• Energy Research

Remote and hybrid working models and accelerated digitalization of the human resources processes were introduced in most organizations worldwide as a consequence of the COVD-19 pandemic. This digital revolution at the workplace was forced by extraordinary circumstances, thus its impact had not been anticipated before. This motivated the authors to study the new work reality. The research was based on a hypothesis that the digitalization of work and the human resources processes, approaches organizations to the sustainable development ideal. Sustainability is here understood as maintaining a balance between economic, environmental, and social factors. The authors analyzed the impact between the digital processes and the way of working on the following areas: CO2 emissions, creating plastic waste, saving energy, creating a gender-diverse and inclusive workplace. To verify the hypothesis, the authors used their own original and desk research. The original research was conducted within a Berlin-based tech startup between March 2020 and August 2021. Additionally, the authors ran surveys among international startups and scale-ups. Based on their findings the authors concluded that there can be a positive correlation between digitalization and increased organizational sustainability. This result is significant not only for the human resources specialists but can indicate a direction for a general business strategy.

This scientific work analyzes the current state and problems of implementing the concept of sustainable development in industrial regions, in particular, in Poland and Ukraine. Emphasis is placed on slowing down the implementation of the main provisions of this doctrine, in particular, the violation of environmental requirements and non-compliance with ecological standards by industrial enterprises. The aim of the article is to find effective innovative tools for intensifying the process of implementing the strategy of sustainable development in industrial regions. The paper uses theoretical methods—analysis and synthesis, formalization, hypothetical-deductive modeling, mental modeling, systematization and generalization—as well as empirical: observation, description and comparison. The main result of the work is the substantiation of the scientific idea that the implementation of a sustainable development strategy in industrial regions is possible by intensifying the process of ecological marketing through the use of new information and communication technologies (ICT) and their innovative tools—methodologies, digital systems, the Internet, cloud technologies, and systems of product design, manufacture and sale—due to accelerated communication links. The authors’ approach to the development of the mechanism of creation and functioning of the single information space (field) of the ecological marketing of the industrial region is offered in this work, and also, the classification of modern ICT and their tools, which it is expedient to use in this mechanism, is carried out. Their purpose and the expected results from the introduction of ecological products for market research, the development of ecological technologies for the life cycles of ecological products and, thus, the impact on the acceleration of sustainable development in industrial regions are determined.

The article aims to enhance understanding of how relations, behavior and attitude of the executives and contractors to achieving the objectives by energy supplying companies affect the efficiency of the latter’s overall development. There is offered a factor-reflexive approach to diagnosing the executives’ and contractors’ attitude to realizing the tasks of developing the energy supplying companies. This approach includes models to identify and analyze the factors that influenced the change in contractors’ behavior based on the combination of expert techniques, correlation and regression analysis and evaluation of the personnel response to organizational, resource and staffing projects development, through accumulating sufficient statistical information based on the enterprise’s features, relations and environment. This approach to diagnosing executives’ and contractors’ response to the implementation of tasks and the resulting changes takes into account the subjective component of their response. Practical implementation of this approach in monitoring the conformity of the development tasks has proven the ability to identify problems from the viewpoint of the task executives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced the work world. One of the most visible impacts on employee lifecycles is the phenomenon called the great resignation, a massive wave of workers quitting across industries that began in 2021, after easing of the first pandemic restrictions. As this process is quite recent, there is a research gap in the field which has pushed the authors to examine this topic in more detail. The authors set the following research hypothesis: The great resignation is primarily caused by the ethical, cultural, relational, and personal factors. In order to verify it, the authors conducted original research and analyzed various desk studies. The research was done within a Berlin-based tech startup in the time frame between January 2020 and December 2021. Based on their findings, the authors concluded that the main reasons for employees leaving their workplaces are non-materialistic ones.

Abstract The research dedicated to risk management issues in the energy sector addresses current problems associated with risk management that arise in the energy sector. The aim of the study was to identify factors that affect risks, analyze scientific risk management methods, and consider innovative approaches to risk management in the energy sector. The study used a critical analysis of the literature on the subject as well as an analysis of risk management standards and methods. The innovation of the research lies in its consideration of modern trends in risk management in the energy sector, taking into account changing economic and political conditions, technical possibilities, as well as social attitudes and demands. The study showed that the most effective approach to risk management in the energy sector is the use of an integrated risk management system that takes into account all aspects of enterprise activity. The results of the study can be useful for energy companies that deal with risk management. They can be used to improve risk management strategies and reduce the possibility of negative consequences. In addition, this research can be used for educational purposes for students and professors who study risk management and the energy sector. The next steps of the research may include expanding the scope of the study to other areas and developing more detailed risk management models.

In response to disturbances in the European energy market due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe had to strengthen its strategic resilience and reduce reliance on Russian gas imports by conserving energy, producing clean energy, and diversifying energy sources. A crucial aspect of this effort is assessing energy security, which serves as an indicator summarizing various aspects of energy development. This study evaluates the energy system’s ability to continuously, economically, and environmentally safely meet consumer needs in 28 European economies. This research employs non-linear (piecewise linear) normalization and the multiplicative convolution method, analyzing data from 2000 to 2021. Critical components of energy security examined include the resource supply, resource availability, consumption, compensability, efficiency, safety, and innovativeness. The findings indicate that most EU countries have sufficient-to-moderate levels of energy security. The histogram depicting the distribution of the energy security index and its components reveals that the innovation aspect within a country’s energy security framework has the lowest scores. This indicates insufficient innovation activity in developing and implementing new technologies and modern energy transportation and consumption methods. Consequently, the study highlights the inadequate effectiveness of current energy transition measures and offers recommendations for European policymakers based on these findings.

The growing importance of climate change and the depletion of natural resources, as well as geopolitical risks associated with the distribution of energy resources, cause an increase in the urgency of ensuring energy security. In modern conditions, the criteria of energy security are the level of production of traditional and renewable energy, the efficiency of energy production, the rationality of its consumption, and the level of pollution arising in the process of the functioning of the energy sector. Different types of regulatory instruments are used internationally to achieve different goals related to energy security. This study involves testing the hypothesis that the effectiveness of energy taxes in ensuring energy security is determined based on the choice of the object of taxation and should be measured via the complex effect of changes in various parameters of energy security. To test this hypothesis, a sample of data from 24 European countries for the period 1994–2020 was formed and energy taxes were grouped into 12 groups (energy taxes on the consumption of different energy sources, energy taxes on fossil fuels, taxes on electricity consumption, taxes to stimulate renewable energy production, contributions to energy funds, etc.). The assessment was carried out with the help of panel regression modeling tools with the installation of a three-year time lag in the model. This method made it possible to determine the short- and medium-term effects of the regulatory influence of certain types of energy taxes. Moreover, the research provides an assessment of the regulatory effectiveness of various types of energy taxes across countries with different initial structures of energy production. The obtained results proved that the comprehensive efficiency of different types of energy taxes is different and depends on the features of the construction of the country’s energy system. In general, complex energy taxes are the most effective method of taxation, while contributions to energy funds are the least effective method of taxation. In the countries with energy systems based on fossil fuels, taxes on mineral oils are the most effective in ensuring of energy security, as well as in the countries with a high initial level of renewable energy use, while complex energy taxes are the most effective in the countries with well-diversified energy systems. This study creates the basis for improving strategies for the use of regulatory instruments of energy transformation in building a clean, secure, and sustainable energy system for the country.

The development of digital technologies is one of the factors influencing the cities’ readiness for the COVID-19 breakout. The purpose of this article is to assess cities’ resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic depending on the “smart” level criteria. The article uses the following research methods: (1) bibliometric analysis to identify the main directions of scientific research regarding “COVID-19” and “smart city” in Scopus publications for 2019–2022; (2) k-means clustering method to identify common patterns among smart cities regarding their readiness and responsiveness to COVID-19; (3) correlation analysis to identify the relationships between smart city performance indicators and COVID-19 severity in these cities. The Smart City Index 2021 was a key criterion for classifying a city as smart for this study. The correlation analysis included two stages: (1) correlation analysis of the Smart City Rank and indicators of COVID-19 readiness and responsiveness; (2) correlation analysis of the Smart City Rank and its health care components and COVID-19 severity indicators. According to the study results, smart cities demonstrated higher COVID-19 readiness and lower COVID-19 fatality rates. However, they lag behind in terms of resilience and sustainability of their health care systems.