Managerial Perceptions of Firms’ Corporate Sustainability Strategies: Insights from Croatia

Although corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained increasing academic attention, we lack a solid understanding of how managerial perceptions underpin firms’ sustainability practices. This study interprets and sheds light on managers’ perceptions of sustainability activities under various stakeholder domains in Croatia through a multi-theoretical approach. Using 21 semi-structured interviews with managers, the study reveals that sustainability activities in the research context tend to focus more on environmental issues and customer service, as well as employees and supplier domains. The study further establishes three distinct levels of sustainability commitments by firms. These stages include sustainability as a minimal response, corporate culture-driven, and committed response. These findings, as a whole, are insightful and enable us to advance research on sustainability by elucidating how managerial perceptions underpin firms’ strategic sustainability activities. The contributions to theory and practice are also discussed

Važnost istraživanja djece u marketingu

Uloga djece u kupovnim odlukama roditelja bilježi značajan rast kroz posljednja dva desetljeća. Cilj ovog rada je dati pregled važnijih istraživanja unutar područja marketinga koji su analizirali ponašanje djece i roditelja kao potrošača. U radu će se opisati tri područja: a) dosadašnje spoznaje o socijalizaciji djece kao potrošača b) trendove koji se odvijaju unutar kupovine roditelja i djece i b) metode koje se koriste za istraživanje djece u području marketinga. Doprinos rada je u prepoznavanju potencijalnih pitanja za buduća empirijska istraživanja s čijim odgovorima bi se ostvarilo bolje razumijevanje svijeta djece i roditelja te odredila kvalitetna podloga za intervencije i razvoj odgovornih marketinških strategija

The Moderating Effect of Perceived Effectiveness of Marketing Function on Network Ties – Strategic Adaptiveness Relationship

This study examines the critical role of perceived effectiveness of the Marketing function (MF) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in leveraging entrepreneurial network ties to improve strategic adaptiveness (SA). The study tests whether a MF perceived as effective by SMEs’ managers/owners moderates the relationship between SMEs network ties and SA required for improved performance. Findings of a moderated regression analysis on a sample of 263 Croatian SMEs indicate that network ties contribute significantly to their SA, and that a MF perceived as effective only moderates the impact of customer and competitor ties on SMEs’ SA. Research and practical implications are discussed

Consumer Behavior During the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Importance of Collectivist Orientation

Purpose – The COVID-19 pandemic changed people’s patterns of work and consumption substantially. This paper examines how cultural orientations and personality traits relate to adjustments in consumer behavior during COVID-19. Specifically, it considers whether individualism/collectivism, neuroticism, and collective self-esteem can help explain local food buying and stockpiling behavior. Design/Methodology/Approach – A total of 187 consumers participated in this research, with data collection taking place during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Croatia from March to May 2020. Findings and implications – Consumers with higher horizontal collectivism engaged in local food buying more than those with lower horizontal collectivism. Horizontal collectivism and, to a lesser extent, neuroticism predicted stockpiling behavior. Collective self-esteem moderated the relationship between horizontal collectivism and stockpiling, and between neuroticism and local food buying. Fostering a sense of collective identity and emphasizing collectivist values may be a fruitful marketing strategy as a response to marketplace disruptions during a crisis. Limitations – The study draws on a convenience sample of students and their household members, thereby limiting the generalizability of the study. Originality – This paper uncovers the ways in which socio-cultural and personality-related psychological constructs relate to local food buying and stockpiling behavior while also highlighting the importance of cultural orientation for explaining consumer behavior during a major crisis

Reaching, engaging and bonding with voters on social media: the case of 2014/2015 Croatian presidential elections

This paper examines the ways in which presidential candidates use social media in their election campaigns to democratise politics and political representation. The study is based on content analysis of statements which candidates in 2014/2015 Croatian presidential elections published on their official Facebook and Twitter accounts. The results show that candidates did not use social media to reach, engage and form stronger bonds with potential voters. By failing to do so, they have missed the opportunity to bring disenchanted voters back into the political arena and potentially increase the legitimacy of the democratic processes

Analiza stavova roditelja o zdravoj hrani i prehrani djece

Cilj istraživanja je ispitati stavove roditelja o zdravoj hrani. Za potrebe ovog rada primjenjeno je kvantitativno istraživanje putem anketnog upitnika kojeg je ispunilo 104 roditelja. Provedeno istraživanje je pokazalo da roditelji ne percipiraju zdravu hranu neukusnom, da su svjesni vlastitog zdravlja te pri izboru hrane ne daju prioritet okusu nad zdravljem. Smatraju da djelomično imaju kontrolu nad prehranom svoga djeteta te da uglavnom oni donese odluke o tome što će dijete konzumirati. Doprinos rada se očituje u otkrivanju preferencija roditelja pomoću kojih se može prilagoditi ponuda hrane na tržištu, a sve s ciljem da se usvoji veća konzumacija zdrave hrane i sklonost kupnji namirnica s povoljnim utjecajem na zdravlje obitelji

PROIZVODI SA ZAŠTIĆENOM OZNAKOM IZVORNOSTI I ZEMLJOPISNOG PODRIJETLA NA HRVATSKOM TRŽIŠTU

This research is a first step towards outlining the profile and motives of Croatian producers concerning their PDO/PGI food production practices. This paper is aimed at the producers’ perception of the success of protected products production as well as of marketing activities used to enhance the success of such products. The primary research method employed for the study was in-depth interviews with 17 producers of PDO olive oil and 6 PGI Dalmatian prosciuttos. Research results showed that protected product producers find that their biggest problem is an insufficient education of Croatian producers on PDO/PGI labels and high costs needed for the product protection and control process. Bureaucracy and costs of implementation, together with a lack of consumer knowledge, are likely to prevent rapid future adoption in the Croatia. However, producers of both types of products consider that greater success requires greater investments into marketing activities during a longer period of time. The paper concludes with several observations drawn from the data as well as implications for managers and researchers.Ovo istraživanje predstavlja prvi korak prema opisu profila i motiva hrvatskih proizvođača i njihovih načina proizvodnje hrane sa zaštićenim oznakama izvornosti i zemljopisnog podrijetla (ZOI I ZOZP). Rad je usmjeren na ispitivanje percepcije proizvođača o uspješnosti proizvodnje zaštićenih proizvoda, kao i marketinških aktivnosti kojima se povećava uspjeh takvih proizvoda. Primarna metoda istraživanja je metoda dubinska intervjua sa 17 proizvođača maslinovog ulja (ZOI) i 6 proizvođača dalmatinskog pršuta (ZOZP). Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da proizvođači zaštićenih proizvoda smatraju da je najveći problem nedovoljna edukacija hrvatskih proizvođača o oznakama ZOI/ ZOZP te visoki troškovi potrebni za zaštitu i kontrolu proizvoda. Birokracija i troškovi provedbe, zajedno s nedostatkom znanja potrošača, spriječavaju brzo usvajanje ovakvih proizvoda u Hrvatskoj. Međutim, proizvođači obje vrste proizvoda smatraju da veći uspjeh zahtijeva veća ulaganja u marketinške aktivnosti tijekom duljeg vremenskog razdoblja. Rad završava zaključkom te implikacijama za menadžere i istraživače

Political impression management through direct and mediated communication: The 2014/2015 Croatian presidential elections

This paper examines similarities and differences between direct and mediated political candidates' communication during electoral campaigns, and answers the question: How, if at all, do candidates' techniques of impression management differ in their direct and mediated communication. The study is based on content analysis of major daily newspapers, and statements published by candidates in the 2014/2015 Croatian presidential elections on their official Facebook and Twitter accounts. The results show that candidates did not use social media to portray their personal side, humanise their image and create their image of a leader through references to their skills and qualities. Rather, this research shows that in spite of the growing importance of social media, and the willingness and skill of the politicians in employing social media, traditional media, such as newspapers, remain indispensable for providing information about political issues to citizens in this new democracy during presidential elections

PROIZVODI SA ZAŠTIĆENOM OZNAKOM IZVORNOSTI I ZEMLJOPISNOG PODRIJETLA NA HRVATSKOM TRŽIŠTU

This research is a first step towards outlining the profile and motives of Croatian producers concerning their PDO/PGI food production practices. This paper is aimed at the producers’ perception of the success of protected products production as well as of marketing activities used to enhance the success of such products. The primary research method employed for the study was in-depth interviews with 17 producers of PDO olive oil and 6 PGI Dalmatian prosciuttos. Research results showed that protected product producers find that their biggest problem is an insufficient education of Croatian producers on PDO/PGI labels and high costs needed for the product protection and control process. Bureaucracy and costs of implementation, together with a lack of consumer knowledge, are likely to prevent rapid future adoption in the Croatia. However, producers of both types of products consider that greater success requires greater investments into marketing activities during a longer period of time. The paper concludes with several observations drawn from the data as well as implications for managers and researchers.Ovo istraživanje predstavlja prvi korak prema opisu profila i motiva hrvatskih proizvođača i njihovih načina proizvodnje hrane sa zaštićenim oznakama izvornosti i zemljopisnog podrijetla (ZOI I ZOZP). Rad je usmjeren na ispitivanje percepcije proizvođača o uspješnosti proizvodnje zaštićenih proizvoda, kao i marketinških aktivnosti kojima se povećava uspjeh takvih proizvoda. Primarna metoda istraživanja je metoda dubinska intervjua sa 17 proizvođača maslinovog ulja (ZOI) i 6 proizvođača dalmatinskog pršuta (ZOZP). Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da proizvođači zaštićenih proizvoda smatraju da je najveći problem nedovoljna edukacija hrvatskih proizvođača o oznakama ZOI/ ZOZP te visoki troškovi potrebni za zaštitu i kontrolu proizvoda. Birokracija i troškovi provedbe, zajedno s nedostatkom znanja potrošača, spriječavaju brzo usvajanje ovakvih proizvoda u Hrvatskoj. Međutim, proizvođači obje vrste proizvoda smatraju da veći uspjeh zahtijeva veća ulaganja u marketinške aktivnosti tijekom duljeg vremenskog razdoblja. Rad završava zaključkom te implikacijama za menadžere i istraživače

Analiza stavova roditelja o zdravoj hrani i prehrani djece

Cilj istraživanja je ispitati stavove roditelja o zdravoj hrani. Za potrebe ovog rada primjenjeno je kvantitativno istraživanje putem anketnog upitnika kojeg je ispunilo 104 roditelja. Provedeno istraživanje je pokazalo da roditelji ne percipiraju zdravu hranu neukusnom, da su svjesni vlastitog zdravlja te pri izboru hrane ne daju prioritet okusu nad zdravljem. Smatraju da djelomično imaju kontrolu nad prehranom svoga djeteta te da uglavnom oni donese odluke o tome što će dijete konzumirati. Doprinos rada se očituje u otkrivanju preferencija roditelja pomoću kojih se može prilagoditi ponuda hrane na tržištu, a sve s ciljem da se usvoji veća konzumacija zdrave hrane i sklonost kupnji namirnica s povoljnim utjecajem na zdravlje obitelji