University of Applied Science Budapest

Well-being, as an integral element of sustainability, contributes significantly to economic, social and environmental progress. Strategic frameworks such as the OECD Well-being Framework highlight key factors influencing well-being in Finland, including skills and R&D, green transition, gender equality, health and social cohesion. In education, the recent decline in PISA science scores underscores the importance of strengthening well-being and investing in future skills. Well-being is commonly understood as how people feel and function personally and socially, shaped by emotional, cognitive, behavioural and relational dimensions. In recent years, it has become central to educational discourse, emphasising holistic learning, social-constructivist approaches and whole-child development. Within this broader context, our study analyses the relationship between well-being and creative thinking skills. We apply the CAT’s Model, which identifies four learning climates – sun, storm, space and soil – that foster creative attitudes and support the development of creative thinking skills. These climates promote inspiration, challenge, free thinking and the integration of diverse experiences. Classroom practices such as drama activities, play-based learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and critical thinking tasks illustrate how the model can be implemented effectively. The CAT’s Model develops creative thinking through expertise, imagination, critical thinking and the ability to form novel connections. Our study provides practical examples of the model in application. We conclude that creative processes allowing freedom of expression enhance well-being, influence learning across the lifespan and support the development of positive personal traits.

This study analyzes ESS Wave 11 data using PLS-SEM to assess how generalized trust shapes subjective well-being in Austria and Hungary through two mediators: social life (social contacts, participation) and solidarity/helpfulness (value-based prosocial orientations). In Austria, trust significantly predicts both mediators, which transmit its positive effects on well-being. In Hungary, trust relates only to social life, while solidarity shows no connection. Overall, results reveal strong context-specific differences in the trust–well-being relationship.

The Metaverse is an immersive and interconnected system that combines virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and blockchain technologies to create shared, persistent environments. It provides unique opportunities to interact, shop, and communicate with other users by enabling virtual interactions, personalized experiences, and limitless innovation in industries such as gaming, retail, education, and healthcare. This study examines the capacity of advertising tools in the Metaverse to enhance brand engagement, user satisfaction, and purchase intentions. The study utilizes quantitative surveys to examine the impact of Metaverse advertising on consumer behaviour, message authenticity, and user engagement. Our research questions include: 1) How does the unique immersive and interactive nature of the Metaverse influence consumer engagement and brand experience in advertising compared to traditional digital marketing environments? 2) What are the key psychological and behavioural factors affecting user responses to Metaverse advertising? 3) How do they compare to responses in traditional online environments? The study utilizes quantitative survey to examine the impact of Metaverse advertising on consumer behaviour, message authenticity, and user engagement. The findings significantly contribute to the emerging field of metaverse marketing by offering valuable insights into the key factors that impact audience attitudes. Based on the results, because of the key features of immersive and interactive, Metaverse advertising is more engaging than traditional online ads. This feature of the metaverse is very important because it somehow removes the limitations.

How do different countries around the world seek to attract visitors through their tourism slogans? How long are these slogans, and what words appear most frequently in them? Are they primarily supply-oriented, emphasizing a country’s attractions, cultural values, and natural assets, or are they demand-oriented, actively encouraging travelers to embark on a journey of discovery? Do they highlight features that are truly distinctive to the destination, including unique cultural attributes, or are they phrased in a more general way, using adjectives that could apply to many different places? Or is it perhaps the explicit inclusion of the country’s name that makes a slogan distinctive and immediately recognizable? In this study, we analyzed the English-language tourism slogans of 169 countries to explore the linguistic and cultural strategies that underpin these short yet impactful statements. Our findings provide insights not only for tourism professionals but also for scholars interested in the intersections of culture, language, and destination branding.

Kerek évszámok alkalmat adnak a számvetésre még akkor is, ha ezek történelmi léptékben aligha értelmezhetők. Mégis egy-egy kerek évforduló kapcsán indokolt összefoglalni, hogy tudományterületünk művelése során mit értünk el, mit sikerült ebből átadni az utánunk következő generációknak, mennyiben sikerült abból a társadalom hasznára fordítani. Erre lehetőséget ad, hogy Intézetünk 25 éves, a Regionális Gazdaságtan Tanszék pedig 30 éves.

This work prepared new composite (CuO/NaOH/CW) and compared with another composite (HNO3/NaOH/CW) from cotton waste, sodium hydroxide, copper sulphate and nitric acid for the treatment of refinery wastewater. Dry weight analysis confirmed the attachment of 29 and 32 % NPs in the composites of copper oxide and nitric acid, and their observed slow-release behavior contributed to enhanced stability. The accessory of copper oxide to the cotton waste surface fibrils and their deep infiltration into the matrix were obviously established by characterization analysis. The composite material was evaluated for its adsorption and photodegradation capabilities for organic removal from refinery wastewater (RWW). Remarkably, the synthesized composites exhibited impressive waste cotton activities against organic pollutants, achieving reduction rates of 89.2%, 78.4%, and 55.4% for CuO/NaOH/CW, HNO3/NaOH/CW, and NaOH/CW, respectively. The cotton waste based CuO composites demonstrated non-toxicity and catalytic behavior under UV light exposure, offering insights for potential applications in organic pollutant removal and environmental remediation.

This paper focuses on Henry Yeung’s recently published book with Wiley, Theory and Explanation in Geography, discussing it through the lens of an international group of scholars and from various perspectives. On the one hand, the current study aligns with the volume’s main message to create and apply mid-range explanatory theories in geography more intensively, rather than relying too heavily on theories imported from other disciplines, such as philosophy, which often overlook different geographical contexts and provide inadequate causal explanations. We also advocate for the conscious promotion of the internationalisation and decolonisation of geography through such theories. On the other hand, the paper examines the challenges and ambiguities of how geographers can become more self-reflective and philosophically educated to develop better theories, as well as how the history and philosophy of geography, as a subfield of the discipline, can contribute to this goal.This study also scrutinises the relationship between proximity, scale, and causality, discusses the book’s major takeaways through a Central and Eastern European lens, and, even more broadly, analyses the structural shifts the volume and its referencing patterns indicate in the international practice of doing geographical research during the last half a century. By doing so, the article summarises the conclusions of a panel discussion held in November 2024 at Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the only book launch event of Theory and Explanation in Geography to have occurred so far in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe.

Analysing the fundamental IT (Information Technology) abilities and professional hard skills required for successful performance in System Analytics and Programming (SAP) as well as integrated ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) positions is the main objective of this paper. A year-long study using a quantitative questionnaire survey was conducted and the results showed which hard skills students believe are necessary. Responses indicate that hard skills alone do not provide a high success rate. Inadequate skills mean that an organisation can not take advantage of the opportunities offered by integrated systems, even if the system could perform the task in question.

This paper provides an examination of the impacts of the circular economy within the framework of ESG criteria, emphasizing the interplay between these domains. The research aims to explore how circular economy principles can enhance ESG performance while identifying synergies and trade-offs across the three pillars. A methodology leveraging European Union datasets and indicators is applied, comparing to the ESG performance values of individual European Union member states. The findings indicate that integrating circular economy practices into ESG strategies enhances environmental outcomes, such as resource efficiency and waste reduction, while fostering social equity and improving governance transparency. However, challenges related to metric standardization and data harmonization across regions present limitations. The paper provides implications for policymakers, businesses, and investors by offering a framework for embedding circular economy principles within ESG strategies to drive sustainable development. The novelty of the research lies in the use of the first coherent and comprehensive index database for comparisons, leveraging European Union data to deepen the understanding of the relationships between circular economy principles and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) domains. By addressing a gap in the literature, this work contributes to the development of actionable tools for assessing and improving sustainability practices across industries.

The context of the paper is, on the one hand, growing trend of portfolio-based competency development in higher education, especially focusing on assessing students’ progression, promoting self-evaluation, reflective thinking, career planning, self-directed and collaborative learning strategies [1], [7], [17], [19]. Under the umbrella of portfolio-based higher education, brand building programs play important role in this process [5]. On the other hand, brand building programs can develop self-management skills at individual and system levels as well. At individual level, brand building promotes students in higher education to develop competencies, which are based on the labor market needs in order to reduce the skill gap and promote reskilling. At the organizational level, the paper focusing on the process from hierarchy to professional community. The first purpose of the paper is to introduce some results of the implementation of a 4-year MyBrand Program, especially focusing on the supporting system of the implementation. MyBrand Program in Budapest Metropolitan University is a careerfocused education initiative that focuses on practice-oriented education and the skills needed in the workplace promoting the successful future careers of students and successful placement in the labor market in the world of work. MyBrand program is linked to the University’s new, “creative university” identity. This paper introduces some parts of the program implementation: MyBrand portfolio workshops and trainings, Teachers’ Day and Club, mentoring program, basic competence matrix, MyBrand teaching handbook, METU Learn curricula, Online Knowledge Hub. The support system being developed is based on qualitative research on implementation of MyBrand Program, namely content analysis and 14 in-depth interviews. The second purpose of the paper is to give practical examples and students’ feedback of career planning at the course of Innovative learning technology skills in becoming an engineer at Óbuda University. At the conclusion part, I summarize on the results and experience of implementation of brand building program and the experience of career planning, tutoring and self-management in practice.