Nierówności społeczne a wzrost gospodarczy z. 75(3)/2023
URI dla tej Kolekcjihttps://repozytorium.ur.edu.pl/handle/item/10336
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Pozycja Changes in Ukraine’s foreign trade as a reflection of its progress in integration with the European Union(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Wziątek-Kubiak, Anna; Adamiv, MartaThe study aims to assess changes in the ability of Ukrainian goods to compete in the EU market. It reflects Ukraine’s progress towards EU integration in the run-up to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Using foreign trade measures, including international specialisation, we show the specifics of Ukraine’s integration into the EU. By estimating the level and changes in the market shares of Ukraine’s commodity groups in the EU market, we show its progress in penetrating this market compared to non-EU countries. On the one hand, the geographical structure of Ukraine’s foreign trade changed radically between 2010 and 2021. On the other hand, more minor changes in the commodity structure of exports and Ukraine’s international specialisation were accompanied by an increased market share of Ukraine’s exports in the EU market. It reflected an improvement in the ability of Ukrainian goods to compete, thus fulfilling one of Ukraine’s accession criteria. Calculated on the basis of market shares, the increase in the ability of Ukrainian goods to compete is confirmed by estimates of export competitiveness indicators: the Balassa index of revealed comparative advantages and the Lafay index. Levels and changes in the three indicators varied between commodity groups. The increase in the market shares of three commodity groups (raw materials, so-called “other manufactured goods” (medium and low technology) and food products) was accompanied by significant and increasing levels of export competitiveness indicators. The decline in the market shares of other commodity groups was accompanied by low and declining levels of export specialisation indicators. Thus, Ukraine’s integration into the EU has so far been based on the expansion of competitive and competitive-enhancing goods, in the production of which Ukraine specialises.Pozycja The place of culture in sustainable development of European countries – homogeneity or diversity of the phenomenon?(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Krzyminiewska, Grażyna; Pondel, HannaThe aim of this paper is to evaluate the level of sustainable development in selected European countries – taking into account its economic, social, environmental and cultural dimensions, as well as the level of diversification of the phenomenon in the entities under analysis. The analysis assumes that culture has a positive impact on sustainable development measures. The selection of countries was based on indicators of their ethnic and cultural diversity. The time range of the analysis is 2012 and 2019, and the data source was the Eurostat database. A taxonomic method (linear ordering method) was used in the analysis of the research problem. The achievement of the aim was determined by limitations in the selection of indicators and the availability and validity of data in European statistics. Based on research to date, it can be concluded that, in the cultural aspect, the same number of countries presented a very high and high level of sustainable development (5) as those presenting a low and very low level (5). The cultural aspect has substantially greater meaning for the sustainability development of the countries characterised by high cultural diversity. Taking this aspect into account while conducting analyses makes it possible use the most valuable, endogenous characteristics of a given population for forging an effective relationship with the other elements of sustainable development.Pozycja Prosumerism of companies – opportunities and challenges in the consumers’ opinion(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Szul, ElżbietaProsumerism refers to the practices and activities of companies aimed at including and involving consumers in the co-creation of value and market offerings. The involvement of consumers takes various forms, from encouraging consumers to share their opinions and knowledge, modify the market offering, adapt it to their needs, and participate in its creation. Companies, through such activities, respond to the expectations of consumers who are active and do not want to be just passive recipients of the market offering. The paper addresses the issue of prosumptionism of companies in the consumers’ evaluation. It presents the research results on the prosumptionism of companies – the benefits, opportunities and threats related to it, as well as consumers’ expectations regarding the activities of companies. Although prosumption and prosumerism have become more common and consumers are increasingly prosumers (even though they are often unaware of it), in addition to the perceived opportunities and benefits, problems or threats to companies are also apparent.Pozycja Positive work environment in public administration(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Piotrowska, MariaBased on the knowledge on motivation in software development teams, who have used agile methods for several years, this research determines the relationships between motivators, individuals’ characteristics, personality traits and job outcomes in two age groups of public servants in Poland. This study aims to identify motivators that significantly contribute to creating a positive work environment in which public servants feel satisfied with their work and feel connected to their organisation. The Motivators, Outcomes, Characteristics and Context (MOCC) model, developed by Sharp et al. (2009) to investigate motivation in software engineering, is used to understand the complex topic of motivation in public administration. The analysis of the relationships between the motivators and job outcomes, taking into account achievement-orientation and innovativeness, as well as personality traits, is based on mediation models. The source of the data for the model estimations is a questionnaire survey carried out among public administration employees aged 25–45 with higher education. The findings show that public servants respond best to three motivators, namely development opportunities, respect and teamwork. Younger public servants need a clear development path, while older public servants want respect from their superiors. Achievement-orientation in younger public servants and innovativeness in older employees, combined with openness and agreeableness, translate into better job outcomes provided that the employees are satisfied with the teamwork.Pozycja Patients’ perceptions of ambulatory healthcare work organisation and communication in healthcare entities(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Hampel, Katarzyna; Ucieklak-Jeż, PaulinaThe aim of the presented research was to analyse the relationship between assessments regarding the perception of elements of organisation and communication of a healthcare entity and the age of patients. The work focused on non-medical benefits for the patient, which may influence their satisfaction and the choices they make. The main rationale justifying the need to conduct research was the desire to verify patients’ perceptions, which was expressed as the degree of satisfaction with the clinic’s services. Two aspects were examined: work organisation and communication between the clinic and the patient. The research was conducted in medical facilities in the city of Częstochowa among patients currently using ambulatory medical care. The test groups were divided depending on the age of the respondents. In order to obtain data, an original survey questionnaire was used. The following research hypotheses were formulated: (H1) age of respondents influences perceptions of elements of the clinic’s work organisation; (H2) age of respondents influences perceptions of elements of the clinic’s communication with patients; (H3) satisfaction with the healthcare entity’s services (in terms of organisation and communication) increases with patient age. The basis for formulating the hypotheses was a review of research on social inequalities, inequalities in access to healthcare and patient satisfaction studies. In order to verify the hypotheses, statistical methods were used: the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Calculations were made using the Statistica software. The obtained results confirmed the validity of all hypotheses. The Mann-Whitney test confirmed that the age of respondents significantly affects the assessment of work organisation and communication between the clinic and the patient (H1 and H2). Furthermore, the obtained Spearman correlation values confirmed that patient satisfaction with the clinic’s services increases with the patient’s age (H3).Pozycja Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IT competencies of students(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Kocot, Maria; Kwasek, ArturIn the current COVID-19 pandemic era, computer skills have become essential for students and academic staff who participate in remote learning or work on online projects, research, and analysis. Due to the need to shift many activities and projects to the virtual world, having computer skills has become critical for effective functioning in the current situation. The aim of the article was to investigate the level of computer competencies of students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hypothesis was that most respondents have basic computer skills, but they may have varying levels of proficiency in specific computer competencies, such as the use of new software. To achieve this goal, the authors presented empirical research results conducted in February 2021. The study sample included 649 respondents. The research show that the majority of the respondents declared possessing computer competencies such as the use of computers, smartphones/phones, technical internet support, and mobile devices and applications. However, there were some individuals who faced difficulties in operating new software. Therefore, it was recommended to focus on developing computer competencies in the area of new software use through training or courses that will assist those who have difficulty in this area. It is also important to continue monitoring progress and the effectiveness of such actions. This will increase the level of computer competencies in the whole group of respondents, which may contribute to improving work efficiency and increasing job market opportunities. The conducted Pearson correlation allowed us to draw the following conclusions: there are strong positive correlations between all pairs of IT skills, which suggests a mutual relationship.Pozycja The efficiency of scientific activities and technology transfer in higher education in Poland(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Łącka, Irena; Brzezicki, ŁukaszThe objective of the article is to measure and evaluate the efficiency of scientific activity and technology transfer to the economy by public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Poland and to formulate recommendations for state policy to increase the effectiveness of the technology transfer process by them. The study measured scientific activity and technology transfer separately in two groups of higher education institutions (i.e., universities and technical universities). Two non-radial models, SBM and BP-SBM, which belong to the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method, were used for the study. All examined higher education institutions are more efficient in basic research than in transferring technology to the economy. However, technical universities are more efficient in technology transfer and universities in basic research. In most cases, technical universities are more accomplished in scientific activity than universities in technology transfer. Research shows that universities have been almost entirely focused on basic research, and technical universities have engaged in basic research and technology transfer to the economy in various ways. The research results confirmed the existence of very weak links between science and business in terms of knowledge and technology transfer to the economy. This is due to many factors. The authors presented recommendations for necessary actions that will enable the increase of technology transfer by public universities in Poland. An interesting direction of future research is the measurement and evaluation of the effectiveness of technology transfer of the second group of NIS entities in Poland, i.e. research institutes.Pozycja The conditions and change tendencies of the innovativeness of the Polish economy against the background of selected European countries(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Kaliszczak, Lidia; Sieradzka, KatarzynaThe paper identifies the level of innovativeness of the Polish economy against the background of selected European countries and determines the conditions and change tendencies in this respect. It is of particular importance to designate the SII components that are of high significance to determine the levels of innovativeness. A research hypothesis was posited as well: The causes of low innovativeness in Poland are varied and multidimensional. More spending on research and development should be the starting point for its improvement. The theoretical section follows a thorough review of leading specialist literature, while the empirical part uses the Summary Innovation Index (SII), published in the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) report. It is used to measure the innovativeness of European countries. Additionally, some selected methods of numerical data analysis were used in order to verify the research hypothesis. The fostering of R&D will be of paramount importance to the future development of Poland; however, given the huge differences in research and development spending by enterprises in the innovation leaders, Poland’s position will not improve soon. National authorities can use the results as guidelines on the Polish economy’s innovativeness growth factors. They also will give information what actions need to be taken to improve the situation. The cognitive value of the paper consists in studying the causes of the innovativeness distance of the Polish economy with reference to selected, not all countries (the latter comparison is the object of a prevailing majority of the relevant literature). This approach will provide a clearer evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of Poland’s innovation system. It will allow for giving some recommendations for innovativeness level improvement.Pozycja The significance of the absorption of EU funds in the socio-economic development of the subregions of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Spychała, MarcinWithin the EU cohesion policy, higher and lower developed regions, taking into account only GDP per capita, are subcategorised. Based on that, areas qualifying for obtaining support from aid programs of the general EU budget are established. The aim of the article is to attempt to specify the co-dependency between the absorption of EU funds and the changes in the level of socio-ceonomic development in the regional dimension. The research was conducted at the level of 95 NUTS-3 units in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia in three stages. In the first stage, the level of the development of the subregions in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia is exhibited, subcategorising three factors of that growth based on 31 indicators: “the society”, “the economy”, or “the natural environment”. In the second stage, the variation in the absorption of EU funds in the researched units is demonstrated. In the third stage, the co-dependencies between the extent of the absorption and the changes in the development within the arrangement of the factors of that development are specified. In the article, a hypothesis is verified according to which the absorption of the EU funds impacted, above all, the development of “the economy” component. As a result of the examination conducted, it has been concluded that the absorption of EU funds impacted the changes in the level of the development of the “economy” sector to the largest extent. It confirms the proper direction of the EU fund intervention, which was made accessible above all to the benefit of the development of that factor.Pozycja Thermodynamic relationships between time, capital, and labour(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, 2023-09) Dobija, Mieczysław; Renkas, JurijIn the theoretical achievements of economics, the past has left many insinuations, not always accurate terms and also controversies. This does not burden the scholars whose diligent efforts fell on the immature ground of general knowledge, in particular the lack of thermodynamics. The categories of capital, profit, labour are basic examples. There was also a lack of understanding of the nature of time. This issue was as if left to physicists, despite the fact that the use of present and future value was and is a significant achievement in economics and accounting. On the other hand, among those engaged in physics, there are divergences about time travel. The great idea of the economy as a game with nature with a non-zero positive sum has also not spread in economic theory, reinforcing the aspiration to belong to the natural sciences. Therefore, we take up the consideration of the capital-labour-time triad as an important basic element of economic knowledge. In our view, this correctly understood triad will correctly illuminate many economic issues and can form the hard core of a scientific program for improving economic and accounting theory. Thus, the epistemology of I. Lakatos defines the methodology of ongoing research, in which positive heuristics and empirical verification are the engine of scientific action.