The Impact of Strategic Networking on Business Performance of Manufacturing SMEs Operating in a Predominantly Servise Based Economy

Strategic networking represents a strategic intent of the firm to develop meaningful and sustainable long-term coopetitional business relationships with various market players. Through such market relationships, the focal firm can focus on the further development of its own core competences and simultaneously garner the network benefits. The purpose of this article is to examine the role and the level of influence strategic networking has on the performance of Croatian manufacturing SMEs. The relationship between strategic networking and business performance has been further tested by looking into a set of financial and non-financial performance indicators, where moderating role of the external environment has been used to even further explore the observed relationship. Although unidimensional analysis reveals positive influence of strategic networking on business performance, that is not the case when multidimensional analysis is applied, where only the reputation among other strategic networking antecedents has a significantly positive influence. Therefore, it can be concluded that these research results are inconclusive, whether looking at the existence, strength or direction of the observed relationships, and require further research

Rationality of cognition:a meta-theoretical and methodological analysis of formal cognitive theories

Predmet metateorijske i metodološke analize u ovoj tezi je naučni status koncepta racionalnosti saznanja u kompjutacionoj kognitivnoj psihologiji (KKP). Na prvom nivou analize, racionalnost se analizira kao predmet proučavanja kognitivne psihologije. U tom proučavanju je moguće doći do zaključka o tome da je neka kognitivna funkcija racionalna ili da je ograničeno racionalna: ovo empirijsko pitanje je karakteristično za savremenu debatu o racionalnosti. Na drugom nivou analize, racionalnost predstavlja teorijski i metodološki koncept koji je a priori ugra en u temelje savremene kompjutacione kognitivne psihologije. Centralni cilj analize koja se predstavlja u ovoj tezi jeste rasvetljavanje odnosa između ova dva koncepta racionalnosti. Analiza je organizovana u šest celina. U I delu teze uvodimo razliku izme u racionalnosti kao predmeta proučavanja i kao okvira za a priori teorijske i metodološke odluke u KKP. Kroz konceptualnu i dijahronu analizu razvoja teorija odlučivanja u društvenim naukama pokazujemo kako dolazi do razvoja savremene suprostavljenosti izme u normativnih i deskriptivnih teorija u kognitivnim naukama. Uvodimo Andersonovu paradigmu racionalne analize kao centralnu metodološku pretpostavku savremenih racionalnih teorija i dajemo kratak pregled analiza koje slede. U II delu teze dajemo kompletnu kritičku analizu teorijske strukture kognitivne psihologije kao prirodne nauke o kognitivnim funkcijama. Prvo diskutujemo osnove bihejvioralne metodologije merenja neopservabilnih, internih konstrukata, što je centralni teorijski problem psihologije kao nauke uopšte, i pokazujemo na koji način je ovaj problem povezan sa problemom aksiomatizacije teorija odlučivanja. Zatim detaljno diskutujemo teorijske koncepte KKP kroz tri aktualne paradigme: simbolicističku, konekcionističko-emergentističku i konstruktivističko-enaktivističku. Diskutujemo tipologiju naučnih objašnjenja u ovim teorijskim paradigmama. Pokazujemo da neki delovi naučnog programa standarde simbolicističke KKP uopšte ne podležu mogućnosti falsifikacije. Konačno, definišemo metateorijski okvir za analizu formalnih kognitivnih teorija: skup teorijskih pojmova na osnovu kojih se formiraju pozicije racionalnih teorija i teorija ograničene racionalnosti u debati o racionalnosti...The subject of the present meta-theoretical and methodological analysis is the scienti c status of the concept of rationality of cognition in Computational Cognitive Psychology (CCP). On the rst level of analysis rationality is constrained as a subject matter of cognitive psychology, and only on this level of analysis it is possible to reach a conclusion on whether a cognitive function is rational or not. This empirical question is characteristic of the contemporary rationality debate. On the second level of analysis, rationality stands as a theoretical and methodological concept which is built a priori in the foundations of the contemporary CCP. The central goal in this thesis is to clarify the relationship between these two concepts of rationality . In Part I we introduce the distinction between (i ) rationality constrained as a subject matter of CCP and (ii ) rationality constrained as a framework for theoretical and methodological decisions a priori in CCP. Through conceptual and diachronic analysis of the development of decision theories in social sciences we demonstrate the development of the contemporary opposition between normative and descriptive theories in cognitive science. We introduce Anderson's rational analysis as a central methodological assumption of rational theories and provide a short overview of the discussions that follow. In Part II we provide a complete critical analysis of the theoretical structure of CCP as a natural science of cognitive functions. We rst discuss the foundations of the behavioural approach to the measurement of internal constructs, which presents the central theoretical problem of scienti c psychology in general, and demonstrate the way that this problem is related to the problem of the axiomatization of decision theories. Then we provide a detailed discussion of CCP in three actual theoretical paradigms: symbolicistic, connectionist-emergentistic and constructivist-enactivistic.We discuss the typology of scienti c explanation involved in these theoretical paradigms. We demonstrate that some parts of the program of the standard symbolicistic CCP cannot be falsi ed by means of standard behavioural methodology. Finally, we de ne a meta-theoretical framework for the analysis of formal cognitive theories: a set of theoretical concepts upon which the positions of rational theories and theories of bounded rationality are developed in the rationality debate

Influence of Strategic Networking on Business Performance; Evidence from Manufacturing SMEs Operating in a Predominantly Service Based Economy

Strategic networking represents firm\u27s strategic posture to develop long-term and sustainable business relationships with the aim of focusing on core business activities and gaining additional benefits from profound coopetitional relations with various market players. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of strategic networking (SN) on the performance of Croatian manufacturing SMEs where unidimensional and multidimensional analysis has been performed. In order to reveal more comprehensive understanding of SN-performance relationship, financial as well as non-financial performance indicators were tested. Moreover, moderating influence of external environment was used to further explore SN-performance relationship. While unidimensional analysis exhibits positive effects of SN on business performance, only reputation as an antecedent of SN in multidimensional analysis confirms the existence of such a positive relationship. Thus, the overall results can be considered inconclusive as to the existence, strength, and direction of the effect of the observed variables. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Konstrukcijski monitoring obnovljenog telekomunikacionog tornja 'Avala'

Paper presents application of long-term Structural Health Monitoring - SHM of the rebuilt TV tower 'Avala'. According the actual trends for improvement of maintenance serviceability, safety and durability, on this structure is applied modern designed system for observation stress and deformation structural response. In the introduction are briefly introduced basics of the modern trends for improvements of serviceability infrastructure and other structures by recently published guidelines and standard drafts. Applied system for structural monitoring of the rebuild TV tower on Avala is described in details. Explained are general concept, disposition, applied transducers and central acquisition unit for logging, analysis and storing recorded data. .U radu je prikazana primena dugotrajnog monitoringa stanja konstrukcije obnovljenog TV tornja 'Avala'. U skladu sa savremenim tendencijama za unapređenje održavanja, eksploatacije, sigurnosti i trajnosti objekata, i na ovoj značajnoj konstrukciji primenjen je savremeni pristup osmatranja naponsko-deformacijskog stanja konstrukcije. U uvodnom delu prikazan je savremeni trend u unapređenju funkcionisanja postojećih infrastrukturnih i drugih objekata izražen kroz skorije publikovane preporuke za sprovođenje monitoringa stanja konstrukcija u savremenim uslovima. Detaljno je obrazložen primenjeni sistem konstrukcijskog monitoringa obnovljenog TV tornja na Avali. Prikazana je opšta koncepcija, dispozicija, primenjeni senzori i centralizovano registrovanje i analiza merenih veličina

Konstrukcijski monitoring obnovljenog telekomunikacionog tornja 'Avala'

Paper presents application of long-term Structural Health Monitoring - SHM of the rebuilt TV tower 'Avala'. According the actual trends for improvement of maintenance serviceability, safety and durability, on this structure is applied modern designed system for observation stress and deformation structural response. In the introduction are briefly introduced basics of the modern trends for improvements of serviceability infrastructure and other structures by recently published guidelines and standard drafts. Applied system for structural monitoring of the rebuild TV tower on Avala is described in details. Explained are general concept, disposition, applied transducers and central acquisition unit for logging, analysis and storing recorded data. .U radu je prikazana primena dugotrajnog monitoringa stanja konstrukcije obnovljenog TV tornja 'Avala'. U skladu sa savremenim tendencijama za unapređenje održavanja, eksploatacije, sigurnosti i trajnosti objekata, i na ovoj značajnoj konstrukciji primenjen je savremeni pristup osmatranja naponsko-deformacijskog stanja konstrukcije. U uvodnom delu prikazan je savremeni trend u unapređenju funkcionisanja postojećih infrastrukturnih i drugih objekata izražen kroz skorije publikovane preporuke za sprovođenje monitoringa stanja konstrukcija u savremenim uslovima. Detaljno je obrazložen primenjeni sistem konstrukcijskog monitoringa obnovljenog TV tornja na Avali. Prikazana je opšta koncepcija, dispozicija, primenjeni senzori i centralizovano registrovanje i analiza merenih veličina

Efikasnost različitih insekticida u poljskim uslovima u suzbijanju repičinog sjajnika (Meligethes aeneus F.) u usevima ozime uljane repice

Since pollen beetle, M. aeneus, is usually controlled by insecticides, the efficacy of several compounds with different modes of action against adult beetles was studied in a threeyear field study. The selected insecticides were: three pyrethroids (lambda-cyhalothrin, alpha-cypermethrin and bifenthrin), an oganophosphate (pirimiphos-methyl), a combination of an organophosphate and a pyrethroid (chlorpyrifos + cypermethrin) and a neonicotinoid (thiacloprid). The insecticides were applied at label rates to winter rapeseed crops at the moment of visible but still closed flower buds (BBCH 55-57). In all experiments, the efficacy of pyrethroids and the organophosphate ranged from 90-100%, while the efficacy of the neonicotinoid was 85-95%. Therefore, they can be recommended for control of pollen beetle in Serbia.S obzirom da gajenje uljane repice za sobom povlači i primenu insekticida za suzbijanje repičinog sjajnika kao najštetnije insekatske vrste, u radu je tokom trogodišnjih poljskih ogleda (2008-2010. godina) na tri lokaliteta (Kovin, Smederevo i Požarevac) ispitana efikasnost insekticida različitih mehanizama delovanja: piretroida (lambda-cihalotrin, alfa-cipermetrin, bifentrin), organofosfata (pirimifos-metil), kombinacije organofosfata i piretroida (hlorpirifos + cipermetrin) i neonikotinoida (tiakloprid) za imaga M. aeneus. Komercijalne formulacije insekticida su primenjivane u preporučenim dozama u usevima ozime uljane repice u vreme vidljivih cvetnih pupoljaka, ali još zatvorenih (BBCH 55-57). Efikasnost piretroida i organofosfata je tokom svih ogleda bila 90-100%, a neonikotinoida 85-95%, pa se zbog ispoljene visoke efikasnosti može preporučiti njihova primena u Srbiji

A Path to Sustainable Municipal Waste Management: From Engineering Practices to Education and Training

With population growth and increasing municipal solid waste generation, efficient and sustainable waste management strategies become important to protect both human health and the environment. Although the transition from the prevailing waste management systems, such as landfilling, to modern waste management systems based on the 3R principle (reduce, reuse and recycle) is imperative, it is still very difficult to achieve in many countries. The waste management systems applied are in line with the country’s income level, and the sustainable cutting-edge technologies are almost exclusively applied in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Thus, the modernization of the waste management system is achieved mostly through the growth of the gross domestic product. Moreover, the efficiency of modern sustainable waste management systems depends not only on the implementation of appropriate technical and economic strategies, but also needs to be supported by the education of citizens and the training of waste management professionals. The paper gives an overview of the educational-professional project “EDUcation for CLImate Change mitigation in the municipal solid waste sector”, which is part of the European Climate Change Initiative (EUKI)

A Path to Sustainable Municipal Waste Management: From Engineering Practices to Education and Training

With population growth and increasing municipal solid waste generation, efficient and sustainable waste management strategies become important to protect both human health and the environment. Although the transition from the prevailing waste management systems, such as landfilling, to modern waste management systems based on the 3R principle (reduce, reuse and recycle) is imperative, it is still very difficult to achieve in many countries. The waste management systems applied are in line with the country’s income level, and the sustainable cutting-edge technologies are almost exclusively applied in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Thus, the modernization of the waste management system is achieved mostly through the growth of the gross domestic product. Moreover, the efficiency of modern sustainable waste management systems depends not only on the implementation of appropriate technical and economic strategies, but also needs to be supported by the education of citizens and the training of waste management professionals. The paper gives an overview of the educational-professional project “EDUcation for CLImate Change mitigation in the municipal solid waste sector”, which is part of the European Climate Change Initiative (EUKI)

Two-dimensional analysis of the influence of strategic networking on entrepreneurial orientation and business performance among SMEs

Strateško umrežavanje predstavlja proces pomoću kojeg poduzeća ostvaruju povećanu specijalizaciju, efikasnije alociraju transformacijske resurse te optimiziraju međusobnu potporu putem razmjene informacija, intenzivne suradnje i poboljšanja reputacije. Svrha ovog članka je ispitati utjecaj strateškog umrežavanja na poduzetničku orijentaciju i uspješnost poslovanja hrvatskih malih i srednjih poduzeća, u kontekstu jedne od desetak drugih malih, otvorenih, tranzicijskih europskih ekonomija. U istraživanju su korišteni financijski i nefinancijski pokazatelji uspješnosti kako bi se preciznije ustanovio višedimenzijski odnos između strateškog umrežavanja, poduzetničke orijentacije i poslovne uspješnosti. Okolina je mjerena pomoću koncepata turbulentnosti, suparništva i dinamičnosti pri čemu je testiran izravan utjecaj okoline na strateško umrežavanje i poduzetničku orijentaciju. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju da definirani strukturni model posjeduje zadovoljavajuću razinu prikladnosti empirijskim podacima, te ujedno strukturni koeficijenti potvrđuju postavljene istraživačke hipoteze. Također, rezultati istraživanja doprinose jasnijem razumijevanju uloge strateškog umrežavanja na poduzetničku orijentaciju i uspješnost poslovanja malih i srednjih poduzeća koja posluju u tranzicijskoj ekonomiji.Strategic networking (SN) is the process through which firms leverage specialization, efficiently allocate transformational resources and optimize support through information sharing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of strategic networking (SN) on entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance of Croatian SMEs, one of a dozen small, open and still-transitioning European economies. Financial and non-financial indicators were used in order to more precisely clarify the multidimensional aspect of the SN-EO-performance relationships. The external environment was assessed in terms of turbulence, hostility and dynamism, where its direct effect on SN and EO was tested. Research results indicate that defined structural model has a satisfactory fit level to empirical data and that structural coefficients lead to the acceptance of the research hypotheses. More importantly, the results yield some significantly new elements necessary for understanding the role of SN for the EO and performance of SMEs in a developing economy

Variability of the chloroplast dna of sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg. Ehrendorfer, 1967) in Serbia

Genetic variability of sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg. Ehrendorfer, 1967) in Serbia is estimated applying cpDNA universal primer pairs that were characterized by a high informative level for chloroplast genome variability assessment in previous investigations. Five different haplotypes were detected in the analyzed sample material from populations in Serbia