HUMAN CAPITAL INDICATORS IN SERVICE INDUSTRIES: FROM WORKFORCE PROFILE TO OUTPUT MEASURES

Human capital is an especially important attribute of business activity of all types of enterprises and continuously constitutes a trending subject among theoreticians. Continually arising new theories and methods of human capital measurement do not meet with sufficient interest and confirmation of their significance among practitioners. Market reality makes service organizations notice the need for being interested in the research regarding human capital. This article is an attempt to determine instruments for measuring human capital which is used for providing services by an organization. The research focused on the service sector because of its intellectual and personnel intensive nature. The final sample consisted of 93 Polish firms. This study presents the perception of the importance to disclose human capital measures by senior executives in service firms and shows what they concentrate on – measure of age, competency level, engagement, productivity, customer service or satisfactio

HUMAN CAPITAL INDICATORS IN SERVICE INDUSTRIES: FROM WORKFORCE PROFILE TO OUTPUT MEASURES

Human capital is an especially important attribute of business activity of all types of enterprises and continuously constitutes a trending subject among theoreticians. Continually arising new theories and methods of human capital measurement do not meet with sufficient interest and confirmation of their significance among practitioners. Market reality makes service organizations notice the need for being interested in the research regarding human capital. This article is an attempt to determine instruments for measuring human capital which is used for providing services by an organization. The research focused on the service sector because of its intellectual and personnel intensive nature. The final sample consisted of 93 Polish firms. This study presents the perception of the importance to disclose human capital measures by senior executives in service firms and shows what they concentrate on – measure of age, competency level, engagement, productivity, customer service or satisfactio

Fairness at Trial: The Impact of Procedural Justice and Other Experiential Factors on Criminal Defendants' Perceptions of Court Legitimacy in Poland

A large body of research supports the procedural justice hypothesis that quality of treatment matters more than outcomes for institutional legitimacy. How fairness matters across legal institutions and geographic settings remains an open question, however. This article uses a survey of criminal defendants to test the factors associated with perceived legitimacy of courts in Poland, a country whose judiciary is currently subject to intense political contestation. The findings confirm the primacy of procedural justice, while also illustrating the influence of instrumental performance factors such as time and court organization. This suggests that in contexts of political transition with disputed legal institutions, citizens’ contact with procedurally fair, operationally efficient institutions can support the legitimacy of authorities and strengthen the rule of law

Postpartum psychosis in bipolar disorder: no evidence of association with personality traits, cognitive style or affective temperaments

Background: Bipolar disorder has been associated with several personality traits, cognitive styles and affective temperaments. Women who have bipolar disorder are at increased risk of experiencing postpartum psychosis, however little research has investigated these traits and temperaments in relation to postpartum psychosis. The aim of this study is to establish whether aspects of personality, cognitive style and affective temperament that have been associated with bipolar disorder also confer vulnerability to postpartum psychosis over and above their known association with bipolar disorder. Methods: Personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, schizotypy and impulsivity), cognitive styles (low self-esteem and dysfunctional attitudes) and affective temperaments (including cyclothymic and depressive temperaments) were compared between two groups of parous women with DSM-IV bipolar I disorder: i) 284 with a lifetime history of postpartum psychosis within 6 weeks of delivery (PP group), ii) 268 without any history of mood episodes with onset during pregnancy or within 6 months of delivery (no perinatal mood episode, No PME group). Results: After controlling for current mood state, and key demographic, clinical and pregnancy-related variables, there were no statistically significant differences between the PP and No PME groups on any of the personality, cognitive style or affective temperament measures. Conclusions: Personality traits, cognitive styles and affective temperaments previously shown to be associated with bipolar disorder in general were not specifically associated with the occurrence of postpartum psychosis. These factors may not be relevant for predicting risk of postpartum psychosis in women with bipolar disorder

No Hope ? An Essay on Globalization Theories and the Legal Institution Building Processes in Postcommunist Europe

The author shows how some hope linked to real opportunities for newly developing democracies is inherent in the globalization of law processes. She also indicates the obstacles that arise along this road.Pas d'espoir ? Un essai sur les théories de la globalisation et les processus de construction des institutions juridiques dans l'Europe postcommuniste. L'auteur montre que, pour les démocraties en voie de développement, un certain espoir lié à des opportunités certaines est inhérent au processus de globalisation du droit. Elle indique aussi les obstacles qui se dressent sur la route.Skapska Grazyna. No Hope ? An Essay on Globalization Theories and the Legal Institution Building Processes in Postcommunist Europe. In: Droit et société, n°35, 1997. Globalisation des échanges et espaces juridiques. pp. 47-60

Rationality is service receiver’s trait

Purpose: The article constitutes the expansion of authorial research on rationality from a service provider point of view. This time, it is from a service receiver's standpoint. The research's main goal is to identify factors that positively affect a rational choice of healthcare or transport services and allow a consumer to evince a trait of rationality. Design/Methodology/Approach: Chi-square tests and empirical significance level tests in statistics were performed. It was verified whether there is a correlation between a social group and the proportion of answers. A cross-functional analysis was done in different social groups. Findings: A statistically significant test result indicated that particular social groups differed in terms of the frequency of pointing out a given answer. The research results that are presented cover the situations in which a consumer evinces rational behavior. The findings also highlight factors that influence a consumer's decision while buying a service. They clearly show that, in both service categories, high quality and efficiency are the factors that decide while making a final decision. Moreover, employed people and students stress the importance of an office in healthcare or the appearance of a service provider in transportation. Retired people appreciate the convenient location of a service facility in both categories. Practical implications: the analysis of the variable distribution showed that it was possible to create a list of service providers' recommendations. Thanks to recognizing factors that determine the choices of service receivers, the providers will be able to arrange a service offer better – adequately to market needs. Originality/Value: Rationality, from a service perspective, is a scarce subject. Raising it is original and makes the research unique, attested by the opinion comparison between three social groups – students, employed people, and pensioners. The analysis processes enabled the creation of action strategies for service receivers with regard to the future of selected service categories.peer-reviewe

La socialisation juridique et le changement social

This short analysis of legal socialization and social changes is undertaken in view of the importance of legal socialization for the processes of transformation occuring in Central Europe. The study is based on the assumption that for legal socialization two factors have an essential meaning : the individual cognitive, emotional and moral development and the educational effects of the social (cultural, political) System control mechanisms. Arguments presented in the study stress the significance of the system control mechanisms in societies in which the intervention of the centralized political system was deep and overwhelming. That resulted in the deterioration in social consciousness of the concept of law and values related to that concept, together with the axiological separation of two spheres of discourse : public and private one, and ultimately, in deterioration of the public sphere of discourse. It is hypothetically ventured that the reconstruction of the concept of law and values cornposing the concept of legality in social consciousness could be possible through the fundamental concepts of private law, norms and values forming themselves around the concept of private property.Cette brève analyse de la socialisation juridique et des changements sociaux a été effectuée compte tenu de l'importance de la socialisation juridique pour les processus de transformation en cours en Europe centrale. L'étude est fondée sur l'hypothèse selon laquelle deux facteurs ont une importance essentielle pour la socialisation juridique : le développement cognitif, émotionnel et moral de l'individu et les effets éducatifs des mécanismes de contrôle propres au système social (culturel, politique). Les arguments présentés dans l'article soulignent l'importance des mécanismes de contrôle du système dans les sociétés dans lesquelles l'intervention d'un système politique centralisé a été profonde et écrasante. La conséquence en est une détérioration dans la conscience sociale du concept de droit et des valeurs qui lui sont liées ainsi que la séparation axiologique de deux sphères de discours : la sphère publique et la sphère privée, ce qui aboutit à la détérioration de la sphère publique du discours. Il est avancé à titre d'hypothèse que la reconstruction du concept de droit et des valeurs qui composent le concept de légalité dans la conscience sociale pourrait être possible à travers les concepts fondamentaux du droit privé, à travers les normes et valeurs qui se forment autour du concept de propriété privée.Skapska Grazyna. La socialisation juridique et le changement social. In: Droit et société, n°19, 1991. Le rapport des jeunes au Droit à l'Est et à l'Ouest, sous la direction de Chantal Kourilsky. pp. 365-375