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Resistance against penetration of various rays including electromagnetic waves (EM), infrared rays (IR), and ultraviolet rays (UV) has been realized by using copper (Cu)-coated fabrics. However, the corrosion of the Cu on coated fabrics influenced the shielding effectiveness of the various rays. Besides, the metal-coated fabrics have high density and are unbreathable. This work aims to solve the problem by incorporating nickel (Ni) into the Cu coating on the ultra-light polyester fibrous materials (Milife ® composite nonwoven fabric-10 g/m 2 , abbreviation Milife) via electroless plating. The electromagnetic interference (EMI), IR test, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), water contact angle, and air permeability of the Cu/Ni-coated Milife fabric were measured. All the samples were assumed as ultra-light and breathable by obtaining the similar fabric density (~10.57 g/m 2 ) and large air permeability (600-1050 mm/s). The Cu/Ni deposition on the Milife fabrics only covered the fibers. The EM shielding effectiveness ( SE ) decreased from 26 to 20 dB, the IR reflectance ( R infrared ) decreased from 0.570 to 0.473 with increasing w Ni from 0 to 19.5 wt %, while the w Ni improved the UPF from 9 to 48. Besides, addition of Ni changed the Cu/Ni-coated Milife fabric from hydrophilicity to the hydrophobicity by observing WCA from 77.7° to 114°.

In response to the growing demand for lightweight yet robust materials in electric vehicle (EV) battery casings, this study introduces an advanced carbon fiber-reinforced composite (CFRC). This novel material is engineered to address critical aspects of EV battery casing requirements, including mechanical strength, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and thermal management. The research strategically combines carbon composite components with copper-plated polyester non-woven fabric (CFRC/Cu) and melamine foam board (CFRC/Me) into a sandwich-structure composite plus a series of composites with graphite particle-integrated matrix resin (CFRC+Gr). Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed that the inclusion of copper-plated fabric significantly enhanced the stiffness, and the specific tensile strength of the new composites reached 346.8 MPa/(g/cm3), which was higher than that of other metal materials used for EV battery casings. The new developed composites had excellent EMI shielding properties, with the highest shielding effectives of 88.27 dB from 30 MHz to 3 GHz. Furthermore, after integrating the graphite particles, the peak temperature of all composites via Joule heating was increased. The CFRC+Gr/Me reached 68.3 °C under a 5 V DC power supply after 180 s. This research presents a comprehensive and innovative approach that adeptly balances mechanical, electromagnetic, and thermal requirements for EV battery casings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in the global population is directly responsible for the acceleration in the production as well as the consumption of textile products. The use of textiles and garment materials is one of the primary reasons for the microfibers generation and it is anticipated to grow increasingly. Textile microfibers have been found in marine sediments and organisms, posing a real threat to the environment as it is invisible pollution caused by the textile industry. To protect against the damaging effects that microplastics can have, the formulation of mitigation strategies is urgently required. Therefore, the primary focus of this review manuscript is on finding an environmentally friendly long-term solution to the problem of microfiber emissions caused by the domestic washing process, as well as gaining an understanding of the various properties of textiles and how they influence this problem. In addition, it discussed the effect that mechanical and chemical finishes have on microfiber emissions and identified research gaps in order to direct future research objectives in the area of chemical finishing processes. In addition to that, it included a variety of preventative and minimizing strategies for reduction. Last but not least, an emphasis was placed on the potential and foreseeable applications of machine vision (i.e., quantification, data storage, and data sharing) to reduce the amount of microfibers emitted by residential washing machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of degradable alternative-plastic agricultural film is immediate to reduce the residual plastic pollution from the source. Degradable cellulosic films show tremendous potential for sustainable agricultural development in a low-carbon economy. However, radiative heat dissipation and poor water resistance are two main problems that hinder the practical application of cellulosic agricultural films. Herein, a superhydrophobic transparent cellulosic film with high radiation insulation was developed by combining copper nanowires (CuNWs) with high reflection of mid-far infrared radiation and hydrophobic functionalization strategy. The composite film (Cu/LC film) was constructed by facile blending and solvent volatilization self-assembly of lignocellulosic nanofibers (LCNFs) and CuNWs, followed by chemical vapor modification to obtain a superhydrophobic surface. The Cu/LC film exhibited acceptable mechanical strength and flexibility due to the excellent compatibility of LCNFs and CuNWs. The superhydrophobic interface endowed the composite film with high water resistance. More importantly, the Cu/LC film showed higher mid-far infrared reflectivity and radiation insulation effect than pure LC film. Based on the effect of CuNWs, the Cu/LC film showed good wide antimicrobial properties. Therefore, the superhydrophobic Cu/LC film with increased radiation insulation ability, some light transmittance, flexibility, and antimicrobial properties provided a new way for developing degradable agricultural film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the tribological performance of a copper alloy engine bearing under oil lubrication, seawater corrosion and dry sliding wear, three different PI/PAI/EP coatings consisting of 1.5 wt% Ce2O3, 2 wt% Ce2O3, 2.5 wt% Ce2O3 were designed, respectively. These designed coatings were prepared on the surface of CuPb22Sn2.5 copper alloy using a liquid spraying process. The tribological properties of these coatings under different working conditions were tested. The results show that the hardness of the coating decreases gradually with the addition of Ce2O3, and the agglomeration of Ce2O3 is the main reason for the decrease of hardness. The wear amount of the coating increases first and then decreases with the increase of Ce2O3 content under dry sliding wear. The wear mechanism is abrasive wear under the condition of seawater. The wear resistance of the coating decreases with the increase of Ce2O3 content. The wear resistance of the coating with 1.5 wt% Ce2O3 is the best under-seawater corrosion. Although Ce2O3 has corrosion resistance, the coating of 2.5 wt% Ce2O3 has the worst wear resistance under seawater conditions due to severe wear caused by agglomeration. Under oil lubrication conditions, the frictional coefficient of the coating is stable. The lubricating oil film has a good lubrication and protection effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two ways of to enhance the heat insulation of cold-protecting garments are studied using the mathematical model, which describes the coupled transport of temperature, humidity, and bound and condensed water. The model is developed in a one-dimensional formulation. The thermal radiation transport is explicitly considered by the subdivision of the heat flux into radiative and conduction parts. The model is utilized to study the improvement of heat-insulating properties of cold protective garments using aerogel materials and thin infrared reflective textile layers. Special attention is paid to the technological aspects of manufacturing such reflective textiles. The numerical investigations show that the use of infrared reflective textiles is the most effective of the two studied methods. Due to the reflection of the radiant heat flow coming from the human body, the skin temperature rises and the thermal insulation of clothing is significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the child penalty in Russia using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) and the methodological framework of event studies. We find that five years after childbirth, women suffer an earnings penalty, while no effect is observed for men. The mothers' penalty stems exclusively from lower employment after childbirth. Contrary to similar studies on Western Europe and the US, we do not find penalties in terms of working hours or hourly wage rates for women who remain in the labour force. We further find that mothers' employment penalty is strongly driven by household characteristics and by their spouses' beliefs. Finally, we find that parenthood decreases the probability of working in supervisory positions for mothers and in the public sector for fathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is a critical issue for resource-rich countries encountering environmental and social problems in remote regions and struggling to overcome the national economy's reliance on the oil and gas industry. We explore, through a case study of Russian oil-producing regions, the interdependency of economic, social and environmental issues by analysing the trade-offs between the need to adopt new technology to combat gas flaring and the demand for socio-economic policies. The findings suggest that international companies can serve as effective vectors for promoting gas flaring technologies if regional governments take a flexible integrated approach to socio-economic and environmental policies formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across Emerging Europe, the transition years of the 1990s were characterized by major economic transformation, but also significant disruption and uneven gains. The path of transition in the Western Balkans has, however, been particularly uneven, and dissatisfaction with living standards is especially stark and persistent there. We aim to contribute to the empirical literature on subjective perceptions of economic well‐being by providing insights on which personal characteristics and circumstances are associated with perceptions of relative economic standing and income needs. We find that factors other than spending play a larger role in the Western Balkans than in Central and South‐Eastern Europe: in particular, greater (perceived) income uncertainty and more pessimistic expectations about the future weighed on perceived relative economic standing and could account for some of the observed persistent dissatisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of poly(butylene adipate-co-hexamethylene adipate) (PBHA) copolymers with different content of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) was synthesized via one-step melt polymerization. The PBHA copolymer with 5 mol% CHDM (PBHA-C5) exhibited a low melting point (Tm) and high enthalpy of fusion (∆Hm) of 35.7 °C and 43.9 J g−1, respectively, making it a potential candidate for an ambient temperature adjustment textile phase change material (PCM). Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) was selected as the matrix and blended at different weight ratios of PBHA-C5, and the blended samples showed comparable Tm and ∆Hm after three cycles of cooling and reheating, indicating good maintenance of their phase changing ability. Samples were then processed via melt spinning with a take-up speed of 200 m min−1 at draw ratios (DR) of 1.0 to 3.0 at 50 °C. The fiber's mechanical strength could be enhanced to 2.35 g den−1 by increasing the DR and lowering the PBHA-C5 content. Infrared thermography showed that a significant difference of more than 5 °C between PBT and other samples was achieved within 1 min of heating, indicating the ability of PBHA-C5 to adjust the temperature. After heating for 30 min, the temperatures of neat PBT, blended samples with 27, 30, and 33 wt% PBHA-C5, and neat PBHA-C5 were 53.8, 50.2, 48.3, 47.2, and 46.5 °C, respectively, and reached an equilibrium state, confirming the temperature adjustment ability of PBHA-C5 and suggesting that it can be utilized in thermoregulating applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the entrepreneurial activities of a natural person. The development of the entrepreneurial activities of individuals in East-European countries and Estonia since the re-establishment of independence will be explained. Similarly, the tax compliance of natural persons as taxpayers and the development of their tax behaviour as well as the possibilities of declaring an individual's business income in Estonia will be discussed. An analysis is provided of the implementation of the Simplified Business Income Taxation Act in 2019-2020 and the profitability of the entrepreneurial activities of sole proprietors in the same period. The discussion will also explore the attitudes of individuals opting for micro-entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurial activities of individuals in 2019-2020 in terms of their number, gender and profitability will also be analysed. The results of the analysis confirmed the theoretical basis and revealed that the number of people active in micro-entrepreneurship has increased and will definitely increase also in the future. The reason lies in reduced bureaucracy allowing natural persons to be tax compliant without additional responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient shielding materials are extremely important to minimize the effect of electromagnetic interference. Currently, various composite materials are being investigated with different shielding efficiencies reported. In this paper, a flexible and free-standing sodium-based chitosan (CH/Na) polymer with copper selenide (CuSe) filler was prepared for electromagnetic shielding. The CH/Na/CuSe polymer matrix was prepared via the direct casting technique at different wt% of CuSe, varying from 2 to 20 wt%. The polymer matrix was then characterised by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to confirm the interaction between the CH/Na and CuSe. The XRD results revealed that the CH/Na/CuSe polymer was successfully formed. Improvement in the electrical conductivity was confirmed by an impedance spectroscopy measurement. The highest electrical conduction recorded was at 3.69 × 10−5 S/cm for CH/Na/CuSe polymer matrix with 20 wt% CuSe. An increase in total electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding efficiency (SET) of up to 20 dB (99% EM power shield) was achieved, and it can be increased up to 34 dB (99.9% EM power shield) with the thickness of the polymer increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this article is to compare the trend in wages of ICT Professionals in the Czech and Slovak economies during the past two decades. Methodology/Approach: The input data set for ICT Professionals was relatively large - over 2.2 million (of which ICT represented over 60 thousand) in the Czech Republic and 1.1 million (of which ICT represented over 24 thousand) in the Slovak Republic. For the purposes of presented analyses, we used basic statistical methods and characteristics. Findings: We can make the following general conclusions based on our analyses: all analyzed wage characteristics increased over time, with the exception of the economic crisis during 2009-2014 when they stagnate. Research Limitation/Implication: Our data include outliers, especially wages above EUR 4,000. However, these wages, which are relatively rare, significantly influence the total volume of wages. Originality/Value of paper: Analysis of our data offers information about development of average real wages in ICT oriented jobs. There can be found analysis of wages in all sectors in literature. Analysis of ICT Professionals wages is rarely published in journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: This article concerns job satisfaction considered as an important impulse affecting employee behavior, with particular emphasis on the analysis of the significance of the factors that shape it. Purpose of the article: The purpose of this paper is to analyze and evaluate environmental factors shaping job satisfaction in a company from the TSL industry. This article addresses the problem of job satisfaction, considered as an important impulse influencing employee behavior, with particular emphasis on the analysis of the importance of the factors that underlie it. The search for an answer to the question of what determines the satisfaction of the employee and whether the employees are diversified based on their preferences in this area, relied on own research carried out among employees of a transportation company. Methods: First of all, for each factor indicated in the questionnaire a measure was calculated -- weighted average number of points. Using the criterion of decreasing value of this measure, a ranking of the importance of factors shaping job satisfaction in the surveyed company was prepared. Secondly, in order to supplement the analyses, the correlation between general job satisfaction and particular factors of job satisfaction was examined. The values of Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and Kendall's tau coefficients (t-Kendall) were calculated. The correlation analysis allowed us to examine the strength and direction of the influence of 20 factors on the overall job satisfaction. Findings & Value added: The conducted research shows that the two most important factors necessary to achieve job satisfaction are access to information necessary for proper performance of work and independence in performing the entrusted tasks. The correlation analysis confirmed that in the surveyed company job satisfaction is shaped primarily by factors that influence the employees' needs related to affiliation. On the other hand, the correlation coefficients between general satisfaction and factors shaping the need for respect and recognition and self-fulfillment turned out to be statistically insignificant. Building job satisfaction requires identification of its sources and recognition of the nature of the relationship between general satisfaction and its determinants. Without knowledge of these factors and the extent to which they are responsible for employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction, actions taken by employers may turn out to be misguided and become only a source of costs and not the expected benefits. In conditions of limited resources, employers should optimize activities aimed at building employee satisfaction and focus their efforts on those attributes of the working environment, the modification of which will have the most desirable consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microliter volumes are used in electrochemical detection and preconcentration of radionuclides to reduce the dose received by researchers and equipment. Unfortunately, there is a lack of analysis of radionuclides with coupled electrochemical techniques and microliter volume reactors. The goals of this work are (1) to develop a miniaturized micro-electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (μeQCM) reactor for use in small volume (50–200 μL) electrogravimetric experiments and (2) to use this reactor to characterize the preconcentration of neptunium on carbon electrodes via electroprecipitation. We successfully deposited neptunium in the new μeQCM reactor and verified its operation. We found that preconcentration of neptunium on carbon coated electrodes was possible by chronoamperometry at − 1.6 VAg/AgCl. The mass shift of the resulting precipitate was indicative of the amount of neptunium on the electrode, although the correlation between the mass increase and activity of the preconcentrated material was not linear. Neptunium precipitate reduced electron transfer to the solution as evidenced by the increase in charge transfer resistance compared to bare electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of various demographic and social factors on the perception of well-being in Hungary. For the purpose of the analysis, various measures of subjective well-being have been developed as dependent variables using both narrower and broader sets of items, and a principal factor analysis was applied to construct normalised indices. Demographic predictors include gender, age, family composition, residence; sociological predictors contain education, labour market position, income and wealth as well as questions on health and religiosity. Hungary is an interesting case to study, given its well-known strong deficit in subjective wellbeing. The phenomenon is particularly motivating in light of the official propaganda from the governing political authorities on the country's economic and social progress. A low level of subjective well-being is confirmed again, partly in international comparisons, partly from the perspective of temporal change. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the data reveals that Hungarians seem to be markedly divided into higher and lower assessments of well-being on the basis of age, residence and social status. Regression models prove that material conditions have the strongest impact on subjective well-being, even if controlled for education and labour market position. The results concerning subjective-wellbeing raise questions for public policy in Hungary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim is to explain why the post-communist countries were inclined to implement proportional income taxation schemes, given the broad variety of personal tax regimes and rates applied in the rest of the world. To resolve this problem a new type of social welfare function, allowing for variable (including negative) marginal utility of income, is introduced. This new approach improves our ability to comprehend the communist and post-communist social policy attitudes from a comparative standpoint. To verify our assertions, a probit regression model is applied. The empirical investigation is based on panel data including 42 countries from Europe and Central Asia for the period of 2000–2015. The primary inference is that the decisions to implement flat tax can be explained by the law of diminishing marginal utility of income and some additional policy-related factors. As it concerns the future, a successful catching-up strategy by the post-communist countries creates conditions for gradual abandonment of the flat tax practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this article is to define and estimate the extent of different possible forms of macroeconomic dumping in the manufacturing industry within the European single market, performed by five major Central Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania; CEE-5) in the aftermath of the Eastern EU enlargement (2004-2016). Research Design & Methods: Based on the appropriate definition and decomposition of Nominal Unit Labour Cost in Purchasing Power Parity, CEE-5 social and monetary dumping has been analysed by panel data econometrics and descriptive statistics methods. Findings: Macroeconomic dumping is a determinant driver of CEE-5 manufacturing cost comparative advantages, but it has a negative relation to progress in labour productivity. The analysis highlights two distinct competitive strategies, one performed by the Czech Republic and Poland mainly based on social dumping, while the other, performed by Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, primarily focused on monetary dumping. Implications & Recommendations: Macroeconomic dumping could represent only a temporary measure to promote structural convergence, failing which it becomes an obstacle to economic modernisation. Contribution & Value Added: The article presents an accurate overview of macroeconomic dumping within the EU by using an original methodology able to differentiate between different forms of macroeconomic dumping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Many firms today operate international manufacturing networks (IMN) of plants, which may serve different purposes and have different levels of competences. This diversity influences the effectiveness of different manufacturing practices, which has not yet been explored in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between plant role and the “goodness” of its manufacturing practices.Design/methodology/approach Data are used from a sample of 471 plants from the sixth edition of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey.Findings The findings show that plants with higher competences use more practices successfully than less competent plants. Furthermore, more competent plants tend to strengthen their differentiation performance, while less competent plants focus on and achieve cost performance improvements instead.Practical implications The associations between plant role, manufacturing practices and performance provide important input for the global design of a firm’s IMN as a whole, and the development of local plants within the network.Originality/value The “goodness” of manufacturing practices has not been investigated in the plant role literature; the effect of plant role on the “goodness” of manufacturing practices has not been studied in the OM contingency literature. This paper shows that while the role of a plant in a firm’s IMN hardly affects the efforts it puts into implementing different manufacturing practices, it has an important moderating influence on the performance implications of these practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of literature in entrepreneurship and public policy suggests that the level of political freedom, corruption, and education are important antecedents to the rate of entrepreneurial activity in nations. However, empirical analysis of the effect these factors have on entrepreneurial activity across nations remains ambiguous. This study proposes that the cultural context of nations moderates the effect of these factors. Consistent with this argument, it investigates the role of individualism-collectivism in moderating the effect of political freedom, corruption, and education on entrepreneurial activity across nations. Macro-level data on 84 nations is obtained from multiple reliable sources and used to test the hypotheses. Results support the theorized arguments and suggest that individualism positively moderates the effect of political freedom, negatively moderates the effect of corruption, and positively moderates the effect of education, on the rate of entrepreneurial activity across nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the life cycle profiles of income and consumption and relative income mobility in Poland - a transition economy facing rapid structural economic and social changes. According to my results, and in line with the empirical evidence for advanced economies, the age-profiles of average income and consumption in Poland exhibit a hump. The inequality of income over the life cycle is found to flatten relatively quickly in Poland, which contrasts with the approximately linear shape observed in the US. When individual income process is fitted to match the Polish inequality profile, it exhibits less persistence than in the US. Past earnings turn out to affect current income more strongly for the group of more educated individuals. Moreover, and in contrast to the permanent income hypothesis as well as findings for other economies, no evidence of an increase in consumption inequality for households older than 30 years is found. Finally, the obtained estimates of relative income mobility in Poland are higher than those for developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges of talent management (TM) of transition economies, based on a study of employee and employer obligations as elements of anticipatory psychological contracts (APC) among young entrants to labor market. The authors aim to analyze how APC differ between transitional and non-transitional countries and also if there are differences between transitional countries.Design/methodology/approach The authors used a quantitative research design and conducted a survey using the PC inventory among business students in Poland and Slovenia and the UK (as a control group).Findings The authors found that APC in transitional countries differ significantly from the control group, with Polish and Slovenian APCs being more transactional and less relational than in the UK. Also, there are several differences between Poland and Slovenia, suggesting that Central and Eastern Europe transitional countries cannot be considered a single region in this respect.Practical implications The authors identified challenges related to TM in transitional countries based on APC characteristics and proposed several ways in which employers and educators could help to build more realistic expectations and thus helping young talents with their transition from education to labor market. By increasing the understanding of APC employers can improve their TM practices for the young talents.Originality/value The study offers unique insights into APC of the young entrants to labor market in transitional countries, with regard to both employee and employer obligations. The three types of APC were studied along with particular dimensions of APC. The authors linked TM to the APC characteristics. Based on the results, the authors propose that socio-economic context as well as national culture should be considered as antecedents of APC formation and given more attention in both psychological contract and TM research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy-making in social-ecological systems increasingly looks to iterative, evolutionary approaches that can address the inherent complexity of interactions between human wellbeing, provision of goods, and the maintenance of ecosystem services. Here, we show how the analysis of available time-series in tropical delta regions over past decades can provide important insight into the social-ecological system dynamics in deltaic regions. The paper provides an exploratory analysis of the recent changes that have occurred in the major elements of three tropical deltaic social-ecological systems, such as demography, economy, health, climate, food, and water. Time-series data from official statistics, monitoring programmes, and Earth observation data are analysed to explore possible trends, slow and fast variables, and observed drivers of change in the Amazon, Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Mekong deltas. In the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta zone, increasing gross domestic product and per capita income levels since the 1980s mirror rising levels of food and inland fish production. In contrast, non-food ecosystem services, such as water availability, water quality, and land stability appear to be deteriorating. In the Amazon delta, natural and anthropogenic perturbations are continuously degrading key ecosystem services, such as carbon storage in biomass and soils, the regulation of water balance, and the modulation of regional climate patterns. In the Mekong delta, rapid economic development, changing land-use practices, and salinity intrusion are progressively putting more pressure on the delivery of important provisioning services, such as rice and inland aquaculture production, which are key sources of staple food, farm incomes, and export revenue. Observed changes in many key indicators of ecosystem services point to a changing dynamic state and increased probability of systemic threshold transformations in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wall of Berlin felt more than 20 years ago. Since then a deep transformation has characterised the Eastern countries. People in both Eastern and Western Europe have known dramatic changes related to the integration of former communist countries in the 'western world'. Using a new empirical approach, this paper proposes an inquiry into the people's preferences and attitudes towards competition and market regulation. The results show that strong and significant differences between Eastern and Western citizens still persist. The new approach is compared to the traditional, to show that the results are robust to different methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a critical analysis of the concepts of poverty and social exclusion in three parts. First, it examines the relationship between poverty and social exclusion, a distinction that has been the subject of analysis, debate and controversy. Second, the concepts of poverty and social exclusion as used in the European policy discourse are analysed, and how changes in terminology, links to the economic growth agenda, and emphasis on employment as a response can be noticed. The recognition of the ‘territorial dimension’ of poverty and social exclusion has been an increasingly important feature of EU discourse and actions. Third, the paper explores the inherent territoriality of poverty and social exclusion, which has paved the way for localised spatial responses. The authors argue that economic concerns have triggered a continuous tendency to narrow down the focus of definition and action, in order to offer clarity of scope to researchers and policy makers, but that such narrowing could also undermine our ability to address a complex multi-dimensional process. In particular, prioritising economic dimensions to the neglect of the other aspects of social exclusion is problematic in dealing with major social problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective using of human resources is a base for successful development of economy both on enterprise and regional/ national levels. Despite significant progress in economics, Slovakia still faces high unemployment which has not been significantly reduced either when Slovakia joined the EU. In this research paper we evaluate selected personal aspects of unemployment in Krupina district which is one of the most problematic regions and exceeds above-average values of unemployment rate. Proven causalities between unemployed people (registered jobseekers) have been identified simultaneously focusing attention on facts which should be taken into account when managing unemployed people. The results of the research show us that elderly people who have worked long term and subsequently lost their jobs hardly cope with unemployment. Relatively low percentage of the unemployed is interested in retraining, even in the case of certain job following. Willingness and interest of the unemployed to create a job for themselves by starting business is also very low. Nevertheless, expenditures to support business start-ups of the unemployed increased markedly in the region examined in the recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines what regional characteristics drove economic growth throughout the European Union during the past decade and at what pace convergence proceeded in different regions of the new member states in Central and Eastern Europe. For a precise view of regional economic differentials, the analysis focuses on city regions, using the Urban Audit database provided by the European Commission as a source. Thus far, there is a lack of studies on Europe-wide urban economic differentials and dynamics. After the EU expansion of 2004, economic growth accelerated considerably in the least-developed peripheral regions, but also in the wealthier capital cities of the new member states. The growth analysis, which controls for various city characteristics, a basic city typology, and groups of countries, suggests that in the medium term economic development in Central and Eastern Europe is likely to concentrate in capital cities before it can disperse to peripheral regions. Robustness checks incorporating spatial weights and panel methods confirm the main findings. Regional policy may promote convergence if it supports the infrastructure for education and innovation in the most accessible cities and encourages utilization of these facilities within broader regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Do gender differences in expected rewards contribute to gender differences in job satisfaction? Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilizes data collected from over 9,400 employees in five economically and culturally diverse former socialist economies, first, to determine whether there are gender differences in desired and expected rewards, and second, to assess whether the link between job satisfaction and expected reward varies by gender or reward desirability. Findings – This paper finds that for women, job satisfaction is positively linked to both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, but for men, job satisfaction tends to be positively linked to extrinsic rewards. When reward desirability is included, more often for women than for men, non-monetary rewards are positively linked to job satisfaction regardless of whether they are viewed as desirable. Among men, the link between job satisfaction and a particular reward tends to be stronger if the reward is desired, although for job security this result holds for women as well. While own earnings tend to be positively linked to job satisfaction, comparison earnings are not statistically significant among most groups of respondents. Finally, we find that the magnitude of the estimated partial effect of increasing the expectation of receiving a particular reward tends to be greater for men than for women. Research limitations/implications – By focussing on gender difference results that are common across these five diverse countries, we are able to add information that will prove useful in developing a more global perspective of factors influencing job satisfaction and worker performance. Originality/value – This paper identifies gender differences in desired and expected rewards, both intrinsic and extrinsic, enabling us to more systematically explore gender differences in the link between job satisfaction, expectations, and reward desirability. Because our data come from employees in over 600 workplaces, we are able to control for an extensive number of worker, job, and workplace characteristics, which allows us to investigate in more detail, not only our primary objective – gender differences in the link between job satisfaction and expected rewards – but also several related topics: the proposition that women generally have lower workplace expectations, the link between job satisfaction and comparison earnings, for example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article puts emphasis on the fact that fear is to be articulated in the intersection between the universal structure of modernity and the particular historical narrations of the Balkans. The interpretation of history and the relationship with hope determine the meanings of fear. Fear is treated as the imagining of threats based on the re-memorization of the past and the experience of a fragile future. Hope is a positive anticipation or expectation concerning the future but exposed to the possibility of frustration. These moments are analyzed in the context of transition from the single-party based "socialism" to capitalism. The countries of the Balkans represented variations on the authoritarian welfare state project that entered crises at the end of 1960s. Ethnic conflicts in this part of Europe have been intensified under the increased economic pressures that had been latent for decades. Therefore, the fear of declassation that the middle class is experiencing has resulted in the fact that we cannot understand different national conflicts explaining the actual fears of middle class. Hence, it is necessary here to determine the structural basis of fear and hope. In order to understand the fears of the Balkans we need to reflect on the capitalism created in the meantime. It is noticed that the restorative orientation followed by the political elites during the transition causes the formation of fear axes regarding the understanding of national identity, as well as fear related to the preservation of national determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]