An evaluation of performance information procurement system (PIPS)

Since procurement is seen as crucial for project success, many\ud methods have been developed and papers written about this issue. A remarkable\ud contribution in this field comes from Dean Kashiwagi (Arizona State University,\ud USA) who underpins his support for the Performance Information Procurement\ud System (PiPS) with claims of high project performance and client satisfaction.\ud Kashiwagi’s explanation for PiPS’s effects is based upon a theoretical\ud framework that relates to staff members’ ability to deal appropriately with\ud information by making sound decisions based not just on implicit expectation\ud and tacit experience. This is not, however, a satisfactory explanation. This paper\ud provides an overview of New Institutional Economics perspectives which are\ud better able to explain the effects of PiPS. The linking of these theories to\ud innovative PiPS elements clears the path to effectively select and apply PiPS\ud elements within suitable projects in the Dutch construction industry. This will\ud enhance industry performance and is of interest to all stakeholders

Polynomials with no zeros on the bidisk

We prove a detailed sums of squares formula for two variable polynomials with no zeros on the bidisk $\mathbb{D}^2$ extending previous versions of such a formula due to Cole-Wermer and Geronimo-Woerdeman. The formula is related to the Christoffel-Darboux formula for orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle, but the extension to two variables involves issues of uniqueness in the formula and the study of ideals of two variable orthogonal polynomials with respect to a positive Borel measure on the torus which may have infinite mass. We present applications to two variable Fej\'er-Riesz factorizations, analytic extension theorems for a class of bordered curves called distinguished varieties, and Pick interpolation on the bidisk.Comment: 52 page

Putting Globalization and Concentration in the Agri-food Sector into Context

From the protests in the streets of Genoa, Quebec and Seattle to the U.S. Senate, one doesn’t have to look far to find opposition to globalization and concentration.“… [D]o something about antitrust, the concentration that is clogging the free market …â€1was one plea in the Senate debate of the Wellstone Amendment 2752. The proposal to place a moratorium on large agribusiness mergers and to establish a commission to review agricultural mergers, concentration, and market power was defeated 71 to 21 but provides an indicator of the concern felt in some quarters. Similar legislative proposals have been made in the European Union and again in the United States. Globalization and concentration have changed the agri-food sector. To experience global competitors, a firm does not have to enter new markets; the competitors will come to the firm. Adapting to the changing global landscape requires managers and policymakers to view the world differently, understand the factors behind the changes and plan how best to alter corporate strategy or government policy to meet the new challenges.Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Parabolic equations with the second order Cauchy conditions on the boundary

The paper studies some ill-posed boundary value problems on semi-plane for parabolic equations with homogenuous Cauchy condition at initial time and with the second order Cauchy condition on the boundary of the semi-plane. A class of inputs that allows some regularity is suggested and described explicitly in frequency domain. This class is everywhere dense in the space of square integrable functions.Comment: 7 page