The network structure of Hungarian business clusters

This article investigates the attitudes to inter-firm co-operation in Hungary by analysing a special group of business networks: the business clusters. Following an overview of cluster policy, a wide range of selfproclaimed business clusters are identified. A small elite of these business networks evolves into successful, sustainable innovative business clusters. However, in the majority of cases, these consortia of interfirm co-operation are not based on a mutually satisfactory model, and as a consequence, many clusters do not survive in the longer term. The paper uses the concepts and models of social network theory in order to explain, why and under what circumstances inter-firm co-operation in clusters enhances the competitiveness of the network as a whole, or alternatively, under what circumstances the cluster remains dependent on Government subsidies. The empirical basis of the study is a thorough internet research about the Hungarian cluster movement; a questionnaire based expert survey among managers of clusters and member companies and a set of in-depth interviews among managers of self-proclaimed clusters. The last chapter analyises the applicability of social network theory in the analysis of business networks and a model involving the value chain is recommended.

Innovációs láncok falun. Két falusi esettanulmány a gazdasági újítások terjedéséről (Rural innovation chains. Two examples for diffusion of rural innovations)

Megközelítésemben az "innovációs lánc" olyan társadalmi kapcsolathálót jelent, ahol a kapcsolat tartalma egy gazdasági újítás átadása. Dolgozatom fõ kérdése az, hogy egy településen kialakult társadalmi hálózat szerkezete hogyan befolyásolja az innovációk átvételének útját és terjedési sebességét. __________ A chain of innovation is a social network, defined by offering or adopting an economic innovation. The main hypothesis is that the diffusion of rural innovations and the changes of life-style of the peasants (generally: the growth of market economy) do not necessarily restructure or destroy local networks, but in some cases they will be reinforceed.

Adatbányászati alkalmazások lehetőségei egy multinacionális vállalat magyarországi leányvállalatának információs rendszerében (Opportunities of datamining applications in the information system of a multinational company’s Hungarian subsidiary)

A tanulmány Magyarország egyik legnagyobb foglalkoztatójának megrendelésére készült abból a célból, hogy milyen megoldásokkal lehetne a vállalati működést hatékonyabbá tenni. Ennek keretében a szerzők megvizsgálták, hol tart ma a HR adatbányászati kutatás a világban. Milyen eszközök állnak rendelkezésre ahhoz, hogy a munkavállalói elmenetelt előre jelezzék, illetve figyeljék, valamint milyen lehetőség van a hálózati kutatások felhasználására a biztonság területén. Szerencsés, hogy a vállalkozói kérdések és erőforrások találkozhattak a kutatói szféra aktuális kutatási területeivel. A tanulmány szerzői úgy gondolják, hogy a cikkben megfogalmazott állítások, következtetések, eredmények a jövőben hasznosíthatók lesznek a vállalat és más cégek számára is. _____ The authors were pleased to take part in this research project initiated by one of Hungary’s largest employer. The goal of the project was to work out BI solutions to improve upon their business process. In the framework of the project first the authors made a survey on the current trends in the world of HR datamining. They reviewed the available tools for the prediction of employee promotion and investigated the question on how to utilize results achieved in social network analysis in the field of enterprise security. When real business problems and resources meet the mainstream research of the scientific community it is always a fortunate and it is rather fruitful. The authors are certain that the results published in this document will be beneficial for Foxconn in the near future. Of course, they are not done. There are continually new research perspectives opening up and huge amount of information is accumulating in the enterprises just waiting for getting discovered and analysed. Also the environment in which an enterprise operates is dynamically changing and thus the company faces new challenges and new type of business problems arise. The authors are in the hope that their research experience will help decision makers also in the future to solve real world business problems.

Google’s Antitrust Cases Competition Analysis in New Economy Markets

Today, global economic performance largely depends on digital ecosystems. E-commerce, cloud, social media, sharing economy are the main products of the modern innovative economic systems which are constantly raising new regulatory questions. Meanwhile the United States has an unimpeachable dominance in innovation and new technologies, as well as a large and open domestic market, the EU is only recently discovering the importance of empowering the European digital economy and aims to break down its highly fragmented cross-border online economic environment. As global economy is rapidly becoming digital, Europe’s effort to create and invest in common digital market is understandable. The comprehensive investigations launched by the European Commission into the role of social network, search engine, or sharing economy internet platforms, which are new generation technologies dominated by American firms; or the recent decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union declaring that the Commission’s US Safe Harbor Decision is invalid1 might be considered as part of an anti-American protectionist policy. However, these measures could rather be seen as part of a broader trend to foster European enterprises in technology developments.

How to Explain CouchSurfing's Success?

In this paper we describe the social network of CouchSurfing as an innovative, non-monetary model for the traditional international hospitality and travel market. This paper is written to describe our understanding of how it can operate and expand in spite of potential risks and uncertainties. We present the results of an exploratory qualitative research project that was conducted in Hungary in 2012/13. The findings indicate that: (1) a high level of trust as a personality trait characterizes members; (2) trust can be interpreted as a strong cultural rule; (3) members perceive a low level of risk and have limited practical knowledge about the safety features of the system; and (4) trust towards a given member is not based on rational calculation but on emotions.