TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the plausibility of using narratives to illustrate the social embeddedness of research projects involving sensitive topics and reluctant gatekeepers, arguing that the use of narratives can represent a gain for research processes discussion, providing increased methodological reflexivity opportunities.
Abstract: Seeking to illustrate the social processes involved in the research activity of gaining access to specific empirical contexts, this paper suggests the appropriateness of using narratives as analytical anchors, to explore and document the social relations maintained with and within business companies used as case studies, in the context of intensive, qualitative research endeavors. A doctoral research project focusing on studying business expatriation practices used in Portuguese multinational companies, is used as reference. This project development was punctuated by field access constraints and reluctant gatekeeping interactions, as well as unplanned research circumstances that implied the continuous negotiation of the research program's overall feasibility conditions. This paper discusses the plausibility of using narratives to illustrate, from an inside-out perspective, the social embeddedness of research projects involving sensitive topics and reluctant gatekeepers. Anchored in the use of a specific research narrative, five factors are discussed as possible field sites access enablers, arguing that the use of narratives can represent a gain for research processes discussion, providing increased methodological reflexivity opportunities.
TL;DR: In this paper, an online survey was conducted as part of and exploratory research over four consecutive years dealing with the use of information sources and the importance of the music festivals' characteristics targeting the Hungarian Generation Z attendees of festivals.
Abstract: In recent years, festivals have become an essential part of summer activities for many members of Generation Z. Programs that last several days also mean significant financial burden for young people, so they gather information from multiple sources before decision-making. The purpose of the study is to examine which information sources – especially social media – and which motivations have become significant in the context of festival tourism's decision process.An online survey was conducted as part of and exploratory research over four consecutive years dealing with the use of information sources and the importance of the music festivals' characteristics targeting the Hungarian Generation Z attendees of festivals. Besides the descriptive statistics cluster analysis and ANOVA tables were used.It can be emphasized that in the case of festival tourism, the influence and usage of social media, relying on the opinions of acquaintances and friends is much more significant in the decision-making phase than in the case of traditional tourism. The program and the leading performers are not the only important factors, but meeting friends, the atmosphere of the festival, and reasonable value for money are also significant. Three groups of users could be identified: those who are mainly browsing official websites and search engines, those who try to make decisions based on earlier experiences, and those who are also looking at social media sites and digest several types of content to make the decision. Organisers of festivals should understand the differences among these groups to create better communication strategies.
TL;DR: This paper shows the common cases where the authors often make linear mistakes, and for which I can give illustrations drawn from scientific publications or everyday examples, in terms of its groundless use.
Abstract: The overuse or groundless use of linearity, that is the fallacy of omnipotent linearity, intertwines our everyday lives and decisions. The misconception of linearity is not an isolated phenomenon, yet we do not handle this question in the proper way. The examples of MPG (Miles per Gallon) and MPH (Miles per Hour) or driving speed have something else in common: there is a widely used indicator conveying a false impression about the nature and physical, economical effects of the described phenomena by creating the illusion of linearity, leading to faulty decisions. In this paper, I show the common cases where we often make linear mistakes, and for which I can give illustrations drawn from scientific publications or everyday examples. Fresh survey research has been done in order to reveal the presence of linearity in the daily decision-making in terms of its groundless use. The article also identifies some common roots to the problem; it also outlines the psychological mechanisms and possible policies to help avoid them.
TL;DR: In this article, the aggregate effect of possible errors related to the "textbook" method of present value calculation was analyzed, and two main errors could stem from end-of-period convention and calculation according to expected lifespan.
Abstract: The research aims at analyzing the aggregate effect of possible errors related to the "textbook" method of present value calculation. Two main errors could stem from end-of-period convention and calculation according to expected lifespan. The magnitude of such errors depends on the cash flow pattern and the probability distribution of asset life, therefore the combination that may be regarded as the most typical in practice has been chosen as the subject of the examination, i.e., the continuous exponential cash flow pattern with exponentially distributed life. Based on the result of previous studies examining the errors separately, it seems possible that the two errors lead to a more accurate approximation – considering the absolute value of the relative error – compared to making only one of the errors. After the examination, I conclude that in the most typical cases of practice, it is not worth to take either the correct cash flow pattern or the life uncertainty into account beyond the "textbook" method.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared freshman engineering students' spatial abilities (Spatial Intelligence) at two universities: Sharif University in Tehran and Debrecen University of Hungary, focusing on both their final mathematical exam performance and their gender so as to ascertain whether the students differ significantly in terms of their spatial abilities and/or their problem solving methods.
Abstract: The goal of this paper is to compare freshman engineering students' spatial abilities (Spatial Intelligence) at two universities: Sharif University in Tehran and Debrecen University of Hungary, focusing on both their final mathematical exam performance and their gender so as to ascertain whether the students differ significantly in terms of their spatial abilities and/or their problem solving methods. The tests used to measure spatial intelligence performance and mental rotation was the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT Branoff). The test results have been statistically evaluated and conclusions formulated. The results show that there was no significant difference between Iranian and Hungarian freshman engineering students in the performance of mental rotation tasks. However, a general gender difference in spatial ability performance was evident among the Hungarian students but not among the Iranians. The results also shed light on spatial rotation problem-solving methods that appear to be largely specific to females.
TL;DR: In this article, a statistical analysis of the relationship between economic performance and competitiveness indicators is presented to address the question of the extent to which competitiveness indicators provide useful information when assessing economic performance.
Abstract: This paper presents a statistical analysis of the relationship between economic performance and competitiveness indicators to address the question of the extent to which competitiveness indicators provideuseful information when assessing economic performance. The analysis was performed on various examples of African economies. The possible relationships between economic performance and competitiveness indicators were examined by extending a basic relationship between economic performance per capita and investment by competitiveness indicators. The models were estimated by means of an Arellano-Bond estimator. The authors detected many statistically significant relationships between economic performance and competitiveness indicators in the cases of both the whole sample and specifically middle-income economies. However, in the case of low-income economies there are no discernible relationships between economic performance and the information included in the competitiveness indicators. The paper contributes to the analysis of the economic performance of African economies, for which the empirical evaluation of possible links between economic performance and competitiveness indicators is altogether missing.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors collected 28 scientific papers on the issue of communication competencies in order to map out 21 ''common denominators'' derived from the combined competence lists, and conducted a survey with 222 respondents to measure the subjective importance assigned to these traits and to observe the respondents' attitudes towards the effectiveness of communication training programmes they had participated in.
Abstract: From the perspective of a hierarchically ordered company, the expectations of company leaders concerning their employees' necessary competencies play a greater role than vice versa. This paper light on the expectations of leaders and sub-leaders of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises concerning the competencies of employees in neighbouring parts of Hungary and Slovakia.The authors' collected 28 scientific papers on the issue of communication competencies in order to map out 21 \"common denominators\" derived from the combined competence lists. A survey was conducted with 222 respondents to measure the subjective importance assigned to these traits and to observe the respondents' attitudes towards the effectiveness of communication training programmes they had participated in. On the Hungarian side, speech competence proved to be the most crucial competence for business leaders, followed by attention/reflection and interpersonal communication skills. In Slovakia, persuasion was reported to be the most crucial trait, the second most important is the application of confirmation and feedback, and the third is speech competence. In terms of the participants' past communication training experiences, the competences of group communication, assertiveness and leadership skills were reported to have been the main areas of focus. The findings indicate that overall satisfaction with communication training programmes depends on neither the amount of participants' leadership experience nor the companies' field(s) of activity, nor the nationality (i.e. the venue) of the companies. The overall satisfaction rate is 2.53 on a four-grade scale among those who ever attended communication training programmes.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between organisational culture and job satisfaction in higher education institutions in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and found that there is a significant linear and positive correlation between organizational culture and jobs satisfaction at a level of 47.2%.
Abstract: Organisational culture and job satisfaction are crucial insofar as human resources are the most valuable resources organisations have in today's business world. Organisational culture encompasses the characteristics that unite and integrate employees of an organisation and distinguish them from employees of other institutions. An employee who has high job satisfaction is an employee who enjoys his/her job and is satisfied with the conditions provided by the organisation. By doing the best that they can do, employees with high job satisfaction ensure that the institution has a competitive advantage and, as a result, extends its life. In this study, questions about organisational culture, levels of job satisfaction and factors influencing them were examined in higher education institutions in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Determining the relationship between organisational culture and job satisfaction in higher education institutions was also one of the objectives of this study. In this study, factors influencing organisational culture and job satisfaction in the case of higher education institutions in the service sector were investigated. In line with the research objective, a questionnaire was conducted in order to be able to explain the factors influencing organisational culture and job satisfaction of university employees and describe the relationship that exists, if any, between organisational culture and job satisfaction. Results showed that there is a significant linear and positive correlation between organisational culture and job satisfaction at a level of 47.2 %, which corresponded to a medium strength. In this case, an improvement in organisational culture will cause an increase in job satisfaction.