Setting Standards for Fair Information Practice in the U.S. Private Sector

The confluence of plans for an Information Superhighway, actual industry self-regulatory practices, and international pressure dictate renewed consideration of standard setting for fair information practices in the U.S. private sector. The legal rules, industry norms, and business practices that regulate the treatment of personal information in the United States are organized in a wide and dispersed manner. This Article analyzes how these standards are established in the U.S. private sector. Part I argues that the U.S. standards derive from the influence of American political philosophy on legal rule making and a preference for dispersed sources of information standards. Part II examines the aggregation of legal rules, industry norms, and business practice from these various decentralized sources. Part III ties the deficiencies back to the underlying U.S. philosophy and argues that the adherence to targeted standards has frustrated the very purposes of the narrow, ad hoc regulatory approach to setting private sector standards. Part IV addresses the irony that European pressure should force the United States to revisit the setting of standards for the private sector

Aggregate Shocks or Aggregate Information? Costly Information and Business Cycle Comovement

Synchronized expansions and contractions across sectors define business cycles. Yet synchronization is puzzling because productivity across sectors exhibits weak correlation. While previous work examined production complementarity, our analysis explores complementarity in information acquisition. Because information about future productivity has a high fixed cost of production and a low marginal cost of replication, sectors can share the cost to forecast their sector-specific productivity. Sectors with common, aggregate information make highly correlated productions choices. By filtering out sector-specific shocks and transmitting aggregate ones, information markets amplify business-cycle comovement.

Conceptual design of an e-marketplace for small and medium enterprises in the Turkish machinery industry

This paper reports on the results of a study carried out in the Turkish machinery industry. The purpose of the study was to identify the benefits the sector can seize from e-business and to develop a conceptual framework for potential e-business applications. We analysed the current state of e-business use in the machinery industry in order to understand the future requirements and application opportunities and to come up with a conceptual e-business design that would suit both the needs and the characteristics of the sector. The study included those companies, which are members of the Machine Manufacturers’ Association (MMA) in Turkey. Information about the existing applications and future requirements was obtained from the results of a survey conducted among the member companies. Statistically adequate number of responses was obtained to make the results representative of the machine industry. Web sites of the member companies were also reviewed for further information gathering. Results indicated that most of the companies are Small and Medium Enterprises(SME) and it would be better for them to carry out certain operations through an e-market specifically designed for the sector. The proposed conceptual e-market design is based on the characteristics of the industry emerging from the survey

Innovation and Business Strategy: Why Canada Falls Short

This article compares the development of labour productivity in the Swedish and the Finnish business sectors and the role of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in this process. The results show that the Finnish productivity level has been converging towards the Swedish level, but that there is still a significant difference. This trend has coincided with the growing importance of the ICT sector, especially since the mid 1990s. Due to higher productivity and employment growth, the Finnish ICT sector has contributed to this convergence. This is explained by the electrical engineering industry. The Nokia effect has been stronger than the Ericsson effect.Innovation, productivity, business strategy, public policy, market structure, Competition, business climate, business ambition

An Assessment of E-business Strategies Using the Strategic Alignment Model.

Most research concerning e-business offers a methodology, measures the predisposition of the firm or evaluates the consequences in terms of management.This research aims at designing a model for assessing e-business strategies based on the strategic alignment perspective.Using the Information Systems (IS) literature about alignment and data collected from 11 interviews of general and e-business managers from the main companies of the French tourism sector, 12 variables were identified.These, in turn, can be used to build an e-business alignment model for the enterprise.tourism; model; alignment; Information Technologies (IT); strategy; E-business; Information systems (IS); Internet;

Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Media Corporations: Incorporating Human Rights Through Rankings, Self-Regulation and Shareholder Resolutions

This article examines the emergence and evolution of selected ranking and reporting frameworks in the expanding realm of business and human rights advocacy. It explores how indicators in the form of rankings and reports evaluating the conduct of transnational corporate actors can serve as regulatory tools with potential to bridge a global governance gap that often places human rights at risk. Specifically, this article examines the relationship of transnational corporations in the Internet communications technology sector (ICT sector) to human rights and the risks presented to the right to freedom of expression and the right to privacy when ICT sector companies comply with government demands to disclose user data or to conceal information users seek. Specifically, it explores the controversial role of transnational ICT corporations in state censorship and surveillance practices. The article explains how conflicts over corporate complicity in alleged abuses served to catalyze change and lead to the creation of the Global Network Initiative, a private multi-stakeholder project, and the Ranking Digital Rights Initiative, an industry independent market-based information effort. Both aim to promote more responsible business practices in the social media industry sector. In conclusion, the article argues that regulating corporate reporting of information relevant to assessing the potential for adverse human rights impacts is necessary

The Small Business Sector report 2014

The Small Business Sector Report 2014 is a government publication that provides a factual source of information in an accessible format on the small businesses that make up a large part of the New Zealand economy. New Zealand needs to encourage firms of all sizes to operate at their peak potential to meet the goals of our Business Growth Agenda. The report includes international comparisons, international trade, innovation, and a summary of small businesses from the perspective of different industries nationally. Its aim is to provide an overview of New Zealand’s small business sector for business people, policy makers, media commentators, economists, academics, students and anyone with an interest in New Zealand’s economic development. See Related Content below: Small Business factsheet 201

The Development of Business Sector in Georgia

The article is about the development of business sector in Georgia. It consists of the wide range of information on the business environment in Georgia. Here, we would like to mention that while obtaining the information and writingthis article, we focused on the importance of development of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) that make important contributions to economic and social development and are usually responsible for the majority of jobs created. We also indicated the steps that had been taken by the Georgian government after it became an independent republic. Actually, in Georgia many micro businesses and self- employed persons still operate outside the "formal" sector and therefore one of the major challenges to government is to encourage entrepreneurs to engage in legitimate activity.Georgia, SMSs, small business/enterprise, privatization, entrepreneurship

Some empirical evidence on business-IT alignment processes in the public sector: A case study report

An empirical study that explores business-IT alignment processes in a networked organization among the province Overijssel, the municipalities Zwolle and Enschede, the water board district Regge & Dinkel and Royal Grolsch N.V. in The Netherlands, is summarized in this report. The aim of the study was to identify processes that contribute to improve such alignment. This study represents a continuation of previous validation efforts that help us to confirm the business-IT alignment process areas that should ultimately be included in the ICoNOs MM. Evidence was sought for the alignment of business and IT through the use of information systems to support the requirements of the organization in a specific project. The results of this study in the public sector also are relevant to the private sector where (i) business-IT alignment plays an increasingly valuable role, and (ii) the characteristics of collaborative networked organizations are present

Production and cost functions and their application to the port sector : a literature survey

Seaports provide multiple services to ships, cargo, and passengers. These services can be performed by a combination of public and private initiatives. Usually, the role of public sector institutions is to regulate and supervise private firms. In performing that task public sector institutions require in-depth knowledge of firms'cost structure. This paper offers a review of the literature about ports'cost structure and of its implications for regulation. The paper argues that the operation of port terminals should be analyzed by means of multiproduct theory. This approach allows the calculation of several cost indicators (economies of scale, scope, and so forth) which are key tools to help regulators.Environmental Economics&Policies,Business Environment,Information Technology,Economic Theory&Research,Labor Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Business Environment,Business in Development,Information Technology