Architectural Redesign, Interpersonal Communication, and Learning in R&D

An effective R&D organization needs information from a complex web of sources, including customers, suppliers, sales and marketing, and company management. Within the R&D organization, information must flow into and among numerous teams. This network of interpersonal communications can go a long way toward determining the success of a company's innovation efforts. In an exploratory study of a Belgian company operating in the telecommunications industry, Rudy K. Moenaert and Filip Caeldries examine the effects of interpersonal communication on market and technological learning in R&D. Trying to improve the flow of information into and within its R&D organization, this company designed its new R&D facility with an eye toward improving both market and technological learning throughout the organization. By locating R&D personnel in closer proximity to one another, management hoped to provide them with improved access to market and technological information, and thus increase their innovativeness. Contrary to expectations, placing R&D professionals in closer proximity to one another did not increase technological learning in this organization. In fact, technological learning actually decreased slightly during the period studied, though the change is not statistically significant. On the other hand, market learning and product innovativeness improved significantly during the period studied. For an R&D professional in this company, members of other R&D teams seem to be more important as sources of market information than as sources of technological information. Surprisingly, the relocation of R&D personnel also did not increase the amount of communication that takes place, either within a project team, between members of different teams, or between R&D professionals and the management steering committee. However, the architectural redesign does appear to have improved the quality of communication. R&D team leaders report that since the relocation, the information flowing into R&D has been more customer focused. This is attributed to the company's ongoing efforts to provide the tools and structures necessary for supporting the objectives of the architectural redesign. For example, implementation of quality function deployment (QFD) has helped innovation team members to focus more clearly on relevant information. The success of the architectural design required approaching this effort as a complex, ongoing process, rather than a quick-fix solution.     

Customer Profitability Analysis Reports for Resource Allocation: The Role of Complex Marketing Environments

Most decision making research in management accounting remains focused on cost information in a production context. Little is known on the relevance of customer profifitability analysis (CuPA) reports, which more accurately reflect revenue and marketing support variations acrosscustomers, for marketing decisions. This study uses an experimental design to examine the impact of such reports on resource allocation decisions (that affect the firm's profits) in marketing environments varying in complexity. The main result of the experiment suggests that the value of CuPA reports depends on the complexity of the marketing setting. Only in a highly complex marketing setting do they enhance resource allocation decisions and resultant firm profitability. Conversely, in the simple marketing environment, decision makers can combine their traditional volume-based cost data with other available types of feedback to perform as well as under a more accurate CuPA report. These findings on complexity contrast with those of a prior study in a production context ( Gupta and King, 1997 ). It is argued that improvements in the current research design, in the form of regularly updated profitability reports and concerning accuracy, increase the relevance of CuPA reports in a complex marketing setting.     

A Termination Rule for Pension Guarantee Funds

A termination rule based on a critical funding ratio is proposed for a pension guarantee fund (PGF) that considers closing an underfunded pension plan. This ratio is determined by solving an expected utility maximization problem on behalf of plan beneficiaries subject to two constraints designed to preserve the PGF's viability. The first is an upper bound on the PGF's annual intervention probability; the second, a restriction on the expected shortfall of an underfunded pension plan that is not closed. Both too low and too high critical funding ratios hurt beneficiaries’ interests, depending on their degree of risk aversion.     

Exploring business process modelling paradigms and design-time to run-time transitions

The business process management literature describes a multitude of approaches (e.g. imperative, declarative or event-driven) that each result in a different mix of process flexibility, compliance, effectiveness and efficiency. Although the use of a single approach over the process lifecycle is often assumed, transitions between approaches at different phases in the process lifecycle may also be considered. This article explores several business process strategies by analysing the approaches at different phases in the process lifecycle as well as the various transitions.     

Trading horizons and the value of money

This paper shows that fiat money can be feasible and essential even if the trading horizon is finite and deterministic. The result hinges on two features of our model. First, individual actions can affect the future availability of productive resources. So, agents may be willing to sell for money, even if on that date they have no reason to accept it. This makes monetary trade feasible in all preceding dates. Second, agents are anonymous and direct their search for partners. So, gift-giving arrangements may be prevented because agents can misrepresent their consumption needs. This makes money essential in exploiting any gains from specialization and trade.     

Reciprocity,Multiplexity, and Exchange: Measures

We introduce measures and statistical tests for multiplexity and exchange that are modeled on similar ideas developed for reciprocity quite early in the history of social network research. As properties of a multi-relation network, multiplexity, and exchange have almost as ancient a history as reciprocity, but have not been as intensively investigated from a methodological perspective. Multiplexity refers to the extent to which two ties, for example, advice and friendship, coincide over population; that is, do respondents name the same people as friends as the persons they nominate as individuals from who they seek advice. Exchange refers to the extent to which a tie of one type directed from person i to person j is returned by a tie of another type from j to i. We conceive of the current paper as the first part of a two-part paper, wherein the second part explores specific theoretical models for multiplexity and exchange.     

Efficiency,predictability and news on the foreign exchange markets: Floating exchange rates versus adjustable E.M.S. rates

Zusammenfassung Effizienz, Vorhersehbarkeit und neue Informationen auf den Devisenm?rkten: Floatende Wechselkurse versus anpassungsf?hige EWS-Kurse. - In diesem Aufsatz wird untersucht, ob die Kurse auf dem Brüsseler Devisenmarkt effizient und unverzerrt zustande kommen und wie sich neue Informationen auf die Bildung der Wechselkurse auswirken. Betrachtet werden die Wechselkurse zwischen D-Mark und Belgischem Franken sowie zwischen US-Dollar und Belgischem Franken in der Zeit von Januar 1979 bis Juli 1983. D-Mark und Belgischer Franken sind durch das Europ?ische W?hrungssystem (EWS) verbunden, w?hrend der Dollar-Franken Kurs ein typisches Beispiel für einen frei floatenden Wechselkurs ist. Dieser Unterschied sowie die weitere Unterscheidung auf dem Brüsseler Devisenmarkt zwischen dem offiziellen Markt für Handelstransaktionen und dem freien Markt für Kapitaltransaktionen erm?glichen einen ausführlichen Vergleich zwischen alternativen W?hrungen und Wechselkurssystemen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daΒ auch auf kleineren und st?rker verzerrten Devisenm?rkten (wie dem Brüsseler) die Marktteilnehmer zukünftige Kassakurse genau vorhersagen und neue Informationen effizient verwerten. Es l?Βt sich allerdings nicht feststellen, daΒ das EWS die Effizienz und Vorhersehbarkeit auf dem Devisenmarkt erheblich verbessert. Neue Informationen spiegeln sich in unerwarteten Ver?nderungen der Zinsdifferenz wider. Den Ergebnissen zufolge führt eine Erh?hung dieser Differenz zu einem Anstieg der Kassakurse; auΒerdem kommen solche unerwarteten Schocks bei floatenden Wechselkursen h?ufiger vor als im EWS.

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Résumé Efficacité, prévisibilité et informations nouvelles aux marchés de change: Taux de change flottants versus taux SME ajustables. - Dans cet article l’auteur analyse si le marché de change de Bruxelles forme les cours de change d’une maniére efficace et quelles sont les conséquences des informations nouvelles sur la formation du taux de change. Les taux de change entre la Deutschmark (DM) et les Francs Belges (BF) et entre le $ et les BF sont considérés pour la période Janvier 1979 - Juillet 1983. La DM et les BF sont liés étroitement par le Systéme Monétaire Européen (SME), pendant que la relation $/BF est l’exemple typique d’un taux de change complétement flottant. Cela et la distinction entre marché officiel pour les transactions commerciales et marché libre pour des transactions des capitaux rendent possible une comparaison extensive entre des monnaies alternatives et des systémes différents de taux de change. Les résultats démontrent que les agents économiques prédisent précisément des taux au comptant futurs et absorbent des informations nouvelles d’une maniére efficace même dans les marchés de change plus petits et plus déformés (comme celui de Bruxelles). Mais cependant, il ne se trouve aucune évidence que le SME significativement améliore l’efficacité et la prévisibilité du marché de change. Les informations nouvelles sont reflétées en changements imprévus des différences entre les taux d’intérêt. Les résultats indiquent qu’une augmentation de cette différence cause une augmentation du taux au comptant et que ces chocs imprévus se passent plus souvent dans un systéme de taux de change flottant que dans le SME.

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Resumen Eficiencia, predictabilidad y noticias en los mercados de cambios: tipos de cambio flotantes versus tipos del cambio ajustables del Sistema Monetario Europeo. - En este trabajo estudiamos la eficiencia y el sesgo del mercado de cambios de Bruselas e investigamos el impacto de las noticias sobre la determinaci?n del tipo de cambio. Dos tipos de cambio, el del Marco alemán (DM) / Franco belga (BF) y el del US $ / BF, son observados entre enero de 1979 y julio de 1983. EL DM y el BF están vinculados através del Sistema Monetario Europeo (SME), mientras que el tipo de cambio US $ / BF constituye un tipico ejemplo de un cambio flotante. Estas caracteris icas, además de la dife enciación entre el mercado oficial para transacciones comerciales y el libre para transacciones financieras, permiten una comparaci?n entre distintos sistemas de mercado de cambios. Nuestros resultados demuestran que también en los mercados más pequenos y distorsionados, como el de Bruselas, los agentes econ?micos predicen los tipos de cambio spot futuros con precision y absorben nuevas informaciones eficientemente. En cambio no encontramos evidencia alguna que demuestre que el SME contribuye significativamente a mejorar la eficiencia y la predictabilidad del mercado de cambios. Las noticias se reflejan en variaciones inesperadas en la diferencia entre las tasas de interés. Nuestros resultados indican que un aumento de esta diferencia se traduce en un aumento del tipo de cambio spot, y que tales shocks inesperados ocurren más a menudo en un sistema de cambios flotantes que en uno de cambios ajustables como el SME.

     

Social protection and regional convergence in a European Monetary Union

This paper addresses convergence in social protection and GDP in a European Economic and Monetary Union. We evaluate the impact of recently proposed EC social minimum requirements on regional convergence within the EC. Subsequently, we analyze a system of differentiated social norms as a means of raising social protection in countries with lower social standards.     

The Effect of E-Business on Corporate Performance: Firm Level Evidence for Belgium

E-business offers buyers and sellers a new form of communication and provides an opportunity to create new marketplaces. In general it is suggested that the development of e-business results in higher firm productivity and efficiency as a result of lower search and transaction costs. However, there are a number of recent studies, which demonstrate that firms engaging in e-commerce need not perform better compared to more traditional enterprises. To date, there is little empirical evidence on the impact of information technology on corporate performance. This paper is the first that uses a large representative data set of Belgian firms to study empirically the impact of e-business on productivity and cost efficiency of firms. Our main conclusions can be summarised as follows: (1) The penetration of the Internet in Belgian firms is high; however, the use of e-business is still limited. (2) It is especially the large firms that engage in e-business and mostly in e-procurement. (3) E-business has no effect on total factor productivity in small firms; however, we find positive effects on performance of e-business in large firms.