Slovakia Research Articles

Material circularity and environmental quality in the EU: what causes what and where?

Abstract Although the green and blue dividends associated with circular economy have been widely advocated, whether circular economy necessarily guarantee environmental quality remains unclear. To provide a more precise insight, in this case for a novel case of all the European Union countries, environmental effect of the share of used material resources from the reuse of waste materials is examined over the period 2010-2021. The results reveal that the reuse of waste materials statistically (i) increase CO2 emissions in most quantiles in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, and Slovenia, (ii) mitigate CO2 emissions in most quantiles in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, and Ireland, and (iii) either increasing or reducing CO2 emissions depending on the quantile of material circularity use rate and CO2 emissions in Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Latvia. This result points to a more policy driven approach.

Natural gas in Europe: The potential impact of disruptions to supply

This paper studies the economic impact of a potential full disruption of Russian pipeline gas flows to Europe. We apply a modeling framework that takes into account frictions within the pipeline infrastructure, and compare results to those from a framework assuming a fully integrated EU market. Our findings suggest that the most vulnerable countries in Eastern Europe – Hungary, the Slovak Republic and Czechia – could have faced shortages of as much as 40% of gas consumption and gross domestic product shrinking by up to 6% in the summer of 2022 in the event of a full shutoff with severe pipeline frictions. The effects on Austria, Germany and Italy could also have been significant, depending on the remaining pipeline bottlenecks. Ex post, the observed output losses in Europe were lower, more in line with results from the fully integrated market framework, because (i) concerted efforts were made to keep the Europen gas market as integrated as possible, and (ii) Russian pipeline gas never fully ceased. Overall, the paper shows that integrated energy markets with a resilient infrastructure help to buffer the economic effects of energy supply shocks.

THE EFFECT OF HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY ON HEALTH EXPENDITURES

This study aimed to determine the effect of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography imaging services, which are within the scope of health technologies, on Health Expenditures. Panel analyses was used for the analyses. In the study, health expenditures were determined as the dependent variable, and the number of MR imaging and CT imaging within the scope of health technology as the independent variable, and 16 countries with regular data for the years 2007-2018 were included in the analysis. These countries were Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, The Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia. As a result of the analyses, it was determined that a one-unit increase in the number of Computed Tomography imaging increased health expenditures by 3.23 units, and a one-unit increase in the number of Magnetic Resonance imaging increased health expenditures by 21.9 units. The results of the study revealed that there was a positive and long-term relationship between health expenditures and the number of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and there was a causal relationship in different directions between the variables. In addition, it has been determined that the number of Magnetic Resonance Imaging has increased more than the number of Computed Tomography imaging over the years, and that the number of Magnetic Resonance Imaging has a higher impact on health expenditures than Computed Tomography. When these two results were evaluated together, it is predicted that evaluating Magnetic Resonance Imaging and developing remedial activities will reduce health expenditures.

Road Junction Throughput Testing in Transport Logistics—Slovak Case Study

The development of motoring and the ever-increasing traffic load on roads results in congestion and the collapse of traffic in weak places, which, due to their existing construction solution and traffic organization, cannot cover the current and forecasted requirements of carriers. The aim of this article is to present a proposal for a procedure of adjusting the organization of transport, based on our own research and scientific methods of traffic forecasting. The authors work with the hypothesis that there are possibilities of rebuilding weak points in the existing network of overland roads into transport hubs with a higher transport capacity that will cover the requirements of transporters. In this article, the authors emphasize that the basis of the search for an optimal solution to the change in traffic remains the development of calculation methods and consideration of the specific traffic conditions occurring in the given country. Using the example of a case study within the Slovak Republic, we present a proposal for calculation methods based on European standards, which can be used practically without changes in every EU member country. This case study deals with the proposal to transform an uncontrolled four-way intersection into a roundabout. The authors carried out extensive transport research, and on the basis of data analysis, proposed construction and traffic-operational modifications of the existing junction in order to fulfil customer requirements in transport logistics. The proposed solution was verified alternatively with regard to the planned construction of a motorway section near the assessed intersection. When designing the calculation methods, we used our own experimental measurements directly in the area and also included in the calculation methods calculations regarding the capacity of turbo intersections, which are not yet addressed by the technical regulations in the SR environment.

Proposal for Effective Management of Geoparks as a Tool for Sustainable Tourism in the Conditions of the Slovak Republic

Geoparks, as sustainable tourism products, embody a range of values and functions aimed at mitigating the negative impacts of tourism on the landscape. The current increasing trend in establishing and supporting geoparks has extended to the territory of the Slovak Republic, which possesses valuable natural potential. However, effectively harnessing this potential requires a clearly defined management structure aligned with the goals and mission of each geopark. The paper presents the operational aspects of geoparks in Slovakia, providing a comprehensive overview of geopark management followed by a subsequent evaluation. Assessing the management approach yields valuable insights into the ongoing development of Slovak geoparks, serving as a stepping stone for their further advancement. These geoparks are in a state of continual evolution, demanding significant support to ensure their efficient functioning. The study establishes clear quality management criteria for optimal staffing. The main objective of the paper is to demonstrate the need for the professionalization of human resources in geopark management. Additionally, the article concludes with a model for a strategic approach to human resources management, covering all its areas. Geoparks, as a modern product of geotourism and territorial management, represent innovative strategies for protecting and conserving geodiversity. They are closely intertwined with knowledge dissemination, education, and fostering a broader appreciation for the Earth’s value. Moreover, they play a vital role in the sustainable development and preservation of territories.

Why Do Companies Cook the Books? Empirical Study of the Motives of Creative Accounting of Slovak Companies

Studies on creative accounting date back to the latter part of the 20th century. Creative accounting is still a big challenge in financial accounting. The problem of financial statement manipulation might be investigated, for instance, from an accounting, legal, ethical, or psychological perspective. This research aims to identify the main motives for the use of creative accounting and to find out whether corporate culture has an impact on the motives leading to the use of creative accounting. Data collection took place from 18 November 2023 to 18 December 2022. In the research, we used Pearson’s χ2 test to determine the dependence of the studied variables in contingency tables. Subsequently, correspondence analysis was used. The type of corporate culture does not have an impact on the motives that lead to creative accounting. It was proven that the type of corporate culture has an impact on the performance of creative accounting actions based on the request of a senior employee. The uniqueness of the research lies in the investigation of creative accounting from a psychological and managerial point of view in the territory of the Slovak Republic.

Quality Characterization of Honeys from Iraqi Kurdistan and Comparison with Central European Honeys.

The main objective of this work was to determine the significant physicochemical and bioactive parameters of honeys originating from Iraqi Kurdistan. For this purpose, honey samples (n = 16) were taken directly from Kurdish beekeepers from different places of Dohuk and Erbil Governorate in 2018 and 2022. The following parameters were analyzed: moisture content, electrical conductivity, diastase activity, hydroxymethylfurfural content, pH, free acidity, content of saccharides, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, color, color intensity and DPPH, FRAP. Another objective of this work was to compare the properties of Kurdistan honeys with the requirements of European Union law and with the honeys of Central Europe. A total of 48 honey samples were included in the comparison. It was detected that the honeys produced in Iraqi Kurdistan met the strict quality criteria set by European law, which is important information for local beekeepers and experts in relation to honey production and an opportunity to set local limits of honey quality. Despite the different climatic and topographical conditions, the available flora, and the different species of bees, the properties of Iraqi Kurdistan honeys were similar to the properties of honeys from the Czech and Slovak Republics.

Testing and evaluation of light clothing properties used in fire and rescue service units

In the testing room for examination products of the Fire Engineering and Expert Institute (FEEI) of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava, the Slovak National Accreditation Service SNAS has granted accreditation. Accredited testing room with identification number no. S-084 performs tests applied in the field of personal protective equipment. The goal is to specify, determine, and, above all, verify the selected characteristics for emergency clothing (light emergency clothing - LEC) used by firefighters and rescuers in the Fire and Rescue Service units to determine the conditions for procurement and quality control of the LEC supplied. The results obtained during the examination of the properties of light emergency clothing will be used in the next steps of the research of the Product Assessment Department (PAD) FEEI of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic. In contrast, individual parameters can be used to design new LEC. The basic meaning and purpose of any protective means are to protect a person who intervenes in a dangerous environment contaminated with chemical, biological or radioactive substances, for example, in industrial accidents connected with the release of dangerous substances (HAZMAT), in accidents of vehicles transporting HAZMAT and natural disasters or fires of various nature. Protecting from the external environment is one of the favourable inherent properties of personal protective work equipment (PPE).

STRUCTURE AND SEMANTICS OF THE INAUGURAL SPEECH IN THE PRESIDENTIAL DISCOURSE (ON THE MATERIAL IN UKRAINIAN, POLISH, SLOVAK AND SERBIAN LANGUAGES)

The article is devoted to the study of structural and semantic features of the main speech genre of presidential rhetoric — the inaugural speech. We characterized the main approaches to defining the speech genre and highlighted the structural components of the inaugural speech in political discourse. The purpose of the study is to reveal the structural and semantic features of the presidents’ inaugural speeches presented in Slavic languages (Ukrainian, Polish, Slovak and Serbian). The object of the research is the presidential discourse implemented in the speech activity of the presidents of Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia and Serbia. The subject of the study is the structural components and semantic features of the inaugural speeches in the presidential discourse. We analyzed the inaugural speeches of the presidents who held this position in the first half of 2024: Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukraine), Andrzej Duda (Republic of Poland), Zuzana Čaputová (Slovak Republic), Aleksandar Vučić (Republic of Serbia). The material for the analysis was the texts of the inaugural speeches delivered by the presidents in the last term. The methods of component and linguistic stylistic analysis were used to analyze the structural and semantic features of the inaugural speeches. The component analysis made it possible to consider the lexical semantics, and the linguistic stylistic analysis became the basis for determining the stylistic features of the texts. The structure of the inaugural speech covers the framework elements of the greeting, conclusion, formulation of the political creed. Speech acts of thanksgiving are the main structural elements of the inaugural speech of the presidents. At the semantic level, the inaugural speech contains a description of the political situation in the country in the context of historical events and a specification of program provisions of a priority nature. Common elements for the inaugural speeches of the presidents of Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia and Serbia are the presence of mandatory structural elements, the dominance of speech acts of thanksgiving, appeals to the historical past and the formulation of future political steps. Among the specific features of presidential speeches, the use of ethnonyms in the speeches of V. Zelenskyi and A. Duda was recorded; the dominance of references to ancient history in the speeches of A. Duda and O. Vuchich; V. Zelenskyi’s criticism of the previous government, in particular the country’s presidents.

Protection and Guarantee of Rights and Legitimate Interests in the History of Law; Milestones of Law in Central Europe

This year, the Faculty of Law at Comenius University Bratislava proudly organised the 18th International Scholarly Conference for PhD. students and young researchers, entitled "The Milestones of Law in Central Europe 2024." Under the auspices of the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Assoc. Prof. JUDr. Eduard Burda, PhD., the conference took place on March 22-23, 2024, at the picturesque, purpose-built facility of the National Council of the Slovak Republic in Častá - Papiernička.

JURAJ ČEČETKA AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO SLOVAK YOUTH

The theoretical study provides a brief overview of the life of the first professor in the Slo-vak Republic - Juraj Čečetka, and his scientific and professional contributions towards improving the living conditions of youth in the Slovak Republic. As part of the research, we set the research question: What is the contribution of the sociological and pedagogical efforts of the first Slovak professor of pedagogy, Juraj Čečetka, regarding children and youth? For the research, we used content analysis. Juraj Čečetka conducted several socio-logical studies regarding the living conditions of young people in the Slovak Republic and maintained a dialogue with youth through rich publishing activity.

Illegal waste dumping in the Slovak Republic

The paper aims to outline the legal aspects of illegal waste dumping in the Slovak Republic. It presents some factual information on the issue and the legal regulations governing waste management, landfill operations, and illegal waste disposal. The analysis includes suggestions for improving legal regulations, specifically focusing on identifying those responsible for illegal waste disposal and determining who is obligated to remove the waste legally. It also discusses the administrative and criminal penalties for illegal waste dumping.

Selected demographic determinants of CSR, financial & environmental management and business ethics in SMEs

Research background: Small and medium-sized enterprises are at the heart of the business environment in every country. At the same time, emphasis is placed on the environmental aspect and, in many cases, corporate social responsibility. In this context, business ethics is also a widely discussed topic. At the same time, financial management is one of the critical areas of business management. These aspects can be influenced by various demographic factors related to the company, as well as by the business owners or managers. Purpose of the article: The objective of this paper is to examine the influence of selected demographic factors on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), financial management, environmental practices, and business ethics in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Methods: The empirical research was carried out as part of a broad-based research that aimed to ascertain the attitudes of small and medium-sized firms. It was conducted in June 2022 in Slovakia and the Czech Republic using the CAWI Research Method. The questionnaire could be completed by the owner or the top manager of the SME. The questionnaire was secured against automatic computer completion. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyse the characteristics of the variable, and regression (LRM) and correlation analysis methods were applied to find statistically significant differences in the influence of each independent factor. Findings & Value added: The analysis suggests interesting differences in how demographic factors influence ethics, CSR, environment and financial management in the Czech and Slovak Republics. In general, the impacts of these factors on these areas are very weak. The results showed that firm size influences SMEs' attitudes towards the environment, financial management and CSR in all countries combined. The other independent variables of the sector, such as length of business and age, do not affect attitudes towards ethics, environment, CSR, or financial management. We can generalise that in the conditions of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, among demographic criteria, only firm size plays a significant role in determining the attitudes of SME managers.

Management of IT projects of public institutions

The organization and activity of public administration is subject to the standards established by law, according to which individual organizational units of ministries in the Slovak Republic are governed. The management of information and communication technologies is a specific area of management in the conditions of public administration, which requires high expertise, systematicity and a properly set legal environment. The aim of the contribution is to clearly identify the legislative framework for the management of IT projects of the public administration of the Slovak Republic during the implementation of selected operational programs in the department of government departments. In order to achieve the main goal of the presented professional article, we set sub-goals. The necessary partial tasks are to systematically define and explain concepts related to project management in public administration, to find out the requirements for its implementation and to find out to what extent the legislation affects the issue we are dealing with. The result of our area of research represents a logically complete framework of the legal environment of project management of public administration and takes on the nature of practical use in the creation of our dissertation.

Increasing the prevention of process failure and the overall resilience of businesses through the process risk assessment

Research background: Properly set processes represent the basic framework of enterprise management. By assessing process risks, enterprises can timely identify problems in the implementation of processes, which can cause failure or interruption of activity, a decrease in performance, an increase in process costs, etc. Purpose of the article: The aim of the article is to identify, analyse and quantify the approach of enterprises to process risk assessment with the intention of improving processes, increasing the prevention of process failures and the overall resilience of the organization. Methods: A questionnaire was created to find out the attitudes of enterprises in the assessment of process risks. Data collection was carried out by an external agency using the Computer Assisted Web Interview method. The sample consisted of 353 enterprises from the business environment of the Slovak Republic. The questionnaire was evaluated using the simple sorting method. The research hypotheses were evaluated by applying Chi-square test. Findings & Value added: Enterprises most often assess risks in quality control, production processes, service provision processes. The frequency of assessment of process risks is for a third of the enterprises with every change, planning, disagreement or fluctuation of the economic indicator. More than 40% of Slovak enterprises do not have any management system implemented. The business sector is an important factor in the use of methods for the identification, analysis and evaluation of process risks. To identify process risks, in service sector, the owner/manager's own experience is used to a greater extent than in enterprises in industry. Enterprises in service sector use risk detection for risk analysis, industrial enterprises use process FMEA. Enterprises in service sector use scenarios analysis and enterprises in industry use the effectiveness of measures to evaluate process risks. Every tenth enterprise stated that the human factor is the cause of the occurrence of problems in up to 70% of all processes in the enterprise. Enterprises in service sector for process measurement use productivity of the enterprise to a greater extent than enterprises in industry, which use multiple economic indicators.

The Issue of the Living Wage in the Context of Poverty in the Conditions of the Slovak Republic as Democratic State

The Issue of the Living Wage in the Context of Poverty in the Conditions of the Slovak Republic as Democratic State

Assessing the Climate Change Impacts on Maize Production in the Slovak Republic and Their Relevance to Sustainability: A Case Study

Climate change poses a significant challenge to the agricultural sector, with far-reaching implications on a global scale. As the agriculture sector plays a critical role in the economy of the Slovak Republic, it is crucial to understand the impacts of climate change and, with it, the vulnerabilities that agricultural practices face. Agricultural production and food sustainability are intricately linked to various factors, including population growth and the effects of climate change. This paper focuses on analyzing the production of maize in Slovakia and identifying the factors driving its cultivation. We aim to assess how climate factors influence maize yields across different temperature and precipitation levels through comprehensive data analysis and statistical methods. By utilizing the stochastic production function proposed by Just and Pope (1979) for 1996 to 2022 and estimating model parameters using GRETL software, we aim to provide insights into the relationship between climate change and maize production. Furthermore, we explore the implications of our findings for the sustainability of agricultural practices in Slovakia. Our analysis reveals that the impact of temperature and precipitation on maize yield varies by month and exhibits a nonlinear nature, with climate changes generally exerting a negative influence. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing sustainable agricultural strategies that can mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on maize production and ensure long-term food security.

Уголовная ответственность за терроризм по законодательству Словацкой Республики

Today, the international community faces terrorist threats of a level and magnitude unknown in the past. Continuing terrorist attacks are causing significant changes in global security. Terrorists are not afraid to commit the most cruel and most inhumane acts. Recent global events have clearly demonstrated the fact that no country can solve security problems alone, let alone resolve such issues in the long term. All this actualizes the need for international solidarity in the fight against terrorism, for which it is necessary to study the national legislation of individual states in order to develop universal measures of influence, as well as to improve domestic anti-terrorism legislation. The presented article analyzes the current anti-terrorism legislation of the Slovak Republic, the interest in which is due to the fact that this country has common criminal legal views, doctrines, and very similar criminal legislation with the Russian Federation, which over the past decade has been significantly transformed under the influence of rec-ommendations of the European Union, and as well as the new challenges and threats it faced.

IMPACT OF DIGITAL TOOLS ON THE INTEREST IN VISITING HERITAGE OBJECTS IN TOURISM

Heritage objects play an important role not only for the development of tourism but also for the knowledge of humanity. This contribution is focused on the perception of the importance of applying modern digital tools to heritage objects. The aim of the paper is to find out and analytically evaluate whether the implementation of modern digital tools motivates to a more significant visit of heritage objects. Based on a sample of respondents from the Slovak Republic, it finds out whether the implementation affects their interest in visiting the mentioned heritage objects as part of the development potential of tourism. The research objective was implemented through questionnaire research methods. The obtained data were verified by selected statistical methods. The research results point to certain differences in the perception of their importance as a tool to support their visitors’ rate. The main difference was found in the case the gender of respondents. There was found out, that women pay more attention on the level of digital tools implementation when deciding about visiting them.

Digitalisation and income inequality in Central and Eastern European countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of digital technologies in business and daily life. The paper aims to explore the theoretical and empirical aspects of the relation between digitalisation and income inequality in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries between the years 2000-2020. It contributes to existing research on determinants of income inequality, focussing on the potential negative role of digitalisation as an unnoticeable driver of income inequality in CEE countries. To investigate the potential impact of digitalisation on income inequality, empirical analysis was performed for the sample of 10 CEE countries, namely Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia. The results of canonical correlation analysis indicated that the sets of variables related to digitalisation and inequality as a group are significantly related to each other and a strong correlation exists between them. The relative contribution of each indicator to each standardised function showed that the highest values of significant standardised coefficients were observed for income inequality indicators such as the top 10% share, the Gini coefficient, and the top 1% share, while in digitalisation measures, the highest value was observed for Internet users and fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions.