Engineering Job Skills in Croatian Economy: Employers’ Perspective

Different actors, or stakeholders, are interested and want to participate in discussions and interventions related to the topic of skills as an important outcome of engineering education. In the Croatian context, the entire process is still predominantly internally driven and determined by academic evaluations while the involvement of the alumni and employers as external stakeholders is sporadic and under researched. Since Croatian employers are not sufficiently familiar with the levels and structures of reformed study programs, the main objective of this research was to assess to what extent the current and largely accepted set of engineering skills fit their expectations. By reviewing available literature, 36 key skills were identified and used in a questionnaire administrated to Croatian employers, resulting in 418 completed and usable responses. Results show that employers find every assessed skill as somewhat/extremely valuable. However, it is found that employers most valued skills related to the wider set of transferable skills with somewhat greater emphases on skills that reflect professionalism and work ethic. In general, it turned out that employers approach transferable skills in terms of their functionality. Mean comparison within subgroups has shown statistically significant differences with regard to respondent’s gender. In general, women fit the theorized dimensions more than their male counterparts, perhaps indicating that they understand all skills, and transferable skills in particular, more holistically than men. Finally, in order to understand the underlying structure of the explored items, exploratory factor analysis was employed, resulting in 8 clear dimensions suggesting engineering “employability skills” in the Croatian context

A Sociohistorical Overview of Harm Reduction Development in Croatia

Harm reduction is viewed as a public health aspect of drug policy in Croatia. The development of needle exchange programs and opioid substitution therapies are discussed herein by sketching the basic contours of the Croatian social and cultural context in which these activities have taken place over the past several decades. Along with the critical reflection of the approaches in which drug use in Croatia is considered in the matrix of anomie and disorganization explanations, two phases were identified in the development of harm reduction programs. The first phase marked the initial establishment of these programs in the context of strong growth in the number of heroin users in the 1990s, while the second phase allowed for the further development of these programs during the 2000s. It has been shown that, in contrast to anomie and social disorganization related approaches, the economic and political development trends of Croatian society are not clearly unambiguous in relation to the development of harm reduction programs, thus indicating that consideration of harm reduction development is more appropriate to link to the decentralization of related activities and the incorporation of these programs into intravenous drug use population’s social insurance. In this way, immediate and non-patronizing access to the intravenous drug use population throughout Croatia is enabled. However, although embedded in the prohibitionist government’s drug policy, the current implementation of the harm reduction programs in Croatia is still characterized by the unpredictability of official drug policy action as well as the general changes in drug use, with problems associated with the use of new psychoactive substances representing the greatest challenge

Elements of Motivational Structure for Studying Mechanical Engineering

The article presents the findings on students' reasons for studying mechanical engineering. These reasons were covered in terms of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation additionally related to selected independent variables of the sample – students' secondary school Grade Point Average, their gender and the socio-economic status. The research was conducted with the first year students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. The sample consisted of 282 students (228 males and 54 females) and comprised students of all majors. According to descriptive character of the questionnaire type survey characteristics of the sample are presented. Composite variables of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation were dichotomized to present different levels of the students' overall motivational structure. Results indicate a students' interest in the field of science and technology as the most important element of intrinsic motivation, with no significant relation to any of independent variables. By contrast, extrinsic motivation has manifested as significantly related to the variables of Grade Point Average and to parents' education as one component of the socio-economic status. However, a significant level of indecisive respondents regarding the both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation suggests that the choice of the study programme is not always a consistent and an unambiguous process

ZEITGENÖSSISCHER ANARCHISMUS UND DIE UMWELTKRISE:<R>MURRAY BOOCKHINS SOZIALÖKOLOGIE

Teoretske referencije koje karakteriziraju promišljanja uzroka ekološke krize u suvremenom anarhizmu upućuju na koncept socijalne ekologije u djelu Murraya Bookchina. Ukazuje se na važnost Bookchinove konastatacije da problemi dominacije i hijerarhije među ljudima prethode dominaciji čovječanstva nad prirodom te da ih se ne može definirati kao oznake imanentne prirodi samoj, već ih treba promatrati kao specifično socijalne probleme. U tom smislu, Bookchinova socijalna ekologija predstavlja sveobuhvatnu socijalnu kritiku usmjerenu ponajviše na kritiku razvijenog kapitalizma za kojeg smatra da predstavlja sustav u kojem hijerarhija i dominacija dosežu najrazvijeniji oblik sa sposobnošću prevladavanja u svim sferama pojedinačnog i socijalnog iskustva. Ističe se Bookchinovo nastojanje da, na tragu anarhističke liberterske tradicije, socijalno–filozofijski operacionalizira pojam slobode kao spontano stremljenje u prirodnoj evoluciji koje se može aktualizirati tek društvenom promjenom u evoluciji »druge prirode«. Konačno, ukazuje se koliko se Bookchinov koncept socijalne ekologije može dovesti u vezu s brojnim anarhističkim i ekološkim grupama i pokretima, koliko je u njima prihvaćen kao inspirativan u domeni novog socijalnog djelovanja, ali i u kojoj mjeri može zahvatiti njihovu raznorodnost.The theoretical references as found in reflections on the sources of environmental crisis within contemporary anarchism can be refered to Murray Bookchins concept of social ecology. Highlighted is the importance of Bookchins assertion that issues of dominance and hierarchy among men precede the dominance of mankind over the nature. They cannot be defined as features immanent to the nature itself, but should be viewed as specifically social issues. In this sense, Bookchins social ecology represents a comprehensive social criticism oriented mostly at the criticism of developed capitalism. Bookchin considers capitalism a system in which hierarchy and dominance reach their most developed form capable of overwhelming all areas of individual and social experience. It is also stressed that Bookchin – from the social and philosophical point of view and refering to the anarcho–libertanian tradion – attempts to define the notion of freedom as a spontaneous tendency in the evolution of nature that can be realised only in the evolution of the “other nature”. Finally, the questions are raised of how Bookchins concept of social ecology can be referred to numerous anarchist and environmental groups and movements, to what degree it was inspiring in their social practices, but also to what degree their versatility can be explained by this concept.Theoretische Referenzen, die das Philosophieren über die Gründe der Umweltkrise im zeitgenössischen Anarchismus kennzeichnen, weisen auf das sozialökologische Konzept von Murray Bookchin hin. Unterstrichen wird die Bedeutung von Bookchins Feststellung, daß die Probleme der Dominanz und Hierarchie unter den Menschen selbst die Dominanz des Menschen über die Natur voraussetzen und daß sie nicht als naturimmanente Eigenschaften, sondern als spezifisch soziale Probleme anzusehen sind. In diesem Sinne stellt Bookchins Sozialökologie eine umfassende Gesellschaftskritik dar, die sich vor allem auf den entwickelten Kapitalismus bezieht. Dieser Kapitalismus sei ein System, im Rahmen dessen Hierarchie und Dominanz einen Höhepunkt erreichten, der ihm ermöglicht, alle Bereiche der individuellen und gesellschaftlichen Erfahrung zu beherrschen. Es wird betont, daß Bookchin versucht, im Einklang mit der anarchistisch–libertanischen Tradition den Freiheitsbegriff als spontanes Streben innerhalb einer natürlichen Evolution zu bestimmen, wobei es nur durch eine gesellschafliche Veränderung in der Evolution der “anderen Natur” aktualisiert werden kann. Im abschließenden Teil der Arbeit wird erörtert, inwieweit Bookchins sozialökologisches Konzept mit zahlreichen anarchistischen und ökologischen Gruppen und Bewegungen in Verbindung gesetzt werden kann, in welchem Ausmaß dieses Konzept im Rahmen ihres sozialen Handelns Anwendung findet, aber auch in welchem Ausmaß ihre Vielfalt durch dieses Konzept erklärt werden kann

HANF – SOZIOLOGISCHE ASPEKTE DES ANBAUS UND DER VERWENDUNG

U radu se razmatraju društvena posredovanost diskontinuiteta i neravnomjernosti uzgoja konoplje u svijetu tijekom XX stoljeća. Oni se očituju u više desetljeća dugom potiskivanju konoplje na margine industrijskog razvoja, a ponovni interes za nju postupno se javlja u razvijenim, pretežno europskim zemljama tijekom proteklih petnaestak godina, ponajprije u sklopu različitih ekoloških tema – bioraznolikosti, obnovljivih resursa, održive industrije i poljoprivrede i sl. Iznose se važniji sociokulturni elementi koji su obilježili dugu integriranost konoplje u civilizacijskim razvojima, kako bi se ukazalo da su zastoji u proizvodnji početkom XX stoljeća imali dvostruki karakter: uvjetovani su unutarnjim razlozima sadržanim u radno‐intenzivnim obilježjima industrije konoplje, s nedostatkom rješenja koja bi omogućila njenu strojnu preradu, ali su i društveno podržani iznenadnim i znanstveno neutemeljenim predodžbama o njenoj štetnosti, neupotrebljivosti i nizom diskvalificirajućih stereotipa pripisanih njenim uzgajivačima i korisnicima. Neposredni sociokulturni kontekst formiranja ključnih oznaka povezanih s problematičnošću konoplje i njenom zabranom upućuje na američko društvo s početka proteklog stoljeća, reflektirajući se u budućim razdobljima ugrađivanjem prohibicionističkih oblika regulacije njenog uzgoja u ključne međunarodne dokumente. Sociološka analiza tog konteksta upućuje na tri pristupa interpretaciji društvenih uzroka zabrane i restrikcija uzgoja konoplje, koji se na razini dominantnih predodžbi o njoj mogu razabrati i danas. Napokon, razmatraju se i noviji rezultati u istraživanjima mogućnosti uzgoja, prerade i upotrebe konoplje uključujući njihove glavne prednosti i probleme, koji upućuju na potrebu za ponovnim širim društvenim otvaranjem prema integriranju konoplje u buduće industrijske razvoje.In this paper the author considers the social mediation of discontinuity and unevenness of growing hemp in the world during the 20th century. These are being evident in the course of the several decades long suppressing of hemp on the margins of industrial development, and the renewed interest gradually became evident in industrial countries, predominantly European countries, for the past fifteen years, especially within the pattern of different environmental topics – biodiversity, renewable resources, sustainable industry and agricultural economics etc. The author reports on more significant social and cultural elements that marked the long standing integrated state of hemp within civilisation developments, in order to indicate that the production breakdowns at the beginning of 20th century had a dual character: conditioned by internal reasons implicit in intensive quality of the working process of hemp production, with inadequacy of solutions that would enable its machine‐made processing, although also supported socially by sudden and scientifically unfounded images on its hazardousness , uselessness and a series of other disqualifying stereotypes attributed to their growers and users. The immediate social and cultural context of establishing key features connected with the dubiousness of hemp and its prohibition refers to American society at the beginning of the last century, with a reflection to future periods by incorporating prohibitive forms of regulation of growing hemp, within key international documents. Sociological analysis f this context directs to the three approaches to the interpretation of social causes of prohibitions and restrictions of growing hemp that on this level of dominant perceptions on hemp can be discernible even today. And finally, comparatively recent results of the research on the possibility of growing, processing and use of hemp are considered here, including their main advantages and problems, that direct to the need for resumed greater societal opening towards integrating hemp within future industrial development.In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird das gesellschaftliche Vermitteltsein der Diskontinuität und der Ungleichmäßigkeit des Hanfanbaus in der Welt im Laufe des 20sten Jahrhunderts betrachtet. Es widerspiegelt sich in einer mehrere Jahrzente langen Verdrängung des Hanfes auf die Margine der industriellen Entwicklung, und ein erneutes Interesse am Hanf zeigt sich allmählich in den letzten fünfzehn Jahren in entwickelten, vorwiegend europäischen Ländern, vor allem im Zusammenhang mit verschiedenen ökologischen Themen, wie z.B. biologische Vielfalt, erneuerbare Ressourcen, nachhaltige Industrie und Landwirtschaft u. Ä. Wichtige soziokulturelle Elemente werden gezeigt, die eine lange Integrierung von Hanf in die Zivilisationsentwicklungen gekennzeichnet haben. Damit soll darauf hingewiesen werden, dass die Produktionsstopps am Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts einen doppelten Charakter hatten: Sie wurden durch innere Gründe verursacht, beruhend auf dem arbeitsintensiven Charakter der Hanfindustrie, es fehlte nämlich an Lösungen, die eine maschinelle Verarbeitung von Hanf ermöglicht hätten; andererseits wurden sie auch gesellschaftlich unterstützt durch plötzliche und wissenschaftlich nicht fundierte Vorstellungen darüber, dass Hanf schädlich und unbrauchbar ist, sowie durch eine Reihe von Stereotypen über die Hanfanbauer und –benutzter. Der unmittelbare soziokulturelle Kontext für die Schaffung von Schlüsselbezeichnungen, die damit verbunden sind, dass Hanf problematisch und verboten sei, weist auf die amerikanische Gesellschaft Anfang des vergangenen Jahrhunderts hin und widerspiegelt sich in den zukünftigen Perioden durch die Implementierung einer prohibitionistischen Regelung des Hanfanbaus in die wichtigsten internationalen Dokumente. Eine soziologische Analyse dieses Kontexts weist auf drei Ansätze bei der Interpretierung von gesellschaftlichen Ursachen für den Verbot und die Restriktion vom Hanfanbau hin, die auf einer Ebene von vorherrschenden Vorstellungen darüber auch heute noch zu merken sind. Schließlich werden auch neuere Forschungsergebnisse hinsichtlich des Anbaus, der Verarbeitung und des Gebrauchs vom Hanf in Betracht gezogen, einschließlich der wichtigsten Vorteile und Nachteile, sie weisen auf ein Bedürfnis hin, dass die Gesellschaft sich einer Integrierung von Hanf in die zukünftige industrielle Entwicklung öffnet

Electronic media and drugs

Tekst se bavi društvenom reprezentacijom upotrebe droga u hrvatskim elektronskim medijima. U analizi dominantnih elemenata javnog diskursa u problematiziranju upotrebe droga na Hrvatskoj javnoj televiziji, kao relevantna metoda primijenjena je analiza diskursa I. Tom prilikom izdvojeno je nekoliko aspekata javnog diskursa: definicija i diferenciranje droga; reprodukcija eskalacijske hipoteze; reprodukcija kriminalnog i devijantnog konteksta upotrebe droga i oblikovanje profesionalne kompetencije s obzirom na ključne aktere u diskusijama o drogama na televiziji. Pokazuje se da se droge ne diferenciraju u većini emisija, da se u njima većinom reproduciraju eskalacijska hipoteza i kriminalni pristup, odnosno da je njihovo propitivanje uočeno u svega par iznimki. Napokon, profesionalna kompetencija oblikuje se bez većeg utjecaja sudionika s područja društvenih znanosti premda se kontinuirano upozorava da se radi o važnom društvenom problemu.Text is dealing with the social representation of drug use in Croatian eletronic media. Discourse analysis I is used as relevant methodology in undertaking insight into dominant elements of public discourse concerned with drug use on Croatian public TV. Several aspects of public discourse have been considered: definition and differentiation of drugs; reproduction of stepping-stone hypothesis; reproduction of criminal and deviant context of drug use; creation of professional competence in a view of key actors in TV discussions. It has been shown that majority of broadcasted program makes no differences between various legal and illegal drugs. Stepping stone hypothesis and criminal approach to drug use is also reproduced and it is considered as problematic in just a few exceptions. Finally, professional competence on Croatian TV is designed without greater impact of actors in a field of social sciences, although is permanently pointed out that drug use is important social problem

Socio-Cultural Context of Drug Use with Reflections to Cannabis Use in Croatia

Socio-cultural context of drug use is reflected as the constitutive part of interpretation of its effects and corresponding meanings, both at macro and micro-societal level of sociological analysis. In the first part of the article some more influential social-theoretical approaches to drug use are considered. Most of them consider drug use in terms of sociology of subculture and deviance. In second part, Croatian socio-cultural context is analysed, with reflections on questioning key terms that are addressed in the first part of the article. The concluding part indicates the ability for critical reflection of part of theories with regard to specificities of Croatian socio-cultural context. Furthermore, it is indicated that is necessary to overcome existing focus on the war, transition and after-war period as still dominant interpretative model in actual Croatian social research on drug use