Objective: The objective of this paper is to present the preliminary research findings concerning the expectations towards international study visits undertaken by university students hailing from different higher education institutions around Europe on the canvas of internationalization as a concept.
Methodology: The research was carried out on a group of 440 students from 5 European countries. The study covered the population of students of faculties whose graduates are preparing to work in business. The basic research tool was a questionnaire with dominating closed questions and the possibility for respondents to indicate more than one answer. The answers of the respondents were measured using a five-point Likert scale with a variable description of the minimum and maximum point value. When analyzing the data, descriptive statistics were used. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to determine whether there was a significant difference in mean ranks across attribute ratings.
Findings: The results highlight significant common features of students’ expectations towards international mobility programs: personal development orientation, interest in contact with employers and professional environment, willingness to try themselves in new challenges by developing creative and communication skills in an international environment.
Value Added: This article is an important voice on the impact of mobility programs on the competencies development of future graduates. The final results of the research can be used to improve the mobility and educational programs offered by universities which equip their students with major skills, knowledge and attitudes in the future workplace.
Recommendations: The highest-valued components of international study visits do not fully reflect the expectations of employers, and the study of the reasons for these discrepancies, as well as reflection on how to minimize them in the process of academic teaching, remain a significant challenge for the practice of building competencies sought in the labour market.
Global character of supply chains imposes on its participants contacts in highly differentiated cultural context. Culturally-led background of business models results in different practices in everyday management of operations in supply chains, among others also in differences in financial management. To be prepared for the cooperation in other cultural milieu, supply chain managers need to be aware of those differences, and to acquire the cross-cultural competence in the financial domain. Three mains culturally formed models of supply chain financing: Chinese, Muslim and European need to be understand and cross-culturally applied to enhance the ability of supply chain managers to support successfully in the international exchange. The text aims to describe the aforementioned models and to explain its consequences for supply chain financing.
The aim of the article is to present recommendations for increasing the matching of vocational education offer with the needs of the labour market in the context of the situation of vocational education in Opole. The text is based on the results of a survey conducted using paper forms (PAPS). The survey involved 10 out of 13 institutions run by the Opole commune, where vocational education for young people is provided, including all technical schools and 3 basic vocational schools of first degree. The survey concerned the offer of the examined institutions and their contribution to meeting the needs of the labour market (number and structure of graduates). The respondents were asked to evaluate their educational resources. The research took into account the aspect of schools' cooperation with the social and economic environment, especially in terms of shaping their educational offer. The results of the survey are the basis for formulating recommendations on strengthening the adjustment function of vocational education in Opole in terms of adapting the educational offer to the needs of the labour market The key recommendations include:
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