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The aim of this paper is to define the business case for the involvement of SMEs in CSR from the perspective of employees. The work answers the following questions: (1) What socially responsible activities do SMEs undertake? (2) To what extent are SME employees involved in activities in the area of CSR? (3) How is the business rationale of CSR activities perceived by employees? On the basis of the conducted research, the authors decided to find out what and how socially responsible activities impact business performance. For this purpose, a structural model was estimated, using the maximum likelihood method. As a result of the research, it was found that small- and medium-sized enterprises engage in CSR activities, but their involvement is limited and focused on environmental, health-related initiatives, and social campaigns. This suggests the choice of activities that are related to the formation of responsible attitudes, which are universal but not very engaging for employees. The results also show that employees are not passive observers but are responsible for the implementation of the CSR initiatives, which may have positive and negative impacts on business performance. In the opinion of employees, the most important benefits of involvement in CSR are building trust, building relationships with clients, and image improvement. Motivators such as increased profitability or (surprisingly) sustainable development played a much smaller role. From the theory point of view, the research results define the scope and scale of SMEs involvement in corporate social responsibility activities and indicate the main benefits that result from this involvement for SMEs. The results of research allow for a more effective selection of CSR activities and areas in which companies can use CSR to support the achievement of business goals.

The authors put forward a concept of a method to support workforce demand planning intended for construction contractors. The construction business suffers from shortages of skilled labor. The method facilitates analyzing the possibilities of project-to project resource sharing and uncertainties in the flow of new orders, both characteristics of construction. Construction contractors’ manpower planning is based on a production plan. A precise and deterministic plan is possible only for a short planning horizon covering a fixed set of acquired orders. New orders are won irregularly, and the type and quantity of work they involve is uncertain. For this reason, the authors argue for using a simulation model of the company’s production plan. Such a plan facilitates mapping the variability in the number of orders, their start dates and delivery times, as well as workloads. Simulating the flow of prospective orders helps assess the degree of utilization of the enterprise’s human resources and the influence of the size of employment on the timeliness of the execution of individual projects. This provides a basis for determining reasonable employment levels. The approach helps determine the demand for manpower and provides the data necessary in the process of staff development and recruitment. Moreover, it provides a tool for assessing the feasibility of using in-house resources to fulfill new orders and the need to hire subcontractors. The novelty presented in the article is the method of manpower planning in construction companies, making it possible to take into account risk conditions in acquiring new orders and the variability of construction process execution times due to factors disturbing the work flow. The concept of the method was the basis for the development of a simulation model of the construction company’s order execution under random conditions, allowing for the evaluation of the effects of maintaining different levels of employment of the workforce in terms of the degree of utilization of the production potential and timeliness of individual projects. Thus, the result of the research is a tool supporting the decision making of construction managers in human resources management practice.

The aim of the article is to analyze the purchasing behavior of young e-consumers of organic products in regard to sustainable consumption. The article highlights the importance of the Internet in the intensification of purchasing processes of modern consumers and presents the results of the study conducted in November 2021 using a survey questionnaire involving a sample of 620 respondents. As a result of statistical analyses, a structural model was estimated using the maximum likelihood method. It allowed us to determine the variables that influence the purchasing behavior of young e-consumers, as well as to illustrate the degree of the influence between endogenous variables. Defining these relationships made it possible to determine the factors that affect the buying behavior of young e-consumers in the market of organic products. The results of the study and the analysis of the model have led us to the conclusion that purchasing behavior is mainly determined by product information derived from various sources involving product and service quality or warranty, thus giving the consumers the right to file a complaint. The balance between these factors creates the grounds for sustainable consumption and putting emphasis on the specified groups of factors by the producers will allow shopping activities to intensify among young e-consumers. The ongoing SARS-CoV-19 pandemic has posed a serious limitation to an effective performance of the following study. In the future, the authors intend to carry out similar research among overseas respondents so that it is possible to verify if the current trends can also be traced in foreign markets.