Digital Cinema : Opportunities and Challenges

This paper considers how the film industry might effect the transition from film to digital product. Using public sources to predict the eventual technological solutions which will prevail is problematic as no independent academic analysis appears to have been carried out. Technology companies are clearly wedded to their own solutions, pointing out flaws in competing technologies while downplaying the shortcomings of their own. Industry wide bodies that have been set up to promote d-cinema or establish standards, understandably tend to avoid taking sides and promote all solutions equally[i]. Rather than contributing further to the debate about the qualities of competing technologies or the creative merits or demerits of digital product, this paper will focus on the search for new business models in an industry wedded for over one hundred years to an analogue process. In the sections which follow it will consider- the strategies of the companies at the forefront of the technology; the financial implications associated with change; and how different territories might adapt in order to accommodate this transition. [i] Anna Wilde Mathews, Digital cinema's time is nearing. Detailed specifications are supposed to be ready early next year. The Wall Street Journal, May 25 2003

Requiem banana man: banana farming in the commonwealth of Dominica

Not availabl

Service innovation and service responsiveness : moderating effect of information technology capability

Economic growth of a country highly depends on the development of its service sector. The logistic or transportation industry in Malaysia has significantly contributed towards the national economy and has also provided the employment opportunities. The industry has undergone a radical change due to the rapid evolution of information technology. The need to have efficient services is undeniable because of the increase in e-commerce applications which demands for service companies to innovate. Nevertheless, unlike the manufacturing sector, the innovation models in the service sector are still under developed. Hence, this requires further investigation in understanding the service innovation, especially in the area of transportation industry. This study aims to develop a model that links four main variables which are relevant to the industry, namely the determinants of service innovation, service innovation, information technology capability, and service responsiveness. A survey has been conducted on postal, courier, and freight forwarding companies. Data from respondents were analyzed by using PLSSEM. The result of the study provides a meaningful insight on the service innovation and ultimately, contributes towards enhancing the responsiveness of the postal services, courier, and freight forwarding companies. The study limits its scope only on selected transportation service. Hence, it is recommended for the future studies to investigate further on a broader scope of transportation service or even on other industries

A review of trade liberalisation and trade between Jordan and the United States

Promoting trade is a key aspect of Jordan’s development policy. As a developing country, increasing exports and maintaining a healthy balance of trade with its trading partners are amongst the government’s most important goals. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with the United States in 2000 is a cornerstone of Jordan’s foreign economic policy and a key test case for its broader policy of trade liberalisation. Yet while there is some evidence for a positive relationship between trade liberalisation, and increased bilateral trade and economic growth, this approach to development is also criticised for opening up developing markets to competition from their more advanced counterparts. This investigation argues that FTAs do facilitate bilateral trade but that states with large and advanced economies benefit more than small developing states and markets. To explore this argument, this study examines overall levels of bilateral trade between Jordan and the United States before and after the JUSFTA came into effect. Linear trendline projections are used to offer a comparison between experienced levels of trade and projected potential levels of trade based on pre-JUSFTA era data

Sustainability in the Age of Platforms. CEPS Special Report. June 2019

Over the past few decades, new digital platforms such as China’s Alibaba, Japan’s Rakuten and the U.S.’s eBay have grown from startups into multinational giants. With a few clicks of the keyboard, these online marketplaces bring together a seller and a buyer from anywhere in the globe. This study examines the transformative impact of online marketplaces on economic, social and environmental sustainability. It finds great opportunities. Platforms promote growth, break down barriers of distance and leap over rigid class structures, bringing marginalized outsiders into the mainstream. The study also identifies dangers stemming from the growth of e-commerce, from the reduction of labor protection to an explosion of shipping waste. What are the responsibilities of platforms? How can they promote sustainability? Policymakers are asking these questions, but struggling to find the correct balance between the opportunities against the dangers. Until now, these questions have received little attention from scholars. This study fills a much-needed void by providing some initial answers and recommendations for improvement

Globalisation, Technology, and Asian Economic Growth

Although globalisation is by no means a recent phenomenon,1 its new wave has raised a number of questions—both about its supposed benefits and its alleged adverse consequences. Rather than exploring the wider ramifications of globalisation, this paper will confine its purview to the question of technology development and dissemination in the context of globalisation as it has affected the development of Asian economies in the last few decades. In particular, the paper will focus on the somewhat dazzling performance of the East Asian economies in the last three decades and their equally sharp and unforeseen downturn in the past two years, which has raised serious doubts first about the replicability and later about the robustness of the East Asian development experience. Although the palpable cause of the current East Asian crisis has generally been situated in the increasing complexity and fragility of the global financial system, many prescient international economists had attributed it to the weakness of the technological underpinnings of East Asian growth [Krugman (1994)]. The East Asian crisis has also raised a lively controversy concerning the impact and desirability of selective micro-economic interventions by national governments, which have often been oversimplified under the rubric of ‘crony capitalism’. While the debate on which causes contributed most to the sudden down-turn in the growth of the East Asian economies remains inconclusive, there seems considerable validity in the conjecture that their future growth prospects will depend on their ability not only to master current technologies, but also to significantly further their technological prowess through R and D and scientific achievement. Although the immediate trigger of the present crisis in East Asia may have been the turmoil in their financial markets, the underlying problems in the real economy, which have so far received insufficient attention, stem largely from their incommensurate technological development.

Policy Recommendations for Promoting the Development of Cross-Border E-Commerce between China and Central Asian Countries

As the core area of the entire Belt and Road, Central Asian countries’ prosperity has a direct bearing on the smooth implementation of the China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The trade and economic relations between China and Central Asia are developing entirely within the worldwide economic globalization trends. In this research, we analysis the several problems that exist in the development of cross-border e-commerce between China and the Central Asian five countries at the first. And then we put forward four countermeasures for the Chinese government and enterprises investing abroad to promote the cross-border e-commerce transactions between China and the countries along the Belt and Road

Integration of Landlocked Countries into the Global Economy and Domestic Economic Reforms: The case of Lao People’s Democratic Republic

In this report, Laos’ challenges encountered as part of the WTO accession process will be surveyed. Subsequently, the linkages between Laos’ domestic reform processes and WTO accession will be analyzed, with a particular focus on certain key sectors and institutional arrangements. Based upon foregoing, policy recommendations for the Lao PDR government and regional and international organizations, particularly, UNESCAP will be presented in the conclusion to this report. Throughout this report, the status of Laos as a landlocked country and a least developed country (LDC) are stressed as giving rise to special considerations and policy responses.WTO accession, Landlocked countries, Lao PDR

Wind energy potential for the electricity production - Knjazevac Municipality case study (Serbia)

Geospatial potential for harvesting wind energy is not an easy task to perform in conditions of deficiency of accurate data in remote and large areas (macro to medium locations). There are different methodologies available to identify the most suitable location for the installation of wind power generators. One of the most suitable approaches that employ the Multi-Criteria Analysis method for wind energy potential of the Municipality of Knjazevac (East Serbia) is combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information Systems. Collection and creation of geospatial data for the research encompassed meteorological data from all available sources, digital elevation model (DEM) to analyze the orography of the terrain, and Landsat 8 satellite data to analyze six land cover (LC) classes. The identification of three best locations for the wind power generators (wind farms) using Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) analysis solved the major location problem: how to select the best locations for investment in the renewable energy sector and minimize the impact on the environment. The result indicates that only one part of the municipality, at the hub height of 100 m, has enough wind potential to produce energy

Pipe Dreams and Tunnel Visions: Economists and Australian Population Debates before the Baby Boom

Australia is notably, if not notoriously, a land of much space but few people. Its population density is, correspondingly, almost the lowest of any country in the world: only Namibia and Mongolia record a lower figure. Australia's extreme divergence from the common human experience has been a magnet for strong reactions; and Australia's small population has frequently judged either being a failing or a blessing. Economists, however, have in the past two generations tended to keep their silence on this issue. But for about 20 years prior to the post-War baby boom economists did have some confidence that simple economic theory could constitute a guide to population policy, under the rubric of 'optimal population' theory. This paper reviews Australian explorations of 'optimal population' in the period, and concludes the episode provides a moral on the frustrations that may meet hopes that simple economic theory can provide answers to large questions.