The Impact of Information Technology in Trade Facilitation on Small and Medium Enterprises in the Philippines

The paper is focusing on electronic lodgment through web-based applications of value-added service providers as the IT-based trade facilitation measure, the survey of Customs Brokers conducted in this study revealed that lodgment time in the Philippines dropped to one hour or less as a result, compared to previous lodgment times of one and a half to one day.Information Techonology, Trade Facilitation, SME, Philippines

Beef Cattle Prices at Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio, 1946.

26 p

Sacred Cows, Holy Wars: Exploring the Limits of Law in the Regulation of Raw Milk and Kosher Meat

In a free society law and religion seldom coincide comfortably, tending instead to reflect the inherent tension that often resides between the two. This is nowhere more apparent than in America, where the underlying principle upon which the first freedom enunciated by the Constitution\u27s Bill of Rights is based ‒ the separation of church and state – is conceptually at odds with the pragmatic compromises that may be reached. But our adherence to the primacy of individual rights and civil liberties ‒ that any activity must be permitted if it is not imposed upon others without their consent, and if it does not adversely affect others – does not negate the fact that “we are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being.” This is our way of life. While our national psyche pays homage to the nobility of the First Amendment\u27s mandate for a tolerant society, however, we likewise seek to promote law and order by promulgating rules and regulations ‒ some of which cause more problems than they resolve. In the United States, various courts have ruled that kosher butchers may be excluded from collective bargaining units; that a Jewish court of arbitration panel may forbid trade with disapproved butchers; that retail sellers implicitly stipulate their compliance with rabbinic authorities; that a state law may incorporate a rabbinical ruling on kosher labeling; and that kosher symbols may be subject to trade infringement laws. That all religions have their sacred cows and holy wars neither demeans nor ennobles them. But the law does not take sides. This article examines the Constitutional difficulties presented by some of them, especially when regulatory schemes bring into play both consumer protection of the public and recognition of individual rights. In the process it provides a broad historical background (describing early civil and criminal litigation in the area), catalogues the presently competing supervisory organizations, and looks at some of the more intriguing cases that have arisen in recent years. What emerges is a tale of religion, politics, and filthy lucre that goes far beyond your father\u27s first food fight: not only a fascinating picture of contemporary life and mores, but a sobering example of the limitations of the law

An overview of decision table literature 1982-1995.

This report gives an overview of the literature on decision tables over the past 15 years. As much as possible, for each reference, an author supplied abstract, a number of keywords and a classification are provided. In some cases own comments are added. The purpose of these comments is to show where, how and why decision tables are used. The literature is classified according to application area, theoretical versus practical character, year of publication, country or origin (not necessarily country of publication) and the language of the document. After a description of the scope of the interview, classification results and the classification by topic are presented. The main body of the paper is the ordered list of publications with abstract, classification and comments.

Making the Palace Machine Work

This volume brings the studies of institutions, labour, and material cultures to bear on the history of science and technology by tracing the workings of the Imperial Household Department (Neiwufu) in the Qing court and empire. An enormous apparatus that employed 22,000 men and women at its heyday, the Department operated a "machine" with myriad moving parts. The first part of the book portrays the people who kept it running, from technical experts to menial servants, and scrutinises the paper trails they left behind. Part two uncovers the working principles of the machine by following the production chains of some of its most splendid products: gilded statues, jade, porcelain, and textiles. Part three tackles the most complex task of all, managing living organisms in nature, including lotus plants grown in imperial ponds in Beijing, fresh medicines sourced from disparate regions, and tribute elephants from Southeast Asia

Challenges and opportunities of e-fulfilment operations in the Gulf Cooperation Council

Electronic commerce (EC) in scholarship and practice has been richly discussed. Consumers’ fulfilment is considered a potential factor for firms. EC involves different processes, from inbound to outbound, which have to maintain consistency of flow within the booming e-commerce market. As a result, the variety of tools employed has increased, such as omnichannel marketing and the use of smart phones. Logistics is considered one of the major stages that can support the process of EC and achieve consumers’ fulfilment. This thesis explores the issues of electronic commerce fulfilment (ECF) in the five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.The extent of ECF in the GCC online market is little known, as is how logistics activities operate, how ECF models are assembled and why. Whether or not logistics activity is considered in a firm’s strategy also remains a question for research. Therefore, this thesis investigates pure-player (PP) and multichannel (MC) firms and involves logistics service providers (LSPs) in the five GCC countries. A wide range of consumers from small and large cities across the five countries also contributed to obtaining information required to achieve the study’s objective and contribute to knowledge. This study adopted a qualitative and inductive approach in using semi-structured interviews to collect data. Fifty-three participants (owners, managers, logistics managers, and consumers) were interviewed to provide an objective study aimed at making e-commerce better and more efficient.This study finds logistics models are not considered a priority in a firm’s strategy plan and cultural factors greatly affect e-fulfilment, such as when using another language during communication and delivery processes. Communication between firms and providers is also considered to be unclear. Furthermore, the business-to-consumer (B2C) segment is still not a target for most LSPs. Hence, policy plays an essential role, such as in banning the entry of lorries to a city or applying employment conditions when hiring citizen drivers, and has an effect on ECF. Mistrust emerged as a factor in the limited options for payment. For example, the cash on delivery (COD) method is strongly preferred by most consumers. Innovative solutions have not been provided as required by global LSPs, particularly in the cultural context, although some provision has been made, such as in the case of women not being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia with imprecise postal system and delivery needs to be pre-arranged. Telephone numbers and shipment tracking are still not clear for firms and consumers, as telephone numbers are often incorrect, telephones are not answered and tracking is not available or is imprecise. As a result, the findings reveal eight themes grouped into three categories: logistics activity, purchasing methods and cultural effects and also proposes new models for ECF

Beef Cattle Prices at Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio, 1946.

26 p