Where on Earth?
You're standing outside the airport terminal in Moscow on a cold winter night. Snow streams past the windows of the taxi as you ride to your hotel. Leaning back in the seat, you review the purpose of your trip. As director of operations for a major American restaurant chain, you must choose the company's next location in the northern Eurasia. The first location, right here in Moscow, has been a huge success.
In your briefcase, you have a list of 12 northern Eurasian cities, all eager candidates for the site of your company's next restaurant. Key officials of the nations in which those cities are located have dreams of duplicating that success--of bringing American investments and new jobs to their nations.
In your hotel room, you pull the typewritten list out of your briefcase and scan it quickly. The names are familiar to you by now: Moscow ( a second outlet here might make sense, given how well the first one is doing), St. Peters burg, Vladivostok, Kazan, and Omsk, all in Russia; Tbilisi, Georgia; Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Minsk, Belarus, Almaty; Kazbakastan; Kiev and Odessa, Ukraine; and finally Baku, Azerbaijan.
Officials from each of these northern Eurasian nations will be competing for your business. Knowing this, you must carefully scrutinize the arguments they present. After all the work you company has put into its expansion plan, a poor choice could be financially disastrous.
The next day, you have arranged to meet one by one with officials from each of the nations. your first appointment with tthe russian official begins, and your translator, Alexander, relays his opening words: "Your letters inform us that you have 12 cities under consideration. We can save you some time and effort by telling you that in our opinion, you should not give your golden opportunity to a city located above 55degrees N latitude. your restaurant would profit better if it were located in a more temperate city." "Thank you," you reply, and after some small talk, the appointment ends.
After checking your atlas, you agree with the Russian official. You cross one city off your list; now 11 cities remain.
Translating for the Georgian official, Alexander begins your next appointment by saying, "We sincerely hope that you will give full consideration to Georgia in making your decision. After all, your restaurant would probably be most successful if it were located in a capital city like ours." then, he adds: "We also believe that your restaurant should be located somewhere other than Moscow. The economy there may not be able to support a second franchise." After some thought, you agree that a capital city would probably be the best setting for the new restaurant, and that it might not be best to risk a second restaurant in Moscow at this time. Mentally, you cross Moscow off the list, as well as four cities that re not national capitals. Now, six cities remain.
Translating for the official from Belarus, Alexander says, "After reviewing your menu, we think that you should note that some of your meals would be prohibited in nations where Islam is the dominant religion."
You know from the map in your briefcase that three of the six remaining choices have just been eliminated. Following this appointment, you comment to Alexander that you have eliminated all but three cities from your list. Alexander offers you his own advice: "Would it not make sense to locate your restaurant in the remaining city with the largest population?" Since one of the remaining cities does have a larger population than the other two, you tend to agree. After some careful double-checking, you make your call to company headquarters, and announce exactly where in northern Eurasia your next restaurant will be located.
31. Which of the 12 northern Eurasian cities will be the home of your company's newest restaurant: Hint: Use information form an atlas and an almanac to eliminate all but one city
...I'm about to post up my thoughts.
I'm not sure about the first hint: 55degrees North Latitude
But In the second hint, Moscow's definitely out.
And the hint about the capital city: Odessa, Ukraine is out. Almaty, Kazakhstan is out? Two more should be out but I can't figure out which ones...
Still working on the other hints
For the dominant relgion=Islam hint: I think I would eliminate Baku, Azerbaijan...Tashkent, Uzbekistan?...and one more that I haven't figured out yet.
To determine which city will be the home of your company's newest restaurant, you need to use the information provided and eliminate cities one by one based on specific criteria. Let's go through the process step by step:
1. The Russian official suggests that a city located above 55 degrees N latitude might not be a good choice since a more temperate climate could benefit your restaurant. Using an atlas, locate the cities on your list and determine their latitudes. Cross off any cities that are above 55 degrees N latitude. This eliminates cities located in Russia, such as St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Kazan, and Omsk.
2. The Georgian official makes two points - suggesting that the new restaurant should be located in a capital city and that Moscow might not be the best choice due to its economy. Cross off Moscow and any other cities on your list that are not national capitals. This eliminates Tbilisi, Georgia, leaving you with six cities: Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Minsk (Belarus), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Kiev and Odessa (Ukraine), and Baku (Azerbaijan).
3. The Belarusian official mentions that some of the meals on your menu might be prohibited in nations where Islam is the dominant religion. Using an almanac or researching the dominant religion in each remaining city, cross off any cities where Islam is the dominant religion. This eliminates Tashkent, leaving you with four cities: Minsk, Almaty, Kiev, and Odessa.
4. Your translator, Alexander, suggests that it might make sense to locate the restaurant in the remaining city with the largest population. Double-check the population of each of the four remaining cities using an almanac or online resources. Cross off any cities that do not have the largest population. This eliminates Almaty, leaving you with three cities: Minsk, Kiev, and Odessa.
Based on the elimination process, the home of your company's newest restaurant will be one of the three remaining cities: Minsk, Kiev, or Odessa. To determine the final choice, you need to compare other factors such as economic conditions, market potential, and any other criteria important to your company's expansion plan.