Decision Support Approach for Managers in the Application of the CSR Concept

In today\u27s globalized world we hear more and more about sustainable development, ethical corporate governance, ecological footprint and similar concepts that are inspiring us to behave and operate responsibly from individuals to large enterprises. Previous researches on the subject have highlighted the fact that most of the company executives are not aware of the elements of the CSR concept (Corporate Social Responsibility) and they identify CSR as environmental protection and charity. A directive of CSR is needed which enables companies to learn about the concept of CSR and its elements, so this information could help them in responsible decision making. During the research the CSR excellence management and assessment tool (CSR EMAT) was developed based on the logic of the EFQM Excellence Model. It serves as a guideline and evaluation system for companies and makes them comparable as a result of the evaluation process. Companies can be divided into different groups according to their CSR excellence as it is supported by the examples in the study. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Decision Support Approach for Managers in the Application of the CSR Concept

In today\u27s globalized world we hear more and more about sustainable development, ethical corporate governance, ecological footprint and similar concepts that are inspiring us to behave and operate responsibly from individuals to large enterprises. Previous researches on the subject have highlighted the fact that most of the company executives are not aware of the elements of the CSR concept (Corporate Social Responsibility) and they identify CSR as environmental protection and charity. A directive of CSR is needed which enables companies to learn about the concept of CSR and its elements, so this information could help them in responsible decision making. During the research the CSR excellence management and assessment tool (CSR EMAT) was developed based on the logic of the EFQM Excellence Model. It serves as a guideline and evaluation system for companies and makes them comparable as a result of the evaluation process. Companies can be divided into different groups according to their CSR excellence as it is supported by the examples in the study. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Innovation in the Service Sector: A Possible Recipe for Success for the Spa Towns of Central Europe

To achieve a competitive advantage, innovation, which provides the possibility to meet the customers’ needs a new and higher level, is inevitable for companies. Resources providing the basis of economic development are not widely available and cannot be easily replaced; therefore, expansion of trends focusing on innovation is unavoidable. In the past decade, service sector offered the most knowledge-intensive jobs in the most developed countries of the world. The utilization of research and development results becomes more and more intense that is accompanied by the need that the decision-makers and the actors of the service sector shall have adequate information at disposal. Water is the gold of modern age, and thermal water has been the basis of thermal culture (and business) since ancient times. The Central European region is abundant in thermal water; therefore, the exploitation of such resource is a logical step. In the past decades, developments based on thermal water were carried out in the region. Nowadays, however, it is clear that innovation takes the central role of successful operation in this sector, too. This paper examines the innovation-centred services of spa towns by highlighting on the theoretical background and the necessity for the successful business operation. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Redefined Innovation Ecosystem Promoting the Innovation Activities of the Hungarian Enterprises

Recognizing the global technological, societal and economical megatrends and challenges, national innovation systems have to be restructured to be more open and flexible. The European Union, its member states, including Hungary have to react as the competitiveness on regional and national level is deteriorating constantly compared to other leading regions in the world. New goals, tools and methods have to be implemented on national level as well. The Hungarian government targets to reshape the national innovation ecosystem with the aim to be more reflexive, sustainable and competitive. The actors (including universities, research centres and enterprises) have to redefine their roles and cooperate on a mutually beneficial basis. A redefined innovation ecosystem is planned to develop according to the Quintuple Helix which is not only a theoretical model but a functioning system. This study presents the steps the Hungarian government did toward an open innovation regulatory system, its RDI strategy as well as the results of our latest research conducted among Hungarian enterprises focusing on their innovation activities. The results show in what aspects the new strategy can support the needs of the businesses. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Water Industry Sector

Corporate social responsibility is an important means of achieving sustainability. More and more companies recognize the fact that responsible operation has a number of results that supports sustainability and thereby the long-term competitiveness. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 deals with the issue of Clean Water and Sanitation and to ensure sustainable water management. Previous research on the subject have revealed that most of the company executives are not aware of the elements of the CSR concept. This research examines the social responsibility of the Hungarian water industry. We wanted to know whether the water companies- who deal with water in the industrial and service sectors- operate in a responsible way, as the water is one of the Earth\u27s most precious natural resources. The results of the research show the organizational factors that most contributes to responsible operation as well as the formed clusters based on the CSR intensity of the Hungarian water companies. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

The Opportunities of Small and Medium-Sized Cities in the Globalizing World

Most researchers prefer to analyse the competitiveness and innovativeness of metropolitan areas. In this study we have the intention to characterize the small- and medium-sized cities in the Central and Eastern European region, as well as to explore their possible development path. We believe that one of the ways for developing these cities is to strengthen the innovation capabilities that means on one hand increasing the innovation performance of the operators, on the other hand, the new ways of interactions between other organizations to tackle social problems. The theoretical starting point is the interpretation and presentation of the micropolitan regions, as well as understanding the concept of technological and social innovation. As the result of the research, the innovation measurements carried out in some of the settlements will be represented. These experiences can help the small and medium-sized cities to be able to keep up with the global competition, cancel migration and the erosion of the intellectual potential. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Local Tourism, Social Innovations

Several studies and researches investigate the innovation ability of tourism. The research topic is also interesting, because even the European Union subsidises innovation development and tourism, as a major branch of the service sector, is responsible for the vast majority of the domestic GPPs. Linking these two is an important field of research for a practical perspective as well. The development of technology and ICT harbinger the further advance of tourism. At the same time the question, how such an important branch takes its share of the development of socially important factors, i.e. what answer can touristic stakeholders give to managing current social challenges, can also be raised. Some results of a research conducted in the past year will be presented in the followings. The research question was what social innovation potentials local tourism organizations have, i.e. how their continuous renewal activities help the management of socially important challenges. Factors hindering the innovation of these groups were also researched, along with future innovation plans. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

The Opportunities of Small and Medium-Sized Cities in the Globalizing World

Most researchers prefer to analyse the competitiveness and innovativeness of metropolitan areas. In this study we have the intention to characterize the small- and medium-sized cities in the Central and Eastern European region, as well as to explore their possible development path. We believe that one of the ways for developing these cities is to strengthen the innovation capabilities that means on one hand increasing the innovation performance of the operators, on the other hand, the new ways of interactions between other organizations to tackle social problems. The theoretical starting point is the interpretation and presentation of the micropolitan regions, as well as understanding the concept of technological and social innovation. As the result of the research, the innovation measurements carried out in some of the settlements will be represented. These experiences can help the small and medium-sized cities to be able to keep up with the global competition, cancel migration and the erosion of the intellectual potential. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Green hopes: Spatial and Settlement Development Operative Programs in the Programming Period 2014-2020

The problem of sustainability has become one of the most crucial issues on the highest European levels. The European Parliament has voiced its support of action plans and their elements regarding sustainable consumption and production. One practical manifestation is the fact that in the programming period 2014-2020 sustainable development appears as a requirement of the European Union (EU in further text) subsidy systems. The access to subsidies is not limited to a branch-wise differentiation, but is also available on a regional, local basis. This was what smart specialisation prepared. The financial and structural frame is provided by the Spatial and Settlement Operative Program (TOP in further text) which provides local communities calls on a regional selection. The further aim, the reduction of administrative burdens and a more simplified call process, could so far not be achieved, as there was rather an increase in the administrative burdens of local governments. Local governments can often only fulfil this complicated criteria-system by involving external experts. The research was aimed at a project about a TOP-based “green town establishment” on the example of European small town. In the followings, the substantiation of the needs-measurement and utilisation plan and the related primary and secondary research will be presented. The aim of the research was the analysis of the substantiation of the project and the measurement of its cohesion with other – urban – strategic documents. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Water Industry Sector

Corporate social responsibility is an important means of achieving sustainability. More and more companies recognize the fact that responsible operation has a number of results that supports sustainability and thereby the long-term competitiveness. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 deals with the issue of Clean Water and Sanitation and to ensure sustainable water management. Previous research on the subject have revealed that most of the company executives are not aware of the elements of the CSR concept. This research examines the social responsibility of the Hungarian water industry. We wanted to know whether the water companies- who deal with water in the industrial and service sectors- operate in a responsible way, as the water is one of the Earth\u27s most precious natural resources. The results of the research show the organizational factors that most contributes to responsible operation as well as the formed clusters based on the CSR intensity of the Hungarian water companies. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p