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Costa Rica: Selected Issues (Imf Staff Country Reports)
by International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.A report from the International Monetary Fund.
Costa Rica After Coffee: The Co-op Era in History and Memory
by Lowell GudmundsonCosta Rica After Coffee explores the political, social, and economic place occupied by the coffee industry in contemporary Costa Rican history. In this follow-up to the 1986 classic Costa Rica Before Coffee, Lowell Gudmundson delves deeply into archival sources, alongside the individual histories of key coffee-growing families, to explore the development of the co-op movement, the rise of the gourmet coffee market, and the societal transformations Costa Rica has undergone as a result of the coffee industry’s powerful presence in the country.While Costa Rican coffee farmers and co-ops experienced a golden age in the 1970s and 1980s, the emergence and expansion of a gourmet coffee market in the 1990s drastically reduced harvest volumes. Meanwhile, urbanization and improved education among the Costa Rican population threatened the continuance of family coffee farms, because of the lack of both farmland and a successor generation of farmers. As the last few decades have seen a rise in tourism and other industries within the country, agricultural exports like coffee have ceased to occupy the same crucial space in the Costa Rican economy. Gudmundson argues that the fulfillment of promises of reform from the co-op era had the paradoxical effect of challenging the endurance of the coffee industry.
Cost–Benefit Analysis (Elements in Public Economics)
by Per-Olov Johansson Bengt KriströmThis Element on cost-benefit analysis provides a summary of recent theoretical and empirical developments and summarizes state-of-the-art stated-preference and revealed-preference valuation methods. The Element discusses how to assess small (or marginal) as well as large (or non-marginal) projects that have a significant impact on prices and/or other economic variables. It also discusses distortions like taxes, market power, and sticky prices. In addition, risk/uncertainty is considered. A novel feature is the elaboration on flexible evaluation rules for reasonably small projects. Conventional point-estimates of projects should be used with care, because they typically give biased results.
Costco Companies, Inc.
by Ann Leamon David E. BellCostco Companies, one of the major players in the wholesale club industry, has developed a new class of membership that offers discounted services--auto, health, and home insurance, business credit card processing, real estate services--in exchange for a higher annual fee ($100 vs. $40). The case poses two questions: 1) how should the new membership be marketed, to whom, and how much should be spent on the effort? and 2) what are the potential risks and benefits for Costco, which generated $22 billion in 1997 selling products in bulk, in offering services? Which question is emphasized depends on whether the case is taught in a marketing or a retailing course.
Costing Alternative Choices
by David F. Hawkins Jacob CohenDiscusses the role of differential cost and revenues in solving alternative choice problems.
Costly Bargain of Trade Promotion
by Robert D. Buzzell Walter J. Salmon John A. QuelchOver the last decade, power in the retailing of packaged goods has shifted from manufacturers to wholesalers and sellers. One result has been an increase in consumer and trade promotion. But many trade promotion practices are costly to manufacturers, retailers, and eventually consumers. The authors single out forward buying in the grocery trade and offer evidence of the costs of this practice to the distribution system as a whole. They suggest a policy called "everyday low purchase price", designed to smooth the peaks and valleys of demand and reduce the costs of distribution.
Costly Fix: Power, Politics, And Nature In The Tar Sands
by Ian UrquhartCostly Fix examines the post-1995 Alberta tar sands boom, detailing how the state inflated the profitability of the tar sands and turned a blind eye to environmental issues. It considers the position of First Nations, the character and strength of environmental critiques, and the difficulties that environmental groups and First Nations have had in establishing a countermovement to market fundamentalism. The final chapter discusses how Alberta's new NDP government, in its first couple of years, has addressed the legacies they have inherited from the previous Progressive Conservative government on climate change, royalties, and the blight of tailings ponds in the boreal forest. Throughout the book, Urquhart demonstrates that too many actors have done too little to prevent Alberta's boreal forest from becoming a landscape sacrificed for unsustainable economic growth.
Costovation: Innovation That Gives Your Customers Exactly What They Want--And Nothing More
by Stephen Wunker Jennifer Luo LawWow your customers . . . with "less." Cut costs-it's a common corporate refrain. But if you constantly slash expenditures, what happens to innovation? How can you stay competitive and satisfy customers? Costovation solves the dilemma of how to spend less and innovate more. The book's revolutionary approach broadens the definition of innovation beyond products to the business model itself. With costovation, you let go of assumptions, take a fresh look at the market, and relentlessly focus on what customers really want. Consider Planet Fitness-it grew to 7.3 million members by concentrating on casual exercisers. Those folks don't care about frills. They want easy, low-cost access to good equipment. Although it's inexpensive to run, Planet Fitness ranks highest in gym satisfaction. Gourmet grocer, Picard, sells only frozen food. With less perishable inventory, they compress costs while delighting a discerning but busy clientele. Packed with examples and interactive exercises, the book explores cost innovation strategies that work for big and small companies alike. From open innovation and cost-sharing to simplifying products and turning waste into new offerings-readers learn how rivals are carving out niches, protecting positions, and dominating industries. Innovation and cost-cutting are not opposites. Combined, they expose untapped opportunities to outsmart and underspend competitors.
Costs and Benefits: Why We Need to Study Bad Leadership
by Barbara KellermanMost books that examine leadership do so from the perspective that true leaders are good and ethical leaders, with little or no attention paid to bad leaders. With the costs of bad leadership being so high, ignoring its existence, and allowing it to continue, is a disservice to everyone involved. And focusing on leaders and shortchanging the role of followers, when the two should be looked at in tandem, only makes matters worse.
Costs and Expenses: No Hard-and-Fast Rules
by Joe Knight Karen Berman John CaseMost managers have plenty of personal experience with expenses. But did you know that there are plenty of estimates and biases that go into those expense lines? This chapter examines the major line items in this section of the income statement.
Costs and Expenses - No Hard-and-Fast Rules: Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs
by Joe Knight Karen BermanMost entrepreneurs watch expenses closely. But did you know that there are plenty of estimates and biases that go into those expense lines? This chapter examines the major line items in this section of the income statement - including cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and one-time charges, among others. This chapter is excerpted from "Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs."
Costs and ROI: Evaluating at the Ultimate Level (Measurement and Evaluation Series #5)
by Jack J. Phillips Lizette ZunigaCosts and ROI Costs and ROI is the fifth of six books in the Measurement and Evaluation Series from Pfeiffer. The proven ROI Methodology--developed by the ROI Institute--provides a practical system for evaluation planning, data collection, data analysis, and reporting. All six books in the series offer the latest tools, most current research, and practical advice for measuring ROI in a variety of settings. All costs must be captured for an accurate cost profile. Costs and ROI focuses on developing program costs and the ROI and explains this vital element in the ROI Methodology. The authors show how to capture all costs in order to bring credibility to the analysis. The book outlines the actual ROI calculation and explains the many assumptions and issues that must be considered when calculating the ROI. Costs and ROI presents three effective calculations: the benefit-cost ratio, the ROI percentage, and the payback period. Costs and ROI includes all the challenges and concerns regarding the use of ROI.
The Costs of Crime and Justice
by Mark A. CohenThis book presents a comprehensive view of the financial and non-financial consequences of criminal behavior, crime prevention, and society’s response to crime. Crime costs are far-reaching including medical costs, lost wages, property damage and pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life to victims and the public at large; police, courts, and prisons; and offenders and their families who may suffer consequences incidental to any punishment they receive for committing crime. The book provides a comprehensive economic framework and overview of the empirical methodologies used to estimate costs of crime. It provides an assessment of what is known and where the gaps in knowledge are in understanding the costs and consequences of crime. Individual chapters focus on victims, governments, as well as the public at large. Separate chapters detail the various methodologies used to estimate crime costs, while two chapters are devoted to policy analysis – both cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost analysis. The second edition is completely updated and expanded since the first edition in 2005. All cost estimates have also been updated. In addition, due to a significant increase in the number of studies on the cost of crime, new chapters focus on the costs to offenders and their families; white-collar and corporate crime; and cost of crime estimates around the world. Understanding the costs of crime can lead to important insights and policy conclusions—both for criminal justice policy and other social ills that compete with crime for government funding. Thus, the target audience for this book includes criminologists and policy makers who are seeking to apply rigorous social science methods to assist in developing appropriate criminal justice policies. Note that the book is nontechnical and does not assume the reader is conversant in economics or statistics.
The Costs of Crime and Justice
by Mark A. Cohen Mark A CohenIn The Costs of Crime and Justice, Mark Cohen presents a comprehensive view of the financial setbacks of criminal behaviour. Victims of crime might incur medical costs, lost wages and property damage; while for some crimes pain, suffering and reduced quality of life suffered by victims far exceeds any physical damage. The government also incurs costs as the provider of mental health services, police, courts and prisons.Cohen argues that understanding the costs of crime can lead to important insights and policy conclusions - both in terms of criminal justice policy but also in terms of other social ills that compete with crime for government funding. This book systematically discusses the numerous methodological approaches and tallies up what is known about the costs of crimeA must-read for anyone involved in public policy, The Costs of Crime and Justice consolidates the diverse research in this area but also makes one of the most valuable contributions to date to the study of the economics of criminal behavior.
The Costs of Sovereign Default
by Eduardo Borensztein Ugo PanizzaA report from the International Monetary Fund.
The Costs of the Gig Economy: Musical Entrepreneurs and the Cultural Politics of Inequality in Northeastern Brazil
by Falina EnriquezInstitutions in Recife, Brazil, have restructured subsidies in favor of encouraging musicians to become more entrepreneurial. Falina Enriquez explores how contemporary and traditional musicians in the fabled musical city have negotiated these intensified neoliberal cultural policies and economic uncertainties. Drawing on years of fieldwork, Enriquez shows how forcing artists to adopt “neutral” market solutions reinforces, and generates, overlapping racial and class-based inequalities. Lacking the social and financial resources of their middle-class peers, working-class musicians find it difficult to uphold institutional goals of connecting the city’s cultural roots to global markets and consumers. Enriquez also links the artists’ situation to that of cultural and creative workers around the world. As she shows, musical sponsorship in Recife and the contemporary gig economy elsewhere employ processes that, far from being neutral, uphold governmental and corporate ideologies that produce social stratification. Rich and vibrant, The Costs of the Gig Economy offers a rare English-language portrait of the changing musical culture in Recife.
The Costs of War: America's Pyrrhic Victories (2nd expanded edition)
by John V. DensonBrings together essays piercing the veils of myth and propaganda to reveal the true costs of war, with special emphasis on loss of freedom to American citizens.
Costume And Fashion: A Concise History
by James Laver Amy de la HayeThe new fifth edition of this classic guide to clothing throughout history now extends into the second decade of the 21st century. James Laver's classic study of clothing, from the invention of the needle to the dawn of denim, neolithic weavers to catwalk creations, has been updated once again to cover the latest trends, from vintage to high street chic and the spectacular reinvention of haute couture. Featuring designers such as Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs, and style leaders Kate Moss and the Duchess of Cambridge, a new final chapter explains the forces shaping fashion today, including Internet technology, celebrity influence, 'fast fashion', the recession and global markets. With eight new pages, six new illustrations and an entirely new final chapter, this book reclaims its position as the definitive concise history of the subject, and remains essential reading for all students of art, costume and fashion.
Costume Design 101: The Business and Art of Creating Costumes for Film and Television
by Richard LaMotteWritten by an industry venteran with 40 years of experience, this book is the new edition of Costume Design
Cotopaxi: Managing Growth for Good
by Laura Huang Andy WuCotopaxi, an innovative outdoor gear business targeting millennials, focuses on profit and social impact. This registered benefit corporation was formed by Davis Smith who coalesced his experiences as a Wharton MBA student along with professional knowledge from an unpaid internship in Peru and his previous e-commerce startups in the US and Brazil. Cotopaxi's social cause is fighting global poverty; their target is to donate 10% of their profits but as a new capital-intensive business they give 2% of their revenue. Their income streams are mainly direct to consumer sales along with corporate sales and a special experience based event-Questival. Their direct to consumer model lowers costs compared to competitors and allows Cotopaxi to offer lower prices, but they face a challenge in positioning their products as high quality.
Cotopaxi: Managing Growth for Good
by Andy Wu Laura HuangCotopaxi, an innovative outdoor gear business targeting millennials, focuses on profit and social impact. This registered benefit corporation was formed by Davis Smith who coalesced his experiences as a Wharton MBA student along with professional knowledge from an unpaid internship in Peru and his previous e-commerce startups in the US and Brazil. Cotopaxi's social cause is fighting global poverty; their target is to donate 10% of their profits but as a new capital-intensive business they give 2% of their revenue. Their income streams are mainly direct to consumer sales along with corporate sales and a special experience based event-Questival. Their direct to consumer model lowers costs compared to competitors and allows Cotopaxi to offer lower prices, but they face a challenge in positioning their products as high quality.
Cottle-Taylor: Expanding the Oral Care Group in India
by Alisa Zalosh John A. QuelchBrinda Patel, director of oral care products for the India division of a consumer home-care product company, develops a data-driven marketing plan for toothbrushes. She believes her plan can support a 20% increase in unit sales based on rising demand for modern oral-care products in India. Her boss, the VP of Marketing, believes her forecast is too conservative and suggests spending more money on promotions to boost sales by 30%. Patel must develop a new plan to meet this higher growth rate by increasing the advertising budget and revising the distribution of the budget across three targeted advertising messages. She must also consider the regional challenges within India between rural and urban consumers and their willingness to adopt a modern approach to dental care. Students must build a projected income statement and consider the effects of increasing the advertising budget and changing the product mix in favor of higher margin toothbrushes.
The Cotton and Textile Industry: Case Studies in Industrial History (Routledge Focus on Industrial History)
by John F. WilsonThis shortform book presents key peer-reviewed research on industrial history. In selecting and contextualising this volume, the editors address how the field of textile history has evolved. Themes covered include entrepreneurial, technological and labour history, whilst the book highlights the strategic and social consequences of innovations in the history of this key UK sector. Of interest to business and economic historians, this shortform book also provides analysis and illustrative case studies that will be valuable reading across the social sciences.
The Cotton and Textiles Industry: Case Studies in Industrial History (Routledge Focus on Industrial History)
by John F. Wilson Steven Toms Nicholas D. WongThis shortform book presents key peer-reviewed research on industrial history. In selecting and contextualising this volume, the editors address how the field of textile history has evolved. Themes covered include entrepreneurial, technological and labour history, whilst the book highlights the strategic and social consequences of innovations in the history of this key UK sector. Of interest to business and economic historians, this shortform book also provides analysis and illustrative case-studies that will be valuable reading across the social sciences.
Cotton, Climate, and Camels in Early Islamic Iran: A Moment in World History
by Richard W. BullietA boom in the production and export of cotton made Iran the richest region of the Islamic caliphate in the ninth and tenth centuries. Yet in the eleventh century, Iran's impressive agricultural economy entered a steep decline, bringing the country's primacy to an end. Richard W. Bulliet advances several provocative theses to explain these hitherto unrecognized historical events. According to Bulliet, the boom in cotton production directly paralleled the spread of Islam, and Iran's agricultural decline stemmed from a significant cooling of the climate that lasted for over a century. The latter phenomenon also prompted Turkish nomadic tribes to enter Iran for the first time, establishing a political dominance that would last for centuries. Substantiating his argument with innovative quantitative research and recent scientific discoveries, Bulliet first establishes the relationship between Iran's cotton industry and Islam and then outlines the evidence for what he terms the "Big Chill." Turning to the story of the Turks, he focuses on the lucrative but temperature-sensitive industry of cross-breeding one-humped and two-humped camels. He concludes that this unusual concatenation of events had a profound and long-lasting impact not just on the history of Iran but on the development of world affairs in general.