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In this paper we explore the interrelationship between technological progress and the formation of industry-specific skills by analysing the evolution of the video-game industry in three countries: Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. We argue that the cross-sectoral transfer of skills occurs differently depending on national contexts, such as the social legitimacy and strength of preexisting industries, the socioeconomic status of entrepreneurs or pioneer firms in an emerging industry, and the sociocultural cohesiveness between the preexisting and emerging industries. Each country draws on a different set of creative resources, which results in a unique trajectory. Whereas Japan's video-game industry emerged out of corporate sponsorships in arcades, toys, and consumer electronics industries and drew skills from the comic book and animated-film sectors, the video-game industry in the United States evolved from arcades and personal computers. In the United Kingdom the video-game industry developed bottom-up, through a process of skills formation in the youth culture of `bedroom coders' that nurtured self-taught programmers in their teens throughout the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's views on the history of technology, manufacturing and the Industrial Revolution. Two simultaneous developments took place during the so-called Industrial Revolution: the industrialization of Britain and other countries in Europe and the deindustrialization of a number of non-European countries, including India. A major portion of the agriculture products collected through heavy taxation and slavery- like employment on indigo plantations was exported, and the bulk of the revenue was remitted to Britain, providing free capital for the Industrial Revolution. The opportunity costs to India for this transfer of resources were many times higher. And, human costs were beyond measure. The British continued to export large quantities of food from India during the periods of droughts, and thus converting them to severe famines. The export of cotton textiles from India to Britain was practically eliminated by a combination of ban and heavy duty. Because of the British military power, there was no reciprocal duty on import of British textiles to India, which reached 51 million yards in the year 1830 driving out many of the traditional domestic producers in the process.

Despite the continuous increase of investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) in the tourism industry, empirical studies have not persuasively established corresponding increases in productivity, Indeed several shortcomings have been identified in past studies. This study proposes a new way of assessing ICT productivity. The methodology is tested in a data set from the three-star hotel sector in the United Kingdom using a nonparametric technique called data envelopment analysis (DEA). Empirical findings reveal that productivity gains accrue not from investments per se, but from the full exploitation of the ICT networking and informationalization capabilities. A model for managing ICT applications and benefits is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]