SOM-based Data Analysis of Speculative Attacks' Real Effects

In some cases, currency crises are followed by strong recessions (e.g., recent Asian and Argentinean crises), but in other cases they are not. This paper uses Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) to search for meaningful associations between speculative attacks' real effects and 28 variables that characterize the economic, financial, legal, and socio-political structure of the country at the onset of the attack. SOM is a neural network-based generalization of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) that provides an efficient non-linear projection of the multidimensional data space on a curved surface. This paper finds a strong association of speculative attacks' real effects with fundamentals and the banking sector structureexploratory data analysis, self-organizing maps, neural networks, speculative attacks' real effects

Development of trade blocs in an era of globalization: Proximity still matters

This article describes the development of international trade blocs world wide from the 1950s till 2010. We updated the data on international trade flows and introduced a new trade bloc variable based on the intramax hierarchical clustering technique, which defines trade blocs on actual trade intensities and not - as was preciously done - by traditional geographic and political factors: such as the division into a triad of economic regions based on North America, the European Union and Japan. Nevertheless, the results of intramax hierarchical clustering indicate that actual trade flows are very much influenced by geographical and political factors; after all, proximity matters. To explain how mechanism of globalization changed trade patterns over the last half century and how - in the end - proximity is one of the most explanatory variables - we furthermore apply multivariate analysis with gravity-model based variables aims to explain which geographical, political and cultural factors do contribute to the (importance of) proximity in trade partners. In addition we also apply GIS to analyze patterns and proximity issues.

The safety case and the lessons learned for the reliability and maintainability case

This paper examine the safety case and the lessons learned for the reliability and maintainability case

Macroeconomic Integration in Asia Pacific: Common Stochastic Trends and Business Cycle Coherence

This paper addresses the question of macroeconomic integration in the Asian Pacific region. Economically, the analysis is based on the notions of stochastic long-run convergence and business cycle coherence. The econometric procedure consists of tests for cointegration, the examination of vector error correction models, several variants of common cycle tests and forecast error variance decompositions. Results in favour of cyclical synchrony can be partly established, and are even exceeded by the broad evidence for equilibrium relations. In these domains, several leading countries are identified.Real Convergence, Cointegration, Common Cycles, Asia Pacific

Standards-as-Barriers versus Standards-as-Catalysts: Assessing the Impact of HACCP Implementation on U.S. Seafood Imports

The United States mandated a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety standard for seafood in 1997. Panel model results for the period 1990 to 2004 suggest that HACCP introduction had a negative and significant impact on overall seafood imports from the top 33 suppliers. While the effect for developed countries was positive, the negative HACCP effect for developing countries supports the view of “standards-as-barriers” versus ”standards-as-catalysts.” When the effect is analyzed at an individual country level a different perspective emerges. Regardless of development status, leading seafood exporters generally gained sales volume with the U.S., while most other smaller trading partners faced losses or stagnant sales.food standards, international trade, developed and developing countries

THREE ESSAYS ON FOOD SAFETY AND PRIVATE FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATIONS

In the first essay, we provide a comprehensive literature review of the market of private food safety standards. Since the inception of private food safety standards in the late 1990s, producers, processors, retailers, and governments have been increasingly relying on them to provide assurances to food safety. This article first develops a conceptual framework for the market of private food safety standards through the lens of agri-food supply chain logistics, outlining how the key players in the market interact and classifying these interactions into fifteen categories. Second, we classify and review studies based on the interactions identified. Our review supports the identification of research gaps in this relatively new, though already important, area of research in contemporary agribusiness. In the second essay, we aim to examine whether private food safety certification has a significant impact on food safety outcomes in the meat, poultry, and egg product industry. We merge manufacturer-level data from the governmental and private sectors and obtain a unique panel dataset that identifies manufacturer-level information such as private food safety certification status and food safety outcomes. We detect separation issues caused by rare event in our dataset, thus, we adopt the penalized maximum likelihood method. Using the pathogen results from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) sampling programs as the measurement of food safety outcomes, we find that the British Retail Consortium (BRC) certification is negatively associated with Salmonella and Campylobacter test results; Safe Quality Food (SQF) is negatively correlated with Campylobacter and Listeria test results. We do not find significant results for the pathogens E. coli and non-O157 STECs. The third essay examines relationship-specific learning-by-doing in the private food safety certification market. Relationship-specific learning refers to the efficiency gains caused by the human capital accumulation specific to the pair of a manufacturer and the certification body working together. Using data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), we find that the time for obtaining a BRC certification reduces not only with the increase of manufacturers’ overall experience certifying with BRC standard but also with the increase of joint experience between manufacturers and their certification bodies. The results indicate that relationship-specific learning exists in the process of getting BRC certifications, and it will potentially reduce the time and costs of obtaining BRC certifications and thus improve efficiency

Economic determinants of global mobile telephony growth

This study examines the substitution effect between fixed-line and mobile telephony while controlling for the consumption externality associated with telephone networks. A dynamic demand model is estimated using a global telecommunications panel dataset comprised of 56 countries from 1995–2000. Estimation results show the presence of a substantial substitution effect. Additionally income and own-price elasticities are reported. Analysis of impulse responses for price, income and network size indicate substantial mobile telephone growth is yet to be realised. However, price ceilings imposed in the fixed-line network can retard the growth of the mobile network.

Supply chain performance measurement framework:case studies on the Thai manufacturers

One of the most significant paradigm shifts of modern business management is that individual businesses no longer compete as solely autonomous entities, but rather as supply chains. Firms worldwide have embraced the concept of supply chain management as important and sometimes critical to their business. The idea of a collaborative supply chain is to gain a competitive advantage by improving overall performance through measuring a holistic perspective of the supply chain. However, contemporary performance measurement theory is somewhat fragmented and fails to support this idea. Therefore, this research develops and applies an integrated supply chain performance measurement framework that provides a more holistic approach to the study of supply chain performance measurement by combining both supply chain macro processes and decision making levels. Therefore, the proposed framework can provide a balanced horizontal (cross-process) and vertical (hierarchical decision) view and measure the performance of the entire supply chain system. Firstly, literature on performance measurement frameworks and performance measurement factors of supply chain management will help to develop a conceptual framework. Next the proposed framework will be presented. The framework will be validated through in-depth interviews with three Thai manufacturing companies. The fieldwork combined varied sources in order to understand the views of manufacturers on supply chain performance in the three case study companies. The collected data were analyzed, interpreted, and reported using thematic analysis and analysis hierarchy process (AHP), which was influenced by the study’s conceptual framework. This research contributes a new theory of supply chain performance measurement and knowledge on supply chain characteristics of a developing country, Thailand. The research also affects organisations by preparing decision makers to make strategic, tactical and operational level decisions with respect to supply chain macro processes. The results from the case studies also indicate the similarities and differences in their supply chain performance. Furthermore, the implications of the study are offered for both academic and practical use