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Changes in information structures and requirements demand that libraries and library science redefine their positions. They must face new challenges and present definite perspectives in the form of research goals and pilot schemes. 31 original contributions by distinguished German, American, Scandinavian, Dutch and Swiss authors shed light on the following subjects: · Library science between tradition, self-conception and public perception · Library science in the age of digital media · Library science in the service of society · Library science in the service of scientific information and communication · Library science in the service of practical librarianship · Library science in te...
Italian industrial districts (IDs) recently attracted international attention because their performance during the last few decades contradicted the alleged weakness of industrial structures based on SMEs in "traditional" sectors. The book analyses some developments taking place in Italian IDs and local systems of production that can represent a new stage of evolution for the backbone of the Italian economy. Based on the extensive use of original databases three main trajectories of change in IDs are presented. The first trajectory is the increasing role of "groups" of manufacturing SMEs arising from mergers and acquisitions as well as spin-off growth processes at the "family firms" level. The second one is the consolidation of innovation capabilities in IDs. And the third one is the internationalisation process of Italian IDs through both trade and foreign direct investment. The essays suggest that Italian IDs are again evolving by coherent adaptations which will have, however, uncertain outcomes.
This book considers the issue of exchange rate policymaking from a political economy perspective. It illustrates both theoretically and empirically how domestic political and institutional incentives shape exchange rate policies in developing countries. Empirical analysis is based on a panel survey of 47 countries and thereby provides insights on how political and institutional conditions typically affect exchange rate policy.
Since the fundamental work of Walras (1874), markets have received particular attention by economists because they lead to an efficient allocation of goods and services. However, the proper functioning of markets rests on certain assumptions. For instance, the good or ser vice which is to be traded must be clearly defined. This elementary requirement is often violated in reality, in particular when services are concerned. Consider the example of railway workers who are hired to lay tracks. A labour contract which stipulates a fixed wage and defines the workers' task as "laying tracks" is rather unspecific. Workers may profit from this vagueness by reducing effort to a comfortable amount -as ...
A timely and robust discussion of responsible bank stewardship and practice. The Second Edition of The Principles of Banking offers banking professionals, regulators, and students from a variety of backgrounds an authoritative and practical discussion of the foundations of modern banking and good banking practice. In the book, you'll find a comprehensive roadmap to a more sustainable business model for your banking organization. The author draws on his many years' experience as a commercial and investment banker as he explains the original principles of banking—including sound lending policy, capital management, and liquidity risk management—as well as new material covering the impact of...
How can Africa, the world’s most lagging region, benefit from globalisation and achieve sustained economic growth? Africa needs greater investment by Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) to improve competitiveness and generate more growth through positive spill-over effects. Despite the fact that Africa’s returns on investment averaged 29% since 1990, Africa has gained merely 1% of global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows. The challenge for African countries is how to be a more desirable destination for FDI. The study integrates three currents of economic research, namely from the literature on (endogenous) economic growth, convergence and regional integration, the explanations for Africa’s poor growth and the growing understanding of the role of MNEs in a global economy. The empirical side of the book is based on an econometric study of the determinants of FDI in Africa as well as a detailed firm-level survey conducted in 2000.
New in paperback! This book fills a need for a selective bibliography focusing on design that will not only house collections appropriately, but also be comfortable for readers and staff. The books and articles cited here provoke thought about new technologies and materials and will enable information professionals to feel comfortable when they communicate with the various other professionals involved in the actual work of construction or renovation. Contents: Part One: The Design of Libraries and the Preservation of Books—A Summary History. Part Two: A Guide to the Literature, with chapters on planning, design, the interior, the environment, safety, and preservation. Appendixes include case studies, bibliographies of bibliographies and of journals, and a directory of organizations. With index. Cloth version previously published in 1991.
The editors of the seventh volume of Acta Historiae Neerlandicae have followed the same lines as those adopted for its predecessor. Studies have again been selected which throw light on the history of the Low Countries, the choice again being directed to subjects likely to be of interest to foreign scholars lacking knowledge of the Dutch language. For this reason articles fairly general in scope have been chosen: studies of local interest or concerned with matters of detail have not been included. In this volume a wide diversity of topics is treated. Included are studies in the economic and social history of the later Middle Ages, and on subjects in the fields of the sixteenth and early half...
A pilot ?ying to a distant city needs to check his position, ?ight path and weather conditions, and must constantly keep his plane under control to land safely.TheIfosurveydataprovideadvanceinformationonchangingeconomic weather conditions and help keep the economy under control. To be sure, by their very nature they only provide short-term information. But like a plane, the economy will not be able to reach its long-term goals if it strays o? course in the short term. The Ifo survey data provide the most comprehensive and accurate, - to-date database in Europe on the state of the business cycle, and the Ifo climate indicator, sometimes simply called “The Ifo”, is the most frequently cited indicator of its kind in Europe. Both the European stock market and theeuroreacttoourindicator.Ifo’smethodologyfordeterminingthebusiness climateindicatorhasbeenexportedtomorethan?ftycountries,mostrecently toTurkeyandChina.TheIfopeoplewereproudtohavebeenaskedtohelpset up polling systems in these countries. It is said that the Chinese government relies more on their “Ifo indicator” than on their o?cial accounting statistics.