Business Management

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  DIGITAL LEARNING IN A POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY: EVIDENCE FROM EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

  Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has enabled countries to jump faster into the future of digital learning. However, the question arises as to what the lasting effects of the pandemic would be, in terms of what education will look like in the post-Covid era; will this way of learning become the ‘new normal’ or should the world immediately be ... Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has enabled countries to jump faster into the future of digital learning. However, the question arises as to what the lasting effects of the pandemic would be, in terms of what education will look like in the post-Covid era; will this way of learning become the ‘new normal’ or should the world immediately be returned to pre-pandemic mode of physical classroom. Purpose: This article aims to address the above-mentioned challenge by examining trends, shifts, and changes in doing online courses or using online learning materials across European countries prior to the outbreak of the pandemic until the time when many countries removed the measures. Methods: The analysis is based on Eurostat statistical data for 37 European countries regarding Internet use by individuals doing online courses and Internet use in general from 2019 to 2022. Aside from descriptive statistical analysis and distribution of data and trends, a cluster analysis is performed to examine how different groups of countries respond to pandemic-induced changes and how they can move forward in terms of digital learning practices. All statistical measurements are performed in the Python programming language using diverse set of libraries, including algorithm for conducting a cluster analysis. Results/conclusions: The results suggest that during the temporary physical closures due to the pandemic, online courses were considered a safe backup system for learning and training, but the popularity of virtual courses declined as social restrictions began to ease. At the same time, the composition of clusters evolves over time, which points to changes in the dynamics of engagement in online courses among various groups of countries. Overall, the analysis made here represents a useful guide for formulating strategies to further promote and support digital inclusion and online education initiatives.

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  MANAGING THE INTELLECTUAL POTENTIAL OF GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITALIZATION CHALLENGES

  This article delves into the interrelationship among contemporary economic phenomena, namely global value chains, digitalization, and the management of intellectual potential. The paper scrutinizes and underscores the antecedents that led to the inception of the global value chains concept, and delineates an evolutionary diagram of this notion. ... This article delves into the interrelationship among contemporary economic phenomena, namely global value chains, digitalization, and the management of intellectual potential. The paper scrutinizes and underscores the antecedents that led to the inception of the global value chains concept, and delineates an evolutionary diagram of this notion. The aim of this paper is to examine the importance of global value chain challenges and their impact in the digitalization context. To achieve this goal, the Delphi method of collective examination is used in order to conduct a large-scale survey with the involvement of economists working in the global value chains field. The results of the study show that the factor “Lack of skills in the use of digital technologies” is the most influential, and the factor “Corporate culture” is the least influential. A statistical survey was carried out, involving a sample of sixty respondents who are experts in the field. Subsequently, a number of challenges were ranked based on the scores obtained through the Delphi collective examination methodology. The research confirms the pronounced significance of macro groups encompassing challenges to cyber security and the degree of digitalization among the company’s personnel. The novelty of this research lies in the proposed classification of the challenges of the global value chains in the digitalization context and conclusions obtained thanks to the collective expertise regarding the significance of the classified factors.

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  PROFILING SCHEME FOR “POTENTIAL STRESS”

  It is a daily task for management to design jobs, pay systems, job descriptions and other aspects of organizational functioning. But by including a profiling of employee’s potential workplace stress, companies could improve “the daily health” of employees and support a healthy and motivated organization underpinning a satisfactory company ... It is a daily task for management to design jobs, pay systems, job descriptions and other aspects of organizational functioning. But by including a profiling of employee’s potential workplace stress, companies could improve “the daily health” of employees and support a healthy and motivated organization underpinning a satisfactory company performance. Drawing an employee’s stress profile would enable the manager to address the workplace stress prior to it actually happens, which would be beneficial for both the employee and the company. The aim of the paper is to suggest a profiling scheme for “potential stress” based on 12 so-called “stress boosters”. The profiling should be viewed upon as an operational tool, which managers can use in their daily management of both employees facing a potential risk of becoming stressed, but also to support the process of hiring new employees.