic. Free industrial zones, which were at first free business zones, are areas specialized in the fabrication of products destined for the export market ; they began to appear in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. At the end of 1990, there were 25 free zones in operation in 12 different sectors. Their story and their growth, their economic structures, the diversity of their activities and investments, and their contribution to economic and social development are studied in the article.

Creation of Landowner Compacts for Sustainable Community Development

This technical note describes an approach for creating landowner compacts for the development of urban fringe land in a sustainable manner. The landowner compact would require the collaboration of individual landowners such that property lines are dissolved and development is concentrated on a fraction of the overall area, preserving the remaining lands for conservation and/or agricultural purposes. Additional benefits include a reduction in the servicing and long-term public-works costs of the development, as well as a reduction in automobile use if some commercial and business zones are included within the development. In this note, the approach used is based on the assumption that economic returns to the individual landowners participating in the compact are equivalent to the returns from conventional low-density development. An application of the suggested approach to a Canadian community is presented.

Globalization of foreign trade zones: the case of the united states

Global business success is often measured based on the ability of multinational corporations to exports and a country's ability to secure a zone for storage, exhibition, repackaging, manufacturing, and distribution. The U.S. government promoted global business zones via enacting an amendment to the Trade Act in the early twentieth century. The focus of attention was then turned to the economic and social impact of zones and the regulatory status of U.S. trade under tariffs, quotas, and trade barriers. This study emphasizes the quantitative decision-making models to assess the use of U.S. foreign trade zones in a global business perspective. It also evaluates the potential savings of zone usage for reexport, and the drawbacks of import bonds in connection with tariff and nontariff trade barriers.

Transport and traffic management schemes and energy saving in Singapore

The energy savings arising from transport and traffic management schemes in Singapore are estimated. These schemes are, respectively, the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) on passenger cars and the Area Traffic Control (ATC) in the central business zone. The ARF was introduced in 1972 and requires a new car owner to pay a fee which is determined by a percentage of the open market value for the car. The rate has been raised periodically as a means of curbing the growth in car population. Had it remained at the 1974 level, the car population and the total road-transport energy-use in 1985 would have been, respectively, one quarter and 7 to 8% higher than the actual levels recorded. The implementation of the ATC in 1981 was aimed primarily at improving traffic flow and shortening journey time. It has led to annual savings equivalent to about 1% of the total road transport energy use. The scheme is also economically justifiable on the ground of fuel savings.

Delimiting the Zone in Transition: An Assessment

Abstract Delimitation of characteristically similar regions within the city to facilitate comparative studies is considered desirable provided it is based on sound theory and is achieved by objective techniques. A modification of the Intensity Index technique of Central Business and Transition Zone delimitation whereby a break-of-slope in a landuse intensity graph can be identified objectively is suggested. Thereafter the rationale of the use of a Transition Zone Intensity Index as a delimitation criterion is critically assessed and adjudged to be wanting.