Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / Land is a fundamental input in agricultural production and the factors affecting land prices are an important topic in agricultural economics research. The farmland market has several unique characteristics. Land price volatility can be a source of problems for farmers and investors, especially in periods of falling prices in locations far from markets where the impact of land price reductions is higher than in other locations. This study analyzes land price volatility in different geographical regions of Brazil. The hypothesis is that variation in land price increases with the distance to the market, indicating that land price changes will be more pronounced in areas far from markets and the effects of price cycles in land markets will increase as distance from the market increases. The results obtained in this research support the hypothesis that areas far from end markets are exposed to greater changes in land prices and those same areas are more susceptible to price cycles. The effect on price volatility was also stronger in periods of land price declines. These regions have greater incentives for expansion and investment in periods of land price increase and greater risks of disinvestment and failure in periods of land price contraction. It is difficult to predict when a cycle of expansion or crisis will start or finish, but the present study helps to understand the effects of increases or decreases in land prices when such an event occurs.

The History of the Book in Canada / Histoire du livre et de l’imprimé au Canada and other national book history projects have been a catalyst for research into the local production of print and have highlighted the need for more study of the print trades in smaller centres. In Ontario during the nineteenth century independent weekly newspapers were printed in most villages, while larger towns boasted more than one print shop and often one or more booksellers and stationers. Bookbinders were active members of the book trades selling books and stationery, ruling paper, binding local pamphlets, periodicals, and books, and manufacturing blankbooks for a variety of purposes. Since much local printing was ephemeral in nature, the only evidence of its existence is found in the record books kept by printers and binders. Partial business records and other surviving artifacts of the Guelph Bookbindery, which operated from 1855 to 1978, are both a rich source of evidence of the day-to-day operations of the bookbindery and a key to the intersection of print trades in Guelph, Ontario, and the surrounding counties. This study uses local imprints, blankbooks, authors’ papers, newspapers, directories, maps, assessment records, photographs, museum artifacts, and oral history accounts to reconstruct a history of the bookbindery and its place in the print culture of nineteenth-century Guelph. It documents the transformation of a business selling books, stationery, and wallpaper into a commercial bindery, which along with local printers produced large numbers of pamphlets, ubiquitous then but increasingly rare today. It is a view into the microcosm of a dynamic community where print was a vital medium for communication reflecting the cultural, commercial, and entrepreneurial discourse in nineteenth-century Canadian society that reached far beyond its borders.

The History of the Book in Canada / Histoire du livre et de l’imprimé au Canada and other national book history projects have been a catalyst for research into the local production of print and have highlighted the need for more study of the print trades in smaller centres. In Ontario during the nineteenth century independent weekly newspapers were printed in most villages, while larger towns boasted more than one print shop and often one or more booksellers and stationers. Bookbinders were active members of the book trades selling books and stationery, ruling paper, binding local pamphlets, periodicals, and books, and manufacturing blankbooks for a variety of purposes. Since much local printing was ephemeral in nature, the only evidence of its existence is found in the record books kept by printers and binders. Partial business records and other surviving artifacts of the Guelph Bookbindery, which operated from 1855 to 1978, are both a rich source of evidence of the day-to-day operations of the bookbindery and a key to the intersection of print trades in Guelph, Ontario, and the surrounding counties. This study uses local imprints, blankbooks, authors’ papers, newspapers, directories, maps, assessment records, photographs, museum artifacts, and oral history accounts to reconstruct a history of the bookbindery and its place in the print culture of nineteenth-century Guelph. It documents the transformation of a business selling books, stationery, and wallpaper into a commercial bindery, which along with local printers produced large numbers of pamphlets, ubiquitous then but increasingly rare today. It is a view into the microcosm of a dynamic community where print was a vital medium for communication reflecting the cultural, commercial, and entrepreneurial discourse in nineteenth-century Canadian society that reached far beyond its borders.

Univ., Diss.--Wien, 2006.

abstract: The e-Retail industry has grown rapidly over the last few years and is projected to continue its upward trend as consumers shift from traditional channels to online channels. In March 2010, Forrester Research forecasted that online retail sales will grow by 10% a year for the next 5 years and e-Retail sales will amount to $249 billion by 2014. With intense competition for market share and profits, information systems and technology (IST) sourcing decisions are becoming increasingly important to e-Retail firms to support continued growth and market responsiveness. There are several aspects for e-Retailers to consider when formulating its IST sourcing strategy. Whether to choose make versus buy for technology assets and services has been addressed in both strategy and IS literature (Handfield et al. 1999, Leiblein et al. 2002, Wade and Hulland, 2004). Then there is the follow-up question of selecting a best-of-breed strategy or tighter partnership with a select group of vendors (Clemons et al. 1993, Kauffman and Tsai 2009). Few studies have looked at IST sourcing or proposed models and frameworks for evaluating IST sourcing decisions (Saarinen and Vepsalainen, 1994). Furthermore, these existing studies mainly address the antecedents of the decisions but not so much on their performance effects (Kauffman and Tsai 2009; Smith et al., 1998). The goal of this study is to extend the knowledge of IST sourcing for e-Retailers, a topic which has received limited attention (Kishore et al., 2004), by addressing a core problem: How should an e-Retailer develop and implement its IST sourcing strategy to accommodate the increase in consumer demand and IT complexity but still achieve high performance? The study introduces two theoretical models to examine organizational factors that influence an e-Retailer's IST sourcing strategies of make versus buy and partnership versus best-of-breed. The proposed models are tested using a panel data set of 307 e-Retail firms over the period of 2006 to 2010. The study opens up the black box of internal firm operations by introducing a granular view of IST sourcing decisions at both the value chain and e-Commerce architecture levels and examining the performance impacts of these strategic choices. This in-depth look at IST sourcing has yet to be explored in the literature. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Information Management 2012

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Arlo Biere / The investors I am representing would like to know if they can be successful in the seed industry. They have certain skills and abilities along with industry experience that provides them with certain advantages that would allow them to succeed in the industry. The thesis or study will provide them with a detailed study of the possibilities and the challenges that are before them. To gain insight into positioning a firm in the industry, one must find a tool to help us to discover the answers to the question. I will use "Strategic Visioning in Cascade", this model outlines area of interest such as; a strategic overview, a value proposition, a market analysis, a functional analysis, financial projection and exit strategy in its total. The focus of the study will provide insight into the value proposition and market analysis. The value proposition will follow Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy analogy of cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategies. The market analysis will follow Thompson and Strickland's seven questions that lead to understanding of the selected industry.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / For more than a decade, the consumption of peanuts as food has been stagnant. This situation has been attributed to several factors. This study seeks to identify and understand some of the factors that have hindered growth in this industry and attempts to present recommendations that will be useful in transforming the peanut industry from stability to growth. We determined that in addition to peanut prices, consumers' income and young children's share of the total population, substitute snack foods such as potatoes chips and popcorn influenced peanut consumption. We also discovered that consumer perception about peanut's fat content and the increasing concern about peanut allergies affected their consumption behavior. The research used data drawn from US Census Bureau, Department of Labor Statistics, National Agricultural Statistics Services, and various industry publications. We suggest that changing the consumption trend lines in the peanut industry can be achieved through effective innovation and focused marketing of the product's health and convenience benefits.

Úspech spoločnosti venujúcej sa elektronickému predaju je hlboko prepojený s nástrojmi internetového marketingu. Široká škála týchto produktov je zložitá na zoptimalizovanie a nastavenie celého procesu tak, aby pracoval efektívne. Efektívnosť v tomto prípade značí pozitívny návrat investície, ktorú do nástrojov vkladáme. Orientácia na zákazníka je dôležitý faktor pre všetky e-business spoločnosti. Zákazníci vyžadujú veľké množstvo doručovacích a platobných možností ako aj rýchlu zákaznícku podporu cez chat alebo telefón. Táto diplomová práca ukazuje všetky tieto aspekty a zároveň demonštruje praktické možnosti použitia internetového marketingu ako aj vylepšenú zákaznícku podporu.

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This PhD thesis deals with the issue of electronic commerce with a primary focus on customers. The reason and purpose of the doctoral thesis is a growing need and increasing requirements for the creation of electronic transactions. Research has been conducted, showing that the scope of electronic commerce is of great importance and will increasingly need to build a broader and more developed network of virtual stores. In the work attention is paid to the very issue of e-commerce and CRM issues. The objectives of thesis are: to define a new model system of electronic commerce, the methodology of the new direction of the electronic business, to propose an appropriate methodology for the new direction of e-commerce and application of new methodologies and strategies of e-commerce trends. Theoretical knowledge in the work is based on various sources by both Czech and foreign authors. In this work are described in detail the steps and results of practical research and exploration. There are discussed the development and operation of e-commerce, and recommendations for the future are suggested. The basis for the development of the doctoral thesis was a study of existing literature, and primary research in a company with an important position in the market. The work is aimed to serve science, educational purposes in education and as a handbook for the emerging e-commerce, and is the basis for further research and scientific work in the field of electronic commerce.