Igor Mladenović

The analysis of innovation in Western Balkan countries in 2012

The positive correlation between innovativeness and economic growth has been confirmed in plenty of empirical and theoretical research. Issues related to the conditions contributing to the promotion of innovation have a leading role in the development of methods for the stimulation of economic growth in the contemporary economic environment. Complex and multiple correlations between innovation and economic growth have an impact on the key economic factors, not only in economically developed and generally highly innovative countries, but also in less developed countries, such as the Western Balkan countries. This article first gives retrospective views on the importance of innovation and the applicable national innovation systems for the economic development of countries. Further, the article provides a brief insight into the metrics of the global innovation index (GII) and the global competitiveness index (GCI). The focus of analysis has been the relationship between innovation outputs and innovation inputs, as well as the relationship between the GII and the GCI of six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro), and a group of six selected European Union (EU) countries, five of which border this region (Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Slovenia), whereas Austria, as a highly developed and highly innovative country, is geographically located very close to the Western Balkans.

Cross-cultural dimensions influence on business internationalization by soft computing technique

Abstract Cultural difference plays an important role in industrialized business countries. The topic of cross-cultural management has become the topical area in modern business worldwide. Cross-cultural implication and cultural dimensions was analyzed using Hofstede model that consists of seven dimensions: Assertiveness, Future Orientation, Performance Orientation, Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Collectivism I (Institutional) and Collectivism II (In-Group). In the present paper, we investigate what impact business internationalization has on cross-cultural dimensions - specifically, gender egalitarianism forecasting and humane orientation. A soft computing method was applied for this analyzing. Combination of Collectivism I (Institutional) and Collectivism II (In-Group) was the most influential on the Gender Egalitarianism and the combination of Future Orientation and Performance Orientation was the most influential on the Humane Orientation in the business internationalization.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES AS A FACTOR OF IMPROVING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF MONTENEGRIN NAUTICAL TOURISM

Abstract Nautical tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism segments on the Montenegrin part of the Adriatic coast. In the past ten years, the number and size of reception capacities in Montenegrin nautical tourism has increased by more than twice. The construction of three marinas with over 500 berths is under way, expected to be on the market by the end of 2019. The development of this tourism segment has been more the result of individual investment projects, than an outcome of strategic development processes. There has been no destination support to the development, and staff needed for new product introduction and positioning have not been trained. According to current development plans, the formation of nautical tourist offer on the Montenegrin coast in nautical tourism ports and related activities of charter companies and service centers are expected to provide over 1000 jobs. The aim of this paper is to analyze the current situation and planned activities within Montenegrin nautical tourist offer and consider the current staff training programmes for the needs of the respective development, with reference to experiences of the most developed destinations, to provide guidelines and recommendations aimed at creating appropriate staff support as the basis for the future comparative advantage of Montenegro on the international nautical tourism market. The paper will rely on general methodological principles applied to the specific research subject. The main scientific research methods to be used in the paper are: inductive-deductive, analytical, synthetic, and statistical methods.

Research and Development Investment as Determinant of International Competitiveness and Economic Growth in Eu28 and Serbia

Abstract R&D expenditures (R&D) are an important precondition for the economic growth and development, as well as for the improvement of export performances and competitiveness of national economies. Knowledge has been increasingly identified as the primary factor of economic growth in the modern business environment. In order to outline appropriate policy on R&D expenditures, it is necessary to analyse indicators of the dynamics and quality of R&D expenditures as well as indicators regarding growth and development of national economies. In this paper, we present R&D expenditures of old and new EU Member States as well as Serbia. Based on the correlation intensity of indicators of R&D expenditures and economic growth and export, it’s been analysed if R&D intensity has an impact on competitiveness and growth in mentioned countries since 2000. Although Serbia has implemented significant economic reforms since 2000 and there has been an overall awareness of the need on higher R&D, the R&D sector still lags behind developed countries of the EU. Therefore, this paper directs attention to the importance of identifying and implementing a national policy on R&D expenditures, with special focus on necessity for improved R&D funding of the business sector and growth of R&D funding from abroad.

R&D expenditure and economic growth: EU28 evidence for the period 2002–2012

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the influence of R&D expenditure on economic growth in the EU28 during the period of 2002–2012. For this purpose, we constructed a multiple regression model, which showed that, ceteris paribus, an increase in R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP by 1% would cause an increase of real GDP growth rate by 2.2%. This model takes into consideration actual financial crises and emphasises the negative influence of fertility rate in the EU28 on economic growth. We believe that the achieved research results can be beneficial to the economic policy makers in the innovation and demographic areas.