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The sustainability of the family business mirrors the business success and functionality of the family. Sustainability cannot be ensured without sufficient business profitability, solvency and financial stability. A company unable to pay its obligations on time is insolvent and, therefore, unhealthy. The paper's main goal is to evaluate the impact of selected economic aspects on the sustainability of family farms in Slovakia. The Finstat database serves as the source of input data for the research. For the economic analysis of the family and non-family sets of companies, Grünwald's bonity index (GIB) was chosen for its universality. According to the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, family businesses can be considered less risky, especially considering the conservative way of management and the effort for long-term sustainability. However, the results of our research may differ. Family businesses show higher profitability of total and mainly equity capital but also low current liquidity and an undercapitalised state. The most increased non-credit current liquidity was achieved in family businesses in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021. The family businesses we monitored are more profitable than non-family businesses, they do not show an excessive increase in investments, and most of them seem to have a targeted and purposeful high level of short-term liabilities.

Neuroscience and its implementation in work with human resources is an important part of managerial work. It helps to understand people and the processes of motivation, learning, and adaptation to new situations and reactions to changes in human resource management. Implementing new trends in work with human resources is also very important for ensuring the sustainability of family businesses as an irreplaceable part of national economies. Their implementation is helped by the fact that many of the family food businesses are going through the process of generational change, and family business leadership is being taken over by a generation of young managers - leaders. The contribution aimed to discover how the younger generation of managers perceives neuroscience and where they see the opportunity for its application in human resources management. Our research focused on the younger generation of managers -leaders in Slovakia's small and medium-sized food family businesses. A structured controlled interview was used for qualitative data collection, which was statistically evaluated using the Text mining method. As we discovered, some new neuroscience-based practices are already gradually being applied. By focusing our research also on a different view of the implementation of neuroscience into managerial work by gender, the conclusion is that female, young managers focused on using neuroscience to improve the working environment and in the area of human leadership. Young men as managers, were more focused on the growth of employees who already work in the company to be even more efficient and better manage the learning process. It is a very positive finding that young managers of small and medium-sized food enterprises in Slovakia have already begun actively introducing innovative methods of working with human resources using neuroscience knowledge.

New practices and changes are appearing in personnel management in the same way as they occur in other areas of management. New trends, which have various ways of implementation, emerge, along with its impact on employees, managers and businesses. Employees are an important part of each business and therefore, it is important to have right people in right places. The objective of the paper is to find out how food businesses working in Slovakia are implementing an innovative approach to the personnel management. The research actively included 453 food businesses from all Slovakia. We decided to do research into these businesses because they are household names in the field of production of domestic food products. Production of high-quality domestic food products is considered important not only for people´s nutrition and availability of quality domestic products but also due to sustainability of the employment rate in this field, development and recruitment of professional, qualified and engaged employees. The statistical relations and correlations between variables were performed by Cronbach alpha, Spearman test, Kruskal-Walis test using programs EXCEL and SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1. We found out that food businesses in Slovakia had already started to implement innovative approaches to the personnel management, but there are still significant reserves and shortcomings. The positive aspect is that food business managers have understood importance of personnel management innovation because nowadays, their main task to find, recruit, select and retain a prospective employee.

The given issue applied in the practise of food businesses in Slovakia is very actual. The objective reason is especially the fact that the food businesses are producers of domestic foodstuffs, production of which is considered very important not only from nutritional point of view for the population and availability of quality domestic products but from sustainability of employment in this branch, development and application of quality, qualified and committed employees, point of view as well. The objective of the paper is to find out how food businesses working in Slovakia implement and use new trends, in selected areas of human resource management, in reality. The research actively included 453 food businesses from all the Slovakia. The statistical relations and correlations between variables were performed by Cronbach alpha, Spearman test, Kruskal-Walis test using programs EXCEL and SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1. We found out that food businesses in Slovakia show significant reserves and shortcomings in a practical application of new trends within human resource management despite of the fact that their representatives realize the importance of human resources. In the conclusion, we provide suggestions and recommendations to improve the company practise.

Family businesses form an inseparable part of each national economy. Therefore, it is necessary to pay significant attention to the aspects that will affect their growth and sustainability in the future. The main aim of this paper is to verify the implementation of key aspects within the entrepreneurial practice of family businesses that considerably affect their growth. Those aspects were identified while processing theoretical input data. On the basis of such knowledge, the research assumptions were determined, and their validity was subsequently verified through the Mann–Whitney U test, the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test and the χ2 test of independence. Afterwards, we were able to say that key determinants, such as a formal organisational structure, finance, a constituted family council and a proper code of ethics, have a considerable effect on the growth of family businesses in Slovakia. However, proper legislation that would be a fundamental pillar that family businesses may lean on in any of their operations and activities still needs to be enacted and put into practice.

The main goal of the paper is to evaluate the perception and acceptance of change by human resources in companies in Slovakia and to propose specific recommendations to increase the involvement and active approach of business representatives in the interest of business sustainability. Based on the set goal, the issue of perception and attitudes of employees were evaluated through data obtained by a questionnaire survey through a sample survey in 816 companies operating in the Slovak Republic. The obtained data were analyzed using association analysis by application of the independence test based on formulated hypotheses and the found dependencies were presented by correspondence analysis. Innovative activities of companies do not always have to be perceived only positively by employees and it is also appropriate to consider the opposite behavior of employees. To minimize adverse events, we recommend companies formulate appropriate strategies to reduce and overcome the effects of negative attitudes to organizational change and then implement them appropriately, which is essential for the successful implementation of innovative practices.

Appropriate time management allows individuals to achieve work and personal goals, plan tasks, set priorities, eliminate disruptive effects, and increase work efficiency and productivity. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of managerial work and the performance of managers of food companies in the V4 countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland) from the perspective of time management principles, point out the shortcomings and reserves that can ensure time management, and propose solutions to improve business practice. We set five research assumptions in order to evaluate the situation comprehensively. A survey carried out from September 2020 to January 2021 involved 1588 managers working at various levels of management. Statistical methods and tests were used for data processing and their subsequent evaluation. The data were processed using Microsoft Excel 2016, the statistical software SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1, and XLSTAT. The analysis showed that three-quarters of managers are aware of the value of their time. More than half of the managers involved try to regularly review their agenda in order to identify gaps in the use of time and to avoid repeating unproductive practices. Only half of the managers make arrangements not to think about work in their free time. The managers spend the most time in their work dealing with administration. Intensifying the implementation of ICT (information and communication technologies) in the work of the manager has the effect of increasing the efficiency of the division and use of working time of managers. Based on our findings, we consider the goal orientation, positive motivation, systematic training, and development of managers as a key prerequisite for efficiency of managerial work and performance of managers and their effective time management.

Recognising that implementing an agricultural enterprise impacts the state of the environment, its ecological stability, and the self- regulatory capabilities of ecosystems, the aim of this paper is to acquaint the professional and lay public about the attitudes of Slovakian agricultural enterprises towards environmental protection and sustainable development. The paper draws attention to present methods, techniques, and tools that enterprise management are applying for the purpose of meeting and overcoming environmental challenges. The data for this research were obtained from controlled interviews and a questionnaire survey conducted across more than 90 agricultural enterprises. Based on the data outcomes, research premises and formulated research hypotheses put forward are verified by using Friedman, Wilcoxon, Kruskal–Wallis, and Pearson chi-square tests. Discussion of the findings points out that although Slovakia is not yet one of the most polluting countries, promoting the application of environmental protection approaches for sustainable development is of the essence. The most important agriculturally related step, mitigating environmental degradation, is to promote changes in the moral values of agricultural enterprises and the society through enhanced environmental awareness and application practices.

In a market situation, where the products of competing companies are becoming more similar, whether in quality or price, it is still necessary to look for new and new tools that should properly differentiate the various products or services from the competitive company. Undoubtedly one of these tools is the image that has become an essential part of marketing. Image is essentially the idea, symbol, which the consumer associates only at the mention the name of the product or company. Image performs several tasks. First, its role is to eliminate the anonymity between producer and consumer and on the other hand, image subjectively facilitates a customer orientation to market and thus facilitate decision making. Customers are fed up with information on the products and services, and so they replace the lack of objective knowledge by creating their own ideas. Sometimes these ideas may be even stronger motive to buy properties as the actual product.

The fruit consumption in the Slovak Republic rates below the European average. There are several reasons causing this situation: the financial situation of the inhabitants, high prices of the temperate zone fruit in shops and the unhealthy eating habits of the consumers. The expenses on fruit have been decreasing within the consumer basket in our country. The consumption of fruit and the fruit products (in the value of fresh fruit) rose in 2006 in comparison with 2005 and achieved 54.0 kg per capita. The increase of fruit consumption was recorded thanks to the growth of the fruit containing products. Despite the rising tendency of the fruit consumption per capita, it is still much lower than the recommended dose. Based on the questionnaire survey, the objective of this paper is to identify and analyse the attitudes and behaviour of Slovak consumers, particularly from the Nitra region, to the temperate zone fruit consumption. The survey showed that health is the most important reason for the temperate zone fruit consumption. Apples and grapes are the most frequently consumed sorts. They comprise 50% of the total consumption of the temperate zone fruit. The consumption of the temperate zone fruit has stagnated recently according to the responses of half of the respondents, and even 66% of them would like to increase the temperate zone fruit consumption. Consequently, the dependence of the particular answers to the questions and the indications of a respondent (sex, age, education, locality) were studied by the use of the associative analysis.

The present social and economic conditions in Slovakia participate to the behaviour differentiation of individual households on the consumer market. It is possible to speak about changes both in the po­si­ti­ve and negative sense of word. The positive impact can be observed in the inter-annual increase of the population revenues especially in the years 2006 and 2007 (by 13.86 % and 12.05 %) in connection with greater possibilities of the employment growth and employment on the work market of the EU member countries. The negative manifestations can be seen within the low income household groups because they represent a great part of households in Slovakia. In spite of the fact that the final consumptions and expenditures of private households increased from 56.3 % in 2000 to 58.3 % in 2005 and it was manifested in GDP, and the growth of the population standard purchasing power increased from € 5400.00 to € 7700.00 per inhabitant (Eurostat 08), Slovakia is within the EU-27 countries at the lower bound of the achieved purchasing power standard (the Eurozone average is € 14000.00). Over the decennial period (1998–2007) the average annual monetary revenue increase of private households was 7.62 % and in 2007 it represented a nominal value of € 4158.269 and in the real expression it was € 4105.009 per a household member. In the past years the economic development in Slovakia (GDP growth by 10.4 % and the final household consumption by 7.1 % in 2007) enabled, at the average annual income growth by 7.62 %, an increase of consumption expenditures by 6.59 % for foodstuffs and for non alcoholic beverages by 3.66 %. This development is confirmed by income-demand analysis results.

Internet is probably now the most important technology. It is constantly growing and bringing new possibilities for its use. Every day, new users and services are added. Companies are therefore looking into the possibilities of how to use the Internet for their business activities. In the beginning, it was used to streamline communication. But now, with the emerging of websites it has come a time to consider its use also for other business activities. Own company website is not uncommon today and it is almost a necessity if a business wants to succeed in the fierce competitive environment. With well-designed page that includes the psychological elements, enterprise can use the Internet network as its advantage. Every company, regardless of its size, should have its own website through which it is able to communicate with its customers, both current and potential, but also with suppliers, subscribers and other partners. A professional and dynamic website can also be a powerful benefit for a small business that can bring new and exciting business opportunities.

The paper deals with the important involvement of the retail firm - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its place and activities in the retail firm management. For the purpose of this paper we choose one of the Slovak retail firms. The main objective of the article is to find out, how CSR is placed in chosen firms activities. Besides other areas of CSR activities special emphasis is put on the firm – customer relationship which will be the most important CSR task for the future. Qualitative research method, in-depth interviews, is chosen in order to analyse the research aim of this paper. The paper deals with the important involvement of the retail firm - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its place and activities in the retail firm management. For the purpose of this paper we choose one of the Slovak retail firms. The main objective of the article is to find out, how CSR is placed in chosen firms activities. Besides other areas of CSR activities special emphasis is put on the firm – customer relationship which will be the most important CSR task for the future. Qualitative research method, in-depth interviews, is chosen in order to analyse the research aim of this paper.

The paper deals with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a part of Public Relation and firm development. We choose one of the most famous fast food all over the world, which is McDonalds company for our research purposes on Corporate Social Responsibility in business firm. The main objective of the article will be to find out, how McDonalds company implements Corporate Social Responsibility towards employees, customers, supply partners, and the community. We also used a questionnaire survey focused on McDonalds employees to find out how does the company implements a corporate social responsibility policy in employee opinion. McDonalds has over 32,000 installations worldwide in 120 countries. McDonalds Slovakia says openly about the social responsibility policy in companys image development and understand CSR as a Public Relation tool in particular, but also as a key tool for society development in accordance to the motto – „if the company thrives, we should feel a commitment to do good.“