Sustainable tourism and the closely related responsible tourism aim to minimise the negative environmental and social impacts of tourism expansion while maintaining the economic benefits of tourism development. Its objectives are achievable through the responsible behaviour of tourists. Responsibility is linked to the choices of tourism participants who, aware of the consequences of their behaviour, make the right decisions. The sharing economy (SE) has evolved over the past decade. It has become inherent in tourism in terms of accommodation offerings. The academic literature highlights the relationship between SE and sustainability in tourism. This article aims to analyse tourists' attitudes towards Airbnb and Couchsurfing accommodation in the context of responsible tourism in light of the 'Tips for Responsible Travellers' by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The sample identified 112 Poles using shared accommodation. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the empirical data. The research confirms that tourists perceive Airbnb and Couchsurfing as the type of accommodation whose choice should favour the UNWTO recommendations. The findings contribute to the literature by elaborating on the attitudes of tourists (sharing accommodation users) and their role in developing sustainable tourism.

The narrative phenomenon in accounting concerns, i.e., the disclosure of environmental information and the impression management of stakeholders. The study examines and assesses the dependence between the company’s industry of activity and the narration perception adopted by the preparers of environmental reports, in particular, the impression management techniques used. To achieve the purpose of the article, an in-depth survey was conducted covering a non-random sample of the employees of Polish enterprises involved in the preparation and reporting of environmental information. Contingency tables and association measures for categorical variables were used in the statistical analysis of the survey data. The analysis results of the collected empirical data confirmed that the company’s industry of activity impacts the way report preparers evaluate the scope and apply narrative strategies, especially impression management techniques. The research expands knowledge on the perception of the importance of environmental disclosures and the issue of environmental narrative practices from an enterprise perspective. The results of the analysis indicated a level of pro-environmental awareness and confirmed the knowledge of narrative strategies and techniques. This study contributes to the discussion on the effects of environmental narrative in accounting, offering yet another element of the current practice diagnosis in this area in Poland.

The paper presents the application of conjoint method and functionality of conjoint R package in measurement and analysis of preferences of tourists choosing tourist trips.The main aim of the study was to identify the key factors motivating people to make decisions regarding tourist offers.Additional aims of the research were segmentation of tourists with similar choice preferences, as well as market share simulation of trip offers not previously included in the study.Design/methodology/approach: Traditional conjoint analysis method was used for the measurement and analysis of stated consumers' preferences.All calculations were carried out using R program and conjoint R package.Findings: The obtained results made it possible to calculate the importance of the factors included in the study, as well as to determine the most and least preferred profile of a tourist trip at the individual level as well as for all respondents.Also, estimation of market share of the so-called simulation profiles not ranked by the respondents before and segmentation of tourists with similar choice preferences has been made.Practical implications: Presented in the paper authoring conjoint R package is universal tool enabling the measurement and analysis of consumers' preferences of products and services, as well as political opinions and other attitudes.Social implications: The conjoint R package implements the traditional conjoint analysis method similarly to the module Conjoint IBM SPSS program.The statistics (about half a million of downloads by RStudio users) indicate that the non-commercial conjoint package is popular among users.Originality/value: The results of the research, as well as conjoint R package can interest of students and researchers in the field of microeconomics and marketing research in the practical application of the traditional conjoint method in analysis of stated preferences.

Ionic liquid based magnetic nanofuids (ILMFs), an important subclass of 'IoNanofuids', have promising prospectus in numerous technological fields. Herein, we have investigated on the dielectric response and ac conductance behaviour of 1 wt% iron oxide-based ILMFs synthesized using pyridinium-based ILs viz., 1-Butyl-4methylpyridinium tetrafuoroborate (A), 1-Butyl-4-methylpyridinium chloride (B), 1-Butyl-4-methylpyridinium bromide (C) and 1-Butylpyridinium bromide (D), and having variable stability. The dielectric permittivity exhibited a strong correlation with temperature and frequency, especially at low frequency ranges. HavriliakNegami (H-N) function was plotted for all the four ILMFs which demonstrated a complex dielectric behaviour. The complex dielectric responses (in the range between 10- 1-107 Hz) of these ILMFs at various frequencies and temperatures showed two relaxation processes following either Debye or non-Debye nature. The ILMF synthesized in B and D were the stablest. In B, two relaxation processes at 104 Hz and 6 x 102 Hz were observed (at 373.15 K), the temperature dependence being much stronger for the second process. Cole-Cole processes are observable in both relaxations. alpha parameters varied in the range 0.8 - 1.0 and 0.62 - 0.9 for first and second relaxation process respectively and beta parameter equal to 1 at all temperature range for both relaxation processes. In ILMF synthesized using D, Debye relaxation with two relaxation processes were observed closer at 9.1 x 103 Hz and 1.1 x 103 Hz. All the alpha and beta parameters were 1 or 0.99 indicating same relaxation time for all molecules. With D having higher anion-cation interaction energy, Debye process could be observed. The alternating current (AC) conductance of these ILMFs tends to increase with increase in temperature as well as frequency of applied field till 105 Hz after which it decreases.

(1) Background: Uber Technologies are currently changing the pattern of urban transport. Statista reports that in the period 2017–2019 alone, the average monthly number of active Uber users worldwide increased by 126.5%, and the average monthly number of Uber trips grew by 115%. The purpose of this article is to identify the most important motives encouraging both current and potential customers to use Uber “taxi” services. Particular attention was paid to the factor of perceiving these services as a more sustainable way of meeting transport needs. Uber creates its image specifically on the idea of sustainability. (2) Methods: The operationalization of the sustainability concept was based on three dimensions: ecological, social and economic. The CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) technique was used to collect the research data. The representative research sample covered 1003 Poles. A logistic regression model was used to analyze empirical data collected based on the survey. The data analysis used R program and the selected packages for this program. (3) Results: Among the most important motives, sustainability is the most frequently indicated. (4) Conclusions: The choices of Uber services are significantly influenced by the reasons related to two sustainability pillars—one social and one economic. The factors significantly influencing consumer decision-making processes related to the use of shared mobility services belong to the following groups of motives: sustainable development, knowledge of information and communication technologies (ICT), innovation, user convenience and savings. The findings from the study can become the basis for organizations and local authorities to undertake appropriate marketing activities to promote shared-mobility services (SMS) and support sustainable and environmentally friendly development.

The new generation of programmable networks allow mechanisms to be deployed for the efficient control of dynamic bandwidth allocation and ensure Quality of Service (QoS) in terms of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for delay or loss sensitive Internet of Things (IoT) services. To achieve flexible, dynamic and automated network resource management in Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms can provide an effective solution. In the paper, we propose the solution for network resources allocation, where the AI algorithm is responsible for controlling intent-based routing in SDN. The paper focuses on the problem of optimal switching of intents between two designated paths using the Deep-Q-Learning approach based on an artificial neural network. The proposed algorithm is the main novelty of this paper. The Developed Networked Application Emulation System (NAPES) allows the AI solution to be tested with different patterns to evaluate the performance of the proposed solution. The AI algorithm was trained to maximize the total throughput in the network and effective network utilization. The results presented confirm the validity of applied AI approach to the problem of improving network performance in next-generation networks and the usefulness of the NAPES traffic generator for efficient economical and technical deployment in IoT networking systems evaluation.

Internet of Things is becoming one of the main triggers in designing and deploying new services aiming at fulfilling the wide demand imposed by end-users. Usually, concrete solutions addressing the optimization of the wireless segment are found in the literature. However, it is much less frequent to find end-to-end solutions to be easily adopted by the corresponding stakeholders. It is in this context that FLEXNET brings an integrated solution, relying on cutting-edge technologies, dealing with a wide set of technical requirements imposed by the different applications and services.

Two groups of research methods are used in the decompositional approach to stated preferences – conjoint analysis methods and discrete choice methods. The most commonly applied traditional conjoint analysis method is an example of the first group. Because of its computational complexity, its practical application requires using appropriate commercial or non-commercial computer software. The purpose of the article is to present the traditional conjoint analysis method and discuss its implementation in the form of the conjoint package for R program, which with CRAN packages is currently one of the most important non-commercial computing environments for statistical data analysis. In addition to the detailed characteristics of the individual conjoint R package functions, the paper also presents the application of the conjoint package in marketing research, along with the interpretation of the selected results, based on the example of measuring and analysing stated preferences of beer consumers

The purpose of the article is to analyze consumer preferences using the selected multinomial logit models consisting of unordered categories. These models are included in the area of microeconometrics and are applied to analyze stated consumer preferences following the approach based on choices and random utility theory. The conducted empirical research was based on the authors' DiscreteChoice package developed for CRAN R project. The package implements a multinomial, conditional and mixed logit models as well as the functions which can be applied in the discrete choice method for the construction of an experiment, e.g., for a fractional factorial design development, option set coding and model parameter estimation.

The results of Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry of the 4-ethyl-4 '-octylazoxybenzene (4EOB) liquid crystal are presented. Numerical analysis of the dielectric spectra results points to complex dynamics of the liquid crystal molecules in isotropic liquid, nematic and conformationally disordered crystalline phases. Two well-separated maxima on the imaginary part of electric permittivity were detected and described in liquid-like and crystalline phases. A third relaxation process, hidden in the conductivity region, describing conformational disorder of alkyl chains has been found in some plastic crystal phases. Temperature dependences of mean relaxation times characterising conformational disorder, flip-flop motions and rotation around long axis are of the Arrhenius type in liquid-like phases and conformationally disordered crystalline phases, and of the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann type in the low-temperature crystalline phases for relaxation processes around short and long axis.

Two groups of research methods are used in the decompositional approach to stated preferences - conjoint analysis methods and discrete choice methods. The most commonly applied traditional conjoint analysis method is an example of the first group. Because of its computational complexity, practical application of conjoint analysis requires using appropriate commercial or non-commercial computer software. The purpose of the paper is to present the traditional conjoint analysis method and discuss its implementation in the form of conjoint package for R program, which with CRAN packages, is currently one of the most important non-commercial computing environments for statistical data analysis. In addition to the detailed characteristics of the individual conjoint R package functions, the paper also presents the application of conjoint package in marketing research with the interpretation of the selected results, based on the example of measuring and analyzing stated preferences of beer consumers.

The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) MESH network technology gains popularity in low duty IoT systems. Its advantage is a low energy consumption that enables long lifetime of IoT systems. The paper proposes and evaluates new MRT management methods, i.e. exact and heuristic, that improves energy efficiency of BLE MESH network by minimizing the number of active relay nodes. The performed experiments confirm efficiency of the MRT methods resulting in significantly lower energy consumption of BLE MESH network.

Metody porządkowania liniowego są stosowane na gruncie ekonomii w badaniach rankingowych i klasyfikacyjnych dotyczących obiektów i zjawisk opisanych zmiennymi o różnych rozkładach i charakterystykach statystycznych. W literaturze przedmiotu z zakresu wielowymiarowej analizy porównawczej opracowano wiele procedur porządkowania liniowego. Różnią się one m.in. metodami wyznaczania wag zmiennych, metodami normalizacji zmiennych oraz metodami szacowania wartości zmiennych syntetycznych. W związku z tym pojawia się problem wyboru optymalnej procedury porządkowania liniowego do analizy danych statystycznych. Celem pracy jest prezentacja wyników badań dotyczących oceny jakości wybranych procedur porządkowania liniowego w odniesieniu do danych o rozkładzie normalnym i różnym od rozkładu normalnego. Do oceny jakości rankingów wykorzystane zostały wybrane mierniki jakości metod porządkowania liniowego

The aim of this article is to present the results of multidimensional comparative analysis methods used to assess the state of the environment in Dolnośląskie voivodship in the cross-section of powiats. The research was conducted on the basis of data from the CSO of Poland for 2015 concerning the state and environmental protection in 30 powiats of Dolnośląskie voivodship. The method of linear ordering of objects based on a pattern object (or an anti- -pattern object) was used in the research. Many of them described in the subject literature usually lead to differing results (rankings of objects are not the same). It results from i.a. the adopted methods of normalization and weighing of variables and aggregations (creation of synthetic variables). The article is an attempt to compare the results of linear ordering of powiats due the environmental state with the use of method based on a pattern object (or an anti-pattern object). In the rankings correctness analysis, quality indicators were used to evaluate the quality of linear ordering methods.

Jednym z najważniejszych problemów w badaniach ekonomicznych prowadzonych za pomocą metod analizy danych (w tym metod porządkowania liniowego) jest dobór zmiennych. Problem ten dotyczy włączenia zmiennych o małym zasobie informacyjnym, pominięcia zmiennych o dużym zasobie informacyjnym lub uwzględnienia zmiennych współliniowych. Może to prowadzić do błędnej oceny badanych zjawisk i podejmowania niewłaściwych decyzji. W literaturze przedmiotu prezentowane są dwa podejścia do zagadnienia doboru zmiennych: merytoryczne i statystyczne. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie wybranych metod statystycznych doboru zmiennych, które mogą być wykorzystane w badaniach ekonomicznych prowadzonych za pomocą metod porządkowania liniowego oraz ocena ich efektywności w świetle poprawności uzyskiwanych rankingów. W analizie poprawności rankingów zastosowano wybrane mierniki oceny jakości metod porządkowania liniowego. W przeprowadzonych badaniach wykorzystano dane dotyczące rankingów uczelni akademickich oraz pakiet pllord i program R

The increasing sizes of ships and lack of functionality of the existing solutions determine the interest in rebuilding the already existing solutions. Simulation models allow to analyse the possible modernisation variants taking into account the variability of elementary parameters. The article presents analysis results for the Przemyslowy Canal in Szczecin with respect to navigation safety and regulating traffic regulations in the Przemyslowy Canal taking into consideration the interests of all subjects involved. The paper applies real-time simulation methods based on manoeuvring simulators. After a thorough analysis that took into account the safety of navigation, further possibilities of development have been determined. Study results are aimed at designing new solutions in case of modernization of the Przemyslowy Canal in Szczecin.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is still used by vast majority of Internet applications. However, the huge increase in bandwidth availability during the last decade has stimulated the evolution of TCP and introduction of new versions, better suited for high speed networks. Many factors can influence the performance of TCP protocol, starting from scarcity of network resources, through client or server misconfiguration, to internal limitations of applications. Proper identification of the TCP performance bottlenecks is therefore an important challenge for network operators. In the paper we proposed the methodology for finding root causes of throughput degradation in TCP connections using passive measurements. This methodology was verified by experiments conducted in a live network with 4G wireless Internet access. The paper also presents selected details of its practical implementation.

Development of sophisticated photonic transmission systems enabled evolution of photonic data transport networks towards cost-efficient and energy-efficient platforms capable to carry enormous traffic. Given access to technologically advanced equipment, network operator faces a series of decision problems related to how to efficiently use this technology. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model of modern photonic network with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Proposed model is an instance of multi-commodity flow optimization formulation related to specific construction of network graph. Given optimal solution of the considered optimization problem can be evaluated through a series of indicators determining quality and performance of the solution.