The Food Retailing Structure of the Northwest Territories

Food retailers in the Northwest Territories face dramatically different conditions from those of southern food retailers. There are three main differences: (1) small market size, (2) limited geographical access to suppliers and (3) different types of competitors. These differences have resulted in higher food prices and smaller, more general, stores with a wider variety of merchandise than southern supermarkets. Resupply is much less frequent than in southern supermarkets because resupply must be made via either air or barge shipment rather than truck delivery. The N.W.T. food retailing structure comprises three types of food retailers: the independently operated stores, the cooperatives and chain stores. This first examination of the similarities and differences between the store types is drawn from a mail survey of all the food retailers in the N.W.T. The food retailers have adapted to the small, isolated northern markets by expanding their merchandise line well beyond food products. The Hudson's Bay Company stores carry the widest variety of merchandise, while the others carry a more limited product line. Inventory management varies among the store types. The cooperatives generally fail to use the cheaper alternative transportation modes (road or water) where possible. This is not due to location but may reflect poor managerial skills or simply a lack of profit motivation.Key words: food retailing, Northwest Temtories, mode, retail structure, management, Hudson’s Bay Company, cooperatives, independentsLes détaillants en alimentation des Territoires du Nord-Ouest font face à des conditions radicalement différentes de celles des détaillants en alimentation du Sud. Il y a trois différences principales: (1) le marché est plus petit, (2) l’accès géographique aux fournisseurs est limité et (3) les concurrents sont d’un genre différent. Ces différences font que le prix de la nourriture est plus élevé, que les magasins sont plus petits et qu’ils ressemblent plus à un magasin général, offrant une plus grande variété de marchandises que les supermarchés du Sud. La fréquence du réapprovisionnement est moindre que pour ces derniers, car l’approvisionnement doit se faire par avion ou par péniche plutôt que par camion. La structure de l’alimentation de détail dans les T.N.-O. comprend trois types de détaillants les magasins indépendants, les coopératives et les magasins appartenant à des chaînes. Ce premier examen des ressemblances et des différences entre les types de magasins a été obtenu à partir d’une enquête postée à tous les détaillants en alimentation des T. N.-O. Les détaillants en alimentation se sont adaptés aux petits marchés isolés du Nord en élargissant la gamme de leurs produits bien au-delà des produits alimentaires. Les magasins de la Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson ont la plus grande variété de marchandises, tandis que les autres ont une gamme de produits plus limitée. La gestion des inventaires varie entre les différents types de magasins. En général, les coopératives ne profitent pas des autres moyens de transport (routiers et par voie d’eau) là où elles le pourraient. Cela n’est pas dû à leur situation géographique, mais c’est plutôt le reflet d’un manque d’expérience en gestion ou simplement d’un manque de motivation à réaliser des profits.Mots clés: vente d’alimentation au détail, Territoires du Nord-Ouest, moyen, structure de vente de détail, gestion, Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson, coopératives, magasins indépendant

A Spatio-Temporal Examination of Canada’s Domestic Merger Activity, 1971-1991.

Cette étude examine les relations entre les centres urbains canadiens (régions métropolitaines de recensement) en ce qui a trait au phénomène de fusion d'entreprises pour les années 1971,1976,1981 et 1991. Une analyse loglinéaire décrivant les flux spatiaux pour ces années permet d'établir que les villes de Toronto, Montréal, Calgary et Vancouver connaissent le plus grand nombre de fusions du point de vue des entreprises achetées ou acheteuses.This study examines the relationship of Canada's urban centres (Census metropolitan areas), with respect to domestic merger activity for the years 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986 and 1991. Log-linear analysis is employed to provide a descriptive examination of the spatial merger flows for the years in question. It has been determined that from an acquiring and acquired firm perspective, Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver, were the cities where the greatest number of merger activity was conducted

Interurban Corporate Headquarters Relocation in Canada

This study examines the interurban migration of corporate headquarters in Canada for the period 1970-1982 by investigating the premise that changing socio-economic and political conditions are contributing to the relocation of corporate headquarters. The paper demonstrates that in Canada corporate relocations are tending to create a spatially more concentrated location pattern.Cette étude explore la migration interurbaine des sièges sociaux au Canada à partir de 1970 jusqu'en 1982, en examinant le principe que les conditions changeantes, tant sur les plans socio-économique que politique, contribuent au déplacement des sièges sociaux. Cet article démontre qu'au Canada les migrations des sièges sociaux ont tendance à établir un système spatialement plus concentré

Modeling Changes in the In-Migration Patterns of Northern Saskatchewan Communities : a Log-Linear Approach

Les auteurs examinent les changements dans les types historiques de migrations au sein des petites communautés frontières du nord de la Saskatchewan durant les périodes 1927-1960, 1961-1970 et 1971-1976. Des problèmes apparaissent lorsqu'on tente de formuler des modèles d'interaction spatiale dans les régions frontières, ou en voie de développement, en particulier le faible volume de migration et le fait que certains termes agglomérés sont impropres lorsqu'utilisés comme mesures de degré d'attraction et de répulsion des communautés. Comme procédure alternative, on utilise une méthode log-linéaire, laquelle identifie, par une analyse à dimensions multiples d'une matrice de données classifiées, les composantes dans les processus d'interaction spatiale. Les résultats initiaux montrent que le sexe de l'immigrant n'a pas d'effet sur la tendance à immigrer, et que les types spatiaux d'immigration n'ont pas changé d'une période à l'autre.This paper examines changes in the historical pattern of in-migration to small frontier communities in northern Saskatchewan in three time periods: 1927-1960, 1961-1970 and 1971-1976. The problems associated with spatial interaction modeling in a developing or frontier region are noted, particularly the low volume of in-migration and the inappropriateness of mass terms as surrogate measures of nodal attractiveness and propulsiveness. As an alternative, a log-linear approach is adopted, whereby multidimensional contingency-table analysis of categorical data reveals structural components in the spatial-interaction process. Initial results indicate that the gender of the migrant has no effect on the propensity to migrate and that spatial patterns of in-migration have not changed over time

Venture Capital Investment in the United States 1995-2002

This paper provides an empirical examination of the investments by venture capital firms for the period before, during and after the stock market bubble of 1999 and 2000. Comparisons are made between pre-bubble, bubble and post-bubble investment patterns by state for location, stage and industry of investment. Location quotients for investments by state and industry are displayed. States with large levels of investment show well-balanced investments across industries, while states with smaller totals do not. Median polish is applied to a four-way cross tabulation table of venture capital investments defined by state location of investment, industry of investment, year of investment and stage of investment. The parameter estimates show California as a location for investment is significantly different in scale, industry and stage of investment from other states. The investment bubble of 1999 and 2000 is found to have created different patterns of investment compared to those of the pre and post bubble periods

Inter-corporate Ownership and Diversification in the Canadian Economy 1976-1995

Purpose – To test the hypothesis of increased specialisation during the 1980s in the aggregate pattern of intercorporate ownership in the Canadian economy. Design/methodology/approach – The network of ownership between enterprises and subsidiaries is characterised for the period 1976-1995 using data for the population of medium-sized and large Canadian corporations collected by Statistics Canada. Findings – Aggregate diversification declined slightly over the period in terms of the average number of industry groups in which enterprises have subsidiaries. However, there was an increased likelihood that subsidiaries were outside of the core industry group of the enterprise. Research limitations/implications – The data provide insight into ownership changes across the economy and are not sensitive to changes in a few very large firms. However, a weakness of these data is that the ownership linkages are not weighted to reflect the economic importance of the enterprises involved. There is evidence that the pattern of inter-corporate ownership is different between manufacturing and service sectors. Future research should treat these separately. Practical implications – Increased specialisation to the core industry of an enterprise has implications for the management skills required to design and manage networks of independent firms (for example, through strategic alliances), the performance expectations and risks taken by shareholders, and the commercial and tax policies set by government. At an aggregate level, a reduction in diversification may change the industrial structure of the economy, with sectors less integrated through ownership relationships, and thus potentially more sensitive to patterns of market exchange. Originality/value – Much of the literature on the effect of ownership restructuring on aggregate diversification is focused on the US economy, and there is little empirical evidence in the Canadian context. The data are unique, representing a population of medium-sized and larger firms. To our knowledge there are no published analyses of the ownership structure represented in these data