Abstract
The current criticism of higher education is that the education offered does not match the needs of practice. In terms of competitiveness, Germany is about the forefront in Europe, and logically the question of whether higher education is the source from which leads to this result. The objective of this paper is to compare the corresponding study programs of Czech and German universities in the area of Economics by identifying the relevant differences and to confirm or dismiss the validity of the research hypothesis „Business Economics programs at German universities differ in ways that can boost competitiveness“. In order to compare the study programs between Czech and German universities, the eight faculties of Economics geared towards Business and Economics and Bachelor degree program were selected. As an introductory information, the structure of the programs was compared in terms of course load and which courses being compulsory, elective, and various forms of actual work practice and Bachelor thesis. The portfolio analysis of compulsory courses was organized into more general course groups and the percentage share of the total extent of compulsory courses was evaluated and the percentage of the active part. The analysis of Bachelor’s degree programs justifies the validity of the research hypothesis such that German study programs are more focused on practical application in a work environment. To that, contribute significantly the German specific institutions, the universities of applied sciences, which are strongly geared towards the needs of actual practice. The reflection of findings may apply in the context of the forthcoming implementation of amendment to the Higher Education Act.
Highlights
The general impact of higher education on international competitiveness is accepted universally, it is included as the fifth pillar (Higher Education and Training) of the worldrenowned international competitiveness assessment through Global Competitiveness Index (World Economic Forum, 2017), and a statistically significant correlation of the both ratings has been identified (Sekuloska, 2014)
In relation to the given hypothesis (“Business Economics programs at German universities differ in ways that can boost competitiveness”), the analysis shows that in German universities there is a higher proportion of compulsory courses related to managerial processes and with a higher concentration on active learning
The related data justifies the validity of the hypothesis “Business Economics programs at German universities differ in ways that can boost competitiveness“ such that German study programs are more focused on practical application in a work environment
Summary
The general impact of higher education on international competitiveness is accepted universally, it is included as the fifth pillar (Higher Education and Training) of the worldrenowned international competitiveness assessment through Global Competitiveness Index (World Economic Forum, 2017), and a statistically significant correlation of the both ratings has been identified (Sekuloska, 2014). The International Institute for Management Development (IMD, 2017) uses four main criteria, which in turn include a number of sub criteria, one of them Education. World Economic Forum has provided the competitiveness ranking for nearly half century, but during the past decades, the international competitiveness environment has changed radically. ‘Throughout the 1990s, many countries recognized and began to imitate the U.S model of economic growth by improving access to higher education, increasing government investment in R&D, and lowering barriers to trade and investment. The topic of competitiveness was found important in the European
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