An empirical study on the correlation between knowledge management capability and competitiveness in Taiwan’s industries

There have been dramatic changes in business enterprise management since Internet technology has been widely applied. Worldwide network users can share all kinds of knowledge through the Internet. Knowledge has currently become a main part of manufacturing resources and a prerequisite for success in the production environment. Competitiveness and the resulting rewards can be obtained by taking advantage of knowledge management (KM) and intensive learning. This empirical study validates the relationship between knowledge management capability and competitiveness in Taiwan’s industries. This research shows the impact of knowledge management capability on competitiveness. A hypothesis test and theoretical model are proposed in this study.     

Tax mimicking among local governments: some evidence from Spanish municipalities

The aim of this paper is to study the spatial patterns in the Spanish local tax system. The three most relevant taxes are analyzed: the property tax, the motor vehicle tax and the building activities tax, which jointly represent 80% of the tax revenue at local level in Spain. Using spatial econometrics procedures, three alternative weight specifications to define competitors are explored: contiguity, distance and a combination of economic and geographical characteristics. After carrying out an exploratory spatial analysis, the results of the estimation of spatial lag and spatial error models confirm positive spatial-autocorrelation for the property tax and the building activities tax, with an order of magnitude between 0.3 and 0.5. On the contrary, the motor vehicle tax does not exhibit a significant spatial pattern.     

ON THE DETERMINANTS OF LOCAL TAX RATES: NEW EVIDENCE FROM SPAIN

This article examines the determinants of local tax rates. For the two main local taxes in Spain—the property tax and the motor vehicle tax—we test the existence of tax mimicking, yardstick competition, and political trends in a sample of 2,713 municipalities. Using various spatial models, the results support the hypothesis of tax mimicking, with coefficients above 0.40. We also show the relevance of political variables such as the ideology of incumbents and political fragmentation. The fact that incumbents with weaker political support exhibit stronger mimicking behavior is interpreted as evidence in favor of yardstick competition. Finally, we find that incumbents mimic neighboring municipalities ruled by the same political party, confirming the political trends hypothesis. (JEL C31, H71, H77)     

Demand forecasting for multigenerational products combining discrete choice and dynamics of diffusion under technological trajectories

The discrete choice model generally captures consumers' valuation of the product's quality within the framework of a cross-sectional analysis, while the diffusion model captures the dynamics of demand within the framework of a time-series analysis. We propose an adjusted discrete choice model that incorporates the choice behavior of the consumer into the dynamics of product diffusion. In addition, a new estimation structure is proposed, within the framework of the time-series analysis, which enables the estimation of the discrete choice model on market-level data to be performed in such a way as to avoid the problem of price endogeneity and to obtain greater flexibility in forecasting demand. As an empirical application, the suggested model is applied to the case of the worldwide DRAM (dynamic random access memory) market. In forecasting future demand of DRAM generations, we integrate Moore's law and learning by doing to reflect the future technological trajectories of DRAM innovations, as well as consumers' consumption trends to reflect the dynamics of demand environments. As a result, the suggested model shows better performance in explaining the diffusion of new-generation product with limited number of data observations.     

Standard competition: Is collaborative strategy necessary in shaping the smart card market?

This paper is concerned with the standard competition in the three most outstanding innovation cases of videocassette recorder [VCR; video home system (VHS)/Betamax standard competition], Windows operating system for personal computers (PC; Windows standard competition), and smart cards (smart cards standard competition). The study presents a comparative analysis of major conceptual frameworks in innovation management—the Competitive Forces Model by Porter [M. Porter, Competitive Strategy, Free Press, New York, 1980] and the Managing Migration Paths Model by Hamel and Prahalad [G. Hamel and C.K. Prahalad, Competing for the future, Harvard Business School Press Boston, MA, 1994] for empirical analysis and discussions. It is argued that the ability to establish an industry standard enables an innovator to create competitive advantage. In other words, the ability to establish an industry standard provides a platform for an innovator to excel at the innovation process by generating a continuity of commercially successful innovations. The paper evaluates the strategic management of innovations by studying the previous standard competition of innovations, to suggest the direction of smart cards. The players in the smart card industry may use this empirical analysis to define strategic approach for their plan to compete in smart card launch.     

Evaluation of Laboratory Directed Research and Development investment areas at Sandia

Sandia National Laboratories conducts a variety of research projects each year under its Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. Recently, information visualization techniques have been used with corporate data to map several LDRD investment areas for the purpose of understanding strategic overlaps and identifying potential opportunities for future development outside of our current technologies. Tools, techniques, and specific analyses are presented here. We find that these tools and techniques hold great promise for aiding the future direction of the science and technology enterprise.