Innovation as an immanent attribute of an agile enterprise

Motivation: Each organization faces the challenge of operating in an environment that is unpredictable and turbulent. Emergence of business era caused that change had become a key feature that determines the economic environment of an enterprise. Market environment forces companies to seek strategic orientation that would allow them to use market opportunities and come to grips with growing customer demands. These goals can only be achieved by an organization that bears the hallmarks of agility. Therefore, one can assume that the condition of gaining competitive advantage and innovation of modern companies is possessing by them the attributes of agility. The agile organization is innovative, which means that it puts an emphasis on research and development, implements innovation, invests in new technologies and innovative programs.Aim: The purpose of this article is to analyse relationships between obtaining an ability to be innovative and agility attributes of an organization.Result: The presented research confirms that there is a connection between having agility attributes by a company and obtaining by it a high level of innovation. Many authors also specify important role of IT system in introducing product innovations and innovation processes

TEAL organizations in times of Industry 4.0

PURPOSE: The primary purpose is to present the state of development of Teal organizations in the age of Industry 4.0. The article assumes that (1) the so-called soft management factors have a significant influence on the development of Teal organizations, and (2) that companies operating under changing conditions must adapt to these conditions to operate successfully.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: In the course of the research the following work was carried out: desk research, individual in-depth interview and a questionnaire. The study covered 900 respondents from various micro and small enterprises. The article is based on the third stage of empirical research conducted in 2020- 2021.FINDINGS: Research results show that organizations functioning in the age of Industry 4.0 should adapt to change and embrace it. Qualities such as partnership, flexibility, trust, creativity are indispensable in a Teal organization.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Organizations seeking to implement teal qualities must realize that this is a process. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor the functioning of these organizations in the turbulent reality of Industry 4.0.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The research results (including pilot study, stage I, and stage II) show that organizations need to consider and adapt to changing conditions. An analysis of selected soft management factors shows how they can influence the development of an organization, which is particularly important for managers when it comes to management style or organizational structure.peer-reviewe

Innovation as an immanent attribute of an agile enterprise

Motivation: Each organization faces the challenge of operating in an environment that is unpredictable and turbulent. Emergence of business era caused that change had become a key feature that determines the economic environment of an enterprise. Market environment forces companies to seek strategic orientation that would allow them to use market opportunities and come to grips with growing customer demands. These goals can only be achieved by an organization that bears the hallmarks of agility. Therefore, one can assume that the condition of gaining competitive advantage and innovation of modern companies is possessing by them the attributes of agility. The agile organization is innovative, which means that it puts an emphasis on research and development, implements innovation, invests in new technologies and innovative programs.Aim: The purpose of this article is to analyse relationships between obtaining an ability to be innovative and agility attributes of an organization.Result: The presented research confirms that there is a connection between having agility attributes by a company and obtaining by it a high level of innovation. Many authors also specify important role of IT system in introducing product innovations and innovation processes.</p

Changes in management during transformation of power industry

Purpose: Given the considerable pollution of land, air, and water, it seems urgently necessary to change the sources of energy production so that their use does not pollute the environment. Special priority should be given to the generation of electricity from solar energy (photovoltaics) and wind. This article aims to present conceptual changes in the development of Industry 4.0 and to point out further research directions. Design/Methodology/Approach: The first part of the article introduces possible changes, the concept of Industry 4.0, management factors, and an overview of the research results to date. To identify the changes taking place, a survey was conducted with a group of 330 managers from 5 countries (USA, United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, India, and Georgia). In the second part, further empirical research (related to organizational structure and decision making) and its implementation in organizations is proposed. Findings: The summary contains conclusions on management changes based on the results of the presented research. Practical Implications: The research results collected can provide an impetus for the organization's development in a direction that facilitates participation in the processes of sustainable development. These processes contribute to the improvement of the ecosystem and the rationalization of energy sources and the way they are used. Originality/Value: The research results show that organizations need to consider and adapt to changing conditions. An analysis shows to implement management changes and be competitive, organizations operating in the industry 4.0 era should first build their so-called "ecosystem" by assessing their maturity level in order to understand what is achievable.peer-reviewe

Development of teal organisations in economy 4.0 : an empirical research

Purpose: The aim of this article is to present the impact of Economy 4.0 on the development of Teal organizations. It has been assumed here that every organization must adapt to change by applying soft management factors (trust, knowledge, agility) in a changing reality. Methodology: During the research, the following work was carried out: desk research, individual in-depth interview, and a questionnaire. The study covered 300 respondents from various micro and small enterprises. The article is based on the first stage of empirical research conducted in 2020. Findings: The research results show that organizations must adapt to changes resulting from the evolution of organizations in Economy 4.0. Flexibility in adapting to change, agility and the willingness of employees to gain new work experience will be particularly demanded by Economy 4.0. Practical Implications: Given the rapid pace of social and economic change, it seems advisable to monitor the functioning of organizations, including business organizations, continuously and systematically in the face of Economy 4.0. Originality/Value: The presented results of the pilot studies show which soft skills will influence the development of organization, especially Teal. The way the organization develops and the direction it takes is the primary responsibility of its leaders.peer-reviewe

E-consumers and their agile qualities as creators of eco-innovations : a case study

PURPOSE: The aim of the article is to illustrate the phenomenon of "green innovation" by econsumers and to analyze the relationship between the intensification of this phenomenon and the development of their agility.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study was conducted in 2020 on a random sample of 330 enterprises. The respondents were top managers. The methods used in the study were PAPI as well as CAWI. In the first stage of the analysis, a valuation of the level of manifestation of the characteristic features of teal organizations concept was carried out with the use of a 5-point Likert scale. The second stage involved creating a model through which e-consumers create green innovations and implementing it in chosen Polish companies.FINDINGS: An in-depth analysis of the literature on the topic and the studies demonstrate a close correlation between the adoption of agile characteristics by e-consumers and the creation of "green innovations" by them. It was assumed that contemporary businesses exhibit characteristics of Teal organizations that are observable in their activities and management, but the extent of these features depends on a variety of factors.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: A proprietary model through which e-consumers create green innovations was invented and implemented in a Polish company “Zakład Zieleni i Rekultywacji”. The implementation of the model in other companies may facilitate removing barriers and thus the range of innovation implementation by e-consumers may be extended.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The model invented is a pioneer attempt to remove the barriers of innovation implementation co-created by consumers. The authors believe that the research conducted may diversify and augment the literature concerning Teal organizations and the role of e-consumers in green innovations as well as may stimulate the cooperation between companies and consumers in the field of innovations implementation.peer-reviewe

HE4 tumor marker concentration in neoplastic peritoneal effusion and in peritoneal fluid associated with benign gynecological diseases

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate the behaviour of the human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in the peritoneal fluid encountered in various female genital diseases. METHODS: We enrolled 139 patients, 40 with ovarian cancer (group I), 82 with benign diseases (group II), and 17 with other malignant neoplasms (group III). The HE4 tumor marker concentrations were determined in serum, in the peritoneal effusion and ovarian cyst/ tumor fluids, CA125 in the serum only. We compared the groups, examined correlations and determined corresponding ROC curves. We evaluated the relationship between the HE4 marker concentration in the peritoneal effusion in the group I, depending on the selected prognostic parameters. RESULTS: The HE4 median value between the study groups did not differ statistically significantly and were as follows: in group I 3322 pmol/L, in the group II 2150 pmol/L and in the group III 627 pmol/L (p = 0.206376 for the groups I and II, p = 0.05929 for the groups I and III and p = 0.0797 for the groups II and III. In group I there were no differences found in the HE4 concentrations in the peritoneal fluid, depending on the stage, grade, the presence of neoplastic cells and the peritoneal dissemination. CONCLUSIONS: The HE4 marker concentrations in the peritoneal fluid are highly irrespective of the pathology observed in the female sexual organ. Therefore, it seems that its determinations in the peritoneal fluid are completely useless in terms of diagnostics. More research is needed on the role of the HE4 marker, especially the place of its formation and possible use in the targeted therapy

The intellectual capital and its impact on the sustainable development of the SML-sized enterprises in Poland

PURPOSE: The main goal of the article is to analyze the level of differentiation of awareness and knowledge of managers of small, medium and large enterprises within the scope of the essence and meaning of intellectual capital and the influence of its elements on the sustainable development of enterprises in Poland.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The paper exploits a data set of 1067 companies operating in Poland (employing at least 10 employees). In order to test the research hypotheses, the analysis of variations for fuzzy numbers (FANOVA) was implemented.FINDINGS: Although the majority of enterprises in Poland do not implement intellectual capital management strategies, managers are aware of the essence and significance of intellectual capital. The differentiation of the responses of managers based on the size of the enterprise was not statistically significant.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This paper recommends companies to invest in intellectual capital that according to managers’ assessment has a significant impact on their sustainability.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This research contributes to enrich the theoretical framework for the Polish context regarding intellectual capital and it allows contrasting the evidence with other studies at national levels.peer-reviewe

Vaginal and cervical bacterial colonization in patients with threatening preterm labor

Objectives: The aim of the following work was to evaluate vaginal and cervical colonization in patients with threatening preterm labor and comparing the frequency of colonization of the term and preterm labor groups. Material and methods: 532 pregnant women with threatening preterm labor were included into the clinical trial. The frequency of colonization was established and the frequency of colonization depending on the duration of pregnancy was checked. Results: Positive vaginal cultures were found in 29.5% of patients. The most frequent were: Escherichia coli and Streptoccocus agalactiae. There was no relationship between the duration of pregnancy, the frequency of colonization or the type of bacterial culture. Conclusions: 30% of positive vaginal and cervical cultures may indicate about the deficiency of the used method. The most frequent microorganisms remain to be Candida, Escherichia coli and GBS. However, the frequency of colonization with rare bacteria increases. Not only bacterial colonization but a group of different factors may be the reason of preterm labor

Contemporary determinants of international relatioos

Z wprowadzenia: "Nauka o stosunkach międzynarodowych nie może się obejść bez systematyzowania i porządkowania omawianej przez siebie niezwykle szerokiej materii. Poszukując odpowiedzi na pytania związane z relacjami pomiędzy uczestnikami interakcji międzynarodowych, nie sposób nie dostrzegać czynników, jakie na nie wpływają, czy to w sposób pośredni czy też bezpośredni, zależny lub niezależny od nich. Wielość tych czynników i zmienność wagi przykładanej do poszczególnych, zależnie od epoki, stwarza konieczność gruntownego badania i wskazywania na najważniejsze z nich, decydujące w danym okresie."(...