KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY AND TRANSITION ECONOMIES.THE BULGARIAN CHALLENGE

This paper evaluates the Bulgarian positioning in the European knowledge-based economy. The analysis is mainly based on the Knowledge Assessment Methodology of the World Bank (2005). After an analytical framework, the analysis reveals an alarming situation for Bulgaria resulting from several negative factors, which reinforce one another in a cumulative process. Finally, the conclusion underlines that a necessary condition for the Bulgarian economy to become knowledge-based, is to set up good rules of governance but also to be able to mobilize human capital and to coordinate the interactions within citizens and organizations.knowledge economy, knowledge triangle, Central and East European countries

Bioproduction in the Czech Republic

Organic farming in the Czech Republic is particularly located in Less Favoured Areas (LFA), which are often overlaid with environmentally sensitive areas. Acreage of organic farming in the Czech republic makes about 6% of the whole agriculture land. At present acreage of organic farming is 281 535 ha. More than 90% share of this acreage represent grasslands. Grasslands are linked with non-milk cattle breeding. Organic farming fulfils its environmental function good in contrast to its production function which is fulfilled much less. As the main product of organic farming in Czech Republic is produced bee, but most of this beef isn’t certified as a bio-product. The amount of bio-products is not sufficient enough and does not cover both market and export need. This absence is also caused by uniform range of bio-production and by insufficient manufacturing capacities. At the same time only 24% of organic farmers can place more than 50% of their production on the market as a bio-product. Important limiting factor for increase of manufacturing capacities are in comparison to EU very strict zoohygienic and veterinary laws and rules, related to animal production. Structure of farming on arable land within organic farming is limited by the system of subsidies. Currently this system is not satisfactory enough to ensure higher motivation for farmers to produce bio-production and farm on arable land. The demand for bio-products outweighs current offer and the resultant difference is covered by import. In contrast with earlier members of EU where the direct sell from farm is the main method of distribution, in the Czech Republic is distribution of bio-products realized by many ways, mainly through selling in supermarkets and specialised shops in cities. In contrast with earlier members of EU, most of organic farms in the Czech Republic feature relatively large acreage. These farms are primarily focused on production and far less on manufacturing. This is one of the reasons of lower share of straight sell from farms

On-Demand Learning in the Semantic Web

Learning processes need to be efficient and just-in-time for supporting the need-to-know of employees or learners. The efficient mechanisms for acquiring knowledge on demand are crucial for organizations to enhance the skills of their employees. This paper presents how semantic web technologies used for the description both of learning objects and learning models can be used for realizing the knowledge on demand paradigm

Measuring, analysing and explaining the value of travel time savings for autonomous driving

Autonomes Fahren (AF) wird potenziell die Präferenzen für die im Auto verbrachte Zeit stark beeinflussen und dementsprechend den Wert der Reisezeit, der ein Schlüsselelement von Kosten-Nutzen-Analysen im Verkehr ist. Die Untersuchung dieses Aspekts des AF ist daher entscheidend für die Analyse potenzieller Auswirkungen der Technik auf die zukünftige Verkehrsnachfrage. Trotz der steigenden Anzahl an Studien zu diesem Thema, gibt es noch erhebliche Forschungslücken. Der Fokus der Dissertation ist die potenziellen Änderungen des Reisezeitwerts, die durch das AF entstehen, zu messen sowie ihre Determinanten zu analysieren. Es wurden sowohl qualitative Ansätze als auch quantitative Methoden verwendet. Dabei wurden zwei Konzepte von AF betrachtet: privates und geteiltes autnomes Fahrzeug. Die Ergebnisse der Analysen zeigen einen niedrigeren Wert der Reisezeitersparnis beim AF im Vergleich zum manuellen Fahren, allerdings nur auf Pendelwegen. Das private Fahrzeug wird als eine attraktivere Option als ein geteiltes Fahrzeug wahrgenommen, jedoch unterscheiden sich die Nutzerpräferenzen für geteilte Fahrzeug stark zwischen den durchgeführten Studien. Individuelle Charakteristiken, wie Erfahrung mit Fahrassistenzsystemen, beeinflussen stark die Wahrnehmung der Zeit im AF; andere sozio-demographischen Faktoren, wie Alter und Geschlecht haben vor allem einen indirekten Effekt auf den Reisezeitwert indem sie Einstellungen potenzieller Nutzer beeinflussen. Die Verbesserung des Fahrterlebnisses durch das AF und das Vertrauen in die Technik sind wichtige Determinanten der Reisezeitwahrnehmung. Fahrvergnügen und andere wahrgenommene Vorteile vom manuellen Fahren gleichen in einem gewissen Ausmaß den Nutzen vom AF aus. Es wurden Reisezeitwerte für unterschiedliche potenzielle Nutzersegmente berechnet. Abschließend wurden politische Implikationen, Empfehlungen für die Entwicklung von AF sowie Empfehlungen für künftige Studien und potenziellen Forschungsgebiete abgeleitet.Autonomous driving will potentially strongly affect preferences for time spent in a vehicle and, consequently, the value of travel time savings (VTTS). As VTTS is a key element of cost-benefit analysis for transport, these interrelations are crucial for analysing the potential impact of the technology on future travel demand. Despite the increasing number of studies dedicated to this topic there are still many unanswered questions. The focus of the thesis is to measure potential changes in the VTTS resulting from the introduction of autonomous driving and analyse their determinants. Qualitative approaches and quantitative methods were used. Two concepts of AVs were considered: a privately-owned AV (PAV) and a shared AV (SAV). The analysis results suggest lower VTTS for autonomous driving compared to manual driving, but only on commuting trips. A PAV is perceived as a more attractive option than an SAV, but user preferences for SAVs vary between the conducted studies. Individual characteristics, such as experience with advanced driver assistance systems, strongly affect the perception of time in an AV; other socio-demographic factors, such as age and gender, affect mode choices and the VTTS mainly indirectly by influencing the attitudes of potential users. The improvement in travel experiences due to autonomous driving and trust in the technology are important determinants of the perception of travel time. Enjoyment of driving and other perceived benefits of manual driving partially counterbalance the utility of riding autonomously. VTTS for different potential user segments were calculated. In conclusion, several policy implications, development recommendations for AVs as well as recommendations for future studies and potential research avenues are derived from the findings