Designing a framework for acquiring technological knowledge among technology transfer recipients A perspective from a radar

Technology transfer is becoming increasingly important for business and economic growth in developing nations. The modern global economy uses knowledge resources to increase productivity and foster improvements in standard of living. Individual businesses acquire knowledge of advanced technologies to establish and maintain competitive positioning in the global marketplace. Without proper knowledge acquisition, transfer of technology cannot take place. The process of acquiring knowledge requires the organization to choose or adapt elements of the technology to local cultural conditions to integrate it with indigenous technologies. The cultural context of the recipient can also affect the process of acquiring knowledge. The culture and social environment of the individual creates a schema for organizing knowledge and understanding reality. This paper has two objectives： Firstly, to investigate how organisational culture affects readiness for technology transfer, and secondly, to identify elements of organisational culture affecting readiness for technology transfer. Qualitative mode of data collection was used in this study as well as interview and focus group discussion. The results from the preliminary investigations were used to create the components of the framework. Hypotheses were formulated between the constructs of the framework and a rigorous attempt was made using Structural Equation Modelling （SEM） to validate the construct as they created through qualitative findings.     

Charting a Course on the Islamic Finance Ocean： A Survey of Islamic Insurance Literatures

The number of Muslim literates in Islamic finance and conventional finance, particularly Islamic insurance, has grown tremendously, so has the number of academic and professional articles, books, and other monographs published in Islamic insurance profession. Despite Islamic insurance uniqueness based on Islamic values and philosophies, its emancipation aimed to compete or eradicate the conventional insurance at both academic and professional levels. Those monographs that were intended to replace their conventional insurance counterpart have triggered endless debates among stakeholders on their authenticity and quality of knowledge and as well challenged their authors＇ authorities. Therefore, with content analysis, this survey verified whether the Islamic insurance literatures were capable of producing well-seasoned professionals of lslamic insurance. The results showed that the disputes over the available literatures might have contributed to the failure of having a standard curriculum for teaching Islamic insurance as a profession in academic at national and international levels. Review of the literatures and curriculum was recommended.     

The Future of International Liquidity and the Role of China

This paper analyzes the consequences of the internationalization of the Chinese renminbi for the global monetary system and its possible ascension to reserve currency status. In an unstable and financially integrated world, governments＇ precautionary demand for reserve assets is likely to increase. But the world then risks a third crisis of the global reserve system, another re-run of the Triffin paradox, with an ever-growing emerging-world insurance demand loaded onto a small group of ever more strained net debt suppliers. Two ways to avoid this outcome would entail either expanding the supply of credible reserve liquidity to include some large emerging-market providers, or finding ways to manage emerging-market risks so as to moderate the perceived need for insurance, and China would have to loom large in both solutions. This paper analyzes the consequences of the internationalization of the Chinese renminbi for the global monetary system and its possible ascension to reserve currency status. It argues that if the process proves feasible, despite the difficult hurdles along the way, the results of internationalization would be constructive, both for China and the rest of the world. In today＇s global monetary system, the emergence of the renminbi （along with other developed- and emerging-market currencies） as a potential reserve currency would expand and diversify the supply of reserve assets, enabling central banks to maintain large buffers against financial shocks while allowing the United States to avoid issuing, as now, a large and growing bulk of the world＇s safe and liquid claims, and thus bearing the burden of an ever-expanding, and ultimately questionable, debt to the rest of the world.     

Budget Structure and Pollution Control： A Cross-country Analysis and Implications for China

In the published literature, the differences in environmental performance across countries are typically explained using the Environmental Kuznets Curve. The Environmental Kuznets Curve states that pollution initially increases with economic growth. Once GDP per capita reaches a certain level, the relationship reverses. In the present paper, we provide an alternative hypothesis, where budget structure plays an important role in explaining the variations in pollution across the world.＂ the lower the business-related taxes as a share of total tax revenue, the higher the property tax in total tax revenue and the higher the ratio of public health expenditure in total expenditure, then the stronger the incentive of pollution control and the lower the pollution level. Our empirical findings reveal that the budget structure does have an important impact on pollution control. The policy implication of this research is that effective control of environmental pollution requires changes in tax structure and expenditure assignment. This research has important policy implications for China ＂s tax system reform and pollution control efforts.     

Thailand＇s 2011 Flood： Household Damages,Compensation and Natural Catastrophe Insurance

This study looks into how households＇ experience with the July-December 2011 flooding in Thailand influences their desire to have flood insurance coverage. It also evaluates coverage and flood depth as the two salient features of the National Catastrophe Insurance Fund （NCIF）, which was established in March 2012 in response to the 2011 Thailand flooding. Altogether 600 households were interviewed in this study to represent the middle and poor households from three areas in Thailand： Nonthaburi, Bangkok, and Pathum Thani. The households＇ flood experience was represented by three variables： （1） damages incurred; （2） compensation received; and （3） level of the flood depth inside their houses. The household survey revealed that damages averaged USD 2,393 for poor households and USD 8,087 for middle households with average flood depth being 127 cm and 83 cm, respectively. Computed damage cost includes both direct costs （damages to property and expenses to repair or replace, cleanup costs） and indirect costs （time spent of family members and volunteer workers as well as loss of earnings）. Middle and poor households affected by the floods received compensation from the government averaging at USD 683 to USD 734. The NCIF offers a maximum coverage of THB 100,000 （USD3,100） for a maximum flood depth of 1 m inside the house. This is clearly higher than compensations received, particularly since low-income households experienced an average flood depth of 127 cm. Unfortunately, these households had no insurance coverage. The same is true for the middle-income households. At 83 cm, had they secured a disaster insurance, the coverage received would have been higher than the compensation they received from the government. Unfortunately only 7% of those interviewed had disaster insurance coverage. What prevents people from getting insurance？ This study found out that despite the bad experience from Bangkok flooding and that over half believed that there is more than 70% chance that a flood a     

Policy Options for China＇s Bio-ethanol Development and the Implications for Its Agricultural Economy

The present paper analyzes the potential impacts of bio-ethanol expansion on agricultural production, food prices and farmers＇ incomes in different regions of China. The results show that increase in demand for feedstock to produce bio-ethanol will lead to large increase in the prices of agricultural products. The increase in prices will trigger a significant rise in the production of feedstock at the cost of lower rice and wheat production. The study also reveals that the impacts of bio-ethanol on farmers＂ incomes vary largely among regions and farmer groups. Given the expected expansion of bio-ethanol production in the future, and the limited land resources for feedstock production in China, the viability of different crops as feedstock for bio-ethanol requires careful analysis before a large-scale expansion of China＇s bio-ethanol program. Bio-ethanol production in China should be relying more on the second generation of bio-ethanol technologies （i.e. using celluloses to produce bio-ethanol）, and China＇s government should increase research investment in this field.     

Reforming the Financial Health Care System： The Case of the Republic of Albania

The Albanian health care system is currently in a period of deep transformation as well as the country is reflecting the future reforms after the turbulent development of the most recent years. The admission of Albania among future members of the European Union requires also an innovation in the health care system in order to build a model more compliant with the European performance and standards. These innovations are required also in the managerial approach to the health care and in its financing system. The aim of this paper is to analyze the actual financing model of the Albanian health care sector while highlighting the possible future managerial development. First of all, this article presents a history review of the Albanian health-care system, analyzing the current governance model. The goal of this approach is to describe the starting point of the reform paths for the future policy makers. Afterwards the research underlines the transition from a financing model based on historical public expenditure to a system based on the performance as one of the main innovation in the managerial approach to the health care. The introduction of management thinking will then allow developing a cost-based financing model, an accounting system in the teaching hospital and, finally, a financing system able to pay for services provided by private health care entities. The article then offers also a contribution to policy makers in order to define the ＂paths＂ of the Albanian health care system in the next years.     

A search model for Joint Implementation

The aim of this paper is to present a search model in the field of environmental economics, where so-called clean and dirty producers enter the trading market, both looking for a partner with whom to exchange the goods they are endowed with. The model derived in this paper is rather simple. Nevertheless, it is able to produce a series of interesting results and useful insights, and is conveniently used here as a framework to explain the functioning of Joint Implementation programs for polluting emissions＇ reduction.     

Demand for reinsurance： Evidence from Australian insurers

Reinsurance is widely recognised as important in insurer risk and capital management. This paper examines the factors that determine insurer demand for reinsurance using Australian data. The Australian situation is interesting because of the tax imputation system and the prudential regulations that were in force during the period of the study. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first paper to empirically analyse the demand for reinsurance in Australia. A panel-data set （1996-2001） is used, which provides 543 observations. The authors provide a careful approach to econometric diagnostic testing and the choice of the most appropriate panel-data model and the authors show how failure to do so may generate misleading results. Based on a robust estimation procedure, the authors find strong evidence of a positive relation between variables related to company size and the demand for reinsurance in Australia. The impact of leverage, taxes, and return on investments are not statistically significant.     

Blog,collaboration and e-commerce theoretical and applicative research project

This theme continues and completes another interdisciplinary project launched one year ago, and its aim is to realize one or several models about e-business in Romania. As a consequence, we can speak now about an extended project. The elaborated material will be useful for a large number of companies doing business in Romanian online environment. The team wants to elaborate solutions for e-businesses, as well as to create a complex and utile work, a starting point for companies wishing to exist in web lifestyle within a global economy. It will be elaborated a manual of blog and electronic commerce, both with theoretical and applicative aspects. This project will consolidate a research nucleus in blogs, collaboration and electronic businesses at the Business Administration Department, Babes-Bolyai University. The results of this extended project will have impact on several plans on the scientific community.     

Understanding Failure in International Retailing： An Institutional Framework for Future Investigation

The move from domestic market to one that includes major retailers. Whiles prior research acknowledged differences international firms is not proving an easy task for between country environments and stressed the importance of addressing these differences in order to avoid the dangers and failures inherent in internationalisation, there is still lack of suitable framework that captures the effects of the institutional environment on failure in international retailing. The purpose of this paper is to introduce institutional theory as a complementary framework to explain failure in international retailing and suggest propositions for further research. The paper seeks to answer the research question： What are the factors in the institutional environment of a host country that affect failure in international retailing？ Consequently, the objective of this paper is threefold： （1） to introduce institutional theory as alternative theoretical framework to conceptualise failure in international retailing; （2） to identify institutional factors that exert pressures on the operational activities of international retailers in foreign markets and which leads to failure; （3） to provide some research propositions for further investigation. This paper offers several contributions. First, we extend current theories in international business, particularly, the literature on retail internationalisation and institutional theory by exploring pressures and difficulties that international retailers face in a new host institutional environment. Second, we identify a set of institutional factors that exert pressures on international retailers in foreign markets that lead to failure. Finally, with the institutional approach, this study fills the gap in earlier works by developing a complementary framework along with 11 propositions for future research. One major limitation of this paper is that it is conceptual; hence, further empirical analysis is needed to test the suggested propositions.     

Regionalism and East Asian economic integration

The wave of economic globalization moves to all the countries in the world to be integrated with multilateralism and by promotion of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World Trade Organization （GATT/WTO）. Meanwhile, the growth of regional economic integration has been one of the major developments in international economic relations, and undoubtedly regionalism is a part of the global economic environment. The objective of the paper is to review the trends and highlight the prospects for enhancing economic integration in East Asia. This paper has argued that the emerging East Asian economies have achieved sustained economic development and poverty reduction through domestic structural, institutional and governance reforms as well as through market-driven integration with the global and regional markets. Though this process was temporarily interrupted by the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998, the economies have pursued further liberalization and reforms, deepened economic integration through trade, FDI and finance, and regained dynamic growth. The author argues that the reasonable choice for Eastern Asian countries is to deepen their economic integration and the optimal strategy is fostering economic integration with institutional cooperation.     

The Comprehensive Development of Professional Education under the Guidance of Life-long Education

Life-long Education has become an idea of global influence. Governments all over the world are paying increasing attention to the building of ＂learning organizations＂. The thesis maintains that polytechnics, playing a vital role in the construction of local life-long educational systems, must adopt the innovative educational philosophy and orient themselves towards their target market in order to serve the ever growing and changing demand. By developing individuals＇ life-long employability, vocational colleges are well in the position to serve as the leader of the ＂leaming communities＂ and the source of the infectious passion for leaming （radiating infectious passion for learning）.     

On Making Monetary Policies by U.S. Federal Reserve Board and Direction of Development

The debate on Rules and the discretionary approach is a long-term topic in the implementation of Central Monetary Policy. Time inconsistency enables rule advocates to have a firmer theoretical foundation in the degree of confidence, but the discretionary approach is adopted by U.S. FRB more often due to feasibility. The Taylor rule, as a simple tool, is only used as a guideline, which cannot better account for the making of complex monetary policy. A general targeting rule is relatively thorough and U.S.FRB can adopt the discretionary approach based on rules. Moreover, it can predict and judge the possible economic situation in the future. This paper probes into the micro-pitfalls in U.S. FRB＇s monetary policy theories, and puts forward proposals on how tochange them, through the general equilibrium model of money and deflation.     

Large Family Card as an Instrument of Supporting Families With Many Children

The aim of the article is to assess the efficacy of the large family card and its relevance to the real needs of families with many children, using the example of Poland. The large family card is a general term standing for locally implemented programmes that are aimed at families with many children. The idea behind the programme is to create a positive image of a large family. The very name of the programme serves the purpose of combating negative stereotypes and presenting large families as active and resourceful. The paper presents the results of empirical research conducted with cardholders and implementers of programs in selected Polish cities （questionnaire survey and focus group interviews with participants and interviews with program coordinators from 15 programs）. Empirical research was conducted in the period from December 2013 to April 2014, and was funded by the National Science Centre. The study included all programs started by the end of2011. The conclusions enable a number of anomalies and weaknesses of the programs to be seen and indicate directions for further development of this promising initiative. The program is perceived very positively by large families, although it has little influence on family situation. Apart from its positive impact on the diversification of sports and recreation activities, it does not basically play any role in supporting the condition of the family. Neither healthcare nor the educational aspect is attractive enough to interest the family. The basic reason for the low quality of programs is primarily the lack of proper communication and knowledge about the real problems affecting large families.     

Influence of Heat Gains in Building on Pumping Energy Consumption in Boiler Plant

Heat production for space-heating and domestic hot water production is a major part of the energy consumption sector in many countries. In towns in Central and Western Europe, there are centralised district heating systems based on fossil fuels： coal, oil, and gas. In Poland a significant number of heating plants use coal boilers. As a heat source for district heating system, the combined heat-power （CHP） plant or the heating plant equipped with the coal boilers （WR, WRp type） are used. The heating plants cause atmospheric air pollution in the country, continent and on a global scale. One of the goals in contemporary economy is to decrease heat consumption and heat production. Heat consumption may be limited by thermo-modernization and designing the new buildings according to the new thermal standards, as a building of low energy consumption or zero-energetic （passive） building. Minimisation of heat production is attainable by increase of heating plants efficiency. The topic of this article is an analysis of the possibilities of minimisation of pumping energy consumption in coal boiler plant cooperating with the medium sized district heating system. A specific feature of the paper is a research study of heat gains in buildings influence on total pumping energy consumption in boiler plant. A research topic of author＇s is optimisation of energy consumption in HVAC systems, especially in district heating networks, heating plants, and district heating substations. In Europe model of district heating substation changes according to the contemporary thermal standard of buildings and domestic hot water consumption trends. A set of author＇s articles concerns the theoretical modelling for minimisation of energy consumption in heating plants.     

Loan Commitments and Deposit Insurance in Commercial Bank Lending

As is known by all, loan commitment and deposit insurance are very important to commercial bank. Recent literature focuses on liquidity provision as a unique service provided by financial intermediaries. In this paper, the author addresses why commercial banks dominate the provision of these services. Liquidity provision in lending is reflected in offering loan commitments. The author argues that commercial banks have a unique advantage in providing this form of liquidity. These results are consistent with commercial banks＇ unique corporate lending role （that of liquidity provision） deriving from their access to fixed-price deposit insurance.     

Climate Change and Green Growth： A Perspective of the Division of Labor

This paper presents a new research agenda on climate change and green growth from the perspective of the division of labor in classical economics. The paper covers three major dimensions of green growth （i.e. carbon emissions, environmental proteetion and material resources use） and some related important topics, as well as the fresh policy implications of the new research agenda, Typical marginal analysis in a given structure of the division of labor suggests that ＂green＂ action is a burden to economic development. Therefore, climate negotiation has become a burden-sharing game and has reached a stalemate. New thinking is badly needed to rescue these negotiations and to drive a shift to a new ＂green growth＂ paradigm. The proposed new research agenda represents an effort to create a new narrative on climate change and green growth. Because the new research agenda can theoretically predict the possibility that a more competitive structure of the division of labor could be triggered by ＂＇green ＂＇ policy, it has promising policy implications for various important challenges facing us in the 21st century.