Export-orientation of Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates in India: Factors, Tendencies and Implications

This paper addresses an important development issue in literature of international production, namely what motivates market‐seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) to undertake export activities. It is well recognized in the concerned literature that export‐oriented FDI is more beneficial for the host country than purely domestic market‐seeking FDI. Hence, many developing countries like India have policy concerns on foreign firms playing a very minimal role in their export activities. Various studies including that of UNCTAD (2003) noted that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indian manufacturing has been and remains largely domestic market‐seeking. In view of this low export contribution by foreign firms, existing studies suggest that developing countries like India should improve their locational advantages to attract export‐oriented FDI as opposed to local market‐oriented FDI like quality of available infrastructure, availability of cheap but skilled manpower, expanding the size of export processing zones, participation in bilateral/multilateral trade and investment regimes, etc. However, these studies have not examined those factors that could motivate the existing market‐seeking FDI into export activities. The contribution of the present study is precisely to address this issue and identify factors encouraging market‐seeking FDI to take up export activities. The empirical analysis has been conducted in two stages. In the first stage, we have estimated the export shares and export‐orientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing across 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005. In the second stage, we have analyzed the impact of five set of factors—size and growth of host country market, local competition, policy regime, import competition and industry‐characteristics on the export‐orientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing. The empirical findings from the panel data analysis of 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005 has thrown up several policy implications important for increasing export‐orientation of foreign firms in a developing country like India.Export–Orientation, Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates, Local Competition, Host Country Market

Export-Orientation of Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates in India: Factors, Tendencies and Implications

This paper addresses an important development issue in the literature of international production, namely, what motivates market-seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) to undertake export activities. It is well recognized in the concerned literature that export-oriented FDI is more beneficial for the host country than purely domestic market-seeking FDI. However, the existing literature has not examined those factors that could motivate existing market-seeking FDI into export activities. The present study addresses this issue and identifies factors encouraging market-seeking FDI to take up export activities. The empirical analysis of exportorientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing across 17 Indian industries during 1991–2005 has brought out several policy issues important for increasing export-orientation of foreign firms in a developing country like India

Export-orientation of Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates in India: Factors, Tendencies and Implications

This paper addresses an important development issue in literature of international production, namely what motivates market‐seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) to undertake export activities. It is well recognized in the concerned literature that export‐oriented FDI is more beneficial for the host country than purely domestic market‐seeking FDI. Hence, many developing countries like India have policy concerns on foreign firms playing a very minimal role in their export activities. Various studies including that of UNCTAD (2003) noted that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indian manufacturing has been and remains largely domestic market‐seeking. In view of this low export contribution by foreign firms, existing studies suggest that developing countries like India should improve their locational advantages to attract export‐oriented FDI as opposed to local market‐oriented FDI like quality of available infrastructure, availability of cheap but skilled manpower, expanding the size of export processing zones, participation in bilateral/multilateral trade and investment regimes, etc. However, these studies have not examined those factors that could motivate the existing market‐seeking FDI into export activities. The contribution of the present study is precisely to address this issue and identify factors encouraging market‐seeking FDI to take up export activities. The empirical analysis has been conducted in two stages. In the first stage, we have estimated the export shares and export‐orientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing across 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005. In the second stage, we have analyzed the impact of five set of factors—size and growth of host country market, local competition, policy regime, import competition and industry‐characteristics on the export‐orientation of foreign firms in Indian manufacturing. The empirical findings from the panel data analysis of 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005 has thrown up several policy implications important for increasing export‐orientation of foreign firms in a developing country like India

MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE POTENTIATES THE CONTRACTION OF THE VISCERAL SMOOTH MUSCLE OF DUODENUM BY AUGMENTING THE ACTIVITY OF INTRINSIC CHOLINERGIC EFFERENTS, INDUCING OXIDATIVE STRESS AND PROLIFERATING SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS

Objective: The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of monosodium glutamate (MSG) on the contraction of visceral smooth muscle (VSM) of the duodenum in a rat model to understand the MSG-induced impairment of the function of the small intestine. Methods: Male albino rats of Charles Foster strain were exposed with MSG at three different dosages (632, 1264, and 2528 mg/kg BW/day) for 30-day duration. The records of the contraction of the duodenum were achieved with isotonic transducer (IT-2245) coupled with RMS-Polyrite D by our standard laboratory protocol. Results: We have observed potentiation of contraction of duodenum ex vivo dose-dependently in MSG exposed groups of rats compared to control. Furthermore, the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in VSM tissue homogenate and expression of AChE protein in fixed duodenal muscle cell layers have been decreased in a dosage response manner comparing to control rats. We have found a significant decrease in the activities of some antioxidant enzymes such as Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-s-transferase, and increase in the level of malondialdehyde in MSG exposed VSM tissue homogenate of the duodenum. We have also observed thickening of muscularis externa layer and increase in the number of muscle cells in circular and longitudinal muscle layers of the duodenal wall in transverse duodenal wall sections stained with eosin-hematoxylin. Conclusion: MSG potentiates the contraction of VSM of duodenum by augmenting the activity of intrinsic cholinergic efferents predominantly, and inducing oxidative stress and proliferating smooth muscle cells

Global typologies of coastal wetland status to inform conservation and management

Global-scale conservation initiatives and policy instruments rely on ecosystem indicators to track progress towards targets and objectives. A deeper understanding of indicator interrelationships would benefit these efforts and help characterize ecosystem status. We study interrelationships among 34 indicators for mangroves, saltmarsh, and seagrass ecosystems, and develop data-driven, spatially explicit typologies of coastal wetland status at a global scale. After accounting for environmental covariates and gap-filling missing data, we obtained two levels of clustering at 5 and 18 typologies, providing outputs at different scales for different end users. We generated 2,845 cells (1° (lat) × 1° (long)) globally, of which 29.7% were characterized by high land- and marine-based impacts and a high proportion of threatened species, 13.5% by high climate-based impacts, and 9.6% were refuges with lower impacts, high fish density and a low proportion of threatened species. We identify instances where specific actions could have positive outcomes for coastal wetlands across regions facing similar issues. For example, land- and marine-based threats to coastal wetlands were associated with ecological structure and function indicators, suggesting that reducing these threats may reduce habitat degradation and threats to species persistence. However, several interdimensional relationships might be affected by temporal or spatial mismatches in data. Weak relationships mean that global biodiversity maps that categorize areas by single indicators (such as threats or trends in habitat size) may not be representative of changes in other indicators (e.g., ecosystem function). By simplifying the complex global mosaic of coastal wetland status and identifying regions with similar issues that could benefit from knowledge exchange across national boundaries, we help set the scene for globally and regionally coordinated conservation

BHPR research: qualitative1. Complex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis

Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 ♂, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duck”). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?”). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has gone”). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining about”). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Has domestic savings been 'crowded out' by foreign savings in India?: An empirical investigation

The renewed resurgence of capital flows into developing economies in the 1990s has sparked off concern whether such a flow crowds out domestic savings. In this paper, we have attempted to test for the relationship between foreign savings and domestic savings. Harnessing time-series data for 50 years, culled out from various sources, the series is put to stationarity test. The series became stationary at first difference and subsequently we carried out Johansen's Maximum likelihood Tests for cointegration of variables. Results emerging from error correction model suggest that foreign capital is negatively related to domestic savings and found to be significant.

Hypophosphatemic Rickets: Presenting Features of Fanconi—Bickel Syndrome

Fanconi-Bickel Syndrome (FBS) is a rare variety of glycogen storage disease (GSD). Characterized by massive hepatomegaly due to glycogen accumulation, severe hypophosphatemic rickets, and marked growth retardation due to proximal renal tubular dysfunction. We report a young boy presented as hypophosphatemic rickets with hepatomegaly and subsequently diagnosed as FBS