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The asymmetric dominance effect: Three-attribute phantom alternative at play
Žofák, Petr ; Matoušek, Jindřich (advisor) ; Klinger, Tomáš (referee)
In this thesis I investigate asymmetric dominance effect in hypothetical consumer choice. The main goal of this study is to determine if asymmetrically dominated unavailable alternative (phantom decoy) can cause preference shifts toward the target option which dominates it in scenario employing choice items defined on three numerical attributes. To date, previous research of consumer choice only studied asymmetric dominance effect induced by phantom decoy in scenarios utilizing two-attribute choice items. Secondary aim of this study is to determine if the same but available three-attribute decoy causes similar asymmetric dominance effect as the phantom decoy. I also examine differences in choice shares of choice items between two scenarios, both employing two choice items defined on two and three attributes, respectively, where the third distinguishing attribute serves to evoke perception of numerically expressed customer feedback on the choice items. For these purposes, I designed an experiment in a form of online questionnaire on free survey websites, which was filled by participants via the internet. I found significant asymmetric dominance effect caused by a presence of the phantom decoy. In case of the available decoy, no preference shifts were observed. Statistical analysis revealed no significant...
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Overeducation in the Czech Labour Market
Laslopová, Ľubica ; Pertold-Gebicka, Barbara (advisor) ; Matoušek, Jindřich (referee)
In one way or another, labour market theories link additional years of edu- cation to better jobs and higher earnings. The empirical research, however, identified systematic distortions of this rule. Some workers are considered to be overeducated, as their education exceeds the level required for their job. This thesis deals with overeducation in the Czech labour market, as there are still few studies considering this topic. First we estimate incidence of overedu- cation using objective measures of overeducation. Then we perform an analysis of its determinants and possible consequences, namely pay penalty and lower job satisfaction. The results are to a large extent dependent on the measure- ment method. Despite these differences, we found that certain factors, such as general health, place of residence, ethnicity or managerial positions may influ- ence the probability of mismatch. We provide some evidence that the returns to "surplus" education might be systematically lower than returns to required education. Also, overeducation can be linked to a lower job satisfaction. JEL Classification J82, J31, J28, J24 Keywords incidence of overeducation, determinants of overeducation, consequences of overeducation, Czech labour market, education in the Czech Republic Author's email llaslopova@gmail.com...
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Evaluation of the Office for Protection of Competition Decisions Regarding Abuse of Dominance with an Effects-Based Approach
Hruban, Jiří ; Vacek, Pavel (advisor) ; Matoušek, Jindřich (referee)
The bachelor thesis evaluates decisions of the (Czech) Office for the Protection of Competition (OPC) in abuse-of-dominance cases with an emphasis on its impact on consumers. The first part briefly summarises available effects-based approaches to abuse of dominance. The second part analyses five particular cases that were decided by the OPC. The author points out several recurring weaknesses of the OPC's economic reasoning. In some instances, the OPC seems to be using selective economic argumentation only to support the result at which it arrived by intuition. Economic evidence is thus interpreted with respect to the pre-defined conclusion; it is not investigated unbiasedly, and resulting justification is unsound. Although the OPC knows a wide variety of tools for economic analysis, it is sometimes unable to identify the situations at which individual tools should be applied. Keywords Office for the Protection of Competition, competition, abuse of dominance, antitrust, effects- based approach, market power, case studies HRUBAN, Jiří: Evaluation of the Office for Protection of Competition's Decisions Regarding Abuse of Dominance with an Effects-Based Approach. 56 p. Bachelor thesis. Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies. Supervisor: Pavel Vacek.
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Barriers to entry in public procurement: Evidence from the Czech Republic
Prucek, Pavel ; Skuhrovec, Jiří (advisor) ; Matoušek, Jindřich (referee)
A core subject of this study is to examine the effect of potential barriers to entry on a variation in profit margin of public procurement suppliers in electricity and gas sector in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, the thesis attempts to draw key determinants affecting the probability of SME to win a public contract. Findings have proven that Czech public procurement market works quite efficiently because the impact of barriers to entry on profit margin was not detected. Additionally, SMEs were not blocked by barriers to entry to compete for public tenders suggesting non- discriminatory practices of contracting authorities. Policy recommendation is to use tools promoting competitive environment such as electronic auctions, which in turn create a pressure on final prices and shrink profit margins. The success of SMEs in public tenders relies on institutional characteristics rather than standard procedural ones. Therefore a promotion of innovative tools such as specific legislative provision (e.g. set-asides) or workshops carried out for SMEs might represent effective small business support policy. JEL Classification H57, K4, D44, D73, C21 Keywords: public procurement, SME, barriers to entry, qualification requirements
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An Experimental Test of Design Alternatives for Spectrum Auctions with Communication Channels
Matoušek, Jindřich ; Cingl, Lubomír (advisor) ; Kukačka, Jiří (referee)
Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Institute of Economic Studies MASTER THESIS An Experimental Test of Design Alternatives for Spectrum Auctions with Communication Channels Author: Bc. Jindřich Matoušek Supervisor: PhDr. Lubomír Cingl Academic Year: 2013/2014 Abstract The multi-unit auction mechanisms are one of the most important instruments used for the allocation of spectrum licenses, airport time slots, delivery routes, networking or furniture allocation. This thesis experimentally examines the attributes of complex multi-unit auction mechanisms (Simultaneous Multi-Round Auction and its combinatorial extension Simultaneous Multi-Round Package Bidding) in the presence of an opportunity to collude among the bidding participants due to a provision of a simple communication channel - a chat window. The results suggest that in our parameter setting, the combinatorial bidding format does not bring higher efficiency. Interestingly, allowing for communication increases efficiency in both examined auction formats. Bidders are able to split the auctioned goods in a collusive agreement, which results in a better allocation compared to the auction formats without the communication channel. Combinatorial bidding on packages probably makes the decision-making problem of bidders hard to process...
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Pay-to-Play Lobbying
Prause, Michal ; Gregor, Martin (advisor) ; Matoušek, Jindřich (referee)
We consider how the shape of the decision maker's objective a↵ects the pay-to- play lobbying model with the decision maker as a discriminatory price setter. First, we summarize the important characteristics of two instruments of lob- byists, contributions and information. We then place the theme of pay-to-play lobbying with endogenous access fees within the context of general lobbying literature as well as the narrower access-lobbying literature. Next, we augment the model used in Cotton (2012) and Gregor (2015) and introduce a new policy function to the model, which allows us to analyze the robustness of the main conclusions from the two papers, i.e. the curse of the ex ante advantage and the destruction of the lobbying industry as a result of endogenous private de- valuations. We test the robustness of both phenomena with regard to decision maker's objective and find that (i) the relative sizes of the ex ante utilities do not always completely determine the ex post expected utilities and (ii) the introduction of endogenous private valuations can produce equilibria where the destruction of private values does not occur. In the last section we generalize our findings and introduce a necessary and su cient condition for the existence of equilibrium devaluation. JEL Classification D72 Keywords access...
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Surface modification by means of metallic and polymeric nanoparticles
Steinhartová, Tereza ; Hanuš, Jan (advisor) ; Matoušek, Jindřich (referee)
The theoretical part deals with basic characteristics of low-temperature, low-pressure plasma. It also describes the principles of preparation of polymer and nanocomposite films using this type of plasma. It further explains the basic principles of methods used to characterize our samples. The experimental section shows a technology to produce hard polymeric coatings with metal (Cu) nanoparticles (NPs) fabricated by gas aggregation source (GAS). This approach has an important advantage that Cu concentration and matrix properties can be controlled independently. Characterization of the films in terms of chemical composition, morphology, optical and mechanical properties is described here alongside with description of Cu NPs production using GAS with variable aggregation length. The a- C:H matrix was deposited in a mixture of Ar and n-hexane on the substrates placed on a RF electrode. The beam of the NPs was normal to the substrate plane. In this arrangement it was possible to control hardness of the films and by operational parameters of the GAS also the amount of the NPs in the film. In the last section fabrication of nanocomposite films of titanium and nylon NPs is shown. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Stability of plasma polymers under various conditions
Matoušek, Jindřich ; Biederman, Hynek (advisor) ; Čech, Vladimír (referee) ; Novák, Rudolf (referee)
Title: Stability of plasma polymers under various conditions. Author: Jindřich Matoušek Department/Institute: Department of Macromolecular Physics/Charles University in Prague Supervisor of the doctoral thesis: prof. RNDr. Hynek Biederman, DrSc., Department of Macromolecular Physics Abstract: The depositions of plasma polymer thin films were carried out using plasma polymerization depostition. The working gas mixture consisted of argon and monomer vapours. The source monomers used were n-hexane and terthiophene. The depositions of nanocomposite thin films Sn/pp n-hexane by means of magnetron sputtering in a working gas mixture of argon and n-hexane were done. The resulting thin films were characterized by XPS, FTIR, AFM, SEM, TEM, optical microscope and elipsometry. The influence of deposition parameters on the resulting thin film propertires was studied. The ageing of the thin films in humidity and distilled water was studied. The current-voltage characteristics of selected thin films were measured. Keywords: plasma polymer, nanocomposite, ageing.
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Flexicurity on the Czech Labour Market: An Application in European Context
Matoušek, Jindřich ; Mysíková, Martina (advisor) ; Šolc, Jan (referee)
UNIVERZITA KARLOVA V PRAZE FAKULTA SOCIÁLNÍCH VĚD Institut ekonomických studií Jindřich Matoušek Flexicurity on the Czech Labour Market: An Application in European Context Abstract of Bachelor Thesis Praha 2011 Abstract During the course of my bachelor thesis, I deal with a concept of flexicurity in the Czech Republic. The concept merges two apparently opposite components of labour market, i.e. flexibility and security. Furthermore, this approach has been spontaneously developed in Denmark and the Netherlands and became an inherent part of socio-legal labour market policies promoted by European Union at the beginning of the twentieth century. First part of this paper reviews a situation of both components of flexicurity in the Czech Republic at the time when this thesis is formed. It describes the evolution of unemployment as well as the degree of flexibility and security on the Czech labour market and compares them with current situation in the rest of European states. Second part analyses flexible forms of employment in the Czech Republic, such as part-time jobs and its microeconomic implications. In the final section, I focus on the evaluation of elements which affected the unemployment rate in the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2008. Title: Flexicurity on the Czech Labour Market: An Application in European...
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Query-by-Example Spoken Term Detection
Fapšo, Michal ; Matoušek, Jindřich (referee) ; Metze, Florian (referee) ; Černocký, Jan (advisor)
Tato práce se zabývá vyhledáváním výrazů v řeči pomocí mluvených příkladů (QbE STD). Výrazy jsou zadávány v mluvené podobě a jsou vyhledány v množině řečových nahrávek, výstupem vyhledávání je seznam detekcí s jejich skóre a časováním. V práci popisujeme, analyzujeme a srovnáváme tři různé přístupy ke QbE STD v jazykově závislých a jazykově nezávislých podmínkách, s jedním a pěti příklady na dotaz. Pro naše experimenty jsme použili česká, maďarská, anglická a arabská (levantská) data, a pro každý z těchto jazyků jsme natrénovali 3-stavový fonémový rozpoznávač. To nám dalo 16 možných kombinací jazyka pro vyhodnocení a jazyka na kterém byl natrénovaný rozpoznávač. Čtyři kombinace byly tedy závislé na jazyce (language-dependent) a 12 bylo jazykově nezávislých (language-independent). Všechny QbE systémy byly vyhodnoceny na stejných datech a stejných fonémových posteriorních příznacích, pomocí metrik: nesdružené Figure-of-Merit (non pooled FOM) a námi navrhnuté nesdružené Figure-of-Merit se simulací normalizace přes promluvy (utterrance-normalized non-pooled Figure-of-Merit). Ty nám poskytly relevantní údaje pro porovnání těchto QbE přístupů a pro získání lepšího vhledu do jejich chování. QbE přístupy použité v této práci jsou: sekvenční statistické modelování (GMM/HMM), srovnávání vzorů v příznacích (DTW) a srovnávání grafů hypotéz (WFST). Abychom porovnali výsledky QbE přístupů s běžnými STD systémy vyhledávajícími textové výrazy, vyhodnotili jsme jazykově závislé konfigurace také s akustickým detektorem klíčových slov (AKWS) a systémem pro vyhledávání fonémových řetězců v grafech hypotéz (WFSTlat). Jádrem této práce je vývoj, analýza a zlepšení systému WFST QbE STD, který po zlepšení dosahuje podobných výsledků jako DTW systém v jazykově závislých podmínkách.
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