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Following sound economic theory, paper mills vertically integrate into pulp production, partly because internalizing the production of their inputs allows them to avoid transaction costs. Higher market concentration, a proxy of higher asset specificity and transaction costs, should encourage vertical integration in the pulp and paper industry. However, this relationship has not been robust in previous studies or in our replication with updated FPL-UW data. Upon a deeper analysis of the data, this study should clarify the mechanism by which transaction cost can induce vertical integration in this particular industry, which does not have well-defined intermediate goods markets. In order to specify the pulp markets where paper mills are likely to trade, we construct a mill-specific concentration measure as a substitute to traditional regional concentration measures. We also narrow our sample to mills producing free sheet paper, the most profitable paper grade in this industry. With such model refinement, this research exhibits a significantly positive correlation between transaction cost and vertical integration.

Background: Price pressure, together with factors as commodization and demands for lower production costs has had a negative impact on further investments on the tea industry in Sri Lanka. Developing countries must persist in their efforts to catch up with the rapid growth and increased global trade to maintain an important source of growth. Despite increased recognition regarding the importance of economic growth, where it is crucial for a company’s ability to profit with long-term viability by finding a unique combination and collaboration of activities within the value chain, there is still a confusion of how an emerging vertical integration can strengthen the tea industry. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to evaluate, define and describe the value chain of actors and activities from raw material to finished product that activate value increments within the tea industry in Sri Lanka. In order to reach this aim, a deeper understanding of how enterprises choose their way of distribution commodities or value-added product. The empirical data is combined with a theoretical framework that investigates the challenges with vertical integration within the tea industry, focusing on strengthen Sri Lankan tea producers’ value chains. Delimitations: Distinction that investigates Sri Lanka and its value chain of tea. Methodology: This minor field research was performed with an evaluating research design in Sri Lanka. A qualitative approach has been used in combination to the ethnographic method that carries out the collection of data. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with companies within the tea industry in Sri Lanka to meet the research objective. Conclusions: The vertical integration can be strengthened through informal integrate functions and its emergence can thus promote business networks. Actors linking through investments by brokers can thereby simplify the process of value adding activities to the current tea industry in Sri Lanka.

Este estudo procurou entender porque as usinas e destilarias fazem uso de estratégias distintas na coordenação vertical da colheita da cana-de-açúcar, pois verifica-se no setor a presença conjunta de empresas que utilizam a terceirização total da frota, outras que utilizam a terceirização de forma parcial (integração vertical parcial) e ainda, firmas que empregam estruturas totalmente verticalizadas na condução dessa atividade. Assim, foram analisados os mecanismos e critérios de escolha utilizados pelas empresas ao estabelecerem os arranjos institucionais que coordenam as atividades de corte, carregamento e transporte da cana-de-açúcar, buscando um alinhamento entre os arranjos adotados e os aspectos teóricos que justificassem essa opção. Durante a análise, também foram descritas as principais dificuldades enfrentadas pelos agentes envolvidos no processo de terceirização da colheita (usinas/destilarias e prestadores de serviço), pretendendo contribuir para a discussão sobre o tema entre os profissionais da área. O ferramental teórico utilizado para o embasamento do estudo foi composto a partir da conjugação de elementos da Teoria Neoclássica, da Economia dos Custos de Transação e da Teoria das Competências Dinâmicas. O estudo se apoiou em dados secundários, obtidos de diversas fontes, e em dados primários, coletados a partir de entrevistas em profundidade com os agentes envolvidos no processo analisado. Participaram da amostra 33 usinas/destilarias (30 localizadas no Estado de São Paulo e 3 no Estado do Paraná) e 6 empresas prestadoras de serviço. A presença de diferentes arranjos entre as usinas/destilarias foi explicada pela percepção distinta dos custos de transação e de produção envolvidos nessa escolha, e pela própria heterogeneidade de recursos e competências entre as empresas. Apenas no caso do corte manual observou-se uma tendência de convergência dos arranjos em direção a estruturas verticalizadas, que pode ser explicada, principalmente, pela maior pressão dos órgãos e agentes privados e públicos nos últimos anos para o cumprimento das normas trabalhistas e de segurança e saúde do trabalhador rural, visando, entre outras coisas, a eliminação da terceirização do corte manual. Com relação às dificuldades enfrentadas pelas usinas/destilarias que fazem uso da terceirização e pelos prestadores de serviços, verificou-se que os principais pontos de divergência entre os agentes referem-se ao tempo de duração dos contratos, aos mecanismos de monitoramento e controle utilizados e a forma de pagamento dos serviços prestados. / This study has aimed at understanding why sugar/alcohol mills and distilleries make use of distinct strategies in the vertical coordination of the sugarcane harvesting system. The sector presents three different types of institutional arrangements to perform harvesting activities: (i) companies using completely outsourced services; (ii) mills that use partly outsourced services (partial vertical integration); and (iii) firms that employ totally verticalized structures. Therefore, we have analyzed the mechanisms and criteria of choice used by the mills for establishing institutional arrangements to coordinate the harvesting, truck loading, and transportation of sugarcane. In this enquiry, we have searched for alignments between the arrangements adopted and the theoretical aspects that could justify such choices. During the analysis, we have also described the main difficulties faced by the agents involved in the outsourcing process (mills/distilleries and service providers), intending to contribute to professionals in the area. The theoretical fundamentals of the study concerned elements of Neoclassical Theory, of Transaction Cost Economics, and of Dynamic Capabilities Theory. The research is based on secondary data obtained from several sources and on primary data collected in thorough interviews with the agents involved. The sample consists of 33 mills/distilleries (30 located in São Paulo State and three in Paraná State) and of six service-providing firms. The different institutional arrangements among mills/distilleries result from distinct perceptions of the transaction and production costs involved in such choice as well as from the heterogeneity of resources and competences among companies. Strictly in the case of manual harvesting, we have observed a trend towards verticalized structures. This is mainly due to the fact that both governmental and private agents have pressured such firms to respect labor norms as well as the workers? security and health regulations in the latest years, viewing at the extinction of outsourced manual harvesting, among other reasons. As to the problems faced by mills/distilleries that use outsourced service and service providers, we have found out that the main disagreements among agents regard the duration of contracts, the monitoring mechanisms and the form of payment for services rendered.

Under the government development policy, the pulling power of domestic market, and the technology support from Japan, Taiwan has surpass Korean, became the largest Large scale TFT LCD supplying country. The rising status of Taiwan has attracted a lot of international critical component supplier to establish branch in Taiwan, including Corning, Merk, Asahi, NEG, NH Techono Glass Corporation, Nitto optical, HOYA. Taiwan need to increase the self-supplying rate of equipment and control and manage the technology patent to be more competitive. Under the specific long-tern developing policy, Korea government creates a very suitable environment for industry-government-research cooperation. With unique conglomerate developing method, Korea LCD company has producing economic sales, well-known brand name, and vertical integration of key components, which made Korea replaced Japan to be the largest LCD panel supplying country since 1997. Korean¡¦s company keep on upgrade themselves by investing in R&D, under government¡¦s supporting policy, the country is expected to reach 80% self-supplying rate in related material, components and producing equipment, which totally makes Korea more competitive in panel industry. In order to understand the development model of Taiwan and Korean¡¦s company, this research take Taiwan AOU and Korean Samsung as study case to compare how different background and innovative ways influence company¡¦s business performance.

Reports on undergraduate medical education in the recent decade clearly point towards a need for greater integration of content in the medical curriculum. The pedagogy of an integrated curriculum embraces many models of integration, representing a continuum where full integration sits at one end and disciplinebased teaching at the other, with many intermediate steps between the two extremes. A vertically integrated curriculum seeks to bridge the preclinical and clinical divide in content by teaching the content concurrently rather than sequentially, but still retaining discipline boundaries. A horizontally integrated curriculum seeks to further break down the distinctions between the basic and clinical sciences, with the early years of the program focusing on the basic sciences and introducing clinical features into the program wherever possible as part of a gradual shift to a more continued collaborative clinical focus. At the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, the overall redesigned curricular program will be phased in over the next four years of the curriculum, with a greater emphasis towards an integrated approach of the teaching and learning of human disease. In the first year, this has led to the creation of a patchwork quilt teaching style, where a cross disciplinary functional system incorporates elements of the traditional basic science components of anatomy, physiology, embryology, and histology, and an introduction of core general pathological concepts in a vertical and horizontal integrated fashion. <p>The main objective of this research, detailed in Chapter 1, was to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of the two models of horizontal and vertical integration of the reorganized structural teaching of pathology through an analysis of the perceptions of medical educators and first- and second-year students in the undergraduate curriculum at the College of Medicine, and based contextually within a theoretical framework of the newly designed medical curriculum. <p>In this context, the literature review in Chapter 2 focused on four major areas that are the underpinnings of the pedagogy of pathology teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum: (a) integration concepts in relation to medical education; (b) the practice of pathology teaching in the past, present, and future; (c) theories of curricular integration; and (d) its effects on the student learning environment. This resulted in the development of the pre-research conceptual framework for this study. <p>The in-service monitoring research design for this study included a triangulation of research methodologies using multiple data sources, multiple subjects, and multiple data collection techniques using comparative qualitative and quantitative research inquiry techniques. Data collected from the semi-structured interviews of the medical faculty provided not only an understanding of the educators perceptions towards the integrated curriculum, but also some insight towards their feelings of respect, power, and identity in this new integrative environment. Personal perceptions of fear, apathy, and stress and perceptions regarding accountability and sustainability of this integrative process were also observed as arising from this educational intervention. <p>Quantitative data analysis collected from the first-year student survey questionnaires derived the following grand mean responses with respect to the vertical integration of pathology teachings: student learning satisfaction with integration (3.6); the learning environment (3.8); student engagement (3.3); and student stress (2.9). The grand mean responses to horizontal integration showed a similar trend: student learning satisfaction (3.7); learning environment (4); student engagement (3.5); and student stress (3). Perceptions of the second-year medical students to horizontal integration of pathology teachings were comparable: student learning satisfaction (3.7); learning environment (4.2); student engagement (3.7); and student stress (3.1). A comparison of first- and second-year medical students showed a significant difference (p<0.05) with respect to the domains of student engagement with active independent learning. This difference may, perhaps, be directly related to the level of maturity of the first- versus second-year students, coupled with the receptiveness, awareness, and familiarity of the integration process between the two groups. There were no perceived differences between the horizontal and vertical integrative learning environments. Likewise, inter-modular and inter-system components within the vertical and horizontal integration did not demonstrate any major differences. These results are explored in greater detail in Chapters 4 and 5.<p>One of the noteworthy findings of this study was the statistically significant difference between the perceptions of first-year medical and dental students in both vertical and horizontal integrative environments in many domains, including student learning satisfaction (p<0.001); learning environment (p<0.001); and student engagement (p<0.01). There was no difference in student stress perceptions between the two groups of first-year students. The main theme linking these disparities seemed to be related to a lack of academic and vocational relevance of the undergraduate medical course teachings to the inter-professional composite cohort of dental students. This has led to the creation of an independent course dedicated to first-year dental students. This rapid in-service responsive evaluation thus recognized a major immediate dissatisfaction, resulting in curricular program change. Other curricular changes are underway to address student concerns of ineffective curricular content and time management. An unexpected emergent theme of this study was the recognition of a perception gap between students and faculty medical educators. This is probably nested in complex factors, such as generational learning differences and attitudes towards the learning environment, which are beyond the research scope of this study.<p>In conclusion, the results of this study strongly supports an overall balanced composite curricular design, including facets of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal integration that meet the needs of the student learner and satisfy the expectations of the medical faculty as the best practice plan for the instruction of pathology in the newly designed integrated medical curriculum. As learning is the central function of all education, perhaps the future of successful effective medical educational learning environments are those in which an intergenerational component of students and instructors can engage as true joint partners in curriculum organization to provide the right balance between faculty expectations and student learner needs.

Reports on undergraduate medical education in the recent decade clearly point towards a need for greater integration of content in the medical curriculum. The pedagogy of an integrated curriculum embraces many models of integration, representing a continuum where full integration sits at one end and disciplinebased teaching at the other, with many intermediate steps between the two extremes. A vertically integrated curriculum seeks to bridge the preclinical and clinical divide in content by teaching the content concurrently rather than sequentially, but still retaining discipline boundaries. A horizontally integrated curriculum seeks to further break down the distinctions between the basic and clinical sciences, with the early years of the program focusing on the basic sciences and introducing clinical features into the program wherever possible as part of a gradual shift to a more continued collaborative clinical focus. At the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, the overall redesigned curricular program will be phased in over the next four years of the curriculum, with a greater emphasis towards an integrated approach of the teaching and learning of human disease. In the first year, this has led to the creation of a patchwork quilt teaching style, where a cross disciplinary functional system incorporates elements of the traditional basic science components of anatomy, physiology, embryology, and histology, and an introduction of core general pathological concepts in a vertical and horizontal integrated fashion. <p>The main objective of this research, detailed in Chapter 1, was to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of the two models of horizontal and vertical integration of the reorganized structural teaching of pathology through an analysis of the perceptions of medical educators and first- and second-year students in the undergraduate curriculum at the College of Medicine, and based contextually within a theoretical framework of the newly designed medical curriculum. <p>In this context, the literature review in Chapter 2 focused on four major areas that are the underpinnings of the pedagogy of pathology teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum: (a) integration concepts in relation to medical education; (b) the practice of pathology teaching in the past, present, and future; (c) theories of curricular integration; and (d) its effects on the student learning environment. This resulted in the development of the pre-research conceptual framework for this study. <p>The in-service monitoring research design for this study included a triangulation of research methodologies using multiple data sources, multiple subjects, and multiple data collection techniques using comparative qualitative and quantitative research inquiry techniques. Data collected from the semi-structured interviews of the medical faculty provided not only an understanding of the educators perceptions towards the integrated curriculum, but also some insight towards their feelings of respect, power, and identity in this new integrative environment. Personal perceptions of fear, apathy, and stress and perceptions regarding accountability and sustainability of this integrative process were also observed as arising from this educational intervention. <p>Quantitative data analysis collected from the first-year student survey questionnaires derived the following grand mean responses with respect to the vertical integration of pathology teachings: student learning satisfaction with integration (3.6); the learning environment (3.8); student engagement (3.3); and student stress (2.9). The grand mean responses to horizontal integration showed a similar trend: student learning satisfaction (3.7); learning environment (4); student engagement (3.5); and student stress (3). Perceptions of the second-year medical students to horizontal integration of pathology teachings were comparable: student learning satisfaction (3.7); learning environment (4.2); student engagement (3.7); and student stress (3.1). A comparison of first- and second-year medical students showed a significant difference (p<0.05) with respect to the domains of student engagement with active independent learning. This difference may, perhaps, be directly related to the level of maturity of the first- versus second-year students, coupled with the receptiveness, awareness, and familiarity of the integration process between the two groups. There were no perceived differences between the horizontal and vertical integrative learning environments. Likewise, inter-modular and inter-system components within the vertical and horizontal integration did not demonstrate any major differences. These results are explored in greater detail in Chapters 4 and 5.<p>One of the noteworthy findings of this study was the statistically significant difference between the perceptions of first-year medical and dental students in both vertical and horizontal integrative environments in many domains, including student learning satisfaction (p<0.001); learning environment (p<0.001); and student engagement (p<0.01). There was no difference in student stress perceptions between the two groups of first-year students. The main theme linking these disparities seemed to be related to a lack of academic and vocational relevance of the undergraduate medical course teachings to the inter-professional composite cohort of dental students. This has led to the creation of an independent course dedicated to first-year dental students. This rapid in-service responsive evaluation thus recognized a major immediate dissatisfaction, resulting in curricular program change. Other curricular changes are underway to address student concerns of ineffective curricular content and time management. An unexpected emergent theme of this study was the recognition of a perception gap between students and faculty medical educators. This is probably nested in complex factors, such as generational learning differences and attitudes towards the learning environment, which are beyond the research scope of this study.<p>In conclusion, the results of this study strongly supports an overall balanced composite curricular design, including facets of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal integration that meet the needs of the student learner and satisfy the expectations of the medical faculty as the best practice plan for the instruction of pathology in the newly designed integrated medical curriculum. As learning is the central function of all education, perhaps the future of successful effective medical educational learning environments are those in which an intergenerational component of students and instructors can engage as true joint partners in curriculum organization to provide the right balance between faculty expectations and student learner needs.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to find the relationship between PAOD (Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease) and the major human diseases based on various statistics and literatures. The findings will facilitate the promotion of PAOD instrument at district clinics and hospitals where health and hygiene lessons are taught, these lessons will instruct people the idea of ¡¥prevention is better than cure¡¦ and ¡¥early discover early cure¡¦ on PAOD. Through analysis of data collected from hospital questionnaires to find an effective marketing strategy of universal installation of PAOD instrument which will make it more popular and convenient to screen potential PAOD patients and to realize the idea of ¡¥early discover early cure¡¦. Another approach of this study will focus on marketing strategy and corporate wide management strategy, the methods applied such as: 1. STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) marketing strategy 2. 4P (Product¡BPrice¡BPlace¡BPromote) theory, definition, features, advantages and disadvantages. 3. 4C (Customer benefit¡BCost to customer¡BConvenience¡BCommunication) theory, definition, features, advantages and disadvantages. 4. The comparisons and crossed applications of 4P and 4C theory. 5. Vertical integration strategy. Through the above methods and the analysis of PAOD questionnaires, it decides a marketing strategy and execution approach. Besides, according to the current industry environment and health insurance system, this paper gives practical advices to company ¡¥A¡¦ facing exit strategy. In an era of extremely competitive of free market, how to customize products, to differentiate services, to increase the customer loyalty and to buildup good brand image are the cores of competition to a company. Based on the result of this study, it purposes company ¡¥A¡¦ the short, medium and long term running plan individually. The core of the best marketing strategy always considers the highest guideline ¡¥the needs and benefits of customers¡¦. For a company, besides its profits consideration for continuous operation, how to step into a virtuous cycle which constantly puts the benefits of customers (such as hospitals, clinics, and patients) as its first priority is the major topic of sustainability and differentiation. Key words: PAOD¡ASTP marketing strategy¡A4P theory¡A4C theory¡Avertical integration

For a company to strengthen competitive advantage, they had to put in whatever method they can from time to time, for example, from product innovation, strategic innovation to seek for differentiation. There is also no exceptional for Taiwanese manufacturer. Due to the fact that most Taiwanese manufacturers are small and medium scales company, in addition they are OEM supplier, therefore at initial stage, it is very difficult to pursue differentiation from marketing and product research and development innovation. Under limited resources situation, how to aims at their own strength to select the strategy for differentiation is an issue for Taiwanese manufacturer to consider very thoroughly. This article took small electrical appliances industry as an example and from the business model application standpoint, we discovered that most Taiwanese manufacturers has taken Tapered vertical integration as the main business model to sustain its competitive advantage. Especially when they started on mainland investment, due to the land obtains easily and the cheaper labor force...etc, this vertical integration model application can further be implemented. Taking Value Chain theory and the Smile Curve as a basis for this study, and obtains the most effective vertical integration model is focus on "The Production Vertical Integration". This business model has led a few manufacturers obtain cost advantage in different level. As a case study we take Tsann Kuen Enterprise Co., Ltd as an example, to learn how this company has taken this vertical integration as an approach and developed to become the first Taiwanese manufacturer listed in China stock market. In addition, to learn how it became the top three of the largest small electrical appliances supplier. Finally, from the case study, we will propose a future development approach and suggestion for the Taiwanese small electrical appliances industry. Key Word: Vertical Integration, Smile Curve, Value Chain

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Philosophy, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.