Open Government, Social Media and Western Balkan Countries

This article analyses the presence and activity on the field of social media in the countries that belonged to the same state in the past: Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH), Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – these named as Western Balkan Countries (WBCs) – and, Slovenia and Croatia as EU member states. The authors have analysed the official profiles of the respective countries on social media and calculated the Facebook Assessment Index (FAI) for WBCs, and Croatia and Slovenia as a benchmark. The results show that Twitter and Facebook are the most used social media. In WBCs group, the FAI index could not be calculated for BIH and Serbia, while the other two countries had high index values. Benchmark countries have lower values but they are significantly highlighted by individual sub-indices. The governments of the researched countries mostly publish promotional information about their work. Consequently, they have a relatively small number of friends/followers/subscribers and comments/shares/likes on social media. Therefore, these countries fail to use the full potential of social media to increase visibility and transparency of their work and to ensure communication channel for idea and information exchange between government and citizens, making the public policies design more inclusive and increasing trust between government and citizens. The findings provide an insight into the nature of activity on social media in WBCs. While FAI scores show that WBCs do not lag far behind established benchmarks, the research proves that some of the weights proposed in the literature and used in the calculation of FAI index are too simplified to adequately evaluate posts on the Facebook pages. Hence, this article contributes above all to the awareness regarding further potentials and the interdisciplinary aspects of stately social media usage, in theory and practice alike

Uloga društvenih medija u mjerenju TV gledanosti

For many decades, traditional broadcast has been the main entertainment focal point in households. Like all media and entertainment industries, television has been altered by the internet and new technologies. The internet has made new forms of participatory communication possible and has increased the amount of interpersonal communication for individuals – audiences and users – providing opportunities to share, create and collaborate together. It offers manifold opportunities to communicate in all directions, as well as the opportunity to transmit and receive simultaneously all kinds of content and formats such as music, films, pictures and texts and enables the user to interact with links. The development of social media is more than a technical innovation: it sustains and influences all forms of social organisations. Besides (high speed) internet itself, wireless connectivity has created a comfortable environment for the usage of different devices. Smartphones, tablets and/or laptops are conquering households and invite (connected) usage while people watch TV; audiences divide their attention between a second and first screen, becoming a user and audience at the same time. It enables participation and social interaction within social media while watching TV. “Actions of the participatory audience appear in the value chain in several phases: when the audience is creating content, when they are editing or reediting the available content and when they are disseminating the content to other audience members” (Noguera Vivo et al., 2014, p. 181). This new participation of TV audiences in social media leads to an integration of TV consumption within the social media context. The “people formerly known as the audience are those who were on the receiving end of a media system that ran one way, in a broadcasting pattern, with high entry fees and a few firms competing to speak very loudly while the rest of the population listened in isolation from one another […]” (Rosen, 2006), the audience transformed into an active audience participating in the creation of (social) media content. The second screens enable virtual communication with friends about programs while watching and sharing what is liked and disliked, and television viewing coupled with audience interaction has gained popularity (Doughty, Rowland and Lawson, 2011). The audience can share, discuss, comment and vote about certain programs. Broadcasters and other suppliers offer applications accompanying TV consumption and solicit simultaneous usage. Audiences engage with the program and socialise with friends and communities around their favourite content. Television audience researchers discovered the internet as a source of audience data, and search for approaches to analyse online engagement of audiences. The main question of this work is to investigate if new data can be found and used in a systematic manner in addition to traditional television audience research methods. It was discovered that the relationship between television broadcasters and its social audience is the key to this approach. Traditional media such as TV broadcasters are still huge content providers and play a major role in the social media world, where content is shared and creates buzz and in addition users generate content themselves. Broadcasters are challenged to keep the relationship with and the attention of the viewer by building social interaction around the program. This is the prerequisite for the researcher to approach social media analysis in the context of television.Tradicionalno emitiranje je već desetljećima žarište zabave u kućanstvima. Kao i svi ostali mediji te industrije zabave, televizija je promijenjena zahvaljujući internetu i novim tehnologijama. Internet je omogućio nove forme komunikacije između sudionika te je povećao broj međuljutske komunikacije za pojedince – gledatelje i korisnike – tako što je omogućio prilike za zajedničkim dijeljenjem, stvaranjem i surađivanjem. Pruža mnoge prilike za komunikaciju u svim smjerovima, jednako kao i priliku za simultano slanje i primanje raznih vrsta sadržaja te formata kao što su muzika, filmovi, slike i tekstovi. Također omogućuje korisniku interakciju s web linkovima. Razvoj društvenih medija je više od tehnološke inovacije, ono podržava i utječe na sve oblike društvenih organizacija. Pored toga, sam internet (velike brzine) je uz bežično spajanje stvorio ugodnu okolinu za korištenje raznih uređaja. Pametni telefoni, tableti, i/ili laptopovi osvajaju kućanstva te pozivaju korisnika na online spajanje i korištenje interneta za vrijeme gledanja televizije pa tako gledatelji dijele svoju pozornost između dva ekrana, postajući na taj način istovremeni korisnici i gledatelji. Ovo omogućuje sudjelovanje te društvenu interakciju unutar društvenih medija tijekom gledanja televizije. “Djela uključenih gledatelja se pojavljuju u lancu vrijednosti u nekoliko faza: kada gledatelji stvaraju sadržaj, kada uređuju ili preuređuju dostupan sadržaj, te kada šire sadržaj drugim gledateljima. ” (Noguera Vivo et al., 2014, p. 181). Ovo novo sudjelovanje gledatelja na društvenim medijima vodi k integraciji gledanja televizije unutar konteksta društvenih medija. “Ljudi koji su prethodno prepoznati kao gledatelji su bili na primajućem kraju medijskog sustava koji se kretao u jednom smjeru, po strukturi emitiranja, uz visoke članarine te nekoliko tvrtki koje se natječu u tome da govore što glasnije dok ostatak populacije sluša u međusobnoj izolaciji […]” (Rosen, 2006), gledatelji su se pretvorili u aktivne gledatelje koji sudjeluju u stvaranju sadržaja (društvenih) medija. “Dodatni zasloni omogućavaju virtualnu komunikaciju s prijateljima o TV programima tijekom gledanja i dijeljenja sadržaja koji im se sviđa, odnosno ne sviđa, a i samo gledanje televizije s istovremenom interakcijom gledatelja postaje sve popularnije.” (Doughty, Rowland and Lawson, 2011). Gledatelji mogu dijeliti sadržaj, raspravljati, komentirati te glasati za određene TV programe. Televizijske kuće i ostali dobavljači nude aplikacije za praćenje korištenja usluge televizije te potiču njezino simultano korištenje. Gledatelji se uključuju u TV programe te raspravljaju s prijateljima i raznim zajednicama o njihovim najdražim sadržajima. Istražitelji koji prate gledanost televizije su prepoznali internet kao izvor podataka o gledateljima te istražuju pristupe za analizu online angažiranosti gledatelja. Potrebno je istražiti mogu li se pronaći novi podaci koji se mogu iskoristiti na sustavan način uz tradicionalne metode istraživanja gledanosti televizije. Otkriveno je da je ključ ovom pristupu sam odnos između televizijskih kuća i njihove publike, odnosno gledatelja. Tradicionalni mediji kao što su televizijske kuće se i dalje smatraju značajnim pružateljima sadržaja te igraju važnu ulogu u svijetu društvenih medija, gdje se dijele sadržaji koji stvaraju vijesti, i sadržaj pružaju sami korisnici. Izazov televizijskih kuća je da održavaju odnos s gledateljima te da imaju njihovu pozornost tako što će izgraditi društvenu interakciju oko TV programa. Ovo je preduvjet istražiteljima kako bi pristupili analizi društvenih medija u kontekstu televizije

Workshop Data Gathering on Renewable Energies for New Member States and Candidate Countries

The present Proceedings include the presentations made at the Workshop Data Gathering on Renewable Energies for New Member States and Candidate Countries, which was held on 15-16 November 2006 in Cavtat-Dubrovnik, Croatia. The workshop was organised by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission - Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Renewable Energies Unit Action: Scientific Technical Reference System on Renewable Energy and Energy End-use Efficiency, in cooperation with the Energy Institute Hrvoje Pozar, Croatia. The primary aim of workshop was the collection of the data on the latest achievements in the field of Renewable Energy in the New Member States and Candidate Countries. The governmental and institutional specialists and scientists in the field of sustainable energy development presented the latest information and on RES development at EU level and market developments in their own countries. The presence, for the first time of the specialists from West Balkan Countries at a workshop organised by JRC for RES was an important extra added value. The key note speeches of the experts from European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and International Energy Agency (IEA) provided a general view on the latest data on the trends and developments of RES at international level. The completeness of presentations, the wealth of newest, updated and complementary information on RES brought together by the workshop participants, contributed to the achievements of the meeting objectives and represents a great success.JRC.H.8-Renewable energie

A BIM-based PSS approach for the management of maintenance operations of building equipment

The service-centered economy has grown considerably in the last few years, shifting from product-based solutions towards service centered offerings, i.e., Product-Service System (PSS) solutions. Such an approach is also emerging in the context of building equipment, where maintenance activities play a fundamental role in facility management. In this field, Building Information Modeling (BIM) based tools are diffusely used to improve the performances of facility management. However, few studies have addressed the above issues while considering a shift from product-based approaches in favor of more advanced servitization models. The study aims at integrating BIM based approaches in a PSS context for the improvement of the management of maintenance operations of building equipment. A general framework for maintenance management has been developed, merging the implementation of the PSS components in a BIM model for the definition of maintenance management. A first application of this methodology to a real case study concerning the elevators of an existing building has shown the efficacy of the proposed approach. The study highlighted the benefits that can be achieved, especially in terms of reduced periods of equipment unavailability, reduced costs and augmented customer satisfaction, while enhancing the information exchange between the PSS actors. Hence, although further research is still needed for its validation, the proposed approach can offer practical insights for the development of promising BIM-based PSS solutions for facility management in the construction industry

Selected Papers from SDEWES 2017: The 12th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems

EU energy policy is more and more promoting a resilient, efficient and sustainable energy system. Several agreements have been signed in the last few months that set ambitious goals in terms of energy efficiency and emission reductions and to reduce the energy consumption in buildings. These actions are expected to fulfill the goals negotiated at the Paris Agreement in 2015. The successful development of this ambitious energy policy needs to be supported by scientific knowledge: a huge effort must be made in order to develop more efficient energy conversion technologies based both on renewables and fossil fuels. Similarly, researchers are also expected to work on the integration of conventional and novel systems, also taking into account the needs for the management of the novel energy systems in terms of energy storage and devices management. Therefore, a multi-disciplinary approach is required in order to achieve these goals. To ensure that the scientists belonging to the different disciplines are aware of the scientific progress in the other research areas, specific Conferences are periodically organized. One of the most popular conferences in this area is the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) Series Conference. The 12th Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Conference was recently held in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The present Special Issue of Energies, specifically dedicated to the 12th SDEWES Conference, is focused on five main fields: energy policy and energy efficiency in smart energy systems, polygeneration and district heating, advanced combustion techniques and fuels, biomass and building efficiency

The life and work of Professor Emeritus Marin Buble

This collection of papers provides a wide diversity of personal and professional reflections upon the life and work of the late Professor Marin Buble. The authors discuss the contribution of Professor Marin Buble to the development of the science and practices of management, organizational design, entrepreneurship and international management, as well as different aspects of his academic career, including his work committed to development of Faculty of Economics Split and his work as a supervisor with many young scientists

From Problems to Potentials - The Urban Energy Transition of Gruž, Dubrovnik

In the challenge for a sustainable society, carbon-neutrality is the critical objective for all cities in the coming decades. In the EU City-zen project, academic partners collaborate to develop an urban energy transition methodology, which supports cities in making the energy transition to sustainable lifestyles and carbon neutrality. As part of the project, so-called Roadshows are organised in cities that wish to take the first step toward zero-energy living. Each Roadshow being methodologically composed to allow sustainability experts from across Europe to co-create designs, strategies and timelines with local stakeholders in order to reach this vital goal. Following a precursory investigative student workshop (the SWAT Studio) Dubrovnik would be third city to host the Roadshow in November 2016. During these events the characteristics of Dubrovnik, and the district of Gruž in particular, were systematically analysed, leading to good insights into the current problems and potentials of the city. In close collaboration with local stakeholders, the team proposed a series of interventions that would help make Gruž, and in its wake the whole city of Dubrovnik, net zero energy and zero carbon, by validation of carbon emission calculations. The vision presented to the inhabitants and its key city decision makers encompassed a pathway towards an attainable sustainable future. The strategies and solutions proposed for the Dubrovnik district of Gruž turned out to be capable of reducing the current carbon sequestration compensation of 1,200 hectares of forestland to 67 hectares only, an area achievable by urban reforestation projects. This paper presents the City-zen methodology of urban energy transition and that of the City-zen Roadshow, the analysis of the city of Dubrovnik, proposed interventions and the carbon impact, as calculated by means of a carbon accounting method discussed in the paper