Lobbying and its regulation in Czech and international context Abstract This Master's thesis investigates the phenomena of lobbying and its regulation both in international and subsequently national context, following a current government draft law on lobbying. The thesis is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, a suitable definition of lobbying is sought and its functions, most common typologies and three main theories are presented. After that, attention is shifted to the mutual relationship between lobbying and corruption and their interactions. In the following part, possible approaches towards the legitimacy of lobbying as a part of democratic process are presented. The end of the chapter analyses general background of lobbying activity regulation and its forms and tools. The second chapter is concerned with lobbying and concrete modes of its regulation in three selected countries - Lithuania, Poland, and Slovenia. The individual subsections have the same structure: at the beginning, the overall history of the regulation is outlined, followed by the introduction of the national lobbying environment. After that, relevant legal definitions are summed up, the regulation is comprehensively presented and then, based on academic literature, evaluated. Each of the subsections is concluded with...

Marktaustrittsprozesse und förmliche Konkurs- und Sanierungsverfahren gelten als grundlegende Elemente funktionsfähiger Marktwirtschaften und können in diesem Sinne als Indikatoren eines erfolgreichen Transformationsprozesses interpretiert werden. Diese Arbeit untersucht, unter welchen Bedingungen sie sich im litauischen Übergang von der Befehls- zur Marktwirtschaft herausbildeten. Es wird gezeigt, dass bereits die frühen Reformen der Liberalisierung und makroökonomischen Stabilisierung Marktaustritte hervorriefen. Diese waren fast ausschließlich informeller Natur. Angesicht seiner mangelhaften institutionellen Voraussetzungen war das Konkursrecht in der Frühphase der litauischen Transformation nicht in der Lage die Funktionen zu erfüllen, die ihm in reifen Marktwirtschaften zukommt. Seine strikte Anwendung hätte daher die wirtschaftliche Krise verstärken können. Erst als diese überwunden schien und sich zunehmend alle Elemente einer Wettbewerbsordnung etablierten, konnte und musste auch das Insolvenzsystem an Bedeutung und Funktionalität gewinnen.:TABELLENVERZEICHNIS IV KAPITEL 1 - EINLEITUNG 1 KAPITEL 2 – THEORETISCHE GRUNDLAGEN 6 2.1 DIE SYSTEMTRANSFORMATION AUS SICHT DER NEUEN INSTITUTIONENÖKONOMIK 6 2.2 EINE THEORIE DER TRANSFORMATION 9 2.2.1 Das Dilemma der Gleichzeitigkeit 10 2.2.2 Die Etablierung von Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Demokratie 12 2.2.3 Die Reform der Wirtschaftsordnung 12 2.2.3.1 Makroökonomische Stabilisierung und Liberalisierung 13 2.2.3.2 Privatisierung und institutionelle Reformen 14 2.3 MARKTAUSTRITTSVERFAHREN IN DER MARKTWIRTSCHAFT 17 2.3.1 Begriffsabgrenzung 17 2.3.2 Marktaustritte und Wirtschaftswachstum 20 2.3.3 Marktaustrittshindernisse 21 2.3.4 Marktaustritte aus Sicht der institutionenökonomischen Unternehmenstheorie 24 2.3.5 Förmliche Marktaustrittsverfahren 28 2.3.5.1 Die Notwendigkeit eines Insolvenzrechts 29 2.3.5.2 Die ökonomischen Ziele eines Insolvenzsystems 32 2.3.5.3 Grundzüge von Insolvenzverfahren 35 2.4 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 42 KAPITEL 3 – DER ÜBERGANG DER LITAUISCHEN REPUBLIK VON DER BEFEHLS- ZUR MARKTWIRTSCHAFT 45 3.1 DIE SOZIALISTISCHE REPUBLIK LITAUEN UND DER WEG IN IHRE UNABHÄNGIGKEIT 45 3.1.1 Litauen vor der kommunistischen Machtübernahme 45 3.1.2 Die Befehlswirtschaft in Litauen 48 3.1.3 Grundzüge der Befehlswirtschaft in der UdSSR 49 3.1.4 Die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung in Litauen und der Sowjetunion 54 3.1.5 Glasnost und Perestroika 58 3.1.6 Der litauische Unabhängigkeitskampf 63 3.2 Der litauische Übergang von der Befehls- zur Marktwirtschaft 67 3.2.1 Die Postimperiale Krise 67 3.2.2 Die Transformation der politischen Ordnung 72 3.2.2.1 Etablierung der Rechtsstaatlichkeit 72 3.2.2.2 Die politische Landschaft 74 3.2.2.3 Konsolidierung der Demokratie 75 3.2.3 Die wirtschaftliche Transformation – Grundlegende Reformen 79 3.2.3.1 Liberalisierung 79 3.2.3.2 Makroökonomische Stabilisierung 84 3.2.3.3 Privatisierung und Eigentümerstruktur 90 3.3 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 105 KAPITEL 4 – MARKTAUSTRITTE IN DER LITAUISCHEN TRANSFORMATION 106 4.1 STRUKTURWANDEL 106 4.2 MARKTAUSTRITTSWEGE IN DER FRÜHPHASE DER LITAUISCHEN TRANSFORMATION 110 4.2.1 Wettbewerb und Harte Budgetrestriktion 110 4.2.1.1 Die Auswirkungen der Liberalisierung 111 4.2.1.2 Die Auswirkung der makroökonomischen Stabilisierung 113 4.2.2 Empirische Bestandsaufnahme zu Markaustrittsverfahren bis 1997 118 4.2.2.1 Downsizing 119 4.2.2.2 Förmliche Konkurs- und Sanierungsverfahren 123 4.3 MARKTAUSTRITTE VON 1997 BIS 2001 126 4.3.1 Der Einfluss der Privatisierung auf Marktaustrittsentscheidungen 127 4.3.1.1 Die Wirtschaftlichkeit litauischer Staatsunternehmen 127 4.3.1.2 Die Restrukturierung litauischer Privatunternehmen 136 a) Mitarbeiterbeteiligung 136 b) Managementbeteiligung 140 c) Outsiderprivatisierung 141 d) Ausländische Beteiligungen 145 4.3.2 Förmliche Konkurs- und Sanierungsverfahren 147 4.3.3 Einfluss der Banken auf litauische Marktaustrittsprozesse 150 4.3.3.1 Entwicklung des litauischen Bankensektors 151 4.3.3.2 Litauische Banken und Marktaustritte 154 4.4 MARKTAUSTRITTSVERFAHREN NACH 2001 162 4.4.1 Gesamtüberblick 162 4.4.2 Förmliche Sanierungsverfahren 164 4.4.3 Förmliche Konkursverfahren 165 4.5 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 174 KAPITEL 5 – EINE ÖKONOMISCHE ANALYSE DES LITAUISCHEN INSOLVENZRECHTS 177 5.1 DAS LIETUVOS RESPUBLIKOS ĮMONIŲ BANKROTO ĮSTATYMAS VON 1992 177 5.1.1 Grundzüge des Konkursgesetzes 177 a) Fortführungsoptionen 178 b) Liquidationsverfahren 180 c) Rangfolge der Gläubiger 180 d) Rolle des Insolvenzverwalters 182 e) Einfluss der Gerichte 185 f) Rechte der Gläubiger 185 g) Insolvenztatbestände 186 5.1.2 Gesamtbeurteilung 188 5.2 DAS LIETUVOS RESPUBLIKOS ĮMONIŲ BANKROTO ĮSTATYMAS VON 1997 189 5.3 DIE RAHMENBEDINGUNGEN DES LITAUISCHEN INSOLVENZSYSTEMS 192 5.3.1 Zivil- und Handelsrechts 193 5.3.1.1 Die Reform des litauischen Zivil- und Handelsrechts 193 5.3.1.2 Grundzüge des litauischen Zivilgesetzbuches 198 5.3.1.3 Überblick über das Handels- und Gesellschaftsrecht 200 a) Allgemeine Vorschriften 200 b) Aktiengesellschaftsrecht 202 5.3.2 Funktionsfähigkeit des litauischen Rechtssystems 207 5.3.2.1 Grundzüge der Zivilprozessordnung 208 5.3.2.2 Zwangsvollstreckungsverfahren 209 5.3.2.3 Justizsystem 211 a) Ordentliche Gerichtsbarkeit 211 b) Schiedsgerichte 212 c) Funktionsfähigkeit des Gerichtssystems 213 d) Die Unabhängigkeit der litauischen Justiz 217 5.3.2.4 Gesamtbeurteilung 220 5.3.3 Zivilrechtliche Regelungen der Kreditsicherheiten 220 5.3.4 Rechnungslegungsgrundsätze 223 5.3.5 Insolvenzstrafrecht 225 5.4 ZWISCHENFAZIT 226 5.5 DAS AKTUELLE LITAUISCHE INSOLVENZRECHT 228 5.5.1 Grundzüge der litauischen Insolvenzgesetzgebung 228 a) Restrukturierungsverfahren 228 b) Vereinfachte Verfahren 229 c) Fristen und Beteiligung der Gerichte 230 d) Insolvenztatbestände 231 e) Rolle des Insolvenzverwalters 232 f) Rechte der Gläubiger 235 5.5.2 Gesamtbeurteilung 238 5.5 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 242 KAPITEL 6 - FAZIT 244 LITERATURVERZEICHNIS 250

Nostalgia for the Soviet past has been relevant for more than three decades since the demise of the USSR in 1991. The first scholars who studied this phenomenon believed that it related to backward Soviet mentality typical of the old generations. However, with the passage of time it has become clear that young people also not only express interest in the Soviet legacy, but many of them clearly state that they have nostalgia for the USSR. Here, we encounter an intriguing question: can we contend that nostalgia may be provoked by the live experience only, or it can be a longing for the unexperienced past? Nowadays, there are many online nostalgic Russian-speaking communities that provide rich material for studying post-Soviet nostalgia. But Russian language should not be confused with “Russianness”. Moreover, as we go deeper into this topic, we understand that those people who are nostalgic for the USSR, experience longing for different aspects of the Soviet life, depending on their ethnic belonging. This study addresses the difference between Russians who long for the grandeur of the Soviet Union which was the most powerful and effective embodiment of the Russian empire, and the representatives of other nationalities who have another perspective on their Soviet past. This thesis deals a lot with the issue of values, because, as it is shown in the research, longing for socialism is not a matter of age, but rather a matter of values. The most essential point which is recalled by many nostalgic persons is aspiration for the future. Now Russia and other post-Soviet countries do not have a clear plan for the future, while the USSR provided its population with a goal for future development. On the other hand, many nostalgic subjects admit, that a unique spirituality that was embedded in Soviet life is lost. It is another paradox, because the Soviet state was atheist, and now in Russia and other former Soviet republics, religion plays a significant role, however, the decrease of morals in comparison to Soviet times is apparent. Therefore, this thesis discusses compatibility of Communist (socialist) values and religion. Many nostalgic subjects feel that the USSR was a bastion of science and technological advancement in comparison to the backward obscurantist Russia of today. They mourn the downfall of the USSR as a failed project of modernity. This is another important topic that is addressed in the thesis. This study is based on online ethnographies of a few nostalgic communities on three Russian-speaking internet platforms: VKontakte, Odnoklassniki and Facebook. Initially, the focus of the study was on a group level of analysis, but the most valuable portion of this project turned out to be interviews conducted with individual participants of the studied communities. The research participants were from the following countries: Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian and Ukraine. The task of this research was to understand the nature of their nostalgia and to reveal their visions of the to-be-restored USSR. Depending on their worldviews (socialist/ non-socialist, nationalist/internationalist) the research participants provided very different and instructive pictures of this new potential unity which the researcher approached from the perspective of Benedict Anderson’s theory on imagined communities.

Von 1901 bis 1902 studierte am Leipziger Konservatorium der Wegbereiter der litauischen professionellen Kunst Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875 - 1911). Er war Komponist und Maler, der sich gleichwertig professionell in beiden Kunstbereichen behaupten konnte.

Lithuania and its neighboring countries have experienced a persistent and significant issue of high suicide rates since the early 1990s. This ongoing problem remains a pressing concern for Lithuania, as it ranks seventh among nations with the highest mortality rates resulting from suicide worldwide. The objective of this study is to examine the historical and socio-cultural context of wars and invasions, as well as the effects of the de-sovietization process in the Baltic States region, and their potential lasting implications in contemporary times. Utilizing key indicators, including GDP, Gini Coefficient, and Alcohol Consumption, to gain insights into the socio-economic developments that Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia experienced between the years 2000 and 2019. These indicators serve as important metrics for understanding the potential impacts and changes that occurred in Lithuania during this period.

A good Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is needed to reach sustainability. OHS consists of three parts: 1) physical, 2) mental and 3) social.  The purpose of this study was to explore and foresee the main physical OHS risks when upscaling the recycling of wood in Lithuania, with the goal to prevent those risks.  The study was explorative and interviews with semi-structured questions were used as a method. Three of the four informants mentioned air pollution, traffic, working equipment, safety equipment, and chemical risk. The highest rate of physical risks mentioned was the physical ones and then the mechanical risks. Opinions differ whether the risks would change when upscaling the industry, from no stressed or additional risks to all risks being stressed and added risk.  Results should be seen as a hint of direction when it comes to OHS risks within wood recycling in Lithuania.

Magistro darbo objektas – reputacijos valdymas ir komunikacija. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti reputacijos valdymo ir komunikacijos teorines prielaidas bei įgyvendinimą ne pelno organizacijose. Darbo uždaviniai: aptarti reputacijos sampratos problemą, matavimo bei valdymo poreikį ir galimybes, reputacijos komunikacijos principus; aptarti organizacijų reputacijos valdymo ir komunikacijos poreikį bei galimybes; nustatyti verslo ir ne pelno organizacijų reputacijos valdymo ypatybes ir galimybes taikyti bendrą reputacijos matavimo modelį; nustatyti, kaip ne pelno organizacijos suvokia reputaciją ir kaip ją komunikuoja savo internetinėse svetainėse. Išanalizavus mokslinę literatūrą, prieita prie išvados, kad organizacijos reputaciją galima matuoti ir valdyti, yra kuriami reputacijos matavimo modeliai, pagal kuriuos matuojama ir valdoma organizacijų reputacija. Pastebimas glaudus ryšys tarp organizacijos identiteto, įvaizdžio ir reputacijos, tačiau šie elementai atskiriami. Atkreiptas dėmesys, kad reputacija yra santykinis dydis, priklausantis nuo lūkesčių ir konteksto. Analizuojant matavimo modelius bei praktikas, prieita prie išvados, kad nors ir esant kriterijų variacijų galimybei, matavimo modelių pagrindas lieka tas pats (Fombruno Reputacijos koeficientas). Remiantis trečiojo sektoriaus organizacijų ir jų susivienijimų įžvalgomis, pagrįstas ne pelno organizacijų reputacijos aktualumas bei aptartos verslo reputacijos matavimo modelio pritaikymo galimybės ne pelno organizacijoms... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of this thesis is to define the theoretical precondition of reputation management and communication and to determine the implementation of reputation management and communication in non-profit organizations. The objectives are to discuss the problem of conception, the needs and opportunities of reputation management and communication; to determine the features of the reputation of profit and non-profit organization; to define the abilities to apply common reputation measurement model; to determine how do the non-profit organizations understand the concept of reputation, what knowledge do they have about the managing and communicating the reputation and how do the organizations communicate the reputation through their internet sites. After analysis of scientific literature, the conclusion is that reputation of organization is measurable, one can manage it. There are measurement models created. There are connections between identity, image and reputation of organization. Nevertheless these are three different concepts. It was noted, that reputation is related with the expectations of stakeholders and all kinds of context. Analyzing the models of reputation measurement was noted that one of them is used as a basis. It’s Ch.Fombruns’ Reputation quotient, which is composed from six elements. Furthermore according to the leaders and authorities of the third sector, the necessity for non-profit organizations to manage their reputation was justified and the opportunities to... [to full text]

My work on the thealogy of Mary conveys a largely subjective way of thinking, it does not claim to present the view of any group, and it does not profess a theoretical agenda for a cult or a religious movement of Mary. The framework of this work is grounded in symbolic (legends, fairy tales and images), psychological (the structure of the psyche according to Carl Gustav Jung: the Self, the conscious, the unconscious, the Shadow) and imaginative (individual interpretations of narratives and images) spheres that are combined with feminist spirituality theories, religious philosophy and literary analysis. In my thesis, I offer a non-Christian myth of Mary which I form out of the folklore narratives about Mary. In my work, Mary is understood as the female divine archetype on the collective level, and as an expression of the Self on the individual level. Following Jung’s theory, the archetypes are forms and not contents, that is, an archetype can be comparable to an empty shell, which we fill with our own experience or with narratives that are meaningful to us. I take the image of Mary out of the Roman Catholic context and give it a new mythological narrative. This means to me a possibility not only to acquire a non-Christian myth of Mary but also to develop an individual relationship with the divine in its female personification. On the collective level, the thealogy of Mary creates a spiritual and psychological sphere in which the female divine has a possibility to outweigh the one-sidedness of the past few thousand years of the male predominance in the religious philosophy in the West.

Aim: To examine the relationship between reported vigorous physical activity (VPA) and body mass index (BMI) in children (6–7 years) and adolescents (13–14 years). Methods: In the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Phase Three, 75 895 children's parents and 199 502 adolescents answered questions relating to VPA, height and weight. The association between VPA and BMI was analysed using general linear models, adjusting for country gross national index. Results: Compared to children who undertook no VPA, those in the infrequent group (once or twice per week) and those in the frequent group (three or more times per week) had mean (95% CI) BMI values 0.07 kg/m 2 (0.03–0.11) and 0.09 kg/m 2 (0.03–0.15) greater, respectively (p = 0.001). Compared to adolescents reporting no VPA, those in the infrequent group had a BMI 0.19 kg/m 2 (0.15–0.23) greater while those in the frequent group had a BMI 0.01 kg/m 2 (−0.03–0.05) greater (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Reported VPA is not associated with lower BMI among children and adolescents. Investigation of VPA and BMI may be best undertaken in conjunction with other variables in the energy expenditure equation. A focus on VPA alone may be an inefficient way to manage BMI. / Revisión por pares

A presente tese analisa as formas de estruturação e as relações entre as comunidades lituanas radicados na Argentina, Brasil e Uruguai. De forma comparada, buscaremos compreender as referências identitarias deste grupo nacional durante o processo de desenraizamento territorial e a formação dos laços de solidariedade ao longo do processo de inserção nos diferentes Estados nacionais. Ao mesmo tempo, analisaremos como estas comunidades se relacionavam, para além das fronteiras dos países em que se estabeleceram, construindo intercâmbios de experiências e organizando movimentos sociais e políticos. Das diferentes posturas políticas identificaremos os conflitos no interior das comunidades e destas com os Estados e a sociedade argentina, brasileira e uruguaia. Ainda consideraremos o papel do governo lituano nas formações comunitárias, durante o período de independência do país (1918 1940). Procuraremos observar a relação entre os lituanos de origem judaica com a estruturação das comunidades nacionais lituanas. Adotaremos como balizas temporais os anos de 1920 a 1950, contemplando os dois principais momentos desta imigração para a América do Sul. / We aim to investigate the forms of organization and the relation among the Lithuanian communities rooted in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. By comparing them, we seek to understand the identity references within each national group during the process of territorial unrooting and solidarity bonding along with the inset processes in the different national States. At the same time, we intend to analise how those communitites have related to each other, beyond the country boundaries in which they had established themselves, building experience interchanges and organizing social and political movements. From the different political postures, we intend to identify the conflicts within the communities and against the Argentinian, Brazilian, and Uruguayan States and societies. We still intend to consider the Lithuanian government role in the community formation during the period of the country independency (1918-1940). We also look for observing the relation among the originally Jewish Lithuanian and the Lithuanian national communities formation process. We have considered the years between 1920 and 1950 as our time range, comprising the two main moments of the imigration to South America.