Ultrafiltration in the Ontario Dairy Industry

The economics of introducing ultrafiltration (UF) into the Ontario dairy industry is analyzed. First, a partial budget is developed to determine feasibility of UF on the farm. The budget indicates that the great majority of Ontario dairy farms are not large enough to capture the economies of size inherent in the new technology. Second, a location-allocation model is used to determine the feasibility, number and location of UF collection centers in Ontario. The model indicates that the UF centers would capture the economies of size and the centers would benefit the dairy industry as a whole. However, processors of soft products and consumers of hard products could be worse off because of market changes caused by the UF centers Les auteurs examinent les aspects économiques de l'adoption de l'ultrafiltration (UF) dans l'industrie laitière en Ontario. En premier lieu, un budget partiel est établi pour déterminer la faisabilité de l'UF à la ferme. Il appert que la grande majorité des fermes laitières de la province ne sont pas assez grandes pour tirer parti des économies d'échelle inhérentes à la nouvelle technologie. Dans une deuxième érape, un modèle d'implantation est utilisé pour examiner l'emplacement et le nombre éventuels des centres de collecte pour UF en Ontario, ainsi que la faisabilité économique de leur installation. Le modèle montre que les centres de collecte seraient en mesure de tirer avantage des économies d'échelle et qu'en plus ils profiteraient à l'industrie laitière toute entière. Toutefois, les transformateurs de produits frais (fromage cottage, crème glacée, yogourt) et les consommateurs de produits fermes (fromages à pâte ferme, poudre de lait) se trouveraient désavantagés par les bouleversements du marché causés par l'implantation des centres UF     

Acquiring Competence at a Distance: Application Service Providers as a Hybrid Organizational Form

Application service providers (ASPs) are an innovative way for firms to outsource business functions by renting software as a service via the Internet. ASPs bring state of the art technology within the reach of firms that have been denied access to such advances in the past. The novelty of the ASP model results from the use of the Internet in the provision of services and the virtual inter-organizational tie that it creates between ASP and customer. The novelty of the ASP model has generated legitimacy concerns among the potential pool of customers, which has slowed the diffusion of this innovation. The recent dot-com fall-out has also had negative effects on the diffusion of the model. Nonetheless, the ASP model has managed to survive by adapting to the trends of the market. Entrepreneurship researchers have two reasons to pay more attention to ASPs. First, the emergence of the ASP business model has opened up opportunities for entrepreneurial activity by those seeking to capitalize on this new business model. Second, the proliferation of ASPs has the potential to affect other new ventures by altering their technology options.     

Content Analysis of Secondary Data: A Study of Courage in Managerial Decision Making

Empirical studies in business ethics often rely on self-reported data, but this reliance is open to criticism. Responses to questionnaires and interviews may be influenced by the subject's view of what the researcher might want to hear, by a reluctance to talk about sensitive ethical issues, and by imperfect recall. This paper reviews the extent to which published research in business ethics relies on interviews and questionnaires, and then explores the possibilities of using secondary data, such as company documents and newspaper reports, as a source for empirical studies in applied ethics. A specific example is then discussed, describing the source material, the method, the development of the research questions, and the way in which reliability and validity were established. In the example, content analysis was used to examine the extent to which the executive virtue of courage was observed or called for in items published in four international daily newspapers, and to explore the meaning which was attributed to "courage" in the papers.     

Global strategies in the international hotel industry

A two stage qualitative research methodology is used to evaluate the forces driving the adoption of global strategies in the hotel industry and the strategic response of international hotel chains to those “drivers”. Information gathered from industry experts is used to develop a set of hypotheses which are then tested against evidence provided by interviews with senior executives and other data.The results indicate that global strategy is most influenced by market factors, other drivers having much less influence. Cost drivers are constrained by limited economies of scale and standardization opportunities. Globalization is most marked in the thrust for a broad geographic presence in key overseas markets, the pursuit of global branding, positioning and uniform service standards. At the same time, customers expect “responsive” policies in areas such as facilities and services provided. Opportunities for greater integration and concentration of “back-office” functions, where information-based systems allow for cost economies and enhanced coordination, often remain relatively unexploited, primarily due to institutionalized management practice and control constraints.     

MARX@200

ABSTRACT

The article begins by outlining the philosophic anthropology that Marx derived from his reading of Hegel. We continue by arguing that this formed the basis of his materialist conception of history and his analysis of the political economy of the capitalist mode of production, with particular reference being made to Marx’s theory of value and his account of the economic contradictions of the capitalist system. We then discuss his views on the nature of post-capitalist society, concluding with a critical but broadly positive account of the relevance of his ideas to modern capitalism. Marx, we suggest, should not be regarded as a purely 19th-century thinker, as some recent biographers have maintained.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Leegin</Emphasis> and the Economics of Resale Price Maintenance

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its century-old precedent that treated resale price maintenance (RPM) as a per se violation of the antitrust laws, it signaled approval for the vertical restraint’s widespread use. But the increased use of RPM occurred under a pre-existing rule that permitted RPM as long as no formal agreement over price was reached. This paper documents not only the increased use of RPM post Leegin but also the importance of avoiding the appearance of agreements to control resale prices. The paper then discusses how plaintiffs, previously enamored of claims of RPM, are now recasting vertical RPM arrangements as ancillary to horizontal agreements among distributors that are made effective though enforcement by producers.     

Understanding users' performance evaluation of IT solutions

Traditionally, buying center research in business marketing has long focused on the role of various buying center members, including users, in influencing purchasing decisions. Recent studies have also established the important role users play in successfully implementing information technology (IT) initiatives of buying organizations and its influence on future relationships with sellers. Consequently, in order to ensure future business, marketers need users to evaluate their solutions favorably. This study attempts to understand the factors influencing user evaluation of performance of sellers' IT solutions. Based on an inter-disciplinary approach, a model of antecedent factors to explain user evaluation of suppliers IT solutions is proposed and tested. Results gleaned from a survey of 361 users of Internet-based technology in an automotive supply chain indicate that user attitudes toward technology, satisfaction with the new technology, users' overall understanding of supply chain management principles, and job-related consequences influence user evaluation of IT solutions.     

Khaosan Road: an evolving backpacker tourist enclave being partially reclaimed by the locals

Backpacker tourist enclaves dot the globe but have been little studied. The present study examined the structure and functioning of Khaosan Road; Bangkok's large archetypal backpacker bubble. It gauged basic dimensions such as tourist area spread, guesthouse and business numbers, and tourist economic and social impact. It surveyed tourist demographics, travel motives, behaviour, and reactions to and uses of the area, and characteristics and reactions of Thai visitors and street vendors. The area is a complex, evolving system with mixed ownership and functions. It is expanding, going up‐market and becoming a key nightlife area for young Thais. Overdevelopment may alter its appeal to backpackers. The data give a detailed picture of one backpacker enclave, which may partly generalise to others. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.