Regional Formation and Development Studies

Straipsnyje iš metodologinių pozicijų aptariami paskaitų, vykdomų auditorijose, ir nuotolinių paskaitų teigiami bei neigiami aspektai. Aptariamos vadybos nuotolinių studijų galimybės, kuo šios studijos skirias nuo kontaktinių studijų. Pateikiamos autorių diskusinės nuostatos dėl nuotolinių studijų. Konstatuojama, kad pasaulyje, visuomenėje vykstant esminiams pokyčiams, būtina keistis ir universitetams.

Smulkiojo ir vidutinio verslo geografija, jos struktūra ir erdvinė sklaida tiriami bendraisiais ir geografiniais tyrimų metodais, kurie

This article analyses the availability of transport infrastructure objects in the Baltic macroregion. With the help of the cluster and integral assessment methods, the authors differentiate and classify mesoregions of the Baltic macroregion according to the level of development of both individual transport types and the transport system as a whole. The theoretical contribution of the study lies in the revision of the existing integral indices of transport infrastructure object availability, whereas the practical contribution of the study relates to the possibility to apply the results obtained in developing and adjusting regional and industry-specific transport development programmes. An important conclusion of the study is the practical confirmation of the significant underdevelopment of the regions of North-West Russia (within the Baltic region) as to the availability of transport infrastructure objects in comparison to most mesoregions of the Baltic macroregion.

Innovation and an innovative approach in management, education and leadership have been changing over decades, according to the dynamic world we are living in. Changes start at an individual level, with the personality, and only those who have changed themselves can start to lead others towards global change. The Latvian National Development Plan defined aspects of polycentric development for all the regions of Latvia. Each region has resources, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, but human resources are the most important resource for change, creative ideas and sustainable development. The education system changes very slowly, from lecture learning to a more inclusive ‘learning by doing’ approach. This approach has been used in northern countries for a while, but Latvia has just now started to implement the approach. The term ‘innovation’ today is wider than product, process, service or organisational innovation. At a national and regional level of development, it is crucial to encourage inhabitants of the region to stay in or return to rural areas, and create knowledge and enterprises in the region and their home town.The aim of the paper is to evaluate the involvement of residents in management activities and regional development processes, and their willingness to participate in the creation of knowledge and innovative entrepreneurship and co-creation. The paper is a review of literature on theoretical aspects of the creation of innovation in the region in a combination of survey analyses of residents. The methodological approach is based on two steps: a review of research literature, and an analysis of the results of a survey of residents of the region of their willingness to be involved in processes and tasks for regional development, and some aspects of analysis of entrepreneur opinion about innovative solutions in their companies. The article consists of four main parts: 1) the theoretical findings of a systemic approach to innovation and development; 2) the role of the innovation process in development from different perspectives; 3) an analysis of a survey of the region’s residents about their willingness to be involved in processes of regional development; 4) aspects of innovation used in regional entrepreneurship. The significance of the paper is to define aspects of regional development relating to innovation and co-creation.

Quality of life characterizes the conditions of human existence, the level of satisfaction of needs. Children with disability restrict ability of the families to meet their needs. Parents of these children quite often are limited in their employment and education opportunities, and their resources, they meet with restrictions in all areas if life. Such a situation has developed not only because of the socio-economic situation in the country, but also due to the lack of interest and inadequate support. The aim of the paper is to analyse the family quality of life of the families with disabled children with in regions of Latvia. Empirical data were obtained by structured interviews with 272 families. The research shows that the situation of the families with disabled children differs in different regions of Latvia. Families are supported by the state and municipalities, bet the support in the areas of emotional, physical and social wellbeing does not recompense the influence of special needs of the disabled children on the family quality of life.

The author considers scientific background of the methods and instruments of monetary policy under the integration conditions in the post-Soviet space. Analysis of formation conditions of the Economic and Monetary Union of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kirgizstan is presented. Findings about the expediency of the use of various theoretical approaches to regulation of exchange rate within the formation of state’s currency policy under globalization conditions are introduced. Problems of monetary and currency policy along with directions of their development in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are discussed. The directions of monetary and currency policy coordination within EAEU are offered. The author defines possibilities of their realisation under present conditions.

On purpose to increase the demand for insurance services in Lithuania there still remains a problem of how consumers perceive this service as well as what components, influencing their decision to purchase non-life insurance products, they accentuate in the price of insurance service. Emphasizing the assumptions of sustainable economic development in Lithuania and attempting to form regional policy by means of research, the study was implemented in order to identify factors and causal relationships that determine non-life insurance product purchasing motives in Lithuania. The study conducted a survey of Klaipeda city residents who buy various insurance products in different insurance companies. In total 420 respondents participated in this survey. To verify the results of the research three tests were applied: Pearson‘s Chi-square test, Fisher test (Fisher’s exact) and Cramer’s V test. It was identified that friends’ recommendations do not affect consumer‘s choice for insurance products. Higher rates of benefits as well as flexible pricing policy were not important factors choosing an insurance company. High insurance product’s cost and unclear conditions set in the contracts do not encourage consumers to purchase them. In the course of the research significant relationships between the consumer’s choice to insure by specific insurance product and consumer’s discount-enhanced motivation to purchase insurance products were not observed. All measured insurance products did not reflect statistically significant correlations between the decision to get insured and the knowledge about the prices in other insurance companies.

The article analyzes the factors that influence the quality of the study. Quality of study and its assurance are priority tasks in the European higher education area. The key provisions of the Bologna Process focus on the paradigm shift in higher education. The Berlin Communique (2003) identifies the need for quality assurance at institutional, national and European level as well as for the development of common quality assurance criteria and methodologies. The Bergen Communiqué (2005) emphasized the importance of research for the improvement of studies, and endorsed the European qualifications framework for higher education based on learning outcomes. They are defined by the Dublin Descriptors (2005), which describe knowledge and understanding specific to each cycle, the application of knowledge and understanding, as well as decision-making, communication and learning to learn skills (2014-2020 Case Study of the Suitability and Compatibility of European Union Funds Investment in Training Programs, 2018). The Leuven Communique (2009) emphasizes student-centered studies, which remain a priority in the European Higher Education Area Quality Assurance Regulations and Guidelines (2015). The article analyzes the attitude of students of pedagogical studies towards the factors that influence the quality of studies. Students from Lithuanian and Romanian regional universities (Klaipėda University and 1 Decembrie 1918 University) participated in the study, 553 persons studying in various forms, undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The study was conducted with the aim of increasing internationalization and developing partnerships with European Union universities. Close collaboration in research helps to disseminate best practice in improving the quality of studies. This international study is theoretically and empirically based on the research methodology and statistical methods have identified the most important factors that determine the quality of the study process. It is researched how students’ attitudes towards individual study process quality factors depend on their study evaluation, learning motivation, age and other parameters. The dissemination of the research results will help the academic community of the universities to carry out similar research and to improve the quality of studies on this basis.

This study consists of three main themes: (1) An overview is given about the main findings of the economic theories associated withemployment and labour / paid work; reinterpretation of the concept of labour is also provided, divided into pre-industrial, industrialand post-industrial periods, which the author aligns with the periods of the economic thought. The author interprets globalizationas a factor influencing the transition between industrial and post-industrial periods; and she elaborately introduces its economicsocialand labour market impacts. Among the potential alternatives of employment of the future, this thesis investigates the atypicalforms of employment, public employment and social (solidarity) economy. (2) Central-Eastern European countries and regions areanalyzed, as the territorial unit of the research, from labour market and employment aspects. Afterwards, the author evaluates theemployment situation of her closer environment, Northern Hungary. (3) Afterwards, she contributes suggestions to the criteria ofcreating a more efficient regional employment policy. The aim of this research was analysed the regional labour market situation bythe Central-Eastern European countries and regions, in particular by the North Hungarian region and was gave some proposals for apossible, efficient regional employment policy. Therefore through the multiple transformation of work concept, the demand for alternativeemployment forms has increased along with the significant change of the content. The author believes that these alternativefields and the regional employment policy can provide the answer for global labour market problems in the future. At the beginningof her research, she hypothesised that the position of the North Hungarian region is significantly determined by its special economicand social context which can be derived from the end of communism. The author used Hoover-index, tested the Okun’s law inCentral-Eastern European countries and regions, calculated the Markov-chain model and used factor analysis methods.

The global tourism marketwitnesses the increasingly intensifying processes of altering competition andcustomer needs. Competition is taking place not only among tourism serviceproviders, but also among other participants in the leisure services market –entertainment business organizations, trade and leisure centres. Within the European tourismsystem the highest potential to increase the market share currently belongs tothe Central and Eastern European states, which include Lithuania as well. Seeking to makeuse of these opportunities, it is indispensable not only to create tourisminfrastructure, but also to search for other ways of representing uniquetourism services. World Tourism Organization experts carried out a number ofsurveys, the goal of which was to determine the aims and presumptions of atouristic travel. It was established that even in the presence of changingleisure and holiday habits and fashions, one of the most important factors forchoosing a target travel destination remains the touristic attractiveness ofplaces of interest.