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Poverty Reduction: Analysis of Factors Affecting Poverty in Lithuania

Author(s): Akvilė Aleksandravičienė,Gintarė Barišauskaitė,Lina Ruzveltaitė / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: Average wage; Ordinary least squares; Poverty; Unemployment;

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate poverty reduction possibilities determining the effect of average wage and unemployment on poverty, identifying the factor that is a more important predictor of poverty in Lithuania. Based on scientific literature analysis, we identify the factors that determine the phenomenon under study. We perform a statistical analysis of the collected data in the period of 2008–2021 to identify trends and patterns in the factors under consideration. The ordinary least squares method allows to estimate the impact of the selected factors on poverty. The results show that unemployment has a statistically significant positive effect (based on the sign of the estimated parameter of the regression model) on poverty, while average wage has a statistically significant negative effect on poverty. Based on the obtained results, we present possible solutions to company managers on how they could contribute to reducing poverty in the country. We conclude that company managers could apply more sustainable development goals in their businesses, reduce gender inequality, increase wages, hire unskilled workers, and help them to improve. In this way, company managers could contribute to reducing poverty in the country.

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Virtual Communities of Practice as a Knowledge Sharing Tool: Recommendations for International Business

Author(s): Monika Budrytė,Vestina Vainauskiene / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: Virtual communities of practice; Knowledge sharing; International business; Knowledge types;

Knowledge sharing is essential for a person to grow individually and professionally. In recent years, international businesses have tended to realize the importance of having a good knowledge management system in place. The COVID-19 pandemic, back in 2020 brought a shift to the way of how companies operate with the majority turning to remote work. As a result, companies needed to adapt their knowledge sharing strategies to more remote possibilities. To guarantee that the employees are sharing their knowledge and are able to learn from others, more businesses started to adopt innovative tools for knowledge sharing. One of such tools is virtual communities of practice that brings a chance for employees to have a collaborative tool where they are connected with likeminded people. The objective of this article is to provide recommendations for ensuring knowledge sharing through virtual communities in international business organizations. To achieve this objective, potential knowledge sharing practices in the context of international business are discussed. Additionally, an original research methodology based on virtual ethnography for identifying knowledge sharing practices in an international business organization is presented, and the qualitative research findings are discussed and interpreted.

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Country Logotype Visual Attractiveness: Eye-Tracking-Based Model

Author(s): Viktorija Grigaliūnaitė,Lina Pilelienė / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: Country logotype; Eye-tracking; Visual attention;

Country logotype is always considered as a visual part of country branding. This research addresses the country logotype elaboration problem while answering the question: how to attract consumer attention to a country logotype using different combinations of its elements. The aim of the article is to develop an eye-tracking based model of country logotype visual attractiveness. The paper presents experimental research using an eye-tracking system; visual attention to logotypes of European countries was assessed to determine the specific eye-catching elements of a logotype. The analysis revealed that in order to attract consumer visual attention, no visual association with a country is necessary; also, the logotype is preferred to be colorful, having high complexity, and shaped letters must be used. The analysis of the research results enabled elaborating a model of country logotype visual attractiveness, which might be used to facilitate the creation of country logotype.

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Assessment of Health Care Professionals’ Perspectives on Personalized Psychosocial Support Development in Routine Cancer Care

Author(s): Samanta Šamrejienė,Ligita Šimanskienė / Language(s): English / Issue: 89/2023

Keywords: Personalization; Psychosocial support development; Cancer care;

The article assesses health care professionals’ perspectives on personalized psychosocial support (PPS) development in routine cancer care. Using the methodology of an explanatory longitudinal research design, the factors that condition the development of PPS in the organization are identified from a retrospective and prospective point of view. The results of the research support the evidence regarding the implementation of a person-centered approach in different cancer care settings around the globe and identifies the gaps in developing PPS in cancer care that may be applied to PPS development elsewhere in the country.

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Why Were There So Few Female Painters in Silesia during the Baroque Period?

Author(s): Andrzej Kozieł,Jolanta Lamla / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2023

Keywords: female painters; painters’ guilds; Silesia; Baroque period;

On 8 March 2021, for the first time in the long history of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, three paintings created by female artists: Judith Jans Leyster, Gesina ter Borch and Rachel Ruysch were displayed in the Gallery of Honour. If the National Museum in Wrocław – the capital city of the historical region of Silesia (today in Poland and the Czech Republic) decided to take a similar bold step, it would stumble upon some serious roadblocks. During the Baroque period, only three women were active painters in Silesia: Anna Elisabeth Willmann, Dorothea Gloger and Antonina della Vigna. They did not achieve any significant professional success and their careers remained essentially unfulfilled. Out of the approximately 10,000 paintings of Silesian provenance dating from the Baroque period that have survived to our times, only five were painted by women. Why were so few female painters professionally active in Silesia in this period? Why did they produce so few works of art? The article, based on the results of the recent comprehensive study of Baroque painting in Silesia, attempts to bring exhaustive answers to these fundamental questions.

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An Artist, a Glass Painter, a Craftsman, and a Debate on their Role in the Design and Execution of Stained Glass

Author(s): Wojciech Bałus / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2023

Keywords: stained glass; artist; craftsman; stained-glass designing process;

According to a discussion which took place in Germany in 1912, the fundamental environment for stained-glass making were workshops. It was within various workshops that simple ornamental glazing was put together. Designs were either produced by artists employed at workshops, which allowed them to sign their work with their names, or the effort was done collectively, with no singling out of the individual designers of the cartoons; in this case, the latter were treated as common property intended for multiple use. Thus, it was only in this environment that the agents emerged as “compilers” of simple glazing patterns and someone else’s models, as “salaried designers”, as artists associated with the workshop, or else as independent artists, often acclaimed ones. The authorship of the stained glass windows has always been entangled in a sui generis discourse involving the organisation, selection, control and redistribution by a certain number of procedures resulting from the nature of “workshop work”.

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All Together Now: Yellow Submarine (1968), The Beatles, and Children’s Film

Author(s): Noel Brown / Language(s): English / Issue: 121/2023

Keywords: children’s film; family film; The Beatles; animation; British cinema;

This article examines The Beatles’ classic animated film, Yellow Submarine (dir. George Dunning, 1968) in terms of its appeal to multi-demographic audiences. While it has become de rigueur to argue in favour of Yellow Submarine as an artefact of the late-1960s counter-culture, its status as a children’s film has largely been overlooked. This article will argue that Yellow Submarine invites, and is able to sus- tain, a range of interpretations, particularly regarding its dual status as a quintessential film for children and family audiences, and as a much more adult-oriented production that captures the revolutionary spirit of the period. While Yellow Submarine embodies aspects of late-1960s British and North American culture, the author argues that the narrative transcends national cultural specificities and at- tempts to appeal to universal human desires and emotion- al states through its balancing of utopian consensus and cultural diversity, and through the galvanizing presence of The Beatles.

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‘Space-time dents’ in global value chains – The Hungarian case

Author(s): Tamás Gáspár,Magdolna Sass / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: global value chains; integrated periphery; upgrading; automotive industry

The paper takes a special perspective to summarise what researchers have revealed on global value chains in Hungary. The ‘space-time’ structure is how the ‘force field’ of the amount of value added is shared and how the process it creates characterises specific global value chain networks. There is a growing literature that reveals the ‘dents’ of the GVC force field: the uneven distribution of value-added content, and mainly the controversial possibilities to upgrade in the network. Hungary is a typical example of a semi-peripheral or integrated periphery country. The paper discusses the lessons of different global value chain relations of the country in different geographical environments in terms of the two dimensions of ‘space’ and ‘time’; that is the potential and structure of value added and its dynamics, as well as compares them through an automotive industry case study.

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Hungary's inflationary exposures to global price movements

Author(s): Krisztián Koppány,Péter Vakhal,Pál Pusztai / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: international price transmission; global value chains (GVCs); inflation exposures; GVC decompositions; OECD inter-country input-output tables (ICIO)

This paper investigates Hungary's inflationary exposures to global price movements using a simple cost-push input-output price model and a database of inflation-to-output price elasticities (Global Inflation-to-Output Price Elasticity Database, GIOPED) developed on the basis of the OECD's Inter-Country Input-Output Tables. Inflation elasticities are decomposed into local, simple, and complex global value chain effects by applying Wang's decomposition scheme (Wang et al. 2017) to price movements and inflation. Our empirical analysis based on GIOPED elasticities shows that Hungary is highly exposed to global value chain price transmissions originating in Germany, Austria, and Russia; and in particular to changes in energy prices. The crude oil and natural gas price boom and the resulting energy crises caused a significant increase in consumer price levels in Hungary; however, this explains only a fraction of current inflation rates.

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From below or from above: How to force fashion MNCs to be more sustainable

Author(s): Emese Dobos / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: fashion industry; outsourcing; sustainability; regulation; non-governmental organizations; consumption

Multinational companies in the fashion industry operate on a global level. Fashion was one of the first industries that outsourced production to developing countries and allowed exploitation and environmental pollution to remain hidden. But concerns regarding the industry's (un)sustainability are rising, regarding both the environmental and the social aspects. Fashion consumption is on the rise and the industry is among the most polluting ones. With this paper, I join the debate on how to force fashion MNCs to operate sustainably. There are two opposing views on where change should come: from above (regulation) or from below (change in customer habits and the activity of sustainable fashion NGOs). According to one view, fashion is underregulated and only legislation can be a solution: MNCs will only operate sustainably if they are forced by law. The other group claims that customers should drive green initiatives as their demand catalyzes MNC production. I claim that neither side is enough, as sustainability is not necessarily the number one consideration for customers or policymakers. In this conceptual paper, I use document analysis as a qualitative approach, and descriptive statistics to support my position.

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Foreign trade relations of Hungary with China: A global value chain perspective

Author(s): Tamás Gáspár,Magdolna Sass,Krisztián Koppány,Shulei Bi / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: global value chains; input-output analysis; China; Hungary; case study

Trade analysis for open economies is strategically important. Even though Hungarian trade relations are oriented towards the EU, the direct and indirect influence of Asia, mainly China, needs special attention. The paper focuses on direct bilateral relations between Hungary and China. The global value chain perspective enables the research to detect inter- and intra-industry dependencies and unfold and compare the industry focuses and dynamics of backward and forward linkages between 2000 and 2018. We used a mixed methodology, combining input-output analysis with company case studies based on a wide range of literature both from Chinese and East-Central European researchers. The findings support the significance of global value chain relations, highlight the restructuring of Hungarian trade relations with China over the past twenty years, and indicate the strong concentration of relations in terms of the number of companies.

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Karol Wojtyła’s “Thomistic Personalism”: Philosophical Foundations for a Psychology of the Person

Author(s): Keith A. Houde / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2023

Keywords: Karol Wojtyła; John Paul ii; thomism; personalism; personalist psychology;

Karol Wojtyła’s seminal essay, “Thomistic Personalism,” presents an integral theory of the human person that may serve as the foundation for an authentically personalist psychology. Relevant to the contemporary field of psychology, which appears fragmented and in search of a unifying paradigm, Wojtyła considered theory (anthropology), research (epistemology), and practice (ethics). In terms of research, he identified four complementary methods of understanding the human person: revelation (theology), reason (philosophy), observation (empiricism), and introspection (experience). In terms of theory, Wojtyła addressed the rudiments of Rychlak’s four dimensions of a personality theory: structure, motivation, development, and personality. In terms of practice, he described four guiding ethical principles: freedom for morality, freedom for love, personal good and common good, and transtemporal values. Wojtyła thus offered an outline for the project of a comprehensive psychology of persons with significant implications for the theory, research, and practice of psychology.

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Can God Destroy the World? St. Thomas Aquinas’ view in Disputed Questions on the Power of God

Author(s): Paulina Sulenta / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2023

Keywords: annihilation; power of God; Saint thomas Aquinas; metaphysics of creatio ex nihilo; will of God;

In the article, the author undertakes the problem of whether the world, which in the light of the philosophical theory of creation ex nihilo was introduced into being as indestructible in some of its elements, can be annihilated by God and turned into non-being again. The divine power, which is the principle that sustains the world in existence, is subjected to metaphysical analysis. In the first part, the considerations concern the order of potentia Dei absoluta and focus on whether the annihilation of creation is within the scope of God’s power and what such an action may consist in. In the second part, the subject of consideration is the ordered power of God (potentia Dei ordinata), which is related to the search for an answer to the question of whether God, from whom the effect in the form of creation comes, not only can but actually wants to deprive the world of existence? Since the annihilation of the world is related to the issue of God’s decision to stop the creative activity that has been initiated, in addition to the principle of power, God’s will is also taken into account in the last part of the analysis.

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The Antique Sources of Charles Maurras’s and Étienne Gilson’s Conceptions of Beauty

Author(s): Kamil Golec / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2023

Keywords: charles Maurras; Étienne Gilson; art; beauty; aesthetics; Greece; antique;

The article contains the analysis of Charles Maurras’s and Étienne Gilson’s reflections on beauty in the light of the antique reflections on this ground which are present in the philosophical thought of the French thinkers either directly or through thinkers who inspired them. The article also analyzed the question of art from the point of view of reflections on beauty that they both made. This made it possible to show both the similar points and distinctions between them in light of classical tradition in its reflection on beauty, especially from the metaphysical point of view, which shows that both Gilson’s and Maurras’s reflections on beauty grew on classical grounds. It explains why the thought of Maurras and Gilson in this area is important also from the perspective of contemporary discussions.

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The realities of EU industrial policies analysed through automotive value chain dynamics

Author(s): Eszter Megyeri,Anita Pelle,Gabriella Tabajdi / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: global value chains (GVCs); European Union (EU); industrial policy; automotive industry

Processes in the past decades have resulted in the segmentation of European industries into ‘headquarter’ and ‘factory’ economies, though these categories are not fully distinct. ‘Headquarter’ economies typically host the higher value added activities and service units while ‘factory’ economies are popular locations for lower segments of the value chains. This setup has implications for EU level industrial policy strategies. In the current times of accelerating technological development and the ever growing servitisation of industries, ‘headquarter’ economies genuinely have better capabilities and resources to gain more share of the value added, and can actually steer the course of events in the sector. In the EU peripheries, new investment often covers relocation of previous technologies and retired assets of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The ‘factory’ economies are in a disadvantage in several aspects, while the headquarters optimise according to their own set of strategic preferences, which further compromises the opportunities of industrial actors in the peripheries to shape their own future. Industrial policies, however smart and well designed, have limited chances to influence the character and speed of changes. We review reported cases through which we test literature and contrast realities with aspirations regarding smart and sustainable industrial development across the EU.

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The evolution of downstream global value chains in Eastern Europe

Author(s): Péter Vakhal / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: global value chains; Eastern Europe; history; evolution; planned economies; FDI; local value chain; complex value chain

While international value chains have been present in planned economies for several decades, their integration into global value chains (GVCs) began in the 1990s. In this study, we investigated the evolution of downstream value chains in Eastern Europe (including the Balkan countries, Moldova, and Ukraine) from 1995, by applying Wang's UIBE methodology and the Eora database. The results of this study suggest that European Union (EU) membership indisputably has a positive impact on GVC embeddedness, whereas non-EU economies are still integrated in their own local downstream value chains. We further investigated the automotive sector in the Central and Eastern European countries and demonstrate how deeper integration into GVCs prompted the emergence of assembly activities.

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Global value chains and knowledge spillover to local economy in Visegrad 4 countries

Author(s): Kozo Otsuka,Kaoru Natsuda,László Csonka / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: knowledge spillover; innovation; GVCs; V4; Hungary; automotive industry

This study empirically examines knowledge spillover in Visegrad Four (V4) countries, with an emphasis on global value chains (GVCs). Using patent statistics, the study aims to estimate the knowledge production function, including domestic and foreign knowledge stocks, and found that international knowledge spillover does not contribute much to the innovation of the local economy in the V4 countries because of three factors: i) multinational corporations' (MNCs) strategy to locate a low-cost production base, ii) MNCs' strategy to locate supporting (process, production or non-core product related) research and development (R&D) activities and iii) limited technology spillover effect from MNCs to local firms. Local firms in the V4 countries became dependent on the peripheral products and technologies provided by MNCs, and as a result, local R&D activities in the V4 countries were diverted from patentable innovation.

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Enhancing supply chains agility – The development of logistics capabilities by automotive producers in Central and Eastern Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Author(s): Eva Křenková,Petr Procházka,Gábor Túry / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: supply chain management; Czechia; Hungary; automotive industry; agility

This research investigates the proactive and reactive measures applied by Czech and Hungarian automotive companies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We apply a qualitative methodology and analyse interviews with company managers to learn about the applied measures. The results reveal that the resilience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic involved proactive measures, which companies have kept in place. Reactive measures involved production replanning and alternative transportation. Adopting multiple sourcing strategies in the automotive sector is limited and more reactive rather than proactive. The important antecedents of agility are information sharing and cooperation within multinationals.

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Changes in automotive value chain participation on the integrated periphery – The case of Czechia and Hungary

Author(s): Tamás Gáspár,Magdolna Sass,Jana Vlčková,Krisztián Koppány / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: automotive industry; global value chains; Czechia; Hungary; development path

Central and Eastern European countries, including Czechia and Hungary, have become parts of the integrated periphery in the automotive industry. Through input-output analysis, company data and interviews, the article reveals the determining role of the industry in both economies and their deep integration in global value chains (GVCs). In addition to these similarities, the analysis reveals that domestic, simple and complex global value chain performances, ownership structures, the scale and types of upgrading tendencies as well as the consequences of the appearance of newcomers in the industry show different patterns of GVC structures over time. Due to these, the development paths of the two countries widely differ.

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Wiesław Myśliwski’s Ideal Cinema

Author(s): Jeremi Szaniawski / Language(s): English / Issue: 121/2023

Keywords: Wiesław Myśliwski; modernism; film adaptation;

The author of this essay searches for traces confirm- ing the influence of cinema on Wiesław Myśliwski’s life and works. Despite the fact that the writer acknowledged his love for cinema, this aspect is overlooked in discus- sions of his oeuvre. Myśliwski himself also does not de- vote much space to it in his recently published collection of texts and interviews W środku jesteśmy baśnią. Mowy i rozmowy [We Are a Fairy Tale Within: Speeches and Con- versations] (2022). In this article, the author devotes special attention to film motifs in the novel A Treatise on Shelling Beans (2013), the cinematic imagination that is revealed in this book, and the role of history in Myśliwski’s work.

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