Wildness and Wild Spaces in Residential Yards: Changing Neighborhood Norms to Support Pollinator Populations

Insect pollinator populations, critical to the global food supply, are declining. Research has found robust bee communities in cities, which are supported by diverse urban habitat and foraging resources. Accounting for 35–50% of urban green space, U.S. private residential yards can serve as important forage and nesting sources for pollinators. Incorporating wild attributes and wildness, such as native vegetation and less intensive yard-management practices, is key. However, urban vegetation, and its effects on local native bee populations, is shaped by social and cultural preferences, norms, aesthetics, values, and identities. The perfect lawn ideal of a highly manicured turfgrass yard dominates neighborhood landscapes and is often at odds with the habitat needs of pollinators. As part of a three-year study investigating the sociocultural drivers of residential vegetation choices in St. Louis, MO, USA, we interviewed 85 decisionmakers in order to understand choices about private residential yard maintenance. This paper presents an emergent finding concerning how residents conceptualize and talk about the urban-yard aesthetic, using the terms "wild" and "wildness", which reflect a range of levels in the demand for urban wild spaces in their neighborhoods. The discourse of wildness offers a nontechnical route for understanding the connections between the ecological consequences of urbanization, with human attitudes towards nature that shape the biological functioning of human-generated habitats.

Artificial Accumulation of Leaf Litter in Forest Edges on Residential Properties via Leaf Blowing Is Associated with Increased Numbers of Host-Seeking Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) Nymphs

We examined whether routine fall yard maintenance, specifically depositing leaves removed from lawns and landscaping along forest margins, may increase densities of nymphal Ixodes scapularis Say and Amblyomma americanum (L.) ticks within these managed areas. Leaf blowing activities in fall 2017 and 2018 on residential properties in New Jersey, United States, significantly increased leaf litter depth in managed edge areas (range = 259.8–352.8 mm) compared to unmanaged edges (77.6–188.0 mm) and adjacent forest (39.4–166.2 mm). Drag sampling conducted on 20 and 30 dates in spring 2018 and 2019, respectively, yielded ≥3-fold more I. scapularis nymphs in managed edge plots compared to natural edge and forest plots in both years. In 2018, we collected more A. americanum nymphs from forest plots than from either natural or managed edge plots, but 2019 natural edge plots yielded the greatest number of the ticks. Nearly half of A. americanum adults were collected in forest plots in both years. Our data suggest that the acarological risk of human encounters with I. scapularis nymphs may be significantly greater in areas receiving an accumulation of leaves from leaf blowing or raking compared to adjacent unmanaged forest edges. This artificially elevated acarological risk can be mitigated if homeowners avail themselves of curbside leaf pickup or composting services offered by many municipalities or request that lawn/landscaping contractors remove collected leaves offsite, or at least to areas of less frequent use, rather than concentrating them along the lawn-forest edge.

Stihl Incorporated: Go-to-Market Strategy for Next-Generation Consumers

Andreas Stihl AG is the world's leading manufacturer of chain saws and other outdoor handheld power equipment. Based on marketing challenges in its high-volume retail channel—mass merchants such as The Home Depot and Lowe's—Stihl's U.S. unit has narrowed its distribution system to a single channel: independent retail dealers specializing in yard maintenance equipment. This risky and highly publicized decision has proved extremely successful, raising profits, attracting more dealers into exclusive relationships with Stihl, and strengthening the brand's top-quality positioning. But Stihl management are concerned that this channel system may not fit tomorrow's demographics, dominated by homeowners from the so-called Generation X and Generation Y. The case outlines Stihl's business and channel systems and customer needs, then poses a series of questions that management believes must be answered to determine whether to maintain or move away from reliance on its specialty retailers and how to adapt its system.To understand issues related to retail channel strategy development in fast-changing consumer markets, as well as the challenges of adapting legacy routes-to-market systems to changing consumer service output demands.

ANALISIS AWAL PENERAPAN KLASTER INDUSTRI PERKAPALAN DI BATAM

Batam merupakan salah satu daerah yang ikut memicu perkembangan perekonomian di Indonesia. Hal ini disebabkan karena letak geografis Batam yang strategis, yang berlokasi di daerah segitiga (SI-JO-RI) dengan pertumbuhan ekonomi tercepat di Asia Tenggara. Di tahun 1970an ketika Batam masih berada pada tahap perkembangan, Singapura memainkan peranan penting yang membantu Batam mengembangkan basis industrinya. Dengan adanya perubahan hubungan ekonomi antara Batam dengan Singapura, maka sangat penting bagi Batam untuk melalui pergeseran paradigma agar dapat tetap kompetitif di kawasan dan global. Salah satu caranya adalah dengan melakukan klaster industri pada industri perkapalan. Adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mendeskripsikan gambaran rantai nilai industri perkapalan di Batam dan mengidentifikasi penerapan klaster industri perkapalan yang ada di Batam. Hasil penelitian menyimpulkan gambaran rantai nilai industri perkapalan di Batam adalah Rantai nilai yang berlaku di industri perkapalan di Batam bermula dari proses R&D yang saat ini masih dilakukan oleh industri pemesan, dilanjutkan dengan kegiatan produksi pembuatan kapal dengan melibatkan industri pemasok yang ada di daerah Batam dan di sekitarnya serta dari luar negeri, seperti Singapura. Industri perkapalan di Batam, material yang digunakan sebesar 70% masih dipasok dari negera luar. Industri pemasok meliputi industri yang memproduksi Shipboard systems, Electrical systems, Automation systems, Paints & Insulation, Furniture & Deco, Navigation equipment, Mechanical equipment, Steel & other materials dan yard maintenance. Selanjutnya dilakukan proses assembly dan penjualan kepada pemesan atau konsumen lainnya, yang diikuti juga dengan kegiatan service after sales, artinya memberikan layanan purna jual terhadap kapal yang sudah dibuat. Misalnya memberikan jaminan repair, maintenance dan konversi.