Company Management Research Articles

Perceptions and Attitudes of SMEs and MNCs Managers Regarding CSR Implementation: Insights from Companies Operating in the Retail Sector

To establish a responsible business environment, it is important to analyze the way corporate social responsibility (CSR) is implemented within the business world. In this respect, managers play a crucial role in designing and applying the CSR concept and practices. Therefore, this paper aims to identify and analyze the perceptions and attitudes of medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and multinational companies (MNCs) managers in the Romanian retail sector related to CSR implementation. A documentary research approach and a qualitative research methodology through the use of four focus groups were utilized to fulfill the above-mentioned purpose. Additionally, the authors employed content analysis and Nvivo 14 software to process the collected data. The findings indicate that the size of firms represents a key element of managers’ perceptions and attitudes regarding CSR. Particularly, SME managers have a lower level of familiarity with the concept and the potential advantages for business compared to MNC managers. Furthermore, when it comes to CSR practices, MNCs use a comprehensive approach to meeting the demands of their stakeholders, whereas SMEs prioritize the requirements of their employees. One major obstacle in implementing the CSR concept continues to be the high expenses involved in the businesses.

Technology Adoption in Material Procurement: An Empirical Study Applying the UTAUT Model Among Construction Companies in India

The Indian construction industry faces many challenges, such as low productivity, project delays and a lack of professionalism. To remain competitive, construction companies must adopt innovative technologies to make their operations more efficient. In this context, the management of companies needs to understand employee attitudes and perceptions of technology adoption to make investment decisions for adopting new technologies. This study aims to assess the employees’ perceptions of e-procurement as part of technology adoption in the construction sector. The popular Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework was adapted to develop a study model with employee attitude added as a mediating variable. Data collected from 305 employees working in the materials departments of different private construction companies are analyzed using SPSS Amos, a covariance-based structural equation modelling (CBSEM) tool. The study results revealed the strength of the predictor variables in determining the predicted variable and the significant role of the mediating variable in shaping employee perceptions. The results can provide valuable information to the management of the construction companies about which factors promote the adoption and acceptance of digital technologies. This awareness is greatly helpful in changing or adjusting the situation to improve employee perceptions of accepting new technologies.

Talent Management Digitalization and Company Size as a Catalyst

As companies increasingly undergo digital transformation, the role of talent management processes becomes pivotal in enhancing overall organizational performance. The objective of this research is to assess the extent to which greater digitalization in the talent management process is linked to company size. The research has addressed four research questions in order to explore the significance of talent management in corporate digital transformation, examining whether variations in the digitalization of these processes can be attributed to company size. A qualitative approach was employed, utilizing a questionnaire, and collecting responses from 202 organizations across diverse sectors. The findings reveal disparities in digitalization throughout the talent management process, with pronounced presence in the attracting, selecting, and rewarding phases, but diminishing in deployment and development, and further declining in planning. A positive correlation between company size and the adoption of specific digital platforms was observed. Larger enterprises exhibit greater utilization of digital platforms in talent deployment and development. Moreover, corporate communication tools are consistently utilized in the rewarding phase, irrespective of company size. These findings offer practical insights for organizations aiming to optimize their digitalization strategies based on their scale, thereby contributing to more effective and tailored digitalization endeavours. The uniqueness of this research lies in its exploration of the influence of company size on the digitalization of talent management processes and its potential to explain variations across different stages of these processes.

How Indonesia’s Cities Are Grappling with Plastic Waste: An Integrated Approach towards Sustainable Plastic Waste Management

In Indonesia, plastic constitutes the second largest component of municipal solid waste; however, 58% remains uncollected. Most plastic recycling depends on informal sectors, accounting for only 10% of the total, leaving the remainder to potentially harm the environment. This paper analyzes how cities in Indonesia have tackled their plastic waste problems from the perspective of the integrated sustainable waste management framework. This study focuses on plastic waste management (PWM) in three cities: Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Magelang. Data were collected from 41 semi-structured interviews, a plastic waste composition data analysis, and site visits. The research outcomes include a comprehensive analysis of stakeholder roles, plastic waste flow, plastic waste composition data, and various challenges in PWM. This study identifies three main stakeholders in collecting plastic wastes: the Department of Environment as the main local government body, community-based waste banks, and private waste management companies. Most recyclable plastic waste is recovered through waste banks and private collection services. In 2022, the predominant types of plastic waste in Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Magelang City were soft plastics, thick plastics, and hard plastics, respectively. The challenges for the PWM stem from various aspects in political, legal, and institutional; environmental; financial and technical; and socio-cultural spheres. Positive trends towards an integrated system are observed, although full integration has not yet been achieved. The research recommends a multi-stakeholder cooperative approach involving municipal authorities, waste banks, and private collectors, responsive to local conditions and emphasizing sustainability aspects throughout waste management stages for a sustainable resource recycling in developing countries.

Green perspective on intellectual capital, corporate social responsibility, and competitive advantage: The role of firm performance

Green economy issues can occur both in the external and internal environment of business entities in terms of intellectual capital activities, social responsibility, and competitive advantage. This study aims to examine the relationship between intellectual capital, corporate social responsibility, firm performance, and competitive advantage through the mediating role of firm performance from a green perspective. Data were collected from annual reports accessed through the official Stock Exchange websites in each respective research country. The number of samples used is 60 sample data from pharmaceutical companies in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Data analysis is carried out using multiple linear regression, path analysis, and Sobel test. This study shows that green intellectual capital, corporate social responsibility, and firm performance have a significant effect on green competitive advantage. Green intellectual capital and green corporate social responsibility have a significant effect on firm performance. Regarding mediating relationships, the results showed green intellectual capital and corporate social responsibility can increase green competitive advantage through firm performance. This shows that a company manager should pay attention to improving intellectual capital capability and corporate social responsibility because they have been proven to improve firm performance and competitive advantage in the context of green economy issues.

Impact of senior management’s financial intelligence on the financial performance of banks and insurance companies in the Gaza Strip

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of senior management’s financial intelligence on the financialperformance of banks and insurance companies operating in the Gaza Strip.DesignThe study followed the descriptive analytical approach to measure financial performance by relying on the financial reports of the sample companies for 2022. Two primary sources were employed: a questionnaire to collect the financial intelligence data, and it was distributed to a sample of individuals representing the management of companies operating in the Gaza Strip. A total of (67) completed questionnaires were obtained. In addition, secondary data from 11 banks and insurance companies operating in the Gaza Strip was collected to compute the financial performance variables such as returns on investment (ROI), assets (ROA), and equity (ROE). The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS software version 28.FindingsThe results indicated that the dimensions of financial intelligence were available. Banks and insurance companies have good financial performance. Furthermore, financial intelligence (understanding beyond the numbers, understanding financial analysis, and grasping the overall financial picture) significantly affected the performance of banks and insurance companies, as measured by ROI and ROA. The dimensions of financial intelligence (mastering financial and monetary skills, understanding financial analysis, and grasping the overall financial picture) also significantly impacted the performance of banks and insurance companies as measured by ROE. Simultaneously, there was no significant effect of financial intelligence (mastering financial and monetary skills) on the performance of banks and insurance companies as measured by ROI and ROA. Furthermore, there was no significant effect of financial intelligence (understanding beyond the numbers) on the performance of banks and insurance companies as measured by ROE.OriginalityTo the best of the author’s knowledge, the current study is among the first research efforts in Palestine.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that senior management should pay greater attention to developing financial intelligence skills among employees in supervisory positions, especially those in the administrative, financial, and planning fields, due to their impact on improving companies’ performance.

Analysis of Leadership Styles of Blake and Mouton: A Comparative Study of Leadership Interactions in Different Environments

The study aimed to identify the impact of leadership styles according to the leadership network model developed by Blake & Mouton (1978), which are: permissive leadership style, strict leadership style, moderate leadership style, social club management style, and team management style - in choosing business strategies. Followed by insurance companies according to the classification of Michael Porter (1985), who classified them into three strategies: cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy, and focus strategy. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to a sample of 100 iraqi insurance company managers. 79 valid questionnaires were retrieved, with a recovery rate of -79%. After conducting the necessary statistical analysis, the study reached the following results: There is no effect of the leadership styles according to the Blake and Mouton model in choosing the cost leadership strategy, as the study showed no effect of the permissive style, the moderate style, the social style, and the team leadership style in choosing the cost strategy, and it showed an effect - only - of the strict style in choosing the cost leadership strategy There is an effect of leadership styles according to the Blake and Mouton model on choosing a differentiation strategy, as the study showed an effect of the permissive, moderate, sociable leadership style and the team leadership style on choosing a differentiation strategy, while no effect was shown For the strict style in choosing a differentiation strategy There is an effect of leadership styles according to the Blake Moton model in choosing the focus strategy, as the study showed the presence of this effect of the strict, moderate, social, and team leadership styles in choosing the focus strategy

Optimization of management of economic companies of the agroindustrial complex with state share of ownership

Optimization of management of economic companies of the agroindustrial complex with state share of ownership

Catch me if you can: informal tourism employment of locals in scenic-oriented rural communities

ABSTRACT The expansion of the tourism industry has generated a plethora of informal job opportunities. However, existing literature has not thoroughly explored the extensive involvement of local residents in rural areas in informal tourism employment. This study focuses on the Fujian Tulou villages in China and employs the fieldwork method to investigate the phenomenon of informal tourism employment among local residents in scenic-oriented rural communities. The findings indicate that the dearth of employment prospects in rural areas, coupled with China’s distinctive rural land ownership system and the support from the rural social network, are the primary drivers motivating locals to participate in informal tourism employment. Locals employ tactics such as camouflage, tacit collusion, lurking, and covert actions to engage in informal tourism employment while navigating the regulations imposed by scenic area management. In efforts to standardize management within scenic areas, both local governments and tourism management companies are implementing measures such as offering formal employment opportunities and profit-sharing arrangements to incentivize the regularization of local employment in the tourism sector.

Information Technology Skills and Firm Performance of Kenya Tea Producers Companies

The study sought to examine the influence of information technology skills on performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. The study reviewed theoretical and empirical literature relevant to the role of Information Technology skills on performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. The conceptual framework was discussed to show the relationship between Information Technology skills and firm performance (dependent variable). Positivism philosophy guided this study. Positivism philosophy emphasizes the importance of empirical evidence and scientific methods in understanding the world and acquiring knowledge. The study used cross-sectional survey design to establish the role of Information Technology strategic alignment on performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. In this study, the target population was identified as tea producer companies that are members of the East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA) in Kenya. This choice was made on the premise that these entities are likely to possess pertinent and accurate information relevant to the research. Specifically, the population encompassed all 29 tea producer members of EATTA. Respondents’ population comprised of six top managers from each organization translating to 174 top managers. The sample size was 121 top managers. They were targeted because top managers of organizations mostly handle strategic management issues. The research employed purposive sampling to select respondents and primarily relied on gathering primary data. A questionnaire with a diverse set of questions was utilized to collect responses from participants. Prior to the main study, a pilot study was conducted to ensure the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. The findings of the study indicate that information technology skills exert a positive and statistically significant influence on the performance of tea producer companies in Kenya. Findings revealed that cross-training, encouraging innovation and providing employment opportunities influences performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. This implies that a unit improvement in information technology skills would lead to improvement in performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. Based on the findings, this study recommends that the management of tea Producer companies should formulate and implement effect employee training programs to improve their IT skills.

A Study on analysis of financial statement of ICICI Bank

Financial Statement Analysis is a technique used to examine and assess a company's accounting reports (financial statements) to evaluate its past, present, or projected future performance. This evaluation process enables better decision-making in terms of the company's economic activities. Financial statement analysis has various users, which can be categorized into internal and external users. Internal users refer to the company's management who analyze financial statements to make decisions regarding the company's operations. On the other hand, external users may not be directly associated with the company but still have a financial interest. These external users include owners, investors, creditors, government entities, employees, customers, and the public. The roles and importance of these users are explained below: The company's managers utilize financial statement analysis to make informed decisions about their performance. For example, they may analyze their accounting reports to determine the cost per distribution channel or the amount of cash remaining, and then make decisions based on these analysis results. Small business owners require financial information from their operations to assess the profitability of their business. This information aids in making decisions such as whether to continue operating the business, whether to enhance business strategies, or whether to discontinue the business altogether.

Technology Communication and Firm Performance of Kenya Tea Producers Companies

The study sought to examine the role of Technology Communication on performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. The study reviewed theoretical and empirical literature relevant to the role of Technology Communication on performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. The conceptual framework was discussed to show the relationship between Technology Communication (independent variable) and firm performance (dependent variable). Positivism philosophy guided this study. The study used cross-sectional survey design to establish the role of Information Technology strategic alignment on performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. In this study, the target population was identified as tea producer companies that are members of the East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA) in Kenya. This choice was made on the premise that these entities are likely to possess pertinent and accurate information relevant to the research. Specifically, the population encompassed all 29 tea producer members of EATTA. Respondents’ population comprised of six top managers from each organization translating to 174 top managers. The sample size was 121 top managers. They were targeted because top managers of organizations mostly handle strategic management issues. Purposive sampling technique was used to select respondents. The study mainly relied on primary data. The study used a questionnaire with diverse set of questions for the respondent to answer. A pilot study was carried out in order to ascertain the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics in the form of means and standard deviations were computed on the Technology Communication and performance measurement scales to provide an initial outline of the distribution of the participants' responses. The study concluded that Technology Communication has a positive and statistically significant influence on performance of Tea Producers companies in Kenya. Based on the findings,this study recommends that the management of Tea Producer companies should ensure effectiveness in adopting information technology and using it in governance of their organization. In addition,the management of Tea Producer companies should ensure their employees are well equipped with information technology skills to improve their productivity.

The Impact of Digital Entrepreneurship on Digital Leadership to Improve the Project Management of Solar Projects

The current study aimed to research the impact of digital entrepreneurship on digital leadership to improve the project management of solar projects, The study relied on the descriptive approach. The study population consisted of all project managers in solar energy companies in Jordan, pproximately 2,000 project managers in solar companies in Jordan. the study sample suggestion based on Laplace's equation is to randomly select 385 project managers from the study population. The results of the study shows that the mean values of the study sample's estimations were high for the independent variable (digital entrepreneurship), the overall mean was (4.08) with a high estimation score, also the mean values of the study sample's estimations were moderate for the dependent variable (digital leadership), and the overall mean was (3.05) with a moderate estimation score, the mean values of the study sample's estimations were moderate for the (project management for solar projects) variable, the overall mean was (3.60). Based on the findings of this study, the following recommends to conduct needs assessments to identify required hardware, software, and network upgrades, allocate sufficient budget for IT infrastructure development, and ensure reliable internet connectivity to support digital solutions.

Abstract PO1-08-07: Utilization Management: The Impact of Laboratory Genetic Counseling Oversight on BRCA1 and BRCA2 Targeted Analysis Orders

Abstract INTRODUCTION: While multigene hereditary cancer testing has become a common order for individuals with personal and/or family histories of cancer, targeted genetic testing (TGT) remains a cost-effective test option for cascade testing of individuals with a known gene mutation in the family. In order to proceed with TGT, the genetic testing laboratory must receive documentation of the specific variant. Intervention of a genetic counseling team (GCT), which includes laboratory genetic counselors and genetic counseling assistants, can play a major role in utilization management for genetic testing companies, including obtaining and reviewing mutation reports and offering clinically appropriate and cost-effective test options. Given previously reported low rates of cascade testing for family members of mutation carriers and the potential barriers of ordering TGT testing, we sought to review the success of providers ordering BRCA1 and BRCA2 TGT testing and the GCT role in management of these orders. METHODS: Per standard operating procedure at Labcorp, the GCT reviews all hereditary cancer genetic test orders before they begin processing through prior authorization and laboratory analysis. When societal guidelines dictate, GCT intervention may occur to request genetic testing reports and offer to update testing appropriately. A retrospective review of GCT notes on TGT orders was conducted, with review of all BRCA1 and BRCA2 TGT orders accessioned between January 1 and February 28, 2023. Orders that were updated or cancelled before GCT review were excluded from analysis. All other TGT orders were coded into one of seven categories: (1) ordered for TGT, mutation report provided, proceed without GCT intervention; (2) ordered for TGT, mutation report obtained after GCT intervention, proceed with TGT; (3) ordered for TGT, no report obtained, updated to BRCA1 and BRCA2 comprehensive sequencing and deletion/duplication analysis with or without other hereditary cancer genes (COMP) with authorization from ordering provider via GCT intervention; (4) ordered for TGT, report obtained, updated to COMP via GCT intervention; (5) ordered for TGT, no report or authorization to update testing obtained during GCT intervention, testing cancelled; (6) ordered for TGT and COMP, no report, TGT cancelled; and (7) ordered for COMP, mutation report obtained, updated to TGT with authorization from ordering provider after GCT intervention. Time between accessioning and initial GCT resolution was also collected. RESULTS: A total of 198 TGT orders and associated GCT notes were reviewed. 24 orders (12.1%) proceeded with TGT without GCT intervention (category 1) with an average turn-around-time of 1 day. GCT intervention was required for 158 (79.8%) of TGT orders with an average turn-around-time of 5 days. After GCT review and/or intervention, 60 (30.3%) orders proceeded with TGT analysis (categories 1, 2, and 7); 23 (11.6%) of these were originally ordered for COMP, then updated when a mutation report was obtained (category 7). Testing was updated from TGT to COMP because no mutation report was obtained in 78 (39.3%) cases (category 3). In 7 (3.5%) TGT orders, testing was updated to COMP even though a mutation report was obtained (category 4). CONCLUSION: TGT analysis is beneficial for cascade testing, but access to a mutation report as a requirement to proceed can be a barrier. More strategies are needed to provide education for ordering providers and patients on the benefit of sharing familial mutation reports for cascade testing. Efficiency of testing increases when patients and providers have access to records and provide this information to laboratories up-front. Laboratory GCTs are invaluable resources in reviewing nuanced genetic test orders, educating providers in the strengths and limitations of different genetic test options, and working to ensure patients receive clinically appropriate and cost-effective testing. Citation Format: Rebecca Vanderwall, Dagny Noeth, Angelica Goulbourne, Katherine Goode, Teresa Ruegg, Melissa Hayden, W. Christine Spence. Utilization Management: The Impact of Laboratory Genetic Counseling Oversight on BRCA1 and BRCA2 Targeted Analysis Orders [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO1-08-07.

Финансирование промышленных парков

In the article, the authors address the issue of financing industrial parks. The authors of the article point out the need to provide subsidies for the creation of technology and industrial parks only to regions with a low level of socio-economic development, with mandatory private co-financing. The authors indicate that industrial parks, within the framework of the provided federal budget funds, will receive funding from 11 constituent entities of the Russian Federation for the creation of 14 parks for a total amount of 5,7 billion rubles. The purpose of the study is to provide ready-made infrastructure, which is a way to stimulate the development of new industrial projects. The article discusses the experience of the creators of industrial infrastructure. The authors consider five projects that took the top positions in the funding ranking: Kurgan region (industrial park “Stalmontazh”), Republic of Karelia (technopark “Onezhsky”), Republic of Khakassia (industrial park “Tasheba”), Novgorod region (industrial technology park “Transvit”), Altai Territory (industrial technology park “Component”). As a result of the implementation of the event, it is planned to create at least 20 industrial parks and technology parks by 2024, which will accommodate at least 150 residents and create 1,5 thousand jobs. The volume of investments of management companies in the implementation of new projects in 2023–2024 will be at least 3 billion rubles. The newly created areas of these parks accommodate at least 680 residents, who have created more than 9 thousand jobs. The article discusses an example of launching production using the example of industrial parks in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The implementation of the group’s strategy continues to develop industrial competence centers specializing in the localization of key technological solutions. For the Sollers and UAZ model range, localization of power units will ensure increased competitiveness and increased production volumes.

Social Media Marketing Tricks and Measuring Impact

Increasing media clutter and changing media habits makes it important to continuously study the advertising effectiveness of each medium. The objective of this study is to analyse and compare the impact of various media ie Television (TV), Radio, Print and Internet on Advertising Effectiveness in terms of its objectives like cognition, affection and conation and also to understand if media context (editorial environment or program context) has any impact on advertising effectiveness. The use of the Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI), is now widespread, and usually considered while evaluating media impact on Advertising Effectiveness. Two types of responses are gathered for this study, namely responses from general respondents and those from the corporate respondents. The corporate responses are mainly gathered from respondents working as senior managers in companies of FMCG products, Durable products and financial services. A simple random sampling technique was used in this study. Sample size was 1000 respondents. Also 50 Senior Managers were surveyed from various companies Standard deviation for every variable is calculated in pilot study data of 115 respondents. Percentages are used for comparison. Further Arithmetic mean is used to consolidate the numeric information in to a single number. Mean scores of variables are obtained using responses given to sub questions of corresponding variables. Standard deviation is used to understand variation in responses given by respondents. Friedman Test is used for non-parametric data as well. Paired t-tests is applied to compare same variable Under two groups. The study revealed that significant difference in effectiveness according to media types whilst there is no significant difference in Media context. Also, there is difference in effectiveness media type and also in Cognitive, Affective and Conative responses according product category (FMCG, Durable, and Financial services). For purchase decision, social media found to be effective. Impact of advertising on revenue of company and significant difference in revenue according to media type was confirmed.

Financial risk forewarning with an interpretable ensemble learning approach: An empirical analysis based on Chinese listed companies

An efficient and intelligent forewarning model for financial risk is essential to assist company managers, investors, and market regulators in risk management. This research aims to establish an accurate and understandable financial distress forewarning model based on advanced ensemble learning techniques, including Bootstrap Aggregation (Bagging) and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM). Meanwhile, the Borderline-Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (Borderline-SMOTE) is employed to address the imbalance problem between financial distress and non-distressed samples. The Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) is applied to perform multi-objective optimization of the hyperparameters of the proposed model. In addition, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) is adopted to conduct an interpretability analysis of the forewarning results. The Chinese listed companies from 2006 to 2022 are considered as the research samples, and the financial ratios of the sample companies in the first, second, and third years before the financial distress is utilized as forewarning features. The experimental findings reveal that the proposed model has the best forewarning performance by using the features from first year before the financial distress. The model proposed in this study also outperforms other comparative models in terms of Accuracy (88.45%), Negative Predictive Value (74.44%), Recall (91.10%), and Specificity (80.26%). Finally, this research has discovered that the Return on Total Assets is the most influential indicator in forewarning financial distress. Therefore, the proposed model can provide listed company managers, investors, and market regulators with an intelligent and effective tool in decision-making for financial distress forewarning.

Application of Logistic Regression to Analyze The Economic Efficiency of Vehicle Operation in Terms of the Financial Security of Enterprises

Background: A measurable feature of the efficiency of vehicle use in transportation companies is the revenue from transport orders, which has a significant impact on their profitability. Therefore, it is important to skillfully analyze the parameters related to the operation of vehicles and their impact on the bottom line. Transportation companies, when managing their operations, take steps to reduce operating costs. The above makes a large number of studies available in the literature on the analysis of vehicle damage or wear of system components, as well as ways to predict them. However, there is a lack of studies treating the impact of the parameters of specific orders on economic efficiency, which is a research niche undertaken in the following study. Methods: The purpose of this article was to analyze the economic efficiency of vehicle operation in terms of the financial security of enterprises. The main research problem was formulated in the form of the question of how the various parameters of a transport order affect its profitability. During our study, critical analysis of the literature, mathematical modeling and inference were used. A detailed analysis of transport orders executed by SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), which are characterized by a fleet of light commercial vehicles with a capacity of up to 3.5 t, was carried out in the FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Good) industry in Poland in 2021–2022. Due to the binary variable form, a logistic regression model was elaborated. The estimated parameters of the model and the calculated odds ratios made it possible to assess the influence of the selected factors on the profitability of orders. Results: Among other things, it was shown that in the case of daily vehicle mileage, the odds quotient indicates that with each additional kilometer driven, the probability of profitability of an order increases by 1%. Taking into account the speed of travel, it is estimated that with an increase in its value by 1 km/h, the probability of profitability of an order decreases by 3%. On the other hand, an increase in cargo weight by 1 kg makes the probability of a profitable order increase by 9%. Conclusion: Through this study, the limited availability of low-cost analytical tools that can be applied during transportation fleet management in SME companies was confirmed, as was the use of simple and non-expansive mathematical models. At the same time, they are not “black boxes” and therefore enable drawing and implementing model conclusions into operations. The results obtained can help shape the overall strategy of companies in the area of vehicle operation and can support the decision-making process related to the management of subsequent orders, indicating those that will bring the highest profit. The above is very important for SME companies, which often operate on the verge of profitability.

IMPACT OF AI ON BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Business management is a broad field that includes everything from high-level decision-making and goal-setting to personnel supervision, financial management, and operational optimization to ensure that it runs smoothly and produces the desired results. Businesses in a variety of industries depend on effective company management to succeed. AI has a major impact on almost every field whatever it may be, that means education, marketing, banking etc. With so many benefits, artificial intelligence is a key component of corporate management. Enterprises can reap numerous advantages from machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies that enhance their functioning. Organizations may operate more efficiently, quickly, and productively thanks to AI and machine learning technologies. Along with greater monitoring capabilities, new business model expansion opportunities, better customer service, and a decrease in human error, these technologies also have the ability to produce results that are higher quality and more dependable.

‘It Is Said That at Least 300,000 rt of Capital are Required for a Raft Trade’

Although the Dutch timber trade from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century has been the subject of many historical studies, the development of the capital-intensive timber wholesale trade has remained rather underexposed by economic historians with regard to the actors involved. This is surprising since a capital of up to 600,000 Reichstaler had to be raised for the Dutch timber trade; amounts that were hardly invested in any other commercial enterprise in Germany at the time. The article therefore focuses on the timber wholesalers of the eighteenth century and analyzes in detail, based on our own archival research and previous research results, how the timber wholesalers organized their business (business strategies, business practices, etc.) and what significance their income had for the economic development of the participating economic regions of West and South-West Germany in the long term. It appears that around 1750 the German timber wholesaler and the timber companies from the Black Forest had long since driven out their Dutch competitors and acquired large fortunes. With the Dutch timber trade, capitalist practices (creation and management of companies, accounting, new methods of credit financing, etc.) also spread, which also formed an important building block for the further development of the South-West and West German economy. However, the most important thing was undoubtedly the emergence of a risk-loving entrepreneurial class with a sufficient capital base and business knowledge, which had long since broken away from 'artisan' self-reliance. Because the timber wholesalers often also invested their capital acquired in the Dutch timber trade in other industries, and these often formed a crystallization point for the West and South-West German industrialization after 1815, it can be said that the timber trade with the Netherlands not only generated an enormous volume in the eighteenth century and supported West German economic growth from 1740 onwards, but in the long term also contributed to the economic and social structural changes of the nineteenth century.