Ekonomia

A small garage on the sidelines of a corporation: Should innovative projects be isolated?

Robert Kamiński, Robert Rosłoń — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The article aims to attempt to answer the question of whether innovative projects should be isolated in an organisation. A critical analysis of the literature on the subject reveals a divergence of views on the proper placement of social or technological innovation projects. The research hypothesis formulated holds that the more conducive the innovative project team is to interact with the rest of the organisation and the norms and values within the team are oriented toward learning, the stronger the learning of the project team. The culture metaphor of an organisation was used to verify the research hypothesis. It has been assumed that project team learning means that project team members transform the norms and values previously adhered to in the organisational culture. On the basis of the survey results, it was impossible to accept the research hypothesis. Despite the increase in the intensity of the factors that foster interactions between teams implementing innovative projects and the rest of the organisation, team learning did not increase as originally expected.

Consumers of different generations towards innovative technologies in customer service in retail

Barbara Kucharska — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The aim of the paper is to identify the importance of innovative technologies used in retail during the pandemic for consumers and the willingness of different generations of consumers to use these solutions in the future. The article was prepared on the basis of the literature on the subject, research reports, websites of companies preparing or implementing modern technologies in retail, and the results of direct research conducted in 2022 using the online survey technique among 1,100 consumers.

The paper presents the issues related to the possibility of using modern technologies in the customer service process, specifically those that allow for even greater customer involvement in the purchasing process and increase their independence and self-service. A special emphasis was given to the self-service store, currently considered one of the greatest achievements (“milestones”) in brick-and-mortar retail trade, which is crucial for the issues presented. The paper shows the results of direct research on selected elements of purchasing behavior of different generations of consumers that are related to the use of innovative solutions in retail trade and intentions to use these solutions in the future.

Modern technologies and the management of sports and leisure buyer engagement

Agnieszka Widawska-Stanisz — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The market for sports and leisure services is constantly evolving. Polish consumers are more often interested in the offer of sports and leisure enterprises such as fitness clubs, water parks, gyms, or sports and leisure centres, recognising the importance of looking after their health and physical fitness. After a period of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity is even more frequently regarded as fundamental to maintaining health and fitness, harmony and balance in life. Currently, all fitness-related activities are classified as leisure time mega trends (e.g. work-life balance). Modern technologies are another noticeable trend, which is beginning to accompany people in physical activity as well. They help streamline the service delivery process and apply a personalised approach to the customer. We are not just talking about today’s most popular social media, apps and activity monitoring devices. QR codes, geolocation, gamification, sports coaching, and others can be applied in business practice. The objective of the article was to show the specifics of the sports and leisure industry, characterise the dominant technological solutions and identify the opportunities they can provide for sports and leisure businesses. It was assumed that modern technologies could be complementary and successfully used both to promote physical activity itself and to build the commitment of buyers of services provided by such companies. The research used qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as literature analysis. As the analysis of the survey results and observation of the market has shown, modern technologies motivate participants of physical activity, while sports and leisure companies are beginning to recognise their advantages in promoting their services. The article emphasises the complementarity of solutions and their comprehensiveness, as well as possible implications in the service activity of sports and leisure enterprises. The result of the analysis is a proposal for a set of useful features and solutions dedicated to companies providing sports and leisure services. By applying the proposed solutions, these companies can become more innovative, while their customers will be more satisfied.

Quality 5.0: Towards sustainable quality improvement in organizations

Małgorzata Fiałkowska-Filipek, Anna Dobrowolska — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The concept of Quality 5.0 in management sciences has emerged relatively recently. It is an attempt to respond to the limitations attributed to Quality 4.0, which focuses on industry and the use of advanced technologies mainly in production processes. Quality 5.0 goes beyond this framework and introduces an equally strong human and social factor. The article defines the concept of Quality 5.0 in relation to quality improvement in organizations and presents the author’s conceptual model of Quality 5.0 as a sustainable concept for quality improvement. The proposed model consists of 12 attributes of Quality 5.0, divided into four categories: (1) Balanced Techno-Human Centric Management System: agile and aware leadership, real-time data decision making, continuous improvement; (2) Human: empowerment, creativity, diversity; (3) Process: integration, efficiency, flexibility; (4) Technology: analytics, connectivity, and scalability. In the Quality 5.0 model, the organization supports the Triple Bottom Line of Sustainable Development through value co-creation, problem-solving, cooperation, and innovation.

Which companies among the SMEs operate in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals

Magdalena Węglarz, Edyta Ropuszyńska-Surma, Joanna Zimmer — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The purpose of the article is to identify the factors that have a significant impact on the decision of SMEs to operate in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The identification was made on the basis of data collected in December 2022 during a survey of a sample of 303 SMEs from all over Poland. In order to identify the above-mentioned factors, the following were analyzed: type of business, industry to which the primary economic activity of the surveyed company is assigned, age of the company, type of ownership, scope of activity, organizational and legal form, number of employees, average annual net income. Correlation tests confirmed the hypotheses of the relationship between the number of employees and average annual net income and operation in accordance with the SDGs. Further verification of the relationship, performed using a logit model, confirmed that average annual net income and industry are significant variables. There is a relationship between these variables and acting in accordance with the SDGs. The chance of making a decision by a company about operating in accordance with the SDGs increases as the average annual net income increases. The probability of operating in accordance with the SDGs is higher if the company operates in the following industries, i.a.: real estate activities, transportation, financial and insurance, construction, agriculture.

Sustainable business models in SMEs: The customer’s perspective

Joanna Zimmer, Magdalena Węglarz, Edyta Ropuszyńska-Surma — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The main purpose of the study is to identify the relationship between sustainability goals and measures of the degree of sustainable policy implementation, as well as the customer perspective as determined by the business model (BM) template of A. Osterwalder and Y. Pigneur. In the conducted research, the customer perspective takes into account five elements of the BM and each element was examined by several characteristics. The elements of the BM from the customer perspective are: customer segment, value proposition, distribution channels, customer relationships, and revenue. The study used the authors’ survey questionnaire, in which respondents, who were enterprises in the SME sector, answered questions about their own BM divided into three layers – business, social, and environmental. The results were statistically analysed using SPSS STATISTIC 28 software and a logit model was developed to verify the significance of the relationship between the binary variables studied. 303 enterprises participated in the survey, 59% of which were enterprises guided by sustainability goals (SGs) in their BMs. However, only 27% of those surveyed had measures of the degree of sustainable policy implementation.

The conducted research confirmed that acting in accordance with SGs is strongly related to customer-oriented elements of the business model, such as (1) customer segregation by sex or by level of environmental awareness, (2) value proposition – an environmental orientation, (3) distri- bution channels – direct sales online, (4) customer relationships through dedicated personal assistance or automated service based on personal customer profiles, (5) revenue – sales of products and services. Slightly different results were obtained for using measures of the degree of the SD policy implementation, where the highest correlation occurred for: (1) main customers – manufacturing entrepreneurs, (2) customer segregation by end-user experience or by level of involvement in socially important issues, (3) value proposition – strengthening democracy, (4) distribution channels – wholesale stores are run by partners, (5) customer relationships through self-service or automated service based on personal customer profiles or involving customers in the product development process, (6) revenue – rental/lease/leasing or licenses.

Relationship between environmental innovation and sustainable outcomes: Empirical evidence from Denmark

Katarzyna Walecka-Jankowska, Jagoda Mrzygłocka-Chojnacka — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The purpose of the described research was to identify the impact of different types of environmental innovations on sustainable organizational performance of companies operating in Denmark. The research considered four types of environmental innovations: process, product, organizational and marketing and sustainable performance in three areas: economic, social, and environmental.

The research methodology involved a survey of 338 Danish companies, using a validated questionnaire, which provided data on their implementation of different types of environmental innovations and their sustainable performance in three basic areas: economic, environmental, and social. Three regression models were built to verify the theoretical relationship between different types of environmental innovations and sustainable performance.

The results showed that all four types of environmental innovations have a positive impact on sustainable performance. Detailed analysis showed that organizational innovations as well as process innovations support organizational performance in all three areas. The article also pointed out the limitations of the research conducted and directions for future research.

Work in IT for women: The realities of Ukraine

Nataliia Petryshchenko, Iryna Azhaman, Nataliia Serohina — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The article presents a study conducted on gender equality in Ukraine in the field of information technology. The problem of gender inequality still exists throughout the world. The purpose of the article is to study the working conditions of women in IT, to discuss the possible use of stereotypes, and to identify the reasons for women’s lack of interest in working in this field. Formally, there is no prohibition for women to work in the IT industry. However, there are a number of reasons in Ukraine that affect the possibilities of pursuing a career in this direction. The article analyzes the available statistical data and the results of a survey among representatives of the IT sector. It is worth noting the problem of data collection during the war in Ukraine. The importance of the sphere for the country’s economy as a whole and the relevance, demand for specialists, as well as the ratio of women and men employed in this area are considered. Global trends in gender distribution in the field of IT were analyzed. The main stereotypes and situations that constitute obstacles for women in this area are considered and the features inherent in Ukrainian society are also highlighted. Based on the statistical data of Ukraine the number and structure of female students, including foreigners, in recent years were analyzed. It was revealed that the structure of the gender ratio of men and women in education is changing with the formation of the labor market of Ukraine and the distribution by employment status. The ratio of working women and men is approximately the same, but the structure by employment status is different. In Ukraine the IT sector is largely based on individual entrepreneurs. Despite the martial law, the IT community is actively developing and new companies are being created. Training is actively carried out in paid and free courses. Surveys were conducted among students, and it was found that the beginning of a career in the field of information technology is already determined by certain stereotypes of society. Based on the conducted research, the structural gender relations in the field of IT and the main stereotypes that hinder the development of women in this area are analyzed. Recommendations for overcoming gender inequality in the field of IT in Ukraine are presented. Based on the information received, conclusions were drawn: the number of women and men studying technical and mathematical sciences in Ukraine is approximately the same. But in the future, in professional activities, women in many cases prefer to occupy weaker positions, leaving leading positions to men. The main reason for this dynamic is the generally accepted stereotypes and the actualization of the role of women in other areas.

Using digital tools in the context of female dominance in the real estate market

Tatyana Oklander, Anastasiia Pandas — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

For society, women’s work is an important reserve necessary for the effective development of production. Negative trends related to female employment have a detrimental effect on the country’s demographic situation, as well as on social relations. Statistics show that it is women who experience the most problems in terms of career growth and professional development. The volume of job offers for women is characterized by a much narrower professional range, and the average salary level is lower. In addition, a woman’s chances of losing her job are always higher than those of men. However, the digital economy provides new employment opportunities for women. Working in real estate combined with digital tools increases female employment and equalizes income levels between men and women. The purpose of the article is to study the state of use of digital tools in the field of real estate, as an important component of increasing the efficiency of the work of real estate agency personnel.

Essential elements of a city offer addressed to digital nomads: The perspective of territorial marketing

Aleksandra Sztuk — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The digital nomad lifestyle has become one of the fastest-growing trends in the labor market in recent years. Digital nomads, people settling in a city as its residents for several months before changing their location again, are active consumers of the city’s offer, which profits the host territorial unit. This specific group of customers requires designing a separate communication of the city offer, increasing the probability of choosing a given city as the next destination. The article aims to identify the significant elements of the city’s offer from the perspective of digital nomads. These data were collected based on the literature (scoping review method) and then summarized. The author identified key aspects related to the expectations of nomads towards the destination and the barriers encountered during the stay.

Strengthening digital transformation in adult education organisations

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Social inclusion is an important aspect of any society as it helps to create a sense of belonging and togetherness. It allows individuals to form meaningful relationships with others, while enabling them to make a meaningful contribution to their local communities. Social inclusion has many benefits that can help improve the well-being of both the included and the excluded. One of the benefits of social inclusion is increased access to resources such as education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and other basic needs that may be difficult or impossible for some people to access without community or peer support.

By providing these resources through community programmes like mentoring initiatives or job training, individuals are more likely to succeed than if they were left on their own without the help of others. Additionally, this support often leads to improved mental health outcomes due to increased self-esteem. Another benefit associated with social inclusion is the reduction of stigma around certain problems, such as poverty or homelessness, by promoting understanding between different social groups. When members of marginalised groups are able to participate fully in mainstream activities, they feel accepted despite their differences from the majority of society, leading to greater empathy on both sides.

This article presents experiences from the project Empower adult educators to support digital social inclusion 2022-1-PL01-KA220-ADU-000088404 [DigIN Project], which aims to improve the capacity of educators and adult education organisations to support them in becoming active users of technology.

Functioning of healthcare entities as learning organisations in Poland on the example of Podlaskie voivodeship

Iwona Czerska — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The article aims to present issues regarding learning organisations in the context of the functioning of healthcare entities as examples of such organisations in Poland. A literature review was conducted, and the research problem and two research questions were formulated for verification. The subject of the study is public healthcare entities functioning as learning organisations in Poland, using the example of the Podlaskie voivodeship. In order to gather literature for the article, the desk research method was used, using scientific databases: Google Scholar and ScienceDirect. The literature on the subject covers the years 2015–2023. Firstly, the literature was reviewed, defining a learning organisation. Next, methods and tools used in organisational learning were listed. Lastly, the validity of medical entities as learning organisations was discussed. The next part of the article presented therapeutic entities from Podlaskie voivodeship as learning organisations in 2016–2022. The general criteria of the “Learning Organization” Competition were presented, followed by a discussion on the awarded therapeutic entities. In the end, the limitations of the article were discussed, and conclusions and practical implications were formulated. It was emphasised that changing and responding to market trends is essential for modern health organisations to sustain themselves in a turbulent market. The ability to constantly improve knowledge and search for it is crucial here. Therefore, in healthcare entities such as learning organisations, constant access to knowledge, not strictly medical, is crucial for medical and administrative staff. Helpful in the pursuit of this knowledge accumulation are various methods and tools that support the organisational learning and experience process.

Medication use review as a service for pharmaceutical care: Conditions for implementation in pharmacy practice

Konrad Żak — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Pharmaceutical care is an aggregated pharmaceutical service based on an innovative approach towards the patient’s pharmacotherapy process. It was introduced into the Polish pharmaceutical law system in 2008, but it was not until the end of 2020 that the list of activities included in this innovative health service was clarified. The delayed initiation of pharmaceutical care means that implementation procedures are lacking, making it difficult to fully implement it into pharmacy practice. The initiating service for pharmaceutical care in pharmacy practice is the medication use review (MUR), which, combined with the pharmacotherapy assessment, has the task of detecting and solving patients’ drug-related problems and thus ensuring safety in the pharmacotherapy process. Such important objectives for medication use review face organisational barriers that make its effective implementation difficult and practically impossible, limiting the scope of pharmaceutical care to the consultative aspect in practice. The aim of the article is to present the implementation conditions of medication use reviews in Polish pharmacy practice, which helped to identify the conditions for effective implementation of pharmaceutical care. Achieving the research objectives requires the use of a variety of research methods. To identify the conditions for effective implementation of medication use reviews, the method of analysis of legal acts was used. Apart from that, the analysis of literature and the method of examination of documents were also implemented, which made it possible to determine whether the Polish pharmaceutical law system creates conditions for effective provision of this service in pharmacy practice. The method of observation (the mystery shopper) was also used to indicate the territorial (subjective scope) scope of the provision of medication use review and to identify barriers to their implementation in Polish organisational and legal realities. All the methods applied made it possible to determine to what extent pharmacist shortages in the pharmacy limit the implementation process. The results of the study were subjected to statistical analysis.

Cohousing as a form of social innovation: Challenges in a new geopolitical situation in Poland

Ewa Markiewicz — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This article addresses the topic of cohousing, understood as a form of housing that promotes a lifestyle that places greater emphasis on social cohesion and creates conditions to ensure that all residents have the opportunity to meet basic social needs. In this view, cohousing coincides with the concept of social innovation. The aim of the article is to present the idea of cohousing as an example of social innovation and an attempt to determine its significance in the process of integration of Ukrainian citizens in Poland after February 24, 2022. The paper is theoretical in nature, and the method of analyzing foundational data was applied, which included publications, reports and research on the problem addressed. In the first part, the issue of social innovation was presented, the idea of cohousing was presented and its features as a form of social innovation were pointed out. The second part highlighted the importance of cohousing in the integration process of Ukrainian citizens in Poland after February 24, 2022. The results of the research showed that within the framework of the available solutions for the current situation, it is worth reaching for new forms of cohousing that enable active inclusion of people with refugee experience in decision-making processes and foster closer neighbourly contacts, neighbourly control, a sense of security and opportunities for social support.