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It is time when it is conceptually necessary to replace the growth of the economy with the growth of well-being. We mean the suppression of poverty, the careful use of natural resources, but also the effective use of human labour and time. The growth of society’s well-being requires the acquisition of skills and the development of the ability to learn and innovate. Increasing literacy, skills, and key competences requires a constant need for education, which naturally leads to lifelong learning. The paper deals with the perception of the use of digital education to accelerate the flow of knowledge within the framework of institutional growth and innovation development in Slovakia. The work evaluates the results of a survey focused on the use of digital education. The outcomes point to the advantages and disadvantages of digital education in the process of building knowledge and monitoring the clusters of information flows in digital education in Slovakia. Digital education is beneficial and necessary for education, but its effectiveness is conditioned by the professional approach of teachers, who would be able to evaluate the benefits of digital education within the flow of information for student education, which is equally conditioned by student activity.

Rural development issues include also those areas of economic politics and public policies which are connected with intermunicipal cooperation. It appears that development programming based on traditional pro-competitive tools and actions is inadequate. This article identifies the chosen aspects of integrated rural development in Poland which refer to the cooperation between local governments aimed at territorial development and, in particular, the development of rural functional areas. An attempt is made to define an intermunicipal cooperation model based on the analysis of rural municipalities’ potential for development. The empirical research was conducted with the application of the Aggregate Indicator of Local Development defined for Polish local government units in the years 2008-2014, evaluated in 2018-2020. Conclusions and recommendations were made on the basis of the current status of knowledge, own research and the principles of descriptive economics.

Energy from renewable sources is globally a very important issue. In order to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, many countries enact laws for enhancing the consumption of renewable energy sources. Sooner or later traditional non-renewable energy sources would have to be replaced with alternative energy sources that are already used in developed countries. According to the European Commission (2018), the EU is already a global leader in the sustainable use of natural resources within an efficient bio-economy. The wood pellet industry is becoming more important and the use of wood pellets is increasing as one of the most important contributors to the renewable energy goals of the EU. Wood pellet is an environmentally acceptable product and its production contributes to desirable rural development and sustainable approach to the management of timber resources. This paper focuses on the market of wood pellets used for heating, pinpointing differences in consumers point of view, and drafting the possibilities of future consumption enhancement. Results revealed a relatively low use of wood pellets in all the three surveyed markets. The highest share of consumers of wood pellets came from the areas with less than 5,000 inhabitants. Such households were mostly over 20 years old. The most important factors to decide to use such source of energy were space (required for the heating system) followed by price of wooden pellets.

In the last decade, the Slovenian furniture industry market has experienced a number of changes, especially with the arrival of new retailers on the market. The situation is such that furniture manufacturers and retailers are still trying to determine the best ways to adjust to new customer demands. A well known thing is that customer satisfaction is the key component for the success of the business. In order for companies to be more successful, it is important to get better insight into customers’ needs and wants. In line with this, the purpose of this study, which compare the surveys conducted in 2010 and 2019, was to observe and analyse changes in the preferences of customers for furniture: materials, attributes, and styles when deciding on new furniture in Slovenia. The results of this research showed that customers’ preferences for furniture materials have changed in the last decade. Similarly, the factors that influence their purchase decisions when buying interior and exterior furniture have changed as well. It was found that wood was widely preferred as a furniture material among the respondents in both years studied.

Higher education institutions have in the digital transformation an opportunity to facilitate access to education for individuals of different social backgrounds. At the same time, it will provide them with the necessary tools and skills to face current global problems (poverty, health quality, income disparities, environmental crises, among others) from a transdisciplinary perspective. Progress in the digitalization of higher education has been significantly accelerated by the onset of a pandemics in early 2020 (in European conditions). Such a rapid and massive transition to distance (online) education with comprehensive support for digital technologies is unparalleled. The survey conducted reflects the consequences of this change. Results shows that digital transformation improves some of the most demanded skills in the new knowledge society (searching and processing information, digital communication and socialization or working with text). Likewise, it has an important role in reducing costs related to education, but also in degradation of abilities in personal communication.

One of the priorities of the EU is the creation of a resilient Energy Union with a forward looking climate policy that is capable of delivering the adopted 2020 and 2030 climate and energy targets and the EU's longer-term climate objectives. To achieve this, the EU has to decarbonize its energy supply, integrate the fragmented national energy markets into a smooth functioning and coherent European system, and set up a framework that allows the effective coordination of national states efforts. The paper deals with situation on the wooden biomass market in the frame of the Slovak Republic, and, marginally in a broader, the Central-European context. Slovakia is developing its renewable energy market based on the significant biomass resources. However, the wood biomass market is highly competitive, influenced by natural disturbances (wood supply), foreign demand, situation on the Central European market, utilisation of established capacities, launching additional resources and pressure on the prices of wood assortments. There are three major sectors consuming wood biomass: the pulp and paper industry, producers of wood-based panels and energy sector. Consumption of the wood biomass among the three competing sectors is analysed in the country range including the comparison of prices of pulpwood and wood chips. The paper also explains wood biomass market distortion and problems with the round wood assortments distribution (among sectors), and failure in respect to the principle of “wood cascading”. This paper is a part of the research study “Analysis of availability of main and alternative resources for pulp and paper industry.”

The article focuses on CSR 2.0 concept (Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility) in context with concept of a circular economy and responsible consumer. The main goal of CSR 2.0 is an improvement of the quality of life for all people in the world. This concept perceives consumers as global citizens. The basic principles of CSR 2.0 are Creativity (C), Scalability (S), Responsiveness (R), Glocality (2) and Circularity (0). The companies which implement CSR 2.0 can bring innovative solutions to most pressing social, environmental and ethical problems and challenges in the world. Responsible and conscious consumers can engage in the process of implementing CSR 2.0 by their willingness to collaborate and participate in the marketplace and corporate world. The aim of this paper is to look at the consumer from the “Glocality and Circularity perspective” according to the basic principles of CSR 2.0 in the condition of the Slovak Republic. To fulfil this aim, we conducted a survey of 1061 Slovak inhabitants. The results show the profile of our respondents according to their local actions (environmental actions, buying ethical products etc.) and their profile/activities regarding their participation on circularity (e.g. recycling, re-using, sharing etc.).

Energy from renewable sources is globally a very important issue. In order to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, many countries enact laws for enhancing the consumption of renewable energy sources. Sooner or later traditional non-renewable energy sources would have to be replaced with alternative energy sources that are already used in developed countries. According to the European Commission (2018), the EU is already a global leader in the sustainable use of natural resources within an efficient bio-economy. The wood pellet industry is becoming more important and the use of wood pellets is increasing as one of the most important contributors to the renewable energy goals of the EU. Wood pellet is an environmentally acceptable product and its production contributes to desirable rural development and sustainable approach to the management of timber resources. This paper focuses on the market of wood pellets used for heating, pinpointing differences in consumers point of view, and drafting the possibilities of future consumption enhancement. Results revealed a relatively low use of wood pellets in all the three surveyed markets. The highest share of consumers of wood pellets came from the areas with less than 5,000 inhabitants. Such households were mostly over 20 years old. The most important factors to decide to use such source of energy were space (required for the heating system) followed by price of wooden pellets., Energija iz obnovljivih izvora globalno je vrlo važno pitanje. Radi smanjenja onečišćenja i emisiji stakleničkih plinova, države promiču zakone o poticanju potrošnje obnovljivih izvora energije. Prije ili kasnije tradicionalne neobnovljive izvore energije bit će potrebno zamijeniti alternativnima, koji se već koriste u razvijenim zemljama. Prema Europskoj komisiji, Europska unija (EU) lider je u održivom iskorištavanju prirodnih resursa u sklopu učinkovite bioekonomije. U tom kontekstu industrija drvnih peleta, kao i njihova upotreba, iz dana u dan postaju sve nezaobilazniji. U dijelu koji se odnosi na obnovljive izvore energije drvni su peleti jedan od važnijih elemenata koji pridonose ciljevima EU-a. Riječ je o ekološki prihvatljivom proizvodu, a njegova proizvodnja znatno pridonosi ruralnom razvoju i održivom pristupu gospodarenju prirodnim resursima. Ovim se radom želi potaknuti promišljanje kako proizvođača, tako i potrošača drvnih peleta o izrazitom tržišnom potencijalu drvnog peleta za grijanje u hrvatskim, slovenskim i slovačkim kućanstvima. Nadalje, u radu su prikazane razlike u demografskim profilima ispitanika, njihovo znanje o drvenim peletima općenito te o mogućnostima budućeg poticanja potrošnje drvnih peleta u Hrvatskoj, Sloveniji i Slovačkoj. Rezultati su pokazali da je uporaba peleta na sva tri istraživana tržišta relativno niska. Najveći udio potrošnje peleta zabilježen je među potrošačima iz manjih područja (do 5000 stanovnika), a većina stambenih objekata ispitanika stariji su od 20 godina. Najvažniji razlozi zbog kojih se potrošači odlučuju na upotrebu peleta kao izvora grijanja jest prostor potreban za instalaciju opreme za grijanje na pelete te cijena peleta.

In the last decade, the Slovenian furniture industry market has experienced a number of changes, especially with the arrival of new retailers on the market. The situation is such that furniture manufacturers and retailers are still trying to determine the best ways to adjust to new customer demands. A well known thing is that customer satisfaction is the key component for the success of the business. In order for companies to be more successful, it is important to get better insight into customers’ needs and wants. In line with this, the purpose of this study, which compare the surveys conducted in 2010 and 2019, was to observe and analyse changes in the preferences of customers for furniture: materials, attributes, and styles when deciding on new furniture in Slovenia. The results of this research showed that customers’ preferences for furniture materials have changed in the last decade. Similarly, the factors that influence their purchase decisions when buying interior and exterior furniture have changed as well. It was found that wood was widely preferred as a furniture material among the respondents in both years studied., U posljednjem desetljeću slovensko je tržište namještaja doživjelo mnoge promjene, posebice ulaskom stranih trgovaca. Stoga proizvođači namještaja i trgovci i dalje pokušavaju odrediti najbolje načine prilagodbe novim zahtjevima kupaca. Općenito je poznato da je zadovoljstvo kupaca ključna komponenta za uspjeh poslovanja. Kako bi tvrtke bile uspješne, važno je imati što bolji uvid u potrebe i želje kupaca. U skladu s tim, cilj ovog istraživanja, koje uspoređuju ankete provedene 2010. i 2019., bila je usporedba i analiza promjena sklonosti kupaca pri odabiru i kupnji namještaja, i to u smislu materijala, svojstava i stila. Rezultati provedenog istraživanja pokazali su da su se sklonosti ispitanika u odabiru materijala namještaja u posljednjem desetljeću promijenile. Osim toga, promijenili su se i činitelji koji utječu na njihove odluke pri kupnji namještaja za vanjsku ili unutarnju upotrebu. Ispitivanja su pokazala da je drvo 2010. bio vrlo poželjan materijal za izradu namještaj, a to je i danas.

This chapter introduces economic approaches, studies and contributions to the global discussion on the relationship between economics and the environment. These relations are continuously influenced by the activity of individuals and communities. The social dimension is evident, and mutual interactions between society and environment are investigated in many fields of science. Human decisions and behaviours have consequences for the environment which change in time, and its resulting state impacts subsequent human attitudes and behaviour. Widely applied principles of mainstream economics face criticism from different platforms. This chapter also focuses on the argumentation of mainstream economics that are contrary to the more interdisciplinary economic approaches to environmental issues. The main contradictions in such a debate come from a different value system of individuals. Through diverse stakeholder groups, the economic dimension of Environmental Citizenship stretches from a local to a global level. The transformation of economic systems requires an interdisciplinary approach to overcome political and social barriers.

Research background: Sharing (or collaborative) economy brought a bulk of possibilities to spread the business internationally not only for private sector, but also for every citizen who own any assets demanded on the market. With a vital support of web platforms even individuals can utilise shared goods and services either as a supplier or as buyer. Purpose of the article: The study aims at the assessment of public attitudes towards the phenomenon of sharing economy. More detailed, the willingness to utilise shared services and goods as well as the willingness to offer them are investigated. Methods: The questionnaire survey was conducted to reveal the public attitudes towards selected aspects of sharing economy. Dominantly, the Likert-type scale is used to express respondents’ attitudes, but also the method of semantic differential was utilised. It is used as the 7-points rating scale designed to measure the connotative meaning of the sharing economy concept. The questionnaire was distributed among public using purposive sampling via web platforms. The frequency and contingency analyses with support of the relevant statistics are used to process the data. Findings & Value added: The survey reached mostly young people which is positively perceived as lot of “web-skilled” individuals could be expected among such a sample. Internet literacy is a pre-cursor for sharing economy possibilities utilisation. Surprisingly, higher share respondents do not expressed interest to offer services via sharing economy platforms. Overall, no more than 30% of the sample utilise shared services. Here, men seem to be more embraced to be involved.

In this study, barriers to internationalization for wood processing and wood trading firms in Slovakia are identified. Specifically, the perceptions of 62 Slovak firms were examined regarding entry into European Union markets. In addition to competitive issues, the influence of previous experience with international business and firm size on perceptions of barriers to enter foreign markets was examined. Results suggest that foreign competition is considered to be the most significant barrier due to a low level of innovation from domestic companies. In addition, the need to invest in promotional activities and limited access to capital are also significant barriers to entry into EU markets. Firm size was not found to be correlated with market barriers and no significant differences in perception of barriers was found between firm owners and managers.

During the last decade, the Slovak and Croatian furniture industry markets have experienced changes that have made these markets more interesting for domestic and foreign investors. Furniture manufacturers and retailers are still trying to determine the best ways to adjust to customer demands, and understanding the furniture preferences of customers would provide beneficial information to the furniture industry. The purpose of this study, which was conducted in 2016, was to improve the knowledge regarding differences in the preferences of customers for furniture materials, attributes, and styles when purchasing furniture in Slovakia and Croatia. The findings showed that Slovak and Croatian respondents differ in their preferences for furniture materials, as well as the factors that influence their purchasing decisions when buying interior and exterior furniture. Overall, it was found that wood as the furniture material, compared with the surveyed substitutes, was widely preferred among the Croatian and Slovak respondents.

Communication is one of the basic things for building up human relations. People often spread their opinions and information about products and services. This article focuses on the analysis of marketing communication and WOM in Slovak republic. Word of mouth is an informal communication between customers, which consist of information about products and services. Nowadays in Slovakia this topic is very frequent but still not very investigated. The main object of the survey is to find the reasons for which people are willing to communicate about their products and services. The authors also examine the impact of word of mouth communication on consumers purchasing decision. Collected data were analyzed by using the basic statistic tools. The objects of the research are respondents from generation Y. Collected data are based on questionnaire survey. The aim of this study is to determine the main reason for spreading up the word of mouth about products and services. The results of the survey show differences in communication of generation Y in Slovak republic in comparison with standards and paradigms of marketing communication.

This paper describes the analysis of raw wood flows in Slovakia. Material flow analysis was used to reveal and quantify relations between the resources and the primary uses of wood. In particular, two approaches to wood flow modelling were utilised - wood balance and wood resource balance. Wood balance was introduced to illustrate a global view of the resources and primary uses of roundwood in Slovakia without analysing internal flows or individual roundwood assortments, respectively. The wood resource balance, as a more detailed analysis, takes into account the uses of wood as a material and also the by-products and waste generated by the production that could be used as inputs for further uses in wood processing or energy sectors. The latter balance was compiled using available official statistics supplemented by a questionnaire to estimate missing data for waste streams. With a total consumption of 11.964 mil. m3 roundwood equivalents, the value of the overall cascade factor was 1.11. Over 84% of all resources were used for industrial purposes, and nearly 16% were used for energy generation.