scholarly journals COLLABORATION IN SMART SERVICES – THE RIGHT WAY TO GO?

Author(s):  
Lucie Kanovska

Many current manufacturers provide not only tangible products to their customers, but also services which are accompanying their products. Moreover, manufacturers add smart services to their service offerings. Applying the change toward smart services is not easy, especially in SMEs where many of businesses struggle with lack of money, insufficient digital technologies or unskilled employees. The aim of the study mentioned in this paper explores current situation in SMEs and their attitudes related to collaboration with other subjects on their markets. To address the research objective, a qualitative multi-case study was conducted among seven Czech electrotechnical SMEs, which have already started with smart service development. The findings can indicate two approaches of collaboration based mostly on the owners’ enthusiasm for smart services, management’s age and the length of running their business. The study is unique in highlighting the problems of smart services in SMEs in the Czech Republic, where the industrial sector is still dominant in comparison to other European countries.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-116
Author(s):  
Lucie Kaňovská

Abstract To overcome the challenges posed by increasing competition, many traditional manufacturing companies are moving from the mere production of manufacturing goods to the integration of services that are more or less integrated into the product, which is also due to the constant development of the industry. Moreover, many manufacturing companies offer products that use smart technologies. This paper focuses on the importance of smart service provision for cooperation and innovation flexibility, innovation performance and business performance in small and medium manufacturing companies. The paper aims to find out if smart service manufacturing providers are different in cooperation and innovation flexibility and innovation and business performance from non-smart service manufacturing providers. To better understand the issue, research was undertaken in 112 small and medium manufacturing companies of the Czech Republic. The problems of smart service provision were investigated in the first empirical research held among the electric engineering companies (CZ-NACE 26 and CZ-NACE 27) in the Czech Republic. The findings show that smart service manufacturing providers are better in internal cooperation flexibility, innovation flexibility related to product and to accompanying services and in business performance than non-smart service manufacturing providers. Theoretical implication contributes in two specific ways: first, in the presentation of the interconnection of smart services and cooperation flexibility, innovation flexibility, innovation performance and business performance; and second, in the identification of the impact of smart services in manufacturing SMEs and in finding out which areas affect the provision of smart services. The findings can have a positive influence in several areas; therefore, they can be important factors for many manufacturing companies which still need some persuasion to offer smart services.


Author(s):  
Milan Chmura

The education and development of university teachers have its justifcation and its importance is signifcant not only in the Czech Republic but also abroad. This study provides an analysis of further professional education of university teachers in the Czech Republic and in selected European countries. Subsequently, it presents an international project with participants from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland, which, ultimately, plays a role in the improvement of the quality of higher education.


Author(s):  
C. Madeira ◽  
L. Hořavová ◽  
F. dos Santos ◽  
J. R. Batuca ◽  
K. Nebeska ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Clinical trials provide one of the highest levels of evidence to support medical practice. Investigator initiated clinical trials (IICTs) answer relevant questions in clinical practice that may not be addressed by industry. For the first time, two European Countries are compared in terms of IICTs, respective funders and publications, envisaging to inspire others to use similar indicators to assess clinical research outcomes. Methods A retrospective systematic search of registered IICTs from 2004 to 2017, using four clinical trials registries was carried out in two European countries with similar population, GDP, HDI and medical schools but with different governmental models to fund clinical research. Each IICT was screened for sponsors, funders, type of intervention and associated publications, once completed. Results IICTs involving the Czech Republic and Portugal were n = 439 (42% with hospitals as sponsors) and n = 328 (47% with universities as sponsors), respectively. The Czech Republic and Portuguese funding agencies supported respectively 61 and 27 IICTs. Among these, trials with medicinal products represent 52% in Czech Republic and 4% in Portugal. In the first, a higher percentage of IICTs’ publications in high impact factor journals with national investigators as authors was observed, when compared to Portugal (75% vs 15%). Conclusion The better performance in clinical research by Czech Republic might be related to the existence of specific and periodic funding for clinical research, although further data are still needed to confirm this relationship. In upcoming years, the indicators used herein might be useful to tracking clinical research outcomes in these and other European countries.


Author(s):  
Filip Kotal ◽  
František Kožíšek ◽  
Hana Jeligová ◽  
Adam Vavrouš ◽  
Daniel Gari Wayessa ◽  
...  

The modern, risk-based approach requires that only those pollutants which are likely to be present in a given water supply should be monitored in drinking water. From this perspective, defining...


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-71
Author(s):  
Nicole Horáková

The level of trust in politicians also in government institutions is taken as an indicator of the state of society in general. Various studies have shown that the population of the Central Eastern European countries, and especially the citizens of the Czech Republic, lack trust in state institutions and democratic structures. The trust of the Czech population in government institutions is, compared to other (Western) European countries, at a relatively low level. This article aims to discuss different factors that are currently influencing this lack of trust: the historical, cultural, and institutional. The empirical data for this article is based on the European Values Study and Czech surveys of public opinion concerning trust in government institutions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (37) ◽  
pp. 22-42
Author(s):  
Alicja Paluch ◽  
Henryk Spustek

The ever-increasing need for in-depth analysis and quantification of the national power, in particular ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ power-generating factors as well as difficulties in identifying a comprehensive and effective method for scientific determination of the national power, have given rise to research in the indicated scientific issues within this article. The presented considerations aim to define the assumptions for a descriptive sub-model that would enable a comparison of Poland’s power in the economic sphere (which is a component of the non-military sphere) with the power of selected European countries. The research hypothesis is that, among the variety of descriptive variables in the economic sphere of the national power, there is a subset of mutually independent variables, at the same time strongly correlated with the national power, which make it possible to define assumptions for the sub-model of the national power. The steps of the research procedure were carried out using the method of system analysis (multi-criteria comparative analysis) and statistical analysis. The research activities undertaken have shown that the factors that are strongly correlated with the national power in the economic area of the European countries adopted for the analysis are: dynamics of industrial production, private sector credit flows and economic freedom index. The comparative analysis carried out demonstrates that the greatest increase in the economic power in the analysed period took place in Germany (0.68). Slightly smaller growth was recorded in the Czech Republic (0.62) and Poland (0.60), while the lowest value of increase was in Romania (0.23). The conducted qualitative comparative analysis of the economic power of selected European countries allowed to conclude that the independent variables identified are crucial for the formation of the economic power of the analysed countries. At the same time, a fairly strong position of the Czech Republic and Poland in relation to the economic power of Germany was found. The performed quantification of the economic power of the European countries provides a basis for the correct determination of changes in the power distribution of political units, assessment of the power and resources held by the state.


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