The knowledge competitiveness of regional economies: conceptualisation and measurement

Whereas the competitive advantage of firms can arise from size and position within their industry as well as physical assets, the pattern of competition in advanced economies has increasingly come to favour those firms that can mobilise knowledge and technological skills to create novelty in their products. At the same time, regions are attracting growing attention as an economic unit of analysis, with firms increasingly locating their functions in select regions within the global space. This article introduces the concept of knowledge competitiveness, defined as an economy’s knowledge capacity, capability and sustainability, and the extent to which this knowledge is translated into economic value and transferred into the wealth of the citizens. The article discusses the way in which the knowledge competitiveness of regions is measured and further introduces the World Knowledge Competitiveness Index, which is the first composite and relative measure of the knowledge competitiveness of the globe’s best performing regions.

Democratization of local government in Brazil : decentralisation and people's councils

This research studies two cases of implementation of alternative strategies for municipal government reform in Brazil, decentralisation and People's Councils. The aim is to answer the following general question: `Can decentralisation and People's Councils be a means for democratization of municipal government in Brazil?'. The hypothesis is that initiatives to reform Brazilian municipal governments face problems that are characteristic of the Brazilian political and administrative reality. These problems are considered obstacles for the development of those initiatives and accordingly, for democratization of municipal government in Brazil. After an introduction and outline in Chapter One, Chapter Two discusses four main theories concerning local government. Chapter Three discusses decentralisation and People's Councils are discussed in Chapter Four. Chapter Five presents a historical, political and economic overview of Brazil. Chapter Six deals with Brazilian Federalism and Municipal Government. The main aspects of the Municipal Government are presented as well as the development of municipal autonomy through the various Federal Constitutions and cases of People's Councils and decentralisation in municipalities in Brazil. Chapter Seven presents the political parties responsible for the initiatives, the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democratic Party) in the case of decentralisation, and the PT (Workers' Party) in the case of People's Councils. In Chapter Eight the research strategy and the data collection techniques are described. Chapters Nine and Ten present decentralisation implemented by the PSDB in Belo Horizonte, the Minas Gerais state capital and People's Councils introduced by the PT in the town of Ipatinga in the same state. Conclusions are presented in Chapter Eleven and include a comparison and discussion of the two cases. The thesis shows that these experiments with alternative strategies of local government face problems that are generally current in Brazilian political and administrative reality. Those problems are concerned with unwillingness to decentralise power, clientelism, low levels of participation of civil society and the `political' use of the structures implemented.

The psychology of work and organizations

From the challenges of sustainability to disruptive technology, work environments face unprecedented change and this major new textbook provides a cutting-edge introduction to how psychology and the world of work interact. Leading international academics, Steve Woods and Mike West, combine the latest research with truly global perspectives to leave students with a fully-rounded understanding of work psychology. Developed from wide-ranging lecturer feedback, three key themes of Ethics and Social Responsibility, Globalization and Cross-cultural Issues, and Environment and Sustainability are threaded throughout every chapter, while an attractive full-colour design and engaging pedagogical devices stimulate student interaction on this rapidly growing course. A full set of lecturer resources including Instructors Manual, PowerPoint Slides and Test Bank make this the complete resource for modern work psychology courses.

Development of a computerised library system in the construction industry

This thesis examines the ways that libraries have employed computers to assist with housekeeping operations. It considers the relevance of such applications to company libraries in the construction industry, and describes more specifically the development of an integrated cataloguing and loan system. A review of the main features in the development of computerised ordering, cataloguing and circulation control systems shows that fully integrated packages are beginning to be completed, and that some libraries are introducing second generation programs. Cataloguing is the most common activity to be computerised, both at national and company level. Results from a sample of libraries in the construction industry suggest that the only computerised housekeeping system is at Taylor Woodrow. Most of the firms have access to an in-house computer, and some of the libraries, particularly those in firms of consulting engineers, might benefit from computerisation, but there are differing attitudes amongst the librarians towards the computer. A detailed study of the library at Taylor Woodrow resulted in a feasibility report covering all the areas of its activities. One of the main suggestions was the possible use of a computerised loans and cataloguing system. An integrated system to cover these two areas was programmed in Fortran and implemented. This new system provides certain benefits and saves staff time, but at the cost of time on the computer. Some improvements could be made by reprogramming, but it provides a general system for small technical libraries. A general equation comparing costs for manual and computerised operations is progressively simplified to a form where the annual saving from the computerised system is expressed in terms of staff and computer costs and the size of the library. This equation gives any library an indication of the savings or extra cost which would result from using the computerised system.

Black and minority ethnic graduate entrepreneurs: motivations, characteristics and access to finance

This paper draws upon four case studies to examine characteristics, entrepreneurial motivations and access to finance of black and minority ethnic (BME) graduates in the UK. We find that BME graduates starting a business are motivated by a desire to “do better”, and rely heavily on personal savings and family sources for start-up capital. In addition: • There is no conclusive evidence that suggests in this study that BME graduates entered entrepreneurship because of unemployment; with the exception of a few, all had jobs prior to entering self employment. • “Glass ceilings” were often cited by participants of the case studies as a kind of barrier, but there was reluctance to specify exactly what that meant. • Also, lack of satisfaction from working for others is considered to be a strong motivator for entering self-employment but other reasons, to be one’s own boss and the prospect of higher earnings, are also strong motivators. There is, therefore, a need for support agencies and universities to recognise the distinctive nature of BME graduate enterprise in order to provide effective solutions for different groups. This might include a) work experience, b) advice on an adequate capital structure at start up, c) adequate funding and training, and d) appropriate training for all graduates in basic business education.

B2B e-marketplaces in the airline industry:process drivers and performance indicators

Competitive pressures are increasing within and between different strategically oriented groups of airlines. This paper focuses on the level of efficiency improvements gained by using e-Marketplaces in the procurement process. Findings from a survey among 88 international airlines reveal that the use of Business-to-Business (B2B) e-Marketplaces does play different roles across the various airline groupings. Airlines that are involved in strategic alliances show higher joint procurement activities than airlines that are not involved in strategic alliances. However, alliances are probably viewed as loose arrangements and thus airlines may be reluctant to share information on procurement prices and processes with another airline that could also be acting as a competitor. The financial involvement in or initiation of e-Marketplaces by airlines is very low. Low cost airlines show high use of e-Marketplaces, but demonstrate little financial involvement in contrast. Overall, the categories of spares and repairs, office supplies, tools and ground support equipment (GSE) show the greatest potential for reducing costs and increasing procurement process efficiencies. The intense competitive pressures facing carriers will make their search for tools to realise even incremental savings and efficiency gains ever more urgent. There is evidence that e-Marketplaces are one tool to improve such performance indicators.

RFID in the warehouse:a literature analysis (1995-2010) of its applications, benefits, challenges and future trends

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has been identified as a crucial technology for the modern 21st century knowledge-based economy. Some businesses have realised benefits of RFID adoption through improvements in operational efficiency, additional cost savings, and opportunities for higher revenues. RFID research in warehousing operations has been less prominent than in other application domains. To investigate how RFID technology has had an impact in warehousing, a comprehensive analysis of research findings available from articles through leading scientific article databases has been conducted. Articles from years 1995 to 2010 have been reviewed and analysed with respect to warehouse operations, RFID application domains, benefits achieved and obstacles encountered. Four discussion topics are presented covering RFID in warehousing focusing on its applications, perceived benefits, obstacles to its adoption and future trends. This is aimed at elucidating the current state of RFID in the warehouse and providing insights for researchers to establish new research agendas and for practitioners to consider and assess the adoption of RFID in warehousing functions. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Ethical reporting in Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (1983-2010)

The main aim of this study is to undertake a critical examination of the ethical and developmental performance of an Islamic bank as communicated in its annual reports over a period of 28 years (1983-2010). Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited's (IBBL hereafter) ethical performance and disclosures are further analyzed through interviews conducted with the bank's senior management. The key findings include an overall increase in ethical disclosures during the study period. However, the focus on various stakeholders' needs has varied over time reflecting the evolving nature of the Islamic finance industry over the last three decades. Based on a secular economy, IBBL focused in the first two decades on the "Particular" Shariah compliance disclosure as a way of establishing its reputation and differentiating itself from conventional banks in a dual banking system. Post 2005, the ethical performance and disclosure shifted to more "Universal" disclosures such as sustainability, charity, employees, and community related disclosures signaling responsible conduct and the bank's adoption of a "wider stakeholder approach." However the bank is still failing to provide full disclosure on certain significant categories such as sources and uses of disposable income, thereby contradicting the principles of full and comprehensive disclosure and accountability. In addition, the structure of IBBL's investment portfolio reveals an overreliance on debt-based financial instruments and a shortcoming in fulfilling the developmental and social objectives of Islamic finance. This is evidenced by the "qualified" Shariah Supervisory Board reports that the bank consistently received. This research provides further evidence that Islamic banking and Finance in its current practices reflect the "global" and the "local" influences in an era dominated by global conventional finance. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Monetáris hatásosság közösségi szinten (The community level efficiency of monetary policy)

A monetáris integráció központi szereplője a Közösség jegybankja. A közös valuta értékállóságának közvetlenül fő meghatározója a jegybank. Mozgásterét azonban több tényező alakítja. E tanulmány az intézményi és stratégiai, a tagállami (decentralizált fiskális) és a pénzpiaci környezet függvényében vizsgálja az Európai Központi Bank (ECB) lehetőségeit és monetáris politikájának hatásosságát. / === / The efficiency of the European Economic and Monetary Union is a big dilemma of European applied economics. The first part introduces the monetary policy made by ECB. Rates and objectives are the framework of efficiency analysis. The second part details the common pool resource problem in the community of EMU countries, and describes the prisoner's dilemma of indebting in a currency community. The EMU practice shows free riding behavior of many member states what generally causes higher default risks. The increasing indebtedness shows dysfunction too, as the ECB must adjust the interest rate to the higher default risk which means cost premiums for fiscally disciplined countries as well. The third part analyses the efficiency of the ECB through the standards of monetary transmission. The updated criteria can explain any success or failure of the ECB in a not perfectly homogeneous community. The measures of transmission used in the study are the way of financing (banks vs. market), terms of financing, structure of the banking sector, private sector indebtedness, structure of savings and wealth, price elasticity, interest rate elasticity, wage elasticity. They show that the single monetary policy can create tension in the community not only because of the fiscal differences but also due to money market discrepancies.

Devizás tételek értékelése. A számviteli szabályozás és a gazdálkodók döntéseinek összefüggései (Exchange differences from accounting perspective – regulation and business decision)

Az elmúlt években hazánkban a svájcifrank- és a japánjen-alapú hitelezés gyakorlatilag megszűnt, a devizaalapú hitelek folyósításának feltételei szigorodtak, a már meglévő portfólió romlott, a hitelezők által elszenvedett veszteség megnőtt. A számviteli előírások azonban alig változtak, azaz a jelenlegi szabályozás képes a számviteli törvény által alapvető célként megjelölt megbízható és valós kép bemutatására. A számviteli megközelítés szerint a deviza- és a devizaalapú ügyletek között nincs lényegi különbség, az aktiválási, értékelési, valamint értékvesztés-képzési szabályok megegyeznek. A probléma nagyságrendjének bemutatása után ismertetem a devizás vagyonrészek értékelésével kapcsolatos szabályok változását azok indokaival együtt. Ezután bemutatom a különféle alkalmazott árfolyamok hatásait a beszámolóra, s az alkalmazható árfolyamok és a mérlegben megjelenő devizapozíciók összefüggéseit. A devizás követelésekre képzendő értékvesztés témakörben bemutatom az év végi zárási feladatok sorrendjét, valamint a deviza- és a devizaalapú ügyletek értékvesztése közötti különbségeket is. _______ Loan fi nancing in Swiss Franc and Japanese Yen has disappeared in the last few years, fi nancing in foreign currency has become more diffi cult, while the actual loan portfolio has worsened, losses born by fi nancial institutions have increased. Despite this, the accounting prescriptions have hardly changed, which can be seen as if the current regulation is able to provide the fair and true picture. According to the accounting approach, there is no material difference between FX and FX-denominated deals: rules on the recognition in the balance sheet, valuation and loan loss provisions are identical. In this article – after highlighting the magnitude of the problem -, I introduce the changes in the rules regarding items in foreign currency and the reasons behind those changes. In the next part, I investigate the impact of application of different FX rates on the fi nancial statement and their correspondence with the FX-position reported in the Balance sheet. Later, I discuss the adequate order of the periodical accounting closing tasks, and the differences between impairment of receivables to be settled and denominated in foreign currency, or only denominated in FX with Forint Cash Flow.

Reformed county government structure and service delivery performance: An integrated study of Florida counties

The most fundamental and challenging function of government is the effective and efficient delivery of services to local taxpayers and businesses. Counties, once known as the “dark continent” of American government, have recently become a major player in the provision of services. Population growth and suburbanization have increased service demands while the counties' role as service provider to incorporated residents has also expanded due to additional federal and state mandates. County governments are under unprecedented pressure and scrutiny to meet citizens' and elected officials' demands for high quality, and equitable delivery of services at the lowest possible cost while contending with anti-tax sentiments, greatly decreased state and federal support, and exceptionally costly and complex health and public safety problems. ^ This study tested the reform government theory proposition that reformed structures of county government positively correlate with efficient service delivery. A county government reformed index was developed for this dissertation comprised of form of government, home-rule status, method of election, number of government jurisdictions, and number of elected officials. The county government reform index and a measure of relative structural fragmentation were used to assess their impact on two measures of service output: mean county road pavement condition and county road maintenance expenditures. The study's multi-level design triangulated results from different data sources and methods of analysis. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews of county officials, secondary archival sources, and a survey of 544 elected and appointed officials from Florida's 67 counties. The results of the three sources of data converged in finding that reformed Florida counties are more likely than unreformed counties to provide better road service and to spend less on road expenditures. The same results were found for unfragmented Florida counties. Because both the county government reform index and the fragmentation variables were specified acknowledging the reform theory as well as elements from the public-choice model, the results help explain contradicting findings in the urban service research. ^ Therefore, as suggested by the corroborated findings of this dissertation, reformed as well as unfragmented counties are better providers of road maintenance service and do so in a less costly manner. These findings hold although the variables were specified to capture theoretical arguments from the consolidated as well as the public-choice theories suggesting a way to advance the debate from the consolidated-fragmented dichotomy of urban governance. ^

Savages into citizens: Families, political purge, and reconciliation in Cordoba, Argentina, 1820--1862

This dissertation explores the political exclusion and reintegration of families and individuals in Córdoba, Argentina during the early nineteenth-century. Part one is an examination of how Federals in Córdoba managed the process of political identification and purge. Federals set up ad hoc institutions that were responsible for targeting political subversives within provincial communities. From 1831 to 1852, Federals managed to target, or “classify,” over 400 individuals and families in various towns and villages as “savage Unitarians,” a political label that meant the certain loss of rights, property, exile, and worse. Federals also sought active participation among “citizens” from all levels of society. Thus, I argue that the process of correctly identifying a “savage Unitarian” in Córdoba was constantly subject to modification at the local level. I also reconstruct the stories of accused families as they struggled to survive the political purges. Many of the families were large landowners and wealthy merchants, confirming that early republican Argentine political struggles were often intra-elite affairs. However, the “classified” individuals and families also represented a variety of socio-economic, ethnic, and racial groups. ^ The second part of this study focuses on families who petitioned Federal authorities for the restitution of rights and property. They proclaimed their loyalty to the “Federal cause,” and often, they had friends and family who could vouch for their claims. These petitions forced Federal authorities to doubt the precision of political identification and re-think how the ideology of Federalism was defined. Authorities granted most requests for repatriation, thereby creating a process of reintegration that included amnesty and restitution. Yet, this system failed to repair the psychological, emotional, materials, and political effects of political purge. Conflicts between society and state led to numerous misunderstandings about what restitution, justice, and reconciliation meant. The new regime's leaders more often denied restitution claims to formerly accused families and individuals, demonstrating that the journey from “savage” to citizen left an indelible imprint on family life in mid-nineteenth century Argentina. ^

Prenatal environmental exposure and neurodevelopmentally important gene expression in malformed brain tissue from pediatric intractable epilepsy patients

The primary objective of this proposal was to determine whether mitochondrial oxidative stress and variation in a particular mtDNA lineage contribute to the risk of developing cortical dysplasia and are potential contributing factors in epileptogenesis in children. The occurrence of epilepsy in children is highly associated with malformations of cortical development (MCD). It appears that MCD might arise from developmental errors due to environmental exposures in combination with inherited variation in response to environmental exposures and mitochondrial function. Therefore, it is postulated that variation in a particular mtDNA lineage of children contributes to the effects of mitochondrial DNA damage on MCD phenotype. Quantitative PCR and dot blot were used to examine mitochondrial oxidative damage and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the mitochondrial genome in brain tissue from 48 pediatric intractable epilepsy patients from Miami Children’s Hospital and 11 control samples from NICHD Brain and Tissue Bank for Developmental Disorders. Epilepsy patients showed higher mtDNA copy number compared to normal health subjects (controls). Oxidative mtDNA damage was lower in non-neoplastic but higher in neoplastic epilepsy patients compared to controls. There was a trend of lower mtDNA oxidative damage in the non-neoplastic (MCD) patients compared to controls, yet, the reverse was observed in neoplastic (MCD and Non-MCD) epilepsy patients. The presence of mtDNA SNP and haplogroups did not show any statistically significant relationships with epilepsy phenotypes. However, SNPs G9804A and G9952A were found in higher frequencies in epilepsy samples. Logistic regression analysis showed no relationship between mtDNA oxidative stress, mtDNA copy number, mitochondrial haplogroups and SNP variations with epilepsy in pediatric patients. The levels of mtDNA copy number and oxidative mtDNA damage and the SNPs G9952A and T10010C predicted neoplastic epilepsy, however, this was not significant due to a small sample size of pediatric subjects. Findings of this study indicate that an increase in mtDNA content may be compensatory mechanisms for defective mitochondria in intractable epilepsy and brain tumor. Further validation of these findings related to mitochondrial genotypes and mitochondrial dysfunction in pediatric epilepsy and MCD may lay the ground for the development of new therapies and prevention strategies during embryogenesis.

Social and environmental regulation of signal plasticity and signal reliability in the electric fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio

The balance between the costs and benefits of conspicuous signals ensures that the expression of those signals is related to the quality of the bearer. Plastic signals could enable males to maximize conspicuous traits to impress mates and competitors, but reduce the expression of those traits to minimize signaling costs, potentially compromising the information conveyed by the signals. ^ I investigated the effect of signal enhancement on the information coded by the biphasic electric signal pulse of the gymnotiform fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio. Increases in population density drive males to enhance the amplitude of their signals. I found that signal amplitude enhancement improves the information about the signaler's size. Furthermore, I found that the elongation of the signal's second phase conveys information about androgen levels in both sexes, gonad size in males and estrogen levels in females. Androgens link the duration of the signal's second phase to other androgen-mediated traits making the signal an honest indicator of reproductive state and aggressive motivation. ^ Signal amplitude enhancement facilitates the assessment of the signaler's resource holding potential, important for male-male interactions, while signal duration provides information about aggressive motivation to same-sex competitors and reproductive state to the opposite sex. Moreover, I found that female signals also change in accordance to the social environment. Females also increase the amplitude of their signal when population density increases and elongate the duration of their signal's second phase when the sex ratio becomes female-biased. Indicating that some degree of sexual selection operates in females. ^ I studied whether male B. gauderio use signal plasticity to reduce the cost of reproductive signaling when energy is limited. Surprisingly, I found that food limitation promotes the investment in reproduction manifested as signal enhancement and elevated androgen levels. The short lifespan and single breeding season of B. gauderio diminishes the advantage of energy savings and gives priority to sustaining reproduction. I conclude that the electric signal of B. gauderio provides reliable information about the signaler, the quality of this information is reinforced rather than degraded with signal enhancement.^