DYNAMICS OF GVC POSITION OF V4 AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC POLICY

In the post-covid world, governments explore options to enhance their policies so that corporations can act as successful motors of recovery and sustainable growth. Countries select various objectives related to global value chains (GVC), such as participation, value capture, inclusiveness and resilience, yet might be unaware of the position of corporations they are supposed to motivate. In this paper, we aim to (re-)investigate the position of Visegrad Four (V4) suppliers within the regional automotive value chains and to compare results with suppliers in other EU member states using the trade in value added (TiVA) statistics. We set two research questions: How does the position of V4 in automotive GVCs differ from the positions of other EU member states and significant other automotive-producing countries? What is the link between the domestic value added in gross exports of final automotive products and the selected policy variables? A multiple linear regression model is run with TiVA in the automotive industry as the dependent variable and independent variables embodying proxies of GVC-oriented policy consequences. The analysis identifies significant differences in value-added levels between V4 countries and other EU countries, and other large automotive-producing economies. Labour costs, productivity, investment in R&D and innovation support are among the factors where V4 countries fall behind. Implications for Central European audience: The results of our research might be helpful for respective authorities and governments in V4 and other Central and Eastern European countries. They can be of use when setting goals and implementing policies targeted at promoting innovation, upgrading within existing GVCs and in cooperation between universities and research centres on the one hand and the automotive industry on the other. © 2023, Central European Business Review. All Rights Reserved.

Measuring the Spread of COVID-19: Restrictions and Mobility in the Visegrad Countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia)

The Visegrad Group, Visegrad Four, or V4, is a cultural and political alliance of four countries of Central Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). The smallest country of them, Slovakia, recorded the first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 6, 2020 in a 52-year-old man from the Bratislava region. However, it is a secondary transmission of the disease, as his son returned home from the risk area (Venice, Italy) (ÚVZSR, Retrieved from https://www.uvzsr.sk/index.php?option=com_contentandview=articleandid=4061:slovensko-zaznamenalo-prvy-potvrdeny-pripad-ochorenia-covid-19andcatid=250:koronavirus-2019-ncovandItemid=153, 2020). This record points to the gradual spread of the virus from the European outbreak in northern Italy and France (the first cases on January 24) to the neighbouring countries with the V4 countries emerging approximately 1 month apart. The first of the four countries was Czechia (3 cases) on March 1, followed by Hungary (2 cases) together with Poland (1 case) on March 4. In this study we will take a closer look at how quickly and in which regions of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia the virus spread in contrast to the dates of implementation of individual measures and mobility changes during the COVID-19 period. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

EDUCATIONAL AND INNOVATIVE ELEMENTS OF HUMAN CAPITAL AND THEIR IMPACT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH

Human capital is an important factor for economic growth and the development of socio-economic systems. However, the appropriate expression of the value of human capital, the mechanism and its impact on economic development are still under discussion. It is hypothesised that there is a relationship between human capital and economic growth. To test this hypothesis, data on the group of Visegrad (V4) countries for the period 2000–2019 was analysed. The study examines the presence of a causal link between some attributes of human capital and economic growth and the conditions, under which its positive effects can be expected based on statistical methods. It also deals with the role and the applicability of some of its characteristics to express the impact of human capital on economic growth. The model revealed a positive, statistically significant relationship between gross domestic product per capita and the innovative capacity of human capital and the qualifications of employees. The impact of tools for human capital creation and development extends over a longer period and is reduced by the simultaneous action of other labour market factors. Currently, economies are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Corresponding changes are also noticeable in the way work is done, with more weight on the home office. It will be interesting to examine how this transformation will affect economic growth. The changes in the position of employees and the care of companies for human capital are also a good topic for further research that can be conducted every few years. © Daňová M., Širá E. Text. 2023.

Worker's Satisfaction and Intention toward Working from Home—Foreign Non-EU Citizens vs. National Workers' Approach: Case Study of Central European Countries (Visegrád Group (V4))

The COVID-19 lockdown has brought about many sudden changes in the social and work environment, causing organizations and businesses to change work conditions to adapt to the new situation which has affected millions of workers who shifted to telework. The teleworkers' variations in gender, age, residency situation, status as national or foreign employees, and many other aspects create differences in their response toward the telework experience. This study attempts to fill the literature gap concerning the differentiation in response between national and foreign employees' satisfaction with the working from home experience and their future intention to work from home, with a case study of the Visegrád Group as an example from Central European countries. The study found that 84.4% of teleworkers were satisfied with working from home, but no significant difference was found between national and foreign teleworkers in their satisfaction with the telework experience;this satisfaction mainly derives from allocating the gained time to social–personal activities. A surprising result presented by this research is that, in spite of the fact that foreign non-EU-citizen workers were satisfied with the teleworking experience, they do not tend to work from home due to fears of losing their jobs and residence permits, whereas national teleworkers have the intention to work from home if given the opportunity. Another important addition of this study is the development of a new scale specifically for measuring employee satisfaction with working from home instead of using traditional job satisfaction scales. © 2023 by the authors.

Simplification and Electronisation of Administrative Procedure in the Visegrad Group Countries - A Sociological and Legal Approach

Purpose: The purpose of the research was to examine the sociological issues related to the biographical experience of a participant in the administrative procedure in the Visegrad Group countries (the perception of public administration bodies and their organisation, current demands of the public in the field of public administration activities, providing appropriate tangible and intangible tools for officials). The secondary goal of the research was to determine the nature, significance, consequences and form of comprehensive modernisation of existing simplifications of the administrative procedure (The author understands the concept of simplification of administrative procedure as "an administrative procedure separated from the general administrative procedure and characterized by simplification of general normative solutions"). Since the scope of the concept of "electronisation of administrative procedure" does not fully include the concept of "simplification of administrative procedure", the research referred to two areas of the administrative procedure that are complementary to each other (the relationships that occur between them, including by specifying common and separate parts of electronisation of administrative procedure, e.g. in the scope of keeping and making available files of procedure in electronic form). Moreover, solutions were presented in the field of simplification and electronisation of administrative procedures in the V4 Group countries, in institutional, subjective and objective terms. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analysis of domestic and foreign legal texts was used to implement the research assumptions (general legal regulation of administrative procedure presented by the Codes of Administrative Procedure and COVID-19 regulations in the V4 Group countries). Empirical research using sociological research methods was conducted in connection with the analysis of currently applicable simplifying solutions [the author implemented a component of social research using both qualitative methods - individual in-depth interviews with adult residents with biographical experience of being a participant in the administrative procedure (20 adults - 5 from each country of the V4 Group) as well as quantitative methods - online survey with participants of the administrative procedure (120 adults - 30 from each country of the V4 Group)]. In the research, the statistical method was applied to better illustrate the effectiveness of the currently conducted administrative procedure and to answer the hypotheses regarding the legitimacy of the development of the idea of administrative simplification. Findings: The analysis shows that it is not yet possible to speak of an advanced development of administrative procedure in the Visegrad countries. The delay of the public administration in applying solutions that simplify administrative procedure is mainly due to unclear regulations and significant financial outlays needed. The above state of affairs has a negative impact not only on entities participating in the procedure but also on public administration bodies and administrative courts. Practical Implications/Originality/Value: The initiated process of simplifying and electronising administrative procedure must always take the form of comprehensive legal solutions that will allow for effective and efficient operation of public administration bodies and enable individuals to exercise their fundamental rights. Therefore, the article presents the latest difficulties related to the administrative procedure and examples of their solution.

Macroeconomic assessment of possible Green Recovery scenarios in Visegrad countries

The article discusses how and why Green Recovery could be beneficial for the Visegrad countries based on a modelling exercise using the E3ME macroeconometric model. Green Recovery is defined as including policies in recovery plans that not only target economic recovery, but also contribute to environmental targets. The paper proposes that a Green Recovery could be valuable and suitable for the region contributing to both restoring employment and boosting economic activity as well as reaching climate goals. This is tested through a macroeconomic simulation, using the E3ME model. E3ME is built on Post-Keynesian economic theory and on econometric estimations of macroeconomic relationships. The results of the analysis focus on three dimensions: (1) social – employment, (2) environmental – level of CO2 emissions and (3) economic activity – gross domestic product (GDP). Outcomes indicate that a green recovery can shorten the time needed for employment and economic recovery as well as contributes to CO2 emission reductions. In Hungary, Czechia and Poland, the impact persists into the long-term;however, the paper also concludes that countries with high reliance on coal (e.g. Poland) could return to coal in the long term if no further policies are introduced. © 2021 The Author(s)

The Risk and Severity of Food Insecurity in V4 Countries: Insight from the Fuzzy Approach

Food Insecurity (FI) is a complex phenomenon, therefore the traditional approach to its analysis, based on the rigid dichotomization between the food-secure and the food-insecure can oversimplify the real picture. The study proposes to consider FI as a degree rather than as an attribute. To do this, it employs a fuzzy approach widely applied in multidimensional poverty analysis. The study aims to identify correlates of FI in the V4 countries using the zero-inflated beta regression model. This model enables to understand the mechanisms behind the risk and the severity of FI in V4. The analysis based on the FIES data collected in the Gallup World Poll for 2018 indicates the role of income, household composition, and social capital as important correlates of FI. The risk of FI was also affected by age, level of education, gender, marital and employment status. Moreover, the study finds that the food insecurity profile exhibits country-specific effects.

The Perception of the Market and Operational Area of Business by Service Sector and Tourism Companies in terms of CSR implementation

Our research examined the attitudes of owners and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in the V4 countries, who behave responsibly - they use corporate social responsibility in their managerial practice on issues focused on the market and operational area of business. The paper is based on a questionnaire survey with data collection from September 2019 to January 2020. Statistical methods of Pearson's chi-square and z-score were used to assess the hypotheses. The results proved that there are significant differences in companies in services and tourism in the context of implementing the CSR concept. Entrepreneurs who implement social responsibility with a significant positive difference agree that a company places great emphasis on the innovation of its products and services. Researchers found that the sector has an impact on the perception of decreasing customers' requests on specific products/services. We found that corporate social responsibility and its implementation in corporate practice positively affects the relationship of V4's small and medium enterprises in the services and tourism sector to service production innovation issues, which helps increase business performance and decline customer complaints.

The Perception of Market and Economic Risks by Owners and Managers of Enterprises in the V4 Countries

The aim of the paper is to assess the impact of the length of entrepreneurship on the perception of the most important business risks in Slovakia and the Visegrad Group of Countries (V4 countries). The empirical research was conducted in 2019-2020. It was focused on assessing the state of enterprise risk management (ERM) application. The research file contained 422 online questionnaires completed by owners and managers of enterprises (OMEs). The results of this case study were compared with the results of similar studies performed in the V4 countries in 2017-2018. In total, 1,781 OMEs participated in the surveys mentioned. The following statistical methods were used to assess the data: ANOVA, Bartlett’s test, Agostini test, good fit test, and Grubbs test. The overall results of the empirical research highlight the significance and importance of the assessment of business risks in the V4 countries. The results in Slovakia in 2019-2020 and the research results in the V4 countries in 2017-2018 show that OMEs still consider market and economic risks to be most important in their business. Market and economic risks are related to sources that exert the most negative influence on enterprise success. The results are valuable for entrepreneurs, enterprise managers and institutions that provide comprehensive entrepreneurship support in the V4 countries. The overall results are significant at the regional, national, and international levels of the V4 countries and have the ability to strengthen the competitiveness of entrepreneurs within the EU common market.

Experiences and Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Pandemic Management in South Korea and the V4 Countries.

In the first year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea suffered significantly less social and economic damage than the V4 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) despite less stringent restrictive measures. In order to explore the causes of the phenomenon, we examined the public health policies and pandemic management of South Korea and the V4 countries and the social and economic outcomes of the measures. We identified the key factors that contributed to successful public health policies and pandemic management in South Korea by reviewing the international literature. Based on the analysis results, South Korea successfully managed the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the appropriate combination of non-pharmaceutical measures and its advanced public health system. An important lesson for the V4 countries is that successful pandemic management requires a well-functioning surveillance system, a comprehensive testing strategy, an innovative contact tracing system, transparent government communication, and a coordinated public health system. In addition, to develop pandemic management capabilities and capacities in the V4 countries, continuous training of public health human resources, support for knowledge exchange, encouragement of research on communicable disease management, and collaboration with for-profit and non-governmental organizations are recommended.