The Economist first launched the concept of the Big Mac Index in 1986 as a guide to whether currencies were at their correct exchange rate; it is not intended to be a precise predictor of currency movements around the globe, but simply a way to make exchange-rate theory and discussions a bit more...

This study analyzes U.S. cocoa bean imports from twenty-one major cocoa-producing and exporting countries during the pre- and post-liberalization period of 1970-2008 using the gravity equation and a linear one-way fixed effects model. The objective was to measure trade creation for a World Trade...

Competition among railroads for corn, soybean, and wheat shipments appears to be decreasing in the United States. Any reduction in competitive transport options for export shippers is cause for concern. The results of this research indicate that decreases in competition raise rail rates for...

The emergence of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) as a major food safety issue sets the situation for a firm level opportunity. The Japanese government banned imports of cattle and beef from the U.S. when it established the first cases of BSE there and refused to lift barriers because the...

Rice is a commodity of strong economic importance with vital implications for regional development. Rice is the main crop in Igbemo-Ekiti, Nigeria, yet the full economic effect of its production is yet to be determined. This study explores the geographical influence of rice consumption from...

Studies have shown that the economy of Ghana cannot afford to rely solely on cocoa exports. It is imperative to diversify the export base of the Ghanaian economy. In this respect, the palm oil sub-sector of the agricultural sector, which until the early part of the 20th century was the major...

Packaging logistics addresses the relationship between packaging and logistics within the supply chain context. This paper focuses specifically on the relationship between grocery retailers and their suppliers across several types of pallet systems, as perceived by thirteen U.S. and Canadian...