Archiv vyhledávání

One of the newer models, the Human Activity Assistance Technology (HAAT), shows that when human enactment encompasses the practice of assistive manoeuvres, the performance depends on some relevant factors related to people, activities, and assistive technology products. In recent centuries, the mandate for the growth of senior medical services that utilize new technologies and support independent living has amplified. Some activities focus on observing and evolving internal autonomy, exclusively for the old and people with infirmities. Many solutions are based on specific technologies such as WLAN connection or Internet of Things (IoT) systems, especially for a humanoid identity for an extensive collection of interior amenities (Baucas et al., 2021). However, complete independence in performing daily tasks and activities is a challenge for people with disabilities, including those with visual impairments. Several studies open up new opportunities by proposing tools, methods, and assistive technologies (AT) to overcome many obstacles.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused turbulence that significantly shocks supply chain management. Regardless of the industry, we have seen the supply chain disruption due to factories shutdown, social distancing, restrictions in transportation, raw materials shipping, and border closure (Sarkis, 2020; van Hoek, 2020). Consequently, a research trend emerged to improve supply chain sustainability, resilience, and performance (e.g., Ivanov & Das, 2020; Shen & Sun, 2021), which raised the importance of close communication and collaboration among supply chain partners. For example, manufacturing firms can improve supply chain learning through supplier development activities and customer knowledge absorption (Huo et al., 2020). Supplier development refers to upstream supply chain coordination, which is the effort of focal firms to improve suppliers’ performance and capabilities to ensure long- and short-term supply needs (Krause et al., 2007).

Fraud has metamorphosed into a major global concern. Regardless of size, profitability, or industry, organizations currently face severe challenges concerning economic and operational sustainability in the wake of deliberate and unethical fraudulent acts. The PricewaterhouseCoopers (hereinafter referred to as PwC) (2020) survey revealed that 47% of international firms were affected by fraud compared to 49% in 2018, 36% in 2016, 37% in 2014, and 34% in 2011. The PwC’s (2020) survey respondents reported total losses of 42 billion USD owing to fraud that negatively impacted brands, reputations, and market shares. Ironically, only 56% of the affected organizations conducted investigations, whereas barely one-third of these companies reported fraudulent outcomes to their boards.

Due to the improvement of technologies and increasing number of internet users, more companies choose social networks to promote sales of goods and services, increase recognition and visibility and communication with potential clients in real time online. At the moment, internet marketing is considered one of the most powerful marketing tools, because it unites the biggest number of users and has the means to implement different aims of the companies. The quickly increased popularity of social networks and social commerce are considered the third revolution of communication that provides freedom for companies to communicate with target audience, regardless of place and time (Stoian et al., 2018; Pavlovaite & Gresiene, 2019; Zhou et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2020). Thus, the impact of internet and marketing tools, in a general sense, is a phenomenon that is highly significant in the business world and is developing quickly.

Controlling is a method, which is most often used in contemporary organizations (Bieńkowska & Zgrzywa-Ziemak, 2011; Tworek, 2019c). “Importance of controlling increased sharply” (Guenther, 2013, p. 272), which in practice is confirmed by the growing number of job offers for controllers, and in theory by the number of academic centers dealing with this subject (Schäffer & Binder, 2008). However, it is still considered by many as “a concept that is still subject of many controversies” (Mocanu, 2014, p. 62), and the diversity in the perception of this method is confirmed, among others, by information in the job announcements appearing on the job market (Behringer, 2011). The multi-threaded history of controlling promotes differences in the perception of controlling in the world, as well as the relative diversity of controlling solutions in organizations (e.g. Horvath, 2002).

The tourist services market is a very variable and difficult to predict market (Chen & Kang, 2015) that reacts quickly to factors and turmoil occurring in the international, national and local environment. Impact of these factors is evident both on the supply and on the demand side (Zdon-Korzeniowska & Rachwał, 2011). Studies by Millana and Esteban (2004), Silva and Gonçalves (2016) and Chih-Wen (2016) showed that customers are not loyal to their travel agencies. Changing the organizer of tourist services is not a problem for tourists, nor does it raise any resistance such as may occur, for example, when changing the telephone operator, bank or energy supplier. Thus, it is more difficult for travel agencies to acquire regular customers than for other service companies. In addition, they must adapt the offer more precisely to the needs of customers to convince them to purchase the services offered (Rudawska, 2010), therefore it is so important to know the main goals of tourist trips, customers’ needs and determinants, that guide the selection of the organizer of a tourism. In order to gain their trust, they must choose appropriate communication channels to establish a dialogue with the customer, promote their own brand and the tourist products they sell.

CSR (corporate social responsibility) disclosure evolved as a result of corporate reporting in response to changes in conditions in which companies operate. Gray, Owen and Adams (1996) describe CSR disclosure/reporting as „the process of communicating the social and environmental effects of the economic actions of organizations to particular interest groups within society and society at large“. Elkington (1997) states that the terms CSR reporting, Social Reporting, Corporate Citizenship, Sustainability Reporting and Triple Bottom Line Reporting have been employed in the studies interchangeably. To meet 21st century corporate challenges, the corporate reporting system has changed somehow with an inclusion of non-financial disclosure. Krasodomska and Cho (2017) explain the extent of non-financial reporting presented by the corporation regarding activities such as human resources, risk management, product innovation and quality, and impact of corporate decisions on environment and society.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are enterprise-wide information systems that integrate and control the complete range of processes and functions, in order to provide a holistic view of the business from a single information and information technology (IT) architecture (Klaus, Rosemann, & Gable, 2000), enabling organizations to manage efficient and effective use of their resources by using a complete, integrated, packaged software solution and a common central database for the organization’s information-processing needs (Al-Fawaz, Eldabi, & Naseer, 2010). By adopting an ERP system, organizations are looking for a better use of their own resources in order to raise their own efficiency, which can be jeopardized by high costs associated with ERP implementation, staff training, as well as maintaining and aligning the system with the needs of the organization (Jáčová, Brabec, & Horák, 2013).

The rapid development of information communication technologies (ICT) has expanded the possibilities for marketing communication. In order to increase business competitiveness and carry out effective marketing activities, it has therefore become important to acquire knowledge about e-consumers and to identify significant elements that shape their virtual behaviour and influence their decision to buy. An analysis of scientific literature revealed that there is a gap in knowledge with regards to the e-consumer behaviour of different generations, as customer segments, and their preferences in the purchase phase. The purchase phase is characterised by different internet marketing communication elements, which influence the performance of browsing and searching tasks. The goal of the research presented in this article was to determine the most significant internet marketing communication elements during the purchase phase of the e-consumer journey by performing a browsing task and using the mathematical decision tree approach.

Website usability and user experience are key measures of website quality (Sivaji & Tzuaan, 2012) and a key component of the websites that are commercially successful (Lowry et al., 2006). For today’s users, there are so many options in the environment of the Internet that each misstep in meeting user’s expectations might result in loss of the potential customer (Kakalejčík, 2016). Krug (2014) consider the usable website to be a place where a person of average (or even below average) ability and experience can figure out how to use the website in order to accomplish something without it being more difficult than is the value obtained by using it. The usable website has several attributes. It is useful, learnable, memorable, effective, efficient, desirable and delightful. Moreover, Aziz, Kamaludin, and Sulaiman (2013) add satisfaction and accessibility as additional features. Casaló, Flavián, and Guinalíu (2008) claim that perceived usability is an indirect factor that affects customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth through satisfaction.