scholarly journals The Rise or Decline of Craft Trades? Evidence from Czech Republic and Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-154
Author(s):  
Andrea TOMÁŠKOVÁ ◽  
Roman ŚMIETAŃSKI

Entrepreneurial activity in the field of craft professions is an integral part of national economies. The aim of the authors is to prepare an overview article, which would simultaneously compare selected business activities in the Czech Republic and Poland in the field of craft trades with an emphasis on young people and their employability in the labour market. In line with the aim of the article, the authors identified four research questions, which they answered based on the analysis of secondary data. They drew data from databases of statistical offices, ministries and associations. Data were processed using a descriptive statistics apparatus. In the Czech Republic, interest in the study of crafts has stagnated for a long time. In recent years, the number of graduates of craft apprenticeships has been growing. Crafts in the field of mechanical and electrical engineering are preferred, e.g. car mechanic, repairman, mechanical locksmith, electrician. Decrease in the number of graduates is recorded in the food and most construction professions. After finishing the apprenticeship, graduates often leave their field. In Poland, most companies operate in the field of trade and repair of motor vehicles. Measured by the number of graduates, the predominant field is the machinery industry, wellness professions and professions in the food industry. The interest among young people in the studied craft trades is declining in most fields, the field of metal machining shows a growing trend. It is also necessary to confirm the craftsman's expertise with a master craftsman’s certification. It is desirable to expand the possibilities of educating pupils and students in a real work environment. It is important that mutual communication between the worlds of practice and education is functional and effective.

Author(s):  
Dvouletý

Although there is a rich debate about entrepreneurship and its impact on economic development, much less is known about the actual levels of entrepreneurial activity. The main aim of the article is, thus, to map the level of entrepreneurial activity in the Czech Republic, its structure, and development during the years 2005–2017. The study is based on the secondary data obtained from national structural business statistics, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, and the Labour Force Survey. The average rate of entrepreneurial activity in the Czech Republic was 15.2% of the economically active population aged 15–64 years during the analysed period. The activity is dominated by solo-self-employed workers (own-account workers). Job creators represent only 3.2% of the economically active population. Patterns and cohorts of entrepreneurs were identified regarding gender, age, and education. There were 2.5 times more self-employed males compared to females for the past years, and the proportion of job creators is also higher for males. The Czech job creators are on average older (mostly represented in age cohort 40–49 years) compared to solo-self-employed (mainly represented in age cohort 35–44 years) and they have obtained tertiary education to a larger extent. Classification and monitoring of the Czech entrepreneurial activity might serve as an overview for Czech policymakers and regional scholars. Especially from a job creation perspective, it might be very relevant to understand the characteristics of those individuals who employ other workers, aside from themselves. From an international perspective, this study might serve as an inspiration to shed more light on the national levels of entrepreneurship and self-employment.


Author(s):  
Petra Chmielová

The aim of this article is to evaluate the business activity of small and medium enterprises in the Statutory City of Karviná in the Czech Republic. With regard to the objective of the work, a questionnaire survey focused on small and medium-sized enterprises in Karvina was carried out. Secondary data are obtained from the Czech Statistical Office. Within Karvina, the number of registered entities is approximately half the number of registered entities every year, except for cooperatives. Enterprises of natural persons doing business under the Trade Licensing Act have a considerable advantage over legal entities. The main motivating factors for entrepreneurship are the influence of “self-fulfillment” when entrepreneurs engage in entrepreneurial activity to achieve their inner satisfaction. The second main motive is the possibility to organize your time and take responsibility for yourself. From the perspective of barriers to starting a business, the most important factor is the bureaucracy and redundant administration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-172
Author(s):  
Radosław Marzęcki

When we observe the social and political life in post-communist countries, we can also notice that generations of people born after the fall of communism are beginning to play an increasingly important role in shaping the views and political preferences of the whole society. Young people socialized in significantly different conditions than their parents’ generation represent (in many areas) attitudes that indicate their “generational difference”. The aim of the article is to describe and explain to what extent the assessments of systemic transformation in chosen post-communist countries are determined by the age of citizens. The author analyzes secondary data from surveys on public opinion in the following countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine. In order to explain how young people perceive their position in relation to the older generation, which remembers the communist era, an appropriate case study was conducted. The study was conducted among students from six academic centers in Ukraine (Kyiv, Lviv, Nizhyn, Pereiaslav, Sumy, and Uzhhorod). It was found that the strength of the relationship between age and the perception of systemic change varies across countries. The deepest divisions between the older and younger generations were identified in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Bulgaria. It was also found that the young generation of contemporary Ukraine is trying to emphasize its own generational difference by creating its own political identity in opposition to the features attributed to older generations.


Economies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavla Matulova ◽  
Petra Maresova ◽  
Mohammad Ali Tareq ◽  
Kamil Kuča

Open innovation has developed over several decades from a small pool of innovation pioneers, mostly active in high-tech industries, to be widely discussed and implemented in innovation strategy. The primary objective of the Open Innovation Session (OIS) is to create a platform where firms are able to facilitate knowledge transfer. This paper focuses on the contribution of OIS, implemented by regional government, in formulating companies’ strategic management and to overcome barriers to innovation for high-tech companies in the South Moravian region of the Czech Republic. The methodology adopted for this paper includes monitoring and analysing the activities of this programme over seven years, followed by a quantitative study using both primary and secondary data. The primary data for the research were gathered through questionnaires, where the respondents were general managers of companies that had at least some experience of an innovation process. Secondary data were taken from the Czech Statistical Office. This paper has found that the association between an aspiration for innovation leadership and expenditure for research and development is high, further that participation in OIS led to a shift in the perception of the objectives, needs and conditions of the business and finally the major barriers to the innovation process are a lack of highly motivated people with the necessary technical and business experience.


2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 150-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Šedivý ◽  
P. Born ◽  
J. Vostřel

The Rosy rustic moth (<I>Hydraecia micacea</I>) has been a pest of hop in Czech hop regions for a long time. It causes most severe damages in hop gardens infested by quackgrass (<I>Elytrigia repens</I>) on waterlogged<B> </B>areas. Larvae emerge from the second half of April to the middle of May. The sum of effective temperatures (SET) necessary for hatching larvae has been determined to be 78.6C over a 4-year average. Young larvae first feed on leaves of quackgrass, and later move to hop plants where they feed inside the shoots and rootstocks. Occurrence and damage are<B> </B>most frequent at the edges of hop gardens and in places with anchorages between two hop gardens. The ichneumonid wasp <I>Ichneumon sarcitorius</I> and the fly <I>Lidella thompsoni</I> are the most common parasitoids of this pest. Numbers of males caught in pheromone traps were very low. More males were trapped near hop gardens typical for repeated harmful occurrence of the rosy rustic moth. Females trapped in a light trap from the second half of August to the last decade of September had already full-developed eggs in their ovaries.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihaela Vancea ◽  
Jennifer Shore ◽  
Mireia Utzet

Aims: There is evidence that young people are less satisfied with their lives when they are unemployed or working in precarious conditions. This study aims to shed light on how the life satisfaction of unemployed and precariously employed young people varies across welfare states with different labour market policies and levels of social protection. Methods: The analyses are based on representative cross-sectional survey data from five European countries (Denmark, the UK, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic), corresponding to five different welfare state regimes. For economically active young adults ( N=6681), the prevalence ratios of low life satisfaction were estimated through multivariate logistic regressions. Results: In all five countries, unemployed young adults presented a higher prevalence of low life satisfaction. When we compared employees with people with permanent and temporary contracts, the former were more satisfied with their lives only in Germany and the UK, examples of conservative and liberal welfare regimes, respectively. Experience of unemployment decreased young adults’ life satisfaction only in Germany and the Czech Republic, examples of a conservative and an eastern European welfare regime, respectively. In almost all countries, young adults with low economic self-sufficiency presented a higher prevalence of low life satisfaction. Conclusions: There are nuanced patterns of employment type and life satisfaction across European states that hint at welfare state regimes as possible moderators in this relationship. The results suggest that the psychological burdens of unemployment or work uncertainty cannot be overlooked and should be addressed according to different types of social provisions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-72
Author(s):  
Peter K. Smith ◽  
Fran Thompson ◽  
John Jessel ◽  
Andrea Kožuchová ◽  
Irene Ferreira ◽  
...  

AbstractCybermentoring refers to virtual peer support in which young people themselves are trained as cybermentors and interact with those needing help and advice (cybermentees) online. This article describes the training in, and implementation of, a cross-national cybermentoring scheme, Beatbullying Europe, developed in the United Kingdom. It involved train-the-trainer workshops for partners and life mentors in six European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic) in 2013–2014, followed by training sessions for pupil cybermentors aged 11–16 years. Although BeatBullying went into liquidation in November 2014, the project was largely completed. We (1) report an evaluation of the training of the life mentors and mentors, via questionnaire survey; and (2) discuss findings about the implementation of the scheme and its potential at a cross-national level, via partner interviews during and at the end of the project. The training was found to be highly rated in all respects, and in all six countries involved. The overall consensus from the data available is that there was a positive impact for the schools and professionals involved; some challenges encountered are discussed. The BeatBullying Europe project, despite being unfinished, was promising, and a similar approach deserves further support and evaluation in the future.


2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Broer

AbstractSole proprietorships are of great significance for investment and employment in the national economies of many EU states. Although sole proprietorships are also exposed to international competition, their local fiscal conditions have not yet been adequately investigated. The article seeks to close this gap. The focus is on a comparative examination of the tax burden in three states which border on Germany: Denmark, Austria and the Czech Republic. First the tax burden according to the average nominal tax rate alone is examined. In the second scenario the influence of tax benefits for retained profits are taken into account. Scenario number three analyses the effect of the various rules for setting off losses between different fiscal periods. The study shows that, all things considered, Germany is the fiscally most favourable location for about 80 % of German sole proprietorships.


Author(s):  
Andrea Holešinská

The paper deals with the evaluation of the state tourism policy of the Czech Republic. Primarily it focuses on the accomplishment of the strategic document the Concept of the State Tourism Policy of the Czech Republic for 2014-2020. The activities related to particular measures are examined and as well as the implementation of tools used by the state tourism policy is analysed. The state tourism policy of the Czech Republic is also confronted with the theoretical background. Therefore, the attention is paid to the decision-making process, the legitimacy of state interference in tourism and the role of the state in tourism policy. It is emphasized that external factors (e.g. global trends or COVID-19) have an impact on the decision-making process and the direction of tourism policy. The paper is based on the qualitative analysis of documents, which is supported by the analysis of secondary data sources.


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