The Economics Of Vertical Disintegration

From the back cover: The fundamental question addressed by this study is the extent to which service functions formerly performed within industrial firms have been contracted out. If the service sector has grown primarily because manufacturing and other industries have contracted out janitorial, security and other business services, then there in not much economic significance to service sector growth. This also implies that observed declines in manufacturing employment may also represent nothing more than inter-sectoral shifts in the location of employment. This study breaks new ground in developing a series of statistical approaches to the measurement of contracting out. Based on a solid theoretical framework, three new empirical measures of contracting out are presented. The results vary somewhat by method but the overall conclusion is that contracting out is an important phenomenon.

This book evaluates how and why vertical disintegration has occurred in the global corporate hotel industry, as it undergoes a structural transformation. It provides a unique insight into the new competitive landscape. Underpinned by academic literature, it includes first-hand accounts from the most eminent senior executives of firms in and around the industry. It provides an in-depth perspective of a modern industrial phenomenon and makes observations as to the profitable way forward for the industry. This text is an important read for those working, advising and investing in the sector as well as for students, graduates and researchers.

øIn the past two decades, China has experienced rapid industrial and economic growth. This fascinating book explores the unique Chinese business strategy of vigorous market entry and low prices, which has been the key feature of this accelerated indust

This book is the result of a two-year interdisciplinary research programme named PRISM (Policy making, Reporting and measuring, Intangibles, Skills development and Management), financed by the European Commission and aimed both at understanding better how these assets are created and developed and what the policy implications of their growing importance in economies are. The book focuses on the policy issues raised by the increasing importance of intangible assets in a country's growth and competitiveness. The main idea is that the value of intangible assets, which is imperfectly captured by current economic indicators and imperfectly formalized in economic theory, lies in their being the cumulative elements that keep the economy together - the glue of the system. This argument leads to the focus on networks and social capital as drivers of the development of intangible assets and is illustrated by the case of EU innovation and knowledge diffusion policy.

This volume is a collection of selected papers using the framework of inframarginal analysis of the division of labour held at Monash University on 6-7 July 2001. This framework, pioneered mainly by Professor Xiaokai Yang, (with joint researches involving all the three editors and many of the authors), has been recommended by Professor James Buchanan (Nobel Laureate in Economics) as the most important analysis in economics in the world today.

In A History of Canadian Economic Thought, Robin Neill relates the evolution of economic theory in Canada to the particular geographical and political features of the country. Whilst there were distinctively Canadian economic discourses in nineteenth-century Ontario and early twentieth-century Quebec, Neill argues that these have now been absorbed into the broader North American mainstream. He also examines the nature and importance of the staple theory controversy and its appositeness for the Canadian case. With full accounts of the work of major Canadian economists including John Rae, H.A. Innis and Harry Johnson, A History of Canadian Economic Thought is the first definitive treatment of the subject for 30 years.

The definitive introduction to organizational economics, with contributions by leaders in the field In even the most market-oriented economies, most economic transactions occur not in markets but inside managed organizations, particularly business firms. Organizational economics seeks to understand the nature and workings of such organizations and their impact on economic performance. This landmark book assembles the leading figures in organizational economics to present the first comprehensive view of both the current state of research in this fast-emerging field and where it might be headed. The Handbook of Organizational Economics surveys the major theories, evidence, and methods used in the field. It displays the breadth of topics in organizational economics, including the roles of individuals and groups in organizations, organizational structures and processes, the boundaries of the firm, contracts between and within firms, and more. The defining book on the subject, The Handbook of Organizational Economics is essential reading for researchers and students looking to understand this emerging field in economics. Presents the first comprehensive treatment of organizational economics Features contributions by leaders in the field Unifies and extends existing literatures Describes theoretical and empirical methods used today

In this text some fundamental issues concerning the strategic impact of vertical structures of firms are discussed in a successive oligopoly model. Vertical integration strategy has been identified as one of the key strategies which determine the success or failure of enterprises. Many studies on vertical integration are based on business experiences and interviews with managers. However, the extensive application of game theory in business economics allows this study on vertical integration to be based on sound theoretic ground. Moreover, the significance of public enterprises in some Western European economies and the trends of economic transition in Eastern Europe justify the efforts to analyse vertical integration issues in the mixed market, which is created by the participation of a public firm into an industry otherwise characterised as a successive oligopoly.