<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The aim of this paper is to discuss the role and impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in higher education. The proliferation of AI models such as GPT-4, Open Assistant and DALL-E presents a paradigm shift in information acquisition and learning. This transformation poses substantial challenges for traditional teaching approaches and the role of educators. The paper explores the advantages and potential threats of using Generative AI in education and necessary changes in curricula. It further discusses the need to foster digital literacy and the ethical use of AI. The paper’s findings are based on a survey conducted among university students exploring their usage and perception of these AI systems. Finally, recommendations for the use of AI in higher education are offered, which emphasize the need to harness AI’s potential while mitigating its risks. This discourse aims at stimulating policy and strategy development to ensure relevant and effective education in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
</abstract>

Challenges for higher education in the era of widespread access to Generative AI

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The aim of the paper is to analyse the likely implications of Generative AI (GAI) on various aspects of business and the economy. Amid the rapid growth and maturing of Generative AI technologies such as Large Language Models (like ChatGPT by OpenAI) a rapid growth of both immediate and potential applications can be seen. The implications for the economy and industries of this technological shift will be discussed. The foreseeable scenarios for the level and types of adoption that GAI might achieve—from useful analytical tool, invaluable assistant to the white-collar workers of the world to being trusted with a wide array of business and life-critical decision making. Both disruptive and premium service opportunities are foreseen. For instance, general purpose models may provide quality service—such as copywriting—to overserved customers leaving human writers as the premium option. In this context, overserved customers would be those who would be satisfied with a non-human, potentially less creative content. On the other hand highly specialized models—specifically trained in a given domain and with access to proprietary knowledge can possibly provide a premium service over that provided by human experts. It is expected that some jobs will be replaced by new AI applications. However, new workplaces will emerge. Not only the obvious expert-level data scientist roles but also low grade, “model supervisors”—people training the models, assessing the quality of responses given and handling escalations. Lastly new cybercrime risks emerging from the rise of GAI are discussed.
</abstract>

The rise of Generative AI and possible effects on the economy

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The aim of this article is to analyze the economic aspects of cybersecurity of critical infrastructure defined as physical or virtual systems and assets that are vital to a country’s functioning and whose incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating impact on national, economic, military and public security. The functioning of modern states, firms and individuals increasingly relies on digital or cyber technologies and this trend has also materialized in various facets of critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure presents a new cybersecurity area of attacks and threats that requires the attention of regulators and service providers. Deploying critical infrastructure systems without suitable cybersecurity might make them vulnerable to intrinsic failures or malicious attacks and result in serious negative consequences. In this article a fuller view of costs and losses associated with cyberattacks that includes both private and external (social) costs is proposed. An application of the cost-benefit analysis or the Return on Security Investment (ROSI) indicator is presented to evaluate the worthiness of cybersecurity efforts and analyze the costs associated with some major cyberattacks in recent years. The “Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover” (IPDRR) framework of organizing cybersecurity efforts is also proposed as well as an illustration as to how the blockchain technology could be utilized to improve security and efficiency within a critical infrastructure.</abstract>

Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure: An economic perspective

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> VR technology is an emerging IT innovation that greatly affects consumer behaviour and consumer perception of products. The aim of this study is to examine how the virtual reality phenomenon can be used as a marketing communication tool and how its usage affects the reception of individual components of a marketing message. The research conducted examined the possible impact of virtual reality on message perception and attitude towards particular offers. Additionally the authors wanted to find out whether there was a relationship between the use of virtual reality and the acceptance of new technologies in marketing communication. To verify the stated hypotheses empirical research was conducted involving an experiment with 150 observations of respondents taking advantage of three different marketing communication tools including: VR presentation with Oculus Rift hardware, video and printed advertisements. The results obtained reveal that VR technology positively and significantly impacts the reception of the offer, the technology involved and the presentation itself.</abstract>

Virtual Reality in Marketing Communication – the Impact on the Message, Technology and Offer Perception – Empirical Study

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The aim of this paper is to bring together some of the foundational and recent literature interlinking corporate governance and the leadership role of the board of directors. Strategic leadership is widely assumed to be a responsibility that defaults to the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). However, in practice, what most CEOs do is strategic management rather than strategic leadership. While strategic management does share key aspects of strategic leadership CEOs are expected to prioritize the managerial side over the leadership side. This is just one of the situations in which the board-room assumes the leadership role. This paper discusses how boards of directors conduct the process of strategic leadership in their organizations. In recent years there has been an increasing interest among scholars to understand how boards strategize from a behavioral point of view. This growing interest has resulted in the development of various typologies regarding boards’ involvement in the strategic leadership processes.</abstract>

Boardroom leadership: The board of directors as a source of strategic leadership

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>In the article an attempt is made to identify the quality of credit exposure determinants of banks in European Union countries that were characterized by a high level of impaired loans at the end of 2017 (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Portugal). Using the static panel-based approach the non-performing loan (NPL) determinants for the period from 2011 to 2017 were analyzed. The results showed that the high level of NPLs can be explained mainly by both macroeconomic and microeconomic factors. In particular, it has been shown that in the surveyed countries supervisory authorities should pay special attention to smaller banks with high dynamics of new loans and a low return on assets due to the fact that these entities are characterized by a higher NPL ratio. A higher level of NPL is also affected by a high concentration of the banking sector and higher interest rates on newly granted loans. As a result of research it was also shown that the majority of NPL determinants are the same in all types of banks, regardless of the business model and the scope of banking supervision. The differences were noticeable in characteristics regarding the housing market as well as the profitability of operations and lending dynamics of the analyzed entities.</abstract>

Determinants of the non-performing loan ratio in the European Union banking sectors with a high level of impaired loans

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The aging of society is one of the most important trends shaping the social, economic and political life of the 21st century. However, with the increasing number of people of retirement age, the problem of ensuring adequate conditions for a longer life arises. The state influences these conditions through the pension security system, including taxation of pensions. The paper attempts to answer the question whether taxation of remunerations and public pension benefits may have a significant impact on making decisions about choosing a country of work in the common market. For this purpose, Member States have been ranked in terms of two dimensions—the conditions of taxation of wages and the conditions of taxation of retirement benefits. The countries were classified using a multi-criteria comparative analysis and the agglomeration method. The study shows that taxing salaries and pension benefits is of marginal importance from the point of view of an employee’s decision-making. The main factors are the average expenditure on net salaries and the average expenditure on net pension benefits.
</abstract>

Taxation of public pensions in European Union countries

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
This study aims to conduct an empirical comparative analysis of the performance of Shari’ah and conventional stock indexes during the period 2017–2023, which includes the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it aims to investigate investors’ preferences and analyse the long-term relationship of these indexes, as well as exploring the potential diversification benefits. The research methodology incorporates stochastic dominance analysis, the VARMAX procedure, and Johansen’s co-integration approach. The data utilized consists of 31 conventional and 31 Islamic stock indexes, specifically from the FTSE, DJ, MSCI, and S&amp;P series.
The results show that there are no long-term co-integration links between 30 out of 31 pairs of Islamic and conventional indexes. While conventional indexes tend to outperform Islamic indexes, they also come with a higher risk. On the other hand, Islamic indexes are considered to be less risky, offering potential diversification opportunities that may be attractive for global portfolios, particularly during periods of financial distress.
</abstract>

Examining the performance of Shari’ah-compliant versus conventional stock indexes: A comparative analysis pre‑, during, and post-COVID-19

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Tax avoidance and tax evasion remain critical challenges for central or local governments and municipalities. This non-compliance also represents an ethical issue since individuals who benefit from publicly provided services do not contribute to their financing as they are legally required. The study aimed to test whether the use of behavioural interventions would reduce the number of non-payers of the garbage collection fee in the city of Hlohovec, Slovakia. The experiment was carried out by distributing leaflets to households with permanent residence in Hlohovec. The subjects of the experiment were randomly divided into three groups. Households in the control group (number of households is 1,718) did not receive any leaflets, households in the first intervention group (number of households is 1,721) received a leaflet containing a social norm, and households in the second intervention group (number of households is 1,625) received a leaflet containing a deterrent message. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were used to analyse the data. The results showed that using a social norm did not significantly increase the number of garbage collection fee payers. At the same time, leaflets with deterrent messages led to an increase in outstanding debt. These results suggest that people reacted unfavorably to the perceived threat (deterrent message), and the opposite effect occurred, i.e. this type of intervention led to an increase in the number of non-payers of garbage collection fee.
</abstract>

Enhancing garbage fee compliance: Insights from a Slovak municipality

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
It has become crucial to have an early prediction model that provides accurate assurance for users about the financial situation of consumers. Recent studies have focused on predicting corporate bankruptcies and credit defaults, not personal bankruptcies. Due to this situation, the present study fills the literature gap by comparing different machine learning algorithms to predict personal bankruptcy. The main objective of the study is to examine the usefulness of machine learning models such as SVM, random forest, AdaBoost, XGBoost, LightGBM, and CatBoost in forecasting personal bankruptcy. The study relies on two samples of households (learning and testing) from the Survey of Consumer Finances, which was conducted in the United States. Among the models estimated, LightGBM, CatBoost, and XGBoost showed the highest effectiveness. The most important variables used in the models are income, refusal to grant credit, delays in the repayment of liabilities, the revolving debt ratio, and the housing debt ratio.
</abstract>

Personal bankruptcy prediction using machine learning techniques

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The aim of the paper is to propose a new comprehensive retirement insurance solution (CRIS) that, by offering appropriate modules, can be flexibly adapted to customers’ needs during the accumulation of funds and entitlements and during retirement. Technically, the product is life-insurance-based and includes insurance for sickness and in-capacity, long-term care (LTC), work activation expenses, hospital stays, and tontine and Luxembourg policies. Due to consumers’ changing expectations and needs, the technical dimension of this solution is based on a three-layer insurance product in which individual parts of the protection are supplemented by several additional benefits (types of assistance) that improve the quality of life of insurance participants and allow the ongoing use of the product. The basis for considering such a new insurance product is the theory of change (ToC), which makes it possible to build considerable flexibility into such a solution. A SWOT analysis was used to position the proposed solution in relation to other insurance products and social security offered by the state.
</abstract>

Proposal for a comprehensive retirement insurance solution (CRIS) to mitigate retirement risk based on theory of change

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The aim of the paper is to assess the causes of spatial variations in labour productivity of Italian regions using the gravitational model of economic growth. The model is an extension of Robert Solow’s economic growth model. The model parameters are calibrated using historical data and numerical simulations of the long-run equilibrium states of the model are carried out. The scenarios considered in the paper vary in forecast investment rates, employment growth rates and urbanisation rates. Based on the results of numerical simulations, it is claimed that to achieve the full convergence in labour productivity, it is necessary to maintain higher investment rates in the south of the country than in Lombardy (by about 4%–11%), and to keep investment rates in central and northern Italy at a similar level as in Lombardy. The fall in investment has affected the poorest regions, Southern Italy, the most, followed by central Italy and the richest regions of the north of the country the least.
</abstract>

Labour productivity in Italian regions: A gravitational model approach

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Countries can check the performance of their logistics’ activities to determine their competitiveness in trade logistics. One way to check these performances is to analyze the country’s LPI value in detail which is released by the WB every two years. When calculating the LPI, six indicators (criteria) are taken into account. The weights (importance level) of these criteria are important for countries which would like to focus more on the most important criteria and move their ranking up in the LPI list. However the WB takes into account indicators (criteria) weights equally when calculating LPI values. In order to overcome this problem some studies have used subjective weighting methods and others have used objective weighting methods. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. The aim of this study is to integrate two weighting methods (subjective (SWARA) and objective (CRITIC)) in determining the weights of criteria in order to balance the two weighting methods. Unlike other studies in the literature this study combines two weighting methods. Additionally the PIV method, which is seldom used to address any MCDM problem, is used in this study and a new integrated MCDM model is introduced to literature. In this respect this study contributes to the literature.</abstract>

An analysis of the logistics performance index of EU countries with an integrated MCDM model

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The aim of the paper is to identify and assess the role of economic sciences in relation to competitiveness and globalisation, two basic concepts of the market economy. This role is to explain and interpret their essence but also to determine their potential practical usefulness, primarily in the context of economic policy development. The considerations mentioned in the article are, as a rule, of a general and universal nature and do not relate especially to any particular countries or groups of countries. The basic method employed in the study is a critical analysis of the subject literature. The paper consists of an introduction, three sections, and conclusions. Section 1 contains a basic discussion of the subject of economic sciences and describes their four features: cognitive productivity, practical usefulness, dismal nature and beauty. Section 2 presents the contribution of economic sciences to understanding and interpreting the phenomenon of competitiveness. Section 3 focuses on defining and elucidating the idea of globalisation and an examination of its most important aspects. The paper ends with eight conclusions formulated on the basis of this discussion.</abstract>

Competition and globalisation in economic sciences. Selected aspects

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