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In this paper, the demographic and investment profiles of business angels operating in the Czech Republic are evaluated based on a sample of 78 angel investors. This is the first attempt to use data on investor activities from the Pitchbook database, which has become increasingly popular in academic research. Beyond the framework of descriptive statistical analysis, a multidimensional statistical investigation using cluster analysis was conducted. The results show that there are two groups of angel investors in the Czech Republic. The first group is represented by investors who predominantly have a large active portfolio, as well as the number of total completed investments. On the other hand, the second cluster is made up of investors who conduct a smaller number of investments and are also in the position of the founder of a start-up. Not surprisingly, there are two main locations of angel investors in the Czech Republic, Brno and Prague. Both categories of typical investors are united by some demographic characteristics; for example, the market is dominated by middle-aged men with a completed Master’s degree in Economics who invest in start-ups in the field of information and communication technologies. The main contribution of the paper consists in evaluating the demographic and investment profiles of angel investors operating in the Czech business environment. The results of the research have implications for upcoming research, the informal venture capital industry, and public policy beyond the Czech business environment, while developing tools for fostering an angel ecosystem. In today’s globalized world, the boundaries of angel investors are often blurred. Just as start-ups have ambitions to expand internationally, informal venture capitalists are increasingly making cross-border deals. From the perspective of both investee firms and policy makers, it is thus important to know the profiles of not only domestic but also foreign business angels, e.g. with regard to the setting of public support for foreign capital inflows., U ovom se radu demografski i investicijski profili poslovnih anđela koji djeluju u Češkoj procjenjuju na temelju uzorka od 78 anđela ulagača. Ovo je prvi pokušaj korištenja podacima o aktivnostima investitora iz Pitchbook baze podataka, koja postaje sve popularnija u akademskim istraživanjima. Izvan okvira deskriptivne statističke analize provedeno je višedimenzionalno statističko istraživanje korištenjem klaster analizom. Rezultati pokazuju da u Češkoj postoje dvije skupine anđela ulagača. Prvu skupinu predstavljaju investitori koji pretežno imaju velik aktivni portfelj, kao i broj ukupno realiziranih investicija. S druge strane, drugi klaster čine investitori koji provode manji broj investicija te su također u poziciji osnivača start-upa. Nije iznenađujuće da postoje dvije glavne lokacije anđela investitora u Češkoj, Brno i Prag. Obje kategorije tipičnih investitora spajaju neke demografske karakteristike; na primjer, tržištem dominiraju sredovječni muškarci sa završenim magisterijem ekonomije koji ulažu u start-upove u području informacijskih i komunikacijskih tehnologija. Glavni doprinos rada sastoji se u procjeni demografskih i investicijskih profila anđela ulagača koji djeluju u češkom poslovnom okruženju. Rezultati istraživanja imaju implikacije na nadolazeća istraživanja, neformalnu industriju rizičnog kapitala i javnu politiku izvan češkog poslovnog okruženja te razvijaju alate za poticanje ekosustava anđela. U današnjem globaliziranom svijetu granice anđela investitora često su nejasne. Baš kao što novoosnovana poduzeća imaju ambicije međunarodnog širenja, neformalni rizični kapitalisti sve više sklapaju prekogranične poslove. Iz perspektive tvrtki u koje se ulaže i kreatora politika, važno je poznavati profile ne samo domaćih već i stranih poslovnih anđela, npr. s obzirom na postavljanje javne potpore za priljev stranog kapitala.

Long-term experience, surveys, and statistics show that family businesses mostly lack strategies of protecting their intellectual property. Tradition, experience, family recipes, the name, and the brand of a family business are the basic prerequisite for its sustainability in future generations. The objective of this paper is to evaluate whether the existence of patents, trademarks, and other forms of intellectual property is dependent on the length of time family businesses have been active on the market. The paper also addresses the question of whether there is a relationship between the existence of different forms of intellectual property and the amount of government support drawn down. The uniqueness of this paper lies in the compilation and statistical evaluation of a unique intellectual property database of 740 registered family businesses in the Czech Republic and is the first academic paper on this topic in the country.

"Research background: The business climate development and the stage of innovation systems' transformation are very similar in many Central and Eastern European countries, making it necessary to study these specific economies. These economies are at a different level of transformation, and their governments are trying to support the development of a knowledge-based economy, the creation of innovation systems, and collaboration among different types of entities. These governments need feedback in the form of research into the impacts of public funding on innovation activities through the influence of basic research and cooperation-based resources in individual countries. Purpose of the article: This paper focuses on the examination of (i) the influence of national and European subsidies on innovation performance in manufacturing firms in the Czech Republic and (ii) impacts of knowledge-and cooperation-based resources on innovation activities in Czech manufacturing. Methods: The latest available data from the Community Innovation Survey was used for analyses realized by different regression models. The proposed research models were gradually created to verify the influence of pro-innovation factors (expenditures on in-house and external R&D and on the acquisition of external tangible and intangible sources, cooperation with different partners and innovation) and public (national and/or European) funding of firms' innovation performance within the Czech manufacturing industry. Findings and value added: The results have showed that there is a need to focus on direct and indirect effects of selected innovation determinants; we have also identified the crucial role of cooperation (specifically with government, public, or private research institutes) as a mediating variable within innovation processes. The results have also evidenced that public funding affects the efficiency of knowledge-and cooperation-based resources and amplifies the impact on firms' innovation performance differently. Whereas subsidies from national budgets do not significantly influence the innovation performance of Czech manufacturing firms, European subsidies, on the other hand, significantly increase firms' innovation performance. A long-term contribution of this paper is the significant completion of the theory of policy implications that may be applicable in a broad international context beyond the borders of the Czech Republic. This study significantly contributes to the ongoing discussion about (i) the significance of public financial subsidies from both national and European funds and (ii) the effects of cooperation and R&D on firms' innovation performance within ""catching-up"" in Central and Eastern Europe." Východiska výzkumu: Vývoj podnikatelského klimatu a fáze transformace inovačních systémů jsou v mnoha zemích střední a východní Evropy velmi podobné, a proto je nutné tyto specifické ekonomiky studovat. Tyto ekonomiky jsou na jiné úrovni transformace a jejich vlády se snaží podporovat rozvoj znalostní ekonomiky, vytváření inovačních systémů a spolupráci mezi různými typy subjektů. Tyto vlády potřebují zpětnou vazbu v podobě výzkumu dopadů veřejného financování na inovační aktivity vlivem základního výzkumu a zdrojů založených na spolupráci v jednotlivých zemích. Účel článku: Tento příspěvek se zaměřuje na zkoumání (i) vlivu národních a evropských dotací na inovační výkonnost ve výrobních firmách v České republice a (ii) dopadů zdrojů založených na znalostech a spolupráci na inovační aktivity v ČR. výrobní. Metody: Pro analýzy realizované různými regresními modely byla použita nejnovější dostupná data z Community Innovation Survey. Navržené výzkumné modely byly postupně vytvářeny pro ověření vlivu proinovačních faktorů (výdaje na vlastní a externí VaV a na pořízení externích hmotných a nehmotných zdrojů, spolupráce s různými partnery a inovace) a veřejných (národních a/nebo evropské) financování inovační výkonnosti firem v rámci českého zpracovatelského průmyslu. Zjištění a přidaná hodnota: Výsledky ukázaly, že je potřeba zaměřit se na přímé a nepřímé efekty vybraných inovačních determinantů; také jsme identifikovali klíčovou roli spolupráce (zejména s vládními, veřejnými či soukromými výzkumnými ústavy) jako zprostředkující proměnnou v rámci inovačních procesů. Výsledky také prokázaly, že veřejné financování ovlivňuje efektivitu zdrojů založených na znalostech a spolupráci a různě zesiluje dopad na inovační výkonnost firem. Zatímco dotace ze státních rozpočtů výrazně neovlivňují inovační výkonnost českých výrobních firem, evropské dotace naopak inovační výkonnost firem výrazně zvyšují. Dlouhodobým přínosem tohoto příspěvku je významné dotvoření teorie politických implikací uplatnitelných v širokém mezinárodním kontextu za hranicemi České republiky. Tato studie významně přispívá k pokračující diskusi o (i) významu veřejných finančních dotací z národních i evropských fondů a (ii) dopadech spolupráce a VaV na inovační výkonnost firem v rámci „dohánění“ ve střední a východní Evropě .

Historical field systems are an essential part of the traditional cultural landscape of societies with primarily agricultural subsistence. They embody many functions and values, as they affect the productional, ecological and hydrological functioning of the landscape, its cultural values, the way people perceive the landscape, and their impact on present-day farming. As an aspect of the historical landscape, field systems are a topic investigated in landscape archaeology, environmental studies, historical geography, landscape ecology, and related disciplines. Historical field systems can form many complex spatial structures, shapes and patterns. This paper focuses on identifying environmental and historical/cultural driving forces during the formation and the historical development of various field pattern types. We worked with 523 settlements established in the medieval to the early modern period (approx. 900–1600 AD) in the present-day Czech Republic. We have determined the proportions of different field pattern types in the examined cadastres and have statistically compared them with a variety of environmental and geographical predictors. Our results indicate a strong influence of environmental predictors (terrain undulation, cadastre size), the impact of specific historical events and associated social changes (e.g. land confiscations by the state in the seventeenth century), and a significant relationship between field pattern types and settlement layout types. Furthermore, we have observed the different adaptations of field pattern types to similar environmental conditions, as well as the impact of social and political factors on the processes of landscape formation. Our paper provides the first detailed analysis of the geographical distribution of traditional field systems on the scale of an entire modern state, and emphasizes the importance of transdisciplinary research on cultural landscapes.

The paper is focused on spas in the Czech Republic. Czech spas are unique in its extraordinary size, healing natural resources and treatment procedures, but also in the history and architecture of spa complexes in combination with spa landscape, gastronomic specialties and rich social life. In recent years, however, the spas have faced significant problems as insufficient funding, lack of qualified staff or fewer clients. The spas began to offer wellness services to improve their results. The aim of the paper is to present the current situation and to find out whether a greater focus on wellness can become a cure for the spas. The content analysis of the websites and the analysis of review sites related to the issue were used, but also the analysis of the annual reports of individual spa entities. The conclusion says that wellness activities can be used to solve the problem of the spa, but only that isn't enough. It is certainly necessary to increase the attractiveness of the spa offer, but also to invest in balneology research, support the education, maintain stable financial support from the state and make the most of marketing activities in order to preserve the medical function of the spas. Příspěvek je zaměřen na lázeňství v České republice. České lázně jsou jedinečné svou mimořádnou rozlohou, léčivými přírodními zdroji a léčebnými procedurami, ale také historií a architekturou lázeňských komplexů v kombinaci s lázeňskou krajinou, gastronomickými specialitami a bohatým společenským životem. V posledních letech se však lázně potýkají se značnými problémy, jako je nedostatek financí, nedostatek kvalifikovaného personálu nebo méně klientů. Lázně začaly pro zlepšení svých výsledků nabízet wellness služby. Cílem příspěvku je představit současnou situaci a zjistit, zda se větší zaměření na wellness může stát lékem pro lázeňství. Byla využita obsahová analýza webových stránek a analýza recenzních stránek souvisejících s danou problematikou, ale také analýza výročních zpráv jednotlivých lázeňských subjektů. Závěr říká, že wellness aktivitami lze vyřešit problém lázní, ale jen to nestačí. Určitě je nutné zvýšit atraktivitu lázeňské nabídky, ale také investovat do balneologického výzkumu, podporovat vzdělávání, udržovat stabilní finanční podporu ze strany státu a maximálně využít marketingové aktivity pro zachování léčebné funkce lázní.

Scholars who study compulsory voting realize their research in countries where compulsory voting already exists. On the contrary, there are not many studies that deal with ex ante analyses of the economic and political consequences of voter behavior caused by a new element in public elections—compulsory voting. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to find out what voters’ reactions will cause when compulsory voting is introduced in the Czech Republic. This paper has the ambition to contribute to the understanding of the economic and political context of sanctions for non-voters. The analysis of non-voters’ willingness to change their behavior due to the fine and the determination of the amount of this fine in the Czech Republic are the practical benefits of this study. In this way, we determine the “abstention price” of a vote. The input data of the analysis are data obtained by a questionnaire survey conducted in the Czech Republic in 2020, the target group is 807 respondents. The basic statistical operations, and binary and multinomial logistic regressions were employed in this study. The results of the research show that compulsory voting has only a minimal effect on the turnout. The introduction of compulsory voting changes the characteristics of the typical voter. Voters with lower political interest and political knowledge will take part in the elections more often. The fine that non-voters would be willing to pay is approx. 6% of their average monthly income.

In recent years, the Czech Republic (CR) has committed itself to the European standard of university education, which calls for a system of support to provide higher education accessible to people with disabilities. We have seen a significant development of university workplaces, which focus on the support and assistance of students with special needs in the Czech Republic; especially in the last decade. These workplaces also include the ALMA Centre at the University of Pardubice. The paper analyses the development of the number of students with specific needs, including classification into typological groups A-F according to the diagnosis of specific difficulties, in the period of the academic year 2012/2013 to 2019/2020. The design of the paper is the analysis of data from the documentation materials of the ALMA Centre resulting in an overview of the course which involves a well-established system of activities for the benefit of students with specific educational needs. The University of Pardubice provides quality conditions, support services and measures in the area of personnel, pedagogy, economics and technology for the benefit of the named vulnerable target group. In conclusion, it can be stated that the University of Pardubice, by creating equal opportunities, adheres to the principles given by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and thus ranks among higher education institutions whose goal is to meet the fundamental requirements for equal access to education. The University of Pardubice is an example of a higher education institution supporting inclusive education, which is in accordance with the National Action Plan for Inclusive Education approved by the Government of the Czech Republic. Česká republika (ČR) se v posledních letech hlásí k evropskému standardu univerzitního vzdělávání, z něhož vyplývá vytváření systému podpory ke zpřístupnění vysokoškolského vzdělávání osobám se zdravotním postižením. Významný rozvoj vysokoškolských pracovišť, která se zaměřují na podporu a pomoc studentů se specifickými potřebami, zaznamenáváme v ČR zejména v poslední dekádě. K těmto pracovištím se řadí také Centrum Alma na Univerzitě Pardubice. Příspěvek analyzuje vývoj počtu studentů se specifickými potřebami včetně zařazení do typologických skupin A-F dle diagnostiky specifických obtíží a to od akademického roku 2012/2013 až po ak. rok 2019/2020. Designem odborného textu je analýza dat z dokumentačních materiálů Centra ALMA, jeho výsledkem přehled průběhu významné systémové aktivity ve prospěch studentů se specifickými vzdělávacími potřebami. Na Univerzitě Pardubice jsou zajištěny kvalitní podmínky, podpůrné služby a opatření v oblasti personální, pedagogické, ekonomické i technické ve prospěch jmenované zranitelné cílové skupiny. Závěrem lze konstatovat, že se Univerzita Pardubice vytvářením rovných příležitostí hlásí k principům daných Základní listinou práv a svobod a řadí se tím mezi vysokoškolská zařízení, jejichž cílem je naplňovat základní požadavky na rovnost přístupu ve vzdělávání. Univerzita Pardubice je příkladem vysokoškolské instituce podporující inkluzivní vzdělávání, což je v souladu s Národním akčním plánem inkluzívního vzdělávání, jež byl schválen Vládou ČR.

From the long-term perspective, Europe as a whole has been described as the leader in reporting on socially responsible behaviour. European enterprises consider a compilation of CSR reports standard. Also, the quality of information provided is, compared to the surrounding regions, relatively high. However, several studies show that regional differences exist. In the Czech Republic, this type of reporting is still at the initial stage of development. Therefore, the first objective of the research is to find out whether Czech companies provide information about their social activities and what specific topics they prefer. The second objective is to determine what the quality of provided information is. To carry out this research, annual reports of 69 companies were assessed. The paper uses the method of conceptual content analysis. The results indicate that in their annual reports, companies tend to disclose issues beyond what is legally required. The most common reported topics concern the company’s direction, information that promote the credibility of information provided and the confidence in the good corporate governance. However, the results also show that the quality of information provided is not too high. Evropa je dlouhodobě považována za lídra v oblasti reportování o společensky odpovědném chování. Evropské firmy považují vydávání reportů za standard. Také kvalita poskytovaných informací je ve srovnání s okolními částmi světa poměrně vysoká. Přesto však některé studie naznačují, že existují regionální rozdíly i uvnitř Evropy. V České republice se tento typ reportu ještě stále nachází ve svém zárodku. Proto se stalo prvním cílem výzkumu zjistit, zda české firmy poskytují informace o svých společensky odpovědných aktivitách a která témata preferují. Druhým cílem bylo určit, jaká je kvalita poskytovaných informací. Bylo zkoumáno 69 výročních zpráv pomocí obsahové analýzy. Z výsledků vyplývá, že výroční zprávy obsahují i informace nad rámec zákonné povinnosti. Nejčastěji se jedná o informace o směřování firmy, informace zvyšující důvěryhodnost poskytovaných informací a důvěryhodnost v dobré corporate governance. Jejich kvalita však není příliš vysoká. From the long-term perspective, Europe as a whole has been described as the leader in reporting on socially responsible behaviour. European enterprises consider a compilation of CSR reports standard. Also, the quality of information provided is, compared to the surrounding regions, relatively high. However, several studies show that regional differences exist. In the Czech Republic, this type of reporting is still at the initial stage of development. Therefore, the first objective of the research is to find out whether Czech companies provide information about their social activities and what specific topics they prefer. The second objective is to determine what the quality of provided information is. To carry out this research, annual reports of 69 companies were assessed. The paper uses the method of conceptual content analysis. The results indicate that in their annual reports, companies tend to disclose issues beyond what is legally required. The most common reported topics concern the company’s direction, information that promote the credibility of information provided and the confidence in the good corporate governance. However, the results also show that the quality of information provided is not too high.

Příspěvek je koncipován jako úvod k panelové diskuzi. Rekapituluje současný pohled na moderní komunikaci vědy. Jako konkrétní příklad je pak uvedena strategie komunikace astronomie s veřejností, kterou se řídí IAU (Mezinárodní astronomická unie). Práce obsahuje přehled nejčastěji používaných žánrů komunikace astronomie s veřejností v České republice a zmíněna je absence možnosti systematického graduálního vzdělávání v oboru komunikace vědy, transparentních kvalifikačních požadavků na komunikátory vědy a systému „kariérního růstu“ This paper is an introduction to the panel discussion. It summarizes the contemporary view of modern science communication. The communication of astronomy to the public used by IAU (International Astronomical Union) is introduced. The paper contains an overview of the most frequently used types of communication of astronomy with the public in the Czech Republic. Lack of systematic gradual education in the field of communication of science is mentioned. It is also missing transparent qualification requirements for communicators of science and system of "career growth".

Interfunctional coordination (IFC) aims to develop cooperation between the different departments of a company. Services offered by companies increase customer orientation of a company and help satisfy its customers. IFC and cus-tomer orientation are the main parts of market orientation. Market orientation is one of many possible ways how to in-crease business performance and competitiveness of companies. The aim of the paper is to describe main findings of the research, which was focused on relationship between IFC and the extension of service offering provided by the manufac-turers. Among the participants of the research were manufacturers of electronic components and electric equipment based in the Czech Republic. These two industries are extremely important for the Czech economy nowadays, especially as many companies become subcontractors for the car industry and mechanical engineering. A Likert scale questionnaire was prepared to gather information about IFC and services. The respondents were usually directors or managers, i.e. employees with high-level competencies and knowledge of IFC and services in this particular market. A total of 60 SMEs were included in the survey. The data were collected from February to November 2014. The Spearman’s rank correlation test was performed to verify the relation between IFC and services. The main findings show the following: (1) There is a significant relationship between IFC and the development of new products and services according to customer needs; (2) There is a partly significant relationship between IFC and the quality of the products and services provided in manufacturing; (3) No significant relationship exists between IFC and special services offered to VIP customers. Interfunkční koordinace PŘELOŽIT aims to develop cooperation between the different departments of a company. Services offered by companies increase customer orientation of a company and help satisfy its customers. IFC and cus-tomer orientation are the main parts of market orientation. Market orientation is one of many possible ways how to in-crease business performance and competitiveness of companies. The aim of the paper is to describe main findings of the research, which was focused on relationship between IFC and the extension of service offering provided by the manufac-turers. Among the participants of the research were manufacturers of electronic components and electric equipment based in the Czech Republic. These two industries are extremely important for the Czech economy nowadays, especially as many companies become subcontractors for the car industry and mechanical engineering. A Likert scale questionnaire was prepared to gather information about IFC and services. .....

The paper is focused on market orientation with a special emphasis on strategic behaviour at high-tech companies in the Czech Republic. Market orientation is based on marketing conception and is described by many researchers as a method that helps to contribute to the better management of a company. The perception of the implementation of market orientation is evolving. However, the main principle is still the same – market orientation has a positive impact on business performance. Nowadays, a lot of authors deal with the implementation of market orientation. From this reason, we have undertaken research entitled: “Research on implementation on market orientation in Hi-Tech Firms” (GA 402/07/1493). The paper deals with market orientation and strategic behavior at hi-tech firms. The objective of the paper is to assess relationships between market orientation and strategic behaviour at high-tech companies. The data was acquired via a New Method questionnaire, which measured market orientation in a company. The New Method questionnaire, containing a 7-point Likert scale created by Tomaskova [54] was used for the research. The complete database was analyzed by using standard statistical methods (correlation analysis, Spearman correlation coefficient, chi-square) as well as other sophisticated techniques (Cronbach alpha). The main results of the research show that the level of market orientation at hi- tech firms in the Czech Republic is high and confirms the importance of obtaining information and using this information inside the company for market orientation. The main results of the research findings show that market orientation has a significant influence on strategic behaviour. It is possible to say that strategic behaviour is a part of market orientation. This strategic behaviour can be divided into two parts: Firstly gaining information for strategic company decision-making and, secondly, ways of using the information obtained in a company. Both these parts have a significant influence on business performance.

When the communist regimes in Central Eastern Europe collapsed in the late 1980s, each state in this region was faced with the tasks of restoring judicial independence and reforming the system of the administration of justice. Most countries in the CEE initially returned to the pre-communist model of court administration, in which the executive plays the central role. So did the Czech Republic too. However, this model was subject to the increasing criticism from judges as well as from various international and supranational bodies. The European Commission teamed up with the Council of Europe and eventually came up with the new template, the “EU/CoE Judicial Council Model”. The central feature of this model was a new institution – a judicial council that should be granted most “personal competences” regarding a career in the judiciary. The EU/CoE Judicial Council Model was then endorsed as the only “right” solution that should eradicate the vices of the post-communist judiciaries. As a result of this joint pressure, most countries in CEE adopted the EU/CoE Judicial Council Model. Not the Czech Republic. It became the “outlier case” in the CEE region, the only post-communist country in the process of transition to democracy without a judicial council. Hence, it is particularly interesting to discern how judicial independence and judicial accountability are ensured there. This paper shows that the Czech Ministry of Justice model has underwent significant development and, in doing so, it focuses on the most important phenomenon since the Velvet Revolution – the rise of court presidents to power. It argues that the court presidents step by step eroded the Minister’s sphere of influence and managed to enlarge their own powers. As a result they became the most powerful players in the Czech judiciary with broad powers vis-a-vis individual judges. This development in turn calls for new safeguards of internal independence against the abuse of power by court president. When the communist regimes in Central Eastern Europe collapsed in the late 1980s, each state in this region was faced with the tasks of restoring judicial independence and reforming the system of the administration of justice. Most countries in the CEE initially returned to the pre-communist model of court administration, in which the executive plays the central role. So did the Czech Republic too. However, this model was subject to the increasing criticism from judges as well as from various international and supranational bodies. The European Commission teamed up with the Council of Europe and eventually came up with the new template, the “EU/CoE Judicial Council Model”. The central feature of this model was a new institution – a judicial council that should be granted most “personal competences” regarding a career in the judiciary. The EU/CoE Judicial Council Model was then endorsed as the only “right” solution that should eradicate the vices of the post-communist judiciaries. As a result of this joint pressure, most countries in CEE adopted the EU/CoE Judicial Council Model. Not the Czech Republic. It became the “outlier case” in the CEE region, the only post-communist country in the process of transition to democracy without a judicial council. Hence, it is particularly interesting to discern how judicial independence and judicial accountability are ensured there. This paper shows that the Czech Ministry of Justice model has underwent significant development and, in doing so, it focuses on the most important phenomenon since the Velvet Revolution – the rise of court presidents to power. It argues that the court presidents step by step eroded the Minister’s sphere of influence and managed to enlarge their own powers. As a result they became the most powerful players in the Czech judiciary with broad powers vis-a-vis individual judges. This development in turn calls for new safeguards of internal independence against the abuse of power by court president.

The subject of the paper is to carry out evaluation of the current information openness of municipalities through the structured observation method, via their web pages. The aim of the paper is to assess the transparency level of municipalities in the Czech Republic. It focuses on the lawful and voluntary publication of in-formation on the websites of randomly selected group of municipalities. The content analysis on the internet was used. The thesis focuses on qualitative and quantitative data acquisition as the most effective combination. The research sample consists of 100 municipalities, which were randomly selected from a set of all municipalities in the Czech Republic with populations ranging between 2,000 to 10,000 inhabitants. The paper’s introductory part defi nes the basic concepts and obligations, which are laid down to the municipalities by international and especially Czech legislation. It is followed by the analysis of selected municipalities on the Internet, which is divided into municipalities’ management and documents regarding their activities, the offi ce’s communication with its citizens and accessibility of the sites. A synthesis of fi ndings presents the most transparent municipalities and regions. Czech municipalities have been heterogeneous in the analysis of digital transparency. Once the legislation precisely defi nes the scope and form of mandatory disclosure of information on municipalities’ websites, there is a great deal of improvement and the efforts of municipalities to fulfi l this obligation. The degree of disclosure is decreasing with the freedom for municipalities to publish information. The conclusion of the paper is devoted to the overall assessment and recommendations for the given situation in the Czech Republic.

The paper presents novel data on international human rights in the Czech legal education. The importance of international human rights treaties and case-law of human rights bodies in the domestic practice gradually increases, therefore the students of Czech law schools should be familiar with the grounds of the sub-discipline, especially with the interpretative techniques used by international human rights bodies. The paper categorizes the approaches which the Czech law faculties employ as regards educating students in international human rights field and evaluates advantages and disadvantages of the approaches implemented by individual law schools. Finally, the paper identifies weak spots in Czech legal curricula and proposes some ideas for improvement. Článek se zabývá srovnáním výuky lidských práv na českých právnických fakultách a přináší doporučení, jak jejich výuku vylepšit.

Investment incentives were originally created particularly to support the inflow of foreign capital into transforming economies. Today, they are also available in the developed countries of Western Europe, where they no longer fulfil their primary function but have become a standard and popular economic policy tool allowing the government to emphasise its impact on the country’s positive economic development (e.g., falling unemployment and reductions in unemployment benefits or recovery of public finance). Like any comprehensive system, the system of investment incentives has its supporters and opponents who cannot agree on their justification. The question is, whether they are efficient from the point of view of the government, as their provider. This is even more prevalent if the given investment was realised without investment support. Using the data of investment incentives provided by CzechInvest and selected macroeconomic indicators (Czech Statistical Office), as well as regression analysis of time series dependences, the aim of this paper is to verify the impact of investment supported by incentives (independent variables) on the macroeconomic climate of the Czech Republic (dependent variables) from 1998 to 2019. Based on the research findings, investment incentives cannot be described as an effective economic policy tool that clearly leads to the regions’ economic development. They contribute to an inflow of investments into (not only) structurally problematic regions (i.e., with higher unemployment or a lower economic level), but the positive impact of these investments on the macroeconomic climate is statistically negligible – not only at the regional level (NUTS 3), but also at the level of the whole economy (NUTS 1). In addition, the question remains as to whether or not the supported investments in the given region would have been implemented without the possibility of using incentives.

This paper evaluates electronic records of sales. We specifically focused on entrepreneurial entities in the accommodation services sector since these were included in the first stage of mandatory record keeping in the Czech Republic (from 1 December 2016 onwards). Our particular aim was to see how introducing the electronic records of sales system affected the number of collective accommodation establishments; the average accommodation fee; the total amount of sales; and the amount of tax revenue. Based on the results, we can conclude that the assumption of opponents of the electronic records of sales system that there would be a decline in entrepreneurial entities has been confirmed to some extent. Between 2016 and 2017, the number of accommodation establishments decreased by 161, but already in 2018 there was an increase of 419. The electronic records of sales system had a positive effect on the growth of the average accommodation fee. According to our calculations, this is a year-on-year increase of 30.01 CZK per night. At the same time, the number of registered guests increased by about 10% in all regions of the Czech Republic; sales in the administrative regions also increased by 8–16%. Positive effects can also be observed on the revenue side of the state budget. Not only did the number of value-added tax returns and the number of newly registered VAT payers increase, but the collection of corporate income tax also increased year-on-year. Based on the evaluation of these indicators under monitoring, it can be concluded that the electronic records of sales system is an effective tool that could have brought about a change in the situation of the accommodation services market.

Srovnávací studie, jejíž výsledky jsou v příspěvku prezentovány, se věnuje výuce fyziky na nižším stupni sekundárního vzdělávání. Cílem studie bylo porovnat předepsané kurikulum v České republice, Estonsku, Polsku a Slovinsku na základě kurikulárních dokumentů těchto zemí. Především se toto porovnání zaměřilo na vzdělávací obsah, očekávané výstupy, mezipředmětové vzdělávání a průřezová témata, vzdělávací metody, hodnocení a kompetence The paper presents results of a comparative study dealing with physics education at lower secondary schools. The main aim of the study is to compare national curricula of four chosen countries – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland and Slovenia. The study focuses on comparison of teaching content and learning outcomes in physics, interdisciplinary education and cross-curricula subjects, educational methods and assessment and field- specific key competences

Důležitou součástí procesu navrhování a realizování staveb jsou různá nařízení, normy, regulativy či doporučení. Má-li stavební inženýr navrhnout a realizovat stavební konstrukci, musí se těchto nařízení pevně držet. Je tak zaručeno, že výsledná konstrukce bude mít potřebné vlastnosti a bude splňovat podmínky pro užívání, stejně tak jako bude ekonomicky, sociálně a environmentálně vyvážená. Čím specifičtěji a důsledněji jsou tyto nařízení zpracovány, tím lepších výsledků může být dosaženo. V tomto příspěvku bude zhodnocena současnou legislativní situace v České republice a vybraných Evropských státech ve vztahu k zeleným střechám. Ty, jakožto nastupující konstrukce budoucnosti, nejsou prozatím v normách tak pevně zakotveny. Various regulations, standards, regulations or recommendations are an important part of the design and construction process. If a civil engineer is to design and construct a building construction, he must adhere to these regulations firmly. This ensures that the resulting construction will have the necessary characteristics and meet the conditions of use, as well as be economically, socially and environmentally balanced. The more specific and consistent these regulations are, the better the results can be achieved. This paper will evaluate the current legislative situation in the Czech Republic and selected European countries in relation to green roofs. These, as the emerging constructions of the future, are not so firmly anchored in the standards.

The main goal of our study is to compare attitudes to climate protection and wildlife protection, as the gap in this field of research – not only in the Czech Republic – persists. In this study we provide a detailed analysis and comparison of the public support for climate protection and wildlife protection using nationally representative data from the Czech Repub-lic. The results of regression analyses have shown that support for both protections is signi-ficantly increasing with growing pro-environmental beliefs of people, leisure time they spent in nature and their altruism. Support for climate protection also rises with higher election participation, left-wing political orientation and younger age. Support for wildlife protection increases with growing trust in non-profit organizations while decreases with growing trust in science & research institutions. The comparison of groups defined according to their con-sent with climate protection and wildlife protection showed that support for wildlife protection can be characterized as a more inclusive environmental attitude than support for climate protection. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for protagonists of environ-mental politics and ways how they approach the public. Hlavním cílem této studie je srovnat postoje veřejnosti k ochraně klimatu a ochraně přírody, neboť v této oblasti výzkumu existuje – nejen v České republice – stále výzkumné bílé místo. V této studii přinášíme podrobnou analýzu a srovnání podpory reprezentativního vzorku české veřejnosti k ochraně klimatu a ochraně divoké přírody. Výsledky regresních analýz ukázaly, že podpora v obou oblastech významně roste s rostoucím proenvironmentál-ním přesvědčením, volným časem tráveným v přírodě a altruismem. Podpora ochrany klimatu u respondentů také roste společně s vyšší volební účastí, levicovou politickou orientací a nižším věkem. Podpora ochrany přírody roste s vyšší důvěrou v neziskové organizace, a na druhé straně klesá s rostoucí důvěrou ve vědecké a výzkumné instituce. Srovnání skupin vymezených podle míry jejich souhlasu s ochranou klimatu a ochranou divoké přírody uká-zalo, že podporu ochrany divoké přírody lze charakterizovat jako inkluzivnější environmen-tální postoj než podporu ochrany klimatu. Článek diskutuje důsledky těchto zjištění pro tvorbu environmentálních politik a způsoby práce s veřejností v této oblasti.

Covering the period of 1990–2020, the paper summarises the evolution of the iron triangle of the mutual relationships amongst the ministry of defence, defence industry, and the political elite, in the post-communist Czech Republic. In essence, the essay stresses the oddness of this relationship. On the one hand, the government is bound by a partnership to the Defence and Security Industry Association of the Czech Republic (DSIA), a lobbying group of more than 100 organisations that conduct business in defence and security sector in the Czech Republic. Yet, since its creation in 2000, this assemblage of industries within DSIA’s market position is falling, in fact. Neither political parties in power, nor the governments have been able to support national defence industry through the military. Although some subsidiaries of multinational armament concerns are DSIA members, the transnational military-industrial complex utilises DSIA only as a proxy for distribution of their products in the Czech Republic with the assistance of national military elite. Just a few DSIA national members are able to compete internationally with their cutting edge products. Others have evolved into middlemen trading in time-expired Soviet and Czechoslovak equipment retired from the Czech Armed Forces. S využitím konceptu železného trianglu je rozbrána evoloce vztahů mezi Ministerstvem obrany, obranným průmyslem a politickými elitami v České republice od roku 1990. Článek zvýrazňuje zvláštnost těchto vztahů. Na jedné straně se vláda rozhodla svázat se požadavky Asociace obranného a bezpečnostního průmyslu (AOBP), lobistickou organizací zastupující zájmy více než 100 subjektů. Ovšem výsledkem tohoto partnerství vzniklého v roce 2000 je úpadek národního trhu AOBP. Ani politické strany, ani vlády nebyly schopné podpořit národní výrobce prostřednictvím vojenské politiky. Ve skutečnosti slouží AOBP zájmům mezinárodního vojenského komplexu pro prodej jeho produktů za asistence národní vojenské elity. Je několik členů AOBP je schopno mezinárodní konkurence. Ostatní se často soustředí na přeprodej sovětské vojenské techniky vyrobené v Československu, která byla vyřazena z Armády ČR.

Over the last decade, online grocery shopping has been a growing e-commerce area, currently representing a multi-billion business. While research has been carried out outlining different aspects of consumers’ general online shopping behavior, grocery shopping has its specificity in its mundanity and everydayness. As a mundane and routine practice, it affects consumers’ everyday lives, as well as other larger-scale issues such as food waste. This paper strives to explore this intersection between online shopping behavior and everyday life. Based on qualitative research, it outlines four behavioral alterations consumers exhibit when switching from offline to online grocery shopping. It then outlines how they fit into and affect their lived experience, creating perceived benefits and/or pitfalls of online grocery shopping., Tijekom proteklog desetljeća internetska kupovina namirnica razvila se u važno područje e-trgovine te trenutno predstavlja multimilijardski biznis. Iako su već provedena općenita istraživanja o različitim aspektima ponašanja kupaca prilikom online kupovine, kupovina namirnica specifična je po svojoj rutini i svakodnevnosti. Kao uobičajena i rutinska aktivnost ona utječe na svakodnevne živote potrošača, ali i na pitanja od šireg značaja, npr. problem bacanja hrane. Ovaj se rad bavi ponašanjem online kupaca i utjecajem online kupovine na njihove svakodnevne živote. Na temelju kvalitativnog istraživanja, opisuju se četiri promjene u ponašanju potrošača nakon prelaska s offline na online kupovinu namirnica. Zatim se opisuje kako te promjene utječu na svakodnevicu potrošača i na njihovu percepciju prednosti i/ili mana internetske kupovine namirnica.