The State of Information and Communication Technology in Hungary – A Comparative Analysis

A novel comparative research and analysis method is proposed and applied on the Hungarian economic sectors. 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 and then compared to the net income of the surveyed enterprises. The data resulting from the comparison showed that the growing penetration of electronic marketpalces 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. Two clusters based on the potential indicators were indicated

Comparative Analysis of the Level of Knowledge-Based Part of Economies in European Union Countries with Kam Methodology

The purpose of this article is to identify disparities in the use of knowledge in socio-economic life in the EU countries. This research was conducted with use of the cluster analysis (tools belonging to multidimensional comparative analysis).W artykule przedstawiono klasyfikację terytorialną państw Unii Europejskiej według rozwoju wiedzy gospodarek, która w dzisiejszym świecie traktowana jest jako determinanta międzynarodowej konkurencyjności. Zróżnicowanie to zostało skonstruowane na podstawie indeksów KEI (Knowledge Economy Index) oraz KI (Knowledge Index) wykorzystywanych przez Bank Światowy w metodologii KAM (Knowledge Assessment Methodology). Uwzględnienie czterech głównych filarów (tj. system bodźców ekonomicznych, system innowacyjny, edukacja i jakość zasobów ludzkich oraz nowoczesna infrastruktura informacyjna) umożliwiło wskazanie relacji pomiędzy poszczególnymi składowymi. Celem artykułu jest wskazanie dysproporcji wykorzystania wiedzy w życiu społeczno-gospodarczym w państwach UE. Badanie zostało przeprowadzone przy użyciu analizy skupień (narzędzia zaliczanego do wielowymiarowej analizy porównawczej)

Old institutions, new challenges: the agricultural knowledge system in Hungary

This paper explores and analyses the Hungarian institutional system for the creation and the transfer of knowledge in the fi eld of agriculture and rural development. We consider the constitution and operation of the Agricultural Knowledge System (AKS) in Hungary, focussing on the formally organised aspects, and suggest that both the structure and content of the knowledge needed in the sector have signifi cantly changed during the past decades. These changes, especially in relation to the sustainability of agriculture, pose signifi cant challenges to traditional AKS institutions, which often have failed to change in line with the new requirements. Based on a literature review, interviews and a national stakeholder workshop, we offer an analysis of Hungarian AKS institutions, their co-ordination, co-operation and communication with each other and with Hungarian rurality, and of the arising issues and problems concerning the creation and the fl ow of knowledge needed for sustainable agriculture. We also briefl y explore characteristics of emerging bottom-up structures, called LINSAS (learning and innovation networks for sustainable agriculture), and explore the signifi cance of the fi ndings in this article for the study of AKS in Europe. This article is based on preliminary results of the SOLINSA research project, supported by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme

Rethinking Marketing Programs for Emerging Markets

We point to a fundamental inconsistency in the emerging market strategies of multinational firms. On the one hand, they seek billions of new consumers in the emerging markets of China, India, Indonesia, and Latin America; on the other, their marketing programs are scarcely adapted for these markets. The result is low market penetration, low market shares, and poor profitability. These multinationals are trapped by their own devices in gilded cages, serving the affluent few and ignoring the potential of billions of new consumers that attracted them in the first place. In this paper, we propose that, in order to attract billions of new consumers, the marketing programs of multinationals need to be rethought from the ground up. We identify three key factors that characterize emerging markets: (1) low incomes, (2) variability in consumers and infrastructure, and (3) the relative cheapness of labor, which is often substituted for capital. We draw on numerous case studies from around the world to illustrate how to incorporate these realities into marketing programs. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of such an approach for the multinational's core strategic assumptions.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39704/3/wp320.pd

Trust, Organizational Controls, Knowledge Acquisition from the Foreign Parents, and Performance in Vietnamese International Joint Ventures

Successful adaptation in strategic alliances "calls for a delicate balance between the twin virtues of reliability and flexibility" [Parkhe 1998]. On one hand, the joint venture must be flexible enough to respond to the uncertainties of competitive business environments because it is not feasible to plan for every possible contingency. Yet, on the other hand, unfettered flexibility invites dysfunctional behavior, such as opportunism and complacency. This delicate balance accompanies a parallel balance between trust and control of the joint venture. The primary goal of this study is to empirically examine this relationship in the context of Vietnamese international joint ventures (IJVs) by building on the model of knowledge acquisition and performance in IJVs established by Lyles and Salk [1996]. This study makes three major contributions to the literature. First it confirms several findings of the original Lyles and Salk study [1996]. Second, we strengthen Lyles and Salk's original model by incorporating multiple measures of both interorganizational trust and control as independent variables. Finally, this study represents one of the first in-depth examinations of business in the emerging Vietnamese economy.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39713/3/wp329.pd

Competitiveness of the New European Union Member States in International Trade in Knowledge-intensive Business Services

The paper uses the WTO database. The analyzed period covers the years 2000–2013, because data on particular categories of ‘Other business services’ have been available only since 2000. The analysis refers to the 12 countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007

R&D and Technology Spillovers via FDI: Innovation and Absorptive Capacity

Two faces of R&D (innovation and learning) and technology spillovers from FDI (foreign direct investment) on a firm's productivity growth are examined in this paper. Using firm-level panel data on Czech manufacturing firms between 1995 and 1998, I find that: (i) the learning effect of R&D is far more important than the innovative effect in explaining the productivity growth of a firm, (ii) there is no evidence of technology spillovers to local firms from having a foreign joint venture partner, (iii) positive spillovers from FDI are found in electrical machinery and radio & TV sectors, which are also active investors in innovative R&D.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39733/3/wp349.pd

Comparative Advertising in the Global Marketplace: The Effects of Cultural Orientation on Communication

This research examined the efficacy of one type of communication strategy, comparative advertising, in communicating product superiority to consumers across different cultures. In individualist cultures such as the United States, comparative advertising that highlights the superiority of the target brand is seen as more effective. However, in collectivist cultures such as Thailand, comparative advertising that highlights the similarity between brands is more likely to be effective. In addition, comparative advertising was more believable for unfamiliar brands in individualist cultures whereas comparison for familiar brands was more believable in collectivist cultures.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39712/3/wp328.pd