Author: Radoslaw Wolniak

Introduction. More and more frequently it is believed that quality management improvement is influenced not only by the so-called „hard” management aspects, but also by the „soft” ones, such as organisational culture or leadership. In this publication the results of studies conducted within the framework of a research project devoted to the influence of organisational culture on quality management improvement have been presented.

Aim of the study. There is in the paper, the analysis of research conducted by author’s carried out under the Higher Education Grant. There is an original typology of organizational cultures in terms of improvement of quality management. Organizational cultures were divided in their four types: the culture of pro-quality (success), avoidance culture, culture of conservative (stiff) and the culture of enforced changes. The study focuses especially on the culture of pro-quality, for which it had been a detailed characterization.
Keywords: quality management, organizational culture, pro-quality culture, cultural dimensions

Introduction. Nowadays, entrepreneurs, hoping to meet the growing demand, should feel responsible for the methods and results of their operations. To do this, they must in his business concentrate not only on the purely business – the company’s profit, but also to determine the impact of they business on society.

Aim of the study. There is in the paper, the analysis of the Grenelle II act from Corporate Social Responsibility reporting point of view. France has long been an important global champion of corporate sustainability reporting. While this trend has advanced the integration of CSR into business practices, the increasing number of regulations has also made it more complicated and costly for international companies to create reports that fulfill the differing requirements of each foreign law. The Grenelle 2 law adopted in July 2010, implements the Grenelle 1 goals. It sets specific objectives, strategic, incentives and regulations. This Act aims at forcing companies to progress in reporting their environmental and social information: there is no sanction (such as fines), requirements are on a “comply or explain” basis and the implementation is progressive. The main advantage of such an Grenelle II Act is a beginning and will have to be rewritten and improved, taking into account the international movement – is to shift minds regarding CSR. CSR and extra-financial information has nothing to do with communication anymore: it is clearly a strategic and management process, facilitated by the reporting process.
Keywords: CRS, Corporate Social Responsibility reporting, Corporate Social Responsibility indicators, Grenelle

Introduction. The knowledge about methods and techniques of quality management together with their effective use can be definitely regarded as an indication of high organisational culture. Using such methods and techniques in an effective way can be attributed to certain level of maturity, as far as the quality management system in an organisation is concerned.

Aim of the study. There is in the paper an analysis of problem-solving methods and techniques of quality management in the automotive sector in Poland. The survey was given to the general population, which in case of the study consisted of companies operating in Poland that had certified quality management systems against ISO/TS 16949. The results of the conducted survey and the conclusions of the author can show actual and potential OEM suppliers (both 1st and 2nd tier) in which direction their strategies for development and improvement of quality management systems should go in order to be effective. When the universal character of methods and techniques used in the surveyed population of companies is taken into consideration, it can be assumed that the results of the survey are also universal for all organisations realising the TQM strategy. The results of the research confirmed that methods which are also the basis for creating key system documents are the most relevant ones, i.e. flowcharts and FMEA, and moreover process monitoring tools (SPC) and problem solving methods -above all 8D.
Keywords: quality management, quality techniques, automotive industry, FMEA, SPC, 8D, problem solving, quality methods

Introduction. In recent years, based on previous experience of the European Union to stimulate innovation at national and regional level there has been a paradigm shift in thinking about innovation in the creation of the concept of smart specialization. Smart specializations, taking into account the specificities and traditions of the regions have become a means to improve innovation and the competitive position of the European Union. In Poland, the regions introduce the concept of smart specialization in their innovation strategy. In the case of the Silesian Province for the most intelligent specializations were: energy, medicine and information and communication technologies. In these areas in the coming years should be focused stimulant level of innovation in the region, which gives a chance for faster development of the entire region.

Aim of the study. The paper presents the concept of smart specialization on the example of the Silesian province. Starting from the origins of the use of the concept of smart specialization in the European Union, shows the definition of the concept, the use of the concept in the development of regions and presented that specializations are considered smart for the Silesian province.
Keywords: smart specialization, innovation, production, technology, knowledge-based economy
JEL Classification: M14, M42, M48