Globalization of Knowledge-Intensive Industries : the Case of Software Production in Bangalore, India

This paper examines the process of globalization in knowledge-intensive industry, with a specific focus on software industries in India. It provides an overview of the emergence of software industry in India and how it is linked to globalization. Through this case study the paper considers whether a new mode of globalization is emerging in the information age, as compared with that in the age of industrial capitalism.アジア工業化の新展開と大都市開発 : 南アジア研究者と東南アジア研究者の対話を目指し

Effects of ezetimibe add-on therapy for high-risk patients with dyslipidemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ezetimibe (Zetia^®) is a potent inhibitor of cholesterol absorption that has been approved for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Statin, an inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis, is the first-choice drug to reduce low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) for patients with hypercholesterolemia, due to its strong effect to lower the circulating LDL-C levels. Because a high dose of statins cause concern about rhabdomyolysis, it is sometimes difficult to achieve the guideline-recommended levels of LDL-C in high-risk patients with hypercholesterolemia treated with statin monotherapy. Ezetimibe has been reported to reduce LDL-C safely with both monotherapy and combination therapy with statins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To investigate the effect of ezetimibe as "add-on" therapy to statin on hypercholesterolemia, we examined biomarkers and vascular endothelial function in 14 patients with hypercholesterolemia before and after the 22-week ezetimibe add-on therapy. Ezetimibe add-on therapy reduced LDL-C by 24% compared with baseline (p < 0.005), with 13 patients (93%) reaching their LDL cholesterol goals. Of the Ezetimibe add-on therapy significantly improved not only LDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and apolipoprotein (apo)B levels, but also reduced levels of triglyceride (TG), the ratio of LDL/HDL-C, the ratio of apoB/apoA-I, and a biomarker for oxidative stress (d-ROMs). Furthermore, ezetimibe add-on therapy improved vascular endothelial function in high-risk patients with hypercholesterolemia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, ezetimibe as add-on therapy to statin might be a therapeutic good option for high-risk patients with atherosclerosis.</p

Globalization, uneven development and the North-South ‘big switch’

An apparent ‘big switch’ in attitudes towards and discourse over economic globalization has occurred since the turn of the Millennium. Economic globalization was formerly widely identified as being orchestrated in the interests of the global North. Sceptics, mostly left - leaning, expressed particular concern for its impacts in the global South. However, a recent backlash against globalization has emerged within the global North from the political right, while support for globalization has been expressed within the global South. This ‘big switch’ defies many theoretical predictions, and can be situated in relation to a shifting geography of global uneven developmen

Structural foundations for e-commerce adoption: A comparative organization of retail trade between japan and the united states

Why do two societies, both technologically advanced, exhibit a divergent path in adopting electronic commerce (e-commerce)? This paper compares the historical development of retail trade in Japan and the United States, with a specific focus on the partnership between brick-and-mortar and nonstore retailing. The way in which a society adopts technologies is in part historically determined, and business-to-consumer (B-to-C) transactions in particular are strongly influenced by the characteristics and structure of retail trade. While the strategies adopted by U.S. retailers is to develop e-commerce to sell products that are available at brick-and-mortar stores via online, the strategy adopted by Japanese convenience stores show that Japanese retailers are selling products available online at brick-and-mortar stores. Although the speed of e-commerce diffusion is typically attributed to the cost of access, a historical analysis of the retail sector reveals variations in institutional foundations for retail business practices, and such differences can shape the development trajectory of the commercial activities of the real and virtual worlds. © 2001 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved

Oligopoly and the structural paradox of retail TNCs: An assessment of Carrefour and Wal-Mart in Japan

This research focuses on the case of international chains facing significant competition from domestic chains in advanced industrialized economies. In this article, I question the assumptions behind the perceived, simultaneous process of globalization and retail concentration by taking the cases of the world\u27s two largest retailers, Wal-Mart and Carrefour, entering the Japanese market in the early 2000s. Both retail TNCs have so far failed to meet initial high expectations for their performance. I argue that there is a structural paradox inherent among retail TNCs, which is expressed as contradictory forces between standardization and localization. Empirical evidence is provided on how these forces complicate retail TNCs\u27 front-end (store-front) and back-end (distribution) operations in the case of Japan. Emphasis is placed on the role of oligopoly in the retail sector and how its absence affects retail TNCs\u27 operation in foreign markets. © The Author (2007). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved