European Marketplace Research Articles

Aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy: medical evidence for its expanded use

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has gained much popularity over the past several years as clinicians and researchers have expanded upon its indications and how one should utilize PDT in everyday practice. PDT is not a new field within dermatology or medicine in general, but for all practical reasons, PDT is considered to still be in its infancy. This article will review the history of PDT, explore PDT in both the US and European market place, and show how PDT is best utilized today in the USA. Finally, future ideas/thoughts on where PDT is heading will be surmised.

Rapid breakdown of brominated flame retardants by soil microorganisms

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been extensively and successfully used as fire retardants in a multitude of products. However, due to their aromatic components and toxicological properties, they are assumed to be persistent environmental pollutants and a popularly-used commercial mixture, DE-71, has been removed from American and European marketplaces. However, our current work shows mixed bacterial cultures, derived or extracted from soils experimentally contaminated with DE-71, were capable of utilizing these as a sole carbon source. Most notably, almost complete loss of parent compounds takes place within a few minutes. Determining pathways was hindered by both the speed of the microbial degradation and the low water solubility of the congeners, complicating detection. The bacterial enrichment communities have been characterized using DGGE analysis and DNA sequencing. Element-specific detection was coupled to ion chromatography and only one degradation product detectable by ICP-MS, the bromide ion, was found. Additionally, samples were analyzed by GC/TOF-MS using a mass-defect-based digital noise filtering technique to facilitate observation of bromine-containing unknowns and ESI-MS was used to identify the non-volatile brominated unknown peaks. However, low concentrations (100 μg L−1 initial fortification and substantially lower levels of theorized by-products) prohibited successful compound identification.

BladeCenter T system for the telecommunications industry

This paper describes the IBM eServerTM BladeCenter® T system, an extension of the BladeCenter platform designed for the specific and rigorous requirements of the telecommunications industry, such as compliance with Telcordia Technologies Network Equipment-Building Standards (NEBSTM) specifications. The Telcordia NEBS documents and the analogous documents written for the European marketplace by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute define the range of environmental and electrical parameters presented by this market segment. A key characteristic of the telecommunications industry is its focus on the availability and redundancy of the equipment used to provide service to its customers. These requirements imposed significant design changes on the BladeCenter platform and software, while maintaining a solution compatible with the original BladeCenter architecture. This paper provides details of the design changes that were made in the areas of hardware, software, systems management, and integration, and concludes with examples and a discussion of customer solutions with the BladeCenter T system.

The rise and rise of Eurep-GAP: European re(invention) of colonial food relations?

This article examines the development and potential consequences of the emergence of the new fruit and vegetable audit system EurepGAP. Emerging in 1999, EurepGAP brought together an alliance of retailers, producers, science and NGOs to provide a comprehensive ‘super audit’ of food safety and environmental sustainability in European supply chains. The article examines the context in which EurepGAP emerged; the particular audit technologies and their key consequences; and the broad alliance of interests that has provided significant legitimacy for the new system. In particular, EurepGAP is examined as a particularly powerful form of new ‘audit culture’. Close examination reveals the highly Euro-centric vision of EurepGAP and the potential consequences of this as a mechanism of inclusion/exclusion for fruit and vegetable suppliers to Europe. The New Zealand kiwifruit industry is used to demonstrate the powers of inclusion created by EurepGAP. Leveraging upon 150 years of ecological and social construction of the New Zealand farmscape, the Zespri kiwifruit has become a powerful exemplar of the ‘right’ kind of food product for Europe. By implication, EurepGAP has created a narrow gate for entry in front of many other less well-situated suppliers of fruit and vegetables to the European marketplace.

Bmi's response to the changing European airline marketplace

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate bmi's pricing and revenue management response to the changing European airline marketplace. Prompted by the low-cost carriers, bmi challenged the traditional full service airline pricing and revenue management practices and, as a result, changed its business to a one-way, restriction-free environment in spring 2002. Traditional revenue management optimisation techniques and performance measurement are no longer valid under such a pricing model — classes are no longer independent entities; rather there is a single fare on a flight at any one time. The revenue management problem is now one of how to calculate the optimum fare to charge at any point pre-departure, and various methods have been adopted by bmi to manage this process.

The Year 2004 Survey: CEO Perspectives on the Current Status and Future Prospects of the European Third-Party Logistics Industry

During 2004, a survey was conducted of the CEOs of 13 of the largest third-party logistics companies serving the European marketplace. This article documents their responses to questions concerning such topics as the industry’s dynamics, market opportunities, and problems. Attention is also given to a broad range of other topics of interest to the industry concerning such matters as the recent expansion of the membership of the European Union, the impact of RFID on customer requirements, and the industry’s human resource requirements. CEO estimates of future company and industry revenue growth rates are also highlighted. The implications of the findings to both users and providers of 3PL services are also examined.

Competition Regulation in the UK Stage 2: Enterprise Act 2002

Few legal practitioners in the UK can be unaware of the introduction of the Competition Act 1998 (which came into force on 1 March 2000) and its impact upon commercial agreements/practices generally. Substantively, it prohibits agreements between undertakings, concerted practices and decisions by associations of undertakings i.e. decisions made by trade associations, which appreciably prevent, restrict or distort competition in the UK. Of course, this piece of national legislation is limited to the activities of businesses whose activities impact upon the competitiveness of the UK marketplace. The wider picture is provided by the European competition rules as embodied in Articles 81 and 82 of the EC Treaty. However, both regimes essentially prevent the same range of activities save that the UK system only looks for adverse impact in the UK, whereas the European rules are concerned with adverse effects upon interstate trade and hence the competitiveness of the European marketplace.

Europe in the new century: visions of an emerging superpower

Introduction, R.J. Guttman. Part 1 Politics: Europe in the New Century - a Scenario, L. Barber The Path to Unity, S. Villes Differing Views on a United Europe, R. Dale The Nation-State Redefined, L.B. Fallesen Enlargement of the European Union - How New EU Members Will Change the Shape of Europe, M. Walker. Part 2 Looking Outward: The Future of Europe's Foreign Policy, M. Walker The European Union and the World, C. Patten The New Transatlantic Agenda, L. Barber Europe and Asia, R.J. Guttman Europe and the Middle East, D. Lennon Europe and Russia, M. Walker The European Union - a Leader in Humanitarian and Development Assistance, D. Lennon. Part 3 The European Marketplace: The Euro, L. Barber The Single Market, B. Barnard Business and the Technologies of the Future, B. Barnard Creating Jobs for the 21st Century, S. Ladika. Part 4 Personal Visions: Young Europeans - Speaking Out on the 21st Century Europe's Leaders of Today Discuss the Europe of Tomorrow.

Strategic Partnerships and Competitiveness of Business-to-Business E-Marketplaces: Preliminary Evidence from Europe

Business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces offer the potential of substantial increases in efficiency and transparency in their target industries. We argue that to realize this potential they must form strategic partnerships. While the need to partner with companies in their target industries has been coming to the forefront with the rise of industry-sponsored marketplaces, firms find that there is a further need to partner with other organizations to create more extensive and adaptive service offerings. The goal of this research is to support the view that forming strategic partnerships with specialized service providers and other marketplaces is an important means for marketplaces to create successful business models and to improve their competitive position. We examine the relevant theory and explore the status of partnering activities of European B2B marketplaces, which we surveyed from April to May 2001. Additionally, we report on a set of in-depth interviews with the management of a number of major B2B...

US versus international environmental noise policies—a proposed agenda for the next decade

During the past decade, there has been significant efforts in both Europe and Asia to develop new environmental noise control policies. During the same time in the US, there have been few major improvements in our national environmental noise policies, coupled with decreased levels of funding for noise research. The improvements in environmental noise policies being seen in Europe and Asia are due to an increasing awareness of the negative impacts of these exposures on the overall health and welfare of the exposed populations, and an awareness of the costs to society for these exposures. In particular, the rapidly evolving set of European Commission Noise Directives and the World Health Organization ‘‘Guidelines for Community Noise’’ represent a new, more aggressive philosophy concerning the steps required to minimize environmental noise exposure. In addition, the European Commission is adopting stringent noise emission criteria for a wide range of products, which could severely hinder US efforts to compete in the European marketplace. In response to this high level of international activity, it is proposed that the US embark on a 10-year effort to revitalize our national environmental noise policies. A description of a proposed philosophy for this program is presented.

A Time for Leadership: Global Perspectives from an Accelerated European Marketplace

A Time for Leadership: Global Perspectives from an Accelerated European Marketplace

Permission Marketing

Permission Marketing Seth Godin reviewed by Victor Ross World Wide Web Marketing Jim Sterne reviewed by Andrew Walmsley Improving Data Warehouse and Business Information Quality Larry P. English reviewed by Peter Mouncey A Time for Leadership: Global Perspectives from an Accelerated European Marketplace John R. Childress reviewed by Robin Fairlie

Advertising Self-Regulation in a Broader Context

As the world braces itself for a unified European marketplace, it is critical that we look at the industries likely to be influenced by, and in turn shape, European integration. The advertising industry and its handling of unification are particularly important given that advertising is the voice of the marketplace and a major communications force, shaping cultural norms and values. In order to ensure the free movement of goods, communications about those goods must also move freely. At this time, however, each European country has its own rules and regulations for advertising. One of the major issues facing European advertising as the European Union (EU) comes together is the regulation of cross-border advertising. In 1991 the European Commission issued a call to action for the European advertising industry and almost immediately the industry began work on a trans-border complaints system. Since then the European Advertising Standards Alliance has worked diligently to iron out issues resulting from international advertising disputes. As this article shows, European regulators must determine how advertising will fit into the larger scheme of European law; who will be responsible for controlling advertising; and whether it should be monitored at the national or pan-European level. Certainly the advertising industry is not the only one struggling to determine which controls can remain at the national level and which should be raised to the European rank. But this analysis of how advertising self-regulation fits into the European legal scheme does provide a useful case study of the hurdles ahead. It will be interesting to watch as Europe works to find the proper balance between free trade and national autonomy to control industries.

Aligning rewards to organisational goals – a multinational’s experience

This article examines some of the recent innovations in rewarding employees arising from the changing needs of organisations in a competitive global economy. The necessity for reward strategy to be congruent with business objectives and the consequent movement towards greater flexibility and variability are considered together with the important and growing concept of broad‐banded basic pay systems. A case study is described of a multinational pharmaceutical company which has travelled down some of these routes, changing from a centralised and over‐rigid pay control system to one that more closely meets the requirement of the European marketplace.

Food chains, small‐scale food enterprises and rural development: Illustrations from Ireland

The indigenous agri‐food sector in the Republic of Ireland has evolved to a stage where Irish companies are firmly implicated in a competitive European and global marketplace. Considerable restructuring of the sector has taken place, the central features of which are identified. One of the consequences has been a shift in the location of food industry employment to the more rural areas. Food chains and related state actions are described under three main product categories: agri‐industrial, organic and speciality foods. Small‐scale rural enterprises in the latter two categories form the main focus of the paper. Qualitative data from a study of these enterprises are used to discuss their recent growth and their production and marketing patterns, as well as their significance for rural development. They face particular problems in selling their products in a limited domestic market and in a context where more powerful interests are striving for greater efficiencies in food supply chains. The issues are analysed and producer options interpreted in terms of two general models: ‘incorporation’ into the dominant capital‐driven and globalizing market systems, or ‘adaptation’ by adhering to more localized and self‐controlled supply chains.

The new Euro‐executive

The hallmark of the new breed of European manager is cross‐cultural and linguistic fluency to achieve competitive edge in the European marketplace. There is a need to acquire and develop certain key competencies in order to live harmoniously and work effectively in this international environment. These requirements are reflected in the recruitment and selection of European managers. The changing face of European management presents new training challenges and opportunities, with the emphasis on developing cross‐cultural awareness, the ability to work in multicultural teams and to communicate across cultures.

Software radio technology: a European perspective

Software radio has emerged as a priority theme of research in Europe. This tutorial review provides a European perspective on technical and commercial issues in the field. Significant differences exist between North American and European views of software radio in personal communications services. This article explains the reasons for these differences. It explains how the European marketplace is influencing short-term directions taken in the commercialization of software radio technology initially at the application layer. Some research is related to handset architectures and to generic RF and digital technologies focused on third-generation systems-Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems. Software base stations, including their synergies with adaptive (often now termed soft) antennas are also addressed.

Recent advances in the stabilization of flexible and semirigid PVC

AbstractBoth the European and USA markets for liquid mixed metal stabilizers have moved or are moving to cadmium‐free products. Self‐lubricating products now dominate demanding areas such as calendering and extrusion in the European marketplace while the USA market has produced higher efficiency products by other means. In both markets, the use of organic costabilizers has played a major role in the formulation of cadmium‐free products. The merits of self‐lubricating technology and a new class of patented pyrrolidines are discussed here.

Europe's chemical firms report tough first half

The second quarter of 1996 proved a stumbling block for many European chemical companies. As the financial results for the first half begin trickling in from major companies, it's clear that their sales and earnings declined from the year-earlier period. Predictions at this point for the rest of the year are cautious. Many analysts say it is impossible to predict confidently either improvement or deterioration; they cite the many uncertainties in factors influencing chemical industry performance—such as economic conditions in the European marketplace, feedstock and product price levels, and inventory levels. First-quarter results continued the downturn that began in fourth-quarter 1995. And for most companies, the second quarter of this year reinforced that trend. For example, net profits for U.K.-based ICI were down 26% for the first half—but down 39% for the second quarter. Norway's Norsk Hydro reported a 23% drop in chemical operating profits for the first half—but a 93% decline in the second ...

Planned construction times and labour utilization — a comparison of UK and French contractors

The results of a model based survey of contractors' planning engineers in France and the UK suggest that planned completion times for constructing an identical high‐rise in situ concrete framed structure are significantly and dramatically lower in France than in the UK. Average planned construction periods in France were 13 weeks, some 9 weeks faster than the UK average of 22 weeks. Since planned construction periods reflect past experience, French contractors apparently achieve superior levels of production performance whilst at the same time working fewer hours per week, utilizing directly employed workers and employing fewer supervisors. If such planned completion times are truly representative, the findings indicate comparatively poor UK contractor performance, and signify future problems for the British builder in the emerging European marketplace. The causes of such poor performance are complicated, but based on indicative French best practices: production is enhanced when scheduled overtime is avoided, a directly employed and mainly skilled workforce is engaged, and a maximum working time of 40 hours per week is the norm rather than the exception.