Students Organisations Could Help Interest, Achievements and Success of Its Members

Abstract

This research – which is done at all the Faculties of our University of Applied Sciences, Budapest Business
School - is based on a long-term study which aim is complex. On one hand, we would like to observe the motivation
of students in colleges for advanced studies and analyse motivations to find out how we can develop their commitment
for the organisation. On the other hand, we are searching for answers, how can we recruit new potential members and
what kind of professional or scientific lectures and courses they are interested in. Study programs are short at the
University, and first year students rarely take an active part in this organisation, so the changes are very frequent. It is
the same situation at the other faculties, too. The advanced study program is planned for every semester. Year by year
it is needed to renew the membership, and the leadership who give directions to the organisation. We would like to
support this important aspect as well in our study, and to support the members and the leadership of the organisation in
how they can work more effectively as a manager after their studies. We would like to analyse the expectations of the
members, our university, and of the stakeholders, too. We observe how the organization can take part in the academic
reinforcements in the future.
We started research with constructing a relation- and sensitivity map to find out the connections inside and outside
these student organisations. For this study, the used methods were a questionnaire survey with the members, and a
focus group interview with the leaders of these organisations. In this questionnaire, we asked about students’ social
background, joining motivations and scientific activities. We conducted focus group interviews to find out their
expectation for the organisation and the members. Further research could be done to find out the expectations of the
stakeholders, the University and each Faculty of these student organisations.
In order to help development of its talented members, colleges of advances studies need to receive an image of effects
of structural changes in the organisation, or of the expectations. They have to organise the community as a big team
who likes working on projects together, and a study program of its members interest, also to inform them about
possibilities of doing scientific work, taking part in training and competitions, in order to keep the high level of the
scientific values. Beside the leader team, it is important to know how they can find new proactive members for the
colleges and how to support them during and after the University studies. These were all important aspects of our
study.