The growth and locational dynamics of the UK computer services industry,1981-1996

The central aim of this thesis is to explore the key structural, organisational and locational trends within an innovative, fast growing and strategically important producer service sector in the UK, the computer services industry. The thesis has five more specific objectives; firstly, to examine the ongoing internationalisation processes in this sector; secondly, to profile the spatial, structural and occupational structure of the UK industry in the context of these processes; thirdly, and most importantly, to explore the factors behind the uneven development pattern in this sector (London and the South East accounted for 59 per cent of employment in 1993); fourthly to contribute to the theoretical understanding of uneven development in contemporary economies; and finally, to consider the policy implications of the growth dynamics of the sector. The research is based on three main tranches of fieldwork. Firstly, 17 interviews with managers and officials in the Irish software industry provide a case study of the highly internationalised nature of the package software industry. Secondly, nine interviews with representatives of the top suppliers in the UK industry illustrate how these dominant firms are restructuring both spatially and functionally to meet the needs of the developing, international market. Thirdly, the results of a structured interview survey of 173 firms spread across four counties (Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Cheshire, Tyne & Wear) are presented to illustrate the regional variations within the industry's structure, new firm formation process and linkages that both underpin, and reflect the uneven development pattern in the sector. The analysis concludes that the dominance of the Greater South East in this industry is largely unassailable; based upon the historic growth of the industry, the region has long since achieved the critical mass to create many new firms which then reinforce the dominance, supported by the availability of labour, an acceptable living environment, and proximity to a large, high-order, regional market. The investment and restructuring strategies of key foreign-owned multinationals are also a key contributor to the South-East's primacy

A tactical retreat? Conceptualising the dynamics of European grocery retail divestment from East Asia

The internationalisation of the firm is a highly dynamic process, in which periods of investment and expansion intermingle with periods of divestment and retrenchment. Academic research to date has focused on identifying the reasons for and the processes of divestment. Empirical studies either evidence generic pressures or provide case studies of specific incidents. There few longitudinal studies of international divestment, consequently the dynamic interactions between host market, home market and firm level factors, and how the institutional context changes over time is underplayed. This paper seeks to rectify this gap in our understanding. We explore the rationale and evolving dynamics of European grocery retail divestment in East Asia over a thirty year period. Taking an inductive approach and drawing on analysis of contemporary narratives drawn from company documentation, trade journals, newsfeeds and market reports, three phases can be identified characterised by specific factors and combinations of factors which intersect to provide the key pressures and stimuli for divestment. We conclude that at different time periods, different internal and external contextual influences manifest themselves through different priorities within the firm’s strategy - marked by a switch from local (host) market, to regional, to global firm-centric considerations. Longitudinal analyses allow a greater recognition of this dynamic interplay of factors, and the changes in these relationships, and provides a more nuanced understanding of the international divestment process

Variegated National Retail Markets: Negotiating Transformation through Regulation in Malaysia and Thailand

10.1080/00130095.2018.1476060Economic Geography95190-11

REDES DE PRODUÇÃO GLOBAIS E A ANÁLISE DO DESENVOLVIMENTO ECONÔMICO

Este artigo descreve um modelo para a análise da integração econômica e sua relação com as assimetrias do desenvolvimento econômico e social. Conscientemente rompendo com formas estado-cêntricas de ciência social, defende uma agenda de pesquisa que seja mais adequada às exigências e consequências da globalização do que tradicionalmente tem sido o caso nos ‘estudos sobre o desenvolvimento’. Baseando-se em tentativas anteriores de analisar as atividades transfronteiriças das firmas, suas configurações espaciais e consequências para o desenvolvimento, este artigo vai além destas ao propor o modelo da ‘rede de produção global’ (RPG). Ele explora os elementos conceituais envolvidos neste modelo com algum pormenor e depois passa a esboçar um exemplo estilizado de uma RPG. O artigo termina com uma breve indicação dos benefícios que poderiam ser obtidos pela pesquisa informada pela análise da RPG. Palavras-chave: Globalização. Desenvolvimento econômico. Redes de negócios. Instituições. Enraizamento.ABSTRACTThis article outlines a framework for the analysis of economic integration and its relation to the asymmetries of economic and social development. Consciously breaking with state-centric forms of social science, it argues for a research agenda that is more adequate to the exigencies and consequences of globalization than has traditionally been the case in ‘development studies’. Drawing on earlier attempts to analyse the cross-border activities of firms, their spatial configurations and developmental consequences, the article moves beyond these by proposing the framework of the ‘global production network’ (GPN). It explores the conceptual elements involved in this framework in some detail and then turns to sketch a stylized example of a GPN. The article concludes with a brief indication of the benefits that could be delivered by research informed by GPN analysis.Keywords: Globalization. Economic development. Business networks. Institutions. Embeddedness

Efficient light-emitting diodes based on nanocrystalline perovskite in a dielectric polymer matrix.

Electroluminescence in light-emitting devices relies on the encounter and radiative recombination of electrons and holes in the emissive layer. In organometal halide perovskite light-emitting diodes, poor film formation creates electrical shunting paths, where injected charge carriers bypass the perovskite emitter, leading to a loss in electroluminescence yield. Here, we report a solution-processing method to block electrical shunts and thereby enhance electroluminescence quantum efficiency in perovskite devices. In this method, a blend of perovskite and a polyimide precursor dielectric (PIP) is solution-deposited to form perovskite nanocrystals in a thin-film matrix of PIP. The PIP forms a pinhole-free charge-blocking layer, while still allowing the embedded perovskite crystals to form electrical contact with the electron- and hole-injection layers. This modified structure reduces nonradiative current losses and improves quantum efficiency by 2 orders of magnitude, giving an external quantum efficiency of 1.2%. This simple technique provides an alternative route to circumvent film formation problems in perovskite optoelectronics and offers the possibility of flexible and high-performance light-emitting displays.The authors acknowledge funding from the Gates Cambridge Trust, the Singapore National Research Foundation (Energy Innovation Programme Office), the KACST-Cambridge University Joint Centre of Excellence, the Royal Society/Sino-British Fellowship Trust, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK. We also thank Dr. Alessandro Sepe for helpful discussions of the XRD data.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from ACS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b0023

Characterisation of black carbon (BC) mixing state and flux in Beijing using single particle measurements

BC is generated by the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fuels and it is an important component of fine PM2:5. In the atmosphere BC particles have a complex structure and its mixing state has crucial impact on optical properties. Quantifying the sources and emissions of black carbon in urban environments is important and presently uncertain, particularly in megacities undergoing rapid growth and change in emissions. During the winter of 2016 (10th Nov-10th Dec) the BC was characterised as part of a large joint UK-China field experiment in Beijing. This paper focuses on understanding the mixing state of BC as well as identification and quantification of BC sources. We used a combination of a Centrifugal Particle Mass Analyser (CPMA) and a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) to uniquely quantify the morphology independent mass of single refractory BC particles and their coating content. The CPMA allows us to select pre-charged aerosol particles according to their mass to charge ratio and the SP2 provides information on the mass of refractory BC through a laser-induced incandescence method. Furthermore, another SP2 was used to measure the BC flux at 100m height using the Eddy Covariance method. We have successfully gathered 4 weeks of continuous measurements which include several severe pollution events in Beijing. Here we present preliminary results, characterising the distribution of coating mass on BC particles in Beijing and linking this to the main sources of BC in the city. We will provide initial estimates of the BC flux over a several kilometre footprint. Such analysis will provide important information for the further investigation of source distribution, emission, lifetime and optical properties of BC under complex environments in Beijing

Recent investigations of the 0-5 geomagnetic field recorded by lava flows

Sherpa Romeo green journal (pre or post print only)We present a synthesis of paleomagnetic directional data collected from 873 lava flows at 17 different locations under the collaborative Time Averaged geomagnetic Field Initiative (TAFI). The data range from 05 Ma in age, and provide new high quality data with improved spatial coverage. Data quality at each site is measured using k, the best estimate of the Fisherian precision parameter, and its influence on inclination anomaly and VGP dispersion is evaluated by systematically excluding data with successively higher values of k. When combined with regional compilations from NW USA, SW USA, Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii, Mexico, S. Pacific and the Indian Ocean, a data set of 2283 pairs of declination and inclination data, with k>100, and VGP latitudes greater than 45 is obtained. This is a more than 7fold increase over similar quality data in the existing Global Paleomagnetic Database (GPMDB). The new data set spans 78 S to 53 N, and has sufficient temporal and spatial sampling to allow characterization of latitudinal variations in the timeaveraged field (TAF) and paleosecular variation (PSV) for the Brunhes and Matuyama epochs, and for the 0–5 Myr interval combined. PSV, as measured by dispersion of virtual geomagnetic poles, shows less latitudinal variation than predicted by current statistical PSV models. Variation of inclination anomaly with latitude is assessed using 2parameter zonal TAF models – these have axial quadrupole contributions of 2% – 4% of the axial dipole term, and axial octupole contributions of 3% – 5%. Approximately 2% of the octupole signature is likely the result of bias incurred by averaging unit vectors. The new data set provides significant improvement over previous compilations, and can contribute to a new generation of global paleomagnetic field models.Ye

Direct measurements of black carbon fluxes in central Beijing using the eddy covariance method

Black carbon (BC) forms an important component of particulate matter globally, due to its impact on climate, the environment and human health. Identifying and quantifying its emission sources are critical for effective policymaking and achieving the desired reduction in air pollution. In this study, we present the first direct measurements of urban BC fluxes using eddy covariance. The measurements were made over Beijing within the UK-China Air Pollution and Human Health (APHH) winter 2016 and summer 2017 campaigns. In both seasons, the mean measured BC mass (winter: 5.49 ng m−2 s−1, summer: 6.10 ng m−2 s−1) and number fluxes (winter: 261.25 particles cm−2 s−1, summer: 334.37 particles cm−2 s−1) were similar. Traffic was determined to be the dominant source of the BC fluxes measured during both seasons. The total BC emissions within the 2013 Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC) are on average too high compared to measured fluxes by a factor of 58.8 (winter) and 47.2 (summer). Only a comparison with the MEIC transport sector shows that emissions are also larger (factor of 37.5 in winter and 37.7 in summer) than the measured flux. Emission ratios of BC ∕ NOx and BC ∕ CO are comparable to vehicular emission control standards implemented in January 2017 for gasoline (China 5) and diesel (China V) engines, indicating a reduction of BC emissions within central Beijing, and extending this to a larger area would further reduce total BC concentrations