Taste for world markets
Article Abstract:
Lollipop manufacturer Chupa Chups SA is representative of a number of successful businesses in Catalonia, Spain that maintain a solid local base for operations while aggressively competing in the international market. Like other thriving businesses in Catalonia, Chupa Chups has a history rooted in a dynastic structure and the guild system of crafts. Key to the company's business strategy is the vertical expansion of sales through in-house training of sales staff and the setting up of manufacturing operations in France and the former Soviet Union, with plans for a plant in China underway. Close to two million dollars of Chupa Chups' investments are channeled towards research and product development annually and over 80% of plant equipment are designed in-house. Chupa Chups has been cited by Catalonia's center for information and business development, CIDEM, as a model company in the region.
Publication Name: International Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0020-7888
Year: 1992
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Spanish inquisition
Article Abstract:
Former managers of the Kuwaiti Investment Office (KIO) are being held accountable for the agency's risky Spanish investments. The KIO's reputation in international financial markets had been unblemished prior to 1991, but this changed with onset of the Gulf War, the failure of its bids in British Petroleum and Banco Central and the collapse of Spanish companies in which it has direct stakes. The Kuwaiti invasion prompted an onslaught of liquidation, leaving the KIO with mostly Spanish direct holdings. These are equity stakes in the holding company Grupo Torras, which includes Ebro, Ercros and Primo Inmobiliaria, engaged in sugar, chemicals and real estate, respectively. Debt suspension, losses and management controversies led to creditor sanctions on these firms and thus, their financial difficulties. The issue of where the past eight years' profits went still remains unresolved.
Publication Name: International Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0020-7888
Year: 1992
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The strain in Spain
Article Abstract:
The rapid pace of Spain's urbanization has given rise to a number of problems. Chief among these is the worsening traffic congestion that plagues the country's major cities, particularly Madrid and Barcelona. Although more Spaniards are choosing to live in suburban areas rather than in cities, metropolitan areas continue to be the center of business activity, hence the traffic problem. This problem is particularly severe in Madrid, where streets are narrow, trucks load and unload indiscriminately, and double-parking is prevalent. Traffic congestion was alleviated somewhat when the project connecting the two major roads into the city was completed in the spring of 1992. The cities of Barcelona and Seville are achieving more success with their infrastructure projects, mainly because the former hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics while the latter is the site of Expo '92.
Publication Name: International Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0020-7888
Year: 1992
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