A Profile of the United States Toy Industry, Second Edition
A Profile of the United States Toy Industry, Second Edition

Author: Christopher Byrne

Publisher: Business Expert Press

Published: 2017-01-24

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1631576070

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The toy industry is one of the most consistently misunderstood sectors of American business, comprising a wide range of businesses under one banner-entertainment, commodities, fashion and licensing-that each behave differently. Broad-based change is constant, with more than 40 percent of toy products new each year. The U.S. market comprises about 600 publicly and privately held companies, valued at about $22 billion per year at wholesale for traditional toys, which has remained relatively constant since the 1990s. It is also the only industry where success depends on the whims of a child. This book is a concise and in-depth introduction to the structure, practices, and market forces that impact the toy industry, including a short history, a description of the current market landscape, product trends, emerging opportunities and threats and expectations for the future, as well as aspects of retailing, consumer behavior, and financial markets. While the book's primary focus is the U.S. toy industry, one cannot ignore the global scope of the business, particularly related to manufacturing, growth potential and emerging markets. It is intended to provide a foundation for understanding the diverse and dynamic nature of the toy industry and many things that make it unique and to provide an introduction to this fast-paced, always changing and fiercely competitive business where success is often more an art than a science.

A Profile of the United States Toy Industry
A Profile of the United States Toy Industry

Author: Christopher Byrne

Publisher: Business Expert Press

Published: 2023-12-05

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1637422709

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The toy industry is one of the most consistently misunderstood sectors of American business, comprising a wide range of businesses under one banner—entertainment, commodities, fashion, and licensing—that each behave differently. Unlike other industries, more than 40 percent of products are new every year, and success often depends on the whims of a child. Currently about $22 billion per year at wholesale for traditional toys, the United States toy industry has remained relatively constant since the 1990s, with a short-term boom in 2020 and 2021 in response to a global pandemic. This edition has been updated to reflect these and other dynamic changes in recent years, including the impacts of shifts in marketing, technology, consumption, and retailing. It offers an introduction to the structure, practices, and market forces that impact the toy industry, including a short history, a description of the current market landscape, product trends, emerging opportunities and threats and expectations for the future. The primary focus is the U.S. toy industry, but one cannot ignore the global scope of the business, particularly with respect to manufacturing and opportunities for growth in emerging markets. It is intended to provide a foundation for understanding the diverse and dynamic nature of the toy industry and many things that make it unique and to introduce this fast-paced, always changing and fiercely competitive business where success is often more an art than a science.

A Profile of the Oil and Gas Industry, Second Edition
A Profile of the Oil and Gas Industry, Second Edition

Author: Linda Herkenhoff

Publisher: Business Expert Press

Published: 2018-04-16

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1631579029

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We know that the people of Mesopotamia were using crude oil as a tar for building ships and houses as early as 3000 BC, so it is not by any means a new industry-but it is a volatile one. Oil and gas are important to every aspect of our economy yet this industry is distinguished by its combination of increasing demands and decreasing discovery volumes-and it is an industry shrouded in an environment of extremely volatile pricing. This book is a vital introduction to the oil and gas industry that focuses on history, operations, major companies, outside market forces, regulation, and the current challenges the industry faces. Such factors as finite natural resources, the environment, economics, geopolitics, and technology are also analyzed in detail. The focus on oil and gas is likely to continue to grow until efficient, environmentally safe alternate fuels become available. And because it's woven with complex relationships that are ever changing, this book is the best tool to have for a better understanding of this industry.

A Profile of the Farm Machinery Industry
A Profile of the Farm Machinery Industry

Author: Dawn M. Drake

Publisher: Business Expert Press

Published: 2021-04-15

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 1953349315

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This book examines farm machinery in the context of its history, corporations, outside market forces, regulations, and challenges and opportunities. The farm machinery industry is a complex sector of the global manufacturing economy that encompasses many companies, including those who that produce tractors, combines, planting equipment, tillage equipment, and irrigation systems. While the global industry is dominated by three full-line manufacturers (Deere and Company, Case New Holland, and the Allis-Gleaner Corporation), there are thousands of other companies, including many short-line manufacturers, that also dictate the nature of the industry. In recent years, equipment built by competitors from Asia have become more common in the farmstead landscape, capturing some of the market share U.S. manufacturers once dominated. This book examines farm machinery in the context of its history, corporations, outside market forces, regulations, and challenges and opportunities. The farm machinery industry, while contributing a small percentage to gross world product, is vitally important to another key sector of the economy—agriculture. In advanced economies, where the percentage of the labor force engaged in agriculture has been on the decline since World War II, high horsepower tractors and efficient harvesting systems are necessary to cultivate more acres with fewer workers to feed an ever-growing world population. Threats to profits in agriculture, such as natural disasters, climate change, and trade wars, increasingly challenge the profits and the viability of the farm machinery industry.

A Profile of the United States Toy Industry
A Profile of the United States Toy Industry

Author: Christopher Byrne

Publisher: Business Expert Press

Published: 2013-10-31

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1606495119

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The toy industry is one of the most consistently misunderstood sectors of American business. That's no surprise because on many levels it resists easy definition. It's a commodity business. No, it's a fashion business. No, it's a consumer products business. No, it's an entertainment business. The fact is it's all of these businesses, each of which addresses and responds to market forces differently. And often, especially with the larger, publicly traded companies--all of these businesses share a balance sheet. This book will provide a concise and in-depth introduction to the structure, practices and market forces that impact the toy industry. It will offer a short history of the industry, a description of the current market landscape, major and emerging industry competitors, contemporary trends, changes and expectations for the future. It will further cover aspects of retailing, consumer behavior, and financial markets as they relate to the industry. As noted, the book will focus primarily on the U.S. toy industry, but will provide guidelines for extrapolating the information to the global toy market and a highlight of those issues, such as manufacturing, that are relatively consistent worldwide. The book is intended to provide a foundation for understanding the diverse and changing nature of the toy industry and to help readers develop a context for appreciating it relevant to other, more predictable and definable industries. Many students--and professionals for that matter--come to the toy industry ill equipped for success because they are unable to understand the various disciplines and business practices it encompasses and therefore unable to apply those practices appropriately for the product or product category. A preschool toy will never behave like a toy from a hot movie. It's something many successful people in the business know and have learned over time, but it remains a mystery to the uninitiated. Withal this book is intended as an initiation into a fascinating, fast-paced and fiercely competitive business that is very often more an art than a science.

Configuring the Field of Character and Entertainment Licensing
Configuring the Field of Character and Entertainment Licensing

Author: Avi Santo

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-12-23

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1000814246

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This book examines the creative impact of licensing on the entertainment industry, how licensing practitioners’ occupational disposition is formed, and the role licensing professionals play in managing the circulation of intellectual property. Offering a study of the spatial logics and fantasies employed by the licensing field via its annual trade show, the Licensing Expo, this volume investigates how space and place are instrumental in both fortifying and exposing the political-economic, infrastructural, as well as ideological structures that constrain and enable participation in the licensing field. Further supplemented by participant observation and interviews with 23 industry professionals, the book explores how the licensing field understands its increasingly central role in the entertainment industry’s operations, and how it responds to changes in retail environments, digital platforms, and international markets, phenomena which have required a recalibration of the field’s occupational identity. An exploration of an understudied aspect of the entertainment industry, this book will primarily appeal to scholars within media studies, and those studying media industries, media franchises, and media work cultures. It will also be of interest to people studying consumer culture, brand culture, advertising, organizational communication, as well as fan cultures.

America Goes Green [3 volumes]
America Goes Green [3 volumes]

Author: Kim Kennedy White

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2012-11-12

Total Pages: 1660

ISBN-13:

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This three-volume encyclopedia explores the evolution of green ideology and eco-friendly practices in contemporary American culture, ranging from the creation of regional and national guidelines for green living to the publication of an increasing number of environmental blogs written from the layperson's perspective. Evidence of humanity's detrimental impact on the environment is mounting. As Americans, we are confronted daily with news stories, blogs, and social media commentary about the necessity of practicing green behaviors to offset environmental damage. This essential reference is a fascinating review of the issues surrounding green living, including the impact of this lifestyle on Americans' time and money, the information needed to adhere to green principles in the 21st century, and case studies and examples of successful implementation. America Goes Green: An Encyclopedia of Eco-Friendly Culture in the United States examines this gripping topic through 3 volumes organized by A–Z entries across 11 themes; state-by-state essays grouped by region; and references including primary source documents, bibliography, glossary, and green resources. This timely encyclopedia explores the development of an eco-friendly culture in America, and entries present the debates, viewpoints, and challenges of green living.

A Profile of the Oil and Gas Industry
A Profile of the Oil and Gas Industry

Author: Linda Herkenhoff

Publisher: Business Expert Press

Published: 2013-11-30

Total Pages: 101

ISBN-13: 1606495011

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Oil and gas are important to every aspect of our economy, yet the oil and gas industry is distinguished by its combination of increasing demands and decreasing discovery volumes--and it is an industry shrouded in an environment of extremely volatile pricing. Although the profits enjoyed by the oil and gas industry are enormous, the industry remains one of the most capital-intensive in a world where rising expenses continue to threaten to squeeze profit margins. Geopolitics may continue to be the most important variable in maintaining existing assets and in successfully achieving new discoveries and carrying out their subsequent development. But finding new oil and gas reserves is becoming more challenging and the places where hydrocarbons are being found are more remote. Thus technology advances are also a key variable to enable exploration, drilling and development to become economically feasible in some of these more difficult operating environments. For the last century oil and gas additions have exceeded demand but has this industry now reached a "peak oil" situation? Some experts argue we are on the cusp of maximum oil production while others suggest we are still about a decade away. Natural gas demand however, is rising at a slightly faster rate than oil. Natural gas may be the immediate replacement fuel for oil as a source of clean and efficient electric power generation. Three out of the top ten Fortune 500 companies were oil/gas companies in 2011. This short introduction to the oil and gas industry will focus on history, operations, major companies, outside market forces, regulation and the current challenges the industry faces. Such factors as finite natural resources, the environment, economics, geopolitics, and technology will all come into play in the narrative. The book will demonstrate how the leaders of this industry, former champions of progress, are now coming under scrutiny and being depicted as the biggest culprits of environmental degradation. Yet the industry is likely to continue to grow until some form of alternate fuels is developed. The oil and gas industry will continue to have an enormous impact on life on the planet.