Diverging Development Paths of the Electronics Industry in Korea and Taiwan

This paper examines the process and mechanism of economic development in the Republic of Korea and Taiwan through a comparative analysis of the electronics industry in each country. The paper will show that in its initial stage of development, the electronics industry in both economies had the same type of dual structure: a domestic demand sector based on the protected domestic market, and an export sector intended to capitalize on low-wage labor for the international market. However, this dual structure in the two economies faded away after the mid-1970s as their respective indigenous export-oriented enterprises began to develop. But the primary industrial players in each economy were very different. In Korea they were comprehensive electronics manufacturers affiliated with chaebols, and in Taiwan they were small and medium-size enterprises. Differences in the two economies' development mechanisms have brought about this divergence in development paths. In Korea this mechanism has been characterized by the government's positive role and the chaebol's readiness to react to the government's leadership. In Taiwan the development mechanism has been based on the private sector independent from the government. As an extension of such diverged development paths, ICs and personal computers showed spectacular growth in Korea and Taiwan after the 1980s. The development of ICs in Korea was primarily the result of a decisive role played by the chaebol's sizable financial resources, while the competitiveness in personal computers largely reflected the agility and flexibility of Taiwanese small and medium-size enterprises.

Empirical global value chain analysis in electronics and automobile industries :An application of Asian international input-output tables

This study aims to examine the international value distribution structure among major East Asian economies and the US. The mainstream trade theory explains the gains from trade; however, global value chain (GVC) approach emphasises uneven benefits of globalization among trading partners. The present study is mainly based on this view, examining which economy gains the most and which the least from the East Asian production networks. Two key industries, i.e., electronics and automobile, are our principle focus. Input-output method is employed to trace the creation and flows of value-added within the region. A striking fact is that some ASEAN economies increasingly reduce their shares of value-added, taken by developed countries, particularly by Japan. Policy implications are discussed in the final section.

Presidentialism and political parties in Indonesia : why are all parties not presidentialized?

This paper analyzes whether the "presidentialization of political parties" is occurring in newly democratizing Indonesia, as argued by Samuels and Shugart (2010). In Indonesia not all parties are becoming presidentialized. Parties are presidentialized when they have a solid organizational structure and have the potential to win presidential elections. Parties established by a presidential candidate need not face an incentive incompatibility between their executive and legislative branches, since the party leader is not the "agent" but the "principal". On the other hand, small and medium-sized parties, which have few prospects of winning presidential elections, are not actively involved in the election process, therefore party organization is not presidentialized. As the local level, where the head of government has been directly elected by the people since 2005 in Indonesia, the presidentialization of political parties has begun to take place.

Perception of employers and employees regarding the attitude of businesses toward the environment: a qualitative analysis

Commitment and involvement from the different members of an organization are two key elements for an organization to achieve its environmental excellence. Firstly, businesses are aware of the close relationship between their activities and the environment, for they are not only polluting agents but also agents with the capacity to reduce adverse environmental impacts. Secondly, the fact that employees can play a relevant role in terms of the socially responsible measures to be taken by organizations has started to become an irrefutably important issue. This piece of research is intended to help gain knowledge concerning the attitude of the two main actors in productive activity toward the environmental, that is, employers and employees; as well, this research intends to identify factors determining behaviour towards the environmental. For this, we have gathered the ideas and assessments contained in the discourse of a group of small and medium-sized businesses, large company owners and officers, employees, and work related risk prevention representatives. Qualitative work consisted of in-depth interviews and the creation of discussion groups.

Metamodelo para la definición, implantación y mejora de los procesos de gestión de proyectos

En los últimos años hemos sido testigos de la creciente demanda de software para resolver problemas cada vez más complejos y de mayor valor agregado. Bajo estas circunstancias, nos podemos hacer la siguiente pregunta: ¿Está preparada la industria de software para entregar el software que se necesita en los próximos años, de acuerdo con las demandas del cliente? Hoy en día, muchos expertos creen que el éxito de esta industria dependerá de su capacidad para gestionar los proyectos, las personas y los recursos. En este sentido, la gestión de proyectos es un factor clave para el éxito de los proyectos software en todo el mundo. Además, considerando que las Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas de software (PYMEs) representan el 99,87% de las empresas españolas, es vital para este tipo de empresas la implementación de los procesos involucrados con la gestión de proyectos. Es cierto que existen muchos modelos que mejoran la eficacia de la gestión de proyectos, pero la mayoría de ellos se centra únicamente en dos procesos: la planificación del proyecto y la monitorización y control del proyecto, ninguno de los cuales a menudo es asequible para las PYMEs. Estos modelos se basan en el consenso de un grupo de trabajo designado para establecer cómo debe ser gestionado el proceso software. Los modelos son bastante útiles ya que proporcionan lineamientos generales sobre dónde empezar a mejorar la gestión de los proyectos, y en qué orden, a personas que no saben cómo hacerlo. Sin embargo, como se ha dicho anteriormente, la mayoría de estos modelos solamente funcionan en escenarios dentro de las grandes empresas. Por lo tanto, es necesario adaptar los modelos y herramientas para el contexto de PYMEs. Esta tesis doctoral presenta una solución complementaria basada en la aplicación de un metamodelo. Este metamodelo es creado para mejorar la calidad de los procesos de la gestión de proyectos a través de la incorporación de prácticas eficaces identificadas a través del análisis y estudio de los modelos y normas existentes relacionadas con la gestión de proyectos. viii ProMEP – Metamodelo para la gestión de proyectos Por lo tanto, el metamodelo PROMEP (Gestión de Proyectos basada en Prácticas Efectivas) permitirá establecer un proceso estándar de gestión de proyectos que puede adaptarse a los proyectos de cada empresa a través de dos pasos: En primer lugar, para obtener una fotografía instantánea (o base) de los procesos de gestión de proyectos de las PYMEs se creó un cuestionario de dos fases para identificar tanto las prácticas realizadas y como las no realizadas. El cuestionario propuesto se basa en el Modelo de Madurez y Capacidad Integrado para el Desarrollo v1.2 (CMMI-DEV v1.2). Como resultado adicional, se espera que la aplicación de este cuestionario ayude a las PYMEs a identificar aquellas prácticas que se llevan a cabo, pero no son documentadas, aquellas que necesitan más atención, y aquellas que no se realizan debido a la mala gestión o al desconocimiento. En segundo lugar, para apoyar fácilmente y eficazmente las tareas de gestión de proyectos software del metamodelo PROMEP, se diseñó una biblioteca de activos de proceso (PAL) para apoyar la definición de los procesos de gestión de proyectos y realizar una gestión cuantitativa de cada proyecto de las PYMEs. Ambos pasos se han implementado como una herramienta computacional que apoya nuestro enfoque de metamodelo. En concreto, la presente investigación propone la construcción del metamodelo PROMEP para aquellas PYMEs que desarrollan productos software de tal forma que les permita planificar, monitorizar y controlar sus proyectos software, identificar los riesgos y tomar las medidas correctivas necesarias, establecer y mantener un conjunto de activos de proceso, definir un mecanismo cuantitativo para predecir el rendimiento de los procesos, y obtener información de mejora. Por lo tanto, nuestro estudio sugiere un metamodelo alternativo para lograr mayores niveles de rendimiento en los entornos de PYMEs. Así, el objetivo principal de esta tesis es ayudar a reducir los excesos de trabajo y el tiempo de entrega, y aumentar así la calidad del software producido en este tipo de organizaciones. Abstract In recent years we have been witnessing the increasing demand for software to solve more and more complex tasks and greater added value. Under these circumstances, we can ourselves the following question: Is the software industry prepared to deliver the software that is needed in the coming years, according to client demands? Nowadays, many experts believe that the industry’ success will depend on its capacity to manage the projects, people and resources. In this sense, project management is a key factor for software project success around the world. Moreover, taking into account that small and medium-sized software enterprises (SMSe) are the 99.87% of the Spanish enterprises, it is vital for this type of enterprises to implement the processes involved in project management. It is true that there are many models that improve the project management effectiveness, but most of them are focused only on two processes: project planning and project monitoring and control, neither of which is affordable for SMSe. Such models are based on the consensus of a designated working group on how software process should be managed. They are very useful in that they provide general guidelines on where to start improving the project management, and in which order, to people who do not know how to do it. However, as we said, the majority of these models have only worked in scenarios within large companies. So, it is necessary to adapt these models and tools to the context of SMSe. A complementary solution based on the implementation of a metamodel is presented in this thesis. This metamodel is created to improve the quality of project management processes through the incorporation of effective practices identified through the analysis and study of relevant models and standards related to project management. Thus, the PROMEP (PROject Management based on Effective Practices) metamodel will allow establishing a project management standard process to be tailored to each enterprise’s project through two steps: Firstly, to obtain a baseline snapshot of project management processes in SMSe a two-phase questionnaire was created to identify both performed and nonperformed practices. The x ProMEP – Metamodelo para la gestión de proyectos proposed questionnaire is based on Capability Maturity Model Integration for Development v1.2. As additional result, it is expected that the application of the questionnaire to the processes will help SMSe to identify those practices which are performed but not documented, which practices need more attention, and which are not implemented due to bad management or unawareness. Secondly, to easily an effectively support the software project management tasks in the PROMEP metamodel, a Process Asset Library (PAL) is designed to support the definition of project management processes and to achieve quantitative project management in SMSe. Both steps have been implemented as a computational tool that supports our metamodel approach. Concretely, the present research proposes the accomplishment of the PROMEP metamodel for those SMSe which develop software products and enable them to plan, supervise and control their software projects, identify risks and take corrective actions, establish and maintain a set of process assets, define quantitative models that predict the process performance, and provide improvement information. So, our study suggests an alternative metamodel to achieve higher performance levels in the SMSe environments. The main objective of this thesis is help to reduce software overruns and delivery time, and increase software quality in these types of organizations.

A RELAÇÃO DAS PRÁTICAS DE GOVERNANÇA CORPORATIVA EM EMPRESAS PRESTADORAS DE SERVIÇOS DE PORTARIA E LIMPEZA NA REGIÃO DO ABC

Após escândalos em gestão como o caso da Enron, Parmalat e Xerox, as boas práticas da Governança Corporativa são consideradas uma ferramenta de auxilio na gestão, exigindo que a organização tenha mais transparência, equidade, responsabilidade corporativa e prestação de contas. Mediante a isto, este trabalho de pesquisa tem como objetivo principal verificar as práticas da governança corporativa que são praticadas em empresas de capital fechado consideradas pequenas e médias (PME`s) no segmento de portaria e limpeza e, se as boas ou algumas destas práticas trazem geração de valor para as organizações. Essa pesquisa será realizada nas cidades de Santo André, São Bernardo e São Caetano do Sul, Estado de São Paulo. A justificativa para este projeto de pesquisa se dá pelo fato de existir carência de estudos medindo diretamente as práticas de governança corporativa em empresas de serviço (PME s) e também porque a taxa de mortalidade entre as empresas prestadoras de serviços segundo dados do IBGE (2008) é considerada alta devido a vários fatores, sendo um em especial, mensurado como deficiência do gestor. A governança corporativa trata diretamente do controle interno e a gestão de risco da organização (MOTTA, SILVEIRA E BORGES 2006), portanto as falhas gerencias podem ser minimizadas com a adoção desta prática. As informações foram obtidas através de survey de questionários a partir de gestores das empresas estudadas previamente mapeados e escala com dados primários e quantitativos. Os resultados apresentaram que existe uma relação com a Governança Corporativa e Desempenho nas empresas da amostra. Os construtos responsabilidade corporativa, prestação de contas e transparência tiveram maior significância enquanto equidade apresentou sentido inverso com o desempenho.(AU)

A RELAÇÃO DAS PRÁTICAS DE GOVERNANÇA CORPORATIVA EM EMPRESAS PRESTADORAS DE SERVIÇOS DE PORTARIA E LIMPEZA NA REGIÃO DO ABC

Após escândalos em gestão como o caso da Enron, Parmalat e Xerox, as boas práticas da Governança Corporativa são consideradas uma ferramenta de auxilio na gestão, exigindo que a organização tenha mais transparência, equidade, responsabilidade corporativa e prestação de contas. Mediante a isto, este trabalho de pesquisa tem como objetivo principal verificar as práticas da governança corporativa que são praticadas em empresas de capital fechado consideradas pequenas e médias (PME`s) no segmento de portaria e limpeza e, se as boas ou algumas destas práticas trazem geração de valor para as organizações. Essa pesquisa será realizada nas cidades de Santo André, São Bernardo e São Caetano do Sul, Estado de São Paulo. A justificativa para este projeto de pesquisa se dá pelo fato de existir carência de estudos medindo diretamente as práticas de governança corporativa em empresas de serviço (PME s) e também porque a taxa de mortalidade entre as empresas prestadoras de serviços segundo dados do IBGE (2008) é considerada alta devido a vários fatores, sendo um em especial, mensurado como deficiência do gestor. A governança corporativa trata diretamente do controle interno e a gestão de risco da organização (MOTTA, SILVEIRA E BORGES 2006), portanto as falhas gerencias podem ser minimizadas com a adoção desta prática. As informações foram obtidas através de survey de questionários a partir de gestores das empresas estudadas previamente mapeados e escala com dados primários e quantitativos. Os resultados apresentaram que existe uma relação com a Governança Corporativa e Desempenho nas empresas da amostra. Os construtos responsabilidade corporativa, prestação de contas e transparência tiveram maior significância enquanto equidade apresentou sentido inverso com o desempenho.(AU)

Capitalism without Capitalists? A Bottom-Up View of Industrial Transformation in East Germany. CES Germany & Europe Working Papers, No. 00.1, 1999

Research on the industrial transition in East Germany and its outcomes has long focused on the strategy of the Treuhand­ anstalt (IHA). According to institutionalists, David Stark and Lazlo Brust!: (1998), the powerful position of the German privatization agency was not only a result of German unification but also a function of a pathway rooted in the institutional peculiarities of the East German economy before 1989. This paper shows that neither a simple top-down perspective nor the pathway approach, as Stark and Brust!: suggested, are adequate for explaining the internal dynamic of enterprise transformation as well as the outcomes of this process. First of all, the dissolution of the former organizational structures and hierarchies was less coordinated by the 1HA than is often assumed. Often Kombinates fell apart more quickly from below than they could be dismantled from above since enterprises or their units chose the exit­ option and had good reasons to do so. Secondly, although the privatization by the 1HA resulted in the clear dominance of Western investors, the new ownership structure of East German industry as a whole could be characterized as a "capitalism without (East German) capitalists." In fact, what exists in East Germany is rather a kind of "small business capitalism" (KleinbetriebsknpitalifmllS) in which small-and medium-sized producers dominate the landscape. Finally, there was no single starting point in 1989. Two different industrial orders shaped the industrial history of the East German regions which were not destroyed between 1945-89, but rather transformed into the state socialist production system. It can be shown that these older historical patterns are relevant for transition and their outcomes as well.

The Performance of Swiss and German Family Firms: Investigating Strategies, Orientations and SEW as Determinants

In this chapter we center our attention on the performance drivers of family firms in Switzerland and Germany and compare the corresponding results with the findings generated in the US. Investigating family firms is justified as this organizational form not only constitutes the majority of all firms globally (Sharma and Carney, 2012), but in particular in Switzerland and Germany. In fact, more than 88 percent of all firms in Switzerland are defined as family firms (Frey, Halter, Klein, and Zellweger, 2004), and numbers for Germany are similar (Klein, 2000). While more than 99 percent of all companies in Switzerland are small and medium-sized (Frey et al., 2004), the share of family firms varies with firm size; more specifically, the share of family firms decreases with increasing firm size, which is in line with findings from Germany (Klein, 2000). The social and economic impact of family firms is remarkable. In Germany for instance, family controlled firms provide 60 percent of all jobs and account for 51 percent of the total sales of the German economy (cf. www.familienunternehmen.de). Even though the interest of both academics and practitioners in family firms has been rising significantly in recent years, the existing body of knowledge in the field is still rather fragmented (Sharma, 2004; Sharma and Carney, 2012).

Explaining variations in the knowledge economy in three small wealthy countries

At a broad level, it has been shown that different institutional contexts, policy regimes and business systems affect the kinds of activities in which a nation specialises. This paper is concerned with the way in which different national business systems affect the nature of participation of a nation in the knowledge economy. The paper seeks to explain cross-national variations in the knowledge economy in the Australia, Denmark and Sweden with reference to dominant characteristics of the business system. Although Australia, Denmark and Sweden are all small wealthy countries, they each have quite distinctive business systems. Australia has been regarded as a variant of the competitive business system and has generally been described as an entrepreneurial economy with a large small firm population. In contrast Sweden has a coordinated business system that has favoured large industrial firms. The Danish variant of the coordinated model, with its well-developed vocational training system, is distinguishable by its large population of networked small and medium size enterprises. The three countries also differ significantly on two dimensions of participation in the knowledge economy. First, there is cross-national variation in patterns of specialisation in knowledge intensive industries and services. Second, the institutional infrastructure of the knowledge economy (or the existing stock of knowledge and competence in the economy, the potential for generation and diffusion a new knowledge and the capacity for commercialisation of new ideas) differs across the three countries. This paper seeks to explain variations in these two dimensions of the knowledge economy with reference to characteristics of the business system in the three countries.

A RELAÇÃO DAS PRÁTICAS DE GOVERNANÇA CORPORATIVA EM EMPRESAS PRESTADORAS DE SERVIÇOS DE PORTARIA E LIMPEZA NA REGIÃO DO ABC

Após escândalos em gestão como o caso da Enron, Parmalat e Xerox, as boas práticas da Governança Corporativa são consideradas uma ferramenta de auxilio na gestão, exigindo que a organização tenha mais transparência, equidade, responsabilidade corporativa e prestação de contas. Mediante a isto, este trabalho de pesquisa tem como objetivo principal verificar as práticas da governança corporativa que são praticadas em empresas de capital fechado consideradas pequenas e médias (PME`s) no segmento de portaria e limpeza e, se as boas ou algumas destas práticas trazem geração de valor para as organizações. Essa pesquisa será realizada nas cidades de Santo André, São Bernardo e São Caetano do Sul, Estado de São Paulo. A justificativa para este projeto de pesquisa se dá pelo fato de existir carência de estudos medindo diretamente as práticas de governança corporativa em empresas de serviço (PME s) e também porque a taxa de mortalidade entre as empresas prestadoras de serviços segundo dados do IBGE (2008) é considerada alta devido a vários fatores, sendo um em especial, mensurado como deficiência do gestor. A governança corporativa trata diretamente do controle interno e a gestão de risco da organização (MOTTA, SILVEIRA E BORGES 2006), portanto as falhas gerencias podem ser minimizadas com a adoção desta prática. As informações foram obtidas através de survey de questionários a partir de gestores das empresas estudadas previamente mapeados e escala com dados primários e quantitativos. Os resultados apresentaram que existe uma relação com a Governança Corporativa e Desempenho nas empresas da amostra. Os construtos responsabilidade corporativa, prestação de contas e transparência tiveram maior significância enquanto equidade apresentou sentido inverso com o desempenho.(AU)

Exchange rate exposure : do size and foreign operations matter?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of firm size and foreign operations on the exchange rate exposure of UK non-financial companies from January 1981 to December 2001. Design/methodology/approach – The impact of the unexpected changes in exchange rates on firms’ stock returns is examined. In addition, the movements in bilateral, equally weighted (EQW) and trade-weighted and exchange rate indices are considered. The sample is classified according to firm size and the extent of firms’ foreign operations. In addition, structural changes on the relationship between exchange rate changes and individual firms’ stock returns are examined over three sub-periods: before joining the exchange rate mechanism (pre-ERM), during joining the ERM (in-ERM), and after departure from the ERM (post-ERM). Findings – The findings indicate that a higher percentage of UK firms are exposed to contemporaneous exchange rate changes than those reported in previous studies. UK firms’ stock returns are more affected by changes in the EQW, and US$ European currency unit exchange rate, and respond less significantly to the basket of 20 countries’ currencies relative to the UK pound exchange rate. It is found that exchange rate exposure has a more significant impact on stock returns of the large firms compared with the small and medium-sized companies. The evidence is consistent across all specifications using different exchange rate. The results provide evidence that the proportion of significant foreign exchange rate exposure is higher for firms which generate a higher percentage of revenues from abroad. The sensitivities of firms’ stock returns to exchange rate fluctuations are most evident in the pre-ERM and post-ERM periods. Practical implications – This study provides important implications for public policymakers, financial managers and investors on how common stock returns of various sectors react to exchange rate fluctuations. Originality/value – The empirical evidence supports the view that UK firms’ stock returns are affected by foreign exchange rate exposure.

Polish EU accession in comparative perspective:macroeconomics, finance and the government

This book is a collection of papers that focusses on the macroeconomic and financial aspects of EU accession of its largest new member, Poland, seen in comparative perspective. Two main themes are covered. One relates to empirical estimations, evaluating the effects of integration on fiscal balance, prices, seigniorage wealth and FDI flows. The second theme relates to institutional reform and policy recommendations. Discussion focuses on how transparency and fiscal rules, including those implied by EU accession, may help to reduce the deficit bias in fiscal policy; what is the institutional framework for low inflation and how to make the insurance sector regulation more efficient, including its implications for insurance offer for small and medium-size enterprises. Last but not least, the Irish model of development and the role of the foreign direct investment in it is discussed, including the applicability of the Irish policy in Poland and other new EU member states.

Employability management practices in the Polish ICT sector

This article examines current career thinking and employability management practices within the Polish Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. The aim of this contribution is to identify career management problems and to determine obstacles for implementing employability management practices at a company level. Semi-structured interviews aimed at establishing company needs were conducted with 18 managers of small and medium-sized ICT enterprises in Poland. These firms appear to apply various developmental approaches to stimulate competitive advantage. Faced with a more demanding environment, firms aim for versatility rather than adopting simplified solutions. Managing the careers and employability of ICT professionals is acknowledged as vitally important for the survival and development of ICT companies.

Exchange rate exposure:do size and foreign operations matter?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of firm size and foreign operations on the exchange rate exposure of UK non-financial companies from January 1981 to December 2001. Design/methodology/approach – The impact of the unexpected changes in exchange rates on firms’ stock returns is examined. In addition, the movements in bilateral, equally weighted (EQW) and trade-weighted and exchange rate indices are considered. The sample is classified according to firm size and the extent of firms’ foreign operations. In addition, structural changes on the relationship between exchange rate changes and individual firms’ stock returns are examined over three sub-periods: before joining the exchange rate mechanism (pre-ERM), during joining the ERM (in-ERM), and after departure from the ERM (post-ERM). Findings – The findings indicate that a higher percentage of UK firms are exposed to contemporaneous exchange rate changes than those reported in previous studies. UK firms’ stock returns are more affected by changes in the EQW, and US$ European currency unit exchange rate, and respond less significantly to the basket of 20 countries’ currencies relative to the UK pound exchange rate. It is found that exchange rate exposure has a more significant impact on stock returns of the large firms compared with the small and medium-sized companies. The evidence is consistent across all specifications using different exchange rate. The results provide evidence that the proportion of significant foreign exchange rate exposure is higher for firms which generate a higher percentage of revenues from abroad. The sensitivities of firms’ stock returns to exchange rate fluctuations are most evident in the pre-ERM and post-ERM periods. Practical implications – This study provides important implications for public policymakers, financial managers and investors on how common stock returns of various sectors react to exchange rate fluctuations. Originality/value – The empirical evidence supports the view that UK firms’ stock returns are affected by foreign exchange rate exposure.