Media presentation and public understanding of stem cells and stem cell research in Hungary

This paper reports on a research project which examined media coverage and audience perceptions of stem cells and stem cell research in Hungary, using focus groups and a media analysis. A background study was also conducted on the Hungarian legal, social and political situation linked to stem cell research, treatment and storage. Our data shows how stem cell research/treatments were framed by the focus group members in terms of medical results/cures and human interest stories – mirroring the dominant frames utilized by the Hungarian press. The spontaneous discourse on stem cells in the groups involved a non-political and non-controversial understanding – also echoing the dominant presentation of the media. Comparing our results with those of a UK study, we found that although there are some similarities, UK and Hungarian focus group participants framed the issue of stem cell research differently in many respects – and these differences often echoed the divergences of the media coverage in the two countries. We conclude by arguing against approaches which attribute only negligible influence to the media – especially in the case of complex scientific topics and when the dominant information source for the public is the media.

A kutatási és fejlesztési tevékenység lehetőségei és korlátai a kkv szektorban A vezető szerepe az innovációban és az innováció értelmezése a kkv szektorban = Opportunities and constrains in the r&d activities of the SMEs: The role of the entrepreneur in the innovation processes and how it is manifasted in their everyday activities

Jelen tanulmány arra keresi a választ, hogy a vállalkozónak milyen szerepe van az innovációban, és az innovációnak milyen különböző értelmezési lehetőségei fedezhetőek fel kis- és középvállalkozási szektorban. Kiindulási pontja a vállalkozó vezető személye és innovatív magatartása, mellyel folyamatosan keresi a fejlődés új lehetőségeit. A vállalkozó az erőforrások kreatív felhasználása és vállalkozói magatartása révén a vállalkozás motorjának tekinthető. A tanulmány alapját kvalitatív mélyinterjúkon alapuló, 14 interjúból álló kutatás képezi, melyek mélyreható elemzése alátámasztotta, hogy az innovációs hajlandóság erősen összefügg a vállalkozói magatartással, és mindkét tényező szorosan köthető a vállalkozás vezetőjéhez. / === / This paper focuses on the entrepreneur’s role in the innovation process and on the way the entrepreneurs interpret the phenomena of innovation and they perceive their role in this process. The paper begins with the presentation of different entrepreneurial models, focusing especially on entrepreneurial management and its linkages to variable forms of innovation. Based on the deep examination of 14 interviews made with Hungarian entrepreneurs, the paper identifies the entrepreneur’s decisive role in the innovation process, furthermore the article confirms the importance of entrepreneurial and risk-taking behavior in innovative organizations.

The possibilities of biodiversity monitoring based on Hungarian Light Trap Networks

Our method is presented with displaying time series, consisting of the daily amount of precipitation of 100 years, which has meant a separate challenge, as the precipitation data shows significant deviations. By nowadays, mankind has changed its environment to such an extent that it has a significant effect on other species as well. The Lepidoptera data series of the National Plant Protection and Forestry Light Trap Network can be used to justify this. This network has a national coverage, a large number of collected Lepidoptera, and an available, long data series of several years. For obtaining information from these data, the setting up of an easy to manage database is necessary. Furthermore, it is important to represent our data and our results in an easily analysable and expressive way. In this article the setting up of the database is introduced, together with the presentation of a three dimensional visualization method, which depicts the long-range and seasonal changes together.

A cash flow-kimutatás szabályozásainak nemzetközi összehasonlítása és csoportosítása (International comparison and classification of Cash Flow Statement regulations)

Az egyes nemzetek számviteli szabályozásának vizsgálatánál az adott ország sajátosságaiból eredően részben eltérő szabályozások alakultak ki. Az induktív megközelítésű vizsgálatok jellemzően a szabályozási kérdések széles körét fogják át, de csak néhány tényező mentén közelítve. A cash flow-kimutatások témakörénél a legtöbbször csak azt nézték, hogy van-e előírás a kimutatás elkészítésére, de a részletekkel már kevésbé foglalkoztak. Ebből adódóan e területen viszonylag kis különbséget mutattak ki ezek a felmérések. A szerző kutatása szerint a nemzeti cash flow-kimutatások szabályozásának részleteiben eltérések tapasztalhatók, és ezek alapján a nemzetek klaszterelemzéssel hierarchikusan csoportokba rendezhetők. _____ Research has found that as a result of their particularities, different countries have established partly different accounting frameworks. Studies with inductive approaches typically encompass a wide range of regulatory issues, but based on a limited number of factors only. In the case of Statements of Cash Flows, most studies have so far only examined the existence of rules governing the presentation of the statement, without an in-depth analysis of the details. Therefore, these studies only found relatively minor differences in this field. The author’s research shows that many differences exist in the details of national Cash Flow Statement regulations, which makes it possible to classify the countries in groups using the method of hierarchical clustering.

The effect of focusing on loan decisions

In this paper we investigate some implications of recent results about salience on loan decisions. Using the framework of focus-weighted utility we show that consumers might take out loans even when that yield them negative utility. We claim however, that consumers are more prudent in their decisions and might be less likely to take out such loans when the usual fixed- and increasing-installment plans are coupled with a decreasing-installment option. We argue that harmful loan consumption, especially in the case of loans with increasing-installments (e.g. alternative mortgage loans), could be decreased if a policy would prescribe presentation of loan repayment schedules in a way that employs this effect. Moreover, using the model of focus-weighted utility we give a possible explanation for the unpopularity of decreasing-installment plans, the success of increasing-installment plans and their higher default rate during the financial crisis.

Az árak észlelése és értékelése(Perception and Evaluation of Prices)

A 2008-ban kezdődött gazdasági válság a korábbiaknál is fontosabbá tette az árakat a vásárlók számára. Azt eddig is mindenki tudta, hogy az árak alapvetően befolyásolják a fogyasztók vásárlási döntését. Arra a kérdésre azonban, hogy miképpen, már nem mindig tudunk pontos választ adni. A közgazdaságtan szerint az árak csökkenése növeli a fogyasztók vásárlási hajlandóságát és fordítva, az árak emelkedése kisebbíti azt. A valóság azonban nem mindig írható le közgazdaságtani fogalmakkal vagy matematikai képletekkel. _______ Since the beginning of the global economic recession prices have become more and more important for sellers and buyers. To study the role of prices in consumer behaviour is a rather new field of marketing research. The paper starts out from the fact that prices can be regarded as a multidimensional stimulus, which influences the purchasing decision of consumers. The study describes the process how, in this multidimensional pricing environment, consumers get from the perception through the evaluation of prices to the purchasing decision. According to the model constructed by the author the perception of prices depends on the presentation of prices and on the willingness and ability of people to numerically perceive and evaluate the different presentations of prices. In the process how consumers get from the perceived prices through the excepted prices to the purchasing decision the perceived value plays the most important role. The perceived value is motivated by the internal and external reference prices and the perceived reference value. The paper comes to the conclusion that in recession and post recession times, companies are compelled to understand these processes better to be able to set their price points according to the changing buyers behaviour.

The effect of focusing on loan decisions

In this paper we investigate some implications of recent results about salience on loan decisions. Using the framework of focus-weighted utility we show that consumers might take out loans even when that yield them negative utility. We claim however, that consumers are more prudent in their decisions and might be less likely to take out such loans when the usual fixed- and increasing-installment plans are coupled with a decreasing-installment option. We argue that harmful loan consumption, especially in the case of loans with increasing-installments (e.g. alternative mortgage loans), could be decreased if a policy would prescribe presentation of loan repayment schedules in a way that employs this effect. Moreover, using the model of focus-weighted utility we give a possible explanation for the unpopularity of decreasing-installment plans, the success of increasing-installment plans and their higher default rate during the financial crisis.