http://radio.cz/en Latest articles on 'Business' - en Fri, 24 May 2013 15:59:44 +0200 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:59:44 +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/article/156733 In Business News: the IMF has advised the Czech government against making further budget cuts in view of the country’s worse-than-expected economic development; Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek has questioned the financial wisdom of expanding the Temelín nuclear power plant; Czech arms producer Česká zbrojovka has won a multi-million crown tender to supply 50,000 pistols to the Egyptian interior ministry and the Czech liqueur maker Rudolf Jelínek posted its first loss since 1998. Fri, 24 May 2013 15:59:44 +0200 urn:uuid:72de262d-960e-58f6-b153-e83240f73599 http://radio.cz/en/article/156700 A Czech brewery is taking the country’s leading consumer magazine to court over tests which detected high levels of mould in one of its brews. The Svijany brewery questions the accuracy of the findings, as additional testing did not find increased levels of mycotoxins in its beer. In an email leaked to the press, the brewery’s manager also says that government subsidies for the magazine should be cut. Thu, 23 May 2013 15:59:37 +0200 urn:uuid:e493e27b-d3d2-5516-a694-adf27511dda1 http://radio.cz/en/article/156681 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:08ed6544-6af0-5cca-82b2-0cccd530f372 http://radio.cz/en/article/156650 After last year’s methanol affair in the Czech Republic, the police redoubled efforts in uncovering bootleg liquor. A week ago, it was confirmed Tuesday, they found three secret sites and uncovered close to one million litres of undeclared alcohol. Earlier searches at different warehouses around the country missed the hidden chambers as they were sealed underground beneath metre-thick concrete. Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:04 +0200 urn:uuid:dcbc0fbc-d023-5f90-aa5e-771b0995db49 http://radio.cz/en/article/156586 Business news: the Czech economy is in record-long recession, the government pledges to help farmers, ČEZ launches arbitration proceedings against Albania and Freedom Tax Day will come two days later this year. Fri, 17 May 2013 15:55:11 +0200 urn:uuid:088b76b0-91b3-506a-8433-17895678398b http://radio.cz/en/article/156538 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:c2589154-55aa-54e1-9ae3-52522855f932 http://radio.cz/en/article/156509 Given the growing number of salesmen who abuse the trust of elderly people in their own homes and force them into highly disadvantageous contracts, many Czech towns and cities are taking matters into their own hands and banning door-to-door sales altogether in order to protect their citizens. While door-to-door salespeople are threatening to take the matter to court, the inhabitants of these towns have welcomed the move. Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:05 +0200 urn:uuid:01577a16-6eea-58d8-bdc4-a98bf66481ba http://radio.cz/en/article/156478 A Swiss court on Monday began hearing a major Czech privatization case. Six former managers of the Czech coal company MUS face accusations of money laundering and other crimes they allegedly committed during the privatization of the firm in the 1990s. The complicated case has been running for years, and is also prosecuted in the Czech Republic. Mon, 13 May 2013 15:04:03 +0200 urn:uuid:891e204c-2271-5375-9b44-41053f6bbea5 http://radio.cz/en/article/156475 One of the more colourful news stories out of the Czech Republic last year concerned Corrupt Tour, which started running excursions – in Czech, English and German – to sites linked to graft. These include the villas of dodgy businessmen, Prague City Hall and the spot where the city’s “Olympic centre” was projected to stand. Mon, 13 May 2013 13:13:50 +0200 urn:uuid:791948a7-ea93-5fc5-9f63-e2c66c08432b http://radio.cz/en/article/156442 In this week’s Business News: The grey economy in the Czech Republic is estimated to be 16% of the GDP; Average fuel prices have gone done for the fifth week in a row; The Czech energy company Enrgo-Pro has been fined by the Bulgarian anti-monopoly agency; Unemployment sees a small decline to 7.7% in April, due to more seasonal positions; A group of international solar energy investors have filed an arbitration suit against the Czech Republic; Czech and Poles want to oppose planned EU legislation curbing cigarette sales. Fri, 10 May 2013 15:53:05 +0200 urn:uuid:5ec27744-ea7d-514b-a535-2110819832b9 http://radio.cz/en/article/156410 The Czech Republic has been heavily criticised in recent years for allowing corruption to flourish – particularly for refusing to abolish anonymous stock certificates known as bearer shares. Anti-corruption campaigners say these unregistered paper shares are of great value to corrupt businessmen, dirty politicians and crooked officials, especially in doling out lucrative public tenders. Now however, their days are numbered. Thu, 09 May 2013 16:39:57 +0200 urn:uuid:c1950cb0-45e2-535e-87ea-9f17d7cf6368 http://radio.cz/en/article/156347 In a meeting in Prague on Monday, the Czech and Polish agriculture ministers addressed a long-running dispute over the quality of Polish food imports to the Czech Republic. In what may prove to be the first step to defusing the row, the Czech agriculture minister, Petr Bendl, and his Polish counterpart, Stanisław Kalemba, have agreed to boost cooperation and to improve the exchange of information between their food inspection agencies. Mon, 06 May 2013 15:23:42 +0200 urn:uuid:58ddfd10-1064-5343-b7cf-2e2c4f124f74 http://radio.cz/en/article/156344 How are Czech newspapers dealing with the shift to an online world? Is their present, mainly free model sustainable? And what will the media landscape look like in a decade? One person well placed to discuss these and similar questions is Lucie Tvarůžková. She is the boss of iHNed, the news website of the leading Czech financial daily Hospodářské noviny, whose data journalism team recently won a prestigious award. Mon, 06 May 2013 14:48:20 +0200 urn:uuid:31669d71-e4f0-5ea5-9067-e8f673d3707b http://radio.cz/en/article/156316 Bikers all over the Czech Republic can now join a campaign called Bike to Work, which was started last year by a Prague-based advocacy group Auto*mat to encourage urban cycling. Teams made up of two to five people can join in the race and record the number of kilometers they bike on the way to and from work for the whole month of May. Those with the highest number of kilometers receive prizes, and all the participants get to join a growing community of urban bikers. Fri, 03 May 2013 16:23:00 +0200 urn:uuid:a5db761a-59d9-52e5-9b1f-ddb1b0266c98 http://radio.cz/en/article/156301 In Business News this week: European Commission says Czech Republic needs no further austerity this year; Czech central bank cuts growth forecast for this and next year; Finance Ministry launches monitor of public finances; Škoda considers plans to produce utility vans; six Czechs are ranked among dollar billionaires; and groundbreaking travel firm Student Agency eyes Prague’s taxi market. Fri, 03 May 2013 14:53:55 +0200 urn:uuid:4bca65e0-2394-5efd-adaa-b321d4660a54 http://radio.cz/en/article/156286 With the volume of traditional mail severely undermined by electronic communication the Czech Republic’s postal service, Česka Pošta, has seen its profits drop in recent years. Now, newly approved legislation liberalizing the country’s postal services has made matters worse, putting ever greater pressure on Czech Post to expand into new areas of business or bow out. Thu, 02 May 2013 16:58:23 +0200 urn:uuid:7ffdd34b-5497-54f6-8d3c-ead8b01c598c http://radio.cz/en/article/156238 A new survey released by the STEM polling agency suggests that Czechs, in troubled economic times, largely blame foreigners for the loss of jobs. According to the poll, two-thirds stated there were ‘too many foreigners in the country’ (there are an estimated 438,000) while 45 percent said they were against foreigners being hired. Are jobs actually at threat or is the sentiment xenophobia plain and simple? Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:29:08 +0200 urn:uuid:fefa15d7-d47e-5f4c-8703-2d98962fcdb5 http://radio.cz/en/article/156162 This week in Business News: The construction sector in the Czech Republic is expected to restart growth in 2014; Škoda Yeti was voted the most popular car by British car owners; ČEZ has asked two remaining contenders in the Temelín expansion deal to submit better offers; Economic confidence is down in April, after two straight months of improvement; The Federation of Food and Drink Industries wants to introduce stricter rules on product labeling; Trade unions and employers reach no agreement on minimum wage increase. Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:49:41 +0200 urn:uuid:5d939fbe-62e8-5939-9dcb-80f97a1d8614 http://radio.cz/en/article/156117 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:ea4f8d1a-b09e-5e6c-b981-596f5567eec1 http://radio.cz/en/article/156086 The Prague authorities are suing owners who have failed to remove food stands on the city’s Wenceslas Square. Eight out of 18 ordered off the square after the city cancelled contracts remain. The eighth, remarkably, continues to sell pizza despite the closure order and the imposition of fines. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:55:42 +0200 urn:uuid:774daa5d-8805-591e-9a2a-6a96b8316197