Abstract

Innovation is a continuous need to improve and to adapt to changes, and even anticipate them, to maintain or increase competitive advantage over those with activities similar to ours. Analytical and interpretive approaches to innovation are commented, and the principles of closed and open innovation are set out. The latter follows the current trend 2.0 of sharing and being transparent in order to benefit from present a good image to clients and users. Information professionals are in a unique position both to innovate in their work and to help others do so, but their traditional conservative position of preserving materials and following strict standards requires them to maintain a certain balance.

Abstract

Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is the root of Health Economics and is based on the welfare theory. CBA is the broadest economic evaluation (EE) method that assesses all benefits and costs in monetary units; the production of welfare is expressed in terms of net benefit (the difference between benefits and costs). The main goal in the welfarist approach is to maximize welfare according to individuals’ preferences. The application of CBA principles faces multiple obstacles, mainly because valuing health in terms of monetary units is challenging and raises ethical and methodological constraints. In the health sector, CBA has received relevant criticism, leading to the emergence and adoption of other methods of EE, such as cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-utility analysis (CUA). However, attempts to apply welfarist principles to CEA were far of being accepted, and consensus among health economists in this regard still does not exist. The extra-welfarist approach encompassing CEA and CUA has progressed toward maximizing health outcomes and focusing on equity and fairness issues. The most common technique used in CBA to elicit preferences is the contingent valuation (willingness to pay). Despite the challenging task of valuing mental health outcomes, some studies demonstrate the feasibility of this technique in people with mental disorders, though some level of inconsistency and inaccuracy in respondents’ answers was reported. Despite methodological limitations among all EE methods applied to health, there is a growing interest in CBA and, more specifically, in discrete choice experiment, especially for health services and public health policies, and in exploring patients’ treatment preferences. The Mental Health field adds challenges to CBA regarding the complexity of defining and measuring outcomes representing mental health maximization. Document type: Book

Abstract

Part 2: Knowledge-Based Services; International audience; The Brazilian public transportation system is composed of small and medium size companies. These companies may not be prepared to thrive in a competitive environment because, generally, these firms are managed like a family business. Thus, Knowledge Management (KM) can be defined as an efficient and simple way to solve day-to-day problems and drive the quality of services. Knowledge Management System (KMS) is a business process developed to encompass a basic investigative process, which consists of a synthetic diagnosis of the general conditions and the establishment of programs aimed at the generation of improvements based on the reduction and or elimination of wastefulness. This paper presents KM methodology (KM and KMS) applied in three case studies in Brazilian bus companies. The results indicate that application of this methodology allows companies to reach a competitive advantage. This paper is a result of consulting services in these companies. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

The automotive industry currently faces four megatrends which are challenging the competitive environment: Connectivity, Autonomous Driving, Shared Services and Electric Vehicles. On top of that, aftermaths from the Diesel scandal are still noticeable. Therefore, the objective of this work was to find whether the Diesel scandal has an influence on the development of Electric Vehicles of traditional car manufacturers among the other trends. First, consumers were asked to fill out a survey on the attractiveness of and their attention to-wards Electric Vehicles before and after the scandal. It was concluded that EV demand didn’t change because of the Diesel scandal, even though the attention of consumers increased. A main reason therefore is the dependency of EV demand on financial incentives rather than en-vironmental concerns. Second, to measure the impact on EV development, selected employees from traditional car manufacturers were interviewed and the results were discussed with an industry expert. After collecting the drivers behind Electric Vehicle development, an indirect influence on EV devel-opment was revealed. To meet environmental targets set by governments or political unions, OEMs must focus on new technologies due to the lack of Diesel car sales. When establishing a connection between the research findings and literature, the dynamic ca-pabilities framework was not found to be applicable as the development and adaptation of Elec-tric Vehicles is mainly dependent from external surroundings. Thus, Industrial Organization as underlying theory was found to be suitable. A indústria automóvel enfrenta atualmente quatro macrotendências que desafiam a envolvente competitiva: Conectividade, Direção Autónoma, Serviços Partilhados e Veículos Elétricos. Além disso, os resultados do escândalo “Diesel” ainda são visíveis. O objetivo deste trabalho foi descobrir se o escândalo “Diesel” tem influência no desenvolvimento de veículos eléctricos de fabricantes dentro da indústria tradicional automóvel, entre outras tendências. Em primeiro lugar, foi pedido aos consumidores que preenchessem um questionário sobre a atratividade e a atenção destes para com os veículos elétricos antes e depois do escândalo. Concluiu-se que a procura de veículos elétricos não mudou devido ao escândalo “Diesel”, embora a atenção dos consumidores tenha aumentado. Uma das principais razões, portanto, é a dependência de veículos elétricos de incentivos financeiros, em vez de preocupações ambientais. Em segundo lugar, para medir o impacto no desenvolvimento de veículos elétricos, foram entrevistados funcionários, seleccionados de fabricantes de automóveis tradicionais, e os resultados foram discutidos com um especialista do setor. Depois de recolher os drivers por detrás do desenvolvimento do Veículo Elétrico, uma influência indireta no desenvolvimento de VE foi revelada. Para atingir as metas ambientais estabelecidas pelos governos ou sindicatos políticos, os OEMs devem-se focar em novas tecnologias devido à falta de vendas de carros a “Diesel”. Ao estabelecer uma conexão entre os resultados da pesquisa e a literatura, a tese das capacidades dinâmicas não se mostrou aplicável ao desenvolvimento e adaptação de veículos elétricos. Assim, a Organização Industrial como teoria subjacente foi considerada adequada.

Abstract

In this context, this note summarizes the findings of a recent World Bank, SACU Secretariat assessment of regional trade facilitation based on the Trade and Transport Facilitation Assessment (TTFA) methodology. The assessment looks at regional trade facilitation through the lens of value chains, with the objective to understand how the region’s trade and transport environment could be improved to facilitate more extensive and deeply integrated regional trade, linked to competitive participation in global value chains. The remainder of this note is structured as follows: section two provides a brief overview of regional trade and freight flows. This is followed in section three by a brief review of the trade and transport environment (including infrastructure and policy) across each SACU member state. Section four summarizes the findings of the detailed analysis, from a trade facilitation perspective, of the regional value chains in four key industry sectors: agro-processing; agro-processing; automotive; beef; and textiles/apparel. Section five then focuses on identifying potential solutions to three key trade and transport facilitation challenges identified through the value chain assessments. Finally, section six concludes.