Building software systems from previously existing components can save time
and effort while increasing productivity. The key to a successful Component-
Based Development (CBD) is to get the required components. However,
components obtained from other developers often show different behaviours
than what are required. Thus adapting the components into the system being
developed becomes an extra development and maintenance cost. This cost
often offsets the benefits of CBD.
Imprecise component specifications and user requirements are the main reasons
that cause the difficulty of finding the...

This book puts forward an institutional explanation of the recent dynamics of foreign direct investment (FDI) in China. It argues that the concentration of FDI in the Chinese manufacturing economy since the beginning of this century is largely the result of China's entrepreneurial urban growth strategy, which was in turn motivated by the overall political and fiscal structures of China and was facilitated by urban land use under the manipulation of municipalities. By identifying the interactions between cross-border capital flow, national regulations and local responses, this book not only...