Measuring enterprise performance plays an important role in maximizing business efficiency. A modern business performance measurement tool is the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) method. This method helps assess not only the financial situation of the enterprise, but also indicators, and evaluates non-financial indicators, which is important for achieving the maximum competitiveness of the enterprise. This paper points out the importance of non-financial indicators in small and medium-sized enterprises in Slovakia, using the BSC method as a strategic management tool. Three hypotheses were established and then verified using the method of proportionality of the given phenomenon in the population and the chi-square test of independence. Apartial objective of the study was to find out the existence of a statistically significant link between the use of the BSC method and the importance of non-financial indicators in small and mediumsized enterprises in Slovakia, as the BSC method attaches the same importance to both financial and non-financial indicators. It has been shown that these two variables are related.

The paper presents the results from the research on the factors influencing the use of the Balanced Scorecard methodology in measuring company performance in the engineering sector. The primary objective of the research was to verify the importance of using non-financial factors in managing businesses in connection to the use of the Balanced Scorecard methodology and to verify the dependence between the use of the given methodology and the lack of human and financial resources for its usage. The research focusing on the given issue was conducted over a period of six months. The research was based on the hypotheses that were verified with statistical methods using the methodology of a Chi-square test. To identify the factors that hinder the usage of the Balanced Scorecard methodology in the addressed enterprises, the method of standard deviation was used. The main result of the research is a finding that there is a statistically significant relationship between the enterprises considering the non-financial indicators and the use of the Balanced Scorecard methodology to be important. This relationship is confirmed also by the calculation using a test with p = 0.0422. The research verified one of the main research goals, i.e., the importance of non-financial indicators in connection to the Balanced Scorecard concept (BSC). Other hypotheses are related to the issue of the lack of human and financial resources. Using the Chi-square test in these cases once again, the study also found out the existence of the dependence between the lack of these resources and the use of the Balanced Scorecard methodology. The final value p = 0.0446 relating to human resources and the value p = 0.0377 relating to financial sources define the barriers as being important in implementing the BSC methodology into corporate practice. These values confirm other research results related to the barriers of using BSC. The presented paper assesses the research results that confirm the importance of using non-financial indicators and define the barriers that hinder this usage. The research contributed to the extension of the knowledge of the BSC concept that we consider being a modern managerial future-oriented tool and supported its implementation in companies so that they could operate within the framework of sustainable development.

The article focuses on the use of a strategic management tool, especially the EFQM model. The EFQM Excellence Model is a comprehensive management tool used to assess and improve business performance. In this article we focused on the use of this model in tourism enterprises in Slovakia. The main goal of the paper was to carry out research on the use of this model and to identify barriers that prevent the use of this model in managing and increasing the performance of businesses active in tourism. The research was based on formulated hypotheses, which we verified using statistical methods. As suitable statistical methods to verify hypotheses we chose the population proportion method and the Chi-square test of independence. The hypotheses were formulated on the basis of the available literature, published articles and research carried out so far. We also described the reasons that prevent the use of the EFQM model and analyzed the relevant context using a standard deviation. The aim of our paper was to find out the current state of use of the mentioned model and to present the model as a suitable tool for increasing the performance of businesses not only in the field of tourism.

The paper is focused on gender perception in a selected institution of public administration. The issue is considered a highly actual agenda deserving attention and research by means of which we can determine how perception of gender equality changes over time. The main goal of the article is to analyse managerial positions, find out and compare employees´ ideas of the chosen institution as to the compensation packages of men and women, find out the dependence of the institution´s success based on gender in managerial positions and identify the experiences in terms of employee discrimination based on gender. Detailed in the theoretical part are the definitions of notions and gender stereotypes, laws and contracts ensuring gender equality both in Slovakia and in the European Union. The data have been obtained through structured interviews and were further subjected to mathematical and statistical methods of evaluation described in the methodological part. Both the data and the conclusions have been assessed in final chapter of our article assuming our work.

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