Purchasing Technology 1986 Beyond

A study of how latecomers catch up in high-tech industries and modern services, based on an in-depth analysis of Taiwan's premier enterprises and government policies. In this book Alice Amsden and Wan-wen Chu cover new ground by analyzing the phenomenon of high-end catch-up. They study how leading firms from the most advanced latecomer countries like Taiwan have increased their market share in mature high-tech industries and services. The profits that true innovators in these industries once enjoyed have already declined, but profit rates are still above average. The latecomer firm that succeeds in capturing these rents earns "second-mover" advantage. Amsden and Chu examine the successful second movers in electronics and modern services. The critical factors, they show, are the government policies and large-scale firms that drive skills, speed, and scale. R&D in Taiwan was usually undertaken in conjunction with government labs, which prepared the way for local production of the next hot, mature product. Speed in ramping up at the firm level depended on project execution capabilities and access to capital. Scale proved to be an absolute entry requirement in modern service sectors, and was crucial to win subcontracts from leading foreign firms and to secure key components from world-class suppliers in the electronics industry. The authors challenge current orthodoxy along two lines. First, they argue that government played an important role through interventions that went beyond the market model and overcame the limitations of networking. Interventions possibly promoted mature high-tech even more than mid-tech. Second, the entrepreneurs in Taiwan were nationally owned large-scale firms rather than multinational companies.

A world list of books in the English language.

This text provides an up-to-date overview of nuclear weapons in the politically fragile Middle East, discussing the evolution and future of national programs, as well as the current challenge posed by Iran. Shortly after World War II, the Middle East became a locus for nations seeking to acquire nuclear missiles and the means to deliver them to their enemies. Israel was the first; Libya and Iraq followed suit. Pakistan now possesses a substantial number of nuclear weapons, to which longtime rival India will no doubt respond. The implications of the political and security dynamics of the Middle East for the United States and other nations are truly profound and sobering. Beyond Sand and Oil provides a nation-by-nation overview of the evolution of nuclear weapons programs in what is likely the world's most politically unstable region. A detailed assessment of Iran's prospects for becoming a nuclear weapons state—and how Israel, the Arab world, and the international community will respond to that outcome—is also included.

In a rapidly changing world, there needs to be a critical reappraisal of traditional military/industry relationships. This book, packed with data, industry-specific case studies, and sophisticated analysis, is such an appraisal. It will be required reading for technology managers and policymakers in industry and government, as well as those concerned with technological and economic competitiveness.

This book examines the Japanese success in technology through their Innovation System, improving products and their foresight.

Beyond Technology offers a challenging new analysis of learning, young people and digital media. Disputing both utopian fantasies about the transformation of education and exaggerated fears about the corruption of childhood innocence, it offers a level-headed analysis of the impact of these new media on learning, drawing on a wide range of critical research. Buckingham argues that there is now a growing divide between the media-rich world of childrens lives outside school and their experiences of technology in the classroom. Bridging this divide, he suggests, will require more than superficial attempts to import technology into schools, or to combine education with digital entertainment. While debunking such fantasies of technological change, Buckingham also provides a constructive alternative, arguing that young people need to be equipped with a new form of digital literacy that is both critical and creative. Beyond Technology will be essential reading for all students of the media or education, as well as for teachers and other education professionals.

The final volume of this series presents a synopsis of the curriculum that a typical Six Sigma program should follow. It differs from the preceding six volumes in that it is an implementation volume, therefore the information is geared towards helping readers formalize their own training. The book establishes the minimum requirements for the Six Sigma methodology and provides the body of knowledge needed for a successful and rewarding implementation of the Six Sigma processes.