HUNGARY´S POSITIONS IN BENCHMARKS PREPARED ON THE BASIS OF R+D ACTIVITIES

The aim of the paper is to identify and analyse Hungary´s place in the ranking orders prepared on the basis of the R+D activities of countries. As the scoreboards of different supranational institutions point out, the country still performs poorly according to the variables measuring the actual innovative performance of the states, however, the trend indicators show that Hungary has already recognized the importance of research and development, and focuses more on it than in the past

The Importance of Brand Liking and Brand Trust in Consumer Decision Making: Insights from Bulgarian and Hungarian Consumers During the Global Economic Crisis

This paper presents the research findings of a global brand study conducted during the recent global economic crisis. The study sought to understand how four brand constructs (country-of-origin, brand familiarity, brand liking and brand trust) would influence global brand purchase intent in a sample of consumers living in Bulgaria and Hungary. Step-wise regression models were used for the study’s twenty brands for consumers living in both countries. The regression models indicated that brand liking and brand trust were the most important predictors of purchase intent in both groups. The paper discusses the relevance of these findings for marketing global brands in post-crisis environments in both countries.brand trust, brand liking, Hungary, Bulgaria, global marketing

Stratégiai piacra lépési korlátok Magyarországon

E tanulmányban két korábbi kutatásunkra alapozva vizsgáljuk a külföldi vállalatok magyarországi piacra lépésének, illetve a magyar vállalatok importjának stratégiai korlátait, és összevetjük a jelenlegi tanulságokat a korábbi két felmérés eredményeivelt. Ez az összehasonlítás némi betekintést nyújthat a magyar belső piacnak az egységes európai piachoz történő illeszkedési folyamatába az Eegységes Eeurópai Ppiachoz. A cikk gyakorlati útmutatást kíván adni a magyar piaci szereplőknek a magyar piacon alkalmazott stratégiai piacra lépési korlátok köréről és vállalkozói megítéléséről. This study is a continuation of a former project of the same research team. The focus of the research is market entry in Hungary for foreign firms, along with strategic entry barriers for both domestic and foreign importers to Hungary. A comparison of our findings from 2003 and 2008 gives some insights into the integration of the Hungarian domestic market into the Single European Market. Practical advice is offered to Hungarian market players on the scope of strategic entry barriers in Hungary as well as the ways entrepreneurs assess them. JEL: F13, F14, F1

Stratégiai piacra lépési korlátok Magyarországon

This study is a continuation of a former project of the same research team. The focus of the research is market entry in Hungary for foreign firms, along with strategic entry barriers to both domestic and foreign importers to Hungary. A comparison of our findings from 2003 and 2008 gives some insights into the integration of the Hungarian domestic market into the Single European Market. Practical advice is offered to Hungarian market players on the scope of strategic entry barriers in Hungary as well as the ways entrepreneurs assess them. JEL classification: F13, F14, F15E tanulmányban két korábbi kutatásunkra alapozva vizsgáljuk a külföldi vállalatok magyarországi piacra lépésének, illetve a magyar vállalatok importjának stratégiai korlátait, és összevetjük a jelenlegitanulságokat a korábbi két felmérés eredményeivelt. Ez az összehasonlítás némi betekintést nyújthat a magyar belső piacnak az egységes európai piachoz történő illeszkedési folyamatába az EegységesEeurópai Ppiachoz. A cikk gyakorlati útmutatást kíván adni a magyar piaci szereplőknek a magyar piacon alkalmazott stratégiai piacra lépési korlátok köréről és vállalkozói megítéléséről. This study is a continuation of a former project of the same research team. The focus of the research is market entry in Hungary for foreign firms, along with strategic entry barriers for both domestic and foreign importers to Hungary. A comparison of our findings from 2003 and 2008 gives some insights into the integration of the Hungarian domestic market into the Single European Market. Practical advice is offered to Hungarian market players on the scope of strategic entry barriers in Hungary as well as the ways entrepreneurs assess them. JEL: F13, F14, F1

Investigation of Oxidative Stress in Patients with Multifocal Motor Neuropathy

Background and purpose: Multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) is a rare, immune-mediated illness attacking ex-clusively motor nerves. It is known that oxidative stress is present in peripheral neuropathies, but it has not been investigated MMN. Methods: We measured in our prospective study the L-arginine, symmetric and asymmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA, ADMA) serum concentrations of 10 patients and 10 controls before and after intravenous immunoglobulin treatment (IVIG), as markers of the L-arginine/NO pathway involved in chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. The functions of motor nerves were tested in all patients and the serum antiganglioside antibody levels were de-tec-ted, as well. Results: MMN patients showed significantly higher ADMA (p = 0.0048; 0.98 and 0.63, respectively) and SDMA le-vels (p = 0.001; 0.88 and 0.51, respectively) than healthy controls, while L-arginine was not different. Controlling for the covariant age, ADMA (B = -0.474; p = 0.041) or SDMA (B = -0.896; p < 0.0005) serum levels proved to be the significant predictors of the presence of MMN. IVIG therapy decreased significantly ADMA concentrations (p = 0.025; 0.98 and 0.84, respectively) and showed a trend to reduce SDMA levels (p = 0.1; 0.88 and 0.74, respectively). The dimethylamine levels did not correlate with the number of affected nerves, disease duration, or the presence of ganglioside antibodies. The conduction block-related peripheral motor dysfunction improved right after the IVIG treatment. Conclusion: Dimethylamine levels are elevated in the serum and are responsive to IVIG therapy in MMN. These findings support the presence of oxidative stress in MMN. Bevezetés: A multifokális motoros neuropathia (MMN) ritka, immunmediált progresszív betegség, ami kizárólag a motoros idegeket érinti. Habár számos tanulmány leírta az oxidatív stressz szerepét a perifériás neuropathiákban, MMN-ben még nem vizsgálták ennek a patomechamizmusnak a szerepét. Módszerek: Tanulmányunkban prospektíven meg­ha­tá­roztuk 10 beteg L-arginin-, valamint szimmetrikus és aszimmetrikus dimetil-arginin- (SDMA- és ADMA-) szintjét, melyek az L-arginin/NO útvonal résztvevői, és szerepet játszanak mind a krónikus gyulladásban, mind az oxidatív stresszben. Az L-arginin, az ADMA és az SDMA szérum­koncentrációját HPLC-vel mértük az intravénás immunglobulin- (IVIG-) kezelés előtt és után 10 MMN-es és 10 egészséges kontrollbetegben. Minden betegnél végez­tünk elektrofiziológiai mérést és vizsgáltuk az antiganglio­zid antitestek jelenlétét a szérumban. Eredmények: Az MMN-es betegeknél szignifikánsan magasabb az ADMA (p = 0,0048; 0,98 és 0,63) és az SDMA szérumszintje (p = 0,001; 0,88 és 0,51), mint az egészséges kontrolloknál, míg az L-arginin szintjében változást nem találtunk. Az életkorra mint kovariánsra kontrollálva (többszörös lineáris regresszióval) az ADMA- (B = –0,474; p = 0,041) és az SDMA- (B = –0,896; p < 0,0005) szérumszintek az MMN szignifikáns prediktorainak bizonyultak. Az IVIG-terápia szignifikánsan csökkentette az ADMA szérumkoncentrációját (p = 0,025; 0,98 és 0,84) és tendenciát mutatott az SDMA szintjének csökkentésére (p = 0,1; 0,88 és 0,74). Nem találtunk összefüggést a dimetil-aminok szintje és az antigangliozid antitestek jelenléte között. A motoros idegek kondukciós blokkhoz köthető motoros funkciózavara javult közvetlenül az IVIG-kezelést követően. Következtetések: A dimetil-aminok szintje emelkedett az MMN-betegek szérumában, és csökken IVIG-kezelés hatására. Ezek az eredmények támogatják az oxidatív stressz jelenlétét

Case report: Complex evaluation of coagulation, fibrinolysis and inflammatory cytokines in a SARS-CoV-2 infected pregnant woman with fetal loss

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy increases the risk of severe obstetrical complications. Detailed evaluation of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy in a pregnancy with stillbirth hasn’t been described so far. Besides knowledge gaps in the pathomechanism leading to stillbirth in COVID-19 pregnancies, currently, no prognostic biomarker is available to identify pregnant patients who are at imminent risk of COVID-19-associated maternal and fetal complications, requiring immediate medical attention.CaseHere we report the case of a 28-year-old SARS-CoV-2 infected pregnant patient, admitted to our hospital at 28 weeks of gestation with intrauterine fetal loss. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 placentitis was confirmed by immunohistological evaluation of the placenta. She had only mild upper respiratory symptoms and her vital signs were within reference throughout labor and postpartum. The stillborn infant was delivered per vias naturales. Fibrinogen concentrate was administered before and after labor due to markedly decreased fibrinogen levels (1.49 g/l) at admission and excessive bleeding during and after delivery. Although coagulation screening tests were not alarming at admission, the balance of hemostasis was strikingly distorted in the patient. As compared to healthy age- and gestational age-matched pregnant controls, increased D-dimer, low FVIII activity, low FXIII level, marked hypocoagulability as demonstrated by the thrombin generation assay, together with shortened clot lysis and decreased levels of fibrinolytic proteins were observed. These alterations most likely have contributed to the increased bleeding observed during labor and in the early postpartum period. Interestingly, at the same time, only moderately altered inflammatory cytokine levels were found at admission. Serum ACE2 activity did not differ in the patient from that of age- and gestational age-matched healthy controls, suggesting that despite previous speculations in the literature, ACE2 may not be used as a potential biomarker for the prediction of COVID-19 placentitis and threatening fetal loss in SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnancies.ConclusionsAlthough based on this case report no prognostic biomarker could be identified for use in pregnant patients with imminent risk of fetal loss associated with COVID-19 placentitis, the above-described hemostasis alterations warrant awareness of postpartum hemorrhagic complications and could be helpful to identify patients requiring intensified medical attention

A MAGYAR VÁLLALATOK EXPORTTEVÉKENYSÉGE ----- Its title in English: THE EXPORT ACTIVITIES OF THE HUNGARIAN FIRMS

A magyar vállalatok jövőbeni sikerének záloga az, hogy miként tudnak bekapcsolódni a nemzetközi kereskedelembe, valamint, hogy miként tudnak profitálni a külpiacok nyújtotta lehetőségekből. A tanulmány célja az, hogy felmérje a magyar cégek exporttevékenységének jelenlegi feltételeit és jellemzőit, továbbá, hogy rámutasson a még kiaknázatlan lehetőségekre, amelyek értékelése és a vállalatok stratégiájába való beépítése javíthat a magyar vállalatok versenyképességén, és világkereskedelemben elfoglalt pozícióján. Eredményeink megmutatták, hogy az exporttevékenységet leginkább a vállalati méret befolyásolja: az exportcsatornák jellemzőit, az exportügyletek lebonyolításának módját, és az export sikertényezőit is. A vállalati teljesítménnyel az exportorientáció mértéke és az exporttevékenység szervezeti megjelenése mutat szignifikáns összefüggést. A vezető vállalatokra jobban jellemző az exportorientáció, amit a szervezeti struktúrában is érvényesítenek. --------- The future success of the Hungarian firms is dependent on how they can get integrated into the international trade and how the can make profit of the opportunities generated by the foreign markets. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the actual conditions and characteristics of the export activities of the Hungarian firms, as well as to point at the opportunities not yet exploited by them, whose evaluation and integration into the firms’ strategy might improve the competitiveness of the Hungarian firms and also their position in World trade. Our results show that export activity is mostly influenced by company size: it has an impact on export channels, export operations, and export success factors. Business performance is related to export orientation and organisational representation of export activity. Leading companies are more characterised by export orientation that has implications for organisational structure

NEW TYPES OF TOURISM AND TOURISM MARKETING IN THE POST-INDUSTRIAL WORLD

At the end of the 20th century in the most developed countries economy and society went through profound transformation. The emerging post-industrial society can be characterised by the dominance of service industry, more leisure time of the population, higher disposable income and more conscious consumers. These conscious consumers are more and more quality orientated and reject undifferentiated mass products. New customers of tourism and hospitality industry are not only more affluent – so less price conscious – and more quality orientated but they are also seeking activity, participation, fantasy, and experience. These new types of tourists are interested rather in aesthetic aspects of life and are seeking highly differentiated, personalised experience. In the following article the authors, professors of the French ESSCA business school overview theoretical aspects of new, post-Fordist tourism demand and present examples of the new tourism and hospitality products having emerged in the developed countries during the last years

New types of tourism and tourism marketing in the post-industrial world

At the end of the 20th century in the most developed countries economy and society went through profound transformation. The emerging post-industrial society can be characterised by the dominance of service industry, more leisure time of the population, higher disposable income and more conscious consumers. These conscious consumers are more and more quality orientated and reject undifferentiated mass products. New customers of tourism and hospitality industry are not only more affluent – so less price conscious – and more quality orientated but they are also seeking activity, participation, fantasy, and experience. These new types of tourists are interested rather in aesthetic aspects of life and are seeking highly differentiated, personalised experience. In the following article the authors, professors of the French ESSCA business school overview theoretical aspects of new, post-Fordist tourism demand and present examples of the new tourism and hospitality products having emerged in the developed countries during the last years. &nbsp