Altera:ROI说了算！

Altera是市场容量相对较小却又十分重要的可编程市场上两家占有统治地位的公司之一。虽然PLD的销售额名列第2,但是Altera已经从首要竞争者赛灵思公司手中抢夺了一定的市场份额,这部分地要归功于Altera不断探求什么才是FPGAs和ASICs在当今工业中的合适定位？EDN执行主编Ron Wilson和Altera总裁兼首席执行官John Daane进行了一次对话,后者的经历给予他一个独一无二的窗口来观察半导体工艺、全球芯片工业和系统设计之间的交互性。     

A demand‐based perspective on sustainable competitive advantage

We develop an approach to analyzing the sustainability of competitive advantage that emphasizes demand‐side factors. We extend the added‐value approach to business strategy by introducing an explicit treatment of how firms create value for consumers. This allows us to characterize how consumer heterogeneity and marginal utility from performance improvements on the demand side interact with resource heterogeneity and improving technologies on the supply side. Using this approach, we address a variety of questions including whether technology substitutions will be permanent or transitory; the sequence in which new technologies attack different market segments; how rents from different types of resources change over time; whether decreasing marginal utility and imitation give rise to similar rent profiles; the extent of synergies within a firm's resource portfolio; the emergence of new generic strategies; and the conditions that support strategic diversity in a market. Our focus on consumer utility and value creation complements the traditional focus in the strategy literature on competition and value capture. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The stabilisation of the international coffee market

The inherent instability in the international coffee market has long been a major problem for both producers and consumers. Traditionally, attempts have been made to reduce both long-and short-term fluctuations using single policy instruments, such as export quotas. However, an examination of the causes of the two types of variability, and a comparative assessment of the likely success of various types of policy indicates that, although short term instability can be effectively removed by traditional instruments, the more problematic, long-term cyclicality requires more specific, separate consideration.     

The value of pharmaceuticals--some direction for employers

The costs of drugs keep rising. Are they worth it? Employers should consider value over cost, and make decisions based on diagnostics and research. They should thoroughly examine their organizations' experience to determine high-priority health conditions and do cost-effectiveness studies (using experienced consultants if necessary) that focus on all of the consequences of conditions and indicate the best medical and pharmaceutical therapies to treat them. Doing so should produce both human and financial dividends.     

Choice under restrictions

Nearly every decision a person makes is restricted in some way. While we are painfully aware of some of these restrictions, others go largely undetected. This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding how restrictions interact with situational and individual characteristics, as well as goals to influence behavior. Implications for overlooked research opportunities in choice modeling are presented and discussed.     

Demographic Factors and Price Distortions in Insurance

Few papers have analyzed the potential linkages between price distortions and the specific demographic and political traits of customers. The existence of price distortions may have adverse and potentially unintended impacts on certain demographic groups, leading to significant public policy concerns. The current study uses census tract data and rating factors to examine age, income, and race demographics in an effort to determine if any subgroups of the population are adversely impacted by the price distortions of property insurance. The results suggest that Hispanics, lower income households, and specific age groups pay relatively more for insurance coverage than comparison groups.     

An Institutional Theory Perspective on Corruption: The Case of a Developing Democracy

The purpose of this paper is to use quantitative data to describe corruption in the SANPS, and use Luo's ( 2005 ) institutional theory to gain insights into how corruption develops and remains entrenched despite the introduction of anti‐corruption legislation. A total of 1,500 questionnaires were distributed to public servants in nine provinces, but predominantly in Kwa Zulu Natal and Gauteng. There were 702 returned giving a response rate of 47%. We conclude that the findings discussed in this paper lend support for Luo's theoretical model being able to provide insight into the development of corruption, its consequences and possible remedies.