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Technology has become a crucial service medium also for higher education institutions (HEIs). Moreover, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly underscored the relevance of studies on e-services. This article analyzes the technological maturity of HEIs in Poland with the obtained results analyzed against the backdrop of the current pandemic. The study considers the overall level of universities’ virtualization, condition of their ICT infrastructure, IT services offered by public universities, and their use of advanced technologies. The results are analyzed in terms of two aspects: (1) the current technological maturity of HEIs in Poland and their ability to offer virtualized public services during the pandemic and (2) the dimensions of technological maturity that universities ought to focus on with a view to preventing the deterioration of e-services and their quality. Based on the above, recommendations are formulated in terms of improving flexibility to cope with the challenges of this difficult period.

Teoria niezawodności to ważna inspiracja nauk społecznych w zarządzaniu ryzykiem operacyjnym oraz publicznym zarządzaniu kryzysowym. Artykuł podaje nowe podejście do publicznego zarządzania kryzysowego, zastosowane w krajowych metodykach: oceny ryzyka w ochronie infrastruktury krytycznej państwa oraz planowania cywilnego i ratownictwa. Technical reliability as an inspiration for operational risk management and public crisis management The theory of reliability is an important inspiration of social science in operational risk management and public crisis management. The article provides a new approach to public crisis management, used in national methodologies: risk assessment in the protection of critical infrastructure of the state as well as civil and rescue planning.

The purpose of the presented research was to determine the effectiveness and sufficiency of measures put in place to protect the business continuity of critical infrastructure (CI) and key services (KSs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The wide variety of research conducted in the area of business continuity maintenance during the COVID-19 pandemic does not change the fact that there is still a research gap in this area, particularly in terms of issues related to CI and KS protection. A systematic review of scientific publications revealed the need for continued research into this topic given the fact that only 19 papers related to CI continuity and 8 directly to KS operators could be identified. Holistic and interdisciplinary research is particularly needed to organize and systematize the existing scientific knowledge on the subject, and in practical terms, help organizations and institutions to better prepare for future continuity disruptions. A survey conducted between March and May 2021 among entities operating in Poland and classified as critical infrastructure operators as well as key service operators, subcontractors, and suppliers crucial to maintaining the continuity of critical infrastructure operations revealed that entrepreneurs, surprised by the speed and aggressive nature of the pandemic, mainly resorted to protective measures that were immediately available, standard solutions that did not require excessive financial and organizational effort. But in the face of long-term pandemic threat, such measures may no longer be sufficient, so it is important to intensify research into those precautions that require readaptation of work organization and organizational processes to protect key workers, increase supply chain resilience, and protect the work process.

The rapid, unexpected, and large-scale expansion of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic has led to a global health and economy crisis. However, although the crisis itself is a worldwide phenomenon, there have been considerable differences between respective countries in terms of SARS-CoV-19 morbidities and fatalities as well as the GDP impact. The object of this paper was to study the influence of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic on global gross domestic product. We analyzed data relating to 176 countries in the 11-month period from February 2020 to December 2020. We employed SARS-CoV-19 morbidity and fatality rates reported by different countries as proxies for the development of the pandemic. The analysis employed in our study was based on moving median and quartiles, Kendall tau-b coefficients, and multi-segment piecewise-linear approximation with Theil–Sen trend lines. In the study, we empirically confirmed and measured the negative impact of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic on the respective national economies. The relationship between the pandemic and the economy is not uniform and depends on the extent of the pandemic’s development. The more intense the pandemic, the more adaptive the economies of specific countries become.

The first chapter serves as an introduction to the monographic study, it therefore begins with a review of the notion of “process” as such, as well as of various existing process classifications. The subsequent sections present the conceptual scope of the terms BPO—Business Process Orientation and BPM—Business Process Management, attention is also drawn to management concepts and methods developed on the foundation of the process approach. Differences between business process management and process management are highlighted along with the main success factors and limitations pertinent to the implementation of process management in production companies and administration institutions, respectively. Attention is drawn to process lifecycle management which constitutes the basis for the approach presented in the study.

We begin our considerations by establishing the life cycle of the process, which we will use as the structural basis in the next chapters of the monograph. The process lifecycle is very helpful and important for the understanding of how process activities relate one to one another and how they contribute to the effectiveness of the process as a whole. It is also the methodical guarantee for continuous optimization and redesign of organizational processes. In this sense, process lifecycle is the space for the consideration of many functional perspectives in an organization, e.g. technical, customer-related, environmental, legal, or economic. However, in order for a lifecycle to fulfill the above functions, the content and arrangement of its phases must correspond to the needs and variability of the organization. Therefore, an overview of typical structures is presented in Sect. 2.1 together with indication of their typical uses. In Sect. 2.2, based on the results of this overview, a new lifecycle is proposed to serve as the foundation for the remaining part of this monographic study.

Maturity models are a method of measuring progress made by organizations in terms of continuous improvement processes, they also serve as a specific driving mechanism facilitating that improvement. The chapter presents the general characteristics of maturity models in an attempt to systematize the same and juxtapose their features to reveal similarities between maturity models developed in different fields of management and for different types of organizations. To this end, 20 distinct maturity models are analyzed and compared. Two sample models are also described in the context of production companies and administrative institutions to serve as examples of models prevalent and popular in Europe: EFQM Excellence Model—used in production companies and Common Assessment Framework CAF—in public administration. Furthermore, two models developed in the course of our own studies are also presented: Productivity Management Model PMM—dedicated to production companies, and Risk Management in Public Crisis Management RMPCM—developed with lower-tier local self-government units in mind. The chapter’s summary reiterates the numerous similarities observed between models used in both analyzed types of organizations and the value thereof in terms of stimulating sustainable organizational development.

Prowadzona na szeroką skalę informatyzacja administracji publicznej generuje tyle samo szans, co i zagrożeń dla efektywności tego procesu. Jednym z takich zagrożeń są realizowane niezależnie, niestandaryzowane procesy, których wyniki różnią się pomiędzy sobą w sytuacji, kiedy powinny być identyczne, albo co najmniej porównywalne. Automatyzacja takich procesów prowadzi do utrwalenia ich mankamentów, a w przypadku wdrażania systemu zintegrowanego powoduje problemy i zmniejsza efektywność całego wdrożenia. Propo-nowanym w niniejszym artykule rozwiązaniem jest przeprowadzenie wnikliwej analizy oraz standaryzacji pro-cesów przed przystąpieniem do wdrożenia zintegrowanego systemu informatycznego. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie metody standaryzacji procesów oraz wykazanie jej użyteczności na wybranych przykładach jednostek instytucji publicznych. Prezentowana metoda jest jednym z produktów projektu NCBiR pt. Wysoko-specjalistyczna platforma wspomagająca planowanie cywilne i ratownictwo w administracji publicznej Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej oraz w jednostkach organizacyjnych Krajowego Systemu Ratowniczo Gaśniczego.

Artykuł jest swoistym podsumowaniem projektu "Wysokospecjalistyczna platforma wspomagająca planowanie cywilne i ratownictwo w administracji publicznej", sfinansowanego przez NCBR w ramach konkursu 7/2015 (beneficjentem jest Państwowa Straż Pożarna), zrealizowanego przez konsorcjum: Wydział Zarządzania Politechniki Warszawskiej oraz Medcore sp. z o.o. (Kosieradzka i in., 2018). Był on kontynuacją projektu "Metodyka oceny ryzyka na potrzeby systemu zarządzania kryzysowego RP", sfinansowanego przez NCBR w ramach konkursu 3/2012 (beneficjentem było Rządowe Centrum Bezpieczeństwa), a opracowana w tym projekcie krajowa metodyka stała się częścią Unijnego Mechanizmu Ochrony Ludności. W obu projektach zastosowano metodę poszukiwania analogii pomiędzy podejściem metodycznym stosowanym dotąd w zarządzaniu i ocenie ryzyka operacyjnego w odniesieniu do działalności podmiotów biznesowych.

W artykule przedstawiono rolę, jaką pełni zarządzanie zmianą w sprawnym funkcjonowaniu organizacji oraz wskazano na potrzebę stosowania nowego podejścia do zarządzania zmianą w klastrach. W celu wykazania słuszności takiego stwierdzenia dokonano przeglądu dostępnych źródeł literatury oraz wiedzy praktycznej pod kątem występowania oraz przykładów stosowania pojęcia zarządzania zmianą w klastrach. Pokazano, że klastry coraz częściej przekształcają się w grupę świadomych kooperantów, współpracujących i koordynujących swoje działania w długim okresie czasu, w efekcie uzyskując dużo wyższy poziom efektywności działania i rozwoju niż pojedyncze podmioty lub klastry "krótkookresowe".

The aim of the article is (1) to examine the approach to civil planning in Poland and abroad, including the implementation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in Poland, which is reflected in a project of the civil protection act, as well as (2) the review and identification of good practices in the world that can have a beneficial impact and be used in Poland. The research was carried out using the desk research method. The analysis of the existing solutions and identification of good civil planning practices in the world was carried out according to selected dimensions of the civil planning, including: contemporary model concepts of the civil crisis management, including military aspects, analytical planning methods, solutions in the field of knowledge transfer, the policy of financing institutional structures responsible for security and emergency response, technical and organisational improvements. The research has shown that the traditional formula based on the preparation of the required plans is inadequate to pace of changes occurring in the environment, including new threats, but also the ability to transfer solutions and good practices to Poland.

Research problem discussed in this chapter refers to simulation model for verification communication effectiveness. Communication and knowledge management processes usually suffer from susceptibilities or malfunctions. These result in delays, communicate distortion and reduced efficiency of knowledge-to-use transformation. Thereupon, organizational goals’ achievement, staff engagement and overall management efficiency are lowered. Hence, there is a need for comprehensive, ready-to-use model for application of communication and knowledge management processes. Model that allows to determine assumptions. Boundaries and simulating behavior of real communication and knowledge management processes. In this chapter, only graph modeling part derived from general ATENA model will be discussed.

Znaczenie przedsiębiorczości technologicznej dla polskiej gospodarki wyraża się wzrostem konkurencyjności polskich przedsiębiorstw i ich produktów na rynkach zagranicznych. Wiodące w tym obszarze są kluczowe technologie wspomagające (Key Enabling Technologies - KET), do których zaliczanych jest obecnie sześć grup branżowych, wytypowanych przez Komisję Europejską. Przedstawione w niniejszym referacie wyniki badań, mają na celu zwrócić uwagę na rolę i znaczenie, jakie ma dla polskiej gospodarki poznanie i wspieranie rozwoju KET. W tym celu opracowano i zastosowano autorską metodę identyfikacji podmiotów KET, a następnie przeprowadzono ich analizę klasyfikacyjną. Zaproponowano również wskaźnik potencjału, który dokonuje oceny siły, z jaką przedsiębiorstwo jest w stanie spełniać zadania postawione przed KET. W efekcie było możliwe wskazanie polskich przedsiębiorstw produkcyjnych, które można określić mianem KET i które stanowią punkt wyjścia dla pogłębionych badań i analiz.

Rescue systems determine safety and guarantee it is provided at an adequate level. One aspect of the development of rescue systems is their continuous improvement and enrichment through the application of specialised tools and methods. Selection of these tools and methods should be preceded by an analysis of currently operating systems both in country and globally. This article presents solutions used outside of Poland which the authors believe could be implemented in Poland’s national rescue system. They base their indication on the analysis of the national rescue systems in Poland and elsewhere.

Pomimo dzialan podejmowanych na rzecz nowych czlonkow Unii europejskiej (EU), wciąz widoczne jest zroznicowanie rozwoju jej dwoch glownych regionow – zachodniego i wschodniego. wynikające z tego zroznicowania problemy gospodarcze, ekonomiczne i spoleczne dotykają calą wspolnote. Przeprowadzone badania wstepne wykazaly, ze koopetycja MSP oraz zwiekszenie potencjalu analitycznego danych poprzez ich wspoldzielenie i integracje, mają znaczący wplyw na skutecznośc strategii konkurencyjności oraz trwalośc efektow jej wdrozenia. na tej podstawie zaproponowano opracowanie koncepcji platformy cyfrowej, ktorej celem jest zapewnienie komunikacji pomiedzy partnerami koopetycyjnymi, umozliwienie bezpiecznego gromadzenia i wspoldzielenia zasobow danych, a takze świadczenia uslug analitycznych i doradczych w zakresie strategii konkurencyjności. koncepcja ta zaklada roznice w lokalizacji, poziomie wiedzy, kompetencji i umiejetności, mozliwościach finansowych oraz kadrowych, a takze w poziomie zaawansowania technologicznego poszczegolnych jej uzytkownikow. Celem jej realizacji jest zmniejszenia wplywu tych roznic, ktore nie ulegną zmianie w perspektywie wieloletniej, na zdolnośc do stabilnego i zrownowazonego rozwoju konkurencyjności w poszczegolnych grupach, regionach i krajach UE.

Dotychczas glowną strategią zapewnienia odpowiedniej infrastruktury IT dla organizacji bylo wybudowanie jej w ramach dostepnych środkow. trudności z oszacowaniem potrzebnych zasobow sprzetowych, czesto stawaly sie przyczyną przeinwestowania infrastruktury IT, a w konsekwencji niepelnego jej wykorzystania i ponoszenia nadmiarowych kosztow (wiśniewski, 2014). Rozwiązaniem tej sytuacji moze byc wykorzystanie outsourcingu uslug IT. Dzialanie to pozwoli na zachowanie korzyści, jakie organizacja czerpie z posiadania sprawnego systemu IT i jednocześnie pozwoli na uwolnienie cześci zasobow, zaangazowanych dotychczas w realizacje procesu dostarczania uslug IT.Celem niniejszego referatu jest wskazanie potencjalu outsourcingu uslug IT w modelu chmury obliczeniowej w kontekście efektywności wspierania procesu podejmowania decyzji zarządczych oraz mozliwości redukcji kosztow funkcjonowania organizacji. zaproponowane model i metoda postepowania przy doborze wlaściwego typu uslugi zostaly zweryfikowane na przykladzie nowo tworzonego laboratorium komputerowego w uczelni wyzszej.Wypracowane wnioski są podstawą do wytyczenia kierunkow dalszych badan, dotyczących oplacalności outsourcingu uslug IT w modelu chmury obliczeniowej.

Received: 29 July 2014 Abstract Accepted: 20 September 2014 Manufacturing companies operating within the high-technology sector are of interest to science, industry and national authorities because of the special economic importance attached to them. However, in order to investigate the condition of those companies, support their growth and monitor the effects of the aid awarded to them, it is first necessary to properly identify the business entities belonging to that sector. To identify the entities belonging to the high-technology industry, it is necessary to perform a sequence of activities which form the procedural algorithm. Usefulness of the algorithm has been verified using the example of a group of Warsaw high-tech companies which were subject to investigation under the European project Warsaw Entrepreneurship Forum. The algorithm could be used as the basis for the implementation of an IT tool for the identification and description of high-tech businesses.

Competitive advantage is a relative feature, evaluated in respect of other competing enterprises. The gaining of sustainable competitive advantage is conditioned by knowledge of own performance and the results of the competitive environment. SMEs have limited opportunities to obtain such information on their own. The method of mutual benchmarking changes this situation by introducing the collaborative network. The aim of the cooperation is to support each of the group members to achieve sustainable competitive advantage, which is the result of a conscious strategy, and not only a matter of chance. This cooperation is based on the collecting and processing of data and sharing information through a common IT platform: for example, a group of Polish SMEs was shown how to implement such a common IT solution and how to provide the information preparing within the proposed service. The whole is a complete proposal for effective support of creating a competitive strategy in SMEs.

The issue of risk has accompanied human activity for thousands of years. During this time people have learned to define, describe and deal with risk in such a way that the effects of its impact are mitigated as much as possible. That does not mean that they have succeeded, or ever will succeed, in eliminating risk. It was, is and will be one of the key aspects of organizations and business entities and activities aimed at preventing and limiting the consequences of its occurrence are required. For such actions to be effective it is necessary to know risk and how to handle it. Therefore the basis of the chapter are methodical and practical aspects relating to issues of risk management and proceedings in the event of its occurrence.

The paper presents the issue of SME competitiveness in terms of determining their competitive position on the market. The proposed reference model, focused on the evaluation of the competitiveness of a selected group of SMEs on the market of medical services, was developed to support strategic decision-making. The usefulness of the model is verified in the process of determining the competitive position of a selected group of participants, applying research methods of strategic analysis. Relationships, observed during the study, occurring between the competitiveness factors and the competitive position taken by a company, provide knowledge, whose utilization directs the company's business to improving its market performance, organizational and economic conditions.

Business Intelligence technology for over 20 years is the market leader in analytical processing of data. As numerous market researches demonstrate Business Intelligence has substantial affect on global competitiveness of enterprises and on the stability of their position in the market, which is particularly important in times of economic downturn. Although main users of this technology are large companies and corporations, software vendors are still looking for solutions that are also available for the SME (Small and Middle Enterprises) sector and non-profit enterprises. One option available recently is possibility to use Cloud Computing environment. The article considers the opportunities and risks posed by the organization of Cloud Business Intelligence system on the example of using it in SME sector.

Functional Enhancements to Project Management Information SystemsPresented research work relates to information systems of projects management support. The aim of the work is to propose solutions, that will help achieve improved efficiency of information systems class PMIS implementations (Project Management Information System) especially given the scope of functionalities and implementation process realization. Presented in this article research results were obtained in the analysis of projects implemented in enterprises of the sector: construction and building, service with particular emphasis on the IT industry, and investment. Summary of the article includes both the results of the research analysis and proposed directions for their further development.

Data Analytical Processing in Data Warehouses The article presents issues connected with processing information from data warehouses (the analytical enterprise databases) and two basic types of analytical data processing in data warehouse. The genesis, main definitions, scope of application and real examples from business implementations will be described for each type of analysis. There will be presented copyrighted method of knowledge discovering in databases, together with practical guidelines for its proper and effective use in the enterprise.

Business Intelligence for Insurance CompaniesThe article presents current status of IT implementation in Polish insurance companies. Afterwards the man issues connected with information management and proposal of dealing with these issues, due to the implementation of Business Intelligence system, is presented. Definition, structure and scope of application as well as the Business Intelligence system implementation methodology, with a particular consideration for the insurance market character, are presented. Article is summed up with examples of effective Business Intelligence systems implementations in selected insurance companies.

Wspomaganie problemów decyzyjnych źle strukturalizowanych, a do takich należy zaliczyć zadania z zakresu wyznaczania strategii konkurencyjności, przy braku dostępu do wiedzy eksperckiej, jest trudne i nieefektywne. Przykładem może być funkcjonowanie MSP, które nastawione są na codzienne przetrwanie, a rzadko myślą perspektywicznie, co skutkuje szybką zmiennością zajmowanej pozycji na rynku. Istnieje zatem potrzeba alternatywnego zastąpienia wiedzy eksperckiej wiedzą pozyskiwaną poprzez analizę zgromadzonych danych. W artykule zaproponowano metodę, która na podstawie analizy wyników działalności przedsiębiorstwa wspomaga wyznaczanie kluczowych kryteriów konkurencyjności oraz prototypuje warianty strategii konkurencyjności o przewidywanej skuteczności. Weryfikacja metody została przeprowadzona na przykładzie grupy MSP z branży usług medycznych.

We are witnessing of evolving the competitiveness concept from rivalry to adaptation and cooperation meaning. Implementation of this feature requires the involvement of the organizational, technical and analytic potential in the range, which will be presented in next chapters. It is a challenge for today’s enterprises and also a chance for achieving sustainable development. The condition for effective competitiveness is the ability to understand what it is and what impact it will have. Therefore the content of this chapter is to characterize the concept and to determine methods supporting the enterprises competitiveness in the market. A summary of the chapter is to identify the typical situation of SMEs trying to survive in the market, having to deal with the ever-increasing dominance of larger, wealthier, better organised and technologically advanced companies. It leads to the conclusion that there is still a gap between the abilities and needs in supporting SMEs and their competitiveness. Hence it is reasonable to search for new methods to meet these needs.

The BCM method represents SME’s perspective in the BCN approach. The customer’s perspective is shown and their needs for access to key strategic information. The current chapter focuses on the service provider’s perspective, which is the coordinator of the BCG (Benchmarking Collaborative Group), responsible for the quality, completeness and usefulness of provided strategic information. The BSI (Broker of Strategic Information) is the coordinator of the group and an expert in the field of company competitiveness, whose knowledge and experience support the activities of the BCG to improve the competitiveness of its members. The mutual benefit of the cooperation lies in the preparation of useful strategic information by the BSI and its subsequent delivery to the BCG, for a fee. From the BSI’s perspective, it is evident that providing a chargeable service results in benefits. They will be the greater, the larger the number of serviced customers. The above statement leads to the concept of the MBSI method (Method of Brokering Strategic Information), which goes beyond the coordination of a single BCG and constitutes providing chargeable information services in the field of company competitiveness.

The adopted methods and techniques supporting competitive strategy should correspond to the indicated decision-making areas. Taking the above guidelines into consideration, a method is sought that would make it possible to: identify the current competitive position of the company; specify possible strategies that would lead to achieving the defined objective; indicate which of the specified strategies will most probably enable achieving this objective in a specified time. The applied method has to take into account the SMEs’ knowledge and experience shortages in the development of competitive strategy, and limited access to expert knowledge. Therefore, it should use techniques that are based on the company’s performance and automate the process of analysis and drawing conclusions by prototyping alternative strategies. Moreover, it is crucial for the selection and choice of competitive strategies to be individualised, namely to consider the company’s characteristics—its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the nature of its operation in the market environment. It was for this purpose that the HRPM method (Hierarchical-Regression Prototyping Method) was developed as a process which uses the results from analysis of historical data (the company’s performance) to support the decision-making process in terms of specifying competitive strategies. It is proposed in two versions—crisp (the HRPM method), which requires accurate data for analysis and fuzzy (the FHRPM method), which provides for inaccuracy of processed data and resulting fuzziness of outcomes.

Limited potential of financial, organizational, personal and technology resources doesn’t give SMEs sufficient opportunities to access information and knowledge necessary in the complete process. Observing the methods and tools used by large companies, posed the question—under which conditions would it be possible to provide SMEs support at the same level, but at a lower cost and with greater methodological and organizational support? The proposed solution is the BCN, which results in the enhancement of individual potential thanks to cooperation between market competitors with different levels and opportunities for development. The functional structure of BCN consists of three basic functional elements, which form the perspectives of: service recipient (Benchmarking Collaborative Method), service provider (Method of Brokering Strategic Information), analytical (Hierarchical-Regression Prototyping Method / Fuzzy Hierarchical-Regression Prototyping Method). BCN is a new approach to improve the competitiveness of SMEs, using the methods and tools known and used previously in large enterprises. It is also an innovative approach (organizational innovation) to develop the strategic decisions. The BCN thus creates a plane that equalises all types of businesses in strategic opportunities to prepare them to compete in the market. In addition, the existence of the BCN has an impact on the competitive environment. It is located in the stream of service customization. Using the capabilities of outsourcing of the development of strategic decisions makes to compete more sustainable and effective.

The development of an appropriate strategy requires access to information on the needs and expectations of the customer market and the possibility of competitors (manufacturer market), as well as support due to the timing of the decisions and the size of the processed data. Attaining the information from the environment and effective (competitive) support tools is usually beyond the reach of a single SME company. Therefore collaboration remains, resulting in synergies, enabling access to more complete and efficient (than would be possible individually) information, more accurate choice of strategy and aids in making management decisions. This collaboration may take various forms and have varied scope. The aim of collaboration is to increase the competitiveness of individual companies without aggressive competition. The “all or nothing” principle applied to date is replaced by the search for consensus from which each of the involved entities will benefit, while agreeing that other cooperating entities will gain access as well. In relation to the HRPM/FHRPM method, a form of collaboration is sought that will ensure a group of SMEs access to shared competitiveness analysis. The use of the BCM method (Benchmarking Collaborative Method) depends on providing data documenting a group’s performance to the HMDP and preparing a technological platform dedicated to the use of the method and its users.