Abstract: Small and medium-sized enterprises form a significant part of the economy of each country with the greatest potential for growth and the impact on stabilizing the economy. Their success or failure depends not only on know-how, capital, or machinery, but also on human resources, one of the competitive advantages and a critical factor of success. In order to achieve success and ensure the sustainability of business processes, the focus is on employee motivation and employee satisfaction, with an emphasis on effective management as multicultural workers' groups are becoming the current trend in logistics companies. Using Tukey's HSD post-hoc test and ANOVA, differences in the perception of motivation and job satisfaction of employees are identified. As part of the post-hoc analysis, the observed dependencies of the mean values of importance and satisfaction with the effect of selected motivation factors are examined in more detail. Based on the results, the fact that employee motivation in logistics companies in Slovakia and the Czech Republic is different, can be concluded. In addition, it varies according to the size of the enterprise. These findings are important for the members of management because of the globalization of economies and multiculturalism of workers‘ teams in both logistics and also other enterprises. Finding a variety of preferences for motivational needs and job satisfaction does not make it possible to develop unified motivation programs. The needs of employees regarding the size of the enterprise and also the country of origin must be taken into account by the management of an enterprise.

Keywords: strategic human resource management; innovative and sustainable business practices; optimization of sustainable human resource management strategies; employee motivation; job satisfaction; employee satisfaction and productivity

Abstract: We want computations to be fast, and we want them to be understandable. As we show, the need for computations to be fast naturally leads to neural networks, with 1-layer networks being the fastest, and the need to be understandable naturally leads to fuzzy logic and to the corresponding “and”- and “or”-operations. Since we want our computations to be both fast and understandable, a natural question is: which “and”- and “or”-operations of fuzzy logic can be represented by the fastest (i.e., 1-layer) neural network? And a related question is: which activation functions allow such a representation? In this paper, we provide an answer to both questions: the only “and”- and “or”-operations that can be thus represented are max(0,a+b-1) and min(a+b;1), and the only activations functions allowing such a representation are equivalent to the rectified linear function - the one used in deep learning. This result provides an additional explanation of why rectified linear neurons are so successful. With also show that with full 2-layer networks, we can compute practically any “and”- and “or”-operation.

Keywords: neural networks, fuzzy logic, “and”- and “or”-operations, rectified linear neurons, explainable AI

Abstract: After the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market-based economy, and following EU membership, there were significant changes in particular branches of national economies in new member states, thereby reducing the self-sufficiency of these economies. In particular, we focused on central European countries. The aim of the paper was to assess the development of economic and social indicators in particular branches of national economies. To study the situation in these branches we focused on the following social and economic indicators, e.g. employment rate, unemployment rate by branches, people at risk of poverty, salaries in selected branches, gross fixed capital formation, share on GDP, the balance of payments and foreign direct investments. Furthermore, we studied the development of particular indicators in transition period followed by assessing their correlation to each other using appropriate statistical methods. In general, we assumed a positive correlation between the majority of social and economic indicators. In the end, these results were compared in chosen central European countries.

Keywords: gross domestic product; foreign trade; poverty risk; sectoral unemployment; gross fixed capital formation

Abstract: The deductive approach to the synthesis of solutions of constructive problems with respect to ergatic systems is considered. At the same time, both the principles of deductive synthesis of solutions for ergatic systems and the processes of implementing this deductive synthesis, realized by the systems themselves, are considered.

Keywords: deductive synthesis; ergatic system; constructive realization.

Abstract: Labor shortages have become widespread in Slovakia in recent years. Numerous studies deal with the difficulties of finding a skilled, motivated workforce and the difficulties of retantion. The aim of this study is to introduce the tools used by managers in HR with special regard in examining the efforts companies make to prevent burnout. The study provides a statistical analysis of the results of primary data collection on a sample of 431 SMEs the current employment policy issues in Slovakia, with a particular focus on recruitment, motivation and retention. SMEs are the engine of the European Economy, which is why it is very important that this machinery works well, is able to produce continuously and thus contribute to the economic development of the country. One of the prerequisites for this is that the human resources available to them are properly managed. Our goal is to showcase the opportunities and tools that a manager or HR department uses when it comes to employing a company, and to try to find a solution for the problem of retaining an effective workforce. Based on the obtained data related to burnout syndrome, we can conclude that 76.38% of the surveyed companies address the issue of employee burnout. 86% of the employees are at risk of burnout, since burnout is the diesease of our modern civilization. 68% of the companies struggle with more than a 15% workforce fluctuation, which can be declared a loss for the company.

Keywords: employment; motivation tools; burnout syndrome; SMEs competitiveness; Slovakia

Abstract: This paper is an attempt to present changes of living standards, as an element of sustainable development. In the article, the authors present a literature review concerning the sustainable development concept and its dimensions, as well as, its linkage with the living standard concept (and broadly - with the quality of life category). The main goal is a statistical analysis of the living standards of the inhabitants of the Carpathian Euroregion, which was conducted using the data from the years 2008-2016. Within the analysis, the authors presented three groups (clusters) of regions belonging to Euroregion and analyzed the differences between them, as well as, the main factors responsible for belonging to the applicable group. In the article, three hypothesis were examined. Only two of them were confirmed (one in limited scope).

Keywords: people's behavior; living standard; quality of life; sustainable development; the Carpathian Euroregion

Abstract: This article introduces a solution for a security camera system, based on artificial intelligence, capable of an automatized composition of a students’ attendance register, which helps in managing the in-school administrative burdens, and lessens the required paperwork, which has encumbered teachers to this day. So far, such a solution has not yet been implemented at any University. Furthermore, to keep the data storage process secure, blockchain technology will be implemented. This way, data will be stored after encryption on various nodes, increasing data security compared to the traditional, cloud-based data storage. The camera system is capable of monitoring the students’ attendance of lectures. To be eligible for a so-called digital subject approval, each time a student attends a lecture, a record of facial features must include a timestamp, with the classroom number, the name of the lecturer, and the designation of the subject in question. Last, but not least, the system could be utilized in fire protection too, as, in the case of an eventual evacuation, the camera system would be able to indicate the exact position of each student within the premises, so it would provide a great asset to the rescuers and/or firemen.

Keywords: security camera; blockchain; attendance register; fire protection

Abstract: Support Vector Regression is becoming one of the most attractive models for load forecasting, in recent years. The performance of Support Vector Regression deeply depends on its hyperparameters, such as, Kernel function, Kernel function parameters and a penalty factor. This paper proposes a methodology for the Grid Search hyperparameters of the Support Vector Regression model. In the training process, the optimal hyperparameters will specify conditions that satisfy requirements for minimizing evaluation indexes of Root Mean Square Error, Mean Absolute Percentage Error, Symmetric Mean Absolute Percentage Error and Mean Absolute Error. In the testing process, the optimal models will be used to evaluate the obtained results along with all other ones. It is indicated that the evaluation indexes of these optimal models are close to the minimum values of all models. Load demand data of Tasmania State, Australia, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam were utilized to verify the accuracy and reliability of the Grid Search methodology.

Keywords: Load forecasting; Grid Search; Support Vector Regression; evaluation index

Abstract: The automated assessment of ultrasound images for speech processing is a difficult process. The number of frames processed, amounts to several hundred thousand, this makes assessment nearly impossible to process manually. Tongue contour tracking is indispensable for the dynamic modelling of articulation. The difficulty of the task lies in the fact that the images have a noisy background and the contour curve is discontinuous. An algorithm based on dynamic programming has been developed to track the movement of the back of the tongue. With an extreme size edge enhancing and averaging construction, the procedure addresses the problems of break of discontinuity and noise, simultaneously. In the image obtained after smoothing, the brightest curve is sought, from the left to the right edges of each image. The points of the curve thus obtained, follow the uneven line of the tongue contour. To smooth the curve, filtering based on Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT) is applied. With the appropriate selection of universal parameters and processing the signals of several speakers in an identical way, the accuracy of edge detection can be enhanced considerably. We have optimized and qualified the results, comparing them with manual contour tracking. The accuracy of contour tracking may be improved by applying speaker-specific adjustments. The results of this analysis define temporary data for articulation key frames for visual speech synthesis (a talking head). Beyond the static analysis, we also investigate the trajectories of articulation features over time. We refined our previously created dynamic model, in order to construct a full dataset for the articulation.

Keywords: ultrasound imaging; tongue contour tracking; dynamic programming; image preprocessing; visual speech synthesis

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on a firms’ sales growth and to assess the mediating role of competitive advantage and the moderating role of the employee’s individual belief of social responsibility (SR) on the relationship between CSR and sales growth of small and medium enterprises. A survey of 107 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the consumption and manufacturing industry of a developing country was performed. Structural equation modeling based on AMOS path was employed to test the hypotheses linked to the relationship between CSR and sales growth of SMEs. Results indicate that the link between CSR and sales growth is mediated through competitive advantage and that the positive impact of CSR on sales growth is moderated by the employee’s individual belief of social responsibility.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; competitive advantage; employee’s individual belief of social responsibility; small and medium enterprises

Abstract: This paper introduces the results of the bending fatigue tests of composite materials manufactured with different numbers of carbon fiber layers, embedded in an epoxy resin. The novel fatigue test machine, with crank mechanism, is presented and was optimized for partial dynamic loads. During the tests, half of the specimens were examined only for tensile strength, the other half were tested first, by fatigue tests, with at least 10 million bending cycles and afterwards using tensile tests. We studied the differences between the tensile strengths of the two groups and the influence of the number of reinforcing material layers in the results. Different kinds of ruptures were detected and categorized as Grip ruptures, Neck ruptures, Whiskers ruptures and Double ruptures. Results of an unplanned excess load is also presented, where cracks appeared along the reinforcing fibers and the tensile strength decreased significantly.

Keywords: composite; carbon fiber; epoxy resin; fatigue; tensile test; crank mechanism; optimization for partly dynamic load

Abstract: This article deals with the propagation of rumours about the introduction of institutional settings, which are intended to make the going public strategy in a country more attractive. Rumours significantly affect the level of uncertainty and can be both positive - if the market responds by increasing the initial public offering activity - or negative - if the market responds by a drop of primary issues. We document how the going public activity in a country might be promoted if both positive and negative rumours occur. The rumour spreading model called SIRaRu and qualitative trend-based modelling are applied. There are no quantifiers such as numbers or fuzzy sets needed. Altogether 17 variables are used to capture two dimensions of general institutional quality and internal state of the company. The numerical calculations result in a set S of 9 scenarios, which are complemented by a set T of 46 transitions. Hence, any past and future behaviour of the qualitative model QS can be reconstructed as a sequence of obtained scenarios. Moreover, a graphic solution was derived to study the behaviour of selected variables on the timeline.

Keywords: institutional economics; rumours; IPO; qualitative trend models; scenarios

Abstract: Laser Assisted Metal-Polymer Joining Technologies (LAMP) are widely used to create hybrid structures for different purposes. If the laser beam is transported to the connected surfaces from the polymer’s side, the polymer has to be adequately transparent on the wavelength of the applied radiation to avoid degradation and to ensure effective and efficient adhesion. The transparency can be affected by the components and the structure of the polymer. The long-term goal of our research is to identify, assess and quantify the connection between the type and the amount of reinforcing fibers and the quality of metal-polymer joining. In this paper, we introduce the key findings of the first experiments aimed at joining steel and poly(methyl-methacrylate) reinforced with different amounts of cellulose fibers. We identified the optimal values of some laser technology parameters (e.g. power, velocity) that affect the strength and the visual appearance of joining.

Keywords: laser welding; hybrid joints; steel; PMMA