The issue of food waste is a problem that affects the whole society. Food is wasted throughout the food chain. Households are great contributors to the problem. A detailed analysis of municipal waste from the production of 900 Czech households was performed. These datasets allowed for comprehensive insides. The analyses of mixed municipal waste were performed every quarter of the year (summer 2019–spring 2020). The method of municipal waste analysis was supplemented by questionnaire survey among households and 10 in-depth interviews aimed at identifying the main causes of waste. One of the periods in which food waste was measured was affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This finding has also been confirmed by findings from other countries. The climatic crisis multiplied by the impacts of COVID-19 has highlighted the need to actively address the issue of food waste.

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KUBÍČKOVÁ LEA, TOULOVÁ MARTINA: Risk factors in the internationalization process of SMEs. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 2013, LXI, No. 7, pp. 2385-2392 At the present time characterized by globalizing market, increasing competition, accelerating change and the occurrence of many risks it is necessary for businesses, which want to remain competitive, to be able to respond fl exibly to the changes in a timely manner and to identify and manage risks. Companies try to diversify business risks, such as the loss of market share in the domestic market, by entering the foreign markets and participating in international trade. Involvement in the internationalization process cannot be understood only as an opportunity to achieve greater profi ts and a competitive advantage, it is necessary to consider potential risks accompanying this process, because engaging in the internationalization process may bring the companies many diff erent specifi c risks. It would be useful for companies to identify the factors of failure resulting from internationalization. Identifying the barriers to internationalization, the main risk factors associated with it and designing their possible prevention or elimination could provide SMEs an impetus to enter foreign markets. Although the risk is a frequently discussed issue in the international discussion, only few studies were strictly focused on risk management in the internationalization process. Risk management is a broad discipline that requires a specifi c knowledge in practice. However, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises are o en unable to identify the potential risks of the internationalization process and therefore are not able to manage the risks. This is due to the fact that SMEs usually do not have managers with a deep knowledge of risk management and, moreover, these managers also o en lack experience with foreign markets. Unfortunately, the surveys of SMEs conclude that the poorly predicted risks of entering foreign markets are one of the most common causes of failure of SMEs internationalization process. The main objective of this paper is to identify the risks of the internationalization process of Czech small and medium-sized enterprises. To achieve the main aim, it was necessary to make a survey of current situation in Czech small and medium-sized enterprises with focus on the participation in international trade, compared to the situation of these enterprises in recent years. It was also important to defi ne the risk factors faced by Czech small and medium-sized enterprises in connection with the entry and activities on foreign markets and to identify key risk factors SMEs in the internationalization process are exposed to. It was also necessary to fi nd out the obstacles to the internationalization process aff ecting the decision of Czech SMEs to penetrate foreign markets. And the last but not least task was to suggest some elementary methods that could be used by Czech small and medium-sized enterprises to elimi...

Majority of developed countries exhibit changing transition towards older population structure. This explains why nowadays, the so–called active ageing – a policy focus to help people remain in charge of their own lives as they age and to promote their continuing contribution to the economy and society – is so frequently discussed. In the context of active ageing, active work participation of elderly is one of the prospective policy objectives, along with the identification of the motives of elderly to stay on the job market. Existing literature indicates that a large number of factors influence this decision, including income and living conditions, whether the person lives alone or not, health condition, social contacts, place of residence, but also varied interventions based on local or national government policies. Empirical results however remain scarce. This article provides insights into what influences the decision of the elderly to remain on the job market in the Czech Republic.

KUBÍČKOVÁ LEA, MORÁVKOVÁ MARTINA, TUZOVÁ MARCELA, NEČAS IGOR. 2017. The Role of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Development of Rural Areas. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 65(6): 1987Brunensis, 65(6): -1996 Apart from the indisputable importance of SMEs to the national economy, they also provide social and economic benefits for regions they operate in. In this context, the rural areas seem to be interesting because currently there can be seen a reappraisal and emphasizing of their importance. Between 2015 and 2016 there were carried out surveys in two different regions (Hodonín and Holešov) in order to define the role of SMEs in rural areas. The aim of these surveys was to determine how the particular players of the regional development subjectively perceive the role of SMEs in rural areas, particularly how is the role subjectively perceived by SMEs themselves and also by local representatives in the given regions and how SMEs perceive doing business in such regions. The analysis of survey results together with the analysis of secondary data on the important characteristics of these two regions provided the basis for comparison of subjective perception of SMEs; economic and social benefits in these two different regions. According to our findings the role of SMEs in rural areas in the Czech Republic is determined by the creation of competitive environment, the deepening of ties between apprentices and practice, the use of local resources, the increase in rural area attractiveness, the financial benefits for municipalities, the creation of vacancies, the sustaining of positive relationships within the local community and the development of infrastructure.