Attitudes and perceptions of public relations professionals towards graduating students’ skills
Abstract The study asks whether universities should educate public relations students with a focus more on traditional skills or new technical skills. Results of a survey of 113 public relations professionals show that, while new technical skills are seen as increasingly important, professionals still value traditional skills more. Within the new technical skills, professionals emphasized the latest trends.
QUALITY CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENTS MECHANISM OF STUDY FIELD - FOCUSED ON PROFESSIONAL STUDY FIELD
Quality control mechanism that allows long term improvements of a study field or a study program is necessary for good functioning of educational institution or department in actual nature of competitive universities’ environment. This paper focuses on quality control mechanisms in general and more closely on professional study fields. The professional study fields have been settled in Czech higher education by approving the amendment to the Higher Education Act. This brings new need for control and improvement mechanisms based more on connection to industry practice than on academic publications. The aim of this paper is to explain the importance of gathering information from contact with study field’s stakeholders. These information lead to form appropriate improvements implemented on time. In the case study, there are presented examples of gathered findings and how they are being handled. They include the student‘s expectations that underrate theory although it is needed for basic insight to the industry. The students are also motivated to start their own business. What this paper brings is the proposed continuous development mechanism that helped to improve the bachelors study field Multimedia in Economic Practice and also the general recommendations that should help to any other study field.
Project management education: The human skills imperative
Abstract This paper is intended to provide an insight into the importance of human skills in project management success and the apparent lack of emphasis placed on this within the context of university education. The discussion will call upon the viewpoints of many notable authors in respect to the human or ‘soft’ skills that are necessary in the management of projects. Against this background a review will be conducted into how well project management literature and university education equips potential project managers in the area of human skills. As the PMBOK ® Guide is one of the major recommended texts in Australian universities offering project management education, the paper will identify that it predominantly emphasises the required ‘hard (technical) skills’ at the expense of the ‘soft (human) skills’. Subsequent discussion will highlight the need for a balance between hard and soft skills within project management education in universities. It will conclude that educators within this discipline should recognise the importance of incorporating greater human skills aspects into their educational programs.