Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Martin Černý Author-Name: Jaroslav Jánský Author-Name: Ondřej Prchal Title: New Layout of the Main Network in the Vysočina Region Abstract: and to introduce a system of road management to this network. The determination of the extent of the backbone road network is based on multi-criterion decision-making methods, with traffic as the basic parameter for defining the backbone road network. This is referred to as the number of vehicles passing through that section for a specified period of time. Vehicles are further divided into categories according to their size. A new backbone road network layout is designed to better reflect the current situation. In addition, a road management system is in place for the costs that need to be incurred with regard to the nature of maintenance and repairs. The article does not refer to the division of these costs; it only refers to the problem. It is precisely the efficiency of spending on the infrastructure maintenance of the means of transport that has become a frequent topic of discussion in the assessment of the management of the individual road network owners. Quality, safety, and reliability of transport infrastructure are also a limiting factor for attracting significant investment into the regions and the socio-demographic aspects of the territory. The article analyses the road network from the point of view of traffic intensity. This assessment is most used in patch planning; therefore, a major part of the article is devoted to it. Part of the contribution is also devoted to the issue of public transport on this road network. Public transport is strongly linked to transport infrastructure and is often a crucial factor in planning, especially winter maintenance on lower-class roads. The quality and efficiency of the road network must be seen as a compact unit, which directly or indirectly affects the functioning of all institutions and citizens in the territory concerned. Keywords: backbone road network, road management system, multi-criteria decision making Classification-JEL: R4 Pages: 3-23 Volume: 2018 Issue: 2 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=595.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/595 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2018:y:2018:i:2:id:595:p:3-23 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/595 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Kadyrbek Sultakeev Author-Name: Kamalbek Karymshakov Author-Name: Burulcha Sulaimanova Title: The Impact of Microfinance on Entrpreneurship in Kyrgyzstan Abstract: The concept of microfinance has developed rapidly since its inception in 1976. Despite its development, the impact it has on entrepreneurship is a subject of debate. Scholarly articles have recently emerged outlining that successful entrepreneurship depends on individual and household characteristics, and on the status of the microfinance loan received. This paper investigates the impact of microfinance on entrepreneurship in Kyrgyzstan using the nationally representative household survey data for 2013. Due to the endogeneity issue, we applied the binary response model with instrumental variables. After the adjustment for endogeneity, the result indicates that access to microcredit has a significant positive impact on entrepreneurship and shows there is a significant gender difference between men and women when making the decision to become an entrepreneur. Thus, men are more likely to become an entrepreneur than women. Another interesting finding is that elderly, less educated, and married individuals are more likely to be entrepreneurs. Therefore, it can be assumed that entrepreneurship in Kyrgyzstan is mostly represented by unskilled workers, many of which are unpaid family workers and self-employed who manage small trade markets, shops, and own land in order to generate income that does not require a particular education or labour skills. Keywords: microfinance, entrepreneurship, instrumental variable, Kyrgyzstan Classification-JEL: C26, G21, G23, O16 Pages: 24-40 Volume: 2018 Issue: 2 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=599.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/599 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2018:y:2018:i:2:id:599:p:24-40 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/599 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Daria Gunina Author-Name: Michal Novák Author-Name: Tomáš Kincl Author-Name: Lenka Komárková Title: Mass Media Communication & Companies’ Market Position: The Case of Czech Mortgage Market Abstract: The study analyses mass media communication by mortgage lenders in the Czech market and builds on Kotler’s competitive strategies concept and aims to answer the question of whether there is a relationship between the mortgage lenders’ market position and their mass media communication profile. Furthermore, it analyses the mass media communication of mortgage lenders according to their financial performance. The analysis utilises complete monitoring data from the mass media market in the Czech Republic. As a result of this study, the different advertising patterns of the market leaders and challengers on a highly commoditised market are shown. Market leaders do not utilise defensive strategies to protect their market shares but employ more offensive strategies to increase the size of the market. Market challengers have no resources to implement a massive and offensive communication strategy to challenge the market leaders. Such a conclusion contributes to the debate on communication strategies for distinct types of companies according to their position on the market and their market share. Keywords: mass media communication, mortgage market, television, advertising Classification-JEL: G21, M21, M37 Pages: 41-55 Volume: 2018 Issue: 2 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=600.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/600 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2018:y:2018:i:2:id:600:p:41-55 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/600 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Doriani Lingga Author-Name: Damiana Simanjuntak Title: Policy Implication of Price Collusion in a Duopoly Market with Differentiated Products Abstract: This paper uses a duopoly model with horizontally differentiated products to analyse how price collusion in the presence of a uniform tax affects market equilibrium. Moreover, this paper investigates the effect of price collusion on social welfare and the government’s decision in setting the optimal tax. We show that in the presence of a uniform tax, instead of bringing social welfare down as is traditionally believed, price collusion affects government policy implication. We further show that firms still prefer colluding rather than competing, for which the government’s policy decision becomes the key point. By allowing the optimal tax to be negative, we find that under Bertrand competition the government can impose a positive, zero or negative tax on firms depending on the level of the product differentiation. There is a tendency that the more heterogeneous the products, the more subsidies will be given. Under price collusion, the government always subsidises firms regardless of the degree of product differentiation. Finally, we show that when the products are sufficiently differentiated, the government will subsidise firms more under collusion than they will under Bertrand. In short, firms can use price collusion to induce the government to subsidise them. Keywords: tax, social welfare, subsidy, policy, trade, Bertrand competition, collusion, duopoly market, product differentiation Classification-JEL: D60, H21, L30 Pages: 56-67 Volume: 2018 Issue: 2 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=601.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/601 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2018:y:2018:i:2:id:601:p:56-67 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/601 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Gabriela Žáková Title: Cyberspace: Global Public Goods? Abstract: Cyberspace has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives. Due to the Internet of Things, it has permeated the whole of society. Nevertheless, cyberspace on its own still tends to be neglected in academia, especially in social sciences. This article aims to contribute to the debate over whether cyberspace may be labelled as global public goods. First, the essential economic theories dealing with public goods are presented forming a solid basis for the subsequent analysis and stating the basic conditions for the evaluation of cyberspace as global public goods. Second, a basic cyberspace model is introduced dividing it into three different layers - the physical layer, the application level, and the level of information. Third, an analysis is conducted testing each layer for the legitimacy of global public goods categorisation. Fourth, a final synthesis provides the answer to the question of whether cyberspace can be categorised as global public goods. Based on the findings in the analytical part of this paper, it has been concluded that cyberspace may be, although with several reservations, categorised as global public goods. Keywords: Technology, global public goods, cyberspace, impure public goods, Internet, information, communication, Internet of Things Classification-JEL: D83, H41, O14 Pages: 68-82 Volume: 2018 Issue: 2 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/download.php?jnl=aop&pdf=602.pdf File-URL: http://www.vse.cz/aop/602 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlaop:v:2018:y:2018:i:2:id:602:p:68-82 X-File-Ref: http://www.vse.cz/RePEc/prg/jnlaop/references/602