The telecoms boom and bust 1996-2003 and the role of financial markets

Financial crises are still as much a part of the modern, information-and-communication-technology-based (ICT) economy as they were of previous economies. Why are we apparently unable to learn lessons from the past and avoid what Charles Kindleberger (2000) has called manias, panics and crashes? Why is it that our sophisticated stock of information, made readily and relatively cheaply available to us by our investment in ICTs, and our abundant theories and models, have not allowed us to steer clear of these financial excesses? The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the processes and mechanisms that have played a significant role in causing the Telecoms Boom and Bust, 1996-2003. The question of whether anything can be done about these processes and mechanisms in order to try and modify such financial excesses in the future is taken up in the conclusion.JEL Classification: A12, D8, E3, G1, L63, L96, N2, O30The author would like to acknowledge, without implicating, the helpful discussion with Richard Burns, Fred Bleakley and others who commented on an earlier version of this paper at Institutional Investors European Institute meeting in Berlin in March 2003, and with Stan Metcalfe on other occasions. In addition, thanks are due to many friends in NTT and InfoCom who assisted my learning about the Telecoms Industry and its dynamics.     

Cognitive Theory and Moral Behavior: The Contribution of F. A. Hayek to Business Ethics

This paper shows how business ethics as a concept may be approached from a cognitive viewpoint. Following F. A. Hayek's cognitive theory, I argue that moral behavior evolves and changes because of individual perception and action. Individual moral behavior becomes a moral rule when prominently displayed by members of a certain society in a specific situation. A set of moral rules eventually forms the ethical code of a society, of which business ethics codes are only a part. By focusing on the concept of "limited" or "dispersed knowledge" that underlies the cognitive approach, I show that universal ethical norms that should lead to defined outcomes cannot exist. This approach moreover shows the limits of deliberate rule-setting. Attempts to deliberately impose universal ethical rules on societies may turn out to be harmful for societal development and lead to an abuse of governmental power.     

A Theory of Menu Federalism: Decentralization by Political Agreement

This paper analyzes agreements between governments that determine the division of policy-making power between central and regional governments. Our analysis demonstrates that initial circumstances and political risks affect the degree of centralization that will be adopted, and that asymmetric forms of federalism are often consequences of ongoing negotiations between regional and central governments over the assignment of policy-making authority. We analyze three settings where gains from constitutional exchange may exist: (i) the under-centralized state, (ii) the over-centralized state, and (iii) the constitutional convention. In each case, an asymmetric form of federalism is the predicted outcome, although the degree of asymmetry differs according to starting point. Modern and historical examples are used to illustrate the relevance of our analysis.     

基于技术形成机理的自主创新决策模型研究

技术的形成是企业在特定时期将最新的创新思想和前沿知识相结合,并实现产业化的过程,它受到企业内部和外部多种因素的影响和制约。根据技术的形成机理,技术自主创新包括知识技术化、技术产品化和产品市场化等三个决策维度,并在每个决策维度运用相应的寻优原则进行评价与选择,形成了知识技术化决策模式、技术产品化决策模式和产品市场化决策模式,从而构建基于技术形成机理的企业技术自主创新的决策模型。     

Concerning trust and information

Communication and the associated information exchanges are key drivers of the development of relationships and of the trust embedded within them. This paper considers the development of business relationships in terms of the continuing co-evolution of trust and information exchange and the issues associated with researching these processes. The interconnections of trust and information exchange are examined in a survey of business relationships involving information exchange (n = 355). Analysis of variance shows few, if any, of the aspects of the standard conceptualizations of information exchange are associated with increased levels of trust. It is information exchange norms that have the greatest (positive) association with the level of trust. These norms emerge as part of the long term co-production of the relationship itself. This has important managerial implications. We conclude there are few managerial actions involving managing communication that can “manufacture” trust and improve or develop relationships in the short term. The paper concludes with a discussion of alternative ways of envisaging communication and relationship management and the nature and future of research into the evolution of business relationships.     

中国金融业资产的规模与效率

通过在金融资产结构与经济增长模型中引入能够综合反映制度变迁的制度变量,证明国家制度变迁对一国金融资产结构与经济增长会起到促进或制约的作用.当制度供给与金融资产结构和经济增长对制度的需求达到均衡时,国家制度安排会优化金融资产结构、促进经济增长,否则便会出现规模与效率的"反比"现象,从而回答了我国金融资产规模与效率之间为什么出现悖论的问题.我国应积极发展非银行金融机构,实现金融体系多元化,对内开放,满足我国经济对多层次、多样化金融的需求,完善金融市场准入制度,优化市场参与主体结构,促进股票市场和银行协调发展.     

Evolution of the international air transportation country network from 2002 to 2013

In this research, we analyze the evolution of the international air transportation country network from 2002 to 2013 with two perspectives: The network’s physical topology and the functional network with traffic information. Our analysis shows that the network is scale-free and has the small-world property. The evolution of triadic properties suggests that the network gears towards symmetric, transitive closure. We find that United States, Great Britain, and France are critical from both perspectives; Surprisingly, South Africa is particularly critical from topological point of view. Furthermore, topological and functional criticality are highly correlated to the GDP of a country.     

What causes K-waves?

This commentary on the Devezas-Corredine paper raises three questions: how do we think and how do we need to think about K-waves, what causes K-waves in the Devezas-Corredine model, and in what sense do social and biological factors add to a better understanding of large-scale structural changes in the world economy.     

基于IPEA方程思想的江苏省节能潜力分析

基于IPEA方程思想,对江苏省能源消耗进行了历史回顾,预测了2010年、2015年和2020年的江苏省能源消耗总量;通过产业结构演进—能源消费和产业结构演进—单位GDP能耗两个模型,分析了1985年以来江苏省产业结构演进与能源消费和单位GDP能耗的关系,结果显示,产业结构演进与一次能源消费总量和单位GDP能耗之间存在着密切的关系,通过IPEA方程分析和预测可知,在按GDP年递增率0.10的情况下,如果单位GDP能耗递减率低于0.0909,能源消耗量会增加。在今后的发展中,江苏省应继续通过一系列产业结构调整和优化措施,降低能源消耗。     

复杂变革环境下动态能力的内涵演进分析

在今天变动频繁和资源紧缺的商业环境下,组织为了获取竞争优势和满足消费需要,必须有能力对自己所拥有的可用资源进行重新分配.动态能力是指为了适应外部快速变化的环境而用于融合、建立和重整企业内外资质的能力.复杂变革环境使动态能力的重要性得到特别强调,其不稳定性的提高使动态能力的内涵呈现出新特色.经验数据表明,不同变革程度的外部环境下,动态能力将表现出不同的特点和内涵.因此,结合复杂环境的特点,探讨该环境下动态能力所呈现的新内涵,将有助于构建动态能力的系统结构体系,掌握动态能力通过融合组织功能资质来增强企业竞争优势的作用机制.