Effective Strategy Implementation: The Experience of Slovenian Companies

This paper deals with the findings of empirical research on the main determinants of effective strategy implementation in Slovenian companies

Na kaj nasloviti odločitev o izbiri enotirnega ali dvotirnega sistema upravljanja delniške družbe

Recent changes enacted in the Slovenian Company Code opened the possibility for applying the one-tier corporate governance model instead of the two-tiers one. Thedecisionon the chosen governance model must be based on an analysis of factors that determine the efficiency of each of the two models.The article offers on the basis of historical over view of the corporate governance function development and recent controversial views on the corporate governance the analysis of factors that support the one-tier governance model on one hand and the two-tiers model on the other hand. This analysis is based on the identification of the weaknesses of the corporate governance models in companies with the dispersed ownership in the transitional countries of Central Europe too. In the conclusion the author identifiesadditionallymost probable future changes in the corporate governance function.Zadnje spremembe v slovenski gospodarski zakonodaji so prinesle možnost, da delniške družbe uporabijo namesto dvotirnega enotirni model upravljanja podjetja. Odločitev o izbiri modela upravljanja mora temeljiti na analizi dejavnikov, od katerih je odvisna učinkovitost enega in drugega modela. Članek na osnovi zgodovinskega prikaza razvoja sistema upravljanja podjetja in sodobnih razhajanj v pogledih nanj analizira dejavnike, ki govorijo za izbiro enotirnega na eni in dvotirnega modela upravljanja podjetja na drugi strani. Analizo dejavnikov naslanja tudi na ugotavljanje slabosti, ki jih izkazujejo delujoči modelov upravljanja delniških družb z razpršenim lastništvom v tranzicijskih državah osrednje Evrope. V sklepnem delu pa avtor še opozarja na verjetne smeri razvoja funkcije korporacijskega upravljanja v prihodnosti

Business ethics in the Slovenian economy

While taking into account the main concepts of business ethics, the author underlines the importance of the ethical issues in the transition period, identifies the perceived unethical behavior in the Slovenian economy as well as the main approaches to business ethics enhancement in Slovenia. Especially, the attempts to improve business ethical behavior by establishing ethical codes are analysed. This includes the Ethical Code of the Slovenian Managers’ Association, the Code of the Professional Ethics of the Accountants and the Code of the Professional Ethics of the Controllers in Slovenia, as well as some other ethical codes. The courses, workshops and seminars in the field of the business ethics are surveyed as well as the problems in teaching business ethics and empirically researching the field in Slovenia. The role of the media in enhancing business ethics in the country is analysed too. The last part of the article is dedicated to the identification of the prevailing values and attitudes of the Slovenian top managers and of the younger Slovenian managers. Differences and similarities are shown the respect to the results of some foreign research findings. Finally, there are a few conclusions regarding the needed future actions for further enhancement of business ethical behavior in Slovenia

Successful competitive strategies of large Croatian and Slovenian enterprises

In this research report, the authors identify and analyze the successful samples of strategic behaviour of large Croatian and Slovenian enterprises, as well as their similarities and dissimilarities. The research has encompassed the levels of corporate and business strategy (i.e. the strategy of a diversified firm and its strategic business units/areas), as well as the analysis of strategic performance and sources of competitive advantage. The research consists of two parts: the theoretical foundation for the analysis of the successful patterns of strategic behaviour and the empirical analysis, based on the primary data collected during the research project

Kulturne razsežnosti in vodstveni slogi, ki jih zaznavajo prihodnji managerji

The article contributes to the body of knowledge about the perceptions of future managers (i.e. business and engineering students) in both Slovenia and a cluster of Central European (CE) countries regarding actual cultural practices in their social environments, the value systems they possess and their attitudes to leadership styles. The main question addressed is whether future Slovenian managers are good representatives of the average future manager from CE (transitional) countries as far as their value system and attitudes to individual leadership styles are concerned. The research results confirm that the Slovenian (potential) future managers perceive actual cultural practices in their environment rather differently from their counterparts from the cluster of CE countries. Two decades of transition from socialist/communist socio-economic systems were apparently not long enough periods to achieve a higher level of harmonisation of existing cultures. The relevant value systems held by the Slovenian (potential) future managers and the CE cluster\u27s future managers still differ significantly. The Slovenian future managers have (statistically) significantly different attitudes to individual leadership styles than their counterparts in the CE countries\u27 cluster. The smallest differences in perceptions between the two stated groups of (potential) future managers exist regarding their views on what are the most important traits and skills of managers.Članek prispeva k znanju, ki ga imamo o zaznavah prihodnjih managerjev (tj. študentov poslovnih ved in inženirskih področij) v Sloveniji in grozdu držav osrednje (tranzicijske) Evrope, vezanih na obstoječe razsežnosti kulture v njihovem okolju, sisteme vrednot, ki jih posedujejo, in njihov odnos do slogov vodenja. Glavno vprašanje, ki se ga loteva, je, ali so slovenski prihodnji managerji dobri predstavniki prihodnjega povprečnega managerja v območju držav osrednje (tranzicijske) Evrope z vidika vrednostnih sistemov in odnosa do posameznih slogov vodenja. Raziskovalni rezultati potrjujejo, da slovenski (potencialni) prihodnji managerji zaznavajo obstoječe kulturne prakse v okolju precej drugače kot njihovi kolegi iz grozda osrednjeevropskih držav. Dve desetletji tranzicije iz socialističnih/komunističnih družbeno-ekonomskih sistemov nista zadostovali, da bi dosegli višjo raven harmonizacije obstoječih kultur. Relevantni vrednotni sistemi, ki so lastni slovenskim (potencialnim) prihodnjim managerjem in managerjem v grozdu osrednjeevropskih držav se še vedno znatno razlikujejo. Slovenski prihodnji managerji imajo statistično značilno različna stališča do slogov vodenja v primerjavi z njihovimi osrednjeevropskimi kolegi. Najmanjše razlike v zaznavah obeh navedenih skupin prihodnjih managerjev je najti glede njihovih pogledov na vprašanje, katere so najpomembnejše lastnosti in sposobnosti managerjev

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN EUROPEAN TRANSITION ECONOMIES: EMERGING MODELS

The purpose of the paper is to contribute to the debate of corporate governance models in European transition economies. The paper consists of four parts. In the introduction, after giving a historic overview of the corporate governance evolution, different understandings of the corporate governance function are presented and the contemporary corporate governance issues are described. The second part deals with governance systems in the (mainly domestically) privatised former state-owned companies in Central European transitional countries, with the main types of companies\u27 ownership structures, relationships between governance and management functions and deficiencies in existing governance systems. The third part is dedicated to the analysis of factors that determine the efficient relationship between the corporate governance and management functions in Central European transitional economies. It deals with the issue of why the German (Continental European) governance model is usually the preferred choice and why the chosen models underperform. In the conclusion, the author offers his suggestions of how the Central European transition countries should improve their corporate governance in the future

Kulturne razsežnosti in vodstveni slogi, ki jih zaznavajo prihodnji managerji: razlike med Slovenijo in osrednje evropskim grozdom držav

The article contributes to the body of knowledge about the perceptions of future managers (i.e. business and engineering students) in both Slovenia and a cluster of Central European (CE) countries regarding actual cultural practices in their social environments, the value systems they possess and their attitudes to leadership styles. The main question addressed is whether future Slovenian managers are good representatives of the average future manager from CE (transitional) countries as far as their value system and attitudes to individual leadership styles are concerned. The research results confirm that the Slovenian (potential) future managers perceive actual cultural practices in their environment rather differently from their counterparts from the cluster of CE countries. Two decades of transition from socialist/communist socio-economic systems were apparently not long enough periods to achieve a higher level of harmonisation of existing cultures. The relevant value systems held by the Slovenian (potential) future managers and the CE cluster’s future managers still differ significantly. The Slovenian future managers have (statistically) significantly different attitudes to individual leadership styles than their counterparts in the CE countries’ cluster. The smallest differences in perceptions between the two stated groups of (potential) future managers exist regarding their views on what are the most important traits and skills of managers.Članek prispeva k znanju, ki ga imamo o zaznavah prihodnjih managerjev (tj. študentov poslovnih ved in inženirskih področij) v Sloveniji in grozdu držav osrednje (tranzicijske) Evrope, vezanih na obstoječe razsežnosti kulture v njihovem okolju, sisteme vrednot, ki jih posedujejo, in njihov odnos do slogov vodenja. Glavno vprašanje, ki se ga loteva, je, ali so slovenski prihodnji managerji dobri predstavniki prihodnjega povprečnega managerja v območju držav osrednje (tranzicijske) Evrope z vidika vrednostnih sistemov in odnosa do posameznih slogov vodenja. Raziskovalni rezultati potrjujejo, da slovenski (potencialni) prihodnji managerji zaznavajo obstoječe kulturne prakse v okolju precej drugače kot njihovi kolegi iz grozda osrednjeevropskih držav. Dve desetletji tranzicije iz socialističnih/komunističnih družbeno-ekonomskih sistemov nista zadostovali, da bi dosegli višjo raven harmonizacije obstoječih kultur. Relevantni vrednotni sistemi, ki so lastni slovenskim (potencialnim) prihodnjim managerjem in managerjem v grozdu osrednjeevropskih držav se še vedno znatno razlikujejo. Slovenski prihodnji managerji imajo statistično značilno različna stališča do slogov vodenja v primerjavi z njihovimi osrednjeevropskimi kolegi. Najmanjše razlike v zaznavah obeh navedenih skupin prihodnjih managerjev je najti glede njihovih pogledov na vprašanje, katere so najpomembnejše lastnosti in sposobnosti managerjev