Journal of International Trade Law and Policy (JITLP)

Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2003

Abstracts

Trading Places with Communities: Towards the Protection of Traditional Knowledge in the Context of International Trade and Global Markets

Johanna Gibson, Postgraduate student,
University of Edinburgh

In the context of intellectual property rights and international trade, the protection of traditional resources and knowledge remains uncertain. This paper considers the challenges to the traditional autonomy of the nation-state in the context of globalisation and liberalisation of trade, and examines the potential for the protection and conservation of traditional resources in the international context of biodiversity and national borders of intellectual property, drawing upon the Australian example. In addressing the need for relevant protection of traditional knowledge, this paper addresses the efficacy of modern notions of community beyond the geographic, localised model and towards diversity within a global civil society of obligations.

Globalising Telecommunications: The Case of British Telecommunications PLC1

David Lal, Peter A. Strachan and Mahendra Raj,
The Robert Gordon University

The global telecommunications marketplace has witnessed considerable and unprecedented changes in the past twenty-five years, so much so, that comparative recognition of most telecommunications fixed-link network operators is impossible. Consequently, industry structures, market specific structures and the internal operation of incumbent firms have been transformed by visionary strategic directional changes. Demonstrably, the impact of national strategic intentions have identified clear shifts away from predominantly monopolistic - highly bureaucratic, labour intensive and government-run service providers, towards distinct deregulated markets - supporting increasingly competitive, innovative and market-led organisations. With this in mind, this study considers the nature of organisational strategic evolution and its associated consequences on the UK incumbent BT, since UK telecommunications privatisation. A case study approach was adopted, with face-to-face interviews being carried-out with senior executives, using semi-structured questionnaire checklists. Content analysis was applied to the data set and results alluded to the nature of both strategic evolution and the emerging strategic focus occurring within the firm. Against this backdrop, BT was seen to evolve from a dormant, fat, inward-looking and inefficient organisation, towards a more dynamic, forward thinking, creative and global organisation. A conceptual model portraying the impact of strategic change on transforming the business focus of BT is developed.

The authors are, respectively, Lecturer in International Business and Corporate Strategy, Lecturer in Strategy and Environmental Management, and Professor in International Finance at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

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