Economic Implications of Further Harmonisation of Electronic Communications Regulation in the EU

There are some aspects of the European RFEC and its implementation today that could benefit from increased harmonisation; there are others in which substantial accommodation to local, national or regional circumstances and preferences is desirable or required.     

Data Governance: Enhancing Innovation and Protecting Against Its Risks

Intereconomics - Big Data is expected to unleash data-driven innovation,which is supposed to better address and solve challengesin our society. As a so-called non-rival good, the sharingand...     

Kurz Kommentiert

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Regional differences in residential demand for very high bandwidth broadband internet in 2025

The future demand for data and the role of gigabit networks are central issues in the context of Next Generation Access (NGA) network roll-out. Based on a generic model, which allows to predict unconstrained future broadband demand in different regions and countries, the authors compare the results for Germany, the UK and the Flemish region, and discuss reasons for the different outcomes. The generic market potential model thereby allows to project the future demand for bandwidth from residential customers on the basis of applications and their bandwidth needs, user profiles and population structure on a household level. Despite a general trend towards an increasing need for broadband, there are clear differences. On the one hand, these point to the relevance of socio-demographic factors for broadband adoption. On the other hand, the relatively high proportion of refusals shows that there is still a need for further educational work on the part of public authorities and providers. Finally, it has to be stated, that our forecast relies on the assumption that connectivity and thus that the availability of area-wide gigabit capable broadband access does not represent a bottleneck.     

Reflections on the Evolving Terrorist Threat to Luxury Hotels: A Case Study on Marriott International

The advent of global terrorist networks represents a challenge to international business (IB) theory. Traditionally conceptualized as a type of political risk experienced by multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in conflictive areas, terrorism has evolved in recent years. The global terrorist networks that dominate the international scene today have different motivations, strategies, tactics, and organizational structures than their secular and ethnic‐separatist predecessors and these differences matter for IB theory and practice. Moreover, these groups have shown themselves adaptive, resilient, and capable of striking targets of strategic and symbolic importance in global business and financial centers. This paper examines the changing nature of the terrorist threat to MNEs and the implications for a sector that has been a target of recent attacks: the luxury hotel industry. Structured as a case study of Marriott International, a leading global hospitality provider, the paper analyzes ways the firm is adapting to the evolving threat and the measures it has introduced to safeguard guests, staff, property, and brand. Implications for IB theory and practice are drawn. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

How dangerous are measurement errors to homeland security?

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government instituted rigorous new rules and procedures for screening incoming cargo, with the aim of averting a future catastrophe delivered via the nation's global trade infrastructure. While the efficacy of these policies in curbing terrorism is difficult to assess, sophisticated statistical techniques can be used to help gauge the performance of homeland security policies in mitigating risks. Abnormal weight analysis is one such technique. This study examines the weight characteristics of import transactions processed by U.S. Customs before and after the terrorist attacks to identify patterns of abnormalities that could indicate foul play. Abnormalities are calculated by first determining average weights by commodity, and then estimating and analyzing dispersion among reported weights. Our results indicate that while the vast majority of import transactions are being reported more accurately since 9/11, a small percentage of extreme outliers exist, and this should be cause for concern for multinational managers, policymakers, and society at large. Based on these results, conclusions are drawn and recommendations for policy and practice are offered. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The role of government in broadband access

This paper discusses the role of governments in broadband. It is divided into five sections. Following an introduction in section one, section two discusses the diffusion of broadband Internet. Section three deals with competition-based and public-goods views on regulation and the corresponding roles and issues for governments. To gain deeper insights into the role of government in broadband, section four analyses market regulation and public activities in furthering broadband deployment in the US, Korea and Europe. These insights are evaluated in relation to the theoretical considerations established in section three. Section five closes with a discussion of our results and some conclusions. It becomes obvious that national broadband strategies benefit from considering both public good and competition-related aspects.