The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent industry representatives deem employees’ readiness as satisfactory for the implementation of Industry 4.0 elements, to determine how the ...availability of related positions in the market is perceived and, on that basis, to identify the implications for the education system in terms of structure and content. Mixed research of an exploratory sequential design was used. Analyses of in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 41) were carried out, followed by quantitative data collection (N = 146) through survey items corresponding to formalized research questions. The findings revealed that the set of skills suggested by other researchers as key for implementing Industry 4.0 and ensuring future competitiveness was not recognized as currently necessary or missing by the respondents. Although the respondents appreciate the importance of personal characteristics like responsibility, loyalty, communication skills, and other soft skills, these characteristics and skills are often missing. Respondents from high-tech industries tend to perceive more significant gaps in STEM education and skills. Implications for the education system in terms of its content (STEM and soft skills) and structure (organization of technical education and lifelong learning) are suggested.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective: The objective of the article is to evaluate whether technological changes adopted in procurement can support the strategy of the firm and to observe the software robots’ implementation ...phase in procurement. Research Design & Methods: In order to reach the article objective, a single case study methodology was applied. The analysis focused on the Siemens company. Findings: Digitalisation strategy in procurement can support the firm’s strategy of global leadership and further growth through increased efficiency, focus on value-added activities, increased transparency in processes, easier cooperation between the involved parties, and the worldwide reach of suppliers. The potential for further use of software robots has been identified among repetitive processes with no value-added but securing the smooth and errorless flow of information and documents. For this purpose, we propose a more detailed definition of the procurement cycle. Implications & Recommendations: Three processes were selected for potential dedication to software robots which can serve as a recommendation to companies to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of their supply chains. Contribution & Value Added: To identify gaps for digitalisation in the procurement process, the “procurement cycle” was used. We found that the processes must be defined in a more detailed way in order to serve the analysis.
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CEKLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, UL, UM, UPUK
This research investigates the proactive and reactive measures applied by Czech and Hungarian automotive companies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We apply a qualitative methodology and ...analyse interviews with company managers to learn about the applied measures. The results reveal that the resilience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic involved proactive measures, which companies have kept in place. Reactive measures involved production replanning and alternative transportation. Adopting multiple sourcing strategies in the automotive sector is limited and more reactive rather than proactive. The important antecedents of agility are information sharing and cooperation within multinationals.
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CEKLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, UL, UM, UPUK
In this paper, we focus on the disruptions of automotive GSCs and their resilience building in Central Europe where the economic role of the automotive sector and its connected industries is highly ...significant. We apply a qualitative approach based on interviews to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to discover the measures and strategies the automotive firms adopted to counter the pandemic effects in Hungary and Czechia. Based on the literature, we define the framework of the given CE companies’ resilience building techniques. We mapped the measures companies used against the pandemic and analysed the various resilience-building techniques they applied. These measures are similar to those employed in previous local shocks, but we found an increased role of communication and collaboration. We also found some variations according to the firms’ position in international networks.
Strategie podpory udržitelného vývoje železniční nákladní dopravy je všeobecně známa, široce podporována a podrobně popsána v Bílé knize EK z března 2011. I přes pokračující investice a postupný ...rozvoj se železniční nákladní doprava ve střední Evropě potýká s řadou významných omezujících faktorů. Výzkumným záměrem tohoto příspěvku je s použitím analýzy dostupných zdrojů informací, poukázat na faktory omezující růst výkonnosti železniční nákladní přepravy a identifikovat oblasti pro možná zlepšení. Nástrojem použitým k hodnocení výkonnosti železničních nákladních dopravců v regionu střední Evropy je metoda benchmarkingu. Příspěvek poukazuje na přetrvávající rozdíly ve výkonnosti železničních nákladních dopravců působících ve střední Evropě.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the expectations of the management of different industries in the Czech Republic related to governmental support for their implementation of Industry 4.0 ...and their preparedness for the challenges associated with these technological changes. Mixed research, specifically exploratory sequential design, was used. The findings of qualitative data analyses from in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=41) with representatives of different industry sectors formed subsequent quantitative data collection (N=146, the board of management members representing various industries) through survey items corresponding with formalized research questions. The findings revealed a strong group of companies already implementing Industry 4.0 elements (85% of respondents) driven by companies with 250+ employees. As perceived by the management, the critical threat related to the workforce is a lack of skilled labour. Managers tend to prefer a transparent business environment without state interventions or interventions targeted to strategic state industries, preferably to the spheres of education, research & development, energy sector, sustainable agriculture, and healthcare. The results indicate that the easier administration and education reform are among the companies' boldest expectations from the government, among general conditions for current business.Implications for the Central European audience: Central European companies face challenges related to implementing the Industry 4.0 elements. Therefore, the findings that aim to contribute to the debate addressing administration simplification, business environment transparency, and reform of the education system are considered relevant for the CE audience.
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CEKLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, UL, UM, UPUK
A cikk a magyar és a cseh autóipari cégek ellátási láncainak zavaraival és ellenállóképességük kialakításával foglalkozik. A szerzők interjúkra alapozva vizsgálták a Covid19-járvány hatásait azzal a ...céllal, hogy részletesen feltérképezzék a két ország autóipari vállalatainak reakcióit, intézkedéseit és stratégiáit. Az ellenálló ellátási lánc kialakítására vonatkozó szakirodalomra alapozva definiálták az elemzés kereteit. Eredményeik megerősítik, hogy minden vállalatnál veszteségeket és zavarokat okozott a járvány, és legtöbbjük igénybe vett valamilyen kormányzati támogatást. A vizsgált cégek számos olyan ellenállóképesség-javító intézkedést hoztak, amelyek – a szakirodalomban említettekkel összhangban – erősítik a rugalmasságot, információáramlást, együttműködést. Ezek az intézkedések nem a cég nemzetisége, hanem az ellátási láncban betöltött szerepe szerint differenciálódnak.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
When companies learned that logistics can be used to achieve strategic goals, it ceased to be perceived only as a source of necessary costs that need to be controlled. In this dissertation the ...potential benefits of selected sources of long term competitive advantage are questioned. The research in the dissertation focuses on international transport of goods, its employment and organization, and on how logistics capabilities can be employed to increase customer satisfaction and thus the competitive advantage of the entire supply chain. The potential sources of long term competitive advantage are cooperation and information sharing among firms in the international supply chain. The author hypothesised that cooperation and information sharing are positively related to logistics capabilities. Logistics capabilities are hypothesised to be positively related to customer satisfaction. To capture the impact of external environment, the lead time uncertainty and the demand uncertainty have been included in the model. The impact of modern information technologies on supply chain management has not been disregarded and information technologies serve as moderating variable in the model. The proposed model is based on the Transaction costs theory and the Resource-Based View. The qualitative research method of case studies had been selected and used to support the model. The research involves three cases. Interviews with professionals, company sources and secondary data mainly academy journals, supply chain management literature and web pages of selected companies and international institutions provided the foundation for the research. The contribution of this dissertation is in including the impact of the external forces in the model, in focusing on the relationships that a firm has with its supply chain partners, and in an in-depth analysis of relationships among triad of subjects -- buyer, seller and logistics service provider. Also, a new definition of logistics capabilities has been proposed. Examples of real situations of organization of international transportation of goods are presented. Cooperation and information sharing can serve as sources of long term competitive advantage, but their implementation is in many cases limited due to varied reasons. The size of the firm is in some cases one of them, other limitations are named in the text. Suggestions for practitioners are included.
The theoretic part of my dissertation is devoted to the management by crisis and the integrated salvage system, their organization, single components and system of their management. Farther I occupy ...here with the chapter of supervision, namely with its function, course, role and position of supervisor and supervider. In the first part of my dissertation I mention a mediation and debriefing too as the possible options of supervision. The research objective in the practical part of my work is characterize the possibilities of a participation of supervisor or supervision into the system of the management by crisis. This part of my dissertation was worked up both by the quantitative and qualitative method. I have chosen data collection for the anonymous interrogatory. The workers of IZS in the South Bohemian Region formed the target group. 82 informants formed the total research set. The data processing was by the qualitative method by means of SWOT analysis. I surveyed two hypotheses. Hypothesis No.1 {--} The IZS workers have poor awareness of the supervision advantages and risk of its absence. In Hypothesis No.2 {--} I presumed that according to the IZS workers the supervision in the workplace is not important.
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