Jiří Vacek | University of West Bohemia (original) (raw)
Papers by Jiří Vacek
Journal of economics, finance and management studies, Jan 30, 2023
The paper presents the results of the research focused on the small and medium-sized enterprises ... more The paper presents the results of the research focused on the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adaptation in the service sector to the implementation of principles, processes, methods, and tools of Society 4.0. This study primarily aims to demonstrate practices and tools for the adaptation of service sector SMEs to disruptive changes brought about by the principles and technologies of Industry 4.0 and Society 4.0 into company processes and the society as a whole. The presented approach to research and the results should support an effective and efficient adaptation of SMEs to changes in business environment leading to sustainable growth, new competitive advantages, the prevention and elimination or reduction of threats and risks resulting from misunderstanding the necessary transformation of current and future business processes. The proposed methodology of adaptation and the potential of its application by SMEs represent an up-to-date methodical approach supporting their stability and economic growth during the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The research results can be applied and adapted to specific needs and requirements of service sector SMEs not only in the Czech Republic, but also in other countries of Central Europe, namely Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary that have similar legislation for SMEs as well as similar history and trends of SMEs transformation. The presented results can also serve as the motivation and knowledge background for SMEs when identifying and evaluating opportunities and threats in the conditions of Society 4.0.
International Journal of Business & Management Studies
SMEs have significant role in the area of economy, social and environmental area and also in the ... more SMEs have significant role in the area of economy, social and environmental area and also in the areas of social and regional development. The dawn of the Society 4.0 driven by the exponential growth of performance of disruptive technologies of Industry 4.0 is reinforcing the role of knowledge intensive services. University of West Bohemia in partnership with the Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice focused on the adaptation of this segment of businesses in the project „Knowledge-intensive services sector adaptation to the conditions of Society 4.0“, supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. The paper aims to attract attention of the broader community to the project findings and outcomes, to present main research outcomes related to adaptation of SMEs in the service sector, to introduce new insights and approaches to academic and professional community, especially to managers of companies undergoing the transformation process to Industry 4.0 and S...
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 2011
The authors examine the impact of rapid socioeconomic and political transition on generational di... more The authors examine the impact of rapid socioeconomic and political transition on generational differences in values and behavioral preferences via a survey of 416 Czech managers, professionals, and business students. As predicted, the pre-transition generation favored individually beneficial upward influence strategies and values oriented toward conservation and self-enhancement; the post-transition generation favored organizationally beneficial upward influence strategies and values oriented toward openness to change and self-transcendence. Generational preferences for certain upward influence strategies are mediated by underlying differences in value orientations, which reflect historically idiosyncratic institutional conditions. These findings extend and integrate work on values and influence behaviors in the relatively unexplored context of transitional economies and have implications for those who wish to appreciate better how diverse value frameworks can be understood and man...
The paper summarizes the discussion at the panel session „Relation between theory and practice in... more The paper summarizes the discussion at the panel session „Relation between theory and practice in contemporary higher education” at the Business Trends conference organized by the Faculty of Economics of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň, 2014. Afte r brief introduction emphasizing the importance of universities and businesses leading to better preparation of students to their professional careers, Section 1 introduces to the methodology of panel discussion as a research tool and brings references to some examples of panel discussions and their recordings. Section 2 summarizes discussion that took place at the conference panel. It focused on the discrepancies between requirements of companies and competencies of universities graduates, identification o f some barriers of cooperation between those two players and recommendations how to improve it. Section 3 presents t wo case studies describing practices and approaches used to overcome the barriers described in preceding text a...
Trendy v podnikání, 2017
The contribution is based on the desk research of exponentially growing number of publications de... more The contribution is based on the desk research of exponentially growing number of publications devoted socio-economic issues related to Industry 4.0. The growing interest in Industry 4.0 is documented by growing interest in documents with this keyword in Google searches. The brief introduction refers to importance of research in social sciences for successful implementation of this concept. This introduction is followed by section 1 with 4 subsections attempting to answer questions related to socio-economic aspects of Industry 4.0: management in the age of machines, competencies and skills for work with clever machines, analysis of jobs left for people and preparation for the future. In the conclusion are expressed some gaps in the Czech Republic R&D and educational systems related to Industry 4.0.
portfolio management, stage-gate process In the paper we focus on the approaches and models that ... more portfolio management, stage-gate process In the paper we focus on the approaches and models that can be used in the selection of the portfolio new product development projects, taking into account the compliance with the company strategy, proper balance of projects in the portfolio, maximization of portfolio value and limitation of resources. We briefly characterize three basic tools: financial models, bubble-chart diagrams and strategic approach. 1 Portfolio management, consequences of its lack This is the fourth in the series of papers presented at AEDS conferences [Vacek 2004, 2006, 2007] and builds on their conclusions. It is generally agreed that the company cannot be successful and competitive without continuous innovation. The recent years showed that cost savings and leaning brings only short-term effect and that only by savings nobody (neither company nor individual) cannot become rich. Each innovation project brings hope in higher profits, however it also needs resources a...
Trendy v podnikání, 2021
The contribution brings attention to the growing role of knowledge intensive services in the Soci... more The contribution brings attention to the growing role of knowledge intensive services in the Society 4.0. Faculty of Economics of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň joined forces with the Institute of Technology and Economics in České Budějovice in the project “Knowledge-intensive services sector adaptation to the conditions of Society 4.0” supported by the programme ÉTA of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. This contribution summarizes the research results of the completed first phase of the project: the development of two studies focused on identification, analysis and evaluation of methods and tools for knowledge intensive services adaptation and catalogue of requirements to competencies and skills to the changing jobs. Those studies were complemented by the questionnaire research among the relevant companies in Plzeň and South Bohemia regions followed by semi-structured interviews with managers of selected companies. The presented findings, observations, recommend...
Applications of Mathematics, 1976
The paper summarizes the discussion at the panel session „Relation between theory and practice in... more The paper summarizes the discussion at the panel session „Relation between theory and practice in contemporary higher education” at the Business Trends conference organized by the Faculty of Economics of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň, 2014. Afte r brief introduction emphasizing the importance of universities and businesses leading to better preparation of students to their professional careers, Section 1 introduces to the methodology of panel discussion as a research tool and brings references to some examples of panel discussions and their recordings. Section 2 summarizes discussion that took place at the conference panel. It focused on the discrepancies between requirements of companies and competencies of universities graduates, identification o f some barriers of cooperation between those two players and recommendations how to improve it. Section 3 presents t wo case studies describing practices and approaches used to overcome the barriers described in preceding text a...
In the increasingly competitive global economy, innovation is critical to success. The product li... more In the increasingly competitive global economy, innovation is critical to success. The product life cycle is getting shorter and shorter, new products must me introduced ever more frequently. The lead time between new product idea and its introduction to the market must be as short as possible (and sometimes even shorter). Moreover, the design-push approach, quite common for many designers – if we have superior product, customers will come and buy it – must be changed to market-pull: first find, what the market wants, and fight to satisfy customers’ needs. The excellent new product is the necessary condition for success, but it does not guarantee it. There are numerous examples of technically superior product failing in market competition.
The contribution is based on the desk research of exponentially growing number of publications de... more The contribution is based on the desk research of exponentially growing number of publications devoted socio-economic issues related to Industry 4.0. The growing interest in Industry 4.0 is documented by growing interest in documents with this keyword in Google searches. The brief introduction refers to importance of research in social sciences for successful implementation of this concept. This introduction is followed by section 1 with 4 subsections attempting to answer questions related to socio-economic aspects of Industry 4.0: management in the age of machines, competencies and skills for work with clever machines, analysis of jobs left for people and preparation for the future. In the conclusion are expressed some gaps in the Czech Republic R&D and educational systems related to Industry 4.0.
This contribution aims to draw attention to the relationships between business models and innovat... more This contribution aims to draw attention to the relationships between business models and innovation. This topic has not been widely discussed in the Czech Republic, in spite of the growing importance of both issues. In the first section we attempt to present the review of business models based on the available literature. We describe here some approaches to the business model creation and present an example of a failure of the Kodak business model caused by advent of digital photography. The second section deals with two possible relatonships between business model and innovation – creation of business model for innovation and innovation of the business model itself. Special attention is given to the open business models suitable for technologically advanced companies.
The basic feature of WWER steam generators (SGs) are two vertical tubesheets (collectors) and hor... more The basic feature of WWER steam generators (SGs) are two vertical tubesheets (collectors) and horizontal heat exchange tube bundles. The tube bundle and the perforated part of collectors are above bottom of SG vessel where the sludge is settled, evaporation surface is relatively large, i.e., the steam mass flux is low, and therefore only simple separation blinds (WWER 440) or perforated plate (WWER 1000) are sufficient for these SGs. In comparison with vertical SGs, this collectors tube bundles configuration significantly changes the two-phase mixture circulation on the secondary side of SG. The distribution of impurities in SGs, which determines the SGs lifetime, depends on circulation, and circulation depends on feedwater distribution and blowdown system. This chapter is focused on weak points of WWER SGs, and it is divided into following parts: 1. Brief description of WWER 440 and WWER 1000 SGs 2. SG degradation 3. SGs modifications 4. Heat exchange tubes integrity
Trendy v podnikání, 2017
The contribution builds on the desk research approach based mainly on studies performed by leadin... more The contribution builds on the desk research approach based mainly on studies performed by leading world s consultancies and agencies as the World Economic Forum, the World Bank and others, academic research performed e.g. at MIT and Harvard Business School, and other resources, and follows the one presented at the 2016 IMECS conference (Vacek, 2016). It focuses on the deep impact of Industry 4.0 on socio-economic issues resulting in what can be called Society 4.0. The contribution tries to highlight the challenges presented to society, economics and management by technology advancements and draw attention to building of necessary synergies between technology and socio-economic systems. The prevailing emphasize is today devoted to technology issues. According to author s opinion the rapidly advancing technology, if not accompanied by profound changes in socio-economic systems, can result in weakened social cohesion. Instead of pure technology transfer we should today discuss much br...
1 Jirí Vacek, University of West Bohemia, Department of Management, Innovations and Projects, Hus... more 1 Jirí Vacek, University of West Bohemia, Department of Management, Innovations and Projects, Husova 11, 306 14 Plzen, Czech Republic, vacekj@kip.zcu.cz 2 Jirí Skalický, University of West Bohemia, Department of Management, Innovations and Projects, Husova 11, 306 14 Plzen, Czech Republic, skalicky@kip.zcu.cz 3 Yvona Šlechtová, University of West Bohemia, Department of Management, Innovations and Projects, Husova 11, 306 14 Plzen, Czech Republic, slechto@kip.zcu.cz 4 Jaromír Horák, University of West Bohemia, vice-rector for R& D, Univerzitní 8, 306 14 Plzen, Czech Republic, veda@rek.zcu.cz
Tato publikace byla vytvořena se statni podporou Technologicke agentury CR v ramci Programu ETA.
Journal of economics, finance and management studies, Jan 30, 2023
The paper presents the results of the research focused on the small and medium-sized enterprises ... more The paper presents the results of the research focused on the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adaptation in the service sector to the implementation of principles, processes, methods, and tools of Society 4.0. This study primarily aims to demonstrate practices and tools for the adaptation of service sector SMEs to disruptive changes brought about by the principles and technologies of Industry 4.0 and Society 4.0 into company processes and the society as a whole. The presented approach to research and the results should support an effective and efficient adaptation of SMEs to changes in business environment leading to sustainable growth, new competitive advantages, the prevention and elimination or reduction of threats and risks resulting from misunderstanding the necessary transformation of current and future business processes. The proposed methodology of adaptation and the potential of its application by SMEs represent an up-to-date methodical approach supporting their stability and economic growth during the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The research results can be applied and adapted to specific needs and requirements of service sector SMEs not only in the Czech Republic, but also in other countries of Central Europe, namely Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary that have similar legislation for SMEs as well as similar history and trends of SMEs transformation. The presented results can also serve as the motivation and knowledge background for SMEs when identifying and evaluating opportunities and threats in the conditions of Society 4.0.
International Journal of Business & Management Studies
SMEs have significant role in the area of economy, social and environmental area and also in the ... more SMEs have significant role in the area of economy, social and environmental area and also in the areas of social and regional development. The dawn of the Society 4.0 driven by the exponential growth of performance of disruptive technologies of Industry 4.0 is reinforcing the role of knowledge intensive services. University of West Bohemia in partnership with the Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice focused on the adaptation of this segment of businesses in the project „Knowledge-intensive services sector adaptation to the conditions of Society 4.0“, supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. The paper aims to attract attention of the broader community to the project findings and outcomes, to present main research outcomes related to adaptation of SMEs in the service sector, to introduce new insights and approaches to academic and professional community, especially to managers of companies undergoing the transformation process to Industry 4.0 and S...
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 2011
The authors examine the impact of rapid socioeconomic and political transition on generational di... more The authors examine the impact of rapid socioeconomic and political transition on generational differences in values and behavioral preferences via a survey of 416 Czech managers, professionals, and business students. As predicted, the pre-transition generation favored individually beneficial upward influence strategies and values oriented toward conservation and self-enhancement; the post-transition generation favored organizationally beneficial upward influence strategies and values oriented toward openness to change and self-transcendence. Generational preferences for certain upward influence strategies are mediated by underlying differences in value orientations, which reflect historically idiosyncratic institutional conditions. These findings extend and integrate work on values and influence behaviors in the relatively unexplored context of transitional economies and have implications for those who wish to appreciate better how diverse value frameworks can be understood and man...
The paper summarizes the discussion at the panel session „Relation between theory and practice in... more The paper summarizes the discussion at the panel session „Relation between theory and practice in contemporary higher education” at the Business Trends conference organized by the Faculty of Economics of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň, 2014. Afte r brief introduction emphasizing the importance of universities and businesses leading to better preparation of students to their professional careers, Section 1 introduces to the methodology of panel discussion as a research tool and brings references to some examples of panel discussions and their recordings. Section 2 summarizes discussion that took place at the conference panel. It focused on the discrepancies between requirements of companies and competencies of universities graduates, identification o f some barriers of cooperation between those two players and recommendations how to improve it. Section 3 presents t wo case studies describing practices and approaches used to overcome the barriers described in preceding text a...
Trendy v podnikání, 2017
The contribution is based on the desk research of exponentially growing number of publications de... more The contribution is based on the desk research of exponentially growing number of publications devoted socio-economic issues related to Industry 4.0. The growing interest in Industry 4.0 is documented by growing interest in documents with this keyword in Google searches. The brief introduction refers to importance of research in social sciences for successful implementation of this concept. This introduction is followed by section 1 with 4 subsections attempting to answer questions related to socio-economic aspects of Industry 4.0: management in the age of machines, competencies and skills for work with clever machines, analysis of jobs left for people and preparation for the future. In the conclusion are expressed some gaps in the Czech Republic R&D and educational systems related to Industry 4.0.
portfolio management, stage-gate process In the paper we focus on the approaches and models that ... more portfolio management, stage-gate process In the paper we focus on the approaches and models that can be used in the selection of the portfolio new product development projects, taking into account the compliance with the company strategy, proper balance of projects in the portfolio, maximization of portfolio value and limitation of resources. We briefly characterize three basic tools: financial models, bubble-chart diagrams and strategic approach. 1 Portfolio management, consequences of its lack This is the fourth in the series of papers presented at AEDS conferences [Vacek 2004, 2006, 2007] and builds on their conclusions. It is generally agreed that the company cannot be successful and competitive without continuous innovation. The recent years showed that cost savings and leaning brings only short-term effect and that only by savings nobody (neither company nor individual) cannot become rich. Each innovation project brings hope in higher profits, however it also needs resources a...
Trendy v podnikání, 2021
The contribution brings attention to the growing role of knowledge intensive services in the Soci... more The contribution brings attention to the growing role of knowledge intensive services in the Society 4.0. Faculty of Economics of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň joined forces with the Institute of Technology and Economics in České Budějovice in the project “Knowledge-intensive services sector adaptation to the conditions of Society 4.0” supported by the programme ÉTA of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. This contribution summarizes the research results of the completed first phase of the project: the development of two studies focused on identification, analysis and evaluation of methods and tools for knowledge intensive services adaptation and catalogue of requirements to competencies and skills to the changing jobs. Those studies were complemented by the questionnaire research among the relevant companies in Plzeň and South Bohemia regions followed by semi-structured interviews with managers of selected companies. The presented findings, observations, recommend...
Applications of Mathematics, 1976
The paper summarizes the discussion at the panel session „Relation between theory and practice in... more The paper summarizes the discussion at the panel session „Relation between theory and practice in contemporary higher education” at the Business Trends conference organized by the Faculty of Economics of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň, 2014. Afte r brief introduction emphasizing the importance of universities and businesses leading to better preparation of students to their professional careers, Section 1 introduces to the methodology of panel discussion as a research tool and brings references to some examples of panel discussions and their recordings. Section 2 summarizes discussion that took place at the conference panel. It focused on the discrepancies between requirements of companies and competencies of universities graduates, identification o f some barriers of cooperation between those two players and recommendations how to improve it. Section 3 presents t wo case studies describing practices and approaches used to overcome the barriers described in preceding text a...
In the increasingly competitive global economy, innovation is critical to success. The product li... more In the increasingly competitive global economy, innovation is critical to success. The product life cycle is getting shorter and shorter, new products must me introduced ever more frequently. The lead time between new product idea and its introduction to the market must be as short as possible (and sometimes even shorter). Moreover, the design-push approach, quite common for many designers – if we have superior product, customers will come and buy it – must be changed to market-pull: first find, what the market wants, and fight to satisfy customers’ needs. The excellent new product is the necessary condition for success, but it does not guarantee it. There are numerous examples of technically superior product failing in market competition.
The contribution is based on the desk research of exponentially growing number of publications de... more The contribution is based on the desk research of exponentially growing number of publications devoted socio-economic issues related to Industry 4.0. The growing interest in Industry 4.0 is documented by growing interest in documents with this keyword in Google searches. The brief introduction refers to importance of research in social sciences for successful implementation of this concept. This introduction is followed by section 1 with 4 subsections attempting to answer questions related to socio-economic aspects of Industry 4.0: management in the age of machines, competencies and skills for work with clever machines, analysis of jobs left for people and preparation for the future. In the conclusion are expressed some gaps in the Czech Republic R&D and educational systems related to Industry 4.0.
This contribution aims to draw attention to the relationships between business models and innovat... more This contribution aims to draw attention to the relationships between business models and innovation. This topic has not been widely discussed in the Czech Republic, in spite of the growing importance of both issues. In the first section we attempt to present the review of business models based on the available literature. We describe here some approaches to the business model creation and present an example of a failure of the Kodak business model caused by advent of digital photography. The second section deals with two possible relatonships between business model and innovation – creation of business model for innovation and innovation of the business model itself. Special attention is given to the open business models suitable for technologically advanced companies.
The basic feature of WWER steam generators (SGs) are two vertical tubesheets (collectors) and hor... more The basic feature of WWER steam generators (SGs) are two vertical tubesheets (collectors) and horizontal heat exchange tube bundles. The tube bundle and the perforated part of collectors are above bottom of SG vessel where the sludge is settled, evaporation surface is relatively large, i.e., the steam mass flux is low, and therefore only simple separation blinds (WWER 440) or perforated plate (WWER 1000) are sufficient for these SGs. In comparison with vertical SGs, this collectors tube bundles configuration significantly changes the two-phase mixture circulation on the secondary side of SG. The distribution of impurities in SGs, which determines the SGs lifetime, depends on circulation, and circulation depends on feedwater distribution and blowdown system. This chapter is focused on weak points of WWER SGs, and it is divided into following parts: 1. Brief description of WWER 440 and WWER 1000 SGs 2. SG degradation 3. SGs modifications 4. Heat exchange tubes integrity
Trendy v podnikání, 2017
The contribution builds on the desk research approach based mainly on studies performed by leadin... more The contribution builds on the desk research approach based mainly on studies performed by leading world s consultancies and agencies as the World Economic Forum, the World Bank and others, academic research performed e.g. at MIT and Harvard Business School, and other resources, and follows the one presented at the 2016 IMECS conference (Vacek, 2016). It focuses on the deep impact of Industry 4.0 on socio-economic issues resulting in what can be called Society 4.0. The contribution tries to highlight the challenges presented to society, economics and management by technology advancements and draw attention to building of necessary synergies between technology and socio-economic systems. The prevailing emphasize is today devoted to technology issues. According to author s opinion the rapidly advancing technology, if not accompanied by profound changes in socio-economic systems, can result in weakened social cohesion. Instead of pure technology transfer we should today discuss much br...
1 Jirí Vacek, University of West Bohemia, Department of Management, Innovations and Projects, Hus... more 1 Jirí Vacek, University of West Bohemia, Department of Management, Innovations and Projects, Husova 11, 306 14 Plzen, Czech Republic, vacekj@kip.zcu.cz 2 Jirí Skalický, University of West Bohemia, Department of Management, Innovations and Projects, Husova 11, 306 14 Plzen, Czech Republic, skalicky@kip.zcu.cz 3 Yvona Šlechtová, University of West Bohemia, Department of Management, Innovations and Projects, Husova 11, 306 14 Plzen, Czech Republic, slechto@kip.zcu.cz 4 Jaromír Horák, University of West Bohemia, vice-rector for R& D, Univerzitní 8, 306 14 Plzen, Czech Republic, veda@rek.zcu.cz
Tato publikace byla vytvořena se statni podporou Technologicke agentury CR v ramci Programu ETA.