In this thesis I used the 3SLS method to test the national competitiveness model found by Fagerberg(1988), which regards the technological competitiveness as a dominant factor deciding national competitiveness of a country. The data concerned including economic variables of Taiwan, U.S., U.K., French, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan, ranging from 1990 to 1997.

Corruption has been a global issue since ancient times till today, and acts of corruption take place regardless of the political system we exist under, hence, corruption can be said to be a type of conventional crime. As such crimes directly affect the functions, reliability and efficiency of governments, as well as national competitiveness of a country, relating to political austerity, economic prosperity and public sentiment, it would be sufficient enough to affect social stability, the rise an -+d decline of a nation¡¦s might, and the survival of governments. Throughout history, keeping corruption in check has always been a priority without exception by past governments in bringing peace and stability of the country; and ¡§Integrity¡¨ is the most fundamental requirement of a government. Should the administration of a government lacks the measure of integrity, the trust of the people towards the government will decline with poor governance, dishonest officials and rampant corruption, as a result, the integral administration of a government shall descend into a crisis; therefore, there is not one country around the world that is not constantly advancing its efforts in curbing corruption and governing impartially. Thus, in order to raise the integrity competence of the government, and to respond to the expectations of the public, the government convened a meeting with relevant agencies from the consensus of the meeting on the sustained development of Taiwan¡¦s economy, to jointly deliberate and enact the ¡§Anti-Corruption Action Plan¡¨, which has already been checked and ratified by the Executive Yuan on November 30, 2006. The purpose of enacting the plan was to immediately eliminate corruption and other factors that destabilize economic development, as well as to incorporate economic crimes that seriously impair the image of the government, hoping to effectively raise the integrity competence of the government and enhance national competitiveness. Since its establishment in 1995, Transparency International, the only international organization devoted to fighting against corruption, has according to the results of various corruption studies, established a Corruption Perception Index based on countries as the assessment subjects, and published it worldwide simultaneously. After several years, this economic index has become the most widely used instrument as a measure of the corruption situation in a country. The Swiss International Institute for Management Development has since 1989 been releasing its annual research report on the economic competitiveness of countries within major economic blocs. This has led to the close attention of various governments and related civic agencies around the world, moving on to adopt this report as its benchmark in governance and operations. The information published by the abovementioned organization has more than proven that the morality of government ethics is closely correlated to the overall performance of civil servants in notion, spirit, virtue, lives and work attitude. The ¡§Integral Governance Ethics Action Plan¡¨ currently driven to be implemented will improve not only the impartial image of government departments but also has the functions of educating and guiding the society. In view of this, various countries around the world place extreme importance in enacting and actualizing its anti-corruption policies. According to Transparency International, from their observations in the past 12 years, there has been little change in Taiwan¡¦s position on the Corruption Perception Index. On the whole, since 1995 till 2006, Taiwan¡¦s position has been hovering in the narrow range of 25th to 35th. From the viewpoint of comparison between countries around the world, Taiwan is yet to be classified a country with average integrity. However, it is worth noting that on November 6, 2006, Transparency International-Taiwan announced the findings of the 2006 Corruption Perception Index conducted by Transparency International, that Taiwan was placed jointly with Israel at 34th position with 5.9 points, as compared to 2005 , though the score has remained the same, its position has dropped by 2 places. While in comparison with Asian countries such as, Singapore (9.4 at 5th position), Hong Kong (8.3 at 15th position) and Japan (7.6 at 17th position), Taiwan was only slightly superior to South Korea (5.1 at 42nd position), indicating that the corruption situation in Taiwan remains one of the utmost issue pending improvement. Again, according to the 2006 Global Competitiveness Position officially released by the Swiss International Institute for Management Development on May 11, 2006, among the 61 economies, Taiwan was positioned 18th, dropping by 7 places as compared to its standing in 2005. The position of Taiwan in the 4 main index categories in 2006 unanimously slides down, except for ¡§Enterprise Efficiency¡¨ at position 14th, thus having certain comparative advantage. However, ¡§Economic Performance¡¨, ¡§Government Efficiency¡¨ and ¡§Infrastructure Construction¡¨ respectively positioned at 27th, 24th and 20th were on the contrary weaker; hence, there is still much room for improvement in enhancing national competitiveness. From the ranking results above, this should be a serious warning to Taiwan which has only just completed its democratic transformation, as it strives towards quality administration in the 21st century. Looking to the future, it is only with advocating integrity and anti-corruption by the different political parties and factions as well as blue and white collar classes and academic circles of Taiwan, that a united and collaborative networking relationship can be created. By striving together to build the National Integrity System of Taiwan, it is only then that Taiwan will have a chance to ascend to a country of high integral governance, and be able to play an even more active and important role in the international effort against corruption. In conclusion, among the ¡§Rebuilding Project of the Government¡¨, an integral governance is the basic demand of the people. The strength of national competitiveness is the key to whether a country is being able to have a foothold in the international community, and raising national competitiveness begins with the strengthening of ethical administrative work, and also forms the basic foundation for the current administration to be rebuilt on. According to the statistics from surveys carried out by the Ministry of Law recently, most of the people in society subjectively feel the improvement in the ¡§Integrity of the Government¡¨, though there is still considerable expectations, and how to have the people and government band together to form a climate of integrity, is the unshirkable mission of all civil servants in Taiwan. Though ¡§Uprighting Government Ethics, Stamping Out Corruption¡¨ is the principal task of administrative revolution and administration rebuilding ,it is an even more important index parameter of national competitiveness. Essentially erecting an ¡§Integrity Pride, Corruption Ashamed¡¨ benchmark, and by resolutely upholding the ¡§dare not desire, cannot desire, unable to desire and no necessity to desire¡¨ conviction, so that corruption cases within the government organizations have no avenue of arising again, it is then that a nation of integrity and transparency can be established. Consequently, the results of the present study can be sum up with the following conclusions and recommendations: 1. The acts of the government in stamping out corruption urgently needs to be strengthened. 2. The faith of people in judiciary officials remains low. 3. The promotion of anti-corruption by the government is still insufficient. 4. The undesirable practices of social nepotism and bribery needs further education. 5. Establish an integrated anti-corruption apparatus to give full support; to have a clean administration, clearing away all economic hindrance, lifting the national competitiveness of Taiwan, and stride into the ranks of countries with high integral governance in the world. Keywords: Keeping corruption in check, national competitiveness, integral governance, Transparency International and Swiss International Institute for Management Development.

It is wide believed that the economic growth is good to stockholders, but there still exist some arguments about the positive relationship between the economic growth and stock market returns. We prove that the economic growth has positive effect on the stock market returns. As a result, the stockholders could use the economic index to choose their target market to earn return. We find that the stock market could only reflect the short term condition of the country and could not reflect the long term accumulation of a country. That is, the national competitiveness could not reflect on the stock market return for stockholders in the long term. Otherwise, we also find that the capital formation and productivity are significantly positive to the stock market returns. We use the real GDP growth rate as the economic growth proxy and the national competitiveness rank to measure the national competitiveness from IMD competitiveness center. The time period of data is from 1997~2010. Fifty countries included in our sample.

This study explored the role of institutions in countries that have improved their competitiveness in a short time period, under the framework of institutional theory. This study investigated how informal and formal institutions have evolved and interacted. The purpose of the study was to build on institutional theory by exploring the role and interaction of institutions in nations that have undergone institutional changes. A literature review was done to provide a foundation for the study. Case studies of Singapore and Finland – countries that have improved their competitiveness in a short time period – were done in this study. A number of documents in the public domain were observed: internet resources, reports, and studies on Singapore and Finland. The study concluded that countries that have improved their competitiveness achieved their goals through their own institutional mix and through interactions among institutions. Active interactions among institutions were based on broad coalition among actors and the directions of interactions in each country differed. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

There exists no predefined framework for aviation policy making and development. While aviation policy planning in most developed countries comes as a result of institutional and industry coordination and is embedded within other national policies addressing the welfare and growth of the country, it is found that in many cases in less developed countries (LDCs), aviation policy planning is often influenced by political pressures and the interests of fund donors. The complexity of this situation in the developing countries results in aviation plans that represent stand alone studies and attempt to find solutions to specific problems rather than comprehensive aviation plans which fit well the country‘s competitiveness profile and are properly coordinated with other national policies for achieving medium and long-term objectives. This study provides a three-stage policy development framework for aviation strategic planning based on situational analysis and performance benchmarking practices in order to assemble policy elements and produce a best-fit aviation strategy. The framework builds on study results that indicate an association between air transport sector performance and aviation policy strategies, arguing that it is not sufficient to simply describe performance but also to be able to assess it and understand how policymakers can use strategic planning tools to affect the air transport industry efficiency levels. This can be achieved by recognizing the level of the country‘s stage of development and working on enhancing the policy elements that produce better output and induce more contributions by aviation to the national economic development and connectivity levels. The proposed aviation policy development framework is systematic and continuous. It helps policymakers in LDC to manage uncertainty in complex situations by allowing them to defend, correct and re-examine the policy actions based on a forward thinking approach which incorporates the contingency elements of the policy and tracks the developments that can affect the odds of its success. The framework‘s elements and its flow of process are explained by providing an illustrative example applied to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

There exists no predefined framework for aviation policy making and development. While aviation policy planning in most developed countries comes as a result of institutional and industry coordination and is embedded within other national policies addressing the welfare and growth of the country, it is found that in many cases in less developed countries (LDCs), aviation policy planning is often influenced by political pressures and the interests of fund donors. The complexity of this situation in the developing countries results in aviation plans that represent stand alone studies and attempt to find solutions to specific problems rather than comprehensive aviation plans which fit well the country‘s competitiveness profile and are properly coordinated with other national policies for achieving medium and long-term objectives. This study provides a three-stage policy development framework for aviation strategic planning based on situational analysis and performance benchmarking practices in order to assemble policy elements and produce a best-fit aviation strategy. The framework builds on study results that indicate an association between air transport sector performance and aviation policy strategies, arguing that it is not sufficient to simply describe performance but also to be able to assess it and understand how policymakers can use strategic planning tools to affect the air transport industry efficiency levels. This can be achieved by recognizing the level of the country‘s stage of development and working on enhancing the policy elements that produce better output and induce more contributions by aviation to the national economic development and connectivity levels. The proposed aviation policy development framework is systematic and continuous. It helps policymakers in LDC to manage uncertainty in complex situations by allowing them to defend, correct and re-examine the policy actions based on a forward thinking approach which incorporates the contingency elements of the policy and tracks the developments that can affect the odds of its success. The framework‘s elements and its flow of process are explained by providing an illustrative example applied to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Disertacijoje nagrinėjami šalies konkurencingumo skatinimui skirtų sprendimų parengimo ir pagrindimo būdai ir priemonės. Šalies konkurencingumo sprendimų svarbos suvokimas, jų rengimo procese esančios problemos ir poreikis efektyviai panaudoti konkurencingumo skatinimui skiriamus finansinius išteklius atskleidžia priimamų sprendimų pagrįstumo didinimo būtinybę, kuri identifikuoja konkurencingumo klausimams spręsti skirtų priemonių trūkumo problemą. Atsižvelgiant į tai, disertacijoje keliamas tikslas – parengti ir empiriškai patikrinti šalies konkurencingumo vertinimo metodą ir konkurencingumo pokyčio opti-mizavimo modelį, kurių taikymas leistų pagrįsti šalies konkurencingumo skatinimo sprendimus. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai ir bendrosios išvados. Įvade suformuluota mokslinė darbo problema, pagrįstas jos aktualumas, įvardinti tyrimų objektas, darbo tikslas ir uždaviniai, pristatyta tyrimų metodika, atskleistas darbo mokslinis naujumas ir gautų rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, įvardinti ginamieji teiginiai. Pirmajame darbo skyriuje atskleistas šalies konkurencingumo klausimo aktualumas ir atlikta įvairių šalių patirties analizė, atskleidžianti su konkurencingumu susijusių sprendimų rengimo institucinius ir metodinius aspektus. Taip pat, siekiant patikslinti šalies konkurencingumo apibrėžimą, nustačius svarbią įtaką skirtingų požiūrių atsiradimui turėjusias teorijas ir mokyklas, atlikta dažniausiai naudojamų šalies konkurencingumo sampratos interpretacijų analizė... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Dissertation analyses means and approaches of the national competitiveness promotion decisions’ preparation and substantiation. The understanding of importance of national competitiveness’ decisions, the problems arising in these decisions preparation process and the need financial resources to promote national competitiveness to use efficiently, impose the necessity to increase validity of these decisions. This necessity identifies the problem – lack of means that are designed specifically for national competitiveness’ issues solutions. Accordingly, the aim of dissertation is to develop and test empirically national competitiveness’ assessment method and national competitiveness’ change optimization model that help to validate national competitiveness’ promotion decisions. The dissertation consists of the introduction, three main chapters and conclusions. The introduction presents the scientific problem, its relevance, the object, aim, tasks and methods of the researches, scientific novelty and practical significance of the dissertation, defended statements. Chapter 1 reveals topicality of issue of national competitiveness and analyses different countries’ practice, which reveals the institutional and methodological aspects of preparation of national competitiveness’ promotion decisions. Furthermore, in order to clarify the definition of national competitiveness, according to identified the most important theories and schools that mostly influenced emergence of different... [to full text]

Dissertation analyses means and approaches of the national competitiveness promotion decisions’ preparation and substantiation. The understanding of importance of national competitiveness’ decisions, the problems arising in these decisions preparation process and the need financial resources to promote national competitiveness to use efficiently, impose the necessity to increase validity of these decisions. This necessity identifies the problem – lack of means that are designed specifically for national competitiveness’ issues solutions. Accordingly, the aim of dissertation is to develop and test empirically national competitiveness’ assessment method and national competitiveness’ change optimization model that help to validate national competitiveness’ promotion decisions. Chapter 1 reveals topicality of issue of national competitiveness and analyses different countries’ practice, which reveals the institutional and methodological aspects of preparation of national competitiveness’ promotion decisions. Furthermore, in order to clarify the definition of national competitiveness, according to identified the most important theories and schools that mostly influenced emergence of different viewpoints; the analysis of most commonly used interpretations of the conception of national competitiveness is performed. Theoretical national competitiveness’ models are reviewed, comparative analysis of factors’ sets used for national competitiveness assessment by different organizations is... [to full text] / Disertacijoje nagrinėjami šalies konkurencingumo skatinimui skirtų sprendimų parengimo ir pagrindimo būdai ir priemonės. Šalies konkurencingumo sprendimų svarbos suvokimas, jų rengimo procese esančios problemos ir poreikis efektyviai panaudoti konkurencingumo skatinimui skiriamus finansinius išteklius atskleidžia priimamų sprendimų pagrįstumo didinimo būtinybę, kuri identifikuoja konkurencingumo klausimams spręsti skirtų priemonių trūkumo problemą. Atsižvelgiant į tai, disertacijoje keliamas tikslas – parengti ir empiriškai patikrinti šalies konkurencingumo vertinimo metodą ir konkurencingumo pokyčio opti-mizavimo modelį, kurių taikymas leistų pagrįsti šalies konkurencingumo skatinimo sprendimus. Pirmajame darbo skyriuje atskleistas šalies konkurencingumo klausimo aktualumas ir atlikta įvairių šalių patirties analizė, atskleidžianti su konkurencingumu susijusių sprendimų rengimo institucinius ir metodinius aspektus. Taip pat, siekiant patikslinti šalies konkurencingumo apibrėžimą, nustačius svarbią įtaką skirtingų požiūrių atsiradimui turėjusias teorijas ir mokyklas, atlikta dažniausiai naudojamų šalies konkurencingumo sampratos interpretacijų analizė. Apžvelgus teorinius šalies konkurencingumo modelius, atlikta įvairių organizacijų pateikiamų šalies konkurencingumo vertinimui naudojamų veiksnių rinkinių analizė ir, remiantis ja, sudaromas patikslintą šalies konkurencingumo apibrėžimą atitinkantis veiksnių rinkinys. Atliekant mokslinės literatūros analizę atsklei-džiamas ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Undeniable geopolitical significance of the Russian Far East renders development of the region a matter of national priority for the entire 21st century. Enormous untapped potential of the region is not limited to the range of possibilities offered by export of its natural resources. Developing a non-resource export potential of the Russian Far East offers a way of ensuring sustainable economic growth - a key component of regional, and national, competitive capabilities. At the core of Michael E. Porter's book "The Competitive Advantage of Nations" is a model of national competitive advantage that introduces the concept of business clusters as drivers of economy. Applying Porter's analytical framework and building on recent experience of government-driven innovative cluster development in Russia, the thesis seeks to propose an economically sound model of International Medical Education Cluster for the Russian Far Eastern Federal District. The cluster will support Russia's engagement with Asia and complement one of the world's largest and fastest growing industries - that of healthcare - by addressing one of its most acute needs, namely the growing worldwide shortage of healthcare personnel. The proposed model capitalizes on federal policy of internationalisation of Russian higher education,...

Essa tese tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento de métricas para a mensuração dos fatores determinantes da competitividade da economia de países. Parte-se de uma noção estrutural e sistêmica da competitividade, baseada nos estudos de autores relacionados à teoria evolucionária do desenvolvimento econômico, para conceituar competitividade nacional como uma capacidade de os países gerarem competências que darão suporte a seu processo competitivo dinâmico. O debate sobre a criação de métricas de competitividade nacional vem sendo travado nas ciências econômicas e de gestão, e indicam a necessidade de incorporar a mensuração de fatores relacionados à dinâmica da competição no mercado internacional e, principalmente, seus determinantes. Dessa forma, esse trabalho se insere no debate sobre a dinâmica da competitividade nacional baseada em competências para a emergência de vantagens competitivas nas economias nacionais e setores industriais. A proposta aqui desenvolvida consiste na construção de um painel de métricas de indicadores organizado em dimensões de fatores que afetam o desenvolvimento de competências nos países. Metodologias de análise estatística multivariada de dados serão utilizadas para a análise dos dados e, por fim, análises comparativas baseadas em correlações canônicas serão feitas para testar sua validade. / This thesis aims to develop metrics to measure the determinants of competitiveness of national economies. It is based on a structural and systemic notion of competitiveness, based on the studies of authors related to the evolutionary theory of economic development, to conceptualize national competitiveness as the capacity of countries to generate capabilities that will support its dynamic competitive process. The debate on the creation of national competitiveness metrics has been caught in fields of economics and management, and indicates the need to incorporate the measurement of factors related to the dynamics of competition in the international market and especially its determinants. Thus, this work is part of the debate on the dynamics of national competitiveness based on capabilities for the emergence of competitive advantages in the domestic and industrial sectors of economies. The proposal developed here involves the construction of a spreadsheet of indicators organized into dimensions of factors that affect the development of capabilities for competitiveness in countries. Multivariate statistical methods are used to analyze the data and finally comparative analysis based on canonical correlations are made to test their validity. s, multivariate statistical analysis.