Creating an effective marketing strategy according to current trends is a key process needed to achieve sustainable growth that can result in attracting a great number of existing as well as potential customers. Moreover, an enterprise’s success is affected by the aforementioned process. The aim of the paper is to determine the clusters of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the Slovak Republic and the use of marketing communication tools in the future. The research into marketing communications and customer relationship management (CRM) building in companies was carried out in Slovakia in the years 2017 and 2018. In total, 1,009 small and medium-sized enterprises from Slovakia participated in the research. Following a K-means clustering algorithm, three clusters were determined. Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis using K-means clustering, and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to identify no statistically significant difference in terms of the size of enterprises.

The aim of the paper is to define and quantify the differences in employee motivation depending upon the selected regions and the age of employees. The research was carried out in 2017. Sampling unit consisted of 7,594 respondents – employees from the selected eastern European countries, members of the European Union, mainly the Slovak and Czech Republic, as well as selected regions outside the European Union, Russia and China. Data gathered from the questionnaires were evaluated using descriptive statistics and tested by Tukey's HSD at the level of significance of 5%. The ANOVA Variance Analysis was used to compare each sampling unit in relation to the age and the country. Most of the differences in motivation factors were found in the countries of China and Russia. It can be due to different cultural values, especially because of the power gap and the preferred principle of seniority and collectivism in China. Differences in the level of motivation, i.e. motivation factors especially in relation to the age were observed in the analysed regions. Incentive plans for intercultural teams in order to enable employers to choose motivation factors effectively were designed following the conclusions presented in the paper. Fundamental patterns of cultural differences as well as age-related differences predicting motivational preferences can be taken into consideration when selecting the motivation factors.

Today´s world is reflected in words such as globalization, economic crisis, market economy and competitiveness. All these influence business entities. An enterprise that does not keep pace with current trends, innovates, seek improvements in quality or assess the effectiveness of its activities, is at risk of stagnating. Similar trends also prevail in logistics enterprises in Slovakia. The aim of this study was to analyse organizational culture in logistics enterprises because it is one of the key factors affecting the quality of the products and the overall competitiveness of an enterprise. Utilizing the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) we diagnosed the dominant trend within Slovak logistics enterprises. On the whole these enterprises have a hierarchical organizational culture. However, employees are of the opinion that there should be a more familial work environment, typical of a clan organizational culture. Whilst enterprises continue to underestimate this factor, they will miss an important tool to achieve better success rates in a tough competitive environment.

The sustainability of services in undertakings which operate in railway passenger transport is closely connected with efforts to provide high-quality and time-acceptable services to the customer, to achieve lean processes, to standardise work processes, to eliminate wastage and to avoid those activities which do not add any value. Considering its ecological nature and big volume of passenger transport, railway passenger transport represents an irreplaceable sustainable system for the future. These facts and the entry of new railway carriers into this system highlight the importance of managing risks in a progressive way. This article focuses on the options of risk management when versatile and flexible tools, such as Lean tools, are set correctly. The aim of this article is to introduce a proposal for the application and a specific application of Lean philosophy in risk management which impacts train delays in railway passenger transport. From the point of view of quantitative data analysis, multiple mathematical-statistical tests have been used to assess data (e.g., Anderson–Darling test, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Jarque–Bera test, two-tailed test, Grubbs’s test and Thompson Tau test). Also, descriptive statistics and ANOVA test (Analysis of Variance) have been applied in the process of evaluating the monitored attributes. In order to assess the data dependency, Chi-Square Test and a correlation analysis have been applied. The research outcomes focus on highlighting the need for a systematic approach for train delays and to avoid delays through risk management. The case study applies selected Lean methods to monitor train delays in selected stations within the main railway corridor of the Slovak Republic for the period from 2015 to 2018. In 2019, the results were processed and created a basis for proposing a unique software tool like an aid for risk management in the case of train delays using Lean philosophy. The flexible software includes the participation of employees, and at the same time, it respects the needs of customers. The research results provide grounds for further study of risks in a challenging environment of railway undertakings, with different types of trains, railway stations as well as entire railway networks. The processed results of the article represent valuable material for railway undertakings not only in Slovakia but also for railway organisations in V4 countries.

Sustainability of (small and medium-sized enterprises) SMEs in a globalized economy depends on several factors. According to available studies, effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of the factors affecting the competitiveness of SMEs in a positive way. This paper is focused on creating customer databases and on using the CRM strategy in SMEs in Slovakia. The aim of the paper is to cluster SMEs in Slovakia based on using customer databases and CRM and to identify differences in clusters according to the selected attributes. The outputs of the research focused on marketing communication and on creating the CRM strategy in Slovak enterprises are presented in the paper. Quantitative nonexperimental research using the questionnaires was conducted at the end of 2017 and throughout the year 2018. The research results are based on the responses of 1009 Slovak SMEs. Basic descriptive statistics, K-means cluster analysis, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey HSD test were used to process the data. The resulting clusters show three typical attitudes of Slovak SMEs to creating the database, using the CRM and its effectiveness. Moreover, attitude to the application of ethical principles and holistic, integrated, and socially responsible marketing are presented in the clusters. Following the results, the fact that SMEs can be divided into the three following clusters with equal size can be stated: 1st cluster (in 92.2% and consisting of micro- and small-sized enterprises), customer databases are created for the purpose of marketing communication; 2nd cluster, consisting of the highest percentage of medium-sized enterprises and enterprises with foreign equity participation using the customer databases and CRM; and 3rd cluster characterized with smaller-sized enterprises with domestic property not focused on marketing communication and using the customer databases. The research results provide the basis for further research and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.