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Regional cooperation represents a viable alternative to the ongoing process of globalization, in which countries can optimally respond to the changes in the external environment through regional integration, while a larger market size tends to provide better sales opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to identify common determinants of the impact of economic and trade cooperation on the convergence of the economies of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). We attempt to define a conceptual framework for cooperation between post-Soviet countries with an emphasis on their diversity. In this article, we are using the extrapolation methods that involve the estimation of the parameters of approximating dependences with the ordinary least squares method (OLS) and its modifications as well as the exponential smoothing method. The main reason for conducting this study as well as the major value-added of this paper is in its focus on the regional cooperation of the post-Soviet countries with the assessment of its role on accelerating economic growth, while the main limitation of this study is its focus on predicting the values for one year only which is subjected to the lack of more recent data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes the prerequisites for a regulatory-driven transition toward radically lower air and water pollution in industry. This is achieved in the empirical context of the Swedish mining and metals industry, and by investigating the environmental licensing processes during two regulatory systems. The paper derives an analytical framework that explores under what circumstances such licensing processes can result in radical emissions reductions without seriously jeopardizing the competitiveness of the industry. Archived material covering six environmental licensing processes, three during each system, is used to illustrate the various design and implementation issues. The results suggest that regulatory-driven green transitions benefit from trust-based bargaining procedures in which companies are involved in repeated interactions with regulatory authorities, and which extended probation periods permit tests of novel abatement technologies (including innovation). The findings also illustrate the importance of abstaining from simplified normative notions about policy instrument choice (e.g. taxes versus standards). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the notions of competitive and noncompetitive value and examines how they both affect meaning in life. The paper distinguishes, among other things, between engaging with competitive value and participating in a competition; between competitive value and comparative value; between competing with others and competing with oneself; and between subjective and objective aspects of both competitive and noncompetitive value. Since any competitive value is also comparative value, the paper criticizes Harry Frankfurt's claim that comparative value is just a 'formal characteristic of the relationship between two items', from which nothing follows about their value or desirability. The paper also argues that, overall, noncompetitive value has the advantage over competitive value in terms of attaining meaning in life. Reasons for this claim include that: competitive value relates less than noncompetitive value to what is meaningful in life; competitive value is harder to attain than noncompetitive value; competitive value depends more than noncompetitive value on luck and on what other people do; and competitive value is more likely to lead to stress, hypocrisy, and aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the (relative) roles of two sources of reduced international competitiveness in New Zealand during the last few years: the appreciation of the trade-weighted real exchange rate, and the (relative) inefficiency of the local service sector. According to the exercises reported in this paper, reducing services' inefficiencies is a more effective way of improving competitiveness, broadly defined, than engineering (or hoping for) a real exchange rate depreciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue and Argument: What are the real and potential boundaries of cultural enterprise? How can we restore economic value and, at the same time, cultural value through the definition of a sector that seems to have no fixed borders? This paper intends to open up a reflection on the boundaries of the cultural industry, the nature of the chosen business and how the sector can become the hub in the dynamics of local development, innovation and competitiveness within the territory of reference. The concentric circles model will be the basis for a strategic mapping of the cultural and creative sector, realized starting from the funding calls for the sector in the Italian Veneto region. The Throsby's model is derived from the principle that cultural content is free from incorporating creative ideas into the production of goods, and that such ideas arise from the primary arts (music, theatre, dance, visual arts and literature). These make up the heart of the cultural industries, while the surrounding circles represent the ideas and influences that these creative activities radiate. The results of the strategic mapping will be put into dialogue with a new idea of entrepreneurship, which in part excludes the Core creative arts, i.e. the primary arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Research Excellence Framework is a high-stakes exercise used by the UK government to allocate billions of pounds of quality-related research (QR) funding and used by the media to rank universities and their departments in national league tables. The 2008, 2014 and 2021 assessments were zero-sum games in terms of league table position because the outcomes were captured as Grade Point Averages (GPA) on a ratio scale, unlike the 1996 and 2001 iterations when departments were ranked on a simple seven-point ordinal scale. Although league tables were never part of the assessment itself, they were inevitable in 2008, 2014 and 2021 given the nature of the scoring, and subsequent league table position had a significant effect on investment and disinvestment within universities. This paper uses data from the 2008, 2014 and 2021 assessments to look at the changing competitiveness of different subjects, the size of submissions, and how these are related to QR funding. It finds that competition in the UK research sector is exceptionally tough, but that competitiveness and QR funding are so closely related to submission size that it calls into question the benefit of carrying out any more assessment exercises in their current format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the phenomenon of teacher awards with particular reference to one bestowed in Spain. This phenomenon is analysed in line with the consequences of free market ideology in education and the ideology of influencers and followers. Drawing on qualitative research based in participant and non-participant observation, in-depth interviews and document analysis, the results show that education practice was determined by the award requirements, and complying with its criteria became the overriding objective. The need for recognition was highlighted but critical views were also brought to light in relation to the notions of microcelebrities, performativity, individualism and competitiveness. The paper contributes to critical reflections on the already existing controversies regarding awards in education and specifically those presented to individuals. School teachers' perceptions of and reasons for participating in these initiatives and the repercussions in their classrooms are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this paper is to propose a framework for the improvement of supply chain processes based on personnel participation, specifically focussed on improving a company's competitiveness. The paper's research has a two-step approach: theory building and theory testing. Theory building consists of proposing a framework for implementing competitiveness through people. To do this, a literature review was conducted. For theory testing, the authors have chosen the 'action research' methodology, involving researchers and practitioners to enrich understanding of the field. The paper deploys a longitudinal study, covering more than 20 years of personnel involvement in a company, to explain and justify the reasons and needs for evolution. This practical approach supports the proposed framework. The results of this research are of interest to the business and academic world as they identify critical aspects for the successful implementation of participation programmes in businesses, and also how these aspects should be implemented and developed. This allows businesses which are newcomers to participation programmes, or whose programmes have stalled or are in decline, to take corrective measures that would effectively reorient them towards continuous improvement in supply chain management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of main supporting policies implemented by the government from 2009 to 2016 is summarized in this paper. Due to the lack of studies on wind energy development in China up to the 13th Five-Year Plan, this paper aims to provide a systematic overview of the evolution and implementation of onshore and offshore wind power development, as well as analyze the localization and competitiveness of wind power enterprises. This paper introduces how the Chinese government efficiently promotes the drastic wind power development by means of fiscal and non-fiscal policies, which includes stimulating the wind power investment, addressing the wind power curtailment problem, localizing the Chinese-owned manufacturers in domestic markets and internationalizing the exposure of Chinese-owned enterprises. This paper concludes that the effectiveness of wind power policies enacted is high, and they play a vital role in the Chinese wind power market. Abbreviations: FYP: Five Year Plan; UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; CDM: Clean Development Mechanism: REL: Renewable Energy Law; NDRC: National Development and Reform Commission; MF: Ministry of Finance; SC: State Council; FIT: Feed–in–Tariff; CWEA: Chinese Wind Energy Association; NEA: National Energy Administration; SGCC: State Grid Corporation of China; CSG: China Southern Power Grid Corporation; SOEs: State–owned enterprises; NEB: National Energy Bureau [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, the natural-resource-based view has been an abstract phenomenon, primarily used by academics to explain competitive sustainable operations. This paper attempts to go beyond this, responding to the need for an explanation of the practical existence of the four natural-resource-based view resources in industry. Assuming a critical realist qualitative approach, in-depth interviews with sustainability experts in UK agri-food are undertaken. Findings demonstrate the existence of pollution prevention, product stewardship, and clean technologies and align with Hart's conceptualization of sustainability as competitive resources. Whilst the fourth resource, the base of the pyramid, cannot be empirically verified, the fifth resource of local philanthropy is uncovered and contributes to the growing body of knowledge surrounding competitive social sustainability. Findings also challenge the hierarchal presentation of the natural-resource-based view to implicate a more cyclical uptake. Thus, in offering the first empirical explanation of the natural-resource-based view, this paper overcomes a theory-practice gap to elucidate the feasibility, orchestration, and value of resources in competitive and sustainable operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide analysis on the determinants of export performance on the extensive data-set of the 27 European Union member states’ total manufacturing and high tech manufacturing industry. Hence, this paper adds to the existing empirical work by specifying an export performance equation not only as a function of income and price, as is traditionally done, but also industrial production and labour cost. For that purpose, dynamic panel data models are estimated by utilising the system GMM estimator for the period from 2000 to 2011. The obtained results indicate that both industrial production and domestic demand have a positive and statistically significant impact on total and high tech manufacturing exports. On the other hand, it is proven that foreign demand also has an impact on total manufacturing exports. Thus, the paper’s contribution is reflected in the acknowledgement that a stable macroeconomic environment (contained in the significance of a dummy variable for the economic crisis in both models), boosting production capacity and domestic demand, is essential for better export performance and the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in an increasingly competitive global economic climate. Finally, from the perspective of policy-making, the paper concludes that recovery in the manufacturing industry could be the much needed push from crisis to economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

After the declaration of lifelong learning as the Sustainable Development Goal 4 in 2015, lifelong learning has become a new policy bandwagon. However, whether investment of time and resources needed for it should be the responsibility of marginalised adults or any other macrolevel institutions has remained elusive. Nested in the larger theoretical and scholarly debate on meritocracy, this paper analyses the World Bank's policy documents and interviews conducted among Nepali educational policymakers. The key findings of this study suggest that under the neocolonial contract foisted by the World Bank's policy discourses, marginalised adults are expected to take responsibility for lifelong learning and remain competitive in the global job market. They are blamed for their inability to be competitive because lifelong learning policies are guided by a fallacious discourse of meritocracy. The vision shared by Nepali policymakers shows that lifelong learning can be embedded in the sociocultural contexts of the learners rather than merely guided by meritocratic ideals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now imperative to improve global competitiveness in an organization by upgrading process performance, enriching operational excellence besides organizational excellence. This paper illustrates flexible and practical application of Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) to optimize the process parameters for the operating regime for dephosphorization in hot metal with low silicon (< 0.4%) while steel making. The statistical techniques such that hypothesis testing, non-parametric test and regression techniques were used to statistically define the key process parameters which had significant impact on dephosphorization. Six Sigma methodology was adopted to define the optimal values required to achieve the desired phosphorus level (< = 0.015%). This paper is based on case study of a renowned steel company of India, imprints that amount of oxygen blown and tapping temperature were significantly impacting the above dephosphorization process. The regression model was recommended for reference of steel engineers and managers for maintaining an optimum level of above process parameters in augmenting production of low Phosphorus steel grade. Steel industrialists, academics, consultants, researchers and Six Sigma practitioners will benefit from this study. The success of this study would help more such industries in improving the performance of similar processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the systemic relationship between triple helix innovation systems and the gross domestic product per capita growth (GDPPC) in terms of sustainable competitiveness in Africa. To do this, the Generalized Moment Method on the panel vector autoregressive model is used to estimate helix models' (triple helix, quadruple helix, quintuple helix, as well as the open quintuple helix, relative to external contributions) effects on GDPPC between 2007 and 2019 in 27 African countries, and causality tests completion as well. The results show 3 coevolution relationships resulting from the narrow innovation system, which is made up of the burden of government regulations, companies' expenditures on research and development (R&D) as well as the quality of scientific research institutions. The system expansion (the broad innovation system) with the degree of consumer orientation and natural resource rents generate both 7 (respectively 3 and 4) coevolution relationships. Finally, the opening of the innovation system by considering the business impact of rules on foreign direct investment (BIFDI) alone, generates 5 coevolution relationships. So, in terms of overall sustainable competitiveness strategies in Africa, countries must focus on innovation system opening and natural resources exploitation to increase their GDPPC. Thus, this study fills the gap of a deficit in technological policy orientation on the relationships between innovation systems and sustainable competitiveness through economic growth in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the interconnections between sovereign debt and the competitiveness of nations in the aftermath of the recent sovereign debt crises in the Eurozone. Further, it identifies new challenges to improving competitiveness. Based on a deductive approach, we analyse secondary data regarding sovereign debt and competitiveness in 28 EU countries for the period from 2006 to 2017. We also look at the recent theoretical developments in the competitiveness of companies, nations, and regions with the goal of identifying the new challenges to Portuguese competitiveness. In the period under analysis, Greece, Ireland, and Portugal had considerable losses in competitiveness and increases in their sovereign debt ratio. Despite benefiting directly from Porter's insights into improving the country's competitiveness, the Portuguese sovereign debt ratio has increased steeply. A previous analysis identified a path; however, there are new challenges such as those associated with EU competitiveness, shared value, and smart connected products. These need to be considered to support the creation of new strategies and policies for a small and open economy. Based on our analysis, we argue that competitiveness-oriented policies must more explicitly consider the negative implications of sovereign debt, and must recognize the new challenges to competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tackling climate change has provided a key focus for the creation of what the editors of this special issue have termed 'environmental intangibles.' This paper focuses on the European Union Emissions Trading System (EUETS), a climate policy that revolves around the issuance and trading of environmental intangibles called emissions allowances. Set up in the mid-2000s, the cap and trade system has experienced many complications. We propose here to explore a particularly contentious issue: the allocation of free allowances. We will see that deciding on allocation rules leads to vivid debates about whether energy-intensive industries in Europe, such as the manufacturing of cement, can remain competitive in the global economy if climate policy is unilaterally enforced. These debates are focused on a phenomenon referred to as the risk of carbon leakage due to loss of competitiveness. Drawing on an empirical enquiry into the workings of policy-making, the paper examines the ways, in which this risk is framed and questioned through lobbying and evidential work. We suggest that the threat to competitiveness posed by the EUETS can neither be established, nor dismissed; a form of under-determination is maintained and carbon leakage as a never-quite-tangible possibility becomes a battleground for protecting European industry over the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue on The Nordic Tourists in the Atlantic Islands of Azores, Madeira and Canaries was prepared in 2012, when the economic crisis had started in 2008, with the aim to focus if Nordic tourists’ flux in Atlantic Islands was common and persistent along the years, representing an important proportion of the tourists in these islands. Despite its importance, no research has yet analyzed this tourism flux in the Atlantic islands. This special issue focuses on Atlantic islands, aimed at understanding the role of Scandinavian Tourists in Atlantic Islands. The call for papers received 15 papers from which 6 were selected based on their quality. The selected papers were presented in a conference held in Azores by the Regional Observatory of Tourism from Azores to discuss the accepted papers on 29 April May 2012. This special issue contains papers that went through a revision process in the conference, and each paper was revised by two blind reviewers. Some papers had to be revised twice and the final result is presented here. In this introduction, I present a description of Nordic tourism since 2002 in these islands that serve as the subject of the papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The network theory is having an important role in tourism research, which provides a useful lens for understanding the structures and interrelations among tourism destinations. This paper analyzes the structure of China's inbound tourist flow network (ITFN) in a dynamic view, from three levels: the global, the meso, and the individual, meanwhile the correlation between network structure and tourism performance is verified. The interpretation of ITFN structure has been divided into three meanings: the global-level metrics identify the holistic topology, the meso-level metrics are used to understand collaboration, and the individual-level metrics work for competitiveness assessing. China's case shows the ITFN has a small-world characteristic but gradually becomes weak, the collaboration clusters become more, and the difference of competitiveness among regions has amplified. Moreover, the small-world nature and individual competitiveness have positive impacts on tourism performance, but the correlation between performance and clustering coefficient is significantly negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policy in the European Union is a hot topic for both practitioners and researchers. Their interests are attracted mainly by the main tool of this policy—emissions trading within the EU ETS. In literature focusing on the impacts of the EU ETS, the EU is usually considered to be a compact unit and its structure is omitted there. In particular, the impacts on a single company (regardless its geographical location), on a sector of industry (regardless the member countries), or on some subset of the involved companies with respect to non-EU competitors are often explored. However, through the eyes of national governments, it is vital for the countries to keep their national industrial sectors competitive not only against companies from countries outside the EU but also from other EU countries. This paper focuses on the influence of the EU ETS on the national steel sectors in the EU and their competitiveness. The hybrid PROMETHEE-DEA approach is used to assess how the price of emission allowance and grandfathering within the EU ETS impact the technical efficiency and competitiveness of these national sectors. The results of this study show that the volatile allowance price influences the efficiency and grandfathering affects the competitiveness of the EU national steel sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper explores the relationship between attitudes towards mathematics (ATM) and achievement in college calculus in active learning (AL) and lecture-based (LB) classrooms. Previous work on this relationship has mainly been limited to LB instruction, neglecting the impact of innovative approaches such as AL. Less attention has been paid to the roles played in this relationship by gender, year in college, and initial ATM. Results from a sample of 535 undergraduate students enrolled in 9 AL and 9 LB sections are presented. Data included ATMI surveys' responses, final grades, and demographics. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted. The influence of instruction on students with low ATM was also examined. Gender and year in college were the main demographic variables considered. Achievement in AL was found to be less dependent on initial ATM in terms of correlation. AL showed higher gains in grades than LB, when controlling for ATM and demographic variables. Effect sizes of AL instruction on grades of students with low ATM were larger than those of students with higher ATM. Furthermore, AL courses had a large effect size (d = 0.81) on female students with lower ATM, confirming its role as a gender equalizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we contribute to the literature on determining the real exchange rate by using models that incorporate structural breaks and nonlinearities. We estimate cointegrated dynamic ordinary least squares regressions and quantile regressions. We find that the estimated coefficients for the EU members from central and eastern Europe are different to those for the other member states. We also find that the models are different before and after the crisis that started in 2008, and this affects the outcome of the long-run equations for the EU15 + Cyprus and Malta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study deals with the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm competitiveness. Based on the comprehensive literature review, the theoretical model, providing linkages between CSR and corporate competences, has been developed. The created model was empirically tested, and the case study in Lithuania was conducted based on the assessment of influence of different social responsibility dimensions (environmental, social, economic, shareholder and voluntariness) on separate elements of competitiveness (financial capacity, quality of production, satisfied needs of consumers, efficiency, introduction of innovations and company's image). The survey of 33 Lithuanian companies, i.e., all companies in Lithuania that have joined Global Compact, was performed by employing questionnaires. The conducted empirical research confirms that separate social responsibility dimensions (environmental, social, economic, shareholder, voluntariness) differently affect separate elements of competitiveness: financial capacity, quality of production, satisfied needs of consumers, efficiency, introduction of innovations and company's image. It has been found that neither the quality of production nor the possibilities for introduction of innovations in a company are affected by the dimensions of social responsibility. Whereas company's image, reputation and the factor of satisfied needs of consumers are affected by all dimensions of social responsibility that have been analysed. It has been noticed as well that the element of competitiveness, i.e., financial capacity, is affected by environmental and economic social responsibility dimensions; whereas, productivity and work efficiency are mostly related to social, shareholder and philanthropic dimensions. The main input of this paper is the definition of linkages between specific Corporate Social Responsibility dimensions addressed by the Global Compact and the main elements of competitiveness that have been identified based on rigorous and systematic literature review. The paper applies a completely different approach compared to the other studies that are investigating the impact of CSR on competitiveness via moderation and mediation analysis. The main approach followed in this paper is the qualitative assessment that has several limitations and advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explore and investigate the notion of cluster strategies and smart specialisation strategy as a twin perspective: knowledge & innovation-driven regional growth and regional economic development theoretical approach along with the policy perspective. The application of the cluster concept in smart specialisation strategy is the cornerstone of creating unique entrepreneurship and knowledge-driven innovation centre in the region connected to the provincial growth scheme. Both clusters and smart specialisation are gaining its fame in the EU's regional policy discourse, due to its role in the upcoming new Horizon 2020 programme, where, they have been applied by policy makers worldwide as building blocks for implementing different policies such as research & innovation, industrial and regional policies. This paper deliberates about the responsiveness and initiatives of the cluster concept and smart specialisation as an effective strategy that leverage on developing entrepreneurship and create knowledge and innovation-driven regional value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With renewed interest by the European Union in enlarging the bloc to include the countries of the Western Balkans comes the challenge for all countries to meet up to the competitiveness demands of the EU’s internal market. While youth entrepreneurship is increasingly considered an opportunity in building more entrepreneurial and job-generating economies, the paper argues for more order in the policy environment to maximize the potential of young people to the wider competitiveness drive. This includes defining more precisely in age terms who are young entrepreneurs and the recognition of both necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship to each country’s socio-economic development. Secondly, the case is put for more developed data and intelligence on youth entrepreneurship to support evidence-based policy-making, including improved capacity to monitor and evaluate, and independent research to support policy-makers. Finally, the paper recommends a better differentiation in start-up support including more customized finance options for young entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coopetition is a strategy by which firms benefit from both collaboration and competition. Collaboration among competitors allows these to obtain advantages such as the joint creation and diffusion of knowledge, the exploration of new market opportunities, the identification of long-term innovation projects related to potential market, product or process diversification, or the gaining of access to external sources while still competing in certain areas. This paper focuses on the concept of tacit coopetition, which is defined as cooperation activities between neighbouring competitors located in the same region. Our goal is to assess the influence of tacit coopetition on the cooperative pattern of firms, as an alternative to promoting innovative projects among competitors. The analysis is performed in the county of Durango, located in the Basque Country (Spain). In particular, we seek evidence of whether tacit coopetition is a reality that can be objectively observed in Durango, and therefore, has the potential for a wider generalization of the phenomenon, or is instead a conceptual rhetoric (i.e. chimera) that is only observable in specific cases. The paper provides three major results. First, it sets out to identify whether tacit coopetition is occurring in Durango. Second, it identifies the factors influencing it, and finally, assesses the impact of tacit coopetition on firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of research in this paper is higher-education competitiveness on account of its impact on the enhancement of social and economic competitiveness, as well as on the growth of human capital and creation of social knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to group the selected European countries according to higher-education competitiveness, by means of the hierarchical cluster analysis method, with a special focus on the position of Serbia. Higher-education competitiveness in the chosen countries is analysed by means of three indicators of competitiveness: the ratio of the number of students per number of inhabitants, the number of students per number of employed, as well as the amount of budgetary funds allocated per student. The research results indicate different higher-education competitiveness in the analysed countries and also the fact that, according to this analysis, Serbia is in the group of countries with low competitiveness of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While paying employees for performance (PfP) has been shown to elicit increased motivation by way of competitive processes, the present paper investigates whether the same competitive processes inherent in PfP can also encourage aggressiveness. We tested our hypothesis in three studies that conceptually build on each other: First, in a word completion experiment (N = 104), we find that PfP triggers the implicit activation of the fighting and defeating facets of competitiveness. Second, in a multi-source field study (N = 94), co-workers reported more interpersonal deviance from colleagues when the latter received a performance bonus than when they did not. In our final field study (N = 286), we tested the full model, assessing the effect of PfP and interpersonal deviance mediated by competitiveness: Employees with a bonus self-reported higher interpersonal deviance towards their co-workers, which was mediated by individual competitiveness. These findings underscore that PfP can entail powerful yet widely unstudied collateral effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The African philosophical concept of Ubuntu is the sense of togetherness and collaboration, and viewing people as being one part of a larger whole. In other words, the success of one should be the success of all. The correlation between the concept of Ubuntu dovetails with the cooperative and collaborative values of an inclusive education system, clearly enshrined in our Constitution. However, many South African schools are characterised by a competitive value system encouraging learners to outperform their peers academically, subsequently rewarding the learners' individualistic efforts to do so. These rewarded learners, generally comprising less than ten percent of the school population, experience privilege and distinction; their efforts are valued and celebrated. Their award-winning status allows them opportunities both within and post-school that are not afforded to the rest of the learners. The success of some learners occurs at the expense of other learners. Thus, there is a disjuncture between our sense of Ubuntu in proclaiming inclusivity on paper, yet in practice we continue to promote competitive values at our schools. This paper questions our double standards as educationists and explores ways in which we could reduce academic competitiveness to create schooling contexts that are conducive in realising inclusive education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 2000s German net exports have grown persistently, generating huge current account surpluses. These surpluses have added to current account imbalances within and outside the European Monetary Union (EMU). Contributing to the economic policy debate of whether it is foreign demand or 'world-beating' price competitiveness driving German exports, the paper investigates econometrically the determinants of German intra- and extra-EMU exports for 1995 to 2014. The long-term relationship between exports, foreign activity and the real effective exchange rate is estimated in an error correction framework. The results show that German exports are sensitive to foreign activity. Germany has benefited from growth of trading partners and high income elasticities of demand for exports, indicating non-price competitiveness. With regard to exchange rate effects, we do not detect a significant impact of the real exchange rate on intra-EMU exports. However, our estimations provide a stable relationship between the real exchange rate and extra-EMU exports. We calculate that the real exchange rate explains 12% to 17% of export growth. Moreover, taking into account quantity and price effects caused by changes in the real exchange rate, we observe contrary effects on real and nominal exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the collapse of Hanjin Shipping in 2016, Korea faced the task of reconstructing its container shipping industry by enhancing the competitiveness of its shipping companies in a rapidly evolving market environment. Responding to this need for policy design, this study first attempts to understand the industry based on the shipping ecosystem, which comprises the following four areas: shipping finance, collection of cargo, acquisition of ships, and partnership among carriers. Second, it lists the structural problems, along with the remedial policy alternatives, that were identified after conducting in-depth interviews with industry experts, which included mid-level managers. Third, it conducts an importance-performance analysis to classify problems according to their importance and performance, followed by an analytic hierarchy process analysis to define the priorities of policy alternatives. Finally, drawing on the empirical results, the paper concludes with suggestions on an integrated policy package for the container shipping industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether the concept of Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) can be realised within the framework of capitalism. After describing the essence of UBI, I present its historical antecedents, rival concepts and the pros and cons. The paper then contrasts the effect of UBI on wage labour with aspects of capital accumulation and makes an assessment of the obstacles to the introduction of UBI. It deduces why and how UBI might become unsustainable in cases where it is implemented within the framework of a profit-oriented and property-based society and concludes that as UBI would put a floor under the working-class income, restrict the possibilities of suppressing the wage share and increase the rate of exploitation, it is unlikely to be introduced and certainly cannot be maintained as long as the socio-economic system is based on the profit motive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University-industry partnerships emphasise the transformation of knowledge into products and processes which can be commercially exploited. This paper presents a framework for understanding how social capital in university-industry partnerships affect knowledge transfer strategies, which impacts on collaborative innovation developments. University-industry partnerships in three different countries, all from regions at varying stages of development, are compared using the proposed framework. These include a developed region (Canada), a transition region (Malta), and a developing region (South Africa). Structural, relational and cognitive social capital dimensions are mapped against the knowledge transfer strategy that the university-industry partnership employed: leveraging existing knowledge or appropriating new knowledge. Exploring the comparative presence of social capital in knowledge transfer strategies assists in better understanding how university-industry partnerships can position themselves to facilitate innovation. The paper proposes a link between social capital and knowledge transfer strategy by illustrating how it impacts the competitive positioning of the university-industry partners involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the twenty-first century, competitiveness has become a pillar of sustainable development strategies around the world. Numerous international organizations and academics cite innovation and entrepreneurship as determinants of competitiveness. By incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship into the economy and society, countries have been able to implement policies to boost national competitiveness. However, not all countries have been equally successful because each country has its own unique characteristics that apply only within its national borders. An innovation system refers to the innovation institutions, actors, and infrastructures that shape innovation activities within national or regional boundaries. This article identifies the configurations of conditions that lead to high and low levels of national competitiveness. This paper presents the results of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) with six causal conditions. The results reveal six combinations of factors that increase national competitiveness. R&D, innovation, entrepreneurship support policies, and GDP per capita are crucial elements. In contrast, developed entrepreneurship does not guarantee competitiveness achievement if a country possesses poor R&D and institutional infrastructures. The implications of this study can help resource allocation by supporting the design and implementation of effective innovation and entrepreneurship policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The higher education (HE) sector has witnessed escalating competition, resulting in an increase in scholarly interest. Despite this, a comprehensive review of the existing literature in this domain remains absent. Thus, based on Tranfield et al.’s (2003) methodology, we systematically review 80 articles published between 2012 and 2022, extracted from four databases, namely Scopus, Web of Science, University of Hull (UoH), UK library database, and Google Scholar; with focus on competition, competitiveness, and competitive advantage in higher education institutions (HEIs). We present these three concepts, their sources, types, implications, and improvement strategies, while noting their interconnectedness. In our discussion, we highlight that although competition in HE results from both internal and external sources, internal competition is attributable largely, to external pressures from the government, ranking institutions, and global corporations. Additionally, we observe that competition has both positive and negative consequences, with the latter having a stronger impact on institutions, academics, and students. Consequently, we advocate that a balanced approach is required to optimize institutional performance and growth. This systematic review offers six contributions bothering on future research trajectories, significance of HEIs, strategic insights for practitioners, a harmonious balance between competitiveness and service quality, the governments’ impact, and conceptual clarity via two frameworks introduced. The first framework illustrates the interconnections between the three focal concepts, and the second visualizes the interplay among diverse resources for which HEIs strive. This paper is therefore vital for scholars and practitioners, in the face of persistent competition in the HE sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using club-level data on domestic-league and international points from 73 countries, this paper achieves a policy evaluation of country-specific regulations regarding soccer success. The results show that restrictions on foreign direct investment reduce the international competitiveness of clubs, whereas restrictions on international migration policies have no significant impact on it. Domestic inequality across clubs increases with restrictions on a minimum number of home-grown players, while it goes down with restrictions on foreign direct investment or restrictions on a maximum number of foreign players. The results are robust to the consideration of other domestic regulations, market value of clubs or number of matches played. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue on The Nordic Tourists in the Atlantic Islands of Azores, Madeira and Canaries was prepared in 2012, when the economic crisis had started in 2008, with the aim to focus if Nordic tourists' flux in Atlantic Islands was common and persistent along the years, representing an important proportion of the tourists in these islands. Despite its importance, no research has yet analyzed this tourism flux in the Atlantic islands. This special issue focuses on Atlantic islands, aimed at understanding the role of Scandinavian Tourists in Atlantic Islands. The call for papers received 15 papers from which 6 were selected based on their quality. The selected papers were presented in a conference held in Azores by the Regional Observatory of Tourism from Azores to discuss the accepted papers on 29 April May 2012. This special issue contains papers that went through a revision process in the conference, and each paper was revised by two blind reviewers. Some papers had to be revised twice and the final result is presented here. In this introduction, I present a description of Nordic tourism since 2002 in these islands that serve as the subject of the papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of regional competitiveness is an important and complex issue. Previous research has mostly considered national economies. However, indicators and measures identified at the national level may not apply well to regions. This paper contributes to knowledge by providing an analytical narrative of how the concept of the measurement of competitiveness has developed over time in Northern Ireland. The various stages in the development of measurements are critically evaluated. The region's chronic competitiveness shortfall is identified and possible explanations are indicated. The conclusions assess the most recent position regarding competitiveness measurement alongside a review of future research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are necessarily implicated in processes of globalisation and neoliberalisation. But this also finds an expression in the ways that they operate in the cities in which they are located. They are always located in place, but the question remains whether they can be understood to be of the places in which they find themselves, capable of contributing to their development as learning cities. That is the question explored in this paper, with the help of evidence drawn from a research project in the United Kingdom which examined the regional role of four contrasting universities in four different urban locations. The paper highlights the importance of understanding the complexity of the relationships between universities and their cities—universities negotiate their roles within particular urban settings, and they do so in instrumental ways, reflecting their own distinctive institutional priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aims at re-examining the relationship between financial market development and economic development in the context of competitiveness of developed and higher income countries. Methodology/approach: The study employs generalized least square (GLS) regression model to analyze the panel data of 21 higher income countries over the period (2009–2017). Further, the study checked the robustness of the results by introduces a lagged dependent variable in the regression models by employing the generalized methods of moments (GMM) for Dynamic Panel analysis. Findings: Results reveal that four independent variables: Financial market development (FMDG), trade openness (OPNG), Labor market efficiency (LMEG), and Technological readiness (TRG), were positive and significant, which indicates the existence of relationship from those variables to competitiveness in the context of growth. while one of the independent variables is Market size (MSG) was positive but insignificant. Moreover, the results from the GMM estimator remain robust in terms of directions and significance levels and confirm the robustness of the findings. Originality: This paper represents a significant contribution especially for the higher income countries that can help them in designing the policies and strategies in order to improve their performance and competitiveness by financial market development besides other competitiveness sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the main economic factors that are influencing the competitiveness of Central and Eastern European (C.E.E.) countries. The research was carried out on a sample of ten countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia), over the period 2004-2016. These countries were grouped by their stage of economic development, respectively: efficiency driven economies, in transition between efficiency and innovation and innovation driven economies. An econometric analysis on panel data was used, considering as a dependent variable the competitiveness of a country, quantified by the Global Competitiveness Index. As independent variables, we took into account a set of seven macroeconomic and business environment indicators which could have an impact on a country's competitiveness. The results obtained show important differences between countries, but also some resemblance. Although all the considered countries are emerging ones, the factors that have a significant influence on the competitiveness differ significantly. Thereby, if for efficiency-driven countries, G.D.P., inflation rate, trade, labour productivity and costs are important determinants of competitiveness, for innovation-driven countries the determinants of competitiveness are: G.D.P., inflation rate, tax rate, F.D.I., trade and costs. As regards the C.E.E. countries in transition only G.D.P., inflation rate and labour productivity are determinants of competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fight against COVID-19 in Germany up to now has led to the highest financial debts for cities and state governments in the last 30 years. German cities (partly together with federal states) own infrastructures such as fair halls, fairgrounds or international airports; therefore, this is a relevant issue for meetings, conventions, incentives and exhibition (MICE) industries. MICE tourism will recover much slower than general tourism and those debts will even increase during the next years. So, this might lead to the need for change in MICE strategy and infrastructure in some or even many cities. This may also become (or even already is) a risk for Germany's function and image as one of the top three countries for international MICE tourism, especially for international fairs and conferences – and due to that, this might also lead to international changes. The paper discusses whether German cities should reinvest, change/focus positioning or abandon the MICE market and its infrastructure to become more competitive as well with every city but also as an internationally recognized MICE-country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper examines how competitiveness has been framed rhetorically and politically by interested actors in France, Germany, and the UK. Skilled rhetorical advocacy clothes particular political demands in the language of competitiveness and purported exigencies of the global economy, thus advancing political goals more easily that might otherwise encounter significant political opposition. In theoretical terms, the paper analyses the ideational framing of policy discourses. Empirically, the emphasis rests on exploring how governments, organised business, and business think tanks have attempted to advance demands for liberalised labour migration schemes in Europe by linking them rhetorically to the prerogative of economic competitiveness. Despite an adverse political climate, sceptical public opinion, and persistent unemployment, it has thus been politically possible to liberalise the regulation of labour migration considerably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the nature of competitiveness and argues (contra Jones 2015) that being competitive does not essentially involve a strong desire to win or to outperform others. The appeal of the ‘desire-to-win’ analysis of competitiveness can be explained away provided we distinguish between virtuous and vicious competitiveness. It is conceivable (even if it is not typical) that a virtuously competitive athlete lack a strong desire to win or to outperform others. Moreover, there is empirical evidence that virtuous competitiveness and vicious competitiveness are distinct character traits. If being virtuously competitive does not require a strong desire to win, then being competitive simpliciter does not require this. Other recent accounts, e.g. Kretchmar 2012 and Russell 2014, may appear to support the desire-to-win analysis, but careful reflection reveals that this is not the case. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A number of frameworks have been developed examining destination competitiveness. While most recognise the roles crises can play, specific issues related to crisis and crisis management have not been fully explored yet. It is believed that crisis-related issues will gain more prominence in post-COVID-19 world. This conceptual paper argues that tourist's perceptions of a destination's crisis preparedness and sensitivity exert a direct impact on the perceived destination competitiveness. It further argues that this relationship will be moderated by tourist's own willingness to assume some risk and his or her own congruence with the destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses tomato value chain performance in Malawi and Mozambique using data collected from a market study commissioned by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture as part of a regional research on conservation agriculture in maize-based farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results show that Malawi has a slightly higher competitive advantage in the production of tomato compared to Mozambique. Malawi's relative competitiveness in tomato is mainly due to slightly higher productivity and the cost advantage in labor (low wages) and irrigation costs. The paper proposes policy implications aimed at raising the productivity and trade competitiveness of tomato, as this will ensure the overall productivity of the maize-based smallholder farming systems in the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US and other national governments invest in research and development to spur competitiveness in their domestic manufacturing industries. However, there are limited studies on identifying the research efforts that will have the largest possible return on investment, resulting in suboptimal returns. Manufacturers commonly measure production time in order to identify areas for efficiency improvement, but this is typically not applied at the national level where efficiency issues may cross between enterprises and industries. Such methods and results can be used to prioritize efficiency improvement efforts at an industry supply-chain level. This paper utilizes data on manufacturing inventory along with data on inter-industry interactions to develop a method for tracking industry-level flow time and identifying bottlenecks in US manufacturing. As a proof of concept, this method is applied to the production of three commodities: aircraft, automobiles/trucks, and computers. The robustness of bottleneck identification is tested utilizing Monte Carlo techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is evidence of specialisation around containerised cargo but also a lack of literature regarding its impact on ports' performance. This paper studies the relationship between the level of containerisation and port efficiency and investigates whether the containerisation–efficiency relation varies according to the degree of containerisation. To this end, a two-stage procedure is proposed. In the first stage, the efficiency of 26 Spanish port authorities is estimated by meta-frontier DEA techniques. In the second stage, the effect of containerisation on port efficiency is analysed. The results show evidence of threshold effect of container specialisation on port efficiency. Specialisation in container traffic is beneficial for medium-high-complexity ports when they reach a level of specialisation of 40% in container traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade there has been renewed interest in the role of industrial strategy in enhancing innovation, productivity, and competitiveness within and across firms, sectors and regions with an eye to fostering more balanced regional economic growth. This special issue explores how policymakers could adopt place-based industrial policy measures to foster regional catch up and a more balanced and cohesive regional growth. In doing so, the papers are a mix of contributions that develop theory, provide evidence and highlight 'state of the art' or good practice that can inform a level playing field fostering regional industrial strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]