Central European Region Research Articles

Optimal prey for red fox cubs-An example of dual optimizing foraging strategy in foxes from a dynamic wetland habitat.

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most abundant mesopredator in the Central European region. Detailed knowledge about their feeding behavior is important both from ecological and wildlife management reasons. Food choices of foxes are poorly predictable in high-biodiversity marshlands. The main aim of our study was to sample parallel the main food-type abundances in the study area and analyze the diet of fox cubs and cohabiting adults across 3 years during the period of maternal dependence of the cubs. According to the optimal foraging theory, we predicted that the cubs' diet would show higher energy content, would be more varied, and the individual prey species fed to the young would be larger. We analyzed the composition of adult fox and cub fecal samples collected separately around dens in a marshland of western Hungary, May 2014, 2017 and 2020, when the abundance values of main food sources differed. Rodents and waterfowl dominated the diet, but their relative occurrence in the samples showed yearly variations. We found that vixens follow a dual optimizing foraging strategy regarding their provisioning of the cubs and their own diet. Adult foxes optimized their diet according to the actual yearly abundances of their main food sources. Additionally, they preferred prey items that can be consumed at the site of capture (large carrion and small individual prey items). Cubs on the other hand were provisioned with optimal high-energy food, even if those in question became less abundant in that year. Vixens mostly fed to their young either larger rodents and waterfowl, or multiple small rodents at a time-these type of prey are both optimal for transportation as a single load. Providing optimal prey at an early age in a changing environment may contribute to the ecological success of the red fox.

Cross-Country Study of Central Asia and Central Europe: Gender Equality Issues

The study investigates how gender stereotypes and economic differences influence gender inequality in emerging economies. The research aims to examine gender imbalances in Central Asia (CA) and Central Europe (CE) which share a long socialist history. The objectives of the paper are to collect data on both CA and CE regions and examine relationships between Human Development Index, Global Innovation Index, Gender Inequality Index, and Global Gender Gap. The relevance of actions and initiatives to promote gender equality in regions is emphasized. To consider the problem from the point of view of theory, we did a literature review of sociological, economic, and educational studies on gender and the formation of gender stereotypes using the Web of Science and Scopus databases and the Mendeley and Research Gate social networks. A comparative analysis of quantitative data of secondary information was carried out based on information from the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and Central Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). The study uses a quantitative correlation method. Countries with a high gender gap are expected to have lower human development and innovation levels. Central Asian countries have more significant gender gaps and gender inequalities than Central Europe. The value of the study lies in the attempt to recreate the big picture regarding the existing gender gaps in the countries with emerging economies, covering countries of Central Asia and Central Europe. Agencies of countries with emerging economies can use the study results to analyze scenarios and forecasts to develop labor markets and elaborate policies and programs to combat gender inequality.

The common agricultural policy subsidies and the technical efficiency of Hungarian wine farms

PurposeThe literature argues on ambiguous impacts of different types of the common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidies on farm technical efficiency (TE). The purpose of this paper is to estimate and analyse the TE and the impact of the CAP subsidies on the TE of wine farms in Hungary using the farm accountancy data network data set in the period 2013–2019.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use stochastic frontiers analysis (SFA) models to estimate the TE scores for the Hungarian wine farms with four wine farm-level inputs in terms of agricultural land, labour, capital and intermediate consumption. The TE scores are explained by the CAP subsidies and economic wine farm size. The different SFA models were applied with robustness tests to investigate the drivers of the TE values of wineries.FindingsLike for Hungarian farms in general, the distribution of the wine farm structure is a dual with a greater number of smaller wine farms and a smaller number of bigger wine farms. The agricultural land, capital and intermediate consumption are significantly positively associated with the wine farm TE. With higher capital intensity wine farm TE increase. The results imply that the CAP subsidies decrease the TE of the Hungarian wine farms, whereas economic farm size increase.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first specific efficiency studies on the wine sector in the Central and Eastern European region and the first one for Hungary to evaluate the TE at wine farm level and to assess the impact of CAP subsidies and economic farm size on wine farm (in)efficiency to apply production technologies and use farm resources. This study is among the first that applied the fixed-effects stochastic frontier model at the wine farm level to measure the drivers of the TE scores.

European Habitats Directive has fostered monitoring but not prevented species declines

AbstractStrong biodiversity declines have been reported across the European Union, especially in insects, despite conservation policy such as the Habitats Directive that aims to halt biodiversity loss. Using 50 years of observational data, we examined indicators for the goals of the Directive in terms of improving monitoring efforts and occupancy trends of butterfly and dragonfly annex species in a central European region. We quantified annual monitoring effort and used occupancy‐detection models to compare species trends for 18 years before and after legal implementation of the Directive. Monitoring efforts increased after implementation, while occupancy trends both improved and deteriorated. Contrary to its main goal, the European Habitats Directive did not prevent a worsening of all annex species’ occupancy trends in the studied region. While the increased monitoring efforts aid biodiversity assessments, more serious broad‐scale conservation measures are needed to halt biodiversity loss across Europe.

The relationship between destination image and destination safety during technological and social changes COVID-19 pandemic

This study aimed to assess the relationship between safety perceptions and destination image in the Central European region during the technological and social environment change brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sample consisted of respondents from three Central European countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. The quantile regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the image of the destination and its perceived safety. The results showed that concerns about the safety of the tourism environment could be negatively associated with the image of the infrastructure in Hungary and Slovakia, with value for money in the three countries, and with images of enjoyment in Slovakia. Higher levels of destination safety may be associated with a more positive destination image, with health, facilities and services being the most important dimensions of perceived safety, because of the pandemic. This study contributes to the knowledge of the concept of destination images and the development of tourism.

Theatres of Belief: Music and Conversion in the Early Modern City ed. by Marie-Alexis Colin, Iain Fenlon, and Matthew Laube

Reviewed by: Theatres of Belief: Music and Conversion in the Early Modern City ed. by Marie-Alexis Colin, Iain Fenlon, and Matthew Laube Paul G. Feller-Simmons Theatres of Belief: Music and Conversion in the Early Modern City. Edited by Marie-Alexis Colin, Iain Fenlon, and Matthew Laube. (Collection "Épitome musical.") Turnhout: Brepols, 2022. [ 312 p. ISBN 9782503598871 (paperback), €70; ISBN 9782503598888 (e-book), €55.] Music examples, tables, illustrations, index. The essay collection Theatres of Belief is the result of a collaborative project between a transnational group of musicologists who share interest in the convergence of religion, sound, and early modern urban spaces. Eleven chapters by different authors provide multiple case studies drawn from cities located in Europe and the Americas between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. These studies showcase a variety of approaches to religious confession, conversion, and soundscape. A leading thread of this volume is interactions between sound and confessionalization in the early modern world. In this regard, the authors' tendency to eschew the overarching narratives that have conflated local experience with universal developments related to religious change is a potentially generative model. Many chapters demonstrate how confessionalization traversed dynamic and distinctly localized trajectories. For instance, Philip Hahn considers the incremental introduction of Lutheran music culture in Ulm following its Reformation in 1531. The chapter advances that the city became an exemplary case of a long, acoustic Reformation. Lutheran theologians tried to introduce church [End Page 395] musical practices in a way that conflicted with Ulm's Zwinglian history and thus repeatedly found resistance. Hahn then challenges a unidirectional model for the cultural development of the Reformation that has tended to sideline the realities of sacred music in many regions of central Europe. In discussing the distinction between opposition to musical performance in urban and rural areas surrounding Ulm, Hahn addresses issues of sonic conversion between social boundaries. In a state of pluriform religious cultures, sacred music served to "experience and express religious belonging" (p. 169). Alexander Fisher also explores the role that sound and music played in the strategies of conversion of confessional spaces in southern Germany. Fisher focuses on sonic conversions within worship spaces and the reconfiguration of space particularly delimited by bell signals, processions, and popular singing. Whereas Protestants demarcated confessional boundaries through the sounding of sermons in the vernacular and congregational singing, Catholics responded by producing orthodox songs for the laity and reconfiguring church architecture. As Hahn shows to be the case in Ulm, Fisher demonstrates that polemics surrounding the control of the soundscape were rooted in confessional politics that functioned as markers of social identity. For example, while processions in Catholic locations such as Munich sacralized the public space, they could also serve as a medium of religious confrontation and negotiation. The sonic conversion of physical structures and the interdependence of landscape and soundscape features most strongly in Iain Fenlon's contribution. He provides a chronological exposition of the Christianization of Cordova, Spain, through architectural, ritual, and musical conversions between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In the wake of the reconquista, the construction of a cathedral and royal chapel on the site of the old mosque and the reorganization of the liturgy and music chapel forcefully changed the urban soundscape. Echoing ideas developed by Hahn and Fisher, Fenlon proposes that public music and ritual were functional to displaying Catholic identity and monarchical loyalty in Cordova. In this instance, polyphony performed by the musical forces of the cathedral's chapel gained growing importance in processions throughout the sixteenth century. This "spectacular display of civic and religious belief" (p. 60) thus provided a sonified distinguishability to Catholic devotional identity. Emilio Ros-Fábregas also illustrates how sonic practices identify a Catholic community, albeit in the form of networks interconnected through devotional practices. His chapter focuses on a 1661 publication of Jesuit spiritual exercises dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament based on the traditions of Perpignan and Barcelona. The source provides details about the music that accompanied these exercises and includes an unexpected reference to Juan de Palafox y Mendoza that leads Ros-Fábregas to propose a further connection to Madrid. The chapter frames the source as a key to understanding the extent of the international...

Sources of PM2.5-Associated Health Risks in Europe and Corresponding Emission-Induced Changes During 2005-2015.

We present a newly developed approach to characterize the sources of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-related premature deaths in Europe using the chemical transport model GEOS-Chem and its adjoint. The contributions of emissions from each individual country, species, and sector are quantified and mapped out at km scale. In 2015, total PM2.5-related premature death is estimated to be 449,813 (257,846-722,138) in Europe, 59.0% of which were contributed by domestic anthropogenic emissions. The anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides, ammonia, and organic carbon contributed most to the PM2.5-related health damages, making up 29.6%, 23.2%, and 16.8%, respectively of all domestic anthropogenic contributions. Residential, agricultural, and ground transport emissions are calculated to be the largest three sectoral sources of PM2.5-related health risks, accounting for 23.5%, 23.0%, and 19.4%, respectively, of total anthropogenic contributions within Europe. After excluding the influence of extra-regional sources, we find eastern European countries suffered from more premature deaths than their emissions caused; in contrast, the emissions from some central and western European regions contributed premature deaths exceeding three times the number of deaths that occurred locally. During 2005-2015, the first decade of PM2.5 regulation in Europe, emission controls reduced PM2.5-related health damages in nearly all European countries, resulting in 63,538 (46,092-91,082) fewer PM2.5-related premature deaths. However, our calculation suggests that efforts to reduce air pollution from key sectors in some countries can be offset by the lag in control of emissions in others. International cooperation is therefore vitally important for tackling air pollution and reducing corresponding detrimental effects on public health.

Research note: Ski touring on groomed slopes and the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential trigger for motivational changes.

•No changes in motivational reasons for ski touring due to COVID-19 pandemic.•Trend towards outdoor sports, especially ski tours on groomed slopes in the alpine region of central Europe. Amplification of the trend due to the pandemic and the associated restrictions.•As an outdoor sport, ski touring on groomed slopes offers versatile added value for ski tourers, but also huge potential for ropeway operators.•This soft slope tourism can also show alternatives to temporary ropeway closures in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and could also promote tourism (especially day tourism) in small circles at the regional level.•The increase in beginners naturally raises the question of whether this group needs special offers or how to deal with beginners on the slopes. On the other hand, this also raises the question of how to deal with the increase in ski slope users in general.

Wild Mushrooms as a Source of Protein: A Case Study from Central Europe, Especially the Czech Republic

Wild mushroom foraging has a long tradition, especially in the region of Central Europe. Wild mushrooms are a valuable food resource, as they provide nutritional benefits to the European population. They offer a relatively high content of protein and are traditionally used in many European cuisines as a substitute for meat. This is particularly true in times of crisis, such as wars and pandemics. The study presented in this paper shows that wild mushrooms can substitute around 0.2 percent of daily protein intake and contribute around 3% to the agricultural output of the Czech economy, which was selected as a representative for Central Europe. The calculated real price of wild mushrooms indicates their increasing popularity as a source of food protein in Central Europe, while their price seems to be independent of the quantity supplied.

Spurring entrepreneurship with public venture capital in developing industries – evidence from Hungary

PurposeVenture capital (VC) is an essential element in healthy entrepreneurial environments; therefore, many countries in developing entrepreneurial economies support the industry via direct or indirect government interventions. The purpose of this study is to examine through the example of the Hungarian market, whether direct or hybrid state involvement has contributed more to the growth of the invested enterprises. The findings are relevant in the design of government VC schemes and in the contracts mitigating the moral hazards inherent in government funding.Design/methodology/approachThe basis of empirical research is a unique hand-collected database covering Hungarian government-backed VC (GVC) investments. Based on the financial data of investee firms, the authors investigate whether firms financed by hybrid VC involving market participants are able to outperform firms that receive pure public financing using panel regression.FindingsBased on Hungarian evidence, hybrid VC-backed firms generated lower growth and employment than their purely government-backed peers. Both schemes showed meagre innovation activity. The conclusion is that because of the conflict of private and economic policy objectives in hybrid financing, the exposure of hybrid risk capital to moral hazard is higher than that of pure public financing. Private interests in hybrid funds can only improve investment efficiency if they are structured along the lines of market-based independent financial intermediation and the contracts imitate the ones existing amongst limited and general partners in private schemes.Research limitations/implicationsThe research covers the data of Hungarian government-backed firms by tracking the full range of 86 investments made in the purely government scheme and 340 firms that received funding in the hybrid scheme. The research focuses on two government initiatives, and the results are influenced by the specific regulation of the programs; therefore, the results cannot be generalized for all government agendas; they are indicative in the designs of the agendas.Originality/valueThere is a limited number of empirical studies investigating the impact of VC in developing markets, especially in the Central and Eastern Europe region. This firm-level research on the impact of public VC can help improve the effectiveness of development policies. By analysing the entirety of investments of a VC program that is near to its completion, the authors provide new insight into the efficiency and prospects of GVC schemes in the region.

Genesis and evolution of the polish geopolitical concept of Intermarium

The article discusses the origin and development of the Polish geopolitical concept - “Intermarium”, which is based on the idea of creating a large-scale interstate association in the geopolitical space of Central and Eastern Europe. In its various interpretations, this concept has always been associated with the confrontation with Russia, starting with the forerunner of the Intermarium - the Jagiellonian idea. The most serious attempts to realize these aspirations were made by Józef Piłsudski, who created the Intermarium concept, along with which he tried to implement the federalist project of 1918-1921 and the geopolitical project of “Prometheism”. Subsequently, the followers of these ideas, Jozef Beck and Jerzy Giedroyc, together with Juliusz Mieroszewski, tried to rebuild the legacy of Pilsudski's geopolitical thought in terms of the changing realities of the 20th century. Reliance on the Jagiellonian idea and its anti-Russian ambitions inevitably led all subsequent attempts to create such a geopolitical bloc to collapse. Nevertheless, this concept has been updated in Poland’s modern geopolitical strategy, although it is positioned exclusively as an integration economic and political project - the Three Seas Initiative (Trimarium). The authors analyse Poland's geopolitical perception of the region of Central and Eastern Europe and reveal the continuity in the Polish geopolitical thought and the idea of regional dominance in the space of the three seas. Based on the history of the evolution of the Intermarium concept, the authors focus on the fact that the modern Trimarium project is a new vision of old geopolitical aspirations.

Building and Architectural Details of Tenement Houses Built at the Turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries in Central European Region—Hygrothermal Analysis

Restoring historic buildings is a challenging task in an environment where any insensitive or unprofessional intervention can cause irreparable damage. Among the most important demands currently placed on the construction industry are the protection of structural details, materials and technologies, and the extension of the life of these historic buildings. In this context, we should mention the protection of the high number of tenement buildings in European cities from the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, whose structural quality is relatively high and where many other building details and elements have been preserved. The brick dwellings of the period, which are between 85 and 170 years old, do not fully comply with many of the requirements and provisions of the current regulations and standards. The serious shortcomings of brick tenement buildings include, among other things, the inadequate thermal resistance of the envelope and infill structures and the high energy consumption of the operation of these buildings. This paper focuses on analysing this situation and defining the requirements for renovation, while preserving the architectural and historical values of urban buildings; achieving acceptable compliance with the requirements and provisions of the currently applicable regulations and standards; and demonstrating cost-effectiveness.

Simulations reveal climate and legacy effects underlying regional beta diversity in alpine vegetation

IntroductionWhether the distribution and assembly of plant species are adapted to current climates or legacy effects poses a problem for their conservation during ongoing climate change. The alpine regions of southern and central Europe are compared to those of the western United States and Canada because they differ in their geographies and histories.MethodsIndividual-based simulation experiments disentangled the role of geography in species adaptations and legacy effects in four combinations: approximations of observed alpine geographies vs. regular lattices with the same number of regions (realistic and null representations), and virtual species with responses to either climatic or simple spatial gradients (adaptations or legacy effects). Additionally, dispersal distances were varied using five Gaussian kernels. Because the similarity of pairs of regional species pools indicated the processes of assembly at extensive spatiotemporal scales and is a measure of beta diversity, this output of the simulations was correlated to observed similarity for Europe and North America.ResultsIn North America, correlations were highest for simulations with approximated geography and location-adapted species; those in Europe had their highest correlation with the lattice pattern and climate-adapted species. Only SACEU correlations were sensitive to dispersal limitation.DiscussionThe southern and central European alpine areas are more isolated and with more distinct climates to which species are adapted. In the western United States and Canada, less isolation and more mixing of species from refugia has caused location to mask climate adaptation. Among continents, the balance of explanatory factors for the assembly of regional species pools will vary with their unique historical biogeographies, with isolation lessening disequilibria.

What is attractive rural landscape? Differences in the social and expert assessment of the changes in the rural landscape of the Carpathian region in Poland with regard to the need of its protection

Contemporary villages of the mountain region are subject to uncontrolled structural and spatial transformations, which cause deformation of centuries-old spatial systems of high cultural and natural value. The aim of the study is to confront the opinions of the inhabitants and experts regarding the condition of the cultural landscape of the villages in south-eastern Poland. This area belongs to the Carpathian region of Central Europe. The historical and economic conditions of the studied region, related to the functioning in the post-war period, and then its breakdown and the development of the free market economy, constitute an interesting background for the proposed research. Local communities still remembering the period of difficulties related to the period of systemic transformations, are currently experiencing a relative prosperity, many difficulties related to the period of systemic transformations, are currently experiencing a relative prosperity, which is also expressed in a completely new, previously unknown way of managing the landscape. Investments implemented in villages are associated by the inhabitants with the improvement of the standards and quality of life. They assess them rather positively. An expert assessment of these landscape transformations indicates their negative dimension and the risk of losing timeless values. The discrepancy in the assessment of experts and local residents creates difficulties in the protection of the rural landscape. Therefore, high-quality visual landscape features among rural residents is necessary from the point of view of its multi-faceted and effective protection. Local initiatives and actions in the field of industry policy should play a significant role in this respect by consolidating the images of a harmonious landscape in the public awareness.

Dynamics and determinants of Russia’s geoeconomic strength in relation to the Central and Eastern European region

Dynamics and determinants of Russia’s geoeconomic strength in relation to the Central and Eastern European region

In situ ground-based mobile measurement of lightning events above central Europe

Abstract. This article describes the equipment (and the advantages of the equipment) used for in situ ground measurements of thunderstorm phenomena with measuring cars. By using all-sky high-speed cameras, radio receivers, and electric field measurements, typical lightning discharges in the central European region have been characterized. Measurements of ionizing radiation during storms using a gamma spectrometer were also performed. At ground level, no ionizing radiation originating from storm clouds was detected, although during other experiments (using the same equipment at lower altitudes corresponding to the lower part of storm clouds) ionizing radiation was detected. We showed that radio antennas with appropriately constructed receivers and all-sky high-speed cameras are devices that can significantly contribute to the understanding of processes taking place in storm clouds during lightning discharges. On the contrary, measurements of the vertical electric field did not provide any new information about the processes occurring in thunderclouds.

Infective endocarditis in adults with congenital heart disease: Contemporary management and related outcomes in Central and South-Eastern European region

BackgroundInfective endocarditis (IE) remains major cause of morbidity and mortality in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). Limited data exists on ACHD with IE in Central and South-Eastern European (CESEE) countries. The aim of this study is to characterize contemporary management and assess outcomes of ACHD with IE in CESEE region. MethodsData on ACHD patients with IE from 9 tertiary centres in 9 different CESEE countries between 2015 and 2020 was included. Baseline demographics, clinical presentation, indication for surgery, outcomes, hospital and all-cause-1-year mortality were studied. ResultsA total of 295 ACHD patients (mean age 40 ± 14 years) with IE were included. Median time from symptoms onset to establishing diagnosis was 25 (11–59) days. The majority of patients (203, 68.8%) received previous empiric oral antibiotic therapy. The highest incidence of IE was observed on native and left sided valves, 194(65.8%) and 204(69.2%), respectively. More than half had a vegetation size ≥10 mm (164, 55.6%); overall 138 (46.8%) had valve complications and 119 (40.3%) had heart failure. In-hospital mortality was 26 (8.8%). ConclusionThere is clear delay in establishing IE diagnosis amongst ACHD patients in CESEE countries. Adequate diagnosis is hampered by common prescription of empiric antibiotics before establishing formal diagnosis. Hence, patients commonly present with associated complications requiring surgery. Hospital treatment and survival are, nevertheless, comparable to other Western European countries. Improved awareness and education of patients and medical profession regarding IE preventive measures, risks, signs, and symptoms are urgently needed. Empiric antibiotic prescription before blood cultures are taken must be omitted.

End-of-life decisions and practices as viewed by health professionals in pediatric critical care: A European survey study.

End-of-Life (EOL) decision-making in paediatric critical care can be complex and heterogeneous, reflecting national culture and law as well as the relative resources provided for healthcare. This study aimed to identify similarities and differences in the experiences and attitudes of European paediatric intensive care doctors, nurses and allied health professionals about end-of-life decision-making and care. This was a cross-sectional observational study in which we distributed an electronic survey to the European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC) members by email and social media. The survey had three sections: (i) 16 items about attitudes to EOL care, (ii) 14 items about EOL decisions, and (iii) 18 items about EOL care in practice. We used a 5-point Likert scale and performed descriptive statistical analysis. Overall, 198 questionnaires were completed by physicians (62%), nurses (34%) and allied health professionals (4%). Nurses reported less active involvement in decision-making processes than doctors (64% vs. 95%; p < 0.001). As viewed by the child and family, the child's expected future quality of life was recognised as one of the most critical considerations in EOL decision-making. Sub-analysis of Northern, Central and Southern European regions revealed differences in the optimal timing of EOL decisions. Most respondents (n = 179; 90%) supported discussing organ donation with parents during EOL planning. In the sub-region analysis, differences were observed in the provision of deep sedation and nutritional support during EOL care. This study has shown similar attitudes and experiences of EOL care among paediatric critical care professionals within European regions, but differences persist between European regions. Nurses are less involved in EOL decision-making than physicians. Further research should identify the key cultural, religious, legal and resource differences underlying these discrepancies. We recommend multi-professional ethics education to improve EOL care in European Paediatric Intensive Care.

Marketing Perspectives on Supply and Demand in the Sharing Economy: Who Are the Target Generations?

The sharing economy is an interesting socio-economic system that has been studied by many researchers worldwide. It is an area that will affect the patterns of behaviour, processes, and thinking experienced in various fields. The sharing economy is specific in that some people who have an asset they do not fully use may be willing to share it with consumers who do not have the asset but need it for a specific reason but are unable to or do not want to buy it. Platforms operating in the sharing economy need to know whom to target with their marketing strategy to spend marketing costs effectively. We used cluster analysis, chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and descriptive analysis of data collected from 684 respondents across Generations X, Y, and Z within the Czech Republic. We identified who constitutes the general supply and demand of unused assets. While the willingness to supply prevails among Generation Y, the willingness to demand prevails among Generation Z. For Generation X, the willingness to supply and the willingness to demand are almost equal. Using cluster analysis, we defined three basic groups of participants in the sharing economy: double-sided active participants, one-sided active participants, and inactive participants. We summarise new findings not only from a theoretical but also from a practical perspective. <br />Implications for Central European audience: Platforms active in the sharing economy may better understand Czech customers regarding their supply and demand of unused assets. The results could also be useful for managers in other countries of the Central European region. The findings may help to enrich the theoretical knowledge of the sharing economy and its impact on marketing. Platforms can save money on marketing communications by focusing their marketing communications on a specific generation.

Break-even distance of rail and road container transport. Case study of Central Europe providers

In transport practice, rail transport is considered an alternative to monomodal road transport over a certain distance, which is called the break-even distance. Freight costs are often a decisive factor in the choice of freight transport mode and are therefore used as a relevant criterion for estimating the break-even distance. In the paper, the authors compare the usability of individual types of transport in intermodal freight transport, with carriers operating in the region of Central Europe, using the break-even distance. The cost principle, by means of which the break-even distances are determined, is analyzed from the point of view of the customer of transport services, i.e. the manufacturing or forwarding company.