Keywords: Slovakia; foreign policy; energy policy; 2017; green economy;
The civic initiative “We are forest” (My sme les) is one of Slovakia’s most successful environmental campaigns. According to its communication director, Juraj Rizman, the call for protecting Slovakia’s forests was supported by 56,000 people in November 2017, which made it the country’s biggest environmental online petition. In the same month, one of the campaign’s leaders, Erik Baláž, was awarded the White Crow for his long-term activities, a prize awarded by non-governmental organizations for civic courage. His current campaign goal is to put an end to logging in protected forest areas.
More...Keywords: Vasil Levski; British daily and weekly press; national hero; state iconisation
The paper examines for the first time the initial reception of Vasil Levski’s image and significance in the British daily and weekly press in the period 1867 – 1908. Commencing with a curious case of the first appearance of his name in the British press, the paper focusses further on press contributions reporting on a series of Bulgarian state ceremonies and commemorative events that, on the one hand, function as rituals of state iconisation of the Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski and, on the other hand, exploit his high status for political purposes. In its final part the paper presents the first critical voices in the British press against the political instrumentalisation of Vasil Levski’s image in Bulgaria.
More...Keywords: security environment; strategic environment; threat assessment; threat perception; NATO;
Development of armed forces in the long-term requires a complex understanding of emerging security challenges that will potentially need to be addressed. This contribution will focus on how selected NATO member states differ in perception of the security environment through their strategic documents focused on a long-term view for defence. A threat matrix based on these conceptions exposes several differences in security environment assessment among the Alliance member states. However, these countries should ideally perceive their security concerns as interconnected and shared to achieve greater cohesion and support for joint responses. The analysis also reveals an abrupt change in the assessments following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
More...Keywords: Jerzy Kolendo; archaeology; Poland; Europe; University of Warsaw; Polish Academy of Sciences
A collection of over thirty studies written by renowned Polish scholars (archaeologists and historians), dedicated to the memory of a distinguished archaeologist, working for a long-time at the Polish Academy of Sciences and at the University of Warsaw, Professor Jerzy Kolendo. The articles deal with a broad range of issues – those concerned with the archaeology of different Polish regions (e.g., Mazovia, Western Pomerania) and of Europe (e.g., Sicily, Dacia, Germania).
More...Keywords: Slovak development cooperation; 2018; official development assistance; Slovak ODA;
Slovak development cooperation is intended to improve the prosperity of the global community, and ensure that humanity has a positive impact on our planet in the long term. According to IATI data, between 2012 and 2017 Slovakia engaged in 1,800 activities as part of its official development assistance (ODA). That is an average of 300 activities or projects per year. In 2017 Slovakia followed through on 484 financial commitments, according to SlovakDev. These included the provision of multilateral and bilateral ODA, as well as covering the administration costs of 18 different actors providing Slovak ODA. This analysis aims to assess the current trends in development cooperation and opportunities to improve the effectiveness of Slovak ODA in terms of social impact value, learning value, and the signaling value of the “Good Idea Slovakia” brand.
More...Keywords: Faludy; Béládi; Western Hungarian literature; reception;
In the beginning of the eighties, George Faludy, the “Ulysses of the 20th century”, heard the siren songs of Hungarian literature policy, but he refused those two tempting requests. Both endeavours related to Miklós Béládi. In 1981, he edited an anthology of emigrant literature (Vándorének). Faludy declined the offer even though from 1964 onwards he had repeatedly attempted to get published in Hungary and had even been censored. He had three arguments. The fee would be paid only during a stay in Hungary, yet it had not been a problem for him before. The selection was politically unilateral since the volume would have included poems only against the American existence despite the absence of his many anti-communist pieces. Later he added the most interesting controversy: the quarantine space in between that he would not have liked to appear only among emigrant poets, under the label “Western Literature”. Regarding Faludy, an undivided Hungarian literature exists by itself, and only transborder writers should use the label transborder and emigrant literature, not Budapest.In 1982, Béládi and his colleagues wrote a manual on transborder Hungarian literature (A magyar irodalom története 1945–1975. IV. A határon túli magyar irodalom). As I will demonstrate, not only did Faludy write an article indulging in personal criticism of the book, but he also mentioned some mistakes up to his last days – even though sometimes Faludy confused Béládi with another scholar, Miklós Szabolcsi.For the paper, I have collected the private letters from the Hungarian National Library and the archive of the Faludy family in Portsmouth; further, I have used his noted library and have cited from the published Faludy oeuvre.
More...Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Management Methodology; Company Strategy; Company Goals; Organizational Challenges
This report examines the Balanced Scorecard (BSc) management methodology as a tool for managing and implementing company strategy and goals. The essence of the methodology has not been considered as there is sufficient research material on this issue. The various aspects of what can hinder or facilitate the implementation of the methodology at each level of employees in the organization are considered in this paper. The possible weaknesses in the development of each perspective of the methodology are also described.
More...Keywords: Queen Victoria; British monarchy; TV series; neo-Victorianism; The Young Victoria
The author explores two 21st-century British television serial dramas centred on Queen Victoria. The article seeks to determine the extent of neo-Victorian influence on present-day representations of the British monarchy, while taking into account 19th-century attitudes to monarchy.
More...Analyzing the negative impacts of the global pandemic (COVID-19) on the R. of Moldova economy, SMEs external trade performed within a DCFTA framework represents one of the most important vectors for keeping the local economy in good health. Once the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, Republic of Moldova was no exception. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a series of problems, and those caused by movement restrictions have led to economic bottlenecks for exporting companies which resulted in liquidity and cash flow problems.Bringing our minds back to the Association Agreement and directly to the DCFTA, it is appropriate to estimate it’s preliminary impact on Moldova’s economy. After 5 years of DCFTA creation and implementation, it has been experienced a significant boost of the trade between Moldova and the EU, which resulted in the increase of investments, jobs, wages and goods export growth with 40% (1.5 billion USD). In spite of the positive effect the Free Trade Association Agreement is having on R. of Moldova, still, there are present some issues of healthy competitiveness and increasing production capacity type, key factors for exporting SMEs. With all these being stated, this study aims to identify COVID-19 influence on local SME’s doing business within the EU marketplace. Also, this article presents some analysis of emergency projects established by the local authorities to support SMEs and deliver practical solutions that can bring about change. The methodology used in this research is based on the statistical data that reflect the development of Moldovan exporting enterprises after the entry into force of the Association Agreement and, implicitly, DCFTA; analysis of national legislation and policy documents to support SMEs in the country and foreign trade in the context of the DCFTA.
More...Keywords: sustainability;motivation;leadership;
This article pays more attention to the analysis of the direct relationship between staff motivation and applied leadership, with the final result - the sustainability of the organization's activity. Organizational culture and the environment are characterized by mutual adaptation, by the way in which human practices and organizations are led to a cohabiting relationship. Their adaptation is defined as a learning process, rather than an activity in itself, guided by material forces. Through this article we aim to highlight the importance of the interdependent relationship between staff motivation, leadership and sustainability. A big obstacle is the lack of awareness of this triangular relationship, at the level of the organization's management. Starting from the theory of self-motivation and from the research of psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, we deduce that each individual has three basic psychological needs: the need for connection, the need for competence and the need for control, which must be met. If, at the level of the organization's management, there is a real concern about these needs, employees will feel motivated to maximize their involvement in achieving proposed objectives. The need to connect refers to the desire to be visible, valued, respected, unique, self-confident, connected, belonging to a group. The need for competence implies the need to be able, to succeed. The need for control is the power to make decisions, to make choices, to be the source of your own behaviors. Satisfying these needs of the team members must be a real concern of the leader, if the sustainability of the organization's activity is desired.
More...Keywords: Patient experience;patient journey;customer experience, healthcare costs;proactive healthcare experience;
Healthcare costs are rising worldwide, due to a series of factors related to increased spending on medication, aging, medication errors, adverse drug events and hospital admissions.Aging phenomenon is closely followed by an increasing burden of chronic diseases. New therapies used to treat chronic diseases have intensified the economic pressure on healthcare organizations.Pharmacists play an important role in lowering costs by reviewing the pharmacotherapy of patients. Pharmacists are also the link between the physician and the patient, providing free medical advice without the need for an appointment. Lowering the number of inappropriately prescribed drugs reduces the risk of adverse drug events that frequently contribute to prolonged and expensive hospital admissions.In the near future, a new approach is needed for long term results. Pharmacists will have to reshape the old concept of patient care, moving out of the negative feelings area derived from sickness and start to protect health instead of managing disease. It will result a shift from sick care to proactive healthcare experiences. Pharmacists will anticipate and solve patient’s problems before they can produce a displeasure.For maintaining a well-being state of patients is now necessarily to adopt or implement a patient centred strategy based on customer experience pillars. In Romania integrity matters most in customer experience, closely followed by personalization. In the new Era of pharmaceutical care, pharmacists will have to focus on patient experience and patient journey.
More...Keywords: Emission Trading Scheme; EU ETS
The objective of the research paper is to present the development of the EU Emission trading scheme as the first large scale initiative for regulation of the carbon dioxide emissions in the European union and one of the first initiatives on a global scale. Applying the methods of content analysis and following the logical approach, the paper has produced the following research results: 1. It has systemically presented the origin and development of the scheme; 2. It has outlined the way EU ETS functions.
More...Keywords: Frigyes Karinthy;
Frigyes Karinthy (June 24, 1887, Budapest - August 29, 1938, Siófok) was a Hungarian writer, playwright, poet, journalist and translator. Humorist, visionary philosopher and defender of Reason advocated by the Encyclopaedists, Frigyes Karinthy is also a great poet. He collaborated in the review Nyugat.
More...Keywords: Regulation (EC) № 1071/2009; transport manager; training
The dynamics in the logistics sector require new approaches to the initial and periodic training of workers in the sector. Access to the profession of 'Transport manager', although common in Europe, is characterized by different applicable practices in different countries under Regulation (EC) № 1071/2009. The purpose of the report is to make a comparative analysis of the applicable practices in Europe in terms of access to the profession of Transport Manager. The practices in 7 European countries were analyzed. The results show that different countries use in different ways the opportunities provided by the Regulation, with two of the countries, Italy and Austria, on the two opposite sides. Based on the analysis, some recommendations for future research are proposed.
More...Keywords: Polski Ład;jednostki samorządu terytorialnego;udział w podatku dochodowym;subwencja;finansowanie gmin;
Purpose: The purpose of this chapter is to assess instruments that compensate local government units (LGUs) for the loss of income from shares in personal income tax and shares in corporate tax in connection with changes in these taxes as a result of Polish Deal program. The assessment was made from the point of view of the financial independence of local government units. Design/methodology/approach: The paper begins with outlining the changes in state income taxes in Poland. The next section concerns the method of assessing the “foreign” income of LGUin the context of financial independence. Then the instruments that compensate local government units for the loss in tax revenues were discussed and their assessment was made from the point of view of the financial independence of LGU. Findings: The following consequences of Polish Deal for LGU can be identified: 1) decrease in tax revenues, 2) deterioration of the structure of budget revenues (increase in the share of “foreign” revenues), 3) establishment of “rescue” instruments in the form of a subsidy development part and changes in the allocation of revenues from shares in state taxes. The financial consequences of the changes brought about by Polish Deal vary depending on the level of local government. The municipalities, including cities with poviat status, will feel them most acutely, as they have the highest share in personal income tax. The mechanism of dividing the development part of subsidy favors some local government units because it relates to the population size and not the actual loss of income from shares in state taxes. Instruments compensating the loss of income of LGU in connection with Polish Deal limit the financial independence of LGU and deepen the lack of transparency in the redistribution of income in the public finance sector in Poland.
More...Keywords: Polski Ład;podatek dochodowy od osób fizycznych;progresja podatkowa;rozwiązania prorodzinne;
Purpose: The aim of the research is to identify, structure and evaluate changes affecting the progressivity and family-friendly nature of personal income tax in Poland, introduced in 2022 as part of the Polish Deal socio-economic program. The analysis takes into account the legal status as of January 1, 2022 (Polish Deal) and changes introduced from July 1, 2022 or January 1, 2023 (Polish Deal 2.0). Design/methodology/approach: The chapter is dominated by a normative approach, but not limited to textual-dogmatic analyses. The aim was to identify the systemic significance of the introduced changes, and the creation of tax law was also analysed. The chapter consists of three points. In the first point, the most important changes to the Polish Deal and its adjustments under the Polish Deal 2.0, which affect the progression and family-oriented nature of personal incometax, were identified and grouped in the table. In the second point, both the nature and the method of implementation of changes in the progressivity of the tax under consideration were assessed. In turn, in the third point, an analogous assessment was made with regard to changes in the pro-family elements of this tax. Findings: The changes introduced to the personal income tax under the Polish Deal and the Polish Deal 2.0 lowered the burden of this tax not only for people with the lowest income, but also for those with medium and high income. These changes, however, have to be considered together with the burden resulting from the health insurance contribution, which until the end of 2021, in part of 7.75% of the contribution base, was tax deductible. As a result, only the lowest-earned taxpayers benefit from the combined changes, for some of them the reduction in income tax becomes neutral, and for high-earned taxpayers – it does not compensate for the additional burden of health insurance, thus exacerbating the tax and contribution progression. Inevitably, the reduction of personal income tax results in lower revenues to the state budget, and moreover, increases the pressure on its expenses in order to compensate local government units for the loss of income due to the percentage share in this tax. In the face of the chronic budget deficit, in the conditions of historically high public debt and rising costs of its servicing, and the accompanying rising inflation, a natural question arises as to how this loss of budget revenues will be compensated. Knowledge of the answer to this question will allow to estimate the full redistributive effect of changes in the socio-economic program of the Polish Deal.
More...Keywords: Romanian literature; poetry; prose; journalism; literary translation;
The communication is dedicated to Ştefan Augustin Doinaş (1922-2002), a representative personality of Romanian literature, who stood out in the realm of poetry as the most prominent exponent of the ballade genre from the middle of the 20th century. Brief biographical data are presented, highlighting the genres addressed by the author: poetry, prose, essays, journalism.
More...Keywords: deaf student; qualitative research; prior knowledge; science education;
The construction of a concept can be developed from the students' prior knowledge. Regarding deaf students, it is considered their conceptions conceived through vision. Given this, the present research was conducted with a group of deaf students in the 7th year of elementary school with the aim of verifying what ideas these students had about science. The research was carried out with a qualitative approach, using action research. For data collection, an activity was proposed with the elaboration of drawings, carried out in three stages: (1) initial conversation and elaboration of the drawings; (2) explanation of the drawings (in Libras); (3) closure of the activity. Drawings were prepared, speeches (in Libras) transcribed and notes from the logbook were used for analysis. The analyzed data revealed three categories in which students conceived decontextualized views, also demonstrating a distance from science and applications in everyday life. In relation to the visuality of the deaf student, the difficulty was evidenced in selecting and interpreting the various information that was conveyed around them.
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