Abstract According to the OECD, active employment policies include all social expenditure that are directed at improving the chances of finding a job and income generation (except education). Active labour market policies are around to assist in enhancing labour market flexibility at the times of economic changes. Their key components are the so-called activation strategies that act as typical prerequisites of benefitting from unemployment security/support systems in every EU country. The workfare concept lies behind the public work programmes. There are serious professional debates whether public work can primarily be seen as a ’compulsion and work test’ or, rather, as an opportunity of entering the primary labour market. The available efficiency analyses unanimously state that public work forms have the biggest role in testing willingness to work and the obligatory nature is the strongest of all active labour market policies. Research also indicates that public work reintegrates only few people back to the primary labour market and the majority are restrained from seeking a job and other income generating activities. There are several reasons for and against public work and opinions differ. The paper summarises the benefits and drawbacks on the basis of international and Hungarian analyses.

A country’s economic success depends on the profitability of its enterprises. Regarding entrepreneurship, however, opinions differ to a large extent. In addition to the social and economic conditions, the significance of entrepreneurship education is also dealt with in our paper. The primary objective is to give an insight into what it is like to be an entrepreneur in today’s Hungary. The key findings of students’ and entrepreneurs’ questionnaires directed at the necessary knowledge, competencies, skills and willingness to set up an enterprise are also presented.

The objective of active labour market policies (providing labour market services and supporting employment) is to channel back those without a job to the labour market as soon as possible. Public work, regarded as an active instrument, is generally criticised for not substantially improving employment rate; most jobs produce low added value; participation decreases the motivation and willingness of those concerned to find a job. In addition, the programmes prove to be expensive and make people more dependent on the unemployment benefit. According to the experts one of the benefits is that in the short and medium term the programmes provide the safety of survival to the participants and can also contribute to implementing the other tasks of improvement while decreasing poverty and inequalities. Another beneficial impact is its suitability to make the disadvantaged groups more dynamic whose primary labour integration is unlikely. It is also suitable for overcoming the challenges of structural unemployment and easing the downsides of global economic crises. The public work programmes are facing similar challenges internationally and in Hungary, as well. Our paper presents the problems of public work (if it is effective enough and able to fulfil its mission) as one of the most frequently applied instruments of employment policies both theoretically and empirically, and also from an international as well as a Hungarian perspective.

Napjainkra a kompetencia az emberi erőforrás-menedzsment egyik kulcsfontosságú fogalmává nőtte ki magát. Segít eligazodni, hogy milyen tényezők szükségesek ahhoz, hogy a vállalatoknak kiválóan, az átlag felett teljesítő, kompetens dolgozóik legyenek. Tanulmányunkban egyfelől bemutatjuk, hogy a munkáltatók szerint milyen fő üzleti kompetenciák befolyásol(hat)ják a munkavállalók sikerét és versenyképességét, másfelől azt, hogy a felsőoktatásban végzős hallgatók szerint mely kompetenciák kulcsfontosságúak a dolgozók kiválasztáskor. További céljaink közt szerepel az összefüggések és az eltérések elemzése, valamint annak vizsgálata, hogy a kompetenciák jelentősége napjainkban nő vagy csökken. A szakirodalmi kutatásra támaszkodva egy olyan kompetencia-struktúrát is tesztelünk, amelyet a magyar munkaerőpiac sajátosságai figyelembe véve állítottunk össze.

Abstract Our paper is aimed at examining what principal business competencies (can) enhance the success and competitiveness of employees according to the employers and we also wish to explore what personality traits have a decisive effect on the decision-making mechanism in taking on new staff. At present employers can make selection from a lot of fresh graduates in economics so for them it is essential to know the competencies by which they are classified and ranked by the employers. However, it is also important to bear in mind from which aspects their opinion meet the employers′ expectations. Based on surveying the employers′ expectations, the required competencies play a vital role in the hiring process and they are mainly acquired in practical trainings. An answer is also sought to the question of how the rank order of competencies have been changed, how their role was appreciated and reevaluated and what skills and abilities are no longer or only to a slight extent necessary for success in the labour market vs. the ones that were not required previously but have become indispensable these days. One of our further objectives was to create and test a competency structure tailored to the current Hungarian labour market situation and specialities on the basis of the professional literature.

Based on the Hungarian data of the Visegrad funded project titled „Integrated talent management-challenge and future for organisations in Visegrad countries” (Visegrad Fund / number 21220142), a pilot cluster analysis was conducted to find out the main characteristics of talent management. The recent appreciation of the human capital has contributed to the application of new management procedures in the HR practice. One of them is talent management whose aim is to find and recruit talented people as well as to develop and retain those talents who have already been employed. We have found that there is a close relationship between the economic situation of the Hungarian companies and their talent management. Our paper also aimed at providing practical advice to Hungarian companies, which are open for talent management.

Based on the Hungarian data of the ongoing Visegrad funded project titled „Integrated talent management-challenge and future for organisations in Visegrad countries” (Visegrad Fund / number 21220142), a pilot cluster analysis was conducted to find out the main characteristics of talent management in the V4 countries. In our present research, we compared the data of nearly one hundred Hungarian responding organisations with the average data of economic operators in the V4 countries. Our aim was to examine and analyse the attitude to talent management in the Hungarian organizations, to show the possible differences between the Hungarian and the V4 practices and to identify those factors of talent management whose application doesn’t show essential differences in the V4 countries. The recent appreciation of the human capital has contributed to the application of new management procedures in the HR practice. One of them is talent management, which is closely related to the success of a company.

International Visegrad Fund - No. 21110193 08/2011—07/2012 Scientific exchange and research

There are different standpoints concerning quality assurance in food industry companies. Some people say that GMP, GHP, HACCP systems control well enough the requirements to quality and hygiene, which are so important in food production. Others say that, beside these systems, there is a need for quality assurances systems including standards, beside the above mentioned items, in respect of the whole organisation, and environmental protection. To justify the above statement, it is expedient to supervise the systems established under ISO standards by an independent certifying organisation. This was the reason for examining food industry companies, especially the poultry processing ones. In the course of research carried out in slaughterhouses of the north-eastern part of Hungary, the authors tried to find out if they pay enough attention to quality assurance and in which way they realise it within the organisation. It could be established that the issue of quality assurance was on the agenda in all companies. The management of the companies has recognised the favourable opportunities deriving from the quality assurance systems, even though at the beginning workers did not like extra work involved, re-training, and the widening of their sphere of activity. --------------- Az elelmiszeripari vallalkozasok tevekenysegeinek minősegbiztositasara vonatkozoan kulonfele allasfoglalasok alakultak ki. Egyesek szerint a GMP, GHP, HACCP rendszerek kellő melysegig szabalyozzak a minőseggel es – az elelmiszer-előallitasban oly fontos – higieniaval kapcsolatos szabalyozasokat. Masok ugy velik, hogy ezen rendszereken tulmenően szukseg van tovabbi, olyan minősegbiztositasi rendszerekre is, amelyek az elelmiszer-biztonsagon, es higienian tulmenően a szervezet teljes egeszere vonatkozoan tartalmaznak előirasokat, illetve a kornyezetvedelemre is kiterjednek. Ezek igazolasra pedig mi sem kezzelfoghatobb, mint egy fuggetlen tanusito szervezet felulvizsgalta az ISO szabvanyok alapjan kialakitott rendszerekre vonatkozoan. Ezert tűztuk ki celul az elelmiszeripari vallalkozasok – ezen belul is a baromfi- feldolgozo iparag – vizsgalatat. Arra probaltunk ravilagitani vizsgalodasaink helyszinen – az eszak-kelet magyarorszagi regio baromfi-vagohidjain -, hogy a minőseg biztositasara kellő hangsulyt fektetnek-e vizsgalt szervezetek, es milyen modon valositjak azt meg a szervezeten belul. Az volt tapasztalhato, hogy a minősegbiztositas kerdese valamennyi kutatasi helyszinen napirendi kerdes volt. A vallalkozasok vezetői felismertek a minősegbiztositasi rendszerek adta kedvező lehetősegeket, annak ellenere is, ha kezdetben kisebb-nagyobb ellenerzessel fogadtak a munkatarsak a rendszerbevezetes miatt adodo tobbletfeladatot, atkepzest, munkakorbővulest.