Beyond the information technology agreement : harmonization of standards and trade in electronics

Product standards can have a dual impact on production and trade costs. Standards may impose additional costs on exporters as it may be necessary to adapt products for specific markets (cost-effect). In contrast, standards can reduce exporters'information costs if they convey information on industrial requirements or consumer tastes that would be costly to collect in the absence of standards (informational-effect). Using a new World Bank database of European standards for electronic products, the authors examine the impact of internationally-harmonized European standards on European Union imports. They find that European Union standards for electronic products that are harmonized to international standards have a positive and significant effect on trade. The results suggest that efforts to promote trade in electronic products could be complemented by steps to promote standards harmonization. This might include, for example, re-starting talks to extend the Information Technology Agreement to non-tariff measures and commitments to harmonize national standards in electronic products.Information Security&Privacy,Technology Industry,Scientific Research&Science Parks,Science Education,Labor Policies

A Primer on Information Markets

In 1988 the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission gave permission for the University of Iowa to begin operating the Iowa Electronic Market (IEM) thus ushering in the world's first information market (sometimes called a prediction market). Similar markets have subsequently appeared at the University of British Columbia and Vienna University of Technology. Outside the education sector firms such as Trade Exchange Network (tradesports.com) and a joint venture between Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank (economicderivatives.com) have set up public information markets while other firms such as Hewlett-Packard Lilly and Siemens have used information markets for internal purposes. Information markets are similar to standard derivatives markets in that they provide a mechanism for trading financial claims to future contingencies. However they differ in that first they are more accessible to small investors and second they offer markets on a wider range of events including politics sports legal weather business and entertainment. The increasing popularity of information markets reflects several factors. The university-based markets were initially designed to serve primarily as teaching and research tools by providing students and staff with the opportunity to study a trading environment that is more realistic than the typical laboratory setting but without the scale complexity and noise of real-world markets. More recently based on the proven ability of markets to gather and assimilate dispersed information the potential forecasting power of information markets has generated most interest.In this paper we describe the structure of some existing information marketsoutline their key features explain what they can be used for and assess theirpredictive ability. Finally we consider the possible advantages of setting up of an information market in New Zealand

Organisational Factors Determining Export Performance and Electronic Commerce Adoption: An Empirical Investigation

Ireland’s economic performance over the past two decades was largely driven by the exporting sector of the economy. Vigorous export growth largely reflected the success of the economy in securing inward foreign direct investments flows, mainly from the United States (Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland, 2009). Given that Ireland has a population of just over 4.23 million (CSO, 2006) it is imperative that Irish organisations expand into foreign markets to gain a larger market base. It is against this background of international trade that this paper is set. This is a study of export performance and electronic commerce and it seeks to ascertain the extent to which organisational factors impact on export performance and electronic commerce adoption in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in Ireland. The core objectives of this study are: to identify the internal organisational characteristics of both export performance and electronic commerce adoption and to examine the key organisational internal determinants of export performance in the ICT sector in Ireland. The empirical findings provide evidence of a relation between organisational age, managerial education, international experience and export performance, and electronic commerce adoption

The State of Information and Communication Technology in Hungary – A Comparative Analysis

A novel comparative research and analysis method is proposed and applied on the Hungarian economic sectors. The question of what factors have an effect on their net income is essential for enterprises. First, the potential indicators related to economic sectors were studied and then compared to the net income of the surveyed enterprises. The data resulting from the comparison showed that the growing penetration of electronic marketpalces contributed to the change of the net income of enterprises in various economic sectors to the extent of 37%. Among all the potential indicators, only the indicator of electronic marketplaces has a direct influence on the net income of enterprises. Two clusters based on the potential indicators were indicated

The Economic Impacts of Information and Communication Technology In The Hungarian Economy

As the author could not find a reassuring mathematical and statistical method in the literature for studying the effect of information communication technology on enterprises, the author suggested a new research and analysis method that he also used to study the Hungarian economic sectors. After a brief introduction to the theoretical background of the Information Age, the author examines the question of what factors have an effect on their net income is essential for enterprises. First, the potential indicators related to economic sectors were studied, then the author compared those indicators to the net income of the surveyed enterprises. The data resulting from the comparison showed that the growing penetration of electronic marketplaces contributed to the change of the net income of enterprises in various economic sectors to the extent of 37 %. Among all the potential indicators, only the indicator of electronic marketplaces has a direct influence on the net income of enterprises. It was practical to determine two clusters based on the potential indicators

A Primer on Information Markets

In 1988 the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission gave permission for the University of Iowa to begin operating the Iowa Electronic Market (IEM) thus ushering in the world's first information market (sometimes called a prediction market). Similar markets have subsequently appeared at the University of British Columbia and Vienna University of Technology. Outside the education sector firms such as Trade Exchange Network (tradesports.com) and a joint venture between Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank (economicderivatives.com) have set up public information markets while other firms such as Hewlett-Packard Lilly and Siemens have used information markets for internal purposes. Information markets are similar to standard derivatives markets in that they provide a mechanism for trading financial claims to future contingencies. However they differ in that first they are more accessible to small investors and second they offer markets on a wider range of events including politics sports legal weather business and entertainment. The increasing popularity of information markets reflects several factors. The university-based markets were initially designed to serve primarily as teaching and research tools by providing students and staff with the opportunity to study a trading environment that is more realistic than the typical laboratory setting but without the scale complexity and noise of real-world markets. More recently based on the proven ability of markets to gather and assimilate dispersed information the potential forecasting power of information markets has generated most interest.In this paper we describe the structure of some existing information marketsoutline their key features explain what they can be used for and assess theirpredictive ability. Finally we consider the possible advantages of setting up of an information market in New Zealand

An Empirical Study of the Development of Information and Communication Technology in Hungary

As I could not find a reliable mathematical and statistical method for studying the effect of information communication technology on businesses in the literature, I proposed a new research and analysis method that I also used to study the Hungarian economic sectors. An essential question for enterprises is what factors have an effect on their net income.. First, I studied the potential indicators related to economic sectors, then I compared those indicators to the net income of the enterprises surveyed. The data resulting from this comparison showed that the growing penetration of electronic marketpalces contributed to the change in the net income of enterprises in various Hungarian economic sectors to the extent of 37%. Among all the potential indicators, only the indicator of electronic marketplaces has a direct influence on the net income of enterprises. However, the effect of electronic presence is also significant as it has a huge effect on the potential indicator of electronic marketplaces. It was practical to determine two clusters based on the potential indicators. Eight economic sectors have been placed in the first, while five sectors have been placed in the second cluster. Only the money which is spent on professional training has a more significant effect on what cluster a sector belongs to

ELECTRONIC MARKET USE BY OKLAHOMA LAMB PRODUCERS

Socioeconomic and production system characteristics of a sample of Oklahoma sheep producers were employed to examine the decision to use or not use an electronic market for slaughter lambs. Producer attributes that influence electronic market use were identified with qualitative choice models. The results help identify characteristics of electronic markets which influence their success. The findings also have implications about educational opportunities for cooperative extension.Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,