Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: P. Maříková Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Countryside in the Czech Republic - determination, criteria, borders Abstract: To determine the countryside, different criteria can be used from the simplest one - the population density - to more complex ones like the economic indicators or the combination of factors characterizing the particular types of municipalities or regions. Generally, it is possible to divide these indicators into subjective and objective ones and further to categorize them according to other properties. The objective of this article is to collect as much information as possible about the methods of defining the borders of rural areas used in the Czech Republic and to set these criteria into a system. We would like to evaluate the applicability of these criteria and to state the advantages and disadvantages of their use. The article also compares statistical data related to the selected features characterizing countryside. Keywords: countryside, criteria for setting borders, village, town, rural region Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 247-255 Volume: 53 Issue: 6 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/978-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/978-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200706-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:53:y:2007:i:6:id:978-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: S. Buchta Author-Workplace-Name: Research Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Z. Štulrajter Author-Workplace-Name: Research Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Title: Divergence of some socio-economic indicators between rural and urban areas in Slovakia Abstract: The article is dealing with the evaluation of socio-economic development in Slovakia from the point of view of urban and the rural regions in 1999-2005, based on analysis of regional socio-economic indicators. This development is characterised by deepening differentiation between the urban and rural districts in the demographic structure of population, employment, unemployment, level of wages and salaries and private enterprising activities. Demographic structure in the rural regions, compared to the urban regions, is characterised by the increase of the share of population in post-productive age, ageing index and the unfavourable index of economic burden. Employment in the rural regions decreased at a more rapid rate than in the urban regions. From the unemployment point of view, there are significant regional differences in the SR. The worst affected are the regions of Eastern and south of Central Slovakia which suffer from the underdeveloped economic infrastructure, lower level of education, bankruptcy of the dominant industrial employers and a large share of agrarian population, where impact of transformation measures was the most severe. Unemployment rate in the rural regions was 2.2 times higher than in the urban regions in 2005. Growth rate of average wages and salaries is slower in the rural regions compared to the urban ones and the average of the SR. In the period of 1999-2005, the level of average wages and salaries in the rural regions accounted for 62.4% of average wages and salaries in the urban regions, during which the time trend of increasing wage disparity was continuing all the time. The trend of utilisation of cheap labour force for short part-time jobs is evident, particularly in the rural regions, which is in contrast to the growth of the standard of living and sustainable development of underdeveloped regions. The differentiation of economic level between urban and the rural regions is expressed also in the share of entrepreneurial entities in economically active population which tells against the rural regions in spite of the diminished differentiation in this indicator in 1999-2005. The declining rate of growth in number of entrepreneurs in the urban regions is a consequence of the saturation of spatial and employment opportunities, while there is a substantially larger potential of acceleration of private enterprising in the rural regions. Continuation of this development leads to the socially unacceptable differentiation and undesirable development of dual economies in the country and that is why it is necessary to solve this issue as a priority within the framework of the strategy of economic development of the SR. Keywords: rural area, ageing index, employment, unemployment, wages, entrepreneurial activity Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 256-262 Volume: 53 Issue: 6 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/985-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/985-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200706-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:53:y:2007:i:6:id:985-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: E. Šimková Author-Workplace-Name: University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic Title: Strategic approaches to rural tourism and sustainable development of rural areas Abstract: The paper describes the role of rural tourism for the sustainable development of rural areas and stresses out the importance of strategic approach in the planning of their development. The author identifies core problems, which eliminate their use and disable individual strategies set by some entrepreneurs in rural tourism. Concretely it is the absence of developing projects and focus on the development of individual villages. Then it is the lack of will to cooperate, local resources are not effectively used and the local community is not adequately involved. Keywords: sustainable development, rural areas, rural tourism, strategic plan, marketing Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 263-270 Volume: 53 Issue: 6 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/979-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/979-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200706-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:53:y:2007:i:6:id:979-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: L. Kolman Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: P. Rymešová Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Attitudes to work and organization as a part of a competency model Abstract: When modelling an employee competency, several facets of this theoretical construct could be identified. One of them is grounded in the employee's attitudes to work and organization, namely in her/his job involvement, organizational commitment, responsibility etc. The paper deals with results of a survey comparing work and organizational attitudes of four groups of subjects. The groups differed in age (20-30 and 50-60) and gender. The survey was a part of a wider research effort aimed at building up a new method of work attitudes measurement. The previous research has shown a rather specific response pattern in the Czech respondents. The survey dealt with presently tries to find more details as goes about the patterns mentioned and to help in constructing a final version of the method. The authors expect that the method will prove to be useful both in theory development and in the field. Keywords: competency, attitude, job involvement, organizational commitment Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 271-275 Volume: 53 Issue: 6 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/981-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/981-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200706-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:53:y:2007:i:6:id:981-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: J. Stávková Author-Workplace-Name: Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: H. Prudilová Author-Workplace-Name: Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Z. Toufarová Author-Workplace-Name: Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: L. Nagyová Author-Workplace-Name: Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, Czech Republic Title: Factors influencing the consumer behaviour when buying food Abstract: The paper analyses buying behaviour of Czech consumer units on the market with food. Authors present the factors that can influence significantly this behaviour, e.g. price, brand, quality, product attributes, habits, price reductions, advertisement, innovation and word-of-mouth. The results were obtained within the framework of a survey performed in a set of 1 074 Czech households by the staff of the Department of Marketing and Trade, the Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, in November and December 2004. Respondents were classified on the base of their annual income, residency, social group, age and education. Keywords: consumer behaviour, consumer units, marketing research, factor analysis, chi-quadrate Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 276-284 Volume: 53 Issue: 6 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/983-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/983-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200706-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:53:y:2007:i:6:id:983-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: M. Hrabánková Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: I. Boháčková Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Conditions of sustainable development in the Czech Republic in compliance with the recommendation of the European Commission - Scientific Information Abstract: The Program Period of the European Union for the years 2007-2013 is focused on supports of the rural development standardization and creation of the space for its sustainable development. Agriculture in the structure of production and non-production functions is an important factor of social-economic development of countryside and contributes to the increase of its growth potential. Diversification of activities in the countryside has a significant influence on the stability of settlement, the development of employment in the countryside, and sustenance of the entrepreneurial structures in rural regions. Keywords: Sustainable development of the countryside, multifunction agriculture, diversification of activities, EU operational program Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 285-289 Volume: 53 Issue: 6 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/980-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/980-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200706-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:53:y:2007:i:6:id:980-AGRICECON