DEALING WITH DIFFERENCES IN ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND LEARNING PRACTICES AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AS PART OF UNIVERSITY SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The focus of the present research is international students’ adaptation in the academic environment. The working hypothesis is that there exists a gap between international students’ perception of the university policy dealing with academic problems and university (international office, student council, and teaching staff) vision of the same issue. The current research employs the following methods: the monographic (literature review) method and series of semi-structured interviews (20 interviews with international students, seven interviews with university lectures who deal with these students on a daily basis), and an in-depth interview with the university vice rector. The research questions are: (1) What are the key factors of the international graduate students’ academic adjustment in Turiba University? (2) What is the role of the university in assuring international students’ academic integration? The results are interpreted qualitatively, using the method of inductive thematic analysis

Impact of social media on interpersonal communication patterns

Th e present article deals with the problem of social media communication and its impact on the everyday communicative behavior; namely, on the ways we speak and write. In order to accomplish this task at fi rst we turn to philosophical background of communication, paying a special attention Søren Kierkegaard’s media criticism. Th e second chapter of the article is devoted to the explication of the basic notions of social media studies, emphasizing such concepts as new media, new new media, and network society. Th e third part of the article presents the results of students’ survey regarding their attitudes towards contemporary communication practices, the main conclusion being that although students recognize the impact of social media on their everyday communication patterns, including the situation and perceive it as a new natural environment of communication

THE FACTORS OF GREEN MARKETING AFFECTING CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION IN LATVIA

Remarkably, the percentage of environmentally friendly practices used in marketing is growing. The understanding of how to use environmentally friendly practices is the primary cause for this high grade. The vast majority of customers have a good understanding of green technology and the beneficial influence that they have on the environment. According to the findings of a recent research, customers' awareness of environmental concerns may be increased via eco-friendly marketing strategies. Consumers in Latvia have placed a considerably greater emphasis on environmentally responsible practices as a means of marketing. Research goal: to identify the factors of green marketing affecting consumer purchase intention in Riga, Latvia.  Research method: a survey. For the purpose of processing the data in the SPSS environment, the following methods were utilized: descriptive statistical analysis, analysis of reliability, analysis of factors, analysis of regression. Main findings: due to the very fluid and complicated nature of the current business climate, this study investigates the facts and realities surrounding green customers.

Social Indicators of the University Corporate Responsibility

Today there are many challenges the modern university faces related to globalization, immigration, economic recessions, fluctuation of number of students, shrinking support from the government, commercialization of higher education establishments, etc. One of the most significant tendencies in the development in the field is the increasing role of the corporate social responsibility (the university social responsibility, in particular). The aims of the present paper are two: first, to research he current literature on the changing social roles of the university in society, second, to describe the concept of university social responsibility (USR) and its various research frameworks. Its main objective to work out model to be tested in the further empirical research of the university social responsibility in Latvia

CRITICAL THINKING AS GROUNDS OF SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATION

Companies and individuals are willing to introduce the principles of social responsibility in their everyday working practices, still, in order to accomplish this and to have real gains for the company and society, the concept of social responsibility has to be understood in the broadest sense. This understanding is based on critical information processing or critical thinking.  Information can be obtained through reflection, observation, communication, experience, etc. The aim of the research is to study the factors that influence the basic principles of critical thinking formation, which are the basis of socially responsible communication. The authors employ the monographic method for charting the theoretical framework, the survey to research respondent’s’ ability to evaluate information critically and to make socially responsible decisions. As the result of research the authors conclude that development of the critical thinking competences can raise the level of social responsibility on the individual and societal level

DECISION MAKING FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE ENTERPRISES WITH A FOCUS ON SUCCESSFUL WORKPLACE COLLABORATION

Research purpose. It is rational to say that individual decision making is less timeconsuming and easier than group decision making. Decisions can be accomplished in sucha manner as long the individual is an expert, well-informed on the topic, and is unbiased.However, due to globalization and technological advancement people are enforced to performchallenging tasks in collaboration with other individuals. Nowadays one of the factors whichcontribute the most to business success is whether or not employees are able to collaborate inteam settings. By utilizing team settings businesses gain fasters operations and more effectiveresults. Additionally, collaboration positively impacts individuals’ responsibility, whichfurthermore empowers their motivation, especially in a digital workplace setup. Thus thepurpose of this research is to determine and evaluate the most important values which impactcollaboration in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Methodology. The study was carried out in a non-experimental way with a focus tocollect data for descriptive research. A two-phase structured self-administrative survey wasdistributed online (n=117). 7 points Likert scale was applied to sum survey responses overthe set of individual values.Value / Practical implications. As a conclusion is offered a set of recommendations formanagers concerning the improvement of collaboration in the workplace based on discoveredindividuals’ values, like introducing Kanban boards to track and trace the efficiency ofindividual effort, increasing autonomy in the workplace, etc

Evaluation of the use of influencers for the development of consumer satisfaction in the Baltic consumer goods market

[EN] A business focused on the consumer and its satisfaction is an important factor in ensuring the company's competitiveness. The process of attracting new customers always involves more money, time and energy. In order for a company to retain existing customers and gain only new ones, one of the main tasks is to know the factors that make them happy. Within the framework of this work, the authors want to study the theoretical foundations of consumer satisfaction, to understand the peculiarities of the development of consumer satisfaction using digital content creators - influencers. The use of influencers is an integral part of today's business development, enabling companies to operate successfully in a competitive environment. This study identifies factors that influence consumer satisfaction with the use of influencers to enable companies to improve their use and become more competitive. The study uses both secondary data analysis and expert interviews and consumer surveys. The study describes the situation in the field of influencer marketing use in the Baltic States. The study finds that influencers provide a higher level of consumer satisfaction. In order to achieve the goal of the research, three tasks were set: 1) to analyse theoretical basis of consumer satisfaction and the use of influencers; 2) to describe the use of influencers and their contribution to consumer satisfaction; 3) to study consumer evaluation of influencer activities. A monographic or descriptive method was used to analyse the theoretical aspects of the use of influencers, an analysis of secondary data was used to describe the situation, and a consumer survey was conducted to examine consumer perceptions of influencer activity and its contribution to consumer satisfaction.Linina, I.; Vevere, V.; Zvirgzdina, R. (2022). Evaluation of the use of influencers for the development of consumer satisfaction in the Baltic consumer goods market. En 4th International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2022). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 129-137. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2022.2022.1507112913

NECESSITY OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY FORMATION AND ITS PECULIARITIES IN THE TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

Everyday life is unimaginable without telecommunication services; they are the significant players in the national economy. All business activities, including the ones of telecommunication services, are directed towards the satisfaction of customers’ needs and wants, and hence towards the profit earning. This process, in its turn, entails the formation of different company/customer relations, where both parties want to gain something out of these relations. The company strives, first of all, to increase the turnover and profit, while the customer wants to receive the desired services, information and the proper attitude. These customer gains can be basis of the loyalty formation, that is very important for the company, because the process of attracting new consumers always involves spending money, time and energy. The goal of this work is to explore the loyalty formation process and its peculiarities in the telecommunication services. Based on the results of the study, it was found that the experts rated the offer of corporate loyalty programs at the lowest, then followed the service offer and the price, but slightly higher the service quality. The experts assigned the highest rating to the prestige of the service. Based on the low assessment of the experts in the telecommunication industry of the loyalty program offer, the authors propose the conceptual consumer loyalty model for the practical use

Indexes as Business Environment Characterizing Instruments

Every year several world organizations evaluate countries according different criteria and determine their indexes, such as KOF Index of Globalization, Corruption Perception Index, Global Competitiveness Index, Global Innovation Index, and others. These indexes later are used for analysis of the aspects of entrepreneurship activities in specific countries. One particular application of indexes is related to analysis and evaluation of the business environment of the country. The entrepreneurship is affected by many factors; to research all of them is very time and effort consuming process. The proposed approach (i.e., use of indexes) is targeted and can yield results of the practical significance. The goal of the current paper is to compare indicators of the Baltic countries with average indicators of the European Union by using selected indexes that characterize business environment. To reach this goal we set the following tasks: (1) to characterize theoretical framework of indexes that pertain to the business environment; (2) to perform comparative analysis of selected indicators of business environment of the Baltic countries and the EU according to 4 indexes; (3) to make conclusions about business environment in the Baltic countries, especially in Latvia, on the basis of indexes. The current study employs the logical-constructive method – comparison of theoretical notions with empirical data. The factor analysis allows identifying and comparing factors within chosen indexes. The benchmarking is used to estimate indicators of the Baltic countries and compare them mutually and with the average indicators of the EU – it allows to identify the best examples and calculate the deviation. The graphic method allows depicting information visually and making subsequent analysis

CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT IN LATVIAN RETAIL ENTERPRISES UNDER COVID-19 CIRCUMSTANCES

Ensuring customer satisfaction is the key to a successful retail business. The process of attracting new customers always involves more money, time and energy. In order for a company to retain existing customers and build relationships with them, one of the basic tasks is to know the factors and levels that affect their satisfaction. In the current situation of COVI-19, this poses even greater obstacles and challenges. In order to identify the company's ability to ensure competitiveness in a crisis situation, the authors have set the goal of the research to study the factors influencing retail consumer behavior under COVID-19 circumstances. This study will provide retail businesses with an understanding of the need for consumer relationship management in a restricted situation. From the scientific point of view, the authors have analyzed the theoretical aspects and summarized the approach to the understanding of buyers' behavior in crisis conditions. As a result of the research, the authors conclude that even in crisis situations, companies can manage the relationship with consumers and shape the attitude of buyers, which can be one of the tools for ensuring competitiveness.