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IT technologies related to Industry 4.0 facilitate the implementation of the framework for sustainable manufacturing. At the same time, Industry 4.0 integrates IT processes and systems of production companies with IT solutions of cooperating companies that support a complete manufactured product life cycle. Thus, the implementation of sustainable manufacturing implies a rapid increase in interfaces between IT solutions of cooperating companies. This, in turn, raises concerns about security among manufacturing company executives. The lack of a recognized methodology supporting the decision-making process of choosing the right methods and means of cybersecurity is, in effect, a significant barrier to the development of sustainable manufacturing. As a result, the propagation of technologies in Industry 4.0 and the implementation of the sustainable manufacturing framework in companies are slowing down significantly. The main novelty of this article, addressing the above deficiencies, is the creation, using the combined DEMATEL and ANP (DANP) and PROMETHEE II methods, of a ranking of the proposed three groups of measures, seven dimensions and twenty criteria to be implemented in companies to ensure cybersecurity in Industry 4.0 and facilitate the implementation of the sustainable production principles. The contribution of Industry 4.0 components and the proposed cybersecurity scheme to achieve the Sustainable Development goals, reducing the carbon footprint of companies and introducing circular economy elements was also indicated. Using DANP and PROMETHEE II, it can be concluded that: (i) the major criterion of cybersecurity in companies is validation and maintaining electronic signatures and seals; (ii) the most crucial area of cybersecurity is network security; (iii) the most significant group of measures in this regard are technological measures.

Globally, sustainable procurement is seen as a crucial component of public sector sustainability initiatives. This research investigates the internal and external barriers to the implementation of sustainable procurement in China’s public sector. Primary data for this research were gathered using survey techniques from 287 respondents who were procurement officials at higher education institutions that are part of the public sector. Twelve hypotheses were developed based on the conceptual model and literature review and evaluated using SEM-AMOS in order to look at the correlations between the variables. The study’s findings demonstrate that employee competency, employee motivation, training programs, financial aspects, management commitment, government rules and regulations, unavailability of green products, supplier capacity, and third-party pressure statistically influence the sustainability of public procurement. At the same time, green practices, the ineffectiveness of green products, and prices of green items had statistically no significant influence on sustainability in public procurement. This is a crucial effort to identify the factors that influence sustainable purchasing in China’s public colleges. This study draws interest from stakeholders and adds to the scant body of knowledge on sustainability in developing nations. In addition, this research is crucial for creating a roadmap for China’s long-term sustainable development in the area of procurement.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden and deep recession contributing, among other things, to a sharp rise in unemployment. The article addresses changes in the labor markets of the Visegrad countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia), covering the period 2018–2021. It attempts to answer the questions: how deep a slump was caused by the pandemic in these markets, how flexible forms of employment responded to it, and whether there were discriminatory phenomena (decline in employment and increase in unemployment in the most vulnerable groups in the labor market). The analysis was based on quarterly data published by Eurostat on the size and structure of the employed and unemployed population. The results of the compilations indicate a relatively small deepening of imbalances in the labor markets of the analyzed countries, a differentiated reaction of flexible forms of employment (depending on the form of employment), which was in line with expectations (they were used as a business cycle buffer). In most of the V4 countries, women were relatively less likely to lose their jobs than men during the pandemic. In a few cases, a relatively stronger decline in employment (increase in unemployment) affected young people, people aged 55–64, and people with the lowest education.

Abstract Natural gas is an important source of energy in the global economy, hence understanding the drivers of its prices is of significant interest for economic agents. This paper investigates the role of structural shocks for the dynamics of the U.S. natural gas market within the Bayesian Structural Vector Autoregression framework applied by Baumeister and Hamilton (2019a, AER), to the crude oil market. This approach provides clear intuition for the identification strategy and allows us to correctly estimate the short-term price elasticity of natural gas supply and demand. Our results indicate that the former is low, whereas the latter is higher than the average estimate in the literature. We also show that market specific demand shocks explain a dominant fraction of natural gas prices variability, while the contribution of supply, aggregate economic activity and inventory shocks is important only during specific market events such as the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we illustrate how changes in supply in the era of shale gas revolution contributed to the dynamics of natural gas prices.

Coke is an integral component of the blast furnace charge; therefore, it plays an important role in the integrated steelmaking process. Achieving the required coke quality parameters by producers requires the use of a high proportion of the highest quality coking coals (hard coking coals) in the coking blends, which significantly increases the unit production costs. Approximately 75% of these costs are constituted by the cost of the coal blend’s preparation. There is a deficit in the best quality coking coals on the world market and their supply are characterized by large fluctuations in quality parameters. Therefore, from the point of view of the economics of coke production, it is advantageous to produce high-quality coke from a coke blend with the highest possible content of cheaper coals. The paper presents the results of the influence of coal charge bulk density and semi-soft coking coal content in the coking blend on the textural and structural parameters of coke, which determine its quality. Research has shown that the application of increased density influences the parameters of the texture and structure of the coke, which shape its quality parameters. The use of stamp-charging technology contributes to the improvement of the coke quality or enables the production of coke of a predetermined quality from blends containing cheaper semi-soft coals.

The European Union is currently in the process of transformation toward a circular economy model in which different areas of activity should be integrated for more efficient management of raw materials and waste. The wastewater sector has a great potential in this regard and therefore is an important element of the transformation process to the circular economy model. The targets of the circular economy policy framework such as resource recovery are tightly connected with the wastewater treatment processes and sewage sludge management. With this in view, the present study aims to review existing indicators on resource recovery that can enable efficient monitoring of the sustainable and circular solutions implemented in the wastewater sector. Within the reviewed indicators, most of them were focused on technological aspects of resource recovery processes such as nutrient removal efficiency, sewage sludge processing methods and environmental aspects as the pollutant share in the sewage sludge or its ashes. Moreover, other wide-scope indicators such as the wastewater service coverage or the production of bio-based fertilizers and hydrochar within the wastewater sector were analyzed. The results were used for the development of recommendations for improving the resources recovery monitoring framework in the wastewater sector and a proposal of a circularity indicator for a wastewater treatment plant highlighting new challenges for further researches and wastewater professionals.

The demographic low, and thus the inevitable aging of the populations of economically developed countries, makes it necessary to extend the working life of citizens. Therefore, an increasing percentage of workers are representatives of the so-called “silver” generation, i.e., people over 50 years of age. The main objective of the study is to characterize the system of values, attitudes to work, and related expectations of professionally active women and men over 50 years of age and to determine whether, and if so, how the hierarchy of values, attitudes to work, and job satisfaction affect the further development of their professional careers. In order to achieve such a goal, a CAVI survey was conducted on a sample of n = 600 respondents. The statistical significance of the differences between the groups was tested with the Mann–Whitney U test. To verify the main hypothesis, ordinal logistic regression models were built. The results of the study were supplemented with elements of descriptive statistics. In the course of the research work, it was confirmed that there are significant differences between the studied men and women in the assessment of traits concerning their value hierarchy, attitudes towards work, and career prospects. Traits such as value hierarchy and attitudes toward work have a significant impact on the career development of both women and men of the “silver” generation, while job satisfaction shows a significant impact on career development only for women.

Background: Although Blockchain Technology (BT) is one of the innovations that has considerable potential to improve business processes and enable new services for potential users, its implementation in supply chain management (SCM) of the automotive industry is only at its beginnings. From the growing number of publications focused on this issue, it is evident that the application of BT would significantly contribute to the development of the automotive industry and improve the supply chain of automotive components. Purpose: In this regard, the paper aims to analyze the challenges to the implementation of BT in SCM in the automotive industry sector through a systematic review of the literature and precise definition of the advantages and limitations that appear in supply chains after the application of BT. Study design/methodology/approach: The research is based on the application of systematic literature review methods. The paper presents the results and conclusions of 21 studies based on the search criteria outlined by the Web of Science, Scopus, and SpringerLink index databases. Findings/conclusions: The results suggest that insufficiently developed technology, lack of clear guidelines for implementation, incomplete standardization, legislative ambiguity, conflicts and insufficient cooperation between chain members appear as the biggest challenges for BT implementation. On the other hand, BT has great potential in reducing costs, providing higher quality products and services, and improving chain visibility in the automotive industry. Limitations/future research: The analysis of the papers in the above mentioned databases exclusively in English and the absence of empirical research stand out as the most prominent shortcomings. However, the obtained results of this study represent a quality basis for future research, which, judging by the popularity of the issue, will increase in frequency.

In the face of constantly progressing climate and environmental changes that lead to hydrological droughts and, in consequence, to permanent water deficiency, the administration and management of water resources have become priority elements of local policy in rural areas. New water management methods are based on numerous digital tools and solutions. They allow, for instance, the optimising of water consumption, or the accelerating and increasing in the effectiveness of communication with local communities. This governance model fits into the green economy. This paper presents digital tools and ways of using them for water management in rural communities. We assumed that a higher degree of the socio-economic development in rural communities affects the use of high technology in the local governance. According to surveys, suburban communities featuring a higher level of urbanisation more often invest in ‘smart’ technologies, reflected by a more rational management of water resources.