Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: D. Hupková Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: P. Bielik Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: N. Turčeková Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Title: Structural changes in the beef meat demand in Slovakia and demand elasticity estimation Abstract: The article focuses on assessing the consumer habits attitudes and behaviour towards the beef meat demand. The main objective of this study is to investigate the determinants of the households' beef meat consumption using the main economic factors. Determining and analysis of consumer behaviour on the individual household categories level and the subsequent comparison of impact factors on consumer decision will give us an assumption to the complex understanding of the consumer behaviour determinants. We used panel data to estimate the beef meat demand in Slovakia. The data were obtained from the Household Budget Survey of the Slovak Statistical Office. The estimates of price and income elasticities of the beef meat demand are also obtained. The results indicate that the food patterns development in Slovakia during the past two decades has undergone rapid structural changes. The declining beef meat consumption is influenced mainly by the decreasing purchasing power and the occurrence of the BSE disease. According to the elasticity estimation results, we can state that the beef meat demand is price and income inelastic. Key words: beef meat consumption, households' consumption, price elasticity, income elasticity. BSE disease Keywords: beef meat consumption, households' consumption, price elasticity, income elasticity. BSE disease Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 361-367 Volume: 55 Issue: 8 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/41/2009-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/41/2009-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200908-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:55:y:2009:i:8:id:41-2009-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: E. Horská Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: A. Krasnodębski Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture, Krakow, Title: The selected theoretical and practical viewpoints to managing cultural diversity in the international business Abstract: The paper is a contribution to the theoretical and applied research in the area of managing cultural diversity from the viewpoint of performing different managerial and marketing tasks. It includes the primary research results conducted during the period from 2007 to 2008 on the set of 200 agri-food companies in Slovakia, Spain, Poland and Austria. This study helps to understand the concept of the internationalization of business activities of the agri-food companies depending on the diversity of their external environment and market position. The main attention is devoted to the international trade links development with those businesses which for various reasons are considered as potential partners in the long run and include also the external EU trading partners. Keywords: marketing, management, cultural diversity, internationalization, adaptation, standardization, territorial expansion Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 368-374 Volume: 55 Issue: 8 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/6/2009-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/6/2009-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200908-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:55:y:2009:i:8:id:6-2009-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: A. Qineti Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: M. Rajcaniova Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: E. Matejkova Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Statistics and Operation Research, Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Title: The competitiveness and comparative advantage of the Slovak and the EU agri-food trade with Russia and Ukraine Abstract: The paper investigates comparative advantages and competitiveness of Slovak and the EU 27 agri-food trade in markets of two countries: Russia and Ukraine. Our aim is to see the dynamics of the agri-food trade for the analyzed countries especially in the post-accession period. Applying a trade dataset from the EUROSTAT and based on the approach applied by Bojnec and Fertő (2006), we describe the pattern of agri-food trade in Slovakia and the EU using the Balassa index. The extent of trade specialization exhibits a declining trend in the country. It has lost comparative advantage for a number of product groups over time. The indices of specialization have tended to converge. For the particular product groups, the indices display a greater variation. They are stable for the product groups with comparative disadvantage, but the product groups with strong comparative advantage show a significant variation. There are also shown different tendencies for different markets i.e. the trade patterns between the Slovak Republic and the EU 27 with Russia and Ukraine. Keywords: comparative advantage, agri-food trade, EU 27, Slovak Republic, Russia, Ukraine Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 375-383 Volume: 55 Issue: 8 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/42/2009-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/42/2009-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200908-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:55:y:2009:i:8:id:42-2009-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: A. Látečková Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: M. Kučera Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: K. Brédová Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University, Nitra, Slovak Republic Title: Increasing of competitiveness of dairy products in Slovakia through the application of information systems Abstract: Global trends in world economy intervene into each sector of national economy. In the article, we focused on the dairy industry. The research was oriented at the national market of dairy products with the goal to assess the current situation on the market with these commodities. According to the acquired data, we compiled an overview of the current situation in the market and we pointed out the direction that should be followed by producers. The implementation of information systems is a necessary requirement to increase competitiveness in accordance with the specifics of dairy production. Keywords: dairy industry, competitiveness, management, information systems Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 384-391 Volume: 55 Issue: 8 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/43/2009-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/43/2009-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200908-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:55:y:2009:i:8:id:43-2009-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: J. Miklovičová Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Ľ. Gurčík Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Title: The profit and added value creation and development analysis of agricultural companies in selected regions in Slovakia Abstract: : In the paper, we deal with the profit or loss creation analysis and with the added value analysis, which is an important factor by profit creation in the companies. We calculate the profit or loss and added value with the pyramidal decomposition, determining the factors with positive or negative influence on their creation and development. We execute the quantification in agricultural companies of the Bratislava and Žilina region in the Slovakia. The companies farm in different natural conditions. The added value is in companies of the Bratislava region more than four times higher than in the companies of the Žilina region. The profit after taxes was negatively influenced by the loss from financial activities in the companies of both regions during the analyzed period. Keywords: agricultural subjects, added value, profit, loss, pyramidal decomposition Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 392-399 Volume: 55 Issue: 8 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/44/2009-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/44/2009-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200908-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:55:y:2009:i:8:id:44-2009-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: L. Drenková Author-Name: P. Schwarcz Author-Name: A. Bandlerová Title: Utilisation of the direct EU payments in Slovak agriculture after the 2003 Common Agricultural Policy reform Abstract: The paper analyses and compares the EU direct payments in the conditions of the Slovak Republic during the monitored period 2004-2006. The 2003 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (hereafter CAP) introduces a considerable simplification of the EU producers' support and a general improvement of the market orientation of agriculture. The Slovak Republic has temporarily adopted the system of the Single Area Payment Scheme (SAPS) which is used in the old member states. The Slovak Republic can use this system until the end of the year 2010. The amount of the direct payments in 2004 was 53.1% of the EU average. The prediction for 2007 was 70% of the EU average, provided that the state co-finances 30%. Keywords: Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, direct payments, modulation Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 400-405 Volume: 55 Issue: 8 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/2629-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2629-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200908-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:55:y:2009:i:8:id:2629-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: I. Zentková Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: E. Hošková Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University, Nitra, Slovak Republic Title: The estimation of the Marshallian demand functions for the selected foodstuff groups according to the households income quartils Abstract: The article deals with the modelling of demand for the food group of milk and milk products and the food group of meat, meat products, eggs and fish using the Marshallian demand functions for the individual income quartils of Slovak households. The criterium for the foodstuff groups selection is their position in the Healthy Eating Pyramid which is one of the recommended optimal food basket forms. We suppose that the significant income differentiation of households will manifest as different consumer behaviour in the food market. The analysis confirms this hypothesis. Keywords: consumption of foodstuffs, income quartil, Marshallian demand function, demand elasticity of foodstuffs, foodstuff group of milk and milk products, foodstuff group of meat, meat products, eggs and fish Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 406-412 Volume: 55 Issue: 8 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/62/2009-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/62/2009-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-200908-0007.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:55:y:2009:i:8:id:62-2009-AGRICECON