A variety-increasing view of the development of the semiconductor industry in Taiwan

The development of the semiconductor industry depends on its interactions with the environment. Developing countries face more constraints and the environmental interactions seem more complicated. The development process of the semiconductor industry could be better understood with regard to the interactions and social changes. This study proposes a variety-increasing viewpoint based on the concepts of variety increasing and internal learning to analyze the developmental experience of the semiconductor industry in Taiwan. The result shows that the development of Taiwanese semiconductor industry is a continuous variety-increasing process, which is achieved by searching and establishing successful associations in an increasingly wider and complex environment. Implications on the ongoing development of Taiwan's semiconductor industry and the development experiences of other East Asian countries are discussed.     

Pricing access in network competition

We compare various access pricing rules in the two-way access model. We show that the Generalized Efficient Component Pricing Rule (TECPR) leads to a lower equilibrium price than does the Efficient Component Pricing Rule, (ECPR) marginal cost pricing, (MCP) and any non-negative fixed access charges.      

Local public goods with mobility: Existence and optimality of a general equilibrium

The existence and optimality of a general equilibrium in a model with a finite number of locations among which the continuum of individuals (each individual belonging to one of a finite number of types) have to choose is investigated. Each community finances its own production of public goods by taxes. The way in which the tax burden in shared among the different types in the different regions is left arbitrary. The model allows for: restrictions on the mobility of either residents and/or workers, congestion and externalities in both production and consumption, commuting costs, preferences of an individual may also depend on his location as well as on the distribution of all individuals across locations.     

工业工程与中国企业的信息化

本文从工业工程与企业信息化的定义及特点方面入手,通过介绍工业工程的发展、工业工程与企业信息化的相互关系,得出中国制造业只有把握有利的时机,用先进的管理理念、先进的技术实现手段武装自己,走科技之路、技术之路、市场之路,才能在激烈的国际竞争中站住脚跟,实现我国的工业化进程。     

International compliance with new Basel Accord principles for risk governance

We assess international compliance with the Basel Committee's 2010 guidance on governance of banking organisations. Based on an extensive examination of regulatory documents in selected advanced economies, we find that reform is incomplete in jurisdictions most affected by the financial crisis, and with the largest financial centres. In contrast, other countries less affected by the financial crisis have enacted risk governance reforms as protection against potential future contagion. We provide insights for policy‐makers charged with improving governance at banks, and a richer understanding for international regulators as they revise the guidelines and aim for greater compliance at the national level.     

SME Reporting in Australia: Where to Now for Decision‐usefulness?

This paper develops recommendations for simplified decision‐useful SME financial reporting in Australia – a country that has traditionally allowed a wide range of reporting standards to be used by these entities. Drawing on interviews and comment letters from a number of stakeholders, and data from a survey of users of financial statements of non‐publicly accountable unlisted entities, we analyse stakeholder arguments for and against SMEs providing less detailed reports, and identify the line items that might be most useful to users for decision making.     

How supply chain architecture and product architecture impact firm performance: An empirical examination

In order to enhance performance, manufacturing firms are building various capabilities and utilizing supply chain networks that are geographically dispersed around the globe. This study examines how decisions related to supply chain architecture and product architecture influence organizational competitiveness. Building on the co-specialization perspective, we evaluate the performance implications of product modularity and supply chain agility. While, product modularity constitutes a product configuration related to sourcing and assembling of products, supply chain agility is a supply chain configuration related to velocity (sensing, comprehending, and responding) and visibility (supplier network, internal operations, and external environment). Both the product and supply chain architectural decisions can impact performance, individually and in conjunction with each other. We empirically test the hypothesized relationships using data collected from 103 manufacturing firms. Results show that supply chain agility and product modularity directly enhance responsiveness and enable organizations to reduce cost. Furthermore, supply chain agility partially mediates the relationship between product modularity and both responsiveness and cost reduction. We elaborate on the key contributions of this study for both research and practice, discuss limitations, and also offer various avenues for further research.     

Social Networking the Brand—An Exploration of the Drivers of Brand Image in the South African Beer Market

Social network marketing has risen to the fore as an innovative and cost effective method of reaching a target audience. However, owing to the recentness of this marketing technique, there is little scholarly research in this area, especially in emerging markets. This study considered the impact of interactivity and media richness on brand attitude and brand image in the South African beer market. It also tested whether brand involvement has a moderating effect in this regard. The empirical work was conducted through an electronic survey of Facebook fan page users. The results revealed that interactivity had a positive effect on brand attitude, whilst media richness did not. Brand involvement, tested for a moderating effect on the above relationships, was not found to be significant. As expected, brand attitude was found to be strongly linked to brand image in this context. The findings stress the importance of bidirectional communication in favor of media rich design. This suggests that marketers of beer would be well advised to engage with customers on fan pages in routinely responding to their comments and allowing them to upload suitable content. If consumers feel that they have ‘ownership’ of these pages and are able to have a positive influence on brand evolution, fan pages are likely to yield positive results in social media campaigns.