Case study of R&D efficiency in an ATP joint venture

This paper summarizes the technical accomplishments and presents selected measures of research efficiencies and early stage economic impacts of the Printed Wiring Board (PWB) Research Joint Venture Project. The project was cost-shared by the Advanced Technology Program and carried out by a group of seven companies, with participation by Sandia National Laboratories. The period considerred in this case study is from mid-1991 through mid-1996, the time during which the research was conducted. ATP’s funding of the PWB Research Joint Venture has thus far had a number of direct and indirect economic impacts. Of the direct impacts, the largest to date has been the increase in R&D efficiency. The project achieved at least a 53 percent reduction in overall research costs. The increase in research efficiency has in turn led to reduced cycle times for both new project development and new process development. Collectively, the result has meant productivity improvements for member companies and improved competitive positions in the world market.     

UNITED STATES V. MICROSOFT: DID CONSUMERS WIN?

United States v. Microsoft and the related state suit filedin 1998 appear to have concluded. In a unanimous en banc decisionissued in late June 2004, the U.S. Court of Appeals for theD.C. Circuit rejected challenges to the remedies specified ina settlement reached in late 2001 and approved by the districtcourt in November 2002. We examine the remedies imposed in theUnited States, in terms of both their relationship to the violationsfound and their impact on consumer welfare. We conclude thatthe remedies addressed the violations ultimately found by theCourt of Appeals (which were a subset of those found by theoriginal district court and an even smaller subset of the violationsalleged, both in court and in public discourse) and went beyondthem in important ways. The remedies imposed appear to havestruck a reasonable balance between protecting consumers againstthe types of actions found illegal, on the one hand, and, onthe other hand, avoiding excessive restrictions that would harmconsumers by restricting Microsoft's ability to compete in pro-competitiveways.     

Classification Typology and Assessment of Five Levels of Woman Battering

Family violence is a prevalent, dangerous, and often life-threatening social and public health problem. It is an indiscriminating crime that knows few boundaries, as recent annual estimates indicate that over 8.7 million women are battered by husbands, boyfriends, and other intimate partners [Roberts, 2002; Roberts & Roberts, 2005]. This article examines a new five-level classificatory schema or typology detailing the duration and severity of woman battering. Five hundred and one battered women completed in-depth interviews which formed the basis for a new classification typology ranging from short-term to chronic to homicidal levels. The current research on different types of battering relationships provides clinicians and forensic specialists with psychosocial indicators that can be utilized as a basis for early intervention and prevention of lethal consequences. The concept of the unknown prevalence of women abuse, or the “dark figure,” is also addressed in this article. Additionally, practical suggestions are made for implementing crisis intervention protocols.     

China’s economic system and its accession to the WTO

In moving towards becoming a market economy, China has made dramatic strides since embarking on reforms in 1978, but liberalizations have been accompanied by inflationary booms followed by bouts of social instability. These last account for much of the caution in China’s approach to joining the World Trade Organization, which is seen as critical to securing further foreign direct investment, foreign technology and access to foreign markets—all necessary to economic growth and development. There is a reluctance to make firm commitments to abide by WTO rules on a schedule faster than that expected of developing countries. Perhaps the commitments required could be undertaken in confidence-building stages. Albert Keidel III is president, Rock Creek Research Inc., economic consultants, Bethesda, Maryland, and teaches on China’s economy in the Department of Economics, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.     

Battered women who kill: A comparative study of incarcerated participants with a community sample of battered women

The present article examines demographic and background variables, psychosocial factors, critical incidents during childhood, battering incidents, and coping methods among 210 battered women. Based on in-depth interviews with a group of incarcerated battered women who had killed their batterers and a community sample of non-violent battered women, several key results were found. The vast majority of battered women who killed their abusive partners was much more likely than the community sample to: (1) have been sexually assaulted during childhood, (2) have dropped out of high school, (3) have an erratic work history of one to three unskilled jobs, (4) have cohabited with their partner, (5) experienced a drug problem, (6) have attempted suicide by drug overdosing, and (7) have access to the batterer's guns. The findings provide support for the increased probability of battered women killing their mates after they have encountered brutal and repeated assaults, death threats, failed in their attempts to escape through alcohol or drug abuse, and failed in their attempts to commit suicide.     

Social Media and Value Conflicts: An Explorative Study of the Dutch Police

The use of social media produces new value conflicts in public governance. The police force is a public organization directly confronted with these changes. However, there is no systematic understanding of these conflicts in daily police practice or of the coping strategies used. This article presents an explorative understanding of the value conflicts and coping strategies within the police force by combining the literature on social media use in the public sector and the literature on value conflicts and by conducting a case study within the Dutch police. The empirical findings show, first, a growing emphasis on conflicts related to the values that are strongly embedded in social media use—specifically, conflicts between efficiency and participation and between transparency and lawfulness. Second, although dynamic coping strategies were expected, the research reveals that the police often use a conservative coping strategy to deal with these rapid changes.