Online courses are gaining popularity because they provide extensive and varied course material, information, knowledge, and skills, whilst also creating an effective educational online community. This research adopts a case study approach to focus on the teaching method and the manner in which a strategic commitment to eLearning provides scope for the development and implementation of top quality educational online fully accredited programs. Entrepreneurship focuses on developing businesses that add value and create wealth and prosperity in our societies. Therefore, entrepreneurship is a key area of learning for graduate students seeking to set up and operate their own SME organizations. It can serve as a benchmark for the teaching of other graduate subjects that require a sound correlation for the correlation of concepts and theories to the challenging complexities of the real world. The program was developed on the basis of the implementation of a state-of-the-art eLearning platform that allowed for a combination of varied self-learning and collaborative learning elements and activities within a single platform. This enabled students to access the online content material efficiently and effectively. It allows for the development of a program based on the flipped classroom teaching methodology. The underlying concept of the flipped classroom methodology is that effective eLearning should comprise both synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. This combination of self-learning and collaborative learning calls for careful planning by the tutor to ensure that the learning objectives are clearly defined for each activity and that the relevant deliverables are monitored. The content material for each subject course module was designed, developed, produced, and presented by the different project partners in a holistic manner structured to motivate participants to learn. The results of our analysis have shown that students were able to learn, discuss their projects, and cooperate during an online course in an effective and participant-focused manner with their tutors. The feedback given highlights the importance of ongoing communications between students and the tutors who often need to act as mentors to retain student engagement.

The smart city concept is a comprehensive approach to the functioning of the urban region. It concerns various areas of life such as culture, infrastructure, environment, energy, and social services. Public perceptions of the smart city concept are not commonly addressed. The aim of this paper is to examine perceptions of the smart city concept among inhabitants, doing so through a case study focusing on the city of Žilina in Slovakia. The methodology that the researchers applied includes primary research and surveys as well as secondary research. Based on the analysis of the environment and the results of the survey, opportunities for the development of a ‘Smart City Žilina’ concept are identified. There is a growing interest in green solutions among the inhabitants of Žilina. A significant number of respondents indicated their support for intelligent waste collection and renewable energy sources. And they were also supportive of green roofs. The update of the strategy must consider a number of steps in waste management, from collection to transport, with a view to the overall recovery of the waste generated. As part of the smart city concept and projects, the public administration and the municipality must communicate effectively with the public. This will require specific approaches and tactical decisions for optimal success.

In the present study the authors examined the spatial disparities of the Visegrad four countries to see whether the lasting cooperation of the four countries resulted in harmonious economic development or increasing gaps between the years 2000 and 2018. Based on the research results it can be concluded that regional disparities between core and periphery regions of V4 countries still have not been eliminated to a significant extent. Despite the fact that the Visegrad Group has been in the EU for 18 years, the catching-up of its regions occurred with various speed, and no harmonised development can be observed within the Group.

Infrastructure development plays an important role in reducing poverty, assuring food security and sustainable development of a country. One of the key challenges hindering the economic growth of developing countries is the lack of proper transport, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and energy sector infrastructures. This research aims to examine the importance of transport, ICT and power sector in Ethiopia’s economic growth and identify the main challenges these sectors have been facing based on data obtained from different secondary sources such as websites of the World Bank and Trading Economics, official reports, and published works. Descriptive statistical analysis was implemented to describe the secondary data obtained, while graphs, tables, and charts were used to visualise the results. Despite the difficulties in establishing and sustaining necessary infrastructure, research indicates that the growth of Ethiopia’s economy is largely attributed to infrastructure development. Furthermore, year after year, progress has been made in each sector of development, though there are still obstacles to overcome. Poor quality of road, transport and ICT infrastructure have been key factors of poor development in the country. There is an imbalance between the power needed and the available power. Given Ethiopia’s abundance of resources, the country must continue to prioritise infrastructure development.

Since the beginning of 2020, the world economy’s globalization process has undergone marked changes. The COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, inflation, and the Russia–Ukraine conflict disrupted and interrupted the existing supply chains. Large geographical distances now mean increased transport costs and serious security risks in some cases. The latter represents the specific risks of war and the unexpected failure of even one or two of the large number of components required for manufacturing processes, which can cause serious problems in production and sales. Consequently, supply chains are shortening worldwide. This study presents the contradictory characteristics of this trend through bibliographic research and the introduction of specific cases. The results underline that reorganizing and redesigning large companies’ production and logistics systems is not automatic, and national governments are important in this multifaceted process. This latter intention can be seen in the domestication of new industries and the repatriation of industries previously outsourced abroad, typically to East Asia. Regarding logistical aspects, safety and sustainability are also strengthened by shortening supply chains, which increases the importance of local producers and markets.