Employee‘s satisfaction within the context of an organization’s development : study results

PURPOSE: The study's main objective was to assess employee satisfaction at the University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz. Specific objectives included areas of employee satisfaction, assessing the opportunities for professional development, job motivation, and satisfaction, the opinions on the changes necessary to be undertaken at the University to improve job satisfaction.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The evaluation study was conducted using a survey questionnaire, which was distributed to the employees using an electronic questionnaire via the Limesurvey system, a traditional paper questionnaire, available at the University's lodges, and in a downloadable version available via the INTRA network.CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that the respondents are satisfied, among others, with their professional development at the University, the possibility of using their abilities or competencies, and their achievements.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study also showed that the respondents are satisfied with the opportunity to acquire knowledge, new skills, and self-fulfillment. In this group of questions, the university employees surveyed rate employment stability the lowest. It is insufficient for 22.32% of the respondents, while for 22.03%, it is sufficient.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Satisfaction testing is a valuable tool for streamlining the organization and increasing employee satisfaction.peer-reviewe

Student loans from students‘ perspective : research results

PURPOSE: The aim of the article is to determine students‘ opinion regarding taking out student loans. The researchers attempted to provide answers to several important criteria such as household income and its significance as one of the factors taken into consideration during the loan application process, applicants‘ place of residence, how student loans are advertised and how to boost the popularity of this product.APPROACH/METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: The sources were reports of the Ministry of Education and Science in 2019-2020, they included data on: the number of student loan applications, the number of student loans granted, the amount of tranches received, the number of students who benefited from a guarantee by BGK and ARMA and the share of selected banks for the purpose of taking a student loan. Additionally, a questionnaire survey was conducted among students of the Bydgoszcz University of Technology.FINDINGS: The research has shown that the level of knowledge about student loans is low, and more than half of the respondents do not have knowledge of meeting the conditions for obtaining a student loan. The analysis allowed to define the factors that would induce a student to take out a student loan, such as: remittance of part or all of the loan, no additional fees for early repayment of the loan and the possibility of spending the funds on any purpose.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The research showed a low level of knowledge about the possibility of taking a student loan, therefore it is suggested to increase promotional activity in this area. It is recommended to analyze student needs in terms of student loans. The article and its results hopefully will make students more aware of the possibilities offered by a student loan.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article is dedicated to students and financial institutions which offer student loans.peer-reviewe

Characterization of exceptionally thermostable single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from Thermotoga maritima and Thermotoga neapolitana

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in SSBs because they find numerous applications in diverse molecular biology and analytical methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We report the characterization of single-stranded DNA binding proteins (SSBs) from the thermophilic bacteria <it>Thermotoga maritima </it>(<it>Tma</it>SSB) and <it>Thermotoga neapolitana </it>(<it>Tne</it>SSB). They are the smallest known bacterial SSB proteins, consisting of 141 and 142 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 16.30 and 16.58 kDa, respectively. The similarity between amino acid sequences of these proteins is very high: 90% identity and 95% similarity. Surprisingly, both <it>Tma</it>SSB and <it>Tne</it>SSB possess a quite low sequence similarity to <it>Escherichia coli </it>SSB (36 and 35% identity, 55 and 56% similarity, respectively). They are functional as homotetramers containing one single-stranded DNA binding domain (OB-fold) in each monomer. Agarose mobility assays indicated that the ssDNA-binding site for both proteins is salt independent, and fluorescence spectroscopy resulted in a size of 68 ± 2 nucleotides. The half-lives of <it>Tma</it>SSB and <it>Tne</it>SSB were 10 h and 12 h at 100°C, respectively. When analysed by differential scanning microcalorimetry (DSC) the melting temperature (<it>T</it>_m) was 109.3°C and 112.5°C for <it>Tma</it>SSB and <it>Tne</it>SSB, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results showed that <it>Tma</it>SSB and <it>Tne</it>SSB are the most thermostable SSB proteins identified to date, offering an attractive alternative to <it>Taq</it>SSB and <it>Tth</it>SSB in molecular biology applications, especially with using high temperature e. g. polymerase chain reaction (PCR).</p

The Role of Spatial Plans Adopted at the Local Level in the Spatial Planning Systems of Central and Eastern European Countries

CC BY 4.0The article deals with the issue of spatial plans at the local level. The aims of this paper are (1) extracting the characteristics of local spatial plans that can be compared more broadly (2) identifying, on this basis, the role of spatial plans at the local level in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). In achieving these aims, the authors have critically examined spatial plans and their performance, as well as the planning systems they belong to. Hence, they have investigated the types of local plans in each country, their legal features, and the layout of their content. This examination has revealed a host of problems in the workings of the CEE planning systems. The article highlights those spatial planning issues that could be the subject of more in-depth international comparisons. The study provides additional evidence that in countries where spatial plans are legislated, there are more (mutually differentiated) legal problems in their application. Such problems have been analyzed. Besides procedural problems, discrepancies between the contents of different types of plans (e.g., general plans and detailed plans) are very often a problem. The paper also proposes a novel method for detailed comparisons of selected aspects of spatial plans. It can be applied to a large number of countries and also to other aspects of spatial planning. Last but not least, the paper emphasizes the need for a detailed multi-stage consultation of each aspect to be compared

Kampinos National Park Activities in Relation to the Encyclical Laudato Si’

National parks play a very significant role in the nature conservation system in Poland. The Kampinos National Park situated in immediate vicinity of Warsaw is one of the most valuable protected areas. It stands out for its natural, cultural, social and scientific values. It is important for biodiversity conservation, scientific research and ecological education. Thanks to its attractiveness, it is often visited by tourists. By performing its formal duties, the Park fulfills the Pope Francis’ premise contained in the encyclical Laudato Si’. By preserving wild nature and cultural heritage for future generations, it creates conditions to explore natural, social and economic phenomena. At the same time, it offers excellent conditions for recreation and tourism. A wide offer of educational activities is provided for groups of people of different age and profession. This is how the Park implements Pope Francis’ idea of changing the ecological culture and understanding the responsibility for the natural condition of the environment by all members of the society.Parki narodowe w Polsce odgrywają ważną rolę w systemie ochrony przyrody. Położony w sąsiedztwie Warszawy Kampinoski Park Narodowy jest jednym z najcenniejszych obszarów chronionych. Wyróżnia się unikatowymi walorami przyrodniczymi, kulturowymi, naukowymi, społecznymi i edukacyjnymi. Ma istotne znaczenie dla ochrony różnorodności biologicznej, badań naukowych, edukacji. Jego atrakcyjność sprawia, że jest bardzo chętnie odwiedzany. Park, realizując zadania wynikające z uwarunkowań prawnych, w praktyczny sposób wypełnia przesłanie papieża Franciszka zawarte w encyklice Laudato si’. Chroniąc zasoby dla przyszłych pokoleń – tworzy warunki do poznawania zjawisk oraz procesów przyrodniczych, społecznych i ekonomicznych. Jednocześnie umożliwia wszystkim odwiedzającym wypoczynek i uprawianie turystyki. Bogata oferta edukacyjna skierowana jest do różnych grup wiekowych i zawodowych. W ten sposób Park wdraża propagowaną przez papieża Franciszka ideę zmiany kultury ekologicznej i współodpowiedzialności wszystkich członków społeczeństwa za stan środowiska naturalnego

The gender polarization of education and employment in the European Union countries (in 2005-2019) : practical implications

PURPOSE: The main purpose of this article is to define the level of education of the European Union citizens and to determine the gaps in this scope between men and women.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The analyzed indicators are percentage of the population with tertiary education (X1), percentage of early school leavers (X2), the participation rate in pre-school education (X3), and adult participation in learning (X4). What was also analyzed were such indicators as the percentage of employed graduates (Y1) and general employment level (Y2). The source of empirical data was the information collected by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) about 28 member states of in the years 2005-2019.FINDINGS: In recent years, the EU's education (28) member states citizens have been growing steadily. However, according to ISCED, more women than men improve their knowledge and gain an education at the education level of 5-8, and the gap in this scope is getting wider, to the detriment of men. This diversification can be observed particularly in such countries as Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: In recent years, one could observe that the EU member states that recent graduates' employment rate remained stable at a high level and that the total employment rate increased steadily. This applies both to men and women.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: For women, education and qualifications raising on the labor market should be important as the research indicated significant correlations between the indicators that characterize the differences in the level of education of women in the EU (28) countries and the differences in their employment, which was not observed in case of men.peer-reviewe

Investments in Renewable Energy Sources in the Concepts of Local Spatial Policy: The Case of Poland

The paper aims to determine the role and formula of investments in renewable energy sources in Poland&rsquo;s concepts of local spatial policies. It analyses 12,777 planning documents of local spatial policy (these are resolutions adopted by municipalities&mdash;in Poland there are two types of these instruments: studies of spatial development conditions and directions and local spatial development plans) in Poland enacted in 2005&ndash;2020. On this basis, local concepts were classified and related to the geographical and functional characteristics of municipalities. Poland is an interesting case study in this respect, providing a good reference point for broader international considerations. It was found that only 58.4% of Polish municipalities include renewable energy sources in their spatial policy concept. These are definitely more often urbanised municipalities. The degree of approach to renewable energy sources is also determined by the location of the municipality in the given province. The authors diagnose serious weaknesses in the Polish spatial planning system, consisting in the lack of skilful implementation of renewable energy sources into it. This is one of the reasons for the weaker development of renewable energy sources in the country. The authors consider as an innovative element of the research the analysis of the content of all spatial policy instruments in a given country, from the perspective of renewable energy sources, including proposing a way to verify these instruments