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Diversity, Diversification And Profitability Among British Manufacturing Companies, 1972-1984, Robert M. Grant, Azar P. Jammine, Howard Thomas

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study investigated the causal relationships between diversity, diversification, and profitability among 304 large British manufacturing companies that differed in both product and multinational diversity. Diversity and profitability were positively related up to a point; after that point, increases in product diversity were associated with declining profitability. The results were unclear with respect to the underlying causal relationships. Product diversification did not increase profitability, and there was limited evidence that profitability promoted diversification. For multinational diversification, however, we found that profitability in the home market encouraged overseas expansion that in turn increased profitability.

The Opening Skies: Third-Party Imaging Satellites And U.S. Security, Ann Florini

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Earth observation satellites, long a mainstay of U.S. intelligence-gathering, are now presenting new challenges for U.S. national security. The United States and the Soviet Union have long since reconciled themselves to being spied on by each other from space. Now, however, the advent of imaging satellite systems owned and operated by a variety of third parties, including governments other than the superpowers (France, Canada, the European Space Agency, India, and China) and private companies, is raising new concerns for U.S. peacetime foreign relations and military activities, and for crisis management and war- time operations. These new satellites, primarily civilian remote-sensing …

Dc-Free Coset Codes, Robert H. Deng, M. A. Herro

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

An upper bound on the bit-error probability (BEP) of a linear cyclic code over GF(2l) with hard-decision (HD) maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding on memoryless symmetric channels is derived. Performance results are presented for Reed-Solomon codes on GF(32), GF(64), and GF(128). Also, a union upper bound on the BEP of a linear cyclic code with either hard- or soft-decision ML decoding is developed, as well as the corresponding bounds for the extended code of a linear cyclic code. Using these bounds, which are tight at low bit error rate, the performance advantage of soft-decision (SD) ML and HD ML over bounded-distance (BD) …

German, French And British Manufacturing Strategies Compared: A Growth Towards Each Other, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Manufacturing has gained over the last years in attention as a tool to create competitive advantage. For four years now a survey has been carried out by a research team at Insead to build a database on the manufacturing strategies as they are defined and implemented by large European companies. In this paper some of the 1987 data are presented, and a comparison of manufacturing strategies of large companies in the three most important European countries is made. Though the most important conclusion is that there are only slight differences between the three countries, one can see some difference in …

Flexibility And Fms: An Empirical Analysis, Mihkel Tombak, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

It is shown how the concerns of the managers of firms with flexible manufacturing system projects (FMS) differ from those of manufacturing firms without FMS projects. An economic model is developed from which two hypotheses are obtained. The first hypothesis is that firms were investing in FMS to deal with the variance in their inputs. The second proposition is that firms wished to use FMS to deal with the variance in their outputs. Through an analysis of manufacturing survey data it was found that firms planning to implement FMS were statistically more concerned about vendor quality and vendor lead times …

Managerial Focal Points In Manufacturing Strategy, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Through analysis of specific decisions in the management of manufacturing in 163 companies, we have identified the key dimensions along which mort of the differences among manufacturing strategies can be explained. Previous research—mostly based on clinical observations—has focused on describing the typical decision categories in manufacturing strategy. Our large sample has allowed us to move beyond that and focus on the differences among manufacturing strategies. Data were collected by mailed questionnaires as a part of a large research project ‘Manufacturing Futures’. The responses to a list of 35 specific current action programmes in manufacturing were reduced through a principal component …

Decoding Of Dbec-Tbed Reed-Solomon Codes, Robert H. Deng, Daniel J. Jr. Costello

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A problem in designing semiconductor memories is to provide some measure of error control without requiring excessive coding overhead or decoding time. In LSI and VLSI technology, memories are often organized on a multiple bit (or byte) per chip basis. For example, some 256K bit DRAM's are organized in 32K ?? 8 bit-bytes. Byte-oriented codes such as Reed-Solomon (RS) codes can provide efficient low overhead error control for such memories. However, the standard iterative algorithm for decoding RS codes is too slow for these applications. In this correspondence we present a special decoding technique for double-byte-error-correcting (DBEC), triple-byte-error-detecting (TBED) RS …

Impact Of Automation On Process Control Decision-Making, Steven M. Miller, Susan R. Bereiter

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper investigates changes in the process control of a vehicle assembly plant which had been modernized from a principally manual procedure to one that uses programmable automation extensively. Process control is defined as the information flow and decision-making required to perform basic process operations. We investigate the effects of implementing a computer-integrated production system on the amount and types of process control decision-making and on the distribution of process control decision-making between humans and machines. After automation, the emphasis on decisions regarding product quality specifications increased and the emphasis on decisions related to flexibility in handling a variety of …

The Integration Of Information Systems In Manufacturing, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The large majority of modern production companies have at their disposal a multitude of computer systems. The immediate challenge for these companies consists of integrating these computer systems and databases. How will one arrive at this integration? On the basis of a questionnaire administered among a group of 174 large European manufacturers, one comes to the conclusion that this integration is one of the immediate priorities for this group of companies. They do not intend to implement turnkey systems, but instead will integrate the different databases and computer systems gradually. One can see emerging islands of integration, which will be …

European Manufacturing: A Comparative Study (1985), Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

One of the striking events of the eighties in the field of management is the increase in attention paid to the role of manufacturing and technology in the determination of a firm’s competitive position. Traditionally, corporate policy and strategic decisions were defined on the basis of a financial and marketing analysis of the company’s strengths, weaknesses and competitive environment. The contribution of the technology function and more in particular the production and operations function was often limited to implementation and a marginal adaptation of a course set by financial and marketing considerations. Some of the world’s excellent competitors have, however, …

The Wood Inquiry: Special Branch - The Future?, Mark Findlay

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article ties together the Wood Report dealing with the three Ananda Marga members convicted for conspiring to murder Robert Cameron, leader of the National Front in 1978 with the operation of the State Special Branches and ASIO.

The Flow Of Technological Innovation In An R&D Department, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The flow of technological information, in particular the type of sources and transfer channels for technological information has been a focus of research interest since the very first studies concerning management of research and development. However, the results of these empirical studies, although encouraging and useful to managers, leave several questions unanswered, and even worse, contain some contradictions. In this paper we will try to explain some of these contradictions using the technology characteristics as a contingency factor. The model, which we will present has been tested in a twofold way: questionnaires were used to provide insight into the importance …

Toward A Contingency Model Of Strategic Risk Taking, Inga Skromme Baird, Howard Thomas

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

A model of strategic risk taking incorporating environmental, industrial, organizational, decision maker, and problem variables is presented. The model is intended to be both a preliminary conceptualization of strategic risk taking and a stimulant for future research on risk taking in strategic management decisions. Relevant research from a number of disciplines is summarized, and the potential impacts of particular variables on the propensity to take strategic risks are examined.

Academic Self-Government In The United States, Howard Hunter

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

A university is like any other complex institution in that it requires numerous general and particular decisions about the use of its resources and the manner of its operations. Public laws and constitutions as well as the charters, ordinances, statutes and by-laws of the university provide the maps for the distribution of the rights to make decisions which are binding upon members of the university, or, more exactly, those who fill the roles that, taken all together, comprise the university.

Impacts Of Robotics And Flexible Manufacturing Technologies On Manufacturing Costs And Employment, Steven M. Miller

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The issues analyzed in this paper are the extent to which unit costs and production labor requirements might be reduced in manufacturing industries if there is more widespread use of industrial robots and flexible systems. The analysis is reported in detail in Miller (1983). These issues are analyzed from two different perspectives. The technological focus of the first perspective is narrowly confined to the use of robotic manipulators. It is assumed that robotic manipulators will be “retrofitted” into existing production facilities without making major changes in the organization of production within the factory, other than modifying individual work stations so …

A Technological Lifecycle Approach To The Organizational-Factors Determining Gatekeeper Activities, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The paper deals with the question whether gatekeepers arise spontaneously (non-hierarchical) or are created by administrative action (hierarchical). The author's approach to the problem relies on the use of a lifecycle model of an organisation devised by Utterback and Abernathy. They distinguish a product-innovation, a transitional and process- innovation (consolidation) phase in the development of an enterprise. The author's hypothesis is that gatekeepers can arise via either route depending on the phase in which enterprise is operating. In the earlier phases the author predicts that gatekeepers will either be absent or non-hierarchical (spontaneous) while in later phases they will be …

Robotic Realities: Near Term Prospects And Problems, Robert U. Ayres, Steven M. Miller

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Industrial robots are automation, but with a difference. Other machine tools are extensions of human capabilities, while robots are seen mainly as substitutes for human workers. Robots will find most of their industrial applications during the next decade or two in the metal-working sectors, where they will begin to displace semiskilled machine operatives in medium to large batch production operations. They cannot substitute for skilled machinists or other workers doing nonroutine jobs, or specialized, dedicated hard automation used in mass production. The current generation of robots, lacking sensory data processing and interpretation capabilities, can potentially replace up to 1.3 million …

Vertical Linkages And Multinational Enterprises In Developing Countries, Linda Y. C. Lim, Eng Fong Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Many studies have concluded that multinational firms do not create significant technical and other vertical linkages in developing host countries. This case study of three multinational firms in the export-oriented electronics industry in Singapore shows that under certain conditions multinational firms can lead in creating local vertical linkages. It suggests that restrictive government policies to increase local purchases may not be necessary, effective or desirable in promoting local linkages by export-oriented multinational firms that respond primarily to international market conditions. The Singapore experience poinst to the importance of a healthy investment climate and rapid economic growth in encouraging multinational firms …

Robotics And The Conservation Of Human Resources, Robert U. Ayres, Steven M. Miller

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Due to rapid expansion in the field of robotics, policy issues have arisen in regard to developing human skills to deal with the new technology and to deal with the obsolescent human skills which are the inevitable result of this growth pattern. Industrialists, educators, union leaders, and government officials must work cooperatively to insure that the coming changes are made with minimum disruption. Improved training methods and courses have to be developed for the skills needed to control, manage and supervise the new machines. Some of the ways in which this can be accomplished are through offering financial incentives for …

Resource Taxation With Heterogeneous Quality And Endogenous Reserves, Robert F. Conrad, Bryce Hool

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper analyzes the impact of mining taxation on the intertemporal extraction profile for a heterogeneous ore body. The extraction profile specifies both quantities and qualities extracted in each period. Total extraction is thus endogenously determined. The taxes explicitly considered are severance taxes (ad valorem or per unit; on metal or on ore), property taxes, and profits taxes (with depletion allowance). The intertemporal framework integrates economic and geological factors, generating new results on extraction distortions and providing qualification or reconciliation of previous diverse results in this area.

The Economic Status Of Malay Muslims In Singapore, Eng Fong Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In 1965 Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent secular state in a region of Islamic nations. It had then an estimated per capita income of S$ 1,600' and a population of 1.9 million people, a sixth of them Muslim. Today, after sixteen years of rapid economic progress, it has a per capita income of S$10,0002 and a population of 2.4 million people. Of the population aged ten and over in 1980, 324,000 or one-sixth are Muslim. Ninety per cent of the Muslims in Singapore are Malays, nine per cent are Indians and Pakistanis, and one per cent belong …

The Role Of Technological Change, Robert U. Ayres, Steven M. Miller

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We develop an optimal growth model that includes several important new features. First, technological change is endogenously related to the growth of 'knowledge.' Investment may be directed either towards physical capital or knowledge (or both). Knowledge becomes an effective substitute for scarce resources by increasing the technical efficiency of resource utilization both for consumption and in capital. Nevertheless, a finite quantity resource must be embodied in capital and a finite flow is required for depreciation. Thus, there is an upper limit to technical efficiency and economic growth is thus ultimately limited by the availability of renewable resources. For a simple …

Correction To "Redundancy Optimization Of General Systems", H. Sivaramakrishnan, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Reader Aids-

Purpose: Report a correction

Special math needed: Probability

Results useful to: Reliability Theoreticians

Efficient Employment Of Cohorts Of Labor In The U.S. Economy: An Illustration Of A Method, A. E. Boardman, Steven M. Miller, A. P. Schinnar

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper presents a model for the analysis of efficient labor force participation in the U.S. economy. Ridge regression estimates of the elasticities of cohorts of labor, classified by sex and occupation, are used in conjunction with wage data to illustrate the derivation of efficient allocation of labor cohorts in five economic sectors. These efficient constructs are compared with actual census data for 1960 and 1970. The results, while tentative, show a trend toward more efficient utilization of labor and greater participation by women in the work force.

Statutory And Judicial Responses To The Problem Of Access To Government Information, Constance Y. Singleton, Howard Hunter

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The tremendous growth of government occasioned by greater involvement in the social and economic life of the nation has been the cause of many concerns. Two perennial concerns have been the extent to which the government can prevent public access to information on the basis of which policies and decisions are made and the possibility for misuse by the government of information private to individuals or business firms. This article focuses on federal statutory responses to these issues. The legislative intent has usually been praiseworthy but the resulting statutes, especially as they have been interpreted by the courts, have often …

A Rapid Algorithm For Reliability Optimization Of Parallel Redundant Systems, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu, H. Sivaramakrishnan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A rapid method is proposed for optimization of reliability of multiconstraint parallel redundant systems. The constraints need not be linear. This method provides good starting values, which are close to the boundary of the feasible region, for the number of redundant units in each subsystem. No proof has been presented to establish the optimality obtained by this method. Yet for examples tried out this method provides optimal or near optimal solutions.

Report On Antitrust Implications Of Joint Industry Activities Under Price Controls, William W. Sadd, William E. Huth, John C. Cortesio, Howard Hunter

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Pursuant to the authority of the Economic Stabilization Act of 1970, the nation has recently experienced "Phase IV" of a program of price controls. This statutory authority expired on April 30, 1974, except as to certain petroleum products. Phase IV, to a greater extent than the preceding three phases of controls, gave rise to a need and an opportunity for joint industry efforts to influence and guide governmental authorities in shaping pricing policies in the economy. This report, therefore, examines the legal basis for such joint industry activities within the purview of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. If authority …