This paper highlights the activity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its impact on brand value in food enterprises with and without foreign participation in Slovakia. Attention has been paid to all three pillars—People, Planet, Profit—and their communication in relation to customers, business partners, employees, local communities, environmental protection, and company values. The paper evaluates the impact of these activities on brand value in food enterprises in Slovakia. One hundred and twenty-five food enterprises were included in the research. The paper offers eight statistically tested hypotheses, of which three have been fully confirmed. Almost 86% of food companies with foreign participation apply CSR activities, while companies without foreign participation comprise only 40% of the total share. The biggest differences in the perception of the importance of CSR activities are noticeable in foundations and charitable activities, and in sponsorship and donations, but are less noticeable in terms of ecology, corporate transparency, and cooperation with non-profit organizations. In the field of environmental protection, CSR activities are communicated and used in order to build brand value, mostly in food enterprises with foreign participation. Almost 96% of food enterprises with foreign participation that apply and communicate CSR activities see an increase in their brand value.

Nowadays, all sources in the reproduction process are easily substituted, thus the most important factors in reaching a competitive advantage are human resources. Talent management is the process oriented to enrich higher the ability of employers to increase their quality and productivity. Globalization has changed the structure of the companies in Slovakia, depending on the size of the company. This paper compares how the size of the company influences the main phases of the talent management process (strategy, identification, assessment, development, retaining). A scaled questionnaire was applied as a tool for data collection in 381 companies operating business in Slovakia. Questionnaire reliability was verified by Cronbach’s alpha. To verify the existence of statistically significant differences between individual groups of respondents, ANOVA was used. We found that the main differences between small and large companies were identified in the phases of talent identification and talent development. In bigger companies, management is more focused on HR plans that include talent identification and acquisition and have more possibilities to develop talented individuals. On the other side we could see that small companies were more successful in the process of retaining the talents. Talented people in small companies are more loyal to the employers and stay in the company for longer periods than talented individuals in large companies.

Even though formalization of ethical principles is a must in today’s business, research and evidence in the Slovak conditions remain scarce. Yet, creating an ethical business climate and especially the formalization of ethics through codes of ethics incorporated in corporate standards is a particularly interesting phenomenon in the conditions of transit economies due to the significant role of multinationals in this process. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine main factors influencing the extent of ethical codes in 225 subsidiaries of multinational companies operating in Slovakia. The conducted questionnaire study containing items focused on area and extent of ethical code, number of employees, economic performance, regional and industrial scope, ownership structure, and nationality of executive director was used as a tool for data collection. Factor analysis was processed to identify the interdependencies between observed variables and to find the latent variables. Further, the Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to identify the differences among the variables along with the Bonferroni correction test, which specified the items between which the significant difference occurred. The following findings emerged. First, companies with lower extent of ethical code use general phrases. When they want to specialize on any ethics problems, extent must be wider. Second, companies with a lower number of employees do not need extensive ethical code due to clear rules with which they are familiar in a direct way by owners. In multinational companies, the communication of ethical rules is realized via ethical codes with specific purposes because the direct way is impossible. Third, companies with foreign ownership used different managerial approaches, and therefore ethical codes differ in extent and content.

The success of talent management is based on keeping talented individuals in a company. Attractive work, suitable working environment, strong organizational culture, work flexibility, effective leadership, as well as financial or non-financial benefits are factors that a company can significantly influence in order to retain talent for future tasks. On the other hand, companies should avoid mistakes that complicate retention of talent, for example, extreme workload, conflicts with executives, lack of opportunities for self-development, as well as inadequate financial remuneration. The goal of presented study is to explore differences in talent retention in various types of companies according to several factors. Realized questionnaire study obtained data from 381 companies represented by managers. Data were analyzed quantitatively by ANOVA and results were completed and described by Focus groups qualitative research. The research model was set according to outcomes of previous researches with following most important factors: financial requirements, motivation system, communication and self-development. Also, the challenges from outside and specific procedures provided inside the company to retain talents were added. Obtained outcomes shows interesting differences between companies in successful retention of talents which can be found: in private companies, in companies with foreign capital, in companies with a HR unit, and companies with a better financial situation. Surprising findings were seen in the comparison of companies by size. Despite the better chances of retaining talents in larger companies, the talent retention process is more successful in small ones. Our study helps to understand the current situation in talent retention in different types of Slovak companies and find ways to improvement. Outcomes are significant for managers, researchers and education of future entrepreneurs. However, despite good knowledge of practical implementation of talent retention in Slovak companies there are still limited financial resources and regulations which impede the application of the results obtained.

Research background: Globalization has significantly affected the brewing sector worldwide during the last three decades. The industry consolidation and many acquisitions led to a reduced number of breweries and consequently to the homogenization of beer. It was an important factor affecting the significant decline in beer consumption in the world. However, over the years, this negative phenomenon also brought a new wave ? the development of craft breweries, and resulted in the formation of a new segment with specific preferences in the market. Purpose of the article: As a result of the craft beer revolution in the world and the wider offer on the beer market, customer preferences changed, and a new segment was subsequently formatted. In the past, lagers were the preferred choice, but due to the new wider range of beers offered in the market, they are about to lean towards other types of beer. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify a new segment of craft beer consumers based on characteristics such as age, gender, education, income, residence, marital status, work, and leisure activities. Methods: For data collection, a questionnaire was used as a tool and, therefore, we analyzed the answers of 685 respondents from Slovakia. The questionnaire is evaluated through dependency analysis using nonparametric methods (Kruskal-Wallis Test, Mann-Whitney Test) to identify the differences between groups of customers and to describe the characteristics of a typical consumer of craft beer. Findings & value added: The craft beer revolution in the world brought a formation of a new segment, which considers the taste and quality more compared to price. Our research has confirmed that this segment consists of highly educated men (26?40 years old), with above average income. However, it is important for beer producers to know this segment more to meet its requirements. Nevertheless, deeper studies of this segment were missing. Therefore, our research was focused on other parameters of the segment and according to our findings, these consumers are from bigger cities, working more mentally, and doing sports in leisure time.