This thesis consists of four self-contained essays on the topic of entrepreneurship. [Essay I] uses a unique and detailed Swedish dataset to explore firm, regional, and industry determinants that stimulate spin-offs using the choice of the individuals as the level of analysis. The most important results are that the size of the region and of the local entrepreneurial culture (the relative number of SMEs) has a positive effect on the propensity of the individual to set up a new venture corroborating the results of past firm- and regional-level studies. Industrial specialization is shown to have a positive impact on spin-offs, albeit only in high-tech manufacturing and in knowledge intensive business service sectors. Moreover, using an entropy measure to disentangle unrelated and related variety, it is found that the former has a significantly negative while the latter a significantly positive effect on the propensity of the individual to start a spin-off. [Essay II] asks how localisation (MAR) and diversity (Jacobs) externalities affect opportunity-based entrepreneurship across all industry sectors in Sweden’s private economy in the period 1999-2005. MAR externalities are found to positively affect entrepreneurship across all sectors. Jacobs externalities, measured as related variety using an entropy measure, positively affect entrepreneurship in high-tech manufacturing and in knowledge intensive business services but have no significant effect on low-tech manufacturing and other services. The results suggest that previous studies that find no evidence of entrepreneurship benefiting from a diverse local market composition might be using too broad measures of variety. [Essay III] analyses how different R&D strategies of incumbent firms affect the quantity and quality of their entrepreneurial spawning. By examining entrepreneurial ventures of ex-employees of firms with different R&D strategies three things emerge: First, firms with persistent R&D investments with a general superiority in sales, exports, productivity, profitability and wages are less likely to generate entrepreneurs than firm with temporary or no R&D investments. Second, start-ups from knowledge intensive business service (KIBS) firms with persistent R&D investments have a significantly increased probability of survival.  No corresponding association between the R&D strategies of incumbents and survival of entrepreneurial spawns is found for incumbents in manufacturing sectors. Third, spin-outs from KIBS-firms are more likely to survive if they start in the same firm, indicating the importance of inherited related knowledge. The findings suggest that R&D intensive firms spur fewer entrepreneurs, but their entrepreneurial spawns tend to be of higher quality. [Essay IV] investigates how universities may affect regional entrepreneurship through the localisation decisions of entrepreneurial alumni. Empirically, a comprehensive, individual-level dataset from Sweden is used for the period 2003-2005. The results suggest that even when controlling for their spatial history, individuals have an increased propensity to set up in the region where they studied. This effect is found to substitute for both urbanisation economies and localisation economies as drivers of regional-level entrepreneurship. Thus, the analysis provides evidence on how universities affect regional economic development that complements the strong focus on spin-off activities by university researchers in previous studies. / QC20100622

In the information technology industry which has high network externalities, it is common for a firm to employ new product pre-announcements to promote their future products. However, false product pre-announcements are strategically anti-competitive. Under the two-stage game model, this paper examines the monopolistic firm¡¦s incentive of employing false pre-announcements when competing with a potential rival and whether those pre-announcements are strategically anti-competitive, provided that the market exhibits network externalities and the compatibility of system products is considered. This paper shows that if there are no potential rivals in the future, if the products have network externalities, and if the compatibility of cross-period products is relatively high, then the monopoly will have an incentive to exaggerate the pre-announcements. If potential rivals enter the market at the second stage, then the greater the monopoly¡¦s technological advantage is, the higher the extent of false pre-announcements will be. However, as long as the network effect is large enough, the monopoly is likely to employ pre-announcements, even if the product has no technological advantage. By excluding potential entrants from entering the market, established monopolistic firms keep their profits. And consumers may have false expectation¡Xa firm could win with an inferior technology¡Xwhich will in turn cause unfair competition. In addition, when the differences of the products are getting larger, a firm¡¦s incentive of employing false pre-announcements will raise. When the two products are totally compatible, the monopoly¡¦s new product pre-announcements are merely affected by the technological advantage. Then the greater the monopoly¡¦s technological advantage is, the higher the extent of false pre-announcements will be.

In recent years, mobile phone service has become the most popular term of telecommunication service. However, in back of the complex pricing plans and promotion plans, there are some interesting tropics. For example, how does a mobile phone service operator price the on-net and off-net charges? What is the factor that makes the off-net charges more expensively than the on-net one? And which principle is adopted to design the multiple pricing plans by the operators? In this study, we will make some amendment for the Hotelling Model, and set a new model which be called the Psychological Differential Model, that can expectably explain the eventuality which a man has a lot of phone number from different operators simultaneously. Besides, it will add a factor which will derogate the network externalities of the utility of mobile phone service. Mathematically, we use the way of ¡§Two-stage Market Pricing¡¨ to develop the equilibrium of on-net and off-net charges. By the cost pricing method, we can find the access fee will cause off-net charges more expensively than on-net one in the chapter three of this paper. Finally, in the chapter four, this study will introduce the principle of the third price discrimination to explain the outcome of multiple pricing plans.

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Feb. 26, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 182-187).

No description available.

[Abstract]This thesis investigates a common problem of land use impacts on flood damage costs on a catchment scale. It does this through a particular case study, to quantify the technical upstream-downstream dependencies and highlights the externalities through hydroeconomicanalysis of flood damages and mitigation costs. The substantive content of the project is cross disciplinary.Peak and volume of river flows are functions of the catchment surface characteristics. This means that any impacts to the run-off regime (for example surface sealing or river training) could affect people and land users in the lower catchment. Thus, upstream activities cancause higher flood peaks, and also entail higher damages downstream. These damages are either borne by the affected parties or they are mitigated by state financed flood defence works or offset with financial compensation. These costs are usually not included in the economic considerations of the upstream land user who is partially causing them. In economic terms, these effects are referred to as unidirectional externalities. This means that a producer can export parts of his production costs to third parties and these are not included in the price of the product.The Herzogbach is a small tributary of the Danube River in Lower Bavaria. It is located in a rural area, dominated by intensive farming practices. Two villages (Bachling and Buchhofen) in the headwaters and middle section of the catchment and one city (Osterhofen) in the lowercatchment were analysed to determine the impact of upstream land use practices on the flood situation.A combination of hydrological and hydraulic modelling provided the core data to allow the interpretation of economic data, using methods of cost damage estimation. A hydrological model of the catchment provided hydrograph simulations based on (a) a regionalisation approach,(b) hydrologic flood routing and (c) hydrologic reservoir routing. A two dimensional stream flow model was then used to convert the hydrographs into flood levels, to simulatethe run-off in settled areas and determine the flood affected areas, flood levels and flow velocities. Estimates for flood damages or mitigation costs resulting from different hydrological scenarios were compared. The scenarios are based on different land uses and alloweconomic externalities to be estimated.It was found that intensive farming and river training increase the peaks, shape and volume of flood waves in comparison to extensive land use, grassland or forest. In the study area, especially river training reduced the detention effect of the river bed and the natural floodplain. These significant changes to the natural run-off regime directly affect land use in the lower catchment through flood damages and increased flood risk, and by reducing the effectiveness of planned or existing flood protection works.The thesis concludes with linked technical and economic findings which indicate a rich potential new area for research - “hydroeconomics”. The published literature shows few people have worked in this cross disciplinary area. The technical finding is that changes to land use, especially in agriculture, can increase the flood damages in downstream settlements or increase the cost of flood mitigation works significantly. From an economic point ofview, this is a unidirectional externality which should be considered in catchment and flood management. Possible solutions could include the control of land use and instruments such as separate waste water fees for rainwater and sewage or run-off certificates.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Also available online.

Norwegian School of Management, Diss.--Sandvika, 2007.