Nordic small countries in the global high-tech value chains: the case of telecommunications systems production in Estonia

In this paper we focus on the electronics industry, and more specifically on the production of telecommunications systems, which is characterised both by very rapid growth of the global trade and very high ratio of R&D investments in the sales revenues (Moncada-Paternoo-Castello et al 2010). More specifically, we analyse the distinctly different development paths of the three major telecommunications systems producers in the Nordic countries: Ericsson, Elcoteq and Skype. Ericsson was established in 1876, and has been a well-known brand name for decades. By contrast, Elcoteq grew from a small company into a global multinational corporation in less than a decade only in the 1990s. As a global company, Skype is still less than ten years old, but it facilitates today more international calls than any other telecommunications operator on the planet.

Great Surges of development and alternative forms of globalization

The present understanding of globalization is inextricably tied to the free market ideology for both proponents and opponents. This paper will argue that globalization has many potential forms of which the neo-liberal recipe, applied up to now, is only one. Globalization need not be neo-liberal. A pro-development version of globalization has not yet been designed or defended as such. It will be argued that, without it, not only would it be very difficult to relaunch development in the South but also to overcome the present instabilities, imbalances and recessionary trends in the economies of the North.

Climate Change: the Contribution of Telecommunications

Global targets for reductions in green house gas emissions require that all economic sectors take stock and then act to limit and to reduce their contributions to climate change. Telecommunications is no exception and while it can help other sectors make savings, the expansion of and growing intensity of use greatly increases the attributable emissions. These arise from a wide range of inputs, including travel and transportation, energy to power and to cool equipment. While reporting at the level of corporations has improved, it is neither consistent nor complete. For consumers and businesses there are almost no data on the various services they buy that might inform their own decision making and their own reporting of emissions.climate change, energy efficiency, green house gases, telecommunications.

Socio-Economic and Developmental Needs - Focus of Foresight Programmes

Emerging economies in the CEE/NIS region – faced with a number of similar or same challenges when trying to find their new role in the changing international settings, while still characterised by their own distinct level of socio-economic development, set of institutions, culture and norms – can benefit significantly from conducting foresight programmes. Yet, foresight should not be conducted for its own sake – just because it is becoming “fashionable” throughout the world, and currently being promoted by the EU. On the contrary, there should be a strong link between foresight, decision preparation and policy-making. In other words, foresight should be used in the context of (adequately identified) policy needs. Its focus (e.g. purely technological, technoeconomic or broad socio-economic orientation) is, therefore, largely determined by the perceived socio-economic and developmental needs. Further, its focus, broad objectives, geographical scope (level), themes, time horizon, methods and participation are closely interrelated, and thus a careful – but flexible – project design is needed to assure coherence among these constituents. It should be borne in mind, however, that foresight is only one of the available policy instruments, and definitely not a panacea.

Impact of Technological and Structural Change on Employment: Prospective Analysis 2020. Background Report

Abstract not availableJRC.J-Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (Seville

Knowledge society arguments revisited in the semantic technologies era

In the light of high profile governmental and international efforts to realise the knowledge society, I review the arguments made for and against it from a technology standpoint. I focus on advanced knowledge technologies with applications on a large scale and in open- ended environments like the World Wide Web and its ambitious extension, the Semantic Web. I argue for a greater role of social networks in a knowledge society and I explore the recent developments in mechanised trust, knowledge certification, and speculate on their blending with traditional societal institutions. These form the basis of a sketched roadmap for enabling technologies for a knowledge society

Ubiquitous computing and natural interfaces for environmental information

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente, perfil Gestão e Sistemas AmbientaisThe next computing revolution‘s objective is to embed every street, building, room and object with computational power. Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) will allow every object to receive and transmit information, sense its surroundings and act accordingly, be located from anywhere in the world, connect every person. Everyone will have the possibility to access information, despite their age, computer knowledge, literacy or physical impairment. It will impact the world in a profound way, empowering mankind, improving the environment, but will also create new challenges that our society, economy, health and global environment will have to overcome. Negative impacts have to be identified and dealt with in advance. Despite these concerns, environmental studies have been mostly absent from discussions on the new paradigm. This thesis seeks to examine ubiquitous computing, its technological emergence, raise awareness towards future impacts and explore the design of new interfaces and rich interaction modes. Environmental information is approached as an area which may greatly benefit from ubicomp as a way to gather, treat and disseminate it, simultaneously complying with the Aarhus convention. In an educational context, new media are poised to revolutionize the way we perceive, learn and interact with environmental information. cUbiq is presented as a natural interface to access that information