This paper discusses a vocabulary intervention programme for monolingual Polish children. Vocabulary instruction was conducted in a group of children aged 7–9 (N = 77) attending a primary school near ...Gdansk in Poland. Following a pre-test an intervention group (22 pupils receiving instruction over 10 weeks) and a control group (55 pupils) were selected. The taught vocabulary consisted of 20 Polish words. Additionally, another 20 words were carefully selected to form an untaught vocabulary list (control list). Although the intervention group did not achieve a higher mean post-test result in taught words than the control group, the mean increase was larger in the intervention group, confirmed by a test for two means (p = 0.036). The difference was not confirmed for untaught words (p = 0.236). A linear regression model was used to explain which factors influenced post-test results. For taught words only pre-test results had an impact. For untaught words pre-test results and interaction of pre-test results with groups had an impact. The number of sessions attended also influenced post-test results.
The paper includes the results of a survey where teachers and parents provided feedback. Although the intervention programme increased children’s vocabulary, it raised some important questions concerning the size of the gain, word selection and conditions of the instruction.
Given the importance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the European economy, it is essential to have adequate information about the various factors that determine their choice of location. ...However, the size of a company is often an aspect not covered in theoretical studies and empirical research on industrial locations and urban planning. This article examines the place of residence as a stimulator of SME development in suburbs. Multidisciplinary research carried out in the Gdańsk–Gdynia–Sopot Metropolitan Area, known as the Tricity, confirms this trend. The location determinants of SMEs in suburban areas were identified using a questionnaire. The survey was conducted in 251 enterprises located in seven municipalities with the highest suburbanisation rates within the Tricity. The study confirms that the municipalities characterised by the highest intensity of suburbanisation processes have higher business activity than other municipalities. Location decisions were largely made by business owners in line with behavioural theory. This means that SME owners more often consider personal factors than cost or demand factors. From the perspective of an entrepreneur, living conditions, the quality of public space, education and healthcare are significant.
Zaradi pomembne vloge manjših in srednje velikih podjetij (MSP) v evropskem gospodarstvu je ključno ustrezno poznavanje različnih dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na izbiro njihove lokacije. Kljub temu je v ...teoretičnih in empiričnih raziskavah industrijskih lokacij in urbanističnega načrtovanja velikost podjetij pogosto spregledana. V članku avtorji proučujejo kraj stalnega prebivališča kot dejavnik, ki spodbuja razvoj MSP v predmestjih. To smer razvoja potrjuje tudi multidisciplinarna raziskava, ki so jo izvedli na metropolitanskem območju mest Gdansk, Gdynia in Sopot. Dejavnike, ki vplivajo na lokacijo MSP na predmestnih območjih, so določili z anketo, ki so jo izvedli v 251 podjetjih v 7 občinah z najvišjo stopnjo suburbanizacije na proučevanem metropolitanskem območju. Raziskava je potrdila, da je za občine, v katerih potekajo najintenzivnejši procesi suburbanizacije, značilna višja stopnja poslovne dejavnosti. Lastniki podjetij odločitve o lokaciji podjetja večinoma sprejemajo v skladu z načeli vedenjske teorije. To pomeni, da pri svojih odločitvah pogosteje upoštevajo osebne dejavnike kot stroške ali povpraševanje. Zanje so najpomembnejši dejavniki življenjske razmere, kakovost javnega prostora, izobrazba in zdravstvo.
In a defined contribution pension scheme risk of an unknown benefit amount is borne by the member. To allow for the risk to be shared between the member and the employer a DC with an underpin can be ...used. Minimum benefit amount is set in this scheme in advance. Two methods of setting this minimum will be investigated. The first option specifies a minimum benefit amount, calculated given an annual rate of return which should be credited over the whole period of scheme membership. The second one assumes that a minimum rate of return has to be applied to the member’s account every year. The aim of this paper is to compare these two possibilities from the member’s and employer’s point of view. Benefit amount, extra employer contribution amount and frequency were selected as the criteria. It was shown that the second method results in a higher member benefit amount. However, it requires higher and more frequent contributions from the employer.
Occupational pension schemes in Poland are all defined contribution (DC) in nature. The contribution amount is fixed, whereas the benefit amount is unknown and depends on many factors such as ...contributions paid and investment returns received. The risk in a DC scheme is borne by the member, who may not be equipped with the financial knowledge needed to manage such a risk. A solution applied by some countries takes the form of collective DC schemes, where the risk is borne collectively by all members of such a scheme. The aim of this paper is to describe collective DC schemes functioning in selected countries and to compare the benefit amounts which the members can receive from collective and from individual DC schemes. The results show that the variability of benefit amounts in a collective DC scheme is lower than in a traditional DC scheme. An additional safeguard, which allows to improve the financial condition of a collective DC scheme in cases of low investment returns has been proposed.
Objective: Hybrid pension schemes provide a mixture of features of DB and DC schemes. They allow for the risk to be shared between employer and member. The aim of this article is to present the risk ...sharing between employer and member within selected forms of hybrid pension schemes – cash balance and self-annuitizing schemes – and in a proposed type of hybrid scheme. Research Design & Methods: The variability of contributions required to provide a fixed level of benefit is chosen as a measure of risk within the schemes. Investment and longevity risk is introduced via changes in the investment rate of return and life table probabilities used to price annuities. The variability of member and employer contributions required in each scheme is compared. Findings: In cash balance and self-annuitizing schemes risk sharing is achieved by allocating a given type of risk (investment or longevity risk) to either the employer or the member. In the proposed scheme, risk is shared irrespective of its type. This allows for better financial planning for the two parties involved by setting a limit on the employer’s contributions and requiring an adjustment to the member’s contributions only in certain instances. Implications/Recommendations: A hybrid scheme which allows for risk to be shared irrespective of its type should be considered. Additional safeguards, such as setting an upper limit for contributions, should be employed. Contribution: Further development of hybrid pension schemes and a comparison of the proposed solution with existing ones.
The choice of the location for a company is one of the most important strategic decisions of an enterprise. In family businesses, strategic targets most commonly combine the company’s development ...with the interests of the family. This article aims to compare the factors influencing the location decisions of family and non-family enterprises. It seems, that due to the specificity of family businesses, factors of a personal nature (associated with the person making the decision and his/her family) will have greater significance, while in non-family businesses – the factors of a cost nature. The results of the study on 251 Polish entities from the SME sector, presented in the paper, confirm that in the case of family business, when deciding on the place for their business activity, majority choses a location near the place of the owners’ residence. Another significant factor is family considerations e.g. the ease of accommodating childcare with work. An increased significance of the cost factors for non-family entities was not confirmed.
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