In the last two decades, Brazil has been losing international market share of cashew nuts (ACC). Given this situation and the economic importance of the product to the state of Ceara, this article aims to analyze the competitiveness of exports of cashew nuts in Brazil during the period of 1990 to 2007. The methodology involves an assessment of the indicators of Revealed Comparative Advantage (VCR), Coverage Rate (CR), export performance (DES), relative position in the market (POS) and the model constant market share (CMS). The indicators analysis was supplemented with the identification of worldwide leading importers and exporters of ACC, verifying opportunities in new markets for Brazil, besides the possible factors influencing the export performance of this. The results of the indicators of Revealed Comparative Advantage and Rate of coverage indicated that Brazil is losing competitiveness in the period analyzed, especially in relation to its two main competitors Vietnam and India, but also presents opportunity for trade expansion of ACC. The Export Performance indicator shows that, for the base year of 1990, there was loss of participation in four of the five main countries of destination. As a result, in three of these destinations, the Brazilian situation is vulnerable, because although still considered competitive, is losing participation in those markets whose demands for ACC are stable or dynamic. The indicator of Relative Position in the Market identified as surplus, Vietnam, India and Brazil, throughout the period of analysis, however, only the first was able to increase his net contribution of trade balance. For the indicator model Constant Market Share (CMS) has defined four sub-periods of analysis, but it was observed between 1990 and 2007, the growth of Brazilian exports of ACC is largely derived from the growth of world trade, because effects destination for exports and competitiveness effects were limiting the growth of exports, despite their positive contributions in some sub-periods. The results of the competitiveness indicators analyzed indicate that even with an increase in Brazilian exports of ACC, Brazil has been losing external competitiveness, given the slow evolution of its exports to the front of its main competitors. / Nas duas Ãltimas dÃcadas, o Brasil vem perdendo participaÃÃo no mercado internacional de amÃndoa de castanha de caju. Diante desse quadro e da importÃncia econÃmica desse produto para o Estado do CearÃ, busca-se analisar a competitividade das exportaÃÃes da amÃndoa de castanha de caju brasileira no perÃodo de 1990 a 2007. A metodologia utilizada compreende a anÃlise dos indicadores de vantagem comparativa revelada (VCR), taxa de cobertura (TC), desempenho das exportaÃÃes (DES), posiÃÃo relativa no mercado (POS) e modelo constant market share (CMS). A anÃlise por indicadores foi complementada com a identificaÃÃo dos principais importadores e exportadores mundiais de ACC, verificando oportunidades de novos mercados para o Brasil, alÃm dos possÃveis fatores influenciadores do desempenho exportador deste. Os resultados dos indicadores de Vantagem Comparativa Revelada e Taxa de Cobertura indicaram que o Brasil vem perdendo competitividade no perÃodo analisado, principalmente em relaÃÃo aos seus dois principais concorrentes, Vietnà e Ãndia, mas ainda apresenta possibilidade de expansÃo comercial da ACC. O indicador de Desempenho das ExportaÃÃes revela que, em relaÃÃo ao ano base de 1990, houve perda de participaÃÃo em quatro dos seus cinco principais paÃses de destino, na maioria dos anos do perÃodo. Em decorrÃncia disso, para trÃs desses destinos a situaÃÃo brasileira à de vulnerabilidade, pois apesar de ainda ser considerado competitivo, vem perdendo participaÃÃo nesses mercados cujas demandas por ACC sÃo estÃveis ou dinÃmicas. O indicador de PosiÃÃo Relativa no Mercado identifica como superavitÃrios, o VietnÃ, a Ãndia e o Brasil, em todo o perÃodo de anÃlise, entretanto, somente o primeiro conseguiu aumentar a contribuiÃÃo lÃquida de seu saldo comercial. Para o indicador modelo Constant Market Share (CMS) foram definidos quatro sub-perÃodos de anÃlise, mas observou-se, entre 1990 e 2007, que o crescimento das exportaÃÃes brasileiras de ACC à em grande parte derivado do crescimento do comÃrcio mundial, pois os efeitos destino das exportaÃÃes e efeito competitividade foram limitadores do aumento das exportaÃÃes, apesar de suas contribuiÃÃes positivas em alguns sub-perÃodos. Os resultados dos indicadores de competitividade analisados indicam que mesmo havendo aumento das exportaÃÃes brasileiras de ACC, o Brasil vem perdendo competitividade externa, dada a lenta evoluÃÃo de suas exportaÃÃes frente aos seus principais concorrentes.

From Ch. 1: The object of this study is to consider the utilisation of East London Harbour and its relative importance in the South African import and export trade to 1975. The principal harbours of the Republic of South Africa are Table Bay (Cape TOwn), Algoa Bay (Port Elizabeth), Buffalo Harbour (East London) and Durban, and Walvis Bay in South West Africa. Small harbours suitable only for coastal shipping are Mossel Bay, Simonstown, Lamberts Bay, St. Helena Bay and Port Nolloth in the Republic and LUderitz in South West Africa. Two harbours, Saldanha Bay and Richards Bay are at present being built. The ports of the Republic of South Africa and South West Africa are owned by the Government, are constructed, controlled and operated by the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, under the direction of the Minister of Transport, and are managed by the General Manager, whose headquarters are in Johannesburg.

The aim o this thesis is to determine whether there is a promising prospect of mutual economic relations between the Czech Republic and Mongolia, to analyze the Mongolian economy and to highlight potential possibilities and sectors that could represent a suitable opportunity for the Czech investors to do business in this region. The first part characterizes geographic, climatic, demographic, political and historical profile of Mongolia. The second part analyzes the Mongolian economy as a whole, its structure, foreign trade and foreign direct investments. In the third part is mapped position of Mongolia in Asia, Mongolian relations with neighboring states and foreign policy. The fourth part deals with the evaluation of economic relations between the Czech Republic and Mongolia, their history, present and prospects for the future.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how the world market price of crude oil, coal and natural gas affects the demand of and dependency on energy imports from the Russian Federation of key European countries[1]. We achieve our objective through econometric estimations of import demand equations concerning imports from the Russian Federation of crude oil, coal and natural gas for seven EU key countries during 1990-2014.Three out of twenty-one models were found to be statistically significant for both the spot price- and income elasticity. The spot price elasticities for the models where: coal import demand for Finland (-0.49), crude oil import demand for Italy (-0.44) and the Netherlands (-0.42). The income elasticities for the aforementioned models were found to be: Finland (2.58), Italy (5.85) and the Netherlands (7.62). The remaining models were statistically insignificant presumably due to different internal structures in the data or due to the assumption of perfect substitute model. [1] EU key countries include: Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera hur världsmarknadspriset på råolja, kol och naturgas påverkar den europeiska efterfrågan på och beroendet av energiimport från Ryssland. Ekonometriska uppskattningar av importefterfrågan för råolja, kol och naturgas som produceras av Ryska Federationen för sju EU nyckelländer kommer att produceras. Huvudsyftet är att uppskatta elasticiteter hos importefterfrågan som kännetecknar de handelsförbindelserna mellan Ryssland och sju EU nyckelländerna med avseende på de tre energiresurser.  Tre av tjugoen modeller visade sig vara signifikanta för både världsmarknadspriset och inkomstelasticiteten. Följande variabler och elasticiteter för priset var signifikant; Kol Importefterfrågan för Finland (-0,49), Olje Importefterfrågan för Italien (-0,44) och Nederländerna (-0,42). Inkomstelasticitet för de nämnda modellerna estimeras vara; Finland (2,58), Italien (5,85) och Nederländerna (7,62). Den statistiska insignifikansen hos de övriga modellerna härstamma troligtvis från den interna strukturen på datat eller antagandet om den perfekta substitut modellen

<p>  </p> <p>This dissertation is composed of three independent chapters in the field of the economic geography and international trade. However, there is one uniting theme between all three chapters: geographic spillovers. In each chapter, a source of geographic spillovers that is relevant to policymakers is investigated. Further, each chapter addresses a theoretical or data-driven challenge to identifying these spillovers and implements an improved methodology for estimation. In particular, the first chapter studies agglomeration and congestion spillovers, the impact of employment density on the productivity of workers and the amenities associated with living in a location, respectively, by using variation from a natural experiment. The second chapter studies fiscal multipliers, the effect of government spending on economic activity, by using variation from the same natural experiment. Finally, the third chapter studies import spillovers, the impact of neighboring firms' experience sourcing from foreign markets on the likelihood that firms in the same location and industry enter into those same markets, by using detailed data on Serbian firms.</p> <p><br></p> <p>In the first chapter, <em>Agglomeration and Congestion Spillovers: Evidence from Base Realignment and Closure</em>, I quantify agglomeration and congestion spillovers using variation from a natural experiment by instrumenting for changes in local employment with proposed changes to civilian employment at military installations through the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. I find an agglomeration spillover elasticity consistent with the existing literature. However, my estimate of the congestion spillover elasticity is smaller in magnitude than common parameterizations of quantitative economic geography models. All else equal, with a weaker congestion spillover elasticity, more of the distribution of economic activity across space is due to natural advantages and disadvantages. This result implies smaller gains from implementing the optimal spatial policy. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In the second chapter, <em>Local Fiscal Multipliers and Defense Spending</em>, I estimate county-level fiscal multipliers using shocks to military employment to instrument for local defense spending. Aggregate shocks to military employment are subject to the Base Realignment and Closure process, which is designed to isolate the recommendations of the Department of Defense from political influences. By exploiting variation in military employment, I address the endogeneity of government spending when using changes in defense spending to estimate fiscal multipliers. In addition, this method addresses the attenuation bias due to geographic measurement error that results from using data on military contracts alone with small geographic units. This extends the common method for estimating state- and national-level fiscal multipliers using variation in defense spending to more local geographic units. My estimates imply a local income multiplier between 0.5 and 0.8, which is smaller than existing estimates that use non-defense-based sources of variation, but larger than the existing estimates based on variation in defense contract spending. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In the third chapter, <em>International Sourcing and Firm Learning: Evidence from Serbian Firms</em>, we find that compared to non-importers, importers are more productive and pay higher wages as they source better quality and cheaper production inputs. However, little is known about how these firms learn about their sourcing markets. We quantify the impact of neighboring firms' importing experience on the decision to start sourcing inputs from new markets using merged customs and administrative data from Serbian firms. We find that firms are more likely to start importing from a new market if firms in the same industry and location have imported from that market and if those firms increased their imports over time. Further, our results support a distinction between imports and exports for the decision to enter foreign markets; unlike exports, import sourcing choices are not independent across countries, but are substitutes. We also investigate origin-country and firm heterogeneity. Our results indicate that the impact of neighboring firms' importing experience is greater for source countries in the European Union market and for firms that are high productivity, foreign owned, and previous importers. Together, these findings suggest that a firm's spatial connections are an important factor in its access to global markets as sources for inputs.</p>

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The political relationship between "The People's Republic of China (PRC) and South Africa has grown from strength to strength since the end of the apartheid era. As a result of this cooperation, the importing and exporting between the two have grown significantly. With the Chinese markets now open to South Africans, manufactured goods are being imported. The manufacturing capabilities found in the PRC are very far advanced to those found in South Africa. As a result, many South African businesses have found that they can import their product far cheaper than they can buy or manufacture in South Africa, regardless of the challenges of importing between the two countries i.e. language barriers, culture differences, geographical location, etc. The last few years has seen more and more businesses importing from the PRC, which has effectively led to many business owners looking at the option of importing from the PRC in order to be competitive. This research study addresses the reasons and necessity to import manufactured goods from the PRC to South Africa. It also shows how a business actually goes about importing from the PRC. In essence, this study is to help the local entrepreneur become more competitive, by understanding what their competitors mayor may not be doing. If the competitors are importing themselves, then this will help them to be competitive. If they are not importing, then this study will give them the opportunity to get the competitive edge. In conclusion and in summary, importing goods from the PRC to South Africa can have a positive impact on the competitiveness of a business. Even though the concept of importing from the PRC to South Africa is often dismissed due to the apparent complexities of the importing process, it is hoped this study will allay such fears. This study will hopefully help those entrepreneurs to understand that it is not that complicated a task to make one's business competitive via Chinese imports. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die politieke verhouding tussen die People's Republic of China (PRC) en Suid Afrika het sedert die einde van die apartheidsera van krag tot krag gegroei. As gevolg van die samewerking tussen die twee het invoere en uitvoere aansienlik gegroei. Met die Sjinese markte nou oop vir Suid Afrikaners, word vervaardigde goedere ingevoer. Die vervaardigings-aanlegte vaardighede in die PRC is baie meer gevorderd as dit in Suid Afrika. Ongeag die struikelblokke vir invoer tussen die twee lande bv. taal, kultuur verskille, geografiese ligging ens., het baie Suid Afrikaanse besighede gevind dat produkte goedkoper ingevoer kan word as wat hulle dit plaaslik kan koop of vervaardig. In die laaste paar jaar het meer en meer besighede vanaf die PRC ingevoer wat daartoe gelei het dat baie beigheidseienaars die opsie oorweeg om vanaf die PRC in te voer om sodoende meer kompeterend te wees. Die navorsing spreek redes en noodsaaklikheid aan vir die invoer van vervaadigde goedere vanaf die PRC na Suid Afrika. Die prosedure van invoer van die PRC word ook deur die navorsing aangespreek. In geheel is die studie om die plaaslike entrepreneur te help om meer kompeterend te word deur markneigings te verstaan. As die kompeteerders self invoer, sal dit help om hulle meer kompeterend te maak. Indien nie, sal die studie hulle die geleentheid gee om meer kompeterend te wees. Ter afsluiting en om op te som, die invoer van goedere van die PRC na Suid Afrika kan 'n positiewe uitwerking op die kompetisie tussen besighede he. Alhoewel die idee van invoere van die PRC na Suid Afrika reeds baie afgewys is as gevolg van die duidelike ingewikkelde invoerproses, sal die studie hopelik sulke vrese uit die weg ruim. Die studie sal ook hopelik help om vir die entrepreneurs te laat verstaan dat so 'n gekompliseerde taak is om hul besigheid via Sjinese invoere kompeterend te maak nie.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Clear Blue International (pty) Ltd (CBI) is a swimming pool construction company that is in need of a high performance swimming pool pump in order to offer a competitive tender for the construction of an intricate swimming pool at a prestigious resort. There is one supplier of this particular pump in South Africa and due to their sole distributorship and the pump's technical specifications, it is sold at a very expensive price. The result being that CBI can't offer a competitive tender by this means, instead they need to source the pump from another source at a lower price. It was decided to develop a project plan to facilitate the importation process, which is the outcome of this study. A thorough analysis of project management is conducted and incorporated into the importation process. The study takes into consideration the intricacy of the importation process and how this can be facilitated by project management that will lead to success for CBI. CBI recognises that in order to stand out in a highly competitive industry they need to re-invent themselves by new and innovative means in order to stand out from the rest. Project management has proven to be the means by which they can add value to their corporate image. This study provides a useful template that can be of benefit to other importers that wish to use project management and it can be adjusted accordingly to a particular commodity and importers requirements. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Clear Blue International (Edms) Bpk (CBI) is 'n swembad konstruksie-maatskappy. Hulle benodig 'n hoe verrigting pomp met die oog op 'n mededingende tender vir die bou van 'n ingewikkelde swembad-konstruksie by 'n toonaangewende oord. Daar is huidiglik net een verskaffer van hierdie spesifieke pomp in Suid-Afrika en vanwee hulle alleen-verspreiding, plus die pomp se spesifieke tegniese spesifikasies, word dit teen 'n baie hoe prys verkoop. CBI kan tans nie 'n mededingende tender verskaf nie en wil daarom die pomp eers teen 'n laer prys vanuit 'n ander oord bekom. Die besluit was dus om 'n projek-plan te inisieer om die invoer-proses te vergemaklik, wat die resultaat van hierdie studie is. 'n Deeglike analise van projek bestuur is aangevoer en by die invoer-proses geinkorporeer. Hierdie studie neem ook die ingewikkeldheid van die invoer-proses in ag en hoe projek bestuur dit kan vergemaklik en sodoende kan bydra tot die sukses vir CBI. CBI besef dat, om uit te staan in 'n hoogs mededingende industrie, hulle hulself moet vernuwe op 'n innoverende wyse. Projek bestuur is bewys as die metode waarby hulle hul korporatiewe beeld kan verhoog. Die studie verskaf 'n waardevolle profielvorm waarby ander invoerders wat projek bestuur wil implementeer, ook kan baat vind. Dit kan aangepas word volgens spesifieke handelsartikels en invoer-voorskrifte.

Luboš Rypka Římsko-provinciální keramika doby římské a období stěhování národů v Čechách (The Pottery from the Roman Provinces in Bohemia during the Roman and Migration Period). Unpublished master thesis. ÚPRAV FFUK Praha (Institute of Prehistory and Early History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague). Praha/Prague 2012. Keywords: Roman-provincial pottery, archaeological finds, Roman imports, Roman Period, Migration Period, Bohemia Abstract In his master thesis, author focuses on the finds of Roman-provincial pottery in Bohemia during the Roman and Migration Period from 68 sites in 58 cadastral units. A number of 208 pottery sherds from the settlements of Roman and Migration Period as well as 16 preserved whole or only slightly damaged vessels from the graves of Migration Period, are analyzed. Together, there must had been at least 173 up to 194 ceramic vessels of Roman-provincial origin imported into region of Bohemia. The main stress is putted on an elaborate catalogue of finds. In the analytical part, the 11, respectively 12 main categories of Roman-provincial pottery featured in Bohemia are set aside, the essential finds are briefly discussed and the possible directions of supply of (not only) ceramic import from the Roman Provinces into Bohemia are outlined.

THE DOCTRINE OF THE PROHIBITION ON PARALLEL IMPORTS RESTRICTIONS WITHIN COMPETITION LAW OF THE EUROPEAN UNION The aim of this thesis is to analyse the current approach of EU competition law to parallel imports restrictions in light of nearly a half-century of EU Courts' case-law's evolution and in comparison with the approach adopted by US antitrust law. The traditional attitude of the EU Courts and of the Commission towards competition restraints of this type is described in literature in clear terms. However, this is not the case when it comes to the recent and current ambiguous developments within EU competition law. Therefore, this thesis aims to verify these two hypotheses. The first hypothesis says that evolution of the EU institutions approach to parallel imports restrictions has a circular nature: it starts from the traditional, intransigent position adopted in the early decades of European integration and it continues through a more lenient, economic approach in the period of the so called modernization of EU competition law to return to a rather traditional attitude typical of the current times. According to the second hypothesis, the current EU institutions' attitude towards parallel imports restrictions has nevertheless been shifted, during the modernization period, to a more...

Ce travail de thèse porte sur l’étude typologique et contextuelle de la céramique chypriote importée au Levant nord, et s’inscrit plus largement dans le cadre de l’étude des échanges en Méditerranée orientale. Notre recherche a permis de répertorier la présence de vases chypriotes sur soixante-neuf sites archéologiques nord-levantins. Le corpus ainsi rassemblé présente une importante variété de types et de fabriques, attestant d’échanges ininterrompus entre le Bronze moyen II et la fin du Bronze récent. L’intérêt des populations levantines pour la céramique chypriote est perceptible dans la création d’imitations et le développement de productions locales qui en sont inspirées. Les interactions entre le Levant nord et l’île de Chypre ont mené à l’introduction de nouvelles productions, à l’adoption de certaines pratiques et au partage d’une culture qui devient peu à peu commune. L’étude de la céramique chypriote découverte au Levant nord contribue à la compréhension des liens complexes qui unissent les sociétés de Méditerranée orientale au IIe millénaire av. J.-C. / This dissertation offers a typological and contextual study of the Cypriot pottery imported in the Northern Levant, and more broadly a study of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. This research put in light the presence of Cypriot imports in sixty-nine archaeological sites, mostly located on the Mediterranean coast. The Cypriot assemblage found in the Northern Levant consists of a large variety of fabrics and types and shows an uninterrupted trade between the two regions from MB II to the end of LBA. The interest of the Levantine peoples for Cypriot productions is attested by attempts at local imitation and the creation of new types influenced by Cypriot shapes and styles. Interactions between the Northern Levant and Cyprus led to the introduction of new productions and the adoption of common cultural practices. The Cypriot pottery discovered in the Northern Levant facilitates understanding of the complex links established between societies of the Eastern Mediterranean in the IInd millennium BC.