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The Value of CSR for Czech Consumers
Faradji, Elise ; Štěrbová, Ludmila (advisor) ; Seror, Patricia (referee)
Nowadays consumers purchasing behavior is influenced by new factors such as the social and environmental implication of companies. This is why Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a growing trend which companies need to look after carefully. However implementing an efficient CSR strategy is a complex process for corporations; especially since the core concept of CSR remain quite blurry. The goal of this study is to analyze the perception of consumers towards CSR to find out about the value creation that CSR produce for consumers and its impact on their purchasing behavior. This paper will ultimately help companies to implement their CSR strategy more efficiently. This study aims to contribute by conducting an in-depth analysis of consumers attitudes and behavior towards CSR. If most of researchers are using a quantitative approach this study means to deal with the issue with a qualitative perspective. Indeed twelve semi-structured interviews will support the findings. On top of those practical and physical interviews some theoretical knowledge will be added to the construction of the argument especially to bring a framework that shows the importance of all types of value creation (functional emotional and social). The findings of the thesis emphasize the facts already proven by other researchers; value creation is fundamental to make consumers care about CSR. However the study will show how much skepticism towards CSR can impact negatively consumers purchasing behavior. The research will help companies implementing more successful CSR strategy and develop new solutions to reach customers and influence their purchasing behavior through the creation of value for them.
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On possible approaches to detecting robotic activity of botnets
Prajer, Richard ; Palovský, Radomír (advisor) ; Pavlíček, Luboš (referee)
This thesis explores possible approaches to detecting robotic activity of botnets on network. Initially, the detection based on full packet analysis in consideration of DNS, HTTP and IRC communication, is described. However, this detection is found inapplicable for technical and ethical reasons. Then it focuses on the analysis based on network flow metadata, compiling them to be processable in machine learning. It creates detection models using different machine learning methods, to compare them with each other. Bayes net method is found to be acceptable for detecting robotic activity of botnets. The Bayesian model is only able to identify the botnet that already executes the commands sent by its C&C server. "Sleeping" botnets are not reliably detectable by this model.
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Analysis and design of intranet structure
Novák, Miroslav ; Pour, Jan (advisor) ; Šedivá, Zuzana (referee)
Nowadays, Intranet is an inseparable part of every company, notwithstanding of their size or field of activity. Both, in my work and personal life, I often come across different intranets that usually do not get a positive response. But they usually have the same source of the problem, which is based on their wrong structure. This is why is chose this topic for my thesis. The goal of my thesis is to perform an analysis of an existing intranet of a particular company and subsequently create a design of the intranet new structure using the card-sorting method. This thesis primarily represents a generalized method of how to proceed during such realization and which areas to look into. Theoretical part of this thesis covers the topics of information architecture and also the term intranet itself, where the most frequent issues I came across in the intranets are pointed out. Practical part covers the analysis itself, where I focus on the structure of the existing intranet, categorization of its content, connections with other systems, customization, permission management, surveys of contentment, and intranet usage. The analysis is performed manually by scanning through the existing intranet of the company, since other methods or approaches could not be applied due to technical limitations or insufficient permis-sions. Based on the outputs of the analysis, web categorizations and the card-sorting method, a design of a structure of the new intranet has been proposed. The design itself is a demonstration of the method how to approach the new intranet design.
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Comparison of accounting programs from the point of view of the use of information for management companies
Loušová, Petra ; Stejskalová, Irena (advisor) ; Pevná, Jana (referee)
The aim of the thesis is to compare accounting programs from the point of view of the use of information that are important for management companies. The theoretical part deals with the general approach to processing business information in the accounting. Next there is explained an overview of what information in the field of accounting are important and necessary for the job of financial manager. The practical part contains an analysis of at least three accounting programs, with the main focus on what information from the selected accounting program managers need in their work and what information is actually gaining from the program. In practical part, there are also compared results of individual organizations; information is gathered through in-depth interview with financial managers selected companies.
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Clustering and regression analysis of micro panel data
Sobíšek, Lukáš ; Pecáková, Iva (advisor) ; Komárek, Arnošt (referee) ; Brabec, Marek (referee)
The main purpose of panel studies is to analyze changes in values of studied variables over time. In micro panel research, a large number of elements are periodically observed within the relatively short time period of just a few years. Moreover, the number of repeated measurements is small. This dissertation deals with contemporary approaches to the regression and the clustering analysis of micro panel data. One of the approaches to the micro panel analysis is to use multivariate statistical models originally designed for crosssectional data and modify them in order to take into account the within-subject correlation. The thesis summarizes available tools for the regression analysis of micro panel data. The known and currently used linear mixed effects models for a normally distributed dependent variable are recapitulated. Besides that, new approaches for analysis of a response variable with other than normal distribution are presented. These approaches include the generalized marginal linear model, the generalized linear mixed effects model and the Bayesian modelling approach. In addition to describing the aforementioned models, the paper also includes a brief overview of their implementation in the R software. The difficulty with the regression models adjusted for micro panel data is the ambiguity of their parameters estimation. This thesis proposes a way to improve the estimations through the cluster analysis. For this reason, the thesis also contains a description of methods of the cluster analysis of micro panel data. Because supply of the methods is limited, the main goal of this paper is to devise its own two-step approach for clustering micro panel data. In the first step, the panel data are transformed into a static form using a set of proposed characteristics of dynamics. These characteristics represent different features of time course of the observed variables. In the second step, the elements are clustered by conventional spatial clustering techniques (agglomerative clustering and the C-means partitioning). The clustering is based on a dissimilarity matrix of the values of clustering variables calculated in the first step. Another goal of this paper is to find out whether the suggested procedure leads to an improvement in quality of the regression models for this type of data. By means of a simulation study, the procedure drafted herein is compared to the procedure applied in the kml package of the R software, as well as to the clustering characteristics proposed by Urso (2004). The simulation study demonstrated better results of the proposed combination of clustering variables as compared to the other combinations currently used. A corresponding script written in the R-language represents another benefit of this paper. It is available on the attached CD and it can be used for analyses of readers own micro panel data.
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Use of Interest Rate Models for Interest Rate Risk Management in the Czech Financial Market Environment
Cíchová Králová, Dana ; Arlt, Josef (advisor) ; Cipra, Tomáš (referee) ; Witzany, Jiří (referee)
The main goal of this thesis is to suggest an appropriate approach to interest rate risk modeling in the Czech financial market environment in various situations. Three distinct periods are analyzed. These periods, which are the period before the global financial crisis, period during the financial crisis and in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and calming subsequent debt crisis in the eurozone, are characterized by different evaluation of liquidity and credit risk, different relationship between financial variables and market participants and different degree of market regulations. Within this goal, an application of the BGM model in the Czech financial market environment is crucial. Use of the BGM model for the purpose of predicting a dynamics of a yield curve is not very common. This is firstly due to the fact that primary use of this model is a valuation of interest rate derivatives while ensuring the absence of arbitrage and secondly its application is relatively difficult. Nevertheless, I apply the BGM model to obtain predictions of the probability distributions of interest rates in the Czech and eurozone market environment, because its complexity, direct modeling of a yield curve based on market rates and especially a possibility of parameter estimation based on current swaptions volatilities quotations may lead to a significant improvement of predictions. This improvement was also confirmed in this thesis. Use of swaptions volatilities market quotations is especially useful in the period of unprecedented mone- tary easing and increased number of central banks and other regulators interventions into financial markets that occur after the financial crisis, because it reflects current market expectations which also include future interventions. As a consequence of underdevelopment of the Czech financial market there are no market quotations of Czech koruna denominated swaptions volatilities. I suggest their approximations based on quotations of euro denominated swaptions volatilities and also using volatilities of koruna and euro forward rates. Use of this approach ensures that predictions of the Czech yield curve dynamics contain current market expectations. To my knowledge, any other author has not presented similar application of the BGM model in the Czech financial market environment. In this thesis I further predict a Czech and Euro area money market yield curve dynamics using the CIR and the GP models as representatives of various types of interest rates models to compare these predictions with BGM predictions. I suggest a comprehensive system of three criteria, based on comparison of predicti- ons with reality, to describe a predictive power of selected models and an appropria- teness of their use in the Czech market environment during different situations in the market. This analysis shows that predictions of the Czech money market yield curve dynamics based on the BGM model demonstrate high predictive power and the best 8 quality in comparison with other models. GP model also produces relatively good qua- lity predictions. Conversely, predictions based on the CIR model as a representative of short rate model family completely failed when describing reality. In a situation when the economy allows negative rates and there is simultaneously a significant likelihood of their implementation, I recommend to obtain predictions of Czech money market yield curve dynamics using GP model which allows existence of negative interest rates. This analysis also contains a statistical test for validating the predictive power of each model and information on other tests. Berkowitz test rejects a hypothesis of accurate predictions for each model. However, this fact is common in real data testing even when using relatively good model. This fact is especially caused by difficult fulfilment of test conditions in real world. To my knowledge, such an analysis of the predictive power of selected interest rate models moreover in the Czech financial market environment has not been published yet. The last goal of this thesis is to suggest an appropriate approach to obtaining pre- dictions of Czech government bonds risk premium dynamics. I define this risk premium as a difference between government bond yields and fixed rate of CZK IRS with the same length. I apply the GP model to describe the dynamics of this indicator of the Czech Republic credit risk. In order to obtain a time series of the risk premium which are necessary for estimation of GP model parameters I firstly estimate yield curves of Czech government bonds using Svensson model for each trading day since 2005. Resulting si- mulations of risk premium show that the GP model predicts the real development of risk premiums of all maturities relatively well. Hence, the proposed approach is suitable for modeling of Czech Republic credit risk based on the use of information extracted from financial markets. I have not registered proposed approach to risk premium modeling moreover in the Czech financial market environment in other publications.
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Application of Monte Carlo simulations in banking
Boruta, Matěj ; Teplý, Petr (advisor) ; Fučík, Vojtěch (referee)
Currently, banking is exposed to huge market risks. One of those risks is occurrence of negative interest rates in the EU. Nowadays, it is important to use sophisticated and modern measurement tools and approaches to measure and manage banking risks. One of those methods is Monte Carlo simulation. This bachelor thesis is aimed at analysis and prediction of 3-month maturity Prague Interest Offer Rate (PRIBOR) for 3, 6 and 12 months with using Monte Carlo simulations. It was found that this method is suitable for prediction market variables with low volatility. If anybody uses this method, it is necessity to have in mind all pitfalls and assumptions, that this method includes, as an adequate random generated number of scenarios, approximation of correct probability distribution, independence of dataset and not least, as far as possible, to focus on factors generating randomness of market variable and not the prices, that express rather consequences of randomness than its cause. Further, the Monte Carlo prediction was compared with prognosis of the Czech Nation Bank and it was found that Monte Carlo prediction is more accurate for short term predictions. 12-month prediction of Monte Carlo simulation discovered also possible occurrence of negative interest rate at 0,05% level of probability in compare to the Czech National Bank prognosis, where was no negative interest rate predicted.
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Communication Strategy of Komerční banka, a.s. with a Focus on the Youngsters
Bartůňková, Eva ; Postler, Milan (advisor) ; Jelínková, Jitka (referee)
Thesis explores communication strategy of Komerční banka, a.s. with a focus on the Youngsters. The aim of this thesis is an analysis of previous and current campaigns, corroborated by original research. The thesis comprises six chapters, the first two chapters dealing with theory, the rest dealing with empirical findings. The first chapter discusses the difference between marketing and commercial communication and kinds of commercial communication; the second chapter delves into the issue of communication strategy, its types and development. The third chapter consists of a presentation of Komerční banka, a.s. including an evaluation of the competition; the subsequent chapter discusses the characteristics of the G2 brand, its target group and includes an SWOT analysis. The content of the fifth chapter is a description of previous communication and of new communication campaign of the G2 brand. In the conclusion of the thesis, research results are assessed and future steps are recommended.
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Bank fees in Czech Republic
Burešová, Adéla ; Steininger, Michal (advisor) ; Eva, Eva (referee)
This thesis deals with bank fees in the Czech Republic, which has been a topical issue in recent years. The objective of this thesis is to analyse and compare bank fees in the Czech Republic. It also aims to evaluate selected bank fees in terms of their importance for generating profit for the banks as well as from the clients perspective. The introduction to the theoretical part describes the basic characteristics of the banking system. The thesis then presents bank products and services, bank fees and the bank fee policy. The work includes a survey and analysis of the banking market in term of banking institutions in the years 2007 to 2014. It also includes a financial analysis for the years 2007 to 2015 and an analysis of the banking market from the perspective of the client, which compares selected banking institutions on the basis of charges and selected banking products based on fees. It defines three sample groups for which the most suitable banking products and banking institutions are recommended. In conclusion, the results are formulated together with recommendations for banks and clients. For the client Student came out best a current account UniCredit Bank, U Konto for youngsters. The Active client is also recommended by UniCredit Bank with banking product of U Konto. For target group Pensioner is the most suitable banking institution mBank where the monthly cost is CZK 70. The client can save thousands of CZK per year by making the right choice.
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