Optimizing of the Balanced Scorecard method for management of mining companies with the use of factor analysis

The managers of information age companies cannot rely merely on data derived from past activities of the company and focus on improving existing processes. They need a frame for measuring values that result from strategic goals of the company, a tool, which is focusing on obtaining information about company's current success, as well as finding new driving forces to ensure the future competitiveness of the company. Strategic business performance measurement system the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a suitable tool for improving the competitiveness of industrial companies. During its implementation, however, there is a conflict of perception of the importance of individual goals and measurable characteristics in partial perspectives of the BSC and its actual enforcement of the various strategic objectives in companies. The aim of this article is to verify the accuracy of BSC settings in an environment of selected companies in the Moravian-Silesian region with the emphasis placed on mining companies with the help of multidimensional statistics - factor analysis. The research took place in 2015 in cooperation with managers from the Moravian-Silesian Region (MSR), and it was divided into two kinds of research - quantitative and qualitative.Web of Science22444743

CP-violating top quark couplings at future linear e+e−e^+e^- colliders

We study the potential of future lepton colliders to probe violation of the CP symmetry in the top quark sector. In certain extensions of the Standard Model, such as the two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM), sizeable anomalous top quark dipole moments can arise, that may be revealed by a precise measurement of top quark pair production. We present results from detailed Monte Carlo studies for the ILC at 500~\GeV{} and CLIC at 380~\gev{} and use parton-level simulations to explore the potential of high-energy operation. We find that precise measurements in $e^+e^- \rightarrow t\bar{t}$ production with subsequent decay to lepton plus jets final states can provide sufficient sensitivity to detect Higgs-boson-induced CP violation in a viable two-Higgs-doublet model. The potential of a linear $e^+e^-$ collider to detect CP-violating electric and weak dipole form factors of the top quark exceeds the prospects of the HL-LHC by over an order of magnitude

Challenges faced by unaccompanied minor-refugees in South Africa

This qualitative study explored the experiences of unaccompanied minor-refugees from Zimbabwe to South Africa. Ten (10) participants, from a shelter in Limpopo Province, were selected using Purposive sampling. Five childcare workers also participated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the minors and a focus group with the childcare workers to collect the data. Thematic analysis was applied for data analysis. The findings revealed that services by statutory social workers were limited, compared to services by social workers employed in non-governmental organisations. The results highlighted the vulnerability to exploitation and a sense of hopelessness that refugee children experience in South Afric

Testing the relationship between public expenditure and economic growth in Romania

In this paper we analyze whether the Romanian economic context confirms the Armey model, and present the relationship between public spending and economic growth that may offer a suitable basis for decision makers. The analysis is based on both annual and quarterly data regarding public spending and economic growth in Romania. After investigating the correlation validity, the analytic results did not confirm the premises related to the Armey Curve for the Romanian context during 1990-2011. However the time interval is marked by unpredictable phenomena such as the transition from the state economy to the market economy and the world financial crisis, both is altering the results. The fact determines us to search the coordinates for developing a new model that describes better the connections and the period characteristics

Herausforderungen und Ressourcen bei der Bewältigung des Sehverlusts

Mit COVIAGE (2014–2017) und SELODY (2019– 2021) wurden in der jüngeren Vergangenheit bereits zwei wissenschaftliche Studien zum Einfluss einer Sehbeeinträchtigung auf die Alltagsbewältigung und Lebensgestaltung publiziert. Während sich COVIAGE dem «Erfolgsrezept» des erfolgreichen Alterns widmete, konzentrierte sich SELODY auf die Auswirkungen einer Sehbeeinträchtigung auf die Partnerschaft. In einer Studie an der ZHAW machten wir sprichwörtlich einen Schritt zurück und rückten den Erblindungsprozess in den Fokus, ohne uns dabei auf eine Altersgruppe oder einen Lebensbereich zu beschränken. Mithilfe sog. Erzählinterviews wurde untersucht, mit (a) welchen Herausforderungen Menschen im Prozess des Sehverlusts konfrontiert sind und (b) welche Ressourcen deren Bewältigung erleichtern. Die Studienergebnisse sollen u. a. Fachpersonen und Angehörige dabei unterstützen, ein Verständnis für die Erlebniswelt sehbeeinträchtigter Menschen zu entwickeln. An unserer Studie nahmen 12 Menschen im Alter von 23 bis 80 Jahren teil, welche aufgrund einer degenerativen Augenerkrankung hochgradig sehbeeinträchtigt oder erblindet waren. Im Unterschied zu den beiden Vorgängerstudien mussten die Teilnehmenden weder einen Fragebogen ausfüllen noch auf die Fragen eines Interviewleitfadens antworten. Stattdessen wurden sie dazu eingeladen, ihre persönliche Geschichte des Sehverlusts zu erzählen, ohne dabei unterbrochen zu werden. Dadurch erhielten die Teilnehmenden Gestaltungsfreiheit in der Schilderung der eigenen Erfahrungen. Die Ergebnisinterpretation profitierte von den verschiedenen Perspektiven einer erblindeten Studentin und eines sehenden Studenten. Präsentiert werden nachfolgend exemplarisch Herausforderungen und Ressourcen zu vier Themenfeldern. Mithilfe echter Zitate aus den Interviews werden theoretische Inhalte anschaulich und lebendig. Die beiden fiktiven Figuren Alexandra und Kai stehen dabei stellvertretend für die Gesamtstichprobe

Analysis of significant factors influencing the amount of collected forest berries in the Czech Republic

Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.), blackberries (Rubus fruticosus L.) and cowberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) are the most important forest berries collected in the Czech Republic (CZ). The average annual value of these collected berry species is estimated to be worth more than EUR 86 million at 2018 prices. The data concerning the collection and use of forest fruits have been systematically collected in a highly detailed structure since 2008, which enables the application of the advanced statistical methods used in this paper. The results of the analyses inter alia demonstrate that collecting forest berries is not only an important recreational activity, but it has an important economic effect. Therefore, this article also deals with the collection of forest fruits, especially bilberries, as a potentially important non-wood forest product (NWFP) for sustainable forest management and also analyses the external factors influencing the total annual amount of collected forest berries. A deeper knowledge of the customer and his or her behaviour- customer insight-are prerequisites for the proactive management of forest ecosystems. The first step to "berry picker insight" is to learn more about the demand, its structure and factors which influence this demand. Thus, one of the research questions concentrates on the analysis of the sociodemographic characteristics of the berry picker that are relevant for explaining the amount of collected forest berries in the Czech Republic. Knowledge of these factors can contribute to a more effective application of marketing methods for shaping and influencing the demand so that, in terms of time and place, it is more in line with the supply, which is limited by the natural conditions, growing season and production potential of forest ecosystems.O

Generalizability of an Identification Approach for Machine Control Signals in Brownfield Production Environments

Digital transformation has been a central aspect of optimizing processes in manufacturing companies for several years now. A basic prerequisite of successful transformation is the vertical integration of all machines and machine tools to capture data at all levels. This can create further applications that enable more sustainable and resource-saving processes. At the same time cost- and quality-optimizing analyses such as failure detection, predictive maintenance or general process optimization represent major incentives for companies. While the necessary interfaces are now integrated in state-of-the-art machine tools, companies with older legacy machines face the problem that no such interfaces are readily available. Brownfield machine tools feature outdated technology that does not allow direct networking connectivity without further effort. To participate in the technological progress, a system was developed that allows to extract machine control signals from machine tools and identify them automatically as time series. This is compatible with several communication protocols (e.g., OPC UA) to be as universally applicable as possible. Since machine control signals are often not interpretable for the user due to different naming conventions, the extracted time series are analyzed by machine learning and analytical rule bases, these are based on expert knowledge, and assign a specific signal type in each case. With regard to a cross-machine generalization capability, several aspects have to be considered. Due to different data sources, the identification system must still function reliably with varying sampling frequency. Another challenge is the diversity of different types of machines and production equipment. Therefore, this publication investigates the different influences of data sources and machine types on the machine control signal identification system