Pursuit Of Competitiveness Research Articles

Imperialism and Resistance: Canadian mining companies in Latin America

David Harvey's concept of accumulation by dispossession is a useful framework for understanding the predatory activities of Canadian mining companies in Latin America. Capitalist imperialism is rooted in the logic of a socioeconomic system that is driven by the competitive pursuit of profit based on the exploitation of labour, and which is prone to over-accumulation. Capital, backed by state power, pursues a spatial fix to resolve the systematic crisis of over-accumulation. The creation of new spaces of accumulation is not an innocuous process; it inevitably involves the forceful and violent reorganisation of peoples' lives as they are subordinated to the whims of capital. Strategies of accumulation by dispossession by capital therefore commonly spawn popular resistance from the affected communities. The Canadian mining industry is the largest in the world, and much of its outward investment targets Latin America. The Canadian company share of the larger company exploration market in Latin America (and the Caribbean) has grown steadily since the early 1990s, up to 35% by 2004, the largest by far among all its competitors, with seven Canadian companies among the top 20 mineral exploration investors in the region from 1989 to 2001. This paper charts these trends of Canadian mining expansion in Latin America and then focuses on the community, environmental and worker resistance it is generating in the cases of Chile and Colombia.

The renewed Lisbon Strategy and social exclusion policy

In the light of its manifest mid-term failure to make progress towards its key objectives, the EU introduced in 2005 a major ‘relaunch’ of its Lisbon Strategy for economic, employment and social development. The core aspect of this was ‘prioritisation’, involving an increased focus on growth and jobs. This raised the issue of whether the pursuit of greater competitiveness would lead to a downgrading of the importance of the original social objectives of the programme. In its focal concern on the fight against social exclusion, the EU's strategy involved both employment and social objectives. These emphasised in particular the creation not only of more but of ‘better jobs’ and the pursuit of actions to reinforce ‘social inclusion’ and ‘social cohesion’. This article considers whether a significant shift did occur in policy emphasis and the implications of the Lisbon reform for progress in reducing the risks of social exclusion. It reviews first the basic changes in the formulation of the strategy and then examines in turn the effectiveness of its policy initiatives with respect to employment, the quality of work and social inclusion.

Self-Interest and Cooperation: The Emergence of Multilateral Interdependence in Post-Conflict Eras

This paper covers theories of international cooperation and the treatment they have received from certain commentators and advocates. The first thing that one notices in such an effort however, is the lack of definitional and elementary structure in the field, particularly in James Dougherty and Robert Pfaltzgraff’s Contending Theories of International Relations. We see that concepts such as cooperation, integration, communication, and functionalism, to name a few, become stuffed together in a hodgepodge of proto-theories that at best have the distinction of not being realist. One of the aims of this paper is to stress under what conditions international cooperation and interdependence can emerge. The relevance of the argument owes to the fact that today’s international relations are becoming more aggressive and authoritarian, due to the increased autonomy sought by states (notably in the competitive pursuit of energy resources). Therefore, the need to rekindle the spirit of cooperation that the world witnessed upon the end of the Cold War (which spawned the Partnership for Peace, in particular) is urgent. Interdependence is a complex system of relations that has the merit of being observable in everyday international life. However, theoretical work seems limited to the descriptive and structural/systemic levels. The apparent complexity of the system stems in part from incomprehension concerning causality and consequence. In other words, we find ourselves faced with a chicken-and-egg dilemma about what actually produces interdependence. The inability to test and predict a theory means that it makes for a poor theory. Yet we cannot dispute the prima facie evidence of modern international relations; interdependence, like cooperation, is a fact, even if these principles have been under attack in the era since 11 September 2001. The various attempts at developing a theory of interdependence have on the one hand obscured several similarities and commonalities between theoretical variants (say, between regime theory and neofunctionalism), and on the other hand

Travelling and embedded policy: the case of knowledge transfer

Knowledge transfer (KT) has entered the higher education arena in the UK as the ‘third sector’ of higher education activity—along with research and teaching. Its antecedents lie in the commercialization and technology transfer of the late 1980s and 1990s, and this business‐like orientation remains dominant in the KT policy discourse. This paper explores the extent to which policy for KT may be understood both as ‘travelling’ policy shaped by globalizing trends in pursuit of successful competition in the new knowledge economy (KE) and as ‘embedded’ policy mediated by local contextual factors that may translate policy to reflect local priorities and meanings. In considering evidence of ‘embedded’ policy the paper develops its arguments through preliminary analysis of KT policy in Scotland where—at least at the level of discourse—there is an attempt in post‐devolution Scotland to encourage KT in the broader public interest. However, KT’s antecedents may continue to shape the engagement of academic staff in Scotland, as may the wider context of UK policy steering in higher education.

INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO PORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND HARBOR DEVELOPMENT

Ports and their regions have experienced at least a century of crisis from wars (e.g., World War I and II), technological change (e.g., containerization and information and computer technology), political change (e.g., end of the Cold War and liberalization of commerce and trade in countries like China and India) and globalization. As such ports have needed to adjust to these conditions to maintain their competitiveness. They have done this by adapting their physical and institutional infrastructures and the adoption of new technologies. In this paper it is argued however that institutional adaptation is the most important way in which ports have changed in pursuit of sustained competitiveness. The paper defines institutions in keeping with the view of the new institutional economists and develops an institutional typology for framing the analyses of four case studies of ports and/or their regions that faced crisis conditions. The case studies include an analysis of the problems and responses made by the ports and then an institutional examination and evaluation of the adjustment process pursued. Conclusions are made as working hypotheses about the process of institutional adjustment to competitiveness crises of ports and their regions and directions for future research are presented.

Entrepreneurial Regionalist Planning in a Rescaled Spain: The Cases of Bilbao and València

European politics and planning have recently been characterized by a shift to economic entrepreneurialism at sub-national scales, and the planned redevelopment of the city-region in pursuit of global competitiveness, which scholars have interpreted in light of political-economic “rescaling” or regionalization and the emergence of a “new regionalism.” Analyzing rescaling largely in terms of shifting economic and institutional structures, however, many accounts underestimate the complexity and enduring power of so-called ‘old’ regionalist politics of culture and identity as backdrop to urban redevelopment planning. In this paper we address how the urban planning process mediates between the seemingly dichotomous tendencies of regionalized entrepreneurialism and cultural regionalism. Using case studies of two Spanish autonomous regions and their major urban centers – the Basque Country or Euskadi (Bilbao) and the Comunitat Valenciana (Valencia) – we review the historical geography of planning in the European region in order to explore how cultural regionalism collides with economic rescaling and entrepreneurialism, in and through the planned landscape. We propose that such emerging and hybrid politics and planning be understood as a form of entrepreneurial regionalism, a culturally inflected form of economic competitiveness characteristic of but not unique to the Spanish region. This specific notion of entrepreneurial regionalism may illuminate how planners mediate global and local imperatives within political discourse and landscapes that materialize them, and allow us to better reconceptualize the relationship between economic globalization, state restructuring, and cultural politics in a new Europe of the Regions.

How Much Does Industry Strategy Matter? Organizational Field Dynamics and Cooperation Among Rivals

This paper combines economic, political, and sociological perspectives to present a dynamic framework for understanding how a firm strategically allocates its limited resources between competitive pursuits and industry-wide cooperation. Organizational field dynamics alter a firm's incentive to engage in industry-wide cooperation relative to competition. Periods of intensive industry-wide cooperation, in turn, alter the organizational field and thereby influence the competitive conditions facing a firm and its rivals. Periods of cooperation are unstable, varying in their duration and intensity according to the characteristics of the organizational field, industry, and firm. A set of propositions developed in this paper outlines these characteristics and illustrates how, even in the face of rivalry and the collective action problem, firm-level self-interest aggregates into patterns of industry-level collective action. Moreover, these propositions demonstrate how the interplay between factors exogenous and endogenous to an industry facilitates change within an organizational field and so determines the nature of the competitive environment facing a firm and its rivals over time.

Foundations of technology development, innovation and competitiveness in the globalised knowledge economy

With the growth of high‐technology industries and knowledge intensive services, the pursuit of industrial competitiveness has progressed from a broad concern with the processes of industrialisation to a more focused analysis of the factors explaining cross‐national variation in the level of participation in knowledge industries. From an examination of cross‐national data, the paper develops the proposition that particular elements of the domestic science, technology and industry infrastructure—such as the stock of knowledge and competence in the economy, the capacity for learning and generation of new ideas and the capacity to commercialise new ideas—vary cross‐nationally and are related to the level of participation of a nation in knowledge intensive activities. Existing understandings of the role of the state in promoting industrial competitiveness might be expanded to incorporate an analysis of the contribution of the state through the building of competencies in science, technology and industry.

HOW MUCH DOES INDUSTRY STRATEGY MATTER? ORGANIZATIONAL FIELD DYNAMICS AND THE INTENSITY OF COOPERATION AMONG RIVALS.

This article presents a study which presents a dynamic framework for understanding how a firm strategically allocates its limited resources between industry-wide cooperation and competitive pursuits. The article states that periods of cooperation are unstable, varying in their duration and intensity according to the characteristics of the organizational field, industry, and firm, and the study develops a set of propositions that outlines those characteristics and illustrates how firm-level self-interest aggregates into patterns of industry-level collective action. The article concludes that corporate strategy and industry strategy often create conflict when making resource allocation decisions.

URBAN COMPETITIVENESS AND URBAN GOVERNANCE IN THE GLOBALIZING WORLD

This paper discusses the ideas of urban competitiveness and urban governance in the context of urban transformation in the age of globalization. There are independent spheres of competitiveness at firm, sectoral, urban and national levels due to their own characteristics. But competitive cities are backed by competitive firms. The scope of urban competitiveness includes quality of life and is wider than that of firm competitiveness. Urban competitiveness and urban governance are interrelated and the pursuit of urban competitiveness will necessitate changes in urban governance. There is a great need to pay more attention to comprehensive competitiveness of cities to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability. A comprehensive perspective on urban competitiveness and urban governance is required for policy-making. Hong Kong is used as a case study to highlight the changing urban governance and new initiatives of HKSAR government to enhance the urban competitiveness. Nevertheless, the role of government should not be overestimated as government can only have limited impact. The ultimate success needs the active participation of business sector and the community at large. The place promotion after SARS is a good example.

The Frankfurt concept for health counseling for men

The discussion on the difference between the sexes received significant impulses from the formation of feminist theory. Masculinity was interpreted in a rather morally negative manner. Masculinity continuously endeavors to achieve reproduction and self-confirmation. Competitive pursuit of hegemony is the preeminent pattern by which masculine identity is formed. Male socialization leads to externalization, which impedes the development of communicative skills. Males tend to lead a high-risk life-style, which instrumentalizes their body. Symptoms are less often interpreted as warning signals, reflected in a significantly reduced life expectancy in comparison to females. In view of the specific male socialization, the Frankfurt concept of "men's health counseling" attempts to create a professional atmosphere in which men seeking advice are offered the opportunity to consult a specialist on all topics of men's health anonymously and, for the moment, free of charge.

INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION IN AUSTRIA, NORWAY AND SWEDEN

The pursuit of industrial success or international competitiveness has become a principal policy goal for governments and industries in the advanced countries. It has become a topic for analysis in the fields of management and public policy (Porter 1990; Thurow 1992) and has provoked some concerned reactions from within the discipline of economics (Krugman 1994). The concept of competitiveness raises concerns amongst the neo-classical economists because it implies the need to capture market share in industries that will result in expanding domestic incomes in the form of higher wages and profits. It goes beyond the need to achieve efficiency or productivity in industries in which a nation has a natural advantage (Reinert 1995). In contravention of neo-classical thought, the concept of competitiveness implies that some industries are more important for national economic prosperity than others, suggesting that it is desirable to build industrial capacity in key (usually medium and high value-added manufacturing) industries (Kitsch and Michie 1996). The debate about competitiveness has focused attention on the role of the state in influencing industry structure and industrial transformation (Weiss 1998).

Flexible production and political decentralization in the developing world: Elective affinities in the pursuit of competitiveness?

Flexible production and political decentralization in the developing world: Elective affinities in the pursuit of competitiveness?

Energy and the Environment: The Limits of Australian Public Policy

Abstract An analysis of recent policy developments that seek to address the ecological impact of energy reveals a major short-fall in Australian public policy. Notwithstanding some important recent initiatives Australia's general environmental policy performance continues to lag significantly behind that of the international community. This short-fall is explained, in large part due to the dominance of neo-liberalism over much of Australia's policy regime. This policy approach acts to constrain effective governance of private industry, promotes cost minimisation in the pursuit of international competitiveness often at the expense of prudent and responsible environmental conservation. The case of the energy sector is germane to understanding this failure to meet internationally respectable greenhouse gas emission targets at Kyoto. The power of this sector within the national economy acts to constrain government policy and to reinforce neo-liberal dogma which acts to the detriment of the nation's international standing on matters of environmental protection.

The discourse of restructuring: employment in the New Zealand telecommunications industry

Conceptualisations of employment in the New Zealand telecommunications industry are no longer shaped by the notion of a social partnership between union and employer in a national labour market. Rather they are constituted through managerialist discourses in which individual and enterprise are linked in the pursuit of international competitiveness. One consequence of this shift is that workers are more directly exposed to the mechanisms of the market. Drawing from the neo- Foucauldian literature on governmentality, the paper traces qualitative shifts in the discourses and practices governing the employment of workers in the New Zealand telecommunications industry, thereby elucidating the contested processes through which the re-commodification of labour was achieved.

Competitiveness and cohesion—are the two compatible?

This paper addresses the question of whether the cohesion objective written into the Maastricht Treaty is compatible with the pursuit of competitiveness which in turn underpins the European Union's RTD actions and the Framework Programme. It argues that since both objectives are concerned with the process of `catching up' in which intangible investments in RTD play an acknowledged role, there should be few problems of compatibility. In practice, however, the process of `catching up' is more complex than envisaged in economic theory, and requires the complementary development of capabilities, skills and institutions which can only happen over time. Using new data from Framework Programmes 2 and 3 it shows that in practice the cohesion countries and regions, given their capabilities, received relatively favourable treatment during the years 1987–1994, with links between `north' and `south' solidly increasing, especially with academic institutions and research laboratories in `southern' countries. Nevertheless, in terms of numbers of trained scientists and engineers, expenditures on R&D, etc., the cohesion countries are well below average. The paper argues that the `intangible investments' to build up these capabilities have to come from the Structural Funds and domestic resources, while the role for the Framework Programme is to provide the route by which the institutions and firms in these countries acquire the necessary and complementary tacit knowledge and skills.

PEER-REVIEWED PAPER: Partnering Continuum

Numerous publications have documented successes achieved through partnering. Such notable results have been achieved over a wide variety of applications, including public and private ownership, single-project and multiple-project agreements, and lump-sum and cost-plus contracts. Such accomplishment across a spectrum of application suggests that partnering, if applied properly, can work in almost any environment. Recent research by the Construction Industry Institute highlights this fact that many “shades” of partnering exist, based on the degree of objectives alignment between involved parties. To illustrate this, a partnering continuum has been developed, depicting four general stages—competition, cooperation, collaboration, and coalescence. “Competition” represents the traditional owner/contractor relationship, where each party possesses separate objectives, and minimal effort is expended toward “working together.” This competitive pursuit occurs in the absence of partnering. The other three stages—cooperation, collaboration, and coalescence—incorporate increasing degrees of objective alignment and commitment by the involved parties, and are represented on the continuum to depict various partnering applications. Companies considering partnering should assess their business objectives, analyze the role of partnering in helping them to achieve those objectives, and determine the appropriate style of partnering to implement. Through this process, a balance can be struck between risk and reward, and resources can be properly utilized to develop, implement, and manage the partnering relationship.

Pursuit of Competitiveness: A Boon or Bane

The paper assesses India's need for being competitive in the global marketplace in order to secure its rightful position in the comity of developed nations. Competitiveness is meant to be the basis of sustainability of one's position in the global marketplace. The role of the government in a developing country like India in this process is stressed. Eight key areas of emphasis for achieving competitiveness have been elaborated—including that of the 'Vedic values system'. The paper concludes by asserting the need for politicians to be far-sighted, rising above petty party politics.

Guaranteed Success

A discussion of how food, pharmaceutical and supplement manufacturers can catch the wave of the lucrative and rapidly expanding nutraceutical marketplace based on Dr. Sloan's presentation at Nutracon '95, Las Vegas, Nevada, July 11-13, 1995. The manuscript is divided into four areas: (1) nutraceutical market potential and size, (2) recent changes in consumer attitudes and a demonstration of why the time for action is now, (3) marketing, production and distribution considerations (the do's and don'ts) and (4) competitive pursuits and technologies.

Integrated flexibility—Key to competition in a turbulent environment

Markets have become global, with competition and pressure arising from various sources and with increasing rapidity. The competitive reality of the 1990s takes for granted many of the old concerns such as quality and low costs as mere starting points in the struggle for survival rather than as an agenda upon which competitive advantage can be built. Faster product development, shorter lead times spanning entire business operations from purchasing and production through to distribution and final consumption are likely to underpin benchmarks for future success. This article considers how to build a platform to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. In particular it considers integration and flexibility and relevant issues when trying to achieve a successful marriage between the two seemingly opposing concepts. We examine the nature of Serco Systems Ltd as a successful operating company of Serco plc and use its experience to illustrate the route to ‘integrated flexibility’. The authors propose that an integrated flexibility format allows the bundling together of complex generic strategies in which complex combinations such as pursuit of quality, service and price competitiveness can be successfully followed simultaneously.