The latest wave of European Union expansion has brought many central and Eastern European countries into the fold. Unlike previous enlargements however, the latest new members are also undergoing radical economic reform as they reintegrate into international economy.This book reviews the changing industrial architecture of the new wider Europe from
International Industrial Networks and Industrial Restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe analyses the role of international industrial networks in industrial restructuring and corporate growth in central Europe, Russia and Ukraine. It shows that two distinct patterns of international industrial integration - domestic vs. foreign led modernisations - have developed in these two regions which have significant effects on patterns of growth and integration of these economies. International Industrial Networks and Industrial Restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe is based on a number of industry and firm case studies which are analysed and interpreted within the current international business and political economy literature. The publication provides valuable insights to managers and policy-makers who are interested in understanding different strategic options for business activity in Central and East European countries. For the academic reader, it offers a new perspective on international, industrial networks in which theories on strategic management and on industry restructuring and corporate growth are merged into a new view of growth and transformation process.
Estonia is regarded by many as one of the most hopeful cases for the integration of eastern Europe into the enlarged European Union. It provides positive examples of how the integration process can be well handled, but at the same time some of the contentious issues this can give rise to. This book assesses the tensions involved in the development of the Estonian economy in terms of growth, convergence, financial development, labour reallocation, structural and organizational change, and the role of foreign companies and international networks. The analysis of Estonia is placed within a broader context and among a wider set of nations, and thus aims at understanding the potential for growth and structural change in the eastern part of the enlarged EU. In these and related fields, the book seeks to draw lessons from Estonia for other new (and indeed future) EU accession countries.
eWork and eBusiness in Architecture, Engineering and Construction 2018 collects the papers presented at the 12th European Conference on Product and Process Modelling (ECPPM 2018, Copenhagen, 12-14 September 2018). The contributions cover complementary thematic areas that hold great promise towards the advancement of research and technological development in the modelling of complex engineering systems, encompassing a substantial number of high quality contributions on a large spectrum of topics pertaining to ICT deployment instances in AEC/FM, including: • Information and Knowledge Management • Construction Management • Description Logics and Ontology Application in AEC • Risk Management • 5D/nD Modelling, Simulation and Augmented Reality • Infrastructure Condition Assessment • Standardization of Data Structures • Regulatory and Legal Aspects • Multi-Model and distributed Data Management • System Identification • Industrilized Production, Smart Products and Services • Interoperability • Smart Cities • Sustainable Buildings and Urban Environments • Collaboration and Teamwork • BIM Implementation and Deployment • Building Performance Simulation • Intelligent Catalogues and Services eWork and eBusiness in Architecture, Engineering and Construction 2018 represents a rich and comprehensive resource for academics and researchers working in the interdisciplinary areas of information technology applications in architecture, engineering and construction. In the last two decades, the biennial ECPPM (European Conference on Product and Process Modelling) conference series, as the oldest BIM conference, has provided a unique platform for the presentation and discussion of the most recent advances with regard to the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) applications in the AEC/FM (Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Facilities Management) domains.
Produced with the International Peace Academy in New York, this volume focuses largely on the conflicts of the 1990s and future projects, examining multifacteted issues involved in conflict management, suggesting new approaches and tools for future conflict management.
This title was first published in 2003. This work intends to make an important and interesting contribution to the wider debate on European regional development. It looks beyond the confines of the EU proper and combines interesting and relevant case studies from a broader pan-European perspective. Also, the approaches adopted are informed by a variety of theoretical positions. By addressing the changing roles of SMEs in different regions of Eastern Europe, readers should gain insights into the different dimensions of SME development and the link between SMEs and regional growth.
The task of structuring information on built environment has presented challenges to the research community, software developers and the industry for the last 20 years. Recent work has taken advantage of Web and industry standards such as XML, OWL, IFC and STEP. Another important technology for the fragmented AEC industry is digital communication. Wired or wireless, it brings together architects, engineers and construction site workers, enabling them to exchange information, communicate and work together. Virtual enterprise organization structures, involving mobile teams over distance, are highly compatible with the needs of the construction industry.
With the process of a 'wider Europe' (EU-Commission President Romano Prodi's 'ring of friends') that extends from Marrakech in Morocco to St Petersburg in Russia gathering speed, the growing rift between Europe and America also is about how to deal politically with the countries of the Mediterranean-Muslim world. The house of Islam (Dar al Islam) was pivotal to the European path to the Renaissance and to the re-discovery of classic Greek philosophy. The Mediterranean policy of the European Union aims at a positive and co-operative relationship with the region. A successful integration of the Mediterranean South would have tremendous and positive repercussions for regional and world peace. World-wide leading experts from the field of world systems analysis, economics, integration theory, political science, theology and area studies, agnostics, Christians, Jews and Muslims alike discuss the issue with European decision makers. The outcome is an interdisciplinary evaluation of this projected export of peace, co-operation, dialogue and stability in the framework of world centre-periphery relationships.
Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) was adopted as a priority area during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 and has since become one of the main vehicles for targeting international sustainability policy. Sustainable consumption focuses on formulating equitable strategies that foster the highest quality of life, the efficient use of natural resources, and the effective satisfaction of human needs while simultaneously promoting equitable social development, economic competitiveness, and technological innovation. But this is a complex topic and, as the challenges of sustainability grow larger, there is a need to re-imagine how SCP policies can be formulated, governed and implemented. The EU-funded project "Sustainable Consumption Research Exchanges" (SCORE!) consists of around 200 experts in the field of sustainable innovation and sustainable consumption. The SCORE! philosophy is that innovation in SCP policy can be achieved only if experts that understand business development, (sustainable) solution design, consumer behaviour and system innovation policy work together in shaping it. Sustainable technology design can be effective only if business can profitably make the products and consumers are attracted to them. To understand how this might effectively happen, the expertise of systems thinkers must be added to the mix. System Innovation for Sustainability 1 is the first result of a unique positive confrontation between experts from all four communities. It examines what SCP is and what it could be, provides a state-of-the-art review on the governance of change in SCP policy and looks at the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches. The SCORE! experts are working with actors in industry, consumer groups and eco-labelling organisations in the key consumption areas of mobility, food and agriculture, and energy use and housing – responsible for 70% of the life-cycle environmental impacts of Western societies – with the aim of stimulating, fostering or forcing change to SCP theory in practice. The System Innovation for Sustainability series will continue with three further volumes of comprehensive case studies in each of these three critical consumption areas. Each chapter of this book examines problems and suggests solutions from a business, design, consumer and system innovation perspective. It primarily examines the differing solutions necessary in the consumer economies of the West, but also comments on the differing needs in rapidly emerging economies such as China, as well as base-of-the-pyramid economies. The System Innovation for Sustainability series is the fruit of the only major international research network on SCP and will set the standard in this field for some years to come. It will be required reading for all involved in the policy debate on sustainable production and consumption from government, business, academia and NGOs for designers, scientists, businesses and system innovators.
