This paper extends the examination of block alliances in standard setting from market-driven to formal or committee-based processes in the information and communications industry. Formal process block alliances are argued to emerge in anticipation of institutional failure, that is, from the prospect that formal standardization will not yield a timely or correct solution. These block alliances o...

BACKGROUND The outcome of assessments is determined by the standard-setting method used. There is a wide range of standard-setting methods and the two used most extensively in undergraduate medical education in the UK are the norm-reference and the criterion-reference methods. The aims of the study were to compare these two standard-setting methods for a multiple-choice question examination and...

As we all know, this is an exciting time for cancer research. Owing to the efforts and dedication of individuals working around the globe, we are witnessing great progress in our understanding of the biology of cancer and unprecedented development of new cancer biomarkers and therapeutics. All of these advances will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the lives of cancer patients as these dis...

• Standards reduce production costs and increase products’ value to consumers. Standards however entail risks of anti-competitive abuse. After the adoption of a standard, the chosen technology normally lacks credible substitutes. The owner of the patented technology might thus have additional market power relative to locked-in licensees, and might exploit this power to charge higher access rate...