Papers by MUSTAPHA NASIR USMAN
The field of comparative economic systems has been recently enriched by the arrival of the new co... more The field of comparative economic systems has been recently enriched by the arrival of the new comparative economics. This approach is in the line of the law and finance tradition and presents an important contribution under different perspectives. In the paper I present the most important propositions of this new approach and I evaluate them in the light of the problems that the comparative study of economic systems traditionally considers. The conclusion is that this new approach can give important contributions to the development of the discipline in particular fields, but falls short of its pretended general validity. JEL Classification: P10, P50 , P51
Comparative economics-the description and underlying explanation of human and nonhuman variations... more Comparative economics-the description and underlying explanation of human and nonhuman variations on the relationship between life and its environment seeks to discover how and to what extent the limitations that apply to some living systems can be overcome in others, including our own economy. It is founded on four phenomena, which collectively explain how life and its economic structures arise, how diversity of form and function come about, and how change occurs. These phenomena are self-organization, emergence (new properties and entities formed when parts combine), selection and adaptation, and feedback between living things and their surroundings. The systems of life vary in patterns of inheritance, the units among which selection takes place, resources, and size; these variables, in turn, affect patterns of history, adaptability, and innovation. Beneath the variation, all living systems are subject to local competition, cooperation, and evolution. Ten distinctive institutions and capacities have been thought to be unique to modern humans: cultural (non-genetic) inheritance of information and adaptations; cooperation among genetically unrelated individuals; markets in which enforceable contracts determine the quantities and prices of goods and services; utility, emergent goals and values informed by stable preferences; intentionality, deliberate action toward a predetermined goal; innovation by designing devices and institutions without historical precedents; symbolic thought; extrasomal extension, work performed beyond internal metabolism; and unsustainable exploitation of resources. These traits and capacities, which confer unprecedented power and reach, occur widely outside the human realm and have evolved independently in many organisms and ecosystems. They accelerate but do not fundamentally alter adaptation and innovation, and reduce but do not eliminate 123 106 G. J. Vermeij the constraints under which life in a finite world has persisted for three and a half billion years. Future civilization on Earth is therefore unlikely to forge an entirely new world order. Policies and predictions that are inconsistent with these universal realities are likely to fail. In particular: (1) local competition will remain necessary for successful adaptation and innovation; (2) an information-based economy will not replace an energy-based one, and energy use is unlikely to decline; and (3) redundancy of production in multiple sites must not be sacrificed through free trade and elimination of subsidies to achieve greater economic efficiency. Human survival requires that we work with nature, not against it.
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank the participants of the firm-level project coor... more Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank the participants of the firm-level project coordinated through efforts of the OECD. We are also grateful to John Haltiwanger, Jacques Mairesse, Stephen Nickell and Paul Geroski for their comments at the "OECD Technical Meeting on the OECD Firm-level Study", 12 January, 2001. Special thanks are due to Phillip Hemmings for illuminating discussions and help in assembling the database. We also acknowledge many useful comments on previous drafts from Mike Feiner, Jørgen Elmeskov, Nicholas Vanston and Sanghoon Ahn. The results presented in this paper derive from analysis of non-confidential data that were tabulated by participant teams working with national sources in compliance with national statistical disclosure rules. The views expressed in the paper are our own and should not be held to represent those of the organisations of affiliation. Abstract: This paper presents evidence on firm demographics and firm survival for a group of ten OECD countries. For each country a dataset of sectoral indicators of firm dynamics has been created using information from business registers. The patterns of firm entry, exit, survival and employment growth are described and analysed across countries, sectors, and over time. Further, the paper provides a discussion of how these data may be used to gain a better understanding of the process through which economic policy and institutions may affect aggregate patterns of employment, output, and productivity growth. JEL classification: L11, G33, M13
The aim of this paper is to develop and implement an empirical model of firm behaviour. The data ... more The aim of this paper is to develop and implement an empirical model of firm behaviour. The data applied are patent applications taken out by 16 multinationals within telecommunications. The first dimension of the model deals with the strategic behaviour of firms. Second dimension deals with the accumulation of technological competencies, and finally a test of persistence and diversification in the technological profile of the single firm over time is carried out. Three types of results are reported: 1. For a small number of firms the process of accumulating technological competencies is very unstable leading to fragile competence bases. 2. The main part of the firms experience incremental accumulation of technological competencies over time even though the environment is highly dynamic. 3. For some firms the dynamics of the environment through competitor activities influence the accumulation of technological competencies to such a degree that the strategic intent is not reflected in the competence base. These findings support the theoretical argument that the resource-based view is too narrow and should include the dynamic effects imposed upon the firm by the environment in which the firm operates.
Much economic activity occurs in the not-for-profit (NFP) sector of the U.S. economy. Not-for-pro... more Much economic activity occurs in the not-for-profit (NFP) sector of the U.S. economy. Not-for-profit firms-defined primarily by their exemption from certain forms of taxation and by the requirement that the surplus of revenues over expenses not be distributed to the firm's owner or patron (the so-called nondistribution constraint)-are estimated to produce one-fifth of all American research and development, most of the economy's human capital that is not produced by on-the-job training, many important cultural products and services, and most health care services. Within the NFP sector, production is dominated by health care providers, which account for about one-half of NFP employment. Education and research make up the second largest component of NFP employment, at about 20 percent, followed by social services, such as child care and job training, at about 15 percent.
Concept of God in Major Religions
This book is a good reference for linear algebra and is suitable for mathematics, science and eng... more This book is a good reference for linear algebra and is suitable for mathematics, science and engineering undergraduate students. It covers not only theories, concepts and proofs but also applications of linear algebra in our daily life with an abundance of general exercises, true-false exercises, multiple-choice exercises, and an assortment of computer exercises. The content of this book is similar to [1] and [2], including systems of linear equations, vector spaces, vector subspaces, determinants, matrix operations, eigen systems, inner-product vector spaces, as well as some additional topics. However, this book has advantages compared to [1] and [2] in the usage of sophisticated mathematical software such as MATLAB r , Maple TM and Mathematica r to illustrate the calculations along with their codes. In [1] and [2] there are some exercises that are designed to be solved using technology such as MATLAB, Maple or Mathematica or other linear algebra software. With this approach, the authors try to encourage students to learn more about at least one of the mathematical software packages used in this book. This book consists of eight chapters. Chapter 1 comprises sections on linear equations, systems of linear equations, Gaussian elimination, elementary row operations, reduced row echelon form, row echelon form, vectors and matrices, kernels, rank, and homogeneous equations. These are standard topics. The authors give an application of feeding bacteria and provide the code from MATLAB, Maple and Mathematica for this purpose. Other applications such as bending of a beam are also given. Chapter 2 is devoted to vector spaces, from Euclidean to general, and linear transformation. The applications consist of elementary mechanics, network problems, electrical circuits, the predator-prey simulation, data smoothing and models in economic theory. Chapters 3 and 4 present matrix operations and determinants. In Chapters 5, 6 and 7 the authors discuss vector subspaces, eigen systems and inner-product spaces. All the material is standard, the difference here is in the applications,
Network security consists of the policies and practices adopted to prevent and monitor unauthoriz... more Network security consists of the policies and practices adopted to prevent and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of a computer network and network-accessible resources. Network security involves the authorization of access to data in a network, which is controlled by the network administrator. Users choose or are assigned an ID and password or other authenticating information that allows them access to information and programs within their authority. Network security covers a variety of computer networks, both public and private, that are used in everyday jobs; conducting transactions and communications among businesses, government agencies and individuals. Networks can be private, such as within a company, and others which might be open to public access. Network security is involved in organizations, enterprises, and other types of institutions. It does as its title explains: it secures the network, as well as protecting and overseeing operations being done. The most common and simple way of protecting a network resource is by assigning it a unique name and a corresponding password.
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Papers by MUSTAPHA NASIR USMAN