Profile of
Department of Economy and Management of Chemical and Foodstuff Industries
History and the present of Department
The history of teaching economics and managerial disciplines goes as far back as the establishing of Institute of Chemical Technology (VŠCHT) Pardubice in 1950. In the first years the education in economics was realised by external teachers, and only in 1964 the independent Department of Economy and Management was established and retained this name till 1992. In 1992, the Department was organisationally transferred into the newly constituted Faculty of Economics and Administration (FES), University of Pardubice, and was renamed Department of Business Economy and Management. In connection with this organisational change, the department was charged with new tasks within FES and significantly contributed to FES’s development, stabilisation and accreditation. In 1998, the Department was again organisationally incorporated into Faculty of Chemical Technology (FChT) under the name of Department of Economy and Management of Chemical and Foodstuff Industries, and as such it has existed within FChT up to now.
The founder and first head of Department was Prof. JUDr. Jiří Janko, CSc, who led the Department till 1970. In 1970-1989, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Miloslav Filka, DrSc was head of the Department. A significant turning point in the history of the Department was the revolution in November 1989. At the beginning of 1990, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Zdeněk Skřivánek, CSc. was elected head of the Department and started a new epoch in the Department’s history. He gradually took material, organisational and personal measures, which resulted in fundamental transformation of conception and content of teaching at the Department on the pattern of renowned western universities. The same orientation was also maintained by the following heads of the Department until the present: Assoc. Prof. Ing. Otakar Machač, CSc. (1991-1997) and Asoc. Prof. Ing. Hana Lošťáková, CSc. (1997-).
During the time of its existence, the Department has achieved significant success in all areas of its activities. At FChT, the Department is a guarantor of education in economy-management disciplines within BSc, MSc and PhD study programs. Likewise, it represents a significant centre of scientific research oriented in particular to the branch of chemical industry. Within their pedagogical and scientific activities, the Department’s staff members have made wide contacts and realised cooperation with a number of universities, both Czech and foreign, as well as with Industry.
In the pedagogical area the Department team ensures basic education in economy-management disciplines in all study programs of FChT and Faculty of humanities, the University of Pardubice; at FChT they are guarantors of education of MSc undergraduates in the study program Economy and management of chemical and foodstuff industries and education of PhD students in the study program Business management and economy.
In the field of scientific research, the Department staff members were chief investigators in a number of projects in government program of economic research, international and national grants by GA ČR (the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic), and FRVŠ, and projects of applied research for Industry. At present, the research activities are concentrated on factories and branches of chemical and foodstuff industries, and they are directed to study of processes of creation of value for customers, tools for reinforcing their loyalty, changes in the process of strategic marketing analysis, and formulation of marketing strategy of strategic business units depending on trends in the market environment; moreover they are focused on integration of systems of management of quality, environment and safety, on development of systems of environmental accounting, economic control of business along the efficiency line, bodies and processes, and on multi-criteria evaluation of efficiency of such enterprises. The Department staff members keep publishing the results of their research work in both international and national journals and in proceedings and presentations on conferences.
Study programs guaranteed by the Department
MSc study program “Economy and management of chemical and foodstuff industries”
Since its beginning, the Department has been realising education of MSc students in the study program Economy and management of chemical and foodstuff industries at Faculty of Chemical Technology, the University of Pardubice.
The aim of this study program is to provide the graduate with universal and complex knowledge and skills needed for holding posts in technology-economy management in factories of chemical, pharmaceutical, foodstuff and other cognate industries. This goal is achieved by linking up the education with the basic mathematical, chemical, technical, technological and economic education of BSc study programs, and by further developing it in the direction of knowledge and skills from among modern and advanced economy and management disciplines, i.e. from the area of strategic management, marketing, innovation management, systems of management of quality, environment and safety, logistics, financing, investment decision-making, management of human sources and others. From the informational point of view, this education is supported by more universal subjects, such as financial and managerial accounting, economic statistics and operational analysis. Special emphasis is put on independent work of the students in the form of managerial simulation games and primary market surveys within projects assigned for the span of one or two terms, professional training in Industry, and finally dealing with the topic assigned for diploma Theses.
The students acquire modern interdisciplinary education by combination of technological and economy-management education, supplemented by adequate level of computer literacy, language training, development of communication skills and capability of leading teams. In this way, the students acquire qualification prerequisites for holding leading functions at the level of medium management and, after acquiring necessary practical experience, also for holding posts in top management of industrial enterprises. The conceptual aspects and complexity of this study program make it possible for the graduates to adapt themselves readily to changing needs and requirements of practice.
The graduates can find jobs in functions at the level of both medium and top management in enterprises of chemical, pharmaceutical and foodstuff industries, both in production and marketing sections, business, logistic and other service sections. They also can find jobs in small and middle-size enterprises, where the universal technological and economy-management knowledge and skills are crucial. Finally, they also can find jobs in organs of state administration, financial and similar institutions.
PhD study program “Business economy and management”
In 1980, the Department became the education centre for CSc. (» PhD) students in the branch of science No. 62-03-9 “Branch and cross-section economics”. The committee for viva voce defence of CSc Theses was common with the Department of Economy and Management, Prague Institute of Chemical Technology (Prague VŠCHT). Eight CSc students successfully graduated from this study program.
In 1993 this study program was changed into PhD study program called “Chemical and process engineering”, the section “Business economy and management”, which again was in close cooperation and had a common branch committee with Institute of Economy and Management of Chemical and Foodstuff Industries, Prague VŠCHT. A number of students successfully finished the study program and graduated from the Department. In 2002, admission of students into this program was temporarily stopped.
