Business Commons^™

On The Measurement Of Capital-Intensity, David Lim

Prof. David Lim

The problem of the choice of technique in less developed countries has featured prominently in the literature on economic develop- ment I. This paper shows that despite such interest attempts to measure capital-intensity still leave much to be desired and argues that a modified capital-labour ratio, with capital adjusted for utilization and labour to refer to the number of production workers on the biggest shift, is the theoretically most suitable measure of capital-intensity...

Challenges And Policy Lessons For The Growth-Employment-Poverty Nexus In Developing Countries, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

Productivity growth and structural change are generally considered to be important determinants of economic growth. However recent research revealed that they do not necessarily lead to higher growth and employment rates. Recent studies, drawing on data from developing countries, showed that only the “right” kind of productivity growth resulted in higher employment rates. Enterprises in Africa and Latin America caught up in matters of technology; however, this process resulted in a substitution of employment by technology. The same is true for structural change; only the “right” kind of structural change caused more growth and employment. Whereas in Asia, labour shifted …

Beyond Hydrology In The Sustainability Assessment Of Dams: A Planners Perspective - The Sarawak Experience, Edward Andre

Edward Andre Dr

There is increasing concern about the availability of water supplies in developing countries to provide clean drinking water and sanitation as well as providing for irrigation for food security. This has led to hydrologically led investigation to establish the feasibility and storage capacity of potentially new dam sites. This task has become more difficult for hydrologists and others with the uncertainties created by climate change and the measurement of the hydrological, geographical and ecological footprint of new dams. The questions asked by hydrologists are increasingly likely to be required to be cast in terms of the four pillars of sustainability; …

Challenges And Opportunities For Developing Countries From Medical Tourism, Avinash M. Waikar, Samuel D. Cappel, Uday S. Tate

Uday S. Tate

Wikipedia defines “Medical Tourism” as the act of traveling to other countries to obtain medical, dental and surgical care. Rapid expansion of facilities for patients abroad has helped to spur this industry’s growth. Regardless of the destination, U.S. citizens are increasingly embracing the benefits of medical tourism due to dramatically rising U.S. healthcare costs. Medical care in countries such as India, Mexico, Thailand and Singapore can cost as little as ten percent of the cost of comparable care in the U.S. for some procedures. Statistical analysis revealed the costs to be significantly lower for many of these countries. Currently, patients …

E-Government - Trends And Challenges From The Perspective Of Developing Nations With Focus On Pakistan, Shakeel Iqbal, Ijaz A. Qureshi

Shakeel Iqbal

Efforts to create e-governments are going on in different countries of the world at varying pace. Some countries are the leaders while others are followers of this technology. The promises made by the proponents of this system are yet to materialize. The spread and usage of this technology is uneven mainly because of the digital divide amongst the IT haves and have not’s. The cost-benefit equation is not yet clear even to the leaders of this technology. Developing countries face certain challenges which are not there at all or are very minimal in developed countries. Different hurdles on demand as …

Meta-Level Institutions Impacting Ict Innovation In Developing Economies: Intellectual Property, Sarah Kerr, Richard Boateng Phd

Richard Boateng PhD

Participation in the current informational economy is through innovation. Innovation is impacted by institutions, both enabling and constraining productivity. Meta-level institutions are increasing in significance with the inter-linking of national economies through processes of globalisation. Intellectual property (IP) and the digital commons (DC) are two meta-level institutions impacting information and communication technology (ICT) innovation in developing economies through increasing and decreasing innovation process transformation costs. Seen through a case study examination of the Simputer's innovation, IP motivates ICT innovation, by both acting as a normative institution and by offering economic rewards, decreasing transformation costs through increasing access to innovation inputs. …

An Assessment Of The Singapore Skills Development System: Does It Constitute A Viable Model For Other Developing Nations?, Sarosh Kuruvilla, Christopher L. Erickson, Alvin Hwang

Sarosh Kuruvilla

In this paper, we briefly describe the institutional background to Singapore’s successful national skills development model. We devise a tentative framework to evaluate national level skills development efforts, and we use it to assess the Singapore model. We argue that the model has the potential to constantly move towards higher skills equilibria, and in those terms, it is successful. However, we question the long-term sustainability of the model, and whether it is transferable to other developing nations. We outline several useful principles that other nations might use in organizing their own skills development systems.

Knowledge, Technology Trajectories, And Innovation In A Developing Country Context: Evidence From A Survey Of Malaysian Firms, Deepak Hegde, Philip Shapira

Philip Shapira

Causes Of Delay And Cost Overruns In Construction Of Groundwater Projects In Developing Countries: Ghana As A Case Study, Yaw Frimpong, Jacob Oluwoye, Lynn Crawford

Lynn Crawford

Delay and cost overruns are common in construction projects and groundwater construction projects in Ghana are not an exception. The paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey conducted to identify and evaluate the relative importance of the significant factors contributing to delay and cost overruns in Ghana groundwater construction projects. Respondents of this survey included personnel from owners, consultants and contractors involved in groundwater projects in Ghana. The results of the study revealed the main causes of delay and cost overruns in construction of groundwater projects included: monthly payment difficulties from agencies; poor contractor management; material procurement; poor technical …