Customer Focus in European Higher Education Systems

This article looks at the idea and practice of “customer focus” in higher education. As a global trend with origins in the business and corporate world, customer focus has come to increasingly shape public services worldwide. Influenced by business thinking, terminology, and practices, governmental organizations across policy areas have used customer focus to reform public services in order to bring them closer to the demands and expectations of their users. The paper particularly analyzes changes in customer focus understanding and its implications for the European higher education policies. The aim of the article is to contribute to a better conceptualization and policy understanding of this growing approach to higher education reform.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Comparing the lifestyles and environmental perceptions of rural and urban children: a case study in Turkey

This study aims to compare lifestyles and environmental perceptions of urban and rural children. Ninety-two students completed a questionnaire and were given two means (drawing or wring) to express their thoughts regarding (1) the activity and play areas, (2) their neighborhood and (3) their city. The results showed higher levels of parental supervision and restrictions on the independent mobility of the urban children in outdoor areas. This and other differences regarding the life styles are reflected in the children's drawings of various settings. The results have applied value for planners and urban designers, and additional research is currently underway