he success of the construction sector in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Republic of Croatia had a significant impact on the growth and development of other economic activities. In the period from 1964 to 1965, this sector faced numerous challenges, such as unfavourable relations with investors, a lack of long-term investment policy plans, frequent changes in the scope and structure of projects, and a lack of project continuity and necessary production materials. There was also a disconnect between the producers and the investors in the design of building projects, which reduced the opportunities to apply more modern techniques and technologies. Therefore, the costs of implementing project activities increased considerably. The construction sector in the Socialist Republic of Croatia in the period from 1964 to 1965 was characterised by a relatively low level of development of both production capacities and employees, which had a predominantly negative effect on the distribution of labour.
Employing quantitative and interpretative-descriptive methods and drawing on unpublished archival material and the relevant historiographic literature, the author presents the general state and trends in the construction sector in the Socialist Republic of Croatia from 1964 to 1965. The article aims to answer the question of how the general conditions in this economic sector influenced its performance in the Karlovac district. In addition, based on statistical microeconomic indicators, it provides insight into the position of the construction sector in the Karlovac district in relation to the situation at the federal and republican levels. The relevance of the Karlovac district in this article is primarily reflected in the fact that, according to available archival material, fifty-one industrial enterprises operated in this area in the mid-1960s. The efficiency of their operations was largely determined by the positive developments in the construction sector. Regardless of all the problems that significantly affected the success of this economic sector in the Karlovac district, this area was, in terms of total income growth, one of the most successful in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The second part of the article provides a detailed analysis of three construction companies—Lika, Korana, and Novotehna—for which archival material was found, and whose work significantly influenced the success of the construction sector and the economy of Karlovac as a whole.
Hanaa A. Megahed, Abd El-Hay A. Farrag, Amira A. Mohamed
et al.
Availability in Egypt is minimal due to a real restriction on the quantity and quality of acceptable water; it is also increasingly in demand, particularly since the reduction in the share in the Nile following the construction of the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia. At the same time, the need for water increases due to population growth, industrial development and the cultivation of desert land. The country depends significantly on its water supply on the groundwater. Wadi Qena represents one of the most promising valleys, on which the government depends for land reclamations and developments. This study aims to assess groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes by integrating quantitative analyses and GIS techniques. To achieve this goal, 17 groundwater samples were collected from the Quaternary and Nubian aquifer from the middle and southern part of the Wadi. Chemical analysis of the major cations and anions was carried out at Assuit’s Regional Soil Fertility Laboratory. Maps of chemical variables are created using statistical tools by combining observations with interpolation models that can incorporate simple process relations. Major ions, total salinity, Na%, SAR, EC, RSC, PI, MH, KR, SSP, TH, and Cl− were used to assess the groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes. Schoeller’s, Stiff’s, and Piper’s, diagrams were used to determine the hydrochemical facies of groundwater in the area. The hydrochemical composition reflects that Sodium–Chloride is the main water type in the study area, and in the sequence of the cations and anions, 100% of the groundwater samples are in the order Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+/Cl− > SO42− > HCO3−. Comparative analysis against standard quality guidelines indicated that most groundwater samples exceeded safe levels for major constituents, TDS, TH, pH, and EC, making them unsuitable for drinking but potentially suitable for irrigation of high salt-tolerant crops. The results of hydrochemical analysis maps and analytical diagrams of groundwater samples revealed that the water was characterized by natural to alkali and the total dissolved solids (TDS) increasing from the Nubian to Quaternary and high ranges of sodium absorption (SAR). The GIS-spatial model indicated that the southwest part and northwest part represented the highest and lowest suitability, respectively, for drinking water purposes. In contrast, the northwest part and southwest parts represented the highest and lowest suitability, respectively, for irrigation purposes. This is confirmed by the values of Na+, SAR, EC, RSC, PI, MH, KR, SSP, TH, and Cl−. The values of Na+, SAR, EC, RSC, PI, MH, KR, SSP, TH, and Cl confirm this. The study lists corrective measures to improve groundwater quality using monitoring systems, efficient irrigation techniques, localized desalination, artificial recharge projects, stricter waste management and agricultural policies that will minimize sources of contamination. This study’s proposed model offers a promising and potentially universal tool for water quality assessment in the Nile basin and similar settings worldwide with the innovative model presented in this study.
Victor Ushahemba IJIRSHAR, Isa Jibrin OKPE, Jerome Terhemba ANDOHOL
et al.
This study investigates the impact of innovation on trade participation between selected African countries and key global economic regions. The study used panel data on 25 African countries from 1996 to 2021. Non-stationary heterogeneous panel model of pooled mean group, mean group, and dynamic fixed effect estimators. The results reveal the significance of trademarks, patents, industrial design, and efficient logistics in enhancing trade competitiveness and market presence for African nations. The results suggest that fostering innovation ecosystems, investing in design capabilities, and strengthening intellectual property protection are essential for sustained trade growth. Policy recommendations suggested the need for investment in research and development, promotion of industrial design capabilities, and balanced trade policies to stimulate economic growth. Moreover, incentivizing SME participation in trade activities and prioritizing regional economic integration are crucial steps towards fostering sustainable trade relations. By implementing these recommendations, African countries can harness innovation to propel their economies into the global market, fostering trade relations that are mutually beneficial and sustainable.
As the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds are blurring, the effects of digital transformation have become evident in all aspects of our lives. This transformation drastically alters the standard ways of working and lifestyles and paves the way for the emergence of new concepts and phenomena. In this context, digital nomads have become increasingly prominent as people who work and travel simultaneously with the motto “earn while travelling”. The aim of this study is to examine the phenomenon of digital nomadism based on the example of Turkish Digital Nomads. By determining the lifestyles and working conditions of Turkish digital nomads, the changing expectations and emerging new dynamics in working life are discussed. For the study, a qualitative research method was used and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 digital nomads between July and September 2024. The data obtained from the interviews were analysed by descriptive analysis method using the qualitative data analysis software MAXQDA. According to the results obtained from the research, it was observed that digital nomadism was adopted as an important lifestyle among the participants in terms of both experiencing new cultures and redefining the work-life balance thanks to the freedom and flexibility it offers to individuals. As a result, standard forms of work are being questioned and issues such as work-life balance, job security and social rights need to be reconsidered.
Industrial relations, Social insurance. Social security. Pension
Von Schomberg offers a compelling examination of key open science principles and their potential role in fostering responsible research and innovation (RRI). Utilizing Merton's Ethos of Science framework, the paper constructs a series of arguments supporting a central thesis: “the transition towards open science is vital to facilitate RRI.” This transition necessitates significant institutional reforms within the scientific community and adjustments to incentive structures that promote the adoption of open and mutually responsive practices.
The manuscript reframes the discourse surrounding responsibility and responsiveness in light of the evolving landscape of open science, shifting the focus from normative commitments to actionable frameworks in research and open science practices. Overall, the position paper strives to bridge the gap between idealised models of scientific communities based on RRI principles and the reality of actual scientific endeavour (Anderson et al., 2007; Politi, 2021, 2024).
However, it is important to acknowledge certain omissions that could enrich the analysis. Firstly, a more comprehensive examination of the profound crisis facing science amidst the increasing marketisation and commodification of academia and research would provide valuable context beyond discussions of system failures related to productivity and reproducibility. Secondly, a more nuanced and critical approach to conceptualising open science would enrich the discussion, considering its multifaceted nature and potential pitfalls. Thirdly, the validity of the Mertonian framework and its selective analysis of values, particularly its exclusive focus on the norm of communism. Lastly, a deeper exploration of the challenges and promises inherent in the pursuit of responsible Open Science within ongoing institutional processes.
Nowadays Russia is actively developing economic cooperation with the African continent states. The article presents an analysis of trade and economic relations between Russia and Egypt. The Arab Republic of Egypt is a strategic partner of Russia in mutual trade in agricultural products and food in North Africa and the Middle East. The country is a major food importer and is a promising market for increasing the supply of agricultural products from Russia. The authors analyze: the dynamics of trade turnover in food products and agricultural raw materials between two countries; the commodity structure of exports and imports; Egypts place in Russian exports and imports of agricultural raw materials and food. The importance of the markets of the analyzed countries for mutual supplies is under authors consideration. The possibilities of development are analyzed and the problems and prospects of expanding investment cooperation between these countries in the field of agriculture are identified. The significance of the opening of the Russian Industrial Zone in Egypt for deepening trade and investment ties in the agro-industrial business is proved.
Economic growth, development, planning, Economics as a science
Supreme irony: current research on tomato bashing is still based on a spoof paper written by Georges Perec. His 1974 publication entitled Cantatrix Sopranica L. focuses on the lyrical impact of tomato throwing upon female opera singers. Beyond the game that consists in poetically and ironically contributing to this editorial field and mimicking the postures of academic speech, there remain epistemological consequences exceeding the references intertwined in the text under study. To further the investigation beyond irony, we must start again from somewhere below it, for irony seems, in and of itself – but can irony, a distancing process per se, be read in itself? – to terminate the investigation. Rather than adding to the parodic commentary of a scientific parody, we shall take this spoof as an opportunity to deal with the counter-psychic coordinates of interlocked failures: the failure of the artist under attack; Perec’s mock failure, which is meant to deride the stylistic wreck of academia; the frosty reception of his paper (so entombed in its Perecquian bibliographical maze that it misses many a blind spot, such as the industrial dimension of the morphologic standardisation of tomatoes, the cultural history of vegetal projectiles, the complex relations between science and literature, etc.) and, after too many attempts, our own failure in relishing the Perecquian concentrate and rigorously assessing the quality of the throw or/and ductility of the projectile in relation to the antisimplicity of the gestural parameters, the internal and external motives initiating such attacks and how the victim can be stimulated into broadening their range of theatrical pleasures, the reactivity of the spectators that do not have any tomato, of those whose tomatoes remain un-thrown, of those using alternative projectiles or/and opting for alternative targets, and the historical aspects of this practice (from the evolution of aesthetic punishments to the commercial and agricultural genealogy of the tomato, as well as the political and poetical consequences brought about by the successive standardisations that have been operated on various scales).
Siti Zaharah Jamaluddin, Mohammad Abu Taher, Ng Seng Yi
Industrial relations is one of the most delicate and complex issues in a modern industrial society. Industrial progress is well-nigh impossible without the cooperation of the labour force and the harmonious relationship between employers and employees. Therefore, it is in the interest of all to create and maintain the good relationship between employers and employees. Malaysia, as one of the South East Asian countries, hopes to be a high-income nation by 2024. In order to achieve the status of high income nation, the government of Malaysia has introduced the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). ETP will help Malaysia to triple its Gross National Income (GNI) from RM 660 billion in 2009 to RM 1.7 trillion in 2020. The status of high income nation is said to be achieved, among others, via innovation, creativity, higher productivity, new technology and the development of a multi-skilled and highly skilled workforce as well as healthy industrial relations. As such, in underlining industrial relations in a high-income nation, this article is an attempt to examine the role of the Malaysian industrial relations of today. It will also portray whether changes are required in Malaysian industrial relations in order to be relevant in a high-income nation.
María Noel Bulloni Yaquinta, Gabriela Alejandra Pontoni
RESUMEN:
En este artículo abordamos la problemática de la tercerización laboral en el sector de producción de contenidos para televisión en Argentina. Específicamente, nos interrogamos por las potencialidades y los desafíos que en dicho sector adquieren las estrategias sindicales para contrarrestar la discrecionalidad y unilateralidad empresarial en la definición de las condiciones laborales, teniendo en cuenta sus legados históricos, las implicancias de la organización del proceso productivo como también las influencias del cambiante contexto económico, político e institucional de las relaciones laborales en el país. Con este interrogante en mente, desarrollamos un análisis pormenorizado de la dinámica de la negociación colectiva sectorial entre 2011 y 2018. En el marco de este análisis evidenciamos una estrategia sindical que si bien constituye un avance sustancial en el plano de la representación gremial y convencional en contextos de tercerización, también conlleva retrocesos al plantear un esquema de flexibilización negociada, cuyos efectos se agudizan en el contexto menos favorable que se configura en Argentina tras el cambio de gobierno de fines de 2015.
RESUMO:
Neste artigo, abordamos o problema da terceirização do trabalho no setor de produção de conteúdo para televisão na Argentina. Especificamente, nos perguntamos sobre as potencialidades e desafios que as estratégias sindicais adquirem neste setor para combater a discrição e o unilateralismo corporativo na definição das condições de trabalho, tendo em conta os seus legados históricos, as implicações da organização do processo de produção, bem as influências da mudança do contexto econômico, político e institucional das relações de trabalho no país. Com esta questão em mente, desenvolvemos uma análise detalhada da dinâmica da negociação coletiva setorial, entre 2011 e 2018. Nesta análise mostramos uma estratégia sindical que, embora constitua um avanço substancial no nível de representação sindical e convencional em contextos de terceirização, também envolve retrocessos ao propor um esquema de flexibilização negociada, cujos efeitos são exacerbados no contexto menos favorável que se configura na Argentina após a mudança de governo no final de 2015.
ABSTRACT:
In this article we analyze the problem of labour outsourcing in the television content production sector in Argentina. Specifically, we propose to inquire about the potentialities and challenges acquired by union strategies to deal with business discretion regarding the definition of working conditions. In this analysis we will take into account the historical legacies of the sector, the productive organization’s implications as well as the influences of the changing economic, political and institutional context of industrial relations in the country. With these issues in mind, we focused our analysis on collective bargaining’s development between 2011 and 2018. Within the framework of this analysis we show a trade union strategy that although it constitutes a substantial advance in the field of workers representation to deal with outsourcing contexts, also entails setbacks in proposing a negotiated flexibility scheme, whose effects are exacerbated in a less favourable context that is set up in Argentina after the change of government in late 2015.
Law in general. Comparative and uniform law. Jurisprudence
Main objective of the article – assessment of problems and opportunities of speeding up of world economic growth in the context of the crisis phenomena and turbulence in economy. Complication and reformatting of the economic relations between the countries represents serious challenges for modern economic dynamics. Methodological approach of the authors is based on assessment of the defining influence of new factors on delay of economic activity and economic development. The thesis about the defining impact of international trade on economic growth is called into question. It was analyzed the value and a role of the international companies as growth catalysts in the conditions of new technological revolution. It is established that risks of development of the world economy continue to increase, and the main of them – in decline in labor productivity in the developed countries, uncertainty concerning interest rates and economic policy of the states, the universal growth of sovereign and corporate debt of the states. It is shown that China has the increasing problems with the growth; however the flexibility of its economic policy allows to connect additional mechanisms of speeding up of social and economic development. In the European Union economic growth depends on the solution of problems of consolidation of the budgetary process, decrease in a debt, and in general – on reforming of the existing model of social and economic development. Prospects of economic dynamics will depend in many respects on stability of trade relations between the countries, and on the effective international cooperation directed to overcoming imbalances of the modern world economy. Opportunities and problems of an exit of developing countries to a trajectory of sustained economic growth in the conditions of digitalization and digital transformations in the world economy are estimated. Aggravation of a problem of inequality in the conditions of digitalization of the world economy is possible to overcome, however a number of measures in the sphere of industrial, innovative and regulatory policy is necessary. Also at the international level serious reforms in the sphere of financial regulation and taxation are necessary. The conclusions received as a result of the research have important practical importance as overcoming the problems stated above and also trade political differences between the countries will make economic growth steady and inclusive.
The numerous deficiencies of the popular classes in contemporary Catalan society are the main reason for the proliferation of mutual insurance companies. Without the connection between the two, it is impossible to imagine the spread of the culture of solidarity conceived horizontally among equals. Although the text does not ignore the historiographic debates on the Catalan case in the Hispanic context, its main focus is on their chronological and geographical development and it objectifies the extent of their benefits in terms of risk cover and economic assistance. The main aim is to trace the mutualist tradition in Catalonia: popular support, geographical distribution and limitations in the “land of cooperation” in the first decades of the 20th century. The attempts at self-organisation from below provide functional cohesion in the framework of the relations governing production, power and industrial capitalism, becoming perhaps the most important of all the experiences of formal sociability.
Grain-oriented silicon steel is mainly used as the core material of transformers, and it is manufactured by applying secondary recrystallization. The driving force of this process is the grain boundary energy, based on the nature of the grain boundary, which is determined by coincidence site lattice (CSL) relations. CSL relations are determined by the arrangement of lattice points in three-dimensional space and have already been shown mathematically by using advanced mathematics. However, their derivation processes are abstract, making them difficult for material engineers to understand. Therefore, in this study, a derivation of CSL relations is attempted in order to enable material engineers to easily understand the derivation. This study contributes to industrial mathematics by helping material engineers understand the essence of the mathematical method in order to use it appropriately. Specifically, a derivation method for coincidence relations is proposed using the hexagonal lattice (in the case of an axial ratio of 8/3) as an example that avoids the need for advanced mathematics. This method involves applying the scale rotation of a quaternion, and it is thus named the quaternion-matrix method. The matrix specifying the ΣN coincidence relation of a certain lattice system is expressed by a similarity transformation using the matrix comprising its primitive translation vectors and is given as the following transformation matrix: Hi=Ei−1EREi. Based on the rational number property of the transformation matrix elements, the following formula is derived: N=N02+2N12+6N22+3N32, Ni∈ℕ+, N:Σ value. Here, (N0N1N2N3) is specified by the integrality (lattice point) and irreducibility (unit cell) among the elements of Hi, and the quaternion for the CSL formation is thus derived. Finally, based on the polar form of this quaternion, the coincidence relation can be derived.
As máquinas encontram-se cada vez mais sofisticadas, o que lhes vem proporcionando na atualidade e, sobretudo, no futuro, uma maior ou até mesmo integral autonomia para tomar decisões que envolvam risco de comércio. E, embora se saiba que a inovação renda benefícios às empresas e também à competição, deve-se também examinar os riscos prováveis da transferência de tomadas de decisões às máquinas, incluindo a possibilidade de que venham a decidir autonomamente por condutas anti-competitivas. Diante de tal cenário, tanto na interface internacional, quanto na interface nacional, existe uma grave omissão de posicionamento das autoridades da concorrência quanto aos limites do uso dessa tecnologia para a competição. Contudo, tal omissão, dentro do Brasil, tem cunho muito mais interpretativo a ser dado pela autoridade do que, propriamente, a necessidade de alteração legislativa.
The interactive communication in the artificial environment has widened its limits with the usage of the social media tools and has become an inevitable element of the digital era. The usage of the tools such as social network sharing sites, blogs, e-mail usage, intranet, video conferencing, forums, video sharing sites such as Youtube, music sharing sites, business network sites, cooperative web sites, instant message, vikis, podcasts, training materials sharing, social bookmarking, bookmarking sites ensuring its users to make online news, stories, music, personal publication which take place in the social media tools by the public relations practitioners gradually gains importance in terms of the public relations practitioners.In this study, the place and importance of social media tools with regards to public relations and their role in creating a new public relations process are discussed. Accordingly, an online questionnaire form was prepared and sent via e-mail to the public relations practitioners. These public relations practitioners were determined through the survey results of Turkeys Top 500 Industrial Enterprises 2011 which was conducted regularly by Istanbul Chamber of Industry ISO . An assessment intended to identify the trends and reasons of use of social media tools by the public relations practitioners who work in the biggest companies of Turkey and their perceptions of social media and traditional media was made.
The sociotechnical concepts of responsible autonomy and to be in control were originally developed from men’s work in order to describe and develop mostly industrial work. This article explores how these conceptions may be useful in modern service work, when working with humans. It is based on a set of development projects in mainly municipal care institutions in Norway, between 2000 and 2011. The projects were theoretically grounded in the Norwegian and international sociotechnical system theory (STS) tradition. It argues that there are many valuable lessons to be learnt from this tradition also concerning nursing and care work in the municipalities. However, the article points to a need for development of the concept control as autonomy to embrace “working with humans.” A central finding is that assistance and support from and to colleagues are prerequisites for “being in control.” Moreover, that development of trust through communication alongside work is necessary in order to establish relations of mutual support. Trust and mutual support point to the social relations at work; so in this way it takes the concept control as autonomy from an individual to a more collective concept as Trist et al. (1963) and Herbst (1974/1993) defined their concept of control as collective responsible autonomy. In a prospective perspective, the article sets up the hypothesis that an organization that combines the two, an individual together with a more collective scope on autonomy when working with humans, will meet what Kira (2006) calls as regenerative work. This means sustainability—in resources involved; health, quality, and milieu—through the staff ’s dominion over the conditions of their work.
La investigación en relaciones laborales ha sido tildada tradicionalmente de asistemática y ateórica. Comúnmente, esta apreciación ha sido aceptada por los especialistas en este ámbito como una renuncia difícilmente eludible, que resulta tanto de la orientación eminentemente empírica de estos análisis como de la extrema volatilidad del objeto de estudio. No obstante, los esfuerzos por desarrollar un marco teórico propio se han redoblado en los últimos tiempos. La superación de las debilidades resultantes de la dependencia de otras disciplinas anejas en el diseño de instrumentos teóricos se ha convertido en una preocupación de primer orden para los especialistas en relaciones laborales. El objeto del presente artículo es presentar y discutir un marco analítico formulado para aproximarse a las dinámicas de relaciones laborales en la empresa transnacional. La emergencia de nuevos espacios de elevada complejidad añade, si cabe, aún mayor tensión sobre la investigación en relaciones laborales e incrementa la necesidad de seguir profundizando en la reflexión teórica.
Industrial relations within trasnational Companies. A proposal for an analytical framework
Abstract
Research on industrial relations has been traditionally characterized by an asystematic and atheoretical pragmatism. This appraisal has been made in accordance with a recognized agreement on the fundamental empirical orientation that underwrites most research and the extreme changeable nature of the subject. However, significant effort is being made in recent times to allow more effective and original theoretical instruments which are not borrowed from other disciplines but emerge through the practice and research guidelines of the specialists on industrial relations themselves. The article is aimed at introducing and discussing an original analytical approach for understanding industrial relations dynamics at the transnational level and within transnational companies. The consolidation of new and more complex arenas for interest interplay in the firm increases the strain for further theoretical development in the area.
The Cole Royal Commission enquiry into the building and construction (abbreviated to ‘construction’) sector recommended controversial workplace-relation reforms for that sector. The recommended changes are likely to be enshrined in legislation within the year. The Commission drew on analyses of industrial disputes that focused, in the main, on quite recent experience. This paper attempts to give a broader historical perspective on disputes in that sector by considering the pattern of disputes for the entire post-World War II period. Accordingly, data on disputes and employees during the entire period are gathered from Australian Bureau of Statistics current and archived sources. These data are classified according to sector (construction versus non-construction) and analysed. It is found that the strike rate has, on average, been greater in the construction sector than in the non-construction sector. However, there have been periods during which disputes in the construction sector have been relatively low. The most recent period was during the period of the Accord (1983-96), during which the strike rate in the construction sector fell relatively strongly. The analysis of this relatively broad historical period draws attention, among other things, to the possibility that the sort of strategies employed during the Accord years – strategies of cooperation and consensus building – may provide a more effective means of bringing industrial peace to the workplace relations scene of the construction sector than policies that are relatively confrontational.