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This paper investigates the sorts of risks and uncertainties inherent in implementing an e-learning information systems project in Estonia. The study uses a variation of the Delphi study in eliciting the risk factors or items from experienced top management professionals within the organisation. The main objective of the study is to identify the uncertainties or risks in the implementation of the systems, using the viewpoint of Estonia, which is an emerging economy. The findings of the work indicate that wrong development strategy, staff volatility, change in top management and lack of funding are amongst the top risk factors in implementing e-learning in Estonia. On the other hand, risks emanating from users' involvement and commitment seem to be viewed as less critical to the success of the project.

This study aims to find out how academic workers’ characteristics are associated with their ownership in firms. It is based on quantitative data for the whole population of academic staff from Estonian public universities. Variables portraying age, academic field, professorship, number of publications and research grants are applied in analysing academic workers having ownership in firms. The results indicate that being a professor, having Science as the primary academic field, and a larger number of publications increase the likelihood of academic ownership while a larger number of grants decreases it. The age of academic worker is not a significant determinant of the likelihood of academic ownership.

The 1992 Climate Change Convention aims to stabilise greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are instruments which allow countries with high marginal costs of abatement to participate in emission reduction projects in countries with lower marginal abatement costs with the incentive of gaining carbon credits for the reduction of GHGs. The environmental benefits sought by the Convention relate mainly to he mitigation of climate change. However, consideration should also be given to other potential environmental, economic and social effects of JI/CDM projects on the local population and host country. This paper discusses the need for integrating environmental and social considerations into the JI/CDM process. It undertakes a preliminary retrospective environmental assessment of AIJ energy projects in the Czech Republic and Estonia. It also proposes support for capacity building and data collection systems in host countries, application of a simple participative scoping exercise for all projects followed by further work as necessary, upgrading of the Uniform Reporting Format for projects, and incorporation into project approval criteria.

Besides other approaches, interviewing main actors (decision-makers, consultants, developers) can provide valuable information about their subjective attitude as well as indicate probable weak areas and help in formulation of strategy for further research and EIA system development. This paper considers results of the survey conducted in Estonia in early 2008 as a part of national EIA system analysis. The survey covered main actors' contentment with different aspects such as EIA legislation, public participation, EIA outcomes, experts' qualification and impartiality, etc. As evidenced by what they have pointed out, the EIA system leaves much to be desired. All actors seemed to be worried about the low effectiveness of EIA. Deficiencies in public participation were also brought forward. Decision-makers trusted consultants' qualifications, but many of them felt that consultants were biased. However, the obtained results did not indicate any correlation between expert bias and contentment with EIA outcomes, perceived by decision-makers.

Screening is a crucial stage in the environmental assessment process, because by this process a decision is made whether or not further assessment of a plan or project is required, and by doing so, the likelihood of implementing plans and projects harming the environment is to be decreased. In the Habitats Directive, it is explicitly stated that the competent authority should ascertain that no harm will be done to EU sites belonging to the Natura 2000 network before authorisation for further action is granted. A review of some of the national guidance documents concerning the Natura Assessment developed by EU Member States showed diversity in the scope and depth prescribed for the assessment. A five-year review of screening decisions in Estonia demonstrated that the Habitats Directive and the respective EU guidelines are poorly applied. The majority of the EIA and SEA screening decisions in 2004–2009 did not consider the impacts on Natura 2000 sites. Those decisions that did consider them addressed primarily the location-induced aspects of the proposed plan or project, with respect to the location of the relevant Natura 2000 site. Less than one third of decisions considered location, likely effects and their significance together. In the rest of the cases, the reasoning was missing or unclear. Since the study demonstrated important deficiencies in the screening stage of the Natura Assessment, the Estonian EIA Act urgently needs to be modified to comply fully with the requirements of the Habitats Directive and to ensure that the conservation objectives of nearly 600 Estonian Natura 200 sites are not compromised.

Estonia has become one of the best known digital societies through its advanced FinTech industry. It is one of the top-ranking nations for internet accessibility, with 91% of its population using the internet. Estonians’ lives are influenced by information technology through the range of various digital solutions available for both individuals and businesses. This chapter elaborates on the story of Estonia’s Fintech evolution from the post-Soviet era to modern times with governmental cooperation and considers possible future development that will allow Estonia to continue its FinTech evolution. It also describes the foundation of technological development for its existing financial services offerings, and it forecasts future trends. The research is built on conceptual theoretical findings, secondary data on FinTech development in the Baltic countries and empirical insights from interviews conducted in 2021 with three Estonian FinTech experts. From these interviews and exploration of the historical evolution of FinTech in the country, it is shown that Estonia’s success comes from the country’s past, as trust in the government was still a large part of the people’s culture at the time. Estonia has succeeded in its transformation due to the support of the government towards information technology. This can also be seen in the current evolutionary turn point whereby the push for the finalization of a regulatory framework for the FinTech ecosystem can allow further transparency. There are, however, limitations with any advancement towards the future.

Preparing students to work in the digital environment is an important responsibility of library and information science (LIS) schools. While most LIS schools offer courses or modules related to different aspects of digital information management, there are few dedicated digital library programmes in Europe. This paper discusses an action research strategy used to examine the relevance and methods of teaching/learning information and knowledge management (IKM) within the Digital Library Learning (DILL) joint international master curriculum at Tallinn University.

This chapter explores the perceptions held about “good” corporate governance (GCG) in three different transforming economies of Central and Eastern Europe [CEE] (East Germany, Estonia, and Hungary). Forty-nine interviews were conducted with corporate governance experts from various institutions in the three countries between 2003 and 2004. They were analyzed with the help of several qualitative techniques, resulting in a typology of GCG perceptions. Our findings show that these perceptions are strongly influenced by the institutional and historical background of the countries. However, they are far from being uniform or shaped along the lines of well-known Western models but take, rather, some hybrid forms. This chapter also highlights the crucial role (native) professionals and experts play in the development process of GCG.