Work Organisation and Innovation - Case Study: Company X, Slovenia

[Excerpt] Company X is one of the largest and most successful commercial grocery retailing chains in south-eastern Europe (Euromonitor, 2011). It was established over 60 years ago in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Company X is the largest Slovenian retailer with 24,000 employees and approximately a third of the market share for its sector (Gvin.com, 2012). Company X also operates in six other countries in the region: Serbia (9% market share), Croatia (9% market share), Bosnia and Herzegovina (5% market share), Montenegro (19% market share), Bulgaria (0.5% market share) and Albania (1% market share) (Company X, 2011). Company X’s main activity is retail and wholesaling of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). The chain has been expanding its core activity by selling clothing, furniture and household appliances as well. Company X has 1,581 outlets including hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, specialised stores, etc. (Company X, 2011)

The Use of Reference Models in Business Process Renovation

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are often used by companies to automate and enhance their business processes. The capabilities of ERP systems can be described by best-practice reference models. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the business process renovation approach with the use of reference models. Although the use of reference models brings many positive effects for business, they are still rarely used in Slovenian small and medium-sized companies. The reasons for this may be found in the reference models themselves as well as in project implementation methodologies. In the article a reference model based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV is suggested. The reference model is designed using upgraded BPMN notation with additional business objects, which help to describe the models in more detail.ERP solution, reference model, businessprocess renovation, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, BPMN

IMPACT OF ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRISIS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The current financial and economic crisis has affected many sectors, and also the construction sector. The construction market has been and will be an important source of income for the entire Europe, totaling about 1.650 thousand billion euro, which is more than the GDP of Italy. Building no doubt brings significant percentage in the GDP of any European country, which of course is different from country to country. In Western European countries, the residential market is almost 50% from the construction market, while in Eastern European countries the majority is held by the civil and non-residential constructions. In addition, in the West the medium budget per capita spent on construction is 3-4 times higher than that spent in Eastern countries. But, according to previsions in the coming years the countries that will witness a growth, albeit small, will be the Eastern ones. The paper highlights the impact of the economic and financial crisis in the construction industry on a European and national level, as the sustainable constructions that may represent the sector’s future.construction market, economic crisis, sustainable constructions, residential constructions

Pre-Commercial Procurement as a Key Development Source of It Services in the Public Sector – The Case of Slovenia

The level of understanding and experience with implementing pre-commercial procurement (PCP) varies among European Union (EU) countries. Although PCP contributes to effective R&D and innovative services, Slovenia is still unable to finish innovative projects successfully with the existing commercial procurement model. This article emphasizes the need to supplement the current Slovenian public procurement model for developing innovative services with particular reference to the European guidelines. Applying the case study approach to a Slovenian public organization, the article presents the contribution of using the PCP model in an R&D-oriented information service. Such an approach could also be very useful outside the public sector, for all organizations wishing to manage risk and ensure their innovation is realized at the lowest cost. As a result, this article identifies and presents the experiences and best practices of successful innovative projects based on the PCP model that improve cooperation between the public organization and the service provider. These findings contribute to scientific literature and act as a guide for Slovenian regulators

E-INVOICING AND E-GOVERNMENT – IMPACT ON BUSINESS PROCESSES

Electronic invoicing (eINV) presents a possibility to use information communication technology for both the automating and redesigning business processes. Therefore, several initiatives at European level have been raised in order to facilitate the eINV environment. From the 1st of January 2015, eINV has become compulsory for the Slovenian public sector and companies with a registered office in Slovenia providing public services. However, since not every “e-initiative” is successful, the paper examines the effect of using eINV on business process performance. The paper therefore analyses whether eINV is streamlining administrative procedures, enhancing security and cutting costs. Moreover, it also analyses whether business processes were merely automated or also redesigned. Even though at the moment the regulation only concerns public sector, it may also present a large incentive to eINV in the private sector and therefore it is important to outline both its advantages and its pitfalls

Innovation, low energy buildings and intermediaries in Europe: systematic case study review

As buildings throughout their lifecycle account for circa 40% of total energy use in Europe, reducing energy use of the building stock is a key task. This task is, however, complicated by a range of factors, including slow renewal and renovation rates of buildings, multiple non- coordinated actors, conservative building practices, and limited competence to innovate. Drawing from academic literature published during 2005-2015, this article carries out a systematic review of case studies on low energy innovations in the European residential building sector, analysing their drivers. Specific attention is paid to intermediary actors in facilitating innovation processes and creating new opportunities. The study finds that qualitative case study literature on low energy building innovation has been limited, particularly regarding the existing building stock. Environmental concerns, EU, national and local policies have been the key drivers; financial, knowledge and social sustainability and equity drivers have been of modest importance; while design, health and comfort, and market drivers have played a minor role. Intermediary organisations and individuals have been important through five processes: (1) facilitating individual building projects, (2) creating niche markets, (3) implementing new practices in social housing stock, (4) supporting new business model creation, and (5) facilitating building use post construction. The intermediaries have included both public and private actors, while local authority agents have acted as intermediaries in several cases

Business process restructuring in Croatian and Slovenian companies: A comparison

In order to maintain competitiveness and growth, companies need to achieve continuous modernisation of business processes, increased productivity, and cost reduction. As many organisations are looking for new ways of doing business and changing business processes, Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) has become one of the most popular topics in organisational management. In recent years, numerous studies about BPR projects have been conducted. The main goal of this research is to analyse BPR projects in two countries involved in transition processes: Croatia and Slovenia. Different characteristics of BPR projects in large companies are examined, and the methods and tools used in BPR projects are evaluated. The results of the research in Croatia and Slovenia are compared; the similarities and differences between the two countries are pointed out. The objective of the research is to identify whether the managers of the countries in transition have recognised the importance of business processes reengineering and improvement for their companies

RECENT REFORMS OF THE URBAN HOUSING SYSTEM IN CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPE

The urban housing system in most of Central and East Europe (CEE) is undergoing decentralization, deregulation, and privatization together with other basic changes due to the fall of the iron curtain, the demise of the Soviet Union, and the reinstitution of democracy. In most of the CEE, the urban housing sector is economically important, accounting for 10-20% of total economic activity. In view of its implications for land use, energy consumption, waste generation, and water pollution, it also has a significant effect on sustainability of development. A prime development need in the CEE, according to the World Bank, is to improve the performance of the urban housing sector for economic, social, environmental, and political reasons. This paper describes the urban housing model of the CEE before reform and analyzes changes to that model that began with the privatization reforms in the early 1990s. The paper details the strengths and weaknesses of the reforms and suggests that there are some resource distribution inequities that are accentuated under reform. It discusses the pricing issues in urban housing reforms, as well as the financing of urban housing, and briefly recounts matters related to mobility of labor, spatial issues of urban housing development, urban infrastructure, peripheral urban growth, and titling and property registration that have come about as state socialism is replaced by a more open market.Housing -- Economic aspects -- Europe, Eastern, Housing -- Economic aspects -- Europe, Central, Housing policy -- Europe, Eastern, Housing policy -- Europe, Central, Privatization -- Europe, Land tenure, Urban-- Europe, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Internal city marketing: Positive activation of inhabitants through supported voluntarism

Urban settlements which were planned and established during the socialist period either in their entirety or partially (in form of fast-growing districts) can be found all over Central and Eastern Europe. In most of them authorities have been fighting numerous economic and social problems, many either caused by, or stemming from, lack of social cohesion. One visible sign of such problems are neglected public spaces, often doomed to be in a poor condition due to lack of co-ordinated action. In this paper we demonstrate the importance of social capital and public administration’s courage and creativity when applying the tools of internal city marketing for what we call ‘supported voluntarism’ aimed at positive transformation of public spaces in a post-socialist residential neighbourhood using the Slovenian post-socialist city of Velenje as a showcase. Keywords: internal city marketing, supported voluntarism, urban revitalisation</p