Local Sales Research Articles

Development of tourism through the formation of the image of Аstana (Nur-Sultan) as a “brand city”

In a global world, competition has developed not only between countries and companies, but also between cities and economic regions. Marketing, which is one of the most important elements of competition, is significant not only for the country’s Reputation, Economy, International Tourism, gaining the honor of attracting foreign investors, but also for the state as a whole, as well as for sub-economic regions called “local lands”. In recent years, the growing branding of the city and the brand the concept of the city has become one of the paramount topics accepted internationally. Alongside the concept of the “brand city” originating from the Dutch language, local branding, local marketing and local sales demonstrate a high level of influence of the “brand city”. In fact, each city is a brand that stands out for its geographical features, products, recreational resources, urban planning, or historical values. Each city on earth has its characteristics and differences. However, not all brands have the same value for cities. The recognition of the achievements of the city “branding” is related to the recognition of the achievements of the region and the state. Being a “brand city” is also considerable for the competitiveness of state tourism. Kazakhstan is one of the countries with the highest tourist potential at the world level. There are many cities in the country that have natural and historical features. The identification of the features of one of the new and dynamic cities of Kazakhstan — Astana (Nur-Sultan) as a “brand city” — will be the basis for applying it as a model for other cities of the state. At the same time, branding of cities of Kazakhstan, as well as well-known brand cities of many major countries, paves the way for the promotion in the world.

The profitability implications of sales through local food markets for beginning farmers and ranchers

PurposeThe Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 directed the US Secretary of Agriculture to report on the profitability and viability of beginning farmers and ranchers. Many beginning operations use local food markets as they provide more control, or a premium over commodity prices, and beginning operations cannot yet take advantage of economies of scale and subsequently have higher costs of production. Little research assesses the relationship between beginning farmer profitability and sales through local food markets. In this paper, the profitability implications of sales through local food markets for beginning farmers and ranchers are explored.Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilize 2013–2016 USDA agricultural resource management survey data to assess the financial performance of US beginning farmers and ranchers who generate sales through local food markets.FindingsThe results point to four important takeaways to support beginning operations. (1) Local food channels can be viable marketing opportunities for beginning operations. (2) There are differences when using short- and long-term financial performance indicators, which may indicate that there is benefit to promoting lean management strategies to support beginning operations. (3) Beginning operations with intermediated local food sales, on average, perform better than those operations with direct-to-consumer sales. (4) Diversification across local food market channel types does not appear to be an indicator of improved financial performance.Originality/valueThis article is the first to focus on the relationship beginning local food sales and beginning farmer financial performance. It incorporates short-term and long-term measures of financial performance and differentiates sales by four local food market type classifications: direct-to-consumer sales at farmers markets, other direct-to-consumer sales, direct-to-retail sales and direct-to-regional distributor or institution sales.

Youth Tobacco Use Before and After Local Sales Restrictions on Flavored and Menthol Tobacco Products in Minnesota

PurposeMinneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, implemented sales restrictions on all flavored tobacco products in 2016 (“flavor policy”) and expanded the restrictions to menthol tobacco products in 2018 (“menthol policy”). We examined data from surveys of Minnesota youth collected before and after the flavor and menthol policies. MethodsWe measured changes in youth tobacco use prevalence using data from the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey and the Minnesota Student Survey. We analyzed tobacco use overall and, where possible, by product category and flavor category among survey respondents in the Twin Cities area (including Minneapolis and St. Paul) and the rest of the state of Minnesota (ROS). ResultsIn the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey, overall youth use of any tobacco product significantly increased in ROS (by 26.6%) but did not change in the Twin Cities after the flavor policies. Similarly, the Minnesota Student Survey showed the youth use of any tobacco product increased to a greater extent in ROS (by 44.6%) than that in the Twin Cities (by 34.6%) after implementation of the menthol policies. In both surveys, increases in youth use of particular tobacco products were less pronounced in the Twin Cities relative to the rest of the state. DiscussionPolicies restricting sales of all flavored and menthol tobacco products may be associated with attenuated increases in youth use of tobacco product categories. Policy exemptions and proximity to nonpolicy jurisdictions may have diluted the effect of policies on overall tobacco product use among youth tobacco users.

Exploring the adoption of technologies among beginning farmers in the specialty crops industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the adoption of two categories of agricultural technologies among beginning farmers (10 years or less of experience) operating in the specialty crops industry. A secondary goal is to characterize the beginning farmers' population in the specialty crops industry and compare them to more experienced farmers (more than 10 years of farming experience).Design/methodology/approachUsing a series of regressions, this paper tests the hypothesis that beginning farmers are more likely to adopt agricultural technologies such as growing technologies (i.e. hydroponics and hoop houses) and value-added (VA) technologies (drying and cutting produce into customer-ready portions) relative to counterparts. Using a unique primary collected dataset of specialty crops farmers, the dependent variable for each model is the binary decision to adopt each agricultural technology, while the main variables of interest are the dummy variables beginning farmers and the interaction terms created between beginning farmers and land farmed, percent of land rented, crop diversification, local sales, and part-time farming.FindingsFarmers' characterization suggests that, on average, beginning farmers are more likely to adopt growing technologies than more experienced farmers. However, after controlling for other determinants of adoption, there is no significantly difference between the two groups. Lastly, results suggest that beginning farmers are more likely to adopt VA technologies relative to experienced farmers.Originality/valueWhile the adoption of agricultural innovations can lead to increases in economic and environmental resilience, little is known about beginning farmers adopting agricultural technologies, and studies are even less common for specialty crops operations. As the world population continues to grow rapidly, the demand for agricultural food products is expected to increase up to 100% between 2010 and 2050. This growth places additional stress on the limited access to land and water for agricultural production. Farm profitability can be boosted by increasing economies of scope through the use of growing technologies that increase yield or by adding value to specialty crops. The increasing global demand for food makes it imperative to understand what influences the adoption of agricultural technologies among beginning farmers growing food crops.

Comparison of heavy metal levels and health risk assessment of different bread types marketed in Turkey

In this study, the manganese (Mn), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), and mercury (Hg) levels of 60 bread samples were determined by ICP MS, all of which belong to different brands and businesses, are sold with and without packaging at national and local levels in Turkey, and then the bread types were compared statistically. Then, the heavy metal exposure arising from bread consumption of >15 year-old individuals, assessed non-carcinogenic risks, was calculated by using a deterministic model. The average Al, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb levels of all bread types were determined as 13,500 ± 20000, 83 ± 62, 24,200 ± 8900, 14 ± 14, 380 ± 320, 3640 ± 900, 19 ± 11, 15 ± 8, 0.4 ± 0.1, and 34 ± 29 μg/kg, respectively. The heavy metal levels of the bread types included in the unpackaged local sales and classified as white bread group are lower than the others. Many statistically significant findings on heavy metals were obtained. The heavy metal exposure from bread consumption of >15-year-old individuals varies between <0.01 and 53.4 (mercury-manganese) μg/kg bw day. The target hazard quotient of heavy metals is less than 1. The fact that the hazard index value is calculated greater than 1 in all bread types brings some health concerns. Considering the health risks, industrial bread consumption could be limited, but bread consumption should not be abandoned.

The Economic Impact of Climate Change on the Agricultural System in Fiji

Climate change is one of the most crucial challenges identified in this century for the Pacific Region, such as Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and many more. Citizens of Fiji have gone through peculiarly climatic and weather conditions over the past years like globalization, which had led to many consequences, especially in the agricultural sector which is the main income of many livelihoods not only in Fiji but in other Pacific countries as well. Climatic conditions have been changing adversely from past decades, such as temperature, rise in the sea level, precipitation changes, atmospheric composition changes, flooding, and tropical cyclones. These changes have led to alterations in the environment, thus, affecting crop and livestock production in the agricultural system. For instance, crops that require specific soil and temperature situations are vastly influenced when the temperature level changes suddenly, making the crops vulnerable to adapt to the alterations and therefore, the crops eventually die. Likewise, animal species also get affected by temperature changes, such as heat stress which specifically affects the fertility of male and female livestock. Due to these events, Fiji&amp;rsquo;s economies have also been affected since agriculture plays a vital role in boosting our economy through local market sales and exporting. Thereby, this review illustrates the impacts of climate change and ways to move forward/ solutions, for example, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and Pacific Islands Climate Change Assistance Program (PICCAP) have supported Fiji in bringing adaptation programs for preparing farmers and all other individuals on the upcoming climatic conditions such as adapting tolerant crops that can handle droughts and other adverse weather conditions.

Fecal pollution increases susceptibility to diseases in brown mussel Perna perna from cultured and wild populations

Maricultural systems for food production have expanded worldwide since the 2000s, including the production of brown mussel Perna perna - a key aquaculture species in Venezuela, South Africa, and Brazil. Bivalves grown in sewage-polluted areas can act as sources for human diseases given their filter-feeding behavior. Moreover, sewage can affect mussels' microbiota and fitness, thereby making them more susceptible to infections and diseases, leading to mortalities. In the present study, we investigated the impacts of coastal fecal pollution on P. perna pathological conditions. Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were used to assess the microbiological quality in the seawater and mussels' hemolymph from four beaches located at Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Vermelha (VB), Icaraí (IB), and Urca (UB), where mussels are exploited for consumption and local market sale; and Jurujuba (JB) farming area where mussels are cultured. Additionally, mussels had their organs surveyed for pathological conditions and parasitic infection by histology. UB presented the highest FIB counts in seawater, followed by IB, JB and VB. Moreover, significantly lower values of total coliforms (TC) were found in mussels' hemolymph from VB and IB than JB and UB, which are probably related to differences in the hydrodynamic of these beaches; VB and IB are open beaches, while JB and UB are sheltered. Our findings suggest that mussel's hemolymph could be used as an indicator of the water quality. Mussels from VB and IB presented lower overall incidence of pathological conditions than ones from JB and UB, suggesting that higher fecal contamination increases mussel susceptibility to pathologies. Mussels from VB were associated with an elasmobranch parasite (Tylocephalum sp.) that indicate a conservative ecological dynamic. Our findings highlight that sewage inputs into coastal systems and farming areas raises the risks of parasitosis and diseases in mussels, which may compromise the quantity and quality of shellfish production and lead to economic losses. In response, public investments in urban planning and sanitary regulation close to coastal systems and farming areas are crucial to prevent future problems for the shellfish market and human safety, especially in developing countries such as Brazil.

Assessing the multidimensional elements of sustainability in European agroforestry systems

CONTEXTAgroforestry is gaining interest in in Europe however the trade-offs associated with its uptake are still uncertain. OBJECTIVEThe objective of this study was to explore the sustainability trade-offs and synergies associated with a range of agroforestry systems in Europe and assess the underlying reasons for different performance regarding environmental, economic, social and governance domains. METHODSFive case-studies of agroforestry from nothern, eastern and southern Europe were assessed using an established sustainability assessment tool, the Public Goods tool (PG tool). The case studies were selected to represent a range of innovative and traditional systems, encompassing arable and livestock, wood fuel and tree fruit crops. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSAll five of the case studies were performing well across a diverse range of sustainability criteria, with average scores of three out of five or higher across the assessment categories. Social capital and animal health and welfare management scores were particularly high, due to high rates of on-farm employment of between 0.4 and 2.3 full-time labour units per hectare, and a high volume of local sales alongside effective health planning and husbandry through health planning and a lack of restrictions on natural behaviour. Land Equivalent Ratios were greater than 1 within each case and were particularly high for established silvopasture systems (over 1.5). Fossil fuel use was considerably lower than the industry average in most of the case studies (between 17 and 92% of the country-average per hectare for three of the cases). Economic performance was highly variable, with high labour costs contributing to negative margins. SIGNIFICANCEThe assessments show that agroforestry systems have considerable potential to contribute to multiple sustainability objectives, and that environmental and social sustainability objectives are particularly well addressed through increased efficiency of land-use, increased opportunities for on-farm employment and engagement with local communities. However considerable financial barriers still exist and may prevent its further uptake. Promoting the future uptake of agroforestry in Europe therefore requires the commitment of multiple actors in supply chains to plan policies, farm-practices and knowledge exchange that can support the delivery of sustainability benefits.

Методические подходы к исследованию рынков в локальной сельской экономике

The article presents the justification of methodological approaches to the study of local agricultural production markets (the level of administrative districts of the subjects of the Russian Federation) in the conditions of development of rural local economy. The developed methodological tools were used to assess the level of development of retail markets and fair trade in the districts of Omsk and Tambov regions. The final part of the article presents the main conclusions of the study. The main subjects of the markets of the local rural economy are local producers who are not included in the composition of large agricultural and processing enterprises located in this area, and local consumers, residents of villages, villages and cities within which local producers sell their products or services. The development of the markets of the local rural economy is determined by the sales potential of local food products, which is limited for small and medium-sized producers by available local sales channels, such as agricultural markets and fairs, unlike large producers whose sales are focused on network trade, large regional wholesalers or their own trading houses.

Factors Affecting the Long-Term Development of Specialized Agricultural Villages North and South of Huai River

Village-level agricultural specialization in China is becoming increasingly important for rural development. However, existing knowledge of specialized agricultural villages (SAVs) based on singular assessment criteria and data describing static time points becomes insufficient in addressing multifaceted developmental questions today. We examined the long-term development patterns of SAVs in Anhui, China, with attributes from multiple angles, and explored how local factors affected SAV development across space and time using random forest regression. We found that as time elapsed, economic rationality drove specialized farmers closer to sale dependency and made SAVs more susceptible to market and economic factors, which builds upon previous findings analyzing SAVs at specific time points and consolidates the importance of market factors in the long-term development of SAVs. However, this susceptibility manifests differently in these two geographically contrasting regions north and south of Huai River. The northern SAVs received increased influences from market and economic factors, while the southern SAVs were continuously controlled by market and location factors. The dynamic spatial and temporal patterns of the two regions point to different dependencies, which emphasized local sales in the north and distant sales in the south. We propose that policies and strategies regarding SAV development accommodate these dynamics and address appropriate influencing factors accordingly.

PERANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI PENJUALAN BERBASIS WEB PADA TOKO KOMPUTER DI KOTA SEMARANG

Putra Mandiri Computer Pati shop which is engaged in the sale of computer accessories and peripherals still has problems in marketing, namely sales are still very limited, this is because the service is still using local sales methods, distributing brochures. The author is interested in conducting research to assist in helping to increase sales turnover at Putra Mandiri Pati by developing an online sales system. The development model used is research and development (Research and Development / R&amp;D) and in the development of application software using the PHP programming language and database using My SQL. The results obtained in the form of a web-based sales information system that can be accessed online by the wider community and can serve online sales transactions and have been able to help increase sales turnover at the Putra Mandiri Pati Store.

The Internet as a Tax Haven?

If online transactions are tax free, increased online shopping may lower tax rates as jurisdictions seek to reduce tax avoidance; but, if online firms remit taxes, online sales may put upward pressure on tax rates because internet sales help enforce destination-based taxes. I find that higher internet penetration generally results in lower municipal tax rates but raises tax rates in some jurisdictions. The latter effect emerges in states where many online vendors remit taxes. A 1 standard deviation increase in internet penetration lowers local sales taxes in large municipalities by 0.15 percentage points, or 16 percent of the average rate. (JEL H25, H26, H71, L81, R51)

Effects of Sales Tax Competition on Local Revenue Capacity: Empirical Analysis of California County Governments

This study empirically examines the effects of tax competition in both horizontal and vertical ways on the revenue capacity of counties in California from 2003 to 2015. Spatial Durbin model (SDM) identifies the effects of two-way tax competition on a county’s revenue capacity. The findings provide evidence that local sales tax helps a county expand its total revenue, but the two-way tax competition brings about a decrease in local revenue capacity as a result of spillovers. Furthermore, a lower-taxing area can have more benefits because the expansions in the neighbors are much greater than the higher-taxing one. In spite of the extant research of tax competition, this study adds another contribution to this research arena that the empirical approach of the SDM rules out the geospatial effects of the other explanatory variables that might have some unobserved effects in the extant literature.

Location-boundedness, investment irreversibility, and divestment of international joint ventures under host market demand uncertainty

We employ the real options perspective to examine how the irreversibility of location-bound assets and resources affects the divestment of international joint ventures (IJVs) under exogenous uncertainty in host countries. Utilizing a large sample of Korean IJVs and addressing a sample selection of IJVs and the endogeneity of firms’ choice of location-bound investments, we find that high host market demand uncertainty interacts with localized products or local sales forces and reduces divestment rates of IJVs. We also find that the deterrent effects of these two country-specific investments are more salient for IJVs with local sourcing and sales. These findings imply that the deterrent effect of location-boundedness is congruent with the uncertainty-based real options theory when explaining IJV divestment.

The moderating role of R&D intensity on the association between external embeddedness and subsidiary product innovation: evidence from Vietnam

ABSTRACT Drawing on the business network theory and the resource-based view, we investigate the moderating role of R&D intensity on the relationship between subsidiaries’ external embeddedness in a host country and the probability of subsidiary product innovation. Using data from 402 subsidiaries located in Vietnam, the Probit regression results revealed that the higher the subsidiary’s embeddedness with local sales and local input suppliers in a transition economy, the higher the probability that it will achieve product innovation. R&D intensity positively moderates such associations. Our finding extends the argument of the business network theory by stressing the need of MNEs to use their foreign subsidiaries in transition economies to gain local knowledge and other resources from local sales agents and local input suppliers; they can do so by embedding themselves into the environment and simultaneously using these sources and internal resources to strengthen their product innovation possibilities.

Impact of Local Flavored Tobacco Sales Restrictions on Policy-Related Attitudes and Tobacco Product Access.

As of September 2020, more than 300 state and local jurisdictions restrict the sales of flavored tobacco, with some including menthol. To evaluate the impact of local ordinances restricting the sale of flavored tobacco, we surveyed Californians regarding policy support and perceived access to flavored tobacco. In 2019, we conducted an online survey of 3,075 California youth and young adults recruited via social media, about half of whom lived in a policy jurisdiction. Logistic regressions assessed differences on propensity score-weighted outcomes, policy support, and perceived access. Most respondents indicated agreement with almost all policy support statements. Although policy respondents were less likely than rest-of-California respondents to report perceived difficulty in buying flavored cigars, flavored vape users in policy jurisdictions were more likely than those in the rest of California to report perceived difficulty in buying flavored e-liquid. Regardless of jurisdiction, certain priority subgroups were significantly more likely to report perceived difficulty in accessing flavored cigars, flavored vaping products, flavored e-liquid, and menthol cigarettes. With some exceptions, these findings demonstrate that among vape users in policy jurisdictions and priority subgroups, there is a higher likelihood of reporting perceived difficulty to access flavored tobacco products. Findings might be an early indication of shifts in social norms about flavored tobacco products in California, which could gain traction as local sales restriction ordinances proliferate throughout the state and a statewide flavored-tobacco sales restriction goes into effect.

Tree diversity and composition in Mexican traditional smallholder cocoa agroforestry systems

The cultivation of cocoa is a commodity of great importance worldwide. In Mexico, cocoa is grown in Tabasco and Chiapas states in agroforestry systems since pre-Hispanic times, where cocoa is grown under the canopy of shade trees. Crops such as sugarcane and extensive livestock production have gradually reduced the area devoted to cocoa cultivation in the region. Yet, farmers keep small portions of the cocoa agroforestry systems to maintain the local floristic diversity. This practice seems to be a successful contribution to plant conservation. To determine the management practices used by farmers in the agroforestry cocoa systems and the diversity of products they harvest, a non-probabilistic sampling was carried out in 38 shade cocoa plots of 20 × 50 m each (19 in Tabasco and 19 in Chiapas). We counted and identified all trees with DBH ≥ 5 cm, recording their height. We estimated canopy cover at 20 points within each plot. Our results show no tree species richness differences between states, but there were differences at the municipality level; Pichucalco (Chiapas) had the highest tree species richness. Considering all tree species, there was a higher tree density in Tabasco than in Chiapas. Regarding only cocoa trees, there was also a higher abundance in Tabasco than in Chiapas. In both cases, farmers obtain a wide variety of products for self-consumption and local market sale from their cocoa agroforestry systems (e.g., timber, fruit, and grains). The wide floristic diversity in these agroecosystems aids native plant species conservation and could favor the increase of agroforestry plantations associated with cocoa cultivation.

ShiningNIRlight on ivory: A practical enforcement tool for elephant ivory identification

AbstractThe elephant ivory trade remains controversial because of concerns about the extinction risk of elephants and the different needs of CITES member states. Thailand's situation is particularly contentious because of the different legal status among types of elephant ivory. Thai law allows the local sale of ivory from domesticated Asian elephants, which creates challenges for Thai enforcement officers in identification of ivory provenance. We investigated the capacity of non‐destructive Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy (600–1700 nm), combined with Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS‐DA), to discriminate between ivory from African, wild Asian and domesticated Asian elephants. Ivory spectra of 64 elephants were divided randomly into calibration and validation datasets. We were able to determine elephant ivory provenance at both the interspecies (African and Asian elephant ivory), and within species (wild and domesticated Asian elephant ivory) classifications with 100% accuracy. These results showed the potential use of handheld NIR spectrometers for rapid assessments of ivory provenance, as well as a forensic tool for wider enforcement.

Local Pride Movement As A Local Sneaker Branding Strategy

This research aims to determine the revival of local pride tagline or slogan as a social movement for being proud of wearing local sneaker brand. In this research, the branding theory was used to analyze the formation of local pride or being pride of Indonesian-made products slogan or taglines. This research used a qualitative method with an analytic descriptive approach. Meanwhile, data were collected through non-participant observation to obtain an overview or information about objective or event conditions. The research result showed that the local pride movement practiced through cross-industry collaboration with influencers was able to build the brand personality of local shoes on consumers’ buying interests. The level of consumer ethnocentrism in the community resulted in brand awareness providing significant effects on the decision to buy local shoes. It was also in line with the government policy through restriction on imported commodities for products or goods that can be made domestically. The Content digital marketing was adopted by developing a proud Indonesian products theme. It was carried out through a hashtag for #LocalPride to increase the number of local shoes product sales, and it also can be used as a promotional tool that has proven to be effective to increase the number of followers on social media.

Free shipping in cross-border supply chains considering tax disparity and carrier’s pricing decisions

Different from local sales, offering free shipping can be a strategic decision for the retailers/brands who sell products to overseas customers. This also significantly influences the carrier’s pricing decisions because of tax policies in different countries/regions. In this paper, we consider customers’ preference for free shipping and investigate two competing retailers’ free shipping decisions when they rely on a common carrier for cross-border logistics services. We focus on the impact of retail price competition and the carrier’s tax cost, which shows uniqueness in the shipping industry. We derive the supply chain parties’ optimal decisions by the general equilibrium theory and analyze their free shipping incentives based on game-theoretical models. We find that, if the carrier is non-resident, given one retailer’s free shipping, the other one would follow the step when the retail price competition is mild and the carrier faces small tax disparity. Interestingly, the carrier will benefit from the two retailers’ free shipping when the retail price competition is fierce and the tax disparity is small. If the carrier is resident and both retailers offer free shipping, we find that all supply chain parties will be beneficial, resulting in a win–win–win situation.