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PERITUS |
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Pan European Research Institute for Theoretical and Utility Studies |
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Social capital and job creation in rural Europe Rural areas are very diverse across Europe. Involvement in social networks positively affects economic development, leading to entrepreneurship and consequent economic growth, employment and social inclusion. Building on this resource of social capital is therefore a key element when seeking to develop policies to foster rural economic development and job creation. |
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The objective of the European Cluster Observatory is to inform policymakers, cluster practitioners and researchers, throughout the world, about European clusters and cluster policies. |
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Study on Practices and Policies in the Social Enterprise Sector in Europe The European social economy has become increasingly market driven due to restraints of the public social budget and to efficiency considerations in the public sector. In this new situation, social enterprises, as actors between all three sectors of financial activity, would be natural actors in implementing these new strategies. |
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Projects PERITUS contributes to European research projects covering Slovakia and the Czech Republic |
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Social protection as an incentive to business creation Setting up a business involves considerable risks. The complexity and cost of social-security cover are among the main risks, and it is important to be able to analyse the types of safeguards or penalties which apply to entrepreneurs in the event of failure. It has also been shown that the situation of assisting partners of entrepreneurs, particularly small entrepreneurs, is important for businesses. Partners often assist entrepreneurs with the administrative side of the business, such as book-keeping. The survival of the business is influenced to a large degree by the partner’s professional abilities. The social status of assisting partners thus also needs to be clarified. |
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Age and employment in the new Member States The issue of Europe’s ageing workforce has, over the last decade, emerged as a central priority for policymakers in the EU. While policies and practices aimed at improving opportunities for older people have developed insignificantly in the EU15 in recent years, there has not been the same response in the new Member States and acceding countries. |
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SMEs and standardisation in Europe Standards play a number of important roles in the economy: they facilitate an ever increasing division of labour; strengthen the Single European Market by reducing technical barriers to trade within Europe and beyond; facilitate improvement of health and safety at work, etc. |
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The objective of that study is to measure whether there is a gap between declared principles of transparency and openness that govern standardisation, and the perceptions of stakeholders. The study is also aiming at providing recommendations in areas where access to standardisation could be improved. |
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In EU countries, there are different approaches towards the concept of reasonable accommodation in the workplace. The main objectives of this study were: • to collect and organise information on public funding schemes (partly) covering costs of accommodation in the workplace along with contact details of the providers, as well as • to collect and analyse practices of providing reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities in the workplace, i.e. at enterprise level, to select good practices and present these examples with awareness raising purposes. |
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The Interaction between Local Employment Development and Corporate Social Responsibility In this study, local employment development (LED) is understood as actions aiming at improving the local economy and the local labour market. CSR is the integration of social and environmental concerns into the business operations of companies and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis, i.e. activities that go beyond compliance with legal obligations. The study focuses on companies’ activities which aim at achieving a benefit for the enterprises’ employees, the market (i.e. clients, suppliers, business partners etc.) and/or the physical environment in local communities. |
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Overview of family business relevant issues Family Businesses constitute a substantial part of the existing European companies and have a significant role to play in the strength and dynamism of the European economy. The European Commission has undertaken some specific actions to study the need for and the shape of possible future policy initiatives in favour of family business, especially small and medium enterprises. The results of the study provides an insight into the main challenges family businesses are facing and lead to the identification of possible specific measures which could be carried out at EU level. Country reports for Slovakia and the Czech Republic are included. |
