Hungarian Industry Research Articles

The role of industrial strategies in chemical production and service supply logistics processes

The research topic focuses on applying industrial strategies, especially in chemical industry logistics processes. The research aims to examine the future of the chemical industry in Hungary and worldwide. The question is what is the role of logistics in the chemical supply chain and the difficulties faced in this area? The main difficulty that can be encountered is achieving effective automation and digitalization while maintaining appropriate safety, which is an essential aspect of the chemical industry. The research presents an existing AGV transport solution that significantly facilitates on-site logistics processes within a chemical company. In the research, the potential development areas are found which could be interesting to explore in logistics processes are also discussed.

Evaluation of sustainability reporting of the food industry in Hungary from an EU taxonomy perspective

Compliance with green requirements is becoming increasingly important in assessing the performance of companies. The new CSRD legislation requires a wider range of companies to produce sustainability reports and their content is influenced by the EU's taxonomy regulation setting out the framework for sustainable finance. The disclosure of information affects the perception of companies' sustainability performance, which will affect their access to financial resources and development opportunities. The main question is, both in theory and in practice, how companies can comply with the legislation in the future. It is essential for the competitiveness of Hungary's food industry to keep pace with future environmental sustainability requirements, so we examined the sustainability reporting practices of the sector's key companies in terms of their contribution to the environmental objectives set out in the taxonomy regulation. The research fits well with the EU's overall green transition regulatory procedure and our study is gap-filling at macro-regional and sectoral levels. The sustainability reports were assessed by content analysis using a scoring method. The results show that the sustainability reporting practices of food processing companies in Hungary differ significantly. Furthermore, greater emphasis must be placed on reporting and the credibility of the reports to meet future expectations. Foreign-owned companies and companies with more than 500 employees attribute greater importance to reporting. In the food processing sector, the disclosure of information and data under the taxonomy objectives of mitigation of climate change, sustainable use of water and marine resources, and transition to a circular economy was most common.

The neuromarketing potential of the food industry: a systematic literature review

Consumers' decisions are often not rational and understanding this is a challenge for researchers and marketers. Traditional quantitative questionnaires are not sufficient to uncover deeper motivations and attitudes, so it is worth turning to neuromarketing research. With the tools of neuroscience, we have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how consumers think. Our aim was to provide a systematic literature review summarising the results of neuromarketing research in the food industry in Hungary and highlighting the potential applications. Our research used a systematic literature review that analysed the results of the literature relevant to the research in a structured and transparent way. The methodology was based on the PRISMA model, which allowed us to evaluate the results in a structured way after defining the main criteria. The review revealed that the most popular neuromarketing tool in the last five years has been the eye tracking, often combined with EEG, face scanning, pre- and post-questionnaires. In addition, it has been found that the food industry is increasingly using neuromarketing to determine the content of advertisements and to select packaging.

Triple helix in the age of the fourth industrial revolution and the spatial pattern of Hungarian industry

The fourth industrial revolution is one of the most significant challenges of the past decade in Hungary as well. Its driving forces are Industry 4.0 technologies, which result in radical changes in all areas of life. This also affects the spheres of the triple helix (university-industry-government) and how they cooperate. Based on various databases and qualitative research, the main goal of the study is to explore these changes in the field of higher education in technical vocations. We will also examine how all this affects the geography of Hungarian industry. Analysing the description of the technical courses, we have identified a new course (mechatronics engineering) and a new form of training (dual training) as a response to the new technological challenges. German companies, which are at the forefront of the application of Industry 4.0 technologies, have not only encouraged the introduction of dual training, but also the cooperation between the spheres. This is evaluated from the perspective of a multi-site German company (Continental) and a university (the University of Miskolc) using the example of mechatronics engineering training to present the major characteristics of cooperation in connection with new technologies. The main result and novelty of the study is that it points out that the changes in the spheres of the triple helix and their cooperation, which were also motivated by the technological revolution, can also reshape the spatial structure of Hungarian industry.

High Prevalence of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Hungarian Pig Farms and Genomic Evidence for the Spillover of the Pathogen to Humans

Livestock-Associated Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) strains of clonal complex (CC) 398 are widely disseminated in pigs and are considered emerging pathogens in human medicine. To investigate the prevalence, genetic characteristics, and zoonotic potential of the pathogen in pig production settings, dust samples were collected from 40 pig operations in Hungary, along with nasal swabs of attending veterinarians and other swine professionals (n = 27) in 2019. MRSA isolates were further characterized by performing whole-genome sequencing and susceptibility testing. The whole-genome sequences of 14 human-derived LA-MRSA clinical isolates from the same year were also included in the study. The proportion of positive farms was 83% (33/40), and 70% (19/27) of the swine professionals carried the pathogen. All but one MRSA strain belonged to CC398, including the human clinical isolates. The core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) analysis revealed clusters of closely-related isolates of both environmental and human origin with a pairwise allelic distance of ≤24, and both cgMLST and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses suggest recent transmission events between the farm environment and humans. Four human clinical isolates harboured the immune-evasion gene cluster, of which one was considered to be closely related to farm isolates. Half of the swine-related strains showed decreased susceptibility to eight or more antimicrobials, and along with human isolates, they carried eight different types of multidrug-resistance genes, including cfr. The results showed a dramatic increase in the occurrence of LA-MRSA in the swine industry in Hungary, compared with the 2% prevalence reported by the European Food Safety Authority baseline study in 2008. The wide range of antimicrobial resistance of the strains, accompanied by the emergence of the pathogen in humans — both asymptomatic carriers and diseased — call for revision of the risk posed by LA-MRSA to the public health.

The Friulian Presence in Hungarian Industry with Particular Regard to the Meat Industry of Debrecen in the 19th century

Abstract Emigration has been a crucial experience for the inhabitants of the Italian Friuli region, at least since the 13th century when Friulian peddlers started journeying from country to country. When it grew into a mass phenomenon in the 19th century, an increasing number of Friulian workers arrived in Hungary, and were involved in industrial activities as both entrepreneurs and employed labour. They gained a leading role in the Hungarian meat industry with the establishment of salami factories that created the conditions for the spread of a new product, the salami. In Debrecen, two Friulian families pursued this activity with numerous Friulian workers and one of them, the Vidoni company, became the third-largest salami factory in Hungary. The activities of the Friulian factories are considerable not only for Hungarian industrial history, but also because they shed light on the migratory processes and broaden the horizon of historical knowledge on Hungarian-Italian relations.

Examination of the property, financial and profitability situation in the construction industry in Hungary: regional comparison

The construction industry is an important branch of the national economy, the structure of which in Hungary is characterized by strong fluctuations. In Hungary, as a result of the government's family support measures, construction companies have faced a significant increase in demand in recent years. This effect was uneven in different statistical regions of the country, but affected the property and financial condition of construction enterprises throughout the country. Starting from 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic has in several cases negatively affected the studied indicators of the construction industry. The article substantiates the need and methods of economic analysis of the state of the construction industry, investigates the property and financial condition of construction enterprises at the national level and in three less economically developed regions of Hungary. Similarities and differences in the values of indicators of the structure of assets, liquidity, profitability and efficiency of enterprises of this industry in certain regions compared to national indicators, as well as possible reasons for the existing state, are considered. The study covered the period of 2016-2020, and the statistical sample took into account the organizational and legal form, the size of assets, turnover and the number of employees of enterprises. Only those companies that worked continuously during the studied period were included in the statistical sample. On the basis of the conducted studies, it was established that the share of current assets in the assets of the investigated construction enterprises has a tendency to decrease. At the national level, the expansion of borrowing capacity and favorable credit conditions have resulted in significant indebtedness, although, in addition to bank loans, liabilities to suppliers have also played a large role. On the basis of the study, it was concluded that the three studied regions are characterized by very similar phenomena of a financial nature, but significant deviations from national values were found for several indicators (e.g. capital strength).

From Marginalia to Bookends: Industrialization, Capitalism, and Advertising in Hungary’s Modern Literary Journal, Nyugat

This study focuses on Nyugat [West], a literary journal that came to symbolize the best of modern literature in Hungary. Generally published bimonthly between 1908 and 1941, Nyugat contained both the latest works by twentieth-century literary greats as well as the essays, critiques, debates, artwork, and music originating from Hungary’s varied intellectual life. Given the staggering wealth of texts that appeared in Nyugat throughout its nearly four-decade career, my analysis will mainly concentrate upon the marginalia (advertisements, notifications, bulletins, eulogies, etc.) that were published in the journal’s early period between 1908 and 1914 before concluding with a brief foray into 1925. I contend that examining the presence of texts such as these is a possible method for mapping the links between a periodical’s editors and its editorship. In this case, Nyugat’s editorship can be extended to include the mainly Jewish factory owners who were members of GyOSz, an industrial lobby organization that strove to modernize Hungarian industry between 1902 and 1948. Tracing the relationship between Nyugat and GyOSz via the network of means that connected the two organizations allows for a new perspective upon how a periodical formation interacts with and adjusts to a non-literary influence.

Nutrient Content of Single-Dose Ready-To-Eat Meals Delivered by Catering Industry in Hungary

ABSTRACT We compared the nutritional value of 1017 ready-to-eat meals offered by single-dose food delivery services in Hungary with the dietary guidelines published by the World Health Organization, relying on the nutritional information on the companies’ websites, and classified them based on gastronomy to traditional Hungarian and innovative meals. No ready-to-eat meals fully complied with the WHO recommendations. However, ready-to-eat meals tend to be high in energy, fat, protein, sodium, low carbohydrate, and fiber, and acceptable in sugar and saturated fatty acid contents.

Controversial Women, Attractive Voice and Erotic Appeal Katalin Karády’s On-Screen Figures and Star Persona

ABSTRACT The study aims to explore the characteristics of the phenomenon of Katalin Karády, one of the greatest stars of the Hungarian film industry between 1939 and 1944. Karády’s on-screen characters often represented modern, independent women who questioned the gender roles instituted by the strongly-conservative patriarchal Hungarian society of the time. This aspect of her characters is examined with the help of the concepts of ‘new woman’ and ‘modern girl’ widely used in contemporaneous media discourses, and compared to other types of female figures present in the Hungarian film production of the time. The narratives of her films are analysed with special focus on women’s position and male-female relationships. Some aspects of her erotic appeal, such as sensuality, nudity and an attractive voice are described with a special attention to her songs. Her star persona is analysed considering possible international models and similarities with certain Western stars. Emphasising specific elements of her private life, the study shows that her on-screen characters and her off-screen personality strongly blended in the imagination of the public, and gender ambiguity inherent to her character contributed to the birth of the ‘Karády phenomenon’.

Az élelmiszeripar helyzete és fejlesztési irányai

The food industry in Hungary has come a long way from the 1800s to the present day and is still facing many challenges. It is a highly heterogeneous sector with a large number of employees, whose uniqueness and specificities have a significant impact on its present and potential. Its development potential lies in increasing added value, moving towards quality products, and positioning itself on domestic and export markets. The pace of development is determined by strategies, subsidies, the regulatory environment, R&D&I opportunities, consumer needs and related education, the availability and variability of raw materials, strict food safety requirements, etc. In this article, we present the past, present and development trends of the food industry based on the lecture 100+10 years of food science at the 240th anniversary of the Budapest University of Technology on 19 November 2021.

Intangible assets as possible indicators for the growth of the Hungarian firms

PurposeIntellectual capital has become one of the most important factors in the knowledge economy. It is the combination of human capital and structural capital. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of intellectual capital, especially the effect of structural capital on the productivity of Hungarian firms between 2007 and 2017.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyzes the impact of intellectual capital on the output of the Hungarian firms in a fixed effect dynamic model, using the lagged dependent and explanatory variables method. This study is based on annual reports of Hungarian enterprises.FindingsThis study proved that intellectual capital was a relevant source of the effectiveness of the firms in Hungarian industry in the examined period, and structural capital had the strongest impact on productivity of the firms.Research limitations/implicationsThe annual report as database nonetheless bears the specificity and the limitation of the model alike. Labor costs, the proxy for human capital can measure the level only indirectly. Intangible assets, the proxy for structural capital contain more items which are optional.Practical implicationsThe results reflect that the internally developed knowledge became the most relevant source for Hungarian firms to increase their productivity, but externally generated innovation may offer further possible sources to boost their own efficiency.Originality/valueUnlike the previous empirical research in Hungary the source of variables in this model is based on the data of annual reports. This database allows to examine a larger panel investigation for a longer period than those methods which collect data on a voluntary basis, e.g. Community Innovation Survey.

Firm competitiveness: A general model and a manufacturing application

Competitiveness of firms is studied mostly from a strategic management perspective. It is only rarely a subject of analysis from the viewpoint of operations. In this paper, we aim to connect these two approaches using the resource-based view of the firm, popularly called RBV theories.First, we provide a comprehensive definition of firm competitiveness and propose a conceptual index (Firm Competitiveness Index or FCI) to measure it, based on the theory of dynamic capabilities.Further, we demonstrate the use of the FCI concept, with an application to the Hungarian manufacturing sector, utilizing survey responses from a sample of 113 firms collected as part of an ongoing research project focusing on competitiveness of the Hungarian industry. We employ exploratory- and confirmatory factor analysis to construct a context-specific FCI indicator on this sample.Finally, we explore the relationship between the constructed FCI, and thus a concept of competitiveness, and capabilities of the production area. Hierarchical regression analysis is employed to investigate this relationship. We posit this as a means to empirically test the perceived contribution of functional areas to the overall firm-level competitiveness.We find a positive impact of the dynamic production capabilities on the firm's perceived competitiveness but find no significant relationship between ordinary production capabilities and firm-level competitiveness.

Politics of the Blessed Lady: Catholic Art in the Contemporary Hungarian Culture Industry

I examine Hungary’s Catholic arts industry and its material practices of cultural production: the institutions and professional disciplines through which devotional material objects move as they become embedded in political processes of national construction and contestation. Ethnographic data come from thirty-six months of fieldwork in Hungary and Transylvania, and focuses on three museum and gallery exhibitions of Catholic devotional objects. Building on critiques of subjectivity- and embodiment-focused research, I highlight how the institutional legacies of state socialism in Hungary and Romania inform a national politics of Catholic materiality. Hungarian cultural institutions and intellectuals have been drawn to work with Catholic art because Catholic material culture sustains a meaningful presence across multiple scales of political contestation at the local, regional, and state levels. The movement of Catholic ritual objects into the zone of high art and cultural preservation necessitates that these objects be mobilized for use within the political agendas of state-embedded institutions. Yet, this mobilization is not total. Ironies, confusions, and contradictions continue to show up in Transylvanian Hungarians’ historical memory, destabilizing these political uses.

COVID-19 and the food industry in Hungary

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on all sectors of the global and local economies. It has been widely reported that the food industry has been one of most affected sectors of the economy. However, empirical studies are yet to quantify the extent of the impact of the industry and also how the various sub-sectors of the industry have been affected. Focusing on Hungary as a case study, this paper seeks to empirically quantify the extent of the pandemic’s impact on the food industry by answering the following question: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted businesses in the food industry? To answer this question the study employs descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and paired samples t-test to analyse quarterly turnover data of 27 businesses sectors of the food industry for the period 2016 to 2020. The study finds no significant difference in the mean quarterly turnover of businesses during the first year of the pandemic and the previous year (t= -0.0344; df=107; p=0.731). However, a trend analysis revealed that over the past 5 years, it was only during the first year of the COVID-19 that businesses in the food industry recorded quarter-on-quarter reductions in turnover. The worse affected businesses in the food industry were enterprises involved in the retail sale of beverages in specialized stores, event catering, restaurants and mobile food service activities. Our findings suggest that while the pandemic adversely affected some enterprises in the food industry, others flourished during the first year of the pandemic.

Upgrading and the geography of the Hungarian automotive industry in the context of the fourth industrial revolution

The present study focuses on the geographical investigation of the automotive industry in Hungary that has been integrated into the global production networks as a relevant sector of the reindustrialization in East- Central Europe. The aim of the paper is to reveal the dominant spatial trends in this sector since the economic crisis of 2008, and how these are connected to the issue of upgrading influenced also by digitalization. The analysis is primarily based on the official industrial employment data however other secondary sources are also used. It has been stated that the growth of the Hungarian automotive industry showing to the direction of geographical concentration and expansion is accompanied by the regional stability of the sector. Quality indicators expressing upgrading indicate correlation with the spatiality of car factories and Tier 1 suppliers carrying out more complex activities, but a more significant functional upgrading is only realised in the capital city with increasingly research-development focused profile. Results suggest only moderate upgrading despite the gradual adaptation of Industry 4.0 technologies.

Geographical approach of Industry 4.0 based on information and communication technologies at Hungarian enterprises in connection with industrial space

In the short history of Hungarian industry there were relevant changes several times, which had a great impact not only on industrial production and employment, but also on the spatial pattern of industry. After the regime change and latest economic crisis Industry 4.0 or/and the fourth industrial revolution mean(s) newer challenge. Due to information and communication technologies (ICT), which can be considered the basis of Industry 4.0 radical changes can be expected in all fields of life and numerous questions will emerge. The primary aim of this paper is to reveal the geography of older and newer information and communication technologies and their relationship with the spatial pattern of Hungarian industry. The main question is whether the digital divide follows the industrial divide in the Hungarian economic space or not. According to the analysis based on different ICT and industrial indicators, there is no close correlation between the digital and industrial spaces. The geography of Industry 4.0 is characterised by a sharp north-south division.

Friulani nell’industria ungherese con particolare riguardo alla città di Debrecen

L'emigrazione ha avuto un ruolo significativo nella storia del Friuli per secoli. Sin dal Medioevo, l'emigrazione friulana era caratterizzata principalmente dal movimento di venditori ambulanti (i cosiddetti cramârs) verso i territori tedeschi. Tuttavia, il movimento migratorio friulano più significativo risale ai cinquant'anni precedenti la Prima guerra mondiale, quando la crescente richiesta di manodopera, causata dallo sviluppo industriale europeo, richiamava lavoratori in quantità enormi. Durante questi decenni, l'Impero austroungarico divenne la principale destinazione del movimento, ma il primato dell'Austria fu superato dall'Ungheria negli anni tra il 1892 e il 1894. La migrazione di massa nell'area (avvenuta fino allo scoppio della Prima guerra mondiale) causò cambiamenti duraturi nell'industria ungherese. Le fonti storiche dimostrano che la presenza dei friulani fu significativa soprattutto in alcuni settori, come l'edilizia e la lavorazione della carne. Le aziende friulane attive nel settore della carne durante questo periodo hanno avuto un profondo effetto sulla diffusione e sul successo di un nuovo prodotto: il salame. Va sottolineato che accanto a Budapest e Seghedino, sede del famoso salame Pick, Debrecen ha avuto un ruolo chiave in questo processo con le sue due fabbriche della famiglia Boschetti e Vidoni e dei loro lavoratori migranti

Announcement about Challenges of Fruit Wine Industry in Hungary

Every­where in the world, the cul­ture of grape wine goes back cen­tur­ies or even mil­len­nia. In Hun­gary, the con­sump­tion of Hun­garian grape wine plays a sig­ni­fic­ant role in every­day life, while fruit wines are re­garded by con­sumers as un­known, un­usual, in­ac­cess­ible premium products or as bever­ages for oc­ca­sional con­sump­tion. In the 19th cen­tury, the drink­ing of fruit wine used to be pre­ferred in Hun­gary. Over the years, a cul­ture of fruit wines and pro­duc­tion winer­ies has evolved throughout Europe on a fairly strong basis, and has, in an un­usual way, es­caped the ‘at­ten­tion’ of Hun­garian pro­du­cers and con­sumers. The aim of this study is to ex­plore the val­ues and op­por­tun­it­ies of the fruit wine sec­tor. It is not well-known in Hun­gary, but there is a great deal of po­ten­tial in this sec­tor, which, as op­por­tun­it­ies un­fold, would be­come more widely known to the con­sumer so­ci­ety. It could be­come one of the po­ten­tial sec­tors of our coun­try be­sides the pro­duc­tion of pálinka and grape wine.

Digitization landscape in the Hungarian food-processing industry

The food industry is the third-largest in Hungary, the first in Hungary in terms of the number of employees, and the first in Europe in the processing industry, as well as a significant user of resources. In order to develop the digitization of the food industry, it is necessary to get a picture of the situation. In this article, the most important functions, features, and aspects of these technologies are examined. Several international organizations are contributing to the measurement of digital transformation. Digital Enterprise Metrics is for the level of a single enterprise digitalization is measured with industry. My research focused on the technological aspects of digitalization. The research-based on a survey. According to the size of the company, the level of digitization increases and there are differences among branches in the food-processing sector.