RANKING OF CROATIAN CITIES ACCORDING TO HELLWIG\u27S INFORMATION CAPACITY METHOD IN THE SMART ECONOMY DIMENSION

The main objective of this research is to determine whether the size of the city by population is a prerequisite for better economic development and ranking of Croatian cities based on the weighted average z-score of smart economy indicators related to entrepreneurial potential, tourism, information comunication technology [ICT] and research and development [R&D] sector. The sample for this research consists of 127 Croatian cities and ten smart economy indicators. The Hellwig\u27s information capacity method uses only statistically significant indicators, on the basis of which the weights are determined when creating the Smart Economy Indeks. The results of the analyses suggest that the number of positively ranked cities decreases as the city population size decreases: 100 % large cities are positively rated, 48 % medium cities and 6 % small cities

An Overview of Criteria and Scenarios Relevant for Development of Seaports of County and Local Importance in the Republic of Croatia

The development of seaports is a complex process influenced by a number of external factors, from the economic ones to the social environment. Seaports differ from each other in their spatial and functional characteristics, the complexity and purpose of their operation, as well as the need for investment and additional construction of port infrastructure and superstructure, so their development must be approached analytically. In order for the proposed development guidelines to be applicable to ports with similar characteristics, it is necessary to define criteria for their classification. Relevant criteria for classifying and planning the development of seaports are derived from: laws and regulations established by legal regulations, goals and plans proposed by current strategic documents, and spatial plans that set the conditions for planning, forming and developing ports in a certain area. The purpose of this scientific work is to determine which national and regional regulations and documents affect the development of regional ports in the Republic of Croatia, and to define classification criteria that will serve as a basis for the formation of development directions for seaports

Development of smart governance in Croatian cities - the size of a city as a determinant of smart governance

Purpose: The paper discusses the role and importance of smart governance as a modern form of urban development, identifies the key determinants of smart governance, analyzes models, evaluation and measurement indicators in smart and sustainable cities, and ranks 127 Croatian cities, regardless of city size. Methodology: A comprehensive database was prepared for the preparation of the study, including ten indicators of key smart governance determinants related to political participation of citizens, delivery of quality services to citizens, and sustainable functioning of city administration, in line with a review of models and indicators from previous studies. Results: The main goal of this research is to determine a correlation between the size of the city according to the number of inhabitants and statistically significant indicators of smart governance and, based on the value of the correlation coefficients, to determine the weights for the indicators in the process of city ranking. By aggregating the weighted z-scores, the Smart Governance Index was created for all Croatian cities and that index is not related to the size of a city. Conclusion: Statistically significant indicators for the formation of the Smart Governance Index for 127 cities in Croatia are the indicators of political participation and sustainable functioning of city administration. It is necessary to include as many indicators as possible in the future period so that the ranking results are as relevant as possible

Procurement at Local Government Level – Issues and Controversies

Local government, as administrative units, performs a broad range of services that require to establish relations with outside partners, including those belonging to the private sector. Public procurement, due to the size of the involved financial flows, is government activity especially exposed to inefficiencies, corruption and dishonesty. There is an everlasting discussion on the ideal size and the range of services to be kept ‘in-house’ of local government units (LGUs).Transaction Costs Economics (TCE) represents a theoretical paradigm specially designed to interpret the issue of efficiency in inter-institutional relations. However, even though TCE might be envisaged as a tool for building better systems and institutions, practical experience suggests that efficient organization of complex multi-institutional systems is still a goal to be met. Therefore, public procurement procedures at LGU level are suitable to analyze the transaction costs. In an attempt to determine the main organizational features of the existing scope of institutions/entities involved in delivering services to citizens, we provided an overview of the complexity of inter-organizational relations at LGU level.In this paper, we present results of an empirical research of public procurement procedures from the perspective of LGUs in Croatia. Picking up on questionnaire responses from 200 LGUs that reported having held over 350 cases of providing services through contract agreements with ‘independent’ service providers, we formed an opinion of what could be the consequences of developing more structured public procurement procedures

Multicriteria and comparative analysis of local e-government efficiency

Ulaskom u 21.stoljeće u svakom se segmentu ljudske djelatnosti osjeća snažan utjecaj globalizacije, informatizacije te razvoja novih tehnologija. U takvim uvjetima borbe za egzistenciju na tržištu, nužne su interne analize poslovanja poduzeća kao i analize cjelokupnog konkurentnog tržišta, koje se sve češće provode usporedno s razvojem metodološkog aparata za poslovna istraživanja. Obzirom na tendenciju preusmjeravanja cjelokupnog poslovanja na oblike elektroničkog poslovanja, opravdano je upitati se, koliko je taj sustav efikasan i koliko na njegovu efikasnost utječu faktori kao što je tehnološka opremljenost, educiranost zaposlenika, ispravna implementacija sustava i brojni drugi. Većinu tih potencijalnih nedostataka moguće je otkloniti ukoliko se prilikom implementiranja elektroničkog poslovanja prate standardi koji je Europska Unija (EU) uvela u sklopu svoje strategije na temu mrežne sigurnosti, računalnog kriminala i zaštite podataka u elektroničkoj komunikaciji. Republika Hrvatska na putu je da postane članica EU. Jedan od zahtjeva koji se pred nju postavlja je usklañivanje zakonodavne regulative s pravnom stečevinom EU, a to se odnosi i na segment elektroničke uprave spram koje se postavlja zahtjev na uvoñenje elektroničkog potpisa te usklañivanje standarda i zakona vezanih za elektroničku sigurnost. Upravo je težnja za što bržim uključivanjem u EU potaklo donošenje brojnih strateških dokumenata s područja e-Uprave kojima se ureñuje na koji će se način prilagoditi zatečeno stanje elektroničkog poslovanja u javnim institucijama sa zahtjevima koje postavljaju standardi u EU, a koji je opisan Akcijskim planom u sklopu Strategije razvoja elektroničke uprave u Republici Hrvatskoj za razdoblje od 2009. do 2012. godine. Takoñer je sredinom 2010. godine izdan dokument Hrvatskog okvira za interoperabilnost koji omogućava da se uspostavi sustav e- Uprave koja će biti korisnički orijentirana. Analiza efikasnosti jednog tako kompleksnog sustava nije jednostavna i stoga je u doktorskoj disertaciji za ocjenu efikasnosti elektroničkog poslovanja gradskih uprava korištena analiza omeñivanja podataka kao najprikladnija metoda koja omogućava korištenje višestrukih inputa i outputa kvantitativne i kvalitativne prirode. Analizom omeñivanja podataka jedinice su selektirane na one relativno efikasne i relativno neefikasne, a potom su efikasne jedinice rangirane uz pomoć superefikasnosti (DEA) i analitičkog hijerarhijskog procesa (AHP). U analizi omeñivanja podataka korišteni su CCR i BCC modeli, a putem projekcija su, takoñer, dobivene i konkretne mjere za poboljšanje relativne efikasnosti elektroničkog poslovanja svake neefikasne ocjenjene jedinice gradske uprave. Meñutim, obzirom na indeks e-Spremnosti prema kojem je RH rangirana na 54. mjesto i koji je dobiven obzirom na istraživanje fokusirano na institucije državne razine čija je e-Usluga na puno boljem stupnju razvoja od gradskih uprava koje pripadaju lokalnoj razini, te obzirom na dobivene podatke i provedenu analizu, može se zaključiti da e-poslovanje gradskih uprava na lokalnoj razini tek počinje razvijati i nalazi se, ovisno o pojedinoj gradskoj upravi, u prve dvije faze razvoja. Razlog tako niskog stupnja razvoja e-poslovanja većine gradskih uprava RH u odnosu na EU, nalazi se izmeñu ostalog, i u činjenici da se je kroz dokument Strategija razvoja elektroničke uprave u Republici Hrvatskoj za razdoblje od 2009- 2012 g. fokusiralo isključivo na implementaciju i razvoj e-poslovanja državnih institucija, dok su one na lokalnoj razini prepuštene inicijativi menadžerskog kadra.Globalization, computerization and the development of new technologies have strongly impacted all spheres of human activity at the beginning of the 21st century. The conditions of market survival demand for internal analyses of business performance as well as the analyses of competitive markets of the company as a whole, which are increasingly conducted parallel to the use of business research methodological apparatus. Given the tendency to transform business operations to electronic forms, it is reasonable to ask about the efficiency of e-business and whether, and to what extent, do such factors as technological equipment, education of employees, proper implementation of the system and many other influence the effectiveness of this system. The limitations within these factors can be overcome if entities implement e-business standards advocated by the European Union as a part of its strategy in the fields of network security, computer crime and data protection in electronic communications. The Republic of Croatia is on its path of becoming an EU member. One of the requirements placed before Croatia is the harmonization of its legislation with the acquis communautaire. This also refers to the claims towards the electronic government for the introduction of electronic signatures and harmonization of the standards and regulative related to electronic security. Croatia’s aspiration for a faster integration into the EU, enhanced the adoption of a number of strategic documents relating to e-government that govern the way in which the current state of e-business in public institutions will adapt to the requirements set by EU standards described in the Action Plan within the Strategy for the Development of E- Government in the Republic of Croatia 2009 - 2012. Moreover, in June 2010, the Croatian government introduced the Croatian Interoperability Framework which will provide for a user-oriented e-government system. Analysis of the effectiveness of such a complex system is not simple and therefore, within the framework of this doctoral dissertation analysing and assesing the efficiency of city government e-business, the author uses data envelopment analysis, as the most appropriate method which allows for the use of multiple inputs and outputs of quantitative and qualitative nature. The data envelopment analysis firstly selected units into those relatively efficient and those relatively inefficient. Later on, the efficient units were ranked using the superefficiency model (DEA) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The data envelopment analysis was conducted through the CCR and BCC models, and projections obtained concrete measures to improve the relative efficiency of electronic business operations each individual inefficient rated unite of city government. However, considering the e-readiness index, according to which Croatia is ranked at 54th place and which was obtained through research focused at state-level institutions, whose e-services are at a higher level of development than those at local level i.e. city governments, and in view of the obtained data and conducted analysis, it can be concluded that e-business in city governments at local level is just starting top develop and is, depending on the individual city administration, in the first two development phases. The reason for such a low level of e- business operations of most city governments in Croatia, in relation to the EU, lies, among others, in the fact that the Strategy for the Development of E-Government in the Republic of Croatia 2009 – 2012 was mainly focused on the implementation and development of e- business in state institutions, while those governments at local level were left at the initiative of the managerial personnel

Multicriteria and comparative analysis of local e-government efficiency

Ulaskom u 21.stoljeće u svakom se segmentu ljudske djelatnosti osjeća snažan utjecaj globalizacije, informatizacije te razvoja novih tehnologija. U takvim uvjetima borbe za egzistenciju na tržištu, nužne su interne analize poslovanja poduzeća kao i analize cjelokupnog konkurentnog tržišta, koje se sve češće provode usporedno s razvojem metodološkog aparata za poslovna istraživanja. Obzirom na tendenciju preusmjeravanja cjelokupnog poslovanja na oblike elektroničkog poslovanja, opravdano je upitati se, koliko je taj sustav efikasan i koliko na njegovu efikasnost utječu faktori kao što je tehnološka opremljenost, educiranost zaposlenika, ispravna implementacija sustava i brojni drugi. Većinu tih potencijalnih nedostataka moguće je otkloniti ukoliko se prilikom implementiranja elektroničkog poslovanja prate standardi koji je Europska Unija (EU) uvela u sklopu svoje strategije na temu mrežne sigurnosti, računalnog kriminala i zaštite podataka u elektroničkoj komunikaciji. Republika Hrvatska na putu je da postane članica EU. Jedan od zahtjeva koji se pred nju postavlja je usklañivanje zakonodavne regulative s pravnom stečevinom EU, a to se odnosi i na segment elektroničke uprave spram koje se postavlja zahtjev na uvoñenje elektroničkog potpisa te usklañivanje standarda i zakona vezanih za elektroničku sigurnost. Upravo je težnja za što bržim uključivanjem u EU potaklo donošenje brojnih strateških dokumenata s područja e-Uprave kojima se ureñuje na koji će se način prilagoditi zatečeno stanje elektroničkog poslovanja u javnim institucijama sa zahtjevima koje postavljaju standardi u EU, a koji je opisan Akcijskim planom u sklopu Strategije razvoja elektroničke uprave u Republici Hrvatskoj za razdoblje od 2009. do 2012. godine. Takoñer je sredinom 2010. godine izdan dokument Hrvatskog okvira za interoperabilnost koji omogućava da se uspostavi sustav e- Uprave koja će biti korisnički orijentirana. Analiza efikasnosti jednog tako kompleksnog sustava nije jednostavna i stoga je u doktorskoj disertaciji za ocjenu efikasnosti elektroničkog poslovanja gradskih uprava korištena analiza omeñivanja podataka kao najprikladnija metoda koja omogućava korištenje višestrukih inputa i outputa kvantitativne i kvalitativne prirode. Analizom omeñivanja podataka jedinice su selektirane na one relativno efikasne i relativno neefikasne, a potom su efikasne jedinice rangirane uz pomoć superefikasnosti (DEA) i analitičkog hijerarhijskog procesa (AHP). U analizi omeñivanja podataka korišteni su CCR i BCC modeli, a putem projekcija su, takoñer, dobivene i konkretne mjere za poboljšanje relativne efikasnosti elektroničkog poslovanja svake neefikasne ocjenjene jedinice gradske uprave. Meñutim, obzirom na indeks e-Spremnosti prema kojem je RH rangirana na 54. mjesto i koji je dobiven obzirom na istraživanje fokusirano na institucije državne razine čija je e-Usluga na puno boljem stupnju razvoja od gradskih uprava koje pripadaju lokalnoj razini, te obzirom na dobivene podatke i provedenu analizu, može se zaključiti da e-poslovanje gradskih uprava na lokalnoj razini tek počinje razvijati i nalazi se, ovisno o pojedinoj gradskoj upravi, u prve dvije faze razvoja. Razlog tako niskog stupnja razvoja e-poslovanja većine gradskih uprava RH u odnosu na EU, nalazi se izmeñu ostalog, i u činjenici da se je kroz dokument Strategija razvoja elektroničke uprave u Republici Hrvatskoj za razdoblje od 2009- 2012 g. fokusiralo isključivo na implementaciju i razvoj e-poslovanja državnih institucija, dok su one na lokalnoj razini prepuštene inicijativi menadžerskog kadra.Globalization, computerization and the development of new technologies have strongly impacted all spheres of human activity at the beginning of the 21st century. The conditions of market survival demand for internal analyses of business performance as well as the analyses of competitive markets of the company as a whole, which are increasingly conducted parallel to the use of business research methodological apparatus. Given the tendency to transform business operations to electronic forms, it is reasonable to ask about the efficiency of e-business and whether, and to what extent, do such factors as technological equipment, education of employees, proper implementation of the system and many other influence the effectiveness of this system. The limitations within these factors can be overcome if entities implement e-business standards advocated by the European Union as a part of its strategy in the fields of network security, computer crime and data protection in electronic communications. The Republic of Croatia is on its path of becoming an EU member. One of the requirements placed before Croatia is the harmonization of its legislation with the acquis communautaire. This also refers to the claims towards the electronic government for the introduction of electronic signatures and harmonization of the standards and regulative related to electronic security. Croatia’s aspiration for a faster integration into the EU, enhanced the adoption of a number of strategic documents relating to e-government that govern the way in which the current state of e-business in public institutions will adapt to the requirements set by EU standards described in the Action Plan within the Strategy for the Development of E- Government in the Republic of Croatia 2009 - 2012. Moreover, in June 2010, the Croatian government introduced the Croatian Interoperability Framework which will provide for a user-oriented e-government system. Analysis of the effectiveness of such a complex system is not simple and therefore, within the framework of this doctoral dissertation analysing and assesing the efficiency of city government e-business, the author uses data envelopment analysis, as the most appropriate method which allows for the use of multiple inputs and outputs of quantitative and qualitative nature. The data envelopment analysis firstly selected units into those relatively efficient and those relatively inefficient. Later on, the efficient units were ranked using the superefficiency model (DEA) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The data envelopment analysis was conducted through the CCR and BCC models, and projections obtained concrete measures to improve the relative efficiency of electronic business operations each individual inefficient rated unite of city government. However, considering the e-readiness index, according to which Croatia is ranked at 54th place and which was obtained through research focused at state-level institutions, whose e-services are at a higher level of development than those at local level i.e. city governments, and in view of the obtained data and conducted analysis, it can be concluded that e-business in city governments at local level is just starting top develop and is, depending on the individual city administration, in the first two development phases. The reason for such a low level of e- business operations of most city governments in Croatia, in relation to the EU, lies, among others, in the fact that the Strategy for the Development of E-Government in the Republic of Croatia 2009 – 2012 was mainly focused on the implementation and development of e- business in state institutions, while those governments at local level were left at the initiative of the managerial personnel

RANKING OF CROATIAN CITIES ACCORDING TO HELLWIG'S INFORMATION CAPACITY METHOD IN THE SMART ECONOMY DIMENSION

The main objective of this research is to determine whether the size of the city by population is a prerequisite for better economic development and ranking of Croatian cities based on the weighted average z-score of smart economy indicators related to entrepreneurial potential, tourism, information comunication technology [ICT] and research and development [R&D] sector. The sample for this research consists of 127 Croatian cities and ten smart economy indicators. The Hellwig's information capacity method uses only statistically significant indicators, on the basis of which the weights are determined when creating the Smart Economy Indeks. The results of the analyses suggest that the number of positively ranked cities decreases as the city population size decreases: 100 % large cities are positively rated, 48 % medium cities and 6 % small cities