Browsing by Subject "profitability"
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Item Impact of retailer's promotional activities on customer traffic(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Tasic, IvanThe usual theoretical assumption that the retailer's promotional activities serve the purpose of attracting customers into stores lacks empirical verification. The relationship between promotional activity and customer count is examined empirically in just a few studies, and no significantly positive association is found. This dissertation is a comprehensive empirical study of a unique time series cross section dataset, which contains scanner data representing 28 product categories in a large supermarket chain over two and a half year long period. The main result of this dissertation is that retailer's promotional activities are positively related to customer count. Two constructed measures of the promotional activity have a positive significant effect on store traffic that is comparable with the customer count effect of an average holiday. Some 55 percent of the positive long-run promotional activity effect is felt immediately, and the remaining 45 percent is spread over a five week long period. The promotions have prolonged effects that last until the next promotional peak -???????? the next holiday. It is also found that promotional discounts have positive and significant effect on store profit.Item Regional Differences in Corn Ethanol Production: Profitability and Potential Water Demands(2010-07-14) Higgins, Lindsey M.Through the use of a stochastic simulation model this project analyzes both the impacts of the expanding biofuels sector on water demand in selected regions of the United States and variations in the profitability of ethanol production due to location differences. Changes in consumptive water use in the Texas High Plains, Southern Minnesota, and the Central Valley of California, as impacted by current and proposed grain-based ethanol plants were addressed. In addition, this research assesses the potential impacts of technologies to reduce consumptive water use in the production of ethanol in terms of water usage and the economic viability of each ethanol facility. This research quantifies the role of corn ethanol production on water resource availability and identifies the alternative water pricing schemes at which ethanol production is no longer profitable. The results of this research show that the expansion of regional ethanol production and the resulting changes in the regional agricultural landscapes do relatively little to change consumptive water usage in each location. The California Central Valley has the highest potential for increased water usage with annual water usage in 2017 at levels 15% higher than historical estimates, whereas Southern Minnesota and the Texas High Plains are predicted to have increases of less than 5% during the same time period. Although water use by ethanol plants is extremely minor relative to consumptive regional agricultural water usage, technological adaptations by ethanol facilities have the potential to slightly reduce water usage and prove to be economically beneficial adaptations to make. The sensitivity of net present value (NPV) with respect to changes in water price is shown to be extremely inelastic, indicating that ethanol producers have the ability to pay significantly more for their fresh water with little impact on their 10 year economic performance.Item The use of different nutritional strategies and mathematical models to improve production efficiency, profitability, and carcass quality of feedlot cattle(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) de Vasconcelos, Judson TadeuForty eight crossbred steers (BW = 296 ???? 16.7 kg) were fed four dietary treatments for 56 d: AL-LS (low starch diet fed ad libitum for a rate of gain of 1 kg/d), AL-HS (high starch diet fed ad libitum), LF-HS (a limit fed high starch diet designed to be isocaloric with AL-LS), and AL-IS (a diet fed ad libitum for the midpoint daily energy intake between AL-LS and AL-HS). On d 57 all steers were placed on AL-HS for finishing until d 140. Steers that consumed more total energy (AL-HS and AL-IS) throughout production achieved greater carcass fatness in the end of the 140 d period, although these responses were difficult to evaluate via real-time ultrasound measurements. No differences in insulin and glucose kinetics were observed. Data suggested that energy source may influence energy partitioning during the growing period, but these effects may be overcome by differences in energy intake. Higher marbling scores (AL-HS and AL-IS) rewarded higher grid values and greater premiums, which increased profitability. This data set was also used for a model evaluation that showed that mathematical models (CVDS and NRC) were able to explain most of the variation in individual feed requirements of group- fed growing and finishing cattle. Another data set was used for evaluation of a decision support system Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) as a tool to minimize nutrient excretion from fed cattle. One-hundred eight-four group- fed steers were fed a 13% crude protein (CP) diet until reaching 567 kg of BW, when their diets were either maintained at 13% or reduced to 11.5% or 10% CP. Data from the second half of the experiment were modeled to predict urinary, fecal, and total N excretion. As dietary CP decreased from 13 to 11.5%, the model indicated a total N excretion of 16%. An even greater reduction in total N excretion (26%) occurred when dietary CP was decreased from 11.5% to 10%. The overall decrease from 13 to 10% CP resulted in a reduction of total N excretion by 38%. Data suggest that decision support sys tems can be used to assist in balancing diets to meet environment restriction.