Showing papers in "Prometheus in 1998"
TL;DR: Lalkaka et al. as mentioned in this paper presented an initial assessment of incubators in economic development in industrializing countries, focusing on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.
Abstract: (1998). Business Incubators in Economic Development: An Initial Assessment in Industrializing Countries, Rustam Lalkaka & Jack Bishop (Eds), New York, United Nations Development Programme, 1996, xiv + 190 pp., US$25.00, no ISBN. Prometheus: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 98-101.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of the contributions of journalists and sources to television news reveals some consequences of technological innovation and organizational behaviour in the Australian media that justify retention of existing cross-media ownership laws restricting media barons to being princes of print or queens of screen.
Abstract: Information technology is invariably equated with liberalization and greater citizen access to knowledge. However, some economies of scale made possible by technology, together with contemporary information-gathering and distribution processes, may diminish rather than enhance democratic practices. Analyses of the contributions of journalists and sources to television news reveal some consequences of technological innovation and organizational behaviour in the Australian media that justify retention of existing cross-media ownership laws restricting media barons to being princes of print or queens of screen.
25 citations
TL;DR: The authors developed an inside-the-black-box model of Japanese organizational knowledge creation, highlighting some aspects of Japanese management which do not sit easily amidst Anglo-American organizational turbulence and predilections for explicit knowledge.
Abstract: Notwithstanding contemporary Western images of ‘changing Japan’, expectations of lifetime employment within a remarkably stable population of leading firms continue to underpin a distinctive style of Japanese management based on high levels of inter-employee trust and extensive transactions in tacit knowledge. After reviewing some factors that distinguish Japan's national innovation system from its Anglo-American counterparts, we develop an ‘inside the black box’ model of Japanese organizational knowledge creation. This highlights some aspects of Japanese management which do not sit easily amidst Anglo-American organizational turbulence and predilections for explicit knowledge. The second part of our paper uses two case studies to explore factors limiting the ‘transferability’ of Japanese management to Anglo and American innovation environments. These case studies illustrate differences between Japanese and Western systems, together with processes by which their respective advantages can combine ...
23 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an approach called "technography" is introduced to explore the idea of technology as applied social science, and sources of resistance to innovation are considered and the question whether new technologies will make us more innovative is posed.
Abstract: Some problems in our understanding of innovation can be addressed by thinking of innovation as a social process. This can be done by using the idea of technology as applied social science. To explore this idea, an approach called ‘technography’ is introduced. Sources of resistance to innovation are considered and the question whether new technologies will make us more innovative is posed.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that a policy framework can be developed through which policy initiatives in a range of policy areas can be filtered in order to meet the challenges of the knowledge economy.
Abstract: As the global economy becomes more knowledge intensive and the wealth of nations more dependent on their knowledge assets being harnessed, it is essential for policy makers to have frameworks for the development and utilisation of national knowledge assets. This article argues that a policy framework can be developed through which policy initiatives in a range of policy areas can be filtered in order to meet the challenges of the knowledge economy. We have developed an approach that has previously been applied to managing intellectual capital in firms and adapted it to the public policy arena. In doing so we question policy orthodoxies such as the assumption that free trade automatically facilitates international knowledge flows, that participation in a global knowledge economy necessarily challenges national sovereignty, and that online delivery of education is necessarily a progressive strategy.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that in a democracy the State should adopt a steward-type role over the commons, and the relationship between commons, commoners and the state.
Abstract: This article characterises the ‘intellectual commons’, and the relationship between it, commoners and the state. It is argued that in a democracy the State should adopt a steward-type role over the...
17 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an indicator is deduced for the present state of the application rather than the development of technology in the business sectors, based on a recent report from the Dutch Council for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
Abstract: This paper is based on a recent report from the Dutch Council for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, in which an indicator is deduced for the present state of the application rather than the development of technology in the business sectors. The application of information technology is the prime concern. We shall demonstrate that much of the literature in the field of indicators concentrates on larger companies. In our set-up, the indicator can be tuned to the branch level, but it can be applied to all companies, including the smaller ones. The indicator then is tested in an SME-rich sector—the car dealer branch. In the final part of this paper, we lake a closer look at the problems surrounding the diffusion and implementation of information technology in SMEs and close with some policy recommendations.
15 citations
TL;DR: A broad scope of new channels and services are possible in a digital TV environment, including high-definition television, video-on-demand movies, theme channels, multicasting or the distribution of the same content on different channels at different times.
Abstract: Content, not technology, will encourage the widespread adoption of digital television. A broad scope of new channels and services are possible in a digital TV environment. These include high definition television, video-on-demand movies, theme channels, multicasting or the distribution of the same content on different channels at different times, Internet content on TV sets, video segments on personal computers, interactive shopping and games, and program guides for hundreds of channels. There are many opportunities for more and better content but there are also uncertainties about the business models for digital TV and concerns about who will control content
13 citations
TL;DR: The Universal Service Obligations in a Competitive Telecommunications Environment, Committee on Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, OECD, 1995, 152 pp, US$4200, ISBN 92 64 14664 4 Prometheus: Vol 16, No 1, pp 101-104 as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: (1998) Universal Service Obligations in a Competitive Telecommunications Environment, Committee on Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, OECD, 1995, 152 pp, US$4200, ISBN 92 64 14664 4 Prometheus: Vol 16, No 1, pp 101-104
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the competition over the nature of competition policy in a global era is examined, and the authors argue that international competition policy can also control transnational business practices, and that new international intellectual property power is providing a reason why such control is needed.
Abstract: Increasingly, international trade law demands that national competition policy play a role making domestic markets more accessible to foreign traders. But can international competition policy also control transnational business practices? New international intellectual property power is providing a reason why such control is needed. This article gauges the competition over the nature of competition policy in a global era.
9 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the intensification of inter-national and international cultural contestations over intellectual property rights (IPRs) over biological materials and their commercial use in biotechnology and natural products, and concepts of culture, properly and fair return.
Abstract: This article examines the intensification of inter-‘national’ and international cultural contestations over intellectual property rights (IPRs). Examples are given of disputes over biological materials and their commercial use in biotechnology and natural products, and concepts of culture, properly and fair return. These disputes are also about culture and political liberalism. Corporate stakeholders, governments, indigenous peoples' organisations (IPOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are involved in democratic, and with some exceptions, lawful political activity to secure law reform.
TL;DR: In this article, Sclove's claim that there is a clear division, according to their theoretical orientation between studies in STS which are concerned with the politics of science and technology and those which are not, is overstated.
Abstract: Irwin's ‘Citizen Science’ and Sclove's ‘Technology and Democracy’ represent two important recent attempts, from different precincts of the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), to explore the democratization of science and technology. Irwin suggests that policies for democratizing science and technology should avoid the pre-definitions of science of experts. Sclove promotes the utilization of democratic design criteria to inhibit the unanticipated negative effects of technology on democracy. Despite their differences both texts address similar politkal questions and display some theoretical convergence. These similarities suggest that Sclove's claims that there is a clear division, according to their theoretical orientation between studies in STS which are concerned with the politics of science and technology and those which are not, are overstated. Both texts possess considerable merits but tend to romanticise ‘lay knowledges’ and oversimplify the politics of expertise.
TL;DR: The decision of the FCC in the United States to select an all-digital HDTV system was a surprise to HDTV supporters in Europe and Japan as discussed by the authors, who had adopted hybrid systems with both analog and digital features.
Abstract: The decision of the FCC in the United States to select an all-digital HDTV system was a surprise to HDTV supporters in Europe and Japan. Both had adopted hybrid systems with both analog and digital features. Western Europe was quicker than Japan to move away from its previous arrangements. It dropped HD-MAC in June 1993 and moved on to create the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) group to support digital television. It also responded by increasing EU support for wide-screen standard definition television programming and manufacturing. In Japan, NHK and its allies strongly resisted the idea of abandoning MUSE Hi-Vision but some of the major consumer electronics manufacturers and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) wanted to speed up the transition to an all-digital HDTV system. NHK was able to delay adoption of all-digital HDTV approach until mid 1997. In this paper, I consider these two stories separately, and then try to explain the differences in the reactions of the two regions
TL;DR: A new science system was set up in New Zealand from 1989 to 1997, and it is now time to focus on its future development as mentioned in this paper, which is driven by a new understanding of how science and technology drive economic growth.
Abstract: A new science system was set up in Mew Zealand from 1989–97, and it is now time to focus on its future development. Further development of Mew Zealand's science system must be driven by a new understanding of how science and technology drives economic growth. The future enhancement of Mew Zealand's science system must be placed within a system of innovation framework, it must focus on outcomes and on differentiated technological learning and knowledge application, and it must place more emphasis on the role research plays in creating human capital. Mew Zealand must also focus more effort on policies that foster technological innovation, including through an increased focus on skill development in firms, and the development of demand-side interventions.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how different types of computer skills influence the wages of men and women in Australia and found that the returns to education for individuals with lower educational qualifications are more highly biased by not accounting for computer skills than those with higher qualifications.
Abstract: This article examines how different types of computer skills influence the wages of men and women in Australia. The estimated wage effect for each type of computer use ranged from 2.8% to 7.0%. Comparing these results with earning equations which do not explicitly account for computer usage and skills reveals an associated bias on the returns to education. Wage equations which do not explicitly account for computer skills upwardly bias the returns to education by up to 68%. This bias is inversely proportional to the level of education. That is, the returns to education for individuals with lower educational qualifications are more highly biased by not accounting for computer skills than those with higher qualifications. Lower levels of computer skills reward females more highly than males. Higher levels of computer skills reward males at a greater rate than females. The major findings arising from this research relates to the observable wage differential between males and females. After accountin...
TL;DR: In this paper, the adequacy of the "plain old telephone service" definition for an information society characterised by market liberalisation, new technology, changing community needs, and an uncertain international environment is discussed.
Abstract: Access to information is essential for efficient business operation and social empowerment. Many Asia-Pacific businesses are exposed to international markets while their corresponding information requirements are not well met. Restricted information technology and telecommunications access also diminishes the ability of remote regions to generate reliable income streams. In the Asia-Pacific, several national governments have recently reviewed the notion of telecommunications universal service obligations (USOs). This review considers the adequacy of the ‘plain old telephone service’ definition for an information society characterised by market liberalisation, new technology, changing community needs, and an uncertain international environment. Several interim and proposed mechanisms for delivering USOs in the Asia–Pacific region are also discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the technological, political, and economic issues that have delayed the advent of digital broadcasting in Japan, especially compared to DTV broadcasting initiatives in Europe and the United States.
Abstract: While Japanese broadcasters and manufacturers have been world pioneers in the development of high-definition television and digital production technologies, they have been slow to design a national system for digital television (DTV) transmission. Present plans call for the launching of a new satellite that will facilitate DTV transmissions by the year 2000. This paper examines the technological, political, and economic issues that have delayed the advent of digital broadcasting in Japan, especially compared to DTV broadcasting initiatives in Europe and the United States. The paper concludes that Japanese economic and political investment in the analog Hi-Vision HDTV format led to the promulgation of national industrial policies that inhibited the diffusion of alternative television technologies
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors recognize that information is capital and the discrete piece of information lawyers see as the basis of patents is in reality a large, complex information structure, meshing into elaborate networks.
Abstract: Despite the hype, regionalization frequently appears a better description of world market evolution than globalization. There has been convergence among the advanced nations but in other countries there is a mixed record of take-offs, stalls and nose dives. Given these circumstances, it is important that economics is still trying to come to grips with knowledge-based economic activity and has yet to develop the not-so-simple economics of intellectual property. We have to recognize that information is capital and the discrete piece of information lawyers see as the basis of patents is in reality a large, complex information structure, meshing into elaborate networks. Patenting and other strategies to appropriate benefits from innovation may therefore be more successful than has been conceded generally. Implications extend from domestic innovation to world trade and institutional arrangements.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the coordination of intellectual property in regional trade arrangements in Europe, Asia and North and South America, and examine the intellectual property regimes of the European Union, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, the Association of South East Asian Nations and the North American Free Trade Association.
Abstract: The establishment of a global multilateral trading system moderated by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is in apparent tension with the proliferation of regional trade arrangements. A significant feature of these regional arrangements is the proposal to establish harmonised regional intellectual property systems. This intellectual property harmonisation may well operate to reconcile the countervailing strains of globalisation and regionalisation of trade. This article examines the coordination of intellectual property in regional trade arrangements in Europe, Asia and North and South America. Specifically, the article examines the intellectual property regimes of the European Union, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, the Association of South East Asian Nations and the North American Free Trade Association.
TL;DR: The FCC's DTV standard decision of December 1996 is criticized on the grounds that it is likely to hinder rather than to help the development of a viable broadcasting service as mentioned in this paper, and the FCC made it worse by introducing uncertainty as to which formats would be for broadcasting and which formats receivers would accept.
Abstract: The FCC’s DTV standards decision of December 1996 is criticized on the grounds that it is likely to hinder rather than to help the development of a viable broadcasting service. The standard-setting process began in 1987, resulting in a proposal to the FCC in 1995. The so-called Grand Alliance proposal was not perfect, as it had too many scanning formats, it used interlace, and had no provision for inexpensive receivers or easy upgrading, but it was a complete system Because of a dispute between the computer and TV industries, a private advisory committee was formed at FCC urging. It met secretly without public participation, in of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The committee agreed to eliminate the table of scanning formats, and the FCC adopted this radical proposal within a month. Rather than correcting the drawbacks of the GA proposal, the FCC made it worse by introducing uncertainty as to which formats would be for broadcasting and which formats receivers would accept. In so doing, the FCC ignored the views of other government agencies, public-interest groups, and disinterested individuals, but apparently accepted the often erroneous and self-serving statements of the commercial entities involved
TL;DR: TRIPS does not lay down rules on parallel imports, however, it does give states the discretion to apply competition rules to the exercise of intellectual property rights as discussed by the authors, and the indeterminacies of competition law and its application mean that intellectual property owners lack objective criteria by which to plan their strategic uses of Intellectual Property.
Abstract: TRIPS does not lay down rules on parallel imports. Its provisions, however, do give states the discretion to apply competition rules to the exercise of intellectual property rights. The indeterminacies of competition law and its application mean that intellectual property owners lack objective criteria by which to plan their strategic uses of intellectual property. Competition policy, if not clearly and consistently worked out, may well serve to undermine the incentive effects of intellectual property.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that copyright's role in relation to culture is best characterised as instrumental rather than fundamental, and that the end result of this private power over cultural output is the global homogenisation of that output.
Abstract: This article considers how copyright serves concepts of culture and development. It suggests that copyright's role in relation to culture is best characterised as instrumental rather than fundamental. An indicator of this instrumental approach is the commodification of the copyright interest. The article argues that this commodification has been used by corporate interests to build an edifice of private power. The end result of this private power over cultural output is the global homogenisation of that output.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors suggest that collective enforcement creates two forces: increased compliance with copyright laws; and a tendency for copyright collecting societies to act as monopolists, and the interaction of these forces is discussed and the price and output consequences identified.
Abstract: Collective enforcement of copyright law is an increasingly important element in copyright-based industries. This article suggests that collective enforcement creates two forces: increased compliance with copyright laws; and a tendency for copyright collecting societies to act as monopolists. The interaction of these forces is discussed and the price and output consequences identified. From this position, using the Australian regulatory experience as a guide, the article highlights a number of regulatory shortcomings and suggests a range of principles upon which to base the regulation of copyright collecting societies.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the Australian response to questions of spare parts, journalists copyright, parallel imports, databases and collecting societies, all issues which have arisen internationally in recent years.
Abstract: The interface between intellectual property and competition policy is a difficult one. Both aim to correct for market failure in the pursuit of economic efficiency. However, in correcting for one market failure, we may exacerbate another. This article raises a number of specific issues which have arisen at this interface, at both the policy and enforcement levels. It discusses the Australian response to questions of spare parts, journalists copyright, parallel imports, databases and collecting societies, all issues which have arisen internationally in recent years.
TL;DR: Granger and Robin this article described the ecology and empire of Settler Societies and their role in the environmental history of the world, with a focus on coalitions and coalitions.
Abstract: (1998). Ecology and Empire: Environmental History of Settler Societies, Tom Griffiths & Libby Robin (Eds), Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 1997, 248 pp., AU$29.95, ISBN 0522 84793 5. Prometheus: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 104-106.
TL;DR: A. W. (Tony) Bates as mentioned in this paper, Technology, Open Learning and Distance Education, London and New York, Routledge, 1995, vii + 266 pp., AU$45.00 (pbk), ISBN 0 415 11682 1 (hbk), 978 0 415 12799 8(pbk).
Abstract: (1998). Technology, Open Learning and Distance Education A. W. (Tony) Bates London and New York, Routledge, 1995, vii + 266 pp., AU$45.00 (pbk), ISBN 0 415 11682 1 (hbk), ISBN 0 415 12799 8 (pbk). Prometheus: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 541-545.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate the long-standing argument that Australian R&D levels are low because of the restrictions imposed by scale economies in production and show that existing overseas firms with their own in-house research units will have a greater intrinsic willingness to pay for innovations.
Abstract: This article evaluates the long-standing argument that Australian R&D levels are low because of the restrictions imposed by scale economies in production. In so doing, it is assumed that there are no intrinsic advantages or disadvantages to the integration of research and production activities within a single firm. The rents that Australian firms could accrue by selling innovations to overseas firms with production capabilities are then determined. It is demonstrated that existing overseas firms with their own in-house research units will have a greater intrinsic willingness to pay for innovations. Hence, they will spend relatively more on R&D and innovate more often than Australian research-oriented firms.
TL;DR: In this paper, economic theory has only recently addressed the international trade flow implications of different Intellectual Proper Right (IPR) protection regimes, including those consistent with the TRIPS agreement, and the theory suggests IPR protection offers grounds for both conflict and congruence between net technology importers (mostly developing countries) and net technology exporters.
Abstract: Intellectual properly right (IPR) protection provides incentives for innovation and consequent spillover benefits for the global economy, but it may also have anti-competitive effects. Economic theory has only recently addressed the international trade flow implications of different IPR protection regimes—including those consistent with the TRIPS agreement. The theory suggests IPR protection offers grounds for both conflict and congruence between net technology importers (mostly developing countries) and net technology exporters. Empirical evidence suggests that IPR protection influences trade and investment flows, but that economic impacts vary across nations and industries. Debate continues over crucial measurement issues.