Petrochemicals play a vital role in the economy. The products of the industry are the building blocks in many industries including polymers, synthetic rubber, synthetic fibres, fibre intermediates and basic chemicals. The industry uses a variety of hydrocarbon feedstock such as different cuts of...

This paper attempts to evaluate the possible gains and losses arising from the gradual opening up of pharmaceutical trade between India and Pakistan. We explain the comparative advantages of both countries at a disaggregated level, followed by a qualitative analysis of various perceptions and...

The auto sector in Pakistan has been a persistent opponent of trade liberalisation in the country. This has entailed losses to consumers in terms of higher prices, low safety and quality standards, and lack of innovation in this sector. The deletion programme, which was to result in...

Today, the global pharmaceutical product value chain is becoming increasingly complex and this has led to the emergence of 'multiple quality standards' for medicines. But this non-uniformity in the quality of medicine is also contingent upon both the regulatory milieu in the country of...

In diesem aktuellen IfM Working Paper werden Handlungsempfehlungen zur Lösung der Problematik einer Neupositionierung der deutschen Funkfachhändler gegeben. Die Basis dieser Empfehlungen stellen die Ergebnisse von Leitfadeninterviews dar, die mit Experten dieser KMU-Branche geführt worden sind.

In this paper we argue that pricing is all about price changes, and that the costs of price changes are often simultaneously subtle and substantial. We discuss a framework to deal with the dynamics of changing prices. This framework incorporates customer interpretations of price changes, an...

We report that the price of a 6.5oz Coke was 5¢ from 1886 until 1959. Thus, we are documenting a nominal price rigidity that lasted more than 70 years! The case of Coca-Cola is particularly interesting because during the 70-year period there were substantial changes in the soft drink industry...

Outsourcing is in this study defined as the transfer of responsibility and activities, including relevant assets and resources, from a user to a legally separate party, that becomes a vendor to the user. An outsourcer transfers activities to an outsourced unit. The situation of the outsourced...

Regional benchmarking studies were conducted on business practices in manufacturing plants in three regions in Sweden. The studies were designed to determine their use of best practices and thus enable firms to identify areas in which they need to make improvements. The questionnaire contained...

Suppliers have experienced unexpected consequences for their businesses due to changing situations for their important customers. Such events may also occur at short notice, at least when it comes to necessary and radical decisions. Often suppliers are not aware of the full extent of these...