Keywords: Moravia; administration; czech republic; legal history
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Keywords: magic thinking; social memory; connotation; constructivism; Teschen Silesia
The aim of the paper is to consider such ethnolinguistic categories as magic, connotation, and cognitive blending as possible keys to the following questions: How is it possible that we can perfectly adopt different representations of the past and internalize them as our past? How can we reconcile different representations of the past and how is it possible that diverse representations of the past merge in one social memory? Such amalgamations of various forms of representations and diverse scales of objectification can be clarified by means of the theory of magic, by means of the law of resemblance, and the law of contiguity. Such considerations are supported here by empirical study of the construction of social memories in Teschen Silesia, which was divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia in 1920. On both sides of the new border different state institutions emerged and influenced local memories.
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Keywords: corporate social responsibility; value drivers; stakeholders; environmental preferences
Strategic CSR is implemented when social and/or environmental expenses help achieve economic purpose of an enterprise. This depends on actual potential of environmental preferences of enterprise stakeholders to modify firm’s value drivers. An analysis of environmental preferences of inhabitants of Silesia region demonstrates that polled individuals are not likely to reward CSR either as consumers or as investors, which is unfavorable for the implementation of strategic CSR. Defining a target group, which an enterprise could address strategic CSR to, is a very difficult task. Thereof it can be stated that strategic CSR is not likely to be successful in Silesia, unless targeted to very well recognized, specific stakeholders. For that reason enterprises which adopt CSR can do it as non-for-profit CSR or incur agency cost.
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Keywords: urbanisation; metropolisation; metropolis; regionalism; government
In its methodological context, the article, expands on the idea of the organization of the "Silesia" superstructure. The idea of establishing a common urban organism emerged with the local governments of the Upper Silesian conurbation cities and was dictated by the need to find a way to change the traditional image of the Silesian region and its post-industrial role in the economic space of the country, as well as Europe. Therefore, in 2009, the Metropolitan Association of Upper- Silesia, an association for the initial institutionalization of "Silesia", was registered, because "Silesia" does not hold any administrative or legal force. Such an organizational "revolution" of the Upper Silesian conurbation initiated a wide social debate, in which the arguments of both supporters and opponents of such an enterprise in the Silesian region became apparent, together with misunderstandings related to the term "metropolis", and the idea of establishing "Silesia". Representatives of local governments chose the more prestigious term "metropolis" as if a complex metropolisation had taken place in the Upper Silesian conurbation. It would be adequate, however, to look only for the first features of metropolitan functions in this de-industrialized and restructured region, which are going to shape the longlasting metropolisation process under the influence of globalisation
More...Keywords: dual citizenship; Opole Silesia; Germany; Poland; European Union;
In Poland’s region of Opole Silesia, ethnic Germans constitute one-third of the populace. Most of them (re-)acquired German citizenship in the 1990s. This also meant obtaining EU citizenship. Thus, they form the largest compact group of German/EU citizens residing outside Germany/the EU. Should Poland join the EU with too long a derogation period on the free movement of its citizens throughout the Union, it would create EU citizenship of two classes in Opole Silesia. With the full set of privileges for German citizens and a restricted one for Polish citizens. I argue that it may lead to resurfacing of the nationalist tension with widespread international repercussions.
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Keywords: value; family; Silesia; change;
The article addresses the problem of changes in the perception of the value of family in Silesia. Silesia is a region in Poland characterized by its cultural specificity. The analysis will be based on the discussion of Silesian family values in a historical perspective and on current research of the Author. R. Inglehart’s concept of materialist and post-materialist values, was adopted as the theoretical context of the research. Completed in 2010, the study concerned the issue of family, among other values, the value of marriage itself and the function of marriage. An important variable to which attention was drawn was the respondents answers on Silesian identification, in particular, whether their views on family exhibited any specificity. The analysis showed that the young generation of the large city (including the young Silesians) declared to have post-materialist values, while residents of smaller towns, had traditional – materialist values. Silesian ethnic identification has positive effects on the declared traditional family values and yields lower modernist currents. This is a result of the impact by the cultural heritage in the region.
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Keywords: university; corporatization; internationalization; disintegration of academic community;
In the article the author presents a thesis that the process of the corporatization of the university is developing. To prove this thesis he analyses the changes in some areas of activities. He points out the consequences of commercialisation and marketization for science and didactics. Furthermore, he mentions disintegration of academic community and dissolving of traditional academic hierarchy, as well as considers internationalization of the high schools and effects of the academic classification.
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Keywords: tourism;culinary tourism;Silesia;
The culinary tourism is an indelible part of the cultural tourist, it is also a developed branch of the gastronomy. The majority of people practicing this form of the tourism seek gustatory experiences, want to explore their knowledge about a given product, the kitchen of a given region and purchase unique products. Currently it is a highly recommended form of the tourism, it is very popular in western Europe and over the world and it is getting to be more popular in Poland as well. But culinary tourism is still developing, but it is noticed that more and more people are interested in it. Author of the paper wants to prove that the Silesian regional cuisine has a lot of potential and could be a showcase of Upper Silesia as one of the main tourism attractions of this region for both locals and tourists of other Polish regions and foreigners as well.
More...Keywords: university; vocational education; pro-social behaviour;
Since 2013, the university degree is free for everyone in Estonia. Vocational education has always been for free. University degrees have been valued as more academical, and vocational education because of the practical skills gained. There is a new trend in Estonia to enter into a vocational school after the university degree; and/or after one vocational education in to another vocational school. Study eagerness is always nice, but the question here is about the reason(s) – is this kind of behaviour rather the sign of lifelong learning, or of wrong choices? In this question the research problem is included also – in case of wrong choices the waste of resources can be considered (from the point of view of society).In 2016, the National Audit Office of Estonia studied the progress of adults aged 25 and over, who had started acquiring vocational education (from 2010/2011 to 2014/2015 academic years) before and during their studies, and in working life after the completion of their studies. The focus was on adults, because the decreasing number of young people in the state means that adults are and will remain an important target group for vocational education. The aim of this research is to analyze the background of the fact that many adults in Estonia with vocational education (36%) or higher education (20%) have started acquiring vocational education alongside adults without any professional education (44%). The subjects/respondents of this research were people who decided to influence the quality of their life through education. The object of the research were shcolars’ opinions about the type of education.In this research I focus on the opinion of students about university and/or vocational education. As an illustration, I discuss one case study of a highly educated person with two master degrees, who is going to start studying in a vocational school. The research question: which background impulses influence the choice of educational institution? The methodology of this research was qualitative (based on the small sample of respondents); the research method was a content analysis of shcolars opinions, and of the case study.
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Keywords: administration during occupation; Third Reich; taxes; tax law
The article concerns the attitude of the occupation administration of the Third Reich introduced in Upper Silesia in September 1939 to the issue of income tax for 1939. The article discusses the analysis of Polish legislation and jurisprudence in the field of tax law carried out by German officials, the proposed regulation, its motives and the final solution. The considerations concerning Polish income tax were preceded by the presentation of analogous measures taken by Germany in connection with the incorporation of Austria and the Sudetenland.
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Keywords: university; experiential marketing; university social responsibility; students’ satisfaction
The subject of the study pertains to issues associated with marketing and university social responsibility. The paper is of theoretical and empirical character. The theoretical section outlines concepts associated with marketing and university social responsibility. The empirical section discusses results of own studies. It also attempts to verify the hypothesis that the pursuit of social responsibility by universities may result in specific marketing outcomes being achieved. The paper outlines the results of a survey study among students representing two universities in Lublin region. The analysis encompasses students’ opinions regarding the educational offer and experiences linked with students’ progress through education. The study aimed to identify the aspects of students’ experiences correlated with the level of their loyalty towards the university and satisfaction with studying. The diagnosis of such experiences may offer grounds for improving the educational offer, and thus, become a valuable source of advantage on the competitive education market.
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Keywords: university; university teachers; values; competences; students; survey
Objective: The paper deals with the theoretical and empirical examination of university values in relation to key competences of university teachers. The combination of values that universities should prioritize and the competences that university teachers should possess is seen inthe paper as an important precondition for improving the quality and acceleration of modern university progress. The theoretical part analyzes, compares and synthesizes opinions on key terms examined in the paper, i.e. higher education, university, values, and competences. The empirical part presents, on the one hand, the results of the questionnaire survey aimed at defining important university values. The survey was carried out on a sample of n = 279 students of the University of Žilina, Slovak Republic, and obtained 1,786 statements on crucial values orsub-values of the university. On the other hand, based on results of the previous survey (n = 27 university teachers) which was targeted on key competences of the great university teachers, the empirical part seeks to experimentally link university key values with teachers’ key competences. Methodology: Analysis, synthesis, comparison, abstraction, questionnaire survey, thinking experiment. Hypothesis H1: University values defined by students will be repeated in the survey,i.e. student views on the core values of university will be identical or similar in content. Negationhypothesis H0: University values defined by students will not be repeated in the survey. Findings: Respondents reported a total of n0 = 1,786 statements regarding the university valuesor sub-values. A substantial consensus was found: many of values were repeated for respondents. Defined values were subsequently grouped: from the initially defined n1 = 229 values, n2= 32 complex values were generated. This leads to a rejection of H0, in favor of H1: the universityvalues generated by students are similar in the content.The results in the evaluative question confirmed the assumption that respondents considered most important mostly those values that the previous open question most frequently reported. Although depending on the study program is always the quality of education in the first placeof importance, the order of importance of other values varies to some extent. Value Added: Opinions on university teachers’ competences and university’s values were discussed. Experimental linking of university values to competences of teachers was performed based on the survey results conducted by the authors in 2012 (this one consisted of three sequential interviews/workshops with teachers of University of Žilina). A logical conclusion was formulated: All the university teachers and scientists are becoming authorities competent to build, preserve and transform universal knowledge into an ever-higher level. Recommendations: A conclusion of the paper contains the characteristics recommended for achieve an effective process of developing university competences.
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Keywords: ecumenism; Cieszyn Silesia; ecumenism; Second Vatican Council; history; reception
There are certain places throughout the world where ecumenical movements are born and have arisen out of the very essence the sociocultural realities of these places. The Cieszyn region of Silesia is such a place. In Cieszyn, different nationalities, cultures, and religions converge because the region both literally and symbolically contains many borders. Many Christian denominations peacefully coexist within Cieszyn, which is home to the largest community of Lutherans in Poland. The ecumenical movement within Cieszyn arose as a necessary and inevitable consequence of the coexistence of these Churches. For this reason, the Cieszyn region of Silesia is a perfect example of contemporary trends that are occurring within the ecumenical movement. Ecumenism in the Cieszyn region of Silesia has a very long and rich history that began more than five centuries ago, meaning long before the Second Vatican Council issued the Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio. Two Christian denominations—Roman Catholic and Lutheran—have coexisted in Cieszyn Silesia and, therefore, have become a symbol of an ecumenism based on faith and tolerance as well as survival and respect. Each of these represent the modern understanding of ecumenism today. The ecumenical movement can serve as a solid foundation that strengthens a sense of unity within local communities that share the same cultural and Christian roots so that these communities can achieve a common goal: to build a civilization of love, peace, and justice. Based on the examples of ecumenical relationships at work provided in this article, it is possible to say that the wise of “today” look back on “yesterday” in order to build a better “tomorrow.” Therefore, it is safe to assert that an ecumenism well-lived in the present that is also firmly rooted in history is a source of hope for the future of Christian Churches and communities. When presenting how the multi-denominational population of Cieszyn Silesia received the Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, a statement made by one of the most eminent Polish ecumenists, Father Prof. Wacław Hryniewicz, comes to mind: “An authentic reception can be achieved only when the partners differ from each other, because diversity enables the true relationship between giving and taking.”
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Keywords: Silesian ethnolect; Czech language; Polish language; mixed languages; ponašymu; code-switching; Těšín Silesia; Zaolzie region;
This article describes the development of the linguistic situation in the border region of Těšín Silesia throughout its history, with particular emphasis on the so-called ponašymu – a mixed language code used in the Czech part of the region. It is based on a random combination of forms of the traditional Těšín dialect with the standard Czech language and, to a lesser extent, elements borrowed from the Polish and Slovak languages and from neighbouring Moravian dialects. An important element of the study is the analysis of selected material collected by the author during fieldwork in August 2018.
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Keywords: university; values; rationality of education; contemporary university models
University – both in the Middle Ages and today – has been a part of the society and was prone to processes similar to the societal ones, which determined its functioning. Last decades rapidly accelerated the discussions about contemporary higher education institutions. The aim of the article is to indicate the expectancies towards the university expressed by individuals and social groups, as well as by the state. A contemporary state does not need engaged citizens, it needs competent users of an institution, which radically changes the expectancies towards university. It is often acknowledged that the university should equip students not with general knowledge, but specific skills enabling them to function in social life. It is contrary to the idea of general education, in which not only knowledge, but also specific cultural dispositions: openness to otherness, negotiation skills and respect towards other worldviews are crucial. The article calls to traditional university values and describes how their perception has changed in the contemporary university.
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Keywords: university; industry; collaboration; knowledge creation and transfer;
Purpose: This case study aims to analyse the role of the university in knowledge creation and transfer to the industry. Methodology: Knowledge creation is analysed in terms of research activities, while knowledge transfer focuses on the abilities and motivation of university staff in transferring the science outcome to the industry. The general problems of the lack of data on innovation activities in Kosovo are evident; therefore, this research uses a qualitative research technique. Data were collected based on a qualitative guide interview, combining and analysing 15 semi-structured interviews. Results: The findings show that part of the achievements is evident, but part of them is questionable in many aspects, e.g., there is a visible asymmetry between knowledge creation and knowledge transfer. By comparison, teaching has improved significantly over the last decade, while critical thinking is not yet at a satisfactory level. Conclusion: Indeed, much progress and many challenges could be identified over the half-century. The university’s efforts are debatable in terms of knowledge creation, and no sign motivates university staff to publish in high-ranking international journals and contribute to research activities. However, the university is continuously improving its collaboration with international donors, e.g., the European Union remains the main partner.
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CDs Review
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Keywords: university; knowledge diffusion; knowledge spillovers; externality;
The University is a significant producer of new knowledge that spread by different channels and at different speed into the surrounding ether. There is now available a rich literature describing the direct transfer of university knowledge into practice, but significantly smaller part of mostly empirical studies analyze spatial dispersion (diffusion) of such knowledge in the space. Academic knowledge can be transferred also in indirect ways, through social connections between researchers and businesses, through freely available knowledge of university (publications) and by many others, less known and studied channels, what complicates the efforts to map the road, by which university knowledge spreads in area. The paper analyze chosen empirical studies in order to formulate an overview of available knowledge on topic. Objective of the paper is to evaluate methodological approaches and the results of the investigation of knowledge diffusion from different aspects in the selected breakthrough articles since the beginning of the examination of these processes to the present. Also we formulate the gaps in knowledge that are still present.
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