Zuzana Kovačičová

Specifics of the Entrepreneurial Activities of Slovaks: Evidences Based on GEM Research☆

Abstract Entrepreneurship plays an important role in economic growth mainly through contribution to creation of new jobs, development of competitiveness and innovations on company, country and global levels. Theoretical works and empirical studies confirm that entrepreneurial activities of individuals are key drivers of entrepreneurship development. The paper analyses entrepreneurial activities of Slovaks from international perspectives. Goal of the paper is to identify key specifics of Slovak entrepreneurial activities in comparison to benchmark groups of countries. In our research we focus on investigation of entrepreneurial potential, total early stage entrepreneurial activities and, entrepreneurial activities of established businesses, as well as discontinuation of entrepreneurial activities. In addition to that we analyzed motivation for entrepreneurship, employee entrepreneurial activities, entrepreneurship inclusivity from age and aspirations from growth, innovation and internationalization points of views in Slovakia. Our research is based on Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data collected for years 2012 – 2014 in Slovakia and benchmark group of countries. We found out key specifics of Slovaks in comparison to benchmark groups of countries with special focus on innovation driven economies.

Challenges in Management of Software Testing

The chapter is focused on test management within projects of software development. The high quality of test management is a part of the success of IT projects. There exists a high quantity of recommended practices and techniques for test management, however, it is necessary to complete these recommendations by actual trends and practical experience, since every IT project is different in its nature and it is managed in a specific environment. The first part of the chapter deals with the theoretical background of IT testing. The second part specifies the research objective, methodology and research procedures. The last part is empirical, and it describes activities of test management carried out at the observed IT project.

Sharing Knowledge and Information Through Corporate e-Learning

Corporate e-learning is a way how a company can spread desired information among all employees without any time or space limitations. It is considered as a simple and low-cost method of educating employees. Companies are constantly growing and with an increasing number of employees it is easier but also more convenient to implement e-learning for the purposes of education. The chapter describes implementation of e-learning from the perspective of a company providing e-learning systems but also from the view of a company actively using e-learning. Both views are supported by a questionnaire survey realized among employees using e-learning at work. Combination of three points of view enables us to achieve a complex picture about the current state of e-learning, its advantages as well as disadvantages, and last but not least, to give us the insight into importance of implementation of e-learning in companies.

Case of SOA strategy for e-Health services: some conceptual suggestions

In the last years, there has been a revolution in the health sector -- most of the changes due to the Internet dramatic development. Thus, this paper sketches current situation in the e-health sector, associated areas and tasks. The functionality of e-Health is supported by service oriented principles. The paper shows some vital benefits of SOA in the context to e-Health, and how does it work.

Implementation of corporate e-learning: practical scenario

Implementation of e-learning has increasing tendency in many companies in the world. E-learning applications can be used almost anywhere and anytime and therefore they can be a rich source for sharing knowledge and improving the education level of people in companies. Nowadays, we are surrounded by extremely dynamic environment and thus it is vital for companies to react quickly to changes and requirements of business and customers. The paper is dedicated to three points of view -- the view of a company producing LMS, the view of a company using e-learning as a form of education for its employees and last but not least, the view of people who are using e-learning for education in a company where they work. Consideration of the three mentioned views offers us the picture of the process of e-learning application in companies and also advantages and disadvantages of e-learning which create certain suggestions in decision-making about its application.

SOA for customer-centric eBusiness

Globalization driven by the Internet has led to a disappearance of geographical borders allowing companies to cooperate on an increasing number of national and international projects. For this challenge, i.e. fighting inflexible, conventional technology infrastructures, service-oriented architectures have been developed. Thus, this paper explains how SOA improves internal monitoring capabilities of a company and its agility to react more quickly to changing market and customer needs. By using virtual-logistics Company as an example, this paper further demonstrates how the use of SOA-based models can improve the efficiency of customer-centric eBusiness companies representing a network of enterprises.