Business & Trade Questions & Answers

Coco taxis are the Cuban equivalent of a rickshaw – a three-wheeled, fibre glass egg-shaped vehicle with two seats glued to a moped. They are called so because they are almost like spherical giant coconuts. Their plastic and fibre glass body, which looks round from the back and sides, forms a protective canopy around the passengers. They tend to flock …

A cash and carry store is different from regular retail chains which target professional customers rather than end-consumers. This concept is based around self-service and bulk buying and serves registered customers only. The core customer groups are hotels, caterers, traders and other business professionals. Such stores aim to prevent any intervention by middlemen and requires buyers to make their own …

Astroturf refers to grassroots-based citizen groups or coalitions that are created and funded by corporations, trade associations, political interests or public relations firms. They use computer databases, telephone banks and hired organizers to rope less-informed activists into sending letters to elected officials or engaging in other actions that create the appearance of grassroots support for their client’s cause.

Market size refers to the total revenue generated through the sales of a particular good or commodity. The most basic methodology is to multiply customer base with its wallet share for a typical customer. For instance, to calculate market size of toothpaste in India, we need to find the product of the number of toothpaste buyers across India with the …

Th­ere are holograms on most driver’s licenses, ID cards and credit cards. If you’re not old enough to drive or use credit, you can still find holograms around your home. They’re part of CD, DVD and software packaging, as well as just about everything sold as “official merchandise.” ­Unfortunately, these holograms – which exist to make forgery more difficult – …

The symbol $ written before the numerical amount is used for the US dollar and many other currencies. The sign’s actual origins are not certain, though it is possible it comes from the Pillars of Hercules, which flank the Spanish coat of arms on the Spanish dollars that were minted in the New World Mints. The Pillars of Hercules are …