Trust-based quality culture conceptual model for higher education institutions

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a crucial role in societies as they enhance the sustainable development of nations. In a context of increasing competition and financial difficulties in higher education institutions, the loyalty of students, faculty and administration staff as well as institutional reputation are key factors for survival and success. They are built upon trust and high quality of services rendered by HEIs. The intentional development of trust serves the purpose of enhancing the quality culture in higher education. The concept of quality culture has become a natural successor of quality management and quality assurance in universities presenting a new perspective for viewing quality at HEIs - as a combination of structural and managerial with cultural and psychological components. This paper provides an elaboration of a novel Trust-Based Quality Culture Conceptual Model for Higher Education Institutions which presents the perceived interconnections between trust and quality culture at HEIs. It can form a source for an inquiry process at HEIs, thus contributing to better contextual diagnosis of the stage where HEI is in the process of building the quality culture based on trust. The findings of this study are important in better understanding the quality culture development in HEIs that is based on trust, loyalty and reputation. It may have an impact on the decision-making processes concerning HEIs’ management. The proposed model contributes to the need for greater clarity, ordering and systematization of the role of trust in the processes of quality culture development

Zasada równych szans w zatrudnieniu jako element polityki społecznej odpowiedzialności przedsiębiorstwa

Celem niniejszego artykułu jest przedstawienie zasady równych szans w zatrudnieniu jako istotnego czynnika kształtującego systemy społecznej odpowiedzialności przedsiębiorstw. Po pierwsze, zdefiniowana została zasada równych szans w zatrudnieniu z uwzględnieniem regulacji międzynarodowych oraz krajowych. W tym celu dokonano krótkiej syntezy najważniejszych regulacji międzynarodowych i krajowych nakazujących zachowywanie zasady równych szans w zatrudnieniu, a w szczególności dyrektyw Unii Europejskiej oraz artykułów konstytucji RP i kodeksu pracy. Po drugie, przedstawiono krótko genezę teorii społecznej odpowiedzialności przedsiębiorstw i omówiono standardy jakości, z których czerpie. Zwrócono szczególną uwagę na aspekt równych szans w zatrudnieniu jako probierz jakości zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi. Po trzecie dokonano przeglądu praktycznych form promowania zasady równych szans w zatrudnieniu w kontekście społecznej odpowiedzialności przedsiębiorstwa. Uwzględniono zarówno działania będące inicjatywą Unii Europejskiej, jak i samych przedsiębiorców.The purpose of this article is to present the equal opportunities in employment principle as a significant factor influencing the company's social responsibility systems. Firstly, the equal opportunities in employment principle has been defined with consideration to international and local regulations. A short synthesis of the most important international and local regulations that impose the equal opportunities principle has been made—this predominantly has been based on the European Union's directives as well as selected articles from the Polish Constitution and the Labor Code. Secondly, a brief genesis of the companies social responsibility theory has been presented, including the quality standards it is based on. The equal opportunities in employment has been stressed as a measure of human resources management. Finally a review of practical forms of promoting equal opportunities in employment in the context of a company's social responsibility has been presented . Both, the actions of the European Unions and the companies individual initiatives have been included

Politics and Social Needs in 2nd Millennium Syrian Sale Formularies: the Case of Emar

Political environment often provokes and influences changes in the legal system without forcing them. Late Bronze Age Emar is a case in point. As shown by the documents from Emar, especially real estate sales, The Hittites did not intervene in civil law, but their mere presence and social changes that followed were sufficient for such changes to occur. Not only it forced the existent customary law to adjust, it also inspired the creation of a whole new set of customary rules, parallel to those already in use

Beta decay studies of fission products by total absorption spectroscopy

Prezentowana praca przedstawia wyniki badań przemiany beta ośmiu produktów rozszczepienia, tj. 86 Br, 89,90 Kr, 89,90gs,90m,92 Rb i 139 Xe, z wykorzystaniem Modularnego Spektrometru Pełnej Absorpcji (MTAS). Detektory pełnej absorpcji dzięki dużej wydajności na detekcję promieniowania γ stanowią unikalne narzędzie do badania rozpadów β, a dokładnie rozkładu prawdopodobieństw zasilenia poziomów wzbudzonych w jądrze córki. Znajomość schematu rozpadu została wykorzystana do określenia średniej energii promieniowania γ i β a także rozkładu antyneutrin emitowanych w rozpadzie. Te zaś stanowią podstawę do obliczenia ciepła powyłączniowego, czyli energii emitowanej z produktów rozszczepienia oraz całkowitego strumienia antyneutrin reaktorowych, w tym także spodziewanej liczby oddziaływań antyneutrin z materią. Opisane badania wykonano w Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) w Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Wykorzystano protonową wiązkę o energii 40 MeV, która zderzając się z tarczą z 238 UCx , indukowała rozszczepienie. Produkty rozszczepienia były selekcjonowane z użyciem separatora masowego OLTF, implantowane na taśmę, a następnie wprowadzane do środka detektora MTAS, gdzie mierzono ich rozpady. Ważnym elementem pracy było opracowanie metody analizy danych, obejmujące stworzenie modelu detektora MTAS z wykorzystaniem pakietu Geant4, w celu znalezienia jego funkcji odpowiedzi na promieniowanie γ i β oraz zaimplementowanie algorytmu dopasowującego zasilenia przejść β do danych eksperymentalnych. Dla większości zmierzonych nuklidów uwzględnienie danych z detektora MTAS spowodowało wzrost zasilenia wysoko leżących poziomów, a w konsekwencji zwiększenie średniej energii promieniowania γ w rozpadzie i zmniejszenie energii cząstek β i antyneutrin. Zmiana energii antyneutrin doprowadziła do redukcji przewidywanej liczby oddziaływań tych cząstek z materią. Uzyskane wyniki zostały wykorzystane do określenia rozkładu ciepła powyłączeniowego towarzyszącego rozszczepieniu 235 U i 239 Pu, nieznacznie poprawiając zgodność elektromagnetycznego komponentu z punktami eksperymentalnymi, wyrażoną w funkcji chi kw., z 211 do 167 dla 235 U oraz z 152 do 146 dla 239 Pu. Ponadto potwierdzono oczekiwaną tendencję wzrostu elektromagnetycznego komponentu ciepła powyłączeniowego po uwzględnieniu wyników pomiarów techniką pełnej absorpcji. Obliczenia całkowitej liczby oddziaływań antyneutrin reaktorowych z materią przyniosły jej spadek w stosunku do wyników obliczeń bazujących na dotychczasowych schematach rozpadów o: 1,5%; 0,7%; 0,9%; 0,6% odpowiednio dla rozszczepienia: 235 U, 238 U, 239 Pu i 241 Pu.The dissertation presents the results of the β decay measurement of eight fission products, ie. 86 Br, 89,90 Kr, 89,90gs,90m,92 Rb and 139 Xe using the Modular Total Absorption Spectrometer (MTAS). Thanks to its high efficiency for the detection of γ-radiation, total absorption spectroscopy is an ideal technique to establish the true β-decay feeding. The knowledge of the decay scheme is then used to determine the average γ and β energy as well as the distribution of antineutrino energy released in the decay. The average γ and β energies are an important observable for the calculation of the decay heat released from fission products. The antineutrino energy spectrum is used to calculate the total antineutrino flux emitted by reactor cores and the number of reactor antineutrino interactions with the detector matter. The experiment was performed at the Holifeld Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The 40 MeV proton beam impinged on a 238 UC x target placed inside the plasma ion source. Fission products were mass selected by means of magnetic separation and implanted into a moving tape that transported the radioactive samples into the center of MTAS where they were measured, and then moved them away. An important part of this work was the development of the methodology for the analysis of data from the MTAS spectrometer. A Monte Carlo simulation code was developed by means of the Geant4 toolkit to reproduce the response function of the MTAS detector and the experimental spectrum reconstruction algorithm was implemented. For most of the measured nuclides, the average electromagnetic energy from experimental MTAS data was obtained and found to be larger than the value deduced from the ENSDF database, while the average β and antineutrino energies were decreased. This led to a reduction of the number of antineutrino interactions with the matter. The results were used to determine of the decay heat release from fission products of 235U and 239Pu. The improvement between the experimental points and the calculated curve for the electromagnetic component of the decay heat was achieved. The least-squares estimator changed from 211 to 167 for 235 U and from 152 to 146 for 239 Pu. In addition, the expected growth of the electromagnetic component of the decay heat after taking intoaccount the results of the total absorption spectroscopy measurement was proved. When compared with the current ENSDF data, the calculated total number of reactor antineutrino interactions with the matter was reduced by 1.5%, 0.7%, 0.9%, 0.6% for the fission of 235 U, 238 U, 239 Pu and 241 Pu respectively

A conceptual model proposal : universities as culture change agents for sustainable development

This paper aims to propose a conceptual model that synthesizes the existing findings concerning universities as culture change agents for sustainable development. The model could serve as a guidance on how universities might get involved in the pro-SD activities. It also underlines the prerequisite of the quality culture that should be introduced within all the activities of universities to successfully act as culture change agents for SD. This paper builds upon the holistic and inter-disciplinary approach to demonstrate that SD does not happen in isolation and that the role of universities in its creation is significant. This study includes a literature review to contextualize the impact of universities on culture and their potential role in SD. The conclusions stemming from the literature review materialize in the proposal of the conceptual model of the university as the culture change agent for SD. The elaborated framework responds to the need for greater clarity, ordering and systematization of the role of universities in the processes of initiating, promoting and modelling the SD-oriented changes while appreciating the role of culture as an enabler, means of social change and a result of SD-focused interventions. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge by offering a novel perspective on the assumed interrelations between university, its quality culture, university main operations such as education, research and engagement with the society as well as the culture and the agency of stakeholders in the context of meeting the world’s current demands without compromising the needs of future generations

Mergers in higher education institutions : a proposal of a novel conceptual model

Purpose - The macroeconomic changes as well as the challenges facing universities nowadays result in the transfer and adaptation of various concepts and organizational methods from enterprises to universities. One of such solutions is mergers. Even though there are a very large number of practical examples of university mergers in the world, at the same time there is a shortage of frameworks that would help manage mergers. The purpose of this paper is to present key areas of focus in HEIs' consolidation processes and the creation of the conceptual model of the universities' mergers. Design/methodology/approach - In this paper synthesis, the inductive approach for model development and case study description were used. The analysis and findings were based on the systematic literature review taken out from management and public policy areas. The new public management and public value governance approaches as well as strategic and process theories of mergers were applied. The descriptive approach to management was used as well. Findings - Formulation of a Conceptual Model of Universities' Mergers and ten principles of effective management of universities' mergers that cover the entire process, from planning, through implementation, to integration. Research limitations/implications - There is a need to verify the proposed inductive model of universities' mergers through further qualitative and mixed-methods research studies. Practical implications - The paper offers a significant opportunity for practical application of the presented content, because it indicates how the know-how from one (business) sector can be valuable for the future of another sector (the over-fragmented sector of higher education). Originality/value - This study presents the key areas of focus in HEIs' consolidation processes and proposes a novel Conceptual Model of Universities' Mergers. It concludes with the principles of effective management of universities' mergers

Palynostratigraphy and palynofacies of the Upper Silesian Keuper (southern Poland)

The results of the palynostratigraphical studies presented in this paper come from five boreholes Patoka 1, Czarny Las, Woźniki Śląskie K1, Kobylarz 1 and Poręba as well as from four outcrops at Lipie Śląskie, Patoka, Zawiercie and Poręba, in Upper Silesia (southern Poland). The palynostratigraphical zonation presented by Orłowska-Zwolińska (1983) for the epicontinental Upper Triassic of Poland was applied. The palynomorph spectra are marked by different preservation states, combined with the frequent occurrence of reworked specimens, probably even from Palaeozoic strata. The spore-pollen assemblage recognized in the “Chrzanów Formation” belongs to the early Carnian verrucata Subzone of the palynological longdonensis Zone. The spectrum from the Stuttgart Formation represents the Carnian astigmosus Zone. Spectra in the Patoka Marly Mudstone-Sandstone Member (Grabowa Mudstone-Carbonate Formation), with the Lisowice bone-bearing horizon, represent the middle and late Norian meyeriana b Subzone. The Rhaetian age of the bone-bearing succession in the Lisowice–Lipie Śląskie clay-pit suggested in the literature was not confirmed. The age of assemblages from the “Połomia Formation”, which overlies the Patoka Member, was not determined, owing to the poor state of miospore preservation. Moreover, three types of palynofacies were recognized as being characteristic for a fluvial channel (1), a flood plain (2), and lacustrine and playa environments (3) as well as for an undetermined milieu. Type 1 was found in the deposits of the Stuttgart Formation, the Patoka Member and the “Połomia Formation”, type 2 in the Patoka Member and the “Połomia Formation”, type 3 in the “Chrzanów Formation”, the Stuttgart Formation and the Patoka Member