Indo Gives Its Sales Force a New Mobility Technology

In April 2007, the Spanish optical company indo Internacional was facing a renewal decision of the mobility solution for its eyeglasses division’s sales force. Initially, the company was seeking to implement a solution that would allow to look up inventories in real time. One of the potential providers offers to extend the functionality with a virtual catalog, which would allow the company to eliminate part of the current physical sample collection of the sales force. Nevertheless, the virtual catalog would imply a major change in the current work practice of the sales force, and a new way of purchasing for the clients. The objective of this case is to analyze the complexities of IS investment decisions from a variety of perspectives, including a financial analysis. It also focuses on broader qualitative implications in terms of its impact on current work practices of part of the organization

Linking Technical Education to Business Growth: A Case Study on Building Technical Skills in India

Education has been recognized as the most important source of competitive advantage for a nation. It is the key determinant of firm level productivity which in turn drives business growth and profitability. Technical knowledge, in particular, is required both for industrial as well as service development. Technical institutions contribute to the growth of business and industry in a variety of ways. The most influential and direct impact is through their graduates who bring in new skills and perspectives to firms. Industries also seek advanced training on specific topics as well as consultancy from technical institutions. Often these institutions collaborate with academics to design and develop new technologies. In this paper we have argued that technical education plays a crucial role in building these capabilities and consequently in the growth of industry. We use the case study of the Indian technical education system to explore the nature of this system, mechanisms used to govern it, linkages between the education regime and the industry, and the roles that different stakeholders play in ensuring that such a regime delivers sustained advantage to the society. We study the business growth in a few select sectors and the changing needs of technical skills therein. These sectors are agricultural implements, auto-components, chemicals, construction, garments and machine tools. We also illustrate the link between technological innovation and technical skills thereby pointing towards the trajectory of developing industrial competitiveness.

AN ATLAS FOR NAVIGATING THE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: HYBRID AIRSHIPS AS A USE CASE TO ENGAGE THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR

The Chief of Naval Operations and Commandant of the Marine Corps have stated the need to streamline innovation practices for faster adoption of emerging technologies to support force design initiatives. However, the Department of Defense (DOD) innovation ecosystem is difficult to navigate. This research develops an atlas to guide interaction and engagement for DOD personnel to navigate the innovation ecosystem while assessing commercially-developed, large-capacity transportation platforms. Using hybrid airships as the use case, the authors employed two research methods while developing the atlas: 1) technology progress and cost modeling and 2) market analysis through research and interviews with industry leaders. The results confirm that early DOD engagement with commercial partners can positively influence long-term procurement options. The authors believe that the atlas can guide timely and productive engagement with the commercial sector for the sustainable development of large-capacity platforms, but must have a framework that protects commercial intellectual property. We recommend that the DOD utilize the atlas to explore how commercial markets will affect future hybrid airship development, while creating a more complete picture of the function and utility of these versatile platforms.Outstanding ThesisCaptain, United States Marine CorpsCaptain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Utilization of Trade Agreements in Sri Lanka: Perceptions of Exporters vs. Statistical Measurements

This study will explore several areas, (i) the extent and the degree to which the Sri Lankan exporters use the preferences negotiated in various trade agreements, (ii) the benefits and costs of using trade agreements (iii) impact of multiple RoO on industries, and (iv) measures that can be taken to increase utilization of trade agreements will be observed.Trade agreement, Sri Lanka, Trade Facilitation

AN ANALYSIS OF DRIVERS BEHIND AMERICAN ARMS ACQUISITIONS TO JAPAN AND TAIWAN

Arms acquisitions are an important instrument used to carry out a country’s national defense and foreign policy strategies. For nations with rich histories of arms acquisitions, investigating the motives that encourage purchasing arms offers a look into the state’s security perspectives. Within the Indo-Pacific, several countries that are closely aligned with the United States - namely Japan and Taiwan - have engaged in large volume arms sales with the U.S. in the 21st century. This thesis investigates the factors that have encouraged Japan and Taiwan to purchase American arms in an effort to determine the motives that sustain long-term arms commitments. It examines various domestic and international drivers that have both encouraged and challenged purchases of U.S. made defensive technologies. This thesis argues that both Japan and Taiwan are influenced to pursue arms acquisitions by their long-standing partnerships with the United States, as well as geopolitical security concerns especially the threat of the PRC. However, unique domestic considerations such as Japan’s antimilitarism ideology and Taiwan’s distinctive Cross-Strait relations have played significant roles in hampering arms acquisitions. When combined, these factors offer insights into the complexities of arms acquisitions and suggest that external factors have the greater influence on arms acquisitions versus internal factors.Lieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Socioeconomic assessment of marine fisheries of Thailand

Thailand is currently one of the ten largest fishing nations in the world. In 1996, fish production reached 3.7 million t with 90% of the production coming from the marine fisheries sector and 10% from inland fisheries. Thai fishing operates in four fishing grounds namely, the Gulf of Thailand, the Andaman Sea, the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal. However with the establishment of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in 1977, Thailand lost over 300 000 km2 of traditional fishing grounds. Gross domestic product (GDP) of Thailand was estimated at 4 598 billion Baht (US$181 billion at 1 US$ = 25.36 Baht) in 1996 with 87.8 billion Baht (US$3.46 billion) (1.9$4 million at 1 US$ = 31.18 Baht) or 69% (200 795 million Baht including fish) of the total agriculture exports and 7.3% (1 898 276 million Baht) of total exports. However, the rapid growth of manufacturing and service sectors has diminished the contribution of the fisheries sector to GDP in the recent years. Of the estimated 35.6 million labor force in Thailand in 1998, 43% were employed in the agricultural sector including fisheries. The 1995 Census of Marine Fishery showed that the total number of fishery households including fisheries employeesÆ households in the country was 109 635. No census was conducted for inland fisheries. The fisheries sector also supports a substantial level of employment in industries like fish processing, cold storage, fishmeal, ice making, boat construction and the like. The labor force of these industries was estimated to be at 211 682 in 1995. Fish is the primary source of animal protein for most of ThailandÆs population, particularly in the coastal and near-coastal provinces. The average per capita fish consumption is 24 kg annually. Marine capture fisheries can be broadly divided into commercial and small scale sub-sectors. Commercial vessels are those vessels over 10 m in length or 5 GT, that use modern fishing gear and have the capacity to fish offshore for several days. Small scale vessels are usually less than 10 m in length and either employ outboard- or inboard-engines, or are non-motorized and operate in near shore areas. From 1985 to 1995, the number of small scale fishing boats increased by 7.5%, while the commercial boats increased by 11%. One reason for the change has been the creation of a boat-tenure system within the commercial fishing sector, resulting in a decrease in the number of boats per household. The major fishing gear used by the small scale fishers are gillnets, small push nets, lift nets or other modern small scale gear, set traps, bagnets and other stationary gear in estuaries or protected inshore waters. In the fishing household of Songhkla Province, Southern Thailand, shrimp gillnets, cuttlefish trammel nets, Indo-Pacific mackerel gillnets, other gillnets and Acetes trawl nets are the major fishing gear. The fishers direct their effort towards high value species like shrimp, cuttlefish, pomfret fish and crabs, but they also obtain by-catch low value fish species. The most important determinant of profit for small scale fisheries is the interaction between types of gear and fishing ground. Commercial fishing vessels utilize otter trawls, pair trawls, beam trawls, push nets, purse seines and king mackerel gillnets as the major fishing gear. The analysis of investment, cost, revenue and return on demersal and pelagic fishing operations shows that (a) returns differ markedly among size of fishing boats and types of fishing gear; (b) ability to generate profit is greater in large fishing boats than small due to their higher ability to adjust to both economic (investment) and biological (fishing ground) changes; and (c) among the trawlers, medium and large boats can best adapt to maintain continuous profit, while for push nets, all size of boats show declining net profit. In pelagic fishing operations, purse seiners have been developed to make high profits and yield a higher return than trawlers and gillnet fishing operations. The Schaefer Model was applied to estimate the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and maximum economic yield (MEY) for demersal fish and trash fish in the Gulf of Thailand. Results indicated that the present catch and the corresponding effort of demersal fishing in the Gulf of Thailand surpassed both MEY and MSY. In order to obtain the maximum net benefit in the long run, the present fishing effort of catching demersal fish must be reduced to about 50% of present levels. This would lead to the rehabilitation of marine resources and minimize the by-catch.Fishery resources, Fishery surveys, Catch/effort, Trawling, Population characteristics, Biomass, Coastal fisheries, Mathematical models, Marine fisheries, Ecosystems, Socioeconomic aspects, Artisanal fishing, Economic benefits, Fishery industry, Capture fishery economics, Fish consumption, ISEW, Thailand,

WP 91 - An overview of women's work and employment in Indonesia

The DECISIONS FOR LIFE project aims to raise awareness amongst young female workers about their employment opportunities and career possibilities, family building and the work-family balance. The lifetime decisions adolescent women face, determine not only their individual future, but also that of society: their choices are key to the demographic and workforce development of the nation. DECISIONS FOR LIFE is awarded a MDG3 grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of its strategy to support the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals no 3 (MDG3): “Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women”. DECISIONS FOR LIFE more specifically focuses on MDG3.5: “Promoting formal employment and equal opportunities at the labour market”, which is one of the four MDG3 priority areas identified in Ministry’s MDG3 Fund. DECISIONS FOR LIFE runs from October 2008 until June 2011 (See "http://www.wageindicator.org/main/projects/decisions-for-life":http://www.wageindicator.org/main/projects/decisions-for-life). DECISIONS FOR LIFE focuses on 14 developing countries, notably Brazil, India, Indonesia, the CIS countries Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and the southern African countries Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Project partners are International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Union Network International (UNI), WageIndicator Foundation, and University of Amsterdam/AIAS. This report is part of the Inventories, to be made by the University of Amsterdam, for all 14 countries involved. All reports will be posted at the project website. In this country report on Indonesia the sequence of the sections differs from the table. The report covers mainly Activity nr 1.03, the Gender analysis regarding pay and working conditions (or, as Chapter 2 is called here, work and employment). Partly included (in section 2.4.1) is Activity 1.01, Inventories of national legislation; partly the analysis of national legislation has resulted in a separate product, the DecentWorkCheck for Indonesia. Activity 1.02, Inventories of companies’ regulations, will take place through a company survey. Preparations for Activities 1.03a and 1.03b have resulted in a number of lists, to be used in the WageIndicator web-survey for country-specific questions and their analyses (Chapter 3). References can be found in Chapter 4; Chapter 5 gives more insight in the WageIndicator. _The sectoral labour market structure – Formal and informal employment (2.3.2)_ Slightly over 30% of all employed and less than 28% of females is currently working in the formal sector. About 42% of the total labour force and 32% of the females are self-employed. In the early 2000s the informal sector absorbed the largest amount of new entrants to the labour market, but this reversed in 2003-04. _The sectoral labour market structure – Unemployment (2.3.3)_. In the course of the 2000s unemployment for women remained at a higher level than for men. Unemployment is highest among youngsters, with for girls and young women in 2008 an offi cial unemployment rates of over 18%. _Legislation (2.4.1)_. Indonesia has ratifi ed the core ILO Labour Conventions. Yet, for unions there are a number of serious constraints. on collective bargaining and declaring strikes. The ITUC remains highly critical of the country’s enforcement of labour legislation. Labour relations and trade unionism (2.4.2). Under Suharto’s New Order trade unions were disciplined, with (K)SPSI (con)federation as main vehicle of these policies. After the collapse of the Suharto regime the right to organise was restored. Since then, the union movement developed in highly fragmented direction. Union density can be estimated at 8-10% for the labour force at large. Women have a weak position in the union movement, though incidental successes in collective bargaining on behalf of women can be traced. _The statutory minimum wage (2.5.1)._ The statutory minimum wage structure is complex and not transparent. Though the minimum wage rates are based on cost of living calculations, after the gap between minimum living needs and (average) minimum wage levels has widened. Moreover, the informal sector is not included. Compliance and enforcement are weak. _Poverty (2.5.2)._ For 2005, it has been estimated that 53.8% of its population lived below the poverty line of USD 2 a day. From 1999 on, income inequality is growing. Official inequality seems low, but correction for varying consumption patterns brings Indonesia in the middle-high inequality ranks. The incidence of working poor is highest among casual workers, followed by unpaid and own-account workers. There may be a shift to urban poverty: in the 2000s the number of slum dwellers in the cities has increased strongly. _Health (2.6.2)._ In 2007, in Indonesia about 270,000 people lived with HIV/AIDS. Epidemics concentrate among injection drug users and sex workers. Health disparities are considerable, and government expenditure on health care is low. Women’s labour market share (2.6.3). The 2008 women’s share in the labour force was nearly 38%. It was highest in households (76%), health and social work (57%), restaurants and hotels (56%), and education (55%). In 2008 still about 40% of women employed worked in agriculture, followed by wholesale and retail (22%). 48% of female employees and 45% of the total female labour force worked in services, broadly defined. With 22% respectively 24% in 2008, the Indonesian shares of female legislators, senior offi cials and managers among employees respectively the labour force at large were rather low. _Agriculture (2.6.4)._ Problems of land fragmentation, poor bureaucracy and infrastructure still dog agriculture. Under the prevailing conditions it is unlikely that many young women living in urban areas and trying to make a career can rely on a “fall-back scenario” in which they can go back to their families living from agriculture. _Mining and manufacturing (2.6.5)._ About two million women are dependent on employment in low wagebased, labour intensive industries, but Indonesia’s share in these industries is falling. The prospects in manufacturing for girls and young women are not bright, maybe except for some professional and technical occupations. _Commerce (2.6.6)._ In the 2000s, commerce has expanded rapidly, though most recently the retail industry has suffered from falling purchasing power. Super- and hypermarkets continue to expand, with foreign investors playing major roles. In the course of the 2000s, wage rates and working conditions of retail workers seem to have deteriorated. _Services (2.6.7)._ Formal labour is quite limited in commercial services except commerce. Tourism is an important source of employment, also for women, but its groweth may be hampered by low wages, unfavourable working conditions and lack of professionalism. The fi nance sector remains comparatively small, with employment prospects for girls and young women in the sector remaining limited as well. Government (2.6.8). Since 2000, its size of public administration has been slimmed down, and in the process the already small female share has even declined to 20%. Average public sector wages are not extremely high, but still at the level of the finance sector. _Literacy (2.7.1)._ The adult literacy rates –those age 15 and over that can read and write—were in 2008 95.4% for men and 89.1% for women. The youth (15-24-year-olds) literacy rates were in 2006 97.0% for young males and 96.3% for young females. Education of girls and young women (2.7.2). Combined gross enrollment in education was in 2006 overall 68.2%: females 66.8%, males 69.5%. Net enrollment in primary education was in 2007 98%, with boys’ enrollment at 100% and girls’ at 96%. However, recent reports stress the poor quality of much of primary education. The drop-out ratio during the secondary school ages is considerable. The urban – rural divide is large in educational facilities, and is refl ected in lower enrollment and completion rates in rural areas. In 2007 tertiary gross enrollment was 18%, and equal for both genders. _Female skill levels (2.7.3)._ A larger share of female workers than males had no education at all completed but the share of working females educated at the three highest levels was also higher than that of men. The females aged 15-29 make the difference: by 2008 they had a higher average educational level than their male peers. As for Indonesia, about 2.5 million girls and young women can be estimated to belong to the DECISION FOR LIFE target group, as they work in commercial services in urban areas. About half of them did so in regular wage employment, with the other half working as self-employed, family workers or casual wage-earners. _Wages (2.8.1)_ Large income differences show up between workers of different type (employment status) and across industries. For both sexes the highest wages are paid in the fi nance sector, closely followed by public administration and utilities. With 23% the gender pay gap in Indonesia is still considerable. Working conditions (2.8.2). According to offi cial fi gures for 2009 over 9 million women are working more than 48 hours per week. Long working hours are in particular made by women in households (average 51.4 hours in 2008), wholesale and retail (49.2 hours) and hotels and restaurants (47.8 hours), and these averages were even prolonged between 2000 and 2008. _Population and fertility (2.6.1)._ Current population growth is estimated at 1.3% per year, and is still slowing down. With 2.2 children per woman, the total fertility rate is rather low. With an estimated 51 to 54 births per 1,000 women 15-19 of age, the adolescent fertility rate is in the low-to-moderate range worldwide. Indonesia is urbanising at high speed, with in 2008 52% living in urban areas.

Defence white paper 2013

The Government brought forward delivery of the new White Paper by one year from its original 2014 timetable to address a number of significant international and domestic developments influencing Australia’s national security and defence posture internationally and domestically that have emerged since the 2009 Defence White Paper.The White Paper considers in detail the implications of the changing strategic circumstances in our region for Australia\u27s national security and defence, including:The ongoing strategic shift to our region, the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean Rim, particularly the shift of economic weight to our region; The US re-balance to the Asia Pacific and Australia\u27s enhanced practical cooperation with the US pursuant to our 60-year-old Alliance relationship; The ADF\u27s operational drawdown from Afghanistan, Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands; Australia\u27s own Force Force Posture Review- the first in a quarter of a century; and The ongoing adverse effects of the Global Financial Crisis, which have continued to have a significant impact on the global economy. The White Paper addresses in detail the implications of these developments for Australia\u27s national security and defence settings, It outlines Australia’s strategy for maintaining a highly capable and credible ADF, our contribution to the region’s long-term security, and how Australia will seize the opportunities and manage the challenges in our strategic environment. Together with the Government’s National Security Strategy and Australia in the Asian Century White Paper, the 2013 Defence White Paper provides a comprehensive strategy for assuring Australia’s future security and prosperity in our diverse and challenging region

Institutional Diversity and Capitalist Transformation in Rural Arunachal Pradesh

This paper contributes a preliminary analysis of the process of capitalist transformation in Arunachal Pradesh, one of the least studied regions of India. Primarily based on information collected through a field survey in eleven villages, the paper seeks to explain the nature and implications of institutional unevenness in the development of capitalism. Institutional diversity is not simply mapped across space; it is also manifested in the simultaneous existence of market and non-market institutions across the means of production within the same village or spatial context. In addition there is a continuous and complex interaction among these institutions which both shapes and is shaped by this incipient capitalist transformation. Against the near universal consensus of social theorists that non-market institutional forms and processes would decline with the expansion and consolidation of the capitalist economy, the evidence presented here suggests that institutional adaptation, continuity and hybridity are as much integral to the emergence of the market economy as are the processes of creation of new institutions and demise of others. There is no necessary correspondence between the emerging commercialisation of the different productive dimensions of the agrarian economy. These uneven processes of institutional diversity, hybridity and interdependence are deeply influenced by existing and emerging power relations. Primitive accumulation, which was thought to be an archaic feature of early capitalism, emerges as a continuing characteristic of the on-going agrarian and non-agrarian capitalist transformation.

The Chinese From Indonesia in the Netherlands and Their Heritage Chinese Indonesian Heritage Center (CIHC)

Chinese from Indonesia in the Netherlands are (post)colonial migrants who share a long historical tie with the Dutch. In this article the author brings together and focuses on three interconnected subjects: Chinese from Indonesia in the Netherlands; the historical development and present meaning of “heritage”; and the Chinese Indonesian Heritage Center (CIHC). For her research on the Chinese Indonesians in the Netherlands, the author has used the literature available on this minority group. The scarce specific data for this group are part of the explanation of its “invisibility” in society and research, and of the difficulty in quantifying them. The development of heritage as a western concept has led her to the question of what heritage might mean for migrants in their new homeland. The concluding part on the Chinese Indonesian Heritage Center introduces the activities of the Center designed to achieve her goals which are focused on the history of this group