Market structure: Italy

During the same period, commercialization of thermoplastic starch polymer blends was pursued by Novamont, a division of the Ferruzzi Group of Italy.162-172 Their products, marketed under the trade name Mater-Bi, are typically comprised of at least 60% starch or natural additive and hydrophilic, biodegradable synthetic polymers.64,165 It is stated that these blends form interpenetrated or semi-interpenetrated structures at the molecular level. Properties of typical commercial formulations have properties similar to those in the range of low- and high-density PE. Blends of Mater-Bi products with biodegradable polyesters have been claimed for use as water impervious films.173... 

Between mergers and acquisitions, the structure of the fertilizer industry in Western Europe was spectacularly pared down. A few giants emerged to dominate the market. In France, there was CdF Chimie, later to be known as ORKEM, which had just taken a 70 percent stake in Air Liquide s subsidiary La Grande Paroisse, and Cofaz, which was taken over by Norsk Hydro in Western Germany, there was BASF and Ruhr Stickstoff in Britain, ICI and Norsk Hydro, which bought up Fisons in Italy, ANIC and Montedison s subsidiary Fertimont in Holland, DSM s UKF and Norsk Hydro NSM in Finland, Kemira, which took over both Britain s Lindsay and its Kesteven facilities. 

The first part of this paper is a review of the production and market situation of organic meat in Italy. The second is a preliminary attempt to examine the structural features and the marketing strategies of a pioneer group of firms which have begun to produce and/or to process and market different types of organic meat in the Veneto Region, the most important area for the production of conventional meat in Italy. 

The continuing trend towards matt surfaces remains unchanged. The latest considerations in the automotive industry even foresee formulations of matt topcoats, and the furniture industry continues to favour matt surfaces that bring out the original structure of the wood. Even the traditional markets for glossy furniture surfaces such as those in Italy, Spain and China are no longer a closed shop to the demands of designers. 

The preparations for war hastened the growth of Italian production, which outpaced the international trend in growth. Between 1931 and 1941 Italy s primary aluminium output hovered around 5 per cent of world production. Subsequently, when production grew in many countries as a result of the war effort, Italy s share settled down at 2 per cent. After 1950 the growth rate of Italian aluminium production continued to keep pace with world production, and in the new context of European markets it managed to hold a fairly important position, at least in the sector of alumina. Until the start-up of the Sardinian aluminium pool in the 1970s, this development depended upon the experience and structures that had been created in the inter-war period. 

Another complication for these suppliers is that they typically operate in two markets - domestic and global - with different expectations and incentive structures. For example, a shoe manufacturer operating in Brazil and Italy needs to satisfy two sets of customers. While Italian customers highly value innovative shoe designs, they are typically less sensitive to price in comparismi to the Brazilian customers. 

The financial structure of Venice was also substantially affected by the salt trade, which contributed to the emergence of Venetian capitalism and the vast fortunes of some Venetian merchants. In France, salt became a political issue in the fourteenth century the tax on salt was the most hated of all taxes and a major issue prior to the French Revolution. At that time England, Germany, and Italy also taxed salt and in Britain the control of the world salt markets was a substantial contributor to its wealth in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Liverpool, a minor tobacco port in the early eighteenth century, also became a major trading city in part due to its role in the salt trade. 

If we review global ranking in terms of where the jewelry is produced, the top two stay unchanged, but Turkey moves up to third place while Italy claims fourth. The latter used to be number two, but structural change and market share loss (mostly to Turkey and south-east Asian countries) for its exports in the United States have seriously undermined its output. Fifth place again goes to Saudi Arabia. 

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