The current approach to business management focuses on increasing the performance of business processes. To achieve the required processes performance means to ensure the required quality and capability of processes. The partial aim of this paper is to confirm the positive effects of the Six Sigma methodology (SSM) on the corporate performance in the Slovak Republic and an investigation of the dependency of SSM implementation on the certified quality management system (QMS) as a set-forward condition via a questionnaire survey carried out in Slovak industrial enterprises. The survey results confirmed the above-mentioned assumptions. The SSM using DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) was applied in real conditions of two manufacturing enterprises with a different level of quality management system. The results of the research study proved a possibility to implement SSM and to use the same methods in enterprises aside from a level of QMS. However, more remarkable results were achieved by the enterprise which introduced QMS. The first application of SSM in enterprises within specific conditions of furniture production processes can be considered to be a contribution of the research study, as well. The result of the work is the model including the methodology and the appropriate combination of methods and tools for assuring the sustainable performance of the business processes.

This paper deals with the issue of increasing the quality and sustainability of education at universities regarding the requirements of employers. Employers’ expectations of university graduates in terms of soft skills are analysed and outlined. The employers participating in this study answered a questionnaire survey focused on understanding university graduates’ soft skills. The collected results were subjected to the method of mathematical–statistical analysis by nonparametric testing of significance of the mean value difference. The significance of the difference for individual skills was confirmed, demonstrating that the surveyed enterprises required and anticipated a level of soft skills development on the part of recent graduates that was insufficient. This finding implies the necessity of improving university education to match the expected and real state of soft skill mastery.

As was first stressed by the classical economists Adam Smith and David Ricardo, international trade plays a crucial role in the growth process. The paper aims to analyze the influence of foreign trade on economic performance in the wood processing industry (WPI) of Czechia and Slovakia. The multivariate regression method (MLR), assumption tests for MLR models, and Granger causality test were applied to identify association between foreign trade economic performance, and indicators were formed to measure the effects of foreign trade at the industry level. The Granger test revealed the unidirectional causality in the Slovak WPI and bidirectional causality in the Czech WPI. The results revealed that the net export growth has a positive effect on the economic performance of the industry, but only if the growth in imports is lower than in exports. The balanced trade balance indicated no influence of foreign trade on economic performance. The paper contributes to existing knowledge with indicators for evaluation of foreign trade effects on the performance of the industry. The paper also brings new empirical knowledge in trade balance effects on the economic performance of industries.

Chairs are furniture that are intended for direct contact with people, they are heavily loaded by forces, and they must meet a number of criteria, such as ergonomics, safety, economic sustainability, feasibility, and aesthetic requirements. This study aimed to define the dimensional solution of wooden chairs for the adult bariatric subpopulation of Slovakia. Long-term observations of the changes in the anthropometric dimensions of the population (secular trend) allowed the determination of the body height of 95% of the adult male population. Based on the analysis of the bariatric population of Slovakia, regardless of gender, the values of weight, waist and hip circumference, and seat width were defined in the years 2020 to 2022. The increased population’s average body mass makes the researched topic highly relevant and necessary. Based on the obtained data, new dimensions of wooden chairs for bariatric respondents were designed: seat height 49 cm, seat width 67 cm, and seat depth 47 cm. Adjusting the dimensions of wooden chairs makes it possible to ensure comfortable sitting and standing for bariatric respondents and prevents many health problems. For furniture manufacturers, the introduction of the production of wooden furniture for bariatric respondents can be a competitive market advantage.

The current competitive environment is only favourable to those companies that can cope with changes and use them to their advantage. The innovation of business processes is required to improve financial performance. Scientific works have not yet offered an effective solution to the monitoring of the impact made by process reengineering on corporate financial results. This work presents the case of a business process reengineering in a particular company to improve its performance. The results of implemented reengineering are analysed from the point of view of the impact made on the financial situation of the company. The paper aims to demonstrate the implementation of reengineering and evaluate its impact on the financial standing of a company and its performance. The practical application of reengineering was made according to Hammer and Champy methodology, which is based on the analysis of production processes in the company, the implementation of selected reengineered production processes and the evaluation of the reengineering impact on the corporate financial situation and performance. During the evaluation, the selected indicators of financial performance, activity indicators, the indebtedness indicator, business performance indicators as a cash flow to measure financial flows and the economic value-added (indicator EVA) were calculated and analysed. Subsequent to financial analyses and based on the selected indicators, the authors concluded that the implemented reengineering of the production process increased the performance and value of the company, which had a positive impact on the company’s financial situation. The funds spent on the proper implementation of the reengineering steps were effectively used, and the reengineering process was also timed. This contribution to the body of theoretic knowledge links the implementation of reengineering and the part of the financial analysis, which is related to the preparation, implementation and reengineering results.

The aim of the paper is to point out the principles of process management and selected quality management tools, which are aimed at improving the processes of the wood processing industries of the Slovak Republic. The knowledge from these areas is based on the analysis of the theoretical origins from domestic and foreign sources and supported by the results of the research carried out in the first half of the year 2017. In the processing of the results, classical methods of research work were used such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, descriptive statistics, contingency tables, chi-quadrat test and graphic depiction. Based on the analysis of the research results, there was a slight dependence between the process optimization levels in the timber industry and other process improvement methods such as statistical process control methods and graphical analysis and problem solving tools.