TELSP 2024 projects
The main component of the summer program is an active participation in the selected research project offered by the staff members of the Nicolaus Copernicus University, please see the topics and their descriptions below. Interested students are welcome to contact possible advisors for more details concerning the foreseen projects and discuss the dates that the project could be undertaken.
ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE:
LAW:
ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE
Economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine with special emphasis on the Central and Eastern Europe
On 24
th of February, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine. This aggression has been condemned internationally and many countries imposed sanctions on Russia. Numerous companies withdrew their operations from Russia and Belarus. The consequences are already (25th of March, 2022) very serious as already a month of bombardment caused thousands of deaths, ruined cities, the war also triggered Europe’s largest refugee crisis since WWII. The humanitarian, social and economic impacts of invasion and also of sanctions on Russia will have a substantial impact on the global economy as they will reduce global growth and raise global problems (inflation, disruptions and supply shocks of certain markets) over the next years but they will especially influence the development of the whole region of the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
The aim of the project is to show the most significant impacts of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine on the societies and economies with a special attention on the CEE.
The research task should include:
- analysis of the estimated worldwide consequences of the war in Ukraine and unprecedented sanctions announced on Russia with a special attention for Ukraine, Russia and other countries of the CEE;
- analysis of the anticipated financial needs and actions to be taken worldwide, including intervention from financial institutions (IMF etc.) especially targeted to the CEE;
- advice on how should the CEE countries calibrate their social and macroeconomic policies to manage spillovers and financial markets and other consequences of social and economic crisis.
| Supervisor: | Aranka Ignasiak-Szulc, PhD (aranka[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Economic Policy and Regional Studies, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | Economics and finance |
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Sustainable and responsible tourism in the post-pandemic Times
Tourism is considered one of the engines of economic development and a factor of competitiveness in many countries and regions. It should be noted, however, that the influx of tourists, especially mass tourism, can also result in a number of negative effects (e.g. overtourism), and even conflict with the concept of sustainable development. Therefore, an important role for entities responsible for the development of tourism should be the idea of responsibility, which today is referred to the concept of the so-called responsible tourism and connected to sustainability in travel and tourism industry.
The pandemic caused by the COVID-19 has significantly affected the tourism industry worldwide. Facing the consequences of the crisis connected with pandemic is there a space for responsible and sustainable recovery for travel and tourism industry?
It must be also added that not having fully recovered from one crisis, the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will also face the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The humanitarian, social and economic impacts of invasion and also of sanctions on Russia will have a substantial impact on the global economy and tourism in some destinations and will directly hit the travel in the region.
Research goals include:
- learning the basics of responsible tourism and sustainability in tourism;
- indentification of the tasks of the entities in the field of ensuring the development of responsible tourism and ways of its implementation (instruments), especially in the conditions of post-pandemic times;
- comparison of the state of implementation of the concept of responsible/sustainable tourism worldwide, in Poland and the Intern's country of origin and their regions.
Research tasks will include:
- literature studies and analysis of strategic documents in the field of ensuring conditions for the implementation of the idea of responsible tourism worldwide, in Poland and the Intern's country of origin;
- case studies on the implementation of tasks of entities responsible for implementing the idea of responsible and sustainable tourism worldwide, in Poland and the Intern's country of origin;
- comparative analysis of the state of implementation of the idea of responsible tourism and attitudes towards sustainability in travel and tourism industry worldwide, in Poland and the Intern's country of origin;
- formulation of conclusions and recommendations considering the current conditions (pandemic and war in Ukraine crises).
| Supervisor: | Aranka Ignasiak-Szulc, PhD (aranka[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Economic Policy and Regional Studies, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | Economics and finance |
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interCultural Leadership In the Digital Era (CLIDE)
Analysis of leadership behaviors for intercultural and distributed teams in the context of management sciences and legal contexts
Research tasks include:
- analysis of leadership literature for a specific region of the world
- analysis of the legal context for leadership and management behaviors for distributed and hybrid teams (for elected countries)
| Supervisors: | Mateusz Tomanek, PhD (mtomanek[at]umk.pl) |
| | Paweł Cegliński, PhD (pceglinski[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Business Excellence |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | Management |
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Socio-Economic Models of Amateur Sport Clubs (SEMASC)
Analysis of sports, marketing and organizational activities of amateur sports clubs
Research tasks include:
- selecting amateur sports clubs for a selected country,
- translation (validation) of the survey questionnaire (questionnaire available in English, French, P ortuguese, Lithuanian, Polish),
- conducting the research study,
- analysis of the results obtained
| Supervisor: | Mateusz Tomanek, PhD (mtomanek[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Business Excellence |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | Management |
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Presentation of non-financial information in annual reports of listed companies - comparative analysis
Presentation of the scope of non-financial information disclosed in the annual report prepared by listed companies
Research tasks include:
Preparation of a comparative analysis presenting differences in disclosures in the area of non-financial information
| Supervisor: | Ewa Makowska, PhD (emak[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Management Accounting |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | Management and Quality |
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Career development and labour market outcomes of students/graduates with international mobility experience
The main goal of the research is to recognize career development patterns of students with international mobility experience. Research questions suggested for inclusion in the data collection/survey are as follows:
- What are career goals of students with international mobility experience?
- What are the labour market outcomes of graduates with international mobility experience compared to gradutes without this kind of experience?
- In what activities available within their home university do the analysed students participate to develop their competence potential and professional experience (for example: language courses, summer schools, research/field trips, on-campus employment, reserch projects)?
- What activities outside the university do students undertake to develop their careers and increase employability (for example: internships, volunteering, paid job)?
- What are the pros and cons of these activities?
- What career services are available at their home universities?
- To what extent are the career development patterns in the studied group of students influenced by national culture factors?
- How do the surveyed students assess their career prospects?
Research tasks include:
- literature review and analysis of research evidence on career development and labour market outcomes of students/graduates with international mobility experience
- preparation of a survey questionnaire
- survey of 200-300 respondents and survey-based analysis of students’ views and experiences regarding the development of their careers
- presentation of research results, preparation of a publication draft
| Supervisor: | Monika Maksim, PhD (mouso[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Human Resource Management |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | Economics and finance |
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Strategy for financing the company's operations in crisis situations based on annual reports of listed companies from 2020-2022
Presentation of the company's crisis financing strategy from 2020-2022
Research task: Preparation of an analysis presenting the differences in the way listed companies finance their activities based on information presented in the annual reports of listed companies from 2020-2022
| Supervisor: | Ewa Makowska, PhD (emak[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Management Accounting |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | Management and Quality |
Note: this topic can be selected as non-priority as it will be founded if any of the topics are not selected.
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LAW
Around sexual freedom - the definition of rape and protection against sexual exploitation
Sexual freedom is one of the most important rights protected by criminal law. In recent years, two topics in particular have attracted special attention - the definition of rape and the approach to prostitution. In different cultural circles, and even in the same cultural circle such as Europe, both these issues are approached differently. In some countries, such as Poland, rape is defined as causing sexual intercourse against the visible resistance of the victim, using specific methods of action. In other countries, rape is understood as any sexual intercourse without prior consent. The Istanbul Convention counters this different perception of rape by proposing a definition of rape. Some countries have signed the Convention and changed their legal systems, others have not and claim that changes are not necessary to make the definitions consistent. The fundamental question also comes down to whether the definition contained in the Convention is sufficient and appropriate for the needs of the 21st century.
Another issue that raises differing positions is the approach to prostitution. Some countries prohibit prostitution, punishing prostitutes, others move prostitution to the gray zone and only punish people who benefit from prostitution, other countries allow normal registered business activity in the field of prostitution, and some countries shift the punishment to prostitutes' clients.
The aim of the project will therefore be:
- to analyze the most important acts of transnational law in the field of rape and prostitution,
- to analyze the criminal law approach to rape and prostitution in the criminal law of a selected country (the student's home country),
- to analyze the criminal law approach to rape and prostitution in Polish law,
- comparison of the solutions regarding rape and prostitution existing in the criminal law of the student's home country and in Polish law and comparing them to transnational law
| Supervisors: | Natalia Daśko, PhD (ndasko[at]umk.pl) |
| | Prof. Janusz Bojarski (bojarski[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Criminal Law, Faculty of Law and Administration |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | law |
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Human rights law – an idea or a practical concept?
Under the project the Student would develop the interest in international human rights. Mentor would encourage the Student to confront a letter of law and its implementation by analyzing laws, soft law, case-law and research findings from the country of Student’s origin with the UN and regional (e.g. the EU and the Council of Europe) legal instruments.
A list of possible research areas covers e.g.:
- The situation of protection seekers (asylum seekers, refugees, internally displaced persons), focusing on an access to the territory (legality of establishing border walls and stopping boats in international sees), to asylum procedures, to legal aid, to social benefits (e.g. a doctor, housing, food);
- The situation of detainees (in particular immigrants, protection seekers, children);
- Fight with terrorism (including its hybrid forms) and organized crime (in particular human trafficking and smuggling) – does it contradict with protection of human rights?
- Human rights at a workplace e.g. surveillance of employers, work-life balance (in particular in a context of work at home), non-discrimination (primarily based on sex, age and religious beliefs), increasing popularity of civil contracts in employment, responsibilities of employers for ensuring human dignity at a workplace, overuses in employment of immigrants;
- UN treaties, EU fundamental rights, and the Council of Europe system – complementarity or confrontation;
- Human rights protection as a facilitator for a continuation of the EU-Ukraine integration project;
- Humanitarian law (with special focus on refugees, Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, combatants, responsibility of political leaders) and law of war (including war crimes).
Other themes may be proposed by the Applicant.
The project schedule and research activities:
- An identification of:
- a particular research topic, based on the interests of the Applicant;
- a subjective and temporal criteria of the analysis;
- the most relevant acts of law, case-law, reports prepared by international and national non-governmental organizations and law-implementing authorities, as well as previous research findings;
- An in-depth critical analysis of relevant acts of law, case-law, and previous research findings;
- Presentation of the project’s outcomes – if that would be an intention of the Student it is possible to continue cooperation to deliver durable and tangible results e.g. an academic article which the Student would publish in Students’ academic journal.
Assumptions:
- The research findings would be periodically consulted with the Mentor;
- Additional ad hoc consultations will be organized upon the Student’s request;
- Previous research findings from Poland and from the country of origin of the Student could be comparably analysed, if that would be to the benefit of the project and of the Student’s interests.
| Supervisor: | Piotr Sadowski, PhD (psadowski[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Human Rights, Faculty of Law and Administration |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | law (international law, human rights) |
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Taxation in space - selected issues
Research objectives:
- To assess, the degree of adaptation of the national tax system to the development of space technology and human presence in space.
- identify necessary changes in tax law to adapt to the needs of the development of space technology and human presence in space
Research tasks:
- 1. Can the current legal regulations (not only tax regulations) in force in Poland and in the country of the student-participant be easily applied to human activity in space? (introductory questions)
- Do the national income tax regulations (especially regarding tax residency) in Poland and the country of the student-participant in the programme take into account the specificity of human stay in space?
- are we in space beyond the authority of the tax authorities? - The involvement of the astronaut in tax proceedings.
- Where should profits made in space be taxed?
The planned outcome of the work will be the preparation of a scientific article on a fragment of the project theme.
See more (pdf)
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Does taxes have to be ethical? (Ethical principles as an argument in the tax law interpretation process)
The research objective will be to seek an answer to the question of the validity and advisability of using ethical arguments in the process of interpreting tax law.
The tangible result of the work will be the preparation of the text of a scientific article on a fragment of the problem.
Three problems will be considered:
- whether, in cases of ambiguity in the law, ethical arguments can be a relevant directive of interpretation,
- whether ethical principles can be a basis for rejecting the results of the linguistic interpretation of a legal text.
- can ethical principles be invoked only by the taxpayer or also by the tax authority?
See more (pdf)
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International human rights standards and their domestic implementation
The aim of the project is to enable a selected participant to develop her/his interest in the area of human rights protection. Applicants are particularly encouraged to analyze and the domestic impact and application of international human rights law (IHRL). Thus, the interrelations between domestic legal systems and IHRL, as well as different concepts of ensuring its effectiveness are very welcomed.
A list of possible research areas covers e.g.:
- Freedom of expression and hate speech;
- Right to health and human rights in the context of healthcare;
- Protection of voulnerable groups, e.g. children, persons with disabilities, minorities + Principle of equality and non-discrimination, inclusion
- Gender and human rights;
- Civil society and human rights protection;
- Critical analysis of recent jurisprudence and practice of international human rights protection bodies and national court.
These topics however do not constitute a closed list and another issue may be selected after a consultation with the project participant
It is expected that project participant will be able to identify, analyze and interpret international and national legal instruments and jurisprudence, as well as other relevant research sources.
The project will be carried out according with a following schedule and
tasks:
- Identification and selection of a particular research topic;
- An in-depth analysis of relevant sources (legal instruments, case-law, doctrine) according to the project’s aims and research questions;
- Consultations with a mentor throughout the project;
- Presentation of outcomes.
| Supervisor: | Julia Kapelańska-Pręgowska, PhD (jkp[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Human Rights, Faculty of Law and Administration |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | law (juridical law) |
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Inclusive and pluralistic societies. A human rights approach.
The aim of the project is to enable a selected participant to develop their interest in the area of human rights protection. Applicants are particularly encouraged to analyze and explore the domestic impact and application of international human rights law (IHRL). Therefore, the interrelations between domestic legal systems and IHRL are highly welcomed. Projects should address current challenges and problems observed in selected domestic jurisdictions.
A list of possible research areas includes, for example:
- The role of civil society in human rights protection;
- Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
- Multicultural societies – challenges and good governance
- Freedom of speech and hate speech
- Human rights cities – concept and good practices
However, these topics do not constitute a closed list, and another issue may be selected after consultation with the project participant. It is expected that the project participant will be able to identify, analyze, and interpret international and national legal instruments and jurisprudence, as well as other relevant research sources.
Research tasks: The project will be carried out according with a following schedule and tasks:
- Identification and selection of a particular research topic;
- An in-depth analysis of relevant sources (legal instruments, case-law, doctrine) according to the project’s aims and research questions;
- Consultations with a mentor throughout the project;
- Presentation of outcomes.
| Supervisor: | Julia Kapelańska-Pręgowska, PhD (jkp[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Human Rights, Faculty of Law and Administration |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | law (juridical law) |
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The future of constitutionalism in times of crisis
One of the most frequent diagnoses of the state of modern democracy is that liberal-democratic system – that is, one based on the principles of the rule of law, the sovereignty of the people, and respect for human rights – is in a constitutional crisis. The crisis, which is characterized by deep polarization and a high degree of demagogy in the political debate, would undermine both the legitimacy of a democratic system that is based on political pluralism and the capacity of political rivals to debate. At the theoretical level, the tension between the vitality of democracy and the formalism of constitutionalism is often emphasized. In a constitutional democracy, the constitution is a form of institutionalizing political power arising from the tendencies functioning in a pluralistic society that realizes the ideal of equality. In this context, the constitution expresses historically and culturally conditioned ideas that are subject to interpretation and reinterpretation. Interpretative openness is supposed to be a hallmark of democracy, and for this reason it can be seen as the institutionalization of political dispute and deliberation over the political goals of the community and the rights of individuals. Therefore, a particularly important organ for constitutional democracy is the representative legislature, which is a forum for deliberation and democratic adoption of legislative decisions. Democratic constitutionalism is based on the assumption that citizens wish to participate in the creation of their own state and law, and that the institutions of constitutional democracy should enable them to pursue this goal. In addition, contemporary theories of constitutionalism would propose new institutions involving citizens – to a certain extent – in the process of law-making, the resolution of constitutional disputes, and even the establishment or amendment of the constitution, such as the proposal to establish a special deliberation day or the attempt to make the idea of deliberative democracy a reality in the form of the Citizens' Assembly in Ireland, the Icelandic National Assembly, and British Columbia's Citizens' Assembly.
Research tasks:
- identification and description of a specific phenomenon as a symptom of the crisis of constitutionalism;
- reconstruction and interpretation of a selected contemporary theory of constitutionalism, e.g. democratic constitutionalism or deliberative constitutionalism;
- answers to the question of how the selected contemporary theory of constitutional democracy responds to the diagnosed symptom of the crisis;
- presentation of the results.
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Work-life balance - a new paradigm for work in the modern world?
The dynamics of the processes taking place on the labour market poses a major challenge for labour law. Legal regulations must be created in such a way as to meet the challenges of the contemporary world of work, and the weaknesses of the Polish legal system in this respect were severely exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was only then that the potential lying in flexible forms of employment, so far rather marginally used in practice, began to be noticed. Unfortunately, the problems that had not been given enough attention until then also gained strength, including the problem of combining work and family life and the particularly difficult situation of working mothers. New standards in this respect are being set by the idea of work-life balance, which is gaining a growing number of enthusiasts in employment relationships, including among job applicants who are paying more attention to the terms and conditions of employment offered by the employer. The promotion of an effective work-life balance, including, in particular, support for working parents, especially mothers, in combining work and childcaring, became one of the main objectives of EU social policy even before the outbreak of the pandemic. These objectives were clarified in Directive 2019/1158. In Poland, the legislation implementing the Directive entered into force in April 2023.
The research objectives of the project are: to determine the impact of the work-life balance concept on modern labour relations, with particular emphasis on institutions supporting parenthood and the return of women to the labour market; to analyse EU and national legal instruments supporting the work-life balance concept, with an assessment of their potential effectiveness in practice and taking into account themes of a comparative legal nature; to identify the impact of modern forms of employment, such as remote working, on the implementation of the work-life balance concept.
Research tasks:
- The way in which the work-life balance directive is implemented in Poland and the identification and analysis of institutions supporting work-life balance in Polish labour law (including institutions supporting the return of mothers to the labour market).
- The way in which the work-life balance directive is implemented in the participant's country of origin (if applicable) and the identification and analysis of institutions supporting work-life balance in the labour law of the participant's country of origin.
- Comparison and evaluation of the potential effectiveness of instruments supporting work-life balance in Poland and in the participant's country of origin.
- Can we already speak of the work-life balance concept as a new paradigm of work in the modern world?
- Presentation of research results.
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Current problems of maritime law
Carry out a research analysis on a selected issue addressed in the ongoing work on maritime law at the International Maritime Organisation or the Commite Maritime International, in particular:
- the legal regulation of autonomous ships (analysis of the work carried out so far in the international forum, comparison of the achievements in the national law of selected jurisdictions)
- prerequisites for the loss of the right to limitation of liability under international maritime conventions
- the nomenclature of national and international legislation on the maritime vessel.
Research tasks:
- analysis and compilation of research on one of the above-mentioned topics in the form of a presentation and, possibly, a publication in a student scientific journal/website of the Maritime Law Student Research Group
| Supervisor: | Zuzanna Pepłowska-Dąbrowska, PhD (zpeplow[at]umk.pl) |
| | Department of Commercial and Maritime Law, Faculty of Law and Administration |
| Internship period: | 19.08 - 15.09.2024 |
| Scientific disciplines: | law |
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