M14 - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social ResponsibilityReturn

An increasing number of articles published on the nexus between corporate sustainability disclosure (CSD) and tax behaviour (TB) have enriched the academic research landscape. However, they have provided inconclusive results as to the nature of the connection and have not yet adequately examined the sources of variation that might moderate the effect sizes under investigation. This study performs a standard meta-analysis and synthesises the empirical-quantitative results regarding the CSD-TB connection, following Hunter & Schmidt's (1990) research design. Several criteria are employed to collect documents with methodological and content relevance. The selection process results in a final dataset that includes 50 articles covering the period from 2012 to 2022. The findings reveal that the CSD-TB link is not significant enough for practical purposes, while an investigation of moderating variables that can explain the different findings of earlier studies shows either no or little connection. The benefit of such a no-results analysis for the research community is to redirect future researchers, especially PhD candidates, to examine other factors affecting corporations’ TB. In terms of limitations, the meta-analysis is based on the availability of the existing corpus of knowledge and consists only of empirical studies with Pearson correlation coefficients and standardised beta coefficients.
Implications for Central European audience: The present study provides evidence that may influence policy-making processes at the European and international level, particularly with regard to corporate tax transparency. The findings suggest that the implementation of CSD has not proven to be effective in terms of tax behaviour. A meta-analysis of the available data shows no statistically significant correlation between CSD and the tax behaviour of businesses, thus challenging the assumption that CSD obligations can act as an effective tool to enhance tax compliance, which implies that other means of enhancing tax compliance need to be explored.

Leadership in family businesses has unique characteristics due to the special culture that family business carries, such as the special family bonds that the leader has with the team, the strong influence of the leader on the “family” team and the high level of dependence of the whole family on the business success. These traits should be reflected in the leader’s approach towards teamwork. This research paper aims to identify these traits, more specifically, using the Belbin team role methodology, to identify which team roles are the most typical of family business leaders and which are rather rare or insignificantly represented. The Belbin Full Individual Report questionnaire was utilized, which compares self-evaluations with 360-degree feedback from four team members. Nine leaders of family businesses from the Czech Republic were analysed, and the results were subjected to a deeper statistical study with interesting findings. One of the main merits of this paper is the identification of the team roles Shaper, Coordinator and Resource Investigator to be typical for family business leaders, with the team roles Team Worker and Specialist being represented the least, which differs from the typical characteristics of a start-up leader; yet, an even deeper analysis with other results was carried out.
Implications for Central European audience: The implications of this study for Central European family businesses are that leaders typically occupy team roles such as Shaper, Coordinator and Resource Investigator. The low inclination towards Team Worker and Specialist roles suggests a reliance on complementary team members to fill these gaps. These findings can inform leadership development and succession planning, highlighting the need for balanced team compositions. Also, these findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of how leadership roles are distributed and function within family businesses, providing a framework for future research into team dynamics, complementary team roles of other members and leadership effectiveness in this context.

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have a significant influence on global financial markets, with assets exceeding USD 11.2 trillion and accounting for 40% of the world's largest 100 asset owners' total assets. Understanding the drivers behind SWFs' investment decisions is crucial. This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic related to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and irresponsibility (CSI) compared to financial data on SWFs' investment decisions, analysing 72% of their total public equity holdings from 2019 to 2023. Findings reveal that SWFs prioritize company self-reported environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics over public CSI information when making investment decisions. Furthermore, public equity holding CSI data have a more pronounced influence on the investment decision of SWFs in countries with higher transparency of sustainability. The study underscores the necessity for greater ESG integration into SWFs' investment strategies to demonstrate a commitment to sustainable investing practices. This research illuminates the path towards a more responsible and sustainable approach for SWFs on global financial markets.
Implications for Central European audience: Our conclusions could help encourage greater ESG integration into investment strategies and promote sustainable investing practices more broadly, not limited to liquid assets, to showcase a sustainable “walk the talk”. A special focus should be put on CSI's development of target investments. Future research might also consider whether the investment behaviour of SWFs is equivalent to that of other major investors, such as insurance companies and public pension schemes.

The objective is to assess the quality and quantity of non-financial disclosures required by Directive 2014/95/EU for companies operating in the energy sector in the Czech Republic before and after the introduction of the obligation of non-financial disclosure for large publicly traded companies. The information disclosed by companies is the subject of quantitative research. Non-financial information in the form of annual reports or sustainability reports before (2015, 2016) and after (2017–2021) the introduction of the duty of non-financial reporting was the subject of the analysis. The textual analysis of these reports was carried out using IRAMUTEQ software and used to assess the quality of non-financial reporting of Czech energy companies. The quality of disclosures was evaluated in two ways: the length of non-financial reports (number of words, sentences and pages) and the incidence and number of occurrences of identified words. A paired t-test was employed for the evaluation. It was confirmed that those companies that were required to report non-financial information related to their operations in 2017 increased their disclosures in areas with the strongest environmental impact. This method could allow stakeholders to assess the quality of disclosure and its evolution over time with relative ease.
Implications for Central European audience: Companies should offer transparent information about the environmental impact of their activities and how they engage with employees and other partners. Non-financial reporting plays a crucial role in achieving this transparency. Given the substantial environmental footprint of companies in the energy industry, the objective of this paper was to assess whether companies operating in Central Europe provide stakeholders with pertinent information and to examine the impact of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive on the disclosed information.

This paper investigates stress management practices in Czech small and medium-sized enterprises (n = 194) within the manufacturing sector, with the primary objective of assessing the extent to which these enterprises integrate stress management principles into their internal management processes. The study places a particular emphasis on how these enterprises implement stress management, encompassing both organizational and individual level interventions, while also scrutinizing perceived work stressors, including challenges arising from workplace digitization. A questionnaire was compiled by making use of theoretical insights and empirical findings within stress management, assessing stress management strategies and exploring work-related stress costs. Additionally, it incorporated queries to delineate organizational profiles, enriching the understanding of contextual nuances. Based on a questionnaire survey conducted in the Czech Republic, the research reveals that 86.6% of the surveyed enterprises have implemented at least one stress management intervention, predominantly at the organizational level (45.4% of the respondents). Furthermore, 38.7% of the enterprises adopt both organizational and individual-level interventions, with only 2.6% exclusively focusing on individual stress management interventions. In a broader European context, the Czech Republic appears to lag behind in managing psychosocial risks and workplace stress, characterized by the lowest percentage of stress management action plans and a low rate of actual implementation of stress management measures. Additionally, there is a notable lack of legal frameworks addressing the issue. These findings underscore the need for more effective strategies to enhance stress management in the workplace and the overall wellbeing of employees.
Implications for Central European audience: Given the common economic challenges facing Central European countries, the findings presented in this article are of fundamental importance for the whole region. Workplace stress and its effective management are a common problem and therefore, the findings of this study are relevant. Given the global trend towards digitization of workplaces, these findings have potential applicability across Central Europe. Enterprises operating in our region should take due note of these emerging stressors and develop tailored strategies to address them and potentially improve the overall quality of working life for employees across the region.

The focus of the paper and the main objective of the research is to scrutinize the adaptability of an inclusion model tailored for conventional workspaces to the context of startups employing remote freelance teams across different locations, probing whether this model holds relevance in more flexible work arrangements. The paper is based on a qualitative analysis of empirical material collected in a case study. The case study was conducted in a virtual marketing startup registered in Ireland composed of 14 employees, including 12 freelancers and 2 full-time employees working remotely from the UK, Ireland, France, Croatia, Romania, Belgium and Ukraine. We found that the degree of organizational inclusion is determined by employee empowerment orientation. The study shows the positive effect of inclusion practices and processes on perceived inclusion, talent retention and inclusive climate as well as organizational and individual performance. The paper contributes to the ongoing scientific debate by presenting how an inclusive workplace might be achieved in a geographically distributed, virtual startup organization. Furthermore, as Central European startups aim to expand globally, our insights into inclusion in geographically dispersed teams can be especially relevant. It provides guidance on how to maintain an inclusive culture when working with remote teams across different countries.
Implications for Central European audience: In the Central European business landscape, especially in geographically dispersed startups, adapting inclusion models to virtual settings is essential. Given the region's diverse cultures and historical contexts, understanding communication dynamics and fostering authenticity and psychological safety are crucial. Prioritizing these aspects aligns with Central European values of collaboration and innovation, enhancing employee well-being and positioning businesses for sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

The success of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) depends upon the active support of all stakeholders. Thus, it is highly relevant and becomes the goal of this paper to perform a pilot case study of the negative determinants of readiness of the new Central European generation of financially sufficiently strong consumers to support CSR, in particular, to answer two research questions: (i) which is the prevailing determinant and (ii) whether it is gender-sensitive. Therefore, 53 male and 53 female Generation Z students from a private university in Prague, ready to pay a CSR bonus, were surveyed in the summer of 2021 regarding the negative determinants of their decisions. The collected answers were statistically processed via cross-tabulation and chi-squared test measures, and the dependence between negative determinants and genders was considered to answer both research questions. The data analysis implies four prevailing negative determinants, two of them related to the infodemic, represented differently by male and female members of Generation Z. This leads to propositions linked to prior studies and advancing them in a new direction. Namely, this indicative pilot case study suggests that Generation Z's readiness to support CSR by paying a CSR bonus is eroded by the infodemic and that male members of Generation Z are more sensitive in this respect than female members.
Implications for Central European audience: This article targets the underestimated issue of factors deterring committed young consumers from their support to sustainability via their readiness to pay a CSR bonus. It empirically points out the relevance of proper information and the negative and gender-sensitive impacts of the infodemic. Theoretical implications include a pioneering contribution to the conceptual appreciation, methodological processing and assessment of particular aspects of infodemic and negative CSR determinants for an emerging cohort of Central European consumers. Practical implications include the dramatic importance of enhancement of awareness and practical suggestions regarding how to inform these male and female consumers and engage them in sustainability and CSR.

Recent industry developments emphasize the need for research into promoting employee well-being via virtual leadership. While the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote work, global trends such as low unemployment rates sparked an urgency to prioritize employee well-being. This SLR analyses findings to understand the role of leadership behaviour within this context for application in the business environment. Applying the PRISMA method, 15 relevant studies before and during the pandemic were selected. The analysis found critical aspects of remote work which affect employee well-being while emphasizing implications for leadership. Key themes are boundaries between work-life and private life, supportive relationships and adequate use of technology. Contributing to existing research into employee well-being, this review discusses the effects of remote work on employee well-being, differentiates between research conducted before and during the pandemic and identifies implications for leaders to manage employee challenges in virtual environments to design post-COVID-19 work environments using remote work as a resource, not a demand. Based on the results, the review provides suggestions for further research into (1) comparative studies of employee well-being in remote and traditional work forms, (2) manager-employee relationships in remote settings and (3) virtual onboarding scenarios.
Implications for Central European audience: The review informs leaders about well-being-promoting behaviour in remote work settings.

Organizations are increasingly operating with a multicultural and diverse workforce. Researchers and practitioners have recognized that diversity is a double-edged sword and can result in many significant benefits but can also present challenges in organizations. Therefore, the goal of the paper is to analyse the influence of perceived diversity, a perceived inclusive organizational culture and an inclusive diversity paradigm on employee job satisfaction. In order to analyse the research problem, a quantitative approach was chosen. The research was conducted on a representative sample (n = 1 035) of Poles using a research panel. The data analysis showed a statistically significant, positive correlation between perceived diversity and job satisfaction, as well as a statistically significant, positive correlation between an inclusive work environment (defined as an inclusive organizational culture and an inclusive diversity paradigm) and job satisfaction. The paper broadens our understanding of the role of diversity and inclusion for job-related attitudes. It shows managers that developing an inclusive, diverse workplace can have an influence on job satisfaction. The paper contributes to research into diversity, inclusion and job satisfaction by addressing diversity, an inclusive work environment and its consequences for an organization from the perspective of the employees and their perception of the analysed issues.
Implications for Central European audience: Central European countries are rather homogenous in terms of socio-demographic diversity dimensions, especially in comparison to the US and Western European context, where the vast majority of diversity and inclusion research has been conducted. When analysing employee attitudes, it may be important to look not only at objective variables but turn towards their perception by the employees, who in this case are raised in the homogenous Polish society. Thus, the paper contributes to the literature by presenting a CEE context and gives managers operating in this region insight into how diversity and inclusion affect job satisfaction.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of corporate governance quality on the firm value of companies operating in the Borsa Istanbul (BIST) Corporate Governance Index. Analyzes were made with the data of the 51 companies operating in the BIST Corporate Governance Index for the 2015-2019 period. The GMM techniques were used as a method. AMG method was also used to consolidate the results obtained from the GMM method and to create robustness. The results indicated that the corporate governance quality of companies has positive effects on firm value. The most important finding that reflects the purpose of the research is that companies should also increase the quality of corporate governance to maximize the value of the firm.
Implications for Central European audience: Depending on the results of the study, it is predicted that companies whose profitability has a positive effect on the value of the firm will encourage their managers to increase their corporate governance quality. By complying more with the criteria in corporate governance principles, companies will both increase their institutionalism and maximize the value of the company, which is one of the main financial goals of the company.

A growing interest in human resource management (HRM) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has not been accompanied by increased knowledge of how different HRM policy orientations can affect SMEs' effectiveness. In this way, the goal of this paper is twofold: to test whether the orientation of HRM towards high-performance work practices (HPWP) –represented by the Abilities-Motivation-Opportunities (AMO) framework– allows SMEs to achieve better performance and to test the moderating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) orientation. Based on a telephone questionnaire together with data collected from a sample consisting of 1,136 Spanish SMEs that operate in the industrial or services sector, our results show that SMEs perform better when HRM policies are oriented towards the AMO model. In addition, our findings highlight that this performance impact of orienting HRM towards HPWP is positively moderated by a CSR orientation. This paper thus complements HRM-related literature by adding new evidence exploring the impact of the AMO model on firm performance as well as the role played by CSR orientation within the SME context.
Implications for the central European audience: Managers should be aware of the importance of considering and implementing appropriate ability, motivation, and opportunity policies for their employees in order to enhance SME performance. In addition, the importance of a CSR orientation is highlighted, which intensifies the impact of HPWP on firm performance. This empirical paper brings evidence from the underexplored high-performance work policies in SMEs, given their importance in stimulating employee and organizational performance. It also takes into account the particularities of the Spanish context, where most businesses are considered to be SMEs.

The circular economy is presented as the sustainable solution as opposed to the current linear model of production and resource management, whose effects impact negatively on the economic, social and environmental dimensions. Through a systematic review of the literature, this article aims to unify and to uncover the available evidence on innovation in relation to the circular economy and to determine those aspects that remain unexplored or should be studied in more depth in order to be able to continue to make progress in this field. Thus, it was found that although the circular economy is at an early stage of implementation, both its benefits and drivers as well as its challenges and barriers to implementation have already been investigated. More importantly, it was found that ecological innovations, which reduce the environmental impact of production and consumption activities, are necessary for the research of new business models and new ways of operating in supply chains that allow closing the circle and taking advantage of all the waste, such as the system of products and services, dynamic capabilities, 3D printing, the biography of the product and the software recycling. To achieve this goal, the evidence shows that it is mandatory to raise awareness of the situation, especially through marketing actions, as well as for companies, including SMEs, to be willing to act together and to align their interests.
Implications for Central European audience: The United Nations 2030 Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to which countries should implement the circular economy in order to move towards greater sustainability. In this context, European Union is key for this development, as it is one of the world’s major power. This article aims to unify and uncover the available evidence on innovation in relation to the circular economy and to determine those aspects that remain unexplored or should be studied in more depth. By doing so, it will be able to continue to make progress in the framework of the circular economy, enabling the achievement of the ODS. In addition, the majority of the articles reviewed take place in Europe.

The present study seeks to evaluate the theoretical approach towards physicians’ dual practice. This is done by investigating the various theoretical grounds that form the basis of physicians’ dual practice. The study presents theoretical findings by comparing them with practical primary data from experienced experts. An in-depth search of the top keywords related to dual practice was done in various databases. The study first identified all articles related to dual practice in various databases. In total, 59,838 articles identified after duplicates were removed were narrowed down to four hundred and thirty-eight (438) studies and considered relevant for review. The filtration process was carried out based on the recentness of the articles. A review of the articles was done to eliminate duplicates, a linguistic check was conducted, and a final sorting was carried out to arrive at fully accessible reviewed articles in the journal databases. Filtration was done to select fully accessible publications under the following keywords: Herzberg’s two-factor theory, contract theory, and supply of labour theory. Forty-one (41) fully accessible and peer-reviewed articles were used for analysis. The study underscores that dual practice can be theoretically modelled as a function of three theories (Herzberg’s two-factor theory, contract theory, and supply of labour theory). It is paramount, therefore, for studies to appreciate the theories in understanding the motivation behind the dual practice. Thus, the present study has proposed a hybrid integrated theory, the Integrated Theory of Labour, Supply and Motivation, in order to offset the weaknesses of the theories and build on their strengths.
Implications for Central European audience: This study proposes the Integrated Theory of Labour, Supply and Motivation in order to help researchers and government institutions better address the concept of moonlighting in public institutions. The study concludes that future scholars and researchers in related fields could extrapolate the Integrated Theory of Labour, Supply and Motivation by conducting a factor analysis in order to validate the theory since it offers a platform to cover the drivers behind the dual practice in a comprehensive manner and also builds on the strengths of other theories explaining the dual practice. Theoretically, the study also validates the theories it uses and the extent of their applicability to this and similar studies. This is not through ruling out theories explaining dual practice but reinforcing them. The findings of this study may be useful in shaping policy in the area of managing contracts for physicians in dual practice and supply of labour economics in general.

There is empirical evidence that business commitment to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles has a direct positive impact on customer loyalty, employees’ performance, and, as a result, on the company’s value. The goal of the current paper is to evaluate the perceived importance of the company’s CSR-related practices from the viewpoint of employees. One hundred nineteen representatives of Latvian companies were surveyed, using the authors’ developed questionnaire consisted of 35 statements. Survey data was processed applying the frequency analysis and the logistic regression method. Most of the respondents (84%) perceive the company’s commitment to CSR principles as necessary. The base on the frequency analysis results, the most important CSR elements from the viewpoint of Latvian employees are paid leaves, consumer interests, and salary. Logistic regression yielded the elements, which contribute the most to the positive perception of CSR: ‘flexible work’, ‘support staff relaxation’ and ‘claims submission system’ within the group’ staff matters’. The measurement scale was tested for reliability and, based on Cronbach alpha results, was accepted as appropriate for use in a cross-country survey.
Implications for Central European audience: Despite the high interest in CSR-related issues in academia, the number of published works in Baltic countries is limited. In this particular study, the authors tried to identify — what exactly affects employees’ positive attitude to CSR commitment — the company’s participation in charity programmes or its environmental responsibility, for example? This survey contributed to the theoretical knowledge base about CSR perception among the staff of Latvian companies. In turn, the future survey is planned to be extended, involving respondents from Central and Eastern European countries. This, in turn, will allow making conclusions about the differences in attitude to CSR practices expressed by employees from different countries.

This paper deals with the need to complexly evaluate maturity, management, stakeholder relationship and resources utilisation of an organisation. It searches for an assessment tool independent on time and industry contexts. The research was conducted in two phases. The literature review on a set of existing performance models did not find any suitable tool. Based on that, a new performance model was created to assess the maturity of an organisation, focusing on soft factors like its leadership, processes and culture. It had been tested using structured interviews with managers in Czech, Slovak, German and Chinese companies. The model is based on a set of 17 non-financial criteria, divided into categories Management, Stakeholders and Resources. The results are given for each criterion, category and as an overall score. This article briefly describes the developed CAT model, methodology of its creation and validation and explains how it can be applied as an assessment tool. Its results can be benchmarked among different organisations/overtime to track development progress.
Implications for Central European audience: This model gives both practitioners and researchers a lean, yet powerful tool to evaluate the maturity of an organisation with structured and measurable results. The new possibilities for quantitative research using the CAT model are now available for researchers to assess even larger samples of organisations with reasonable effort. For practitioners, the value is in a quick discovery of own weaknesses/strengths with structured results and recommendations. Model structure and selection of respondents ensures that the results are measurable and cover views of both management and employees.

The purpose of the article was 1) to assess the relationship between the organizational culture (OC) type and business strategy (BS); 2) to prove that OC influences the survival strategy success/implementation; 3) to contribute to the expansion of organizational theory by analyzing the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) strategy palette as the basis for developing an effective company survival strategy during the crisis. To achieve the purpose, correlation analysis between OC types (authors' typology) and BS (Boston Consulting Group and Miles & Snow Models) was used (561 employees of different industries participated in the survey; the data collected laid the foundation for the research). As a result, it was proved that 1) certain types of organizational culture correspond to certain types of strategies; 2) during the period when the company overcomes the recession, OC affects strategic innovation decisions; 3) building a sustainable business ecosystem enhances the positive impact. The main limitations of the study are 1) some elements of subjectivity assessment, 2) constant changes in OC and BS, 3) the probability of different subcultures coexistence.
Implications for a Central European audience: The results confirmed that there is a need for managers to 1) take into account the organizational culture characteristics/features to implement chosen strategies successfully; 2) be ready to adapt the OC before the BS is approved; 3) adopt the idea that building an innovation ecosystem can be crucial to confront the crisis with confidence.

Despite a decades-long discussion about corporate social responsibility ("CSR"), there is little known about the evolution and meaning of the EU law on CSR and its perception by various stakeholders. The two objectives of this paper are: (i) assessing the evolution to the current EU law on CSR and (ii) making a case study about the perception of CSR by businesses from the luxury fashion industry supposed to be the leading CSR force, namely their ambassadors - CEOs and employees facing the clientele in Pařížská street in Prague. In order to address these two objectives, holistic and interdisciplinary research of economic, legislative and academic sources as well as a case study, entailing interviews and mystery shopping was performed. The exploration of the yielded data employed Meta-Analysis, content analysis, teleological interpretation, etc. The critical and comparative review of the evolution of the EU law on CSR shows piecemeal trends and a lack of permanent consent. This leads to the fragmentation and ambiguity, which is matched by the findings of the case study. The perception of the EU law on CSR is done differently by various CEOs of luxury fashion businesses, and there is an inconsistency between their attitudes and those of their employees facing the clientele. Such inconsistency undermines the effectiveness and efficiency of the CSR regime and needs to be corrected.
Implications for Central European audience: Although the sustainability projected in CSR is critical, the EU law has undergone a complex and fragmented evolution leading to a partially mandatory framework. The understanding and application of such a framework about CSR and its reporting is a challenge. A Central European case study of luxury fashion industry businesses shows piecemeal trends and a lack of consent, and this even among CEOs and frontline employees of the same business. The implication of such an inconsistency is a decrease in the effectiveness and efficiency of the CSR regime, a devaluation of the CSR awareness and the need for corrections.

Due to the increasing dynamics and complexity in the corporate environment, the importance of Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE) for the development and long-term sustainability of established companies’ competitive advantages is continuously increasing. However, the literature still lacks a CE framework that consolidates and integrates the different research findings illustrating the impact of particular CE drivers. We conduct a systematic literature review of the current CE research to ascertain which internal determinants promote CE in established organizations and how they nurture creativity and innovation. Building on a four-dimensional CE framework, we identify several central determinants of CE and provide practitioners in established organizations with guidelines for successful implementation of CE. By identifying several topical and outstanding issues, the paper encourages further debate and research activity.
Implications for Central European audience: This paper advanced the current CE research by systematically consolidating and integrating top management literature invoking multiple research streams and discussing several directions for further research. The developed framework reflects the current state of CE research and hence can serve as a guide for successful implementation of CE in established organizations, as well as for further investigation of the CE concept. Thus, this paper makes an important contribution to solving the puzzle of successful implementation of CE in established corporations.

In privately held firms, owners are a social group of people who are aware of, interact with, and influence each other. There are dynamic relationships between them and potential clashes between self- and collective interests. At the same time, the management literature suggests that family firms behave differently than non-family firms and follow a different set of goals. This paper introduces a research framework, sample and initial findings of the Responsible Ownership Project, which aims to contribute to our understanding of how attitudes and behaviours of owners in privately held firms may influence the economic and non-economic outcomes of their firms. The goals of the paper are to explore the role of family businesses among Czech private firms and to test whether the family plays a significant role in responsible ownership behaviours in private firms. Our descriptive statistics suggest that family businesses play a non-negligible role in the Czech economy. Using Student’s t-test for mean differences, we find a higher level of responsible ownership for family-owned vs non-family-owned firms. Finally, we present directions for future research and the expected contributions of the research project.

This paper analyses, reviews and connects the existing literature about workplace health management systems. We investigate the empirical evidence if a mandatory implementation could lead to a Pareto improvement for all stakeholders. This evaluation is based on the inclusion of several studies, which are not yet connected to the health-related issue. The increasing incidence of employee health issues generates high costs for employers as well as for insurers. Workplace Health Management Systems act as preventive measures in reducing health-related costs. Many case studies are used to explain the concepts and the specific cost reduction for the companies analyzed. But there is still a lack of a broad empirical base to provide convincing evidence for the cost-effectiveness of these programs. To demonstrate the general efficiency of these systems, several studies of different concepts with similar characteristics are compared to ensure, that the mandatory implementation leads to positive effects on the economy. We find that by implementing just a few prevention measures, positive returns can be achieved for a majority of sectors. Given that the market seems incapable of creating this allocation improvement by itself, the integration of health management into the Working Conditions Act seems reasonable, since this could allow a Pareto-efficient outcome to be achieved. Consequently, implementation will not lead to a reduction in the competitiveness of European employers, but rather to increased staff retention and improved productivity due to fewer employee sick days and an improvement in public health and makes the mandatory implementation of workplace health management systems a considerable issue for policymakers.

The goal of article is to analyze the analytical tools applied in the identification of national cultures and to identify and schematically express these Czech cultural standards, which are perceived most strongly by Germans when dealing with Czechs in higher-middle management. The article consists of a review of the related literature extended by a polemic on the applicability of the models. The authors conducted qualitative research based on semi-standardized interviews with ten German managers who grew up in the territory of former West Germany and had worked in the Czech Republic in international corporations for a period of at least two years. The results present three propositions connected to the most perceived cultural standards of Czech managers: propensity for improvisation, avoidance of conflict, and rejection of hierarchical structures.

Negative feedback has been repeatedly identified as beneficial for organizational learning, adaptability, and performance. Despite having these advantages, most organizations still do not use negative feedback to its full potential, as they fail to spread it correctly among their members. The application of negative feedback, therefore, faces several issues like misuse or process avoidance that are mostly driven by psychological factors. The purpose of this paper is to discuss potential benefits of a newly emerged organizational approach called radical candor for contemporary state of the art in feedback-related behavior and to propose how it might be successfully applied in organizational settings. We define radical candor as a proactive and compassionate engagement in an unpleasant and direct feedback process. Radical candor may help reduce the influence of psychological factors like extreme levels of attachment, harsh emotions or low self-esteem in order to make organizational members more engaged and satisfied with the negative feedback process. Organizations willing to apply radical candor might consider either official implementation from top to bottom (through managers and leadership) or unofficial intervention through the agents (employees of all levels) depending on company characteristics.

This paper focuses on the current state of art in mindfulness research on workplace and identifies some of the necessary steps and risks in the creation of mindful leadership theory. Mindfulness has the potential to effectively address three topical organizational challenges of growing demands on adaptability, prevailing issues of work-related stress and the necessity to raise the moral level in organizations. Current studies seem to suitably respond to the issues of work-related stress; however, the challenges of adaptability and morality so far lack appropriate empirical validation. Lack of empirical support is also noticeable in the case of mindful leadership theory as most studies still focus solely on individual leader development. However, it is important to start to discuss the suitable core variables of mindful leadership now as a clear differentiation from other leadership approaches like authentic leadership will be crucial for successful creation of mindful leadership theory. This paper also presents recommendations for entrepreneurs and managers willing to incorporate mindfulness into their organizational settings.

The article analyzes Shared Value (CSV) implemented projects by regions, social issues, and industries that are involved in pursuing the CSV concept. Project preferences by region show South America, Central America and Caribbean, Global scope and Africa as key targets of CSV projects, followed by North America and Asia. Europe, both Western and Eastern, is at the edge of interest with only several projects implemented. Project preferences by industry clearly show that companies capitalize on their strengths and professional focus. Analyzed Shared Value projects proved simultaneous value to a wide range of corporate stakeholders by creating new products or services, redefining productivity in the value chain or enabling local cluster development. Given the strategic nature of CSV projects, top management initiative is necessary. Numerous worldwide proven Shared Value business cases could serve as inspiration for Central European leaders in creation of their future strategies. Successful CSV projects implemented in the Czech Republic are mentioned.

This paper analyzes the state of corporate sustainability in the Czech Republic compared with world trends, including case studies of best practices. Corporate sustainability has developed from ad hoc activities dominantly focused on cost-cutting or corporate image improvements to strategic issue requiring the attention of corporate boards and top management. The development of sustainability as an integral part of corporate existence comprises of the following managerial implications: strategy, collaboration, and implementation. The strategic component requires mission reformulation, strategy redefinition and involves the board and top managers' broader thinking, leaders capable of open mindedness, and creativity. The collaborative component calls for intensive collaboration and communication with all stakeholders, including association with avant-garde partners, such as, NGOs, regulators, universities, and competitors. The implementation component addresses the need for high quality change management programs.

In recent years, some of China's leading firms have made headlines with their European expansion, by either opening new facilities or by acquiring or merging with significant enterprises in Europe. The goal of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature by examining Chinese enterprises expanding into Switzerland. The study also allows some conclusions for Chinese companies entering Central and Eastern Europe. We analyze via interviews the motivations of Chinese companies to expand into Switzerland as well as their behavior and the impediments in their internationalization process. Our findings show that Chinese companies fail to take advantage of certain benefits of western economies (such as open information and stable rule of law). To move forward efficiently, they should develop competence in dealing systematically with readily available market information, building professional networks that recognize a separation between business life and personal life, and managing their Chinese and foreign employees in the foreign cultural environment.

How concerned are today's students about environmental issues? Do they sense urgency for change towards a more environmentally compatible life? Who should act and what impact does one's individual action have? And last but not least, do ecological consciousness and action go together with a sense of nature relatedness? More than 1,600 South Korean, Swiss, and Czech students have participated in this comparative survey. Nearly all of them affirm that ecological considerations influence their daily behavior. Most of them see the main agent of change in themselves; the impact of one's individual action, however, is seen differently along the East and West cultural divide. Also when it comes to one's personal sense of closeness to nature, we can observe an East West cultural variation. On average, the South Koreans reveal a greater closeness towards nature than Swiss and Czech students, this despite the fact that they have the largest percentage in urban background, and consequently reveal the least physical familiarity with the natural world. In our effort to interpret these results, we have included a discussion about the diverging cultural background of the three sample groups. While they all agree on the urgency of the issue and the necessity of more pro-environmental change, depending on their culture, their ideas about the right means to introduce a change in behavior differ.

This article analyzes the emergence of a new trend in marketing communication and PR in the Czech Republic. After the decline of public trust after the economic crisis in 2008, many state officials and politicians were blamed for corruption and fraud worldwide (Edelman, 2013). Anti-corruption attitudes have emerged in government communication, media, NGOs and also within the business sector. The term "anti-corruption" has become an often-used marketing claim. Anti-corruption claims and values have been used by a wide range of companies and institutions in their corporate communication or PR. Often, the main business leader serve as personalities and opinion leaders in anti-corruption activities; these include individuals such as Karel Janeček, Stanislav Bernard or Radim Jančura. This article analyzes and discusses embedding anti-corruption attitudes within the marketing communication and PR strategy and possible impacts on the reputation of the company's management.

This text presents some of the fundamental values and traits of American national culture with a focus on their potential effect on the behavior of US business people. The goal of the article is to map potential differences from the habits and norms typical in the Central European region (CEE region), i.e. to identify those which might have an important impact on business activities. Methodologically, the text includes a brief literary review including various different cultural frameworks; the paper then utilizes primarily descriptive and comparative methods, as well as analysis and synthesis, to comprehend the issue in hand. The author complements this input with real-life personal and professional experience gained by working and living in both geographic regions. Finally, the article provides some key managerial implications for executives operating within the CEE environment who potentially conduct business transactions with Americans or US-based organizations.

This is a conceptual paper that focuses on the existence and support of entrepreneurial behavior and innovation in larger organizations. It first suggests why it is important to pay attention to entrepreneurship and innovation and then defines corporate entrepreneurship. Typical barriers of entrepreneurial activities are described as well as innovation dilemmas that organizations solve. The innovation process is not linear, but six components of innovative behavior may be identified, together with specific roles employees play when moving the idea forward from idea creation to implementation. Important factors influencing the success of entrepreneurial behavior are discussed, involving the role of middle managers and reward systems. Recommendations for fostering entrepreneurial behavior and innovation are provided together with a simple inventory for measuring employee perception of managerial and organizational support for innovation.

There are many reasons to reconsider the terms "corporate responsibility" and "sustainability". Despite their inflationary use, there is still no convincing concept, which combines these terms. This paper, for the first time, presents a holistic model of "Sustainable Corporate Responsibility" (SCR) mirroring all its different scopes in space and time. It outlines a philosophically founded introduction into the terms of "corporate responsibility" and "sustainability" and how they are interlinked. It, furthermore, emphasises a holistic understanding for what and to whom one should take on responsibility: In order to realise sustainable success in business economic, social and ecologic responsibility has to be taken equally into consideration. The model describes the possible ramifications of SCR constructions, highlighting typical company-profiles and, eventually, allowing better comparability. This way, best practice can be determined and highlighted more comprehensively.

We expect businesspeople, managers and representatives to know and apply Central European rules of etiquette. When travelling abroad or dealing with people from different countries the guest, of course, adjusts their behavior according to their host; however, only as far as their own etiquette allows. However, many Czech managers are ignorant of the rules of their own etiquette. Nowadays, knowledge of etiquette is becoming an economic must. It is evident that in order to gain or retain a job or be promoted one must abide by its rules. Companies no longer accept undue behavior on the side of their employees or permit such behavior to harm the working atmosphere within the company. The more the professional qualification of employees evens out, the more their manners and neat appearance gain in importance. Significant deficiencies in this respect are apparent especially in dealing with foreigners. On an international level, perfect manners are imperative.