The bioeconomy, which would utilize biomass resources for the renewable production of energy, fuels, and products, has been proposed as a mechanism by which Ontario’s resource-dependent communities might be revitalized. This thesis applies a knowledge economy framework to the establishment of a bioeconomy, with a strong focus on bioenergy as a first step, in Kingston and the surrounding region. The knowledge economy approach was examined in relation to other measures of sustainability and security. A series of 25 expert interviews informed an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats on the topic of the knowledge-based bioeconomy study region. The ability of the knowledge-based approach to assess the requirements of the bioeconomy was then evaluated using a statistical assessment of the study region based on Florida’s ‘creative economy’ framework, and this assessment was compared to key factors noted in the SWOT analysis. Research findings indicate that basic necessities such as feedstock, technology and transportation routes are likely available across the study region. However, key elements of the knowledge economy are absent particularly human resources in the ‘creative’ class. The knowledge-based approach is not particularly well suited to capturing all aspects of the bioeconomy, as it overlooks physical geographical features, which may be better measured by other tools. More focused policy with regard to renewable energy locally, provincially and nationally is seen to be important for advancing the bioeconomy. Acting on opportunities and using regional strengths will insure a successful implementation of a knowledge-based bioeconomy that will provide the benefits of economic growth associated with knowledge economies. / Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-28 14:01:25.454

In the era of knowledge-based economy, the knowledge is the most important thing for all corporations. How to manage and use the knowledge to strengthen their competitiveness is significant. The study company is the first probiotic factory of passing GMP verification in Taiwan. The experience of GMP verification is very good for the other companies and the whole probiotic industry; therefore it is worthwhile to study more deeply. In this study, there are many important factors to make the GMP system be established successfully. And the experience is valuable, it makes the case company take the lead in probiotic industry, and helps the case company extend its international marketing rapidly. This study showed us that GMP could help health food industry raise the competitiveness effectively.

The aim of this thesis is to provide a theoretical critique of the Knowledge Economy discourse, the dominant discourse in which development is equated with the economic exploitation of knowledge. The nature of the critique is political in the sense that the problem with 'building a knowledge economy' as a model for development is that the accounts (such as they are) of how to go about doing so seem fatally undermined by their neglect of questions of power and politics - questions which this thesis will argue are essential to understanding the relationship between knowledge and development. The emergence of the discourse itself and the way in which its ideas are implemented can also be seen in political terms, in that the depoliticisation of development that it entails is itself a political position. The thesis is structured as an introduction followed by three main parts and a conclusion. In the Introduction and Part 1, I explain the nature of the research and the methods used, and provide a genealogy of the Knowledge Economy (KE) discourse, which includes the empirical element of this research, namely a series of interviews with key actors in the emergence of the discourse. In so doing, I historicise the discourse within the specific institutional history and politics of the major organisations (World Bank and the OECD) which have done the most of any to promote it. From this I identify the key theoretical ideas (Human Capital Theory, Innovation Systems, Hayekian Neoliberalism, Information Economics and Endogenous Growth Theory) which underpin the discourse and which are then the subject of critical analysis in Part 2. I make the case that the Knowledge Economy should not be understood as a robust analytical framework, empirical methodology or policy template, but instead as the reconceptualisation of 'questions of knowledge' in terms of markets. Specifically, the discourse depends upon a number of qualitatively different ways in which knowledge can be represented in, and transformed by, the operations of markets. These representations derive from three main schools off economic thought. I describe how each offers a critique of the others and yet how the Knowledge Economy is obtained as a synthesis of the three. In Part 3, I firstly illustrate a case of the Knowledge Economy discourse in action, namely Higher Education reform in India. I explain how the approaches that were studied in Part 1 and which were developed at the World Bank and the OECD in the late 1990s and early 2000s were applied in practice in India in the mid 2000s. I argue that these applications illustrate the claims of Part 2 regarding knowledge and markets. I then describe the politicised nature of Indian Higher Education and argue that no satisfactory account can be given without an engagement with these political economy factors. Following on from this, I then consider how adopting a KE approach of conceptualising knowledge in terms of markets might be subject to various forms of political analysis and develop a political economy critique that synthesises three theoretical approaches: (a) the politics of markets; (b) commodification; and (c) governmentality. From this I conclude that the KE approach is fundamentally flawed as an account of development.

This thesis sets out to examine the impact of marketisation on the value chains of a number of English post-1992 universities between 1992 and 2010. The research focuses on the relationships and interplay between knowledge and value in the context of the knowledge economy and the increasing marketisation of the higher education sector. While the extant global value chain (GVC) literature tends to focus on manufacturing networks and chains, this thesis will argue that (quasi-) public service sector value chains, especially those in higher education provide important cases for study. In-depth interviews with twelve members of the ‘institutional elite’ within the post-1992 sector of higher education, supported by rich documentary analysis, provides compelling evidence for modifications to the existing ‘value chain’ framework in order to better account for the particularities of (quasi-) public services and service work. The research proposes a typology designed to capture fragmented and commodified knowledge, and its practical manifestations, generated within the higher education sector. Beyond this, it attempts to rationalise the notion of value (in the context of the value chain framework) with the production, diffusion and dissemination of knowledge for higher education institutions. The study also develops a broad value chain for the post-1992 sector of higher education to explore the robustness of the conceptual ‘value chain’ framework for similar organisations. The research concludes that marketisation has indeed in part been responsible for encouraging universities to re-structure their value chains. It also challenges the conceptual reach of the existing ‘value chain’ framework by making a number of insightful observations regarding the nature of (higher education) service activities. Specifically, it identifies a number of underplayed factors including (1) the treatment of knowledge and value (2) ‘institutional elites’ (3) ‘ideology as governance’ (4) the (quasi-) public service sector and (5) place as having particular consequences for the conceptualisation of (quasi-) public service sector value chains.

This is a thesis about knowing, working and migrating in a complex and fluid world. Through an analysis of biographic-narrative interviews with migrants working in 'knowledge intensive' roles, as well as with those employed in jobs normally considered 'low-skilled', arguments about knowing, working and migrating in the 'new knowledge economy' are developed. Foregrounding an active and embodied understanding of knowing as a socially embedded and fluid phenomenon allows for a reconceptualisation of the relationships between knowing, migrating and working, raising questions about our normative understandings of both the 'knowledge' economy and divisions of migrant labour. This thesis seeks to illustrate how everyday practice and the interaction of complex (and often competing) 'forces' have acted to produce powerful ideas about what kind of jobs are suitable for which types of migrants, and how these ideas become accepted as normal – as 'common sense' assumptions. Furthermore, such productions of knowledge about migrants, also impacts on how, what and where we know. That is, the processes and performances of knowing are both constitutive of, and constituted by, the structures of power which shape our lives. Thus the 'power to know' is contextual, fluid and yet fundamental to the constitution of our everyday lives.

This study examines the linkages and factors influencing relationships between universities and companies in Thailand’s automotive cluster and seeks applicable models and ways to improve the linkages among government, universities, national research institutions and firms in order to enhance innovation and competitiveness in the industry. Based on the ideas of the knowledge economy and a “triple helix model” of relationships among government-industry-university, this study uses multiple data collection methods, including questionnaires and in-depth interviews, with descriptive analysis to investigate the relationship among government, university and industry in Thailand’s automotive cluster in Samutprakarn province which emerged in 1990s to become a leading industrial sector of the country that the government has emphasized on. Findings from this research show universities, as important players in the knowledgebased cluster, have three major schemes to serve the cluster, in collaboration with government, organization/institute and industry. Those are 1) to produce graduates highly relevant to the need of related sectors and 2) to conduct basic and applied research, and 3) to collaborate with organization/institute and industry to create new technology/innovations. However, there are challenges for any university to substantially support the cluster. These challenges are 1) universities do not produce highly qualified and industrially relevant graduates, 2) universities do not understand and accommodate the nature of industry, 3) universities do not have sufficient resources, 4) universities are not recognized as a critical player in economy, and 5) universities do not seriously cooperate among themselves and with other related sectors. To deal with the challenges above and to enhance universities’ competitiveness/ relevance in the automotive industry, my study recommends that universities could be improved by establishing a track record, culture and strategic plan to enhance trust and mutual recognition from the Thai automotive cluster. It is this trust and recognition that could lead to collaboration and eventually transform the automotive cluster into a knowledge-based and competitive cluster. In the longer-term, universities that adopt a mission to serve industry should be developed to become an effective component of the ‘triple helix’ or an entrepreneurial university by 1) committing themselves towards collaboration with industry and other players for mutual benefit and industrial growth, 2) understanding the demands and culture of industry, 3) developing niche technology and translating this into patents/licensing, 4) providing consultancy and collaborating with industry and government through an entrepreneurial spirit, 5) supporting business incubation services and spin-offs, 6) enhancing continuity of cooperative and entrepreneurship education, 7) recruiting and developing industrially-experienced and research-active staff, and 8) accommodating competitive facilities for R&D. In addition, a governmental intermediate organization (such as Thailand Automotive Institute) should be identified as the central organization in improving competitiveness of the cluster that should be given greater autonomy and flexibility to support the coopetition of different players with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Korupcija yra labai sena ir aptinkama įvairiose visuomeninio gyvenimo srityse. Tai ypač latentiškas ir sukeliantis daug problemų jį kvalifikuojant nusikaltimas. Pagrindinės problemos susijusios su subjektu, kyšiu ir jo dydžiu, korupcinių veikų atskyrimu nuo kitų nusikaltimų. Itin aktuali problema – kyšio ir dovanos santykis. Šis nusikaltimas padaromas tiek privačiame, tiek viešajame sektoriuje. Korupcinio pobūdžio nusikalstamos veikos sukelia didelę žalą valstybės, jos institucijų, gyventojų interesams. Štai kodėl visuomenė privalo suprasti, kad korupcija nėra “nusikaltimas be aukų”. Šiuo metu korupcija laikoma pasauline problema. Kadangi esame Europos Sąjungos nariai ir mums privaloma jos aqius communautaire, darbe nagrinėjami tiek nacionaliniai baudžiamieji įstatymai, tiek tarptautiniai teisės aktai, liečiantys korupciją. Prieinama išvados, jog nėra įtvirtintos bendros korupcijos sampratos, taip pat skirtingai traktuojama pareigūno sąvoka valstybėse narėse. Praktikoje, bandant patraukti baudžiamojon atsakomybėn už kyšininkavimą, tai gali sukelti problemų. Todėl siūloma įtvirtinti bendrą visiems korupcijos apibrėžimą Europos Sąjungos teisės aktuose. Istorija parodė, kad griežtos bausmės neduoda trokštamų rezultatų, tad rekomenduojama šviesti visuomenę korupcijos prevencijos klausimais. Būtų naudinga, jei Lietuvos Aukščiausiasis Teismas pateiktų korupcinio pobūdžio bylų baudžiamąjį teisinį vertinimą. / Knowledge economy and knowledge economy clusters (high-tech clusters) is one of leading development priority in all countries round the world today. Knowledge Economy clusters implementation in Lithuania allows not only use all possibilities of new Information and Communication and other technologies, but also motivate theirs development and make Lithuania more competitive in the global market. Knowledge Economy cluster is supporting research and development in Lithuania and concurrently promote the Economy growth of the EU. In the work is viewed and analyzed Knowledge Economy clusters establishment problems and perspectives in Lithuania, estimated the theoretical Knowledge Economy cluster dimensions and Knowledge Economy clusters implementation in EU, Finland and Germany Federation. In the first tile of work “Cluster and Knowledge Economy conceptions”, is described theoretical conception and origin of Cluster and Knowledge Economy and systematize practice of implementation of Knowledge Economy clusters and possible effect of Knowledge Economy clusters to economy, which take action in countries round the world. Second tile “Knowledge Economy clusters development and their models in Europe” has two chapters: Knowledge Economy clusters policy in EU” and Knowledge Economy clusters models in several countries”. In this part of the work is measured EU Knowledge Economy clusters policy and examples of Finland and Germany Knowledge Economy clusters models. In the third tile... [to full text]

The UK higher education sector is currently undergoing changes that will impact on the way students learn in the future. National, European and global education policy discourses underline the importance of higher education to the development of an active citizenry and as a way of sustaining economic growth. Corresponding to the rise of higher education on the political agenda there have been huge increases in the numbers of students going on to university education in the UK and further afield. These two aspects have placed a brighter spotlight on the problems the sector faces and change is stated to be necessary and desirable in order for higher education to fulfil its role in society. The growing political will to devise clear linkages between those individuals who benefit from a university education and those who pay for it, advances in information communication technologies, and the related requirements of the knowledge society, form the receptive landscape for moves towards private higher education in the UK. This thesis focuses on the particular phenomenon of corporate or private enterprise providing higher education in competition with government funding-dependent, so called public universities. The activities of private higher education, or independently-funded, non-state dependent higher education providers in the UK suggest that as the relationship between state and the academy goes through significant changes, these providers have become a sensitive issue. Different parties view the activities of private providers in very different ways; however they are viewed, the activities of these providers are a hot topic in higher education at present. Despite this interest, there are only small amounts of information available about this subsector of HE provision, or about the experiences of staff and students working at these companies. This thesis attempts to address this point by offering an overview of the current situation, referring to quantitative data and with a qualitative investigation. Whilst the concept of private versus public in the higher education sector in the UK is increasingly complex, and the context of a speeding up in the transformation of the sector means it is difficult to paint an accurate picture of such a fast moving object of enquiry, the thesis will attempt to shed some light on the activities of corporations in the higher education sector in the UK within the global context.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Access to knowledge and information is found to be the cornerstone in the road to knowledge economy transformation whereby the utilization of knowledge is the key engine of economic growth, where knowledge is acquired, created, disseminated and used effectively to enhance economic and social development. This means that the more people acquire knowledge, the more they will begin producing new products or improving systems and existing products, thus adding value to local products and improving the GDP of the country, as well as improving their social livelihood. Therefore, the primary role public libraries have is being the knowledge hubs, to make provision of higher quality knowledge and to make information accessible to the public to equally contribute to all NDPs towards achieving the Namibia Vision 2030 for a knowledge economy. This research study discusses “The contribution of the Public Library services towards a knowledge economy transformation readiness which is envisaged by the Namibia Vision 2030. In achieving that, the study has investigated the state of the Namibia legislative and policy framework reflections of access to knowledge and information as provided by libraries. The study further examines the availability and accessibility of knowledge and information resources, including ICT infrastructure at public libraries in remote rural areas. Moreover, it discusses the types of education and training programmes conducted by public libraries in ensuring that users have the necessary information and retrieval searching competencies and skills for accessing and navigating available information infrastructural resources. Finally, it explores innovation systems, technologically and non-technologically initiated by librarians for library services enhancement, and how library users have tapped into the growing stock of knowledge and information, and adapted them to local needs for economic and social development. The study has employed the four pillars of the World Bank Knowledge Economy Framework, namely an economic and institutional regime; information, knowledge and ICT infrastructure; education and training, and an innovation system as the lenses through which to investigate the research questions understudied.

This dissertation consists of three chapters. Chapter 1, "Precision of Communication in Coordination Games of Regime Change,'' is in the field of macroeconomics and economics of information. I study a model of regime change in which the government can communicate with different levels of precision as a function of the underlying fundamentals. In the model, higher precision of communication corresponds to a lower dispersion of private information among market participants. I compare a policy of an uncommitted government, which chooses the precision of communication after it learns the realization of fundamentals, to a policy of a committed government, which commits to a state-dependent policy before it learns the realization of fundamentals. I find that an uncommitted government communicates imprecisely for weak fundamentals and precisely for strong fundamentals. In contrast, a committed government communicates precisely for weak fundamentals and imprecisely for strong fundamentals. Consequently, a committed government saves its regime more often than an uncommitted one. An uncommitted government can benefit from a rule that enforces constant precision of communication. Chapter 2, "Multiple Equilibria in Global Games with Varying Quality of Information,'' is a follow up chapter on Chapter 1. I show that global game models can have multiple equilibria if the quality of information available to agents varies with the state of economic fundamentals. First, I construct two examples that illustrate why the quality of information may vary and show that the corresponding information structures support several equilibria. Second, I construct an information structure that supports a given number of equilibria. Very different equilibria can exist simultaneously, even if agents' quality of information is arbitrarily high. The set of possible equilibria can be very similar to the set of equilibria under complete information, even when agents are uncertain about the state of fundamentals and beliefs of other agents. My results have practical implications for the disclosure of information by governments and for our ability to predict the outcome of currency attacks or debt runs based on economic fundamentals. Chapter 3, "Long-Run Price Elasticity of Trade and the Trade-Comovement Puzzle,'' is in the field of international macroeconomics and is coauthored with Lukasz Drozd and Jaromir Nosal. What role do international trade linkages play in transmitting shocks across borders? Analytically, we demonstrate that in a broad class of open economy macroeconomic models, shock transmission crucially depends on dynamic properties of trade elasticity---which is rarely modeled explicitly in business cycle theory. We illustrate the quantitative relevance of this point by exploring the well documented link between trade and comovement in the cross-section of countries, and by relating our theoretical findings to those in the literature. We find that dynamic elasticity does indeed affect the findings in a quantitatively significant way. Hence, our paper advocates for using dynamic elasticity models in contexts that evaluate international business cycle theory vis-a-vis data on cross-country variation of business cycle moments.