Local Sales Research Articles

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.

Shopping for Lower Sales Tax Rates

Using comprehensive high-frequency state and local sales tax data, we show that shopping behavior responds strongly to changes in sales tax rates. Even though sales taxes are not observed in posted prices and have a wide range of rates and exemptions, consumers adjust in many dimensions. They stock up on storable goods before taxes rise and increase online and cross-border shopping in both the short and long run. The difference between short- and long-run spending responses has important implications for the efficacy of using sales taxes for countercyclical policy and for the design of an optimal tax framework. Interestingly, households adjust spending similarly for both taxable and tax-exempt goods. We embed an inventory problem into a continuous-time consumption-savings model and demonstrate that this behavior is optimal in the presence of shopping trip fixed costs. The model successfully matches estimated short-run and long-run tax elasticities. We provide additional evidence in favor of this new shopping complementarity mechanism. (JEL E21, E32, G51, H21, H25, H71)

Beyond technical standards: Creating an ecosystem for quality and repair in Kenya's off-grid solar sector

Kenya’s national electrification plan now promotes the use of off-grid solar home systems as a long-term energy access solution in rural regions of the country, suggesting that these technologies may no longer be viewed as stop-gap solutions for households awaiting the centralized grid. The quality of these off-grid solar systems is governed by technical standards that require specific information is disclosed on labels to communicate quality measures to consumers, but who uses this information? We argue that there are four audiences that “consume” this information: international organizations and actors working to harmonize standards across countries, port-of-entry conformity assessors, agents or electricians and technicians/installers, and end users. Using qualitative data from interviews and focus group discussions, we illustrate that labels alone do not sufficiently educate end users about solar quality. Rather, end users rely on local sales agents, technicians, and electricians for guidance on purchases, repairs, and e-waste, as these actors are better positioned to help end users interpret the technical information required by standards. International programs and Kenyan policies that address solar quality will benefit from rebalancing the resources (capacity and financial) expended on information campaigns and labeling with efforts that support a more sustainable ecosystem of on-the-ground solar services.

Optimal Compensation Under Inventory Delegation and Supply/Demand Mismatch

Problem definition: We study how a firm should design its compensation plan to include both the sales performance and the operational performance (i.e., the supply/demand mismatch), for its sales division, who not only exerts unobservable demand-enhancement efforts but also makes the inventory ordering decision based on her private information about the local sales territory. Methodology/results: We build on the classical agency model by incorporating the supply/demand mismatch and inventory ordering delegation. We derive the closed-form expression for the firm's optimal compensation scheme in the most general contract space and show that it takes a simple form, coupling the classical linear compensation scheme with a compensation component contingent on some operational metric. Managerial implications: First, the firm should include a compensation component that is tied to operational metrics such as the sales division's leftover inventory and the unfulfilled demand. Second, the optimal compensation scheme needs to be adapted to the distinct operational features such as demand being censored or not, lost sales or backorder. Third, the optimal compensation scheme possesses the property of piece-wise linearity in demand (or sales) with a drop in the commission rate after demand exceeds the available inventory. This is in contrast not only with the classical linear compensation scheme, but also with the quota-based compensation scheme featuring a progressively increased commission rate when the demand exceeds a prespecified quota.

Launching new global products into subsidiary markets: The vital role of sales and marketing collaboration

AbstractWe examine how to encourage collaboration between local sales and marketing teams in multinational enterprise (MNE) subsidiaries in order to successfully commercialize new product launches by creating integrated, locally adapted implementation plans. Empirical research within six subsidiaries of an MNE operating in southern Latin America found that centrally produced processes alone were insufficient for successfully launching new products in these subsidiary markets. However, devolving power, while using cross‐functional teams and formalized processes to encourage communication, led to the development of the types of trust that facilitate effective relationships between sales and marketing teams, which resulted in successfully adapted new product launches for each subsidiary market. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory and practice.

Local food sales and point of sale priming: evidence from a supermarket field experiment

Purpose An intention-behavior gap often occurs for socially responsible consumption, where despite positive consumer attitudes, sales remain disappointing. This paper aims to test the ability of in-store priming to increase sales of local foods vis-à-vis imported, cheaper equivalents. Design/methodology/approach Laboratory and field experiments in three countries (Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia), working with an international grocery retailer, assess the ability of textual and pictorial-based point of sale (PoS) materials to increase the purchase of local foods. Field sales data, for the purchase of local apples and cherries and their imported equivalents, are complemented by an analysis of loyalty card transactions. Findings Field data indicate that both pictorial and textual PoS materials, significantly increase the likelihood of purchasing local foods, against cheaper imported equivalents. Pictorial PoS materials appear more effective than textual equivalents. Laboratory study data indicate that PoS materials increase the salience of goal consistent mechanisms in decision-making at the expense of mechanisms to achieve non-primed goals. Research limitations/implications The field experiment lasted for only two weeks and focused on seasonal produce. Practical implications PoS materials offer a low cost intervention for modifying consumer behavior in stores. Originality/value The paper develops a theory regarding how priming works and its application in a supermarket setting. This is investigated and validated in the context of local foods. The study offers encouragement for the usefulness of other in-store primes, such as relating to diet, to improve socially desirable outcomes without economic incentives or coercion and in a cost-effective manner.

A survey of chloramphenicol residues in aquatic products of Shenzhen, South China

ABSTRACT Food safety is a top priority of concern for consumers. To promote growth, as well as to treat diseases which occur in aquaculture, antibiotics, even banned veterinary antibiotics, are widely used. This survey investigated the levels of chloramphenicol (CAP) by LC-MS/MS in 291 aquatic samples (all the products in this survey were local sales, exported products were not included), including shellfish, shrimp and fish, from Shenzhen, South China. The CAP concentrations in these samples (based on wet weight) were: shellfish (<LOD-205 µg kg−1, mean: 68.8 µg kg−1); shrimp (<LOD-2.2 µg kg−1, mean: 0.5 µg kg−1) and fish (<LOD-1.9 µg kg−1, mean: 0.7 µg kg−1). The highest concentration of CAP was found in shellfish samples (Mactra veneriformis, 205 µg kg−1), these levels were greater than those reported in aquatic products from other locations in China. The detection rate of CAP was 37.2% in shellfish samples (64/172), 13.6% in shrimp samples (3/22) and 16.5% in fish samples (16/97). The detection rate of CAP in shellfish samples was higher than that in fish and shrimp samples, and therefore food safety in this region cannot be ignored. The results obtained from the current study indicated a high incidence of CAP in aquatic products in this region and argue for stronger market supervision and regulation in China.

Policy Entrepreneurs in Public Administration: A Social Network Analysis

This article examines the role of policy entrepreneurs in promoting change in flood risk mitigation at the local level in Sweden through a comparative study of two Swedish municipalities with different approaches to flood risk governance; as a technical issue or a social issue. The municipality in which flood risk mitigation is addressed as a social issue exhibits a larger size of the network mitigating flood risk, more diverse actors involved, and a more central location of the politicians and senior management. Moreover, the analysis points to the salience of a bureaucratic policy entrepreneur in promoting this shift toward addressing it as a social issue, and shows how they use relational strategies to frame the issue as relating to climate change action. The article operationalizes sociability and credibility, two of the attributes of policy entrepreneurs, and thus, contributes to the theoretical and methodological discussion of policy entrepreneurs in general, and as they pertain to environmental policy in particular.Related ArticlesDavid, Charles‐Philippe. 2015. “Policy Entrepreneurs and the Reorientation of National Security Policy under the G. W. Bush Administration (2001‐04).” Politics &amp; Policy 43 (1): 163‐195. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12106Shock, David R. 2013. “The Significance of Opposition Entrepreneurs on Local Sales Tax Referendum Outcomes.” Politics &amp; Policy 41 (4): 588‐614. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12028Sidha, Zedekia, Patrick Asingo, and Justine Magutu. 2021. “Street‐Level Bureaucrats as Policy Entrepreneurs: The Nexus between Timing of Traffic Enforcement Activities and Road Safety Policy Outcomes.” Politics &amp; Policy Early View. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12386

Study of milk and dairy products Staphylococcus contamination and antimicrobial susceptibility sold in local markets around Kabul University

This research aimed to evaluate Staphylococcus aureus contamination from milk and its derivatives available in local dairy sale centers around the Kabul University located in Kabul city. Samples were included caw`s raw and pasteurized milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, custard, and dough (native product). The mentioned products were collected and then using the conventional method was tested in the laboratory. 70 samples were tested, from tested only 18 samples were presented Staphylococcus aureus, as these isolates had a positive reaction for coagulase. The disk diffusion method plus 8 antibiotics which are commonly used in the Veterinary section were used for antimicrobial sensitivity reaction. Staphylococcus isolated samples showed resistance against more than 3 antibiotics, maximum resistance was to Nalidixic acid (50%) followed by Ciprofloxacin (44.44%), Norfloxacin (27.77%), Erythromycin and Methicillin (27.77%), and Tetracycline (22.22%). All the isolates susceptibility was high to Polymaxine and resistant to Ampicillin (100%). As we found in our study the biological quality of tested samples sold around Kabul University were notsatisfactory as well as resistance against the mentioned antibiotics except two antibiotics. The contaminated products could be a potential risk to humans .

Lunch Interrupted! COVID-19 and Japan’s School Meals

On April 22,2020 a crowd gathered at the Fujikata Racetrack in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, Japan With the anxiety of the COVID-19 pandemic swirling about them, citizens ventured from their homes donning facemasks Once at the racetrack they formed a "socially distant" line and waited for the gates to open Residents were not waiting to see a race Rather, they had come to do their grocery shopping While nearby city markets and green grocers were still open for business, these citizens had come in hopes of snagging a bargain and also supporting their community This was not your typical farmers' market the produce was gathered from unfulfilled school lunch orders With schoolyards shuttered due to the pandemic, the fresh ingredients ordered months ago had nowhere to go, and rather than let the food go to waste, the community and local government intervened Even with the schools closed, school lunch helped to unite a community

The impact of USDA’s business and industry loan guarantee program on tax revenue in Oklahoma communities

ABSTRACT Many public-sector programs are focused on economic development in rural areas, but few are formally evaluated. One often-overlooked component of effective rural development is the generation of local sales tax revenue, which helps fund city amenities and services. This paper evaluates whether the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantee program impacted sales tax revenue for recipient Oklahoma communities. Sales tax revenue and demographic/business data for all Oklahoma communities that charged a sales tax between 2005 and 2015 are meshed with information on B&I loan recipients during that time. Coarsened exact matching (CEM) and multivariate regression techniques are then used to assess impacts on local sales tax revenues. The results demonstrate that the B&I program had a positive impact on total retail sales per capita over the full period, and that the effects were evident in recessionary but not expansionary periods. The evidence suggests that the B&I program can improve the financial health of recipient communities, and that their impacts are likely larger during economic downturns when tax revenue is even more vital for rural communities.

Do Short Sellers Anticipate Future Market Returns? International Evidence

I show that short interest is a strong negative predictor of stock market returns internationally. Short interest significantly and negatively predicts returns in 24 out of 32 countries examined; this predictability survives out-of-sample tests, persists outside recessions, and is not subsumed by other well-known return predictors. The predictive power of short interest varies across regions and increases when short selling is constrained by local short sale regulations or the availability of shares in the equity lending market. I construct a trading strategy that exploits the predictive ability of short interest for market returns via index futures and find that it generates returns and Sharpe ratios comparable to cross-sectional strategies exploiting a similar predictability pattern in stocks.

Co-location, Good, Bad or Both: How Does New Entry of Discount Variety Store Affect Local Grocery Business?

We analyze 69 entries and relocations by the Norwegian discount variety chain Europris during the period 2016 to 2019. We measure how its location choices affect local grocery stores’ performance, using a diff-in-diff strategy and data from a large Norwegian grocery chain. We combine detailed data on local grocery stores’ sales, traffic and travelling distance to new or relocated Europris stores. We find that entries and relocations have significant effects, suggesting an S-shaped relationship; sufficiently close entries increase local demand since more customers are attracted to the market, but, as the distance increases, the competitive effect of a new discount variety store dominates, and local grocery sales and traffic are reduced. As we move further away, the entry effect is gradually reduced to zero. We show that this empirical finding can be squared with a simple theoretical model. Our results confirm theoretical conjectures on agglomeration forces and competitive effects from local competition.

Social Impact and Sustainability in short food supply chains: an experimental assessment tool.

In recent years, as global food chains have expanded, a wide range of terms has been used in the academic, political, technical or social debate to illustrate innovative re-organisation of food supply chains aiming at re-connecting producers and consumers and re-localising agricultural and food production. These include short supply chains, alternative food networks, local farming systems and direct sales. This paper presents a research carried out during the SMARTCHAIN project (Horizon project within the research line “Innovative agro-food chains: unlocking the potential for competitiveness and sustainability”). The research aims at iden-tifying an assessment model for grasping the level of social innovation in Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) taking into consideration the social and sustainability indicators. A specific tool, the Social Innovation Assess-ment Template (SIAT) was created for this purpose. The SIAT investigates five dimensions of SFSC: economic, environmental, socio-cultural, governance and influence (positive impact on other sectors &amp; stakeholders) dimensions. The assessment has been tested in 9 European countries and 16th case studies. The findings show both managerial implications for the SFSC and policy implications for strengthening the SFSC ecosystem.

지역 내 편의점 출점의 효과: 2010-2015 경제총조사 자료를 이용한 분석*

지역 내 편의점 출점의 효과: 2010-2015 경제총조사 자료를 이용한 분석*

Measuring the Tourism Economy Using Local Gourmet Sales: Noto Area Tourism after COVID-19 with Noto Rice Bowl

Measuring the Tourism Economy Using Local Gourmet Sales: Noto Area Tourism after COVID-19 with Noto Rice Bowl

Street‐Level Bureaucrats as Policy Entrepreneurs: The Nexus between Timing of Traffic Enforcement Activities and Road Safety Policy Outcomes

This article examines the influence of street‐level bureaucratic discretion over the timing of implementation on road safety policy outcomes. It is premised on freshly collected data from road users and traffic enforcement officers in Nairobi, Kenya. It employed Street‐Level Bureaucratic Theory for purposes of conceptualization. It observed that traffic police divisions, like most street‐level bureaucracies, are chronically under‐resourced. They do not have sufficient officers and equipment to monitor safety police compliance and conduct traffic control activities among other roles. To cope with these challenges, they make discretionary choices over activities to concentrate on at any given time. Given that the police play an important role in fostering road safety policy compliance, the study concludes that their failure to target safety implementation at the time when the violations are prevalent is linked to the incessant road safety policy failures across the globe.Related ArticlesBrogan, Michael James. 2017. “Evaluating Risk and Natural Gas Pipeline Safety.” Politics &amp; Policy 45 (4): 657‐680. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12211Shock, David R. 2013. “The Significance of Opposition Entrepreneurs on Local Sales Tax Referendum Outcomes.” Politics &amp; Policy 41 (4): 588‐614. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12028Shrock, Peter. 2010. “Changes in Relationships between State Characteristics and Regulatory Enforcement over Time.” Politics &amp; Policy 38 (5): 991‐1013. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2010.00261.x

Studies on the public health importance of infestation of Ostracoda Vargula tsujii (Myodocopa: Cypridinidae) in some marine food fishes off Pamban, Southeast coast of India – A case study

The present study was the first attempt to investigate the public health importance of infestation of Ostracoda in some marine food fishes in southeast region of Tamil Nadu India during June 2019 to May 2020 by the method of Becker’s measuring utility by a single-response sequential method. Total 540 fishermen belonging to 5 villages from Ramand District were interviewed to understand the public health issues related the infestation of Ostracoda V. tsujii in ten major marine food fishes i.e. Parupeneus indicus, Lutjanus fulviflamma, Priacanthus hamrur (Snapper), Carangoides gymnostethus, Carangoides malabaricus, Carangoides ferdau (Carangids), Cephalopholis sonnerati, Epinephelus coioides (grouper), Lethrinus ornatus and Plectorhinchus gibbosus (sea bream). Fishermen, local whole sale buyers, small fish-stall owners and fish consumers were part of respondents. It was observed that there was no difference at statistically significant level (P &lt; 0.05) between infested and healthy fish samples in terms of nutritional profile like protein, fat, ash, carbohydrates and mineral nutrients level. Based on the feedback and information obtained from respondents in the present study found that no incidence of health issues or risk associated with food fishes infested with Ostracoda Vargula tsujii (local name – Arattlai) or any other true parasites.

Mountain Biodiversity Is Central to Sustainable Development in Mountains and Beyond

Rich biological diversity in mountains provides ample benefits to people locally and beyond. However, mountain biodiversity is decreasing rapidly, often as a result of geographically distant demands. We can achieve the transition to sustainable development only by accounting for the drivers and benefits of mountain biodiversity from a local to global level.

MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND GENETIC DIVERSITY IN ORNAMENTAL SPECIMENS OF THE GENUS SANSEVIERIA

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to characterize and estimate genetic divergence among twelve specimens of the Sansevieria genus from the collection of the Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI). A completely randomized experimental design was used with three replicates, and the plot consisted of four plants. In morphological characterization, qualitative and quantitative descriptors of leaves were evaluated. Genetic divergence among the specimens was determined by the Tocher clustering method and the hierarchical UPGMA. There is genetic variation among specimens evaluated, which was also expressed by the variability of colors, shapes, and sizes of the leaves. The Tocher clustering method and the hierarchical UPGMA were effective in differentiation of the specimens from multi-categorical qualitative descriptors, as the Tocher method grouped the accessions in two groups and the UPGMA in seven different groups. We highlight the accessions SSV 09 and SSV 10 as exhibiting the highest mean values in weekly leaf growth and in leaf height, important characteristics for local sale and for export.