ALBERT

Description: Currently, trust is one of the key factors that ensures the acceptable mechanisms of economic and social relationships. It is not only an element of correct communication, but also a factor in inter-organizational bonds and a source of social dialogue. Trust has become a factor in the creation of value, as well as a key component of the conceptualization and operationalization of business models. It has revealed many problems at the strategic level, in the water sector in particular. From this perspective, trust is a major factor of strategies, models, and business processes which are currently being built. New types of business models that emerge have also started to include trust as part of their configuration. This is the case in the construction and implementation of social business models. A social business model can be understood as a business model whose factors that stimulate development include social aspects expressed in balancing economic, environmental, and social issues with the involvement of communities and their dynamic communication focused on the selected attributes of business models that stimulate growth and that are conducive to achieving success, expressed by economic and/or social profit. The satisfaction of stakeholders with such a solution is another condition for embedding this solution in the sphere of the social economy. In this approach, trust, which stimulates the growth of social and economic value in the component structure of the social business model, becomes particularly important. The aim of the paper is to present the place and role of trust as a key component of social business models. The scope of the paper includes research into public water sector industry companies located in the Province of Silesia and their social business models, with a focus on defining the position of trust among other attributes of these business models. The authors put forward a hypothesis that trust is a crucial component of the social business models of water supply companies that operate at the intersection of the market and social economy. Trust also helps companies from the water supply sector achieve both social and economic effects. It also becomes a source of reverse market polarization, where the value of a social business model materializes to create social and environmental effects without detriment to the economic effects.

Description: Cities are increasingly turning to food policy plans to support goals related to food access, food security, the environment, and economic development. This paper investigates ways that rural farmers, communities, and economies can both support and be supported by metropolitan food-focused initiatives. Specifically, our research question asked what opportunities and barriers exist to developing food policies that support urban food goals, particularly related to local procurement, as well as rural economic development. To address this question, we described and analyzed a meeting of urban stakeholders and larger-scale rural producers related to Colorado’s Denver Food Vision and Plan. We documented and explored “findings” gleaned from a supply chain diagraming and data compilation process that were then used to inform an event that brought together diverse supply chain partners. Three findings stand out. First, facilitating dialog between urban food policymakers and rural producers to understand potential tensions, mitigate such tensions, and capitalize on opportunities is essential. Second, perceptions and expectations surrounding “good food” are nuanced—a timely finding given the number of preferred procurement programs emerging across the county. Third, critical evaluation is needed across a diverse set of value chain strategies (e.g., conventional and alternative distribution) if food policy intends to support heterogeneous producers, their communities, and urban food policy goals.

Description: The aim of the paper is to present the results of research into the assessment of social factors resulting from the digitalization of railway companies’ business models and building, by means of the AHP method, a ranking of the significance of these criteria in the process of their digital transformation. The results focused on identifying the components of the business models of railway companies that are most affected by social factors and the creation of such factors. Railway companies do not operate within the business environment alone. In the context of processes, they form one common technical and service ecosystem. Digitalization should increase opportunities to create positive social effects which influence the quality of services provided and the safety of rail traffic as well as the increased efficiency of business models.

Description: The current principles of doing business differ radically from those that were applied a few years ago. Global economic crises have shown that business must have a more social character. This gave rise to the creation of management solutions that would guarantee the satisfaction of a wide range of corporate stakeholders. In this context, ideas based on social potential began to emerge. As a consequence, the concept of social business models was born, accompanied by an attempt to search for the best business models possible in order to build the appropriate configuration of their components. According to the authors, an attribute of trust may be such a component based on which effective social business models can be built. As water supply companies are social enterprises, they have become the object of scientific research in this case. The purpose of the article is to determine the position of trust in the construction and application of social business models of water supply companies. The scope of the article includes scientific research into water supply companies in the most industrial region of Poland, Upper Silesia, with the most extensive and dense water supply network in the country. In this article, the AHP (analytic hierarchy process) method was used to conduct research. The aim of the analysis was focusing on the issue of trust as a key factor in shaping the social business model of the company. In the questionnaires, respondents were asked to answer questions on the following issues: trust-based organizational behavior at the company; trust-based social capital at the company; trust-based relationships at the company; trust-based processes and activities at the company; trust-based risk at the company; and the trust-based business model at the company. The adopted logic of the scientific argument conducted indicates that trust and its place and role in the social business model of a water supply company have a significant impact on the social and economic performance of the water supply company, and as a consequence, on increased social responsibility towards stakeholders as well. Trust even stabilizes the organization and its business model; it is also a value catalyst and neutralizes the potentially negative impact of the organization on other entities gathered around it. Trust as a stabilizer can also affect the consistency and scalability of the social business model of a water supply company.

Description: The digital transformation of business models is a process which helps traditional business solutions reach new functionalities through innovative technologies. Digital transformation is now crucial to the development of the rail transport sector. The main rail market entities are railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, entities in charge of maintenance, or certification bodies. Digitalization creates new opportunities to shape the business ecosystem in the rail transport sector. The aim of the research is to identify and indicate key social perspectives related to the development of digital business models functioning in railway enterprises. Technological aspects and relational determinants related to the strong mutual cooperation required between railway undertakings and infrastructure managers have particular significance in this context. In this approach, the digitalization of processes is important. The approach also reveals a significant process of business model socialization, which is conceptualized and operationalized through the evolution of social factors based on digital transformation.

Description: In recent years, the role of digital enterprises in the global economy has been growing. The issue of assessing their impact on social aspects is noticeable. The aim of the article is to show social impact as a key factor in the development of digital business models. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method used and the criteria for social impact assessments based on heuristic methods allowed for the components of business models that relate to social impact to be ranked, and subsequently for socially oriented enterprises functioning in the digital economy to be ranked. The companies selected for the research are understood by the authors as digital business models, the concept of which is embedded in a pro-social management intention. Purposive sampling, which in this situation was considered to be the most effective in terms of the objective of the paper, was applied. The literature review, analyses and heuristic research have demonstrated that the social factor in modern applications is a driver of value creation and is conducive to social profit. The ranking of the criteria responsible for shaping the social impact of digital business models showed that the most important ones are value proposition (pro-social), social profit and economic profit. This means a strong relationship between social and economic aspects.

Description: The global production of die forgings is an important branch of the motor industry for obvious reasons, resulting from the very good mechanical properties of the forged products. The expectations of the recipients, beside the implementation of the forging process, include also a range of supplementary procedures, such as finishing treatment including shot blasting, thermal treatment, and machining, in order to ensure the proper quality of the provided semi-product or the ready detail for the assembly line. Especially important in the aspect of the operational properties of the products is the thermal treatment of the forgings, which can be implemented in many variants, depending on the expected results. Unfortunately, a treatment of this type, realized separately after the forging process, is very time and energy-consuming; additionally, it significantly raises the production costs due to the increased energy consumption resulting from the necessity of repeated heating of the forgings for such thermal treatment. The article reviews the most frequently applied (separately, after the forging process) thermal treatments for die forgings together with the devices/lines assigned for them, as well as presents an alternative (thermoplastic) method of forging production with the use of the forging heat. The paper also presents a prototype semi-industrial controlled cooling line developed by the authors, which allows the development of the assumed heat treatment of forgings directly after forging with the use of forging heat, together with sample results of conducted tests.

Description: Cancer caregiving is associated with burden and a poor psychological state. However, there is no previous information about the predictive utility of specific burden domains on anxiety and depression in the first six months after a partner’s cancer diagnosis. In a longitudinal study, 67 caregivers completed the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at T1 (45–60 days after diagnosis) and T2 (180–200 days after diagnosis). Most of the caregivers were female (65.7%, mean age = 51.63, SD = 13.25), while patients were mostly male (56.7%). The TRIPOD checklist was applied. ZBI scores were moderate and HADS anxiety reached significant values. There were no differences in ZBI and HADS between T1 and T2. The relationship between burden, anxiety, and depression were more consistent at T2, while emotional burden at T1 were related and predicted anxiety and depression at T2. Some burden domains were related and predicted anxiety in caregivers in the first six months after partner cancer diagnosis. This information could be useful to prevent the onset of these symptoms in the first six months after diagnosis.

Description: Background: The aim of this study was to describe the correlations between the psychosocial burden on male caregivers and their perception of social support, as well as distress, anxiety, and depression among their partners in the first six months after a cancer diagnosis. Methods: A cross-sectional, longitudinal and observational study was conducted on a group of 61 couples, with the use of Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS), Berlín Social Support Scales (BSSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Distress Thermometer (DT). Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica v.13. Results: A strong positive correlation between the ZBI and CBS, as well as between support-seeking and the emotional involvement of male partners, was documented. The negative correlation between the lack of instrumental support and a much greater burden on caregivers, in emotional, social, and family life was documented. The level of distress, anxiety, and depression, as well as family problems reported by female patients, were positively correlated with the male caregiver′s burden. A demographic analysis showed significant relationships between the number of offspring and the negative health indicators of patients and their partners. Implications: The obtained results encourage deeper reflection on the need to improve the availability of instrumental support for male caregivers and support for families with an oncological ill parent in caring for minor children, and to maintain the social activity of the caregiver.