Full-time employed students as university consumers – consequences and triggers of marketisation of higher education

an article by Eve Mägi and Laura Kirss (PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies, Tartu, Estonia) and Krista Jaakson, Anne Aidla and Anne Reino (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, The University of Tartu, Estonia) published in European Journal of Higher Education Volume 2 Issue 2-3 (June-September 2012)

Abstract

This article draws on a qualitative study of student employment patterns among students who both study and work full-time.

In the study, 17 employed bachelor students at state-commissioned study places in three Estonian universities, 12 lecturers from the same universities, and 13 employers supervising those full-time students, were interviewed.

While recognising that the role of marketisation in higher education can be explored from a number of vantage points, the aim of this article is to demonstrate how marketisation has caused the change in students’ expectations towards universities and encouraged them for full-time employment in Estonia.

As the latter is a widely accepted phenomenon and adjustments on the ‘supply’-side are made, the implications of full-time employment on education are discussed.

The results reveal three areas in which university education is not corresponding to students’ expectations: content of study provided at the university, the study process, and university requirements.

In some respects students’ point of view was supported by the lecturers’ and employers’ perspectives.

The authors argue that the consumer model and customer orientation in universities has decreased rather than enhanced the quality of education. However, the development in quality can only occur with policy measures and a shared responsibility of participants as universities in the current situation appear to have insufficient power to improve the system independently.

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Workplace bullying and organizational culture in a post-transitional country

an article by Merle Tambur (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia) and Maaja Vadi (University of Tartu, Estonia) published in International Journal of Manpower Volume 33 Issue 7 (2012)

Abstract

Purpose
The aim of the study is to explore how organizational culture influences occurrences of workplace bullying in Estonia as a post-transitional country. Another objective is to produce comprehensive empirical evidence of bullying in the specific cultural context.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey is based on the internationally well-known research instrument, the Negative Acts Questionnaire Revised (NAQ-R) (Mikkelsen and Einarsen) and the Questionnaire of Organizational Culture (QOC) (Vadi et al.).
Findings
Victims of bullying: 22 percent – at least one negative act per week; 9.3 percent – at least two negative acts per week; 0.6 percent – by definition (several times per week or daily); 8 percent – by definition (occasionally). The results reveal a clear negative relationship between bullying and task and relationship orientation of organizational culture.
Practical implications
The present study indicates clear factors at the organizational level where the preventive actions are needed to diminish the negative impact of bullying on employee's well-being and encourages a discussion and further studies of workplace bullying in post-transitional countries.
Originality/value
In Estonia and in other post-transitional countries workplace bullying has not yet been studied closely. This study provides a comprehensive approach of workplace bullying related to organizational culture in a post-transitional country.

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