World Perspectives

Decoding Foodie Advantage

  The Enemy is Us Misperceptions about the agrifood sector are frustrating to everyone and understanding the cause is a huge social science endeavor. Yvonne Thaxton at the University of Arkansas says the problem is that "We believe people we know and trust." Indeed, in the age of smart phones and product test ratings, recommendations from friends are still considered the strongest driver in purchasing decisions. Of course, our friends and family may be idiots. Maureen O'Connor at New York Magazine says that Americans "viewed twelve times as many [web] pages about Miley Cyrus [VMA twerking controversy] as they did about Syria — even though the news sources published 2.4 Syria articles for every one about Miley."We each believe w...

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From WPI Consulting

Infrastructure investment due diligence

On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.

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