Thesis (S. J. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

International trade is connecting the world’s frontiers. Economic growth is being achieved by opening up to exterior markets and many countries are nowadays unified by bilateral and multilateral agreements which enable the global market to conduct a freer trade without restrictions. Trade negotiations are supervised by the World Trade Organization whose intention is to eliminate the obstacles in trade between countries. The liberalization process of a freer trade has however failed in certain sectors such as in the agriculture. This sector is still highly protected in many countries and a concern in the agricultural trade is that by having a high protectionism level in the global market it could consequently lead to higher world prices and losses to developing countries that mainly work in rural sectors and depend on the prices of their produce. Peru is a developing country consisting of a large agricultural sector. More than half of the inhabitants are small producers with economies of scale living in extreme poverty. The country is today processing negotiations of a possible Free Trade Agreement with the United States. The main concern of Peru entering the agreement is how the aperture of the market is going to affect sensible unprotected sectors of small farmers. The sensitive produce could be distortional on price and affect the farmers’ welfare because of the entrance of subsidized produce from the American side. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential effects the Free Trade Agreement between Peru and United States could have upon the Peruvian farmers in the sector of selfsufficiency, producing any type of sensitive produce in relation to price and labour. I have conducted the study from the farmers’ perspective. The theoretical framework was divided in two parts to be able to cover the aspect of international trade and moreover the national aspect involving the system of Peru. The study was conducted interpreting a future happening and therefore the approach was the hermeneutical using an abductive research method with a qualitative strategy which enabled the observation to be conducted through interviews. The interviews were divided in two different sectors. Four semi-structured telephone interviews with the administrative sector and five structured interviews through an intermediary in the agricultural sector where performed. My intention with the study was to interpret future happenings and not to generalize an outcome. Furthermore the analysis was divided in four main factors based on the empirical and theoretical observations to be able to analyze each category more deeply in an entire context of both external and internal factors using the theoretical framework to support the arguments of my observation. The main conclusions of the study were that the potential effects of the Peruvian farmers’ in price and labour would not be depending solely on the price fall of the sensitive produce entering the market but on the ability of Peru to build stability within the country implementing internal factors lacking today. This is to prevent the external factors of worsening the conditions of the farmers. Consequently depending on how the situation is handled internally in the country there could be two possible outcomes, one negative effect and one positive effect.

The objective of this study is to investigate the economic impacts of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on global trade of forest products. Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) is used to predict export, import and net trade quantity of several forest products from year 2006 to 2056. The simulation findings suggest that: (1) Under the assumption that FSC certification plays negative effects on forest stock, Europe reduced sawnwood export; while Ireland became the net importer of sawnwood and wood pulp for next fifty years. (2) Under the assumption that FSC certification has no effects on forest stock, North America, Europe and Asia became the three major sawnwood importers; Europe and North America dominated sawnwood export; Africa significantly expanded its market share of sawnwood export from 1.3% in 2006 to 8.8% in 2056. Africa and Asia became the two largest importers of fuelwood. (3) Under the assumption that FSC certification plays positive effects on forest stock, Europe increased its export of sawnwood; Ireland became the net exporter of sawnwood and wood pulp since 2026. However, FSC certification has no impact on the trend of forestry stocks and products in Canada.

The objective of this study is to investigate the economic impacts of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on global trade of forest products. Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) is used to predict export, import and net trade quantity of several forest products from year 2006 to 2056. The simulation findings suggest that: (1) Under the assumption that FSC certification plays negative effects on forest stock, Europe reduced sawnwood export; while Ireland became the net importer of sawnwood and wood pulp for next fifty years. (2) Under the assumption that FSC certification has no effects on forest stock, North America, Europe and Asia became the three major sawnwood importers; Europe and North America dominated sawnwood export; Africa significantly expanded its market share of sawnwood export from 1.3% in 2006 to 8.8% in 2056. Africa and Asia became the two largest importers of fuelwood. (3) Under the assumption that FSC certification plays positive effects on forest stock, Europe increased its export of sawnwood; Ireland became the net exporter of sawnwood and wood pulp since 2026. However, FSC certification has no impact on the trend of forestry stocks and products in Canada.

<p>Exporting can be viable solution for struggling entrepreneurial firms. However the different procedures and regulations that need to be addressed prior to export may be enough to discourage firms from engaging in exporting. This thesis examines the aforementioned obstacles and provides a checklist in order to facilitate the process of exporting the product into a foreign market.</p> <p>This thesis then goes on to test the viability of the checklist using two separate case studies. Results from the case studies indicate that the checklist can aid entrepreneurial firms by reducing the possibility of oversights and eliminate additional costs that are associated with these oversights.</p>

<p>Exporting can be viable solution for struggling entrepreneurial firms. However the different procedures and regulations that need to be addressed prior to export may be enough to discourage firms from engaging in exporting. This thesis examines the aforementioned obstacles and provides a checklist in order to facilitate the process of exporting the product into a foreign market.</p> <p>This thesis then goes on to test the viability of the checklist using two separate case studies. Results from the case studies indicate that the checklist can aid entrepreneurial firms by reducing the possibility of oversights and eliminate additional costs that are associated with these oversights.</p>

The lack of adequate transportation infrastructure in Brazil has been a bottleneck for the soybean producers for many years. Moreover, the costly inland transportation incurred from this bottleneck has resulted in a loss in competitiveness for Brazil compared to other exporting countries, especially the United States. If transportation costs are reduced by introducing improved infrastructure, Brazil is expected to increase its competitiveness in the world soybean market by increasing its exports and producer revenues. On the other hand, the United States and other significant soybean competing exporting countries are expected to lose market share as well as producer revenues. This study uses a spatial equilibrium model to analyze transportation infrastructure improvements proposed by the Brazilian government vis-à-vis enhance the nation’s soybean transportation network. The analyzed transportation improvements are: (i) the development of the Tapajós-Teles Pires waterway; (ii) the completion of the BR- 163 highway; (iii) the construction of the Mortes-Araguaia waterway; (iv) the Ferronorte railroad expansion to Rondonópolis and the linkage between the city of Rio Verde to Uberlândia; and (v) the Ferropar railroad expansion to the city of Dourados. The model specifies the Brazilian inland transportation network and the international ocean shipments. The model divides Brazil into 18 excess supply regions and 8 excess demand regions. The competing exporting countries are the United States, Argentina, Rest of South America (Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay), Canada, and India. The importing countries are composed of China, European Union, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and the Rest of the World. Results suggest these proposed transportation improvements yield potential noteworthy gains to Brazil with producer revenues increasing more than $500 million and exports increasing by 177 thousand metric tons. Consequently, the world soybean price declines by $1.16 per metric ton and producer revenues and exports in the United States fall by 63 thousand metric tons and $104.89 million, respectively. Although the absolute gains in price, revenues, and exports for Brazil are considerable, they only represent in relative changes 1.48, 2.35, and 0.32 percent, respectively. Similarly, the loss in price, revenue, and export value for the United States is also low, declining by 0.23, 0.23, and 0.12 percent, respectively.

The lack of adequate transportation infrastructure in Brazil has been a bottleneck for the soybean producers for many years. Moreover, the costly inland transportation incurred from this bottleneck has resulted in a loss in competitiveness for Brazil compared to other exporting countries, especially the United States. If transportation costs are reduced by introducing improved infrastructure, Brazil is expected to increase its competitiveness in the world soybean market by increasing its exports and producer revenues. On the other hand, the United States and other significant soybean competing exporting countries are expected to lose market share as well as producer revenues. This study uses a spatial equilibrium model to analyze transportation infrastructure improvements proposed by the Brazilian government vis-à-vis enhance the nation's soybean transportation network. The analyzed transportation improvements are: (i) the development of the Tapajós-Teles Pires waterway; (ii) the completion of the BR- 163 highway; (iii) the construction of the Mortes-Araguaia waterway; (iv) the Ferronorte railroad expansion to Rondonópolis and the linkage between the city of Rio Verde to Uberlândia; and (v) the Ferropar railroad expansion to the city of Dourados. The model specifies the Brazilian inland transportation network and the international ocean shipments. The model divides Brazil into 18 excess supply regions and 8 excess demand regions. The competing exporting countries are the United States, Argentina, Rest of South America (Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay), Canada, and India. The importing countries are composed of China, European Union, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and the Rest of the World. Results suggest these proposed transportation improvements yield potential noteworthy gains to Brazil with producer revenues increasing more than $500 million and exports increasing by 177 thousand metric tons. Consequently, the world soybean price declines by $1.16 per metric ton and producer revenues and exports in the United States fall by 63 thousand metric tons and $104.89 million, respectively. Although the absolute gains in price, revenues, and exports for Brazil are considerable, they only represent in relative changes 1.48, 2.35, and 0.32 percent, respectively. Similarly, the loss in price, revenue, and export value for the United States is also low, declining by 0.23, 0.23, and 0.12 percent, respectively.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Will H. Moore, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences, Dept. of Political Science. Title and description from dissertation home page (June 18, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Field problem. Includes bibliographical references.