Beáta Bittner

One of the key issues in sustainable waste management and the transition to a circular economy is the local treatment of household organic waste. Although the environmental benefits of home composting are proven, a significant portion of the population does not take advantage of this solution, even when the opportunity is available. The aim of this research is to explore the subjective and objective factors that hinder and encourage household composting, with particular regard to hygiene concerns, awareness of community solutions, and financial and infrastructural motivations. The study is based on a structured questionnaire survey that analyzes the motivational basis of respondents who already compost and those who reject the practice in a differentiated manner. The questions assess willingness to separately collect biodegradable waste at the individual (household), collective (community composting), and institutional (collection for biogas production) levels. The research presents the main public concerns regarding composting (e.g., pest proliferation, odor effects) and contrasts them with perceived or real benefits (e.g., soil improvement, waste reduction). The results shed light on whether municipal incentives (free containers, waste disposal fee discounts) or social patterns (influence of neighbors) have a greater motivating effect. The conclusion of the study can serve as a practical guide for more effective planning of local green policies and public awareness campaigns.

Az előadás összefoglalója: Kína és Magyarország, mint a kínai-európai gazdasági kapcsolatok fontos elemei, széles körű együttműködést folytatnak különböző területeken, például a kereskedelem, a beruházások és a technológia területén. Az Egy övezet, egy út stratégia keretében a két ország új listát állított össze a közös beruházási és fejlesztési projektekről, és ez az együttműködés nemcsak a kínai-európai kereskedelempolitikára volt pozitív hatással, hanem előmozdította a kínai-magyar kereskedelempolitikát is. A kézirat bemutatja a kínai-magyar együttműködés területeit, feltárja a Kína és Magyarország közötti együttműködés további területeit, elemzi a kínai-magyar gazdasági együttműködés kereskedelempolitikára gyakorolt hatását, azonosítva a kölcsönös előnyök és a közös érdekek kulcsfontosságú területeit. Az együttműködés stabilitásának és fenntartható növekedésének biztosítása érdekében a cikk számos intézkedést javasol, többek között a politikai kommunikáció és koordináció erősítését, a kereskedelmi és befektetési együttműködés elmélyítését, valamint a zöld gazdasági együttműködés további előmozdítását. Véleményünk szerint ezek az intézkedések elősegítik a kínai-magyar gazdasági együttműködés mélyreható növekedését és a kínai-európai kereskedelempolitika folyamatos fejlődését. Kulcsszavak: Kína, Magyarország, fejlesztések, beruházások, együttműködések

The incorporation of financial technology (FinTech) into contemporary business development has emerged as a critical factor for small medium enterprises (SMEs), which contribute to their viability. In light of the significant collaboration between Hungary and Indonesia, this research endeavors to delve into unexplored dimensions pertaining to the potential of fintech in bolstering the operational resilience of SMEs within the contexts of these developed and developing economies, using the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework. Specifically, this study aims to investigate how the adoption of digital financial services can facilitate inclusive economic growth and foster entrepreneurial activities in both Hungary and Indonesia. The research adopts a quantitative methodology, employing statistical hypothesis testing and regression analysis to achieve its objectives. A sample of 349 participants, with 164 representing Hungary and 185 representing Indonesia, was purposively selected by scientific criteria to examine the patterns of FinTech adoption within the SME industry. The results show that when partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to examine the direct effect of TOE on fintech adoption, technological factors and environmental factors have a significant effect on fintech adoption, whereas organizational factors have no significant effect on fintech adoption. Further results from the PLS-MGA method used to investigate group differences show that Hungary–Indonesia significantly differ in terms of the impact of technological factors on fintech adoption; in the organizational context of fintech adoption, Indonesia has a stronger relationship than Hungary does, and in terms of environmental factors, Indonesia has a stronger relationship because, compared with Hungary, Indonesia has a higher level of trust in the government. The findings of this research are highly important, serving as a noteworthy reference point for assessing the collaborative efforts between the two countries in enhancing SMEs through the adoption of fintech.

The scale, importance and consequences of food waste are a much-studied topic, as they contribute greatly to resource wastage and environmental damage. Research at the University of Debrecen aimed to explore the factors behind food waste, with a particular focus on the habits of university students. While the overall level of food waste is well documented worldwide, research on specific population groups, such as university students, has only recently received attention. University students represent a unique demographic group due to their particular life rhythm, limited financial means and more in-depth knowledge. In the framework of the research, a survey was conducted among the students of the University of Debrecen in the academic year 2023/2024 to find out their knowledge and habits related to food waste. The aim of the survey is to highlight opportunities to reduce waste and contribute to more sustainable consumption patterns. The survey was voluntary and consisted of 133 questions in several groups of questions. After data cleaning, the present study is based on the responses of 618 students. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 29.0. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test were conducted and Chi-square test was used at 5% level of significance. K-means clustering algorithm was used to group respondents based on their estimated individual food waste in kilograms and their household or national average food waste. In addition to this, PCA (Principal Component Analysis) analysis was applied. There was a significant difference between genders, with women typically wasting less food than men, there was no difference in wastage between income groups, but there was for the principal components based on attitudes, with those of modest income typically being more financially conscious, while those of above average income were less characterized by planning and more characterized by environmentalism. There was also a significant difference by education level, with lower educated individuals being more receptive to discounts and higher educated individuals scoring higher on the environmental principal component.JEL Codes: D12, Q18, Q 53, Q56

Platform-based, demand-driven business models, known as the sharing economy, emerged in the United States in 2008. Their emergence has been made possible by digital development, and their impact can be seen in both economic and social life, in the globalised nature of cooperation models. Since 2016, the European Commission has conducted three surveys on using the sharing economy in the EU Member States. Based on the 2018 survey, this study analyses Hungary's and Romania's relationship with the sharing economy. The survey results show that awareness of the SE is increasing, especially on the consumer side. However, a decreasing trend is observed on the service side. Demographic factors (age, gender, employment status) significantly influence the willingness to provide and use services. Respondents in the two countries are not homogeneous and have different perceptions of the opportunities and threats of the sharing economy.

A well-functioning public transport system is one of the foundations of the Smart city concept and sustainable cities. The COVID period offers an excellent opportunity to examine the impact of different factors, because throughout this period society was faced with both health and governmental impacts that had different effects. Public transport use in the EU member states from the turn of the millennium until the beginning of the pandemic ranged from 17–18% to 27% of total journeys. The COVID-19 virus caused a 5–7% decrease in public transport use. The present study analyses the relationship between these effects and the number of paying passengers on public transport in Debrecen. Four hypotheses were put forward, i.e., that (1) the evolution of travel tickets, (2) general passes, (3) discounted passes and (4) replacement tickets were influenced by the evolution of the active COVID-19 case rate. The data were collected from the Debrecen Transport Company (DKV) for the period 1 January 2020–12 December 2021, and the Worldometers.info database. Statistical analyses were performed using an autoregressive and moving average (ARMA) model. We found that COVID’s active case numbers did not affect sales, but some of the government measures did have an effect. The results of this research can be used to inform future decisions to maintain and improve urban transport.

Agricultural businesses operate in a complex and dynamic environment, with many challenges and opportunities. It is therefore essential for these businesses to have a strategic plan. It is a critical process that helps businesses navigate in a complex and uncertain environment and achieve long-term goals and objectives. In this article, we have conducted a bibliometric analysis of academic journals to investigate the extent to which strategic planning is a researched topic in agribusiness enterprises. We found that there is no concentrated research, with only three keywords appearing in the literature with at least five repetitions. Even of the two repetitions, only 22 were found. The clustering of keywords helps to identify research directions. The results of a survey of 134 enterprises were then presented. The majority of enterprises do not have a long-term plan or even a written vision. We found that SWOT analysis is still the most common planning method among the companies surveyed. It was also found that there is no difference between industries in this respect. Significant differences were only found in relation to company size, with all large companies having a strategic plan and the vast majority of SMEs not. Only 17 out of 132 firms have a plan longer than three years, and 32 do not have any plan at all. Strategic planning can help to address many of the challenges in the agribusiness area, and it is therefore proposed to improve the proportion of firms planning through knowledge transfer.

Since the 2000s, the European Commission has been paying particular attention to the digital development of the European economy and society. Since 2014, the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) has been one of the key tools for monitoring and measuring. In 2021, the DESI index's core indicators were aligned with the objectives of the 2030 Digital Agenda, which has four dimensions: human capital, connectivity, integration of digital technology, and digital public services. We sought to determine whether convergence between the Member States could be detected using the third dimension of DESI's annual database. The σ-convergence analysis was used to estimate the reduction over time of the differences in digital technology integration between the Member States, while the β-convergence analysis was used to estimate the rate of catching up with the initial level of development. The σ- and β-convergence were not confirmed. We examined the individual indicators (11) of the integration of digital technology to identify critical areas that need to be addressed in the future to ensure that digital inclusion is as widespread as possible. Our analysis focused on the Member States that joined the EU during the Eastern European enlargements. The performance of all individual indicators is typically below the EU average, and, as the β-convergence analysis shows, the average catching-up rate is not encouraging.

Nowadays, rural depopulation is one of the biggest problems in developed and developing countries, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic impacts various sectors, especially the economic sector. However, the development of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution forced all sectors, including agriculture, to adapt and take advantage of internet-based digital technology by developing smart agriculture. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the development of smart agriculture in rural areas. This study uses a systematic literature review with a TAA approach with secondary data collected from Scopus databases. The downloaded documents will be further analyzed using VOSviewer software to find the clustering. After the coding process by first-order categories, second layer theme, and aggregate dimension, this research found several theoretical concepts about the “Smart Village”. The definition of the ‘smart village’ concept is a combination of smart agriculture and industry 4.0 technology utilized by rural MSMEs to use the information and communication technology integrated into public services and economic activities. There are still many obstacles encountered in the application of ‘smart villages,’ such as the lack of youth participation and the low quality of human resources in the agricultural sector, limited internet network coverage, and the lack of optimal capital support. This research will contribute to the systematic literature review method by purposing filtering criteria of TAA to shade the light of the lack of data accuracy in several leading databases of scholarly impacts. This research also gives a clear direction for further research regarding industry 4.0 and Indonesia's smart agriculture concept application.