Editorial
The past two decades had a numerous milestones bringing new challenges and transformations to various geographical entities – Europe, the European Union (EU), Central and East Europe (CCE) and Lithuania in particular. It was the period for changes in political, economic, democratic and social life in bigger Europe. We experienced political turmoil of forming new countries: the fall of the USSR (Union of Social Socialistic Republics), where Lithuania was the first to take steps towards the restoration of Independence of its country; the fall of the Berlin Wall, separating two Germanies (DRG1 and FRG2) – all of them celebrated anniversary date of 20 years already. Further political and even military actions disturbed the Balkan nations for a long period, causing malfunctioning of the regions for good ten years, destroying human lives, international relations, infrastructure, and economic systems.
While political and economic systems in one corner of Europe were separating from each other, others – were joining amongst each other, choosing the way of challenging transformations by bringing hope for millions of people for better economic future, wealth, happiness and safer lives. Lithuania just celebrated the 15th anniversary of joining the EU in May 2004, being the first to sign the democratic path of co-joint development in the EU Constitution.
Being in a union of countries brings both advantages and disadvantages. One of major testing came with the global financial crisis of 2008, which waved all over the world, the consequences of which we feel till today and beyond. It came with a crushing power and hit most vulnerable young member of the EU, especially the Baltic States, Romania and Bulgaria – the ones, which had just recovered from Russia’s financial crisis of 1998. Therefore, global and regional financial meltdowns constituted a phenomenon of recurrent economic crises decade after decade.
Over this period of time, with deep regret and remorse we have lost two prominent members of the Editorial Board, who stand at the roots of our joint fruitful work: Prof. Habil. Dr. Edgards Vasermanis, Dean of Faculty of Economics, University of Latvia (Latvia) and Prof. Michael Thomas, Professor Emeritus of Strathclyde University (Scotland) and President of Market Research Society of Great Britain (UK); and we would like to express our sincere condolences for their families and friends.
The growth of interest in TIBE from both the contributors and readers suggested that the Journal should remodel its strategies and revise the vision. Commencing in March 2008, TIBE will appear as a tri-annual publication, with welcoming contributions to its supplements, which could be published from 1-3 times annually as a medium for selected and quadruple reviewed conference proceedings and scientific monographs.
The TIBE journal will continue providing a focused outlet for high quality research in the ever-expanding area of Development Economics in the field of Social Sciences and related disciplines. The field research should not be limited by any narrow conceptualisation of development economics, but embraces interdisciplinary and multi-facet approaches to economic theory, business management, marketing, as well as general transformations in the economic, social-cultural, ecological, technological, competitive, demographic and political-legal environment.
Therefore, we expect original and authentic manuscripts, which are based on fact-centred research to establish economic and business management regularities, where the theory is motivated by substantiated empirical findings, where disciplined application of economic principles is used to explain and predict the real-world behaviour of organisations, markets and industries. We will continue to seek for:
- empirical studies, which provide convincing and significant findings of fact. Careful establishment of an interesting or puzzling empirical regularity is of value to the field if the author has a convincing explanation for the phenomenon;
- theoretical studies, which stress relatively robust ideas, and combine theory with a sense of empirical magnitudes, presenting fresh viewpoints and theoretical perspectives, new literature overviews and concept classifications, where a systems’ approach is a central focus of the research;
- explanatory research studies about a firm, an industry, or a business practice according to economic principles. Such a case study must go well beyond the purely descriptive by illuminating the ways in which industry practice and institutions can be understood in terms of economic principles. Factors that resist economic explanation also should be identified.
Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. (HP) Dalia Štreimikienė