Search

A conceptual and theoretical approach is being made in this paper of a tacit dynamic ability being currently dealt with in scientiic literature on the subject of resources and capabilities which have not so far been looked into with due thoroughness: The responsiveness, the ability to face up to opportunities, threats and crises having an exogenous origin. This capability is essential in a competitive world such as today's and, above all, in those countries working within an open economy setting. A survey is thus being conducted in this paper of the particular capabilities making up this ability, such as the setting-addressed surveillance, the way how reactions are being designed and applied. Further on, this paper includes two examples showing the way how some Colombian companies are managing such a capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the legal developments contained in the Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations CAN towards the creation of a South American Common Market SCM; the Mercosur law and Andean law, and the jurisdiction to the guarantee of the establishment of the Common Market. In this paper SCM means the two independent integration processes in South America i.e., Mercosur and CAN. Although within these organizations there are significant advances in the regulation for the construction of a common market, they are not sufficient to be able to speak of the existence of a Common Market. The article deals with the perspectives for an SCM with the adoption of the Treaty of Unasur. Finally, one takes the European Common Market as a comparative model for South American integration. In this sense, the analysis addresses the Common Market, the Common Fundamental Freedoms and the relationship between the Common Market and European Union law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As of the second half of the past century, operations areas began to be acknowledged as strategic areas for organizational competitiveness, whether the firms were industrial companies or service companies. A fundamental question arose from that acknowledgement, "Is the operations area really supporting the company in meeting its objectives?" For manufacturing companies, present-day competitive pressures demand multi-factor performance and developing a manufacturing strategy that is coherent with the business strategy becomes a must. This paper presents a general procedure for evaluating the structural coherence of the manufacturing strategy, taking three main elements into consideration: competitive priorities, production systems, and manufacturing gearing. This procedure was given to a set of thirteen companies in the metalwork industry for them to apply. It revealed some structural gaps. That was particularly concerning in cases where the company sought to attend highly demanding export markets. The paper suggests future actions related to searching for new market niches that can be immediately attended and simultaneously undertaking projects to strengthen these companies' competitive capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal this paper seeks to achieve is to set forth a performance measuring system for franchise sectors currently in place in Brazil, on the basis of a set of indicators being designed which are related with external factors being deemed as critical, and based upon economic and non-economic data being made available to the general public by the Associação Brasileira de Franchising (ABF). Five performance indicators have been designed for the system together with their outcomes, and the model shall be applied to a speciic segment within the Brazilian franchise system, so as to enable the analysis of data being gathered, and the reliability test of parameters being used, thus allowing to ensuring both sectors that the model is reliable vis-à-vis the evaluation criteria being designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theoretical transition being apparent in the analysis of internal competitive advantage sources is being dealt with in this paper. A theoretical approach is being applied which is focused on those processes allowing companies to upkeep and enhance their competitiveness, become adapted to changes, and become able to foresee changes in the market. This survey shows the eclectic nature of dynamic capacities bringing in dynamic elements into static-nature theories, and further addresses the biases being apparent in these two approaches both in the theoretical setting and in the managerial practice. This survey also looks into the generation, development and change processes pertaining with operational resources Dynamic capabilities help generate higher income and maximise innovation and strategic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TCompetitiveness is as old as economy and trade. It is the result of a combination of trends and schools of thought that provide elements aimed at strengthening organizational capacities, production for international trade, greater sustainability and performance improvement. The discussion between production, technology and competitiveness has been addressed in the business, not in the health sector, which has been linked to sectoral reforms and introduction of market instruments and competence in managing, leading to a greater concern about the performance and sustainability of the health sector organizations. This paper deals with the analysis of competitiveness in healthcare organizations, the main factors affecting this and a proposal of how these factors affect the development of technology as a key to understanding the current and future development of the health sector organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method involving interdisciplinary participation with the purpose of identifying users' needs and analyzing the commercial competition for support products for disabled people. This method joins together quality function deployment (QFD) and Analytical Hierarchy Process technique (AHP). The method was applied to the evaluation of products in support of mobility (ISO9999: 2007) for people with lower limb disability, in order to favor their social inclusion in the city of Cali, Colombia. The users' opinions were collected through a poll that followed the principles of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. It was concluded that the use of QFD and AHP with interdisciplinary teams is more reliable when considering users' needs than the use of the simple weighing method proposed by QFD and some of its variations. The application of QFD from the perspective of users favors radical innovation and not just a specific product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public bidding is a common mechanism used by states to promote competition in public procurement. However, the competition generated by public bidding may be blocked by two anticompetitive practices: collusion and corruption. Two different problems with a common effect: that the public contract will not be awarded on the basis of merit or efficiency, thereby affecting competitiveness. This paper analyzes the tools available for the Colombian competition agency for fighting collusion and corruption in public bids. We highlight the importance of strategic assistance to public agencies by the competition office at the moment of designing and executing the bidding process, in accordance with international recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) contribute to improve the competitiveness of the international markets within the European Union, EU, and strengthen the economic and social development of its countries. The aim of this paper is to analyze the infrastructure policy promoted by the EU. To that end, we describe and assess both the planning process of the TEN-T, and the financial instruments implemented by the EU to foster them. In the last decades some steps have been conducted to improve the EU infrastructure policy. However, these measures have not been sufficient to ensure the development of such infrastructures. In order to solve this problem, in the future, the EU should play a greater role in developing cross-border infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being conscience of the importance of competition law for the economy and especially for today's markets, this paper develops a deep and detailed analysis of the restrictive practices related to discrimination: Decree 2153 of 1992 Article 47 num 2 and Article 50 num 2 and num 4, taking into account the legal, the doctrinal and the SIC perspectives. The main objective of this article is to demonstrate that the competition law has a limited perspective of discrimination because it has focused on the protection of equality as an absolute right, ignoring that its main objective should be the efficiency. Thus, throughout the text, it is evident that in many cases can become more profitable for competition law to accept discriminatory practices considering that they are efficient practices that will provide greater benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis and action model for broaching the problem of Colombian agroindustry competitiveness in the world market. The model is being built, from a long-term perspective, and its consistency is being empirically validated. The main proposition is that, to meet the conditions and requirements of the new market, Colombian agroindustry competitiveness is directly related to its capability to motivate, design, and start up agribusiness models from a territorial perspective. The analysis schema is structured on Santos' concept (1997) of a space of flows, configured by a productive sector called verticalities and of flows configured by the territory called horizontalities, as forces that articulate through a productive unit (businesses or business networks). Due to the above, territorial capability accumulation and productive specialization -by means of territorial agendas built by strategic actors- are the two driving ideas in this proposition. Yet, the two have a relation of condition and result, cause and effect. Applying the model demonstrates that a mere territorial perspective is not sufficient to achieve the entry of agroindustry into the world market and that territories find it difficult to develop competitiveness capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]