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The article addresses the issue of the future of European universities on the path to sustainable development. The main aim of the article is to describe foreseeable future directions of the sustainable development of universities and ways to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In effect, the authors identify weaknesses, assess threats and recommend coordinated solutions and alternatives for the sustainable development of universities. This research will contribute to future work by explaining what the future of universities will look like on their sustainability journey. The results of the Delphi study conducted with the participation of 201 experts from 47 countries allowed for the identification of factors shaping the future of universities on the path to sustainable development.

The objective of this paper is to examine the efficiency of the public sector when it comes to labor market policy (LMP) in European Union (EU) countries. The primary aim is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of public services connected with the LMP from the viewpoint of the efficiency of public expenditure allocated for that purpose. The turning point for the European labor market was marked by the introduction of lockdown in 2020 due to the COVID–19 pandemic. The article’s overall aim is to evaluate the efficiency of EU labor markets before and during the pandemic and to ascertain the extent to which the volume of public services (their financial allocations) affects selected labor market indicators. The efficiency of EU countries in 2019 and 2020 was evaluated by applying the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. The BCC (Banker, Charnes, Cooper) model was used in this study. The output‑oriented BCC model was selected as it seems adaptable to the specifics of the LMP. Microsoft Excel Solver was used for solving the DEA model, which is applied to working out linear optimization models. The efficiency of public expenditure was evaluated using data from Eurostat. A total of seven variables were used for the analysis; they comprised five variables as inputs (government expenditure on services by selected function and two uncontrolled inputs represented by job vacancy rate and GDP per capita) and two variables as outputs of selected labor market indicators (employment rate and unemployment rate ). The cross‑country comparison was conducted in two dimensions – among individual EU countries and among a group of countries that represent different public administration traditions (i.e., Anglo‑Saxon, Continental European, South European, Scandinavian, Eastern European, and South‑Eastern European). The study demonstrates that even though the Southern countries achieved the worst results in terms of labor market indicators, it is in contrast to the efficiency approach using DEA, where countries such as Portugal and Greece achieved full efficiency for both 2019 and 2020. The efficiency approach of the LMP for 2019 and 2020 indicates that there is a very good situation in Central and Eastern European countries. Full efficiency is also achieved by Cyprus, Malta, Sweden and Germany. The least efficient LMP is found in Belgium. During the pandemic, most of the analyzed groups of countries improved their efficiency scores of public expenditure on LMP. The exceptions were groups of countries with the South European tradition and the Scandinavian tradition, where the measure of efficiency decreased slightly. This may demonstrate the effectiveness of the implemented public policy to counteract the negative effects of COVID–19 on the labor market. The value added of this paper comes from the demonstration that the proposed methodology, using the DEA method, can be used to measure the efficiency of LMP at micro‑ and mezzo‑levels and to make cross‑country comparisons.

The research aims at the identification of factors influencing mentoring services with a particular emphasis on the country of origin of the mentor and the mentee. The quantitative research was conducted in four Central and Eastern European countries, i.e., Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania and one Southern European country, Italy. The implemented methodology covered Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and reliability analysis, which were performed to identify factors influencing the process of communication in the mentor–mentee relationship. Moreover, to diagnose statistically significant differences between individual countries in terms of factors influencing the effectiveness of communication, the Kruskal–Wallis H Test and the Mann–Whitney U Test, as well as pair-wise comparisons, were used. Factors influencing communication in the mentor–mentee relationship are mentor traits, mentor’s personal background, mentor’s professional background, non-verbal communication channels, communication barriers, written communication channels, online communication, quality of content and the ability of content processing by the mentee. There are differences in the perception of individual factors in the analysed countries. So far, no cross-country comparison has been conducted of factors influencing mentoring services. As a direction for future research, more detailed research can be recommended concerning factors of the mentoring process in such countries as Lithuania, Latvia and Italy by developing separate models (or EFA) for mentors and mentees.

Abstract Background A reliable assessment of the functional abilities of patients after severe brain damage is crucial for valid prognostication and treatment decisions, but most clinical scales are of limited use among this specific group of patients. Aim The present study investigates the usefulness of the Early Functional Ability (EFA) scale, which determines the functional abilities of severely impaired patients. Methods Critically ill patients consecutively admitted to early neurological rehabilitation were screened for eligibility. We assessed the correlation between the EFA scale and (i) the Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index (ERBI), and (ii) the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). The 1-year outcome on the Glasgow Outcome Scale-extended (GOSE) was used to examine the predictive validity. Demographical and medical variables were entered into univariate and multivariate binary regression models to identify independent predictors of 1-year outcome. Results Two hundred fifty-seven patients (168 men) with a median age of 62 years (IQR = 51–75) were enrolled. The correlation of the EFA scale with the CRS-R was high but low with the ERBI upon admission. Multivariate regression analysis yielded the vegetative subscale of the EFA scale as the only independent predictor for the 1-year outcome of patients admitted to early neurological rehabilitation. Conclusions This study shows a high correlation of the EFA scale with the CRS-R but a weak correlation with the ERBI in patients with low functional abilities. With improving patient abilities, these correlations were partly reversed. Thus, the EFA scale is a useful tool to assess the functional abilities and the prognosis of critically ill patients adequately and may be more feasible than other scales.

The growing competition for customers requires constant improvement of service quality, continuously raising the importance of this matter and the significance of the entire service sector. Essentially, service quality concerns not only the private but also the public sector. Service quality in the public sector has already been widely discussed in the literature. Among research themes in the frame of public service quality, the healthcare sector attracts particular attention from researchers. Therefore, this study aimed to identify research topics on the public service quality and healthcare quality discussed in the SCOPUS database from 2012 to 2022. A bibliometric technique and the VOSviewer software were used to analyse over 25 000 articles on public service and healthcare service published over ten years. As a result, a total of ten research themes were set up, five in the healthcare sector and five in the public sector, which were linked using keywords and presented on maps. The identified research themes demonstrate the most popular research directions and indicate research gaps related to the subject.

The aim of the article is to identify the influence of the first months of Russian aggression against Ukraine on the recruitment plans of enterprises in the country receiving refugees, as exemplified by the Polish case study. Quantitative research was conducted among 500 Polish enterprises. Based on monthly measurements, before and after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, information was received from enterprises on their plans related to recruitment, including Ukrainian workers. Additionally, secondary data available from public databases was analysed. Clustering methods were used to analyse the dynamics and structure of the data gathered from the enterprises. Correspondence analysis was implemented to visualize the relationship between the structure of enterprises and recruitment decisions. The war in Ukraine influenced a deterioration of operating conditions for Polish companies. Regardless of the barriers faced by the companies, in April 2022, all enterprises willing to increase employment were thinking of hiring refugees from Ukraine. Such targeted demand from employers created the conditions for the rapid labour activation of refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The present study intended to analyze the outcome of patients with severe brain injury one-year after discharge from early rehabilitation. Methods Early neurological rehabilitation patients admitted to intensive or intermediate care units and discharged between June 2018 and May 2020 were screened for eligibility. The level of consciousness was evaluated using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) upon admission and at discharge. At one-year follow-up, the outcome was assessed with the Glasgow Outcome Scale-extended (GOSE). Demographical and clinical data collected during inpatient rehabilitation were used to predict the outcome 1 year after discharge. Results Two hundred sixty-four patients (174 males, 90 females) with a median age of 62 years (IQR = 51–75) and a median duration of their disease of 18 days (IQR = 12–28) were included in the study. At follow-up, the mortality rate was 27% (n = 71). Age and discharge CRS-R total score were independent predictors in a Cox proportional hazards model with death (yes/no) as the dependent variable. According to the GOSE interviews, most patients were either dead (n = 71; 27%), in a vegetative state (n = 28; 11%) or had a severe disability (n = 124; 47%), whereas only a few patients showed a moderate disability (n = 18; 7%) or a good recovery (n = 23; 9%) 1 year after discharge. Age, non-traumatic etiology, discharge CRS-R total score and length of stay independently predicted whether the outcome was good or poor at follow-up. Conclusion Age was an important predictor for outcome at one-year follow-up, which might be due to altered brain plasticity and more comorbidities in elderly subjects. In addition, the present study demonstrated that the CRS-R total score at discharge might be more important for the prediction of one-year outcome than the initial assessment upon admission.

This review article explores the scientific literature on managing neurodiversity in workplaces, aiming to identify emerging research directions, gaps, and methods used. A systematic literature review in the hybrid form was implemented, combining bibliometric analysis and structured review. A review of selected social sciences publications from the SCOPUS database was conducted. The literature review reveals a lack of research linking neurodiversity with human capital management. Key findings indicate that neurodivergent individuals contribute unique talents contingent on appropriate management strategies. The research identified in the reviewed literature in the scope of managing neurodiversity in workplaces primarily focuses on four areas: the well-being of individuals with autism, inclusion strategies, employment challenges, and recruitment transformations. The review identified 22 articles addressing the following areas: mental health and quality of life, inclusive workplace designs, psychological perspectives, and human resource practice adaptations. Additional studies cover family relationships, emotional intelligence, and the need for new research approaches, predominantly using qualitative methods. The study concludes that more theories, methods, and contexts are needed to support neurodivergent employees. Future research should develop integrated solutions to enhance employment rates and reduce turnover, using theories like Self-Determination Theory and Universally Designed Synergistic Supervision. Integrating neurodiversity into sustainable human resource management practices can enhance innovation, employee satisfaction, and organizational reputation. Continuous policy improvement is crucial for long-term success and inclusivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main objective of this paper is to identify and compare the level of digital competences at the country level in the European Union (EU). Design/methodology/approach: The data connected with digital competences of inhabitants were adopted from the Eurostat database. There were 19 selected variables, which refer to the last available official data for 2023. The grouping of the EU countries into clusters was provided by the K-Means method, and the ranking of EU countries by digital competence development was done using the TOPSIS method. ANOVA test was used to determine whether there are statistically significant differences in the averages of digital competency variables across the clusters, thereby validating the effectiveness of the clustering method. Findings: The EU countries which can be treated as benchmarks for others in terms of digital competences are the Netherlands and the Nordic countries. At the same time, a very low level of digital competences is noticeable in Bulgaria and Romania. Research limitations/implications: Beside the EU cross-country comparisons in terms of digital competences, another important issue is the change in the level of these competences over the years. This issue was not addressed due to the limited volume of the article, but it may be a direction for future research. Practical implications: The analysis allowed for the identification of benchmark EU countries which can serve as samples for good practices analysis. Social implications: Analyzing benchmarks can provide identification of the reasons (social and economic policy solutions) for the high level of digital competences in these countries. Originality/value: There is a gap in scientific research concerning analyses of the level of digital competences at the macroeconomic level and cross-country comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Research background: Different crises (COVID-19 pandemic, war, natural disasters etc.) usually require new ways for providing public services to the citizens and, from this, to reinterpret and adjust the role of the public servant as the strategic key for assuring the continuity of the governance at all levels. Purpose of the article: The article establishes a relationship between the public service motivation dimension and job satisfaction aimed to analyze the mediating role of social support in a crisis. Methods: The standardized questionnaires, i.e. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Work Design Questionnaire, and Perry's PSM scale, were used to observe variables in the research model. An exploratory factor analysis was used before hypothesis testing. We deployed a structural equation modelling (SEM), as a multivariate technique, to test and evaluate multivariate causal relationships between constructs. Findings & value added: Based on a sample of selected Central and East European countries (namely Poland, Romania, and Serbia), the study confirms the significant impact of social support on the relationship between self-sacrifice and compassion, as a public service motivation dimension, and extrinsic job satisfaction and intrinsic job satisfaction. Social support received from colleagues and supervisor is identified as a powerful non-monetary means of neutralizing negative effects during crises and increasing job satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economics & Environment / Ekonomia i Środowisko is the property of Fundacja Ekonomistow Srodowiska i Zasobow Naturalnych and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)