Ensuring Quality to Gain Access to Global Markets


Book Description

In a modern world with rapidly growing international trade, countries compete less based on the availability of natural resources, geographical advantages, and lower labor costs and more on factors related to firms' ability to enter and compete in new markets. One such factor is the ability to demonstrate the quality and safety of goods and services expected by consumers and confirm compliance with international standards. To assure such compliance, a sound quality infrastructure (QI) ecosystem is essential. Jointly developed by the World Bank Group and the National Metrology Institute of Germany, this guide is designed to help development partners and governments analyze a country's quality infrastructure ecosystems and provide recommendations to design and implement reforms and enhance the capacity of their QI institutions.




Quality Management for Competitive Advantage in Global Markets


Book Description

Quality should be treated as a culture of success in the market. Enterprises focused on quality will survive in the long term in this new environment because quality is what may create a real and robust link between a company and its clients, and these clients should always be considered the heart of any business; without them, there is neither option nor sense to continue any activity in a company. Quality Management for Competitive Advantage in Global Markets is an essential reference source that discusses the importance of quality practices and global market practices. With research that allows practitioners to improve their understanding of the strategic role of quality in the information and knowledge society, it focuses on describing a global economy formed by networks, organizations, teams, workgroups, information systems, and finally, actors in networked environments. Featuring research on topics such as consumer satisfaction, human capital, and quality management, the target audience of this book is composed of professionals and researchers working in the field of information and knowledge management in various disciplines including library, information and communication sciences, administrative sciences and management, education, adult education, sociology, computer science, and information technology. Moreover, the book provides insights and supports executives concerned with the management of expertise, knowledge, information, and organizational development in different types of work communities and environments.




Quality Systems and Standards for a Competitive Edge


Book Description

This book responds to the challenge of providing a comprehensive account of quality systems for private sector development: what works and what doesnt on the ground, and why. This volume provides a thorough analysis of the diversity of institutions, linkages, and arrangements involved in quality systems, identifying success factors in countries quality strategies. It explains why quality and standards matter for export growth, for productivity, for industrial upgrading, and for diffusion of innovation, all central ingredients in improving economic growth and generating real gains in poverty reduction. It provides a detailed blue print for implementing effective National Quality Systems. Quality and Standards Matter is a valuable tool for policymakers confronted with the challenges of building trade competitiveness in the new global economy.




Sustainable Energy Solutions for Remote Areas in the Tropics


Book Description

This book covers multifaceted aspects of sustainable energy solutions for remote areas in the tropics, particularly focusing on Southeast Asia. With insights from both the academic world and real-life implementation, readers will gain an overview of the range of energy problems currently facing the remote tropics, and what potential solutions are available. The book provides a detailed overview of various energy needs in the Southeast Asian tropics, a region where a significant portion of the population still lives without access to electricity. It not only addresses technical solutions to the energy problems but also tackles the social and wider implications, offering readers a more holistic understanding of the potential held by renewable energy. The chapters are structured to present first an overview of the problem at hand, and then a description of the technologies that could potentially solve it. Applications of the technologies; business models that are now available or being developed; the impact of the technologies; and future, more sustainable solutions are all discussed. Given its in-depth analysis, the book will be of interest to energy professionals in the tropics, energy policymakers, and students studying sustainable energy.




Beefing up: An analysis of Uganda's beef export competitiveness - Technical note


Book Description

The livestock sector accounts for about 17 percent of agricultural value added and 4.3 percent of Ugandan GDP. Among the livestock subsectors, cattle is the most important one, as Uganda has 14.2 million cattle, of which 11.9 million are raised for meat. However, despite the variety of investments for the production and exports of the livestock products put in place by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries (MAAIF), Ugandan beef exports have decreased over the last years. Consequently, beef export competitiveness and diversification were identified as two of the top agricultural policy reform priorities for the Uganda following consultations with the Uganda Beef Platform Secretariat, which includes members of the Uganda Agribusiness Alliance (UAA), the EU-funded "Developing a market-oriented and environmentally sustainable beef meat industry in Uganda" Project (MOBIP) and of the Beef Policy and Advocacy Taskforce. This technical report looks at the export competitiveness of beef meat, and skins and hides, by analysing export specialization patterns, market diversification and regulatory requirements, among others. It also outlines characteristics of beef-exporting firms in Uganda and the role informal trade plays for this commodity. As a policy tool, it provides a set of conclusions and policy interventions to “beef up” Ugandan exports of fresh beef, frozen beef, and skins and hides, so that these exports become more competitive and attractive for global, inclusive markets.




Trapped in the Middle?


Book Description

Trapped in the Middle? investigates whether middle-income traps really exist and, in case they do, how these pitfalls are manifested, their causes, what economic policy measures are required to escape from them, and what international cooperation can do to support this process.




Doing Business 2020


Book Description

Seventeen in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 190 economies, Doing Business 2020 measures aspects of regulation affecting 10 areas of everyday business activity.




Developing the Services Sector for Economic Diversification in CAREC Countries


Book Description

The services sector is becoming a key driver of economic development in most members of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program. This study underscores the potential for greater economic diversification through robust development of seven key services subsectors and industries that are critical for economies in the region to function and thrive. CAREC members also need to adopt a coherent and comprehensive approach to the balanced development of these interdependent services subsectors. Enabling conditions such as good governance, competitive markets, strong regional cooperation and integration, efficient labor markets, and high quality physical and digital infrastructure are crucial.




The Political Economy of Automotive Industrialization in East Asia


Book Description

Introduction -- The Lure and Challenges of the Automobile Industry -- Institutions, Politics and Developmental Divergence -- Thailand: Early opening and Export success -- The Philippines and Indonesia: Extensive Development Arrested and Delayed -- Korea: Successful Intensive Industrialization -- Malaysia: How Intensive Development Strategies Fail in the Absence of Appropriate Institutions -- China: Revamping socialist institutions for a market economy -- Taiwan: Balancing independent assembly, MNCs, and parts promotion in a small market -- Conclusion.




Global Economic Prospects 2007


Book Description

Over the next 25 years developing countries will move to center stage in the global economy. Global Economic Prospects 2007 analyzes the opportunities - and stresses - this will create. While rich and poor countries alike stand to benefit, the integration process will make more acute stresses already apparent today - in income inequality, in labor markets, and in the environment. Over the next 25 years, rapid technological progress, burgeoning trade in goods and services, and integration of financial markets create the opportunity for faster long-term growth. However, some regions, notably Africa, are at risk of being left behind. The coming globalization will also see intensified stresses on the "global commons." Addressing global warming, preserving marine fisheries, and containing infectious diseases will require effective multilateral collaboration to ensure that economic growth and poverty reduction proceed without causing irreparable harm to future generations."