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Tariffs for international mobile roaming (IMR) are often viewed by governments as an additional tax on international trade and on tourism. IMR customer bills may appear to be arbitrary and sometimes excessive. The purpose of this paper is therefore to set out a pragmatic approach to assessing international charges for mobile roaming, making use of a realistic cost model of the international roaming process and its cost elements, at a level that is useful to regulatory authorities and operators.

The discussion presented is based on industry practices for handling voice calls and data sessions with the mobile network operators (MNOs) business model, based on industry sources. The basic mechanisms use two common constructs from business analysis – business processes and use-cases – to provide a simplified form of activity-based costing. This provides a model suitable for national regulatory authorities to move towards cost-based IMR tariffs.

Using a perspective on costs based on a bottom-up survey procedure for elucidating the key information, the paper presents the cost elements for the various IMR network components and business processes, with an approach suitable for analysing both wholesale and retail pricing.

The method is specifically designed to overcome the key problem of such approaches, the limitations set by differences in network technologies, network topology, operational scale and the engineering, as well as MNO business model and accounting practices, which otherwise would preclude the method presented here from being vendor neutral.

Vendor and network engineering neutrality implies the approach can be used to compare different MNOs in terms of the validity of their IMR charges and whether they are cost based.

Impacts on society of so-called “bill-shock” have become quite common, increasingly for data sessions. The cost model presented here was developed with the intention of improving the accountability and transparency of the mobile roaming market. It thus assists in the introduction of cost-based tariffs over an economic region, such the European Union.

The paper examines the practical implications of building large-scale cost models for assessing the real IMR costs, a modelling exercise that has not been seen elsewhere in terms of its approach and neutrality as to MNO structure and assets.

3G is important for developed countries but the stakes are even higher for developing countries since failure to develop 3G could widen the “digital divide” even further. While successful development of 3G services will depend on the private sector, it will also be crucially influenced by the policy and regulatory environment, in particular by the facilitation of market entry through appropriate licensing policies, as well as post‐entry competitive conditions. This article reports on the findings of a workshop organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) which identified critical policy issues with respect to the deployment of 3G mobile, including the regulatory status of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and the facilitation of global roaming. The potential role ITU could play as a facilitator of harmonized approaches for the global mobile information society is also explored.

Outlines Japan’s journey to third‐generation mobile (3G). Posits a number of factors have been responsible for driving Japan in the direction of 3G. Examines developments in 3G mobile phones and the situation reached in that country. Sums up that there are a number of lessons to be learned from the Japanese experience, notably on market structure.

Broadband networks, enabling high‐speed and always‐on Internet connections, are now seen by many to be critical for economic growth and development, both at the national and global level. Much energy has been invested in the deployment of broadband infrastructure around the world, and governments and industry have now begun addressing the demand side of the broadband challenge, i.e. ways in which to encourage take‐up among users. The present article zooms in on one of the leading countries in broadband, Iceland. It examines the main strategies, policies and regulations in place for promoting broadband in a country that has the world’s highest number of Internet users per capita, and posits on the main opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

This paper aims to discuss the burgeoning area of radio‐frequency identification (RFID), which uses radio waves to automatically identify and track individual items.

The paper begins by outlining the benefits and utility of RFID technology, through an examination of its technological characteristics, current applications, state of the market and future trends. The paper focuses on consumer applications for RFID, such as sports, lifestyle and leisure, and personal safety. It then explores some of the important implications of the technology and concludes with considerations of a socio‐ethical nature, including concerns related to individual privacy and human development.

The paper finds that RFID technology has tremendous potential to ease life and to improve the human condition. Still, further innovation and industrial deployment of this technology should be done in parallel with a careful exploration of all related aspects. No one can deny that the expansion of such “anywhere, anytime” communication technologies, for “anyone and anything”, will bring about increased convenience, greater access and a whole host of innovative applications and services. However, the capacity of these technologies to impact human lives (private and public) will grow correspondingly. This brings to mind the notion of the “Faustian Bargain” in the context of technological change: while a given technological advancement may improve many aspects of daily life, it also runs the risk of reducing the advantages of earlier developments or earlier ways of life. It is only through an increasing awareness of this risk that humanity (and societal progress) can be preserved in what has become an ever‐expanding sea of technology and automation.

The study presents an overview of technological benefits while expressing a balanced approach as to the potential concerns and implications.

Mobile communication technologies have come a long way, but they are far from completing their evolutionary path. An examination of the Japanese mobile sector, with its cutting‐edge technologies, may provide a glimpse of what is to come for the rest of the world. Japan's mobile users are demanding ever more functionality, and service providers are responding. Moreover, the mobile phone is affecting social norms of behaviour and its use has become integrated within Japanese society as nowhere else. Even though the technology is developing rapidly, the case of Japan suggests that self‐regulation and individual restraint can work.

This study focuses on the key success factors (KSFs) for strategy implementation in the fisheries industry in Iceland identified by chief executive officers within the industry. The purpose is to provide a comprehensive categorization of KSFs that influence how strategy is mobilized. The secondary aim is to uncover the level of priority that companies place on the dimensions of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The methodology involves qualitative case studies based on in-depth elite interviews with nine chief executive officers of Icelandic fishing companies.

The research indicates strategy implementation can be improved in four main areas. First, by engaging and involving all employees in the implementation process. Second, by enhancing bottom-up innovation and communication. Third, through alignment of the corporate strategy and the UN SDGs, and fourth, by following rigorous action plans with clear, measurable and prioritized objectives and timeframes for the managers to follow. These improvements have both theoretical and practical implications for the fishing industry. Consequently, a conceptual framework for integrated strategy implementation in the fisheries industry is proposed.

A limited number of in-depth elite interviews were conducted since access to the chief executive officers of the country’s largest fishing companies proved challenging. However, the nine companies collectively hold nearly 50% of the country’s total quota, thereby proving a deep understanding of the topic relevant to the industry. The research uncovered a substantial cross-section of viewpoints, and as such, the results are relevant for both academia and practitioners alike.

This study contributes to the debate on KSFs relevant to strategy implementation within a specific industry but also aligns with the UN SDGs by proposing a dedicated framework for implementing strategies in the fisheries industry. Overall, this study can help managers achieve strategy implementation.

Using the L. Bebchuk, Cohen, and Ferrell (2009) entrenchment index (E-index), the authors examine the relation between management entrenchment and the probability of a firm being implicated in the stock option backdating scandal. The authors conduct the analysis of this study using logistic regression, and they document a negative relation between the E-index and the probability of a firm being implicated in the stock option backdating scandal. The results of this study are consistent with the view that management entrenchment is advantageous to shareholders as it protects managers from short-term reporting pressures and egregious opportunistic behavior that can be detrimental to firm value.