Pomeranian Voivodeship Research Articles

Application of Multi-Criteria AHP and TOPSIS Methods to Assess Sustainable Development of Poviat S in West Pomeranian Voivodeship (Poland) In 2017

Application of Multi-Criteria AHP and TOPSIS Methods to Assess Sustainable Development of Poviat S in West Pomeranian Voivodeship (Poland) In 2017

Public Participation in Local Development in the Opinion of Local Governments and Social Economy Entities

In the new paradigm of territorial development, an important role is attributed to the cooperation of local government units with the society, considered as a factor of local development. This cooperation is determined, among others, by engaging citizens in local matters, including through social economy entities. Local authorities of the entities of social economy perceive and evaluate this activity in a slightly different way, which is not conducive to the development of cooperation or the region. Thus, the purpose of the article is to assess the role and level of social participation in local development in the light of the opinions of local governments and entities of social economy. The following methods were used in the study: literature analysis, comparative analysis of the results of surveys carried out in the communes of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship and among social economy entities operating in this area (research was carried out in 2017-2018), inference and plus evaluations. They enabled (1) a synthetic assessment of the role and level of social involvement in local development and an indication of differences in its perception by the surveyed entities, as well as (2) formulating recommendations for improving cooperation between local governments and the society and social economy entities.

INTEREST WITH THE MATTERS OF THE COMMUNE AS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY

The aim of paper is to present the level of respondents interest in the commune affairs. The results of the analyzes presented in this paper come from surveys conducted using a questionnaire survey among residents of rural communes in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. After rejecting incomplete and/or-illogical questionnaires, 2409 respondents were qualified for the analysis. The research results indicate the interest in local affairs is low. More than half of respondents (56%) aren’t interested in that. It means that the development of civil society based on interest, cooperation, and involvement will be difficult. This research is part of the assessment of an important factor of social capital, which is interest in local affairs, giving the opportunity to use the results in building civic society and local development strategies.

Concept of a model for improving the safety of road transport operations

The article discusses the issues of road transport safety. The methods of preventing and limiting the effects of road accidents as well as the concepts of the safety improvement model have been presented, as well as suggestions for some solutions for the coming years that may significantly improve the situation on roads. The concept proposed in the article was based on a statistical analysis of road accidents and cause-and-effect analyzes of selected road accidents in the Drawsko District in the West Pomeranian Voivodship.

Impact of agricultural farms on the environment of the Puck Commune: Integrated agriculture calculator-CalcGosPuck.

BackgroundLeaching of nutrients from agricultural areas is the main cause of water pollution and eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. A variety of remedial actions to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses from agricultural holdings and cultivated fields have been taken in the past. However, knowledge about the risk of nutrient leaching has not yet reached many farmers operating in the water catchment area of the Baltic Sea.MethodsThe nutrient balance method known as “At the farm gate” involves calculating separate balances for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). After estimating all the components of the nutrient balance, the total balance for NPK is calculated and the data obtained is expressed as the ratio of total change (surplus) to the area of arable land on a farm. In addition, the nutrient usage efficiency on a farm is also calculated. An opinion poll was conducted in 2017 on 3.6% (n = 31) of the farms located in commune of Puck. The total area of the farms including arable and grass land ranged from 5 to 130 ha with an average of 45.82 ha. The arable land was on average 30.79 ha ranging from 4.45 to 130 ha while the grassland averaged 12.77 ha and ranged from 0 to 53 ha.ResultsThe average consumption of mineral fertilizer in the sample population of farms was 114.9 kg N, 9.3 kg P, and 22.9 kg K·ha−1of agricultural land (AL), respectively. N balance in the sample farms being ranged from −23.3 to 254.5 kg N·ha−1AL while nutrient use efficiency ranged from 0.40% to 231.3%. In comparison, P surplus in the sample farms was 5.0 kg P·ha−1AL with the P use efficiency of 0.4–266.5%.DiscussionMean N fertilizer consumption in the tested farms was higher than the average usage across Poland and in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. However, mean consumption of potassium fertilizers was lower than mentioned averages. Mean P fertilizer consumption was higher than in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, but lower compared to the entire country. Generally, on the basis of designated research indicators of farm pressures on water quality, concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were obtained. CalcGosPuck (an integrated agriculture calculator) will help to raise farmers’ awareness about NPK flow on farm scale and to improve nutrient management.

Impact of Spatial Development of State Agricultural Farms and Unification of Residential Developments on the Cultural Landscape of Rural Areas – Revitalization Issues

The form of rural development of Western Pomerania forms a distinctive cultural feature of this region due to its typology, traditional timber frame and brick structures. Factors that influenced the condition and the preservation state of rural areas in the first years following the Second World War are vastly connected with the political situation of Western Pomerania, spoliation and the destructive activity of the Red Army. The establishment of State Agricultural Farms has had a significant impact on the current form of architecture and led to deformation of the cultural landscape in rural areas. The development complexes built in the 1960s and 1970s were characterized by their use of repeating forms of construction development. In the effect, the characteristic images of villages until the mid-20th century, became subject to total unification, by use of identical, typical solutions, straight from RBM catalogues. The character of these buildings very rarely shows any connections with regional buildings, which is closely connected with the creation of new social class of the so called worker-farmer. The pseudo-urban objects created are of a scale that is inappropriate for rural areas and are devoid of any architectural detail. The typical and ready designs used in their construction, together with prefabricated elements caused the total unification of development. The current problem is how to revitalize these areas in a way that will take into account the typical objects that are patterned after urban objects and thus extremely incompatible with canons of rural development. The problem of transformation should be considered an interdisciplinary issue, since it is subject to various disciplines, and thus perceived from different viewpoints. The rural area revitalization schemes introduced in recent years in the Western Pomeranian voivodeship and based on development strategies, already brought significant results, and the support of local authorities for social activity promoting local cultural heritage forms a significant aspect for further development of these areas.

Factors Determining the Ways for Shaping the Landscapes of Municipal Cemeteries in Szczecin: Proposals of Changes in the Shaping of Municipal Cemeteries

The city of Szczecin is the capital and the largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship and currently has six active cemeteries, the area of which is 204.62 ha. Cemeteries constitute a significant part of green areas in the city with a large potential for passive recreation places for residents. The aim of the research was to attempt to characterize the landscape of municipal cemeteries in Szczecin, as well as to formulate proposals for actions that would improve their current condition. On the basis of research and analyzes, the authors pointed out that the factors that influence the shaping of the landscape of Szczecin cemeteries are varied and can be generally divided into legal, spatial, historical, economic and cultural ones. It was found that the Central Cemetery, as a listed historic object, has the greatest landscape values, however, it lost much of the original landscape and cultural values due to post-war neglect and destruction. The remaining cemeteries are of secondary importance as objects of limited importance and functions of district cemeteries. Their condition is worse, and their landscapes are the least diverse. Cemeteries in Szczecin have a fairly high share of high greenery, and the low greenery is limited mainly to lawns. In order to create a climate favouring to walks and resting, the cemetery areas should be enriched with aesthetic and well thought out plant compositions from shrubs and perennials, designed by a landscape architect. It is proposed to create common “garden units” where the distance between the graves would be larger and it would be possible to create small plant arrangements. In addition, it is observed that cemeteries lack beautiful and original tombstones, which is why the return to exhibitions of cemetery art forms an important aspect. This would create the possibility of presenting modern and valuable stone art products and inspiring forms of plant arrangements at the graves. This is only part of the authors’ proposals, which are quite universal and can therefore also be applied to other municipal cemeteries in Poland and abroad.

Living Conditions in the Countries of the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship in the Years 2002–2015 in the Light of Demographic Changes

The aim of the study was to assess the living conditions of the population of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship against the background of population changes. The study covered counties in the years 2002–2015. Linear ordering of objects with Weber median was used because of the asymmetry of most features. The linear ordering of counties was created in 2004, 2007 and 2015 years. The choice of years was related with the accession of Poland to the EU and the end of the first and second periods of EU funding. Based on the research conducted, it was found, that counties are strongly differentiated in terms of living conditions and population changes. In most of the poviats, the population has increased and living standards improved. Assessment of living conditions of the inhabitants of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship counties was presented in a dynamic way, considering population change. An original proposition of indicators measuring living conditions in a local approach was presented. Local authorities can take advantage of research results in decision making concerning improvement of social and economic development level in Voivodeship.

Monitoring of odors emitted from stabilized dewatered sludge subjected to aging using proton transfer reaction\u2013mass spectrometry

One of the potential emission sources of odorous compounds from wastewater treatment plants is sludge processing. The odorous compounds released from dewatered sludge can result in odor nuisance. This study concerns the use of flux hood chamber combined with proton transfer reaction—time of flight—mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) technique for periodical monitoring of odorous compounds emitted from aged, stabilized dewatered sludge samples from 2 different wastewater treatment plants located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. Based on determined concentration of the chemical compounds and olfactory threshold values, theoretical odor concentrations (known also as “odor activity value” or “odor index”) were calculated for 17 selected odorous compounds. As a result, sulfur compounds such as diethyl sulphide, dimethyl sulphide, methanethiol, and ethanethiol were estimated as the most significant chemical compounds responsible for malodorous effect (average results, e.g., methanethiol, 178 ou/m3; diethyl sulphide, 184 ou/m3). Based on Pearson correlation coefficient, we revealed a correlation between odorous substances emitted from aged, stabilized dewatered sludge cakes. It was revealed that stabilized dewatered sludge still possessed significant amount of odorous compounds and applied measurement technique could be used for monitoring of odor concentration level of selected malodorous compounds.

Economic and environmental sustainability of tourism in rural areas

Aim of the study: The purpose of the work was to classify the communes of the West Pom-eranian Voivodeship in terms of the development of agritourism farms there. Material and methods: The article uses Hellwig's parametric method, which was used to assess the attractiveness of the communes of the West Pomeranian voivodeship in terms of the development of agritourism farms in them. The use of aggregate analysis by a generalized k-means method was used. Cluster analysis served as a tool for exploratory data analysis. Results: Due to the attractiveness of tourist attractions, the highest value was given to the municipalities of the Zachodniopomorskie voivodship belonging to the cluster of 2, and the poorest community belonging to the cluster 1. From the analysis of average normalized quan-titative variables it can be seen that the municipalities belonging to cluster 2 are more attrac-tive in terms of development of rural tourism than municipalities belonging to the cluster 1. Conclusions: Uneven spatial distribution of tourism assets in the West Pomeranian Voi-vodeship can lead to variable tourist traffic. The presented research results may be an inspira-tion to carry out spatial division of individual municipalities into groups of diversification of tourist attractiveness and their impact on tourist traffic of regions.

Potential sources of conflict in intensive care units - a questionnaire study.

Conflicts occur in intensive care units (ICUs), and an international multicentre study conducted in 2008, including 323 ICUs from 24 European countries, confirmed the occurrence of this phenomenon. There are no data in Poland. The aim of the study was to analyse the frequency of the occurrence of conflicts in ICUs in Polish hospitals, and their most frequent sources. The study was based on an original questionnaire performed in 12 ICUs in the Pomeranian Voivodship. The respondents were asked questions regarding the frequency, type, and lines of conflicts between employees, as well as potential causes of conflicts. Completed surveys were received from 232 employees, including 79 doctors and 153 nurses. The phenomenon of occurrence of conflicts was confirmed by about 30% of the staff, providing answer that conflicts occur "often". About 43% of staff estimated that conflicts "sometimes" occur and 25% chose the answer "rarely". Analysis of the answers made it possible to identify the most common potential causes of conflict. The main sources of conflicts in ICUs appear to be external factors such a financial issues and physical overload. The hospital policy and the health policy of the state are also important. The perceived conflicts require careful and constant monitoring. The frequency of hidden conflicts requires thorough assessment of their impact on the quality of work.

Wpływ zróżnicowania użytkowania krajobrazowego na cechy zgrupowań biegaczowatych (Coleoptera: Carabidae) obszarów rolnych = Effects of the diversity of landscape use on the characteristics of farmland ground-beetle assemblages

We studied the effects of landscape structure and agricultural land-use on ground beetles (Carabidae) in a temperate farmland mosaic and homogeneous landscape. The research was carried out at twelve research sites located in two regional units, i.e. (a) the northern part of mesoregion 842.72 West Lake District in the macroregion of the Lithuanian Lake District and (b) in the southern part of mesoregion 313.44 Damnicka Upland, within the macroregion of the Koszalin Coastland. By administrative division, these positions are respectively: in the gmina of Dubeninki, voivodeship of Warmian-Masury (Rogajny and Łoje), and in the gmina of Przerośl in Podlasie voivodeship (Rakówek) – hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Dubeninki area”; as well as in the gmina of Potęgowo in the Pomeranian Voivodship (villages of Wieliszewo, Malczkowo, Darżyno and Darżynko – hereinafter referred to as the “Potęgowo area”). Four of the research sites were located in fields of large area, and four in complexes of small fields subject to traditional cultivation. The faunistic data comes from 12 transects (6 for each regional unit and 3 for each field type – large-area fields and complexes of small fields) using standard trapping methods (Barber˙s traps). A set of landscape-structure indicators adapted to the local scale of the study was then applied. Results point to a relationship between the structure of the landscape, the expressed number of patches of plant communities, the diversity of vegetation in the surroundings and the presence of trees in the landscape, and species richness and diversity of ground beetles. Where agricultural areas nevertheless have a diversified landscape these are characterised by greater species richness of Carabidae than homogeneous areas. Furthermore, the shorter the distance to the nearest tree, the greater the species richness and diversity of Carabidae. However, soil type, as well as soil diversity, at a study site and its vicinity are not found to exert a direct impact on the species richness of Carabidae. Different soil types may be characterised by similar grain size, and thus similar humidity conditions and soil reaction, with these in turn determining other habitat conditions of importance to the studied taxon.

Diet and nutritional status of elderly people depending on their place of residence

The main problems in nutrition among elderly people are insufficient consumption of high energy protein and deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. Obesity or malnutrition in this age group is also common. The character of the diet of the elderly is affected by many factors, including the place of residence. The aim of this work was to compare the diet and nutritional status of elderly people living in nursing homes and in their family homes in West Pomeranian Voivodeship region. The study was performed among 48 citizens of Drawsko Pomorskie (DP) and 79 residents of Nursery Home (NH) in Żabów. For the study we used a questionnaire containing questions about anthropometric data which served to assess nutritional state. The assessment of diets of the citizens of Drawsko Pomorskie was performed based on the menus collected using a 24-hour diet recall. Energy and nutritional value of the diets of NH residents were assessed on the basis of decade menus. Obtained results were compared to current recommendations. Two examined groups comprised of both underweight and obese people. The residents of NH in Żabów consumed more energy, protein, fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates, whereas people from DP – more dietary fibre. Diets of the citizens of DP were characterized by excessive consumption of sodium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper and vitamins: A, B2, B6, B12 and niacin, and insufficient consumption of potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamins: D, E, C and folates. The diets of people living in family homes were excessive in sodium, phosphorus, iron, copper and vitamins: A, B1, B6, C and niacin, and contained too little calcium, magnesium and vitamins D, E and folates. It was shown that the place of residence of examined people affected their diets and nutritional status. Both in case of people living in NH and in family homes there was a risk of underweight and obesity, which could be affected by improper way of nutrition.

Medieval cultural heritage of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Problem or potential?

Medieval cultural heritage of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Problem or potential?

EVALUATION OF THE STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN POWIATS OF THE ZACHODNIOPOMORSKIE VOIVODESHIP

The natural environment, which is the basis of human functioning, is constantly changing, mainly as a result of human economic activity. The article assesses the 21 districts of West Pomeranian Province in terms of environmental status. Classification carried out in order to diagnose the state of environmental protection in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, or obtain an answer to the question, in which the districts of the state of environmental protection at the highest level, and where the situation was worse. Tested counties were divided into four groups typological. The article uses data from the Central Statistical Office of 2007 and 2014.

OPTIMAL UTILIZATION OF EUROPEAN UNION GRANTS – A CASE STUDY

Following Poland’s accession to the European Union, farmers were given new opportunities to make use of various form of support from EU funds. The goal of this work is to show the utilization of EU funds by an agricultural farm and optimization of its production. The task was made possible by means of two multicriteria linear-dynamic optimization models. The first model accounted for real production structure and EU subsidies. The subsidies were not included in the second model. The empirical material constituted real data on an agricultural farm located in the commune of Nowogard (West Pomeranian Voivodship). The results of the solutions indicated over a threefold increase of agricultural income, agricultural production and the amount of organic substance supplemented to the soil of an agricultural farm accounting for EU grants.

Directions of tariff and ticket integration of public transport in the metropolitan area Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot the Pomeranian Voivodeship

In the process of urban and regional public transport integration in the urbanized areas, the tariff and ticket integration is of fundamental importance, despite the fact that the price is not perceived as the basic transport postulate deciding on the choice of the way of moving. Public authorities of cities located in the metropolis Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot and the Pomeranian voivodeship have been undertaking attempts to integrate this transport for almost 30 years, so far without the desired results. This article presents general assumptions of tariff and ticket integration of urban and regional public transport, previous processes of integration of this transport in the Tri-City metropolis and the Pomeranian voivodship, as well as necessary directions of its tariff and ticket integration in this area in order to provide attractive transport offer.

Effects of individual and job characteristics on hotel contact employees’ work engagement and their performance outcomes

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of individual and job-related characteristics on employees’ work engagement and its influence on their performance outcomes. This study develops and tests the research model where the impact of positive affectivity, polychronicity and task significance on employees’ work engagement is investigated, and its consequences for employees’ job performance are analyzed.Design/methodology/approachThe relationships between study constructs were tested using the structural equation modeling. Data were collected from 222 hotel contact employees from the Pomeranian Voivodeship, a tourist destination of northern Poland.FindingsThe study findings confirmed that positive affectivity and polychronicity, as personality characteristics and task significance as a job characteristic exert a significant and positive impact on hotel employees’ work engagement, which in turn enhances the level of their job performance. Additionally, polychronicity was significantly related to hotel employees’ job performance. Of all the analyzed predictors, task significance appeared to be the strongest driver of hotel employees’ work engagement. A direct relationship between polychronicity and hotel employees’ job performance was also confirmed by this study.Practical implicationsHotel organizations are recommended to modify the standards of their recruitment and selection process and incorporate additional techniques to be more successful in hiring employees with an adequate personality profile (high in positive affectivity and polychronic tendency). The recruited suitable candidates should be guided effectively with appropriate human resource management practices, especially those that increase hotel employees’ experience of work meaningfulness. Therefore, they should be constantly assured, through a variety of management actions, about the influence and importance of their roles and the contribution to the service and organizational success.Originality/valueThis study contributes to a better understanding of the relationships between personality and job characteristics among frontline hotel employees, extending the study results to the context of East-Central Europe, where, to the best of the author’s knowledge, studies on simultaneous effects of individual and job-related factors on hotel employees’ work engagement and its behavioral consequences are still limited.

Wspólne dobro naszą przyszłością – czyli innowacyjny mechanizm budżetu obywatelskiego na przykładzie miasta Gdańska

Budżet obywatelski to proces decyzyjny, w którym mieszkańcy tworzą lokalny budżet miasta. Pierwsze wzmianki dotyczące budżetu partycypacyjnego powstały w Ameryce Południowej w 1990 roku. Porto Alegre to brazylijskie miasto, w którym zastosowano mechanizm budżetu obywatelskiego. Budżet partycypacyjny to jedna z najskuteczniejszych praktyk partycypacyjnych mających na celu zaangażowanie mieszkańców w proces zarządzania ich miastami. Gdańsk to miasto z ponad 1000-letnią historią. Dziś stolicę województwa pomorskiego zamieszkuje około 462 tys. mieszkańców. Mieszkańcy Gdańska są bardzo aktywni w sprawach miejskich. Roczne wydatki na budżet obywatelski stale rosną. W 2018 r. na ten cel ma być przeznaczone prawie 20 mln zł. W Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej budżet obywatelski zyskuje coraz bardziej na popularności o czym świadczy zaangażowanie wielu miast zarówno na prawach powiatu jak i mniejszych gmin. Budżet partycypacyjny jest idealnym rozwiązaniem do zarządzania środkami przeznaczonymi na dany obszar miejski bez większego sporu politycznego w tym zakresie.

Innowacyjność i aktywność społeczna w rozwoju obszarów wiejskich Pomorza – przykład zagród edukacyjnych

Współczesna wieś nie może ograniczać się jedynie do rozwoju produkcji rolniczej. W nowoczesnej gospodarce niezbędne jest wnoszenie wartości dodanej do oferowanych produktów lub usług (m.in. innowacyjność). Ogólnopolska Sieć Zagród Edukacyjnych jest przykładem innowacyjnego przedsięwzięcia sieciowego w zakresie rozwoju obszarów wiejskich i aktywności społecznej. Za innowacje zwykło się uważać zmiany w aspekcie gospodarczym i społecznym, a za takie można uznać tworzenie zagród edukacyjnych, których ideą jest popularyzacja rolniczego oblicza wsi z wykorzystaniem zasobów lokalnych. Niniejsze opracowanie ma na celu przede wszystkim zaprezentowanie aspektów funkcjonowania zagród edukacyjnych na obszarach wiejskich Pomorza jako przykładu innowacyjności. Jednym z innowacyjnych kierunków dywersyfikacji wiejskiej gospodarki są usługi edukacyjne, bazujące na potencjale gospodarstwa rolnego. W pierwszej części pracy, na podstawie literatury, ukazano problematykę definiowania innowacji i innowacyjności oraz ich wpływ na rozwój współczesnej wsi. Zobrazowano istotę i znaczenie sieci zagród edukacyjnych. Zakres przestrzenny badań obejmował województwo pomorskie, toteż w części drugiej artykułu scharakteryzowano gospodarstwa badanego regionu, zrzeszone w Ogólnopolskiej Sieci Zagród Edukacyjnych. Oferta edukacyjna prezentowanych gospodarstw wiejskich jest obiecującym nowym kierunkiem działalności uzupełniającym podstawowe źródła dochodu mieszkańców wsi oraz spełniającym szeroko rozumianą misję społeczną.