PurposeThe purpose of this study is to compare and contrast Internet marketing communication tools used to accomplish key marketing goals between European Union higher education institutions (HEIs) and non-EU HEIs, such as in the case of Poland and Ukraine.Design/methodology/approachIn the article, the authors used the literature review method to justify the importance of implementing HEI marketing strategy based on marketing communications with Internet users, and thus to justify the relevance of the chosen research topic. Based on the literature review, the authors identified the goals of HEI advertising campaigns on the Internet (branding, recruitment of students, site traffic increase and subscription of Internet users to the university newsletter) and substantiated the analytical study of the two countries. The survey conducted by the authors allowed them to form their conclusions, the validity of which is based on the interpretation of the indicators calculated in the analytical section.FindingsThe hypothesis that the focus of HEI Internet marketing communications, recruitment of students, is universal regardless of the country of origin is proven. There is also no significant differences in Internet marketing communication tool use that is “simpler” and cheaper. University marketing managers widely use Internet advertising tools, but they have difficulty implementing public relations and sales promotion tools. Internet marketing communication is an important component of HEIs' marketing strategies, thus, comparing EU and non-EU HEIs informs future strategies.Practical implicationsThe results of this research are of interest to HEIs that seek to improve the adaptation of their marketing communication strategy to meet the conditions of digitalisation and to strengthen their competitive foothold within the market. Also, the findings can help HEI marketing staff members to improve marketing communication tools used to build and maintain relationships with their online customers.Originality/valueThis study highlights the similarities and differences in approach to Internet marketing communications among EU (Poland) and non-EU HEIs (Ukraine). In conducting a thorough review of research, as well as a survey of 185 HEI marketing staff members, the paper offers insight into the approach HEIs of varying cultural backgrounds take to Internet marketing communications and online recruitment.

The improvement of global Internet access and the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated mass testing of online teaching methods, have forwarded the competition between higher education institutions from the regional level and the struggle for the rich student into the competition for students in all countries. The paper aims to determine the influence of the rating of higher education institutions on the interest of Internet users by conducting a comparative analysis of the popularity of the official names of higher education institutions in search queries in Ukraine and Poland. To do this, a comparative analysis of the change in the interest in leading higher education institutions in Ukraine and Poland in search queries in the Google search engine is carried out. The analysis is performed using the Google Trends web application. As a result, it is found that a high position of the university in the national ranking does not guarantee more search queries about it on the Internet by both national Internet users and users from the neighboring country. In general, Internet users continue to be most interested in universities located in their region at the time of the search.

The article describes the results of numerical analyses and traditional calculations of the heat transfer coefficient in ceilings with a complex cross-section, and with materials of varying density built-in inside the cross-section. Prefabricated prestressed reinforced concrete, composite reinforced, and ribbed reinforced concrete ceilings were analyzed. Traditional calculations were carried out in accordance with the EN ISO 6946:2017 standard, while the numerical analyses were carried out in a program based on the finite element method (FEM). It has been shown that calculations can be a good alternative to nondestructive testing (NDT) and laboratory tests, whose use in the case of ceilings with different geometries is limited. The differences between the calculations carried out in accordance with EN ISO 6946:2017, and the results of numerical analyses are 12%–39%. The way the air voids are taken into account has an impact on the calculation results. In the traditional method, an equivalent thermal conductivity coefficient was used, while in the numerical analysis, the coefficient was selected from the program’s material database. Since traditional calculations require simplifications, numerical methods should be considered to give more accurate results.

In the information age, the role of higher education as a factor of social progress is increasing. The competition among higher education institutions is also growing. This requires higher education institutions’ (HEIs) marketing policies to be diversified, digitalized, and integrated into the virtual space. In order to find out the role and importance of Internet tools and in marketing activities, a questionnaire survey was conducted among managers and specialists of HEIs in Ukraine and Poland. The data served as the basis to study the level of variation, structure similarity, and consistency of the generalized responses of the respondents of the two countries. We verified hypotheses about (1) the absence of significant differences between the estimates of the role of the Internet in the marketing activities of HEIs in Poland and Ukraine; (2) the consistency of answers of the respondents of the two countries regarding the use of the Internet in market activites of HEIs; (3) HEIs’ use mostly geo-targeting potential consumers of higher education online. The dominant feature of the Internet – quick access to information – enables effective marketing activities. The management of HEIs should increase the awareness of their marketing staff in using the Internet to expand the delivery of educational services, intensify interviewing practices for obtaining feedback from customers, attract sponsors, promote their own brands, do market research, and so on.

The range of functions and the expectations of the users of flooring systems indicate that apart from purely construction-related (i.e. general construction) characteristics, floors used as partition elements have the potential to meet various customer needs on the construction market. Therefore, they constitute interesting research material not only for specialists in the building sector, but also for economists. The aim of this article is to present the results of a survey of the determinants of selection of flooring systems, the popularity of the specific systems on the Polish market, as well as to present the customer needs map as a universal tool in the customer service process on the example of flooring systems. The paper was prepared on the basis of the available literature, as well as the quantitative research carried out in the period from September 2015 to February 2016. The research results indicate that the influential factors taken into consideration in the process of selection of a given flooring system are construction parameters, the speed of assembly and the final cost. Among the key technical parameters influencing customers’ decisions one may list noise insulation, thermal insulation and lower surface finishing. In Poland, monolithic and multi-rib beam-and-block (Teriva-type) flooring systems prevail. Based on the factors and criteria set out in the survey, a special map of customer needs relevant for the process of selection of a flooring system has been created. Among other purposes, the map is supposed to enable more profound relation with customers, individualization, streamlining and unification of the customer service process, as well as better understanding of their needs.