Maurice Wilkes
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198565932
- eISBN:
- 9780191714016
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198565932.003.0019
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This chapter begins with a description of the birth of electronics. It then discusses the three main approaches to the design of trees and gating circuits, and the great designer Alan Blumlein, who ...
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This chapter begins with a description of the birth of electronics. It then discusses the three main approaches to the design of trees and gating circuits, and the great designer Alan Blumlein, who insisted that a circuit should first be designed on paper.Less
This chapter begins with a description of the birth of electronics. It then discusses the three main approaches to the design of trees and gating circuits, and the great designer Alan Blumlein, who insisted that a circuit should first be designed on paper.
Helmuth Spieler
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198527848
- eISBN:
- 9780191713248
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198527848.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
Semiconductor sensors patterned at the micron scale combined with custom-designed integrated circuits have revolutionized semiconductor radiation detector systems. Designs covering many square meters ...
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Semiconductor sensors patterned at the micron scale combined with custom-designed integrated circuits have revolutionized semiconductor radiation detector systems. Designs covering many square meters with millions of signal channels are now commonplace in high-energy physics and the technology is finding its way into many other fields, ranging from astrophysics to experiments at synchrotron light sources and medical imaging. This book presents a discussion of the many facets of highly integrated semiconductor detector systems, covering sensors, signal processing, transistors, circuits, low-noise electronics, and radiation effects. To lay a basis for the more detailed discussions in the book and aid in understanding how these different elements combine to form functional detector systems, the text includes introductions to semiconductor physics, diodes, detectors, signal formation, transistors, amplifier circuits, electronic noise mechanisms, and signal processing. A chapter on digital electronics includes key elements of analog-to-digital converters and an introduction to digital signal processing. The physics of radiation damage in semiconductor devices is discussed and applied to detectors and electronics. The diversity of design approaches is illustrated in a chapter describing systems in high-energy physics, astronomy, and astrophysics. Finally, a chapter ‘Why things don't work’, discusses common pitfalls, covering interference mechanisms such as power supply noise, microphonics, and shared current paths (‘ground loops’), together with mitigation techniques for pickup noise reduction, both at the circuit and system level. Beginning at a basic level, the book provides a unique introduction to a key area of modern science.Less
Semiconductor sensors patterned at the micron scale combined with custom-designed integrated circuits have revolutionized semiconductor radiation detector systems. Designs covering many square meters with millions of signal channels are now commonplace in high-energy physics and the technology is finding its way into many other fields, ranging from astrophysics to experiments at synchrotron light sources and medical imaging. This book presents a discussion of the many facets of highly integrated semiconductor detector systems, covering sensors, signal processing, transistors, circuits, low-noise electronics, and radiation effects. To lay a basis for the more detailed discussions in the book and aid in understanding how these different elements combine to form functional detector systems, the text includes introductions to semiconductor physics, diodes, detectors, signal formation, transistors, amplifier circuits, electronic noise mechanisms, and signal processing. A chapter on digital electronics includes key elements of analog-to-digital converters and an introduction to digital signal processing. The physics of radiation damage in semiconductor devices is discussed and applied to detectors and electronics. The diversity of design approaches is illustrated in a chapter describing systems in high-energy physics, astronomy, and astrophysics. Finally, a chapter ‘Why things don't work’, discusses common pitfalls, covering interference mechanisms such as power supply noise, microphonics, and shared current paths (‘ground loops’), together with mitigation techniques for pickup noise reduction, both at the circuit and system level. Beginning at a basic level, the book provides a unique introduction to a key area of modern science.
Keun Lee and Yee Kyoung Kim
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199574759
- eISBN:
- 9780191722660
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199574759.003.0005
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Innovation
This chapter discusses the catch‐up experience of Korea, in which the present intellectual property legislation was established in 1961. Three stylized facts are noted about patenting trend: shift ...
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This chapter discusses the catch‐up experience of Korea, in which the present intellectual property legislation was established in 1961. Three stylized facts are noted about patenting trend: shift from petty (utility) patents to regular (invention) patents, shift from individual inventors to corporate inventors, and shift of share among patent applications from domestic applicants (when foreigners had little interest in Korean IPRs) to foreign applicants and, in the 1990s, again to domestic applicants. These shifts suggest that Korean firms had accumulated high‐tech capabilities and became sensitive to IPRs by the mid‐1980s. Korean firms, particularly in electronics, invested heavily in R&D to accumulate their own technologies and, having learnt the importance of IPR through a number of patent‐related legal disputes with American and Japanese firms, started to utilize their own IPRs to achieve competitive advantages.Less
This chapter discusses the catch‐up experience of Korea, in which the present intellectual property legislation was established in 1961. Three stylized facts are noted about patenting trend: shift from petty (utility) patents to regular (invention) patents, shift from individual inventors to corporate inventors, and shift of share among patent applications from domestic applicants (when foreigners had little interest in Korean IPRs) to foreign applicants and, in the 1990s, again to domestic applicants. These shifts suggest that Korean firms had accumulated high‐tech capabilities and became sensitive to IPRs by the mid‐1980s. Korean firms, particularly in electronics, invested heavily in R&D to accumulate their own technologies and, having learnt the importance of IPR through a number of patent‐related legal disputes with American and Japanese firms, started to utilize their own IPRs to achieve competitive advantages.
Joel Mokyr
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195074772
- eISBN:
- 9780199854981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195074772.003.0012
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter discusses the search for the causes of technological progress. It observes that, in the past ten years, a veritable revolution has occurred in a wide variety of fields, from genetic ...
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This chapter discusses the search for the causes of technological progress. It observes that, in the past ten years, a veritable revolution has occurred in a wide variety of fields, from genetic engineering to consumer electronics. The chapter notes that the essence of technological progress is its unpredictability, and that nothing in the historical record seems to indicate that the creation of new technological opportunities—as opposed to their exploitation—is subject to diminishing returns, fatigue, old age, or exhaustion. It opines that if Cardwell's Law can be extrapolated into the future, no single society should expect to be on the cutting edge of technology forever. As Schumpeter stressed, the enemy of technological progress was not the lack of useful new ideas, but the social forces that, for one reason or another, tried to preserve the status quo.Less
This chapter discusses the search for the causes of technological progress. It observes that, in the past ten years, a veritable revolution has occurred in a wide variety of fields, from genetic engineering to consumer electronics. The chapter notes that the essence of technological progress is its unpredictability, and that nothing in the historical record seems to indicate that the creation of new technological opportunities—as opposed to their exploitation—is subject to diminishing returns, fatigue, old age, or exhaustion. It opines that if Cardwell's Law can be extrapolated into the future, no single society should expect to be on the cutting edge of technology forever. As Schumpeter stressed, the enemy of technological progress was not the lack of useful new ideas, but the social forces that, for one reason or another, tried to preserve the status quo.
Jan van den Ende, Nachoem Wijanberg, and Albert Meijer
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199241057
- eISBN:
- 9780191714290
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199241057.003.0008
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
This chapter focuses on the IT policies of the Dutch and European governments in the period from 1960 to 1980. The success of different government policies and instruments is evaluated against the ...
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This chapter focuses on the IT policies of the Dutch and European governments in the period from 1960 to 1980. The success of different government policies and instruments is evaluated against the background of the development of the life cycles of computer technologies. The evolution of Dutch company, Philips Electronics Ltd, is discussed, which was the biggest company involved in IT hardware in the Netherlands during that time, and succeeded best in profiting from government policies.Less
This chapter focuses on the IT policies of the Dutch and European governments in the period from 1960 to 1980. The success of different government policies and instruments is evaluated against the background of the development of the life cycles of computer technologies. The evolution of Dutch company, Philips Electronics Ltd, is discussed, which was the biggest company involved in IT hardware in the Netherlands during that time, and succeeded best in profiting from government policies.
Mari Sako
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199268160
- eISBN:
- 9780191708534
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199268160.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, International Business
All firms wrestle with restructuring that involves consolidation through mergers and acquisitions on the one hand, and fragmentation through outsourcing and spin-offs on the other. Corporate ...
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All firms wrestle with restructuring that involves consolidation through mergers and acquisitions on the one hand, and fragmentation through outsourcing and spin-offs on the other. Corporate restructuring is a major driver in transforming labour markets, engendering concerns about employment security. The framework introduced in this book analyses shifting organizational boundaries, i.e., structural changes within corporations resulting from a series of strategic interplays between management and labour unions. This framework is used to investigate the symbiotic adjustments in firm and union boundaries in the automobile and electronics industries in Japan. The book draws upon interview and survey evidence to show how the strategic interplay between labour and management led to incremental changes in Japan's national institutions, including lifetime employment, coordinated wage bargaining, and enterprise union networks. The gradual introduction of diversity and flexibility in markets is thus linked directly to the role management and labour played in bringing about institutional change. The book also demonstrates that adding labour to the Chandlerian analysis of corporate strategy and structure leads us to a view that boundary decisions are often contested.Less
All firms wrestle with restructuring that involves consolidation through mergers and acquisitions on the one hand, and fragmentation through outsourcing and spin-offs on the other. Corporate restructuring is a major driver in transforming labour markets, engendering concerns about employment security. The framework introduced in this book analyses shifting organizational boundaries, i.e., structural changes within corporations resulting from a series of strategic interplays between management and labour unions. This framework is used to investigate the symbiotic adjustments in firm and union boundaries in the automobile and electronics industries in Japan. The book draws upon interview and survey evidence to show how the strategic interplay between labour and management led to incremental changes in Japan's national institutions, including lifetime employment, coordinated wage bargaining, and enterprise union networks. The gradual introduction of diversity and flexibility in markets is thus linked directly to the role management and labour played in bringing about institutional change. The book also demonstrates that adding labour to the Chandlerian analysis of corporate strategy and structure leads us to a view that boundary decisions are often contested.
Timothy J. Sturgeon
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199297320
- eISBN:
- 9780191711237
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199297320.003.0003
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Innovation
This chapter examines modular production/manufacturing (as well as emulation), which pose a direct challenge to a host of the most cherished strategies of Japanese electronics firms, including ...
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This chapter examines modular production/manufacturing (as well as emulation), which pose a direct challenge to a host of the most cherished strategies of Japanese electronics firms, including employment protection. Contradictory pressures to respond to the modularization challenge on the one hand, and maintain cherished strategies on the other, lead to electronics firms shedding and protecting jobs at the same time, moving out of old business lines and adding new ones, opening sourcing networks and investing in new in-house component plants, expanding some facilities and shrinking or closing others. Overall, adoption of aspects of modular production in low-end manufacturing can be seen, this is much less so for advanced products and technologies. The result is the creation of a ‘mixed model’.Less
This chapter examines modular production/manufacturing (as well as emulation), which pose a direct challenge to a host of the most cherished strategies of Japanese electronics firms, including employment protection. Contradictory pressures to respond to the modularization challenge on the one hand, and maintain cherished strategies on the other, lead to electronics firms shedding and protecting jobs at the same time, moving out of old business lines and adding new ones, opening sourcing networks and investing in new in-house component plants, expanding some facilities and shrinking or closing others. Overall, adoption of aspects of modular production in low-end manufacturing can be seen, this is much less so for advanced products and technologies. The result is the creation of a ‘mixed model’.
Knut Sogner
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199551552
- eISBN:
- 9780191720819
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199551552.003.0010
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy, Innovation
This chapter concludes that although the Norwegian IT industry has been lacking in export success for the last thirty years, it has been important for the development of the Norwegian economy. ...
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This chapter concludes that although the Norwegian IT industry has been lacking in export success for the last thirty years, it has been important for the development of the Norwegian economy. Several IT companies have been on the verge of international breakthroughs, but have been stopped by rising costs and guided by national opportunities. The rise of the important oil-sector has been both a hindrance through rising costs, and an opportunity as a market, for the Norwegian IT industry. Specialised products for national markets rather than general mass-market products have become the norm for the Norwegian IT industry. This development had to a remarkable degree been associated with continuity in terms of organizations and people. The firms these people and organizations have been attached too, however, have experienced turbulence, bankruptcy, and change, making the whole development from 1970 until today a seemingly messy and problematic affair. But this has really been a period of IT industry growth, and in the end the national development is reasonably successful.Less
This chapter concludes that although the Norwegian IT industry has been lacking in export success for the last thirty years, it has been important for the development of the Norwegian economy. Several IT companies have been on the verge of international breakthroughs, but have been stopped by rising costs and guided by national opportunities. The rise of the important oil-sector has been both a hindrance through rising costs, and an opportunity as a market, for the Norwegian IT industry. Specialised products for national markets rather than general mass-market products have become the norm for the Norwegian IT industry. This development had to a remarkable degree been associated with continuity in terms of organizations and people. The firms these people and organizations have been attached too, however, have experienced turbulence, bankruptcy, and change, making the whole development from 1970 until today a seemingly messy and problematic affair. But this has really been a period of IT industry growth, and in the end the national development is reasonably successful.
Steve Reich
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195151152
- eISBN:
- 9780199850044
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195151152.003.0023
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
This chapter presents Reich's thoughts about Music for a Large Ensemble, which was premiered in June 1979 by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble under the direction of Reinbert de Leeuw at the Holland ...
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This chapter presents Reich's thoughts about Music for a Large Ensemble, which was premiered in June 1979 by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble under the direction of Reinbert de Leeuw at the Holland Festival. The piece is a development of two of his earlier works, Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ and Music for 18 Musicians. The instrumental forces are the largest he has ever used and include all the orchestral families plus women's voices. All instruments are acoustical, and electronics are limited to microphones for the strings, winds, voices, and pianos.Less
This chapter presents Reich's thoughts about Music for a Large Ensemble, which was premiered in June 1979 by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble under the direction of Reinbert de Leeuw at the Holland Festival. The piece is a development of two of his earlier works, Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ and Music for 18 Musicians. The instrumental forces are the largest he has ever used and include all the orchestral families plus women's voices. All instruments are acoustical, and electronics are limited to microphones for the strings, winds, voices, and pianos.
Amy C. Beal
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195336641
- eISBN:
- 9780199868551
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195336641.003.0006
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western, Popular
The Ivy‐League pedigrees of many of the Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) composers seems to contradict their anarchic‐Marxist musical activities in Rome during the late 1960s. Influenced by the ...
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The Ivy‐League pedigrees of many of the Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) composers seems to contradict their anarchic‐Marxist musical activities in Rome during the late 1960s. Influenced by the live‐electronic improvisations of John Cage and David Tudor, the Italian network of avant‐garde composers, and the intense collective work of The Living Theater, these self‐exiled Americans (including Alvin Curran, Frederic Rzewski, Richard Teitelbaum, and Jon Phetteplace) developed a radical approach to free improvisation during a time of political and social turmoil in Europe. Joining forces in Rome in 1966, they performed throughout Europe during the late 1960s and gained influence as an intensely politicized underground model for musical action. MEV soon made the journey from performing compositions to provoking free sonic rituals where artists and audiences made music with any means available.Less
The Ivy‐League pedigrees of many of the Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) composers seems to contradict their anarchic‐Marxist musical activities in Rome during the late 1960s. Influenced by the live‐electronic improvisations of John Cage and David Tudor, the Italian network of avant‐garde composers, and the intense collective work of The Living Theater, these self‐exiled Americans (including Alvin Curran, Frederic Rzewski, Richard Teitelbaum, and Jon Phetteplace) developed a radical approach to free improvisation during a time of political and social turmoil in Europe. Joining forces in Rome in 1966, they performed throughout Europe during the late 1960s and gained influence as an intensely politicized underground model for musical action. MEV soon made the journey from performing compositions to provoking free sonic rituals where artists and audiences made music with any means available.
Ralf Dietrich
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195336641
- eISBN:
- 9780199868551
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195336641.003.0009
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western, Popular
ONCE had two lives, each of which can be associated with one half of the 1960s. Chronologically, the ONCE Festival of musical premieres in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the nationwide performing ONCE ...
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ONCE had two lives, each of which can be associated with one half of the 1960s. Chronologically, the ONCE Festival of musical premieres in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the nationwide performing ONCE Group overlapped, but they differed in terms of funding, repertory and audiences. Aesthetic and political frames of reference, changing over the course of the decade from post‐war conservatism to baby boomer defiance, informed ONCE's use of electronics and theatricality and widened the scope of ONCE performances. Focusing on pieces by Robert Ashley (Public Opinion Descends Upon the Demonstrators; The Wolfman Motor‐City Revue) and Gordon Mumma (Megaton for William Burroughs), this chapter outlines correlations between the societal changes of the time and ONCE's status as an avant‐garde music venture.Less
ONCE had two lives, each of which can be associated with one half of the 1960s. Chronologically, the ONCE Festival of musical premieres in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the nationwide performing ONCE Group overlapped, but they differed in terms of funding, repertory and audiences. Aesthetic and political frames of reference, changing over the course of the decade from post‐war conservatism to baby boomer defiance, informed ONCE's use of electronics and theatricality and widened the scope of ONCE performances. Focusing on pieces by Robert Ashley (Public Opinion Descends Upon the Demonstrators; The Wolfman Motor‐City Revue) and Gordon Mumma (Megaton for William Burroughs), this chapter outlines correlations between the societal changes of the time and ONCE's status as an avant‐garde music venture.
Geoffrey Jones
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199272099
- eISBN:
- 9780191602184
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272093.003.0004
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
Multinational strategies have played key roles in nearly all of the world’s dynamic manufacturing industries since the late 19th century. The firms that pioneered the capital-intensive technologies ...
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Multinational strategies have played key roles in nearly all of the world’s dynamic manufacturing industries since the late 19th century. The firms that pioneered the capital-intensive technologies of the Second Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century — chemicals, electronics, and machinery — rapidly expanded into international markets. Automobile manufacturers followed in their path, as did their post-World War II successors in computers, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications.Less
Multinational strategies have played key roles in nearly all of the world’s dynamic manufacturing industries since the late 19th century. The firms that pioneered the capital-intensive technologies of the Second Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century — chemicals, electronics, and machinery — rapidly expanded into international markets. Automobile manufacturers followed in their path, as did their post-World War II successors in computers, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications.
Leslie Berlin
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195163438
- eISBN:
- 9780199788569
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195163438.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter recounts Noyce's departure from Fairchild Semiconductor and his decision to launch a new company with Gordon Moore, which they named Intel. Noyce and Moore wanted potential investors to ...
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This chapter recounts Noyce's departure from Fairchild Semiconductor and his decision to launch a new company with Gordon Moore, which they named Intel. Noyce and Moore wanted potential investors to know that the company intended to fund both a stock option plan and a stock purchase plan for employees. The founders believed that stock ownership was the best guarantee of both loyalty and innovation.Less
This chapter recounts Noyce's departure from Fairchild Semiconductor and his decision to launch a new company with Gordon Moore, which they named Intel. Noyce and Moore wanted potential investors to know that the company intended to fund both a stock option plan and a stock purchase plan for employees. The founders believed that stock ownership was the best guarantee of both loyalty and innovation.
Peter Eaton and Paul West
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199570454
- eISBN:
- 9780191722851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199570454.003.0002
- Subject:
- Physics, Atomic, Laser, and Optical Physics
This chapter describes the design of modern AFM instruments in detail. It shows both how the instruments are built, and how they work. There are descriptions of the mechanical, electronic, and ...
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This chapter describes the design of modern AFM instruments in detail. It shows both how the instruments are built, and how they work. There are descriptions of the mechanical, electronic, and software design of the instrument, as well as a section on the design of AFM probes, one of the most important components in any AFM. For the instrument user, understanding how the instrument works can greatly improve the results obtained, and this chapter has all the information an AFM user could need about how AFMs work, and more importantly, why they work that way.Less
This chapter describes the design of modern AFM instruments in detail. It shows both how the instruments are built, and how they work. There are descriptions of the mechanical, electronic, and software design of the instrument, as well as a section on the design of AFM probes, one of the most important components in any AFM. For the instrument user, understanding how the instrument works can greatly improve the results obtained, and this chapter has all the information an AFM user could need about how AFMs work, and more importantly, why they work that way.
Martin Fransman
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198289357
- eISBN:
- 9780191596261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198289359.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Microeconomics
A conceptualization (theory) of the firm is developed in order to analyse the evolution of the major Japanese computer and communications companies: Fujitsu, NEC, Hitachi, Toshiba, Mitsubishi ...
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A conceptualization (theory) of the firm is developed in order to analyse the evolution of the major Japanese computer and communications companies: Fujitsu, NEC, Hitachi, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric, and Oki. Particular attention is paid to the paradox presented by these companies, which feature strongly in the world's top ten in terms of total sales but which, unlike Japanese consumer electronics and automobile companies, are dominant in very few markets outside Japan. According to this conceptualization, a firm may be analysed in terms of four closely related dimensions: competences––the firm's activities and knowledge––define what that firm knows and can do; organization determines how the firm's competences are coordinated and controlled in order to produce a competitive output; vision refers to the set of beliefs that guide the firm's leaders in deciding what the firm should be doing and where it should be going; and selection environment is the sum total of factors external to the firm (and to the population of firms) that determine whether the firm will prosper or not.Less
A conceptualization (theory) of the firm is developed in order to analyse the evolution of the major Japanese computer and communications companies: Fujitsu, NEC, Hitachi, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric, and Oki. Particular attention is paid to the paradox presented by these companies, which feature strongly in the world's top ten in terms of total sales but which, unlike Japanese consumer electronics and automobile companies, are dominant in very few markets outside Japan. According to this conceptualization, a firm may be analysed in terms of four closely related dimensions: competences––the firm's activities and knowledge––define what that firm knows and can do; organization determines how the firm's competences are coordinated and controlled in order to produce a competitive output; vision refers to the set of beliefs that guide the firm's leaders in deciding what the firm should be doing and where it should be going; and selection environment is the sum total of factors external to the firm (and to the population of firms) that determine whether the firm will prosper or not.
BOB HANCKÉ
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199252053
- eISBN:
- 9780191719097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199252053.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy
The third case study is a case of delayed and ultimately failed reform. The consumer electronics and small kitchen appliances producer Moulinex entered a crisis like many other large companies in ...
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The third case study is a case of delayed and ultimately failed reform. The consumer electronics and small kitchen appliances producer Moulinex entered a crisis like many other large companies in France in the 1980s, but failed to reorganize its corporate governance structure for a long time. Thus, the crisis was prolonged without clear direction for the company, and ultimately, Moulinex entered bankruptcy proceedings in the early 2000s.Less
The third case study is a case of delayed and ultimately failed reform. The consumer electronics and small kitchen appliances producer Moulinex entered a crisis like many other large companies in France in the 1980s, but failed to reorganize its corporate governance structure for a long time. Thus, the crisis was prolonged without clear direction for the company, and ultimately, Moulinex entered bankruptcy proceedings in the early 2000s.
Neil Hood and Stephen Young
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198296058
- eISBN:
- 9780191596209
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198296053.003.0009
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, International
This case study on the impact of globalization on the UK views the question of the evolution of macro‐organizational policies from the perspective of its approach to FDI (foreign direct investment) ...
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This case study on the impact of globalization on the UK views the question of the evolution of macro‐organizational policies from the perspective of its approach to FDI (foreign direct investment) policy, and covers related issues with that in mind; this is because FDI is a particularly relevant driver of globalization and an arena within which government and business interaction can be readily studied in the UK. The chapter is in five main sections, starting with a review of the background to inward and outward FDI and reviewing its contribution. The second section provides an overview of the radical directional policy changes that were implemented in the UK between the late 1970s and the early 1990s in order to enhance competitiveness; this includes a more detailed and critical review of five ingredients of the policy: macroeconomic management; FDI; technology and R&D; employment, training and the labour market; and regional economic development. The third section briefly reviews three sectoral cases, which amply illustrate some of the policy challenges that have emerged for UK governments over this period as a consequence of the growing globalization of economic activity: these are the electronics industry in Scotland, the automotive industry and the financial services sector represented by the City of London. The fourth section explores the degree to which EU (European Union) policies have aided or retarded FDI and competitiveness in the UK, while the final section sets out some conclusions and propositions regarding UK competitiveness and the policies that have been adopted to enhance it.Less
This case study on the impact of globalization on the UK views the question of the evolution of macro‐organizational policies from the perspective of its approach to FDI (foreign direct investment) policy, and covers related issues with that in mind; this is because FDI is a particularly relevant driver of globalization and an arena within which government and business interaction can be readily studied in the UK. The chapter is in five main sections, starting with a review of the background to inward and outward FDI and reviewing its contribution. The second section provides an overview of the radical directional policy changes that were implemented in the UK between the late 1970s and the early 1990s in order to enhance competitiveness; this includes a more detailed and critical review of five ingredients of the policy: macroeconomic management; FDI; technology and R&D; employment, training and the labour market; and regional economic development. The third section briefly reviews three sectoral cases, which amply illustrate some of the policy challenges that have emerged for UK governments over this period as a consequence of the growing globalization of economic activity: these are the electronics industry in Scotland, the automotive industry and the financial services sector represented by the City of London. The fourth section explores the degree to which EU (European Union) policies have aided or retarded FDI and competitiveness in the UK, while the final section sets out some conclusions and propositions regarding UK competitiveness and the policies that have been adopted to enhance it.
Michael H. Best
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297451
- eISBN:
- 9780191595967
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297459.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic Systems
The capabilities and innovation perspective is applied to Malaysian electronics, a case of rapid growth and industrial development for over three decades but with disappointing productivity gains. In ...
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The capabilities and innovation perspective is applied to Malaysian electronics, a case of rapid growth and industrial development for over three decades but with disappointing productivity gains. In fact, Malaysia has not one but three electronics clusters. Each cluster has distinctive internal dynamics and is related to global production networks in distinctive ways. The most successful of the three regions in advancing local production capabilities has benefited from effective regional policy‐making and governance. The Penang Development Corporation is a model developmental agency that has coordinated the three elements of the productivity triad to create a world‐class high‐volume production system. However, the region is at an impasse: making the transition to new product development capabilities will require a substantial investment in advanced skill formation.Less
The capabilities and innovation perspective is applied to Malaysian electronics, a case of rapid growth and industrial development for over three decades but with disappointing productivity gains. In fact, Malaysia has not one but three electronics clusters. Each cluster has distinctive internal dynamics and is related to global production networks in distinctive ways. The most successful of the three regions in advancing local production capabilities has benefited from effective regional policy‐making and governance. The Penang Development Corporation is a model developmental agency that has coordinated the three elements of the productivity triad to create a world‐class high‐volume production system. However, the region is at an impasse: making the transition to new product development capabilities will require a substantial investment in advanced skill formation.
Masahisa Fujita and Ryoichi Ishii
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198296041
- eISBN:
- 9780191596070
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198296045.003.0015
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Microeconomics
Building on the experience of nine Japanese electronics firms after World War II, the authors look at the explanatory contribution of selective factor disadvantages operating at the country level ...
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Building on the experience of nine Japanese electronics firms after World War II, the authors look at the explanatory contribution of selective factor disadvantages operating at the country level (hard countries) and of local rivalry (the stimulus of pressures) to the survival and growth of these firms. Their argument, which stresses the spatial influence on firm strategy, is close to that of Enright in the previous chapter. Since Fujita and Ishii look at the global operations of their nine selected firms, they are also able bring to the fore the geographical dispersal and local spatially determined dynamics as they impact firm strategy. Their detailed analysis shows that globalization of the chosen firms is a function of the desire to remain competitive. However, it also notes that fundamental problems have arisen for the Japanese electronics industry as well as for the Japanese economy, and these are identified as primarily institutional and competitive in type.Less
Building on the experience of nine Japanese electronics firms after World War II, the authors look at the explanatory contribution of selective factor disadvantages operating at the country level (hard countries) and of local rivalry (the stimulus of pressures) to the survival and growth of these firms. Their argument, which stresses the spatial influence on firm strategy, is close to that of Enright in the previous chapter. Since Fujita and Ishii look at the global operations of their nine selected firms, they are also able bring to the fore the geographical dispersal and local spatially determined dynamics as they impact firm strategy. Their detailed analysis shows that globalization of the chosen firms is a function of the desire to remain competitive. However, it also notes that fundamental problems have arisen for the Japanese electronics industry as well as for the Japanese economy, and these are identified as primarily institutional and competitive in type.
Mary O'Sullivan
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199244867
- eISBN:
- 9780191596735
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199244863.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Microeconomics
This chapter has two main sections, which contrast the post‐war development of managerial control in the USA in the mass production industries, and the high‐technology industries––as exemplified by ...
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This chapter has two main sections, which contrast the post‐war development of managerial control in the USA in the mass production industries, and the high‐technology industries––as exemplified by the electronics industry. The first, Sect. 4.2, The post‐war governance of mass‐production enterprises, discusses the trend towards strategic segmentation––the emergence of conglomerations and resulting impact on performance, and the emergence of core corporate enterprises. The second, Sect. 4.3, The electronics complex and the governance of innovation, discusses the roles of the federal government and of venture capital, and the abiding importance of the innovative corporation.Less
This chapter has two main sections, which contrast the post‐war development of managerial control in the USA in the mass production industries, and the high‐technology industries––as exemplified by the electronics industry. The first, Sect. 4.2, The post‐war governance of mass‐production enterprises, discusses the trend towards strategic segmentation––the emergence of conglomerations and resulting impact on performance, and the emergence of core corporate enterprises. The second, Sect. 4.3, The electronics complex and the governance of innovation, discusses the roles of the federal government and of venture capital, and the abiding importance of the innovative corporation.
