Strategic Planning in Research and Technology Institutes

Research and Technology Institutes (RTIs) are today facing the challenges of restructuring. New demands are being placed upon them in an increasingly uncertain financial and innovation environment. This paper, which is based upon a review of nine of the most successful RTIs in Europe, North America and East Asia, provides a framework for assessing RTIs and understanding how RTIs need to function to meet user needs within the context of national systems of innovation. The paper suggests some simple tools for identifying and classifying user needs as well as for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of RTIs. It is argued that this type of analysis is a prerequisite for the strategic planning and management of such institutes. The paper points out some of the operational aspects of RTI management where improvement opportunities are often possible.     

Language and tourism

The sociolinguistic study of verbal encounters in touristic situations provides an opportunity to exanine communication between different linguistic groups under unusual circumstances: the high temporariness of the foreigners and the high degree of linguistic accommodation of the locals to them. This state of affairs stands in marked contrast to the tendency of guestworkers and immigrants who are less temporary and usually of lower status, to accommodate linguistically to the locals. While accommodation by locals is common to virtually all touristic situations, the degree of proficiency of locals in the tourists' language varies considerably and hence also the extent to which tourists are forced to accommodate linguistically. In an effort to organize the linguistic variation in tourism, a typology of tourist roles is used as the principal framework. The notion of “language brokerage” is introduced. The integration of sociological and sociolinguistic analyses is illustrated by incidental data from the literature on tourism and from fieldwork in Thailand.     

Harmonization of company taxation systems

The author of the following article gives a survey of the different corporation tax systems and rates in the individual EC-member countries, explains the need for a harmonization of direct company taxation within the Community, and discusses the Commission’s recent proposal as compared with other possible approaches.     

中国的双顺差、日本经验及失衡调整

我要讲的题目是"中国的双顺差:失衡与相互依赖",主要是从90年代开始,在过去十六年中的十三年,中国国际收支经常账户和资本账户同时出现了盈余,也就是出现了双顺差.这是非常特殊的现象.首先,我从国别比较的角度来透视中国出现双顺差的独特性,然后分析中国的双顺差是如何产生的.我认为,中国的双顺差主要是由加工贸易和外商直接投资推动的.     

Ein Test zum Erkennen von Exponentialverteilungen

Zusammenfassung Es wird ein statistisches Testverfahren beschrieben, mit dessen Hilfe nach einer Stichprobennahme entschieden wird, ob es sich bei der betrachteten Verteilung einer Zufallsvariablen um eine Exponentialverteilung handelt oder nicht.

---

Summary A statistical test is described which permits to decide, whether the considered distribution of a random variable is an exponential distribution or not.

---

---

Mitteilung aus dem Zentral-Laboratorium der Siemens & Halske AG     

The Use of Performance Appraisal Systems: Evidence from Dutch Establishment Data

Using Dutch data, we examine the characteristics of establishments that operate performance appraisal systems. Our estimates provide a couple of interesting results: (1) Multitasking and teamwork play a role in the use of performance appraisal systems. (2) While a shared corporate culture, the sharing of information, and a professional personnel management emerge as positive determinants, unions appear to play a negative role. (3) Employers fostering career development and promotion opportunities make greater use of performance appraisal. (4) Public sector affiliation plays a negative role.