Customer trust to insurance company

Trust is one of the most important factors influencing consumers’ decisions. Honesty and reliability of insurance companies are required to be of the utmost degree. The analysis of the degree of trust to the largest Polish insurance company, which is PZU S.A., constitutes the primary objective of the article. The method of diagnostic survey in the form of the Internet questionnaire was applied to carry out the research. In studies was used a random selection of people by definition who have used the services of PZU. 140 people were subjected to the survey. PZU is a company with a long tradition of operating on the insurance market. PZU brand evokes positive associations. The respondents particularly value high working standards of the company staff as well as their competence in selling products the company offers. PZU has a wide product offer, and its customers are satisfied with the services offered by the company. Critical opinions mostly concern the process of damage repairs

E–banking in Poland as a modern form of managing a bank account

E-banking is one of the fastest growing banking segments in Poland. It is caused by the rapid evolution of the Internet as well as telecommunication and IT technologies. However, it still remains a relatively new form of managing a bank account and the channel of distribution of banking services and products. The aim of the research was the presentation of e-banking as a modern and effective form of managing a bank account. An Internet questionnaire was used to conduct the research. E-banking services in Poland were the area of the research. Taking into account the material gathered in the research, it has been noticed that e-banking brings low maintenance costs, availability and convenience. In the course of time more and more bank clients will be choosing this form of managing an account, as it is gaining more positive recommendations of the target customers. It will probably become the only form of banking in the near future

Sensory marketing and customers’ decisions on the food market

The main purpose of this paper is to make an attempt to present the influence of sensory marketing on buyer’s buying behavior. The paper covers the topic regarding the theory of influence of individual senses on buyer’s behavior. Sight is the most used sense in sensory marketing. The first way of brand’s identification is through colors, shapes, and lights. When the light is natural or softened customers spend more time in one place, but when light is an intensive customer become more dynamic. Sound is also important for sensory marketing users. Taste is often used when companies offer free-tasting promotional operations. Companies take emotions spared off by touch during the conditioning of the product or its conception. Sensory marketing is a deep and effective concept

A combined theoretical and experimental study of the low temperature properties of BaZrO3

Low temperature properties of BaZrO3 are revealed by combining experimental techniques (X-ray diffraction, neutron scattering and dielectric measurements) with theoretical first-principles-based methods (total energy and linear response calculations within density functional theory, and effective Hamiltonian approaches incorporating/neglecting zero-point phonon vibrations). Unlike most of the perovskite systems, BaZrO3 does not undergo any (long-range-order) structural phase transition and thus remains cubic and paraelectric down to 2 K, even when neglecting zero-point phonon vibrations. On the other hand, these latter pure quantum effects lead to a negligible thermal dependency of the cubic lattice parameter below ~ 40 K. They also affect the dielectricity of BaZrO3 by inducing an overall saturation of the real part of the dielectric response, for temperatures below ~ 40 K. Two fine structures in the real part, as well as in the imaginary part, of dielectric response are further observed around 50-65 K and 15 K, respectively. Microscopic origins (e.g., unavoidable defects and oxygen octahedra rotation occurring at a local scale) of such anomalies are suggested. Finally, possible reasons for the facts that some of these dielectric anomalies have not been previously reported in the better studied KTaO3 and SrTiO3 incipient ferroelectrics are also discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Fractional corner charges in spin-orbit coupled crystals

We study two-dimensional spinful insulating phases of matter that are protected by time-reversal and crystalline symmetries. To characterize these phases, we employ the concept of corner charge fractionalization: corners can carry charges that are fractions of even multiples of the electric charge. The charges are quantized and topologically stable as long as all symmetries are preserved. We classify the different corner charge configurations for all point groups, and match them with the corresponding bulk topology. For this we employ symmetry indicators and (nested) Wilson loop invariants. We provide formulas that allow for a convenient calculation of the corner charge from Bloch wave functions and illustrate our results using the example of arsenic and antimony monolayers. Depending on the degree of structural buckling, these materials can exhibit two distinct obstructed atomic limits. We present density functional theory calculations for open flakes to support our findings

Variations in Soil Properties and CO2 Emissions of a Temperate Forest Gully Soil along a Topographical Gradient

Although forest soils play an important role in the carbon cycle, the influence of topography has received little attention. Since the topographical gradient may affect CO2 emissions and C sequestration, the aims of the study were: (1) to identify the basic physicochemical and microbial parameters of the top, mid-slope, and bottom of a forest gully; (2) to carry out a quantitative assessment of CO2 emission from these soils incubated at different moisture conditions (9% and 12% v/v) and controlled temperature (25 °C); and (3) to evaluate the interdependence between the examined parameters. We analyzed the physicochemical (content of total N, organic C, pH, clay, silt, and sand) and microbial (enzymatic activity, basal respiration, and soil microbial biomass) parameters of the gully upper, mid-slope, and bottom soil. The Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) method was used to measure CO2 emitted from soils. The position in the forest gully had a significant effect on all soil variables with the gully bottom having the highest pH, C, N concentration, microbial biomass, catalase activity, and CO2 emissions. The sand content decreased as follows: top > bottom > mid-slope and the upper area had significantly lower clay content. Dehydrogenase activity was the lowest in the mid-slope, probably due to the lower pH values. All samples showed higher CO2 emissions at higher moisture conditions, and this decreased as follows: bottom > top > mid-slope. There was a positive correlation between soil CO2 emissions and soil microbial biomass, pH, C, and N concentration, and a positive relationship with catalase activity, suggesting that the activity of aerobic microorganisms was the main driver of soil respiration. Whilst the general applicability of these results to other gully systems is uncertain, the identification of the slope-related movement of water and inorganic/organic materials as a significant driver of location-dependent differences in soil respiration, may result in some commonality in the changes observed across different gully systems.Department of Agriculture, Food and the MarinePolish National Centre for Research and Developmen

Mycobacterium chimaera as an Underestimated Cause of NTM Lung Diseases in Patients Hospitalized in Pulmonary Wards

Mycobacterium chimaera is the newly described species belonging to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), with morphology and growth characteristics closely related to Mycobacterium intracellulare. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the frequency and clinical significance of M. chimaera identification in the population of patients with previous positive respiratory cultures for M. intracellulare or MAC. 200 strains of M. intracellulare or MAC, isolated from respiratory specimens of patients hospitalized in pulmonary wards, between 2011 and 2020, were retrospectively analyzed with GenoType NTM-DR test. 88 (44%) of strains were re-classified to M. chimaera species. Analysis of clinical data in 30 patients with positive M. chimaera isolates revealed that they were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – 27%, past tuberculosis – 20%, or interstitial lung diseases – 17%, respectively. Non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTMLD) caused by M. chimaera has been recognized in 53% of patients, most often in those presenting with post-tuberculous lung lesions. M. chimaera was almost exclusively isolated from respiratory specimens of patients with underlying lung diseases, especially those with COPD and/or past tuberculosis. NTMLD due to M. chimaera was diagnosed predominantly in patients with past tuberculosis