The article presents the results of research on the ion nitriding process of the so-called difficult to nitride 316L austenitic steel. The main aim of these studies was to determine what influences the intensification of the nitriding process as a result of using an active screen. Two variants of placing the nitrided elements in the glow discharge chamber were adopted: directly on the cathode and on the cathode using an active screen. After the nitriding processes were carried out, the influence of the adopted process parameters on the depth of nitrogen diffusion into the nitrided substrate was analyzed. In the further part of the work, an ionizing nitriding mechanism with the active screen method was proposed, explaining the significant increase in the effectiveness of the nitriding process using the active screen.

SummaryCompetencies of employees and competence management are elements fairly well described in the literature. A modern approach to these issues, however, must have a broader than traditional character. This follows the significant changes that took place in management sciences expressed by an increased role of intangible assets. Intellectual capital, its components, connections with enterprise resources and elements of the environment are an important aspects of the strategic considerations undertaken by management staff in modern enterprises. Competences - which are specific expression of the potential of employees, their ability to detect changes and finding solutions - in this new context become even more important. This study attempts to analyze the selected relationships between the competency management system, intellectual capital and the attitude to IC of management staff.

The article presents the results of the research on the nitriding process of 316L austenitic steel and the change in surface properties resulting from this process used in medicine, orthopedics, and in fuel cells. The processes were carried out with the following parameters: time from 5 to 17 h, temperature from 430 °C to 490 °C. The study presents the results of tests of the 316L austenitic steel substrate layer subjected to plasma nitriding of a direct current glow discharge, i.e., in the area isolated from both the cathode and the anode. Additionally, the influence of the active screen on the nitriding process in this area of the direct current discharge was studied. The following tests were carried out: nitrogen diffusion depth test, hardness test, wear resistance test, microstructure analysis, corrosion resistance, and distribution of the element concentration in the surface layer. The research allowed for the conclusion that each variant of nitriding contributed to a change in the examined properties, while the observed scale and nature of the changes were different.

Intellectual capital is an important issue of currently undertaken studies in the field of enterprise organization and management.. The introduction of this concept has undoubtedly opened up new prospects for enterprises to perceive their business activity and building market advantages. At the same time, however, it has given rise to many new problems associated with the hard-todetermine nature of intellectual capital and its internal and external relationships and dependencies. An attempt has been made in the article to analyze problems related to the dissemination of the concept of intellectual capital, and its practical use, and to assess the state of the intellectual capital components in the surveyed entities.