Martin C. Putna: Obrazy z kulturních dějin Střední Evropy
Review of: Martin C. Putna: Obrazy z kulturních dějin Střední Evropy [Scenes from the cultural history of Central Europe] Praha: Vyšehrad, 2018. 378 p. ISBN 978-80-7429-977-3
More...We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
Review of: Martin C. Putna: Obrazy z kulturních dějin Střední Evropy [Scenes from the cultural history of Central Europe] Praha: Vyšehrad, 2018. 378 p. ISBN 978-80-7429-977-3
More...
Review of: Helena Ulbrechtová: Fenomén Krym: bájná Taurida, nebo sovětský ráj? Po stopách historické a literární paměti poloostrova [The Crimea phenomenon: Mythical Taurida or Soviet paradise? Following the traces of a peninsula’s historical and literary memory] Praha: Středisko společných činností AV ČR, v. v. i., 2020. 120 p. ISBN 978-80-200-3227-0
More...
Today, Korea is known as one of the East Asian intellectual centres. In addition, Korean thinkers are recognised for their critical evaluation of the Western philosophical tradition. However, contemporary Korean philosophical thought has gone through a short but extremely intense period of development – from the uncritical adaptation of Western education to the reappraisal of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in the context of spiritual dialogue between East and West.
More...
This study was conceived with an aim to examine the idea that despite belonging to two significantly different regions, it is possible to draw the conclusion that the same or similar historical experiences indicate analogous formations of national sentiments, type of nationalism which is applied to state-building and national identity. Before conducting this study, it was verified that both countries had compatible points which had been analysed thought the article.
More...
Officially registered in 1969 in South Korea, Daesoon Jinrihoe (“The Fellowship of Daesoon Truth”, derived from Daesoon meaning “Great Itineration”) has experienced such rapid expansion that it is now the largest new religious movement in the country with as many as half a million to one million members (estimate given by the group). It runs several large temple complexes, hospitals, schools, a university and research facilities. It is the heir of a spiritual genealogy that began with Kang Jeungsan (1871–1909) held as the human incarnation of the Supreme Being, Gucheon Sangje. His revelation was transmitted through Jo Jeongsan (1895–1958) who, in turn, before dying bestowed his authority upon Dojeon Park Wudang (1917–1996). The purpose of the article is to try to understand why, out of the approximately one hundred groups that sprang from the same spiritual lineage, Daesoon Jinrihoe has been the most successful. How can we account for its gaining such influence on one of the world’s most diverse and dynamic religious scenes?
More...
How exactly will the cumulative viewing of South Korean visual media by North Koreans reveal its potential? To address this question, this study examines the case of Estonia, a successful post-Soviet country and a parallel to the Korean Peninsula, looking back at times when Finnish TV and radio had become accessible in Tallinn, northern Estonia, from the early 1960s during the Soviet period. The method of this study is divided into two parts. The first part comprises a content analysis of previous studies related to the time-period-related dissemination of South Korean pop culture in North Korea, focused on visual media since the 2000s. The second part contains in-depth interviews with 20 Estonians, who had watched Finnish TV during the Soviet period to assess how these cumulative views function identified within North Korea and in the course of interKorean exchanges and cooperation.
More...
The employment of ornaments in the traditional singing of Slovaks in the Stará Pazova locality (Vojvodina, Serbia) is a rare phenomenon, and not only in terms of traditional song culture from the territory of Slovakia. It is unusual also in comparison with other Slovak localities in Vojvodina, where it scarcely ever occurs at the present time. This article offers a survey of the history of documentation of embellished singing in Stará Pazova, as well as the representation and occurrence of ornaments in the particular musical style layers in this locality’s song repertoire. A basic typology of ornaments is proposed, and three styles of embellished singing are characterised, while attention is also drawn to the importance of the performance aspect. In conclusion, there is a summary account of the hypotheses offered hitherto on the origin of embellished singing in this locality, to which the author adds another based on her current research.
More...
This paper assesses differences in the financial performances of member businesses of selected cluster organizations in the Czech and Slovak Republics. The first research sample was comprised of member businesses of five cluster organizations operating in the Czech Republic. The second research sample was made up of member businesses of four cluster organizations operating in Slovakia. The aim of the research was to find out whether the financial performance of member businesses in Czech cluster organizations differed from the performance of member businesses in Slovak cluster organizations. The financial performance was assessed using selected financial indicators. The research results showed that member businesses of selected Slovak cluster organizations did not achieve any different financial performance. Finally, the possible causes of this situation are discussed.
More...
The aim of this paper is to examine the determinants of healthcare expenditure in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries. The study covers the period between the years 2000 and 2018. In our research, we implement error correction based on an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, with focus on the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimator. Our estimation results revealed that, in combination, health spending, income, medical progress, population ageing and fiscal capacity together form a statistically significant and stable long-term economic relationship. Our analysis indicates that healthcare spending responds to both short-term and long-term income changes. The obtained results support the prevailing view that health should not be considered a luxury good with an income elasticity close to unity. In the long term, medical progress and population ageing also significantly influence health spending, whilst these variables prove to be insignificant over the short term. Ultimately, government capacity is positively related to health spending dynamics.
More...
This article explores the foundations of trust between Czechoslovak state bodies and experts selected for foreign service in Africa. The focus is on the means through which this trust was challenged during long periods of separation from socialist ways of life, ways which were reinvented after the systemic political changeover in Czechoslovak administration after August 1968. Drawing on the concept of “navigation”, it examines the strategies experts developed to earn and restore credibility in the eyes of party authorities after the total disintegration of prior networks of trust following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. During their tenure abroad, experts established trust networks on various levels – not only with Czechoslovak political representatives, but also with other experts in common agencies and even officers of the Czechoslovak Intelligence Service. These personal ties proved to be instrumental for negotiating future career prospects after the stormy years of 1968-1969. However, contrary to popular belief, this article demonstrates that it was less political attitude and more the economic potential of the experts’ international positions that determined their ongoing credibility as “honoured” citizens.
More...
The author addresses the issue of ethno-business, which has been largely unresearched to date. In the approach proposed by the author, ethnobusiness is understood as a wide range of practices and behaviours related to the deliberate use of existing regulations going beyond the intentions of legislators that guarantee cultural and political privileges for national and ethnic minorities. Various activists and leaders gathered around ethnic organizations and co-creators of the discussed phenomenon most often pursue their private material or political interests. However, ethno-business is closely linked to the established Romanian legislation on national minorities. Thus, the author investigates the roots of this phenomenon, introducing readers to the regulations on minorities in Romania, and points to the social consequences of ethno-business. The analysis of the discussed problem is supplemented and illustrated by examples of specific behaviours observed by the author during his long-term and extensive ethnographic field research carried out on the Romanian-Ukrainian borderland between 2009 and 2010. Although this research project focused on aspects of ethnic and national identity among the Slavic-speaking community of the Maramures region, it also gave an opportunity to spot a number of behaviours that can be interpreted in the context of ethno-business. The ethnographic examples given in the article show how the policies related to the protection of national minorities in Romania can be exploited in various circumstances by different individuals who have relevant knowledge of the rights of national minorities.
More...
The main goal of this research is to examine the motivation of entrepreneurs from Moscow and the Moscow region in conducting entrepreneurial activity in present economic conditions, and to identify the obstacles slowing down this activity. For implementing this goal a survey of 63 small business owners was conducted. To collect the data, authors selected the ME (micro-enterprise), the SB (small business) and the SME (small and medium-sized enterprise). The actors questioned were entrepreneurs and more particularly the heads of companies running an ME, SB or SME in Moscow and its regions. Using research methods as factor analysis and Cronbach’s Alpha, a hierarchy of the different motives and entrepreneurial barriers were constructed. Investigation results show that regarding motivations of entrepreneurs, 4 components were obtained: extrinsic motivations composed of 4 items, intrinsic motivations composed of 6 items, motivations linked to independence and autonomy with 3 items and motivations related to the safety and well-being of the family with 3 items. In terms of barriers or obstacles encountered by Russian entrepreneurs, in regards with the literature review, we obtained 5 components: barriers of legitimacy consisting of 3 items, administrative barriers with 3 items, financial barriers with 2 items, managerial barriers with 3 items and finally competitive barriers with 3 items. The novelty of this study is to improve knowledge of the motivations and barriers that entrepreneurs in Moscow and its region encounter in the course of their activity.
More...
The purpose of the article is to study the features of the development of the regions of Ukraine, the formation of a model of sustainable development of ecotourism. The bibliographic method made it possible to study the basic concepts, controversial and problematic issues, as well as the experience of solving them, proposed by scientists from different countries in this area of research. The analysis of efficiency has revealed the most competitive regions of Ukraine for conducting an environmentally oriented tourism business. The correlation and regression analysis results showed that the coefficient of determination R-square indicates a 94% correlation between the studied indicators. The growing dynamics of the number of subjects of tourist activity in Ukraine is noted. The primary data for cluster analysis were preliminarily formed, the presence of advantages and risks (anthropogenic effects) in 24 regions was determined, and promising directions for the development of ecotourism were identified. Cluster analysis, carried out using IBM SPSS software, determined the Euclidean distance and grouped the analyzed regions of Ukraine into clusters with the most similar characteristics. As a result of the study, the author’s vision of the essence of ecotourism, the logic of applying the methodology of cluster analysis was substantiated. The hypothesis about the influence of cultural heritage sites on the number of tourists was refuted. Some recommendations are given for further improvement of the quality of ecotourism development as a priority direction in the formation of sustainable development. The study’s practical significance lies in the fact that the results of the work carried out can be used as reference material for those studying the topic.
More...
The geopolitical rivalry and the clash of interests between the superpowers have been present in the Black Sea region for centuries. During the Cold War when the East-West divide was at its height, the Black Sea was “excluded” from geopolitical competition between the superpowers as it became the domain of mainly one player – the Soviet Union. The dismantling of the Pax Sovietica and the subsequent collapse of the Cold War gave rise to a new geopolitical situation in the Black Sea region. The former USSR was superseded by the Russian Federation and other political entities independent from Russia, yet having strong bonds with the region both in terms of geography and their political and cultural interests. These were new states like Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also former Soviet satellite states such as Bulgaria and Romania. In other words, the collapse of the USSR entailed the emergence of a new system of geopolitical power in the post-Soviet space.
More...
The value of a commercial property is mainly determined by its inter-accessibility to other land uses; accessibility is a critical component in determining the costs and rewards of any investment. The study is being conducted to investigate the impact of accessibility on the rental values of retail premises. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which accessibility affects the rental value of retail premises. The following goals were established: to assess the rent in various locations inside the market from the primary major route. The stratified random sample approach was employed to acquire the data to evaluate if there is a variance in rent and the link between rental value and distance. Data were examined using descriptive statistics and linear regression using SPSS. The data indicated that rent varies within the market as distance increases. It was found that as distance increases to the market, the rental prices of store premises fall, and there is a strong positive linear relationship between distance and rental value. The report also advised that the government establish market parking space. The government should also give private shop property investors appropriate loans at cheap interest rates to boost investment in this sector.
More...
The strategic position of the South Caucasus prompted the regional players, Russia, Iran and Turkey, to seek more significant influence on this territory. Israel is not a direct actor in the South Caucasus. Still, the region is of great strategic importance for the foreign policy doctrine of the Israeli state, whose interests only intensified as Iran’s influence had expanded after the lifting of sanctions in 2016. This article focuses on the region’s importance to Israel in its regional and national security. Based on this, the paper identifies and analyzes Israel’s geopolitical priorities and interests in the South Caucasus. The primary attention is paid to the main directions of Israel’s foreign policy, focused on protecting its vital interests. Since the creation of the Israeli state, the central foreign policy doctrines have been researched. The main aspects of Israel’s relations and interests with the region’s states (particularly the role of Iran) have been analyzed. Israel’s foreign policy is primarily tied to its deeply rooted historical traditions and is based on the principles of realism. Israel’s interests and policy in the Caucasus have three main aspects: strategic - a means of encircling Iran, medium-term - the energy supply zone, short-term - a market for the sale of high-tech weapons and ammunition. At the same time, these dimensions pose a challenge for the three traditional regional players - Russia, Turkey and Iran - who are very reluctant to admit extra-regional actors. The novelty of the article lies in consideration of Israel as a new geopolitical actor in the South Caucasus in the triangle of relations between regional and local states, as well as a zone for ensuring Israel’s geo-security. The main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific and pedagogical activities in assessing the issues of regional and national security, foreign policy and geopolitics of the South Caucasus.
More...
This research aims to assess cooperators involvement and satisfaction with housing activities in Plateau State, Nigeria, to measure their degree of influence on housing activities. The study was based on various questionnaire survey methods conducted on institution-based cooperative societies engaged in suitable housing activities. The data was collected from Jos University Teaching Hospital JUTH multipurpose cooperative society cooperators and analysed using mean ranking descriptive statistical tools. Multiple regression was conducted. Regression model summary and the ANOVA result were obtained. The model produced an overall R-value of 0.421 and an R2-value of 0.177 with F-statistics of 32.685, which are significant as indicated by a p-value of 0.000. The two independent variables included in the study explain about 17.7 % of the variation in housing activities. This shows that both involvement and satisfaction of cooperators influenced housing activities. The study recommended that cooperators be more involved in all housing activities from the initial stage to the completion for a more positive outcome and ensure their utmost satisfaction based on their housing demand. This will motivate them and increase patronage of the cooperative society for their housing needs at all times.
More...
The disregard of teachers' needs had an influence negatively on our educational system in Nigeria. This study was undertaken to explore the influence of career satisfaction on teachers' attrition and retention in public secondary schools of Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi state was also the objective. A survey design was adopted for the study; the study population constitutes 356 teachers in public secondary schools in Dass Local Government. A proportionate stratified sampling technique was employed in selecting 186 teachers as sample respondents in this study. An instrument was adopted from previous studies relevant to the current research and was used for data collection in this study. Descriptive statistics were used to answer the research questions, while multiple regressions were used to test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study showed an influence of 26.226 as against P-value =.000) between career satisfaction and teachers and attrition and retention. Findings showed that career satisfaction positively influences teachers' attrition and retention in public secondary schools in Dass Local Government of Bauchi State. The study recommended that the school management and the government improve the working conditions of teachers by providing adequate teaching/learning resources.
More...
In onomastics, geographical objects have been classified in different variants, depending on the reasons for the name. These classifications were conducted according to the specialisation and goals of the researchers. The formation of geographical names means only the name of oronymic, hydronymic, economic, zoonymic, and phytonymic objects. The naming of these types of geographical objects is mainly focused on the characteristic feature. However, ethnotoponyms, patrotoponyms and anthropoponims do not have a characteristic feature but reflect the belonging of objects to the people, tribe, generation and personality. Toponymic nomination refers mainly to oronyms and, to some extent, to hydronymic toponyms. In American oronymy, all geographical names formed as a result of a historical event are based on the detailed history and fact of residence of Native American Indians, which is one of their main characteristics.
More...
Housing across the world has remained an indispensable phenomenon that affects every facet of humans. Its relevance is so evident that it imparts on man’s socio-physical and mental welfare irrespective of his socio-economic status, colour or creed. The correct socio-economic position is linked to people seeking inexpensive and decent housing. This study assessed the socio-economic characteristics of households and their housing condition in the Bauchi metropolis. The study adopted a quantitative approach where 380 questionnaires were administered to house hold-heads in this study. The households were sampled through stratified random sampling to generate data on their socio-economic characteristics, housing conditions, existing facilities and amenities, physical and environmental characteristics. The data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics with mean ranking and ordinal regression to examine the significance of the various variables. The findings of the study revealed that socio-economic characteristics affect housing conditions in the study area. The study also revealed that compared with the medium and high-density areas where the housing situation and all basic infrastructures are fair and foul, the low-density area had its housing condition with all basic infrastructures in good condition. It was recommended that the government provide adequate social facilities as a matter of urgency, renovate the declining ones, and implement development control standards in the medium and high-density areas. Furthermore, individuals should incorporate a good maintenance culture for their property to improve housing and environmental characteristics.
More...