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The study analyzes the impact of intercultural friendship on cultural intelligence (CQ), which is defined as an individual's ability to operate effectively in a new intercultural environment. Two hypotheses were tested using an online questionnaire completed in the autumn of 2022 by 358 university students from a private university in Prague, Czech Republic. The participants represented 26 countries, with the majority being Czech nationals. The hypotheses were as follows: (1) overall cultural intelligence, and (2) all its components (metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral) would be higher or lower depending on whether individuals had close social ties, operationalized by the binary variable "intercultural friendship". The first hypothesis was confirmed. However, the second hypothesis was only supported for the motivational and cognitive facets of CQ. Our results indicate that CQ is fundamentally a relational construct, developing primarily through contact with members of other cultures. Contextual factors, such as language skills, travel to foreign countries, residence abroad, and the frequency of intercultural contacts, create situational prerequisites for establishing closer intercultural relationships. However, they do not contribute directly to the development of intercultural skills but rather do so indirectly through these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The essence of knowledge economics is a permanent innovation process and the implementation of intense development factors. Decision-making about innovation is strategic and crucial. It is thus useful to [...]

Due to Covid 19 regional railway transport in Germany faced a decline in passenger demand. The volume of passengers in million passenger-kilometer dropped from 102,026 in 20219 to 58,822 in 2020 and stays at this level in the next year. Even the end of the pandemic in the first half of 2022 did not lead to the reserve trend in passenger numbers development. Many railway companies faced big losses due to the decline and asked for some form of help. German government therefore introduced the so-called 9-Euro-Ticket in the months of June, July and August 2022. It was the monthly ticket costed 9 EUR valid in regional transport in the mentioned months. The government further increased its support of regional transport by 2,5 billion EUR to cover all costs with increasing numbers of passengers who did not pay the full price of their travel. The ticket can be seen as a success - 52 million of them were sold. The article analyzes the development of passenger's numbers in months when the ticket was introduced, mentions some problems connected with high numbers of passengers and also discusses what happened in the period after the validity of the ticket, namely concentrates on the so-called Deutschlandticket that costs 49 EUR per month and is valid in months from May to August 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construct of cultural intelligence ("CQ") consists of four facets (metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioural). The objective of this study is to identify the CQ facet best able to predict overall intercultural adjustment. Twenty independent hierarchical multiple regression models were performed on a sample of 189 international students studying at Czech universities in a foreign language. The results showed that the CQ facet that best predicts intercultural adjustment, when controlling for demographic variables and preparedness for study abroad, is the motivational CQ facet. However, a significant relationship was also discovered for all remaining CQ facets and intercultural adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative study examines a specific approach to public sector innovations in three European countries (UK, Finland, Denmark). As these countries are world leaders in the innovations, the knowledge gained through qualitative analysis of their government reports, publications and policy analyses can serve as an example of good practice and inspire other countries. The aim of the study is to find certain generalizing principles and procedures that can be followed in the interest of good public governance. The example of the three selected countries shows the current direction of the public sector innovation effort, how innovations are supported and implemented in the public sector. In general, the development of innovation in the public sector requires strong, concrete political (usually from the country's prime minister) and financial support, a clearly defined innovation strategy and a functioning innovation cooperation, which is set up and developed centrally. With regard to public administration, in contrast to the private sector, innovations are not regulated by law and their definition given by a law is missing. Municipal and regional governments play a crucial role in the field of innovations, supporting public sector development through local innovation laboratories/hubs and centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption contracts are, throughout the democratic world, illegal and considered immoral. Their participants thus cannot use standard procedures to find a second party, to negotiate the content of the contract, to check if it performs what was promised, and to enforce the promises. This increases the risks associated with the contract. Illegality or immorality of the contract makes both parties more vulnerable – each party can threaten to reveal the contract and denounce the second party. Connecting a corruption contract with a previously established legal contract is usually seen as the best way to reduce risks and to reinforce the corruption contract. Owing to legal contacts and contracts, potential parties interested in corruption know where they should seek a counterparty and what to offer. At the same time, the corruption contract is tied to legal contracts, and failure to fulfil conditions of the corruption contract may put such legal contract at risk, therefore there is a higher probability that both parties to the corruption contract would fulfil what was promised and that there will be no extortion by any of the parties to demand additional fulfilment after the end of the corruption contract or that the corruption contract will not be disclosed. This paper presents the opposite approach in which a corruption contract is established as the first and it creates the base for further often legal but immoral contracts. All contracts lead to the mutually advantageous affinity of all its participants who often become members of corruption networks. The article presents the model when a blackmailed or dependent person must participate in corruption contracts, otherwise, it faces serious problems. But sooner or later, participation will begin to bring him benefits, so he becomes dependent on the network, although initially, he had moral inhibitions to participate in its activities. The subjects looking a counterparty of the corruption contract thus often create the environment of dependency and blackmailing and when people that are obliged to corruption lose their scruples and they see corruption as the common behaviour. Our model comes from real corruption networks in the Czech Republic. Some of them are briefly analysed. Theory of corruption must pay higher attention to all factors contributing to the spread of corruption behaviour, including mutual dependence and extortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]