Soft skills of business students in relation to higher education internships

Due to the country’s lack of natural resources and its dependence on human resources, Jordanian universities have started to implement quality assurance system aiming to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the higher educational system. This paper presents the results of a research that aims to identify the main issues and challenges facing these universities in implementing quality assurance system. Data for this research were collected using a survey mailed to all public and private universities to investigate the main issues affecting the implementation of quality assurance system in Jordanian universities. The results of this research showed that the most important challenges faced by Jordanian universities are: human and lack of awareness, resistance to change and cultural among others. The research findings hoped to be useful for both universities and policy makers in the government in order to realize the full benefits of implementing quality assurance system. Hence, this and other research on implementing quality assurance in higher educational institutions might be of assistance.

The marketing environment of universities’ activities in Ukraine is changing dramatically. As a result, the system of chances and risks for universities is constantly changing. Therefore, timely detection of changes in the marketing environment and effective management ensure the competitiveness of the universities. The aim of the article is to identify the marketing environment dominants of the Ukrainian universities, as well as to assess the efficiency of marketing tools application in the system of universities’ management. On the basis of statistical and primary data analyses, the higher education market in Ukraine both at the state and regional levels has been assessed and the university’s dependence on market sources of funding has been substantiated. As the modern domains of the marketing environment of universities, changes in the distribution of state-funded places, the impact of external independent testing, and the intensification of competition between universities are determined. The influence of external independent testing on structural intersegmental changes concerning the choice of specialties of universities’ entrants is proved. The comparative characteristics of the marketing management tools in Ukrainian and Polish universities are considered. The obtained results outline the importance of strengthening the marketing orientation of management in universities.

For the past few years, major progress in providing academic autonomy to Ukrainian universities has been made. However, a large number of universities even now remain the establishments with post-Soviet bureaucratic type of organization of management. As a result, a severe and complicated system of control over current activity has been supported, which requires from scientific and pedagogical workers not only to work effectively, but also to keep the set of rules and procedures. The purpose of the research is to search for possibilities of efficient application by modern universities of flexible matrix structures of management while forming their own internal system of quality control. Threats from bureaucratic management have been generalized for competitiveness of a modern university at the market of educational, scientific and consulting services. The concept and methodology on de-bureaucratization of the system of quality in higher education on the basis of the process approach of the theory of management and rationalistic logistics obtained further development. The mechanism of management of quality at the operational level of the university through integration of the segment-focused approach, system of grading and matrix organization of regular processes has been improved. Ways to apply matrix structure the middle and low levels of managing university have been suggested. Author’s recommendations have been provided towards rating evaluation of work of departments and their segment-focused structural organization. The matrix structure of management of quality of carrying out the temporary research project in the university under the conditions of the budget commission has been developed and practically tested.