What about managerial geography?

A business school perspective to Corporate Geography is offered. The mission is to provide an executive with operational tools for the creation of wealth. A search for the tools is better initiated with manufacturers and retailers. Individuality among corporations and markets makes deductive theories hazardous, a fact shown by examples from IKEA, Scania and Volvo Truck. Case studies, classified by a competitive situation, are seen as a more practicable alternative. From a large number of cases typical patterns can be derived. Anomalies indicate substandard or outstanding behavior. Their explanation contributes to the executive tool set. A unified approach of the currently scattered pieces is propagated.     

Correction of tree ring stable carbon isotope chronologies for changes in the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere

Tree-ring stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) often display a decline over the industrial period (post-AD1850) that is only partly explained by changes in the isotopic ratio of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and may represent a response to increased atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ (ca). If this is not addressed, reconstructions using long tree-ring stable isotope chronologies calibrated using the modern period, for which meteorological records are available, may be compromised. We propose a correction procedure that attempts to calculate the δ¹³C values that would have been obtained under pre-industrial conditions. The correction procedure uses nonlinear (loess) regression but the magnitude of the adjustment made is restricted by two logical constraints based on the physiological response of trees: first, that a unit increase in ca cannot result in more than the same unit increase in the internal concentration of CO₂ (ci), and second, that increases in water-use efficiency as a result of an increase in ca are limited to maintaining a constant ci/ca ratio. The first constraint allows retention of a falling trend in δ¹³C, which exceeds that which could logically be attributed to a passive response to rising ca. The second constraint ensures that any increase in δ¹³C, reflecting a change in water-use efficiency beyond maintenance of a constant ci/ca, is not removed. The procedure is tested using ‘pseudoproxies’, to demonstrate the effect of the correction on time-series with different shapes, and data from three sites in Finland and Norway. Two of the time-series retain a significant trend after correction, and in all three cases the correction improves the correlation with local meteorological measurements.     

Changes in Nutrient and Carbon Availability and Temperature as Factors Controlling Bacterial Growth in the Northern Baltic Sea

The effects of inorganic nutrient (N and P) and glucose C treatments on bacterial growth were followed for 3 days in natural surface and deep water bacterial samples during the main post-spring bloom stages of phytoplankton growth in the northern Baltic Sea. In addition, the importance of photochemical degradation of dissolved organic matter on bacterial growth was investigated vertically (0.1–2.0 m) and spatially, in a salinity gradient from river mouth to open sea. Bacterial production was consistently C limited in the surface layer, with N or both N and P as the secondary limiting nutrients from spring to early summer and in late summer, respectively. In deep water, bacterial growth showed combined temperature and C limitation, and in spring, this also appeared to be true with surface samples. The effect of 1-day sunlight pre-treatment varied from no effect up to a 44% production increase, with clear bacterial production responses only being seen at the surface (10 cm depth). The implications of bacterial C limitation for the structure and function of the surface plankton ecosystem, including its CO₂ exchange with the atmosphere are discussed.     

A consideration of some hidden hydromorphic effects on the fines of glacial tills in the Kuhmo-Suomussalmi area, eastern Finland

The silt and clay-size (minus 0.063 mm) fractions of 766 samples of glacial tills from the Kuhmo-Suomussalmi area in eastern Finland were analyzed for 8 trace and minor elements (Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe) by AAS after hot 7 mol/I HNO, dissolution treatment. The results were treated statistically. Threshold values were calculated separately for those tills overlying gneissic basement on the one hand and greenstone belt on the other. The results show that the overall element levels for the metals in the area are lower than elsewhere in Finland by a factor which varies between 1 and 46. The reason for the differences may be the absence of preglacial weathering material in the till fines which elsewhere enhance element levels. Marked differences in the element levels over each bedrock subunit show up in the overlying tills. Correlation, regression and factor analyses show that the elements have high mutual correlations suggestive of hydromorphic alteration, even though the macroscopically hydromorphic samples were omitted from the statistical analyses. The effect is weak, however, and does not suppress the primary correlation, which results in the emergence of two factors in factor analysis of the geochemical data of the greenstone belt tills, the Co-Cr-Cu-Mn-Ni-Fe and Pb-Zn factors, the latter corresponding to one of the two known types of mineralization encountered in the underlying bedrock.     

Bidirectional reflectance spectrometry of gravel at the Sjökulla test field

The Sjökulla test site is used for testing and calibrating aerial images. The permanent test field is made of four types of gravel (dark gabbro, grey granite, red granite, white limestone) in two sizes (diameters 8–16 mm and 4–8 mm) set in various patterns. The bidirectional reflection properties of the targets together with their temporal changes must be known in order to carry out radiometric and spectral evaluation and calibration.The bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRF) of the gravel have been measured several times in the test fields using portable field goniospectrometers belonging Finnish Geodetic Institute (FGI), and once using the European Goniometic Facility (EGO) of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) at Ispra, Italy. Detailed BRFs have been obtained, showing features typical to particulate media, e.g. a small bowl shape, strong backscattering, and smooth wavelength dependence. Temporal range measurements over several years show that the black gabbro and red granite are fairly stable, while the grey granite has changed somewhat over the years and the white limestone has experienced dramatic darkening effects, requiring action to be taken.The measured BRF data have increased the usability of the test field considerably. The results are also useful in the development and validation of scattering models for particulate media. The site has proved to be a good test bench for goniospectrometric instruments, too.     

Subnational Credit Ratings – penetrating the cultural haze

The credit ratings of US states, German Länder and Russian oblasty are evaluated in the light of different institutional settings and rating principles. The implicit weight given to these principles varies widely depending on the particular institutional framework and social values.     

Spring temperature variability in northern Fennoscandia AD 1693–2011

A reconstruction of spring (April–May) temperature for northern Fennoscandia developed from the Tornionjoki (Tornio river) long cryophenological record of ice break‐up dates, back to AD 1693, is presented. The record is strongly climatically sensitive and explains 67% of the variance in the instrumental data over the last 150 years. The record exhibits a stepped decrease in the duration of the river's ice cover by 14 days, equivalent to an increase in April–May mean temperature of approximately 2.5°C over the last three centuries. The relationship between the date of ice break‐up, and accumulated daily mean temperatures (>0°C) is investigated. Uncertainty in the observation of ice break‐up is also considered in addition to the potential of this time series for regional climate model validation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mineralogy,geochemistry and petrogenesis of the V-Ti-bearing and chromiferous magnetite deposits hosted by Neoarchaean Channagiri Mafic-Ultramafic Complex,Western Dharwar Craton,India: Implications for emplacement in differentiated pulses

The Channagiri Mafic-Ultramafic Complex occupies lowermost section of the Neoarchaean Shimoga supracrustal group in the Western Dharwar Craton. It is a segmented body occupying the interdomal troughs of granitoids. The magnetite deposits occur in the northeastern portion; typically occupying the interface zone between gabbro and anorthositic. Mineralogically, the deposits are simple with abundant magnetite and ilmenite. Hogbomite is a consistent minor mineral. Magnetites are typically vanadiferous (0.7–1.25% V₂O₅). Ilmenite consistently analyses more MgO and MnO than coexisting magnetite. Chlorite, almost the only silicate present; lies in the range of ripidolite, corundophilite and sheridanite. The chromiferous suit occupying eastern side of Hanumalapur block (HPB) contains Fe-Cr-oxide analysing 37.8–11.9% Cr₂O₃ and 40.5–80% FeO ^t . In these too, chlorite, typically chromiferous (0.6–1.2% Cr₂O₃), is the most dominant silicate mineral. Geochemistry of V-Ti-magnetite is dominated by Fe, Ti and V with Al, Si, Mg and Mn contributing most of the remaining. Cr, Ni, Zn, Co, Cu, Ga and Sc dominate trace element geochemistry. The Cr-magnetite is high in Cr₂O₃ and PGE. Two separate cycles of mafic magmatism are distinguished in the CMUC. The first phase of first cycle, viz., melagabbro-gabbro, emplaced in the southeastern portion, is devoid of magnetite deposits. The second phase, an evolved ferrogabbroic magma emplaced in differentiated pulses, occupying northeastern portion of the complex, consists of melagabbro→gabbro-anorthosite→V-Ti magnetite→ferrogabbro sequence. Increase in oxygen fugacity facilitated deposition of V-Ti magnetite from ferrogabbroic magma pulse emplaced in late stages. The second cycle of chromiferous PGE mineralized suite comprises fine-grained ultramafite→alternation of pyroxinite-picrite→Crmagnetite sequence formed from fractionation of ferropicritic magma. HPB also includes >65m thick sill-like dioritic phase at the base of the ferriferous suit and a sinuous band of coarse-grained ultramafite enclosed within the chromiferous suit; both unrelated to the two mafic magmatic cycles.