Search Results (23)

This study examines the cultural and social dynamics influencing the low-carbon energy transition in Poland and Germany, highlighting the pivotal role of social norms and environmental identity in shaping public engagement with sustainable energy policies. The research employs a comparative qualitative analysis to understand how cultural underpinnings affect the adoption of sustainable behaviors and policy acceptance in distinct national contexts. Results indicate a profound disparity in environmental identity and social norms between the two countries, with Germany exhibiting a more integrated ecological consciousness and robust social norms that facilitate the adoption of sustainable practices. Conversely, Poland shows emergent behavioral changes influenced primarily by European Union policies and less entrenched ecological norms. The study concludes that effective energy transition strategies require not only technological and policy innovation but also cultural and social adaptability to ensure wide acceptance and implementation. Emphasizing the need for culturally informed policies, the findings suggest that aligning energy transition initiatives with prevailing social norms and identities significantly enhances their efficacy and public support. Full article

Wind energy has emerged as a strategic pillar in the global energy transition, offering both environmental and economic benefits. This comprehensive review explores the development of wind energy with a focus on the regulatory, socio-economic, and technological challenges that shape its deployment in Europe, particularly in Poland. The study highlights disparities between countries in terms of both total and per capita installed capacity, emphasizing the importance of equitable access to renewable energy. Denmark and Germany outperform larger economies like China and India in per capita terms, indicating the significance of effective policy frameworks and public engagement. The article presents detailed case studies of successful wind farm projects across the EU alongside economic evaluations including cost structures, return on investment, and local development impacts. Additionally, the role of innovation—such as floating offshore wind farms and AI-based energy management—is discussed in the context of improving efficiency and overcoming infrastructure and environmental barriers. The analysis is supported by quantitative comparisons, graphical representations, and policy reviews, culminating in practical recommendations for future growth. Wind energy’s expansion depends on integrated strategies that combine policy reform, technological advancement, economic viability, and community participation. Full article

Software energy efficiency management is still a serious challenge and provides an opportunity to introduce improvements that will reduce the resources needed for the successful functioning of the Information Technology (IT) world. After all, in the modern era of information society, computers are a basic work tool. This article presents the current state of application of good practices and methods for reducing energy consumption by software. The aim of the article is to indicate the need to optimize computer devices’ use of electricity in accordance with the concept of sustainable development and to analyze methods for reducing energy consumption. The article discusses the most popular techniques for reducing energy consumption by software, which is of fundamental importance for this type of organization and translates into the costs of services provided, and indirectly affects the future of the world economy. The aim of scientific research carried out in this way is to support decision-makers in the search for energy-saving solutions. Full article

The article presents a comprehensive study of the energy strategies of both countries, aimed at achieving their goals by 2050. A literature review presents global trends in energy policy, the current situation in Poland and Germany, and the importance of sustainable energy. For Poland and Germany, the current situation, goals, and strategies for 2050 are described, and the results of surveys carried out using a survey questionnaire are presented. A comparative analysis included a comparison of the goals and strategies of both countries and the results of surveys, presented in tabular form. This analysis drew conclusions regarding the differences and similarities in the approach of both countries to energy policy. The “Challenges and Prospects” section identifies potential challenges and presents opportunities and recommendations for the future. In conclusion, the article provides a thorough analysis, based on the methodology of a literature review, survey questionnaire, and tabular analysis, and contains important conclusions and implications for energy policy in Poland and Germany. The article also addresses the limitations of the study that may affect the interpretation of the results. Full article

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the occurrence of innovative solutions in accordance with CSR in various companies. It turns out that 71% of medium-sized enterprises (50–249 people) and 64% of smaller companies (10–49 people and up to 9 people) declare the introduction of innovative solutions in CSR strategies, which proves that innovations are not limited to large companies. A responsible approach to business can affect competitiveness and positive public perception. The implementation of a CSR strategy increases profits, improves image, increases customer loyalty, attracts media attention, and opens up new markets. The hindering factor is the additional cost of implementing CSR activities, insufficient knowledge and awareness of CSR, and unclear regulations and market conditions, as well as the need to adapt the organizational structure and culture. CSR strategies are important for the success of enterprises and society, and solving potential problems allows for effective introduction of responsible practices. In order to obtain the presented data, two research methods were used: an analysis of the international literature sources and a survey by manufacturing firms in the Silesian Voivodeship. Full article

This article shows the evaluation of the Integrated Real-time Energy Management Framework (IREMF), a cutting-edge system designed to develop energy management practices. The framework leverages real-time data collection, advanced visualization techniques, and fuzzy logic to optimize energy consumption patterns. To assess the performance and importance of each layer and main factor within IREMF, we employ a multi-step methodology. First, the Fuzzy Delphi Method is utilized to harness expert insights and collective intelligence, providing a holistic understanding of the framework’s functionality. Researchers used a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the relative importance of each component of the energy system (first stage). This careful evaluation process helps ensure that resources are allocated effectively and that strategic decisions are made based on sound data. The findings of the study not only improve our understanding of the capabilities of the IREMF platform but also pave the way for future developments in energy system management. The study highlights the critical role of real-time data, visualization, fuzzy logic, and advanced decision-making methods in shaping a sustainable energy future. Full article

Here, the role of business managers in Poland and Germany in creating responsible business was analyzed. The authors examined CSR strategies, challenges in balancing interests and integrating CSR principles with business practices. They emphasize the importance of education and the active involvement of managers in CSR strategies for the company’s long-term benefits. The article uses three key research methods. The first is a review of the Polish and foreign literature, allowing for an understanding of the global context of CSR. The second method is the analysis of CSR reports from Poland and Germany, giving insight into practices and standards in these countries. The third method is research based on a questionnaire survey conducted in Poland and Germany, enabling a direct understanding of the attitudes and practices of managers. Polish companies lean towards sustainable purchasing and training more than their German counterparts, pointing to a nuanced approach to CSR in Poland. Meanwhile, German firms appear more invested in community and environmental programs, highlighting their particular emphasis on certain social and environmental dimensions of business. There is a clear commitment to CSR in both countries, but the varied nature of the initiatives suggests differing cultural or regulatory influences. Enhancing CSR awareness, particularly around sustainability education and emission reductions, emerges as a priority for both nations. The data indicate that managers are crucial in steering CSR practices, with their active involvement often leading to positive outcomes. The study provides an analysis of current CSR landscapes in Poland and Germany. Full article

This study presents theoretical and practical contributions to the environmental dimension of enterprises’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sustainable development. Interest in the environment is related to CSR through environmental cost optimization and energy-efficiency management. The practical stage of the research, obtained using the computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) method, allowed for presenting case studies of the best practices used by international enterprises operating in Poland. This study describes the practical tools and advice companies can use to improve efficiency and environmental responsibility. The article is an in-depth study of the growing role of enterprises in shaping sustainable and socially responsible businesses and aims to assess the extent to which these companies prioritize energy efficiency as a part of their CSR initiatives. The authors highlight the role of energy efficiency in achieving broader corporate environmental responsibility. This research aims to encourage businesses to adopt responsible environmental strategies for a greener and more sustainable future. The implementation of this goal helped develop and indicate conclusions regarding the development of environmental tools related to corporate responsibility in sustainable development, encouraging scientific debates and promoting responsible monitoring of the implementation of this concept. Full article

This scientific paper highlights the critical significance of energy in driving sustainable development and explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in shaping the future of energy systems. As the world faces mounting challenges in meeting growing energy demands while minimizing environmental impact, there is a pressing need for innovative solutions that can optimize energy generation, distribution, and consumption. AI tools, with their ability to analyse vast amounts of data and make intelligent decisions, have emerged as a promising avenue for advancing energy systems towards greater efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. This paper underscores the importance of energy in sustainable development and investigates how AI tools can catalyse the next phase of human civilization. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the Collaborative Energy Optimization Platform (CEOP), an innovative model that utilizes AI algorithms in an integrated manner. The review of the CEOP model is based on an in-depth analysis of existing literature, research papers, and industry reports. The methodology encompasses a systematic review of the model’s key features, including collaboration, data-sharing, and AI algorithm integration. The conducted research demonstrates the effectiveness of applying MCDM methods, specifically fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS, in evaluating and ranking the performance of five Collaborative Energy Optimization Platforms (CEOP models) across 20 sub-criteria. The findings emphasize the need for a comprehensive and holistic approach in assessing AI-based energy optimization systems. The research provides valuable insights for decision-makers and researchers in the field, fostering the development and implementation of more efficient and sustainable AI-powered energy systems. Full article

Startup accelerators are a highly useful part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. They are responsible for supporting young innovative enterprises with innovative ideas at the early stages of their development. Problems related to building a business model, raising funds for business development, or determining the directions of development of the products and services offered are often just the tip of the iceberg, which can be a serious obstacle preventing survival on the market and achieving commercial success. Accelerators are entities supporting innovation, which, using the tools and programs they have, can significantly facilitate issues related to running a business by immature start-ups and significantly contribute to overcoming the challenges that constantly appear before them. Due to the importance of innovation in the global economy and its obvious connection with start-ups, scientists in the last decade have clearly marked their interest in the subject of start-up accelerators. The purpose of this research work is to present the current state of knowledge in the area of accelerators and to systematize it. For this purpose, a literature review describing issues related to start-up accelerators was reviewed and a bibliometric analysis was carried out. As a result of the research, the topics in the area of accelerators that were most often taken up by scientists and the details on which previous publications focused were shown. The authors hope that the presented study will be valuable material for theoreticians conducting future research on start-up accelerators, and will also be a useful support for practitioners from such entities as start-ups, accelerators, corporations, and government agencies. Full article

Managing software development processes is still a serious challenge and offers the possibility of introducing improvements that will reduce the resources needed to successfully complete projects. The article presents the original concept of classification of types of project tasks, which will allow for more beneficial use of the collected data in management support systems in the IT industry. The currently used agile management methods—described in the article—and the fact that changes during the course of projects are inevitable, were the inspiration for creating sets of tasks that occur in software development. Thanks to statistics for generating tasks and aggregating results in an iterative and incremental way, the analysis is more accurate and allows planning the further course of work in the project, selecting the optimal number of employees in task teams, and identifying bottlenecks that may decide on faster completion of the project with success. The use of data from actual software projects in the IT industry made it possible to classify the types of tasks and the necessary values for further work planning, depending on the nature of the planned software development project. Full article

The catering market in Poland, especially in such areas as the Old Town in Gdańsk, is constantly developing, and in recent years there has been a great development in gastronomic offerings; therefore, the potential in this sector is significant. The gastronomic services market in Gdańsk is subject to segmentation due to the diversity of consumer needs and the location of the outlets. New points are constantly appearing on the gastronomic map of this historical part of Tri-City, where every tourist, regardless of the adopted form of tourism, can satisfy his or her needs without any problems. The authors aimed to analyse the impact of catering services on the tourism industry. In particular, the study is an attempt to identify the functioning of the contemporary culinary market and the conditions for the development of catering services and to describe the forms of enterprises providing this service. The variety of aspects of the research subject matter, oscillating around the main objective, made it necessary to formulate the following research hypotheses: first hypothesis (H1)—catering services influence the management of the tourism industry; second hypothesis (H2)—the tourist is the main determinant shaping demand; third hypothesis (H3)—the tourist contributes to benefits in the sphere of supply. The research tool was two structured, short survey questionnaires used to verify the hypothesis. The survey was conducted during the summer of 2018. The survey involved 20 restaurateurs from the Old Town in Gdańsk and 438 random tourists over 15 years old. The survey of tourists can be characterised as randomised focus groups. The questionnaire addressed to owners of catering establishments was a representative survey. The implication of research carried out among representatives of the tourism segment is the development of a foodservice market based on a marketing strategy that takes into account the specific needs of consumers and the constant monitoring of market behaviour in order to keep up with the changes that occur in it. Full article

Establishing conditions that meet climate requirements should be one of the most important goals of the whole world in order to protect against the negative effects of climate change. Without cooperation and considerable commitment from everyone, it is possible that these negative effects will worsen. The implementation of the Energy Policy from now until 2050 should facilitate the transformation of the coal-based power system toward a more sustainable and diversified mix of energy sources. Financial investments in the countries analyzed in this paper create real opportunities and changes for the transition toward renewable energy sources (RES), but there is criticism concerning the insufficient speed of change and the costs of the transformation for society. The dominant emphasis on the optimum selection of energy sources creates conflicts, especially in democratic decision-making. Resource management is both incremental and participatory, and while decisions are strongly based on science, the decision-making process is rarely rational or comprehensive. It is difficult to estimate environmental costs, especially because there is no method for comparing the many criteria between the different energy sources since there are differences in the energy efficiency results obtained in different areas. Public opinion is of great importance and it has a huge influence on the development of the development strategies and policies that are undertaken. Therefore, as part of our analysis, we conducted research using a questionnaire to obtain opinions on fundamental issues regarding the climate and energy strategies that have been adopted in the EU. This was important for achieving the main goal of this article, which is a multidimensional analysis of activities aimed at adapting the national economy to the EU strategies that are responsible for reaching the energy and climate goals by 2050. The low-emission energy transformation is aimed at introducing significant changes for the entire economy while at the same time ensuring the implementation of the so-called European triad of goals (energy security, energy competitiveness and climate protection), which often contradict each other in practice. Full article

Contemporary economic entities function in various types of cooperation systems, which are primarily aimed at creating a competitive advantage and strengthening themselves in order to meet the requirements of competitors. One solution that can make a significant difference to one’s market advantage is outsourcing. It is a response of enterprises to the constantly changing conditions of functioning in a turbulent environment and the emerging new directions and concepts in management. It should be stressed that the choice of outsourcing as a strategy means not only to outsource selected work to external entities, but first of all to retain those competencies of the company that cannot be replaced by anyone. This means that a company must retain a certain sphere of the so-called key areas of activity, which in a positive way distinguish it from the competition and allow it to build an effective market advantage. The main objective of the article is to identify the areas of operation that are the most common subject of outsourcing and the determinants that affect the choice of an outsourcing operator in manufacturing companies in Poland. The variety of aspects of the research subject matter, oscillating around the main objective, has made it necessary to formulate the following research hypotheses: Research Hypothesis H1—The basic criteria determining the selection of an outsourcing operator are: price, quality of services provided and reputation; Research Hypothesis H2—The most common subject of outsourcing is finance and security. The survey was conducted in 2020, in the pre-pandemic period, on a sample of N = 120, including owners/managers of manufacturing enterprises. A non-random sample selection was used. The questionnaires were sent to 200 companies, however, only 126 were completed, of which 6 were not completed in full and were therefore rejected. The verification of the hypothesis was carried out using the chi-square test. Full article

This article presents the historical progression of changes and arguments indicating the need to move from fossil energy sources to the green economy in the European Union (EU) countries. It shows trends in the EU’s climate and energy policy compared to the rest of the world. At the same time, it points to the elements of the necessary compromise between the climate requirements and the energy security of countries and their economies. The aim of the article is to present the main quantitative challenges for the development of the green economy in the EU, which are analyzed from the perspective of the year 2030. For this year, specific values have been established to be achieved by European countries in several fundamental areas. On the other hand, the strategic goals and further development perspective are included until 2050. This undoubtedly indicates the complexity of the issue, which is intensified as a result of the various economic and political strategies of many European Union members. At the same time, as part of the analysis carried out, efforts are made to develop concepts and practical recommendations for the development of a green European economy. Full article