In this paper we analyze how a firm might protect quasi-rents in an environmentof imperfect capital markets, where switching lenders is costly to the borrower, andcontracts are incomplete. As switching costs make the firm vulnerable to ex-postexploitation, it may want to diversify lending in...

In most industrialized countries electric power tariffs for residentialconsumption are higher than for industrial customers. In Russia, asin some other transition countries, this pattern is reversed, but at thesame time the overall level of tariffs is very low. Cross subsidization ofresidential...

Compared to other European countries, housing policy in Germany has been favourable towards private rented housing. As a result, the private rented housing sector in Germany is large according to international standards. It appears to be 'healthy' in terms of housing quality and social profile...

The role of Japan in China’s contemporary industrialization process is analyzed by studying five areas in which Japan might have been able to influence developments in China: Industrial Policy, Official Development Assistance, Transfer of Technology without Equity Participation, Foreign Direct...

Economic evaluation has an important role in helping to make decisionsabout the use of scarce resources in an explicit and rational manner, yeteconomic evaluation is not well-developed in many areas of socialwelfare. This paper looks at the reasons for this, focusing on whateconomists could do...

Innovationen bilden ein wirksames Instrument zur Steigerung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit eines Unternehmens. Sie werden durchgeführt, indem nacheinander die Aufgaben der Ideensuche, Ideenentwicklung, Produktion der ersten Serie und der Markteinführung abgearbeitet werden. Die dafür geeignete...

This paper about “Management Education and Research in Germany” has beensubmitted and accepted for publication as part of a European book projectabout future scenarios for business schools in Europe by Thomas Durand andStephanie Dameron*. ‘Business School’, however, is not a common term...

The emerge and increasing performance of new information and communicationtechnologies (ICT) has enabled new organisational models of coordination andcooperation. Since the early nineties Virtual Organisations (VOs) as one of these newmodels have been in the focus of scientific research. Among...

This paper analyzes the potentials of Value Webs for increasing efficiency and effectivenessin the German automotive industry. Value Webs are networks of collaboratingpartners within different stages of interlinked value chains. This collaborationis enabled by innovative ICT1-supported...

In this paper we describe mobile virtual healthcare communities as a solution for meeting cancerpatients information and interaction needs. After an introduction into the healthcare system and itspotential starting points for virtual communities, we focus on cancer patients. We analyse...