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On the Nature of Portals in Fantasy Literature

On the Nature of Portals in Fantasy Literature

Author(s): Marius Conkan / Language(s): English / Issue: 26/2014

Keywords: Fantasy literature; Imagination; Portal; Border; Secondary world.

This paper aims to analyze the nature of portal in fantasy literature. The portal is at the heart of mapping and building imaginary objects, creatures and situations that configure the alternative space. The symbolic journey a character makes through the portal is the matrix of fantasy fictions. Beyond the arguments that aim at revealing the structures of imaginary worlds, there are some questions that still need answers: What is a portal? A frontier, a process or maybe both? Are we talking about physical space, or rather about an internal and abstract dimension?

Evolution of the Traditionally Stereotypical Term geisha in French Contemporary Newspapers

Evolution of the Traditionally Stereotypical Term geisha in French Contemporary Newspapers

Author(s): Kyoko Koma / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2009

Keywords: geisha; French and Lithuanian newspapers; stereotype; pregrinism; xenism; Japanese women; discourse analysis; geiša; Prancūzijos ir Lietuvos laikraščiai; stereotipas; pregrinizmas; ksenizmas; japonės moterys; diskurso analizė

This paper analyses how geisha, one of the most famous traditionally stereotypical terms, is represented in contemporary French media. The book Idées reçues: Le Japon (Fixed ideas: Japan) indicates that “the woman is submissive to the men and to her husband.” This is one of the most pervasive ideas about Japan, and Japanese women have often been described as the embodiment of “orient as phantasm,” the most famous representative of which is a geisha. After the economic bubble burst in the 1990s, the items of Japanese popular culture, such as the manga started to be appreciated by people all over the world. In addition, the afterward of the book Japonaises, la révolution douce (The Japanese, the soft revolution) published in 2000 indicates that “the place the women occupy in the (Japanese) society has radically evolved in this period.” The research reveals how a traditional term geisha was used in some French newspapers published in 1995, 2000 and 2005 during the period when the new image of Japan and Japanese women is projected in many countries. Šiame straipsnyje analizuojama, kaip gei a, vienas i garsiausių tradiciškai stereotipinių terminų, yra vartojamas šiuolaikinėje Prancūzijos žiniasklaidoje. Knyga Idées reçues: Le Japon (lit. Nuolatinės idėjos: Japonija) teigia, kad „moteris yra nuolanki vyrams ir santuokiniui vyrui“. Tai – viena iš labiausiai paplitusių sampratų apie Japoniją, o japonės moterys aprašomos kaip „iliuzijos įsikūnijimas“. Tipiškiausias tokio įvaizdžio pavyzdys yra geiša. XX a. paskutiniame dešimtmetyje įvykus ekonomikos sprogimui, Japonijos populiariosios kultūros elementai, tokie, kaip manga, tapo vis populiaresni visame pasaulyje. Be to, 2000 m. išleistoje knygoje Japonaises, la révolution douce (liet. Japonai, švelni revoliucija) nurodoma, kad „vieta, kurią moterys užima (Japonijos) visuomenėje, šiuo laikotarpiu radikaliai evoliucionavo“. Šis tyrimas atskleidžia, kaip geišos terminas buvo vartojamas kai kuriuose Prancūzijos laikraščiuose, leistuose 1995, 2000 ir 2005 m. – tuo metu, kai naujasis Japonijos ir japonių įvaizdis plito daugybėje šalių.

Resources for Early Childhood Education (E.C.E)

Resources for Early Childhood Education (E.C.E)

Author(s): Peace Ebele Ilechukwu Chukwbikem / Language(s): English / Issue: 08/2014

Keywords: E.C.E.; early childhood education; teaching; education;

The central theme of this paper is resources for early childhood education. The paper highlights issues such as purpose and benefits of ECE. It also discusses human, material and financial resources and gives detailed instructional resources for effective teaching at this level of education. The benefits of E.C.E. are that there is a positive relationship between E.C.E life performances of the recipient of this level of education. Good. ECE inculcates the spirit of enquiry and creativity through exploration of nature and the local environment. It teaches them cooperation, team spirit and good habit. It also prepares them for primary education. The study also examined the importance of play, things to look for in preschool curriculum which are human resources, materials and finance. Quality support system should include educational training for programme personnel as well as ongoing technical assistance programme providers and individual care provider. Personnel who are well prepare through education, training and support are essential to achieving high quality.

The specificity of clusters in the Asian economies

The specificity of clusters in the Asian economies

Author(s): Anna Jankowiak / Language(s): English / Issue: 20/2012

Keywords: clusters; Asian economies; industrial clusters

Clusters are interconnected companies and national institutions, contributing to increased competitiveness, to increasing innovation, to creating new products, new businesses and new jobs. Clusters, by the specificity of their character, combine business operations and local government agencies and scientific entities, thus contributing to the rapid growth of local economies. They are also an opportunity formany small- and medium-sized companies operating locally and without hope of crossing the boundaries of the region. Therefore, they constitute a good solution for both local businesses and for local economies which drive economic growth. Clusters are present in most national economies, but in different economic conditions they are invarious stages of development. Despite the theoretical and practical analysis of clusters, one has not yet defined a generic model that can explain the success and decline of some clusters. However, the advantages of this phenomenon are well-known and recognised and are one of the main reasons for the current focus on clusters. Clusters work in most national economies, but in all conditions the structure and pattern of action is different. The final shape of the cluster is affected by a number of factors, which are indirectly and directly related to the location. This article aims to provide specific models of the functioning of clusters in Asia, particularly in China and Japan. There is also a very interesting forecast for the Asian clusters in 2040, according to which a number of significant clusters of different industries will be located just in Asian countries.

The Use Of Data Envelopment Analysis To Assess The R&D Effectiveness Of The Czech Manufacturing Industry

The Use Of Data Envelopment Analysis To Assess The R&D Effectiveness Of The Czech Manufacturing Industry

Author(s): Marie Dočekalová,Nina Bočková / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2013

Keywords: research and development; effectiveness; competitiveness; Data Envelopment Analysis; manufacturing industry; Czech Republic.

The article deals with the application of Data Envelopment Analysis on research and development (R&D) effectiveness assessment of Czech manufacturing industry. The aim of this paper is to analyze effectiveness of resources spent in R&D, i.e. how effectively are resources transformed into marketable outputs of R&D. As variables are used R&D personnel, R&D expenditure and Sales of products of R&D to another entity. Data envelopment analysis is based on assessing the quantity of consumed inputs by the produced outputs and estimation of production possibility frontier by techniques of linear programming. Two models are calculated: an input oriented model with variable returns to scale and an input oriented model with constant returns to scale. Described approach to evaluation of R&D effectiveness can also be used in other sectors of economy as well as other countries. It was found that the most effective sector of Czech manufacturing industry is a manufacture of wood and paper while automotive industry is the least effective.

Chinese industrial clusters

Chinese industrial clusters

Author(s): Anna Jankowiak / Language(s): English / Issue: 256/2012

Keywords: Chinese clusters; industrial clusters; development

Clusters are an increasingly common form of business cooperation, which gives affiliated entities tremendous growth opportunities and shared experience. The countries of the Asia-Pacific region are becoming an increasingly popular place to locate clusters, which stems from various factors. The Asian region is an attractive region for foreign direct investment – so many new businesses are created there. Also there exists a strong tradition of industry, so clusters are formed naturally as a consequence of the concentration of specialised industries in the area. The clusters located in China are an example of a stronger industry concentration than average industrial clusters. Many regions in China are concerned only with specific products (e.g., textiles), which are sold on national and international markets. They are extremely well- -organised clusters-cities, where a large number of small and medium enterprises operate, which by acting together are more likely to achieve a high level of competitiveness.

Analogic Language in Communication: Time and Space

Analogic Language in Communication: Time and Space

Author(s): Doina Mihaela Popa / Language(s): English / Issue: 8/2011

Keywords: Interpersonal communication; proxemics; scale of interpersonal distances; monochronism; polychronism

This paper deals with the new communication perspective, according to which the spatial and temporal dimmension are included in the inter-subjective communication process. It also has in view that the way in which time and space are perceived and represented constitute essential characteristics of each culture. The appearance of proxemics, defined as the study of social space in biocommunication, or as the study of micro-space in interaction, has changed the grid that the communication specialists use to analyze the interdependence between verbal and non-verbal communication. They theoretize on and accept the scale of interpersonal distances, the idea of mobile space vs set space, or that of monochronism vs polychronism in the temporal perception and representation of communication, otherwise all viewed as interaction dimensions.

Compliance Risks and Business Performance of Selected South African Retail Stores, Case of Emerging Markets

Compliance Risks and Business Performance of Selected South African Retail Stores, Case of Emerging Markets

Author(s): Job Dubihlela,Anthony Ezeonwuka / Language(s): English / Issue: 7/2018

Keywords: Ethical behavior; credit risks; retail credit environment; credit granting; department stores;

In South Africa, it is commonly acknowledged that objectionably high numbers of borrowers are over-indebtedness. However, it is also true that some retailers still need to uphold ethical standard and be risk compliant in line with the statutory and governance requirements. Research has revealed irresponsible credit provision, and inconsistent training, education and sensitisation programs aimed at alerting borrowers about the intricacies of borrowing. This research study sought to evaluate compliance risk and ethical standards within selected departmental stores located in Cape Town, South Africa, whose main operations is based on credit granting. Because these stores do not sufficiently evaluate the compliance risks and ethical standards in the process of granting credit, they ultimately lose potential profits which possibly impact on the long term viability and sustainability of their business operations. The research evaluates the processes surrounding the credit environment vis-à-vis the processes involved in granting credits to customers within department stores and how compliance risk affects their performance. A quantitative research approach was conducted by way of a structured questionnaire. The convenient sampling method was used from selected retail departmental stores in Cape Town. The findings indicate that although departmental stores have written policies and incorporate some level of training on personal lending and credit policies, poor ethical standards are still prevalent within their credit granting environments. Credit granting departmental stores are still exposed to substantial amount of compliance risks, deterring overall business performance. Paper adds value to the domain of credit risk management, and also proposes possible future studies.

The Need to Support Regional Entrepreneurship. The Evidence from Poland’s Eastern Border Regions and the Region of Łódź

The Need to Support Regional Entrepreneurship. The Evidence from Poland’s Eastern Border Regions and the Region of Łódź

Author(s): Małgorzata Jabłońska / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

Keywords: entrepreneurship; regional entrepreneurship; regional policy; regions; Eastern Poland

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors which have the greatest impact on the development of regional entrepreneurship in the border regions of Eastern Poland and in the Łódź region. An attempt was made to characterize these regions in terms of attractiveness and power of attracting development factors mainly due to the fact that in each of these regions entrepreneurs meet the specific micro- and macro-economic determinants.

Impact of Migrant Workers to the Family Economic Status, Educational Level, and Child Health

Impact of Migrant Workers to the Family Economic Status, Educational Level, and Child Health

Author(s): Basrowi Basrowi / Language(s): English / Issue: 12/2019

Keywords: remittance; migrant workers; economy; education; health;

The majority of women in Indonesia in general and Lampung in particular have not found decent jobs and have sufficient income. To get a decent income they choose to become migrant workers. The purpose of this is to describe the effect of remittance on the economic level of the migrant workers' families, the length of time the child is educated, and the health level of the child. This study uses a survey approach to migrant workers and former migrant workers from Lampung Province. The results of the study are original findings about the use of remittance models and policy recommendations that can be used for all parties involved in women migrant workers. The results of the study concluded that remittances had a positive and significant impact on improving the family's economy, children's education duration, and children's health level.

NEW PREPOSITIONAL ANALYTIC CONSTRUCTIONS IN CONTEMPORARY POLISH

NEW PREPOSITIONAL ANALYTIC CONSTRUCTIONS IN CONTEMPORARY POLISH

Author(s): Monika Jabłońska / Language(s): English / Issue: 19/2019

Keywords: synthetic construction; analytic construction; analyticity; preposition;

This paper presents pairs of structures in which one structure is a correct synthetic phrase and the other is a corresponding analytic structure that is incorrect according to contemporary dictionaries. The latter are nevertheless used because speakers notice subtle differences between the synthetic and analytic forms. As a result, one structure cannot be replaced with the other in all contexts. The process of replacing synthetic structures with analytic ones is evidence of the intensifying tendency towards analyzation in Polish. This process has been observed in all periods of the history of the Polish language.

SEEKING REFUGE IN THE PAST. BERET’S FAMILY CHEST IN O.E. RØLVAAG’S GIANTS IN THE EARTH

SEEKING REFUGE IN THE PAST. BERET’S FAMILY CHEST IN O.E. RØLVAAG’S GIANTS IN THE EARTH

Author(s): Ioana Andreea Mureșan / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2020

Keywords: Norwegian-Americans; Ole Edvart Rølvaag; Giants in the Earth; Norwegian heritage; cultural identity; immigrant chest; immigrant belonging; homeland memories;

Seeking Refuge in the Past. Beret’s Family Chest in O.E. Rølvaag’s Giants in the Earth . This study explores the importance of homeland treasures for the immigrants longing to belong. Beret Holm, the female protagonist in Giants in the Earth, speaks for the difficulties faced by Norwegian settlers in the Dakota prairie during the 19th century, both in what concerns the land they are about to conquer, but also in what concerns their sense of belonging, as well as the preservation of their identity in the American melting pot. The family chest she had brought from Norway, in which she kept all the treasures, all the memories from the homeland, would become her shelter during a locust plague that ravages the settlement. Torn by remorse for having left her country and parents, Beret seeks refuge from the wrath of God, hiding with her children in the very object that was so dear to her, her sole remembrance of an intangible past. The family chest that she sees as her coffin in a moment of despair would become the altar for the ritual of communion held by a Norwegian Lutheran priest, a ritual which would bring comfort to her troubled soul.

The Advantages of the Dynamic Purchasing System in the Context of the Bulgarian Reality

The Advantages of the Dynamic Purchasing System in the Context of the Bulgarian Reality

Author(s): Miglena Pavlova / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2020

Keywords: dynamic purchasing system; electronic procurement; framework agreements; suppliers; public goods; public services; public procurement

In the past few years, Bulgaria has made significant progress with a comprehensive reform of the public procurement sector. One of the main directions is the development of e-procurement. The introduction of e-procurement has allowed the use of procurement techniques that have not been widely used so far. One of these methods is the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). It is an entirely electronic process, the potential of which is yet to be unleashed. This method is part of the development and implementation of the Cen¬tralised Automated Information System“Electronic Public Procurement” (Cais EPP).

Living Communist History in the Living Room: The Communist Consumer Museum in Timisoara, Romania

Living Communist History in the Living Room: The Communist Consumer Museum in Timisoara, Romania

Author(s): Claudiu Constantin Oancea / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Keywords: entrepreneurship; post-communist memory; nostalgia; museum; oral history;

The aim of this article is to construe the Communist Consumer Museum in Timişoara, Romania, as a realm of communist everyday life memory in the current historical context, marked by an upsurge of both nostalgia and cultural entrepreneurship. The article identifies this Museum as an alternative one, in which the remembrance of everyday consumption, ideology, popular and official culture presupposes an affective interaction of the visitor with a series of material artifacts and household objects from the communist everyday life. For the analysis of this museum I will rely on written and oral history interviews, as well as on participant observation and theoretical approaches to memory, nostalgia, and entrepreneurship studies. In construing this project, I will go beyond the received wisdom of mere nostalgia, while taking into account the entrepreneurial private project of its initiators, as well as the multitude of perspectives on the museum, which arise from the way it is conceived. Thus, by being an unofficial initiative and devoid of a state agenda, the Communist Consumer Museum produces a democratization of the approach to history. While the setting itself is not authentic, mainly because of it being housed in a villa which precedes the communist era, as well as because of the amount of material artifacts, which turn the “apartment” into a post factum conglomerate of objects, I argue that it is the very accumulation of such artifacts within the museum that offers its viewers the opportunity of choice.

THE ROOT CAUSES OF ECONOMIC INEQUALITY OF SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI REGION AND THE REDUCTION WAYS

THE ROOT CAUSES OF ECONOMIC INEQUALITY OF SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI REGION AND THE REDUCTION WAYS

Author(s): Giorgi JVARIDZE / Language(s): English / Issue: 51/2021

Keywords: An economic inequality; Gini Coefficient; an inclusive business-incubator; proportional tax; progressive tax

The innovations of the research are highlights. The research was conducted in Samtskhe-Javakheti region. At the beginning, the reasons of unequal distribution of income from the perspective of different scientists, the coefficients of the equal and unequal distributions are reported. For presenting global economic inequity we referred the study of Monetary Fund, according to it the global inequity index is 0.55-0.70. In 2018 Gini coefficient in Georgia reached to 0,37, while it is close to the critical range (0,41-0,46).Gini Coefficient are as follows according to the municipalities of Samtskhe-Javakheti -Akhaltsikhe - 0,41, Adigeni - 0,52, Aspindza - 0,52, Borjomi - 0,47, Akhalkalaki - 0,50, Ninotsminda - 0,56. According to the findings an average inequality index of the region is 0,49, or 0,09 higher than it is estimated by the Geostat for the region (0,40). We conducted a public attitude survey on starting up business and immigration. 60-80% of surveyed reported that they have no business as they cannot start it. 90-100% plans to immigrate. In order to develop an inclusive business, it is necessary to support skilled young people from the vulnerable families, include them in the business study and organizing business incubators.The study reports an explain establishment costs per one business incubator which should be covered by the local budget. Another problem referred is substitution of a proportional tax by introduction of progressive tax. All the promoted countries in the world apply the progressive tax system, what means that tax payer with higher income pays more compared to those who have less income. There is untaxed income as well. We developed the scale for progressive tax for Georgia and Samtskhe-Javakheti region in particular and defined the size for the non-taxable income as well (500GEL).

PREVENTIVE MEASURES OF INFRASTRUCTURES

PREVENTIVE MEASURES OF INFRASTRUCTURES

Author(s): Zsuzsanna Balogh,Lajos Szabó / Language(s): English / Issue: 80/2021

Keywords: security; defence; regulations; measure; prevention;

The infrastructure elements are often recognized when their continuity stops, although their security is a topic that is often concerning only their cyber protection, not the physical one. There are many examples in the world where the prevention of infrastructure is taken seriously and handled properly. These recommendations and guidance could be easily adapted anywhere. The aim of this paper is to show some of the existing ways, tools, and techniques of protecting (critical) infrastructure elements that can be easily adapted in Hungary. Based on these foreign regulations the Hungarian legislative system could create a national one with the support of the decision makers.

Improving financial literacy of students aged 8-19 through mathematical competitions

Improving financial literacy of students aged 8-19 through mathematical competitions

Author(s): Sava Grozdev / Language(s): English,Bulgarian / Issue: 2/2021

Analysis of Centralized Public Procurement in the European Union, the United States of America and Romania

Analysis of Centralized Public Procurement in the European Union, the United States of America and Romania

Author(s): Ionel Preda / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2019

Keywords: centralized public procurement; decentralized public procurement; central procurement agency; savings; EU; USA; Romania;

Within this article we made a study on centralized public procurement in countries in the European Union, the USA and Romania. We analyse the disadvantages and advantages of the centralized procurement of products or services and the situations in which the establishment of central procurement agencies and the achievement of centralized procurement are justified. It also outlines the main features and achievements of the most important central procurement agencies in the European Union and of the central procurement agency in the United States of America. The article also contains the stage of implementation of centralized public procurement in Romania.

Housing Concepts: Addressing Habitation in Architecture’s Terms

Housing Concepts: Addressing Habitation in Architecture’s Terms

Author(s): Dana Vais / Language(s): English / Issue: 9/2021

Keywords: architecture; housing; concepts; habitation architecture; terms;

Housing as a social issue, as a field of academic research, and even as a physical environment goes way beyond architecture. The space of habitation might be seen as architecture’s fundament, but this relation has become more like a myth since the advent of housing, the dwellings for the masses. Even if, for a remarkable moment, it was precisely through housing that architecture reinvented itself as “modern,” since the 1980s much of the interest in this field seems to have been lost in the discipline. The relationship between architecture and housing is anything but obvious today.

IS RIGHT OF OCCUPATION OF THE SURVIVING SPOUSE, INHERITASNCE RIGHT OR MEANS OF SOCIAL PROTECTION?

IS RIGHT OF OCCUPATION OF THE SURVIVING SPOUSE, INHERITASNCE RIGHT OR MEANS OF SOCIAL PROTECTION?

Author(s): Mihaela Claudia Rogozea / Language(s): English / Issue: X/2022

Keywords: surviving spouse; special right of residence; inheritance law; means of protection;

The death of a loved one is an event in every person`s life, whose significance, beyond the sentimental one, is strongly felt in the legal reality. This article focuses on the surviving spouse as the holder of the right of occupation of the property in which he or she lived with the deceased spouse and which forms part of the inheritance items. This special right of occupation of the surviving spouse was first regulated by Law no. 319/1944 on the inheritance rights of the surviving spouse which in Article 5 of this law had the following provision: „In cases where the surviving spouse inherits together with classes II-IV, he/she shall inherit, in addition to his/her inheritance share, the furniture and objects belonging to the household, as well as the wedding gifts”. In the new Civil Code, it was decided to keep these provisions but with some minor changes. The reason for keeping these provisions was considered in terms of the positive effects that occur, the surviving spouse having the possibility to keep these assets, assets that may have an emotional charge, sentimental value, also a mean of protection offered to him/her, which for ascendants or collaterals would be without any significance or value. On the other hand, the text of the law is also intended not to deprive the surviving spouse of the property that he/she used with the deceased spouse, otherwise the conditions and way of life of the surviving spouse would be changed without any justification, taking into account the fact that the heirs outside the family with whom he would come in concurrence to inheritance, do not have any contribution to the acquisition of property, so that this special right of occupation conferred by law to the surviving spouse appears under this aspect all the more legitimate. In the New Civil Code, this right is provided for in Article 974: „When not in concurrence with the descendants of the deceased, the surviving spouse shall inherit, in addition to the share established in accordance with Article 972, the furniture and household objects which have been assigned to the joint use of the spouses”.