Réka Polák-Weldon

Leaders on Duty

The change management literature focusing on change management practices in large companies is well covered. Although, when it comes to small and medium size enterprises in Hungary (SME) there is less practical and theoretical research available. The roles of SME managers are determined by strict rules. As a result, special manager competencies are needed to raise satisfaction related to the implementation phase of the change process. In order to remain competitive in the long run, it is inevitable to respond and adapt to change in an adequate way. The article provides a comparative analysis through the method of case study and competency analyses by examining the successful change processes of two SMEs. The focus of the research is the managerial competencies of the change leaders. Beyond change leader competencies defined by Carnall some additional competencies were also identified.

Curriculum Design Change of the Industrial Engineering BA Program

Higher education institutions are complex adaptive systems that need to respond to environmental pressures in a flexible way in today’s dynamically changing environment. Resource dependency theory provides a framework to understand the process of adaption required to meet challenges. Based on the theory this paper introduces a case study presenting curriculum design change of Industrial Engineering BA program at the University of Pannonia, Hungary. The case study followed four steps of curriculum design change: reasons, design and development, teacher preparation and course design, and course evaluation. As a result of external and internal constraints the foreign language education and learning modules of the Industrial Engineering BA program had to be improved in 2009. After almost 3 years of offering a new foreign language introductory course the evaluation of the efficiency became necessary. Results show that learning module change has a positive effect on student activities of foreign language course enrolments and efficiency.