1955 research outputs found
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Farming Standards as a Catalyst for Food Export: MiddleIncome European Countries Case Study
Get PDFIFA GLOBALG.A.P. is a leading private and voluntary worldwide standard for sustainable agriculture.
Its implementation and certification are increasingly becoming a prerequisite for exporting food and
vegetables to EU countries and other high-income markets. The aim of the paper is to examine farmers’
progress in sustainable agriculture as part of the production certification within the IFA GLOBALG.A.P.
standard for fruit and vegetables in 13 middle-income European countries. At the same time, the
authors examine whether this progress can act as a “catalyst” which improves the export performance
of these national economies in the sector of fruit and vegetables. The export performance was
represented by the following criterion variables: (a) annual values of fruit and vegetable export in
thousand US dollars; (b) annual values of fruit and vegetable export to high-income importing
markets, in thousand US dollars and (c) the percentage share of food and vegetable export to highincome markets in the total food and vegetable export. The predictor variable was defined as the
number of IFA GLOBALG.A.P. certified farmers. All variables were presented per country and year. The
research included the period from 2010 to 2021, while the hypotheses were tested using the panel
regression analysis. Individual models were tested for each criterion variable, and all three models
were adequate. The results show that the rise of IFA GLOBALG.A.P. certified producers increases the
values of all three studied criterion variables. The results that were obtained complement and enrich
the scarce academic literature in this field related to developing countries in Europe. In addition, the
research offers guidelines and recommendations for directing national policies toward greater
implementation of private and voluntary farm certification schemes for sustainable agriculture
The influence of demographic characteristics on the effectiveness of public administration training programs
Get PDFThis paper examines the influence of demographic characteristics on the effectiveness of the training programs in public administration in the Republic of Serbia. Specifically, the aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the training pro-grams in public administration and to analyse how factors such as age, gender, educational level, years of work experience and job title influence the outcomes of training initiatives. The sample of the study includes 1,040 public administration employees in Serbia who participated in at least one training program organized by the National Academy of Public Administration in 2022. The primary data was collected through a survey questionnaire administered in October 2023. The effectiveness of the training programs is assessed according to the extent to which they contribute to achieving the desired objectives. The statistical analyses involve descriptive statistics, reliability assessments and statistical tests to identify differences between demographic groups. The research results indicate that age, gender and education level have no influence on the effectiveness of the training programs in public administration. However, training effectiveness is significantly influenced by professional experience and job titles in public administration. Respondents with up to 15 years of work experience rated the effectiveness of the training programs higher than those with more than 15 years of work experience. In addition, government officials rated the effectiveness of the training programs they participated in significantly higher than other employees and managers in public administration. The key policy recommendations that emerge from the research relate to matching training programs to job experience, differentiating training for different job titles, leveraging experienced employees and an inclusive training environment
An approach to agile management of virtual student teams in smart environment development
Get PDFThis paper studies the problem of coordination and supervision of virtual
teams and their capabilities. The goal is to develop a model suitable for
managing virtual student teams specialized in the development of
smart environments. The developed model is based on SAFe and
DevOps, which when combined provide us with a framework for the
evaluation of team capabilities in an academic environment.
Additionally, DevOps principles can be more efficiently leveraged
through an agile methodology to provide students with a better
understanding of continuous value delivery. Through the application of
the proposed model, virtual student teams gained practical experience
in self-organization and virtual team management while being
efficiently monitored and guided through the project lifecycle. Virtual
student teams were likewise encouraged to be more agile, as this
change in mindset is imperative in business, and as such must also be
adopted in academic environments. By incorporating best practices of
the corporate environments into the existing curriculum, we have
proven that by adopting the proposed model these changes can be
feasibly incorporated to the satisfaction of both the students and their
future employers
The Effects of Green Intellectual Capital on Business Performance: Evidence from Serbia
Get PDFInvesting in green intellectual capital can create competitive advantage of companies in the long term. In short term, however, more orchestration is required for investment into green resources to boost financial and non financial performance of business. The aim of this paper is to present the effects of Green Intellectual Capital (Green Human Capital, Green Structural Capital, and Green Relational Capital) on companies' business performance (including their financial and non-financial indicators). For this purpose, primary data were collected from targeted companies operating in the Serbian market (N=344) using a structured questionnaire. The results confirm the positive effects of Green Human Capital and Green Relational Capital on both financial and non-financial indicators of researched companies. Green Structural Capital was not found to have an impact on the companies' financial performance. These findings can contribute to 1) owners and managers in creating sustainable business models, 2) regulators in creating policy frameworks and incentives for sustainable development and 3) other business analysts focused on the green intellectual capital development in companies
Distributional Impacts of Tobacco Excise Taxes in Serbia
Get PDFIntroduction: Numerous studies worldwide have investigated the impact of tobacco tax increase on household welfare, focusing on concerns regarding potential tobacco taxation regressivity and its effects on the poorest, whereas their scope was limited to the working population. Aims and Methods: To explore the effects of tax changes on household budgets, accounting for the retired population as well, we employed the modified Extended Cost–Benefit Analysis framework, assuming a 43.6% specific tax increase that fits the European Union (EU) Tobacco Tax Directive recommendation of minimum EUR 90 excise taxes per 1000 cigarettes. Our analysis encompassed changes in (1) tobacco expenditure (accounting for price elasticities by income groups: low-, middle-, and high-income), (2) medical costs linked to smoking-related diseases (utilizing relative risk of morbidity or mortality and smoking-attributable fractions), (3) years of working life (considering the years of working life lost among the working population), and (4) years of pension receipt (accounting for the years of retirement life lost due the premature death). Results: Under an assumed specific excise increase leading to a 22.4% retail tobacco price rise, the net gains in disposable household budgets would be 0.01% for high-income, 1.3% for middle-income, and 2.9% for low-income households. Conclusions: A tax increase would yield a progressive effect on income distribution, benefiting the most economically disadvantaged population thereby contributing to a more equitable income distribution. Implications: To effectively reduce tobacco consumption, subsequent smoking-related medical costs, and associated productivity and pension losses, it is recommended that Serbia implement a minimum 43.6% increase in the specific tobacco excise tax
Could digital entrepreneurship and platform work contribute to inclusive employment?
Get PDFRemote work offers persons with disabilities
(PWDs) almost equal opportunities to
engage in the labour market and earn (additional)
income. Prolonged unemployment and discrimination
in the workplace increase the likelihood
of PWDs becoming long-term unemployed and
may consequently lead to their complete withdrawal
from the labour market. In this regard,
new work models performed through flexible,
remote and digital gig jobs are a valuable yet
overlooked avenue for inclusive employment.
Accordingly, this paper discusses the potential of
digital entrepreneurship and platform work for
tackling the long-term unemployment of PWDs
in Serbia. The findings indicate that PWDs in
Serbia are not sufficiently informed about digital
entrepreneurship, digital labour platforms and
the potential opportunities they offer. Therefore,
targeted initiatives and tailored training programs
are essential. These measures should focus on
raising awareness of digital entrepreneurship
and platform work among PWDs in Serbia and
equipping them with the necessary skills and
competencies to participate in these opportunities
Are Serbian spas recognized as centres of contemporary health tourism – a study of domestic guest perceptions
Get PDFThis study assesses the cur-rent state and potential of Serbian spas as centers for contemporary health tourism, focusing on the perceptions and prefer-ences of local guests. It examines how traditional spa services such as thermal pools and saunas are highly valued, while modern wellness programs and alterna-tive treatments are less used but show growth potential. The survey assessing health and wellness service perceptions was carried out among Serbian citizens, particularly in Belgrade and the major spa towns of Sokobanja and Vrnjačka Banja, which together account for approximately half of the national spa turnover. Data was collected using both paper questionnaires and an online CAWI system, accumulat-ing a total of 368 responses from June to September 2022. The study identifies significant opportunities for Serbian spas to expand and diversify their offering to meet changing market demands and em-phasizes the need for strategic investment in infrastructure, service quality, and mar-keting. Through a comprehensive analysis, this research aims to inform and guide Serbian spas to adapt to global trends in health tourism and ensure their sustaina-ble development and competitiveness
Pokret gorana Srbije
No full textPokret gorana Srbije je najstarija ekološka organizacija na Balkanu. Uprkos dugoj istoriji i radu na pošumljavanju i zaštiti prirode, u istoriografiji nema radova i monografija o Goranima. Ovaj rad pruža pregled istorije organizacije. Rad se bavi nastankom i ciljevima organizacije, akcijama Gorana, saradnjom sa drugim institucijama i organizacijama i osnovnim problemima i preprekama koje su otežavale rad Gorana. U zaključku je razmotren značaj Gorana za zaštitu životne sredine
Uticaj usklađenosti monetarne i fiskalne politike na realnost pokazatelja fiskalne stabilnosti lokalnih samouprava u Republici Srbiji
No full textKoordinacija mera monetarne i fiskalne politike, kao bitnih komponenti ekonomske politike, predstavlja jedan od važnijih mehanizama za postizanje makroekonomske stabilnosti u savremenim ekonomijama. Ipak, efekti zajedničkog delovanja ovih dveju politika, mogu se osetiti i na nivou jedinica lokalne samouprave, najčešće kroz promene u finansijskoj stabilnosti, investicijama, poreskoj politici i zapošljavanju. U radu će biti predstavljene reperkusije koje usklađenost monetarne i fiskalne politike može
imati na lokalne javne finansije u Republici Srbiji
An EKC-based modelling of CO2 emissions, economic growth, electricity consumption and trade openness in Serbia
No full textUnderstanding the complex interactions between the economy and the environment is crucial for promoting sustainable development and mitigating the negative impact of human activities on the Planet. The importance of this issue for Serbia is evident as the country strives to balance economic growth and environmental protection to ensure a sustainable and resilient future. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate and model the relationship between CO2 emissions, economic growth, electricity consumption, and trade openness in Serbia. Initially, an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is used to characterize the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) using data from the period from 1995 to 2019, followed by the construction of a bootstrap logistic regression model to predict environmental quality in Serbia. Long-term estimates of the model confirm an inverted U-shaped relationship, where all three variables exert a statistically significant influence on CO2 emissions. In the short run, however, a causal relationship is only observed between electricity consumption and CO2 emissions. The logistic regression results show that all three factors significantly influence environmental quality. The study proposes policy recommendations for Serbia, such as promoting sustainable economic growth, implementing long-term programs to reduce CO2 emissions, reviewing trade policies to prioritize sustainable practices, and investing in renewable energy sources to reduce emissions