Tomas Bata University in Zlín
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Homeless young people - Relationships and risks of living on the street
Get PDFThis article brings information about homeless young people as an alternative way of life from the point of view of their daily survival on the street. The aim of the paper is to present the results of qualitative research associated with the phenomenon of homeless young people and to understand their life on the streets in terms of creating some relationships, namely solidarity, a functioning group as a family and its mutual help or variability, and obstacles to changing this lifestyle. It also informs about the risks posed by the majority society, city police, robbery, including the search for the meaning of the day. It is important, but also in the interest of society as a whole, to provide qualified social help to this target social group and reduce the number of young people on the streets and successfully reintegrate them back into the majority society
Determinants of technological and non-technological innovations: Evidence from Ghana' manufacturing and service sectors
Get PDFThis paper aims at investigating the various factors driving technological and non-technological innovations in the manufacturing and service sectors in Ghana. We argue that numerous previous studies have shown that digitalization, firms' collaborations, access to finance, engaging in research and development and certain firm characteristic such as age, size and ownership influence firms' aptitude and incentives to be innovative. However, in the context of developing countries like Ghana, we do not know whether these same determinants also have positive effects on stimulating innovations at the firm-level. Using a sample of 549 firms sourced from the World Bank Enterprises Survey conducted between 2007 and 2013, this study finds that the adoption of digitalization promotes non-technological (organizational) innovations than technological innovations. We also find that firms' innovation collaboration with consultants and universities rather exert no impact on technological and non-technological innovations. Our finding show that internal R&D enhance technological innovations and not non-technological innovations. The main practical implications of the study are that attempts to boosting firm-level and developing countries innovation potentials should mainly focus on improving internal R&D and innovation support activities, expanding access to finance, and upgrading Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to enhance digitalization.Internal Grant Agency of FaME [IGA/FaME/2021/004
Improvement of photosynthetic pigment characteristics, mineral content, and antioxidant activity of lettuce (lactuca sativa l.) by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and seaweed extract foliar application
Get PDFBeneficial plant-microbe interaction for enhancing crop yield and quality is a sustainable way to achieve eco-friendly, desirable agricultural productions. The main objective of this experiment was to evaluate the individual and combined effects of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) strain (Funnehformis mosseae) and a seaweed extract (SWE) derived from Ascophyllum nodosum, on the growth and physiological responses of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Lettuce plants were inoculated with commercial AMF inoculum (5 g kg(-1) soil), and SWE foliar application was done at three levels (0.5, 1.5, and 3 g L-1). The findings revealed that AMF along with SWE generated the greatest impact. In fact, co-application of AMF inoculation and 3 g L-1 SWE considerably enhanced root colonization, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, and mineral content in the shoots and roots (N, P, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, and Mn content) of lettuce plants. This combination improved initial fluorescence (F-0), photochemical efficiency of PSII (F-V/F-m) and Y(NO) and total antioxidant activity (TAA), whereas the maximum fluorescence, (F-m) and Y(II), showed the highest increase in lettuce plants treated with AMF and 1.5 g L-1 SWE. Furthermore, AMF inoculation along with SWE, at concentrations 1.5 and 3 g L-1, considerably enhanced variable fluorescence (F-V) and the activity of water decomposition in electron donor photosystem II (F-V/F-0). As a result of these findings, it can be stated that the co-application of AMF and SWE positively improves the growth and development of lettuce plants.Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FT/2022/004]; University of Maragheh, IranTomas Bata University in Zlin, TBU: IGA/FT/2022/004; University of Maraghe
The importance of social media for management of SMEs
Get PDFThe aim of this paper is to present new scientific results concerning social media in relation to the SME segment. The empirical research based on a sample of 1,520 respondents from the business sector of the V4 countries provided interesting findings. The role of social media is largely underestimated by the SMEs and such enterprises have untapped capacity for using social media in their management. Additionally, the SMEs insufficiently utilize the opportunity for a more flexible response to market development through social media. Another important finding is that the SMEs do not usually have a clear strategy on how to use social media. Also, organizations in the SME segment do not sufficiently appreciate the contribution of social media to the growth of financial performance. The research confirmed the existence of significant differences in the attitudes of respondents in individual V4 countries. Further findings indicate that the attitudes of SMEs are changing in the context of the new macroeconomic situation. While the use of social media in the favourable phase of the economic cycle was relatively low, their role increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2021, Centre of Sociological Research. All rights reserved
Impact of long-term storage on the quality of selected sugar-based foods stored at different temperatures
Get PDFThe aim of the presented study was to evaluate the microbiological, chemical, physical and organoleptic properties of sugar-based foods (apricot-apple jam, flower meadow honey, sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread) stored at four different temperatures (−18, 5, 23 and 40 °C) for a period of 24 months. In addition, critical combinations of storage temperature and time were determined for maintaining food quality and food safety. Storage of all samples ≤23 °C appeared to be safe from a microbiology perspective, while in the case of storage at 40 °C it was not recommended to exceed a storage period of 6 or 12 months. The pH-values decreased and the dry matter, ammonia, TBARS content increased most intensively during the first 6 months of storage (P < 0.05). The amino acid content of sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread decreased significantly at 40 °C (P < 0.05). With the prolonged storage time, the organoleptic properties of the samples deteriorated. The changes were more intensive when an elevated storage temperature was used (P < 0.05). Moreover, under the above-mentioned conditions a marginal decrease of the total saccharide content in all samples was observed. In addition, the apparent viscosity of the honey and the firmness of the jam increased significantly at elevated temperatures of 40 °C (P < 0.05). © 2022 The Author(s)Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně: IGA/FT/2019/006; Ministerstvo Obrany České Republiky, MOČRTomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FT/2019/006]; project of long-term strategy of organization development DZRO ROZVOLOG Development of Capabilities and Sustainability of Logistics Support (DZRO ROZVOLOG, 2016-2021) - Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republi
Applications of the differential transform to second-order half-linear Euler equations
Get PDFNonlinear differential equations are considered to be an important tool for describing a number of phenomena in engineering and the natural sciences, and their study is thus subject to contemporary research. The purpose of the paper is to show applications of the differential transform to second-order half-linear Euler equations with and without delay. The case of proportional delay is considered. Finding a numerical solution to an initial value problem is reduced to solving recurrence relations. The outputs of the recurrence relations are coefficients of the Taylor series of the solution. Validity of the presented algorithm is demonstrated on concrete examples of initial value problems. Numerical results are compared with solutions produced by Matlab function "ddesd"
Towards understanding tourist revisit of zoo attraction: Evidence from the Czech Republic
Get PDFThis study assesses the important driving constructs influencing the tourists' revisit decision of the famous Zlin-Zoo in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic. The relatively overlooked segment of the hospitality sector, particularly, the recreation segment has been addressed by taking the case of the aforementioned zoo to analyze the constructs impacting the tourists' revisit decision. Hence, the present study seeks to ascertain and fill this research gap and also incorporates some control-variables related to the socio-demographic characteristics for having exhaustive look over the researched issue. Based on the primary data and together with a quantitative research approach, a structured questionnaire has been used to survey for data collection. Through the non-random sampling technique, precisely convenience sampling, a total of 390 valid responses were received and the application of PLS-SEM gives interesting discernments. The results reveal that positive emotion at the tourist place, safety measures, and tourist satisfaction significantly impacts the decision of tourists to revisit. However, service quality and corporate image is not a matter of much concern for tourists. Regarding control variables; age and category of respondents also play a significant role in the decision of re-visitation. Theoretical implications for researchers and academic community are in the form of highlighted driving constructs and offer a deeper insight of the proposed conceptual model, whilst the practical implications for managers of recreational units as well as policymakers would help to ensure sustained growth and competitiveness in the recreational segment of the hospitality industry. The concluding part also discusses the limitations and future research directions.Faculty of Management and Economics, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Czech Republic [FSR-S/2020/FaME/001]FSR-S/2020/FaME/001; Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlín
Cyber security and social engineering
Get PDFNowadays, it is quite common to use modern information technology at work, at school and in private life. Shared information can be used not only for advertising and statistics purposes. Low levels of awareness, inattention and trust can lead to the misuse of this information, using computers and smart mobile devices using the Internet. This article aims to summarize in the introduction the most common methods used to misuse information and what user behavior leads to this. Furthermore, the article then describes the purpose for which this information is misused. The conclusion then describes the methods of protection. It is necessary to constantly draw attention to this issue so that users themselves focus on information security in the environment of information and communication technologies.Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně: IGA/FAI/2021/002Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin; Institute of Safety Engineering, Faculty of Applied Informatics; [IGA/FAI/2021/002
Key predictors of overweight and obesity in adult population
Get PDFIntroduction: According to experts, overweight and obesity, are the most dangerous civilization diseases of today. Worldwide, over 312 million people are obese and another 1.3 billion suffer from obesity. Increased weight is a significant health risk and it means a decrease in quality of life and, especially in life expectancy. Because of this, in our research, we address the problem of current society which is overweight and obesity. Methods: To verify hypotheses, we used chi-square test of independence. It is a universal statistical test with wide use. It is most often used to verify the relation between nominal type variables. Results: By analyzing the results, we have found that overweight or obesity of the parents, respondents' satisfaction, eating habits and gender are related to overweight and obesity of the respondents. However, we have not found a relation between the physical activity of the respondents and their overweight or obesity. In case our respondents do not exercise and have bad eating habits, their body weight would be likely to increase. Conclusion: To prevent the development of overweight and obesity and its complications that have a negative impact on our health, it is necessary to make a targeted and effective intervention that is aimed at a healthy lifestyle
Assessment of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the prospects of e-learning in higher learning institutions: The mediating role of academic innovativeness and technological growth
Get PDFThis paper assesses the antecedents (prospects) geared toward the implementation of e-learning strategy in the HLI’s of Ghana (a developing country) amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The study again espouses the enabling factors that influence the e-learning system usage during the Covid-19 pandemic in a less digitalized economy. In doing so, the authors relied wholly on a quantitative research paradigm by leveraging on structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to achieve the study goal(s). The findings from 563 valid responses showed that the outbreak of the novel Covid-19 has positively and significantly strengthened the adoption of e-learning strategies across HLI’s in Ghana. It also revealed that “academic innovativeness” and “technological growth & development” have a significant mediation effect on the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and the adoption of e-learning strategy. In practice, the study offers contributions for universities’ management and policymakers to understand the relevant factors needed urgently by students and instructors of HLI’s for ensuring the successful usage of e-learning systems. The conclusion and future research direction has been presented in the paper. © 2022 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně: IGA/FMK/2020/001Internal Grant Agency (IGA) of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications (FMK) of Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Czech Republic [IGA/FMK/2020/001