Tourism entrepreneurship and industrial restructuring: GLOBE national and organisational cultural dimensions

National culture can influence entrepreneurship by creating a specific cultural framework which defines the possibilities for the recognition of opportunities for entrepreneurial activities, as well as their social desirability. Very large corporations, especially those that dominate a region, also have their own organizational cultures, which in turn influence local social culture, and which can constitute a specific subculture within society. The “Kolubara” mine is the largest in Serbia, employing more than 11,000 workers. As most of its employees are living close to its headquarters, the small town of Lazarevac (Central Serbia), the culture nurtured within this organization and among its employees is heavily intertwined with the social culture of the inhabitants of the town. The GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) approach was used to investigate the relation between this organizational culture and national culture, by measuring the nine GLOBE cultural dimensions of the “Kolubara” employees and of the inhabitants of Lazarevac. The results of this are discussed and analysed in the context of the ongoing economic transformation in many post-socialist economies. This study highlights the readiness of the people of small industrial towns, such as Lazarevac, to adapt to this ongoing transition and to undertake entrepreneurial activities in tourism during periods of industrial restructuring and the growth of service industries in former industrial areas

Changes in Traditional Activities of Industrial Area toward Sustainable Tourism Development

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential for restructuring industrial areas toward tourism development within local communities, with a special emphasis on the socio-cultural determinants of residents, as well as their attitudes regarding the sustainable development of tourism. The research is also oriented toward the interests of local communities with respect to entrepreneurial activities in the field of tourism within regions relying on traditional industries, in this case, one of the largest open-pit mining surfaces in Europe (near the Serbian town of Lazarevac). The survey was conducted on a sample of 273 respondents. The research results point to the residents’ attitudes regarding the acceptability of tourism development options, as well as their attitudes toward tourism development, with the aim of providing the conditions for a successful transition from a typical heavy industrial setting toward sustainable tourism development

Acting the part: Emotional intelligence and job satisfaction as predictors of emotional labor in travel agencies

Employees of retail travel agencies in sales roles have direct contact with tourists, which, in the case of poor customer service, can be extremely negative for businesses. Because of this, it is important to understand how employees manage their emotions in a way that can help them to remain satisfied with their work and avoid burnout. However, job satisfaction, emotional intelligence and emotional labor have not previously been studied in one model in the field of tourism and hospitality. Herein the mediating role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between job satisfaction and emotional labor in travel agencies is analysed, as well as job satisfaction as an antecedent of emotional labor in this sector. Data were collected from 160 employees of 45 travel agencies in the Serbian cities of Belgrade and Novi Sad. The results show that employee’s emotional intelligence mediates the positive relationship between job satisfaction and emotional labor. Increasing employees’ emotional intelligence through training and development and actively recruiting employees with high emotional intelligence will reduce emotional exhaustion and improve customer satisfaction for retail travel agencies

Effect of Different Types of Loads on the Force-Velocity Relationship Obtained During the Bench Press Throw Exercise

This study aimed (a) to evaluate the degree of linearity of the force-velocity (F-V) relationship across different types of loads, (b) to compare the magnitude of the F-V relationship parameters (maximum values of force [F0], velocity [V0], and power [Pmax]) between the different types of loads, and (c) to explore the concurrent validity of F0 with traditional measures of maximal strength. The F-V relationships of 15 physically active men (age: 20.9 6 2.0 years, bench press 1 repetition maximum relative to body mass: 1.20 6 0.10 kg·kg21) were determined during the bench press throw exercise using predominantly gravitational (W), inertial (I), and combined (W + I) loads. The bench press maximal isometric force (Fiso) and the 1RM were also assessed. The individual F-V relationships were highly linear regardless of the type of load considered (median r [range] 5 0.98 [0.94, 1.00]). The W + I load provided the largest value of F0 (972 6 45 N; 6.0 and 14.6% higher than W and I, respectively), the I load the largest value of V0 (2.99 6 0.34 m·s21; 40.4 and 20.1% higher than W and W + I, respectively), and the W load the lowest value of Pmax (501 6 46 W; 222.7 and 217.1% lower than I and W + I, respectively). The F0 obtained from the W load presented the highest association with Fiso and 1RM values (r. 0.90). The W + I load and the I load should be recommended to work closer to the F0 and V0 capacities, respectively. However, the W load should be recommended to assess maximal strength capacity through the value of F0

Tourists’ Motivation in Wetland Destinations: Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve Case Study (Mura-Drava-Danube Transboundary Biosphere Reserve)

The main objectives of this research were twofold: firstly, to evaluate tourists’ perception of Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, one of the four significant protected areas within the Serbian part of Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve, and secondly, to identify the motivations behind tourists’ visits to wetlands and their overall satisfaction with the visits. In addition, this study was also focused on the relationships between aforementioned constructs and tourists’ socio-demographic characteristics and visit characteristics. Finally, this study attempts to address the relationships between tourists’ motives for their visit, their image perception and satisfaction. The research findings showed that each of the three remaining factors had significant relationships with Satisfaction and experience. The research was conducted in the form of the survey in the period between May 2020 and April 2022 on the sample of 216 visitors. The research findings showed that each of three remaining factors had significant relationships with Satisfaction and experience. Relationships are also found between identified improvement requirements, Motivation for spending time particularly in wetlands, and perceived biodiversity image. Finally, there are significant relationships between duration of the visit with Satisfaction and experience and Motivation for spending time in nature and future behavior. Practical implications of the research results might be beneficial for managers of wetland destinations, in order to improve the offer in line with tourists’ preferences

Entrepreneurial Intention of Students (Managers in Training): Personal and Family Characteristics

To increase the entrepreneurial intention, it is necessary to understand the main drivers that are driving students, as carriers of future economic development, towards starting a personal business venture. With regards to that, the main aim of this research was to analyze the entrepreneurial intention among students (managers in training) in the field of tourism and hospitality management. Particular attention was paid to the influence of their socio-demographic characteristics, as well as their parents on entrepreneurial intention. The research was conducted in survey form on a sample of 310 students in Serbia in 2020. The main findings indicated that entrepreneurial intention is higher among the male students, as well as among those students whose parents are entrepreneurs or whose fathers are retired. Besides theoretical contribution, the research results might contribute to scientific and research organizations and institutions in providing the guidelines for forming study programs that will raise the students’ entrepreneurial intention

Entrepreneurial Intention of Students (Managers in Training): Personal and Family Characteristics

To increase the entrepreneurial intention, it is necessary to understand the main drivers that are driving students, as carriers of future economic development, towards starting a personal business venture. With regards to that, the main aim of this research was to analyze the entrepreneurial intention among students (managers in training) in the field of tourism and hospitality management. Particular attention was paid to the influence of their socio-demographic characteristics, as well as their parents on entrepreneurial intention. The research was conducted in survey form on a sample of 310 students in Serbia in 2020. The main findings indicated that entrepreneurial intention is higher among the male students, as well as among those students whose parents are entrepreneurs or whose fathers are retired. Besides theoretical contribution, the research results might contribute to scientific and research organizations and institutions in providing the guidelines for forming study programs that will raise the students’ entrepreneurial intention