Analysis of Online Game Distribution in China’s Internet Cafés

Internet Cafés are the most popular locations for internet users to enjoy online game playing in China. At the beginning of this chapter, the authors analyzed reasons for Internet cafes’ popularity as well as listing difficulties the Internet Cafés are confronting. Applying the distribution strategy put forward by Kasper, the authors analyzed how five of the top ten most popular games are distributed in the Internet cafés by their game operators. In the conclusion, the authors suggest game operators of different market dominance should utilize different distribution strategies (intensive or selective one) to match the game product with the players’ demand. At the end of this chapter, some recommendations are put forward for the Internet cafés to take into account.

Embracing Emerging Technologies

Many countries are attempting to develop themselves as intelligent nations, equipped and empowered by advanced info-communications technology (ICT). This chapter describes and analyses how Singapore attempts to develop an intelligent nation under its umbrella vision and strategy of Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015). It examines the substance of the vision and highlights some of the initiatives implemented to realise the vision. It also discusses the different roles of the government in implementing the iN2015 vision and some of the challenges ahead.

Optimal Policy for Biopharmaceutical Drugs Innovation and Access in India

In theory, patents work by providing the inventor an incentive to invent in the first place and then to disclose. Disclosure to the public is rewarded by giving the inventor a monopoly. As product patent and higher patent protection has been advocated by Art 27.1 of the TRIPs agreement on the basis that for greater innovation through transfer of technology is a necessity in developing countries like India as it provides capital to fund expensive innovations, who are otherwise not be able to fund expensive innovations on its own. On the other hand, at the same time drugs are also related with the health of the people and to take care of the health of the people is the utmost priority of any Government and there are issues like accessibility with regard to strong patent protection to biopharma products and data exclusivity. Also as per Art 7 of the TRIPs transfer of technology has to occur to the developing countries in order to promote technological innovations, which is conducive to social and economic welfare. Therefore, striking the right balance between incentive and public access creates a tension is essential. This study suggests optimal policy (Patent and other regulations) to have a balance between biopharma drugs innovation and their access in India while complying with the provisions of the TRIPs agreement by broadly categorising variables such as (1) patent policy such as the scope of biotech patents and the extent of the right in terms of breadth and length; and (2) regulatory environment such as the taxation incentive, Investment policy, Government initiative for the development of this sector etc.

Traceability Systems for Sustainable Development in Rural Areas

In a global world, where a lot of international trade treaties have been signed, we must face new threats such as influenza A (H1N1) or bioterrorism. In this context, to control the origins of food can save lives and big amounts of money. Meanwhile, new regulations in the European Union have arisen. In accordance with the provisions of Article 18 of European Regulation 178/2002, from 1(st) January 2005, all European companies in the food industry must have implemented a traceability system. However, it may sound strange that after all these years with this regulation in force some of the workers in this area don´t even know what traceability is. This document pretends to give some details on food traceability, and it will expose a real case in which cutting-edge technologies have been applied to solve the traceability in rural areas of northern Spain, by improving productivity and allowing small businesses to offer more competitive and safer products, and of higher quality.

Biopharma Drugs Innovation in India and Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer in the Changed Patent Regime

This chapter addresses the relationship between the intellectual property rights and Foreign Direct Investment in the context of Indian biopharma Industry to assess the impact of the TRIPs agreement of WTO on the biopharmaceutical industry of developing countries. The central issue in this study is the extent to which patent reform (after the imposition of the TRIPs agreement in 1995) affects India’s ability to attract technology transfer for biopharmaceutical drugs innovation. The study analyzes FDI flow in the biopharma industry in Pre TRIPs (before the imposition of product patent protection 1991-1999) and post TRIPs (after product patent protection, 1999-2005). It does a comparative analysis of the relationship between the amount of foreign investment in different Indian states and the investment climate ranking of those states that are the part of Indian bio cluster.

Theoretical Approaches to the Marketing of Innovation in Biotechnology Firms

The marketing of new products for new markets is uncertain and often leads to confusion. One of the many causes is the wrong use of marketing techniques for mature products whose life cycles are different, although they are very familiar. Biotechnology, with a strong component of technological knowledge and innovative cross-refers not to an industry, but rather a set of applications of intricate characteristics mainly due to genetic manipulation, which represents a particular challenge unlike other more mature or traditional product or technology. For this reason, through an innovation based marketing for new product, new customers and new markets are essential to maximize the success of this technology.

Alliances may Explain the Significant Growth of Biotechnology Companies in the Critical Period 1996-2001?

The biotechnology is a very complex sector and its growth depends on many variables like intellectual properties, venture capital, clusters, public policies, alliances, amongst others. In biotechnology, the complexity surrounding alliances can be observed. The market globalization, the exorbitant costs of R&D and the rapid changes in technology, are arguably in the midst of the principal reasons that push companies to establish alliances. Biotechnology companies use this instrument to develop external features in the search for resources and missing expertise. This chapter sets out to identify whether such alliances in biotechnology companies are an advantage in themselves, sufficient for the acquisition of new capabilities and whether they help the growth of these companies. For this approach, a private database of companies (900 companies including years 1996-2001) in the two most advanced countries in this sector: United States and United Kingdom will be used.

R&D Centre Growth Based on Regional Innovation System

The chapter focuses on comparing and analyzing the development models of typical regional innovation systems in the world, discussing the relationship of regional innovation system and R&D centre growth, and points out that the emergence of R&D centre and growth are tight relative with the development of regional innovation system. Through researching on typical cases of India’s Banglore, Singapore and Taiwan’s Xinzhu, the paper summarizes the experience that establishing and perfecting regional innovation system will improve R&D centre growth. Using the experience for reference, some strategies to promote R&D centre are put forward as conclusions.

Mapping the Innovation Activities in Europe

This chapter analyses the innovation activities and the way they contribute essentially to the regional dimension and growth. The chapter aims to investigate how technological infrastructure and innovation capabilities affect not only regional growth, but also the whole periphery and economy, as well as how technological innovation is essential if companies - and countries - are to maintain their competitiveness in global markets. Furthermore, this chapter describes the relative measures and indexes introduced by E.U. and O.E.C.D. during the last years, concerning Research and Development Expenditures, patents e.t.c., namely measuring innovation activities. However, there are a lot of underlying problems and questions regarding the measurement of innovation activities at a regional level. This chapter attempts to analyze the whole framework of innovation statistics and in particular to examine the measurement and also the statistical estimation of innovation activities in E.U.. Within this context, it is also aiming to emphasize and review the appropriate techniques, the most common methods and the particular related problems.

Innovation Policy, Competitiveness, and Growth

This chapter focuses on the actors of knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship, as comparative advantages towards regional sustainable development. The chapter describes the analytical framework in which technical change, innovation and entrepreneurship activities are considered as among the most important factors influencing sustainable economic development, both in national and regional level. Within this analytical framework, the chapter aims to provide a clear understudying of the main related questions summarized in the following: To which extent economic development depends on the presence of a network favorable to knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship, based on the endogenous development capabilities? How could the level of regional innovation activities be enhanced? How could the effect of innovation activities on regional development be estimated? What is the relative position of a region as far as development and innovation competitiveness are concerned?