Search

There seems to be a gap in the literature on educational management that focuses on school image and its assessment. This paper addresses this issue by reviewing the state of the art regarding school image and communication with the public. School image can be defined as the overall impression and mosaic synthesised from numerous impressions of individuals of school publics (pupils/students, teachers and deputies of school management, parents, and other stakeholders). School image is not what the headteachers understand it to be, but the feelings and beliefs about the school and its educational programme that exist in the minds of the school publics. The present study contributes to the literature by providing an overview of school image and by providing a practical application of a useful tool for assessing the content of corporate image. Semantic differential scales are used for marketing purposes and as a useful technique for measuring and assessing school image. Communication with publics and the development and sustainability of a positive school image influence not only the marketing of the school but also the educational process in the school. Today, shaping and maintaining a school image is even more important because of the curriculum reform, focusing on higher study process outputs, quality assessments, and accountability. The findings of this study have important implications for school marketing experts and researchers, headteachers, education policymakers, as well as teachers at schools.

The increasing relevance of information and communication technologies (ICT) and society's transition towards an information or knowledge society have led to the emergence of new challenges for schools and school systems. Thus, the need for students to develop new forms of skills like "digital literacy" or "computer and information literacy" (CIL) is constantly gaining in importance. In the IEA's ("International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement") ICILS 2013 ("International Computer and Information Literacy Study"), the aforementioned competencies were investigated--along with CIL learning contexts and outcomes (such as school-level factors in different education systems)--for the first time for secondary schools by applying computer-based student tests. The research presented in this paper focuses on the school-level factors that support or hinder the use of ICT by teaching staff and students' CIL, drawing in the process on information obtained through school and teacher questionnaires. A multilevel approach was chosen for this research, drawing on representative data from four of the countries which participated in ICILS 2013, namely Australia, Germany, Norway and the Czech Republic. The results show that the relevance of school-level determinants for the use of ICT by teaching staff in schools differs between education systems. Only in Germany, for example, does pedagogical IT support seem to be crucial for the use of ICT in teaching. In the Czech Republic, the self-efficacy of teaching staff plays a key role, whereas in Australia, the participation of teaching staff in professional development activities can be identified as relevant for students' acquisition of CIL. The results also show a statistically significant correlation between the teachers' use of ICT in schools and students' CIL for Germany, yet indicate no significant effects for Australia, Norway and the Czech Republic. In addition to these and the more specific findings for the considered countries, the international comparison presented in this paper reveals both strengths and developmental potential for the selected education systems.

This paper focuses on the results of the national research of cyberbullying of Czech teachers, which was realized in year 2016 in the entire Czech Republic. The research focused on the prevalence of cyberbullying of teachers, the impact of cyberbullying on teachers, strategies of coping with cyberbullying and methods of solving the incidents. The research involved a total of 5,136 primary and secondary school teachers from all regions of the Czech Republic. The research has shown that a fifth of respondents (21.73%) has experienced a cyber attack on their person, however cyberbullying during the last 12 months lasting over 1 week was confirmed only by 3.52% of the total number of respondents. Most often the cyberattacks were committed by students (34.92% of attacks).

This paper addresses the professional preparation of future teachers of social pedagogy (social educators) in the context of current tasks which the social pedagogy in the Czech Republic still has. Based on the results of the research which aims to present the professional characteristics of students of social pedagogy, we propose an innovation of the current curricula in social pedagogy study program and thus strengthen the independence of the profession which has undergone a specific development in our country. BIP questionnaire was used to obtain data. The main aim of the research was to analyze the professional orientation of social pedagogy students with the use of the standardized BIP questionnaire. The research has involved 154 social pedagogy students in a chosen Faculty of Humanities in the Czech Republic. Besides the research of the students' professional characteristics, an analysis of the study program Social Pedagogy has been done in order to create a constructive proposal of innovation of the study program subjects. So the authors call the attention to the fact that the study program must necessarily not only respond to the present demands of the tertiary sector (services marketing) but also be adapted to the professional identity of future social pedagogues and the development of students' competences.

This paper compares two kinds of educational treatment within location-based game approach; learning by playing a location-based game and learning by designing a location-based game. Two parallel elementary school classes were included in our study (N = 27; age 14-15). The "designers" class took part in the whole process of game design except the technical part (programming and content implementation), the "players" class did not get any special treatment but played the game made by their fellow-students. The study describes possibilities and limitations of those two implementation approaches and measures effectiveness of knowledge acquisition and future interests in the game topic. The data revealed positive effect of the active approach (designing location-based game) within the knowledge acquisition. The further qualitative study showed that the active approach brings some unique benefits to the students and could be widely supported by the teachers and national educational systems.

The paper reflects the real needs and priorities within foreign language teaching at the Faculty of Economics and Management of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS), which include the reduction of the lecturer's direct teaching load and the use of modern ICT technologies within e-learning courses offered to students of all forms of studies. For the purposes of the research, the e-learning Business English course was developed. The objective of the research was to find out students' opinion on e-learning based on the frequencies of their responses and on their qualitative signs. The research was conducted in accordance with the long-term aim of the CULS Prague, as well as in accordance with the language policy of the European Union, with the national policy of language education and with the long-term aims of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.

The job expectations and requirements of the information age bring with them a need for a change in teaching and studying. A quantitative approach to working with information and a frontal style of teaching, still a wide practice in many institutions, no longer seem to be suitable preparation for current students' needs. One of the areas affected by these changes are the foreign language competences necessary to efficiently deal with study and job related practices and, correspondingly, to succeed in the job market. Along with the change in student needs comes the demand for change in the organization of language classrooms and instruction. Young people, facing a deluge of information and unlimited access to resources, are challenged by the changing needs in processing the material. A qualitative approach to information is required with a growing focus on information processing, analysis, critical evaluation and implementation in practice. Similarly, the need for efficient communication skills such as negotiation, argumentation or presenting seem to be more in demand than grammatical precision or encyclopedic knowledge. From this perspective, language instruction accentuating activities focused on memorizing and drills needs to be restructured so the students can develop targeted key competences for the current times. This paper focuses on the research of student needs and how they are perceived from the perspective of students and their study or internship experience, as well as from the perspective of teacher practitioners. The purpose of the study is to identify the key competences students need to succeed in the job market as a resource for restructuring university language instruction.

The paper presents the findings of a mixed-methods study investigating the perceptions of business students in the Czech Republic towards entrepreneurship education, and examining the factors influencing their level of intention to be entrepreneurs. The results indicate that family background significantly influences the student's entrepreneurial intention, and that participation in entrepreneurship-oriented courses positively influences the student's level of self-efficacy. The study revealed further that business education had some effect on the student's ability to gain the necessary knowledge for entrepreneurship. Another key finding was that entrepreneurship education specifically for business students has to equip students with entrepreneurial skills, attributes and behaviours. The results also suggest that entrepreneurship education is a contextually determined concept which requires modification of content and methods to meet the specific needs of particular target groups. The study has important implications for higher education institutions in terms of designing and managing effective entrepreneurship education.

A crucial skill for researchers in inter- and transdisciplinary environmental projects is the ability to be reflexive about knowledge and knowledge production. Few studies exist on the operationalization of reflexive skills and teaching and learning strategies that help students master these skills. This research aims to contribute in this direction. We distinguished two components of reflexive skills: (i) assessing the relative contributions of scientific disciplines and non-academic knowledge in addressing environmental issues; (ii) assessing the role of norms and values in research. We developed a framework for teaching and learning reflexive skills and evaluated this framework within a quasi-experimental educational setting involving 3 groups of 30 students. Students' reflexive skills were assessed quantitatively using a pre- and post-test questionnaire. Moreover, students' reflection papers were analysed to get a better understanding of their perspectives on the teaching and learning framework. We show that it is possible to train students in reflexive skills, but it requires a well-designed learning setting.

Introduction: The main goal of the work is to analyze how social workers identify their specific competencies regarding the general characteristics of the workplace and how they subjectively evaluate their abilities and capabilities to fulfill these competencies in the Ústecký region in Czechia. Methods: The data were obtained from a combined convenience online and paper-pencil survey. Respondents were employees of the 48 social services organizations in the Ústecký region: 101 females and six males. The one-factor analysis of variance comparing means and two non-parametric tests, the Friedman test and Kendall's W test, was employed, as well as Spearman's rank correlation coefficients for data analysis. Results: The most significant part of the working time of the respondents is devoted to the administration working with clients. Social workers primarily use communication skills and knowledge of social work methods. On the other hand, they use language skills and research methods sparingly. Respondents recognize the essential skills to solve crises, make quick decisions, and control their emotions. On the other hand, they consider writing project applications, raising money, managing people, and creativity the least necessary skills. The respondents find demanding administration the most difficult. On the other hand, they have the most minor problems with identifying clients' needs, determining the goals and methods to achieve them, and working with clients from different cultural backgrounds. The respondents mostly solve the dilemmas of the number of clients and time constraints of the social worker, as well as practical problemsolving and legislative constraints. Conclusion: The social workers' activities are divided into administrative and direct work with people. Communication skills and knowledge of social work methods are considered most important for fulfilling professional duties. The possibility of finding quick solutions in a crisis helps them to achieve these duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper an analysis is carried out whether objective tests and subjective self-assessments in international large-scale studies yield similar results when looking at cross-national differences in the effects of skills on earnings, and skills patterns across countries, fields of study and gender. The findings indicate that subjective skills measures do not correlate well with objective measures of similar constructs when looking at cross-national differences. Countrywise associations between subjective skills measures and earnings do not correlate well with those found using objective skills measures. Moreover, cross-national differences in the level of subjective skills measures do not correlate well with cross-national differences in skill levels based on objective tests. Nor do gender differences found using subjective skills measures correlate with those found using objective skills measures. This does not mean that self-assessments cannot be used, but they need to be restricted to analysing within-country differences. Within countries, self-assessments do a good job in predicting skills differences across fields of study and also in predicting the effect of skills on earnings. When comparing gender differences in skills levels within countries, however, one needs to be aware that females tend to overestimate their skills levels in typical "female" domains like literacy.

"New" school inspections are essential parts of "evidence-based governance" concepts and have been implemented by many European countries as a major strategy to assure and improve the effectiveness and quality of their education systems. However, national inspection systems vary in their composition and in their contextual features. Using online survey data from approximately 2300 principals in 7 European countries, the paper explores the role of "accountability pressure" as an element for understanding the operation of inspection systems. The results indicate that principals who feel more "accountability pressure" are more attentive to the quality expectations communicated by inspections, more sensitive to stakeholders' reactions to inspection results, and more active with respect to improvement activities. However, also the number of unintended consequences is increasing with pressure. Inspection systems in different countries are seen by school leaders as applying differential degrees of "accountability pressure", which is reflected in system-specific amounts of improvement activities.

The aim of the paper is to identify the factors influencing consumers when beer consumption and when choosing restaurants for beer consumption in the Czech Republic (CR). A partial goal was to compare preferences and factors influencing beer consumers from the Vysočina Region and the South-Moravian Region. The survey included a questionnaire survey, which 408 respondents took part in. The results showed that the most influential factors in the selection of beer for consumers are taste, a high-quality brand, and Czech production. Surprisingly, price was not found to be an influential factor in beer selection but is rather neutral. Factors that influence consumers most when choosing a restaurant for beer consumption were also identified. Consumers are most influenced by the quality of the beer on offer and the environment in which it is consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by existing gaps in the research of elder abuse and neglect (EAN) outcomes and very limited knowledge from Central-European cultural contexts, this paper analyzes the link between domestic-based EAN and three measures of well-being, namely subjective loneliness, sense of control over one's life, and a broader outlook on life. To do this, we used recently (2022) collected EAN survey fielded among home-dwelling residents of the Czech Republic aged 65 +. The results show that there is a clear relationship between EAN and these selected outcomes. Controlling for several sets of potential modifying or confounding factors further indicates that this relationship is substantial and direct, rather than weak and indirect. Among controls, only variables related to disadvantage (health, income, dependency, history of abuse) partly account for the link between EAN and its outcomes due to their relation to both heightened risk of EAN and lower well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of the paper are: 1) to evaluate the influence of rationality and irrationality on the purchasing decision-making process in terms of selected target groups of customers and product categories in the conditions of a pandemic situation in the Czech Republic, and 2) to design an updated version of the FCB model for Czech consumers and then to compare it with well-known established theoretical assumptions. To meet bothaims, both primary and secondary marketing research were conducted. Secondary scientific research is based on knowledge of marketing communication and consumer behaviour with an emphasis on models of the hierarchy of effects. The primary focus is on the FCB (Foote-Cone-Belding) model which integrates knowledge from different sequential models and offers output in the form of four situations based on two dimensions - involvement (small versus large interest) and thinking versus feeling. Aquestionnaire was used as the means of conducting research. The online questionnaire was distributed to a total of 1100 respondents. The outputs of the primary survey reveal that the design of the FCB model based on research data differs from the defined theoretical framework. The scientific contribution of this paper is the implementation, updating and adaptation of the FCB model to the conditions of the Czech marketing environment to ensure its possible practical applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Metodos Cuantitativos para la Economia y la Empresa is the property of Universidad Pablo de Olavide and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This contribution deals with the relationship between the development of business environment and university education and with monitoring activities directed at encouraging entrepreneurship at universities. A questionnaire survey was used to identify obstacles preventing students from starting their own businesses; subsequently, recommendations have been formulated to advice universities and other institutions on activities directed at encouraging entrepreneurship. The findings show that the business environment in Czechia is similar to the situation within the EU (Czechia in 2019 amounted to approx. 96% of the EU (28) average from 2016). The monitoring of support provided by universities to entrepreneurship shows that the amount of courses directed towards the supporting of entrepreneurship is sufficient. The main shortcomings of universities regarding the support of entrepreneurship are the low chances of obtaining financial support and the insufficient fostering of entrepreneurship on the part of university educators. The contribution of this paper lies in, on one hand, identifying obstacles seen by students as preventing them from beginning their own entrepreneurial career and, on the other hand, in forming recommendations for universities. The conclusions of this study may be useful for universities and for institutions providing grants for the promotion of entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is some indication that discrimination as well as low levels of life satisfaction render young people at risk of cyberhate victimization. Adopting a socio-ecological perspective, this paper examines whether supportive family, peer and school environments may buffer against the effects of perceived discrimination and low life satisfaction on cyberhate victimization. Data from four countries (N = 3396) of the EU Kids Online IV survey on children aged 11–17 (51% girls) revealed a positive association between perceived discrimination and cyberhate victimization, but this impact was moderated by supportive family and peer environments. A negative association between life satisfaction and cyberhate victimization was mitigated by peer support. However, no associations with the school context were found. The current study provides new insights on how social support on different levels of the social environment may buffer against potential risk factors for cyberhate victimization and can inform decision-makers towards intervention and prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of KONTAKT - Journal of Nursing & Social Sciences related to Health & Illness is the property of University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Central European Journal for Contemporary Religion is the property of Charles University Prague, Karolinum Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In connection with their earlier contributions, addressing the issue of systemic approach to implementing management audit with regard to small and medium-sized enterprises, the authors intend to further pursue their effort and interest in this specific area of research with the following paper. Its main objectives are to introduce own comprehensive concept, which involves the use of a systemic approach and is expressed in the form of a specific model of "Systemic approach to management audit", and to propose both standardized and purposeful procedures related to such audit. In order to develop the concept, a questionnaire survey was conducted among a number of managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech Republic, along with structured interviews with auditors carrying out management audits in their professional practice as well. Based on their research, the authors found that the examined enterprises tend to perform management audits only on rare occasions and without using any systemic approach or particular procedures. This is mainly due to an absence of time schedules or lists of individual activities that are required in the audits according to a precisely and previously specified order, as suggested in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a survey concerning the reasons of university students for their absence from lectures. The absence is operationalized as frequent, not absolute (i.e. students attending the lectures "sometimes" or "very seldom"). The aim of the paper is to identify the proportion of full-time study programme students frequently absent from lectures and to describe and quantify the reasons for their absence. The questionnaire survey was carried out at a particular university in the Czech Republic in the academic year 2010-2011. A total of 576 respondents of the first and the third years of bachelor study programmes were surveyed. Our findings show that 43 percent of the students attended the lectures in the categories "sometimes" or "very seldom". The most frequent reasons for their absence were: (1) job, employment, (2) inconvenient time of lectures, (3) lack of time, (4) useless lectures. Especially a preference of having a job while studying, even though they were full-time students, is a surprising finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While video games can be helpful in personal development, participating in certain gaming activities may lead to negative effects such as video game addiction. The overuse of computer games, which can lead to reduced quality of life and affect a person's practical skills. Around 3% of adolescents suffer from Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), there is currently no universally accepted psychometric method. The AICA-S scale was applied to results from 3,901 respondents aged between 11 and 19. During the 2017/2018 school year, a battery of questionnaires in "pen and paper" form was administered to students at primary schools and secondary schools. The respondents were selected from all the regions of the Czech Republic through a random stratified selection to ensure that the respondents were an accurate representation of students across the Czech Republic. The results were obtained using statistical methods such as ANOVA, chi-square tests and t-tests. These results affirm the psychometric quality of AICA-S and note the prevalence of IGD among Czech adolescents. Based on our results, 0.8% of our respondents fulfilled the criteria for an IGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to comprehensively review the sources of design management, business prosperity and competitiveness. The study shows the current situation in Czech businesses. Furthermore, this paper also attempts to analyze and identify the awareness of companies concerning the relation to design as a condition for business prosperity. The primary aim of the research is to investigate design as a condition of prosperity in Czech businesses. A comprehensive review of the extant literature and journals identified several sources of design approach and various definitions of business prosperity. The research consists of two main parts. Firstly, a method of smart internet questionnaires designed by the author was used. After that, the data were analyzed using mosaic plot and elementary statistics calculations, and seeking mutual dependence, followed by a comparative method. Finally, the findings were processed by comparative study that aims to compare the years 2012 and 2014. The results of the research offer interesting findings. This paper identifies several interesting aspects regarding design within Czech companies, including the mindset of management (the insight gap of Czech businesses regarding design in their business). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence is accumulating of the negative impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic and related public health measures on mental health. In this emergent field, there has been little research into the role of risk perception on depressive symptoms and the contribution of health‐care resources to model risk perception and mental health. The aim of this paper is to describe the relationship between individual‐level perception of risk and depression, controlling for a set of confounders and for country‐level heterogeneity. A cross‐sectional and observational online survey was conducted using a non‐probability snowball sampling technique. We use data on 11,340 respondents, living in six European countries (Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, France, Poland, Czech Republic) who completed survey questionnaires during the first months of the pandemic. We used a fixed‐effect approach, which included individual and macro‐level variables. The findings suggest that a high proportion of people suffering from depression and heightened risk perception is positively associated with reporting depressive symptoms, even if this relationship varies significantly between countries. Moreover, the association is moderated by contextual factors including health‐care expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, hospital beds for acute care, and number of medical specialists per head of population. Investment in health care offers a concrete means of protecting the mental health of a population living under pandemic restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: We aimed to study the association of educational attainment with occurrence of mental disorders in the Czech Republic.Methods: Data were derived from the CZEch Mental health Study (CZEMS), a cross-sectional study of community-dwelling individuals. Mental disorders were assessed with Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), and information on completed education was acquired as a part of a paper and pencil interview. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of educational attainment with all mental disorders as well as with specific groups (affective, anxiety, alcohol use and substance use disorders), stepwise adjusting for socio-demographic, social and health-related characteristics.Results: We studied 3175 individuals (average age 50 years, range 18-96 years; 54% women). Compared to individuals with higher education, those educated below high school graduation had higher odds of mental disorders (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.58-1.71), even after adjustment for all covariates (OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.21-2.23). Education showed the strongest association with alcohol use disorders, even when covariates were adjusted for, but was not related to anxiety disorders. The association of education with affective as well as substance use disorders was explained by covariates.Conclusions: Interventions aimed at reducing the burden of mental disorders should target individuals with low education. Strategies to improve population mental health need to go hand in hand with policies to enhance education as well as reduce alcohol consumption in the Czech Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of studies have focused on the topic of Roma communities and social exclusion in the Czech Republic, however, substance use has been surveyed only marginally. This paper brings new data on the patterns of substance use among Roma population in contact with social workers (546 respondents). Substance use, including daily smoking and regular excessive alcohol drinking, has been 2–6 times higher among Roma compared to the general population. Current illicit substance use was reported by 1/3 of the respondents (46.7% of males, 17.8% of females) with cannabis (27.1%) and methamphetamine (11.9%) being the most reported substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Czech Republic is one of the most secularised societies, while atheistic and spiritual values are increasingly acknowledged and practiced. This research note has two objectives. First, we provide cultural and societal background of a development of the Spiritual Health Questionnaire. Second, the paper discusses empirical approach to the development of a battery of scales designed to systematically assess spiritual health for future spirituality research aimed at the Czech population and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Significant declines in adolescent alcohol use have recently been observed in Europe. Growing research has focused on explaining the ongoing changes. The aim of the paper was to analyze to what extent the changes in unorganized leisure-time activities, especially a decline in socializing with peers, have affected recent changes in adolescent alcohol use in the Czech Republic. Methods: Samples of 15–16-year-old adolescents, surveyed in 2011 (N1 = 3,699) and 2015 (N2 = 2,738) ESPAD studies, were analyzed. A structural equation model was constructed for boys and girls separately to test the mediating effect of changes in the frequency of going out with friends on decline in adolescent binge drinking and alcohol intoxication. Results: The decline in the frequency of going out with friends explained a major part of the decline in alcohol use. The mediating effect was confirmed in both binge drinking and alcohol intoxication, and more pronounced among the girls (65.4–99.6%) compared to boys (51.1–62.7%). Conclusion: Recent changes in unorganized socializing with peers have had a significant effect on alcohol consumption among adolescents. Future research should focus on more in-depth analysis of the complexity of the relationship between face-to-face peer contacts, intensive electronic media communication, and adolescent alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current level of strategic management tools and techniques utilization as well as to explore and identify the impact of management tools on organizational performance in the Czech Republic. The research paper is based on a questionnaire survey obtained from the 91 companies. This paper is one of the few studies which investigate the relationship between management tools and techniques and organizational performance. The findings show the level of management tools utilization and possibilities influencing performance. The study indicates that there is a positive significant relationship between management tools and techniques utilization and organizational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analysis of a subset data of 533 young people in the Czech Republic (mean age 13.6 years). • Youth identified and described their natural mentors in qualitative descriptive questionnaires. • Results describe the characteristics, risks and perceived benefits of natural mentors in youth' perspectives. • Young people identified peers, family members, and formal and informal education teachers and leaders. • Natural mentors were described as 'a good person' with a caring, attentive, kind, and friendly nature. Natural mentoring is a type of youth-adult relationship distinguished with the supportive and caring qualities. The complex conceptual definition as well as the youth-centred knowledge on this type of relationship in youths' daily experiences are missing in the literature. This empirical article reports the analysis of data subset exploring the experiences of youths in natural mentoring relationships in the Czech context. Overall, 533 young people (aged 11–16, mean age 13.4) in eight secondary schools in the Czech Republic participated in the qualitative open-ended questionnaire, identifying, and describing natural mentors from their social networks. The paper reports results of thematic analysis of selected questionnaire items on young people's experiences and perceptions of their identified natural mentors. Young people identified natural mentors most often (n = 105) among their peers or older friends. Besides, youths mentioned and described grandparents, older siblings, family acquaintances, schoolteachers, youth-group and sport leaders, and one-to-one music teachers as natural mentors. Identified mentors were most often perceived as 'a good person' with a caring, attentive, empathetic, nice, kind, and friendly nature who, as a result, is perceived as helpful and supportive. Results are discussed with recommendations for further exploration of natural mentoring as a type of youth–adult relationship, naturally occurring in institutions, organisations, and various youth-work settings where youth-adult interactions are part of the service/institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to create a Czech questionnaire for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (POSA) risk screening, a first of its kind in the Czech Republic, where options for child polysomnography are limited. Compiling items from established English questionnaires and supplementing them with additional items, we designed the first version of the Czech questionnaire and tested it in a pilot study with parents of 30 children. After pilot feedback, a revised version with dichotomous and 5-item Likert scale questions was tested on 71 children's parents. All children (7–12 years old) underwent a home sleep apnea test to record their apnea–hypopnea index (AHI). The second (40-item) version showed high reliability (93%), with 17 items identified as the most significant. Findings from the final 17-item SEN CZ questionnaire correlated positively with AHI (p < 0.001), demonstrating 84% sensitivity, 86% specificity, and 93% reliability. Three factors, namely breathing problems, inattention, and hyperactivity (characterized by multiple items), were identified to form a higher-order factor of POSA risk, which was further supported by the correlations of their total scores with AHI (p < 0.001). The resulting SEN CZ questionnaire can serve as a tool for POSA risk screening in the Czech Republic without the need to involve medical professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the perceived health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in hospitalized patients with rheumatic diseases and to determine whether selected characteristics can affect their perceived quality of life. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Data were collected between September 2022 and March 2023 using the standardized instrument to measure HRQoL, namely the RAND 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36). The sample consisted of 170 patients with rheumatic diseases hospitalized in a teaching hospital in the Czech Republic. Results: The average perceived HRQoL was 34.94 (SD = 17.06), indicating poor quality of life. The most highly rated subscale was 'emotional well-being' (56.02 ± 15.71), and the lowest rated subscale was 'role limitations due to physical health' (11.76 ± 28.54). The HRQoL subscales were significantly correlated with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, self-care activities, pain severity, age of the patients, and length of hospitalization. Differences in HRQoL were identified based on education, social status, use of compensatory aids, attendance at social events, and history of falls in the past year (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the subject, but also underscores the importance of considering holistic factors when evaluating HRQoL in individuals with rheumatic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The primary purpose was to map the opinions and experiences nurses acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify significant problems that need to be addressed before the next pandemic, and determine the prestige of nurses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods. The design was descriptive and cross-sectional. A representative sample using sociological research methods was conducted using a non-standardized questionnaire. The sample of nurses was constructed using quota sampling; its structure corresponded to the composition of the overall nursing population in terms of age, sex, and region. The sample consisted of 1197 nurses. Results. The most significant changes reported by nurses during this period include increased physical workload (89.6%), changes in social (88.4%), and personal lives (76.7%). According to respondents, the prestige of their profession increased during the pandemic compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the two-tailed t-test, the prestige of the nursing profession increased statistically significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. Conclusions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses experienced increased physical stress and changes in their social and personal lives. However, the prestige of nurses increased due to their crucial role in the fight against the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Nursing students have an essential role in patient safety. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the face validity, content validity, and psychometric properties of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture for Nursing Students (HSOPS-NS). Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out between January and October 2021. The participants were undergraduate nursing students (N = 482) from 16 Czech nursing faculties. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed an 8-factor structure, which was verified by confirmatory factor analysis using the optimization process that results in adequate goodness-of-fit indices (root mean squared error approximation =.037; standardized root mean squared residuals =.056; comparative fit index =.935; Tucker–Lewis index =.926; incremental fit index =.936). The internal consistency of a new model was excellent (α =.914). Conclusion: The results indicate that the HSOPS-NS shows evidence of reliability and validity and is a valuable measure of safety culture as perceived by nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To analyze the psychometric properties of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) in internal care units at a specific teaching hospital in the Czech Republic. Design: The paper has the character of a cross-sectional validation study. Methods: The study was conducted between November 2015 and January 2016. The convenience sample consisted of 207 registered nurses working in internal care units at a specific faculty hospital in the Czech Republic. Analysis of the psychometric properties of the HSOPS was conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and reliability testing. Results: Acceptable psychometric properties of the HSOPS were verified in our study. We confirmed 12 components of the HSOPS, the same number stated in the original version from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The reliability of the instrument was evaluated using the Cronbach alpha coefficient, and is considered acceptable. Conclusion: These findings can help healthcare institutions to raise awareness of patient safety culture and to gain a comprehensive overview of the individual dimensions of patient safety culture. In the future, the instrument could help to compare the components of patient safety culture, not only at a national but also at an international level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents part of the research from a 2019 project in Czechia's residential educational facilities for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. The high prevalence of drug use among these adolescents has a cumulative set of harms to health. The main research objective was to examine the prevalence of substance use among adolescent girls and boys living in residential educational facilities. The auxiliary research objective was to compare its results with the ESPAD (2015 and 2019) survey of the general Czech adolescent mainstream population. The sample consisted of 204 respondents aged 15-19 years. The primary data collection instrument was the ESPAD questionnaire. The analysis of the collected data was carried out using SPSS software. The findings arrived from statistical procedures such as descriptive data analysis and various statistical methods. Data from ESPAD research (2015, 2019) was selected for analytical comparisons. The findings indicate a high prevalence of drug use among the study group of adolescents in residential education facilities and a high majority of selected substance use in comparison with the results found in the ESPAD (2015, 2019) study in the general school population of Czechia. The findings support a systemic focus on the prevention of health risks, harm reduction, as well as the treatment of substance use disorder among adolescents. Data on the incidence and prevalence of substance use should be regularly collected and evaluated in these facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open innovation has developed over several decades from a small pool of innovation pioneers, mostly active in high-tech industries, to be widely discussed and implemented in innovation strategy. The primary objective of the Open Innovation Session (OIS) is to create a platform where firms are able to facilitate knowledge transfer. This paper focuses on the contribution of OIS, implemented by regional government, in formulating companies' strategic management and to overcome barriers to innovation for high-tech companies in the South Moravian region of the Czech Republic. The methodology adopted for this paper includes monitoring and analysing the activities of this programme over seven years, followed by a quantitative study using both primary and secondary data. The primary data for the research were gathered through questionnaires, where the respondents were general managers of companies that had at least some experience of an innovation process. Secondary data were taken from the Czech Statistical Office. This paper has found that the association between an aspiration for innovation leadership and expenditure for research and development is high, further that participation in OIS led to a shift in the perception of the objectives, needs and conditions of the business and finally the major barriers to the innovation process are a lack of highly motivated people with the necessary technical and business experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This impact evaluation report describes the effects of the "Parenting Program for Disadvantaged Families" in the Czech Republic. We provide a detailed look at the quantitative data on treatment and control families in a program delivered by social workers to reduce the risk of children's misconduct. Method: The study specifies the results of two waves of quantitative research based on Parenting Young Children (PARYC), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and items measuring parents' attitudes toward punishment of their children. Results: The results of parental self-reported competencies and parent-reported children's behavior indicate that there was a statistically significant impact of the intervention. Discussion: There was a large effect on Supporting Positive Behavior (PARYC), and Prosocial Behavior and Peer Relationship dimensions of the SDQ. Parental practices and attitudes toward punishment are further explored, although the conclusions remain ambiguous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aims: Czech music therapists lacked the skills and knowledge to adapt their practice to virtual music therapy (VMT) at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when physical contact was restricted. The aims of this project were to implement the best evidence-based recommendations concerning VMT in the practice of Czech music therapists and increase the number of therapists using VMT. Methods: The project used the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework to promote change in the practice of participants. A baseline audit of 26 practitioners was conducted using questionnaires and interviews. The audit criteria consisted of 8 best practice recommendations, followed by the implementation of targeted strategies and a follow-up audit. Results: Of the 26 music therapists, 18 began practicing VMT following the rollout of the implementation strategies. Strategies included educational workshops, instructional materials, technological support, individual counseling, and interactive training sessions. There was an increase in compliance with all audit criteria. The most critical barriers were lack of knowledge about VMT and lack of technical skills; lack of resources; technological challenges; low confidence of music therapists to provide VMT; and reduced need for VMT after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed. Conclusions: The implementation project helped to overcome temporary pandemic restrictions, increase the quality of VMT practice, develop strategies for VMT training, and identify reasons for using VMT during the pandemic and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of this multicenter study was to analyze the reporting of the adverse events and health care-associated infections (HAIs) in relation to work environment. Material and methods. This cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted in 14 acute care hospitals throughout the Czech Republic. A total of 105 acute care hospital wards were included in the study. The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index was used to assess the practice environment. The questionnaire to assess the practice environment were completed by 805 nurses. The data on adverse events and HAIs were weekly reported. Results. The overall mean number of adverse events including healthcare-associated infections was 27.7 (±36.10) per 100 patients, the most frequent being pressure ulcers and falls. The most frequent healthcare-associated infections were urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract and surgical site infections. Analysis of all adverse events and HAIs failed to confirm a statistically significant relationship between the nursing practice environment and occurrence of adverse events or healthcare-associated infections. Conclusions. Adverse events and healthcare-associated infections are important indicators of quality of care in hospitalized patients. No type of the nursing practice environment aff ected the reporting of adverse events and HAIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of various changes in the entrepreneurship environment with the aim to create value and gain sustainable competitive advantage, businesses more often pay attention to soft skills within the management and to intangible assets. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of Intellectual Capital and Diversity Management as a tool for business management and efficient use of Intellectual Capital within a business. After having done research within extant literature about both topics mentioned, there is a practical part of the research which uses two independent questionnaire surveys. One of the questionnaires focuses on the concept of Intellectual Capital and it is still being conducted. This questionnaire uses the first outcomes of the research; the second part deals with the topic of Diversity Management and it was already concluded in 2013. The practical part of the article compares the outcomes of the empiric research in the area of Diversity Management with the results of the research of Intellectual Capital concept. The main question is if the managers of the businesses located in the Czech Republic are aware of the Intellectual Capital concept and whether they understand the importance of its control in comparison to understanding the benefits of Diversity Management which is considered to be a factor with a certain influence on the efficiency of Intellectual Capital. Furthermore, the dependency between the size and sector of a business and its understanding of the Intellectual Capital concept and importance is examined. This is done by means of statistical tools. The results and outcomes of the research are discussed in the final part of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was to examine the relationship between health literacy (HL) and health behaviors in the South Bohemia Region in the Czech Republic (CR) and compare them to HL and health behaviors in the Visegrád group countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). The paper reports the results from the research in the CR. A quantitative descriptive study. The sample was stratified by sex and age and included a representative sample of 303 adults. The data were collected using the combination of a country-specific questionnaire with the HLS-EU-16 standardized questionnaire. Exercise was significantly associated with perceived health and HL; those with a lower level of HL did not exercise during the previous month. Based only on full answers (N = 251), inadequate HL was identified in 17.5% of the respondents (44), marginal HL in 31.5% (77), and adequate HL in 51% (128) of the respondents. Nearly 49% of the participants evaluated their health as 'good', 25.7% rated their health as 'very good' and 'satisfactory' by 25.7%. But 41.6% experienced one or more chronic diseases, 37.6% had some limitations to their health, and 20.5% smoked. For alcohol consumption, 26% drank weekly and 23% drank two to three times a month. Exercise varied from never (29.7%) to daily (7.9%). Based on our results, we conclude that health behavior risk factors are still present in the South Bohemia region of the CR regardless of levels of HL reported on the HLS-EU-16. • Inadequate health literacy (HL) was identified in 17.5% of the respondents, marginal HL in 31.5%. • Exercise was significantly associated with perceived health and HL. • For alcohol consumption, 26% drank weekly and 23% drank two to three times a month. • Health behavior risk factors are still present in South Bohemia region of the CR. • We still have not accomplished universal levels of adequate health literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]