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The article presents a study of the process of designing women's garments of the coating and suiting assortment, made from diff erent fabrics to determine the fabric properties eff ect on the parameters of shaping the volume-silhouette form of clothes. An expert evaluation of the signifi cance of material properties for the creation of tectonic forms of clothes was carried out and the most signifi cant properties were determined, i.e. rigidity, thickness, drapeability, mass per unit area, type of weave, raw material composition. An experimental study of physical and mechanical characteristics of overcoating fabrics was performed. To validate the research results, we made samples of women's coats in diff erent forms at a garment company. It was determined that the raw material composition of fabrics does not aff ect signifi cantly their physical and mechanical characteristics (drapeability, rigidity). The weave of fabrics which determines other indicators was considered to be more signifi cant. As a result, the relationships between the physical and mechanical properties of fabrics of the coat group and the shaping of women's coats in diff erent volume-silhouette forms were identifi ed. The latter can be used in the design of garments for an individual and mass production.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically define the ways in which informal institutions influence entrepreneurial intentions. It tests the statement that informal institutions can have an impact on people’s decisions, directly and indirectly, by affecting their perceptions of the external world. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a theoretical model of the probability of starting a business by a potential entrepreneur. The model takes into account a comparison of current wages and future profits. The empirical analysis is based on European social survey data at the individual level. Three-stage least squares regression helps to overcome the endogeneity problem since perceptions of government actions are individual specific. Findings Informal institutions can affect expectations about future activities in a person’s lifetime utility maximisation problem. The paper empirically concludes that these institutions are connected with a person’s satisfaction with government and can indirectly affect the probability to be self-employed. Research limitations/implications Research limitations are related to employing proxies for informal institutions, using only the “satisfaction with government” as a perceptions indicator, and cross-sectional data while defining the causal effect. Practical implications Policymakers should consider that institutional settings affect people in a different manner when developing their policies. Originality/value The paper makes a novel contribution by analysing the effect of informal institutions on the probability to start a business by using both theoretical arguments and empirical tests. Building upon insights from a broader informal institutions’ effect on entrepreneurial intentions, this paper is the first to study a linkage between informal institutions and their indirect effect on people’s profit expectations.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to define the way of influence of national culture on the performance of entrepreneurship. As a possible channel of this influence, the perceptions of public policy by entrepreneurs have been analysed. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from a survey conducted in 2014-2015, which consist of 207 surveyed entrepreneurs from Slovakia and 197 from Ukraine. The author analyses the perception of government policy in the field of entrepreneurship, institutional and personal trust and personal characteristics of respondents. Findings The main finding is that the coherence of formal and informal institutions in the representations of entrepreneurs affects the performance of their business. Perceptions of government actions seems to be endogenous to unobservable national culture. Entrepreneurs’ trust was found to be important in countries with different institutional environment. Practical implications Based on these findings, it would be possible to improve the stimulation of government policies for business by taking into account the most important types of policies for business performance in the definite institutional environment. Originality/value This is the first study in examining the exact mechanisms of the national culture’s influence on business development through entrepreneurs’ perceptions.

In recent years, it has been argued that citizens view tax evasion and the informal economy as socially acceptable when the codified laws and regulations (formal institutions) of a country are not aligned with the norms, values and beliefs of the population (informal institutions).Reporting a 2013 survey of 238 entrepreneurs' views on the acceptability of tax evasion and the informal economy in Slovakia and Ukraine, this paper confirms for the first time this institutional asymmetry thesis with regard to entrepreneurs, revealing that the gap between state morality and entrepreneurial morality has an impact on the acceptability of illegal behaviour. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical and policy implications.