ACADEMIC REVIEW

TIME MANAGEMENT AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

2026-09-30T09:27:14+02:00

This paper is grounded in a sociological thesis which argues that managing university students’ time is not merely an individual organizational skill, but rather a complex social phenomenon resulting from the conflictual interaction between institutional structures and the self-awareness of the actor. It addresses the issue of how temporal behavior is shaped under the tension between “institutional time” as a tool of control and regulation, from a Michel Foucault perspective, and “lived time,” which represents the student’s space of autonomy and personal representations. The analysis, drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s approach, reveals that the ability to “rationalize time” is closely linked to habitus and class background, making time a non-democratic resource influenced by variables such as gender, economic status (e.g., working students), and the nature of spatial environments. The study also highlights the challenges of “liquid time” and the digital attention economy, which have produced fragmented time lacking academic depth. It suggests that phenomena such as procrastination or time waste may, in essence, represent a silent protest or an expression of student alienation within the system. The paper concludes with the need to move from “waiting time” to “action time” by humanizing university time and fostering critical awareness among students. It emphasizes that time management is fundamentally a process of “self-politicization,” reflecting the degree to which students are integrated into the values of modernization and rationalization, thereby determining their position within the dynamics of academic and professional success.

INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY SYSTEM OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY – DEMOCRATIC CONTROL MECHANISMS, COMPETENCES AND INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE

2026-09-30T09:56:02+02:00

The aim of this paper is to analyse the intelligence and security system of the Federal Republic of Germany, with particular reference to the mechanisms of democratic control, institutional structure, and the competences of federal intelligence and security services. The German intelligence system evolved from the experience of two contrasting models: the authoritarian use of security institutions and post-war democratization. During the Third Reich, the security apparatus was subordinated to the political goals of the regime. After the war, this experience was a major reason for the creation of a system based on a clear division of responsibilities and control mechanisms. The post-war model was based on the principle that the services must be able to protect the state while not becoming autonomous centres of political power. The paper examines changes in the international security environment through the prism of contemporary security threats. Particular attention is paid to the balance between the operational efficiency of intelligence services and the protection of fundamental rights, especially the right to privacy and the confidentiality of communications, in the context of current reforms. Finally, the authors conclude that the German model has a complex, multi-layered system of control, but that the expansion of technological and operational powers requires the strict application of the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, and independent supervision.

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN BANKING: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

2026-09-30T10:12:07+02:00

This paper examines how banks are using blockchain technology and what is hindering the expansion of its use. The paper reviews recent academic literature, as well as actual applications documented in 2025 and 2026. The methodology combines an analysis of peer-reviewed studies with verified data from central banks, market infrastructure providers, and asset managers. The results show that the greatest value comes from the sharing of ledgers among regulated institutions, rather than from public cryptocurrency networks. Most of the measured gains are concentrated in payments, securities settlement, trade finance, and identity verification. Systems operating today deliver real value on a large scale; one repurchase platform settled $8 trillion in a single month, and tokenized treasury funds exceeded $15 billion. Adoption remains constrained by regulation, compatibility with legacy systems, and governance. The paper concludes that banks are selectively integrating blockchain into their regulated infrastructure, not to replace their core systems.