Company policy toward reverse logistics

The paper deals with the results of questionnaire survey examining the character of companies’ policies towards management of reverse flows logistics, namely innovativeness of policy related to the reasons of involvement to manage reverse flows and to the planning system of reverse logistics. Answers from the informants and respondents from 150 Czech companies were analysed with the employment of statistical methods (frequencies, contingency tables and Man – Whitney test) to explore the potential differences among companies having more or less innovative policy when managing reverse flows. The results show that the involvement of reverse flows in planning and perceived driving forces to manage reverse logistics is linked with the policy character. The extent of policy innovativeness separate companies in case of following reasons: speeding up the flow in the distribution channel, assets recovery, competition and value retrieval but no significant differences were detected in case of customer services offering and satisfaction, in case of productivity improvement or in case of cost reduction when analysing the reasons for reverse flows involvement.The paper deals with the results of questionnaire survey examining the character of companies’ policies towards management of reverse flows logistics, namely innovativeness of policy related to the reasons of involvement to manage reverse flows and to the planning system of reverse logistics. Answers from the informants and respondents from 150 Czech companies were analysed with the employment of statistical methods (frequencies, contingency tables and Man – Whitney test) to explore the potential differences among companies having more or less innovative policy when managing reverse flows. The results show that the involvement of reverse flows in planning and perceived driving forces to manage reverse logistics is linked with the policy character. The extent of policy innovativeness separate companies in case of following reasons: speeding up the flow in the distribution channel, assets recovery, competition and value retrieval but no significant differences were detected in case of customer services offering and satisfaction, in case of productivity improvement or in case of cost reduction when analysing the reasons for reverse flows involvement

Customer satisfaction and different evaluation of it by companies

The aim of this article is to evaluate customer satisfaction from the perspective of companies in comparison with the perspective of the customers themselves. From the perspective of the company it is necessary to know customer satisfaction, as it is reflected in the company’s performance. The research shows that there are significant differences in the evaluation of customer satisfaction from the perspective of companies and from the perspective of their customers, and that these differences are also reflected in the differences in the performance of the companies. The selfevaluation of companies tends to be overestimated in relation to the evaluation of companies by their customers, regardless of whether the companies are high-performing or low-performing. Customers are better able to distinguish the high-performing companies from the low-performing ones, since the high-performing companies received better evaluation from customers. In contrast, in the self-evaluation of companies, there were no statistically significant differences between the high-performing and low-performing companies. Companies evaluate customer satisfaction incorrectly regardless of their level of performance. Even if the evaluation of customer satisfaction from the company’s perspective is generally overestimated in comparison with the view of customers, some factors of satisfaction are, at least concerning the trends, in agreement with both perspectives, that is, those of the customers and the companies

Customer Satisfaction with Quality of Products of Food Business

This article is a part of a specific research output called Quality Influence on the Performance and Competitiveness of the Company. One of the research phases is elaborated in this article; its subject is measuring customer satisfaction with the quality of food products companies in the Czech Republic. This article aim is to determine the level of customer satisfaction with the quality of food production enterprises. The partial aim of the article is to identify factors that have the greatest influence on the customer satisfaction. The research confirms close relations between customers’ quality perception, their satisfaction and the level of fulfilment of their demands

Metody kauzální analýzy pro měření efektivity podpory prodeje

Title in English: Methods of causal analysis for measuring the sales support efficiency. In recent years, company costs associated with sales promotion activities have continued to rise in developed economies, and yet many studies show that such sales promotion activities are very often unprofitable, and in many cases even result in losses. One cause of this undesirable phenomenon may be inadequate analytical tools. The use of adequate analytical tools would make it possible to reliably measure the effectiveness of sales promotion activities. The most commonly used analytical tools often lead to biases when estimating the effectiveness of promotion activities. This is because these tools cannot take into account a number of factors which change over time, may affect the profitability indicators and are not controlled when performing an estimate with the common tools. The monograph offers a new approach to estimating baseline sales (i.e. the sales figures as they would be if sales promotion activity had not taken place) using causal analysis methods. The suggested approach removes the bias of an estimator resulting from the change of factors over time, while at the same time it is simple enough to be implemented in common business practice. The monograph also presents the methods of causal analysis. Despite their potential to successfully deal with a number of marketing and management issues, these methods are rarely used, either in the Czech Republic or internationally

Autocorrelation Screening: A Potentially Efficient Method for Detecting Repetitive Response Patterns in Questionnaire Data

Valid data are essential for making correct theoretical and practical implications. Hence, efficient methods for detecting and excluding data with dubious validity are highly valuable in any field of science. This paper introduces the idea of applying autocorrelation analysis on self-report questionnaires with single-choice numbered, preferably Likert-type, scales in order to screen out potentially invalid data, specifically repetitive response patterns. We explain mathematical principles of autocorrelation in a simple manner and illustrate how to efficiently perform detection of invalid data and how to correctly interpret the results. We conclude that autocorrelation screening could be a valuable screening tool for assessing the quality of self-report questionnaire data. We present a summary of the method’s biggest strengths and weaknesses, together with functional tools to allow for an easy execution of autocorrelation screening by researchers, and even practitioners or the broad public. Our conclusions are limited by the current absence of empirical evidence about the practical usefulness of this method

Customer satisfaction, loyalty, knowledge and competitiveness in the food industry

The subject of this article is customer satisfaction, loyalty, knowledge and business competitiveness from the perspective of a food-industry customer. This article aims to analyse the relation- ship between customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, product knowledge, business competitiveness and other selected factors which influence customer satisfaction. The research is aimed at customers who purchase the product in question repeatedly and have personal experience with this product. The research was carried out using a questionnaire which was presented to the respondents, who were customers of the selected companies. In order to model the relationships between the factors, a structural equation model approach was used. The research showed the direct influence of the product-knowledge variable on customer expectation and product competitiveness, as well as the influence of customer loyalty on product knowledge. Increased loyalty thus leads to the customer’s increased knowledge of the product. The rate of repeat purchase of the same product is important for the relationship between the variables. In this case, customer expectation was shown to be an important variable which is influenced by customer satisfaction. It can be concluded that when a product’s price is set correctly in relation to its quality, the price does not affect other research factors

Economic efficiency of mergers in the Czech Republic 2001–2010

The paper presents partial results of research focusing on accounting, taxation and legal aspects of mergers in the Czech market. The input source is a database of mergers implemented in the Czech territory, which compiles data taken from the Trade Register for the decade of 2001–2010. The structure of the data allows for an evaluation of development trends of mergers in the Czech market, analysis of economic consequences of mergers and finding possible causes of their success or failure. From economic characteristics of merger success, we have chosen the item of net assets. Statistical testing of the hypothesis proved that mergers do not affect net assets during the period of three years after the merger implementation. A significant dependence of net assets development on mergers was proved after the basic set was stratified based on the size of companies. Mergers have a positive effect on the growth of value for owners in the group of small enterprises in the third year after the merger; the value in the group of medium enterprises also grows, but not significantly. Regarding large enterprises, the net assets even decreased in consequence of a merger

Inquiry in University Mathematics Teaching and Learning

The book presents developmental outcomes from an EU Erasmus+ project involving eight partner universities in seven countries in Europe. Its focus is the development of mathematics teaching and learning at university level to enhance the learning of mathematics by university students. Its theoretical focus is inquiry-based teaching and learning. It bases all activity on a three-layer model of inquiry: (1) Inquiry in mathematics and in the learning of mathematics in lecture, tutorial, seminar or workshop, involving students and teachers; (2) Inquiry in mathematics teaching involving teachers exploring and developing their own practices in teaching mathematics; (3) Inquiry as a research process, analysing data from layers (1) and (2) to advance knowledge inthe field. As required by the Erasmus+ programme, it defines Intellectual Outputs (IOs) that will develop in the project. PLATINUM has six IOs: The Inquiry-based developmental model; Inquiry communities in mathematics learning and teaching; Design of mathematics tasks and teaching units; Inquiry-based professional development activity; Modelling as an inquiry process; Evalutation of inquiry activity with students. The project has developed Inquiry Communities, in each of the partner groups, in which mathematicians and educators work together in supportive collegial ways to promote inquiry processes in mathematics learning and teaching. Through involving students in inquiry activities, PLATINUM aims to encourage students` own in-depth engagement with mathematics, so that they develop conceptual understandings which go beyond memorisation and the use of procedures. Indeed the eight partners together have formed an inquiry community, working together to achieve PLATINUM goals within the specific environments of their own institutions and cultures. Together we learn from what we are able to achieve with respect to both common goals and diverse environments, bringing a richness of experience and learning to this important area of education. Inquiry communities enable participants to address the tensions and issues that emerge in developmental processes and to recognise the critical nature of the developmental process. Through engaging in inquiry-based development, partners are enabled and motivated to design activities for their peers, and for newcomers to university teaching of mathematics, to encourage their participation in new forms of teaching, design of teaching, and activities for students. Such professional development design is an important outcome of PLATINUM. One important area of inquiry-based activity is that of “modelling” in mathematics. Partners have worked together across the project to investigate the nature of modelling activities and their use with students. Overall, the project evaluates its activity in these various parts to gain insights to the sucess of inquiry based teaching, learning and development as well as the issues and tensions that are faced in putting into practice its aims and goals

Inquiry in University Mathematics Teaching and Learning. The Platinum Project

The book presents developmental outcomes from an EU Erasmus+ project involving eight partner universities in seven countries in Europe. Its focus is the development of mathematics teaching and learning at university level to enhance the learning of mathematics by university students. Its theoretical focus is inquiry-based teaching and learning. It bases all activity on a three-layer model of inquiry: (1) Inquiry in mathematics and in the learning of mathematics in lecture, tutorial, seminar or workshop, involving students and teachers; (2) Inquiry in mathematics teaching involving teachers exploring and developing their own practices in teaching mathematics; (3) Inquiry as a research process, analysing data from layers (1) and (2) to advance knowledge inthe field. As required by the Erasmus+ programme, it defines Intellectual Outputs (IOs) that will develop in the project. PLATINUM has six IOs: The Inquiry-based developmental model; Inquiry communities in mathematics learning and teaching; Design of mathematics tasks and teaching units; Inquiry-based professional development activity; Modelling as an inquiry process; Evalutation of inquiry activity with students. The project has developed Inquiry Communities, in each of the partner groups, in which mathematicians and educators work together in supportive collegial ways to promote inquiry processes in mathematics learning and teaching. Through involving students in inquiry activities, PLATINUM aims to encourage students‘ own in-depth engagement with mathematics, so that they develop conceptual understandings which go beyond memorisation and the use of procedures. Indeed the eight partners together have formed an inquiry community, working together to achieve PLATINUM goals within the specific environments of their own institutions and cultures. Together we learn from what we are able to achieve with respect to both common goals and diverse environments, bringing a richness of experience and learning to this important area of education. Inquiry communities enable participants to address the tensions and issues that emerge in developmental processes and to recognise the critical nature of the developmental process. Through engaging in inquiry-based development, partners are enabled and motivated to design activities for their peers, and for newcomers to university teaching of mathematics, to encourage their participation in new forms of teaching, design of teaching, and activities for students. Such professional development design is an important outcome of PLATINUM. One important area of inquiry-based activity is that of „modelling“ in mathematics. Partners have worked together across the project to investigate the nature of modelling activities and their use with students. Overall, the project evaluates its activity in these various parts to gain insights to the sucess of inquiry based teaching, learning and development as well as the issues and tensions that are faced in putting into practice its aims and goals

Model of influence customer satisfaction on company performance

The article’s objective is to determine the influence of customer satisfaction with a product on business performance comparing among other the product with its competition. Such factors were searched and found within the research, that influence the customers’ satisfaction and the business performance at the same time. A model was constructed explaining the influence of these specific factors on business performance. The business managers can improve their management tools based on these factors, which may result in greater business performance