Competences as a Core Factor Impacting Market Research Usage in Poland

Almost two-thirds of Polish companies declare that the most important source of information are their own observations and personal experience (Kaper & Kuziak, 2006, p. 6). Only 32% of companies use benchmarking as an external source of information, while over two thirds of the companies do not measure their effectiveness at all (Bednarowska, 2015). They do not mention market research, which is an essential element in the management and development of enterprises. Not only they provide knowledge about the environment, but also support knowledge management in the enterprise. In order to proceed with acquiring knowledge, it is necessary to overcome a group of internal and external determinants that prevent many Polish companies from proceeding with market research. However, one of the crucial one are competences of decision makers and power sponsors of market research projects.

Panopticon – Cybercontrol in Liquid Modernity

The chapter proposes a critical analysis of the panopticon, the model of an ideal prison devised in the 18th century by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, and its function in modern management. The original prison was designed in such a way that it enabled a single prison guard to watch all the inmates at all times, while the latter could never tell whether they were currently being watched or not. The idea behind the panopticon gave rise to the concept of panopticism, a philosophy developed by the French thinker Michel Foucault, which he voiced in Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison (1975/1995). Analyzing the mechanism of control through the ages, he ponders the resilience and adaptability of such concepts as discipline, training and hierarchical surveillance. I intend to provide a critical analysis of methods and techniques of organizational control applied today, in the era of liquid modernity. Since that control, more often than not, is executed nowadays by electronic surveillance equipment and computer programs, hence my term of choice – “cybercontrol”.

Aggregators News Sources of Main Portals in Poland

Aggregation of media content comes as a popular form of media market activity which is supposed to facilitate access to information in the conditions of its excessive amount. It can be defined as selection and hierarchization of information and determination of its value. Aggregation can be performed with the direct participation of editorial teams, or it can be performed automatically, with the use of algorithms. The research conducted in April 2014 – April 2015 was to indicate the sources of information published by the news portals dominating on the Polish market, namely: Onet.pl and WP. pl. The research referred to the main section Wiadomosci (News). During the research 1829 sources of information were identified in Onet.pl and 2272 sources of information in WP.pl. Considering Onet.pl, there were 549 pieces of the portal news and 1239 pieces of news obtained from different sources. WP.pl presented 582 pieces of the portal news and 1690 pieces of news received from other sources. Thus, Onet.pl presented its original content more frequently. The scale of using external sources allows us to state that both portals are, first of all, the aggregators of medial contents, and they use external information sources, however the scale of the practice is differentiated. Generally, it is possible to state that only every third message placed in the most important section of both portals was created in their editorial offices.

Algorithm as Demiurge

Plato's Demiurge is the quintessence of perfection and power. “Whatever comes from me is indestructible unless I, myself, wish it to be destroyed” - says the creator of the gods, speaking to them in Timaeus. The gods and Demiurge are believed to collaborate on the creation of people in accordance with the standard of excellent ideas; soon the world, as we know, will be created. Plato's Demiurge is also the good, and the platonic gods are righteous. Without Demiurge the world is a chaos, an environment of irrational chances. Nowadays, the myth of Demiurge can be related to the perfection of creativity. Demiurge becomes equal to the anticipated, all-powerful driving force. Omnipotent, yet tamed and friendly. Demiurge is also the leader in the tradition of social research, the “divine” constructor of the economy, the originator of development. In the new media environment, Demiurge is a convenient metaphor for the presentation of the algorithm: mysterious, error-free, resistant to influence, free from human weaknesses. A transcendent being. The aim of this publication is to present new concept, the core myth of new media organizations - the myth of Demiurge associated with the operation of algorithms and critical analysis of myths created around it, which accompany the social, political and business role of algorithms. Considering the aspect connected with the interpretation of digital media operation and their social and business role, algorithms have not been so far analysed in the context of the presence of myths in organisational functioning. The author believes, however, that the common factor in the perception of algorithms in new media is their mythical aureole and mythical thinking associated with them.

The Role of Living Labs in the Process of Creating Innovation

The paper is based on the research carried out into Living Labs in Canada. The aim of the paper is presenting the essence of Living Labs as a concept facilitating innovation generation in businesses thanks to the cooperation of various actors, e.g. producers with users, inspiring the process of the development of new goods and services. The research questions raised pertain to the clarification how Living Labs create innovation in businesses. The Living Labs functioning in the Ontario region were the subject matter of the research. The described case study is theorygenic in character because of the early development stage of the knowledge. During the research process the multi-directional nature and the impact dynamics of the idea of Living Labs among peer partners of innovative processes have been noted, emphasizing the prosumer idea as well as the possibility of businesses cooperating in Living Labs.

Decision-Making Models of the Human-Operator as an Element of the Socio-Technical Systems

The authors of the chapter proved that the fundamental intellectual processes, which lie on the basis of decision-making behavior of the human-operator, could be identified on the bases on the analogies with the devices (elements). The basic intellectual processes of the Rational decision-making models can be adequately identified by the transient processes of the PID-controller; the intellectual processes of the Bounded Rationality and Intuitive decision-making models can be identified by the transient processes of the nonlinear elements. Taxonomy of the most typical automatic control theory elements and their compliance with certain decision-making models with a point of view of decision-making processes specificity and on human-operator behavior in the context of the socio-technical concept was obtained Authors of the chapter also accept the suggestion that the instruments of collective multi-criteria decision-making and social-network analysis theory have similar mathematical and methodological bases.

An Imagination of Organizations in the Future

Organizations try to survive in a hypercompetitive, changing, and unpredictable environment. The form of this survival continuously changes and requires different tools, solutions, dynamics and drivers according to the actual time. Today organizations face with a big paradigm shift, the industrialization of information age. Organizations should find a new form on the basis of the new age requirements. Some authors have suggested some strategic prescriptions harmonized with the actual term such as McKinsey's 7S Model including strategy, structure, systems, skills, staff, style and shared goals. It is considered that there is a gap related to updating and upgrading these formulas by activating some new concepts such as morphing, organizational ambidexterity and so on. In this study, it is aimed to understand the organizations in the future with internal elements and outer changes which would affect them at the edge of the new era by using this model and offer many propositions.

The Organization of the Future and the Marketing Function

The past two decades—and the technology advancements experienced throughout them—have left marketers with a new context that has provided new business opportunities. This new context has prompted a change in the focus of the marketing function and demanded a shift in marketing imperatives and competencies. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of the technological changes experienced by the marketing function in a company, as documented by both scholars and practitioners. It also provides a thorough discussion of the ongoing academic debate regarding the new set of technical skills that have defined employability in the marketing circles for the past couple of decades and the challenges ahead for future professionals and executives.

Promoting Critical Thinking in the Modern Learning Environments

This chapter explains the overview of critical thinking (CT); the emerging trends of CT in the modern learning environments; CT in nursing education and health care; reflective judgment and CT; constructivist learning and CT; metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies, and CT; and the promotion of CT in the modern learning environments. The promotion of CT is essential for the learning organizations that seek to serve educators, increase educational performance, strengthen competitiveness, and achieve continuous success in the modern learning environments. Therefore, it is required for the learning organizations to promote their CT and develop a learning plan to regularly check their practical advancements toward satisfying educator requirements. The chapter argues that promoting CT has the potential to enhance organizational performance and reach strategic goals in the modern learning environments.

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence

Our inventions defined the work we engaged in for centuries; created new industries and employment opportunities around them. They, however, had often unforeseen consequences that affected the way we lived, interacted with each other, and redefined our societal rules. The established narration portrays the impact of major technological leaps in civilization on employment as temporary disruptions: Many finds themselves without employment taken away from them by efficient, laborsaving inventions, but, in the long run, through gradual adaptations, improved education and gaining higher qualifications, everyone benefits. In this chapter, the authors explore the impact of the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) in relations to the labor market. The authors argue that this rather optimistic, even naïve scenario, collapses while confronted with the exponential growth of AI; in particular, with the potential arrival of syneoids – robotic forms of “strong AI” possessing, or even exceeding, the full range of human cognitive abilities.