Abstract

Economic crises are unfortunately a fact of life. Roughly a century ago, the world-renowned businessman, shoemaker Tomáš Baťa, faced an economic crisis on a grand scale. In response, Baťa designed and implemented a unique model of social engineering that led a local economy to unsurpassed productivity and competitiveness. He incorporated the principle of value over money, the education and training of his workers and the young, and cooperative responsibility into his model. This article discusses recent developments in the economy of the Czech Republic and the link between the Czech economy, Czech employers and their future workers. Baťa´s model of social engineering is identified as a possible way out of the current economic crisis. Research conducted on a sample of present-day employers in the Czech Republic demonstrates how little attention is paid to students, thus diminishing the prospect of competitiveness.