The aim of the research "Lithuanian and Latvian Systems of Professional Orientation in 1990-2012" is to perform a comparative analysis between the Lithuanian and Latvian vocational guidance systems and the service providers (institutions, responsible for vocational guidance service providing, their quality and development). The research report consists of 4 chapters. In the first one, there are analysed and compared the development of vocational guidance systems from 1900 till 2012 in both countries. In the second chapter, there are analysed and compared professional information structures, i. e. institutions, responsible for vocational guidance. In the third chapter, there are analysed and compared internet data bases of the Lithuanian and Latvian professional information. In the last chapter of the report, the legal documents regulating the Lithuanian and Latvian vocational guidance are compared. The research is grounded on the assumption that despite the Lithuanian and Latvian common historical and political events, the vocational guidance systems are developed differently in both countries. The research showed that the Lithuanian and Latvian vocational guidance systems are developed differently, because: the legislation is drafted of different character, it is oriented to different vocational guidance systems parts, etc. Even though there were certain similarities found: same projects, developed by the European Union funds, activity of some institutions, responsible for vocational guidance, etc. However, one assumption could not be confirmed, that the Lithuanian vocational guidance system is more elaborate than the Latvian, because, for example, in Lithuania, carrier consultants in universities were integrated since 2005, whereas in Latvia since 2008; in Latvia, manuals for carrier training for pupils of 7 - 12 grades and books for teachers were published in 2005 - 2006, whereas in Lithuania only in 2012 two methodical carrier training manuals were prepared, one for teachers and one for learners.
The aim of the research "Lithuanian and Latvian Systems of Professional Orientation in 1990-2012" is to perform a comparative analysis between the Lithuanian and Latvian vocational guidance systems and the service providers (institutions, responsible for vocational guidance service providing, their quality and development). The research report consists of 4 chapters. In the first one, there are analysed and compared the development of vocational guidance systems from 1900 till 2012 in both countries. In the second chapter, there are analysed and compared professional information structures, i. e. institutions, responsible for vocational guidance. In the third chapter, there are analysed and compared internet data bases of the Lithuanian and Latvian professional information. In the last chapter of the report, the legal documents regulating the Lithuanian and Latvian vocational guidance are compared. The research is grounded on the assumption that despite the Lithuanian and Latvian common historical and political events, the vocational guidance systems are developed differently in both countries. The research showed that the Lithuanian and Latvian vocational guidance systems are developed differently, because: the legislation is drafted of different character, it is oriented to different vocational guidance systems parts, etc. Even though there were certain similarities found: same projects, developed by the European Union funds, activity of some institutions, responsible for vocational guidance, etc. However, one assumption could not be confirmed, that the Lithuanian vocational guidance system is more elaborate than the Latvian, because, for example, in Lithuania, carrier consultants in universities were integrated since 2005, whereas in Latvia since 2008; in Latvia, manuals for carrier training for pupils of 7 - 12 grades and books for teachers were published in 2005 - 2006, whereas in Lithuania only in 2012 two methodical carrier training manuals were prepared, one for teachers and one for learners.
В настоящей статье анализируются наиболее частотные литовские и латышские фразеологизмы с компонентом черт, или Велняс, в сопоставлении с русскими. В исследовании представлено несколько аспектов данной проблематики, в частности, дается краткий обзор фактов, подтверждающих близость этих языков к древнему индоевропейскому языку, а также кратко описываются общие представления балтов о Велнясе, своими корнями уходящие в эпоху язычества, которая у литовцев и латышей сохранялась вплоть до XVII в. Основная часть работы посвящена анализу языкового материала, который делится на три основные группы по принципу полных совпадений, частичных аналогов и безэквивалентных единиц. На базе последних делается вывод о большей антропоморфности образа представителя нечистой силы у балтов по сравнению с русским чертом ввиду довольно позднего принятия балтами христианства. С учетом существования в определенный исторический период балто-славянского союза литовская и латышская фразеология помогает глубже проникнуть в сознание древнего славянина и восстановить картину его представлений о нечистой силе в дохристианский период, не зафиксированных в письменных источниках, но находящих подтверждение в современной литовской и латышской фразеологии, где эти представления сохраняются до сих пор. This article analyzes the most frequent modern Lithuanian and Latvian phraseological units with the component "devil", or "Velnyas" in comparison with the Russian language. The study presents several aspects of this issue, in particular, a brief overview of the facts confirming the proximity of these languages to the ancient Indo-European language, and also briefly describes the general ideas of the Balts about Velnyas, which have their roots in the era of paganism, which was preserved among Lithuanians and Latvians until 17th century. The main part of the work is devoted to the analysis of the linguistic material itself, which is divided into three main groups according to the principle of complete matches, partial analogues and non-equivalent units. On the basis of the latter, a conclusion is made about the greater anthropomorphism of the image of the representative of evil spirits among the Balts in comparison with the Russian concept of "devils" due to the rather late adoption of Christianity by the Balts. Taking into account the existence of the Balto-Slavic union in a certain historical period, Lithuanian and Latvian phraseology helps to penetrate deeper into the consciousness of the ancient Slav and restore the picture of his ideas about evil spirits in the pre-Christian period, which were not recorded in written sources, but are confirmed in modern Lithuanian and Latvian phraseology, where these ideas are still preserved.
The results of the comparative analysis of Lithuanian and Latvian transit transport show that transit transport systems of these countries compete against each other. Latvia has evidently better developed harbours, which are able to process bigger scopes of loads. In comparison with Lithuanian transit transport system, Latvia has the competitive advantages, which are determined by its historical and trading relations, infrastructure, socio‐cultural environment and traditions as well as more favourable integration with other systems of transport. In this article general indicators of sea and railroads transit transport as well as the problems, which impede the development of transport system, are analysed. It is suggested to pay attention to the proposed strategic directions of transit services development as well as to solve (on the governmental level) the questions of competition choosing the cooperation policy of Lithuanian and Latvian systems of transit transport. First Published Online: 27 Oct 2010
The results of the comparative analysis of Lithuanian and Latvian transit transport show that transit transport systems of these countries compete against each other. Latvia has evidently better developed harbours, which are able to process bigger scopes of loads. In comparison with Lithuanian transit transport system, Latvia has the competitive advantages, which are determined by its historical and trading relations, infrastructure, socio‐cultural environment and traditions as well as more favourable integration with other systems of transport. In this article general indicators of sea and railroads transit transport as well as the problems, which impede the development of transport system, are analysed. It is suggested to pay attention to the proposed strategic directions of transit services development as well as to solve (on the governmental level) the questions of competition choosing the cooperation policy of Lithuanian and Latvian systems of transit transport. First Published Online: 27 Oct 2010
Bibliography: leaves 93-103. ; Managing Information Systems (IS) personnel has frequently been cited as a major challenge for organisations, particularly with respect to reducing and controlling the high rate of turnover that IS personnel have historically displayed. In the past, with demand for qualified IS personnel outstripping supply, alternative job openings were plentiful and organisations found it difficult to attract and retain sufficient staff. However, the last few years have seen significant cutbacks in IS spending, resulting in declining growth rates and a reduced demand for IS personnel. Although the South African IS job market does not appear to be as severely affected as in other parts of the world, and there are still pockets of high demand worldwide, it seems unlikely that the IS industry will return to its former glory in the foreseeable future. Despite these stringent market conditions, organisations continue to be plagued with high, and even more surprisingly, increasing turnover rates. This trend is particularly perturbing for organisations that are highly dependent on IS because of its negative implications. Employee turnover is costly and disrupting, often leading to delays in project completion, there is a loss of valuable expertise and productivity of the IS department is reduced. Although, this research project only considered IS personnel turnover at the individual level, there are many other factors related to the work and external environments that are believed to affect IS personnel turnover in South Africa. However, these factors which include organisational structure, perceived job market and government policy, are very difficult to measure and are often beyond the control of organisations endeavouring to reduce and control turnover; and as such were not explicitly studied.
Translation needs tools, the oldest and most widespread of which are (bilingual) dictionaries. In the absence of the necessary language pair dictionary, translators seek advice in foreign language dictionaries. Translators have frequently been the authors of dictionaries themselves. Latvian and Lithuanian nations and languages, though kindred, have had a rather different history. Both historically and politically, developments in Latvian have been more parallel to Estonian than Lithuanian as both fell under German and Lutheran influence while Lithuanian had a Polish-bound Catholic history. Yet the development of their writing, translation and lexicography has followed a remarkably similar process and testifies to the common space of knowledge (Wissensraum). As with their lexicography, their bilingual dictionaries grew out of a connection between translation and religion. Both countries underwent a national awakening/awareness in the 19th century that led to a greater variety of translations and dictionaries. Notably, monolingual Latvian and Lithuanian dictionaries appeared only in the 20th century, testifying to the importance of bilingual lexicography in ensuring language contact. Bilingual dictionaries have dominated the lexicography scene of Latvia and Lithuania from the start until the present day. The twentieth century, with its expanding translation needs, produced an even greater variety of translations and bilingual dictionaries in both countries.
Wages are remuneration for the use of human labour at a given time, it is a social guarantee for the well-being of people, and each worker has a significant net salary on hand, formed by applying labour taxes to gross wages. In Latvia, the tax system is constantly changing, such changes have a negative impact on economic outcomes and citizens' incomes, because labour tax rates remain relatively high, the tax burden for minimum wage recipients is high and they cannot fully benefit from tax incentives. The study carried out a theoretical description of net salary, calculated and compared the impact of labor taxes on the net salary size of the worker in Latvia and Lithuania.
Business start-ups, small and medium sized companies face financial difficulties to finance their innovative activities, which hinders innovative products from commercialization. This mainly results from the high risks and information asymmetries involved in such projects. Standard debt financers are reluctant to take these risks, besides the young enterprises lack collateral to receive the credit. However, the risk tolerance for investors differs as well. One of the alternatives for bank loans is venture capitalists, who rather become partners than creditors of young, innovative companies with growth potential. Particularly venture capital or the so-called "smart money" is what financially supports such business ventures, provides funding for technological transfer and commercialization. The authors of the present paper have chosen to examine and compare the venture capital attraction possibilities in the Baltic States using Venture Capital and Private Equity Country Attractiveness Index (by Groh et al.) data for 2012-2018. Venture capital market development is currently a very topical issue for the Latvian government, taking into consideration the critical importance of venture capital for financing innovation. Becoming the leader in the venture capital sector and No. 1 choice of start-up companies in the Baltics are now the objectives of the government of Latvia. It was therefore relevant and important to compare venture capital attraction possibilities in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania to see and analyse in which aspects Latvia lags behind its neighbouring countries and in which it succeeds. The paper compares the six main factors or key drivers which determine the attractiveness of venture capital markets. According to Grohet al. (2016), these factors are: 1) Economic Activity; 2) Depth of Capital Market; 3) Taxation; 4) Investor Protection & Corporate Governance; 5) Human & Social Environment and 6) Entrepreneurial Culture & Deal Opportunities. However, the results of the research reveal that the main problems for international investor attraction in the Baltic States are underdeveloped capital markets and low economic activity. Latvia, unfortunately, is the most unattractive for international venture capital investors. Nevertheless, it has experienced the fastest growth during six years, which means that there is potential for becoming a leader in the venture capital sector. The present paper reveals the aspects to be improved for becoming more attractive for venture capital investments. JEL codes: G24, G28, F21, M14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15544/ssaf.2018.03
The period between the end of 19th century – the first half of the 20th century had been very important for Lithuanians and Latvians as a time, when the rights of the national language and culture had been strengthened and fortified. The rich sociocultural context, which appears in the children's periodicals of that time, allows to evaluate the efforts of the nation in order to define and keep the borders of traditional culture. The investigation of children's periodicals also helps to reconstruct the field of national literature of that time. The aim of the paper is to investigate, what changes of the traditional culture appear in the Lithuanian and Latvian children's periodicals, published before 1940. Some aspects of the nation's location in the time and space are being stressed, such as: marking of the nation's culture and territory borders, institutionalization of the national calendar and construction of the historical memory. The investigation is based on the comparative analysis of the main Lithuanian and Latvian children's periodicals, which were published before 1940: Lithuanian – "Šaltinėlis" ('a little spring', 1906–1914; 1928–1940), "Žiburėlis" ('a little torch', 1920–1944), "Žvaigždutė" ('a little star', 1923–1940), "Kregždutė" ('a little swallow', 1934–1940), "Vyturys" ('a lark' 1931, 1935–1940); Latvian – "Bērnu Pastnieks" ('children's postman', 1866–1869), "Jaunības Draugs" ('the friend of the youth', 1901–1904), "Jaunības Tekas" ('the paths of the youth', 1910–1915; 1920–1930), "Bitīte" ('a little bee', 1912–1916), "Latvijas Jaunatne" ('the youth of Latvia', 1924–1940), "Cīrulītis" ('a little lark', 1923–1940), "Jaunais Cīrulītis" ('the new little lark', 1926–1934). Due to the confessional and some historical similarities between Lithuanians and Latgalians, there are also two Catholic Latgalian magazines –"Sauleite" ('the little sun', 1926–1940) and "Katōļu Dzeive" ('the life of Catholics', 1926–1940) – analyzed, despite the fact, that they were aimed at both children and youth. The theoretical background of the research is based on the works of sociologists and anthropologists of culture (Benedict Anderson, Anthony D. Smith, Orvar Löfgren), as well as on some theories of media (Denis McQuail, Herbert Marshall McLuhan). The binary opposition of the the self and the other (Löfgren 1991: 105, Smith 1994: 20–22) is being used as a border marker of the traditional culture in the texts of children's periodicals. The borders of traditional culture in the children's periodicals change depending on the fact, who and when is talking in the name of the nation – priests, teachers, supporters of the different ideological or confessional camps. As a result of the individually made or institutionary censored editorial selection of textual material, the national culture is being institutionalized and subordinated for the realization of different purposes. The language of the ethnic group is the first thing the national press institutionalizes, and that helps the community to imagine itself (Anderson 1999). The symbolic value of the language is absent in such Latvian children's magazines as "Bērnu Pastnieks" and "Bitīte", which were edited by the priests of German origin and were published only for the purpose of religious education. The language, as well as nation's territorial location, had mostly been emphasized in the Lithuanian children's periodicals. The declarative tendency of self-defining (names of periodicals, maps, lists of the readers', collective photos of the children, explanations about nationality and the state) indicates the existing mechanism of the nation's territory and culture defense. The defensive politics in Lithuania was established as a result of the traumatic experience of the long-lasting repressive actions (Lithuanian press ban (1864–1904), the occupation of Vilnius district by Polish nationalists (1919–1939) etc.). The Latvian language as the national symbol was presented in the Latvian children's magazines "Jaunības Draugs", "Jaunības Tekas" and "Cīrulītis", but its symbolic capital was being increased by the actualization of traditional culture (folklore), native literature and national historic memory (the biographies of distinguished Latvians, nation's relations with antiquity, nobles or saints). The periodicity and cyclic recurrence of the periodicals had institutionalized the time and the rhythm of the readers' life. In the context of nation's efforts of self- determination in time and space, the changes of the traditional culture borders are best seen in the traditions of commemoration of the dead. The interpretations of the commemoration of the dead depend on, what is being emphasized – the end of the individual person's life or the death in the context of nations history. The discourse of death and the commemoration of the dead have been actualized mostly in the issues of children's periodicals, published during the period between October and December. This period according to folkloristic Baltic tradition was called as a period of souls and was celebrated with the rituals of soul-feeding and gratitude to the souls of forefathers. The Christian liturgical day of the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (in Catholic tradition) or the Day of all Souls (in the Protestant tradition) were not directly included in the calendar of children's periodicals until 1918. But there were a lot of published texts, actualizing the theme of orphans as well as a lot of traditional genres, which were characteristic to that period of the year, e. g., tales about orphans and beggars, mythological stories about roaming souls etc. In the independent Latvia the traditional mood of the period in Latvian children's periodicals was covered by the celebration of proclamation of the state (November 18) and the commemoration of the perished in the battles for independence. In Lithuanian and Latgalian periodicals of that time ("Šaltinėlis", "Žvaigždutė", "Kregždutė", "Sauleite") the Catholic liturgical celebration of Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed was institutionalized (the very name of it appeared in the titles of publications, children were asked to pray for the souls of the dead relatives, etc.), which helped to keep the traditional themes and genres. The necessity to construct historical memory of the children and to educate them in patriotic mood widened the meaning of the commemoration day (children were asked to pray for national heroes and to look after graves of buried soldiers). The tendency to organize official ceremonial commemoration of the dead had influenced traditions in the private field – in the middle of the 30s the children are encouraged not only to pray for the souls of their dead relatives, but also to look after their graves and to take part in the mass celebrations – all that indicated the nations efforts to inscribe history of individuals in the history of the nation. The representation and explanation of the national traditions and rituals in the children's periodicals not only constructed the national identity of the young readers, but also strengthened their place in the national community and supplemented the understanding of the nation's whole, its history and future. Children in the periodicals of the time were shown as ones, who inherit and pass on the traditions to the future generations.
Studies of ethical orientations of journalists, based on large-scale surveys of professional norms and values, generate data that are an important indicator of journal-ism culture. While it is true that what journalists say they do is not always the same as what they actually do, the discourse about professional roles and ethical standards is a prominent marker of journalistic culture and an element that can be and is usually com-pared cross-nationally (Hanitzch & Vos, 2016). This study of Serbian journalists follows this stream of scholarship, offering an empirical contribution to the discussion about journalists and their professional orientation. Based on the survey conducted in 2014 as a part of the Worlds of Journalism Study, we first present a socio-demographic profile of Serbian journalists, and then focus on the views on the role of journalists in society, per-ceived influences on their everyday work and journalists' perception of ethics. The study approaches journalism as a field of cultural production and adopts the community struc-ture model (Tichenor, Donohue & Olien, 1980) to explore the link between professional orientations of journalists and the demographic characteristics of the community news media are based in. It tests the idea that the perception of the journalist's role in society might be different in smaller, relatively homogenous towns than in larger, more demo-graphically diverse cities. The study found Serbian journalism culture to be ambiguous, related to the complex set of interactions with political and economic fields, and based on the tension between different models of journalism that have historically influenced the development of the profession in the region, "interventionist" and "monitorial".
The article analyses the strengthening of the competitiveness of countries based on crossborder cooperation through the prism of international trade indicators. Due to the increase in international competition, countries, especially small economies, are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their position in the global market and remain competitive if this position is pursued individually. It is therefore necessary to review competition strategies and reassess opportunities and competitive advantages, as well as to promote coopetition between border region companies at institutional level. The article presents a new approach to regional competitiveness, which is achieved not through the development of the competitive advantages of the regions of individual countries, but through their cooperation and thus achieving common benefits. This is particularly relevant for border regions, as their uniqueness allows them to exploit cross-border region cooperation, which can generate added value by utilising the potential of cooperating regions to complement each other and become a competitive hub for economic growth. Only a strategic partnership based on regional cooperation will promote cooperation between manufacturers in different regions and ensure the achievement of co-creation and international development goals. The article analyses the case of Lithuania and Latvia as an example of cross-border cooperation, as internationally these countries are often matched and treated as one region, but in fact they compete fiercely with each other for better positions in foreign markets. This also shows that Lithuania's and Latvia's foreign trade with the European Union (hereinafter - the EU) accounted for the largest share of their foreign trade. Secondary statistical data of the EU-28 Eurostat of 2010 - 2019 and Finger Kreinin, RCA, and Lafay indices were used for the study. After assessing the convergence of the Lithuanian and Latvian export structure according to the FKI index during the study and finding that the ...
