Slobodan Cvetanovic

Data mining with various optimization methods

Road traffic represents the main source of noise in urban environments that is proven to significantly affect human mental and physical health and labour productivity. Thus, in order to control noise sound level in urban areas, it is very important to develop methods for modelling the road traffic noise. As observed in the literature, the models that deal with this issue are mainly based on regression analysis, while other approaches are very rare. In this paper a novel approach for modelling traffic noise that is based on optimization is presented. Four optimization techniques were used in simulation in this work: genetic algorithms, Hooke and Jeeves algorithm, simulated annealing and particle swarm optimization. Two different scenarios are presented in this paper. In the first scenario the optimization methods use the whole measurement dataset to find the most suitable parameters, whereas in the second scenario optimized parameters were found using only some of the measurement data, while the rest of the data was used to evaluate the predictive capabilities of the model. The goodness of the model is evaluated by the coefficient of determination and other statistical parameters, and results show agreement of high extent between measured data and calculated values in both scenarios. In addition, the model was compared with classical statistical model, and superior capabilities of proposed model were demonstrated. The simulations were done using the originally developed user friendly software package.

Economic, social and environmental dimension of sustainable competitiveness of European countries

Over the last decade, promotion of competitiveness represents one of the central goals of economic policy of most of the countries. Moreover, in recent years, the promotion of competitiveness has been seen as a way of achieving desirable changes in economy and society. While there is no unity of views in the theory regarding the conceptual definition of the phenomenon of competitiveness, it is becoming less arguable that in strictly economic terms, competitiveness is a synonym for productivity. However, it should be noted that productivity growth that is accompanied by increasing social imbalance (for example, inequality in income distribution), on the one hand, and environmental pollution, on the other hand, cannot be a guarantee of improving the competitiveness of countries in the long run. Acknowledging precisely this fact and using the data from World Economic Forum on Global Competitiveness 2013, this paper elaborates on the phenomenon of sustainable competitiveness and tests the hypothesis about the positive impact of its social and environmental dimension on the economic dimension of sustainable competitiveness that is represented by the value of the Global Competitiveness Index. The survey of 34 countries confirmed the indisputable positive impact of the social dimension of sustainability, but also variable direction of the impact of the environmental dimension of sustainability (depending on the level of GDP per capita) on the economic dimension of sustainable competitiveness of European countries in 2013.

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.

Innovation of IT metasystems by means of event-driven paradigm using QDMS

Globalisation of world economy brings new and more complex demands to business systems. In order to respond to these trends, business systems apply new paradigms that are inevitable reflecting on management metasystems – quality assurance (QA), as well as on information technology (IT) metasystems. Small and medium enterprises (in particular in food industry) do not have possibilities to access external resources to the extent that could provide adequate keeping up with these trends. That raises the question how to enhance synergetic effect of interaction between existing QA and IT metasystems in order to overcome resource gap and achieve set goals by internal resources. The focus of this article is to propose a methodology for utilisation of potential of quality assurance document management system (QDMS) as prototypical platform for initiating, developing, testing and improving new functionalities that are required by IT as support for buiness system management. In that way QDMS plays a role of catalyst that not only accelerates but could also enhance selectivity of the reactions of QA and IT metasystems and direct them on finding new functionalities based on event-driven paradigm. The article tries to show the process of modelling, development and implementation of a possible approach to this problem through conceptual survey and practical solution in the food industry.

Technological Changes in Economic Growth Theory: Neoclassical, Endogenous, and Evolutionary-Institutional Approach

Abstract The aim of the research in this paper is to analyse the issue of the treatment of the category of technological changes within the main aspects of economic growth theory. The analysis of the key positions of neoclassical theory (Solow), endogenous approach (Romer), and evolutionary growth theory (Freeman) advocates has pointed to the conclusion that these approaches agree on the fact that the category of technological changes is a key generator of economic growth. Neoclassicists were the first to explicitly analyse the category of technological changes in growth theory. They exerted a strong influence on a large number of governments to allocate significant funds for scientific and research development, to stimulate the creation and diffusion of innovation. Supporters of endogenous theory also see the category of technological changes as a key driver of economic growth. Unlike neoclassicists, they emphasise the importance of externalities, in the form of technological spillover and research and development activities, for the creation and diffusion of innovation. Finally, evolutionary and institutional economists explore the category of technological changes inseparably from the economic and social environment in which they are created and diffused. Recommendations of this research can be of particular use to economic growth and development policy makers in the knowledge economy, whose basic and substantial feature is the so-called fourth industrial revolution

EXPLORING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND ENVIRONMENT NEXUS IN NINE SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES1

Abstract This paper investigates the interdependence between environmental degradation (CO2 emissions) and economic growth (GDP per capita) in nine SEE countries over the period 1992 – 2016. The results of Granger causality testing indicate that in the short run there is a positive bidirectional causal relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP per capita, but in the long run, there is causality running just from GDP per capita to CO2 emissions, with the 2.0279% speed of adjustment. In pursuit of adequate policy measures, SEE countries need to work on inclusion of non-EU countries into European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme, further developing carbon taxation policies and using renewable energy sources on a larger scale.

SOCIAL DIMENSION OF SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS OF SERBIA AND SELECTED EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The central idea of sustainable competitiveness is the quest for a model of development that would balance economic prosperity, social sustainability and environmental management. This paper analyzes the social aspect of sustainable competitiveness with the aim of determining the relative position of the Republic of Serbia in relation to selected most competitive and least competitive European countries (according to the value of Social sustainability–adjusted GCI). The basic assumption is that improving sustainable competitiveness of countries must not be done in a way that economic, social and environmental dimension of competitiveness are treated as conflicting categories. Based on the data of World Economic Forum, quantitative, qualitative and graphical analysis of the social dimension of sustainable competitiveness of Serbia in relation to the six most competitive and six least competitive countries in Europe (including Serbia) are presented. Using simple correlation and regression analysis the interdependence of the Global Competitiveness Index and the Social Sustainability Pillar of observed countries is examined.

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.

An analysis of innovation performance of the Western Balkan countries and the EU selective economies group

First of all, the paper offers a theoretical explication of the importance of economic innovation for a country’s economic development. It further considers the metrics of the Global Innovation Index. By means of a box-plot diagram, the article explores the link between basic innovation performances (Global Innovation Index, Index Innovation Input and Index Innovation output) of the six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro) and a group of six selected European Union economies in the neighbourhood (Austria, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovenia). The aim is to identify the existence of extreme values between the data that reveal the key innovation performance of the two groups including the description of the basic characteristics of the performances which have been examined.