The Shift of Techno-Economic Paradigm and Its Effects on Regional Disparities

During the 1900?s we first lived thorough shift from the agricultural era to the industrial era. Nowadays, we are in the middle of the shift from the industrial era to the information era. The new era has several definitions based on different theories. At the same time, we talk about information society (knowledge is forming the main productivity factor), network society (new communication technology is connecting people), post-industrial society (change in production paradigm), service society (emphasis on services instead of production), expert society (increasing importance of skilled people and experts), learning society (learning ability becomes a critical factor), postmodern society (modernisation leads to individualism), innovation society (innovation is the driving force of economic growth), risk society (risks and uncertainty are increasing in society) and consumer society (consumer needs steer economic activities) These definitions reflect the different points of view of assessing the development we have been experiencing during the recent years. Each of these definitions emphasises different phenomena embedded in the change of present techno-economic paradigm, and each of them builds a basis for the assessment of the requirements of the changing environment. Although the definitions and theories describing the present change are mostly very abstract, some concrete indicators can be determined to describe the phase of the trajectory in the changing process of the society. The changes in the society should be assessed at regional level, especially as regional dimension is gaining importance in the development policies at the European level. In the regional context the question to rise first is, how the shift of techno-economic paradigm appears in the regional level and what its effect is on emerging regional disparities. Secondly, is it possible to evaluate, how the region?s adaptability to the shift of techno-economic paradigm correlates to its economical success. In the current study, an indicator is created to describe a regions? adaptability to the shift of techno-economic paradigm. The variables included in the adaptability indicator are derived from the theories describing the present society. The Finnish urban regions are used as the source of empirical data in this study. All Finnish urban regions are assessed based on the adaptability indicator and further on, the values of the adaptability indicator are compared to the respective values of indicators describing the economic success of the same regions.. Admittedly, the adaptability indicator does not describe the studied phenomenon completely, it might even be considered provocative. However, it gives some interesting results about the different kinds of development trajectories of urban regions, and gives valuable information for regional decision-making.

Competition-Based Innovation: The Case of the X Prize Foundation

The use of competition-based processes for the development of innovations is increasing. In parallel with the increasing use of competition-based innovation in business firms, this model of innovation is successfully being used by non-profit organizations for advancing the development of science and technology. One such non-profit organization is the X Prize Foundation, which designs and manages innovation competitions to encourage scientific and technological development. The objective of this article is to analyze the X Prize Foundation and three of the competitions it has organized in order to identify the challenges of competition-based innovation and how to overcome them

Analysis of risk management tools applicable in managing farm risks: A literature review

The objective of this study was to list and analyse risk management tools applicable in managing farm risks. A literature search of several large literature databases was conducted. By using risk management-related keywords, a total of 13,559 articles discussing risk management were identified. Of these, 157 articles were selected for closer analysis applicable to dairy, cattle, pig or crop production. Both journal articles and book chapters in English were included. The articles were categorized based on the applied risk focus and type of risk management tools presented. In accordance with this, potential farm risk management tools were searched from the research studies associated with production, assets, economics and finance, human health and safety, and the environmental risks on farms. An important outcome of the study was a tool case for farm risk management stages, in which either the potential farm risk tools can each be used to address a single risk or the tools can be holistically applied. Farmers face multi-risk management demands, but comprehensive literature studies on multi-risk management tools on farms have been rare. Farm risk management tools and information provided to farmers are not at a sufficient level if we compare them to the current risks and social demands that farmers are facing. The possible farm risks should be clarified to farmers that they can identify them on farms. Furthermore, in order to integrate farm risk management tools, the links between the risks should be made visible among farm operations and farm production processes. Complexity and usability are future challenges in the further development of tools for managing farm risks. Applying the new farm risk tools in a sustainable manner requires farm managers to adopt new knowledge management techniques. Education programmes are needed to address the new skills that are required, and communication and co-operation between different research disciplines is also necessary

Farm Risk Map:A contextual tool for risk identification and sustainable management on farms

A contextual risk management tool, termed the Farm Risk Map, was designed for risk identification and sustainable management on farms. Design criteria for the tool were that it should be relevant for farmers, holistic, systematic and easy to use. The tool should be comprehensive, but it should also include a one-page summary helping in the visualization of the risks. Major risk categories included in the risk map were farm assets and finance, products and production quality and people safety, as well as risks external to the farm. A constructive research approach was used, incorporating extant literature, surveys among farmers and expert workshops. The tool was also tested on a number of case farms. Farmers were able to take a broader perspective on risk management and to prioritize risks systematically. The Farm Risk Map has been used as a basis for developing new risk management software