S Z E ML E
A cikk szerzõje az elektronikus kereskedelem két újabb modelljét – az „internetes bizalom” és az elektronikus kereskedelem modelljét – használja fel kutatásához, ami a különbözõ bizalmi és biztosítási mechanizmusok (például a személyiségi jogok védelme, adatvédelmi garanciák stb.) hatékonyságát vizsgálja az elektronikus kereskedelemben. Elemzi, hogy a kereskedõk hírneve, illetve a fogyasztóknak az adatbiztonsággal kapcsolatos vélekedései mennyiben befolyásolják a bizalmat és a személyes adatok közlését a kereskedelmi weboldalak használatakor. A felmérés eredményei szerint az eladó hírneve jóval többet számít, mint a személyiségi jogok védelmére vonatkozó nyilatkozatok megszövegezése, ami nincs hatással az adatok közlésére.
TÁRSKERESÉS AZ INTERNETEN Az internetes társkeresés dinamikája Helene M. Lawson – Kira Leck: Dynamics of Internet Dating Social Science Computer Review, 2006/2 (nyári kiadás) http://ssc.sagepub.com/ A tanulmány az internetes társkeresés világát vizsgálja mélyinterjúk alkalmazásával. Témája felöleli a társkeresõk motivációit, az udvarlás stílusait, továbbá a bizalom és a csalás problémájának kezelését. A kutatás eredményei szerint azok, akik az interneten keresnek társat, többnyire valamilyen krízis után kezdtek kapcsolatokat keresni a világhálón, fontos volt nekik az énbemutatás feletti kontroll lehetõsége, valamint az elkötelezõdés és a sztereotipikus szerepek kerülése.
MÓDSZERTAN Webes kérdõívek és a kérdezési módszerek hatása Martyn Denscombe: Web-Based Questionnaires and the Mode Effect Social Science Computer Review, 2006/2 (nyári kiadás) http://ssc.sagepub.com/ A cikk írója szerint a webes kérdõívekkel kapcsolatos módszertani értékelések többnyire a mintavétellel és a válaszadási aránnyal kapcsolatos kérdésekrõl szólnak, és kevéssé foglalkoznak azzal, hogy a kérdezettek vajon ugyanazt válaszolják-e a hozzájuk különbözõ módokon eljuttatott kérdõívekre. A szerzõ ennek a problémakörnek a vizsgálatára készített felmérést közel azonos válaszadói csoportokhoz különbözõ módokon eljuttatott, de közel azonos kérdõívek alkalmazásával. A tanulmány a fiatalok egészséggel kapcsolatos viselkedésére vonatkozóan webes, illetve papíralapú kérdõívek útján nyert eredményeket hasonlítja össze a kitöltési arányok és az adattartalom alapján.
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CONTENTS Lectori salutem!
Imre Hronszky
Two Scholia on Innovation This paper is dealing, on the one hand, with basic characteristics of innovation, the nature of uncertainty determining innovation, special ways of learning leading to innovation, and the contraposition of basic assumptions of the neo-classical and evolutionist approaches, and, on the other hand, the management of break-through or radical innovation. For exploring innovation in the context of globalization, a dynamic systems approach and an evolutionist way of thinking is required. The author of the paper compares, from the perspective of innovation, several basic attributes of the neo-classical and the evolutionist approach in economics, and summarizes how the so-called SOCROBUST project, relying on the evolutionist approach, has tried to solve the problem of managing radical innovation. Keywords: radical innovation, uncertainty, neoclassical and evolutionist way of thinking, SOCROBUST
Ti b o r D e s s e w f f y – B e n c e S á g v á r i
Indicator-fetishism, or the bent yard-stick Standard indicators of the level of R + D activities have now been used for several decades to measure the competitiveness of societies and economies. However, much less attention has been paid to the phenomena hidden behind the figures that fundamentally determine the possibilities and the expectable economic outcomes of innovation. Thus, in addition to traditional indicators, other ones must also be found, which may help in better understanding of R + D and innovation processes, and mechanisms determining economic success or failure of development programs. Even more important is consummating and turning into new marketable products of the social processes that might be measured by these indicators in the future. The author, reporting on empirical research results, argues that not only measurement methodology should be changed, but also the Hungarian micro- and macro-environment of innovation must simultaneously be reformed. Keywords: innovation, R + D, indicators, small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), IT industries
Ti v a d a r L i p p é n y i – J ó z s e f I m r e – Z o l t á n P e r e d y
R & D and innovation hubs of the knowledge-based society and economy in Hungary The sharpened competition in the context of globalization presents challenges which have to be faced by all nations interested in developing a knowledge-driven economy. The Hungarian society and economy have to change over to a new trajectory of development, based on innovation and knowledge. In international comparison, the innovation achievement of Hungary is somewhere in the middle range in the EU, among those countries trying to catch up with „older” member states. In Hungary, a comprehensive reform of the system of innovation commenced in 2003. The government’s R&D and innovation strategy, presently being under wide-scale discussions, explicitly aims at enhancing the country’s competitiveness. The national
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innovation system is, however, unevenly developed in different regions of the country, therefore special attention has to be given in the future to promoting the innovation capabilities of various regions lagging behind. Keywords: knowledge-driven economy, innovation performance, competitiveness, regional capabilities for innovation
Balázs Borsi
Chances of the so-called Visegrád countries in the European research and innovation area. This paper examines the chances of catching up for the countries of the Visegrád treaty (the V-4 countries: the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia), in connection with one of the chief strategic aims of the European Union, namely, the establishment of the European Research Area (ERA). The author arrives at the conclusion that the V-4 countries’ overall economic potential, and especially that in the field of R&D, is rather modest, in spite of the fact that in general political terms, these states belong to the more advanced countries of the world. He emphasizes that without comprehensive restructuring and improvement of the environment for a competitive market economy in the region, one cannot expect a real enhancement in the demand for innovation and R&D activities. An important assertation of the paper is coining the term „Visegrád paradox”: although, in international comparison, relative to the GERD, BERD, and GDP, the number of researchers is high, the innovative achievements of the V-4 countries are not commensurable with their scientific performance (the gap is greater than in the EU-15 countries). Integration into the ERA is being hindered by the V-4 countries’ regional underdevelopedness (the low number of regional R&D centers-of-excellence). The EU’s considerable politicaleconomic pressures resulting from the desire of establishing ERA, effectuated by various support mechanisms, are highly inspirational for opinion-shaping leaders and decision-makers of the V-4 countries, however, the transformation of the national innovation systems essential for a healthy market economy will probably be a slow process. Keywords: Visegrád (V-4) countries, competitiveness, ERA, innovation, R&D.
György Bõgel
Which Way Is R+D Going? Reshuffling the International Division of Labour in the Field of Research and Development The role, the future and the institutional system of research and development activities are intensely debated issues in today’s Hungary. Local decision must be made in a rapidly changing global R + D environment. This study highlights and analyses key trends and developments in this field with the aim of understanding their logic and future direction. The conclusion is that the migration of R + D activities and jobs to some low cost countries is motivated by the same factors as the outsourcing of manufacturing, a trend which started many years ago. The present winners of this process are countries like China and India; CEE countries must compete with them in the future. Keywords: migration of R + D activities, outsourcing, competitiveness in R+D, global R+D environment
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Giovanni Dosi – Patrick Llerena – Mauro Sylos Labini
Evaluating and Comparing the Innovation Performance of the United States and the European Union The report aims at evaluating and comparing the innovation performance of the United States and the European Union. In particular, bearing in mind the subtleties entailed by innovation measurements, we discuss the European comparative performance in terms of scientific output, proxies for technological innovation, and actual production and export in those lines of business which draw more directly on scientific advances. The general message of the authors’ analysis can be summarized as follows. Certainly one observes significant differences across scientific and technological fields, but it happens that Europe has structural lags in top level science and innovative performance vis-à-vis the US, together with some points of strength in physical sciences and engineering. At the same time, one also finds ample evidence of a widespread European corporate weakness, notwithstanding major success stories. Keywords: innovation performance, structural lags, scientific and technological knowledge, indicators
B j ø r n T. A s h e i m – L a r s C o e n e n
Knowledge bases and regional innovation systems: Comparing Nordic clusters The analysis of the importance of different types of regional innovation systems must take place within a context of the actual knowledge base of various industries in the economy, as the innovation processes of firms are strongly shaped by their specific knowledge base. In this paper, we shall distinguish between two types of knowledge base: analytical and synthetic. These types indicate different mixes of tacit and codified knowledge, codification possibilities and limits, qualifications and skills, required organisations and institutions involved, as well as specific competitive challenges from a globalising economy, which have different implications for different sectors of industry, and, thus, for the kind of innovation support needed. The traditional constellation of industrial clusters surrounded by innovation supporting organisations, constituting a regional innovation system, is nearly always to be found in contexts of industries with a synthetic knowledge base (e.g. engineering-based industries), while the existence of regional innovation systems as an integral part of a cluster will normally be the case of industries-based on an analytical knowledge base (e.g. science-based industries, such as IT and bio-tech). In the discussion of different types of regional innovation systems five empirical illustrations from a Nordic comparative project on SMEs and regional innovation systems will be used: the furniture industry in Salling, Denmark; the wireless communication industry in North Jutland, Denmark; the functional food industry in Scania, Sweden; the food industry in Rogaland, Norway and the electronics industry in Horten, Norway. We argue that in terms of innovation policy the regional level often provides a grounded approach embedded in networks of actors acknowledging the importance of the knowledge base of an industry. Keywords: Regional innovation systems; knowledge bases; Nordic countries
INTERVIEW
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Árpád Bak
The 7th Research Framework Programme: More Emphasis on Research Topics An interview about the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development with Ilona Vass, vice-president of the Hungarian National Office for Research and Technology (NKTH) and with Ágnes Gulyás, head of the EU Department within the Division of Foreign Relations at NKTH.
BOOK REVIEW
Róbert Pintér
The Secret of the Finnish Miracle Castells, Manuel – Himanen, Pekka (2002): The Information Society and the Welfare State – The Finnish Model (Oxford University Press, Sitra’s Publication Series, No. 250) Manuel Castells and Pekka Himanen published their book on the Finnish information society in 2002. This article, through reviewing the book, inquires into the secret of the Finnish development, seeking the answer to the questions why the Finns have become so successful, what can be learned from their praxis, and what challenges the Finns themselves are facing. While doing so, the pieces of the puzzle (including, among others, the welfare state, educational and science policies, „hacker ethics”, the success of Nokia, the political system, and the national identity of the Finns) slip home. Keywords: Finnish information society, Finnish innovation policies, welfare state, Nokia, Manuel Castells, hacker ethics, Finnish identity
REVIEW
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