Welcome to the first issue of the International Journal of Management and Economics (IJME) in 2025. In this issue, we present six papers written by authors representing various universities and institutions.
The authors (Piotr Ciżkowicz, Jaroslaw Janecki, Jakub Olipra, and Wiktor Wojciechowski) of the first paper quantify the role of individual factors in shaping domestic prices of selected grains and oilseeds (wheat, maize, and rapeseed) in Poland and test the hypothesis whether favorable supply situation can isolate domestic market from external shocks. They carried out estimations using three types of econometric models: error correction, local projection, and local projection. First, they found that futures contracts on the Euronext exchange have a significant impact on domestic prices of wheat, corn, and rapeseed. Second, an important factor determining the prices of wheat, corn, and rapeseed is the EUR/PLN exchange rate. However, the strength of this influence and its time horizon differ quite strongly depending on the analyzed commodity. Third, the influence of other factors is limited. The obtained results indicate that Poland’s relatively high degree of self-sufficiency in the production of wheat, corn, and rapeseed does not isolate the prices of these agricultural commodities from the impact of external factors.
The second paper by Łukasz Markowski and Kamil Kotliński aims to assess the impact of changes in energy prices on the differentiation in price dynamics in individual inflation categories in the EU countries. It also aims to isolate the components of inflation that have significantly differentiated the EU countries in the crisis year of 2022. The research was conducted based on VAR model, the Granger causality test, cluster analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The authors conclude that there is a causal relationship between energy prices and the differentiation in the price growth rate in certain inflation categories. In 2022, the EU member states were divided into two quite distinct clusters. The variables that differentiated the identified clusters to the greatest extent were “Food and non-alcoholic beverages,” “Health,” and “Restaurants and hotels.”
The authors (Elżbieta Czarny, Paweł Folfas, and Aleksandra Szarek-Piaskowska) of the third paper analyze the regional trade introversion indexes (RTII) for regional trading arrangements (RTAs) with various numbers of differently developed participants and different depths of economic integration. The analyzed RTAs stem from all inhabited continents. The paper compares three types of indexes – the general regional trade introversion index calculated for trade in all goods (“general RTII”), its modification called “high-tech RTII,” including exclusively high technology manufactures, and a third one called “med-tech RTII,” including goods classified as medium technology manufactures. The aim of the paper is to answer the research question whether “high-tech RTIIs” and “med-tech RTIIs” are higher than “general RTIIs.” The analysis covers the period 2001–2022. The paper not only provides a simple and unequivocal answer to the research question but also confirms that general regional trade introversion measured by RTIIs is stronger for medium technology manufactures than for all goods, while the picture is more complicated for high technology manufactures.
In the fourth paper, Dominik Śliwicki, Małgorzata Szczepaniak, and Agnieszka Szulc-Obłoza argue that job satisfaction is an essential factor influencing employees as well as employers. The young adults’ perspective enables the formulation of practical implications for increasing job satisfaction. The paper aims to identify and compare overall job satisfaction determinants among young adults in Poland in two dimensions, i.e., economic and socio-demographic. The identification is based on the ordered logit model. The model was built upon the data collected in 2021 in a survey using the CAWI technique on a sample of 304 young adults aged 18–29 years in Poland. The results of the paper indicate that the job satisfaction of young adults in Poland is determined by wage satisfaction to the highest extent. It was also demonstrated that the impact of economic factors on job satisfaction is much stronger than that of socio-demographic ones.
The fifth article by Julia Koralun-Bereźnicka and Magdalena Gostkowska-Drzewicka aims to investigate the trade credit policies in construction firms across Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) and Western Europe (WE). Utilizing financial data from construction companies in 12 EU countries (2000–2020), panel data models are applied separately to each region. The analysis compares trade credit granted and obtained, as well as the impact of determinants in WE and CEE countries. The results show limited cross-regional diversity in trade credit policies and determinants, suggesting alignment with common trends and industry standards. This indicates adaptation by construction companies to minimize the impact of regional economic disparities.
The sixth article by Ewa Jaska, Agnieszka Werenowska, and Agata Balińska aims to present a catalog of features of a useful mobile application in the context of responsible consumption. To recognize the usefulness of the application, examples of eco-applications were used and representatives of the Z generation were asked about the features of the optimal application due to its functionality, technical solutions, security aspects, reasons for using them, and whether they are worth recommending. The paper uses the analysis of domestic and foreign literature as well as the results of its research carried out in the first quarter of 2023, in which 747 respondents participated. The paper confirms that the most important feature of a useful application from a functionality perspective is the lack of fees for its use, from a technical solutions perspective, speed of operation, and from a security perspective, payment protection.
I hope that all papers included in the current issue of the IJME will be a good reading and a source of inspiration for our readers.
Professor Mariusz Próchniak, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief
Dean of Collegium of World Economy
SGH Warsaw School of Economics