Industrial International Competitiveness Research Articles

Changes in Exchange Rates and International Competitiveness of Industry

Changes in Exchange Rates and International Competitiveness of Industry

Industrial organization, international competitiveness and public policy in Latin America in the nineties

Latin America is now facing a combination of old and new questions related to industrial organization and policy making and there is a growing consensus concerning the fact that "laissez faire" might not be the optimal response to such questions. Microeconomic efficiency and social equity do not seem to come hand in hand with free markets forces. The purpose of this paper is to examine some of these questions in the context of Latin American long term process of industrialization. The paper also explores the new type of regulatory institutions and economic coordination mechanisms and strategies that might be needed in the years ahead.

International Industrial Competition

International Industrial Competition

An International Comparative Analysis of Consumer Attitudes Toward Canada and Canadian Products

AbstractThe international competitiveness of Canadian products is examined from the point of view of consumers in comparison to the images of other major exporting nations, based on an eight‐country survey. The study used for the first time specific attitude measures for the countries of origin and their people, in addition to the product measures that are commonly used in this field of research. The international profile of Canadians is found to differ considerably from the profile of Canadian products, which have a weaker image than their international competitors in this study. Implications for international marketing theory and the strategies of Canadian firms are discussed.RésuméLa compétitivité internationale des produits canadiens est examiné du point de vue des consommateurs, en comparaison avec les images d'autres pays exportateurs principaux, basé sur une enquěte dans huits pays. L'étude a utilisé, pour la première fois, des mesures d'attitude spécifiques pour les pays d'origine et leur peuple, en plus de mesures des produits plus communs dans ce domaine de recherche. Le profil international des Canadiens se montre considérablement différent du profil des produits canadiens, qui ont une image plus faible que les autres concurrents internationaux dans cette étude. Des implications concernant la théorie de marketing international et la stratégie des firmes canadiennes sont tirées des résultats et discutées.

One Point of View: ‘Innovate or Die’ Is the First Rule of International Industrial Competition

(1994). One Point of View: ‘Innovate or Die’ Is the First Rule of International Industrial Competition. Research-Technology Management: Vol. 37, No. 5, pp. 9-11.

Industry structure, productivity and international competitiveness: the case of telecommunications

This papers examines whether private ownership and competition significantly impact telecommunications industry productivity growth. Cross-sectional time-series econometric analysis is used to decompose productivity differences among 10 OECD countries into policy and other factors. The empirical results suggest that output growth is the most important determinant of productivity growth, that private ownership increases productivity and that no significant relationship exists between the presence of facilities based long distance competition and productivity growth. This latter result may be due to the degree of competition present in the countries examined.

The Institutional Embeddedness of International Business Strategy

U.S. managers and business academics alike have been slow to recognize some of the fundamental differences between domestic and international industrial competition. This article examines one particularly salient difference, the role of national institutional systems in shaping economic action across national markets. The article initially reviews four relevant bodies of literature on competitive strategy and international competition and finds that, despite progress in this direction, none of them adequately account for the institutional embeddedness of corporate strategy. The nature of national institutional systems and their impact on international business strategies are then theoretically described. Finally, some fundamental strategic implications of the institutional embeddedness approach are explored for U.S. firms.

Japanese multinationals and the stability of the GATT system

The Kreinin hypothesis argues that the viability of an open, GATT-oriented global trading system could be threatened by the failure of Japan, a major player, to open its domestic markets and to source intermediate goods from foreign firms on a nondiscriminatory basis. Newly available data on intrafirm trade by Japanese multinationals suggest that the tendency to trade heavily with (Japanese) supplier firms with established relationships is not a conspiracy to promote a trade surplus, but rather an outcome of standard Japanese practices that closely resemble hierarchical vertical integration. But a breakdown of the GATT system is still a very real possibility because the Japanese chronic current-account surplus contributes to even further gains in the international competitiveness of major Japanese industries, and this may prove intolerable to the other major players.

A framework for performance-based design

The international competitiveness of the US construction industry is linked to its strategic ability to design and build quality projects. This means delivering facilities that satisfy all the needs of the client. Correct decision-making during design and construction planning is the best means for assuring a quality project. Performance-based design is a framework that enables the project team to approach the project delivery process systematically and provides basic principles for evaluating and comparing alternative solutions. The principles of axiomatic design (as previously advanced by Suh) and the concept of an interface index are key elements of the framework. Axiomatic design provides an operational structure for the design process as well as a set of basic principles or axioms for guiding each decision-maker. The interface index complements the design axioms by quantifying the effort associated with integrating the contributions of multiple decision-makers into a total system. Elements of the framework are demonstrated through application to an actual facility.

SHARPENING THE COMPETITIVE EDGE: HOW UK PUBLIC POLICY CAN AFFECT COMPANY PERFORMANCE ON THE WORLD STAGE

International industrial competitiveness is probably the single most important — and most discussed — question related to Britain's economic prosperity throughout the 1990s and into the next century.

’９０年代の製紙研究の展望と問題点

At the turning point of the decade of the 80 s to the 90 s, the characteristic changes have emerged : the global environmental issues, the generation alternations of high technology, and the drastic changes in the East-West relations.Looking over the recent trends of paper technology and paper research, this paper aims to propose a future direction of paper research in the 90 s.The technological trends are taken from Sterling Publications's “World Pulp and Paper Technology” for the year 1990, 91, and 92. The research trends are taken mainly from the “Fundamental Research Symposium” in 1989 together with Tappi meeting's proceedings of 1991.To maintain international competitiveness of paper industry under so-called borderless trade conditions of the 90 s, the technological superiority is vitally important.Two major objectives of technological developments in the 90 s are higher production efficiency and higher products quality.For that purpose, the image of paper industry has to be changed and the young and excellent engineers and scientists have to be recruited.The areas of fundamental research of paper science accessible by university laboratory up to now are paper chemistry, paper physics, and coating science, etc.The historical development and a future direction of the Paper Science Laboratory of the University of Tokyo is introduced together with the present status of its activity.

The performance of UK textiles and clothing: recent controversies and evidence

This article focuses on the recent performance of textiles and clothing in the UK. The central argument is that the poor international competitiveness of these industries and the long term decline of textiles in particular has not been substantially reversed in the 1980s. Evidence is presented which demonstrates that the industry's uneven development in the 1980s does not conform to the analysis put forward by flexible specialization writers. The role of the state in the industry's decline is emphasized and related to alternative explanations of the industry's predicament.

Foreign tourism as an element in PR China's economic development strategy

Since 1978, China has increasingly relied on foreign tourism as a part of its economic development strategy. This article examines this policy and pays particular attention to the risks of dependence on foreign exchange earnings from tourism, to variations in such earnings, and to their sustainability; and it suggests policy measures which may be adopted to reduce this risk. Problems encountered in managing the supply of hotels and transport systems are reviewed, leading to a discussion of the international competitiveness of the Chinese tourism industry.

The International Competitiveness of Japanese Service Industries: A Cause for Concern?

This article offers an assessment of the international competitiveness of Japanese service industries and examines the sources of competitive edge which have been developed within Japan. It distinguishes three groups of service industries: those where Japan currently enjoys a high degree of international competitiveness (banking, finance, and construction); those where international competitiveness is unlikely to be achieved in the foreseeable future (education, legal services, and software); and, most important, an intermediate group within which Japan9s international competitiveness is rising rapidly (advertising, engineering services, real estate, and insurance). The article concludes with a number of analogies between the success of Japanese manufacturing firms and their counterparts in the service sector.

International telecommunications and trade in services: Policy perspectives

Telecommunications and trade in services have become prominent international policy issues in recent years, because of the enormous trade, industrial and strategic stakes in the international information economy. These two issues are becoming increasingly interrelated, given the pressures for liberalisation of trade in services and competition in international telecommunications. Major industrialised countries such as the USA, Japan and the UK see competition as enhancing domestic and international industrial competitiveness and reinforcing their roles as international telecommunications hub countries. Competition in international telecommunications is rising partly because of the growing competition between fibre optic cables and communications satellites, but also because of the rivalry between countries in two key regions, Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

Input-output structural decomposition analysis for Austria

The structural transformation of an economy, as represented, for example, by changes in the level and composition of net output value and of employment, raises questions about the sources of the shifts in the position of individual industries. Input-output structural decomposition analysis can ascribe the source of these shifts to changes in technology, domestic final demand, foreign trade, and labor productivity. This method is explained in the first part of the paper, and is applied to the analysis of changes in the Austrian economy between 1964 and 1976 in the second part. The analysis transforms the input-output table for the base year into the table for the terminal year on a step by step basis, i.e., through a set of cumulative comparative static adjustments in key parameters. The application indicates that shifts in net output values were caused mainly by foreign trade and by changes in intermediate demand. Changes in employment were caused mainly by changes in domestic final demand and by changes in intermediate demand as well. Thus, the structure of net output value changed because of the international competitiveness of particular industries. The structure of employment changed because of differential productivity growth in finished goods industries. Changes in technology mattered in both cases.

Multinational Enterprises, Economic Structure and International Competitiveness

This is the first comprehensive and comparative study on the impact of inward and outward direct investment on the industrial structure and international competitiveness of both developed and developing countries. Through a collection of case studies by internationally distinguished contributors, taken from the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Sweden, Belgium Korea, Portugal, India and Singapore, an attempt is made to assess the negative and positive impact of the MNE's on the economic structure and competitiveness of each country. The theme of the book is the effect which the presence of foreign MNE's - through their affiliates - and own country MNE's - through their foreign activities - have on the resource allocation and the international competitiveness of the country in question. It is argued that to remain internationally competitive governments must recognise the role of MNE's to maximise the net benefits of this form of commerce. This cohesive volume relates the activities of the MNE's to the economies of both home and host countries and to the problems of the international economy in the last decade and will make a valuable contribution to the study of multinational companies and to their role in society.

Industrial Targeting and International Competitiveness in a Two Country Model of Monopolistic Competition

Industrial Targeting and International Competitiveness in a Two Country Model of Monopolistic Competition

A Federal Strategy for International Industrial Competitiveness

A Federal Strategy for International Industrial Competitiveness

Some determinants and effects of FDI in Singapore

This article analyses the microeconomic determinants of effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Singapore by seven propositions, using the available secondary data. Variables discussed are related to the areas of industrial structure, economic growth, trade, international competitiveness, productivity and skill intensity. It attempts to draw a pattern on the determinants and effects of inward and outward FDI in Singapore.