Vilnius University Open Series

Redakcinė kolegija ir turinys

2020-06-16T07:56:32+00:00

In keeping with the scholarly traditions of Vilnius University Kaunas Faculty, the 14th “Prof. Vladas Gronskas International Scientific Conference” was held in December 2019. This international conference is an arena for cooperation and scholarly fellowship, with young researchers, master and doctoral students from Lithuania as well as Latvia, Ukraine, India, Bulgaria, Hungary, Turkey, Russia, Israel, Nigeria participating in the different conference sections and poster session. The main goal of this scientific gathering has always been to contribute to the reliable, safe, effective and sustainable economy and business development. Thus, the organizing committee strives to create a suitable platform for well‐grounded and open discussion where young researchers have the opportunity to present and share their insights.
Encouraging entrepreneurship is a crucial condition for economic growth and this puts forward a new approach to business, creativity, value creation, and the implementation of innovations. It is precisely in this context where business and science should interact. To reinforce this relevant bond, the guest speakers of the plenary session were selected amongst experienced practitioners and scholars. This conference encourages internationalization and a closer cooperation between science and business. In 2019, the conference is going to expand the range of themes and invite not only the young but also experienced scientists to present their scientific findings. Hopefully, there has been some useful take‐away for both academia and business conference participants: new insights and inspirations for further scientific research and possible solutions to boost Lithuanian economy.

On behalf of the Scientific Committee
Assoc. Prof. Dr Ingrida Šarkiūnaitė

Specific dimensions of leadership in project management

2020-06-16T07:56:28+00:00

The report focuses on some specific dimensions of leadership in project management. Consideration is given to a set of factors that influence effective leadership in the project team. It is pointed out that in an environment of uncertainty and complexity, more and more organizations are moving towards a team approach for implementing project activities, thus striving to overcome the challenges of the environment in which they operate. In project management, leadership must take into account the current situation of the organization implementing the project. The most important task of the leaders in the field of project management is to achieve results. Leadership in project management can also be seen as a function of circumstance and the result of the interaction between members of the team who appoint a representative to organise a project and achieve its objectives.

Aspects of conflicts within the organization

2020-06-16T07:56:24+00:00

The article focuses on some of the aspects of conflicts within the organization. Issues leading to conflicts are discussed as an integral part of organizational life. The main types of conflicts are characterized. It is emphasized that regardless of the outcome of the conflict, its consequences have a certain impact and that each organization could benefit even from the conflict. There is no universal way of correct resolution, it depends on the conflict itself, the individual characteristics of each of the team members and, above all, the correct approach of the leaders. Failure to listen and downplaying the other side does not solve the problem. The best way out of conflict is solving the problem that caused the conflict.

Corporate sustainability impact on reputation and customer behaviour

2020-06-16T07:56:20+00:00

In a modern world sustainable business development is the adaptation of strategies and actions in order to meet the needs of the organization and society for nature conservation, social welfare and economy. Increasing concern for environmental and social issues commit business to take responsibility and adopt sustainable development principles into strategic management. The research on corporate sustainability examined in this article shows significant relationship of sustainable business between the company's reputation and customers behaviour, while brand image takes the mediating role on all of them. The following theoretical model was created: the impact of corporate sustainability on customer perceived corporate reputation and customer buying decision behaviour shows the relation between these determinants.

Mapping audience engagement of cultural organizations

2020-06-16T07:56:16+00:00

Audience engagement is a new strategic approach of cultural organizations when they aim to turn audience members to active participants and thus build their personal relationships with the organization. There are various suggestions how to make audience engagement stronger, but lack of evidence how to monitor it. In this article, we introduce integrated approach to audience engagement while evaluating and analysing the concept of mapping. The created prototype of audience engagement mapping can help cultural organizations to efficiently measure and evaluate their actions for choosing effective audience engagement measures. The empirical part of the article includes a study of 18 cultural organizations of Kaunas city. The study revealed numerous gaps among the theoretical recommendations and practical approaches of the organizations. In practice, the organizations tend to pay attention to the online activities, especially for affecting accessibility and cognition, however, there is lack of collective creation and audience involvement and engagement into programme development, discussions and context expansion.

The intersection of cultural dimensions, social media usage and consumer purchase intention

2020-06-16T07:56:12+00:00

The role of social media in today’s life is almost imperative. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram or Youtube are widely used all over the world. Above all, social media has become a global phenomenon, which has dramatically changed the concept of cross-cultural communication not only between individuals, but also brands and consumers. Varieties of social media platforms provide a new channel to acquire information through peer communication, thus influencing consumer purchase intention. Although diverse cultures have different cultural backgrounds, they affect the acceptance of social media usage. In order to broaden the understanding of this rapidly changing field, this paper provides a framework, based on Hofstede’s dimensions and Technology Acceptance model, for examining the intersection of cultural differences, social media usage and consumer behaviour to set the agenda for future research.

The influence of marketing tools on consumer behavior and its assessment

2020-06-16T07:56:08+00:00

The article aims to analyse and evaluate the influence of marketing tools on consumer behavior. In order to investigate the topic, a thorough analysis of scientific literature was performed and followed by systematization and generalization of different theories and academic sources. The research revealed that the use of various marketing tools such as advertising and online communication through social media or blogs allows to gain exposure for businesses and have a positive impact on consumer behavior. On the other hand, it is important to note that both micro and macro environment have to be taken into account, as individuals might make different decisions based on the surrounding cultural, social and market contexts. Based on the proposed theoretical model of the influence of marketing tools on consumer behavior, there is a positive correlation between sociological variables, external stimuli and marketing communications. The holistic model should be empirically validated and revised once investigated in practice.

Innovation planning

2020-06-16T07:56:04+00:00

The report examines theoretical assumptions regarding the nature and importance of innovation. Regardless of the diversity we see in terms of defining different types of innovation, we can come to the conclusion that all definitions have one common feature and it relates to focusing on the presence of something new and different. Innovation planning processes are discussed by indicating that they are aimed at defining specific actions so that the objectives set out in the company's innovation strategy can be achieved. The most important functions of planning are to coordinate the efforts of the participants in the innovation process and to link business objectives and opportunities for future development. Emphasis is placed on the importance of innovation for each organization and the necessary investment of efforts for appropriate innovation planning that provides competitive advantages.

The impact of flexible working arrangements on competitive advantages of organization

2020-06-16T07:56:01+00:00

In modern marketplace business organizations are obliged to take into consideration that in order to compete among other organizations, they must attract the best talents who are able to make creative decisions. According to the latest issue of world competitiveness report (2019), employees are striving for flexibility despite the observed fact that they also tend to lack skills and described as volatile. Organizations are trying to suggest appealing working conditions in order to position themselves as attractive employees. This might be the reason why many of the leading organizations in the world position themselves as employers of flexible working conditions (Wiryakusuma, Chai, King et al. 2017). As there is a skills gap noticed as a prevailing global trend, it became harder for organizations to change employees. Therefore, a lot of efforts and investments are necessary in order to keep a skillful and efficient employee.

Practice of applying visual advertising to Lithuanian contemporary art

2020-06-16T07:55:59+00:00

Visual advertising has become common part of our daily life in the past few decades. It is not only used for commercial, political or social purposes, but also for the implementation of artistic strategies. Specific constructed artworks, exhibitions and art projects situated in a special/unconventional public spaces (context or semiosphere) are used as a tool to seek more spectators and spread different messages with critical, ironical, social connotations which leads to the deeper communication with spectators. They cannot avoid them because the messages interrupt their minds accidentally passing by the streets and so involve in the active interaction process. Art full of advertising strategies criticises the consumerist society created by advertising, and provokes the subject to take on an active position with respect to raised problems, i.e., it acts in the ideological field of contemporary/postmodern art.

Internet marketing tools

2020-06-16T07:55:56+00:00

In today's world, every business organization can pursue marketing goals online. Choosing the right Internet marketing tools or combining several may be significant in reaching the target audience. Therefore, without precise criteria for assessing the impact of Internet marketing tools on business organizations, it is not very easy to choose the most appropriate tools to compete with other businesses. This paper aims to investigate the impact of Internet marketing tools on business organizations. In order to achieve this goal, the following tasks are set: to analyse the Internet marketing concept and to reveal the impact assessment criteria. The results have shown that there is no agreed scientific definition of the term and concept of Internet marketing tools. However, it is obvious that Internet marketing is the part of digital marketing. Also, the Internet marketing impact criteria consist of short-term effect, long-term effect, and alternatives. Internet marketing tools typically drive sales growth, strengthen the brand and help to build and maintain relationships with clients.

The impact of logistics sector on sustainable development

2020-06-16T12:59:31+00:00

In the context of global economy, logistics activities are necessary for ensuring the global competitiveness of other sectors and comprehensive development of the country. In the recent years, the concept of sustainable development is changing the meaning of economic growth. Taking into account the meaning of logistics and principles of sustainable development, the main aim of the article is to assess the impact of the logistics sector on sustainable development. In order to achieve this aim, theoretical concepts of sustainable development, logistics and its relationship are revealed , as well as key macroeconomic indicators and indices are identified and applied when evaluating the impact of logistics sector on sustainable development. The findings indicate that in the context of European Union countries, logistics sectors related with transport and IT factors significantly influence different indices of sustainable development.