Károly Szabó

Background: Despite the fact that some results can be found for the logistics simulation in the literature, there is a lack of an experiment based on inner company data. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the potential need for this kind of solution by Zala County enterprises. Methods: As a first step, the paper presents the existing literature with the help of a literature review. Afterwards, questionnaire sampling was conducted among local enterprises. The paper applies several statistical methods (e.g., descriptive statistics, SPSS, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling) to the sample for the validation of the reorganization demand. Results: The study obtained a total of 147 complete responses from the 1022 invitations. An overwhelming majority of the respondents indicated regular and significant delays in their logistics processes, as well as the need for a new simulation method. Based on the SEM model, it has been observed that IT solutions are being utilized in an inefficient manner, resulting in logistical system issues and operational damages. Conclusion: The paper successfully identified a research gap, the research of which can have not only theoretical but also many practical benefits. Hopefully, the results will generate other academic research in this field.

It is a general trend that the role of projects is increasingly appreciated in the life of individual organizations. We have come to the point in the last decade where certain organizations use this method for their entire operation, while large companies implement their priority developments only with project management methods. The project management knowledge is becoming progressively essential also in the case of smaller businesses nowadays as they come into contact with projects through their partners or their own experiences. Although the methodology is constantly spreading and growing, so far, there have been just a few scientific results about where IT projects are located in the organization's goal-system and how they are related to the corporate or organizational strategy. Accordingly, the basic goals of the IT projects will be examined in the framework of the current research, and the questions about that, are these goals related to the corporate strategy and how effective are the individual companies using their IT projects?

Industry 4.0 solutions such as the use of AI are becoming increasingly visible in everyday logistics processes. Many publications have already dealt with what technological innovations could be introduced to improve the flow of materials, but relatively few have dealt with the extent to which these theoretical solutions are also present in practice. In connection with this gap, the current research aims to examine the effectiveness and impact of AI use in the logistics field. This paper is a follow-up study on the topic as the logistics AI use was already analyzed in Pest County in the framework of this study direction. Since this study is still the second step of the already commenced research work, the very study does not try to draw conclusions leading to generalization but rather aims to draw causal conclusions of a pilot nature. In the research tools, the paper uses the qualitative design from the previous study (applied in another geographical territory-Zala County) but at the same time examines other analyzing methods like SEM modelling as a potential tool to be integrated.

Climate change has been a known problem for a long time, but nowadays its effects becoming more powerful and palpable in our everyday life. Therefore, one of the most important topics of the social sciences nowadays, the identification of the sustainable solutions. As the problem of the climate change is very complex, we have to examine it from different aspects/territories/industries. Logistics is one of these territories. Today logistics is more and more criticized as the average supply chains contribute in a highlighted way to the environmental pollution. In the past academic discussion, Short Supply Chains appeared as a potential solution but so far only in the field of agricultural sciences yet. One of our research aims is the definition of the basic shortened supply chain framework within a supply chain can be called 'shortened' in Zala County. For this, we will examine the implemented short supply chains on the ground of the literature review. We will seek the answer for the second important aim, which is the potential application of this technique, with qualitative methods among Zala County enterprises.

Daily logistics processes and supply chains make up complex systems which can be affected by many factors (e.g., production technology, infrastructure, daily traffic, weather, or ad-hoc problems). As part of this research, an investigation was conducted to determine how such factors influence the daily material flow of enterprises in Zala County, one of Hungary’s 19 counties. With the help of qualitative sampling, we identified which variables affect logistics processes. As an initial step of the research, classic and modern trends of logistics software support were compared through a literature review. Results show that the lack of simulation forecasting is a serious deficiency for applied technologies. In the second part of this paper, we identify the measurable variables and their significance on future simulations with the help of a qualitative method. This research has been a precursor to our long-term research approach, in the scope of which company processes are modelled and subsequently improved through simulation.