Positive image and goodwill – way to reduce risk in banking

Eksperci zanotowali w ostatnim czasie spadek zaufania m.in. do banków, jak i ubezpieczycieli z powodu kolejnej fazy spowolnienia gospodarczego. Współcześnie pozyskanie oraz utrzymanie klienta wymaga zastosowania zróżnicowanych narzędzi. Szczególnie istotne jest budowanie pozytywnego wizerunku, a także dobrej reputacji w świadomości konsumentów firmy. Nie ma wątpliwości, że takie działania przynoszą przedsiębiorstwu korzyści, pozwalając uzyskać przewagę konkurencyjną na rynku i jednocześnie obniżyć poziom ryzyka bankowego. Nadrzędnym celem opracowania jest zaprezentowanie elementów, które składają się na budowanie pozytywnego wizerunku oraz dobrej reputacji banków. Dodatkowo zostanie postawione pytanie o ekonomiczną opłacalność i wpływ na zmniejszenie ryzyka w bankowości społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu.Recently, experts observed decrease in the level of the confidence in banks and insurers, because of economic slowdown. Today, gaining and maintaining customer requires the use of different tools. It is important to build a positive image and good reputation in the minds of consumers. These actions bring the company advantages, allowing to obtain competitive advantage in the market and at the same time reduce the level of banking risks. The main objective of the study is to present the elements that make up the building of a positive image and goodwill of banks. In addition, will the question of corporate social responsibility, its economic viability and influence on the reduction of risk in banking

Posttraumatic growth in detained patients with psychosis

Praca dotyczy czynników osobowościowych i sytuacyjnych związanych ze wzrostem potraumatycznym u osób chorujących na schizofrenię, które doświadczyły różnego rodzajusytuacji traumatycznych. Grupą badaną były osoby, które popełniły czyn zabroniony i przebywały na detencji (N = 30), a grupą kontrolną pacjenci hospitalizowani w oddziale dziennymrehabilitacji psychiatrycznej (N = 30). Do pomiaru zmiennych użyto: Inwentarza Osobowości NEO-FFI, Inwentarza Potraumatycznego Rozwoju, Kwestionariusza zmiennych społeczno-demograficznych oraz skali BPRS. Grupa badana uzyskała średnio wyższe wyniki w poziomie wzrostu potraumatycznego niż grupa kontrolna. W grupie kontrolnej osoby uzyskały wyższe wyniki w poziomie neurotyczności, z kolei osoby z grupy badanej w poziomie ekstrawersji. Najczęściej wskazywanym wydarzeniem traumatycznym w obu grupach było doświadczenieprzewlekłej choroby.The study concerns the relationship of personality and situational factors with posttraumatic growth in people suffering from schizophrenia who have experienced varioustypes of traumatic events. The study group included people who committed an offense and were detained (N = 30), and the control group – patients hospitalized in the Daily Ward ofPsychiatric Rehabilitation (N = 30). The following tools were used to measure the examined variables: NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, sociodemographic variables questionnaire and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. The study group presented higher results in posttraumatic growth than the control group. Results indicated that patients fromthe control group attained higher results in Neuroticism, however patients from the study group – in Extraversion. In both groups the most frequently indicated traumatic event waschronic disease

Activity of Patents in Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Production in the Context of Passenger Car Fleet in the V4 Countries

The hydrogen market in the world today is capable ovule and empirical evidence on activity of patents in fuel cells and hydrogen production is limited so far. Patent applications in zero-emission mobility in the aspect of fuel cells include: DAFC/DMFC&DMFC, PEMFC, SOFC, AFC, PAFC. As for the patents relating to the hydrogen production, they concern low carbon, electrolysis and inorganic. The purpose of the study was to investigate certain aspects of the activity of patents in fuel cells and hydrogen production in the context of passenger car fleet in the Visegrad group (V4) countries and to explore the relationship between patent registrations and GDP per capita in V4. The research area relates to the answer to the question of whether a country’s involvement in zero-emission patent activity (patents in fuel cells and hydrogen production) could contribute to the renewal of the country’s passenger car fleet. The theses were formulated as follows: 1) activity of patents in fuel cells and hydrogen production in the V4 countries doesn’t depend on the car fleet in these countries, 2) the level of GDP per capita in the V4 countries is not followed by the number of patents registrations in hydrogen technology, 3) the highest patent activity in fuel cells and hydrogen production doesn’t mean that the car fleet in these country will be zero-emission in coming years. The method used in this article is a comparative analysis, but also the relationships between patent registrations, GDP per capita and passenger car fleet in V4 are considere

Searching for Dependencies between Business Strategies and Innovation Outputs in Manufacturing: An Analysis Based on CIS

A modern enterprise can use changes in its environment as an opportunity to create new products and services, constituting a competitive advantage. This ability is in turn determined by its adopted business strategy. The aim of this study is an attempt to find the relationship between business strategies used in industrial enterprises and their effects in the form of various types of innovations. Our research covered innovative manufacturing companies from selected EU member states and Turkey. Two research hypotheses were formulated: H1: The importance of business strategies to innovative companies is different between countries. H2: The clusters identified are not homogeneous in terms of the innovation outputs achieved by the companies. Our analyses are based on data derived from the CIS 2018 for the period of 2016–2018. To verify these hypotheses, statistical methods were used, including a cluster analysis. The results of the analysis indicate that the manufacturing companies in the surveyed countries apply various combinations of business strategies, which may translate into results in terms of innovation. Business process innovations are dominated by new or improved methods for producing goods or providing services

Determinanty i skutki wypadków drogowych w Polsce w kontekście celów agenda 2030 na rzecz zrównoważonego rozwoju - analiza na poziomie powiatów w latach 2010-2019

The objective of the research was to assess how selected factors influence road safety in Poland's poviats. To that end, an analysis was conducted of road accident determinants and effects in the poviats in the years 2010-2019. The time horizon fits in with Goal 3.6. of Agenda 2030, which is to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020. The article presents the analysis results for the following determinants: the rate of car ownership by poviat, poviat spending on transport and length of the road network, and quality of road infrastructure. The research problem was to establish which of the poviats are closest to achieving Goal 3.6. of Agenda 2030 and how likely it is, and, as a consequence, which of the poviats should step up their road safety policies to align them to the targets set out in the Agenda. To identify groups of poviats sharing similar characteristics, they were grouped using the k-means method. Five groups of poviats were identified and analeffecysed for how their road safety indicators changed between 2010 and 2019. The results of the analysis show that the highest fatality reduction (-40%) was achieved by urban poviats with the highest per capita spending on transport. The same poviats, however, have the highest increases in serious injuries (+30%). The analyses show that Polish poviats are still far from achieving Goal 3.6 of Agenda 2030. The research results presented in the article are original for the poviat level.Celem prac badawczych była ocena wpływu wybranych czynników na poziom bezpieczeństwa ruchu drogowego w powiatach w Polsce. Dla osiągniecia tego celu wykonano analizę determinant i skutków wypadków drogowych w powiatach w latach 2010-2019. Przyjęty horyzont czasowy wpisuje się w cel 3.6. Agenda 2030, dotyczący zmniejszenia do 2020 roku o połowę liczby wszystkich ofiar rannych i śmiertelnych w wypadkach drogowych. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki analizy dla następujących determinant: stopień zmotoryzowania mieszkańców poszczególnych powiatów, wydatki budżetów powiatów na transport oraz długość sieci drogowej, uwzględniającej jakość infrastruktury drogowej. Problemem badawczym była odpowiedź na pytanie, które z powiatów były najbliżej realizacji celu 3.6. Agenda 2030 i jakie są w tym zakresie perspektywy, a w konsekwencji, dla jakich powiatów należy zintensyfikować działania naprawcze, zbliżające do celu Agenda. W celu identyfikacji grup powiatów o podobnej charakterystyce, przeprowadzono grupowanie metodą k-średnich. W rezultacie badania wyłoniono pięć grup powiatów, dla których wykonano analizy zmiany wskaźników bezpieczeństwa ruchu drogowego w latach 2010-2019. Wyniki analizy wskazują, że naj-większą redukcję liczby ofiar śmiertelnych (-40%) osiągnęła grupa miast na prawach powiatu, które ponoszą największe wydatki na transport w przeliczeniu na mieszkańca. Jednocześnie jednak w tych powiatach odnotowano najwyższy wzrost liczby ofiar ciężko rannych (+30%). Wyniki analiz wskazują, że polskie powiaty są nadal daleko od osiągnięcia celu 3.6 Agenda 2030. Oryginalność wyników badań przedstawionych w artykule odnosi się do badania na poziomie powiatów

The Usefulness of Tissue Calprotectin in Pediatric Crohn’s Disease—A Pilot Study

Background: Fecal calprotectin (FCP) is a highly sensitive biomarker of intestinal inflammation widely used in diagnostics and monitoring of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Immunohistochemical assessment of calprotectin in the bowel mucosa is not a diagnostic standard. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate tissue calprotectin (TCP) as a potential marker providing added insight for pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Methods: Fecal and tissue calprotectin were measured in children with CD. The values were correlated with disease activity and histopathological changes of the patients’ endoscopic biopsies. Disease activity was assessed using the Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (PCDAI); fecal calprotectin (FCP) was measured with the ELISA test. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for calprotectin antigen was performed on the biopsy samples from six bowel segments, and the number of TCP cells was counted per high power field (HPF). Non-parametric statistical tests were used for data analysis. Results: Fifty-seven children with CD with a median age of 10.5 (1–17) years (yrs) were examined for fecal and tissue calprotectin. The patients’ median PCDAI score was 10 (0–63.5), while median FCP was 535 (30–600) μg/g. We observed a correlation between disease activity (PCDAI) and FCP, TCP in inflammatory lesions and in crypts. There was no association either between FCP and TCP or between TCP in epithelium and PCDAI. Conclusion: It seems that IHC detection of calprotectin in bowel mucosa to assess disease behavior may be useful. FCP is a gold-standard biomarker in the diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of IBD, and its levels correlated well with clinical activity in our study group

Low-voltage anodizing of copper in sodium bicarbonate solutions

The low-voltage (< 5 V) anodization of copper in aqueous solutions of sodium bicarbonate was studied for the first time. As demonstrated, this method leads to the formation of microstructures on a copper surface, that are composed of malachite (CuCO3·Cu(OH)2). Moreover, by tuning the operating conditions, i.e., applied cell voltage and electrolyte concentration, different surface morphologies can be grown. As shown by electron microscopy investigation, clusters of ribbons corrosion pits or nonuniformly located powdery precipitates are formed when the low anodizing voltage is applied. Anodization at 1.0 V in 0.4 M sodium bicarbonate solution led to the formation of a velvet-like, deep black anodic layer that covered the whole metal surface with ribbon-resembling structures. A thorough investigation of the obtained anodic layers with X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray adsorption (XAS), Raman, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) uncovered the mixed crystalline-amorphous nature of the anodic copper species. Besides dominating the crystalline malachite phase, the amorphous cupric oxide was also identified. This composition offers promising features for catalytic applications, hence, low-voltage anodized copper was tested in an electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction to explore one possible application of the presented material. The current density of 4.7 mA cm−2 was registered for the selected sample.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Team Peyman Taher