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Analysis the advanced ICT usage of the Hungarian SME sector for preparing a domestic agri-food research
147-153Views:387In the Hungarian agro-food sector SMEs have a key role but regarding the tendency of the performance of SME sector, comparing to EU-28 average, the performance of Hungarian SME sector has gradually worsened between 2008 and 2015 while the EU average has an increasing trend. ICT can help enterprises and this article is an overview of the ICT situation of Hungarian SMEs. It is important to analyse in detail the ICT usage characteristics of agro SMEs in the food supply chain because these ICT devices, tools and services are crucial to smooth the information flow within the chain. For all these reasons our work aims to find out how Hungarian agro-food SMEs use ICT and how ICT adoption affect their business procedures, performance and development. A striking observation to emerge from the data comparison is the difference among SMEs and large enterprises regarding the usage of the different basic and advanced ICT solutions. A much bigger percent of large companies use advanced ICT then SMEs and mainly small enterprises are lagging behind as the attitudes of medium sized enterprises are rather similar to the large ones. In Hungary small enterprises in agro-food industry are in difficult financial state and for them free Cloud Computing services can offer good opportunities as they do not have initial costs. ICT adoption is very important to them as ICT sector is a dynamically growing sector and if customers and partners of an enterprise adapt faster to these technological innovations, it may have a negative effect on the different processes, performance and financial results of the organisation. In this article our aim was to determine the main question groups for our questionnaire which focus mainly on ICT solutions supporting the quality of communication and relationship between partners. As the basic IT tools are available in the major part even in the SMEs besides large companies, the two main issues will be the usage of advanced online services and the usage of high quality ICT solutions.
JEL Code: M15
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES’ USE EXPERTISE AND THE UTILISATION BY FRUIT VEGETABLE FARMERS IN NIGERIA
Views:0Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) represent veritable tools for developing farmers’ capabilities in production resource optimisation. The study assessed fruit and vegetable farmers’ expertise and utilisation of ICT for cucumber and watermelon production. Members of the Osun State Exotic Fruit Farmers’ Group were randomly sampled (90 of 102 farmers) for the study. Data were collected using an interview schedule and analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis. Results reveal the farmers’ mean age was 43.8±10.33 years, and two-thirds (66.67%) were male. Low proportions (19.2% and 14.81%) were good and excellent in ICT use expertise, while many (42.96%) were poor. Some (18.89%) explored social media for linking high-value markets, and 16.67% searched online pages or links in learning about artificial pollination. Farmers’ ICT use expertise and extent of utilisation for cucumber and watermelon production purposes were significantly influenced by their familiarity with ICT tools (b = 1.29 and 1.47) and years of ICT use experience (b = 0.09 and 0.16), respectively, at p≤0.05 significance level. Experience and familiarity with ICT usage spurred farmers to greater proficiency and consequent increased utilisation to optimise cucumber and watermelon production. Specialised ICT training should be prioritised for farmers’ capacity building in intervention programmes
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Analysing sporting goods manufacturers’ environmental management tools
23-29Views:520Organizations around the developed world are facing pressure from governments, international agreements, society and various stakeholders, to improve their behavior towards the natural environment. The application of environmental management tools may be an important step towards sustainability and the preservation of environmental values, however marketing could be the key – with the help of information and communication technologies (ICT) – in publicizing and spreading these ideas thus forming customers’, stakeholders’ attitude in this respect.The aim of this study was to define the concept of environmental consciousness and environmentally conscious behaviour, then to present the shift the traditional marketing philosophy towards the sustainable marketing approach, finally to analyse two top sporting goods manufacturers’ (Nike, Adidas) environmental management tools with the help of data gained from their web sites, reports, case studies. Interpreting environmental consciousness is difficult without knowing the attitude to it. In spite of that it is important to distinguish between environmental consciousness and environmentally conscious attitude, because consciousness often appears in attitude influenced by other, outer effects.The environmental conscious attitude of companies in itself is not enough for making use of the advantages deriving from a positive environmental concern. They need to pursue more active communication, to „green” the whole of marketing activities. Thus marketing seems a possible means to naturalize and expand environmental protection both among customers and in company practice. According to the analysed companies, we need to say, that they are commitment with the environmental protection. They are used state-of-theart technologies to make their activity greener and introduce these with full particulars, examples e.g. ColorDry technologies, Better Cotton, The Framaprene ECO heel. Either Nike, Inc., or Adidas Group realised that ICT have the ability to improve efficiency and cut the use of material goods, thus reducing energy demands and the burden upon the environment.
JEL code: Q01
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THE ROLE OF DIGITALIZATION IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Views:0ICT, digital and smart tools are an integral part of a competitive agriculture in the 21st century. The world's population is growing, which also means that demand for food will increase, so there is a need to increase agricultural productivity (increasing output/input factor efficiency), for which technological innovation is essential. An important aspect is that some factors of production in agriculture are limited (land, water, etc.), so a fundamental issue for farmers in agriculture is how to carry out their agricultural activities in a sustainable and cost-effective way. Innovative and modern solutions are needed to increase productivity in agriculture in a sustainable way. Digitalisation, of which data and the information derived from data are an integral part, is the basis for these innovative solutions. Technological progress and digitalisation are making a major contribution to the emergence of sustainable agriculture. The aim of the present study is to briefly describe the development and milestones of agriculture, based on a literature review, and to highlight the importance of agricultural digitisation, especially from the perspective of sustainable agriculture.
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Knowledge transfer: a case study approach
15-19Views:347The article builds on the growing importance of knowledge as a strategic resource for maintaining the competitive advantage of a business. We illustrate one of the initiatives contributing to effective knowledge transfer by describing a case study approach which suggests how universities might assist in disseminating knowledge and enhancing industry competitiveness.The case study approach is apparently an effective way to share best practices, and with the use of appropriate ICT tools, it provides for an enormous diffusion of codified (explicit) knowledge in the industry.The example in the focus of this article describes aVirtual Portal designed as a single-point access to information and tools (case studies, decision models and software), with the emphasis on case studies (their selection, coding and use).
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The Attitudes of Pete Program Applicants Towards Information and Communication Technologies
75-80Views:515As information and communication technology has permeated all aspects of life education cannot be considered an exception either. The schools of the 21st century require the use of the latest digital devices whose effectiveness is greatly determined by the motivation, ICT-related attitude, and the respective competences of teachers managing and directing the given teaching and learning process. Since P.E. also requires the use of information and communication devices it would be crucial that prospective teachers develop a positive attitude toward such equipment. The present research aims at exploring the attitudes of students applying to P.E. teacher programs at the Eszterházy Károly University toward such instruments and approaches. Additional research objectives include the exploration of potential correlation between the sex of the applicants and the respective attitudes. Our inquiry utilized the questionnaire method and the computer-based attitude scale was completed by a sample of 130 applicants in the 2016/2017 and the 2017/2018 academic years. Our research concluded that both men and women maintain a positive attitude toward the use of digital devices, or the tools of information and communication technology. Students representing both sexes consider the computer as a valuable learning device promoting the efficiency of the knowledge acquisition process. Furthermore, a significantly greater proportion of male respondents stated that they were capable of repairing computer problems emerging during use than that of their female counterparts. At the same time men are less apprehensive to use computers during instruction and this attitude appears to be an indispensable requirement for the application of ICT devices in class. The research can contribute to a deeper exploration of the given field along with performing a gap filling function as such examination has not yet been conducted among applicants to P.E. programs provided by higher education institutions in Hungary.
JEL Classification: Z2, I23
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