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Obtaining the best from Regulation and Competition
Deregulation has introduced competition into traditionally monopolistic markets, particularly telecommunications and electric utilities. This book brings together ten essays that were presented at the Center for Research in Regulated Industries at Rutgers University and funded by several regulated companies. The authors, who include young scholars as well as established and highly regarded consultants and researchers, address some of the major issues now facing network industries and regulators - deregulation, competition, stranded assets, diversification, pricing, and mergers and acquisitions.
Norwegian Shipping in the 20th Century : Norway's Successful Navigation of the World's Most Global Industry
This open access book discusses how Norwegian shipping companies played a crucial role in global shipping markets in the 20th century, at times transporting more than ten per cent of world seaborne trade. Chapters explore how Norway managed to remain competitive, despite being a high labour-cost country in an industry with global competition. Among the features that are emphasised are market developments, business strategies and political decisions The Norwegian experience was shaped by the main breaking points in 20th century world history, such as the two world wars, and by long-term trends, such as globalization and liberalization. The shipping companies introduced technological and organizational innovations to build or maintain a competitive advantage in a rapidly changing world. The growing importance of offshore petroleum exploration in the North Sea from the 1970s was both a threat and an opportunity to the shipping companies. By adapting both business strategies and the political regime to the new circumstances, the Norwegian shipping sector managed to maintain a leading position internationally.
New Forms of Governance in Research Organizations : Disciplinary Approaches, Interfaces and Integration
This book undertakes to develop a sector specific theory of governance of the public research sector and applies it to the German research system. The book is the outcome of a large interdisciplinary project. It analyzes the reforms in the German research system from an integrated perspective of law, economics and social sciences. First, we pose the question how external competition and control mechanisms do influence internal governance of research institutions and universities and vice versa. Second, we discuss the consequences of these impacts on research.
Network Control and Optimization ; 1st EuroFGI International Conference, NET-COOP 2007, Avignon, France, June 5-7, 2007, Proceedings
This volume 4465 of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science series is a coll- tion of the papers of the NET-COOP 2007. This conference aims at developing research on control and op- mization of the Internet, ranging from performance evaluation and optimization of general stochastic networks to more speci?c targets such as lower-layer fu- tionalities in mobile networks, routing for computational grids, game theoretic approaches to access control, cooperation, competition and adversary capacities in diverse environments.
National Tax Policy in Europe : To Be or Not to Be?
The book is dedicated to the question of how much room for national tax policy Member States of the European Union will find necessary and possible to maintain in the future. It focuses on the possibilities Member States have and the constraints they face, such as the need to enhance competitiveness and attractiveness to inward foreign direct investment, to finance social programmes and the limitations imposed by European and International Law. The research question is looked at from economic as well as from legal points of view. This comprehensive approach and the answers given will be of interest to scholars and policy makers alike and may guide the path for future tax developments in Europe.
National Systems of Innovation in Comparison : Structure and Performance Indicators for Knowledge Societies
The book documents major elements of the joint work of eight leading German institutes, elaborated in the context of a regular annual report on Germany's technological performance. It provides much more than the pure compilation of quantitative indicators for international benchmarking, but gives support to an appropriate interpretation of the referring results and suggests relevant conclusions for innovation policy. A special focus is on Germany; so the book also aims at non-German readers interested in specific features of the German innovation system.
Multi-dimensional Approaches Towards New Technology : Insights on Innovation, Patents and Competition
This open access edited book captures the complexities and conflicts arising at the interface of intellectual property rights (IPR) and competition law. To do so, it discusses four specific themes: (a) policies governing functioning of standard setting organizations (SSOs), transparency and incentivising future innovation; (b) issue of royalties for standard essential patents (SEPs) and related disputes; (c) due process principles, procedural fairness and best practices in competition law; and (d) coherence of patent policies and consonance with competition law to support innovation in new technologies.
Monetary and Wage Policies in the Euro Area
This book studies the interactions between monetary and wage policies in the euro area. It carefully discusses the process of policy competition and the structure of policy cooperation. As to policy competition, the focus is on competition between the European central bank, the American central bank, the German labour union, and the French labour union. As to policy cooperation, the focus is on the same institutions. These are higher-dimensional issues. The policy targets are price stability and full employment. The policy decisions are taken sequentially or simultaneously. Monetary and wage policies have spillover effects. Special features of this book are numerical simulations of policy competition and numerical solutions to policy cooperation.
Monetary and Fiscal Policies in the Euro Area
This book studies the interactions between monetary and fiscal poUcies in the euro area. It carefully discusses the process of policy competition and the structure of policy cooperation. As to policy competition, the focus is on competition between the European central bank, the American central bank, the German government, and the French government. As to policy cooperation, the focus is on the same institutions. These are higher-dimensional issues. The pohcy targets are price stability and full employment. The policy makers follow co- turkey or gradualist strategies. The policy decisions are taken sequentially or simultaneously. Monetary and fiscal policies have spillover effects. Special features of this book are numerical simulations of policy competition and numerical solutions to policy cooperation. The present book is part of a larger research project on European Monetary Union, see the references at the back of the book. Some parts of this project were presented at the World Congress of the International Economic Association. Other parts were presented at the International Conference on Macroeconomic Analysis, at the International Institute of Public Finance, at the Macro Study Group of the German Economic Association, at the Annual Meeting of the Austrian Economic Association, at the Gottingen Workshop on International Economics, at the Halle Workshop on Monetary Economics, at the Research Seminar on Macroeconomics in Freiburg, and at the Passau Workshop on International Economics.
Modeling Complex Living Systems : A Kinetic Theory and Stochastic Game Approach
Using tools from mathematical kinetic theory and stochastic game theory, this work deals with the modeling of large complex systems in the applied sciences, particularly those comprised of several interacting individuals whose dynamics follow rules determined by some organized, or even "intelligent" ability. Traditionally, methods of mathematical kinetic theory have been applied to model the evolution of large systems of interacting classical or quantum particles. This book, on the other hand, examines the modeling of living systems as opposed to inert systems.
Model Based Learning and Instruction in Science
This book describes new, model based teaching methods for science instruction. It presents research that describes these new methods in a very diverse group of settings: middle school biology, high school physics, and college chemistry classrooms. Mental models in these areas such as understanding the structure of the lungs or cells, molecular structures and reaction mechanisms in chemistry, or causes of current flow in electricity are notoriously difficult for many students to learn. Yet these lie at the core of conceptual understanding in these areas. The studies focus on a variety of teaching strategies such as discrepant questioning, analogies, animations, model competition, and hands on activities.
Microbial Activity in the Rhizosphere
The rhizosphere is a very complex environment in which the effects of the plant on soil microorganisms and the effects of the microorganisms on the plant are interacting and are interdependent. Plant root exudates and breakdown products attract microbes and feed them and, in turn, the plants often benefit from the microbes. Interactions among microorganisms and plant roots are essential for nutritional requirements of the plant. Plant growth, development and productivity are largely dependent on the soil environment in the root region rhizosphere. The new techniques of studying the rhizosphere enables us to get a much better understanding of the dynamics of the rhizosphere population, such rhizosphere studies being of interest to agriculturists, soilbiologists, chemists, microbiologists and molecular biologists. The rhizosphere microbes in?uence the root environment in several ways. They may change the oxidation-reduction potential, influence the availability of moisture and nutrients, produce growth inhibiting or growth promoting substances in the form of exudates, provide competition and possibly induce many other effects. My corrhizal associations are beneficial in mineral uptake and in increasing root surface area for effective ion absorption. Antagonism, ompetition and synergism in soil and the rhizoplane (rhizosphere) are the most important microbial interactions to consider in the study of rhizosphere biology. With the growing information on the production of growth regulators, competitiveness of the microbes in the rhizosphere, microsymbionts, and other factors, their effect upon plant growth will become more evident. Experiments on the introduction of microbes or their products in the rhizosphere will help to improve our understandingofthebiologyoftherhizosphere.
Mathématiques, informatique, physique. Au fil des TIPE = Mathematics, computer science, physics : Throughout the TIPE projects
Presents nine cases in mathematics, physics, or computer science used in the competition. Each case study is accompanied by general remarks, commentary, a suggested outline, questions a jury might ask, and an explanation placing the case study's theme within its scientific context. The authors hope not only to assist CPGE students in their preparation but also to provide valuable support to teachers who have embraced this new pedagogical approach. Laurent Decreusefond and Alain Maruani, the pedagogical coordinators for the mathematics, computer science, and physics component of the TIPE, have made significant contributions to its design and implementation.
Mathematics for Life Science and Medicine
Dynamical systems theory in mathematical biology has attracted much attention from many scientific directions. The purpose of this volume is to present and discuss the many rich properties of the dynamical systems that appear in life science and medicine. The main topics include cancer treatment, dynamics of paroxysmal tachycardia, vector disease models, epidemic diseases and metapopulations, immune systems, pathogen competition and coexistence and the evolution of virulence and the rapid evolution of viruses within a host. Each chapter will serve to introduce students and scholars to the state-of-the-art in an exciting area, to present new results, and to inspire future contributions to mathematical modeling in life science and medicine.
Iron Nutrition in Plants and Rhizospheric Microorganisms
This book uses an interdisciplinary approach to provide a comprehensive review on the status of iron nutrition in plants. International scientists discuss research on acquisition of iron by strategy I and strategy II plants. These reviews summarize a variety of plant species and include both laboratory and field observations. Topics covered in this book include: plants as a source of iron for animals and humans, iron translocation in the plants, iron-stimulated activities that influence crop yield and fruit tree productivity, iron uptake by plants as influenced by microorganisms (i.e. free living soil microorganisms, symbiotic nitrogen-fixing and pathogenic bacteria), the role of plant hormones in iron transport, iron-metal competition in phytoremediation, root zone activities involving interactions between minerals and organic matter, the role of microbial siderophores in rhizospheric iron cycling, iron storage as phytoferritin, proteomic and metabolic studies associated with iron stress response, methods for studying iron metabolism including stable isotopes, and the correction of iron deficiency through the use of synthetic or natural chelates.
Introducing competition into the piped water market : A theoretical analysis of common carriage and franchise bidding
Water scarcity is not exclusively a concern of the poor. Developed countries are increasingly facing problems related to higher per capita consumption and pollution so that enhancing the efficiency of the water supply ranks among the main global challenges of the future. The necessary improvements are not only a matter of technical progress but also of institutional design.
Interphases and Mesophases in Polymer Crystallization I
Polyethylene forms a two-dimensional hexagonal phase, stable at 3 GPa depending on molecular length, which in recent years has been claimed to intervene in crystallization prior to the formation of the usual orthorhombic phase even at atmospheric pressure. This claim is evaluated and shown to be without substance. There is very little evidence that the theoretical possibility of thin lamellae being more stable in the hexagonal phase than the orthorhombic at atmospheric pressure, if the former has sufficiently low fold surface free energy, does occur in practice. But the existence of single crystals of the orthorhombic phase unambiguously shows that they did not have a hexagonal precursor; that would have made them threefold twins. The overwhelming mass of evidence is that orthorhombic and hexagonal phases crystallize independently in accordance with the phase diagram and kinetic competition during growth, as has been understood since the hexagonal phase was discovered.
International trade theory : Capital, knowledge, economic structure, money, and prices over time
The development of international trade theory has created a wide array of different theories, concepts and results. Economic students are trained to understand international interactions by severally incompatible theories one by one in the same course. In order to overcome incoherence among multiple theories, we need a general theoretical framework which enables us to account for the phenomena explained by the current theories in a unified manner to draw together all of the disparate branches of trade theory into a single organized system of knowledge. This book provides a powerful – but easy to operate - engine of analysis that sheds light not only on trade theory per se, but on many other dimensions that interact with trade, including inequality, saving propensities, education, research policy, and knowledge. The book starts with the traditional static trade theories. Then, it develops dynamic models with capital and knowledge under perfect competition and/or monopolistic competition.
International Trade and Multinational Activity : Heterogeneity of Firms, Incentives for Foreign Direct Investment, and International Business Cycle Dynamics
During the last 25 year, the neoclassical Heckscher-Ohlin trade theory has been extended to the ‘new’ trade theory by including imperfect competition and fixed costs into the analysis of trade relations. Furthermore, these micro-oriented trade models are increasingly used to analyze macro-oriented questions. Chapter 2 of this study investigates the dynamic welfare effects of exposure to trade in a new trade model, which is extended by firm heterogeneity.
Internal Research & Development Markets
In times of global markets, increasing competition and short product life cycles the effective and efficient management of industrial research and development (R&D) activities is of central importance for companies as well as for the whole economy. Traditionally the resources for R&D projects are allocated via planning- and budgeting procedures, evaluation methods and hierarchical decision-committees. This book presents resource allocation via internal markets as an alternative to such hierarchical decision procedures.
