Economics and Management 4 (2) 2012

The article presents philosophical and sociological bases of creating the information society in Belarus. The author discusses the nature of 'a new civilization' based on the development of information techniques.

Keywords:
postindustrial society  information society  the Internet 

In reply to increasing ecological environmental crisis, arises the conception of sustainable development which was defined by the Brundtland Commission in the report “Our Common Future”. According to the definition, sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The concept of "Sustainable Development" raises several critiques at different levels because of the lack of effects and for its utopia. The author believes that this is the result of the lack of simultaneous development of individuals, especially their spiritual development. The thesis of this paper is that the practical realization of sustainable development ideas needs simultaneous spiritual development of an individual.

Keywords:
sustainable development  spiritual development 

The concept and theory of human capital were created by TW Schultz, GS Becker and J. Mincer. Reflections on the role of an individual in the economy and society dates back much earlier. Over the years, human capital has been recognized as an element of intellectual capital. This capital and its development is included in business activities and local development strategies on municipal, provincial and state level. The purpose of this article is to analyze the debate on human capital and chosen interpretations of intellectual capital issues made by economic thinkers.

Keywords:
human capital  intellectual capital  education 

The article presents the results of a survey conducted among the Podlaskie region residents which assessed the knowledge of renewable energy sources (RES) and their use in tourism. Most of the respondents had an average knowledge on the RES , nevertheless most of them reacted positively to the use of this type of energy in various tourist objects. This gives hope for greater use of this green energy in tourist services and thus the improvement of the environment.

Keywords:
Podlaskie region  renewable energy sources  tourist objects 

The development of tourism strategy, created on different management levels, constitutes a contemporary challenge in supporting cultural tourism. This can be realized by the development of competitive, high-quality, diverse and integrated products which additionally enable us to create the proper image of the areas (regions, metropolis). They should be developed on the basis of a wide collaboration of culture-creating subjects with those responsible for the formation of the tourist offer. The article presents possible forms of the collaboration of these institutions with the local government, with nongovernmental organizations, with knowledge-managing institutions; the collaboration between public and private organizations, within clusters and internationally. Also based on the survey – the research findings including practical applications of these collaboration forms, realized by a number of culture organizations from the metropolitan area of Bialystok are depicted.

Keywords:
culture institutions  the form of the collaboration  the product of the cultural tourism 

Polish legal systems ensures protection of intellectual property in two basic fields. The first of them is copyright, which applies to all types of creative activity. The second are patent rights, trademarks, industrial design, geographical indications and places of origin, topographies of integrated circuits. The basic legal forms of cooperation in the creation and use of intellectual property are partnership agreement, limited partnership, partnership limited by shares, private limited company, joint-stock company. Innovative activity is also supported by foundations.

Keywords:
intellectual property  innovation  commercial companies 

The article presents the essence and importance of productivity in business operations of an enterprise. It includes the analysis of the factors affecting productivity and presents the mechanisms improving productivity in the construction of industry companies. Moreover, the article shows the important role of work productivity in dynamization of management effectiveness and in achieving the necessary competitive advantage for companies on domestic and international markets.

Keywords:
productivity  work productivity  productivity factors 

The study of competitiveness is of particular importance in the case of Polish cooperative banks, which often have small market shares and limited resources. They are forced to operate in conditions of increased competition from financial services market participants. This article aims to present the methods used to measure the satisfaction of retail banks customers. The article presents their classification and description as well as advantages and disadvantages of each applied method.

Keywords:
competitiveness  cooperative and commercial banks  SERVQUAL  CSI index  variance method  mystery shopping 

The main factor that determines the effective functioning of enterprises is their level of competitiveness. To achieve and maintain a desired position on the market the company is forced to continuous development and innovation. Small and medium enterprises have a significant influence on the economy therefore innovative projects can have crucial importance on the economic growth. In the paper the results of the survey on the aims and results of innovative projects in small and medium enterprises are presented.

Keywords:
project management  small and medium enterprises  innovation 

Many regulations, with EU energy package as one of the most important, contribute to the growing role of RES in the general energy-fuel balance. Numerous advantages from the implementation of RES are also an important issue in the process of its development. Nevertheless, connecting numerous RES into the electrical grid causes its instability. Due to Renewables 2011 Global Status Report, RES have grown to supply an estimated 20% of global final energy consumption in 2010 and total global investment in renewable energy (RE) broke a new record in that year. The process of implementing RES into a grid is complex and demands fine management strategy. Local smart grids tend to be a solution for managing an increasing number of dispersed RES. The aim of this paper is to present management processes during implementiation of RES into a smart grid.

Keywords:
Renewable Energy Resources  smart grids  electric vehicles 

Bialystok was characterized by bad condition of infrastructure. Taking into consideration the importance of the region (transit location and connection with national roads) a lot of investments should be made. Modernization of the most important roads in the city is associated with huge costs. This was the reason why the city authorities have decided to gain support from the European Funds. Money from the European budget are the basis of financing the infrastructure projects. In this article available information from official portals of Operational Program and city Council of Bialystok was used. Obtained information brought about an analysis of the major projects made in 2007-2013. Assessment of effective spending of the European Funds in Bialystok and Podlaskie in comparison to the other local governments in Poland was also an important task. Information shows that Bialystok is one of the most attractive cities in the eastern Poland in terms of investment. Granted funds helped to reduce road traffic and contributed to the increase of Bialystok inhabitants life standard. This is the reason to continue the financial support from European Funds.

Keywords:
transport infrastructure  European Funds