We are witnessing a generational change in the labor market. The baby boomer generation is replaced by the representatives of the Z generation. The different environment in which they grew up, especially the technology advancing over several decades, has resulted in these generations having completely different characteristics. The conditions of a given generation influence the needs and expectations in private and professional life. This becomes a challenge for employers who have to adjust workplaces to their needs. Moreover, the working atmosphere can be an important factor in the employer's competitiveness in the labor market. Literature studies have shown that although there are many studies on Generation Y (preceding), there are few studies describing Generation Z in the labor market, thus creating a research gap. The purpose of this study was to analyze companies operating in Poland in terms of adapting their workplaces to the Z generation. The main focus of the study are issues related to a friendly atmosphere in the office, the latest technology, ambassador programs, internships and apprenticeships, benefit packages, onboarding and CSR. According to research enterprises make changes in order to adapt to generation Z, however, they do not manifest them excessively. Firms and organizations should consider development report on adjustments to generational change in the labor market.

Research background: People who take non-banking loans are primarily perceived as excluded from accessing bank services. The growth of e-commerce and the increasing digitalisation of customer interactions with banks was particularly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic (the first ‘black swan’). These processes have also influenced the rapid growth of the LendTech (LT) sector within FinTech with its digital loans and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services. The war in Ukraine (the second ‘black swan’) has led to an energy crisis, increased inflation, interest rates and credit costs, and reduced credit accessibility. In this context, the following research questions are addressed: Are the LT and banking sectors complementary or substitutive in the area of consumer financing? Does complementarity apply to all customer segments and loan amounts? How does the extent of complementarity or substitutability of the LT sector depend on, and to what extent do changes in the regulatory and macroeconomic environment affect, the interaction between the banking and LT sectors? Purpose of the article: The aim of the article is to identify trends in the LT sector within FinTech in the context of assessing the scale and determinants of current and future complementarity of the non-bank sector and the banking sector in the area of consumer credit in time of black swans. An additional purpose of the article is to estimate revenues from the basic operating activities of companies from the on-line channel. Methods: The research process was multi-stage and the research procedure was structured. Due to the lack of a uniform source of data on LT products and services, the study used many data sources — data from the Credit Information Bureau, a primary nationwide survey on LT users a primary survey of people representing LT's managerial staff. The selection of LTs was carried out according to the concept of the monetary sampling unit. The Horvitz-Thompson estimator with Sen‐Yates‐Grundy variance form was used to estimate net operating income for LT from the online channel in 2021. Findings & value added: The LT companies surveyed state that black swans (the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine) and the current macroeconomic situation have not significantly affected demand for non-banking loans. The reduction in the opportunities for the LT sector as a result of anti-usury regulations will only lead to a shift in consumer demand to the pawnshop sector and the shadow economy, which will be detrimental to consumers. Complementarity between LT and the banking sector is revealed especially in crisis situations, thus limiting the effects of market shock (limited supply of loans offered by banks). In periods of stabilisation, a rather clear division of preferences is noticeable – in the case of seniors and loans for higher amounts, banks dominate, while in the case of lower amounts and in younger age groups, non-bank institutions are more popular. The mechanism by which shrinking banking services are replaced by LT in short-term crises confirms the importance of LT in balancing the Consumer Finance market in the face of unstable periods. From a medium- and long-term perspective, it should be noted that inflation and rising interest rates will increase the scale of credit exclusion in commercial banks, shifting part of the demand to the non-bank sector. These phenomena have an international dimension. Similar observations were made already in 2012 by the CFPB in the USA and the British FTA, when analysing the consumer finance market immediately after the subprime crisis, emphasising the effects of limiting access to bank consumer loans and the resulting growth of the LT market (Gębski, 2013).

Striving to achieve sustainable development goals and taking care of the environment into the policies of car manufacturers forced the search for alternative sources of vehicle propulsion. One way to implement a sustainable policy is to use electric motors in cars. The observable development of the electric car market provides consumers with a wide spectrum of choices for a specific model that would meet their expectations. Currently, there are 53 different electric car models on the primary market in Poland. The aim of the article was to present the performed market segmentation, focused on identifying the similarities in the characteristics of electric car models on the Polish market and proposing their groupings. Based on the classification by the hierarchical cluster analysis algorithm (Ward’s method, squared Euclidean distance), the market division into 2, 3, and 4 groups was proposed. The Polish EV market segmentation took place not only in terms of the size and class of the car but primarily in terms of performance and overall quality of the vehicle. The performed classification did not change when the price was additionally included as a variable. It was also proposed to divide the market into 4 segments named: Premium, City, Small, and Sport. The segmentation carried out in this way helps to better understand the structure of the electric car market.

Cancellation of the events offered by cultural institutions was caused by the restrictions introduced by the government and, at a critical moment, a national lockdown. The COVID-19 pandemic forced cultural institutions to adapt to the new reality. The aim of this article was to present the impact of the pandemic on the activities of cultural institutions, as well as to identify and systematize the activities of such institutions during the pandemic. The following classification, dividing the activities into three groups, has been proposed: virtualization of existing activities, expansion of activities with additional initiatives, and implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The greatest challenge was the virtualization of the existing activities and finding new customer markets. The pandemic has contributed to a significant deterioration in the financial situation of cultural institutions because of the reduced income. Long-term effects on cultural institutions may be difficult to predict and losses may be difficult to rebuild.