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Article
Publication date: 23 May 2008

Ádám Török

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the development of export competitiveness of Hungary and other new member countries of the EU (NMEs) prior to their accession. It also…

623

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the development of export competitiveness of Hungary and other new member countries of the EU (NMEs) prior to their accession. It also makes a contribution to the methodology of competitiveness measurement. It links competitiveness analysis to so‐called eclectic trade theories trying to synthesise different approaches to comparative advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

Introductory theoretical remarks are followed by a survey of various techniques to measure competitiveness. It defines “fields of competitiveness” in order to gauge Hungary's relative positions vis‐à‐vis her main export competitors. The analysis of export competitiveness of these countries in their main markets within the EU‐15 is based on market shares between 1996 and 2001.

Findings

The most advanced economies of the sample including Spain, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic showed a “neo‐technological” type of competitiveness development. The “Heckscher‐Ohlin” path based on cheap labour and mass technologies was followed by Portugal, Poland or Turkey for example. The “Ricardian” path with a great degree of reliance on natural resources could be observed in the case of Ukraine and Bulgaria.

Originality/value

The paper makes a contribution to three fields of economics: the economics of transition, competitiveness analysis and trade theory. It proves that the catch‐up process of the NMEs brought about significant changes in their patterns of specialisation and competitiveness which is a feature of transition hitherto neglected by literature. Furthermore, it provides a proof to the so‐called eclectic model of trade theory introduced by Hirsch in the 1970s.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, vol. 18 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 17 April 2007

John P. Meyer

333

Abstract

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 23 May 2008

Attila Chikan

522

Abstract

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, vol. 18 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

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Book part
Publication date: 9 August 2022

Ibolya Szalai and Arnold Toth

The term of lateral thinking in Oxford dictionary is seeking to solve problems by unorthodox or apparently illogical methods. On the hypercompetitive markets agile…

Abstract

The term of lateral thinking in Oxford dictionary is seeking to solve problems by unorthodox or apparently illogical methods. On the hypercompetitive markets agile, value-oriented, inspiring, collaborative, appreciative leaders are needed. These AVICA-type leaders have the ability to catalyze and develop adaptive processes. They are receptive to innovation and also open to the creative thoughts of others. The leader himself is also a lateral innovator and unfolds the creativity of the employees in business life and the students in higher education. The educators, in a lateral approach, are leaders, but can also be Renaissance-type people, polyhistors, homo ludens. Creativity researchers generally agree that educators’ view on creativity determines the way in which they deal with developing students’ mindset. In our research, we evaluate how important students consider the knowledge of lateral innovation to their related subjects, the development of their innovative way of thinking and how they perceive the activities of the lecturers in this direction. The other question is whether educators see lateral approach as an important value creation process. The ultimate goal of the research is to explore the factors that contribute to the implementation of the lateral mindset for the sustainable competitiveness of higher education in economics.

Details

Agile Management and VUCA-RR: Opportunities and Threats in Industry 4.0 towards Society 5.0
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-326-0

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Article
Publication date: 20 July 2015

Dorisz Tálas and Andrea Rózsa

The purpose of this paper is to analyse time-series change of the competitiveness of leading companies of the sector based on their financial position regarding the period of…

1391

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse time-series change of the competitiveness of leading companies of the sector based on their financial position regarding the period of financial crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

First, high level of revenue concentration was proved; consequently, strong competitive situation among few competitors was realised. Corporations having three common features (high amount of equity, high revenue and diversified product structure) were included in the sample. As the methodological background financial parameters were assigned to the definition of corporate competitiveness, and then comparative and comprehensive financial analysis of competitors was accomplished. Using relevant studies, liquidity based on balance sheets and cash flow statements, working capital processes, conventional and cash-flow based profitability were analysed.

Findings

It was proved that sample companies continuously improved the efficiency of working capital management indicated by the decrease of the average cash conversion cycle from 45 to 23 days. It was realised that there is a Hungarian-owned firm having outstanding financial performance; consequently, it has significant position among competitors. This company has further opportunity to increase its market share and competitiveness in the future. Finally, important characteristics of the sector were identified concerning the low level of technological improvements (the average ratio was below 3 per cent of the revenue), and unfavourable profitability processes.

Originality/value

In this paper, a separate analytic framework is established in view of the application of financial indicators to analyse competitiveness. This kind of analysis was not executed before in this sector.

Details

Competitiveness Review, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 April 2023

Arsalan Ahmed, Nazia Nazeer, GulRukh Zahid and Faisal Nawaz

This study attempts to recognize the effects of the Pakistan–China free trade agreements (PCFTA) on promoting trade between the two economies.

1419

Abstract

Purpose

This study attempts to recognize the effects of the Pakistan–China free trade agreements (PCFTA) on promoting trade between the two economies.

Design/methodology/approach

Following the concept of revealed comparative advantage (RCA) and free trade agreements, the study first identifies those commodities in which Pakistan and China have a robust RCA and then analyze the effect of PCFTA on the export value of those commodities for the bilateral trade between Pakistan and China. The study used the panel data in which more than the top 150 importers (j) have been selected for each case of Pakistan and China for the period of 2003–2015.

Findings

The study concludes that even with the higher convergence rate, the good RCA does not guarantee a positive effect of the free trade agreement on the commodities.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the existing literature by integrating RCA with the gravity model by adopting a sequential mode for Pakistan–China free trade agreement.

Details

Journal of International Logistics and Trade, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1738-2122

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 1 June 2015

Denis Fischbacher-Smith

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential role that the so-called “toxic triangle” (Padilla et al., 2007) can play in undermining the processes around effectiveness…

4172

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential role that the so-called “toxic triangle” (Padilla et al., 2007) can play in undermining the processes around effectiveness. It is the interaction between leaders, organisational members, and the environmental context in which those interactions occur that has the potential to generate dysfunctional behaviours and processes. The paper seeks to set out a set of issues that would seem to be worthy of further consideration within the Journal and which deal with the relationships between organisational effectiveness and the threats from insiders.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a systems approach to the threats from insiders and the manner in which it impacts on organisation effectiveness. The ultimate goal of the paper is to stimulate further debate and discussion around the issues.

Findings

The paper adds to the discussions around effectiveness by highlighting how senior managers can create the conditions in which failure can occur through the erosion of controls, poor decision making, and the creation of a culture that has the potential to generate failure. Within this setting, insiders can serve to trigger a series of failures by their actions and for which the controls in place are either ineffective or have been by-passed as a result of insider knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

The issues raised in this paper need to be tested empirically as a means of providing a clear evidence base in support of their relationships with the generation of organisational ineffectiveness.

Practical implications

The paper aims to raise awareness and stimulate thinking by practising managers around the role that the “toxic triangle” of issues can play in creating the conditions by which organisations can incubate the potential for crisis.

Originality/value

The paper seeks to bring together a disparate body of published work within the context of “organisational effectiveness” and sets out a series of dark characteristics that organisations need to consider if they are to avoid failure. The paper argues the case that effectiveness can be a fragile construct and that the mechanisms that generate failure also need to be actively considered when discussing what effectiveness means in practice.

Details

Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2051-6614

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 1 July 2004

Adam Gearey

Aesthetic jurisprudence must take seriously the myth of community,1 the antagonistic of intimacy; love and death.2 Myth, however, must also be seized in its peculiarity. Rather…

Abstract

Aesthetic jurisprudence must take seriously the myth of community,1 the antagonistic of intimacy; love and death.2 Myth, however, must also be seized in its peculiarity. Rather than affirming coherence or the pattern of the past, it is a discourse that undoes itself. Indeed, myth does not provide a comforting story of belonging and foundations, it reminds us of the antagonisms of the human condition and the problematic nature of thought itself.

Details

Studies in Law, Politics and Society
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-76231-109-5

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 24 June 2024

Olayombo Elizabeth Akinwale, Olusegun Emmanuel Akinwale and Owolabi Lateef Kuye

Employability skills have transformed from the acquisition of university degrees to possessions of cognate skills other than only degrees that can help employees secure…

1031

Abstract

Purpose

Employability skills have transformed from the acquisition of university degrees to possessions of cognate skills other than only degrees that can help employees secure employment in contemporary work environments. This study evaluates essential skills that will prepare millennia of youths and graduates for employment in the present job market. The study investigated four major hypotheses to underscore the employability opportunities of graduates in challenging 21st-century work environments.

Design/methodology/approach

To clearly gain an understanding of women’s disparity in society, the study employed a qualitative approach to evaluate the incidence of gender prejudice in a men’s dominant world. The study utilised two distinguished sampling strategies, purposive and snowballing sampling techniques, which were deemed suitable and useful due to the nature of the study. The study recruited 42 participants by conducting semi-structured interview sessions for the study. The study employed a deductive approach to analyse the data obtained from participants. A thematic content analysis was used to take away prejudice and establish an overarching impression of the interviewed data. Atlas.ti was used to analyse the transcribed interview data from the participants to establish common themes from the surveyed informants.

Findings

The results of this investigation indicated that there is a deep-rooted trend of institutionalised men’s dominance in politics and religious leadership. Women perceived less representation and men dominated the two domains of existence in their local environment. The study established that women are optimistic about a turnaround narrative on gender equality in politics and religious leadership. They expressed their concern about strengthened public debate and campaigns on women’s representation, and against gender discrimination. The study further shows that women are influencing the ethical and moral sense for change against women’s neglect in society. They expressed their concerns against the selection of people into political offices for elected political posts and observed the peculiarity of political godfathers fixing their favourite men into those offices.

Originality/value

The study discovered that women are leading campaigns for their representation in politics as well as church leadership today. The novelty of this study bothering around two domains of women’s lives – politics and religion, in particular, church leadership. These have not been evidence before in a study.

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Article
Publication date: 21 March 2016

Kamaljit Singh Boparai, Rupinder Singh and Harwinder Singh

The purpose of this study is to highlight the direct fabrication of rapid tooling (RT) with desired mechanical, tribological and thermal properties using fused deposition…

3820

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to highlight the direct fabrication of rapid tooling (RT) with desired mechanical, tribological and thermal properties using fused deposition modelling (FDM) process. Further, the review paper demonstrated development procedure of alternative feedstock filament of low-cost composite material for FDM to extend the range of RT applications.

Design/methodology/approach

The alternative materials for FDM and their processing requirements for fabrication in filament form as reported by various researchers have been summarized. The literature demonstrates the role of various post-processing techniques on surface finish of FDM prints. Further, low-cost materials for feedstock filament have been investigated experimentally to check their adaptability/suitability for commercial FDM setup. The approach was to realize the requirements of FDM (melt flow rate, flexibility, stiffness, glass transition temperature and mechanical strength), necessary for the successful run of an alternative filament. The effect of constituents (additives, plasticizers, surfactants and fillers) in polymeric matrix on mechanical, tribological and thermal properties has been investigated.

Findings

It is possible to develop composite material feedstock as filament for commercial FDM setup without changing its hardware and software. Surface finish of the parts can further be improved by applying various post-processing techniques. Most of the composite parts have high mechanical strength, hardness, thermal stability, wear resistant and better bond formation than standard material parts.

Research limitations/implications

Future research may be focused on improving the surface quality of parts fabricated with composite feedstock, solving issues related to the uniform distribution of filled materials during the fabrication of feedstock filament which in turns further increases mechanical strength, high dimensional stability of composite filament and transferring the technology from laboratory scale to various industrial applications.

Practical implications

Potential applications of direct fabrication with RT includes rapid manufacturing (RM) of metal-filled parts and ceramic-filled parts (which have complex shape and cannot be rapidly made by any other manufacturing techniques) in the field of biomedical and dentistry.

Originality/value

This new manufacturing methodology is based on the proper selection and processing of various materials and additives to form high-performance, low-cost composite material feedstock filament (which fulfil the necessary requirements of FDM process). Finally, newly developed feedstock filament material has both quantitative and qualitative advantage in RT and RM applications as compared to standard material filament.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

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