“Mechanical” Metaphors and Theory Formation: a Cognitive-Historical Analysis of Economic Discourse

Author(s): Natalya Davidko / Language(s): English Issue: 27/2015

Metaphors and categories are an inalienable part of any science. For centuries, mechanical metaphors have been active in shaping economic thought performing their cognitive function. Economists as different as A. Smith and J. Hicks resorted to metaphors not only to name new phenomena (filling vocabulary lacuna), but, what is more important, to make sense of ontologically given parts of economic reality (a heuristic function) and create a cognitive conceptual system, which served as a basis for economic theories (a theory-constructive function). In this article, I will endeavor to analyze why the way of thinking based on mechanical analogies has proved so fruitful in the history of economics. For this purpose, a cognitive-historical model of analysis is used, which allows one to place the emergence of concepts in the 'context of discovery'. I will undertake to examine the ideology underlying mechanical metaphors, their epistemology and interpretative capacity, as well as their theory generating power. One more aspect of research is to see how the development of a science enriches the language itself. The subject matter of the current research is the focal concepts of modern economics such as 'the market', 'the economy', 'the business cycle', etc. Their analysis is based on the works of the leading economists, starting from the the 17th century. Belonging to different schools of thought, addressing different economic phenomena, they have one thing in common – reliance on mechanical metaphors.

“Mind the scenery!” Landscape depiction and the travel intentions of Game of Thrones fans: some insights for DMOs

Author(s): Ariel Mitev,Anna Irimiás,Gábor Michalkó,Mariangela Franch / Language(s): English Issue: 02/2017

Screen tourism is becoming increasingly popular. Successful feature films and television series can form, enhance or alter place image, and put filming locations on tourists’ mental maps. Very little is known, however, about how the resonance of landscape depiction and place attachment may affect the gathering of information about differ-ent filming locations and, consequently, consumers’ travel intentions. This study seeks to identify a nexus between landscape depiction and travel intention through an exploration of the fantasy television series Game of Thrones (GoT). The structured questionnaire survey carried out with 314 GoT fans reveals that different dimensions have had a scale-effect on travel intentions. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) – considered the most appropriate for this exploratory study – was applied for the data analysis. The results indicate that landscape depiction has a positive effect on place attachment, information gathering and travel intentions, thus providing destination management organisations (DMOs) with opportunities to interact with potential tourists to promote filming locations.

“Neretva Valley Development Corridor” Model of Creating Export Forces on Regional Basis

Author(s): Vjekoslav Domljan / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2011

In this paper we examine possible key ingredients of a regional development policy in Herzegovina and explain them through a model called the Neretva Valley Development Corridor. The BiH companies are not competitive even in the local, not to not mention in international markets. The region of Hercegovina can speed up the internationalization of companies by developing export incubators. The exports incubator is a driver that permeates business processe from the idea of starting up internationally oriented enterprise, its establishment as a member of cluster initiative, establishing business relationships with domestic and/or foreign companies (from subcontracting operations to export via a joint venture company) to the provision of package of support through the established business infrastructure. These incubators, economically located within the cluster initiatives, and physically placed in premises of business infrastructure or elsewhere, can contribute to development of export forces of the Region i.e. help transformation of regional companies into small and medium transnational companies of Region. A set of export incubators may contribute to the development of industrial zones, which can form part of the development corridor such as Konjic-Ploče. The paper proposes connecting primarily domestic, small, export-oriented firms with foreign, experienced companies interested in delivering firm-to-firm tutorials to domestic firms in order to, together with the regional firms, acquire new markets and increase their income and exports through joint ventures with these domestic firms.

“Old” natives and “new” immigrants: beyond territory and history in Kymlicka's account of group-rights

Author(s): Darian Heim / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2016

According to Will Kymlicka, only historically and territorially bound “national” groups can engage in a “nation-building” process. Recently arrived immigrant groups cannot, as they have neither been able nor willing to do so. In this paper I argue, first, that such empirical facts are insufficient for the normative conclusions Kymlicka defends; and second, that if his ultimate goal is to achieve better “terms of integration” for immigrants, he cannot deny them the right to attempt their own “nation-building”. As an illustration, the paper describes Kymlicka's own thought-experiment of Chinese immigrants in Canada pursuing a nation-building-process equivalent to the Québécois. It explores how criteria for advocating group rights other than history and territory – merit, participation, or need –avoid treating old and new minorities in an arbitrarily asymmetric manner.

“Product Placement”: The harmonization of the new Albanian media law with the European Audio-Visual Media Services Directive

Author(s): Endira Bushati / Language(s): English Issue: 04/2011

With the Audio-Visual Media Services (AVMS) Directive the explicit regulation of product placement is introduced into the framework of European media law. The product placement is today one of most debated issue for the media law experts in Europe. What is the “product placement”? In what kind of programmes the product placement is allowed? What are the conditions these programmes have to fulfill in order to contain the product placement? The AVMS Directive states even the programmes during which is not allowed the product placement. How are reflected into the new Albanian draft-law on audiovisual media services the AVMS Directive obligations? These are some of the questions that the following article tries to answers.

“Quality of Life Indicators” Programs as a Component of Strategic Management

Author(s): Ryszard Cichocki / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2/2017

This paper aims at demonstrating the relationships between the programs aiming at diagnosing and monitoring the quality of life in cities and the urban strategies of development. It is focused on the uses of information sourced through quality-of-life projects in the crucial phases of building, disseminating, updating and verifying strategies of urban development. The main part of the presented analysis in based on the experiences accumulated through the conduct of the program “Quality of lifeof the citizens of Poznan” conducted by the Centre for Quality of Life Research at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, in the period 2002-2016.

“Slice-Of-Life” customization of bankruptcy models: Belarusian experience and future development

Author(s): Yury Y. Karaleu / Language(s): Issue: 381/2015

After the recent financial crisis commencing in 2007, bankruptcy prediction has become a major concern and, as a result, today we have lots of different approaches to the bankruptcy prediction models but all of them full of limitations. Because of this (and not only) neither the Altman models nor other more recent models (partitioning algorithm, survival analysis, expert systems, neural networks, etc.) are recommended for use with financial companies. In order to overcome these limitations in modern Belarusian practice suffering from a lack of developed bankruptcy theory it is not enough to transfer foreign practice automatically to the reality of its national evolving economic conditions. This study attempts to show how a “Slice-Of-Life” approach, based on national circumstances and priorities, can be used to improve the temporal stability of the accuracy of a financial failure models for Belarusian companies.

“Socialist management” in Czechoslovakia - Conflict and Reconciliation

Author(s): Tomáš Vilímek ,Oldřich Tůma / Language(s): English Issue: 44/2017

“Šta je pogrešno sa mojom kompanijom? “ Sociološki odgovori iz nestrukturisanog intervjuisanja

Author(s): Florentina Scârneci-Domnișoru / Language(s): English Issue: 5/2014

The article presents the technique of unstructured interviewing as a means of exploration in sociological investigations (the way in which this technique facilitates identifying sociological assistance objectives and research objectives and hypotheses; the way in which the exploration helps “translating” the “sickness” symptoms expressed by the beneficiary in a common language, into sociological concepts of specific theories). For illustration a case study is presented (a sociological investigation at a company located in Brasov). The article describes in detail the collection of data, the qualitative data analysis (through the reproduction of matrices and networks – as means of visual presentation of the data) and the data interpretation.

“The body overseas, but the heart remains in China”? – China’s diaspora politics and its implications

Author(s): Carsten Schäfer / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

Migration studies mostly focus on processes of immigration. While integration, acculturation or incorporation are important fields of study, the role of the sending state is by and large neglected when it comes to analyzing these processes. Yet, large sending states such as China increasingly aim to reach out to and control “their” diaspora, thus demonstrating their ability to utilize the global economic system and transnational migration regimes for their own means. By incorporating Chinese living beyond the borders of the People’s Republic (PRC), Beijing seeks to strengthen China’s international image and to foster economic modernization.

“The economy – the common good – happiness” The International Conference at the University of Vienna

Author(s): Stanisław Fel / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2015

“The Moral Capitalism” a Solution for the International Economic and Social Crisis?

Author(s): Mirela Ghiţă,Mihaela Cocoşilă,Petru Bardas,Simona Rotaru / Language(s): English Issue: 22/2012

In an European and international economy, seized by the perpetual globalization fever, with an appetite for consumption, a culture was born, one of “the adolescentism” that stimulates greed, where the contemporary man is determined by the will of possession, not ideals, a culture that has contaminated the whole world. Greed is responsible for the economic power excesses; the immoral actions of Enron and WorldCom, other abuses from the speculative investments area and also the increased poverty in important areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America are sources of powerful social agitations. This has led to the need of changing the governmental principles of the “wild capitalism” theorized by Andrew Carnegie, and Erbert Spencer, with principles of a moral capitalism, based on the Caux Round Table governmental principles, that remained since its publication, nine years ago, the only set of standards of corporation social responsibility, proposed by leaders from the entire spectrum of business leaders.

“The more things change the more they stay the same”: Decision-making in Zimbabwean transnational families

Author(s): Admire Chereni / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2014

Whereas studies have documented socio-cultural changes connected to migration dynamics, there is a dearth of knowledge about decision-making in transnational families. This article seeks to understand transformations in decision-making in six Zimbabwean transnational families. This is done by examining qualitative data generated through semi-structured interviews with members of the migrant families. While accentuating the need for more research on interpersonal processes in transnational families, the article illustrates that shifts in gender roles may occur alongside gender-normative behaviours that maintain women in subordinate decision-making roles.

“The New World Order” – an Old Phenomenon of the Modern Time

Author(s): Velcho Stoyanov / Language(s): English Issue: 7/2008

“New world order” (declared by George Bush Senior and the Club of Rome in the end of 20th century) is not a novice concept but is deeply rooted in history. New, however, are the unique circumstances under which it is constructed: wide-range and dynamic liberal globalization, collapse (in 1989) of the two-polarities world with two main leaders and the reign of a single super-powerful hegemony (USA) but with emerging new rivals (separate states or coalitions); growing role and importance of regional economic formations (with the EU as a prototype) and global corporations in the context of growing and intensifying environmental and cultural crisis; the economic (crisis) regularly reminds if itself too … The discrepancy and/or disparity between the emerging liberal global society and the lack of global governance is intensifying well, being expected to overcome the “new world order”.

“The value relevance of dividend announcement: An empirical study of the Greek Stock Market”

Author(s): Eleni Gkeka,Kosmas Kosmidis,Georgios Simitsis / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2018

Purpose: Dividend policy and its impact on share pricing, has been an issue of great concern for the academic society. Over the years, many theories evolved in an effort to explain dividend policy impact on corporate value. A widely accepted approach is the signaling effect theory. The purpose of this paper is to assess the value relevance of dividend announcement. Design/methodology/approach: Our empirical work uses Greek stock market data. We adopt the event study methodology and incorporate in our research elements that differentiate Greek stock market from other developing markets. Findings: Our empirical results tend to support the theory. Decisions on dividend policy seem to affect corporate value. Investors perceive incremented dividend payments as an indication of positive future prospect and vice versa. Research limitations/implications: Different results between large and medium capitalization shares comprise an interesting element for future research.

“Transitology” – the revival of geographic-economic research on the transition in Central and Eastern Europe

Author(s): Herman Hoen / Language(s): English Issue: 2 (26)/2013

In this paper, “transitology” as a new direction in political and economic science is discussed. The concept of “transitology” was developed based on theories of economic transformation from a centrally planned economy towards a market economy. In the context of the questions what might the alleged research domain of this new discipline be, and what tools are available for applying transitology, the author addresses some issues with regard to the ontology and epistemology of social economic research on the transition in Central and Eastern Europe.

“Wasteful affairs” in Central and Eastern Europe

Author(s): László Szilágyi / Language(s): English Issue: 03/2007

A new line of industry is emerging as West European businesses illegally transport waste to poorer European countries. The illegal waste shipments flow from West to East, and from North to South, from the old EU member states to the new ones. The author cites specific examples, such as waste illegally delivered from Germany to Hungary. One cause of the waste shipments is the basic EU principle of the free flow of goods; in the EU, garbage is also considered a good. Another driving force behind the waste shipments is the huge difference in waste disposal costs between the old and the new member states. The European Commission has suggested that the EU directive on waste should be amended in order to qualify the incineration of communal waste not as disposal but as waste recovery (the European Parliament rejected the bill in the first reading). However, experts argue that if the EU qualifies incineration as recovery, then it effectively makes the poorer states of Central and Eastern Europe target countries for Western waste, as when it comes to the option of refusing waste a key distinction is being made depending on whether transport takes place with the objective of waste recovery or waste disposal. If incinerators are recovery works, then waste is heating material. And as the import of heating material may not be banned by any member state, there will be no way to thwart the waste trade.

“Българският парадокс” – икономически растеж, който не предизвиква оптимизъм

Author(s): Stoyadin Savov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2004

This article challenges the formulation of the paradox “there is growth, but it arouses no optimism“. The author defends the proposition that the existing economic growth does not give rise to optimism because it does not lead to increased level and quality of life among low-income social strata. The macroeconomic indicators of the former are interpreted not only from the viewpoint of the average Bulgarian, but also in view of decile groups income distribution. Searching an answer to the above question, there are formulated 6 hypotheses, the fifth being “the dynamics of social inequality and the loss of social status during the years of transition”. It is the most plausible but it has not been defended adequately and is overlooked in the discussions that take place. The present article presents some comments on the these issues.

“За една роза милиони дадоха, а истинското лого е циганин бере рози”

Author(s): Dian Bozhidarov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 84-85/2016

“Новата Икономика”

Author(s): Atanas Leonidov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2003

Discussed are key aspects of the new economy of USA. Cleared out is the content of the term. Analyzed are the dynamics and factors of the economic growth and the labor productivity, the contribution of the information technologies to its fastening from the beginning of the 90s until now. Reviewed are the views for the potential of the new economy (D. Jorgenson and K. Stiroh, R. Gorden, M. Baily and R. Lawrence). The new economic phenomenon is estimated as a result mostly of the activity of the long-term structural changes. The most important characteristics of the new economy is the tendency towards comparatively sustainable fastening of the labor productivity, which maintained also in 2001 – 2002, i.e. in the conditions of recession. The article presents results from the individual research project “Policy of Economic Growth in the Developed Countries: Theoretical Bases and Practice” – Institute of Economics at BAS.