This research presents a comprehensive analysis of the performance efficiency of Russia’s Baltic seaports, taking into account various economic indicators and addressing investment planning and management issues. Special attention is given to the sustainable development goals and objectives of the seaports, considering their significance in transport and logistics systems. The primary objective of this work is to develop a system approach for conducting multi-­criteria studies on seaport performance efficiency. The findings obtained through the proposed methodology consider criteria at different levels of seaport management, offering valuable practical implications. Notably, this study fills a gap in the literature as no previous work has provided a comprehensive methodology for studying and analyzing ports from the perspectives of management, logistics, and macroeconomics. The system approach can also incorporate environmental considerations and innovative solutions in port infrastructure management. By proposing a new approach to interpreting statistics on Baltic seaports’ performance and presenting empirical research on sustainable development in transport and logistics systems, this study enables a multidimensional examination of seaport performance and establishes a framework for efficiency analysis and evaluation, which is crucial for effective management. The methodological scheme and algorithm for analyzing different categories of managers further facilitate the practical application of the approach. Moreover, it can serve as a strategic tool for informing regional economic policies regarding logistics and transportation.

Developments in digitalization are in actual scientific discussion with leading focus on the automatizing of tasks especially in managers´ decision making, but also cover the view on the daily managerial task-fulfilment with digitalized solutions. Challenge for the managers is hereby the design of the digitalized work in a human-task-technology system by using advanced working models, methods and solutions. This compels to rethink causal-deterministic approaches and find new solutions, which especially occur in tasks of the strategic management. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first target was to identify and analyse the models and characteristics of strategic management decisions using approaches of the system theory, cybernetic management, and quantum theory. The second aim was to outline a framework of design parameters for creating causal-deterministic and holistic approaches in complex and complementary decision situations, so that they can be designed and processed digitally and implemented into human-task-technology systems, with outline the way how managerial decision-making will be changed.

Virtual reality (VR) solutions have reached a high level of maturity across various sectors; however, their application in education remains limited. This paper aims to outline the requirements and process for designing and implementing VR as a tool in the educational process. As a part of the design process, we have conducted a pre-study with 20 professionals who have basic knowledge of VR technology and less than three months of practical experience. The pre-study involved a one-day workshop following Frederic Vester's 6-step approach of Interconnected Thinking: identifying and defining the target, defining relevant impact factors, exploring interactions between these factors, evaluating the impact of each factor, developing possible solutions, and planning activities for implementation. The results indicate that individual introductory activities are the main influencing factor, while advanced didactical methods that employ team-based learning support successful introduction. Conversely, motivation is not crucial for successful implementation but has the role of the success measurement, although VR sickness could negatively impact the willingness to use VR in education. The paper also discusses limitations, provides recommendations, and suggests directions for future research, offering additional insights and completing the study.