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We analyze the role of institutional founding conditions and institutional legacy for universities' self-representation in terms of diversity. Based on 374 universities located in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Poland, we can differentiate between a more idealistic understanding (logic of inclusion and equality) and a more market-oriented understanding (market logic) of diversity. Our findings show that the founding phase has no significant effect on the likelihood of a university focusing on a market-oriented understanding of diversity--however, we observe an imprinting effect with respect to the adoption of a diversity statement in general and an equity-oriented statement. Moreover, our findings show that there is a socialistic heritage for universities in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries that is at work and still influences universities' understandings of diversity today.

The paper focuses on electronic record of sales, a tool enabling continuous monitoring and control of declared sales of business entities. Such systems have been recently gaining popularity in European countries. The objective of the paper is to analyse the possible use of electronic record of sales for a fairer redistribution of shared taxes according to the place where the taxable income was earned. We do not consider the current situation to be entirely fair, as sales may be realized in the whole territory of the country. However municipalities that help businesses achieve their income are not fairly rewarded for doing so. This usually gives larger municipalities an advantage at the expense of smaller ones. Currently, the tax administration has sufficient technical equipment to be able to identify the place where the revenue was received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entomophagy as an alternative way of eating in the Czech Republic is gaining more and more supporters. For this reason, we have focused on the microbial quality of the insect dry powder made from Tenebrio molitor during storage. In the samples were determined the major groups of microorganisms by standard procedures. It is the total number of microorganisms, aerobic microorganisms thermoresistant, E. coli and other coliform bacteria, micromycetes and bacteria of the genus Enterococcus. The highest increase of total microorganisms occurred after five months storage in the sample stored in a paper bag and cold, where their number reached a value of 2.870 log CFU/g. For the same sample, coliform bacteria at the rate of 1.839 log CFU/g were also detected. The other monitored groups of microorganisms were in the samples at most in the order of tens of CFU/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are highly important for producing highvalue-added innovative and intermediary goods and play a crucial role in being suppliers of large enterprises, their financial restraints cause them to encounter problems regarding their internationalization process and financial performance. As a dynamic capability of Resourcebased View theory (RBV), the usage of marketing communication tools (MCTs) by SMEs, such as social media (SM), websites, telemarketing, direct mail, SMS campaigns, and Google Adwords, increases the competitiveness of SMEs and might enable them to reduce their financial performance and export concerns. However, the usage of these tools can differ depending on the firm's country of origin since countries have various socio-economic and cultural conditions that affect the competitiveness of firms and their marketing communication approaches to their export and financial performance. In this regard, this paper aims to find international differences in the impact of the usage of MCTs on export and financial performance. This paper examines 1221 SMEs from Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary for this aim. The researchers created an online questionnaire to collect data from randomly selected respondents in the research sample. The researchers also ran Binary Logistic Regression analyses for analysis purposes. Although this paper confirms international differences in the impact of MCTs on the export of SMEs, the effect of SM usage on the financial performance of SMEs does not differ depending on the SMEs' country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Czech Republic has been a promising destination for foreign investors due to its locational advantages and tax-incentive policy. However, the profit-repatriation rate in the country is extremely high, which results in less capital being available for development. This paper studies the differences in profit-repatriation rates among FDI (foreign direct investment) firms in the Czech Republic after the appearance of tax-holiday incentives from 2008 to 2019. The precondition is to find the determinants of the repatriation rate of FDI firms, and the results show that the profit repatriation rate of FDI firms is positively affected by firm size and the liquidity of firms and negatively affected by investment opportunities and leverage. The paper divides FDI firms into several groups and examines the differences in repatriation rates between them before revealing the determinants of these differences. Firstly, there is no difference in profit repatriation between FDI firms with tax incentives and those without tax incentives. Next, we divide the FDI firms with tax incentives into two groups: those who still enjoy the tax incentives and those who no longer enjoy the tax incentives. The FDI firms with tax incentives that are in the tax-incentive period repatriate less than FDI firms with tax incentives that are not in the tax period any longer. The difference stems from the endowment effect, and three determinants that can reduce the repatriation rate of FDI firms that are no longer in the tax period are investment opportunities, leverage, and firm size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of modern technology is becoming part of both industry and agriculture. These technologies can also be used in beekeeping, where they can help to monitor the operation of the hive remotely. Beekeepers can remotely monitor the weight of their hives, their temperature, humidity, and other parameters. The aim of this paper is to map the beekeepers in the use of products with monitoring system for remote bee detection in beekeeping in Czechia. To map the issue, qualitative research using semi-structured interviews was conducted with beekeepers, manufacturers/providers of smart devices in beekeeping, and other entities involved in beekeeping. The findings showed that the interest of manufacturers and sellers to offer these smart devices is significant, but the interest of beekeepers is rather less, due to e.g., the purchase price, weaker IT knowledge, traditional beekeeping practices, higher age of beekeepers and the joy of being personally with bees. The novelty of the paper is not to look at the provision of ICT in beekeeping from a technical perspective, but from the perspective of users (beekeepers) and manufacturers of these technologies. Through interviews with beekeepers as well as others in the apiculture sphere, a comprehensive view of the issue is developed. Moreover, this is the first piece of research on this area in Czechia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: The lack of financial resources of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make them face high financial risk. Their entrepreneurial abilities that belong to Resource-based View (RBV), such as innovativeness and competitiveness, might reduce SMEs’ financial risk because those entrepreneurial abilities increase the financial performance of businesses. Purpose of the article: This paper aims to investigate the effects of the innovativeness and competitiveness of SMEs on their financial concerns based on financial risk, including bankruptcy, financial performance, and financial risk management. Methods: The authors use a method of data analysis and synthesis, including advanced knowledge and digital processing of background studies. This paper examines 1221 SMEs from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Those firms are chosen by random sampling method from Cribis and the Budapest Chamber of Commerce databases. Then the researchers directed an online questionnaire to collect the research data from the randomly selected firms. The researchers use Ordinal Logistic Regression Test for analysis purposes. Findings & value added: This paper's results indicate that SMEs' competitiveness does not impact SMEs’ bankruptcy prediction, financial performance, or financial risk management. On the other hand, while more innovative SMEs are less likely to face bankruptcy issues than less innovative SMEs, less innovative SMEs indicate better financial performance than their more innovative counterparts. Since this paper focuses on the influences of intangible assets of SMEs (such as characteristics based on RBV and Entrepreneurial Orientation) on their tangible assets (financial performance etc.) and puts emphasis on this fact from an International perspective, this paper makes a significant contribution to the literature. Furthermore, analyzing multiple relationships between SMEs’ different entrepreneurial characteristics and various financial risk concerns is another important fact that might draw prospective readers’ attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we compare the development and possibilities for improvement of waste management in three countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Waste management is part of the circular economy. The circular economy is the basis for waste management today. This applies to municipal waste management, too. In this paper, we work with data available in the Eurostat database. We mainly deal with municipal waste in the three chosen countries. The output of this paper is an assessment of indicators such as recycling rates and waste production. The outputs are documented graphically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: SMEs' concern for the digital literacy of their workforce, their interest in increasing digital literacy among employees, and securing their digital platforms, have been major issues in their digital transformation process. To reduce those obstacles, the dynamic capabilities of SMEs included in the Resource-based View (RBV) might be an effective solution since they help companies be more competitive and proactive against the threats they face in the digitalization process. Purpose of the article: This research aims to investigate whether SMEs' dynamic capabilities positively contribute to their digital transformation process. Methods: In line with the proposed relationships, this paper analyzes SMEs from Czechia by running Ordinal Logistic Regression analyses. The research sample is created by stratified random sampling and purposive sampling methods. The research data is collected via telephone surveys. Findings & value added: This research does not find a positive relationship between the dynamic capabilities of SMEs and the digital transformation process. While the results related to digital literacy are negatively associated with digital transformation, no significant relationship exists between security actions and the digital transformation of SMEs. This paper extends the scope of RBV on the digital transformation of SMEs by analyzing various dynamic capabilities of SMEs that have not been included in a sole study. Moreover, the perceptions of SME executives are considered by this research to provide effective solutions for the problems they face in digital transformation. Having a joint venture agreement with well-experienced IT companies, having a network with partner firms, looking for funding opportunities in the EU, participating in some practical training, and providing internships for bachelor students might enable SMEs to hit their targets in digital transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses operations research (OR) history and achievements in Czechia and Slovakia in 2010–2021 including the most significant OR professional events in the region. The history of Central European Journal of Operations Research from its beginnings to the present is shortly mentioned. The paper presents and analyzes main bibliometric and publishing trends in academic OR research relevant for the region. The final part of this paper contains an introduction to the current issue that contains results of the latest OR research in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to seek the perceptions of potential future corporate managers and directors on the issues raised in the literature, especially recent articles in the corporate communications literature, concerning corporate board gender quotas. It focusses on the Czech Republic, where research on board gender diversity is sparse. Design/methodology/approach: The study is part of much more comprehensive research into board gender diversity. It adopts a questionnaire approach, with this paper focussing on 13 research statements. A Likert Scale of 1–4 (Strongly Agree; Agree; Disagree; Strongly Disagree) was applied to the perceived views expressed. The questionnaires were completed by university students at a public university in the Czech Republic during March–April 2023. A pilot questionnaire was conducted in February 2023, resulting in minor changes being made. The data is analysed using SPSS and MedCalc® statistical software. Findings: There is overwhelming opposition to quotas, even from women. The opinions expressed by the respondents to this research, in many respects, support the literature, but there is unmistakable evidence of gender bias. Regarding the positive female benefits of quotas, male respondents disagreed; regarding the negative issues of quotas, male respondents agreed more than their female counterparts. Practical implications: The research findings have important implications for how women recruited through quotas may be received onto corporate boards – what challenges will they likely face? Some current female candidates for directorship, who would have been selected on merit and perceived as such by their male counterparts, may now be hesitant to apply for such positions if they are seen as being appointed due to quotas. Therefore, the selection procedure must continue to be based on merit and seen as such. Originality/value: One of the important aspects of the paper is that it focusses on a country that has, until recently, resisted pressures to implement mandatory corporate board gender quotas; in this respect, it has a corpus of originality and value. The Czech Republic and other European countries will also be affected by the recent EU law on gender balance or corporate boards. The paper also highlights the perceptions of potential future directors on various issues of board gender quotas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigration became an especially thorny and publicly discussed issue with the so-called Refugee Crisis beginning in 2015. The stance of the Czech and Polish governments was dominated by strong anti-Muslim and anti-immigration rhetoric. Still, both countries have witnessed a steady increase in mainly short-term immigration from various Asian countries such as Bangladesh or Pakistan ever since. This paper analyses Czech and Polish migration policies against the backdrop of a historically constructed notion of anti-illegal immigration policy, and category of temporary migration, coupled with the problematic nature of debt-financed migration in Asia. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Czechia and Poland (2018-2021), in-depth and semi-structured interviews with migration experts, academic and grey literature, official documents, and the method of Accidental ethnography, this paper argues that silencing of actual labor immigration in political communication while employing anti-migration rhetoric represents a discursive gap typical for liberal democracies. It further concludes that rendering migrant labor as a temporary commodity and turning a blind eye on recruitment of international migrants represents a continuity practice of migrant labor subordination within the nation-state, originating during colonialism and the advent of capitalism in the nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Sport in the 21st century represents a multidisciplinary field its an indispensable role in the lives of individuals and society. Sport is associated inter alia with winning, victory, defeat; teamwork and individualism, professionalism and amateurism, feelings of joy and happiness, as well as with feelings of tension, uncertainty, excitement, and taking risks. Risk also appears within the context of sports betting and gambling, being a characteristic phenomenon there. This kind of risk brings both positives and negatives for the participants. University students represent a specific demographic group for whom this risk holds a certain appeal and interest. AIM: The primary aim of this paper was to determine whether there is a correlation between the experience of the survey sample of respondents in sports betting, as a category of gambling, and their biological age, gender, and the type of faculty they study. The secondary objective was to identify the preferred sports concerning sports betting among respondents in the Czech Republic. METHODS: In this research paper, various scientific research and mathematical-statistical methods were applied. Furthermore, citation and reference databases Scopus, and the bibliographic and citation database Web of Science were used. SAMPLE: The research sample consisted of two categories of respondents. Those with a prior experience in sports betting (N = 391) and those without any prior experience in sports betting (N = 679). The respondents were university students in the Czech Republic. RESULTS: The results suggested that biological age does not significantly impact the experience of the survey sample of respondents regarding sports betting, as a category of gambling. Additionally, it was discovered that gender, as well as the type of faculty the respondents study influenced the experience of the respondents in sports betting, as a category of gambling. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequently preferred sports activity for sports betting among university students in the Czech Republic is football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on mortgage interest deduction (MID) as an indirect tax support for acquiring one's housing. This form of support is the most widely used in the Czech Republic compared to other tax reliefs and causes the highest losses for the government budget. This paper provides quantitative evidence on how the MID was distributed among taxpayers in the Czech Republic in the period 2008–2019 in relation to taxable income and revenue losses for the government budget. Furthermore, it assesses the effectiveness of these tax measures in reducing socioeconomic inequalities among taxpayers. Research based on the application of the MID in tax returns has shown the effective distribution of the MID until 2017. Tax support for housing was used mainly by taxpayers with low taxable income, which is also the largest group. The essence of vertical equity has been fulfilled, which contributed to reducing the level of social inequality. This positive distributional effect has diminished over time. As of 2019, the highest share of public expenditure was redistributed to taxpayers with higher taxable income, indicating the existence of inequalities in the tax system. The different developments over time have shown that the use of the mortgage interest deduction cannot be assessed statically, as it evolves dynamically over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, the dependence on fossil fuels and their prices has been increasingly discussed. This paper aimed to assess the development of fossil fuel prices and their relationship to GDP in the Czech Republic. To achieve this objective, a VAR model and Granger causality test were used. All fossil fuel prices peaked in 2022. The causal relationship with GDP in the Czech Republic was confirmed for natural gas and coal prices. On the other hand, the causal relationship between oil and GDP in the Czech Republic was not confirmed during the period under study. Weak correlations were found with the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation, and unemployment in the EU. The only exception is the correlation between coal and inflation in the EU, which was moderately strong. A limitation of the paper is the length of the period studied, with data collection taking place only once a month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing taxation is considered the most obvious tax system inequity. Therefore, this type of taxation should be in line with the benefit principle. This article examines the attitudes of citizens towards residential building taxation in the Czech Republic. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the perception of residential building tax burden by taxpayers who own a house or apartment for housing based on primary research. The research was conducted in the Czech Republic using a questionnaire in 2021 and 2022. Differences in the tax burden perception in relation to improvements in quality of life in a municipality and use of compensation by providing financial benefit in favor of resident citizens are investigated in the context of municipality size. It was found that the majority of respondents in all municipality size categories perceived the tax burden as reasonable. Citizens' positive attitudes towards the taxation of their residential buildings were influenced not only by the quality-of-life improvement in the municipality, but also by the transparency of the municipality's financial management. By compensating for the tax on residential buildings through providing a financial benefit, some municipalities reduced the tax burden for their resident citizens and shifted the tax burden, within the limits of the law, to buildings for business and recreation. The most common forms of financial benefits included reducing or eliminating municipal waste fees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the specific relationship between the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic and the President of the Republic, who has an exceptional position in the proceedings before the Constitutional Court. Firstly, the two main proceedings, in which the President acts before the Constitutional Court, i.e. as the petitioner in the annulment proceedings and as a party or intervener in the constitutional complaint proceedings, are described. Using some of the Court's landmark decisions, the paper outlines the evolution of the unique relationship between the President and the Constitutional Court. Subsequently, the terms of office of three Czech Presidents are characterized and compared. The last part of the paper consists of an assessment of possible reasons for the development of the relationship between the President and the Constitutional Court. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with a new method of innovative assessment of the supported effects and ecosystem services of forests using the actual amount of their increased costs. Among the most important research findings and signifi- cance of the new method is that it contributes to the body of knowledge on valuation and payment for ecosystem services. The focus of the research task is to help address the current difficult economic situation of forest owners resulting from the impacts of climate change. The study aims to determine what work quantifies the amount of compensation for the provision of supported ecosystem services that is sufficient for owners by using hypothesis testing. The evaluation of the supported effects was carried out in a case study in the area of the Chrudim-Podhůra Recreational Forests in the Czech Republic. The results of the evaluation were quantified in two experimental spreadsheets of the results, a comparative analysis of the evaluation results was performed, and hypothesis testing was conducted. The innovative methodological approach to the assessment of supported effects can be easily modified and used to assess the actual amount of increased costs of other ecosystem services of the forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer price index has been in the centre of interest for many years, since being published in 1990s in the Czech Republic but recent price growth raised more questions on methodology and data sources used in price statistics. Users are interested not only in the figures itself but also in statistical issue influencing interpretation and the quality of consumer price index that is often used as an approximation of inflation rate. The paper introduces price statistics compiled by the Czech Statistical Office and it specifically focuses on data sources and in particular scanner data. The paper explains how advanced statistical methods such as machine learning are implemented in official statistical production. We think that the official statistics is being on the historical junction where modern methods are going to be implemented. Our paper shows the usage of machine learning procedures applied on scanner data within consumer price index. Used method is based on logistic regression and powerful Python solution and that provides fast and high quality results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the paper is to present the results of a qualitative research that mapped the situation in the field of institutional education in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic. In the paper we will introduce the system of institutional education in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic and describe the most important legislation. At the end of the paper, we will discuss the findings that we have observed during our research. We will point out the common areas and the most significant differences. Our paper will offer an opportunity to better understand the specifics of each system of institutional education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a time-dependent reliability analysis created for a critical energy infrastructure use case, which consists of an interconnected urban power grid and a communication network. By utilizing expert knowledge from the energy and communication sectors and integrating the renewal theory of multi-component systems, a representative reliability model of this interconnected energy infrastructure, based on real network located in the Czech Republic, is established. This model assumes reparable and non-reparable components and captures the topology of the interconnected infrastructure and reliability characteristics of both the power grid and the communication network. Moreover, a time-dependent reliability assessment of the interconnected system is provided. One of the significant outputs of this research is the identification of the critical components of the interconnected network and their interdependencies by the directed acyclic graph. Numerical results indicate that the original design has an unacceptable large unavailability. Thus, to improve the reliability of the interconnected system, a slightly modified design, in which only a limited number of components in the system are modified to keep the additional costs of the improved design limited, is proposed. Consequently, numerical results indicate reducing the unavailability of the improved interconnected system in comparison with the initial reliability design. The proposed unavailability exploration strategy is general and can bring a valuable reliability improvement in the power and communication sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examines Covid-19-related policies as a showcase for priorities in migration governance, the role of the state and employers' associations, as well as gaps in social security and social protection. Design/methodology/approach: This paper looks at how immigration interacts with the labour market in the Czech Republic through the prism of the varieties of capitalism framework and its relation to the concepts of labour market segmentation and flexibility. Findings: The findings show that pandemic-related measures focused on continuously adjusting a legislative framework granting access to third-country workers. However, protective measures that would guarantee migrant workers and their families access to social rights, such as healthcare, were lacking. In this context, several lines of segmentation are observed: between migrant workers in standard employment and those in non-standard employment, when looking at their access to healthcare; between migrants hired directly by employers and those working through temporary agencies in terms of their wages, stability and protection; and, at a sectoral level, between the skilled workforce and migrants that are pushed to low-qualified poorly paid, and routinised jobs. Originality/value: This paper expands the existing literature on the preferences and influence of governments, employers and trade unions regarding the demand for foreign labour in varieties of capitalism by adding the perspective of a Central European economic model. At the same time, its findings contribute to the understanding that labour market inequalities are not fostered on the supply side of migrant labour, through exogenous societal or cultural characteristics specific to countries of origin, but rather through institutionalised measures, practices and policies in countries of destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Czech National Repository of Grey Literature (NUŠL) has been bringing GL to science and society over 10 years. It is based on Lisbon definition from 1997, updated in 2004, and on its own document typology that was created in 2008 as one of the outputs of the same name project. Since then there have been several papers and articles calling for new definition and new typology, asking what should be still considered GL and what not anymore. (Savić, 2018; Baxter and Hilbrecht, 2020) Savić (2019) pointed out that if everything can be marked as GL then probably nothing is GL. The NUŠL already had to change its typology few times to provide still good service and to reflect research institutions' needs. However, it is not only the document typology that influences the repository and the service, there are other circumstances which affect further development of the NUŠL such as partner institutions' needs, the National Research, Development and Innovation Policy, European Commission's guidelines on research outputs, current quantity and quality of other repositories and systems for grey literature and research results in the Czech Republic etc. The contribution/paper will bring a brief overview on NUŠL's experience over 10 years of providing the service. Then it will be focused on a current situation in research area of the Czech Republic in detail. Finally, out of these points will conclude to the necessary changes that has to be taken by NUŠL and his provider - National Library of Technology in Prague, in order to keep the service meaningful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a simulation assessment of the impact of the introduction of ETCS L2 and L3 on the capacity of railway lines. The simulation itself is carried out in the OpenTrack simulation software, especially in the tool headway calculator. For this research, an infrastructure model has been built, which represents a typical layout of lines and stations in the Czech Republic. By successive modifications of the model, the significance of the impact of the implementation of ATP systems on the capacity of lines can be simulated. In the paper, the influence of the implementation of different application levels of ATP systems on the capacity of railway lines is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the history of two-axle rail vehicles (rail buses) used for operation on regional lines in Czechoslovakia. It also shows trends in the development of modern light autonomous rolling stocks usable for passenger transport on unprofitable regional lines in Western Europe. The measures adopted in the transport policy of the Czech Republic for the period 2021-2027 for regional railway vehicles in the Czech Republic are presented. The final part of the paper presents the results of study of the concepts of a two-axle hybrid and electric rail buses and a conceptual design of a modular solution of a partially low-floor vehicle BEMU and HEMU for passenger regional rail transport. This paper shows that it is very problematic to create a light rail vehicle (LVR) that will be economical and environmentally friendly for regional transport and at the same time will meet the requirements of standards ČSN EN 12 663, category P2 and ČSN EN 15 227, category C I and will be friendly to road users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the sleeper substructure design for a speed of 200 kph according to the Czech SŽ S4 standard. The paper includes the design of sub-ballast and capping layers. The second part of the paper is focused on transition area design. The conclusion brings recommendations of alterations which would be appropriate to incorporate into the standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Homeless' people are usually considered as citizens without property. The absence of ownership, especially in terms of housing, co-creates the very idea of homelessness in current societies. Despite this fact, 'homeless' citizens negotiate and experience their property, things, or the shelter in which they dwell. This paper sheds light on how this property is negotiated and experienced and how it influences home-making. It does so by drawing on long-term ethnographic research in the city of Pilsen, a second-order city in Czechia. Based on the intra-urban comparison of informal dwelling in two abandoned buildings – a former railway station tower and an allotment cottage – the paper conceptualize the unspotted home and argues that it arises from the assemblage of socio-materiality, meanings, and various dimensions of politics, where the politics of home-ownership has an important position. While informal ownership here is related to power asymmetry within home-making, paradoxically, it also brings about more complex informal citizenship and the potential for political action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The over-representation of Roma children in segregated schools is well documented as a prevalent form of institutional racism in the Czech Republic. In the paper, we examine the inclination of parents to support school segregation. Objective: The paper looks at parents' preference for school segregation and explores its association to social dominance orientation, intergroup contacts, belief in traditional schooling and the absence of Roma children in school as proof of the school's good quality. The first hypothesis examines an association between parents' preference to withdraw their children from ethnically diverse schools and social dominance orientation (one's degree of preference for inequality among social groups). The second one tests the belief in traditional schooling as a factor contributing to a preference for ethnically motivated withdrawal. The third one studies the extent to which parents' preference to withdraw their children from ethnically diverse schools is affected by contact with Roma in their everyday life. The final hypothesis tests if parents who view Roma students as an indicator of poor education in a given school are more likely to oppose the presence of Roma students among their children's peers. Methods: Quantitative data collection was carried out on a sample of 1,803 respondents. The target group were families with at least one child of primary school age (6-14 years). A binary logistic regression analysis was implemented to assess these relationships. Results: The study confirmed that ethnically motivated school withdrawal is associated with social dominance orientation, belief in traditional school culture and education. On the other hand, the role of inter-group contact in a school environment was not proved. However, the final statistical model was rather weak explaining approximately 9% of variance in segregation endorsement. The model fit improved significantly when an additional variable -- absence of Roma as a sign of a good school -- was added. Approximately 15% of the variance in segregation endorsement was explained by the modified set of predictors. Conclusion: The study argues that ethnically motivated school withdrawal is a result of individual attitudes and situational factors. This means that researchers interested in informal school segregation will need to consider both groups of factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to present the research results concerning the pragmatic dimension of the participation of young people in selected organisations working in Poland and Ukraine. The research was comparative. Data collection involved a search of secondary data sources. All the available documents posted on the websites of the investigated organisations, including their statutes, rules and regulations, reports and accounts covering activities and operations, and social media (Facebook) posts, were analysed. An analysis of the data's content for the "pragmatic dimension of participation" category led us to three oppositions: public vs private, physical vs virtual and cyclical vs one-time, which the actions of chosen organisations can define. The results show that despite the differences in the three oppositions of the pragmatic dimension of participation in Polish and Ukrainian organisations, their mission is similar and boils down to taking all actions aimed at involving young people in developing a more democratic civil society in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After appearing only in medical law for a long time, advance directives and other forms of voluntary measures are increasingly also being recognised as an effective protector of the right to self-determination in family law. The aim of the paper is to consider the Croatian model of advance decision making in family law, observing it in the context of European, international and comparative law. In this sense, the paper first provides an overview of relevant international and European documents, then briefly analyses different solutions to the discussion in question that exist in the national legislations of the selected European countries, namely, Germany, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, and finally a detailed analysis of Croatian law. The paper aims to point out certain doubts and ambiguities that exist in Croatian law, give suggestions for improving the legislation, and encourage the continuation of scientific research in this legal field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is also implemented in agriculture, where larger agricultural holdings have a higher influence. We focused on them and situated our study to a country with a large average farm acreage -- the Czech Republic. The aim of the paper is to assess to what extent large agricultural holdings perceive socially responsible behaviour as being important and how it is manifested in their relationship to the stakeholders and the behaviour in economic, social and environmental areas using Carroll's pyramid and concept of 3 'P'. It is also examined if the higher perception of CSR influences the assets. Firms were grouped according to the perceived CSR by a cluster analysis. The highest economic responsibility in cluster 1 corresponded to the relatively high value of the assets, but the highest was in cluster 2 and 3 with important legal and ethical responsibilities. Cluster 4 had the lowest CSR, the same as the value of the assets, but further investigation is needed. The most important stakeholders were the owners and employees, but also the range of activities was provided for the locals. CSR and the importance of the stakeholders in large Czech agricultural holdings were highly perceived, especially on an economic level and in the social area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to contribute to the literature on board gender diversity by soliciting university students' views on several perceptions raised by academics concerning the suitability of women to serve on corporate boards. In particular, if the opinions of male students differ from those of female students, this showing any gender bias. Design/methodology/approach: The study is part of a much more comprehensive investigation into board gender diversity. It adopts a questionnaire approach, with this paper focussing on twelve research statements. Two hundred and ninety-six university students completed the questionnaires at a public university in the Czech Republic during March–April 2023. A pilot questionnaire was conducted in February 2023, resulting in minor changes being made. The data is analysed using SPSS and MedCalc® statistical software. Findings: Whilst, in some respects, it supports the literature in relation to the observations highlighted in the research statements concerning female traits/characteristics, there is unmistakable evidence of gender bias in the respondents' opinions regarding the qualities women can bring to corporate boards. Overall, this research shows a negative bias by male respondents towards the positive attributes females can bring to the boardroom. This bias may influence the selection of female directors in the future. This research suggests that the apparent discrimination against women is not just because they are female but from a perceived mismatch between inferred female characteristics and male stereotype leadership requirements. There is, however, no gender bias with respect to students' leadership aspirations. Practical implications: The findings of this research should help with policy-making decisions concerning the selection of future corporate board directors and help break down any negative gender selection bias. The paper adds to the discussion and debate about ethical issues related to business and broader society concerning gender diversity in senior management roles. It also adds to the political debate on the issue of legislative gender initiatives. Originality/value: The research respondents' perceptions may well influence the decision-making process for the selection of future corporate directors. Whilst these current perceptions may, and invariably will, change over time, it is important to identify them at an early stage in the respondents' careers. This research gives a better understanding of the perceived qualities that women bring to corporate boards from an inexperienced perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reliable supply of quality drinking water is a fundamental prerequisite for a healthy society and its economic development. Public ownership of water infrastructure is prevalent in most European countries. In the Czech Republic, however, water infrastructure is highly fragmented, which entails multiple risks. The fragmentation of the sector leads to a low economic efficiency of operations, the unstable quality of service provision, and significant price differences. The aim of the paper is to use the IFE matrix to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of different ways of operating water supply systems in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, through the FMEA method (failure mode and effects analysis), this paper tries to identify the risks and threats to drinking water supplies for selected operators (representing the most frequently used operating models) and, subsequently, it proposes measures to mitigate the identified risks. The topic was addressed in the form of a case study of selected water system operators in the Czech Republic, and the findings indicate the compartmentalized model to be the most appropriate operating model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes research on the didactic design of teaching materials created by Czech future teachers in their university theses. The results of the research indicate that the teaching materials for future teachers are far from achieving the highest level of didactic design. The average value of the coefficient of the total didactic design is only 26%. The weakest aspect of the teaching materials is the component of the learning management system. This fact implies a significant underestimation of the learning process. Students preparing for the teaching profession have not demonstrated the ability to compile didactically well-developed teaching material in their final theses. They use only a limited number of structural components, and therefore the basic function of teaching materials, the didactic function, is not fully fulfilled. The didactic function ensures the effective usability of textbooks and similar texts in actual education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As advanced technologies are becoming a natural part of the industrial environment, the influence of these technologies on organizational practices is becoming more expanding. In this paper, an attempt was made to understand the conjunction of Lean Six Sigma and Industry 4.0. The study was conducted in the Czech Republic and qualitative data was gathered from 10 companies. The information on the benefits, weaknesses and challenges of the conjunction was summarized. For the research purposes literature review and qualitative analysis were performed. It was found out that, although the conjunction is connected with challenges, the perspectives are beneficial for industrial companies. The data generated also allowed to introduce the readiness assessment model for the implementation of the conjunction based on 4 categories: technological, managerial, financial and human. This information could be used for theoretical and practical purposes for the creation of a successful Lean Six Sigma pattern in Industry 4.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of collective memory in the protection of "traditional" sociocultural and symbolic aspects of football vis-à-vis the processes of commodification and globalization. Empirical evidence that underpins the analysis is drawn from a multisite ethnographic study of football fan activism in the Czech Republic, Italy, and England, as well as at the European level. The authors argue that collective memory represents a significant component of the supporters' mobilization and is related to the protection of specific football sites of memory, including club names, logos, colors, places, heroes, tragedies, and histories. The authors further explain that collective memory operates through three interconnected dimensions: embedded collective memory, transcendent collective memory, and the collective memory of contentious politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explain the persistence of nationalism in the Czech Republic and its political consequences. I argue (a) that the persistence can be interpreted as a matter of culture and cultural history is thus capable of explaining this phenomenon over various historical periods--from the 19th century, over the communist dictatorship to the present time; (b) that narrowly defined culture in the form of folk art, literature and science carried nationalistic features and developed into commonly shared values, habits, attitudes, i.e. broadly defined culture; and (c) that these shared values contain common understandings of various political concepts, such as democracy, state, etc., and if the formal institutions are to be aligned with the culture, they should also bear these specific cultural features. This brings political consequences which are addressed in the second half of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to analyse and compare the consequences of the coronacrisis on the entrepreneurship of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Slovakia and the Czech Republic with the aim of identifying the determinants of changes in entrepreneurship. The secondary empirical research was carried out based on the analysis of secondary and primary data. The analysis used economic indicators of SMEs, governmental measures and surveys of the views of entrepreneurs. The analysis used data from statistical databases and official reports from government institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as data from primary surveys conducted by NGOs. Descriptive statistics, financial analysis and cross-comparison methods were used to process the data. The results revealed changes in the business of SMEs in the Czech Republic and Slovakia during the crisis, such as the adaptation of business strategies, improvement of flexibility and acceleration of digitalisation processes. These changes highlighted the importance of building business agility. The summary of the main changes in SME business based on both secondary data and primary surveys and the perception of state anti-pandemic aid by managers as feedback to governments represent the main contributions of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present paper evaluated the connections between the degree of fulfilment of the EFQM model's requirements and the organisation's size, key results, social responsibility, employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Methodology/Approach: The dataset was acquired via an internet-based survey hosted on Google Forms. The survey targeted managerial personnel within manufacturing entities situated within the geographical boundaries of the Czech Republic. Findings: Research on the relationship between the degree of fulfilment of the EFQM model requirements and the organisation's size, critical organisational results, social responsibility, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and overall organisational results demonstrated a moderately significant to strong correlation for all monitored indicators. Research Limitation/implication: The data is collected only in one specific country, but the production organisations in which the research was carried out are mainly foreign-owned. Originality/Value of paper: The current research results offer practical and theoretical implications. Theoretically, the research expands the literature on the EFQM model and its connection with current trends, which are the higher innovative activity of organisations and correlation with Industry 4. Practically, the research results will benefit managers, directors, and leaders of companies by allowing them to maintain an optimal level of quality management and estimate future requirements for complex enterprise integration. Category: Research paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture represents one of the most important economic activities that co-creates the qualities of landscapes. While topics such as food production, land utilization, or the development of rural regions are typically taken into account when analysing agriculture, regionally differentiated media portrayals of agriculture constitute a largely innovative approach. The main objective of this paper is to analyse and interpret agriculture-oriented news about individual self-governing regions in Czechia that were broadcasted in the framework of the national TV reporting. The paper is conceived as a historical study of the creation of the image of agriculture in the period from 2004 to 2011, which we define as the period of adaptation of Czech agriculture to the EU. The article includes both quantitative and qualitative dimensions. In summary, the media portrayals of agriculture largely differ from real conditions in Czech self-governing regions. Important themes, such as common agricultural policy or organic farming, have been mostly ignored within regionally focused national TV coverage. On the contrary, TV news is typically focused on one or a few phenomena of unusual or negative character, which is consistent with the gatekeeping conception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation vouchers are a tool of innovation policy, which aims to initiate cooperation between different actors, particularly between the business and research entities. The paper compares the implementation of vouchers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Its objective is to compare the policy approaches to innovation vouchers in two countries in Central Europe which have a shared history, but which, at some point, went their own way. Vouchers in Czechia have a longer tradition and were first initiated at the regional level. In Slovakia, vouchers were only implemented at the national level and with a lower budget. The research confirmed the persistent differences in the innovation policies and the more proactive approach in Czechia. The paper's contribution also lies in the focus on transitive economies, which have received less research attention so far. Implications for the design of innovation policies in countries with emerging innovation systems are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world today is on the verge of exhausting its primary resources. In this situation the circular economy is undoubtedly a means of eliminating the shortage of raw materials faced by the Czech Republic and the whole of Europe. The development of the circular economy requires a change in how it is perceived by businesses as well as consumers. This paper is devoted to the perception and relationship between consumers and the circular economy. The potential offered by consumer behaviour as regards involvement in the circular economy lies in repairing, recycling and using products for other purposes, instead of discarding them in a landfill and then buying a new product. However, one fundamental prerequisite for this is that consumers decide to engage in the circular economy, a decision that can be motivated by economic conditions or personal incentives based on their own attitude to the environment. Two-level research was carried out in order to determine how the circular economy is perceived by consumers, where the qualitative method was first used to identify the concepts that consumers perceive as constituting the circular economy. The concepts were used to compile an original definition of the circular economy from the perspective of consumers. The concepts were subjected to quantitative data collection, identifying the importance of the concepts ascertained. The subsequent statistical evaluation served to detect differences in the perception of the importance of the identified concepts depending on consumer behaviour. The research shows that if consumers are aware of the importance of the circular economy, they themselves behave in a socially responsible manner. The assessment was intended to reveal differences in responses depending on the following demographic characteristics: age, gender, education and place of residence. It was apparent that only the respondents' education is statistically significant, with consumers with a higher education assigning greater importance to the circular economy and thus being more likely to get involved in this concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, a number of experts in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are ceasing their activities. For many of them, the reason is mandatory examinations; in some other cases, it is, for example, the unclear liability of the expert witness along with large penalties for violation of given rules. The purpose of the paper is to define the fundamental parameters of expert witness liability in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the light of the global trends in the field. The primary method to achieve this goal was content analysis. The data source used was legal documents, as well as opinions published in scholarly and expert publications. The liability of expert witnesses lies not only in the compliance with the set rules and standards but also in the ability to adapt to new challenges and ensure that their wok is as relevant and accurate as possible. Expert witnesses thus bear liability at multiple levels, including ethics, professional standards, legal obligations, and practical considerations. Nevertheless, there is no established judicial practice in this area in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has increasing impacts of hydro-meteorological extremes on water resources. Projections indicate a similar trend and challenge in the effectiveness of conventional engineering solutions in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies. Nature-based solutions (NbSs) have been promoted as viable approaches and measures that complement engineering solutions. While the effects of NbSs have been increasingly demonstrated, their broader implementation can be favoured by NbSs knowledge integration in higher education curricula. Knowledge on how the research practice is translated into the educational landscape is missing. This paper adopts the concept of knowledge translation and analyses the integration of NbSs in the study programs of higher education institutions in three European countries (Croatia, Czechia, and Slovenia). Specifically, it explores the extent, thematic areas, and curricular settings of NbSs related to water resources management in implemented curricula at public universities. The results show that NbSs are integrated in a limited number of courses within the relevant study programs (in the fields of, e.g., natural sciences, geography, and engineering and technology) and represent rather an extension of compulsory curricula. Bibliometric analysis revealed that most courses involving the NbSs approach still represent a personalized knowledge, i.e., developed by professors during their research activities. The barriers impairing a broader integration of NbSs in the studied programs are then discussed. Our results therefore indicate that NbSs do not represent a mainstream knowledge that would proliferate into higher education curricula through accreditations procedures, but that the knowledge that is mostly integrated through direct incremental implementation of NbSs in the individual compulsory lessons or facultative courses. We assert that without broader and systematic NbSs knowledge translation to study programs, the effectiveness of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies cannot be fully achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a quantitative assessment of the production efficiency of the forestry sector in EU countries, which is largely neglected in the literature. Only a few studies have been conducted so far, processing data mainly in the first half of the last decade. In contrast to these studies, in this article we focus on the period between 2016 and 2020. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to compare the efficiency of the forest sector to fill the gap. The empirical results of this study show that the leaders in this sector are Germany, Finland, and the Czech Republic. These countries are fully efficient throughout the period under review. In contrast, Bulgaria lags far behind, with an efficiency score typically around 35%. The results of the cluster analysis show that although countries have similar characteristics, their efficiency scores are not necessarily at the same level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper deals with the child benefits system in the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and Sweden. Design/methodology/approach: The authors describe the systems as the key baseline for subsequent qualitative and quantitative comparison. An essential element is the quantitative comparison of child benefits using their statistically stationarised values. Findings: The Czech and Slovak systems provide a comparable rate of coverage as the Swedish system regarding the payment of both types of benefits, i.e. child benefits and tax allowances, for the first and second child; however, from the third child, the individual differences are considerable. Albeit the concepts of Czech and Slovak systems are framed by the same historical origins and conceptual approach, they differ significantly, with Slovakia providing the lowest aggregate level of child benefits. Originality/value: The paper provides insight into the child benefit systems in the respective countries. These systems are at the centre of attention of policymakers who are attempting to maintain birth rates and reduce child poverty. The Czech Republic has the lowest level of at-risk-of-poverty rates for persons under 16 years of age, while natality rates are comparable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in interest rates, inflation, and exchange rates are the main components of macroeconomic risks (financial risks) in projects evaluation. However, the conduct of monetary policy as well as its impact on the economic environment is seldom considered as an important component of macroeconomic risks. In this paper, we offer a simple framework to analyze the conduct of monetary policy. We examine the stabilizing properties of monetary policy, its impact, and the parallels in the monetary policy approaches taken in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland until the pandemic. We provide a simple theoretical background to motivate the main elements of the debate and the choice of policy strategy. We then rationalize the adoption of a form of flexible inflation targeting (FIT). It is characterized by an explicit concern over exchange rates. The empirical evidence, consisting of calibrated and extended Taylor rules, together with local projections estimates, suggests that monetary policy has been practiced with considerable flexibility by all three central banks and has contributed to business cycle stabilization in the region. Most notably, the exchange rate plays an important role in the conduct of monetary policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]