Taming the Business Cycles in Commercial Aviation: Trade-space analysis of strategic alternatives using simulation modeling

We investigate the effectiveness of strategic alternatives that are designed to dampen the cyclicality manifest in the commercial aviation related industries. The constituent enterprises of the commercial aviation system exhibit managerial and operational independence and have diverse value functions that often viewed the enterprises to view their competition as a zero-sum game. We argue that this need not always be the case; in the commercial aviation system both airline and airframe manufacturers constituents would benefit from a steadier influx of aircraft that counters the current situation that is characterized by relatively stable demand growth rate for air travel while airline profitability and aircraft ordering fluctuate intensely. In order to identify and evaluate the symbiotic potential, we use a system dynamics model of commercial aviation. After testing several individual strategic alternatives, we find that capacity management is key to cycle moderation for non-collusive strategies. Comparing faster aircraft deliveries to semi-fixed production schedules among other alternatives shows only the latter alternative to be Pareto efficient

CURRENT ISSUES AFFECTING TRADE AND TRADE POLICY: AN ANNOTATED LITERATURE REVIEW

This review provides a base of literature describing current issues and research on the impacts of lobalization and the industrialization of agriculture and recent approaches to analyze and model agricultural trade and trade policies. Three key factors of the survey are differentiated goods, global economic integration and international supply chain linkages. The review covers 182 publications, which are presented alphabetically by author with a brief annotation describing how it relates to the above criteria. The articles are also indexed by keyword. A brief summary highlights the documented literature and includes a series of issues for future discussion and research.International Relations/Trade,

THE RISE OF KENYAN SUPERMARKETS AND THE EVOLUTION OF THEIR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS

Supermarkets are rapidly penetrating urban food retail in Kenya and spreading well beyond their initial tiny market niche into the food markets of lower-income groups. Having penetrated processed and staple food markets much earlier and faster than fresh foods, they have recently begun to make inroads into the fresh fruits and vegetables category. The important changes in their procurement systems bring significant opportunities and challenges for small farmers, and have implications for agricultural diversification and rural development programmes and policies.Marketing,