Chinese Experience with Global G3 Standard-Setting

China’s growth strategy as set out in the 11th 5-year plan in 2005 called for upgrading of product quality, the development of an innovation society, and reduced reliance on foreign intellectual property with high license fees. Consistent with this policy, China has been involved in recent years with the development of a Chinese standard in third generation (3G) mobile phone technology, both in negotiating the standard and seeing it through to commercialization. This is the first case of a developing country both originating and successfully negotiating a telecommunications standard and this experience raises issues for China’s future development strategy based on product and process upgrading in manufacturing. We argue that while precedent setting from an international negotiating point of view, the experience has thus far is unproven commercially. But the lessons learned will benefit future related efforts in follow-on technologies if similar Chinese efforts are made.This paper documents Chinese standard-setting efforts from proposal submission to ITU to the current large-scale trial network deployment in China and overseas trial networks deployment. We discuss the underlying objectives for this initiative, evaluate its effectiveness, and assess its broader implications for Chinese development policy.

Competitive Advantage and Sustainability in the Mobile Phone Industry

How a business achieves and sustains a competitive advantage has long been the central focus of strategic management research. The fundamental basis of long-run success of a firm is the achievement and maintenance of a sustainable competitive advantage. A firm’s competitive advantage can result either from implementing a value-creating strategy not simultaneously being employed by current or prospective competitors or through superior execution of the same strategy as competitors. Intensified competition has put managers under constant pressure to come up with the requisite strategy to be on top of the competition. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the process by which firms can attain competitive advantage. Since attaining competitive advantage alone does not guarantee the necessary long run success that firms require to survive, the study further looks at the possibility of firms to sustain their competitive advantage in order to be ahead of their rivals. The study uses a qualitative case study. The findings are based on the market performance of three of the major players in the mobile phone industry over a ten year period. Further, in line with the framework of the study, a comparison of the value activities of the case companies was carried out in order to give meaning to the state of market performance of the case companies. It was found, that by running optimum value activities, a firm can benefit from linkages within these activities as a result of which it can offer value to its end users as a low cost or unique product provider. This serves as the means of attaining competitive advantage. Further, sustaining a firm’s competitive advantage was found to be feasible through the existence of differences in a firm’s capabilities and that of competitors.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

E-nabavke kao faktor ekonomičnosti = E-procurement as a factor of cost-effectiveness

E-nabavke mogu dovesti do ušteda u javnim nabavkama po dva osnova: a)smanjivanjem transakcionih troškova koje imaju naručioci i ponuđači tokom sprovođenja postupka javne nabavke i preko snižavanja nabavnih cena usled intenzivnije konkurencije. Elektronske nabavke same po sebi ne doprinose jačanju konkurencije i samim tim generisanju ušteda, već je neophodno stvoriti preduslove u smislu da je nužno postojanje efikasne organizacije koja podrazumeva da su procesi dobro osmišljeni, da postoji disciplina i jasno utvrđene odgovornosti, efikasna kontrola procesa, odgovarajuća tehnička infrastruktura koja će podržati predviđena rešenja, adekvatan nivo obučenosti i stručnosti u radu i dr. Istraživačke studije u nekoliko zemalja koje imaju razvijene E-nabavke potvrđuju da se uštede koje su nastale uvođenjem E-nabavki kreću od 2% do 4%. E-procurement can have a positive impact on savings in public procurement by: a) reducing transaction costs of both contracting authorities as well as bidders and b) cutting purchasing prices due to more intensive competition. E-procurement does not guarantee open competition by itself thus generating savings automatically. In order to achieve those two goals, it is necessary to create preconditions such are: well structured processes, efficient organization of public procurement function, clear division of responsibilities and full accountability, efficient monitoring and control mechanisms, an adequate technical infrastructure that will support E-procurement, proper scope of training for all stakeholders. Research papers analyzing effects of E-procurement on savings in several countries with developed practice in electronic procurement confirm that savings due to E-procurement may range from 2% to 4% of the total value of procurement

“La gestión de proveedores en el desarrollo de estrategias y acciones comerciales en el Canal Corporativo de PROMART”

En este estudio exhaustivo, se investiga la problemática del canal corporativo de Promart, centrado en transacciones interempresariales en el sector de Mejoramiento del Hogar. La problemática analizada radica en la falta de gestión efectiva de proveedores, lo que repercute directamente en las ventas de la empresa. La metodología se basa en la aplicación de teorías de negociación como la colaborativa (Ganar-Ganar), con un enfoque especial en la fase de "Preparación", la creación de valor durante las negociaciones y la implementación del principio de Pareto para maximizar el impacto de las acciones negociadoras. Para poder resolver la problemática se proponen tres alternativas; dos provenientes del área de ventas y una del departamento de Compras Corporativas. La estrategia seleccionada y ejecutada por Compras Corporativas se revela como la más efectiva y eficiente que es preparase para la negociación con proveedores actuales aplicando las teorías mencionadas adecuadamente. La implementación de esta estrategia se lleva a cabo desde el año 2023, y en un período de nueve meses, se logra superar las ventas del año 2022, alcanzando un crecimiento del 2% en comparación con el periodo anterior. Estos resultados tangibles resaltan de manera contundente la importancia estratégica de una gestión de proveedores eficaz para Promart. Adicional, los hallazgos demuestran cómo las estrategias de negociación colaborativas, junto con una preparación meticulosa, tienen un impacto significativo en el rendimiento y la competitividad de una empresa en un mercado dinámico y desafiante, consolidando a Promart como un competidor ágil en el panorama comercial actual.This study investigates the problems of Promart's corporate channel, focusing on business-to-business transactions in the home improvement sector. The problem analysed lies in the lack of effective supplier management, which has a direct impact on the company's sales. The methodology is based on the application of negotiation theories such as collaborative (Win-Win), with special attention to the "Preparation" phase, the creation of value during negotiation and the application of the Pareto principle to maximise the impact of negotiation actions. To solve the problem, three alternatives are proposed; two from the sales area and one from the Corporate Purchasing department. The strategy selected and implemented by Corporate Purchasing turns out to be the most effective and efficient, which consists of preparing the negotiation with the current suppliers by adequately applying the theories mentioned above. The implementation of this strategy is carried out from the year 2023, and in a period of nine months, sales for the year 2022 are exceeded, achieving a growth of 2% with respect to the previous period. These tangible results highlight the strategic importance of effective supplier management for Promart. Furthermore, the results demonstrate how collaborative negotiation strategies, together with meticulous preparation, have a significant impact on Promart's business.Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesiona

A Comparative Study of Two Combinatorial Reverse Auction Models

Online group-buying is one of the most innovative business models employed by many companies. From the perspective of buyers, quantity based discounts provide a huge incentive to form coalitions and take advantage of lower prices without ordering more than their actual demand. Traditional group-buying mechanisms are usually based on a single item and uniform cost sharing. One way to reduce the cost for acquiring the required items is to take into account the complementarities between items provided by the sellers. By holding a combinatorial reverse auction, the total cost to acquire the required items will be significantly reduced due to complementarities between items. However, combinatorial reverse auctions suffer from high computational complexity. If there are multiple buyers, there are two different business models for procurement based on combinatorial reverse auctions: (1) independent combinatorial reverse auctions: each buyer may hold a combinatorial reverse auction independently and (2) combinatorial reverse auctions based on group buying: multiple buyers delegate the auction to a group buyer and the group buyer holds only one combinatorial reverse auction for all the buyers. In developing an effective tool to support the decision of multiple buyers’ procurement, a comparative study on the performance and efficiency of these two different business models is needed. In this paper, we compare the performance as well as the computational efficiency for these two combinatorial reverse auction models. Our analysis indicates that group buying combinatorial reverse auction outperforms multiple separate combinatorial reverse auctions not only in performance but also in efficiency

Intel's XL Permit: A Framework for Evaluation

The paper develops a framework to evaluate permits granted to firms under the Environmental Protection Agency's Project XL � with emphasis on the novel air permit granted to the Intel Corporation. We describe the permit, the process that created it, and the types of costs and benefits likely to arise from this type of "facility-specific" regulatory arrangement. Among other things, the paper describes the permit's impact on environmental quality, production costs, transaction costs, and Intel's strategic market position. The paper also considers how an estimate of the costs and benefits � both to Intel and society � might be estimated. While facility-specific regulation typically conjures images of production cost savings as processes are re-engineered and low-cost abatement strategies pursued, the Intel case highlights perhaps a more important source of benefit: flexibility in the form of streamlined permitting. Flexibility in this form allows for accelerated product introductions, with potentially significant benefits to the firm and possibly to society.

Combinatorial auctions in practice

We survey the uses of combinatorial auctions that have been deployed in practice, giving emphasis to their key representational and economic aspects. In addition, we discuss behavioral economics considerations on both the bidder and auctioneer sides of the market, and the interrelated topics of simplicity and trust, highlighting key opportunities for future work

Excellence - 2000 and beyond

Includes bibliographical references.In Search of Excellence, written by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr. studies the excellent practices of a variety of major corporations. These are successful American companies that possess specific qualities and management styles which set them apart from others in their industry. The book covers the time period from 1961 to 1980. This thesis has its inspiration founded in the book's principles. The purpose of this thesis is to study 13 corporations researched in In Search of Excellence - four from high technology, five from manufacturing, and four from services - in an effort to discover the new trends of the '90s. The companies were researched through three principle methods. First, each company was given extensive library research. Articles mainly from the late '80s to present were obtained from a variety of technical business magazines. Respected newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal and Crain's Chicago Business were used to supplement research. In addition, the company history was researched in order to help clarify the trends of the '90s. Second, the company's annual report was studied to discover the direction the company was heading in the '90s. Essentially, the only information obtained from the annual report were numbers and statistics. Finally, extensive personal interviews were conducted with as many companies as possible. Time and personal circumstances allowed four companies to be interviewed. Interviews from Motorola were obtained from Joseph F. Miraglia, Senior Vice President and Assistant Motorola Director of Personnel; Bill Whelton, Senior Material Control; and Louis A. Respino, Material Control Manager. In addition, a personal internship over the summer of 1993 provided a thorough understanding of Motorola practices and beliefs. John Pettinger, Operations Manager, was interviewed from Federal Express. A phone interview was obtained from Mark Fenner, the Public Relations Manager at 3M. Finally, brief interviews were conducted with associates from Wal-Mart in order to obtain the employees perspective on Wal-Mart's corporate policies. Research found 10 basic trends of the '90s which include; the virtual corporation, concurrent engineering, outsourcing, empowerment, quality teams, continuous improvement, downsizing, training, customerization, and the environmental movement. The '90s are a period of dramatic change as companies seek survival in a increasingly global marketplace.B.S. (Bachelor of Science

Constraints to Effective Implementation of E-Procurement in the Public Sector: A Survey of Selected Government Ministries in Kenya

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the challenges facing the implementation of e-procurement in public organizations in Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to examine the drivers of e-procurement in the Government of Kenya ministries; to evaluate the benefits accruing from the adoption of e-procurement in the Government ministries in Kenya; and to assess the constraints to effective implementation of e-procurement in the Government ministries in Kenya. Methods: A Cross sectional survey was undertaken due to the fact that we intended to describe the area of research and explain the collected data in order to investigate the differences and similarities with our frame of reference within a given period of time. The focus of the study was all Government ministries totaling to 31 as at December 2011. The study respondents were heads of Procurement Units from the selected ministries, who are also the secretaries of the Ministerial Tender Committees in the respective ministries. A representative sample of 16 ministries, representing about 51.6% of the whole population were selected at random, which is within the limits of the generally accepted statistical condition. A two- stage stratified random sampling technique was employed to select the ministries for the study. Primary data was collected from the various ministries with the aid of a semi-structured undisguised questionnaire with both open ended and closed questions.  Data Analysis: For purposes of the current study, the data was analyzed by employing descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequencies and tables. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used as an aid in the analysis. The researcher prefers SPSS because of its ability to cover a wide range of the most common statistical and graphical data analysis. Computation of frequencies in tables, charts and bar graphs were used in data presentation. In addition, the researcher used standard deviations and mean scores to present information pertaining to the study objectives. The information was presented and discussed as per the objectives and research questions of the study.Findings and Discussions: The findings of the study do indicate that the following are the drivers of e-procurement in the Government of Kenya ministries:- (i) Technological drivers: - Secure transactions; Integration of web site to all business processes; and Adequate resources and appropriate supporting ICT infrastructure; and (ii) Managerial success factors: - Effective project implementation leadership supported by  appropriate human resource capacity; forming alliances – with suppliers, technology providers, customers; Appropriate organizational structure; and Stakeholders support. The key constraints were: - budgetary support; the legal framework governing ICT in Kenya; and Government Policy on ICT. The other challenges are: - Human Resource capacity; required support; and Backing of the top executives of the ministries. Keywords: e-Procurement; Public Sector; Resource Challenges; Technological challenges; Financial Resources; Human Resource capacity; Stakeholders support; Technology adoption; and Supporting Infrastructure; e-Procurement system; e-Procurement process; e-Procurement applicatio