Previous research has pointed out that Industry 4.0 will lead to more sustainable production; however, it may have profound effects on European competitiveness. Today, firms in the CEE countries face a limited scope for continued economic expansion, and hence there is a growing pressure on them to move upward in the global value chain by investing heavily in advanced technology. Consequently, the authors argue that B2B firms from the CEE countries can have a massive impact on Europe’s long-term competitiveness by reversing the effect of digital transformation due to their strong interdependencies on other European economies. Therefore, in a cross-country survey, research data were collected (n = 302) about the driving forces, barriers, and role of stakeholders in the implementation of digital transformations. The authors found that some technologies are implemented much more frequently compared to others, with some indication for country specialization. The leading driving force is customer satisfaction followed by productivity and financial motives. Shortage of skilled human resources and high implementation costs are the main barriers. The firms tend to rely on universities and research centers, while the government is perceived only as a financial provider. The results are also informative for practitioners and policymakers—providing them with benchmarks.

Motivational factors and job satisfaction of employees in agriculture in the context of performance of agricultural companies in Slovakia | Nadežda Jankelová, Zuzana Joniaková, Anita Romanová, Katarína Remeňová | Agricultural Journals

Participation in the information society means faster communication, development of new ideas, more creative ideas and education in terms of lifelong learning. The information society is a reality and a dominant element of politics in all developed countries of the world. Information literacy deals with the human ability to work effectively in the information society. Information literacy needs to be understood in a wider context, rather than only in terms of IT skills and abilities. The article compares and defines the concept of information literacy. It compares selected information literacy models. The starting point is a survey conducted among business managers in the Slovak Republic examining the level of information literacy of managers. The findings identify factors affecting the aggregate index of information literacy of managers and the proposed quantitative and qualitative model of the information literacy of managers. Presented are the unique results of long-term research on information and digital literacy in the Slovak Republic (Central Europe, the European Union and V4-Visegrad countries). So far, no research has been conducted focusing on the level of digital literacy of business managers and an information literacy model that would contribute to raising their level.

The Slovak Republic belongs to the group of states that have transformed their economies from a socialist, central-planning to a free-market system. During the process of transition, information technology was considered an accelerator of necessary changes in what substantively affected the business sectors. For enterprises, it was typical to conduct changes in large information technology centers, to introduce personal computers, and implement business information systems. This study investigates various aspects of information technology use in Slovakian enterprises in the post-transition period (2004–2010). It deals with information technologies’ strategic importance, information technology investment, and examines information technology selection and supplier criteria. The methodology consists of a search of scientific and citation databases, analysis and comparison of relevant sources, formulation of research objectives, determination of measurable indicators, surveys of Slovakian enterprises, and formulation of results.

Integration of innovative pervasive technologies into the surrounding environment creates ambient intelligence which has become the subject of several scientific and academic considerations. In particular, the pervasive technology is based on Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Ambient intelligence may be viewed from several perspectives: a technological, multi-aspect and visionary point of view. Several predictors influence the level of ambient intelligence. The aim is to identify significant predictors influencing ambient intelligence and simultaneously determine their impact on the achieved level of ambient intelligence of the company. In the research methodology, we acknowledge the research presumptions, the research question and research hypotheses, the measurement instrument, obtained data and methods used in accordance with the research model. The scientific article presents the results of an empirical study conducted on 206 enterprises, focusing on the examining of the influence of selected predictors on the level of ambient intelligence in enterprises in the Slovak Republic. It examines not only the influence of selected predictors on the level of ambient intelligence, but also their mutual interaction. We found that these activities even build ambient intelligence on their own, although in interaction with each other, their effect on the level of ambient intelligence begins to fade. Therefore, it is necessary to opt for their combination appropriately. Finally, we present the limits of the research and suggestions on further directions of research in this field.