Global cross border trade – a global view

The Internet makes us stop feeling borders between countries. Via the Internet one can buy every-thing - from food products, through clothes, cosmetics, detergents, tickets, furniture, ending up on means of transport, flats or houses. Consumers use it to acquire information locally, nationally and internationally at the most important moments of the purchase path (Kiesler, 2014), (Meijers, 2014). The value of the global e-commerce market in 2014 amounted to nearly 1.5 trillion Euros. Cross-border trade is considered to be one of the most interesting and dynamic phenomena in the e-commerce throughout the world (Meltzer, 2015). Cross-border trade is consid-ered to be one of the most interesting and dynamic phenomena in the e-commerce throughout the world (Meltzer, 2015), experts predict that by 2020 cross-border trade will increase by approxi-mately 27% annually (OECD, 2008). The largest cross-border trade markets are China, the United States and the United Kingdom. The aim of this article is to highlight the situation of Internet cross-border market in the world and in Poland. The article is enriched with the results of a survey con-ducted among a group of Polish e-consumers on their awareness of the possibility of doing ship-ping in other countries, advantages and disadvantages of shopping abroad and their purchasing preferences

Network organization – functioning of enterprises in the information area

The information space is the “place” of the existence / “life” of all the information necessary for the proper functioning of the company. With the development of information technol-ogy, and especially the Internet, every participant in the economic life has practically unlimited opportunities to acquire, but, what is very important, also to provide information that influences his competitive position. Management in contemporary reality is associated with using opportunities and avoiding threats. The key factor for success is time, both in terms of taking it and effects. In a global and dynamic reality, one of the most important challenges is to establish cooperation. The aim is to provide the participating entities the opportunity to make better use of their individual attributes and resources – their own and their partners. The operation of each company is based on information. Each action can be seen in the information view, as an action in the information space. The aim of the article is to present the essence, characteristics and advantages of management in the information space. The aim is also to draw attention to the fact that the effectiveness of a network organization as a group of cooperating entities is strictly dependent on the effectiveness of its func-tioning as a whole and of each of its elements in the information space

Information management and relations between Polish enterprises and clients

Purpose: Enterprise management, including, or perhaps above all, the area related to information, in conditions of globalization and the speed of market changes, is a great challenge for managers. The main aim of this study is to investigate the importance of information management in Polish enterprises and cities. Design/Methodology/Approach: The first part of the paper contains a literature analysis of the issues raised. The second, practical part contains the results of the conducted research. Findings: In such reality, it should be recognized that the company's ability to integrated and unified information management, covering all areas and aspects of functioning, is a prerequisite for market success. Practical Implications: The study covered professionally active people and those who had no employment and was targeted at people of all ages. The logical structure of the publication is related to the verification of the main research hypothesis, according to which improvement in the area of information flows in the information space of an enterprise affects the improvement of management processes. Originality Value: It is s first attempt of its kind trying to verify the importance of information management in enterprises and cities.peer-reviewe

Selected metabolic changes after extreme endurance physical exercise by the example of marathon and ultra - marathon runners

A popularity of marathons and ultramarathons is growing every year. Attending a marathon can cause a variety of biochemical changes. It is crucial to determine which changes in blood tests are of clinical significance, and what recommendations should be given to the patient. Here the most frequent changes are presented, as described in literature

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase combined with voluntary physical activity alleviates experimental colitis in obese mice : involvement of oxidative stress, myokines, adipokines and proinflammatory biomarkers

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) is an essential mucosal defense factor involved in the process of maintenance of gut homeostasis. We determined the effect of moderate exercise (voluntary wheel running) with or without treatment with IAP on the course of experimental murine 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) colitis by assessing disease activity index (DAI), colonic blood flow (CBF), plasma myokine irisin levels and the colonic and adipose tissue expression of proinflammatory cytokines, markers of oxidative stress (SOD2, GPx) and adipokines in mice fed a standard diet (SD) or high-fat diet (HFD). Macroscopic and microscopic colitis in sedentary SD mice was accompanied by a significant decrease in CBF, and a significant increase in the colonic expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-6, IL-1β and leptin mRNAs and decrease in the mRNA expression of adiponectin. These effects were aggravated in sedentary HFD mice but reduced in exercising animals, potentiated by concomitant treatment with IAP, especially in obese mice. Exercising HFD mice demonstrated a substantial increase in the mRNA for adiponectin and a decrease in mRNA leptin expression in intestinal mucosa and mesenteric fat as compared to sedentary animals. The expression of SOD2 and GPx mRNAs was significantly decreased in adipose tissue in HFD mice, but these effects were reversed in exercising mice with IAP administration. Our study shows for the first time that the combination of voluntary exercise and oral IAP treatment synergistically favored healing of intestinal inflammation, strengthened the antioxidant defense and ameliorated the course of experimental colitis; thus, IAP may represent a novel adjuvant therapy to alleviate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in humans

Migration through physical constraints is enabled by MAPK-induced cell softening via actin cytoskeleton re-organization

Cancer cells are softer than the normal cells, and metastatic cells are even softer. These changes in biomechanical properties contribute to cancer progression by facilitating cell movement through physically constraining environments. To identify properties that enabled passage through physical constraints, cells that were more efficient at moving through narrow membrane micropores were selected from established cell lines. By examining micropore-selected human MDA MB 231 breast cancer and MDA MB 435 melanoma cancer cells, membrane fluidity and nuclear elasticity were excluded as primary contributors. Instead, reduced actin cytoskeleton anisotropy, focal adhesion density and cell stiffness were characteristics associated with efficient passage through constraints. By comparing transcriptomic profiles between the parental and selected populations, increased Ras/MAPK signalling was linked with cytoskeleton rearrangements and cell softening. MEK inhibitor treatment reversed the transcriptional, cytoskeleton, focal adhesion and elasticity changes. Conversely, expression of oncogenic KRas in parental MDA MB 231 cells, or oncogenic BRaf in parental MDA MB 435 cells, significantly reduced cell stiffness. These results reveal that MAPK signalling, in addition to tumour cell proliferation, has a significant role in regulating cell biomechanics

Smart City Management in the Context of Electricity Consumption Savings

According to one definition, Smart City is an administrative unit that uses data and digital technology to improve the decision-making processes and well-being of its inhabitants. Smart Cities use modern, intelligent technologies to forecast future changes, optimize city functions, gain a better understanding of current conditions, and deliver solutions. To make the city smart, multiple connected sensors, smartphones and other IoT devices are needed. As part of the research conducted at the Technical University in Vienna, six key dimensions (categories) of smart cities have been identified and characterized: Smart Economy, Smart Mobility, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Living, and Smart Governance. The aim of the paper is to present the concept of the smart cities, the implemented innovative solutions and the issue of electricity saving in Smart Cities. The theoretical considerations were expanded of the presentation of selected smart city projects in Polish cities. The considerations were also supplemented with the results of research conducted on a group of respondents living in large and very large cities in Poland in order to their awareness of the concept of smart cities, awareness on smart projects implemented in their cities of residence, and the possibility of using intelligent technologies to achieve savings in electricity consumption

Retracted: Mobile commerce in Europe - comparative study

This article was withdrawn and retracted by the Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences and has been removed from AJOL at the request of the journal Editor in Chief and the organisers of the conference at which the articles were presented (www.iccmit.net). Please address any queries to [email protected]