PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY OF TOURISM BY CREATIVE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: HOW FAR IS SLOVENIA?

In this paper we introduce sustainability dimensions of creative tourism and develop a model of sustainable creative tourism. The concepts of culture-based creativity and sustainability as tools for a value-adding impact on cultural tourism and local culture are discussed in the theoretical part of the paper. Our empirical analysis reveals that higher GDP per capita does not necessary correlate with higher competitiveness of an economy: a comparison analysis of Slovenian and Estonian international competitive positions in various domains shows several weaknesses of Slovenian competitiveness and offers an explanation for indispensable systemic view on tourism competitiveness. Our world wide web analysis of the steps made in creative tourism development in both countries indicates Estonian advantage, which could be taken as an example of good practice. Some suggestions for Slovenian policymaking with regard to institutional support for culture-based creativity and creative tourism development are made in the final part of the paper

WTO LIBERALISATION, EU ACCESSION, AND SENSITIVE INDUSTRIES - THE SLOVENIAN CASE

With accession to the EU, Slovenia will simultaneously become a member of customs union, meaning that existing trade barriers with partner countries should be abolished and that trade policy against third countries should be adapted to the policy of the Union. Slovenia should cede up the instruments of common commercial policy. Practical importance for Slovenia will be caused by loss of national sovereignity in the field of anti-dumping measures as well as in concluding trade agreements what will have considerable effects on trade with countries in the area of farmer Yugoslavia. According to the results of the Uruguay round negotiations, most of quantitative restrictions in trade with textiles and clothing will be abolished on 1 January 2005. Slovenia has to be prepared to confront with such keen competition in this branch, especially due to the essentially higher share of employees and exports of this branch in the manufacturing activities of Slovenian industry and its higher regional concentration. Both the Slovenian government and Slovenian companies have to make adjustments to prepare for these changes in operating environment simoultaneously with the accomplishment of all necessary processes before accession to the EU internal market and to common policies of the European Union

Globalization measurement as a management tool

If the intention of an approach towards measuring globalization is to represent an economy\u27s policymaking tool, it should enable to not only analyze an economy\u27s position but also its potentials for international integration in the period of contemporary globalization. In this paper we developed a theoretical framework for analyzing an economy\u27s globalization level, and set up the hierarchical model for its assessment by the analytic hierarchy process methodology. The model is empirically tested on the case of Slovenia and nine comparable countries. Our approach can be treated as an attempt towards diminishing theoretical uncertainties and deficiencies in the methodology of other, the most well-known approaches towards measuring globalization

Dijagonalna kumulacija porijekla kao institucionalni poticajni mehanizam EU za promociju međunarodne trgovine i poslova

In this paper we explore the effects of a diagonal cumulation of origin as the EU’s Common Commercial Policy (CCP) incentive mechanism that affects the intraregional trade and transaction cost structure of firms engaged in cross-border business operation. The research explores how firms should frame their crossborder physical flows of goods and the configuration of their value-adding processes for taking advantage of diagonal cumulation of origin. The empirical analysis is based on an in-depth case study of effects of the ‘SAP+ diagonal cumulation of origin’ on changes in the transaction cost structure of a selected Slovenian firm operating within the household-appliance sector in one of the Western Balkan Countries. Based on eligibility of local subsidiary for using origin of goods in its import/export transactions the cost calculations were made for its products and then three different business scenarios were developed for showing the effects of the mechanism on transaction cost changes of a firm. The paper concludes that, at the conceptual level, the mechanism of diagonal cumulation oforigin may serve as an effective institutional cross-border trade-promoting tool.U ovom radu istražujemo dijagonalnu kumulaciju porijekla kao institucionalni mehanizam zajedničke trgovinske politike EU za poticanje intra-regionalne trgovine, a koja može istovremeno pogodno utjecati i na strukturu transakcijskih troškova poduzeća. Ovaj rad izučava implikacije ovog mehanizma za transakcijske troškove poduzeća u međunarodnom poslovanju osobito iz perspektive načina na koje mogu poduzeća konfigurirati vlastite prekogranične fizičke robne tokove i procese za kreiranje dodane vrijednosti kako bi mogla iskoristiti efekte dijagonalne kumulacije porijekla. Empirijsko istraživanje je provedeno bilo pomoću detaljne studije slučaja na temelju simulacije efekata ‘SAP dijagonalne kumulacije porijekla’ na promjene u strukturi transakcijskih troškova određenog slovenskog poduzeća u sektoru proizvodnje kućanskih aparata u jednoj od država Zapadnog Balkana. Na temelju statusa lokalne podružnice kao korisnika koncesije porijekla robe u njenim izvozno/uvoznim transakcijama napravljene su kalkulacije troškova za njene proizvode kao osnova za simulaciju tri scenarija učinaka mehanizma porijekla na promjene transakcijskih troškova poduzeća. U radu se zaključuje, da na konceptualnoj razini mehanizam dijagonalne kumulacije porijekla može poslužiti kao efikasan institucionalni mehanizam za poticanje prekogranične trgovine

WTO LIBERALISATION, EU ACCESSION, AND SENSITIVE INDUSTRIES - THE SLOVENIAN CASE

With accession to the EU, Slovenia will simultaneously become a member of customs union, meaning that existing trade barriers with partner countries should be abolished and that trade policy against third countries should be adapted to the policy of the Union. Slovenia should cede up the instruments of common commercial policy. Practical importance for Slovenia will be caused by loss of national sovereignity in the field of anti-dumping measures as well as in concluding trade agreements what will have considerable effects on trade with countries in the area of farmer Yugoslavia. According to the results of the Uruguay round negotiations, most of quantitative restrictions in trade with textiles and clothing will be abolished on 1 January 2005. Slovenia has to be prepared to confront with such keen competition in this branch, especially due to the essentially higher share of employees and exports of this branch in the manufacturing activities of Slovenian industry and its higher regional concentration. Both the Slovenian government and Slovenian companies have to make adjustments to prepare for these changes in operating environment simoultaneously with the accomplishment of all necessary processes before accession to the EU internal market and to common policies of the European Union

Dijagonalna kumulacija porijekla kao institucionalni poticajni mehanizam EU za promociju međunarodne trgovine i poslova

In this paper we explore the effects of a diagonal cumulation of origin as the EU’s Common Commercial Policy (CCP) incentive mechanism that affects the intraregional trade and transaction cost structure of firms engaged in cross-border business operation. The research explores how firms should frame their crossborder physical flows of goods and the configuration of their value-adding processes for taking advantage of diagonal cumulation of origin. The empirical analysis is based on an in-depth case study of effects of the ‘SAP+ diagonal cumulation of origin’ on changes in the transaction cost structure of a selected Slovenian firm operating within the household-appliance sector in one of the Western Balkan Countries. Based on eligibility of local subsidiary for using origin of goods in its import/export transactions the cost calculations were made for its products and then three different business scenarios were developed for showing the effects of the mechanism on transaction cost changes of a firm. The paper concludes that, at the conceptual level, the mechanism of diagonal cumulation oforigin may serve as an effective institutional cross-border trade-promoting tool.U ovom radu istražujemo dijagonalnu kumulaciju porijekla kao institucionalni mehanizam zajedničke trgovinske politike EU za poticanje intra-regionalne trgovine, a koja može istovremeno pogodno utjecati i na strukturu transakcijskih troškova poduzeća. Ovaj rad izučava implikacije ovog mehanizma za transakcijske troškove poduzeća u međunarodnom poslovanju osobito iz perspektive načina na koje mogu poduzeća konfigurirati vlastite prekogranične fizičke robne tokove i procese za kreiranje dodane vrijednosti kako bi mogla iskoristiti efekte dijagonalne kumulacije porijekla. Empirijsko istraživanje je provedeno bilo pomoću detaljne studije slučaja na temelju simulacije efekata ‘SAP dijagonalne kumulacije porijekla’ na promjene u strukturi transakcijskih troškova određenog slovenskog poduzeća u sektoru proizvodnje kućanskih aparata u jednoj od država Zapadnog Balkana. Na temelju statusa lokalne podružnice kao korisnika koncesije porijekla robe u njenim izvozno/uvoznim transakcijama napravljene su kalkulacije troškova za njene proizvode kao osnova za simulaciju tri scenarija učinaka mehanizma porijekla na promjene transakcijskih troškova poduzeća. U radu se zaključuje, da na konceptualnoj razini mehanizam dijagonalne kumulacije porijekla može poslužiti kao efikasan institucionalni mehanizam za poticanje prekogranične trgovine

Enhancing Sustainable Business by SMEs’ Digitalization

In the digital and knowledge society, where SMEs are predominant contributors to economic and social development, SMEs’ digitalization is a lever for sustainable business. The purpose of this paper is to argue the importance of SMEs’ digitalization for their sustainable business operation and for strengthening their innovation and development potentials. The theoretical part of the paper gives an overview of the topic’ s backgrounds: sustainable business, the new digital business reality, digital technologies and their functionalities, the state of digital technologies adoption among European micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the existent governmental and European Union’s (EU) support to SMEs’ digitalization. In the empirical analysis, we explore business digitalization in the European Union, focusing on Slovenia and Croatia. We found that both Slovenia and Croatia are on a promising path towards SMEs’ digitalization; however, they still need to diminish some gaps. We propose some requisite policy responses

Foreign Direct Investment Location Choice Factors: Some Evidence for Brazil

Due to the liberalization and transformation of emerging markets economies, the attractiveness of these countries for foreign direct investors has been rising in the last decades. This paper explores foreign direct investment (FDI) location choice factors of German and Austrian companies in Brazilian regions. We perform a quantitative analysis, based on the Multinomial Nested Logit Model and supplement its findings by the qualitative analysis, based on the semi-structured experts’ interview. The analyses show that investor-nation specific agglomeration, industry specialization, workforce qualification and physical infrastructure were important FDI location choice factors for German and Austrian companies in Brazil. Suggestions for future research of the FDI location choice factors are discussed

Beitrag zur Messung und Analyse der Globalisiertheit von Nationalwirtschaften

This paper introduces a multi-criteria method for measuring the globalization of national economies with the intention of establishing and thoroughly studying a country\u27s position and potential for international integration. It is based on some of the advantages of the analytic hierarchy process methodology. By utilizing the traditional theory of comparative advantages, the new theory of competitive advantages, the theory of international production and some adequate empirical studies, we have developed a theoretical framework and set up a hierarchical model of relevant indicators for measuring and analyzing the globalization of national economies. Additionally, this paper offers solutions for restructuring the hierarchy of the model to consider data for all included indicators. The positions and potentials of national economies – especially the Croatian one – were researched in different international environments that are interesting for international integration. For the Croatian national economy, the empirical case study defines key success and failure spheres of its performance in the period of contemporary globalization, and suggests some measures for economic policymaking.Članak uvodi višekriterijsku metodu za mjerenje ekonomske globaliziranosti nacionalnih gospodarstava, a cilj je utvrđivanje i temeljito proučavanje položaja države i njezina potencijala za međunarodnu integraciju. Metoda se zasniva na određenim prednostima metodologije analitičkoga hijerarhijskog procesa. Na osnovama tradicionalne teorije komparativnih prednosti, nove teorije kompetitivnih prednosti, teorije međunarodne proizvodnje i određenih empirijskih studija, razvili smo teorijski okvir i postavili hijerarhijski model relevantnih indikatora za mjerenje i analizu globaliziranosti nacionalnih gospodarstava. Članak nudi rješenja za restrukturiranje hijerarhije modela u konačni model koji omogućuje upotrebu svih raspoloživih podataka. Pozicije i potencijali nacionalnih gospodarstava, posebno hrvatskoga, istraživani su u različitim internacionalnim okruženjima zanimljivima za međunarodnu integraciju. U pogledu hrvatske nacionalne ekonomije, ova empirijska studija određuje područja njezina uspjeha i neuspjeha u razdoblju suvremene globalizacije te daje određene prijedloge mjera ekonomske politike.Dieser Artikel führt eine Methode mehrfacher Kriterien zur Messung der Globalisiertheit von Nationalwirtschaften ein mit dem Ziel, die Lage eines bestimmten Staates und seines Potentials zur internationalen Integrierung zu ermitteln und einer gründlichen Untersuchung zu unterziehen. Die Wahl dieser Methode gründet auf bestimmten Vorzügen, die die Methodologie des analytischen Hierarchieprozesses aufzuweisen hat. Auf der Basis der traditionellen Theorie komparativer Vorzüge, der neuen Theorie kompetitiver Vorzüge, der Theorie der internationalen Produktion und bestimmter anderer empirischer Studien haben die Autoren einen theoretischen Rahmen entwickelt und ein Hierarchiemodell relevanter Indikatoren zur Messung und Analyse der Globalisiertheit nationaler Wirtschaftssysteme aufgestellt. Es werden Lösungen zur Restrukturierung des Hierarchiemodells in ein endgültiges Modell angeboten, welches die Nutzung aller verfügbarer Daten ermöglicht. Position und Potential nationaler Wirtschaftssysteme, zumal aber des kroatischen, wurden in einem jeweils unterschiedlichen internationalen Umfeld untersucht, das für eine internationale Integrierung interessant ist. Im Hinblick auf Kroatien werden Bereiche bestimmt, in denen die kroatische Wirtschaft, im Rahmen der zeitgenössischen Globalisierung, Erfolge und Misserfolge hervorbringen könnte. Die Autoren geben abschließend verschiedene Vorschläge zur Verbesserung der Wirtschaftspolitik