Search results

The chapter draws on recent scientific findings on the participation of fathers in childcare, and the perception of the role of fathers by both men and women in the Czech Republic. We apply a mixed method approach, combining qualitative data from longitudinal research on transition to motherhood and fatherhood (TransPARENT), which traced 16 parental couples for four years, with data from quantitative surveys on the topics of parenting and work–life balance. The data are examined for the incidence of breadwinner and the involved father models in Czech families. We focus on the earliest stage of the family life course, that is, when the children are aged between zero and four years. We show that fathers of young children still predominantly assume the breadwinner role, leaving most childcare to mothers. However, the growing number of parents expressing a preference for a more equal sharing of childcare indicates a shift in both the perception of fatherhood and the value placed on the active participation of fathers in early childcare in the Czech Republic. The main limitation of this text is that it only focuses on families with very young children. The future research should fill the gaps in contemporary knowledge of Czech families by addressing the division of roles, and particularly the roles of fathers, in households with school-age children. The chapter suggests that fathers’ greater involvement in childcare could be stimulated by policy measures such as the introduction of paternal leave or broadening the range of (public) childcare services for the youngest children.

Public procurement is important in itself but is also an important intervening force in some business networks. Two aspects are of particular interest. The first is that public purchasing is an important ingredient in public policy in relation to a number of business networks; it is substantial in areas such as transportation, communication, health care and defence, where the ‘public’ is often the most dominating actor. As such it can be one of the measures in innovation policies, as well as in regional and local development policies. The second aspect is that public purchasing is highly regulated by law, based mostly on the assumption of ‘homogeneous, competitive, product markets’. That restricts public procurement in forming close and continuous supplier relationships, thus making more effective use of these relationships, particularly for development purposes. A consequence is that suppliers’ capabilities cannot be used in the same way as in the private sphere. The chapter concludes with a discussion of current developments in regulation that allow closer collaboration with suppliers and the likely benefits, a feature that has been evidenced in prior Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) research.

Les mutations importantes observées depuis une quinzaine d'années dans tous les domaines de la vie se reflètent dans le tourisme, ses services et ses produits. De nouvelles formes de vacances, de voyages et de loisirs émergent et prennent le pas sur les types les plus classiques. Face à cette montée de nouvelles conceptions, dont le tourisme alternatif est devenu le symbole le plus évident, se font entendre ceux qui estiment qu'il ne faut plus considérer le patrimoine de manière élitiste, qu'il existe de nouvelles formes de patrimoine à protéger, mettre en valeur et montrer aux touristes et aux populations.

IN view of the exceptional dimensions of the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 4, which will be described in this paper, the author thought that it might be of interest to the members of the Institution to have a short account of the difficulties which we experienced in meeting the requirements of the National Physical Laboratory authorities, and the various methods which were adopted to overcome them.