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Showing papers on "Globalization published in 2005"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Propagule pressure is proposed as a key element to understanding why some introduced populations fail to establish whereas others succeed and how the study of propagule pressure can provide an opportunity to tie together disparate research agendas within invasion ecology.
Abstract: Human-mediated species invasions are a significant component of current global environmental change. There is every indication that the rate at which locations are accumulating non-native species is accelerating as free trade and globalization advance. Thus, the need to incorporate predictive models in the assessment of invasion risk has become acute. However, finding elements of the invasion process that provide consistent explanatory power has proved elusive. Here, we propose propagule pressure as a key element to understanding why some introduced populations fail to establish whereas others succeed. In the process, we illustrate how the study of propagule pressure can provide an opportunity to tie together disparate research agendas within invasion ecology.

2,288 citations


Book
01 Apr 2005
TL;DR: Beyond Continuity as discussed by the authors provides a more complex and fundamental understanding of institutional change, and will be important reading for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Political Science, Management Studies, Sociology, and Economics.
Abstract: Debates surrounding institutional change have become increasingly central to Political Science, Management Studies, and Sociology, opposing the role of globalization in bringing about a convergence of national economies and institutions on one model to theories about 'Varieties of Capitalism'. This book brings together a distinguished set of contributors from a variety of disciplines to examine current theories of institutional change. The chapters highlight the limitations of these theories, finding them lacking in the analytic tools necessary to identify the changes occurring at a national level, and therefore tend to explain many changes and innovation as simply another version of previous situations. Instead a model emerges of contemporary political economies developing in incremental but cumulatively transformative processes. The contributors show that a wide, but not infinite, variety of models of institutional change exist which can meaningfully distinguished and analytically compared. They offer an empirically grounded typology of modes of institutional change that offer important insights on mechanisms of social and political stability, and evolution generally. Beyond Continuity provides a more complex and fundamental understanding of institutional change, and will be important reading for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Political Science, Management Studies, Sociology, and Economics.

1,963 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors trace the links between neoliberalism and globalization on the one hand, and the knowledge economy on the other, and argue that the role of higher education for the economy is seen by governments as having greater importance to the extent that higher education has become the new star ship in the policy fleet for governments.
Abstract: The ascendancy of neoliberalism and the associated discourses of ‘new public management’, during the 1980s and 1990s has produced a fundamental shift in the way universities and other institutions of higher education have defined and justified their institutional existence. The traditional professional culture of open intellectual enquiry and debate has been replaced with a institutional stress on performativity, as evidenced by the emergence of an emphasis on measured outputs: on strategic planning, performance indicators, quality assurance measures and academic audits. This paper traces the links between neoliberalism and globalization on the one hand, and neoliberalism and the knowledge economy on the other. It maintains that in a global neoliberal environment, the role of higher education for the economy is seen by governments as having greater importance to the extent that higher education has become the new star ship in the policy fleet for governments around the world. Universities are seen as a key driver in the knowledge economy and as a consequence higher education institutions have been encouraged to develop links with industry and business in a series of new venture partnerships. The recognition of economic importance of higher education and the necessity for economic viability has seen initiatives to promote greater entrepreneurial skills as well as the development of new performative measures to enhance output and to establish and achieve targets. This paper attempts to document these trends at the level of both political philosophy and economic theory.

1,914 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present systematic empirical evidence for the financialization of the US economy in the post-1970s period and develop two discrete measures of financialization and apply these measures to postwar US economic data in order to determine if, and to what extent, US economy is becoming financialized.
Abstract: This paper presents systematic empirical evidence for the financialization of the US economy in the post-1970s period. While numerous researchers have noted the increasing salience of finance, there have been few systematic attempts to consider what this shift means for the nature of the economy, considered broadly. In large part, this omission reflects the considerable methodological difficulties associated with using national economic data to assess the rise of finance as a macro-level phenomenon shaping patterns of accumulation in the US economy. The paper develops two discrete measures of financialization and applies these measures to postwar US economic data in order to determine if, and to what extent, the US economy is becoming financialized. The paper concludes by considering some of the implications of financialization for two areas of ongoing debate in the social sciences: (1) the question of who controls the modern corporation; and (2) the controversy surrounding the extent to which globalization has eroded the autonomy of the state.

1,803 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
29 Jun 2005-Nature
TL;DR: In a Feature this week, Jianguo Liu and Jared Diamond look at the effects of China's sweeping environmental change and socio-economic challenges, synthesizing detailed literature that is scattered even for Chinese readers and largely inaccessible to western readers.
Abstract: How China and the rest of the world affect each other. China's environmental problems dominate those of the world, not only because China contains a fifth of the world's people, but also because China's economy is so big and developing so rapidly. The expanding links of globalization mean that China's problems are the world's problems too. In a Feature this week, Jianguo Liu and Jared Diamond look at the effects of China's sweeping environmental change and socio-economic challenges, synthesizing detailed literature that is scattered even for Chinese readers and largely inaccessible to western readers. On the cover, crowds on Nanjing Lu, Shanghai's famous shopping street where global influences are clear to see (Mark Henley/Panos). Elsewhere in the issue, Peter Aldhous reports on how China plans to cope with its exploding need for energy.

1,473 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify seven types of accountability mechanisms and consider their applicability to states, NGOs, multilateral organizations, multinational corporations, and transgovernmental networks, and identify opportunities for improving protections against abuses of power at the global level.
Abstract: Debates about globalization have centered on calls to improve accountability to limit abuses of power in world politics. How should we think about global accountability in the absence of global democracy? Who should hold whom to account and according to what standards? Thinking clearly about these questions requires recognizing a distinction, evident in theories of accountability at the nation-state level, between “participation” and “delegation” models of accountability. The distinction helps to explain why accountability is so problematic at the global level and to clarify alternative possibilities for pragmatic improvements in accountability mechanisms globally. We identify seven types of accountability mechanisms and consider their applicability to states, NGOs, multilateral organizations, multinational corporations, and transgovernmental networks. By disaggregating the problem in this way, we hope to identify opportunities for improving protections against abuses of power at the global level.

1,137 citations


Book
24 Dec 2005
TL;DR: Contested Citizenship as discussed by the authors ) is a cross-cultural project to compare collective actions by migrants, xenophobes, and antiracists in Germany, Britain, France, Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Abstract: From international press coverage of the French government’s attempt to prevent Muslims from wearing headscarves to terrorist attacks in Madrid and the United States, questions of cultural identity and pluralism are at the center of the world’s most urgent events and debates. Presenting an unprecedented wealth of empirical research garnered during ten years of a cross-cultural project, Contested Citizenship addresses these fundamental issues by comparing collective actions by migrants, xenophobes, and antiracists in Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Revealing striking cross-national differences in how immigration and diversity are contended by different national governments, these authors find that how citizenship is constructed is the key variable defining the experience of Europe’s immigrant populations. Contested Citizenship provides nuanced policy recommendations and challenges the truism that multiculturalism is always good for immigrants. Even in an age of European integration and globalization, the state remains a critical actor in determining what points of view are sensible and realistic—and legitimate—in society.

906 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Third-party certification (TPC) has emerged as a significant regulatory mechanism in the global agrifood system It reflects a broader shift from public to private governance Traditionally, government agencies were responsible for monitoring food safety and quality standards However, the globalization of the agri-food system, the consolidation of the food retail industry, and the rise in private retailer standards have precipitated a shift in responsibility for this task to third-party certifiers as mentioned in this paper.

659 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper studied the effect of trade on a country's environment, for a given level of GDP, using exogenous geographic determinants of trade as instrumental variables, and found that trade tends to reduce three measures of air pollution.
Abstract: We seek to contribute to the debate over globalization and the environment by asking: What is the effect of trade on a country's environment, for a given level of GDP? We take specific account of the endogeneity of trade, using exogenous geographic determinants of trade as instrumental variables. We find that trade tends to reduce three measures of air pollution. Statistical significance is high for concentrations of SO2, moderate for NO2, and lacking for particulate matter. Although results for other environmental measures are not as encouraging, there is little evidence that trade has a detrimental effect on the environment.

646 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors argue that these two trends are related: democratization of the political system reduces the ability of governments to use trade barriers as a strategy for building political support, and that the liberalization of trade policy in many developing countries has helped foster the growth of these flows.
Abstract: Rising international trade flows are a primary component of globalization. The liberalization of trade policy in many developing countries has helped foster the growth of these flows. Preceding and concurrent with this move to free trade, there has been a global movement toward democracy. We argue that these two trends are related: democratization of the political system reduces the ability of governments to use trade barriers as a strategy for building political support. Political leaders in labor rich countries may prefer lower trade barriers as democracy increases. Empirical evidence supports our claim about the developing countries from 1970-1999. Regime change toward democracy is associated with trade liberalization, controlling for many factors. Conventional explanations of economic reform, such as economic crises and external pressures, seem less salient. Democratization may have fostered globalization in this period.

627 citations


BookDOI
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: McAdam et al. as mentioned in this paper created a common framework for organizations and social movements, and discussed how social movements penetrate organizations and how organizations respond to social change and how to resist subversion.
Abstract: Part I. Creating a Common Framework: 1. Organizations and movements Doug McAdam and W. Richard Scott 2. Where do we stand? Common mechanisms in organizations and social movements research John L. Campbell Part II. Political and Mobilization Context: 3. Institutional variation in the evolution of social movements: competing logics and the spread of recycling advocacy groups Michael Lounsbury 4. Elite mobilizations for antitakeover legislation, 1982-1990 Timothy Vogus and Gerald F. Davis 5. Institutionalization as a contested, multilevel process: the case of rate regulation in American fire insurance Marc Schneiberg and Sarah A. Soule 6. From struggle to settlement: the crystallization of a field of lesbian/gay organizations in San Francisco, 1969-1973 Elizabeth Armstrong Part III. Social Movement Organizations: Form and Structure: 7. Persistence and change among federated social movement organizations John McCarthy 8. Globalization and transnational social movement organizations Jackie Smith Part IV. Movements Penetrating Organizations: 9. How do social movements penetrate organizations? Environmental impact and organizational response Mayer N. Zald, Calvin Morrill, and Hayagreeva Rao 10. Organizational change as an orchestrated social movement: recruitment to a corporate quality initiative David Strang and Dong-Il Jung 11. Subventing our stories of subversion Maureen A. Scully and W. E. Douglas Creed Part V. Conclusion: 12. Social change, social theory, and the convergence of movements and organizations Gerald F. Davis and Mayer N. Zald 12. Two kinds of stuff: the current encounter of social movements and organizations Elizabeth Clemens.

Book
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Colonial Studies, 1951-2001 as mentioned in this paper is a survey of the history of colonial studies and its connections to the present day and the future of the United States.
Abstract: List of Illustrations Acknowledgments PART I. COLONIAL STUDIES AND INTERDISCIPLINARY SCHOLARSHIP 1. Introduction: Colonial Questions, Historical Trajectories 2. The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Colonial Studies, 1951--2001 PART II. CONCEPTS IN QUESTION 3. Identity--With Rogers Brubaker 4. Globalization 5. Modernity PART III. THE POSSIBILITIES OF HISTORY 6. States, Empires, and Political Imagination 7. Labor, Politics, and the End of Empire in French Africa 8. Conclusion: Colonialism, History, Politics Notes Index

Book
Clifford Bob1
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: The authors examines how a few Third World political movements become global causes while most remain isolated, and draws critical conclusions about social movements, NGOs, and 'global civil society' by examining Mexico's Zapatista rebels and Nigeria's Ogoni ethnic group.
Abstract: How do a few Third World political movements become global causes celebres, while most remain isolated? This book rejects dominant views that needy groups readily gain help from selfless nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Instead, they face a Darwinian struggle for scarce resources where support goes to the savviest, not the neediest. Examining Mexico's Zapatista rebels and Nigeria's Ogoni ethnic group, the book draws critical conclusions about social movements, NGOs, and 'global civil society'.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a framework for analysing the links between foreign direct investment and poverty is developed focusing on the impacts on the poor as producers, consumers and beneficiaries of government expenditures.
Abstract: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a major focus of interest for development practitioners in recent years. While development NGOs have been critical of voluntary corporate initiatives, official development agencies have taken a more positive view and in some cases encouraged CSR. This article locates the growth of CSR in the context of global deregulation since the early 1980s, highlighting the key drivers that have led to its adoption by many leading transnational corporations. It then describes the factors that have led to the recent emphasis given to CSR by both bilateral and multilateral development agencies and the United Nations. A framework for analysing the links between foreign direct investment and poverty is developed focusing on the impacts on the poor as producers, consumers and beneficiaries of government expenditures. This framework is used to illustrate the limitations of CSR in terms of likely impacts on poverty reduction through each of the channels identified and also to point to areas in which CSR may have some positive benefits. Overall, the article concludes that it is unlikely to play the significant role in poverty reduction in development countries that its proponents claim for it.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors quantify the volumes of virtual water flows between nations in the period 1995-1999 insofar related to international crop trade and to analyse national virtual water balances in relation to national water needs and water availability.
Abstract: The water that is used in the production process of a commodity is called the ‘virtual water’ contained in the commodity. International trade of commodities brings along international flows of virtual water. The objective of this paper is to quantify the volumes of virtual water flows between nations in the period 1995–1999 insofar related to international crop trade and to analyse national virtual water balances in relation to national water needs and water availability. The basic approach is to multiply international crop trade flows (ton/yr) by their associated virtual water content (m3 ton−1). The calculations show that the global volume of crop-related international virtual water flows between nations was 695 Gm3 yr−1 in average over the period 1995–1999. For comparison: the total water use by crops in the world has been estimated at 5400 Gm3 yr−1. This means that 13% of the water used for crop production in the world is not used for domestic consumption but for export (in virtual form). This is a conservative estimate because only a limited number of crops––although the most important ones––have been taken into account and because crop products (such as cotton clothes) have been excluded from the study. The countries with the largest net virtual water export are United States, Canada, Thailand, Argentina and India. The largest net import appears to be in Japan, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, China and Indonesia.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Martin Wolf's Why Globalization Works is the best single book to date that comprehensively addresses all of the claims and counterclaims of the antiglobalization and alternative globalization crowds as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: WHY GLOBALIZATION WORKS Martin Wolf New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004 xviii, 398pp, $4350 cloth (ISBN 0-300-10252-6)Give the antiglobalization gaggle their due After the 1999 "battle in Seattle," mainstream commentators summarily dismissed most of the claims of most of the antiglobalization protestors-often within the space of a single op-ed column That was then Over the past five years the antiglobalization crowd has managed to convince a fair fraction of the globe of the correctness of their arguments: global economic integration empowers multinational corporations at the expense of citizens, enriches the wealthy while impoverishing the poor, and strips away the autonomy of governments, leaving them at the mercy of global capital marketsAs these claims have garnered greater credence, the reaction has been a fuller articulation of the mainstream response Economists and policymakers who support the reduction of national barriers to exchange have generated a raft of books devoted to debunking the myriad claims of the antiglobalization and alternative globalization crowds Some of themDouglas Irwiris Free Trade Under Fire, Brink Lindsey's Against the Dead Hand, Raghuram Rajan's Saving Capitalism From the Capitalists, Johan Norberg's In Defense of Global Capitalism, and Jagdish Bhagwati's In Defense of Globalization-have made some excellent points However, Martin Wolf's Why Globalization Works is the best single book to date that comprehensively addresses all of the claims and counterclaims with regard to economic globalization Wolf, a World Bank economist turned Financial Times editor and columnist, has written the kind of book that makes me envious-because I wish I had written itWolf's argument is simple but compelling: compared to all other forms of economic organization, a system based on free market principles brings the greatest good to the greatest number A market system supported by the legal and popular sovereignty of a liberal democratic polity functions even better Globalization increases the size of the market, which increases the opportunities for growth, which increases the number of nonzero-sum interactions as compared to zero-sum conflicts When contrasted against the alternatives, both theory and practice strongly recommend the unfettered integration of national markets Critics of global market integration-variously dubbed "new millennium collectivists" or "antiglobalizationcom" by Wolf-are simply unable to propose a better international economic arrangementThe first three sections of Why Globalization Works are devoted primarily to the theory side of the argument-how to define globalization, why the free movement of goods, services, and people across borders is a good thing, and the proper division of labor between markets and governments Few of the points made in this section are new, but they serve a useful purpose, which is to point out an alternative frame through which to judge the merits of globalization Protestors tend to focus on cross-sectional analysis-ie, comparing how different parts of the present-day world are experiencing the (mal)distribution of benefits from the globalization phenomenon Wolf argues that the thoughtful observer should also make temporal comparisons How much do individuals benefit during eras of globalization as opposed to periods of segmentation? The answer here is not surprising-periods of globalization generate much greater gains than other periods in history …

ReportDOI
TL;DR: The authors decompose diversification benefits into two parts: one component due to variation in the average correlation across markets, and another part due to the variation in investment opportunity set, and infer that periods of globalization have both benefits and drawbacks for international investors.
Abstract: The correlation structure of the world equity markets varied considerably over the past 150 years and was high during periods of economic integration. We decompose diversification benefits into two parts: one component due to variation in the average correlation across markets, and a another component due to the variation in the investment opportunity set. From this, we infer that periods of globalization have both benefits and drawbacks for international investors. Globalization expands the opportunity set, but as a result, the benefits from diversification rely increasingly on investment in emerging markets.

Book
15 Feb 2005
TL;DR: Hart as discussed by the authors shows how to identify sustainable products and technologies that can drive new growth while also helping to solve today's most crucial social and environmental problems, and points the way to a capitalism that is more inclusive and more welcome: it offers specific techniques to recharge innovation, growth, and profitability.
Abstract: Capitalism is indeed at a crossroads, facing international terrorism, worldwide environmental change, and an accelerating backlash against globalization. Companies arei? ati? crossroads, too: finding new strategies for profitable growth is now more challenging. Both sets of problems are intimately linked. Learn how to identify sustainable products and technologies that can drive new growth while also helping to solve today's most crucial social and environmental problems.i? Hart shows how to become truly indigenous to alli? markets -- and avoid the pitfalls of traditional 'greening' and 'sustainability' strategies. This book doesn't just point the way to a capitalism that is more inclusive and more welcome: it offers specific techniquesi? to recharge innovation, growth, and profitability.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The implications of various aspects of China's rise, from its expanding influence and military muscle to its growing demand for energy supplies, are being heatedly debated in the international community as well as within China.
Abstract: CHINA'S RAPID development has attracted worldwide attention in recent years. The implications of various aspects of China's rise, from its expanding influence and military muscle to its growing demand for energy supplies, are being heatedly debated in the international community as well as within China. Correctly understanding China's achievements and its path toward greater development is thus crucial. Since starting to open up and reform its economy in 1978, China has averaged 9.4 percent annual GDP growth, one of the highest growth rates in the world. In 1978, it accounted for less than one percent of the world economy, and its total foreign trade was worth $20.6 billion. Today, it accounts for four percent of the world economy and has foreign trade worth $851 billion-the third-largest national total in the world. China has also attracted hundreds of billions of dollars of foreign investment and more than a trillion dollars of domestic nonpublic investment. A dozen years ago, China barely had mobile telecommunications services. Now it claims more than 300 million mobile-phone subscribers, more than any other nation. As ofJune 2004, nearly loo million people there had access to the Internet.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors studied the structural structure of frame creation and contests from an interpretive point of view, but they focused on the structural aspects of the frame creation process and contesting process, rather than the interpretive aspects.
Abstract: While the literature on framing has importantly expanded our understanding of frame creation and contests from an interpretive point of view, previous studies have largely neglected the structural ...

Book
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors make country-specific contributions on Conservative Welfare Regimes, Social-Democratic Welfare Regime, and Post-Socialist welfare Regimes for the transition to Adulthood.
Abstract: Part 1 Introduction 1. Globalization, Uncertainty and the Early Life Course 2. Globalization and the Early Life Course Part 2 Country-Specific Contributions on Conservative Welfare Regimes 3. Case Study Germany 4. Transition From Youth to Adulthood in The Netherlands 5. The Case of France Part 3 Country-Specific Contributions on Social-Democratic Welfare Regimes 6. Transitions to Adult in Sweden 7. Transitions to Adulthood in Norway Part 4 Country-Specific Contributions on Post-Socialist Welfare Regimes 8. The Effects of the Globalization Process on the Transition to Adulthood in Hungary 9. Transition to Adulthood in Estonia Part 5 Country-Specific Contributions on Liberal Welfare Regimes 10. The Process of Globalization and Transition to Adulthood in Britain 11. The Transition to Adulthood in Canada 12. The Case of the American Women Part 6 Country-Specific Contributions on Familistic Welfare Regimes 13. Globalization and the Transition to Adulthood in Mexico 14. Globalization and the Transition to Adulthood in Italy 15. The Spanish Case 16. Ireland and Economic Globalization Part 7 Conclusions and Discussion 17. Becoming an Adult in Uncertain Times

Posted Content
TL;DR: The authors analyzes theoretically and empirically the relationship between trade and war and finds that countries more open to global trade have a higher probability of war because multilateral trade openness decreases bilateral dependence to any given country.
Abstract: This paper analyzes theoretically and empirically the relationship between trade and war. We show that the intuition that trade promotes peace is only partially true even in a model where trade is beneficial to all, war reduces trade and leaders take into account the costs of war. When war can occur because of the presence of asymmetric information, the probability of escalation is indeed lower for countries that trade more bilaterally because of the opportunity cost associated with the loss of trade gains. However, countries more open to global trade have a higher probability of war because multilateral trade openness decreases bilateral dependence to any given country. Using a theoretically-based econometric model, we test our predictions on a large dataset of military conflicts in the period 1948-2001. We find strong evidence for the contrasting effects of bilateral and multilateral trade. Our empirical results also confirm our theoretical prediction that multilateral trade openness increases more the probability of war between proximate countries. This may explain why military conflicts have become more localized and less global over time.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper argued that the experience of cultural globalization, and the sociolinguistic disorder it entails, cannot be understood solely through a dystopic vision of linguistic catastrophe, but demand that we also take into account the recombinant qualities of language mixing, hybridization, and creolization.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The impact of invasions can be reduced by tackling their economic externalities, and international aid could be used to protect donor societies against the inability of some other countries to take appropriate biosecurity measures.
Abstract: Protecting national borders against biological invasions is becoming increasingly difficult because those whose actions result in invasions seldom bear legal responsibility for those actions. Invasion costs are often an externality (an unintended side effect) of international trade. Externalities are best dealt with by internalizing them; that is, by getting those who harm society to meet the cost. This is the 'polluter pays principle', which, under current trade rules, is difficult to implement. Tariffs could, however, be used to confront exporters with the costs of their actions, and the right to do this should be embedded in trade agreements. At the same time, international aid could be used to protect donor societies against the inability of some other countries to take appropriate biosecurity measures. The impact of invasions can thus be reduced by tackling their economic externalities.

Book
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: The authors provides a close examination of the inner workings of the World Bank, the foundations of its achievements, its propensity for intensifying the problems it intends to cure, and its remarkable ability to tame criticism and extend its own reach.
Abstract: This text provides a close examination of the inner workings of the World Bank, the foundations of its achievements, its propensity for intensifying the problems it intends to cure, and its remarkable ability to tame criticism and extend its own reach.

Journal Article
TL;DR: The presented in this article is a simple three-step process to identify which functions your company needs to own and protect, which can be best performed by what kinds of partners, and which could be turned into new business opportunities.
Abstract: As globalization changes the basis of competition, sourcing is moving from the periphery of corporate functions to the core Always important in terms of costs, sourcing is becoming a strategic opportunity But few companies are ready for this shift Outsourcing has grown so sophisticated that even critical functions like engineering, R&D, manufacturing, and marketing can-and often should-be moved outside And that, in turn, is changing the way companies think about their organizations, their value chains, and their competitive positions Already, a handful of vanguard companies are transforming what used to be purely internal corporate functions into entirely new industries Companies like UPS, Solectron, and Hewitt have created new business models by concentrating scale and skill within a single function As these and other function-based companies grow, so does the potential value of outsourcing to all companies Migrating from a vertically integrated company to a specialized provider of a single function is not a winning strategy for everyone But all companies need to rigorously reassess each of their functions as possible outsourcing candidates Presented in this article is a simple three-step process to identify which functions your company needs to own and protect, which can be best performed by what kinds of partners, and which could be turned into new business opportunities The result of such an analysis will be a comprehensive capabilities-sourcing strategy As a detailed examination of 7-Eleven's experience shows, the success of the strategy often hinges on the creativity with which partnerships are organized and managed But only by first taking a broad, strategic view of capabilities sourcing can your company gain the greatest benefit from all of its sourcing choices

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Castells et al. as discussed by the authors argue that the global digital divide, as measured by cross-national differences in Internet use, is the result of the economic, regulatory and sociopolitical characteristics of countries and their evolution over time.
Abstract: We argue that the global digital divide, as measured by cross-national differences in Internet use, is the result of the economic, regulatory and sociopolitical characteristics of countries and their evolution over time. We predict Internet use to increase with worldsystem status, privatization and competition in the telecommunications sector, democracy and cosmopolitanism. Using data on 118 countries from 1997 through 2001, we find relatively robust support for each of our hypotheses. We conclude by exploring the implications of this new, powerful communication medium for the global political economy and for the spread of democracy around the world. The Internet has developed unevenly throughout the world, creating what has become known as the “global digital divide” (Castells 2001; Kirkman et al. 2002; Mosaic Group 1998; Norris 2001; Rogers 2001). The number of Internet users is one of the most widely used indicators of development of this emerging medium of communication. Less than 10 percent of the world’s population uses the Internet, and the gap between developed and developing countries has continued to widen since the early 1990s (see Figure 1). Differences by country are remarkable. Statistics compiled by the International Telecommunication Union as of the end of 2002 indicate that Internet use as a proportion of the population ranges from less than one percent in many underdeveloped African, Central American, and South Asian countries to between 50 and 60 percent in Iceland, the United States, Scandinavia, Singapore or South Korea (ITU 2003).1 The growth of the Internet has captured the imagination of users, policymakers, entrepreneurs, corporate managers, military strategists, social commentators, scholars, and journalists. Some early optimistic analyses envisioned the Internet as a “decentralizing, globalizing, harmonizing, and empowering” medium (Negroponte 1995:229), as a new communication technology that would bring about a “smaller, more open world.” (Tapscott and Caston 1993:313) The most enthusiastic visionaries have argued that the Internet means the “triumph over time and space,” the rise of the “netizen,” and the crowning of the “customer as sovereign” (Gilder 2000). According to the cyber-optimists, the Internet can create a public sphere in Habermas’s (1989) sense, one that is not regulated by the state or by commercial interests but rather owned and controlled by the participants themselves (Schneider 1996). While some of the cyber-optimists recognized the looming issue of inequality in access to the Internet (e.g. Tapscott and Caston 1993:312), it was not until the late 1990s that international organizations, governments, think tanks, and universities started to warn about the existence of a yawning digital divide, both within and across countries (e.g., U.S.

Book
26 Oct 2005
TL;DR: Elyachar as mentioned in this paper studied the efforts of bankers, social scientists, ngo members, development workers, and state officials to turn the craftsmen and unemployed youth of Cairo into the vanguard of a new market society based on microenterprise.
Abstract: What happens when the market tries to help the poor? In many parts of the world today, neoliberal development programs are offering ordinary people the tools of free enterprise as the means to well-being and empowerment. Schemes to transform the poor into small-scale entrepreneurs promise them the benefits of the market and access to the rewards of globalization. Markets of Dispossession is a theoretically sophisticated and sobering account of the consequences of these initiatives. Julia Elyachar studied the efforts of bankers, social scientists, ngo members, development workers, and state officials to turn the craftsmen and unemployed youth of Cairo into the vanguard of a new market society based on microenterprise. She considers these efforts in relation to the alternative notions of economic success held by craftsmen in Cairo, in which short-term financial profit is not always highly valued. Through her careful ethnography of workshop life, Elyachar explains how the traditional market practices of craftsmen are among the most vibrant modes of market life in Egypt. Long condemned as backward, these existing market practices have been seized on by social scientists and development institutions as the raw materials for experiments in “free market” expansion. Elyachar argues that the new economic value accorded to the cultural resources and social networks of the poor has fueled a broader process leading to their economic, social, and cultural dispossession.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of British highly-skilled ICTs who were posted from London to New York in the late 1990s is presented, which highlights the transnational organisational and social networks of these ICT workers in New York.
Abstract: Highly-skilled professionals, who circulate within and between transnational corporations as inter-company transferees (ICTs), are important constituents of the global economic system. In Castells’ ‘Network Society’, such labour is referred to as ‘managerial elites’, but what remains invisible in this meta-narrative is their transnational existence. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to unpack further our understanding of transnational managerial elites by drawing upon a study of British highly-skilled ICTs who were posted from London to New York in the late 1990s. The paper is divided into four parts. Following a discussion of transnational managerial elites in globalisation, the paper highlights the transnational organisational and social networks of these ICTs in New York. The paper then revisits the conceptualisation of transnational managerial elites, suggesting that individual career paths, physical mobility and cross-border connections, ties and business/social networks (both physical and virtual...