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Purpose: Contacts with foreigners and their somewhat different ways of thinking and behavior (often incomprehensible to the Polish society), reaching back to the roots of the culture of a given country, region or community, are becoming an everyday reality nowadays. These processes also affect the change of standards in the field of intercultural competencies of managerial staff. The aim of this paper is to discuss the development of cultural competencies in managers that are necessary in the management of intercultural organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses the desk research method of analysis. The analysis of available subject literature and data obtained from the websites of six Polish agricultural universities enabled establishment of facts, verification of data and presentation of results. Findings: The considerations presented in the article indicate that the key element of the changes taking place in organizations are intelligent human resources with cultural competencies. International cooperation and foreign contacts are important – whether through participation in common projects, conferences, research or student internships. Joint actions are also required rather than individual actions and the initiatives undertaken are consistent with the concept of the society 5.0. Practical implications: A common space for development, modern technology, creative thinking and joint commitment of the managerial staff and the academic community enable the building of a super-intelligent society and universities fit for the 21st century. Social implications: The advances in technology should always be used with consideration of the needs and the good of people, regardless of cultural differences. The world of people, machines and their surroundings should be interconnected and all these elements should be able to communicate with each other. Originality/value: The article is an original approach to searching for solutions that influence the change of standards in the area of key competencies of managerial staff, including intercultural competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Since the accession of Poland to the European Union, there has been a rapid increase in the implementation of projects supervised and funded by the European Union. Social and educational projects pursuing activation and development of youth enjoyed great popularity, in particular the social project entitled ‘Moje Boisko – Orlik 2012’, conceived for building 2012 modern and multi-functional sports pitches throughout the country by 2012. The project has received great recognition from the society, and the resulting sports facilities have won the affection of the beneficiaries. The purpose of the study is an attempt to assess the utilisation degree of 23 sports facilities designed within the framework of the ‘Moje Boisko – Orlik 2012’ project in the city of Bydgoszcz in the context of evaluation criteria, including adequacy, effectiveness, and efficiency. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a technique of analysis of primary source documents – desk research. As part of this technique, an analysis of the existing data was carried out. The analysis of the quality of accessible information under the separated evaluation categories of websites was carried out to assess the information contained in ‘Orlik’ type facility websites. Findings: The analysis of website accessibility showed that the Orlik facility websites are not adapted for use by people with any type of disability. The functionality analysis of the Orlik facility websites indicates they have few functions or do not have any function at all. In turn, the usability analysis of the facility websites showed that they are easy to browse and intuitive. It turns out that an effective project policy requires not only adaptation to the environment, but also active involvement of the community and flexibility in responding to varying needs and expectations of various social groups. Originality/value: The article focuses on analysing the function, usability and timeliness of the content of the websites of the Orlik pitches in Bydgoszcz, highlighting the need to improve the accessibility of the information. The article encourages measures to improve the quality of information and effective use of sports facilities, using the example of Orlik type pitches, making it useful and practical for pitch managers, the local community and potential users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Contemporary threats are characterized by unpredictability, vehemence and interpermeation, and affect almost all areas of society functioning. The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2a virus, resulted in crisis threats associated with possible loss of life, health or material possessions, destabilization of economic development, or loss of conditions for free existence. The lack of clear guidelines on how to deal with such a situation has revealed the inadequacies of the crisis management systems, which are - by design - aimed at efficient prevention of such situations as well as safety assurance and development of conditions for further advancement, i.e., containment of threat escalation, to the extent possible. The historical review of various events, analysis of the examined organizations’ practices as well as overview of the legislation have led the Authors to address the issue of personal data protection throughout the ongoing pandemic. The article is thereby aimed at cataloging the risks and development of guidelines for operation during the COVID-19 pandemic, with respect to personal data protection. Design/methodology/approach: For the purpose of the article, multiple case studies were conducted in various organizations, where one of the article co-authors acted as a professional Data Protection Officer. The research was carried out in 20 entities of different business profiles. Findings: The main problems identified involved: body temperature measurement consents, virus test result or immunization data sharing, introduction of COVID-19 questionnaires and visiting regulations, employers’ epidemiological proceedings conduct, and remote work models. Practical implications: The study resulted in the formulation of recommendations, regarding the steps to be taken by organizations in order to establish a catalog of risks via the following: identification of the actual risks, conduction of a risk assessment, development of a catalog of appropriate undertakings and procedures, preparation and maintenance of forces and resources, as well as definition of the principles for interaction of the actors involved. Further, a recommendation for implementation of a schedule of operation, based on the crisis management guidelines, has been formulated. Consequently, the basis for effective organizational operation involves ongoing verification of the procedures against the Chief Sanitary Inspector’s and the Ministry of Health’s guidelines, as well as observation and ongoing update of the trends in the crisis management changes. Originality/value: By identifying a catalogue of risks and formulating guidelines for action during a COVID-19 pandemic in relation to data protection, this article can contribute to the discussion on appropriate practices and strategies in this area. Simultaneously, it provides a valuable perspective on the adaptation of organizations to the dynamic changes in crisis management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the prospects of using distance teaching for various forms of education as perceived by teachers. The study also sought to provide feedback on how remote instruction was provided and to identify methods and forms of instructional work preferred by teachers during the period under study. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve this purpose, a quantitative method has been employed, based on a survey conducted electronically using Google tools. The survey respondents were 9,070 teachers employed in the Kuyavia-Pomerania region of Poland, who represented nearly 30% of the total teacher study population in the area. Findings: The results of the study indicate that more than 50% of the teachers recognise the significance of the potential of distance teaching, although only a small group of the teachers (less than 10%) consider it feasible to completely replace conventional classes with remote classes. The preferred methods and forms of remote instructional work are multimedia presentations (over 50%) and playback of classes in video format (33%). The overwhelming majority of the teachers (60-70%) emphasise the importance of conducting live classes. In every aspect of the study, about 30% of teachers did not express their opinions, which may suggest their lack of knowledge of distance learning possibilities. Practical implications: Results of the study may be of interest to both researchers and practitioners investigating the evaluation and development of potential applications of distance teaching in various aspects of education. The findings may serve to develop solutions that address actual challenges faced by teachers in the distance learning process more adequately, contributing to the improvement of this educational process. Originality/value: This study may contribute to the discussion on the role, benefits and challenges of distance teaching in the educational system. Concomitantly, it offers an important contribution to the debate on adjustment of national and regional distance teaching strategies to the specific needs of teachers working in different types of schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the research was to assess and analyse the factors that are the sources of competitive advantage of the company in the TFL industry, which stands for Transport, Forwarding, Logistics. Design/methodology/approach: The article analyses the company's own documents. Opinions in the analysed company were collected using a survey questionnaire. A number of analyses were carried out to create data compositions and decompositions. The subject of the analysis was a local logistics centre providing its distribution, storage and transport services both in the region and the whole country. It specializes in providing integrated logistics solutions and designing the best possible methods of distribution, storage and transport of the region's customers. Findings: According to the study, the analysed centre ensures professional and efficient implementation of logistics processes. It provides services in the field of comprehensive handling of the order execution process, starting from the administration of products to the preparation of transport and subsequent distribution. The conducted research, however, indicated several weak points of the company, which are: high costs related to the exchange of information or untimely execution of orders. According to the authors of the study, in order to gain an advantage on the market, the analysed logistics centre should implement solutions that will eliminate the above-mentioned risk factors and improve them enough to become a source of competitiveness for the company. Originality/value: The article presents the results of the composition of source and survey data concerning a company in the region of the TFL industry. The study attempts to indicate the determinants of the competitive advantage of a logistics company. Due to the analyses used, it is a very interesting overview of factors from the point of view of the functioning of a local logistics company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the study is to present the principles of Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) 1 functioning on the example of the Bydgoszcz and Toruń Functional Area (BTFA)2. An attempt has also been as made to identify the barriers and limitations, including the areas requiring additional support, in the implementation of projects. The study shows that the ITI instrument is effectively implemented under the current financial perspective 2014-2020 and should be maintained in the financial perspective 2021-2027. Design/methodology/approach: The survey was conducted among employees of the Integrated Territorial Investments Office, with a specific purpose of an attempted assessment of whether the ITI instrument has been programmed well at the national level, including evaluation of the ways in which it has been managed and implemented by the Integrated Territorial Investments for the Bydgoszcz and Toruń Functional Area (ITI BTFA)3 partnership. The subject of the study entailed the Integrated Territorial Investments instrument, as a tool for territorial development in Poland. The object of the study was the ITI BTFA partnership, comprising two core cities: the City of Bydgoszcz and the City of Toruń, as well as 23 municipalities in the functional area. Findings: Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) is an important instrument of territorial development, constituting a well-utilized tool of local government cooperation, co-financed by the European Union. The instrument strengthens the impact of jointly implemented projects, through an approach extending beyond the administrative boundaries of a given local government. Integrated Territorial Investments are an important tool allowing implementation of the territorial strategies of the 2014-2020 programming period, primarily in the area of integrated actions for sustainable urban development. Originality/value: The article presents the research results arising from the survey conducted at the organization analyzed. The study indicated that the ITI partnership management system is effective, as it has allowed improvement in the efficiency of the activities undertaken as well as increased trust among the partners involved. The main factors which affected the effectiveness of the projects implemented by the ITI BTFA included: good rapport with the beneficiary, cooperation of the ITI Intermediate Body with the Managing Authority of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Regional Operational Program4, and ongoing monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union was established in 1993 on the grounds of the Communities existing since the 1950s. During the past 60 years, the EU has formed a cohesive whole, constituting a combination of law, institutions and politics. The Member States are connected not only by common institutions, but also by over 20 000 legal acts that have different impact on the lives of 500 million citizens. The legal and institutional system of the Union is also of great importance in terms of the relations with the world, because, as a sum of member states, has been an economic power and an important model of socio-cultural potential. The aim of this study is to analyze the principles and the mechanisms of the EU institutional system currently in function as well as to identify those principles and mechanisms, which arouse the most controversy and constitute the subject of the discussion on the need to carry out the necessary changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equilibrium of the construction market in Poland had been severely shaken at the beginning of the 21st century and only became normalised in recent years. In the article, the authors have attempted to indicate the options allowing producers and distributors of building materials to overtake the competition as well as to answer the research question of whether in this situation companies should consider increasing the customer service effort. The study incorporated the use of the Blue Ocean Strategy, which indicates that competitiveness is not the only success factor and that it is much more important to stand out from the competition. The research carried out has shown that implementation of the Blue Ocean Strategy by construction materials wholesalers is absolutely possible, desirable and advisable in order to avoid entering the area of mere price competition, which may lead the company to the brink of bankruptcy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology. Organization & Management / Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Slaskiej. Seria Organizacji i Zarzadzanie is the property of Silesian Technical University, Organisation & Management Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology. Organization & Management / Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Slaskiej. Seria Organizacji i Zarzadzanie is the property of Silesian Technical University, Organisation & Management Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology. Organization & Management / Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Slaskiej. Seria Organizacji i Zarzadzanie is the property of Silesian Technical University, Organisation & Management Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Innovation plays an important role in shaping the competitive advantage of enterprises. The purpose of innovation is to make a business stand out in a group so that it is noticed and appreciated by the customers. The aim of the research was to assess the transfer of technology, which can be defined as the co-operation between the scientific environment and the industry in the Kujawy-Pomorze region. The research findings were used to answer the fundamental question regarding the scope of cooperation between the industry and the scientific environment. Forty-three entrepreneurs from the Kujawy-Pomorze region took part in the survey. The questions referred to achieving innovation in the companies and their view on co-operation with universities. The entrepreneurs observed that the current lack of co-operation between the private sector and universities can be attributed to little or no initiative of the latter. The scarce number of innovative solution patents purchased from universities and R&D centres supports this claim. Most of the respondents maintain that the existing offer presented by the universities and R&D centres do not meet their requirements. What is more, 80% of those polled claimed that graduates are unprepared to undertake professional duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using modern ICT technologies involves employing e-administration. If properly used, e-administration should guarantee wide access to modern technologies and make electronic services available to the average citizen. The aim of this study was to find out if services provided by local governments can be accessed by citizens by means of the Administration Service Platform (e-PUAP). The point of particular interest was the e-PUAP trusted profile, which is the channel for secure information exchange between citizens and all units of the local government in the Kujawy- Pomorze province. First of all, the researchers checked that e-PUAP is available through the local government website. Next, they began sending e-mails using a secure protocol. The number of new users who registered for the e-PUAP trusted profile was monitored daily. The researchers employed the Occurrence Dynamics Meters including the absolute / relative value growth statistical indexes and the individual / aggregate dynamics indexes. The researchers concluded that the communication between local governments and citizens based on the e-PUAP platform is inefficient. What is more, the citizens possess little knowledge about the Electronic Document Interchange Facility. A detailed study is required, which would highlight the obstacles encountered both by administrative personnel and regular citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In article were presented to the results on the population voivodship. Kujawskopomorskie in terms of residence and age groups and to make an analysis of the potential States-wództwa Kujawsko-pomorskie measured level education in the years 2000-2009. Level of education has been identified by the number pupils and students, the number of higher education graduates number, the number graduates taking their first work and with the level gross salaries in the agreement at all levels of education and training by the Central Statistical Office. In the work was used counters dynamics phenomena: Absolute and relative increments values and dynamics indices: Individual and agregatowe. It is therefore appropriate planning so as to ensure more effective use stock of human capital in the direction changes in the development local. Regional strategies should be directed to full ye-use local resources, including human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the anti-crisis solutions package introduced by the Board of the Kujawy and Pomorze Province as an effective tool in opposing the effects of the economic crisis. The aim of the present research was the analysis of the solutions implemented as part of the anti-crisis package introduced and acquiring knowledge on the anti-crisis package solutions from institutions/entities executing key projects. To do so, research has been made using Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) which covered all the entities found on the list of the Indicative List of Individual Key Projects. It was found that in the opinion of key project promoters the anti- crisis package solutions to mobilise the beneficiaries, including e.g. the Internet rankings of the most and least efficient entities in terms of the execution of projects financed from assistance funds, have not been given a positive evaluation by the key project promoters. The ranking of entities executing projects most and least efficiently proposed in terms of compliance with the schedule can be considered to be an ineffective solution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, when the entire society is in a constantly changing, in economic field there is a growing need for innovation, but also for an entrepreneurship system, an entrepreneurial society in which individuals have to face challenges, to acquire knowledge, to be concerned with preparing their continuous personal and professional development. In these circumstances entrepreneurship tends to become a common practice in the lives of many people, and in this context should be encouraged flexibility, continuous training, and especially the acceptance of change as something natural, as an opportunity for both organizations and for people. Using as a research method the survey and questionnaire as a research instrument in this article authors presents some aspects regarding student's attitude toward entrepreneurship. The questionnaire was applied to students from 2 universities (University of Sciences and Technology from Bydgoszcz, Poland and Banat's University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine "King Michael I of Romania" from Timisoara, Romania). More precise, authors want to emphasize how known is the concept of entrepreneurship, how useful is considered entrepreneurship education, how many students have entrepreneurial experience or intend to start a business in near future and in which field. This study highlights that students are familiar with the concept of entrepreneurship, they consider useful entrepreneurial education, some of them even having entrepreneurial experience and planning to start business in the near future in fields such as agriculture, food industry, tourism, production, even creative areas, health, education. In general, fields in which they intend to start business are those where they specialize during faculty. Also, this study reveals that students from higher years, those who are closer to the moment of graduation, know the concept of entrepreneurship and are more open to entrepreneurship, more interested to start a business, and the main resources they need to start a business are financial resources, business plans, knowledge and specialized persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]