Mykolas Romeris University Institutional Repository
Not a member yet
8023 research outputs found
Sort by
Consumer Confidence: The Case of the Baltic States during Covid-19
Get PDFPurpose – to discuss the phenomenon of consumer confidence as well as importance and ambiguity of
consumption with respect to quality of life in the Baltic States during COVID-19 pandemics. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis and synthesis of existing theories and researchers is
provided. The statistical data is evaluated.
Finding – private consumption accounts for about half of GDP in the Baltic countries. During pandemics
consumers have remained more optimistic in Lithuania compared to Estonia, Latvia and average of the EU.
Lithuania experience a lowest decrease in the GDP growth among countries of the EU.
Research limitations/implications – Research is limited by the inaccessibility of statistical data. Very few
indicators are up to date.
Practical implications – Consumers and their power are often neglected. The results may be used to
analyze the decisions needed to be taken to reduce the impact of pandemics on economics. The consumer
confidence allow not only to analyze the current situation but to look into future too. This indicator is updated
faster than key determinants of consumption. It is valuable for policy makers.
Originality/Value – The prevalence of consumerism and importance of consumers in economies and
society have had a growing role. Then worldwide COVID-19 pandemics hit. All the consumers and economies
have been affected. They keep fighting the pandemics and its consequences. It is the ongoing crisis not only on
the health aspect but economic and social too. Despite the evident impact there is a lack of empirical research and
up to date statistics. It is important to analyze the situation in order to make sound decisions on political economy
and get out of the crisis more fluently. Consumers are at the heart of modern economies and their confidence may
not only reveal the effects of crisis but also how to reduce the negative consequences. Consumer influence is growing in modern economies. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on consumer
confidence not only in the Baltic countries but also in the European Union
State Protection of the Youth Labor Market in the Republic of Kazakhstan in Conditions of Uncertainty
Get PDFCC BY-NC-ND 4.0The development of the labour market of the Republic of Kazakhstan is
described by instability among certain age groups, an increasing imbalance between the
demand for labour and its supply. The current processes in the Republic of Kazakhstan
prioritise the provision of youth employment both at the national and regional levels.
Attracting young people to the sphere of productive labour is complicated by the imperfection
of state regulation mechanisms. The scientific originality was determined by the fact that the
growth of the labour force competitiveness and its adaptive potential necessitates advanced
methodologies and techniques for assessing structural and dynamic shifts in the labour
market, the integration of its individual segments into the existing socio-economic space, as well as the development of methodological foundations for forecasting these processes. The
labour market is a system of social relations, including legal provisions and institutions
that ensure the proper reproduction and effective use of labour, the quantity and quality
of which are appropriately rewarded. The methodological framework of the study included
general scientific and special methods of cognition. The use of systematic and integrated
research approaches allowed determining the specific features of the youth labour market as
an object of state regulation and justifying the need for the development of a comprehensive
mechanism for its state regulation. The increased need for the state to implement measures
aimed at preventing the growth of youth unemployment leads to revising and changing
the methods of the youth labour market state regulation
How Do Students Really Interact? An Investigation of Lithuanian Students’ Interactions Via Smartphone Apps
Get PDFPurpose – This mixed-method study investigated the ways smartphone apps promote students’ interaction, collaboration and learning performance. Methodology – A total of 160 respondents from a Lithuanian university were identified using convenience sampling. A survey was conducted to explore the frequent activities involving interaction, collaboration and learning performance. Focus group interviews were also conducted to determine the apps used in their interactions. Findings – The quantitative results suggest that the smartphone apps promote students' interaction, collaboration and improved learning performance. Qualitative results indicate three types of apps that are commonly used for interactions by the undergraduates in Lithuania, namely educational, communication and entertainment apps. Significance – The findings suggest that the instructions can play a constructive role in mediating the learners’ interactions on smartphone apps. As such, the study creates space for instructors to further craft pedagogical practices to better account for learners’ access to smartphone apps. It is hoped that this study will provide a path for educational solutions for instructors and practitioners
Panchayat Jagratha Samithi vaidmuo dėl smurto prieš moteris ir vaikus Keraloje
No full textThe Indian state Kerala is renowned for its overall development in various indexes such as human development, equality and education. However, in terms of combating violence against women and girls, state policies do not fulfill their objectives. The total number of crimes against women in Kerala during 2007 was 9381, by the end of 2019, it had risen to 13925,and by October 2020,it was 10124. To prevent all forms of crimes against women, the state established a vigilant committee in 1997 under Kerala Women’s Commission’s supervision. This vigilant committee is known as Jagratha Samithi (in the Malayalam language) and works in every LocalSelf Government (Panchayat). Therefore, the object of this research is the Jagratha Samithi (JS). The study aims to identify the JS’s role and activities in a panchayat to prevent violence against women and children. The methodology of the research is based on a qualitative study with primary data collected from 40 elected female and male representatives from 35 panchayats from one district in Kerala. The study shows that Jagratha Samithi in a panchayat has a significant role in addressing crimes against women and girls. However, there is a lack of sufficient support from society on its mission
Associations between Depression, Anxiety, Fatigue, and Learning Motivating Factors in E‐Learning‐Based Computer Programming Education
Get PDFQuarantines imposed due to COVID-19 have forced the rapid implementation of e-learning,
but also increased the rates of anxiety, depression, and fatigue, which relate to dramatically diminished e-learning motivation. Thus, it was deemed significant to identify e-learning motivating
factors related to mental health. Furthermore, because computer programming skills are among
the core competencies that professionals are expected to possess in the era of rapid technology
development, it was also considered important to identify the factors relating to computer programming learning. Thus, this study applied the Learning Motivating Factors Questionnaire, the
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), and the
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 (MFI-20) instruments. The sample consisted of 444 e-learners,
including 189 computer programming e-learners. The results revealed that higher scores of individual attitude and expectation, challenging goals, clear direction, social pressure, and competition
significantly varied across depression categories. The scores of challenging goals, and social pressure
and competition, significantly varied across anxiety categories. The scores of individual attitude
and expectation, challenging goals, and social pressure and competition significantly varied across
general fatigue categories. In the group of computer programming e-learners: challenging goals
predicted decreased anxiety; clear direction and challenging goals predicted decreased depression;
individual attitude and expectation predicted diminished general fatigue; and challenging goals
and punishment predicted diminished mental fatigue. Challenging goals statistically significantly
predicted lower mental fatigue, and mental fatigue statistically significantly predicted depression
and anxiety in both sample groups
The Experiencing and Meaningfulness of Spirituality in the Leadership of Middle-Level Managers in Business Organizations
No full textCC BY-NC-NDChanges in the scope of leadership in recent decades have led to the search for new management methods in relationships with subordinates. One of these methods is the application of spirituality in leadership. Although the construct of spiritual leadership has been of
interest to researchers since the 1980s, previous research has focused on determining the
impact of spiritual leadership on individual and organizational outcomes, but little has
been done on research to identify and agree on the behaviors of a spiritual leader. Conceptualizing and defining spirituality and spiritual leadership is perhaps the most problematic
and challenging task for the paradigmatic development of an emerging field. There is no
commonly agreed definition of spiritual leadership or spirituality at work. The lack of a
common definition and the unclear boundaries between workplace spirituality and leadership show that the field of spiritual leadership is still in development, and disputes over the
difficulty of defining the construct have led many to question whether spiritual leadership
and workplace spirituality deserve the attention they have received. Therefore, exposing the
behavior of a spiritual leader is important for deepening the overall understanding of the
concept of spiritual leadership
Wearing Religious Symbols in the Workplace: Balancing Criteria between Right to Manifest One’s Religion and Freedom to Conduct Business
No full textReligion is an important part of identity, related to the person’s values, traditions and
culture. One of the forms of expression of one’s belief – wearing religious clothing or symbols, which,
in case of confession of certain religions, becomes not a matter of choice but an obligatory part of
daily life. The relevance of the topic, which is analyzed in this article, was directly dictated by the
experience of the year 2021, which demonstrated, that the challenges posed by the influx of migrants
are not only a problem of Southern European countries but are also extremely relevant for Lithuania.
Managing the crisis of migrants from third countries is inseparable from their integration, the success
of which directly depends on the ability to strike the right balance between competing values. Considering that, this article discusses the importance of the individual’s right to express his or her religious
beliefs, together drawing attention to the need to balance the wearing of religious symbols at the
workplace with the legitimate interests of others. Wide discretion of the state to set rules regulating
the clothing for public sector employees is justified by the principle of the neutrality of the civil service,
the duty of discretion imposed on public service providers, the protection of the rights and freedoms
of others or the requirements of health and safety. Meanwhile, the situation in the private sector still
raises questions. Court of Justice of the European Union in its recent case - law, when assessing the
legality of the ban of the wearing of religious clothing by employees of private companies, revised
the criteria according to which the exercise of the freedom to conduct a business allows to restrict
the right to practice one’s religion to a certain extent. When analyzing these criteria, the attention is
drawn to the fact that Court of Justice did not take the opportunity to bring more clarity, on the contrary, the transfer of the obligation to strike the right balance between the interests of employers and
employees to the shoulders of national courts, has led to different interpretations of the justification
for restrictions on religious freedom in the Member States
Interaction between Apparent and Implied Authority in the Implementation of Sustainable Business Relatiohsips
Get PDFPurpose – to reveal the problems of apparent and implied authority in the context of sustainable business relationships. Research methodology – the research is conducted from a comparative perspective, explaining the problems of apparent and implied authority in selected jurisdictions. Findings – authors conclude that apparent authority is the exclusive remedy available only where a link has been established between the circumstances of the principal and the reasonable belief of the third party. Implied authority cannot be equated with apparent authority, although case law often does not distinguish between these two categories. Research limitations – due to limited scope, this article does not address the ratification of unauthorised agent’s actions and the liability of falsus procurator. Practical implications – the research reveals that implied authority derives from the factual circumstances in which the agent acts and must be regarded as part of the actual authority, which presupposes that, unlike in the case of apparent authority, the implied representation does not qualify as one of the cases of unauthorised agency. Originality/Value – the significance of this study is linked to the development of reasonable rules for the application of apparent and implied authority in order to safeguard the legitimate interests of all persons involved in this complex relationship
Digital Transformation as a Factor of Ensuring Country Competitiveness: Moldova Case Analysis
Get PDFThe digital transformation is now a reality in Moldova, as Moldova has begun to transfer social, legal, and civil service delivery online. Sped-up digitalization can be expected to create new business models and opportunities for digital jumping in traditional industries. The Coronavirus crisis has highlighted the need for support and investments in digital transformation and effective digital governance, especially to guarantee the continuity and delivery of core government functions. The digital transformation is changing not just business models but the methods of production and distribution and the industry's competitiveness. Further analysis has been made to generate specific steps/recommendations regarding the digitization of the Moldova industry. The interview with experts who work closely in digitalization or competitiveness was done, and the SWOT analysis was done. Based on the research made, the recommendations for Moldova were prepared and presented in this article
Prospects for the Recognition of the Right to Gender Identity and Regulatory Issues Related to Gender Reassignment
No full textThe doctoral thesis raises the following issues: ‘What is gender identity and whether the recognition of gender identity is significant for the society and the law?’ ‘To what extent does it affect solution of issues related to exercise of rights by a person who has undergone gender reassignment?’ ‘Why transsexuality as part of gender identity is recognised in medical science as a gender identity disorder?’ ‘Does it not violate the dignity of transgender persons if they are regarded as people with a mental disorder?’ The present thesis defines the concept of gender identity, discloses the content of the right to change gender, analyses theoretical and practical issues of new gender identity recognition and issues pertaining to the regulatory framework of the rights of transgender persons. The purpose of the study was to prove that gender identity is part of human dignity and private life. The analysis of case law demonstrated that the lack of the regulatory framework that would enable exercising of the right to gender identity by transgender persons in Lithuania allows making an assumption of inconsistent case law being developed in Lithuania, while change of gender in personal legal documents shall be related not only to physical intervention into a human body, but also to the psychological self-identification with the opposite gender.Disertacijoje iškeliami tokio pobūdžio klausimai: Kas yra lytinis identitetas ir ar svarbus lytinio identiteto laisvės pripažinimas visuomenėje, o kartu ir teisėje? Kiek tai lemia asmens, pakeitusio lytį, teisių įgyvendinimo problemų sprendimą? Kodėl transseksualumas, kaip asmens lytinio identiteto dalis, medicinoje pripažįstamas kaip lyties tapatumo sutrikimas? Ar nėra pažeidžiamas transseksualių asmenų orumas, vertinant juos kaip psichinį sutrikimą turinčius asmenis? Todėl šiame darbe apibrėžiama lytinio identiteto samprata, atskleidžiamas teisės keisti lytį turinys, atliekama naujos tapatybės pripažinimo bei transseksualų teisių įgyvendinimo teisinio reguliavimo teorinių ir praktinių problemų analizė. Tyrimu siekta įrodyti, kad lytinis identitetas yra asmens orumo ir privataus gyvenimo dalis. Teismų praktikos analizė parodė, kad transseksualių asmenų teisės į lytinį identitetą realizavimo teisinio reguliavimo trūkumas Lietuvoje suponuoja teismų formuluojamos praktikos nenuoseklumą, o lyties keitimas asmens dokumentuose turi būti siejamas ne tik su fizine intervencija į žmogaus kūną, bet ir psichologiniu savęs tapatinimu su socialine lytimi