A Study of 5G Edge-Central Core Network Split Options

With the wide adoption of edge compute infrastructures, an opportunity has arisen to deploy part of the functionality at the edge of the network to enable a localized connectivity service. This development is also supported by the adoption of “on-premises” local 5G networks addressing the needs of different vertical industries and by new standardized infrastructure services such as Mobile Edge Computing (MEC). This article introduces a comprehensive set of deployment options for the 5G network and its network management, complementing MEC with the connectivity service and addressing different classes of use cases and applications. We have also practically implemented and tested the newly introduced options in the form of slices within a standard-based testbed. Our performed validation proved their feasibility and gave a realistic perspective on their impact. The qualitative assessment of the connectivity service gives a comprehensive overview on which solution would be viable to be deployed for each vertical market and for each large-scale operator situation, making a step forward towards automated distributed 5G deployments.

Investigating market power in the Belgian pork production chain

Belgian pork production has faced stagnating prices for decades. It remains unclear whether excessive market power from slaughterhouses or meat retailers has played a role in this trend. While market power studies can reveal some of the market dynamics in this setting, this type of research has not yet been applied to the Belgian pork market. The present paper investigates oligopolies and oligopsonies in the pork production sector. We build a new model that focuses on market power dynamics in the market for live pigs and distinguishes horizontal and vertical market power parameters, both for pig farmers and for slaughterhouses. The results follow from an empirical application using unique slaughterhouse data for 2001–2015. The results indicate that the farmers benefit from a significant power advantage in the live pig market, when very modest price demands are taken as a reference. The final market price of live pigs approaches the price requested by the farmers. On the other hand, the measured vertical market power also suggests that a pig farmer does not receive the (modest) full-wage-based salary. The market power of the slaughterhouses is also limited. Market power as a result of collusion—that is, horizontal market power—is present, but is not strong. However, there are significant differences between the slaughterhouses in terms of mark-up on the input prices. These differences reflect differences in company strategy, and this diversity further reduces the possibility to create sector-wide collusive behaviour.

The Influence of Buyer Power on Supply Chain Pricing with Downstream Competition

This paper aims to investigate the impact of buyer power on the wholesale price and retail price of, in the case, downstream competition. Based on a summary of the competitive characteristics of China’s retail market, a model of a vertical market was constructed to examine the influence of buyer power on the pricing decisions of manufacturers and retailers, and to analyze the mechanism of price decisions. The results showed that the buyer power of national retailers reduced the wholesale price, but the impact on local retailers remained uncertain. Although increasing buyer power initially increased the local retailer’s wholesale price and caused the ‘waterbed effect’, we found that this effect reverted when the buyer power reached a point at which the ‘anti-waterbed effect’ appeared. The opposite was true of the retail price. However, buyer power reduced the average retail price, and consumer welfare improved.

Staying Ahead in Business Through Innovation

Globalization has created new trends such as market consolidation, vertical market strategies, and mergers in the business world. These trends have forced many business enterprises to adapt themselves to these new phenomena. Now it has become a necessity for many business enterprises to look for a “new approach” that can help them to face new realities in business. The most talked about and discussed “new approach” in the business world is “innovation management.” Some enterprises have started declaring innovation as their objective, but they do not seem to follow it up with any concrete action or support of their objective, some of them being under the impression that somehow someone will find an idea that would help their enterprise to improve their revenues and reduce their costs. This approach clearly indicates the lack of clarity on innovation management. This chapter explains the various forms of innovation and discusses a case illustration in respect to an innovative approach followed by a textile mill in India.

Analisis Variasi Harga Dan Integrasi Pasar Vertikal Cabai Merah Di Kabupaten Gayo Lues

Abstrak. Cabai merah (Capsicum annum L.) adalah salah satu jenis sayuran yang cukup strategis untuk dibudidayakan di Kabupaten Gayo Lues. Siklus produksinya yang bersifat musiman menyebabkan produksinya terus berfluktuatif. Hal tesebut dapat mempengaruhi perubahan harga yang cendrung berfluktuasi sehingga menimbulkan kecurigaan adanya permainan harga dalam proses pemasarannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui variasi harga cabai merah di tingkat petani dan pedagang pengecer serta mengetahui integrasi pasar vertikal cabai merah di Kabupaten Gayo Lues yang terjadi antara petani dan pedagang pengecer dalam jangka pendek dan jangka panjang. Metode penelitian adalah menggunakan analisis Koefisien variasi untuk mengetahui tingkat variasi harga dan dengan pendekatan Kointegrasi Johansen dan Vector Error Corection Model (VECM) untuk mengetahui integrasi pasar vertikal. Data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder kuantitatif berupa harga rata-rata bulanan selama empat tahun (tahun 2014 – tahun 2017). Hasil penelitian adalah variasi harga cabai merah di tingkat petani dan pengecer adalah tinggi dan tidak stabil berdasarkan kriteria Kemendag yaitu dengan nilai rata-rata koefisen variasi sebesar 15,34% di tingkat petani dan 11,64% di tingkat pengecer. Hasil uji kointegrasi Johansen harga di tingkat petani dan pengecer terdapat hubungan kointegrasi jangka panjang. Berdasarkan hasil estimasi hubungan integrasi jangka panjang dan jangka pendek menggunakan uji VECM, menunjukkan integrasi pasar vertikal cabai merah di Kabupaten Gayo Lues di tingkat petani dan pedagang pengecer terintegrasi masih relatif lemah.Analysis Of Price Variation And Vertical Market Integration Of Red Chili In Gayo Lues DistrictAbstract. The red chili (Capsicum annum L.) is one of vegetables that is strategic enough to be cultivated in Gayo Lues Regency. Its seasonal production cycle causes its production to continue to fluctuate. This can affect price changes that tend to fluctuate, thus raising the suspicion of a price game in the marketing process. This study aims to determine the variation of the price of red peppers at the level of farmers and retailers and to know the integration of red chili vertical market in Gayo Lues Regency that occurred between farmers and retailers in the short and long term. The research method is to use the variation coefficient analysis to determine the level of price variation and with the Johansen Cointegration Approach and the Vector Error Corection Model (VECM) to know the vertical market integration. The data used is quantitative secondary data in the form of average monthly price for four years (year 2014 - year 2017). The result of this research is variation of price of red chili at farmer level and retailer is high and unstable based on Kemendag criterion that is with average value of coefficient of variation 15,34% at farmer level and 11,64% at retailer level. Johansen's cointegration test results at the farmers and retailer levels have long term cointegration relationships. Based on the estimation of long-term and short-term integration relationships using the VECM test, it shows the vertical market integration of red pepper in Gayo Lues District at the level of integrated farmers and retailers is still relatively weak.

Saama Technologies: Growth Through a Focused Vertical Market Strategy

After a successful transition from a projects-based IT business services company to a platform-driven analytics company, Saama's core leadership team gathered in 2017 to brainstorm the next phase of its growth. The year before, the team had decided to narrow its target market to the life sciences vertical. Saama now had to decide how to execute on this focused strategy by choosing a growth pathway within the life sciences vertical. Saama's leadership team was considering three alternatives: acquiring new customer accounts, developing existing customer accounts, or developing new products by harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies. The team had to evaluate these growth pathways in terms of both short- and long-term revenue potential, as well as their potential for sustaining Saama's competitive advantage.