Vilnius University
Kaunas Faculty of Humanities

HISTORY

The Department of Business Economics was founded in 1990 after the merging of the departments of Economic Theory, Industrial Economics and Trade Economics. In 1993 the Department of Commerce was established and some members of the Department of Business Economics worked there. Assoc. prof. Rimantas Stačiokas headed The Department of Business Economics in 1993. In 1996 the Department was reorganised into the Department of Business Economics and Management. Since 1998 the Department was governed by assoc. prof. Rimantas Pareigis, assoc. prof. Žaneta Simanavičienė, assoc. prof. Virginijus Tamaševičius, assoc. prof. Raimundė Matiušaitytė. In 2004 the Department of Commerce was joined to this Department. Currently the Department of Business Economics is headed by the assoc. prof. Ingrida Šarkiūnaitė.

STUDIES

The Department is concerned with the coordination of the bachelor’s degree programmes in Economics, Management and Business Administration (for college graduates, part – time and  full – time students), and three  master’s degree programmes for full – time  and part time students in Marketing and Trade Management, and International Business.

Management and Business Administration studies aim at preparation of qualified managers that are able to solve management problems effectively, and take managerial decisions in business enterprises and manufacturing companies. Graduates are capable of the foundation of an enterprise, its management. They are also capable to analyse and estimate business functions, create business, strategic and development plans that are necessary for the activities of enterprises.

Economics’ programme educates highly qualified economists for public offices, municipalities, banks and other enterpsises. Graduates are capable to perceive the essence of economic phenomenon, arrange and propose economic solutions and forecast their outcomes. While studying this programme students develop their ability to be critical and analytic, learn how to raise and solve relevant economic issues, efficiently apply other countries’ economic experience, analyse companies’ and organizations’ economic activity and apply methods that help to increase effectiveness of economic activity.

The master’s degree programme in Business Administration prepare highly qualified managers that are able to assess the potential of their organization in a competitive struggle, take reasonable managerial decisions, shape strategies and implement them in organization development, analyse models of enterprise development, assess, differentiate and employ theoretical concepts of management and economics.

The master’s degree programme in International Business aims to prepare specialists of international business that are able to analyse economic and social development in the country and internationally, examine and evaluate the potential of an industry or business in the global market, and transform the potential into both strategy and activities of an enterprise. Graduates are capable to analyse models of enterprise development, assess, differentiate and employ theoretical concepts of management and economics in an international company’s activity.

The master’s degree programme in Marketing and Trade Management aims to educate specialists in marketing and trade management, creatively develops theoretical and practical understanding of management science, integrates knowledge of various sciences, and focuses on solutions of organization, marketing and trade management problems in the context of intercultural management. Students acquire the organizing skills of marketing, trade and logistics processes, critically and analytically estimate the changes in market, and make decisions in various fields of marketing and trade management.

SCIENTIFIC WORK 

The Department’s investigative work aims at factors of business environment. The scientists of the Department collaborate with the Kaunas Regional Association of Small and Medium Business, Kaunas Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, Lithuanian National Control Commission for Prices and Energy, Būtenta Ltd, Omnitel Ltd, Daily Service Ltd, Druskininkų Rasa Ltd, Kaunas regional tourism information centre, Vitabiotics, 1000 plytelių Ltd, JSC Kraft Jacobs Suchard Lietuva and other various Lithuanian companies. The scientists of the Department do research on mixed economy in the context of balanced development, prepare recommendations on the development of ecologically balanced trade business and natural economic activities; they analyse the social aspects of IT influence, the possibilities and difficulties for women to enter the labour market. The logistic theory of capital management, competitiveness of labor market and human resource, social-ethical marketing actions are applied in the research.

CONFERENCES

In 1999 an international conference Regional Economy and Development was held in Kaunas Faculty of Humanities due to the Vilnius University’s 420th  anniversary. The conference was organised by the Lithuanian Ministry of the Interior, Kaunas Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, Vilnius University Department of Economics and Kaunas Faculty of Humanities. Prof. Dr. (HP) V. Gronskas, assoc. prof. V. Tamaševičius, Dr. V. Šileikis, prof. Dr. (HP) D. Grundey were the members of the editorial board of the conference. Later the title of the conference was changed into The Development of Economy: Theory and Practice.

The aim of the conference is to join to the development of safe, reliable, effective and accordant economy and business in central and Eastern Europe countries. This conference allows open debates among scientists, business people and politicians from many European and other countries. It gives an opportunity to deliver a report, discuss upon new tendencies in science, review achievements and drawbacks, resume or make social contacts, collaboration, and is open for students’ participation since 2009.

SCIENTISTS

The outstanding scientists of the Department are: prof. (HP) Vladas Gronskas, prof. Dr. (HP) Remigijus Čiegis, prof. Dr. (HP) Dalia Štreimikienė, assoc. prof. Dr. (HP) Dainora Grundey, assoc. prof. Raimundė Roulund, assoc. prof. Edverdas Bartkus, assoc. prof. Rūta Urbanskienė, assoc. prof. Ingrida Šarkiūnaitė, assoc. prof. Nijolė Patackienė, assoc. prof. Rimantas Pareigis.

PUBLICATIONS

The community of the Department publishes the results of scientific research in scientific press, monographs, educational and methodical publications:

• Jasinskas, E. (2008).Valdymo sprendimų priėmimas. Kaunas (in Lithuanian)
• Bartkus, E. (2007). Smulkaus ir vidutinio verslo vadyba. Vilnius (in Lithuanian)
• Gronskas, V., Pilinkus, D. (2007). Ekonominės minties istorijos pagrindai. Vilnius (in Lithuanian)
• Štreimikienė, D., Čiegis, R., Jankauskas, V. (2007). Darnus energetikos vystymasis. Vilnius
(in Lithuanian)
• Čiegis, R. (2004). Ekonomika ir aplinka: subalansuotos plėtros valdymas. Kaunas (in Lithuanian)
• Čiegis, R. (2002). Tolydžios ekonominės plėtros alternatyvios teorijos. Kaunas (in Lithuanian)

PROJECTS

The lecturers of the Department participate in various projects: Society and Consumption: Analysis and Modelling of the Lithuanian Consumers’ Behaviour (prof. Dr. (HP) Dainora Grundey), Factors of Business Environment – Research of Social-Ethical Marketing in the Environment of Sustainable Economic Development ( prof. Dr. (HP) Dainora Grundey), Research of Labour Market and Human Resource Competitiveness (prof. Dr. (HP) Dainora Grundey), Factors of Business Environment – Ecologically Sustainable Development of Mixed Economy: Development and Management of Ecologically Sustainable Mixed Economy (prof. Dr. (HP) Dalia Štreimikienė), Factors of Business Environment – Problems of Entrepreneurship Development: Economical, Demographical, Political and Juridical Factors (Assoc. prof. Edverdas Bartkus), FP6-Mobility-3 Marie Curie actions project Competitiveness of the Labour Market and Its Entities (prof. Dr. (HP) Dainora Grundey), The research project coordinated by TATENA Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Strategies and Energetic Development Options (prof. Dr. (HP) Dalia Štreimikienė), UNDP’s project Analysis of State Strategic Planning and Management Mechanisms for Moving Development Countries towards Sustainable Development for Kazachstan Republic (prof. Dr. (HP) Dalia Štreimikienė), The Transformation of Global Environmental Governance: Risk and Opportunities (prof. Dr. (HP) Dalia Štreimikienė), The Knowledge Portal for the Stimulation of the Practical Application of the Scientific Research (Assoc. prof. Ingrida Šarkiūnaitė).

DISSERTATIONS

Since 2001 dissertations by Raimundė Matiušaitytė, Dainora Grundey, Raminta Ligeikienė, Eglė Kazlauskienė, Ingrida Šarkiūnaitė, Ingrida Gurskytė, Vilma Tamulienė, Rūta Bubnienė, Rūta Čiutienė, Živilė Vaitkūnienė, Edmundas Jasinskas, Raminta Pučėtaitė, Akvilė Kilijonienė, Rasa Pušinaitė were successfully defended. Currently the Department has seven dissertations in the process of preparation.

ALUMNI

The Department is proud of its graduates’ achievements. Mantas Jaruševičius – 011 real estate’s manager of mediation projects, High – school graduates, MATOZI, Zigmas Katinas – Būsto paskolų draudimas controller of special assets’ administration, Živilė Grundienė – Financial Crime Investigation Service’s under the Ministry of the Interior of the republic of Lithuania Kaunas regional department’s  senior specialist of  Economic activity’s investigation, Jolita Ramanauskienė – lecturer in the Department of Sociology at  Kaunas University of Technology Faculty of Social Sciences, Akvilė KIlijonienė – manager of Palanga municipality administration’s Public Procurement Office, Dr. Raminta Pučėtaitė – head of Kaunas Faculty of Humanities’ project group. Graduates that work at the Department of Business Economics and Management: prof. Dr. (HP) Remigijus Čiegis, Dr. Edmundas Jasinskas, Dr. Rasa Pušinaitė, Rasa Poškuvienė, Donatas Pilinkus, Marius Akulavičius, Rokas Grunda, Ilona Kiaušienė, Miglė Sarvutytė, Bernardas Toluba, Lina Verbauskienė.