Communication as a Key Performance Indicator in Employer Branding in the Context of the Social Economy-A Quantitative Study

Performance measurement refers to the systematic evaluation and analysis of the performance and results of business processes, initiatives, or strategies. This study discusses the crucial role of communication using signaling theory in employer branding in the context of the social economy organization (SEO). The aim is to measure employee satisfaction in concrete terms and to determine the status quo of the communication culture of the organization under investigation in order to develop an employer branding strategy based on the results. The authors use an employee survey as a quantitative research method and limit the data collection to the EU member state of Germany considering the research background. The results provide insights into the specific communication policy in relation to employer branding. The focus here is on (digital) communication. Organizations need to understand how communication strategies directly influence the perception of the employer brand in the social economy. Furthermore, practical implications are derived in order to increase employer attractiveness. Concrete recommendations of action for SEOs should help them be successful in the competition for qualified specialists and talent.

Aspects of an experimental study of hydrogen use at automotive diesel engine

Hydrogen may represents a good alternative fuel that can be used to fuel internal combustion engines in order to ameliorate energetic and emissions performance. The paper presents some experimental aspects registered at hydrogen use to fuel a diesel engine, different substitute ratios being use in the area of 18-34%, at 40% engine load and speed of 2000 rev/min. The engine is equipped with an open ECU and the control of the cyclic dosses of diesel fuel and hydrogen are adjusted in order to maintain the engine power performance. The in-cylinder pressure diagrams show the increase of the maximum pressure with 17%, from 78.5 bar to 91.8 bar for the maximum substitute ratio. Also, values of maximum pressure rise rate start to increase for hydrogen addition, in correlation with the increase of fuel amount burned into the premixed stage, without exceed the normal values with assure the normal and reliable engine operation. Higher Lower Heating Value and combustion speed of hydrogen assure the increase in thermal efficiency, the brake specific energy consumption decreases with 5.4%-7.8% at substitute ratios of 20-27%. The CO₂ emission level decreases with 20% for maximum hydrogen cyclic dose. In terms of pollutant emission level, at hydrogen use the emission level of the NO_x decreases with 50% and the smoke number decreases with 73.8% comparative to classic fuelling at the maximum hydrogen cyclic dose.

Innovations in Financial Management: Recursive Prediction Model Based on Decision Trees

The issue of enterprise financial distress represents the actual and interdisciplinary topic for the economic community. The bankrupt is thus one of the major externalities of today’s modern economies, which cannot be avoided even with every effort. Where there are investment opportunities, there are individuals and businesses that are willing to assume their financial obligations and the resulting risks to maintain and develop their standard of living or their economic activities. The decision tree algorithm is one of the most intuitive methods of data mining that can be used for financial distress prediction. Systematization literary sources and approaches prove that decision trees represent the part of the innovations in financial management. The main propose of the research is a possibility of application of a decision tree algorithm for the creation of the prediction model, which can be used in economy practice. The Paper's main aim is to create a comprehensive prediction model of enterprise financial distress based on decision trees, under the conditions of emerging markets. Paper methods are based on the decision tree, with emphasis on algorithm CART. Emerging markets included 17 countries: Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Paper research is focused on the possibilities of implementation of a decision tree algorithm for the creation of a prediction model in the condition of emerging markets. Used data contained 2,359,731 enterprises from emerging markets (30% of total amount); divided into prosperous enterprises (1,802,027) and non-prosperous enterprises (557,704); obtained from Amadeus database. Input variables for the model represented 24 financial indicators, 3 dummy variables, and the countries' GDP data, in the years 2015 and 2016. The 80% of enterprises represented the training sample and 20% test sample, for model creation. The model correctly classified 93.2% of enterprises from both the training and test sample. Correctly classification of non-prosperous enterprises was 83.5% in both samples. The result of the research brings a new model for the identification of bankrupt enterprises. The created prediction model can be considered sufficiently suitable for classifying enterprises in emerging markets. Keywords prediction model, decision tree, emerging markets.

Trust Management in Organic Agriculture: Sustainable Consumption Behavior, Environmentally Conscious Purchase Intention, and Healthy Food Choices

We draw on outstanding recent research to substantiate factors driving pro-environmental food purchasing behavior. Throwing light on purchasing behavior for environmentally sustainable foods, our study highlights the relevance of consumer trust and motivations in organic product markets together with individuals' perceived value and willingness to buy such items throughout the choice behavior and decision-making process. Our findings prove that most aspects influencing consumers' attitudes for and choices of organic foods are related to their trust and perceptions of the nutritional benefits such products provide. The insights gained from our research extend present knowledge concerning consumer behavior and purchase intention for environmentally sustainable products. The chief gaps and issues identified by the review cover the variety of organic food consumer purchase intentions and behaviors, including the relative environmental performance of organic food production and the link between the motivational values and attitudes concerning the consumption of non-chemical products. Apart from sustainable agriculture and upsides of organic farming, the main disadvantages are as follows: recycling and aligning with natural operations does not necessitate chemical inputs, but organic food is more prohibitive as farmers do not obtain significant crop productivity out of their land, while organic goods may have a price of up to 40% more (production expenses are steeper because farmers demand more labor force), marketing and distribution are not streamlined as organic products are delivered in diminished volumes, food disorders may occur more frequent, and chemical-free agriculture cannot produce sufficient nutrients that the world's population requires to live on.

An Integrated Psycho-Sociological Perspective on Public Employees' Motivation and Performance

In the context of profound social, economic and financial changes, private and public organizations managers turn their attention towards the most valuable resource they have – the human resource (HR), the one that can ensure increased organizational performance. Using adequate HR policies and practices, organizations can build a positive work environment that sustains employees’ development, encourages communication, innovation, and pro-active attitudes and behaviors. However, managerial practices specific to the private sector do not seem to be the solution to the problems public institutions deal with. While specialists have mainly explored the link between human resources management (HRM) and performance in the private sector, due consideration ought to be paid to the particularities of this relationship in the public sector as well, and to the factors that influence public employees’ motivation and determine their level of performance. The purpose of our paper is to show that HRM in public institutions should be approached in a manner that focuses more on the work motivation theory, specifically on the psycho-sociological profile of the public employee, and argue that higher performance can be achieved by establishing a social exchange relationship between managers and the members of their teams. A supportive work environment positively impacts upon public employees’ performance, self-efficacy and job satisfaction, even though they are mainly driven in performing their tasks by intrinsic motivators and devotion to public values and interest.