RAZVOJ MALIH I SREDNJIH PODUZEĆA I PODUZETNIŠTVA U REPUBLICI SRBIJI I REPUBLICI HRVATSKOJ

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an important generator of new jobs and additional value of every national economy. The European Union constantly points to the key role that SMEs play in ensuring competitiveness in the market, and uses various policies to create a more favorable business environment, as set out by the Lisbon strategy. Creating adequate conditions to encourage innovation and other factors that may improve the business of SMEs is very important in a dynamic market, but also because of increasingly sophisticated demands coming from clients. Various world studies show the following problems: inadequate level of activity in launching new business ventures, a small percentage of newly established enterprises, administrative barriers to the implementation of entrepreneurial activities, underdevelopment of financial markets and lack of entrepreneurship education which provides knowledge and skills in business. The aim of this paper is to review the current situation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Republic of Serbia and in the Republic of Croatia through several aspects: dynamism, innovation, importance of the sector for the economy and regional development, access to finance, access to educational programs and professional services, as well as the possibilities of financing development through the European structural and investment (ESI) funds.Mikro, mala i srednja poduzeća (MSP) važan su generator stvaranja novih radnih mjesta i kreiranja dodatne vrijednosti svake nacionalne privrede. Europska unija kontinuirano ukazuje na ključnu ulogu koju mala i srednja poduzeća imaju u osiguravanju konkurentnosti na tržištu te različitim politikama usmjerenim na ovaj sektor kreira za njih povoljnije poslovno okruženje, kako se i navodi u Lisabonskoj strategiji. Kreiranje adekvatnih uvjeta za poticanje inovativnosti i drugih činitelja koje mogu utjecati na bolje poslovanje MSP-a vrlo je važno na dinamičnom tržištu, ali i zbog sve sofisticiranijih zahtjeva klijenata. Razna svjetska istraživanja u svojim izvještajima kao prepreku prikazuju nedovoljan nivo aktivnosti u pokretanju novih poslovnih pothvata, mali postotak novootvorenih poduzeća, administrativne prepreke za provođenje poduzetničkih aktivnosti, nedovoljnu razvijenost financijskog tržišta te nedostatak edukacije usmjerene na razvoj poduzetničkih znanja i vještina. Cilj je ovoga rada prikazati pregled trenutnog stanja sektora malih i srednjih poduzeća u Republici Srbiji, kao i u Republici Hrvatskoj preko nekoliko aspekata: dinamičnost, inovativnost, značaj sektora za privredu i regionalni razvoj, pristup izvorima financiranja, dostupnost obrazovnih programa i profesionalnih usluga, kao i mogućnosti financiranja razvoja Europskim strukturnim i investicijskim (ESI) fondovima

Development of the model for the evaluation of innovative activities of small and medium-sized enterprises

Merenje inovativnih aktivnosti je važno da bi se moglo upravljati i uspešnije poslovati preduzećem. Mnogi alati su se pojavili na tržištu ali uglavnom svi su posmatrali uspešnost preduzeća isključivo kroz finansijske aspekte. Model koji je uključivao sve aspekte u preduzeću, ne samo finansijsku komponentu i koji se pokazao kao efikasan alat je Balanced Scoredcard (BSC) model. Pojavom ovog modela stvara se sinergija na nivou celog preduzeća, jer pomoću ovog modela moguće je identifikovati strateške indikatore koje preduzeće treba da postigne da bi unapredilo svoje poslovanje. Ovaj rad posmatra trenutnu situaciju po pitanju inovacija i uvođenja inovativnih aktivnosti u poslovanje u preduzećima na teritoriji Republike Srbije, ali i to da li BSC model primenljiv za ocenu i praćenje inovativnih aktivnosti u preduzećima. Modifikovan BSC model uz pažljivo odabrane faktore sa fokusom na inovativne aktivnosti je dobar pomoćni alat za merenje i neprekidno praćenje performansi preduzeća. Primena ovakvih alata u malim i srednjim preduzećima bi unapredila i poboljšala njihovo poslovanje.Measuring innovative activities is important in order to manage and operate the enterprise more effectively. Many tools appeared on the market, but most of them measured the business success based on financial results. The Balanced Scoredcard (BSC) model, however, included all the aspects of the company, not just a financial component, and it was proven to be an effective tool. The emergence of this model created synergy throughout the company, because this model enabled identification of the strategic indicators that the company should achieve in order to improve its business. This paper shows the current situation regarding to innovation and the introduction of innovative activities in business operations in the territory of the Republic of Serbia, but also explores whether the BSC model is applicable for the evaluation and monitoring of innovative activities in enterprises. A modified BSC model with very carefully selected factors with a focus on innovative activities is a good auxiliary tool for measuring and continuously monitoring the performance of the company. The application of such tools in small and medium-sized enterprises would improve their business

Beer and beer industry in Slovakia

Tradition of beer industry in Slovakia takes origin in 19th century, when production of beer primarily appeared in this country. Slovaks love beer, which is confirmed by gradually increasing number of beer producing facilities. Production of beer has significant impact on development of Slovak economy, direct foreign investments, creation of new jobs, technology modernization etc. There are also many significant multinational corporations operating in Slovakia such as Heineken International, Topvar, Steiner and others. Significant revolution is going on also in the sector of small independent craft breweries in Slovakia. The objective of this paper is to emphasize the importance and impact of beer industry on Slovakian economy and to analyze advantages and disadvantages of the sector in this area

Development of the model for the evaluation of innovative activities of small and medium-sized enterprises

Merenje inovativnih aktivnosti je važno da bi se moglo upravljati i uspešnije poslovati preduzećem. Mnogi alati su se pojavili na tržištu ali uglavnom svi su posmatrali uspešnost preduzeća isključivo kroz finansijske aspekte. Model koji je uključivao sve aspekte u preduzeću, ne samo finansijsku komponentu i koji se pokazao kao efikasan alat je Balanced Scoredcard (BSC) model. Pojavom ovog modela stvara se sinergija na nivou celog preduzeća, jer pomoću ovog modela moguće je identifikovati strateške indikatore koje preduzeće treba da postigne da bi unapredilo svoje poslovanje. Ovaj rad posmatra trenutnu situaciju po pitanju inovacija i uvođenja inovativnih aktivnosti u poslovanje u preduzećima na teritoriji Republike Srbije, ali i to da li BSC model primenljiv za ocenu i praćenje inovativnih aktivnosti u preduzećima. Modifikovan BSC model uz pažljivo odabrane faktore sa fokusom na inovativne aktivnosti je dobar pomoćni alat za merenje i neprekidno praćenje performansi preduzeća. Primena ovakvih alata u malim i srednjim preduzećima bi unapredila i poboljšala njihovo poslovanje.Measuring innovative activities is important in order to manage and operate the enterprise more effectively. Many tools appeared on the market, but most of them measured the business success based on financial results. The Balanced Scoredcard (BSC) model, however, included all the aspects of the company, not just a financial component, and it was proven to be an effective tool. The emergence of this model created synergy throughout the company, because this model enabled identification of the strategic indicators that the company should achieve in order to improve its business. This paper shows the current situation regarding to innovation and the introduction of innovative activities in business operations in the territory of the Republic of Serbia, but also explores whether the BSC model is applicable for the evaluation and monitoring of innovative activities in enterprises. A modified BSC model with very carefully selected factors with a focus on innovative activities is a good auxiliary tool for measuring and continuously monitoring the performance of the company. The application of such tools in small and medium-sized enterprises would improve their business

Analysis of The European Social Charter and Its Importance for The Protection of Selected Groups of Working Women

Both the 1961 European Social Charter and its revised version of 1996 constitute international social and economic rights treaties ratified by the Member States of the Council of Europe. Together with the European Treaty for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, they are the cornerstones of the contractual system for the protection of human rights in the member countries of the Council of Europe. Moreover, these contracts have contributed significantly to the development of European human rights standards in the areas of personal management, labour law and social security law. Nevertheless, it receives minimal attention from legal theorists. This leads to problems in its interpretation in practice. Through scientific and doctrinal interpretation, authors examine the various provisions of the European Social Charter. They seek answers to practical application problems through scientific literature as well as the case-law of the European Court of Justice. The aim and result of the authors’ work is to examine individual documents, to compare them and analyse the differences. The aim of the authors' work is also to evaluate the impact of the case law of the European Court of Justice in connection with the implementation of the Charter into the legal order as well as application practice. The benefit of this article is also the analysis of the impact of the Charter on the rights of working women

BEER AND BEER INDUSTRY IN SLOVAKIA

Tradition of beer industry in Slovakia takes origin in 19th century, when production of beer primarily appeared in this country. Slovaks love beer, which is confrmed by gradually increasing number of beer producing facilities. Production of beer has signifcant impact on development of Slovak economy, direct foreign investments, creation of new jobs, technology modernization etc. There are also many significant multinational corporations operating in Slovakia such as Heineken International, Topvar, Steiner and others. Signifcant revolution is going on also in the sector of small independent craft breweries in Slovakia. The objective of this paper is to emphasize the importance and impact of beer industry on Slovakian economy and to analyze advantages and disadvantages of the sector in this area

Are Future Professionals Willing to Implement Service Robots? Attitudes of Hospitality and Tourism Students towards Service Robotization

This paper aims to examine attitudes of hospitality and tourism students, as future professionals, towards willingness to implement service robots. The study proposes a new theoretical conceptual model that includes new constructs and items, differentiating it from the others. The model was formed based on the extensive literature review and the interview with an eight-member focus group (hotel managers and academic researchers). Data collection was performed in two stages, pilot research based on 82 respondents and the main study, with the final number of respondents being 236. The initial results of the exploratory factor analysis were further tested using the confirmatory factor analysis. After the exclusion of several items due to low factor loadings and in order to improve model validity, analyses further suggested a nine-dimensional solution with 45 items. The study findings reveal a positive relationship between seven constructs and students’ willingness to implement service robots, with the expected business outcome being the most influencing one. On the other hand, positive relation was not found for empathy and social influence constructs. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed in the paper. In conclusion, study limitations and future research suggestions are provided

Economics of Digital Transformation

The papers published in this monograph present best papers presented at the first conference of the Faculty of Economics and Bussiness of University of Rijeka organized on the topic of “Economics of digital transformation” from 2nd to 4th of May, 2018 in Opatija, Croatia (www.edt- conference.com). During the three days of the conference more than 50 researchers from European region contributed with their presentations. We are particularly proud on the results of our doctoral workshop where nine young researchers presented their research while five papers were published in the monograph. In this way we are building our future research capacities and expose young researchers to rigorous scientific challenge

Economics of Digital Transformation

The papers published in this monograph present best papers presented at the first conference of the Faculty of Economics and Bussiness of University of Rijeka organized on the topic of “Economics of digital transformation” from 2nd to 4th of May, 2018 in Opatija, Croatia (www.edt- conference.com). During the three days of the conference more than 50 researchers from European region contributed with their presentations. We are particularly proud on the results of our doctoral workshop where nine young researchers presented their research while five papers were published in the monograph. In this way we are building our future research capacities and expose young researchers to rigorous scientific challenge