An empirical analysis of consumer awareness and trust in organic food legislation in Croatia

The results of the research conducted in March 2009 on a representative sample of the citizens of the Republic of Croatia using a highly structured survey questionnaire in households have shown that the majority of the respondents (76.6%) are familiar with organic food. In the survey, special emphasis is put on the purchase of organic food, especially among regular buyers. Methods: Regular buyers were asked about their familiarity with the information on the organic food declaration and their trust in the reliability of the information on the organic food declaration. Furthermore, research explored respondents' familiarity with the label organic product of Croatia according to frequency of organic food purchase. Also, research explored consumer trust in organic food monitoring and control system in Croatia. Results and conclusions: The research gives insight into familiarity with measures for organic food consumer protection in Croatia and recommendations for organic food legislation bodies

Research on organic food purchase in Croatia

This paper presents research findings based on the research conducted on a representative sample of respondents using a highly structured questionnaire. The fi rst part of the paper focuses on the theoretical background and overview of the research results related to the research problem in the world and in Croatia. The results of the research which has been conducted indicate that respondents are not familiar with the definition of organic food. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on the Croatian consumers’ perception of organic food and conventional food. The research on organic food purchase places a special emphasis on regular buyers of organic food who were asked to evaluate the importance of individual characteristics in choosing a place of sale for organic food. Based on the hierarchical regression analysis, the frequency of organic food purchases by regular buyers was found to correlate with the perception of organic food and the importance of characteristics of a place of sale for organic food. The research also identifi ed the main reasons for not buying organic food, and it sets out the guidelines which may be useful to organic producers, marketers and retailers in encouraging further purchases of organic food

Paltašić, Dobrićević : bilješke uz najstarije hrvatsko glazbeno tiskarstvo

Andrija Paltašić (b. around 1450, Kotor [Croatia] – d. around 1500, Venice [Italy]) and Dobrić Dobrićević (Boninus de Boninis, B. Raguseus) (b. 1457, Lastovo [Croatia] – d. 1528, Treviso [Italy]) are the oldest Croatian typographers who earned their reputation outside Croatia. This paper presents the less familiar segment of their printing activities – the printing of missals. Missale Romanum (Venice, 1485/1486) is the only known music publication by Paltašić, while Dobrićević printed three music books, two incunabula and one cinquecentina: Missale Ordinis Carmelitanum (Brescia, 1490), Missale Cabilonense (Lyon, 1500) and Missale Bellicence (Lyon, 1503). The true value of Paltašić’s and Dobrićević’s music publications is discussed within the context of the earliest European music publications, emphasizing their impact on Croatian Renaissance music. The article also offers a list of preserved music incunabula in Croatia

Empirical research of attitudes towards organic food among Croatian consumers

Organic agriculture is a holistic production system, which sustains the natural soil activity, ecosystem and people. This new system is an answer by organic producers to unsustainability of capital intensive agriculture, characterized by mass production, specialization, product standardization and high labour productivity that results in a weaker relation of agriculture to natural conditions and many negative consequences, especially in ecological, social and economic spheres. Development of organic production enabled development of the organic food market. Another incentive for organic food market development is consumers’ increased interest in nutrition, health and environment protection. The first segment of this paper will present an overview of research related to definitions and perceptions of organic food. The second segment will present the empirical research of Croatian consumer's perception of organic food. Most research participants are familiar with the term ‘organic food’, mainly participants from the north of Croatia. Our research results are in alignment with findings published in literature worldwide and indicate that the most familiar with organic food are participants with at least college education and those with higher monthly incomes. The study also investigated whether consumers understand the definition of organic food and where from do they get information about it. Most of research participants think of organic food as of products produced without use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers, genetically modified organisms and other chemical additives. That is incorrect and indicates that consumers are not sufficiently informed about organic production and that the promotion of organic products is insufficient. In addition, paper compares consumer's perception of organic products and the conventional ones. The research findings indicate that consumers acknowledge the difference between organic and conventional products and find organic food healthier, tastier and more expensive than the conventional food. Finally, this paper contributes to the organic food literature by presenting findings from Croatian market and enabling comparison of organic food perceptions in Croatia with other markets. The research reveals new information necessary for evaluation of organic food market potential in Croatia, relevant for both producers and retailers

Physical defintion of randomness

Ability to generate random numbers is an important resource for many applications ranging from scientific research to practical cryptography and quantum technologies. However, a widely accepted definition of random numbers, or randomness, has eluded researchers thus far. Without a definition, it is impossible to complete security proofs or make new industrial standards. Here, we propose an information-theory-based definition of randomness which, unlike state of the art, does not try to find desirable properties of generated numbers, but rather focus on the physical process of random number generation. We explain its intuitiveness, demonstrate its verifiability and further define randomness deviation as a measure of quality of the random number generating process or device.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, 20 equation