Intensive week (Kick-off meeting) for our German doctoral students

From September 9-13, 2024, an intensive program was held for ten first-year doctoral students from FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie & Management, who visited the University of Sopron as part of a cooperative agreement between the two institutions.

The event was formally opened by Prof. Dr. Tibor Alpár, Vice Rector, alongside Prof. Dr. Zsuzsanna Széles, Dean of the Sándor Lámfalussy Faculty of Economics, Dr. Judit Pappné Vancsó, Deputy Dean of the Faculty and Prof. Dr. Csilla Obádovics, Head of the Doctoral School.

During the intensive week, the doctoral students participated in activities that fostered familiarity with their peers and the faculty, while gaining an insight into the structure and expectations of the Doctoral School.

The program included lectures on research methodology and scientific literature research, taught by Prof. Dr. Oliver Gansser from FOM. Students were given the opportunity to complete the selected courses and individual consultations. Beyond the professional experience, participants explored the cultural and natural heritage of Sopron, guided by Dorottya Pakai, PhD student.

The program concluded with a final event, during which students evaluated the week’s activities.

Successful international conference at the Faculty of Lamfalussy

On the 7th of November 2024, the Alexandre Lamfalussy Faculty of Economics joined the national series of events organized in celebration of Hungarian Science Festival by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences through its international scientific conference titled "Sustainability Transition - Innovation Ecosystems - Digital Solutions."

The hybrid conference, which included both online and in-person participation, was organized in collaboration with the "For the Higher Education in Sopron Foundation" and was co-hosted this year by Malaysia's INTI International University. We were pleased to have representatives from two of the co-organizing Malaysian universities attend the conference in person.

The conference attracted nearly 130 participants, including co-authors, from both domestic and international institutions. Numerous faculty members and students from our university were actively represented at the event. In addition to participants from Malaysia, attendees came from Germany, Austria, Sri Lanka, and India, with nearly 100 scientific papers presented and discussed.

The conference commenced with an opening address by Prof. Dr. Zsuzsanna SZÉLES, Dean of the Faculty, who expressed a warm welcome to the participants as the conference chair and led the plenary session. In her remarks, she underscored the University of Sopron's commitment to sustainable and environmentally friendly operations, emphasizing the contributions of the Faculty of Economics to this initiative both in education and research.

Following the opening and welcoming ceremony, three plenary lectures were held in English in the morning session.

Dr. Rajermani THINAKARAN, Research Fellow at INTI International University, delivered a presentation exploring the employee perspective on carbon neutrality awareness. She evaluated the effectiveness of businesses in promoting carbon neutrality and the integral role of IT solutions in enhancing these efforts. Drawing on empirical research, Dr. Thinakaran highlighted that achieving carbon neutrality necessitates collaboration among organizations, technology, and individuals, with well-informed employees supported by clear policies. Technology, particularly data analysis, is crucial. The interdependence of organizational, technological, and individual factors, along with standardized practices, enhanced communication, and innovative technologies, charts the course toward carbon neutrality.

Dr. habil. Klára KATONA, Head of the Farkas Heller Institute of Economics at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, examined whether a transition from an extensive to an intensive growth path has occurred in the performance of Hungarian manufacturing companies over the past decade. Her empirical research indicated that labor productivity in the manufacturing sector increased steadily from 2011 to 2019, with small firms exhibiting the highest growth. However, a downward trend persisted between 2019 and 2022. Improvement in manufacturing productivity can largely be attributed to traditional physical and human capital as drivers of extensive growth. In contrast, innovation activities contributed to productivity improvements in the 2010s as a factor of intensive growth. The impact of innovation, however, varies based on company size and has been significantly diminished during crisis periods. Additionally, subsidies and public procurement had little to no positive impact on productivity, and in some cases, worsened productivity indicators within the sector. The availability of credit notably influenced productivity outcomes during periods of crisis for both small and large enterprises.

The closing plenary session featured Dr. Judit PAPPNÉ VANCSÓ and Dr. habil. Ferenc JANKÓ, Associate Professors at the Alexandre Lamfalussy Faculty of Economics, University of Sopron. They presented on the divergent nature of the biosphere and the economy and its implications for humanity. Their discussion highlighted humanity's heavy reliance on the biosphere, noting that while much of humanity has lost its adaptive capacity, the biosphere retains almost infinite regenerative potential. They contrasted the conceptual frameworks of environmental economics and ecological economics and concluded that a deeper understanding of the biosphere and ecosystem services is necessary to reassess nature's role. They addressed the challenges involved in economically valuing the biosphere due to ethical considerations and limitations within existing scientific methodologies.

In the afternoon, scientific presentations in English, German, and Hungarian occurred across eight parallel sessions, with three held in person, one online, and four as hybrid sessions. Additionally, a ninth session displayed posters submitted to the conference. The afternoon sessions facilitated numerous engaging professional exchanges and outlined opportunities for collaborative research and publications.

Abstracts of the presentations were made available in an electronic publication (abstract booklet) on the day of the conference. Following peer review, submitted papers will be published in an electronic format (conference proceedings) in March of the following year. Authors of the most outstanding papers will have the opportunity to publish their work in either the “Economy and Society” or “E-conom” journals, contingent upon peer review.

We express our gratitude to our plenary speakers and all participants for choosing our event as a platform to present their scientific work.

We extend our thanks to everyone who honored our conference with their personal or online participation.

Our appreciation also goes to all colleagues and students who contributed to the success of the conference.

We look forward to welcoming everyone to next year’s conference.

Prof. Dr. Zsuzsanna SZÉLES

Dean, Professor, Conference Chairperson

Dr. Richárd RESPERGER

Assistant Professor, Chairman of the Organizing Committee