Development of a Virtual Business Community in an Agricultural Cluster

Virtual business communities (VBC) are social aggregations, based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platforms, created to sustain activities of agents of a specific industry or sector that are economically and socially linked. To study the main challenges in creating a VBC to support a not-well-structured agricultural cluster, we developed and tested an ICT platform and analyzed its implementation process. The design research method grounded this process. The main result of this work in-progress is the analysis of challenges faced on the community level and on the economic agents’ level regarding the development of an ICT platform in order to build a VBC

The evolution of Chinese entrepreneurial firms: Township-village enterprises revisited

"Township-village enterprises (TVEs) were a major engine of China's rapid rural industrialization in the past three decades. TVEs also played a key role in fostering entrepreneurship and served as a major stepping-stone for institutional changes when legal protections of private property rights were not in place and the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were slow to react to changing market demand. As private ownership was gradually recognized legally, TVEs lost their edge in competing with private firms. In the past two decades, industrial clusters with a concentration of private entrepreneurial firms coordinated by local governments have emerged rapidly in many areas. The structures of such firms as TVEs and the subsequent clustering modes of production are an outcome of interaction with other local and macro environments. As the environment changes, a firm's organization and organizational structure may change as well." from authors' abstractCluster, Firm theory, Industrialization, Growth, Development strategies,

The Economic Impacts of Information and Communication Technology In The Hungarian Economy

As the author could not find a reassuring mathematical and statistical method in the literature for studying the effect of information communication technology on enterprises, the author suggested a new research and analysis method that he also used to study the Hungarian economic sectors. After a brief introduction to the theoretical background of the Information Age, the author examines the question of what factors have an effect on their net income is essential for enterprises. First, the potential indicators related to economic sectors were studied, then the author compared those indicators to the net income of the surveyed enterprises. The data resulting from the comparison showed that the growing penetration of electronic marketplaces contributed to the change of the net income of enterprises in various economic sectors to the extent of 37 %. Among all the potential indicators, only the indicator of electronic marketplaces has a direct influence on the net income of enterprises. It was practical to determine two clusters based on the potential indicators

Regional food clusters and government support for clustering: Evidence for a ‘dynamic food innovation cluster’ in Alberta, Canada?

Location-based clusters and virtual cluster configurations have received significant attention from policymakers due to their potential implications on productivity, innovation and regional growth. This paper presents a short review of studies that have analyzed clustering activity in the food sectors of several countries. The key insights from these studies with regard to the underlying factors for clustering success are contrasted with empirical evidence from the food processing sector of Alberta, Canada. This includes the presentation of results from an exploratory firm-level survey on government support for clustering activity in Alberta’s food. Considering the level of government support for innovation, the limited access to supporting business infrastructure, and the lack of effective networking between industry stakeholders, we find little evidence for an emerging innovation cluster in Alberta’s food industry.regional clusters, food processing, government support for innovation, Canada

MULTIFUNCTIONAL AGRICULTURE IN BULGARIA - OPPORTUNITIES AND PROSPECTS

The purpose of the paper is to analyze and to assess the status of the multifunctional agriculture in Bulgaria and on the basis of the attitudes of the agricultural producers to develop such activity to suggest trends for strengthening their adaptation to CAP conditions. The paper presents the main results from a scientific research of a team from the University of National and World Economy, Department “Economy of Natural Resources”, Agribusiness Section - Sofia, Bulgaria (2006-2007).multifunctional agriculture, multifunctional agricultural holding, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Regional Food Clusters and Government Support for Clustering: Evidence for a ‘Dynamic Food Innovation Cluster’ in Alberta, Canada?

This paper analyzes government support for networking and regional cluster growth in the food sector. It is, to the best of our knowledge, the first paper to provide a literature review of studies on regional food clusters, focusing on key features that characterize successful regional food clusters. The review compares key characteristics of such clusters with characteristics of clusters from other industrial sectors. The insights from these studies on clustering success and the role of government are contrasted with empirical evidence on government support for clustering in the Canadian food sector, specifically in the province of Alberta. The empirical evidence is based on two small industry surveys, one conducted in March 2005, and the second in August 2009. Considering this empirical evidence, we have little support for an emerging food (innovation) cluster in Alberta, and little evidence for effective government support toward food cluster development in Alberta.location-based clustering, food clusters, networks, innovation, government support, Alberta, Canada, Industrial Organization, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, R11, L32, L38, O32, O38, Q13,

ICTs in medium-sized farms in developing countries: a case study in Mexico: conventional banana and organic rice cultivation

This research examines how farmers working medium-sized farms in Mexico have adopted and enacted Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and how these ICTs have impacted work practices. The effects of ICTs on farmers’ economic relations are explored from a business process perspective using a framework that combines Transaction Cost (TCT) and Social Embeddedness theories. A single case study in Mexico with two embedded units of analysis from different crop sectors, a cluster of banana producers from Tabasco and an organic rice grower from Campeche, provide an in-depth understanding of the adoption of ICTs and their impact. We examine issues of learning and co-operation, and how ICTs have affected production and distribution and the positioning of farmers in the context of their work practices and economic relations. The thesis discusses the ICTs used in the business process cycle of farming and their impact on business development and economic exchange. The research elaborates on and confirms the existence of network forms of organisation that operate in the farmers’ communities and analyses their social embeddedness. The findings show that information technologies bring improvements to the agricultural business process, facilitating not only the collection, collation and analysis of data to support informed decisions, but also innovative farming and business practices through learning and co-operation. We find that ICTs complement and support social relationships, both preexisting (traditional community connections and business links) and novel (virtual contacts and social media) to stimulate business development. The significance of social context is corroborated and should help inform development policy

The Effects of Information And Communication Technology In Hungarian Economic Sectors

As the author could not find a reassuring mathematical and statistical method in the literature for studying the effect of information communication technology on enterprises, the author suggested a new research and analysis method that he also used to study the Hungarian economic sectors. After a brief introduction to the theoretical background of the Information Age, the author examines the question of what factors have an effect on their net income is essential for enterprises. First, the potential indicators related to economic sectors were studied, then the author compared those indicators to the net income of the surveyed enterprises. The data resulting from the comparison showed that the growing penetration of electronic marketplaces contributed to the change of the net income of enterprises in various economic sectors. Among all the potential indicators, only the indicator of electronic marketplaces has a direct influence on the net income of enterprises. It was practical to determine two clusters based on the potential indicators

Technologie en innovatie in Vlaanderen: Prioriteiten.

Vlaanderen;

Aggregation and the Role of Trusted Third Parties in SME E-Business Engagement: A Regional Policy Issue

YesIt is against the background of low engagement by SMEs in e-business that this paper seeks to highlight the potential importance of aggregation and of the role of trusted third parties in facilitating higher levels of involvement. The paper is based on an ongoing SME e-business research programme and reports on some recent research on SMEs that were using high complexity e-business applications and explores the extent to which the research findings could address the core concern of low engagement. This qualitative case study based research includes analysis of data collected from 13 community intermediaries, acting as trusted third parties. It concludes that the role of community intermediaries appears to be central to the adoption of critical e-aggregation applications provided by service providers. For policymakers, this important role of critical e-aggregation applications in facilitating e-business engagement by SMEs has emerged as part of this research but there is limited evidence of policy initiatives that reflect this