Examining the prospects for Gigabit Broadband: Lessons learned from Google Fiber

This study examines possible lessons learned from the deployment of residential Gigabit networks based upon the novel approach taken by the Google Fiber project started in 2010. Even though Google Fiber paused any project expansion in 2016, calling into question the viability of their business model, the approach taken by Google Fiber elicits further research interest given four major innovations that this analysis identifies in its fiber-to-the-home business model. Based on a “top-down” financial model to estimate the costs of fiber deployment, this analysis shows that these four innovations pursued by Google Fiber, and now adopted on a widespread basis by other broadband providers, lower the costs of building residential Gigabit networks, and therefore can improve the prospects for new entry of service providers of residential broadband services. With technology advances pointing to further cost reductions in the cost of Gigabit networks, this analysis elevates the need for more detailed study of ongoing changes in the cost structure of local access networks to better anticipate future prospects for broadband competition.     

Lessons learned from the national household food acquisition and purchase survey in the United States

The National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey conducted in 2012 (FoodAPS-1) was an ambitious survey of Americans’ food acquisitions sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The survey was challenging due to its goals of collecting comprehensive acquisition information and including data from extant sources to broaden the survey’s research capabilities. Some challenges were foreseen, and efforts were taken to overcome them through survey design features. Other challenges came as a surprise. This paper shares the experiences of the authors and others at USDA with survey design, survey implementation, and post-survey processing of data to ensure the availability of high-quality data to the research community. Lessons from FoodAPS-1 can inform similar future data collections both in the U.S. and abroad.     

Telework quality and employee well-being: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) forced organisations to implement intensive telework for many of their workers overnight. This scenario was completely new, and the emergency caused by COVID-19 created the possibility of experimenting with new ways of working with an unknown impact on employee well-being. Drawing on previous literature, we defined a model of telework quality consisting of the following four core domains: agile offices within organisations, functional remote workstations, flex-time and engaging management. We identified two high-quality and low-quality telework profiles using latent profile analysis on a data sample of 2295 insurance and financial sector employees. Demographic, occupational and procedural characteristics were associated with the probability of being in the positive or negative profiles. Our results showed that employees' emotional exhaustion and work engagement levels were related to telework quality. This study suggests that organisations need to consider the quality of telework to effectively adopt new ways of working that foster employee well-being.     

Regulation of international roaming in the European Union—Lessons learned

This paper analyzes the evolution of prices and competition in intra-EU international roaming markets. It addresses three main research questions: (i) to what extent have market forces by themselves brought competition to retail roaming markets? (ii) Has the evolution of market dynamics in wholesale roaming improved competition? (iii) Is wholesale regulation sufficient to lead to a reduction in retail roaming prices? Data show that there has been little price-based competition both at wholesale and retail levels, despite prices being well above costs and the significant margins allowed by regulation. Available data from the period preceding the entry into force of the first EU roaming regulation also point to the same conclusion. Lack of competitive pressure in retail roaming markets and inelastic demand give little incentives for retail roaming service providers to lower prices. Wholesale international roaming markets have complex competition dynamics. They are characterized by the reciprocity of wholesale roaming agreements and traffic internalization inside transnational groups. These circumstances limit price competition at the wholesale level. The traditional regulatory approach applied to electronic communication markets has been primarily focused on wholesale regulation. However, empirical evidence shows that even if wholesale charges are reduced, retail roaming markets continue to operate at very high retail margins (for example, more than 200% retail mark-up over wholesale charges for data roaming services and incoming calls). This proves that in international roaming markets wholesale charge reductions are not necessarily passed on to retail prices. It can thus be inferred that wholesale price regulation alone is in most cases not sufficient to ensure that benefits are passed through to end users.     

Lessons from a low-budget innovation centre

In the two years from November 1983 to September 1985, an experimental innovation centre was set up at the University of Calgary to offer services to community ventures by using the existing resources to serve those people developing new ventures in the community. A conservative estimate of $250, 000 worth of resources was leveraged out of an initial operating grant of $20, 000. Outcomes from the first year's operations included $ 1.75 million value added to 50 of 65 community businesses receiving support.
This article places the strategy used at the University of Calgary's Low Budget Innovation Centre with the context of related strategies for supporting new innovative ventures. The history of the centre is reviewed, some lessons drawn, and an operational model formulated.     

Five Modern Lessons from a 55-Year-Old Technological Forecast

The first comprehensive forecast of technological trends and social implications by the U.S. government was published by the National Resources Committee in 1937. It focused on 13 major innovations. In their article, Steven Schnaars, Swee Chia and Cesar Maloles examine the accuracy of those forecasts and draw some conclusions based on their review of that report.     

德国加油站经营状况及其对我们的启示

自上世纪70年代以来，德国的加油站总量一直处于下降趋势，从1970年的4万余座，减少到1.63万余座，加油站逐步向集团化，连锁化和多样化方向发展。德国加油站的经营形式多种多样，总的发为石油公司品牌经营和社会经营两大类。普遍以自助加油为主，赢利点逐渐向辅助服务业务转移，配送采取专业化、社会化运作方式，同时硬件设计技术含量高，基本实现了自动化管理。借鉴德国加油站的经验，今后我国在加油站建设过程中，要注意走内涵发展的道路，不应过度追求加油站的数量，要注重提升加油站的科技含量和自动化管理水平；建立、健全油品配送体系，优化配送渠道；经营方式要实现多元化；要强强联合，发挥整体优势和规模优势，实现双赢。     

2008年中国能源套期保值对冲之教训

2008年中国部分企业投资金融衍生品市场遭受的巨大损失,暴露了企业在风险管理理念、机制、市场判断以及对衍生品风险特征的了解、套期保值操作技术上的先天不足和经验缺乏。本文通过分析中国企业套期保值失利的部分原因,认为中国企业参与能源套期保值应注意几个方面:1)加强产品的定价能力;2)加强风险分析能力,把风险管理带入前台;3)明确套期保值的目的;4)加强风险对冲技术能力;5)建立科学合理的企业对冲基准;6)培养和引进风险管理专业人才。建议中国发展自己的原油成品油交易市场,开发相应的风险管理产品,把风险管理的理念提高到一个新层次。     

Measuring Group Work; Findings and Lessons from a European Survey

Data from the EPOC-mail survey among managers in 10 European countries are used to fill the gap in our knowledge about the incidence of group work. Two variables were used to demarcate 'group-based' establishments. An attempt is made to compare the European data with American findings.     

Developments in explosion protection

Current state of testing and research programs regarding present developments relating to deflagrations of gases and dusts.     

The strategic management process at the public planning unit level

This paper describes a normative strategic management process for the public sector. It focuses on the state agency or department as the strategic public planning unit (SPPU). Each department within a state Government provides a distinctly different service to a more or less homogeneous segment of the state's citizenry. Therefore, for strategic management purposes, each state unit operates in its unique context and must meet the demands of varied constituency publics if it is to be a viable and effective provider of its service. The process herein described recognizes the unique aspects of public sector strategic management and integrates several stages that are specific to the public sector into an established private sector strategic management framework.     

Lessons from the deregulation transition in Chile's local telephony market

There is no experience in the world where entry to local telephony has been as significant as in Chile. This paper addresses two related questions: (i) whether the local telephony segment in Chile is competitive enough so as to deregulate rates and (ii) whether competition thus far achieved could be at risk in the case where asymmetric regulation is ended. The paper suggests that the market is competitive enough, that the regulation mechanism is extremely costly, and that subsidizing entry in order to have infrastructure competition is not necessary. It concludes that deregulation of consumer's rates would be in their own consumers’ interest.     

Transparency regulation in broadband markets: Lessons from experimental research

This article presents a research project in experimental law and economics about transparency regulation in markets for experience goods, with implications for the implementation of transparency requirements in broadband markets. European and American regulators have introduced transparency policies in the broadband sector, although their effects on market actors are not fully understood. The experiment evaluates the effects of increased transparency on various market outcomes. Four scenarios are compared in which end-users have different amounts of information about quality. Findings of this research suggest that (1) more information about quality leads to higher total surplus and higher consumer surplus; (2) quality provided by firms increases with the level of transparency; and (3) quality and efficiency are marginally higher when full information about quality is only available to some consumers, than when all consumers have imperfect information about quality. To these findings a number of conclusions are attached relevant for broadband policy.     

The language component in technological capability: Lessons from architecture

The paper argues that the ability to use language, particularly spoken language, is central to technological capability. An understanding of its role depends on acknowledging design and technology as work with symbols, and is assisted by seeing the product of design as a virtual artefact. Language is one of the symbol systems used to construct and communicate this artefact. It articulates aspects of the design that cannot be represented graphically, as well as accommodating the interpersonal dimension of the process. Implications for the curriculum are briefly suggested. The argument is supported by evidence from recordings and observations of a problem-solving episode which occurred in a Canadian architects' practice over a few days in the construction phase of a project.