Thesis (MTech (Tourism))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / Local business concerns and perceptions are generally neglected in relation to mega-event research, as most studies have, so far, focused on the broader economic impacts, as well as on the social impacts, and, more recently, on the environmental impacts of mega-events. South Africa being afforded the opportunity to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ created much excitement for all, and especially so for the business market. This is because the market in question is at the forefront of providing goods and services to the much anticipated increased number of tourists, whether such goods and services consist of the provision of accommodation, food and beverage, or entertainment, as well as ancillary products and services. The focus of the study was on gaining an understanding of the awareness and the impacts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ on businesses, especially those situated within close proximity of the Cape Town Stadium. The study was conducted three months before, and three months after, the event. The investigation explores the level of perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of the businesses in relation to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, while simultaneously highlighting their experiences with the event. The primary objective of this approach was to ascertain whether there were any changes between the initial perceptions, and the experiences, among businesses in relation to the event. The five objectives guiding the study involved investigating: (1) business managers’ and owners’ perceptions and experiences of the event; (2) the impacts of the World Cup on businesses; (3) the level of business support for the event; (4) the impacts of leveraging initiatives on businesses; and (5) recommendations aimed at maximising the opportunities granted by future mega-events for businesses. During the pre- and post-event study, a total of 145 surveys were administered to the business owners and managers of SMMEs, using the stratified random sampling method, of which, 72 responded during the pre-event study and 104 during the post-event study.

This study used county-level yields and panel data (1950-2006) to explain the Impact of climate change and weather variability on North Dakota agriculture by estimating the effect of variation in temperature and precipitation on the yields of four major crops: com, durum, soybeans and wheat. In addition to yields, the study examined Impacts of climate change on crop gross revenues per acre for all 53 counties in North Dakota. An econometric model was developed to infer statistical relationships between weather variability and crop yields. Fixed and random effects models were employed to estimate the impacts of climate variables (temperature and precipitation) on crop yields. The Hausman test statistics was applied to test the preferred panel estimation approach: fixed versus random effects. Using mean values of precipitation and degree days for all counties, we calculated percentage changes in estimated crop yields for six climate change scenarios. The historical price data for the four crops (com, soybeans, spring wheat and durum) were used to generate per acre gross returns under the six weather-change scenarios in order to provide preliminary evidence about the effects of precipitation and temperature changes on farmer returns for the four crops.

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This dissertation explores a crucial period in the monetary geography of the Atlantic economy by examining the market for gold and silver coins (specie) in New Orleans between the Panic of 1839 and the U.S. naval blockade of the Confederate port in 1861. Situated at the intersection of global financial history and U.S. economic and business history, the dissertation reconstructs New Orleans’ supply chain of precious metals, shedding light on the port’s strategic role linking mining regions to specie-scarce nations under international bimetallism, and reveals how commission merchants, cotton factors, and merchant banks’ agents relied on metallic liquidity to engage in international trade and financial intermediation during a crucial era for nation-building and economic development in the Americas. The dissertation employs three main research strategies: (1) statistical and geographic analyses of a novel specie imports dataset (the first of its kind in the scholarly literature on specie in the early U.S. economy), extracted from the New Orleans Price-Current, a semi-weekly business newspaper, (2) group profiles and social network analysis of specie importers, leveraging multi-archival research and case studies of individuals, families, and banking and financial entities, (3) historical statistics on U.S. specie imports and Mexican specie production and exports. Chapter 1 reveals New Orleans’ centrality in the antebellum U.S. specie market and its strategic position in securing and shipping specie for the Atlantic economy under international bimetallism. Chapter 2 examines the demand side of the New Orleans specie market by focusing on the port’s cosmopolitan community of specie importers. Foreign residents received more specie than U.S. importers and New Orleans banks combined. The Louisiana Creole commission merchant and cotton factor Edmond Jean Forstall was the market’s key arbitrageur. Importers sorted into “silver barons” and “gold princes:” foreign residents handled mostly Mexican silver, while English residents, Anglo-Americans, and New Orleans banks obtained primarily gold. Chapter 3 focuses on the production and exports of Mexican specie to New Orleans. The port’s commission merchants exported British, Western European, and U.S. goods to Mexico in exchange for pesos (dollars); they reshipped U.S. cotton and Mexican pesos to European markets demanding specie for currency arbitrage operations in Europe and trade with China. Although New Orleans rapidly obtained metallic liquidity amid episodes of financial distress such as the Panic of 1857, its specie supply chain was highly vulnerable to disruptions from geopolitical shocks such as the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the U.S. Civil War.

Typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas State University Libraries

Digitized by Kansas State University Libraries

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1948 H54 / Master of Science

LD2668 .T4 1954 S36 / Master of Science