Matej Bel University

About: Matej Bel University is a education organization based out in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Tourism & Fuzzy set. The organization has 721 authors who have published 1497 publications receiving 11573 citations. The organization is also known as: Matej Bel & Univerzita Mateja Bela.

How to Attract and Retain Creative Class

Abstract: Abstract Nowadays, relatively high attention of public policies, also from the EU point of view, is paid to creative territories and the promotion of the creative class. However, very few published studies have been conducted about the mobility and behaviour of the creative class in the spatial-development context. To contribute to the deeper research of this issue the paper analyses the results of published empirical studies on the behaviour and mobility of the creative class in various types of territories and compares them with the behaviour and location of the creative class in the Slovak Republic. Subsequently, reflecting the key findings it proposes the public policy recommendations that should contribute to attracting and retaining the creative class as an integral driving force of regional or local development. In the empirical studies, the compared elements were the main research questions / hypotheses and results, the definition of the creative class, used methods, the factors of creative-class migration, and the policy recommendations, if they were proposed. Special attention was devoted to the issues of creative-class behaviour and localisation factors in the Slovak Republic based on the previous research findings as well as our own research results. All studies confirm that the mobility of the creative class is only a little bit higher than that of non-creatives. Among the key factors playing a dominant role in the selection of the actual place of residence are personal trajectories, followed by good employment opportunities. That is why the strategies of public policy should aim at retaining the creative class, fostering the creative and diverse climate by developing new higher-education institutions, new creative-subject incubators, supporting networks and partnerships; then the economic and social benefits of the creative class for the territories may be expected.

Interactive course for JavaScript in LMS Moodle

Abstract: Nowadays the web pages are a necessity not just for business. Creating static web pages is nothing special, even the young pupils are capable to create static web pages through some WYSIWYG editors. Students from Slovak high schools focused on computer science are able to create static web pages in HTML and CSS. Some of them are also familiar with developing dynamic web pages through scripting language JavaScript. The contribution is focusing on creating teaching material in LMS Moodle for programming web technologies through JavaScript. The course is suitable for teaching with classic method (explanation and exercises) and also for teaching with innovative education method EduScrum.

The Non-Linear Effect of Corporate Taxes on Economic Growth

Abstract: The paper deals with the problem of taxation and its potential impact on economic growth and presents some new empirical insights into this topic. The main aim of the paper is to verify an assumed nonlinear impact of corporate tax rates on economic growth. Based on the theory of public finance and taxation, we hypothesize that at relatively low tax rates it is possible that the impact of taxation on economic growth is slightly positive. On the other hand when the tax rates are higher a negative impact of taxation on economic growth could be expected. Despite the fact that the most of the existing studies find a negative linear relationship between these variables, we can also find strong support for a non-linear relationship from several theoretical models as well as some empirical studies. Based on panel data fixed-effects econometric models, we, as well, find empirical evidence for a non-linear relationship between nominal and effective corporate tax rates and economic growth. Our data consists of annual observations for the period 1999 to 2011 for EU Member States. Based on the results, we also estimated the optimal level of the corporate tax rate in terms of maximizing economic growth in the average of the EU countries.

Chromian spinels from the Magura Unit (Western Carpathians, Eastern Slovakia) – their petrogenetic and palaeogeographic implications

Abstract: Detrital chromian spinels in sedimentary rocks provide much information concerning the tectonics of their parental ultrabasic rocks. Chromian spinels occurring in the Eocene to Oligocene deposits from the Magura Nappe were examined to provide some constraints on the history of the Magura Basin. The Magura Nappe is a part of the Flysch Belt belonging to the External Western Carpathians. The Magura Nappe is separated by a narrow zone associated with the Pieniny Klippen Belt and is divided into three principal tectono-lithofacies units (from the S to N): the Krynica, Bystrica and Raca units. Cr-spinel is a common accessory mineral (2.3–5.9 vol% of heavy mineral spectra) in the siliciclastic rocks of the Raca and Krynica units. In terms of texture and chemical composition, two types of Cr-spinels were recognized: unaltered and altered. Unaltered spinels were found to contain silicate inclusions such as chromio-pargasite, enstatite, diopside, pargasite, plagioclase and olivine (forsterite). The chromian spinels show wide variations in compositional parameters such as Cr# (0.3–0.7), Mg# (0.3–0.7), TiO2 (<0.03–1.9 wt.%) and Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ (2.5–13) whereas the differences between the Raca and Krynica units are insignificant. These parameters suggest a peridotitic and volcanic origin of the spinels, respectively. The ophiolite source consisting of harzburgitic mantle peridotites was developed mainly in a supra-subduction zone setting; volcanic spinels indicate an origin in mid-ocean ridge basalts, back-arc basin basalts and sporadically in ocean-island basalts. Concerning their geochemical features, we propose that during the Eocene to Early Oligocene, the ophiolitic detritus in the eastern part of the Magura Basin deposits may have been derived from a source area located in the Fore-Marmarosh Suture Zone (Eastern Carpathians) that is considered an equivalent of the Black Flysch and Ceahlau units. Some Cr-spinels found in the Eocene sedimentary successions may have resedimented from older Late Cretaceous-Paleocene formations of the Magura Unit, which are considered as reworked sedimentary material from the Pieniny Klippen Belt.