The Baosteel Group – A national champion amongst national champions

In comparison to many of the Chinese and Indian state-owned enterprises examined in this volume, the institutional and competitive position of the Baosteel Group is somewhat unique. First, Baosteel stands out as one of the major success stories of recent Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform. Created as a national steel champion by the Chinese government in the early years of the reform period, and benefiting from the industrial policy support this status has brought during the intervening three decades, Baosteel has earned the status of one of China’s most internationally competitive SOEs. However, Baosteel is also unique in that it does not dominate the Chinese steel sector. Accounting for only a small share of Chinese steel production, Baosteel’s position is one of a technological leader within a competitive market structure populated by a large ‘national champions group’ of SOEs. Moreover, Baosteel has also faced special obligations to implement national industrial policies, by acting as a technological leader tasked with the role of acquiring and upgrading ailing steelmakers. Understanding Baosteel’s position within the Chinese steel sector as a ‘national champion amongst national champions’ is critical to explaining its operational characteristics, its special relationship with the Chinese government, and the benefits and costs this has carried for the firm

Professional Development On-line

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is making increased use of the Web to develop and support communities of professionals. This paper outlines the factors driving the adoption of CPD and highlights areas where the Web can aid in the development of successful professional communities. Current work to provide on-line support for approximately 500 teachers of computing is then presented, highlighting those aspects of the Web site designed to foster and engage participants in the professional development activity

What does China want from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?

The AIIB is a controversial addition to Asian economic regionalism. It is the first multilateral development bank (MDB) dedicated to infrastructure, and the first international economic institution created by China. However, critics have alleged it is a vehicle for Chinese geostrategic goals, may dilute good governance initiatives, and compete with other MDBs working in Asia. During membership negotiations in 2015, China had to strike a balance between its own goals and its partners’ desire for a transparent and commercially oriented bank. To ensure the bank’s legitimacy, China has compromised with member states to create an institution which conforms to international best practices in development financing, and works with – rather than against – the existing MDBs to help close infrastructure gaps in Asia

The regional comprehensive economic partnership : An Indo-Pacific approach to the regional trade architecture?

With the Trans-Pacific Partnership on the brink of collapse, many now view the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as a potential replacement. However, RCEP offers a radically different model for trade multilateralism. It promises a lower level of reform ambition, and offers a membership model in which China is the leader and lynchpin of Asian regionalism. As RCEP moves to completion in 2017, it may usher in an historic shift from an Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific regional economic order

Supporting arts and science communities on-line

This paper examines the use of the Web to support continuing professional development (CPD). It outlines the factors driving the adoption of CPD and highlights areas where the Web can aid in the development of successful professional communities. A survey examining the use of the Internet to support professionals working in the domains of the Arts and Science is presented. The study reviews twenty four sites for the presence and degree of adoption of several key features including: - community building, range and value of content, user friendliness and guidance, sophistication of employed Web technology

Root architecture of provenances, seedlings and cuttings of Melia volkensii: implications for crop yield in dryland agroforestry

Melia volkensii (Gürke) is being increasingly promoted as an on-farm tree in Kenya. Researchers’ and farmers’ views on its competitiveness with crops differ; research station studies have found it to be highly competitive whereas farmers do not consider it to be so. Because of difficulties in seed germination, it is probable that dissemination programmes will rely upon plants produced from root and stem cuttings, rather than on seedlings. This study evaluates differences in root system architecture of plants raised from seed (of four provenances), stem or root cuttings and the relationships between the competitivity index (CI) and crop yield. Cuttings were more shallowly rooting than seedlings, and had higher competitivity indices, and there was a negative relationship between CI and crop yield. No differences in root architecture between provenances were found. Therefore, to reduce tree-crop competition, the use of seedlings rather than cuttings should be recommended when promoting the use of this species on dryland farms. If cuttings are used to circumvent the problems of seed germination, alternative methods of controlling competition, such as root pruning, need to be considered

Modeling radiocarbon constraints on the dilution of dissolved organic carbon in the deep ocean

The recalcitrance of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) that leads to its accumulation in the deep ocean is typically considered a function of its reactivity. Yet, recent experimental evidence has shown that DOC from the deep ocean, if concentrated, can support significant microbial growth. This supports an alternative hypothesis that [DOC] may become too dilute to support microbial growth. The radiocarbon signature of DOC is a key constraint on the DOC cycling that allows testing of the plausibility of this hypothesis. Here we use a box model of diluted DOC in the deep ocean and its radiocarbon signature that is constrained on the basis of the new experimental evidence, as well as current knowledge of deep ocean DOC cycling to quantitatively test the dilution hypothesis. We explore the uncertainty in model results across a range of plausible dilution thresholds, additional processes, and fluxes of DOC to the deep ocean. Results show that the model is able to predict the observed radiocarbon signature for a dilution threshold close to the observed deep ocean [DOC] and for fluxes close to published estimates. Sensitivity analysis shows that this result is highly sensitive to variations in the dilution threshold and the assumption that diluted DOC is able to survive ocean overturning. The experimental findings can be alternatively reconciled over a large range of different conditions assuming a small pool of diluted DOC with a modern radiocarbon signature, consistent with recent observations, and offering a parsimonious interpretation of dilution with existing hypotheses on DOC recalcitrance.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

BulB - visualizing bulletin board activity

Visualisation is well known as an effective means of enriching user interaction with complex systems. Recent research with online communities has considered the application of visualisation tool support, with the intention of further improving communication between community members. This paper reviews existing work in this area with specific reference to the application of visualisation to improve user interaction within online forums such as bulletin boards. The paper then outlines work undertaken by the authors to develop a second-generation visualisation tool - 'BulB'