http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/despite-depressed-economy-international-franchisers-expand-on-czech-market en Wed, 22 May 2013 16:46:49 +0200 Wed, 22 May 2013 16:46:49 +0200 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Radio Prague CMS   http://radio.cz      http://radio.cz/assets/imgs/radiopraha-rss.png   200   200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Radio Broadcasting cr@radio.cz (Cesky Rozhlas) webmaster@radio.cz (CRo Webmaster) http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/despite-depressed-economy-international-franchisers-expand-on-czech-market The Czech franchise market registered a massive growth last year, with more international brands looking to expand in the region in the coming months. At a time of recession and falling household spending, both domestic and international franchisers say there are good opportunities in the Czech Republic in terms of labour and real estate costs. Wed, 22 May 2013 16:46:49 +0200 urn:uuid:352fb3e7-5612-5e1f-a813-b61b6df05d41 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/planned-university-reform-seeks-to-improve-cooperation-with-industry Czech universities are set for the biggest change in years. After several failed attempts in the past, the Education Ministry is finalizing reform legislation that should help universities adapt to the changing environment; the reform seeks, among other things, to diversify the universities and change their financing. It should also improve cooperation between universities and industry. But how does the business sector see the ministry’s efforts? In this edition of Marketplace, I discuss these issues with Jan Louda, a university relations coordinator at IBM for Czech Republic. Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:ef87d15a-8984-5e9c-8590-a2216b7967a4 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/number-of-prague-cyclists-doubles-despite-city-halls-approach-say-activists A recent study for Prague City Hall found that the number of people who regularly get around the city on bikes has doubled over the past two years, reaching 120,000, or around 10 percent of the city’s population. But biking advocates say this was achieved in spite, rather than due to, the authorities’ approach to cycling in the city. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:35:40 +0200 urn:uuid:442fa7f6-38ae-59d4-b111-d524b81bbd49 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/new-documentary-crooks-reveals-abuse-and-manipulation-of-elderly-people-during-product-demonstration-trips A new documentary called Šmejdi, or Crooks, focuses on the phenomenon of so-called product demonstration excursions. On these trips, especially elderly people are often abused and manipulated into buying overpriced products. The film, which premiered in Prague on Tuesday, has already sparked a debate among lawmakers about tightening the rules and increasing the penalties for such practices. The film’s producer, Hana Třeštíková, describes what goes on these trips. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:03:27 +0200 urn:uuid:1df8c383-ab25-50d1-ac3c-49134430ab3d http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/czech-polish-food-row-heats-up The drawn-out Czech-Polish dispute over the quality of food imports this week reached a new level after Polish officials accused the Czech authorities and media of waging a campaign aimed at hurting Polish food sales in the country. Czech officials, meanwhile, complain about poor quality of some Polish foodstuffs, and say inspections prove they fail to meet set standards much more often that Czech products. Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:38:13 +0200 urn:uuid:c31c483c-1e98-54fa-8b6c-c33b31ca3d8e http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/czech-spas-on-the-ropes Czech spas are crying foul as cuts to public insurance payments threaten to put them out of business. The Health Ministry has reduced both the number of conditions eligible for treatment and the number of days patients can stay at a spa. On top of budget cuts implemented by health insurers, this has had a dramatic impact on many of the Czech Republic’s 37 spa facilities. I discussed the situation with Martin Plachý of the Czech Spa Association. Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:20:53 +0200 urn:uuid:0869b81d-ae5b-58ab-9a28-b8099e23a020 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/green-marketing-expert-organic-food-sales-holding-their-own-in-crisis A survey of shopping habits by the KPMG agency published this week suggests that organic food products have lost their initial attraction: shoppers find them too expensive and often question their superior quality. According to the results of the poll only 4 percent of Czechs buy organic food on a regular basis. 37 percent of respondents said they did so occasionally and approximately the same number of people said they had tried organic products in the past but no longer shopped for them. So are Czechs losing interest in organic food and should organic farmers and producers be worried? I spoke to Tom Vaclavík of Green Marketing to find out how organic products are doing on the market. Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:00:49 +0100 urn:uuid:e733b595-c79a-5f9b-9b46-5eccf9d02c03 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/new-ti-study-finds-bribery-during-road-checks-most-common-form-of-corruption-that-gets-prosecuted A new study by the Czech branch of the anti-corruption group Transparency International looks at how Czech courts deal with bribery. The study, which analyzed some 250 bribery-related cases over the last three years, follows up a similar analysis from three years ago, and suggests that some improvement has been made. One of the authors of the study, Martin Novák, says that by the far the highest number of bribery cases that made it to court relate to police road checks. Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:50:21 +0100 urn:uuid:1fa4e047-5c1b-5d09-9bf5-9aa7c811bdc7 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/foreigners-no-longer-big-players-in-pragues-property-market-1 After years of growth, the real estate market in the Czech capital has seen a slow but steady decline, with decreasing prices and many more new listings having turned Prague property into a buyer’s market. One factor behind the change is waning interest from foreigners to invest into real estate in the Czech capital. However, some parts of Prague have become more attractive for Czechs and foreigners alike, while others remain popular primarily with foreign clients. Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:10:32 +0100 urn:uuid:f6b8c8f7-dfb2-5e6f-b399-baed82c3c4e3 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/czechs-face-biggest-unemployment-rate-since-great-depression Unemployment in the Czech Republic hit a record high at the start of the year. January saw close to 590,000 people out of work, the worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression in the 1930s. The government says this is largely the result of external factors, but critics and trade unions claim the government’s ill-conceived austerity measures have undercut growth. Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:06:06 +0100 urn:uuid:c52918a8-5477-537e-ab48-94ec20a42b00 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/czech-banks-face-class-actions-over-loan-and-mortgage-fees Czech banks are facing a major confrontation with dozens of thousands of their clients that could cost them hundreds of millions of crowns. Over 40,000 people have now signed up to class actions to reclaim the fees banks charge for loan and mortgage accounts. The clients say the practice is illegal, and want their money back. The banks, meanwhile, remain defiant, saying all their charges are in line with the law. Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:44:46 +0100 urn:uuid:f4e4aa2a-1c80-5fde-b79e-58a3594d58f1 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/czech-art-market-receives-boost-from-chinese-collectors 2012 was another record-breaking year for the Czech art market, with collectors having auctioned some 881 million crowns – or over 46 million US dollars – worth of artefacts. That’s a 36-percent increase compared to the previous year. Interestingly, the market received a significant boost from Chinese collectors buying up pieces from their part of the world. I discussed the latest trends with Jan Skřivánek from the magazine Art and Antiques, one of the editors of the Art Plus yearbook which sums up developments on the Czech art market. Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:28:00 +0100 urn:uuid:f7fca3fe-c571-5b82-9e31-bdb61ee6e762 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/government-considers-guaranteeing-electricity-prices-to-pay-for-temelin-expansion The Czech state-controlled energy giant ČEZ is looking at bids in one of the biggest investment projects in Czech history – the construction of two new blocks at the Temelín nuclear power plant. However, dropping electricity prices have raised questions over the project’s long-term profitability. To ensure the 300- or-so-billion-crowns investment pays back, the Czech government is now considering introducing fixed electricity prices. Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:00:02 +0100 urn:uuid:b6129965-d78d-5b4a-b067-b7dab7ca5aad http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/governments-bill-on-tourism-to-introduce-structure-to-czech-destinations-marketing The Czech Republic is struggling to maintain its position on the global tourist market. With some 8.7 million visitors in 2011, the country ranks below other destinations in central and Eastern Europe, such as Austria, Poland and Hungary. What’s more, most tourists rarely venture outside Prague during their relatively short stays. The government says this is partly because the country’s travel industry lacks a clear structure when it comes to marketing and promotion. To address the issue, it has come up with a new bill on tourism. Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:28:14 +0100 urn:uuid:6aef7cea-b309-5988-8822-52c8be6b0571 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/if-elected-how-would-milos-zeman-or-karel-schwarzenberg-influence-czech-economy The Czech president is to a great extent a ceremonial figurehead with limited executive powers. But his informal influence can go a long way in shaping the government’s policies. In a couple of days, Czech voters will choose between Miloš Zeman and Karel Schwarzenberg for the next head of state. But, from the economic point of view, how would a President Zeman differ from a President Schwarzenberg? Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:38:38 +0100 urn:uuid:01cb7d91-9708-52e0-b0cf-31c97a5b5f73 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/veitnams-bidv-bank-prague-was-natural-choice-for-our-first-office-in-eu The state-owned Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam has opened its first office in the European Union here in the Czech Republic. Located in Prague’s upmarket Vinohrady district, the BIDV office is not a full-fledged branch, as the bank is yet to receive a licence from the Czech central bank. RP sat down with Mr Ngo Minh Khoa who heads the BIDV’s Prague office, to discuss the bank’s expansion to Europe, its strategy in attracting new clients here, and its plans for the future. We began by asking Mr Ngo why they chose to come to the Czech Republic in the first place. Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:20:18 +0100 urn:uuid:789153d6-d36b-5b9d-87ab-f09140508766 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/czech-economy-set-for-moderate-recovery-in-2013-says-economist-jan-bures Economically speaking, the year 2012 was a difficult one for the Czechs. The country’s economy, heavily dependent on exports to the eurozone, is according to most estimates set for a contraction of around one percent. Wavering demand from the euro area along with weak and fading domestic spending are considered the main reasons behind the decline, not helped by the government’s austerity and tax hikes. In 2013, the eurozone is generally expected to return to moderate growth – but will this be enough to revive the Czech economy as well? That’s a question for Jan Bureš, the chief economist for Era Poštovní spořitelna, part of the Belgian KBC group. Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:17:45 +0100 urn:uuid:387da447-a1df-5eb4-b8ec-890dfa85e2a2 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/ozdoba-cz-traditional-czech-producer-of-christmas-baubles With Christmas just around the corner, a search is underway in many households’ attics or basements for ornaments that will – in due time – decorate the Christmas tree. In many families, trees will be adorned with the colourful glass globes, spikes, figurines and other baubles whose tradition in the Czech Republic goes back to the times of the Great Depression. In this edition of Marketplace, we follow the story of Ozdoba CZ, one of the oldest Czech producers of glass Christmas ornaments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:14:23 +0100 urn:uuid:351655d3-8d00-5cb3-8e98-fc6ce736c0c5 http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/does-ground-breaking-china-czech-republic-train-signal-new-era-in-railway-transport A pilot cargo train recently set a new record for covering the vast distance between China and the Czech Republic. The train, carrying 50 containers with computer parts arrived in the Czech city of Pardubice just 16 days after it set out from central China. Will more such trains follow in the near future? And does it mean that trans-Asian railway transport is now competitive with deep see routes? Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:10:59 +0100 urn:uuid:1eeddea0-e730-5203-84ca-8ae71910908c http://radio.cz/en/section/marketplace/oecds-jens-arnold-raising-vat-rates-lesser-evil-for-economic-growth The Czech economy has now been in recession for 15 months, which is the longest period since the late 1990s. The ongoing crisis in the eurozone, low household demand as well as the government’s austerity measures are all considered to be the major factors behind the faltering economy. Last week, the Prague-based Banking Institute – College of Banking held a conference focusing on ways of restarting economic growth. One of the keynote speakers was Jens Arnold, a senior economist at the international economic organization OECD. He suggested that raising the VAT rates, as the Czech government did, would not be as detrimental to the GDP’s growth as some Czech economists, and critics of the government believe. Mr Arnold also made a case for less restrictive policies in the services and labour sectors. I sat down with Jens Arnold and asked him how liberalization could help boost growth. Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:32:14 +0100 urn:uuid:9d297ab4-a15b-5ca6-90c1-4a63cef04b26