Bureaucrats and Babies: Government Regulation of the Supply of Genetic Material*

One might object to the sale of genetic material on the ground that it constitutes a trade in human beings. We argue that such exchange does not constitute a morally significant departure from current practice concerning the sale of other bodily property. Some utilitarians have argued that there is no justification for suppliers of genetic material receiving the competitive market-clearing price for their product. They maintain that utilitarian objectives would be better advanced by distributing genetic material through a government board. We contend that competitive market exchange of genetic material is preferable both because it does more to further individual liberty and because it is more efficient.     

Questions About the Initiative of the European Commission Concerning the Awarding and Compulsory Competitive Tendering of Public Service Concessions

The ruling of the European Commission is that the award of contracts by regional or local authorities for the provision of services of general economic interest must be done by way of competitive tendering. Such contracts must not be awarded to the authority's own public enterprises or to any other enterprise, including by means of unilateral State act, without a call for tenders, a practice that had previously been common in many Member States. Public service concessions are also subject to the competition rules of the EC Treaty. Should the European Commission enact a directive concerning compulsory competitive tendering, this would result, for several Member States, in a serious change of paradigm as regards the awarding of public service concessions. Against this background, this article will attempt to find answers to the following questions: —How is the present relationship of the regional or local authority with its own public enterprise to be considered? —Are there any limits to applying the rules on competition of the EC Treaty to public service concessions? —What kind of positive and negative effects concerning economic efficiency and supply of specific public services result from the awarding of public service concessions and from compulsory competitive tendering? —What kind of, and what amount of, transaction costs result from compulsory competitive tendering and from the awarding of concessions? —Does competitive tendering work properly, and are public tenderers given equal opportunities? —Are there any alternatives to compulsory competitive tendering that would achieve an efficient market performance and provide sufficient supply?     

企业技术创新过程模型研究——基于供应商和用户共同参与的模式

创新是一个民族的素质体现,也是企业发展不变的主题.随着科学技术日益复杂化,技术创新在企业中的重要作用也日益凸显.时于企业来说,技术创新是帮助其在激烈竞争中保持优势的基础,只有进行技术创新,提升自身竞争力,才能让新技术及新产品赶上市场需求潮流,让企业在竞争中立于不败之地.企业创新过程能够为企业的创新指明一条道路,但是现如今企业不能仅仅依靠企业自身采进行创新,而应该借助各方面的力量,让用户和供应商一起参与到技术创新过程中来.有研究表明,供应商和用户参与到新产品开发过程中,能为企业提高新产品开发效率提供有效帮助.但是用户和供应商参与到创新中,技术创新过程又会是怎样一种情况?本文将从这个角度出发,在分别修正已有的供应商和用户单独参与汽车企业技术创新过程模型的基础上,模拟归纳出二者共同参与的技术创新过程模型,为企业新形势下的创新提供帮助.     

Jointness in production and farmers' willingness to supply non-marketed ecosystem services

This paper highlights how farmers' willingness to supply non-marketed ecosystem services (ES) is influenced by whether or not the non-marketed ES are produced jointly with agricultural products. When marketed products and non-marketed ES share some production inputs the production relationships between the two may be complementary, competitive or substitutive. Using a cost minimization framework, it is shown how complementary relationships lead to costless voluntary provision of non-marketed ES (typically the case for ES that are supportive of provisioning ES for marketed farm products). It is also shown how competitive production relationships lead to provision of non-marketed ES at lower cost than when non-marketed ES are direct substitutes for farm products or are produced outside of agriculture. The paper closes by showing how the minimum willingness to accept (WTA) payment for ES that are complementary/competitive is less than or equal to the minimum WTA for the same ES produced in substitute or independent production relationships.     

COMPETITION POLICY FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A LONG-RUN, ENTRY-BASED APPROACH

This paper describes key aspects of a long-run, entry-based approach to the design of competition policy for developing countries. A competition policy with the sole purpose of mitigating governmental, natural, and artificial barriers to entry best serves the goals of promoting the competitive process and fostering democracy. Freedom of entry is the sine qua non of the competitive process. Freedom of entry promotes the development of efficient, innovative firms capable of competing in international markets and ensures that market reforms will enhance social welfare.     

Moderating effect of personal innovativeness on mobile-RFID services: Based on Warshaw's purchase intention model

As telecommunication market becomes more competitive and the customers' expectations regarding services or products increases, understanding customer or market needs is at the center of successful telecommunication business.In this study, we attempt to explore the intention of using mobile services based on the Warshaw's purchase intention model. We also focus on a personal innovativeness in the domain of IT (PIIT) because we assumed that as characteristics of telecommunication services become increasingly sophisticated, personal innovativeness could be a key factor of telecommunication services usage. In this study, we examine whether PIIT has the moderating effect on purchasing mobile-RFID services.The result shows that both purchasability and perceived need collectively explain purchase intention of mobile-RFID services, as well as PIIT serves to moderate the relationship between perceived need and purchase intention of mobile-RFID services. The study findings also indicate that IT knowledge, responsiveness to IT news and ability to use mobile phone of customers are positively related with PIIT.     

Subsidizing (and taxing) business procurement

This paper studies the effect of a subsidy (or tax) on a market where a downstream manufacturer uses a competitive tender to procure inputs from upstream suppliers. Subsidizing input production can result in input price decreases that are greater than the effective decrease in marginal costs. That is, overshifting occurs. When the size of the subsidy is not too large, the downstream firm can enjoy an increase in profits greater than the government expenditure on the subsidy. A relatively weak sufficient condition for these results to hold is that suppliers earn a positive profit margin on the marginal unit sold, before taking into account any subsidy payment. Stronger sufficient conditions, tailored to each result, are provided.     

复杂产品研发网络逆向国际化能否激发企业创新行为

研发国际化背景下，我国复杂产品供应商被锁定在以发达国家为主导的全球价值链和研发体系中低端，从而限制了国内企业创新行为。基于逆向国际化理论、知识获取理论和创新行为理论，研究国内复杂产品研发网络逆向国际化程度对复杂产品供应商创新行为的作用机理。基于182家复杂产品供应商的有效样本数据，对提出的假设进行验证，结果表明：复杂产品研发网络逆向国际化程度与企业创新行为呈显著正相关关系，知识获取能力在上述关系间起中介作用。     

Public Procurement at the Local Level in Austria: The Economic Consequences of Compulsory Competitive Tendering for Public Services

This paper looks at possible problems concerning the economic effects of the introduction of an compulsory competitive tendering for general economic interest services at the local level. It examines the framework in Austria and some fundamental problems of competitive tendering. An obligation binding local authorities to put general economic interest services up for competitive tender, as currently intended by the European Commission (i.e. service concessions), would have considerable medium- and long-term effects on both the process of municipal service provision and the economic position of municipal (public) enterprises. The paper concludes that, from an economic point of view, procurement through competitive tendering does not appear to be effective or tenable for all general economic interest services in (all) different areas. The introduction of compulsory competitive tendering for service concessions in all areas of public services is therefore something best forgotten.     

Competition and the price of municipal cable television services: An empirical study

This paper investigates the effect of competition in the provision of cable television services on social welfare. We develop a simple theoretical model that suggests that competition will be welfare enhancing so long as it results in lower market prices. We empirically test for the presence of this condition by estimating a five equation system: First, the local franchising authority is viewed as self-selecting into a competitive or non-competitive environment in order to maximize its rents. Given this selection, the remaining four equations specify basic service and pay service penetration rate and price equations. Following Mayo and Otsuka (1991), the resulting system is estimated by two-stage least squares. We find that competition among suppliers lowers average basic cable rates by about $3.85 and the typical pay service rate by about $1.10, certis paribus. Mutatis mutandis estimates of these effects imply that monopoly franchising of cable service results in roughly $3.6 billion per year national welfare loss.     

The German Charitable Welfare System: A Criticism from the Viewpoint of Ordnungspolitik

Charitable social welfare care constitutes the market-leader in the provision of social services. Neocorporatist structures have resulted in the latter's exceptional situation. They are characterized by a preferential position in certain circumstances compared to commercial suppliers, cartel agreements which enjoy partial legal legitimacy, financial dependence on the state, as well as a say in social policy planning. Criticism from the viewpoint of Ordnungspolitik maintains a failure of internal and external controls, and above all of competitive structures. Possible starting points for a reform may be founded on the guarantee of equal opportunities and of non-discrimination against commercial suppliers. The governmental monopsonistic power should be removed by a decentralization of bargaining. In addition to this, the position of those having a right to such services needs to be strengthened by greater individual assistance combined with monetary allocations.     

中国光伏产业竞争性分析

石油资源的日益稀缺催生了新能源市场的不断发展,光伏产业未来有较大的发展空间,但是由于日趋激烈的产业内部竞争、较强的供应商和用户的讨价还价能力以及来自替代品和新进入者的威胁等原因,以光伏电池和组件为主体的光伏产业竞争激烈,获利能力较低,未来产业的健康发展需要政策的进一步引导。     

The framework for factors affecting technology transfer for suppliers and buyers of technology in Korea

To gain an ongoing competitive advantage over other firms, a firm must acquire new technology to differentiate itself from others. This paper explores the technology transfer of technology for information technology equipment and establishes a comprehensive framework for the factors which affect on-time completion of technology transfer for suppliers and buyers according to technology transfer agreements. The technology transfer process is divided into the categorical stages that take place. Then, experts’ opinions are analysed through analytic hierarchy process to determine the influential factors affecting on-time completion of technology transfer. The results of this study should provide a basis for firms to evaluate on-time completion of technology transfer and a reference for the technology transfer process for both suppliers and buyers.     

An integrated multi-objective model for allocating the limited sources in a multiple multi-stage lean supply chain

In this paper, a multiple objective programming model has been presented as a supply chain with the general purpose of adopting an integrated approach such that with making optimal decisions about the optimum allocation of limited sources in the supply chain, selection of the suppliers, production, distribution and supply programming yields, the least cost and the most income and finally maximizes the profit of the chain. The proposed model attempts to regard the integration condition very well with consideration of factors such as the conditions for suppliers, producers, and distributors as well as free relations of producers with each other in the direction of providing products through a process or even the products from each other. The presented model, for more adaptation to reality, is flexible against the dynamism of the demand, and it considers the effect of economic factors on decisions such as inflation. A numerical example is then given to show the applicability of the proposed model. This model covers the operational dimension of the chain very well with appropriate programming for production and controlling the inventories.     

Entry restrictions and the determination of quality

Entry restrictions are a common form of regulation in markets and occupations, either as a means of limiting the size of a market or affecting the quality of products or services provided by it. This paper analyzes demand, cost and informational characteristics that affect the impact of this type of policies on the quality mix of products provided by an industry and the welfare of its consumers. Selective increases in the costs of entry such as licensing requirements and direct restrictions with competitive bidding for entry rights are considered. We analyze the effects of these policies on entry decisions and also the additional selection effects that are obtained when exit is allowed for and the rights to participate in an industry can be freely traded.     

Business models for material efficiency services: Conceptualization and application

Despite the abundant research on material flows and the growing recognition of the need to dematerialize the economy, business enterprises are still not making the best possible use of the many opportunities for material efficiency improvements. This article proposes one possible solution: material efficiency services provided by outside suppliers. It also introduces a conceptual framework for the analysis of different business models for eco-efficient services and applies the framework to material efficiency services. Four business models are outlined and their feasibility is studied from an empirical vantage point. In contrast to much of the previous research, special emphasis is laid on the financial aspects. It appears that the most promising business models are ‘material efficiency as additional service’ and ‘material flow management service’. Depending on the business model, prominent material efficiency service providers differ from large companies that offer multiple products and/or services to smaller, specialized providers. Potential clients (users) typically lack the resources (expertise, management's time or initial funds) to conduct material efficiency improvements themselves. Customers are more likely to use material efficiency services that relate to support materials or side-streams rather than those that are at the core of production. Potential client organizations with a strategy of outsourcing support activities and with experience of outsourcing are more keen to use material efficiency services.     

极限管理模式研究

战略专家们极力推崇“与众不同”和“持续的创新能力”以获得竞争优势,而事实上除了某些产业中的领导者,大多数企业难以做到。而且,提供标准化产品或服务的企业也难以通过差异化形成显著的竞争优势。因此,对于大多数企业来说,在既定的技术装备水平下,在企业价值链的关键环节和多个环节上不断趋于产业、或者同一战略集团的最好水平,是一个基本的生存法则和发展路径。从总结成功企业的实践经验和理论分析两个方面,提出了一种新的企业管理模式--极限管理模式,并把它作为一种基本的竞争战略。     

Retailer power: recent developments and policy implications

It is common, but incorrect, to view retailing as a highly competitive activity. Unlike manufacturing, retailing has displayed a trend towards much higher concentration, reinforced by actions of retailers themselves, such as emphasis on own-label brands. This may introduce distortions arising from exercise of market power or may create countervailing power to that already enjoyed by manufacturers. Acknowledging increased market power within retailing raises new issues for competition authorities. We develop a consistent framework of analysis and use it to examine two issues: attitudes to retail mergers and exclusivity arrangements between retailers and their suppliers.     

The impact of regulation and competition on the adoption of fiber-based broadband services: recent evidence from the European union member states

Fiber deployment of next-generation high-speed broadband networks is considered to be a decisive development for any information-based society, yet investment activities and especially the adoption of fiber-based broadband services take place only very gradually in most countries. This work employs static and dynamic model specifications and identifies the most important determinants of the adoption of fiber-based broadband services with recent panel data from the European Union member states for the years from 2004 to 2012. The results show that the more effective previous broadband access regulation is, the more negative the impact on adoption, while competitive pressure from mobile networks affects adoption in a non-linear manner. Finally, we also find evidence for substantial network effects underlying the adoption process.     

Price competition in markets with customer testing: the captive customer effect

We introduce product differentiation into the analysis of price competition in markets where suppliers test customers in order to assess whether they will pay for received goods or services. We find that, if the degree of differentiation is sufficiently high, suppliers may improve the average probability that their clientele will pay by charging higher prices. This helps suppliers to sustain high prices in equilibrium. Moreover, endogenizing locations in product space, we demonstrate that the high price level can be implemented in a pure-strategy subgame-perfect equilibrium with a high degree of differentiation. This is in contrast to the original Hotelling model with linear travel costs where a pure-strategy subgame-perfect equilibrium fails to exist.