Socio-Economic and Humanities Studies

OVERCROWDING - A CHRONIC DISEASE OF CZECH PRISONS

Bronislava Coufalová — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Czech prison system has been suffering from chronic problems for several years, including the employment of convicts, the misuse of imprisonment by the justice system, the underfunding of the needs of the Prison Service, the presence of drugs in prisons, etc. However, the most pressing problem seems to be overcrowding in prisons. The system of prisons and imprisonment must be understood in a comprehensive way, as it is not only a problem of the prison system itself, but also of the governmental and non-governmental institutions, other executive and parliamentary bodies, and, in essence, of society as a whole.

Iraqi Jews and the Farhud: Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders in Ali Bader’s The Tobacco Keeper

Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Alwuraafi — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In The Tobacco Keeper, Ali Bader delves into the harrowing experiences of Iraqi Jews during the Farhud, a violent pogrom that took place in Baghdad in 1941. The story not only chronicles the immediate physical and emotional toll of the violence but also examines the long-lasting psychological effects that such an experience has on the Jewish community in Iraq. The aim of this article is to examine the literary representation of psychic trauma which is provoked by exposure to a traumatic event in Ali Bader’s The Tobacco Keeper and explore the post-traumatic stress disorders that the traumatized character suffers. The article, through close reading of the novel, attempts to trace and elucidate the myriad emotional, behavioral and psychological predicaments that the protagonist exhibits and experiences after being exposed to the Farhud. The study deploys trauma theory and post-traumatic stress disorders theory to examine the protagonist’s altered perception of reality and the self and the mechanisms he employs to cope with the traumatic event and the extent to which he is able to overcome the impacts of those traumatic experiences.

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS IN FOOD, ON THE EXAMPLE OF INVESTMENTS IN WHISKY

Michał Tadeusz Najman — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The aim of the article is to indicate whether investing in whisky as a form of alternative investment is a viable form of investment and what the determinants of this profitability are. The reason for the research undertaken is an attempt to present the whisky investment market, which has so far been omitted in considerations of alternative investments. The profitability of investment in whisky was analyzed using static and dynamic methods on the basis of data available on the collector’s market. A statistical analysis of the ROI determinant and the period of return on investment in whisky in the indicated market using the r-Pearson and the Spearman ranks was carried out. The analysis covered an eleven-year period (2008–2018). There were 40 selected collector bottles available for purchase at the World Whisky Index, whose purchase prices were announced. The whisky came from 29 distilleries, of which 21 were open and 8 were closed. The influence of the age of whisky on the ROI, whether the distillery from which it came was still functioning and its taste were analyzed. The research revealed that both the age of the whisky and its taste had a marginal impact on the ROI and PP on investment in whisky, which is surprising in a food commodity. The results showed that the factor which most determines the profitability of investment in whisky is the place of origin (the distillery), more precisely whether the factory is still functioning or not.

RECOGNITION OF THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE CORPORATE SPHERE

doc. PhDr. Jaroslav Mužík, DrSc., PhDr. Radka Löwenhöfferová, Ph.D., MBA — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Recognizing the role of corporate education refers to the process of reviewing this area in the light of new knowledge resulting from the search of specialized literature, the participation of the authors of the text in international research and the generalization of innovative practices. Corporate education in companies plays its traditional role, i.e. it is a tool for managing the work performance of employees. The reality, however, shows clear tendencies to expand the role of corporate education in the corporate environment. In personnel marketing, corporate training more often becomes an important part of motivational systems. Corporate education is also one of the important pillars of Branding, i.e. the building of the organization’s brand as a good employer. The research study showed that in some areas of corporate education negative phenomena occur that reduce its effectiveness. On the part of the employees, they often include weak motivation and inappropriate attitudes within the training, aimed at changing the behaviour and conduct of individuals. On the part of the companies, often the problem is to economically quantify the effectiveness of investments in education, to determine their return. Practice shows that many businesses, organizations and institutions are faced with solving fundamental conceptual questions in this area. The current practice and benefits of educational activities in the support of work performance and their focus on the acquisition of knowledge, skills and professional competences no longer satisfy the current demands. The creation of concepts for educational events is increasingly moving towards the internal company communication system. Companies are increasingly projecting the needs, wishes and requirements of employees into the courses and training. Corporate education is no longer an internal matter of the management and organization, production and services. Within the active state policy of employment, including the use of European structural funds, corporate education is increasingly becoming a societal issue. Theory and practice respond to this fact by designing courses and training that move away from a distinctly professional aspect, while the outputs of education have a broader educational, cultural and general cultivation nature.

ASSESSMENT OF THE FINANCIAL HEALTH AND THE RISK OF BANKRUPTCY OF PASSENGER CAR DEALERSHIPS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC DURING THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC

Ing. Martin Svítil, Ph.D., doc. JUDr. PhDr. Ivo Svoboda, Ph.D. — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Research background: The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of the economy. The automotive sector was among the worst affected.

Purpose: This article assesses the financial health and bankruptcy risk of passenger car and light commercial vehicle dealerships in the Czech Republic during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Research Methodology: The study uses publicly available data from 24 selected dealerships. Models Z’ score, Z” score and IN05 are used to assess financial health and bankruptcy risk.

Results: Surprisingly, the Covid-19 pandemic did not have a significant negative impact on the financial health of retailers on average during the period under review and there was no significant increase in the number of retailers at risk of financial problems or even bankruptcy.

Novelty: Many studies have looked at the impact of Covid-19 on the automotive industry. However, only few have focused on the automotive sales sector (car dealerships), which is an important part of the value chain.

THE 2023 NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC ELECTIONS: AN EXPECTED CHANGE OF THE DIRECTION?

PhDr. Daniel Šárovec , PhDr. Pavel Hynčica, Ph.D. — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The 2023 elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic were closely followed as first-order elections. The coalition government formed after the 2020 elections was characterized by little stability. This ultimately led to the government’s fall and the appointment of a caretaker government, which led the country to early elections in September 2023. In the early elections, SMER–SD won convincingly, but a new entity, HLAS–SD, was also successful. One of the outcomes was the return of Robert Fico as prime minister. This qualitative and descriptively oriented study focuses on a comprehensive analysis, considering pre-election and post-election events. The case study captures the development of the Slovak party system; it examines the broader impact of the results of these elections and the immediate changes in cooperative–competitive relations within the Slovak party system. The results of the 2023 parliamentary elections confirmed the long-term polarization and division of the Slovak political scene and society.