The modern economy is based not only on capital and human resources, but above all on information that enterprises possess. The right information at the right time may determine the development and strong competitive position of an enterprise on the market, whereas lack of such information may even lead to its failure. A properly developed e-business strategy and tools that are well suited for the specificity of this type of business and appropriately used have a positive impact on an enterprise's success.The aim of the paper is to indicate the existing, modern tools used in e-business in the aspect of increasing the coverage and sales of the different products and services, with special reference to recognition of a specific brand. The authors attempt to present business model solutions of a selected service offered by an e-business which is a Polish leader in e-shop software, as well as resources of good practices defining how to act to provide services in an optimal way using IT communication

The European Union has set targets for renewable energy utilization. Poland is a member of the EU, and its authorities support an increase in renewable energy use. The background of this study is based on the role of renewable energy sources in improving energy security and mitigation of climate change. Agricultural waste is of a significant role in bioenergy. However, there is a lack of integrated methodology for the measurement of its potential. The possibility of developing an integrated evaluation methodology for renewable energy potential and its spatial distribution was assumed as the hypothesis. The novelty of this study is the integration of two renewable energy sources: crop residues and animal husbandry waste (for biogas). To determine agricultural waste energy potential, we took into account straw requirements for stock-raising and soil conservation. The total energy potential of agricultural waste was estimated at 279.94 PJ. It can cover up to 15% of national power generation. The spatial distribution of the agricultural residue energy potential was examined. This information can be used to predict appropriate locations for biomass-based power generation facilities. The potential reduction in carbon dioxide emissions ranges from 25.7 to 33.5 Mt per year.

The depletion of fossil fuels and climate change concerns are drivers for the development and expansion of bioenergy. Promoting biomass is vital to move civilization toward a low-carbon economy. To meet European Union targets, it is required to increase the use of agricultural residues (including straw) for power generation. Using agricultural residues without accounting for their energy consumed and carbon dioxide emissions distorts the energy and environmental balance, and their analysis is the purpose of this study. In this paper, a life cycle analysis method is applied. The allocation of carbon dioxide emissions and energy inputs in the crop production by allocating between a product (grain) and a byproduct (straw) is modeled. Selected crop yield and the residue-to-crop ratio impact on the above indicators are investigated. We reveal that straw formation can consume between 30% and 70% of the total energy inputs and, therefore, emits relative carbon dioxide emissions. For cereal crops, this energy can be up to 40% of the lower heating value of straw. Energy and environmental indicators of a straw return-to-field technology and straw power generation systems are examined.

» Articles | Agricultural Journals

Analysis of the road traffic management system in the neural network development perspective

Implemented in road transport enterprises (RTEs) on a large scale, telematics systems are dedicated both to the particular aspects of their operation and to the integrated fields of the total operational functioning of such entities. Hence, a research problem can be defined as the identification of their efficiency levels in the context of operational activities undertaken by RTEs (including more holistic effects, e.g., lowering fuel/energy consumption and negative environmental impacts). Current research studies refer to the efficiency of some particular modules, but there have not been any publications focused on describing the efficiency of telematics systems in a more integrated (holistic) way, due to the lack of a universal tool that could be applied to provide this type of measurement. In this paper, an attempt at filling the identified cognitive gap is presented through empirical research analysing the original matrix developed by the authors that refers to the efficiency rates of organisational activities undertaken by RTEs. The purpose of this paper is to present a tool that has been designed to provide a holistic evaluation of efficiency of telematics systems in RTE operational management. The results are presented in a form of an individual (ontogenetic) matrix of the analysed companies, for which a determinant was calculated with the use of Sarrus’ rule. Obtained in such a way, the set of values identified for the determinants of the subsequent ontogenetic matrices came as an arithmetic progression that characterised the scope and the level of the influence exerted by the implemented IT (information technology) systems on the organisational efficiency of operational activities undertaken by the analysed RTEs. We present a hypothesis stating that the originally developed matrix can be viewed as a reliable tool used for comparative analysis in the field of efficiency of telematics systems in RTEs, and this hypothesis was positively verified during the research. The obtained results prove the significant potential for the wide application of the discussed matrix, which can be used as a universal tool for the analysis and comparison of efficiency indicated by the integrated IT systems in the operational activities undertaken by RTEs.