INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ITS SPATIAL IMPACT ON SINGAPORE

An efficient infrastructural support has been a key component to attract international investment supporting the export-oriented growth strategy of Singapore in the last thirty years. The current emphasis on information technology reflects not only a deepening process but also the necessity to enhance the productivity, hence the competitive edge of Singapore in the global market economy. Various computerization programs, including those for the civil service, have been implemented with success. It is expected, however, that the spatial impact contributed by the intensive use of information technology would be considerable. In light of recent rising asset inflation and operating costs, it is likely that the labor force could be driven more swiftly towards the services, leading to a premature deindustrialization, unless measures undertaken to counter the process are effective.     

The slowdown in the timing of housing purchases in Japan in the 1990s

Housing prices are high in Japan, resulting in high mortgage payments. Since monthly mortgage payments cannot exceed 25% of current income, households tend to accumulate downpayments in the range of 30–45% of house value. This not only defers their entry into homeownership, but also has significant influence on the type of house eventually purchased. The objective of this study is to understand the changing access to ownership during the 1990s, with emphasis on wealth positions based on savings out of income, private transfers and bequests, and support from parents or other relatives. The source of data is the Ministry of Infrastructure, Land and Transportation survey on household home finance conducted from 1992 to 2000. The methodology employed is duration analysis, with special emphasis on the treatment of liquid asset covariates.     

Reallocation and productivity growth in Japan: revisiting the lost decade of the 1990s

Hayashi and Prescott (Rev Econ Dyn 5(1):206–235, 2002) argue that the ‘lost decade’ of the 1990s in Japan is explained by the slowdown in exogenous TFP growth rates. At the same time, other research suggests that Japanese banks’ support for inefficient firms prolonged recessions by reducing productivity through misallocation of resources. Using the data on large manufacturing firms between 1969 and 1996, the paper attempts to disentangle the factors behind the slowdown in productivity growth during the 1990s. The main results show that there was a significant drop in within-firm productivity, the component that is not affected by reallocation of input and output shares across firms over time, during the 1990s. Although we find that misallocation among large continuing firms represents a substantial drag to overall TFP growth for these firms throughout the sample period, the negative impact of misallocation was least visible during the 1990s. The significant reduction in within-firm productivity growth suggests that, as the Japanese economy has matured, a policy which fosters technological innovations via greater competition, R&D, and fast technological adoption may have become increasingly important in promoting economic growth.

The 1990s: prescription for success

MCH materiel management has successfully utilized an information system to achieve the objectives of the past decade, and it is now well into accomplishing the objectives of the 1990s. Those objectives revolved around revenue enhancement, which will occur through further integration of the information system throughout the institution. Currently the information system links accounts payable, general ledger, budgeting, and, to a lesser degree, nursing and the ancillaries. However, the plan is to enhance its integration to all departments in order to control and track not only official inventory but all patient chargeable items. This system will be able to ensure that all patient chargeable items are infact billed. One should consider, for example, the revenue effect in the surgery department, considering the dollar volume of noninventory purchases. Thus it becomes apparent that for materiel management in the 1990s there are many opportunities and challenges. Management must be able to utilize the resources available to find success and excel toward achievement of future goals.     

The Regulatory Crisis of the 1990s: Some Solutions

Much of the regulatory crisis arises from over-zealous enforcement. Most methods of countering it are unsatisfactory and expensive. Self-inspection, as under the 'Hoists and Lifts' model, would be much cheaper and more effective.     

The Reassertion of Economics: 1990s Gentrification in the Lower East Side

This article utilizes property tax arrears data to trace the contraction of gentrification at the end of the 1980s and its resurgence in the 1990s in New York City’s Lower East Side. Contrary to the claims made during the recession about the end of gentrification, this article provides an important historical record of the resurgence of gentrification in the 1990s. The paper also argues that this new ‘third round’ gentrification has to be seen as a dramatic reassertion of economics in the central urban land market. That this shift is also expressed within the popular cultural discourses accompanying the process reveals an altered relationship between economics and culture in fin de siècle gentrification. Cet article utilise les données sur les arriérés des impôts sur la propriété pour retracer le déclin de l’embourgeoisement á la fin des années quatre-vingt et son renouveau dans les années quatre-vingt-dix dans le Lower East Side de New York City. Contrairement á ce qui fut dit sur la fin de l’embourgeoisement durant la récession, cet article fournit un dossier historique important qui montre le renouveau de l’embourgeoisement dans les années quatre-vingt-dix. Cet article soutient aussi que ce nouveau ‘troisième tour’ d’embourgeoisement doit ? tre regardé comme une réaffirmation dramatique de l’économie politique dans le marché foncier urbain central. Le fait que ce changement est aussi perceptible dans les discours de la culture populaire qui accompagnent ce processus révèle une relation changée entre l’écomonie politique et la culture dans l’embourgeoisement de fin de siècle.     

The British defence industry in the 1990s: a labour market perspective

A survey of engineers and scientists in the defence industry reveals company responses to the changing arms market. The defence industry is attempting to restructure employment patterns in order to maintain its ability to recruit and retain high level manpower.     

Individualism and collectivism: into the 1990s

New, employer-led initiatives in the management of human resources are said to have pitched the emphasis towards the ‘individualistic’ rather than the ‘collectivistic’ aspects of the employment relationship. The marginaliza-tion of trade unions and collective bargaining which this has entailed are but two (albeit fundamental) facets of a wide-ranging set of issues and repercussions. Individualization of employment policies throws up dilemmas and unresolved challenges for managers, trade unions and employees.

In embarking upon a major new empirical research project it has become necessary to revisit and review the utility of the currently available literature. In particular, how well would the traditional approaches to modelling individualism and collectivism cope with the new directions taken by recent managerial initiatives? The results of this analysis contribute the heart of this article. It is suggested that previous approaches ignore key dimensions of change which managers are currently pursuing. A new set of categories is proposed for understanding the mix of individual and collective elements in current developments. It is argued that these more accurately reflect current issues and tensions in management strategy.     

Shop stewards in the 1990s: a research note

Evidence suggests that the unions suffered badly during the 1980s, but how has this affected the lynch-pin of workplace industrial relations, the shop steward? The evidence of this research is that the shop stewards of the 1990s display remarkable stability in their influence and role when compared to earlier surveys.