Competitive Market Analysis Research Articles

Entrepreneurial Innovation Management: the joint Italy–Colombia master’s degree

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to acknowledge the value of joint educational entrepreneurship programs: universities impact on economic growth by building collaborative networks in order to encourage innovation through interdisciplinary training schemes. The case of the master’s degree in Entrepreneurial Innovation Management, set up jointly by the University of Salerno and the Universidad Católica de Pereira, is presented. Design/methodology/approach In order to conduct a competitive market analysis, the latest data on master’s degrees in economics and information technologies management have been collected by means of a scraping procedure in order to build a data set for analysis. The authors have considered the masters’ degrees offered in Bogotá, where most universities of Colombia are located. Findings The data point out that current master’s degree courses do not recognize the importance of interdisciplinary training, which is in great demand in the world of work: economics and computer science never run together and rarely do universities collaborate within a network to set up joint programs. Practical implications The entrepreneurial culture could yield economic and social benefits by training students for a dynamic, global and increasingly digital job market. The case study represents a first step in building a network, which could be extended to other countries in the future. Originality/value The originality of the study lies in the proposal of a joint Italy–Colombia master’s degree, which is set up within a higher education network and may prove useful in creating job opportunities in both countries involved. Moreover, the learning path balances two traditionally separated disciplinary fields: economics and computer engineering.

A Competitive Market Analysis of the United States Shiitake Mushroom Marketplace

Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) have many nutritional and medicinal benefits. The cultivation of log-grown shiitake mushrooms encourages forest farming and can be an opportunity for farmers interested in developing an additional enterprise. In 2006, the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry conducted a nationwide survey of shiitake mushroom producers to analyze the U.S. shiitake mushroom industry by taking into consideration the forces that influence competition based on Porter's five forces model. Shiitake mushrooms are grown primarily as a side business, especially those produced exclusively outdoors. Indoor production on sawdust generates higher income than outdoor production on logs, but log production is more suitable for a small-scale operation in an agroforestry setting. Barriers to entry are created by relationships in the market, economies of scale, and the learning curve effect. Although there are a limited number of spawn suppliers in the market, they produce quality inoculum and maintain good relationships with shiitake mushroom producers. The majority of respondents sell their shiitake mushrooms locally. Gourmet restaurants, farmers markets, and on-farm outlets are the main markets for shiitake mushrooms. Trends in demand are increasing and prices are high. Shiitake mushrooms can be replaced with other common or gourmet mushroom types, but also have their own identity for numerous nutritional and medicinal properties. Competition for log-grown shiitake mushrooms arises from shiitake mushrooms produced on sawdust and from imports. To successfully survive in the market, firms create competitive advantages through quality, customer service, and consistent supply. Barriers to success in the shiitake mushroom business include demanding work requirements, the need for a serious commitment to produce and market shiitake mushrooms, a 1-year time lag between investment and a return on investment, and insufficient production and marketing information. Grower associations, universities, and state and federal agencies must join their efforts to fund and support shiitake mushroom research and industry development.

Competitive Market Analysis from a Demand Approach: An Application of the Rotterdam Demand Model

Competitive Market Analysis from a Demand Approach: An Application of the Rotterdam Demand Model

Competitive Market Analysis: Chestnut Producers

In 2004, a nationwide survey of chestnut (Castanea spp.) producers in the United States was conducted. Results show that the U.S. chestnut industry is in its infancy. The majority of chestnut producers have been in business less than 10 years and are just beginning to produce commercially. Volume of production is low (<1.5 million lb). U.S. chestnut producers are mainly part-timers or hobbyists with small, manually harvested operations. The majority of respondents sell fresh chestnuts. Demand exceeds supply, and prices often exceed $3.50/lb. Barriers to success in the chestnut business include the lack of information for producers, retailers, and consumers, 5- to 10-year time lag to get a return on investment, and shortage of available chestnut nursery stock of commercial cultivars. There are also concerns related to pest and disease control and market uncertainties. Lengthy quarantines for cultivars from other countries and lack of chemicals registered for use with chestnuts can also be considered barriers to success. Chestnut grower associations, universities, and state and federal agencies must join their efforts to fund and support chestnut research and industry development.

A decision support system for automotive product planning and competitive market analysis

AbstractA decision support system (DSS) for automotive product marketing, design and manufacturing in China is presented in this paper. The DSS is developed as a tool to support product planning, competitive market analysis, supply chain analysis and subsequent manufacturing systems planning and deployment. The system consists of a number of automotive related databases which provide information about manufacturers' performance in each market segment as well as production information of all existing market players in the Chinese auto industry. Product planning, one of the key modules of the DSS prototype, is highlighted in this paper. It supports decision makers in determining suitable strategies for market entry by analyzing existing competitors' status, growth estimation of each market segment, and competitive market analysis for new vehicle products. A case study for new market entry is included here to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

A decision support system for automotive product planning and competitive market analysis

A decision support system (DSS) for automotive product marketing, design and manufacturing in China is presented in this paper. The DSS is developed as a tool to support product planning, competitive market analysis, supply chain analysis and subsequent manufacturing systems planning and deployment. The system consists of a number of automotive related databases which provide information about manufacturers’ performance in each market segment as well as production information of all existing market players in the Chinese auto industry. Product planning, one of the key modules of the DSS prototype, is highlighted in this paper. It supports decision makers in determining suitable strategies for market entry by analyzing existing competitors’ status, growth estimation of each market segment, and competitive market analysis for new vehicle products. A case study for new market entry is included here to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

The Coming Downsizing of Real Estate: Implications of Technology

Executive Summary. Currently there is explosive growth in the availability of databases that may be merged to create “user friendly” real estate-related market information and services. A reduction in traditional personal customer services required (e.g., Competitive Market Analysis), and the ease of collection, assimilation, and processing of information, will have major implications for the real estate industry and future employment prospects. This study collects employment trends by SIC codes and other sources, and analyzes the rapid changes occurring in the areas of real estate brokerage, finance, appraisal, leasing and title insurance, due to technology. The findings suggest that the number of real estate participants currently employed should decline significantly because of increased efficiencies. Property buyers and sellers may eventually receive an income transfer from licensed agents, lenders, appraisers, attorneys, and loan servicers.

The Edmonton–Calgary corridor transportation study

The Edmonton–Calgary corridor transportation study is an example of multimodal intercity passenger transportation planning in a low-density corridor. This represents a departure from most corridor studies, which have been conducted in the most intensively travelled and densely populated regions. The study provided the background data, information, and analysis to facilitate transportation planning in the Edmonton–Calgary corridor region. A wide range of capital-intensive alternatives (particularly for the rail and air modes) and a number of transportation system management alternatives are related to transportation issues in the corridor region in a multimodal systems analysis framework.This paper discusses a number of unique approaches used in the study that were the result of the need to deal with the low-density aspects, the need to consider both regional and intercity travel, and the inherent design of the study. These include its iterative approach to the analysis, its handling of the demand and cost analysis, its consideration of multimodal impacts, and the emphasis on identifying key issues and resulting strategic choices. The success and drawbacks of these methodologies are reviewed.The paper also reviews the major findings of the study, many of which can be extended to a more general context: a competitive market analysis may be of little interest in low-density regions; new technologies tend to bias even further the imbalance between intercity and regional transportation service; the automobile has a key role to play in regional transportation; for many transportation needs the intercity bus is an economical and efficient mode; and an improved rail service is an uncertain and long-term venture, which could detrimentally affect all intercity bus service in the region.

Information and Market Equilibrium

Under the assumption of complete markets, a fundamental result of competitive market analysis (whether for speculative or commodity markets) is that prices contain all information necessary for optimal decisionmaking by individual economic units. The role that prices play in disseminating information is analyzed in the context of two different models. First an economy under uncertainty without complete markets is analyzed. Conditions are specified under which equilibrium prices reflect (or transmit) all available information to market observers. It is shown that uninformed market observers can deduce inside information about the environment from the change in the equilibrium price when there is a one-to-one correspondence between the market price and the useful part of the information received. For a special case, sufficient conditions for invertibility are derived. Then a Bayesian hypothesis is used to study the price expectations formed on the basis of information obtained about the economy from observations of past market prices. The Bayesian price expectations are shown to converge, as price observations accumulate, to the expectations of an observer who knows the true structure of the economy.