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Background: Palliative care is insufficiently integrated in the continuum of care for older people. It is unclear to what extent healthcare policy for older people includes elements of palliative care and thus supports its integration. Aim: (1) To develop a reference framework for identifying palliative care contents in policy documents; (2) to determine inclusion of palliative care in public policy documents on healthcare for older people in 13 rapidly ageing countries. Design: Directed documentary analysis of public policy documents (legislation, policies/strategies, guidelines, white papers) on healthcare for older people. Using existing literature, we developed a reference framework and data extraction form assessing 10 criteria of palliative care inclusion. Country experts identified documents and extracted data. Setting: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain. Results: Of 139 identified documents, 50 met inclusion criteria. The most frequently addressed palliative care elements were coordination and continuity of care (12 countries), communication and care planning, care for family, and ethical and legal aspects (11 countries). Documents in 10 countries explicitly mentioned palliative care, nine addressed symptom management, eight mentioned end-of-life care, and five referred to existing palliative care strategies (out of nine that had them). Conclusions: Health care policies for older people need revising to include reference to end-of-life care and dying and ensure linkage to existing national or regional palliative care strategies. The strong policy focus on care coordination and continuity in policies for older people is an opportunity window for palliative care advocacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the issues of bioeconomy perception of students at forestry faculties in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Bioeconomy is seen as a great window of opportunities, hence there is increased demand for bioeconomy education. This paper can help answer this demand and improve the curricula of universities providing bioeconomy-related education. The survey was conducted at the Technical University in Zvolen and the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague among 367 students. The results show that 70% of students have heard about bioeconomy, while this number is significantly higher amongst Slovak students. Considering bioeconomy awareness, we identified significant differences between different study programmes. The main information source about the bioeconomy issues turns out to be university courses followed by news. Czech students turned out to be less satisfied with bioeconomy involvement in curricula, and who also find it necessary to increase bioeconomy focus within their study curriculum. Our results show that targeted communication of bioeconomy is a key factor for general acceptance of bioeconomy and its further development among students and the general public. The results obtained can be used to increase the extent to which bioeconomy is being addressed in study programmes within the analysed universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the communication dynamics between vaccine-hesitant parents and healthcare professionals (HCPs) is vital for addressing parent concerns and promoting informed decision-making. This paper focuses on strategies used by HCPs to communicate with vaccine-hesitant parents. It draws on empirical evidence generated as part of the international project VAX-TRUST. More specifically, 60 hours of observations were carried out in three different pediatric practices during vaccination-related visits, and 19 physicians and nurses were interviewed. We focused on the specific context of the Czech Republic, which represents a country with a mandatory vaccination system and in which children's immunization is the responsibility of pediatric general practitioners. We demonstrate that the dynamics between parents and HCPs and their willingness to invest time in the vaccination discussion are influenced by how HCPs categorize and label parents. Furthermore, we outline some of the different strategies HCPs employ while addressing concerns regarding vaccination. We identified two different strategies HCPs use to manage the fears of vaccine-hesitant parents. The first strategy focused on the communication of risks associated with vaccination (and lack thereof). HCPs used a variety of discursive practices to familiarize the unfamiliar risks of vaccine-preventable diseases (by mobilizing representations that are part of collective memory, incorporating personal experiences to materialize the presence of risk and the confidence in the safety of vaccines and by situating risk as embedded in everyday processes and integral to the uncertainty of the global world). The second strategy involved the conscious employment of medical procedures that may contribute to reducing vaccination fears.

The paper focuses on the analysis of the computerization of public administration in the Czech Republic in the context of the implementation and operation of data mailboxes, which have been an integral and very important part of e-Government in that country since 2009. A data mailbox has been defined in the Czech legal system since 2009 as an electronic repository of a special type established under the relevant Act No. 300/2008 Coll., which is intended for delivering electronic documents between public authorities on the one hand and natural persons and legal entities on the other. The data mailbox is mandatory for public authorities, legal entities registered in the Commercial Register, and natural persons engaged in business and may also be established by individuals not engaged in business. Public authorities are obliged to send documents preferably to the data mailbox of an addressee, if the latter has set up one, and, considering the legal assumption of delivery, entities which have set up a data mailbox are de facto obliged to collect documents from it. The aim of the study is a detailed description and critical analysis of the data mailbox system in the Czech Republic. The study also focuses on understanding the specific aspects of the implementation of data mailboxes in the Czech Republic. The main methods used are description, thematic and comparative analysis, so this is a descriptive case study. The results of the analysis confirm a number of problems related to the operation of data mailboxes, whether they be technical problems, security risks, usability problems, legal and regulatory problems or other organizational and procedural problems. The forced "computerization" of communication of a number of legal entities in 2023 is also mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on selected aspects of management ethics, which can be a very important factor influencing the behaviour and performance of employees. The aim of the paper is to analyze selected aspects of management ethics in the Czech business environment and to evaluate the seriousness of management ethics issues. The paper follows two main approaches: management ethics and ethical leadership. Based on the literature review, a questionnaire is used to collect data from 50 respondents who are all active in management positions. A statistical evaluation of gained results is processed and the results confronted with the theoretical background. The findings show that management ethics and ethical leadership are of big importance to managers. Managers should concentrate on such issues as bribery and communication regardless of the economic sector and number of employees in the company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the paper is to identify the message in letters written by Polish and Czech seniors. The letters were subject to qualitative analysis. The method used was the analysis of the inspired texts—letters written by older people to the younger generation, which may become a didactic tool for the younger generations to learn from the biographies of seniors. The result of the analysis is a list of categories reflecting the main aspects dominating in the letters. These categories are: message addressed to a younger generation, important events and people in individual life story, reflection upon the meaning of life and concerns and challenges in the course of life. All the seniors express their affirmation of family, share ethical reflections on their relationships with other people and on passing. Thus, the main message of the letters is a call to cherish family relationships, nurture relations with other people and show respect to others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work is an emotionally stressful profession and social workers are expected to cope with their emotions according to the practice requirements. Numerous authors anticipate that reflexivity in relation to one´s own emotions is absolutely essential for quality execution of social work. However, there are opinions that believe that even the ability not to reflect in some (primarily demanding) situations of social work practice is also essential to cope with them. In this context, the paper aims at understanding the use of reflexivity in the strategies of construction and reconstruction of emotions in social work with families. In order to meet this objective, a qualitative research strategy has been used, particularly semi-structured interviews with 30 social workers. The acquired data describes the strategies using emotions (re)construction (internal supervision, effective persona, reflexive obsession), as well as not using reflexivity (defensive self). The created data are inserted in the context of coping and defence mechanisms, and implications for practice, education and research in social work are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A region's economic development stability is directly linked to the level of services provided and the transport and communication infrastructure available to it. Airport security in the context of transport infrastructure development and the further development of regional logistics facilities is an important factor affecting both the public and private sectors. The causes and consequences investigation, which are the basic means for finding solutions in the safety area of the selected critical infrastructure subject was solved using the Ishikawa diagram. The search for causation based on the principle where each result has its own cause or combination of causes. We can use the 6M approach (staff, methods, machines, materials, measurement, and mother-nature), or 8M, which is supplemented by management and maintenance. In the process of elaborating this article, the consequences defined and the causes underlying the proposed solutions were examined in a successive way. This paper points out possible directions of development in the field of airport security within the context of the public logistics centre development. Obviously, there is no totally secure system and an increase in the level of security can be ensured by correlating all systems used to increase of the critical infrastructure elements resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from the practical implementation of Bloom's taxonomy into the class of Intercultural Business Communication that has been taught for several years at the Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. The class utilizes blended learning, and recently, Bloom's taxonomy has been introduced into the online course. Research I tests the students' satisfaction with the class before introducing Bloom's taxonomy, and Research II tests the students' satisfaction with the new approach using the Bloom's taxonomy. The findings are as follows: the students realized the difference after the implementation of Bloom's taxonomy into the online course; moreover, the students also evaluated the new course in a much more positive way than the previous one. Bloom's taxonomy, therefore, proved to be enormously useful in this blended learning environment, and the present paper highlights the importance of such an implementation. As a consequence, blended learning courses using Bloom's taxonomy will be more systematic and therefore more efficient. The results of this research show that proper linguistic utilization of Bloom's taxonomy terminology proved to be useful, and the paper stresses the importance of systematic approaches in blended learning courses so that they are creative and attractive for the new generation of online course users. Considering the small number of participants, further studies are needed to confirm the results of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life aspects in everyone's life cause a human being all the time in a diverse social situation which affects everyone differently. These aspects are the people who surround us, cultures, political environment, and profession we choose to do for life. Every job should evolve and bring new needs and enquiries. This applies to social workers as well as this job reflects social and cultural attitudes towards diverse social groups such as a mother with children, foreigners, people without housing, people with disabilities, seniors, and seniors or people living with dementia. The following text points out the significant importance of communication with a focus on social workers who take care of seniors with dementia. This text includes a theoretical perspective on the problem and practical recommendations, and it presents data which were collected during a questionnaire which was part of this research. The number of respondents to the questionnaire is 262, and the participants were from across the whole Czech Republic who are in everyday contact with the target group. The main aim of the research was to discover the social worker's attitude toward communication - how and what purpose is behind the communication with people with dementia, what tools do they use during the communication, and what complications can occur during the interaction? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Universitatis Carolinae Philologica 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.)

This paper summarizes the experience and findings from the project Modern Lecturer - Modern and Effective Adult Education, which ran between 2010 and 2012 in the Ústí Region in the Czech Republic and which was co-funded from the European Social Fund. The courses were prepared with attention to detail and to pedagogical aspects, emphasizing effective and inspiring learning. Learners were encouraged to effectively use information and communication technologies in their teaching practice in further education for adults. Continuous and final discussions and the evaluation of all ten courses have shown which methods promoting active learning were well received by the target group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Working conditions have changed significantly as remote working has become widespread in many countries. These changes were caused by a pandemic, as a result of which the possibility of direct communication as well as control and integration of employees was limited. There are also new cost categories for employees and employers, such as installing a better internet connection, purchasing new hardware and software, and implementing better security for data transmission outside the company's premises. These changes resulted in changes in the employee motivation factors against the background of organizational and cost conditions, which is important for the proper development of the organization. Aim: The aim of the article is to assess motivation to work remotely, based on a survey of opinions among 450 employees in total in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The assessment was performed by verifying, using the logistic regression method, ten hypotheses describing organizational and cost conditions as well as individual effects, such as career opportunities, increase in knowledge and skills, and the occurrence of stress that arose as a result of working remotely. The motivation to work remotely was verified by establishing the willingness to continue working through an opinion. Results: Motivation in remote work is influenced by both efficient communication and technical assistance provided to the employee remotely. Motivation resulting from the independent organization of working time is also important, and it is based on the decision to choose the duration of work, hours and intensity of its performance. Organizational and cost-related factors are related to motivation, as well as individual effects experienced by the employee. Directly from the survey, it appears that only 26.8% of the respondents incurred higher costs related to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the respondents want to continue it with their current earnings. The study found that employees are motivated to work remotely because the organizational conditions and earnings meet their needs. They also admitted that thanks to remote work, they have a better chance of developing a professional career, as well as a higher level of their knowledge and skills, which is also associated with the motivation to continue working remotely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosplay is a distinctive hobby of fans of popular culture texts such as comics, manga, anime, digital games and films. Members of the cosplay community are active participants affiliated with various fandoms and communities who produce their own costumes, props and make-ups. An important part of those specific fan and community groups are fan conventions and festivals, which have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. This fact is reflected significantly in usual behaviour, community life and participation of cosplayers. The main goal of this study is to identify the main changes and impact of the pandemic on Czech and Slovak cosplayers’ fan and community behaviour and communication habits. This study uses qualitative research strategy, specifically a series of in-depth interviews. The research unit consists of Slovak and Czech cosplayers who have been involved in this activity for at least eight years and are active members and participants in cosplay communities and fan conventions. [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.)

This article examines the everyday experience of visually disabled people with norms and normality and confronts it with three approaches discussed in disability studies: (i) the medical model, (ii) the social model, and (iii) critical disability studies. The most available model to the people in the study, as well as the most widespread approach in Czech society, is the medical model. However, the text shows that although other approaches are rather marginal, their logic is present in the everyday experience of the communication partners in the research. They can espouse the rigid, medical model, while, at the same time, confronting the construction of norms that both the social model and critical disability studies defy. This finding reveals both the normative and subversive character of disability, manifested in visually impaired experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the research described in the article is to examine the options of addressing power supply disruption in the selected sectors of infrastructure due to emergency situation: snowfall in the area of Český Krumlov and Prachatice districts in the Czech Republic on April 28, 2017. Based on the characteristics of climatic, meteorological and geographic data, consequences of power supply disruption are described with emphasis on the approach of the electricity distributor and the affected infrastructure (transport and communication networks - mobile operators) in selected sectors. Reflection on the intervention activities of the Fire Rescue Service units in making roads passable has been carried out. The article evaluates preparedness and intervention activities based on the case study of emergency situation management procedures related to the selected infrastructure and suggests recommendations for their improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the corporate culture and re/setting of employer -- employee relations is crucial due to changes in workplace due to impact of COVID-19, this article aims to identify types of organizational culture, and to find impact on the implementation of HR activities and employer branding, including classification of organizations by their defined strategies. A model of organizational culture, including its systematic relationships, is proposed and tested using a sample of 402 organizations across sectors operating in the Czech Republic as a characteristic economy in Central Eastern European region. This model includes different dimensions of internal brand management and manifestations of organizational culture. Data are analyzed using bivariate and multivariate statistics. Identification of a suitable type of organizational culture leads towards successful employer branding and work engagement; brand identification and communication directly raise positive perception of organizational culture. Three major areas of use of organizational culture and branding have been identified: re-setting of personnel processes depending on the change of organization's size, on the decline in labor productivity and on organizational mergers, changes in scope of business and in market position. The results suggest that orientation on employee engagement is a better predictor of (positive) organizational culture than increase in productivity. Furthermore, the results explain supportive roles of organizational culture towards customers and employees. The results extend theory by empirical analysis of organizational culture and internal brand management from the employers' perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nursing shortages, the substitution of practical nurses for registered nurses, an ageing workforce, the decreasing number of nurse graduates and the increasing migration of young nurses are important factors associated with the hospital safety climate in Central European countries. Aims: The aim of the study was to investigate nurses' perceptions of the safety climate in four selected central European countries (Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and to determine the relationship between safety climate and unfinished nursing care. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was used. The sample consisted of 1353 European nurses from four countries. Instruments used were the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and the Perceived Implicit Rationing of Nursing Care. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses. Results: Significant differences were found between countries in all unit/hospital/outcome dimensions. 'Perceived Patient Safety' and 'Reporting of Incident Data' were associated with aspects of 'Organizational Learning' and 'Feedback and Communication about Error'. Higher prevalence of unfinished nursing care is associated with more negative perceptions of patient safety climate. Conclusions: Cross‐cultural comparisons allow us to examine differences and similarities in safety dimensions across countries. The areas with potential for initiating strategies for improvement in all four countries are 'Staffing', 'Non‐punitive Response to Error' and 'Teamwork across Hospital Units'. Implications for nursing and health policy: 'Feedback and Communicating about Error' and 'Organizational Learning ‐ Continuous Improvement' were the main predictors of 'Overall Perception of Patient Safety' and 'Reporting of Incident Data'. Therefore, nurse managers should focus on how to empower nurses in these areas in order to foster a no‐blame culture and effective reporting. In addition, it is important for policymakers to update nursing education standards in order to address patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to analyse the situation of transformation of a victim's identity into a survivor's identity in mothers living in a shelter in Czech Republic. Domestic violence and commonly associated homelessness can be a very traumatic experience affecting the identity of homeless mothers. To understand victimological concept of reframing a victim into a survivor, we used analysis of data collected in qualitative participative research with 33 single mothers living with their children in shelters. The data shows that changing a victim's identity to a survivor's identity is realised in four stages that include: (1) the narratives of silence, (2) the narratives of total silence, (3) the narratives of transformation, and (4) the narratives of self-transcendence. An important element in the process of identity transformation is the relationship with the social worker. The results of the research are discussed in terms of relational psychoanalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text presented is a case study of one specific school in the Czech Republic, where many pupils with migrant backgrounds are concentrated. On the theoretical level, the study is based on experiential epistemology, which emphasizes interactions over the states and essences of actors or environments. This approach enables researchers to put the Bronfenbrenner's model of the ecological system in a broader context of Chicago School (interactions) and Palo Alto School (communication). Bronfenbrenner's concept of the mesosystem (in our case of the school) draw attention to the importance of communication and to specify three significant themes. The themes detect conditions that support and deepen the self/development of all actors involved (pupils, teachers, management, parents, etc.). In the methodological part, the themes have used as the frame for the frame analysis. In this way, the data collected in the school by observations, field notes, interviews are analysed. Although there are not many such schools like the one the authors research, they play an essential role in the integration of migrants into Czech society. That is the reason why the authors can discuss the outcomes of the study in a broader context and offer specific recommendations for state policies on the migrants' inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE To determine the frequency of the Nursing Intervention Classification Dying Care activities performed by nurses with end-of-life (EOL) patients. METHODS A cross-sectional, descriptive study using a structured questionnaire to determine the frequencies of Dying Care activities performed by 201 Czech nurses. FINDINGS Nurses reported more frequent use of activities focused on the physical comfort of EOL patients. Significant relationships were found between frequencies in some activities and the nurses' education level, length of work experience, and the department type. CONCLUSIONS Nurses reported infrequent use of communication activities with patients and relatives, which is related to the length of practice. CLINICAL RELEVANCE It is necessary to focus on communication and psychosocial needs of EOL patients in both pregradual and lifelong nursing education. CÍL Zjistit frekvenci aktivit NIC intervence Péče o umírající mezi českými sestry u pacientů v závěru života. METODY Průřezová deskriptivní studie využívající strukturovaného dotazníku pro určení frekvence aktivit Péče o umírající prováděné 201 sestrou. VÝSLEDKY Sestry u pacientů v závěru života častější využívají aktivity zaměřené na fyzický komfort. Významné vztahy byly nalezeny mezi frekvencí některých aktivit a úrovní vzdělání sester, délkou praxe a typem pracoviště. ZÁVĚRY Sestry uváděly nepříliš časté používání komunikačních aktivit s pacienty a příbuznými, což souvisí s délkou jejich praxe. KLINICKÁ RELEVANCE Je třeba se zaměřit na komunikaci a psychosociální potřeby pacientů v závěru života jak v pregraduálním tak celoživotním vzdělávání sester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Slovo a Slovesnost is the property of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Czech Language Institute 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.)

Introduction Dying in the preferred place of death is considered to be one of indicators of quality of end-of-life care. Research into health care professionals' knowledge of patients' preferences for place of death is therefore important. The aim of this study was to assess the difference between health care professionals and the general public in their views on where do people not want to die. Methods Secondary analysis of data from a representative survey of the general population and a convenience sample of health care professionals in the Czech Republic. Respondents from the general population were asked where they would not like to die and health care professionals were asked where they think the general population does not want to die. Sample consisted of 1095 respondents from the general population and 1006 health care professionals. Health care professionals were physicians (73.3%) and nurses (26.6%). Results Long-term care facilities and hospitals were identified as the most undesirable settings for place of death. A significant difference in views on hospices was identified: 6% of health professionals compared to 42.2% of the general population (P < 0.001) indicated a preference for people to not die in hospice. Discussion The most unwanted settings for place of death were places where most people die. More research is needed to understand the factors influencing preferences and should feed into policy making. Better promotion of hospice care should be developed to communicate to the general public the differences between hospices and other institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the competitiveness of the European model of agriculture, an environment of innovation must be created in the field of primary agricultural production and in the subsequent processing industries. The level of innovation in the processing industry greatly influences the competitiveness of businesses on the market. The team climate inventory (TCI-38) is a specific tool for measuring the important aspects of an innovation- focused team work environment. The aim of the article is to verify the possibilities of use of the TCI-38 tool in the Czech Republic. The TCI-38 factor structure in the Czech Republic is described in the article on the basis of exploratory and confirming factor analysis. Through exploratory factor analysis, the input variables were reduced to 5 factors: (1) Team vision, (2) Support for Innovations, (3) Participation Safety, (4) Task Orientation, (5) Communication, which accounted for 79.46 % of the total variance. The results Rotation Sums of Squared Loading and reliability coefficients of extracted factors show that TCI-38 is a stable tool for measuring the climate for innovation in the team work environment in the Czech Republic. The article originated as a part of the Internal Grant Agency (IGA) of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Registration Number 201111140064. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For Generation Y are social networks an essential element of communication and entertainment. The authors of this article conducted research in the Faculty of Economics and Administration at the University of Pardubice on how students (generation Y) use social networks. For the evaluation of research were used cluster analysis and decision trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This monograph, based on the Language Management model, provides information on both the simple (discourse-based) and organised modes of attention to language problems in the Czech Republic. This includes but is not limited to the language policy of the State. This approach does not satisfy itself with discussing problems of language varieties but tries also to attend to issues pertaining to situations, functions, and other aspects of communication. While Part I deals with theoretical prerequisites of the study, Part II surveys ethnic communities which are resident in the territory of the Czech Republic, and Part III, the most extensive in the study, provides a description of the current state of the major varieties spoken in the country. It is suggested that a weak form of diglossia (Standard vs. Common Czech) is one of the major areas of problems within the Czech language. Among the other communities the Roma community presents most distinctly interactional as well as narrowly communicative problems. All non-Czech communities seem to be gradually assimilating to the matrix (Czech) community, particularly with regard to language. Part IV is devoted to the survey of language management in different situations. The authors particularly deal with changes that occurred after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and resulted in intensive management in all domains of interaction. Part V presents individual observations on areas that have so far failed to attract systematic attention. Included are problems of the functions of communication, problems of communicative settings, problems of participants and networks, problems of the communicated content (such as politeness), problems of the message form and of channels of communication. This section also includes a discussion of problems affecting the use of electronic media. Finally, in Part VI attention moves to issues of theories of language management: the renowned Prague School Theory of Language Cultivation, the Communist Party theory of the 1950s to 1980s, and current theoretical stances. A Table of Contents is appended at the end of the monograph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present and critically examine the links between the role of formal appraisal procedures, appraisal teams, and project champions and their influence in the selection of information communication technology projects in the Czech Republic and the UK. Our research is empirical and uses comparative analysis and exploratory descriptive analysis to interpret the findings. We draw on the economic, management and consensus-performance literature, and optimism bias theory to support our research. Our findings show significant differences in the practices between the Czech Republic and the UK, which we believe are the result of cultural and economic diversities. There is a high level of involvement of a project champion in the selection of projects with concern being expressed over their excessive/biased influence in the decision-making process. An important finding from our research reveals that adopting clearly defined appraisal/selection procedures may reduce this biased influence. As project failure can result from the influence of a project champion at the project selection stage, it is important to fill this perceived gap in the literature. The research is the only empirical study of its kind conducted simultaneously in the Czech Republic and the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]