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This paper aims to examine the changes in global value chains (GVCs) in the years 2020–2022 (times of the COVID-19 pandemic) compared to 2019 (last year before the pandemic). GVCs are illustrated by diagrams based on the statistics on international trade measured by value-added exports and imports. In this paper, the final demand approach is applied to measure international trade by value-added exports and imports and they were computed based on inter-country input-output tables delivered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The catchphrase "Made in the World" makes an impression, but in reality, value chains are rarely global. They are rather regional with three centers. "Factory Europe", "Factory Asia", and "Factory America" can easily be identified in the years 2019–2022 as there were three large regional supply hubs in GVCs: Germany, China, and the United States. When the years 2020–2022 were compared to 2019, "Factory Asia" with center in China elevated their position in GVCs at the expense of "Factory Europe" with center in Germany and "Factory America with center in the USA." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Journal of Management and Economics has released its second issue of 2024, featuring six papers written by authors from various Polish universities and institutions. The papers cover a range of topics, including a comparative analysis of regional labor market differentiation, the negative impacts of social relationships on business activity in the video game industry, key criteria for project evaluation, diverse conceptualizations of the "common good" in the context of European integration during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number and structure of gig workers in Poland, and changes in global value chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. The journal hopes that these papers will provide valuable insights and inspiration to readers. [Extracted from the article]

Aim/purpose - Disasters or catastrophic events create unforeseen circumstances and require new approaches from local and national administrations in addressing the negative impacts on society and the economy. Determining the role of e-government in providing the kind of services that are especially needed has become particularly relevant during COVID-19. This paper aims to assess the progress and current state of research on the role of e-government during or in the aftermath of catastrophic events. The purpose of this research is twofold: one, to benefit scholars by providing directions and a basis for further research, and two, to offer guidance to decision-makers involved with disaster management. Design/methodology/approach - The methodology used in this study is a systematic literature review. Multiple databases, including EBSCO, Elsevier, Emerald, JSTOR, Google Scholar, SAGE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Springer, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley Online Library were searched for appropriate papers. In total, 36 papers published between 2004 and 2022 met our inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Findings - The study produced three types of findings. First, an analysis of the themes and trends in the existing literature. Second, a synopsis of the published research findings in the reviewed papers. And third, a description of the needs and opportunities for further research. Research implications/limitations - This study should help other researchers in directing their efforts in further exploration, and it should help people involved with real-life disaster management to navigate through the effective role and application of e-government. The main limitation is that we found only 36 research papers that met our inclusion criteria. Originality/value/contribution - Despite the potentially critical role that e-government may have in mitigating the negative effects of catastrophic events, research on e-government in disaster management seems to be still underdeveloped, and to our knowledge, there is no published systematic review of such research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the technology of medical dialogue generation has gradually attracted the attention of more researchers, and the demand for landing has gradually increased. Therefore, building a medical dialogue system that can automatically reply is conducive to improving the efficiency of clinical consultation and reducing the burden on doctors. This paper uses the method of fusing external knowledge to build a dialogue generation model, which greatly enhance the accuracy of the model and ameliorates the disadvantages of classical construction methods. Based on the large-scale pre-training model method, the doctor's response is generated by two-stage training, and the knowledge related to the medical background is added to generate the response that best fits the current context. In this paper, experiments were performed on the medical dialogue dataset KaMed and COVID-19, and the experimental data showed that compared with the traditional human-computer dialogue generation Seq2Seq model, the Perplexity value of this method decreased 1.91, compared with the VHRED model, B@1 value increased 0.3, and the B@2 value increased0.34, D@2 increased 2.14, it can be proved that the medical dialogue model proposed in this paper can provide doctors with response responses more effectively and enhance the accuracy of responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper consists in presenting the dynamic evolution of the Romanian beer sector at both national and European levels during the period 2018-2022. From an economic standpoint, the beer industry stands out as one of the biggest and most significant revenue contributors worldwide, with beer representing the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage globally. The need to carry out this paper emerges from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, following the effects it had on the active population and implicitly the changes in consumption behaviors. Moreover, considering recent times, the war in Ukraine is a factor that can seriously affect the imports and exports of surrounding countries of grain necessary for the production of beer, this aspect being really important in observing economical changes. This paper relies heavily on a thorough examination of the demand and supply dynamics within the Romanian beer sector, assisted by a comparative analysis of its standing among European beer trends. Notably, Romania holds a prominent position as one of the highest per capita beer consumers. The main hypothesis of this study consists in the fact that the demand and supply of beer did not increase during the pandemic, and that the expenses for this product suffered considerable increases. This is proven through a quantitative analysis in which indicators such as beer production and consumption, average expenses, imports and exports were analyzed. For this achievement, national, European and international databases were accessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Public health ethics addresses moral dilemmas arising from balancing individual healthcare needs with societal interests. Ethical considerations in public health during pandemics and disasters aim to reduce mortality rates and minimize social injustice through fair principles. Objective: This paper analyzes public health ethics and ethical values in allocating resources during mass casualty incidents. The intersection of public health ethics, applied bioethics, and ethics of social consequences (through non-utilitarian consequentialism) guides addressing serious public health challenges in catastrophic scenarios. The application of the given interaction is significant for professional medical ethics. Methodology: The paper employs inductive, deductive, and normative methods of bioethics and the methodology of ethics of social consequences. Conclusion: The paradigmatic disparity between the bioethics of pandemics and disaster bioethics lies in the fluid application of bioethical principles and the accentuation of utilitarian demands depending on the severity and scale of mass casualty incidents. Applied bioethics in crisis situations respects the approaches of public health ethics and attempts to increase positive social outcomes. The application of (scarce) resource allocation criteria and triage of patients is derived from ethical decisions beneficial to public health and lege artis approaches of medical bioethics. The paper presents professional and ethical criteria for medically inappropriate treatment within the framework of patient triage; we approach crisis ethics from the perspective of maximization of benefit. Age is not an exclusion criterion of acute healthcare provision in crisis situations. Ethics of social consequences as a form of non-utilitarian consequentialism allowing for social consequences bridges public health ethics and applied bioethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the issue of border traffic of foreigners and their expenses on the Polish maritime border. The study is based on quantitative data on border traffic and expenses of foreigners in Poland. The time of the study was 2014–2021. Thus, the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on foreigners' mobility and spending in Poland was additionally taken into account. For the purpose of this paper, the following study methods were adopted: reference literature analysis, secondary data analysis and comparative analysis. The paper mainly uses data from official statistics and the Border Guard. The study has shown that the Polish maritime border generates the smallest volume of border traffic, however, its share increased during the analysed period from 0.7% in 2014 to 0.8% in 2021. Nevertheless, it is foreigners crossing the maritime border who on average spend in Poland more than twice as much as foreigners crossing the Polish land border. In 2020, they spent the most on non-food goods (40%) and services (34.7%). As the study results reveal, their spending patterns and travel purposes are different from those of foreigners crossing the land border. The potential that foreign visitors bring is significant for the development of border areas in such sectors as tourism, services and trade. The analysis of the motivation of foreigners crossing the sea border makes it possible to shape the regional development policy of this particular area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have brought a serious economic crisis, first caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and later worsened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The global economy was greatly affected by these events, so it can be expected to see them affect the post-merger financial performance of companies. The aim of the paper is to examine if the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine had any effect on the financial performance of combined companies during these events in comparison to merged companies for which the 3-year post-merger period ended in 2019. The research methods used involve a critical literature analysis and statistical tests. This study analyses the financial ratios of Polish public companies which participated in legal mergers which were finalised between 2016 and 2018. For each company necessary ROA ratios were calculated (pre-merger ROA ratio, ROA ratio for the 3rd year after the merger). The data was grouped according to the year of the merger and then compared to test the hypotheses. There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of profitability ratios for the analysed companies before and during the crisis. However, there is evidence that there was a statistically significant increase in profitability ratios pre- and post-merger for legal mergers finalised in 2017. The paper provides an initial insight into how the latest economic crisis affected the financial performance of Polish public companies after a legal merger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a synopsis of recipients' benefits from the South African COVID-19 social relief fund. The objective of the paper is to evaluate the key benefit of the COVID-19 special grant and if the Grant had a positive impact in the lives of recipients and their family members. The paper applied a mix of succinct review and thematic analysis. Secondary data collection was from the archive of survey questionnaires conducted by the Department of Social Development. Findings from the thematic graphical analysis of the recipients' responses show that more than 93% of the COVID grant recipients used the fund for food. Furthermore, over 88% avowed that the grant had a positive impact in their lives and over 79% of the grant recipients indicated that the fund had a positive impact in the lives of their family members. The findings offer practical and policy implication for government's social security agency. The recipients' acceptance of positive benefit regarding food and overall effect on wellbeing is an indication that extension of the COVID-19 social relief fund or conversion thereof to unemployment security assistance might have the propensity to provide relief from poverty and hunger to recipients and improve social wellbeing. The paper highlights the imperative for further research to expand this analysis by using other countries for a comparative analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The outbreak of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic resulted in a paralysis of healthcare systems. The most important problem was the provision of an appropriate number of healthcare personnel. One of the ways was to enable final-year students of medical sciences to start professional work. Aim. To analyse the available literature dealing with student study-to-work transition during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outbreak. Method. The resources of five databases: PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete via EBSCOhost were researched. The inclusion criteria: 1) English language, 2) papers published in peer-reviewed journals, 3) type of publication, 4) papers published between 01.01.2020 and 31.12.2020. We have found 2,341 articles. The 17 papers were included in the final analysis. Results. The analysis pointed to soft competences as one of the most important group of competences enabling efficient study-to-work transition (n=13). Students pointed to the ethical problems encountered at the start of work in the pandemic (n=8). Two important factors should be highlighted as crucial for the future formation of the professional identity of a group of students starting their professional career in the pandemic: the impact of the disturbed process of professional adaptation and the need to implement changes to the processes of education of students of medical sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tourism country's competitiveness is important especially when countries strive for bigger market shares as European countries are. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on tourism and the entire tourism industry must be rethinking and reshaping given some opportunities and challenges to the entrepreneurs, local communities, local administrations, governments of competitiveness destinations. In this paper we measured if the Google and Apple mobility indices cand predict (or not) the movement of TTCI during pandemic compared with pre-pandemic TTCI ranks by using grey system theory and statistical methods. The aim of the paper is to validate the Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) as identifier of the good predictor (statistically significant for p-value< 0.05) for European tourism competitiveness (measured by TTCI) in particular conditions, especially before and during COVID-19 pandemic time by take into consideration the Google Mobility and Apple Mobility data and their relationship with overnight stays for 11 European countries. To validate the GRA as method for good and accurate predictor for tourism competitiveness for TTCI 2021 (during COVID-19 pandemic time) a GLM – General Linear Model ANOVA with interaction effects and Tukey HSD Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons was applied. Our results validated the powerful of GRA for tourism competitiveness, statistically significant according to GLM with interaction effects, and emphasis (especially for entrepreneurs) that the overnight stays will give the right rank on top of tourism competitiveness, prior to other ITC support as Google and Apple Mobility indices proved by reflection of overnights on TTCI 2021 – during pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the complexity of the COVID-19 crisis by using the grounded theory approach. It is a new approach based on a data set constituted from published papers, reports delivered by official organizations or research institutes, working papers, and public information in media. Each of these documents presents data, information, knowledge, and ideas, usually from a single perspective. The present research uses the method of grounded theory and constructs an integrated model of analysis that explores the complexity of the global crisis induced by COVID-19. For the present research, the data were extracted from published papers focused on different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic induced economic crisis. That means a meta-analysis of the initial quantitative data but performed from a semantic perspective. The findings show that COVID-19 induced economic crisis is a complex phenomenon that is influenced directly and indirectly by the health system crisis, governmental policies, and behavior of people. The integrated model we got can be used as a tool in a further investigation for a deeper understanding of the complexity of COVID-19. The originality of this paper comes from creating a meta-analysis with the grounded theory of different aspects investigated in a series of papers and constructing a dynamic model capable of approaching the complexity of this Black Swan phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this publication is to present the importance of financial education as it relates to influencing the level of banking inclusion during the COVID-19 pandemic. The individual sections of the article will characterize financial education as a driving force for improving financial literacy and highlight the link between financial literacy and the level and extent of use of financial products. The paper will consider the current situation on the financial markets, which is characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first part of this paper is based on the systematic literature review, including scientific papers related to financial education, derived from the Web of Science databases, mapping analysis and bibliographic coupling using the Voswiever. The second part presents the results collected through an interview designed and disseminated to a sample of banking advisors. The majority of interviewees encountered the concept of banking exclusion/inclusion, and in terms of characteristics that predispose one to remain excluded, advisors emphasized economic considerations. In various extracts from the interviews, banking advisors emphasized the importance of addressing the ability to afford banking services, their innovativeness, as well as understanding how banking products work, the benefits of entering into a relationship with a bank, and the prudent use of banking products on the basis of financial literacy. The value added is a multi-approach that combines the theoretical aspects of financial exclusion and financial literacy with the actual opinions of banking advisors. Increased financial education is needed due to the complexity of financial products and their dynamic changes. The increased frequency and scope of use of financial products has increased the risk of cyber-attacks, against which financial literacy and risk awareness are needed. The development of modern technology in banking has increased the risk of banking exclusion for the digitally excluded. Financially well-educated consumers are more likely to be included in the banking system, as they are better able to understand and use financial information to make financial decisions, and to choose products and services that are more appropriate to their needs and risk profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The conformity of the European Union's Own Resources Decision with the constitution was brought before the authentic interpreters of the constitutions in Finland and Germany. This paper tends to examine the so-called 'identity review' engaged by these interpreters regarding procedural guarantees. In Finland, the competence-related debate between the Constitutional Law Committee and the Grand Committee and their interference with the EU-law as well as the subsequent Finnish legislative process raised some serious concerns. The relevant decisions of the German Federal Constitutional Court also highlight some disadvantages of decision-making in a crisis situation, for instance, the lack of reasoning or the failure to request a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union. In this paper, we aim to highlight the promising and the less favourable aspects of the (quasi-)constitutional courts' procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the financial standing of companies classified according to the type of their business activity. This paper is based on aggregate data on businesses operating in Poland in the period 2017–2021, grouped according to the type of business activity. The data was published by the Central Statistical Office GUS in Poland. The company status was investigated using the calculated values of diagnostic indicators (return on assets, current financial liquidity, level of debt, stock rotation, and growth in sales). These indicators were normalized with the zero unitarization method to construct a synthetic indicator. The synthetic indicator was then used to generate business rankings. The vast majority of the examined companies proved to be profitable. In 2020, the profitability and sales revenue of the businesses concerned were found to deteriorate slightly. There has been a downward trend in the rankings for companies operating in the accommodation and catering sector and the manufacturers of petroleum products. Pharmaceutical companies were the businesses that improved and topped the rankings. The pandemic had a strong negative impact on businesses operating in the market sector of accommodation and catering. The producers of refined petroleum products were also affected. The producers of pharmaceuticals benefited most during the pandemic. There are no clear indicators as to the impact of the pandemic on other types of businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed the Romanian banking sector, which was forced to adapt to digital technologies and to provide accessible banking services for all kinds of custsomers. The corporate social responsibility practices evolved during the pandemic, from general causes to more targeted initiatives, the Romanian banks offering innovative solutions to fight against the health crisis. The present paper provides a good insight in the corporate social responsibility practices before the pandemic and during the COVID-19 crisis, exploring the best practices of the most representative banks in terms of total assets. The investigation covers five years, from 2017 to 2021, and was based on a content analysis of the sustainability reports of the banks from the sample. The data was processed through the MAXQDA software, revealing a clear correspondence between the corporate social responsibility practices of the banks and the theoretical concept of sustainability: Profit – People – Planet. The qualitative analysis was completed by a quantitative investigation based on a questionnaire applied on a sample of 344 respondents. The comparative analysis outlines the moral implications of corporate social responsibility in the COVID-19 unique environment, considering the balance between the individual health of clients/employees and the profit dimension of corporate social responsibility. The paper focuses on the recovery stages of the banking sector after the critical point of restriction measures, emphasizing the clients' perceptions and attitudes towards digital banking, as a form of social care during pandemic. The banks responses to the COVID-19 pandemic were examined by using a sequential mixed-methods approach, suggesting an amplified economic dimension of corporate social responsibility during the COVID-19 pandemic through digital banking services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 crisis, along with the other associated complex crises, has amplified the gap that exists in terms of the number of women reaching leadership positions, despite the quality of their work and their important contributions in various fields. This paper aims to explore women's leadership qualities, and perceptions regarding leadership, based on quantitative data originating from four studies. Concerning the research methodology it includes qualitative research and a comparative analysis of global studies. The paper focuses on women, looking mostly for the proportion of women within organizations, and the main characteristics of women's leadership. The analysis then turns to Romania, where we have identified the proportion of women leaders. The main goal of the paper is to investigate the representation of women leaders in EU countries and in particular in Romania. The results of the study illustrate that favorable work conditions have a greater impact on women's aspirations to become leaders. Extrinsic structural inequalities, such as bias against women in certain professions, and gender, racial and other discrimination, are barriers to women's access and advancement in leadership positions in the workplace. Intrinsic individual characteristics of successful women leaders, namely conscientiousness, respect, confidence, acceptance, and resilience have facilitated their success in obtaining and maintaining leadership positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 health crisis generated an economic crisis at global level and consequently determined numerous economic disturbances at different levels. The study of the economic impact of the health crisis at various levels became legitimate in order to identify the influences of the health crisis on the economic activity, among others. This paper concentrates on the study of the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on international trade with the focus on two countries. The regression method was used to measure the impact of the COVID-19 burden (number of cases and number of deaths) on the international trade flows of two Central and Eastern European countries from European Union, namely Romania and Poland. The analysis includes the first two years of the pandemics, 2020-2021. The results of the analysis illustrate that the COVID-19 burden had an effect on international trade in the two countries. The import flows were more affected than export flows by COVID-19 in both countries in the analyzed period. However, the influences differed in the two countries, with international trade in Poland being more affected by COVID-19 than that in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper uses qualitative research to provide a brief overview of the role that central banks can or should play in supporting the efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, a topic that is currently under intense public scrutiny. In terms of their mandate, independence and responsibility, an implicit mandate regarding climate change objectives seems to be a safer option, as an explicit one would charge the central banks with an objective that they might not be well equipped to achieve. In terms of what central banks can do, the potential actions were separated according to monetary policies (quantitative easing and a reconsideration of the collateral that central banks accept in their operations, with a focus on green assets) and regulatory approaches (measures taken under the current Basel 3 regulatory framework, according to the three Pillars). Overall, it is showed that central banks can and very likely will have to play a role in these efforts, as the case studies included in the paper also hint. In particular, one main area for future research will be the options to adapt the regulatory framework to better support the efforts to mitigate climate change effects (macroprudential tools, different treatments of exposures according to their classifications as green or not etc.). Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that the bulk of the measures needed to achieve the desired climate change objectives will rest upon Governments, with the central banks' actions being a complement to these measures, not a substitute of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical changes are part of the product or process life cycle. Their role is to develop the product and achieve the best production process. If it is functional, then engineering modifications are the best way to go. This work paper considered, the principles for change, how to effectively implement change in an organization, the importance of managing change and the role of management in change. The theoretical part of the work paper offer information about internal performance, and the implications during the implementation of changes in production system. From presented analysis show that the human factor is the key to the successful implementation of changes. After a successful study of the topics, it emerged that change requires management and full support of employees. Proper timings should be designed during change implementation. Lastly, a successful change agenda considers both internal and external stakeholders, that is, employees, management, and customers. To better the writings on the concept of change and management, this study is open to future research and more insight on change. The internal project team will use all these information in scope to ensure the success of the change. The analysis of engineering change request data shows that even though the quality of the engineering change request varies, there are several often-followed guidelines and best practices, in addition to the formal requirements for an engineering change request. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Green Deal sets out a detailed vision for Europe to become a climate-neutral continent by 2050 by providing clean, secure, and affordable energy. Thus, with the aim of providing a market-oriented perspective on the economic potential of biomass-related activities, several data were analyzed in this research paper. The positive impact of the green transition is necessary to be studied both at macroeconomic and microeconomic levels. In this context, the research question addressed was: What is the impact of the green transition on farms' performance and national economy? A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out in order to prove the importance of specific crops, taking into consideration the movements in the energy market and the farmer's constraints in the era of the European Green Deal. The main objective of this research was to determine if biomass is one of the optimal solutions able to gather all these European desiderates. This conference paper identifies the best scenario for an agricultural farm using diversification activities and the macroeconomic impact of the biomass crops. Currently, the European context is the most favorable for resorting to biomass crops, especially if considering the recent global energy market dynamics. Additionally, there is a need for activities diversification at the farm level in order for them to become greener and to boost their socio-economic and environmental performance. Results confirm that there is considerable economic potential for biomass production in Romania. The added value of the paper is provided by both microeconomic and macroeconomic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is motivated by the influences that the COVID-19 health crisis had on the economies of the world. The economic crisis that has evolved from the health crisis affected economic life at all levels (global, national, industry, and company levels), including the trading relationships between countries. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the influence of the COVID-19 health crisis on the bilateral trading relationships between Romania and its main trading partners in terms of both exports and imports, for the year 2020. The research method used is multiple regression with exports and imports as dependent variables and the COVID-19 burden (solely the number of COVID-19 cases, solely the number of COVID-19 deaths and both taken together) and GDP in both Romania and the trading partners, as independent variables. The data has been collected from international organizations' statistical databases. The findings of the paper illustrate that both the GDP of Romania and the COVID-19 burden in both Romania and the partner countries influenced the bilateral trading relationships of Romania with its main trading partners in 2020. Romanian imports were more affected than exports by the COVID-19 burden both from Romania and from the trading partners. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 had a higher influence on trade than the number of COVID-19 cases. Based on this country case study, we can assert that global sanitary crises do have an influence on the international trade relationships of countries. Consequently, specific measures need to be taken by policymakers in order to first ensure economic recovery and second to support and maintain international trade flows during times of strong health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In micro-level data concerning the housing market, the apartment quality may be signaled via textual statements or the attached descriptions/photos. It may be done using hard information related to the easier-to-measure structural characteristics or soft information related to the apartment condition and design - soft quality. This paper checks whether the choice of the approach to handling the issue of soft quality of apartments influences the properties of hedonic models and the course of hedonic rent indices. The study shows that hedonic models that account for soft quality have better statistical properties than those without soft-quality-related variables. Among them, the models that include the information on quality extracted from descriptions of apartments prove to be the best. Still, considerable differences in the indicated course of hedonic rent indices have not been detected. However, the paper concludes that utilizing information on apartments' soft quality may be crucial to understanding the market adjustment process to economic shocks. It has been proven that the price reaction of the Poznań (Poland) rental market to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian aggression on Ukraine has been diversified in the quality-related market segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitization of the higher education process in the COVID-19 pandemic (new normal) has created a new technological wave. The COVID-19 pandemic (new normal) presents a great opportunity for higher education institutions (HEIs) to be digital and technologically innovative in their teaching and learning process through digitization. The process of digital transformation of the education system began long ago, but has been accelerated by the new normal created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital transformation in higher education institutions (HEIs) has become more intentional, in-demand, and purpose-driven. The COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized the higher education system and other areas of life. This paper examines the aspects of digitization of the higher education process in the new normal created by the COVID-19 pandemic era. This study presents a rapid review of the literature on the research topic. The changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic represent what is called the new normal (normality). The study found that the digitization of the higher education process brought accelerated, improved, consolidated, accepted, recognized, and accessible learning. Many digitalization tools such as social media, augmented reality, machine learning, and other emerging technologies are used to accelerate the higher education process during the COVID-19 pandemic (new normal). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delves into the diverse conceptualizations of the "common good" within the economic discourse and scrutinizes their implications for European integration during the pressing COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a comprehensive literature review, policy analysis, and case study examination, it explores the manifestations of the common good in the context of European Union policies. Two key interpretations emerge from our investigation: the first presents the common good as an ultimate objective, seeking a balance between individual and collective interests achieved via adept economic governance; the second considers it a continuous process underpinned by the principles that direct the journey toward such a balance. Our findings reveal that the EU's response to the COVID-19 crisis led to shifts in fiscal policies and innovation strategies. The research outcomes demonstrate a marked transition in the EU's approach, with a stronger focus on social welfare, environmental sustainability, and collective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of consumers are buying organic foods, resulting in an enhancement of the value of this market, which recorded constant growth both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns for health, environmental protection, animal welfare, and support for the local economy contribute to greater purchases of organic foods, whereas high prices, lack of trust in certification, scarce supply, and unavailability of organic products represent obstacles to their purchase. This paper examined the prevalence of certain types of organic food in purchasing, as well as its relationship with the level of physical activity, gender, education, and age of the consumer. The sample consists of 600 respondents with different socio-demographic characteristics. The SPSS program was used for data processing. In addition to descriptive statistics, non-parametric techniques were also used due to the distribution of scores on the tested variables, which significantly deviates from the normal. The results obtained indicate that among the organic foods in the Republic of Serbia, fruits and vegetables are the most purchased, and that females, persons with higher education, and older people are the most typical buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although remote criminal proceedings have existed in Lithuania for some time, they have never been used as extensively as during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic demonstrated that remote criminal proceedings could help prevent the spread of infectious diseases and at the same time facilitate the criminal justice process by eliminating, for example, the need to spend time travelling to the location of the proceedings or wasting other resources. For this reason, even after the COVID-19 pandemic, remote criminal proceedings remained popular. However, the remote criminal process is not a neutral substitute for the in-person criminal proceedings. It has an impact on the traditional paradigm of criminal proceedings that is not always positive. This article discusses the regulation of remote criminal proceedings in Lithuania by presenting the findings of an empirical study of Lithuanian lawyers' perspectives on the remote criminal process which surveyed more than 100 Lithuanian lawyers (judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and pre-trial investigation officers). The article discusses the main advantages and disadvantages of remote criminal proceedings noted by the professionals and identifies legal problems caused by such mode of proceedings. The paper seeks to demonstrate that the development of remote criminal proceedings should be carried out with caution, taking into account its impact on the quality of criminal proceedings and the rights of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mid-April 2020, the global financial markets plunged into financial crisis from the unprecedented worldwide lockdowns for an extended period. This paper looks at the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the selected European stock markets and economies in comparison to USA, Israel, and China. The goal of the research is to find out if the pandemic affected different national economies and capital markets in the same way. An empirical investigation is conducted for daily returns from stock indexes characterizing 5 developed and 4 post-communist European stock markets together with the above mentioned 3 non-European ones, using statistical inference and a correlation analysis. Our study shows that the COVID-19 pandemic financial crisis had a similar impact on all of the analyzed economies. Although, the GDP growth rate and inflation differ among countries. GDP growth rates in 2021 did not offset the declines from the previous year in Czechia, Germany, France, Italy and the UK. GDP growth and inflation rates in 2021 are bigger in European post-communist countries than in developed countries. All markets apart from the NASDAQ100, SSE, DAX and MSCI Europe reported negative annual rates of return in 2020. The highest risk was observed in the pandemic shock period. In the pandemic stabilization period expected returns from all stock indexes (except FTSE100 and TA35) were significantly positive. A comparison of selected markets and economies in different stages of the pandemic. Our study shows that financial markets should now incorporate such an event caused by a pandemic as part of financial crisis studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on International Journal of Management and Economics in 2023. Topics include containing six papers covering various areas in management, economics, and finance; and standard wage setting–price setting model of the labor market and study the transmission of the shocks on the natural rate of unemployment and production.

Tourism value of a modern tourist destination depends on managing and organizing social, historical, cultural and natural resources into a unique tourist attraction. Changing trends in cultural tourism and technological development affect the creation of new cultural tourism products and channels of their promotion. Virtual and augmented reality offer new ways of promotion and consumption of cultural tourism services. Destinations adapt to these changes by creating a tourism offer in accordance with sustainable development. Furthermore, tourist destinations needed to adapt to Covid-19 pandemic conditions and therefore started using new trends in virtual and augmented reality. Virtual reality and digital technologies are beneficial in creating and implementing new forms of cultural tourism, especially in the given circumstances of new travel rules and changed tourist expectations, with an emphasis on social distance, preserving the health of tourists and local population and protecting the environment. The aims of this paper are to define the changes in cultural tourism caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and explore the effect of new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality on cultural tourism development. The paper also aims to determine the possibilities for cultural tourism development regarding new trends. Historical method, desk research, analysis and synthesis have been used for the purpose of this paper. Paper contribution is reflected in applying new trends which resulted in changes in tourist behaviour in pandemic conditions, as well as insights into the possibilities of developing different models of cultural tourism consumption in accordance with new technological achievements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to provide an overview of the interrelationships between public knowledge, attitudes, and practical behaviours in the context of a global pandemic and the risk management measures used by the government. By reviewing some of the key trends in crisis management in Lithuania, it seeks to explore the response of society. The aim of the paper is to analyse the interrelationship among subjective public informativeness, attitudes, and behaviours according to different socio-demographic aspects. To meet the main objective of the paper, a representative public survey (N-804) on attitudes towards COVID-19 was conducted (at the end of 2020). The survey sought to explore individual self-protection measures, attitudes towards the dangerousness of the virus, the measures used by the government to combat the pandemic, and prevalent stereotypes and their implications on personal behaviour. The paper discusses the indicators, which are divided into separate blocks, on the basis of which the responses of the study participants are summed up and evaluated on a three-level (good, average, poor) rating scale, followed by correlation analyses on various socio-demographic parameters. The survey revealed that a higher proportion of Lithuanian society behaved responsibly, even being moderately informed and characterised by diverse attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper focuses on farmers' strategies for coping with the shock caused by the outbreak of the pandemic of COVID-19. Using the concept of farm resilience, which underlines the role of capacity and abilities as well as different actions undertaken in difficult situations, this study proposes an analytical framework of farmers' coping short-term micro-strategies in relation to external crises, on the example of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account academic literature, qualitative data gathered from fruit and vegetable producers in different regions in Poland and the information from sector experts, the paper outlines the varied consequences of the pandemic for farms, and also farmers' diverse reactions to them. The findings from this study suggests that the analysed farms' relative resilience to the crisis was achieved thanks to their available economic and social resources and the actions they undertook. The above-mentioned resources and activities were considered in the study primarily using the relational (process-based) approach, focusing on the ways of their creation, maintenance and adaptation. At the same time, the empirical material under analysis has shown that the adaptive measures adopted were short-term and did not respond to the farms' permanent problems, which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significantly. It is assumed that presented results and proposed framework of farmers' micro-strategies, which were taken during the pandemic, might be useful for future studies focusing on various external shocks as well as for research to be conducted in other CEE countries due to many common contextual factors that has shaped food practices and institutional arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: An outbreak of the COVID-19 disease in 2020 and resulting social restrictions forced many medical facilities to modify admission protocols and increased the use of health services. The stay-at-home orders also contributed to a change in the volume of the emergency admissions as well as their causes. Materials and methods: The available electronic databases were searched for papers concerning pediatric trauma admissions, referrals, and visits during the coronavirus outbreak and in the previous year. The quality of included papers was assessed via National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH NHLBI) Study Quality Assessment Toolbox. Results: The overall workload in pediatric emergency medical care during the COVID-19 outbreak declined by 40.13% (95% CI 18.7–61.6) compared to the previous year. A massive decline in the pediatric trauma admissions was observed during the coronavirus outbreak. The sport-related accidents were supplanted mainly by those that occurred at home. The child abuse injuries arising during the outbreak seemed to remain undetected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of an infectious disease pandemic may result in the introduction of restrictions in the distance and number of employees, as was the case of COVID-19 in 2020/2021. In the face of fluctuating restrictions, the process of determining seating plans in office space requires repetitive execution of seat assignments, and manual planning becomes a time-consuming and error-prone task. In this paper, we introduce the Epidemiology-constrained Seating Plan problem (ESP), and we show that it, in general, belongs to the NP-complete class. However, due to some regularities in input data that could a affect computational complexity for practical cases, we conduct experiments for generated test cases. For that reason, we developed a computational environment, including the test case generator, and we published generated benchmarking test cases. Our results show that the problem can be solved to optimality by CPLEX solver only for specific settings, even in regular cases. Therefore, there is a need for new algorithms that could optimize seating plans in more general cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of the current pandemic, the labour market has suffered many changes: from the typical 9 to 5 job done from the office, to the accommodation to a work from home type of job. Even if we speak about the employer or the employee, the situation brought many difficulties regarding how the social security system can help each one. In this paper the main focus will be on the impact of the pandemic regarding the labour market with a strong accent on the unemployment benefits and the statistics regarding the immigrants. We tend to see an increase of the number of unemployed people and a tendency for the immigrants to move back to their home countries. This is a natural response of the labour market regarding the pandemic. The paper aims to investigate the unemployment rate-unemployment benefits-immigration flows in the EU countries in 2020 when the pandemic erupted compared to the previous periods. Therefore, we aim to emphasize the main changes that took place because of the pandemic crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a relationship between social media platforms and emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media platforms are used to manage information flow in every EID. Individuals use the platforms to source information, while health workers, organisations, and other stakeholders use the platforms to provide and manage information flow. This study employed a narrative literature review (NLR) to understand the role of social media platforms in managing the COVID-19 pandemic information flow. The paper deployed three research questions as seen in the research methodology. The paper found a clear relationship between social media and EIDs and the COVID-19 pandemic. The article further provides the ways to use platforms to manage information during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crisis generated by the Covid 19 pandemic strongly influenced personal experiences, but also professional ones. For pre-university and university education in Romania, the transfer to the virtual environment of teaching activities has been a challenge for the design and efficient development of education. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study based on the method of the semi-structured interview, on the teaching strategies and methods that teachers applied in the online school, conducted between November 2020 and June 2021. The aim of the research is to identify teacher adaptation strategies to the requirements of the online school environment and the teaching methods used by them in working with pupils and students. The objectives were: to gather the difficulties encountered by teachers in working with pupils / students, to identify ways to adapt teaching methods to the new educational context, to highlight the benefits that teachers found in the new way of organizing. We set out to find out the extent to which teachers practiced emergency remote teaching or online teaching based on interactivity. The research group consists of teachers from primary, secondary, high school and university in Iasi. The paper militates for the valorisation of a new pedagogy built on the strengths of digital educational platforms and having as central dimension interactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is theoretical and empirical. Its basic purpose is to examine the resilience of organizational startups during the post-COVID-19 pandemic. The basic research method used in the study was CAWI. The group of surveyed companies consisted of startups operating in Zachodniopomorskie, Wielkopolskie, and Lubuskie voivodeships. The survey covered 62 enterprises in 2022. The research revealed that owing to their organizational resilience the startups were able to adapt to the changes in the market. Thus, on the one hand, they were able to quickly tailor their offer to the current needs of customers, and on the other hand, they could modify the processes taking place inside the company. As a result of these measures, the startups increased their revenues, which may directly determine the future competitiveness of the surveyed companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the basic principles defining the relationship between individuals (including entrepreneurs) and the state is the principle of protecting the citizen's trust in the state and the law enacted by it. This principle is based on legal certainty, understood in the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland as a certain set of features inherent in the law which ensure legal security for the individual; the individual then has the possibility of full knowledge of the reasons for the operation of state authorities and the legal consequences that his or her actions may entail. An individual should be able both to determine the consequences of behaviours and events on the basis of the legal status in force at a given moment, and to expect that the legislator will not change it arbitrarily. On 22 June 2021, Article 15zzr1 was added to the Act of 2 March 2020 on special solutions related to the prevention, counteraction and combating of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and crisis situations caused by them; the article stipulates that during the state of epidemic threat or state of the epidemic, as announced due to COVID-19, and in the period of six months after their cancellation, there is no statute of limitations for the criminality of the act and no statute of limitations for the execution of a penalty in cases of crimes and fiscal crimes (paragraph 1); the periods referred to above are counted from 14 March 2020 – in the event of an epidemic threat, and from 20 March 2020 – in the event of an epidemic (paragraph 2). The subject of this paper is an attempt to answer the question of whether the indicated provision – interfering with the current model of the relationship between penal fiscal law and tax law – meets constitutional standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance has become one of the major public health problems. Although antimicrobial resistance naturally develops over time, its prevalence has increased due to the use of antimicrobial agents in the health sector and other contexts. This paper focuses on the rise in fosfomycin resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from poultry meat, coinciding with the excessive use of biocides during the COVID-19 outbreak in Algeria. A total of 134 E. coli isolates were identified from poultry meat samples purchased from the same butcher's shops before and after the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak. Univariate analyses were conducted using the ANOVA test for continuous variables and the chi-squared test for categorical variables. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were utilized for statistically significant risk factors. Multivariable analysis was performed with binary logistic regression to detect an independent predictor. A P-value of 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Poultry meat purchased after the COVID-19 appearance was found to be associated with fosfomycin-resistant E. coli; fosfomycin-resistant E. coli isolates were more prevalent after COVID-19 (15.56 %) than before the COVID-19 outbreak (1.69 %). A significant difference in fosfomycin E. coli resistance was observed before and after the COVID-19 emergence (P = 0.009; OR = 10.68; 95 % CI 1.26–90.34). E. coli strains isolated from poultry meat are 10 times more likely to be fosfomycin resistant after COVID-19 than before the COVID-19 outbreak. It could be that the excessive use of biocides during the COVID-19 outbreak increased the risk of fosfomycin E. coli resistance in poultry meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to analyze the liquidity of non-financial companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The article addresses the liquidity of the examined group against the background of the entire market and its relationship with debt, profitability, growth and the risk of bankruptcy, including in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article examines the assertion that COVID-19 influenced the practice of aggressive liquidity management in terms of indebtedness, profitability, value creation, and risk of bankruptcy. The research revealed that public companies behaved differently than the entire sector by pursuing an aggressive management policy and that the pandemic caused an even greater decrease in the static liquidity ratios while cash conversion cycle (CCC) increased. In addition, the decline in EPS growth and the increase in Z-Score during the pandemic could mean that enterprises focused on reducing the risk of bankruptcy rather than maximizing value during the pandemic shock. Before the pandemic, CCC influenced DER, and during the pandemic, static indicators began to play a more important role in the financial strategies of the surveyed companies. The research results add to liquidity theory and its impact on shaping financial strategy, especially during a financial crisis. In addition, an analysis of the impact of liquidity on earnings per share (EPS) growth and Z-Score was conducted. They represent the creation of value and the assessment of the risk of bankruptcy, making this paper particularly insightful. The results obtained provide valuable guidance to decision-makers managing liquidity and debt in corporate finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2020 began with a health crisis, asserted in the same year, as the coronavirus pandemic. In this sense, world governments have taken measures to protect their national economies, measures such as limiting exports or social distancing. In 2022, the economy showed signs of recovery, when in February, war broke out between Ukraine and Russia. Thus, the two events negatively impacted world trade. In this paper, the aim is to point out the impact of the health, economic and war crisis on Romania-Brazil commercial relations, in the period 2019–2023, on Brazilian investments in Romania and on Romanian investments in Brazil. Romania is part of the European Union, being also a military, humanitarian and economic support for Ukrainians. Otherwise, Brazil is part of a totally different political structure, being a partner and ally of Russia. A descriptive research will be carried out on Romania-Brazil trade, in the period 2019–2023, based on the information on the Comexstat platform. In order to identify Brazilian investments in Romania, the research will be carried out conformable of the information provided by the National Trade Registry Office, and the research on Romanian investments in Brazil will be carried out conformable of the information provided by Banco Central do Brasil. The year 2023 represents the best economic year for trade between Romania and Brazil from the period 2019–2023, as commercial exchanges increased by 16% in 2023, compared to 2019. Regarding Brazilian investments in Romania, they are increasing, but Romanian investments in Brazil are decreasing. This work is innovative, because it sheds light on the commercial relationship between two countries with a similar culture, during a period of crisis, countries that are located in two different political and ideological blocs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The global pandemic, as an unprecedented event in the recent past, has significantly changed the modern world. Numerous companies and individuals have faced various challenges that are still present. The aim of this paper is to review the impact of pandemic on financial innovation, fintech companies, cryptocurrencies, the development of a cashless society, and cyber risk. It tests two already confirmed hypotheses: H1: COVID-19 pandemic has affected the development of financial innovations and cashless society; and H2: COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased cyber risk. The method applied is desk research, i.e. a review of the existing studies and their unification. The paper shows that fintech companies proved to have been resilient during the crisis since they have managed to change their business model and offer new products and services (financial innovations). It also indicates that it is obvious that the number of cashless transactions have increased due to the pandemic, but that it is still not reasonable to expect a completely cashless society in the near future. The paper highlights that cyber risks are on the rise owing to the growth of cashless transactions and digitalisation of businesses driven by the global pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: This paper relates challenges faced by older adult employees during the COVID-19 crisis in order to describe strategies to reduce the digital divide and technostress, thereby supporting inclusion and retention in the marketplace. Older adults are particularly at risk of Internet-related social exclusion, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main research question of the current scoping review were: What kind of strategies can reduce the digital divide and technostress of older adult employees and contribute to their inclusion and retention in the working market during the COVID-19 pandemic? Methodology: This review is based on the Arksey and O'Malley framework for scoping reviews. The six-stage framework includes: identifying research questions, identifying relevant studies, study selection, charting the data, summarizing and reporting the results, and a consultation exercise. A scoping review was conducted using five humanistic and social electronic databases - CINAHL with full text, EBSCO, Medline, SocIndex, Web of Science - and additionally hand-searches performed on Google Scholar. The search was limited to studies published from January 2020 to March 2021. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 articles were included. Results: This review shows that the most important strategies are: 1) ICT educational training courses; 2) social dialog; 3) building inclusive workplaces; 4) implementation of successful 'aging in public' policies. Our results are beneficial for individuals, organizations, industries and different societies by showing how concrete strategies can be implemented at multiple levels. Conclusion: The study has found that one of the most effective strategies to reduce the digital divide faced by older adult employees during the COVID-19 crisis and technostress is social dialog between employers and employees, which can be a source of innovative and creative solutions (e.g. partnership programs or tailored support). Social dialog should include active cooperation with older adult workers - asking what they need and want - to enable skills development through training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]