THE INFLUENCE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATION IN THE ENTERPRISES IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA-SELECTED RESULTS

Author(s): Marija Pendevska / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Business community faces rapid change due to the technology development. Its influence on business environment causes change in the knowledge base and its possibilities on achieving new solution as innovation thus gaining new knowledge. Enterprises are managing these continuous changes using the knowledge of its unique set of enterprise’s knowledge infrastructure, employee’s knowledge skills and business environment. This implies that fast knowledge development from technology development and innovation makes high pressure on the enterprises and on its employees as well. The manner how this is used and utilized within enterprise becomes dominant challenge for every enterprise and its respective management globally. Many researches in the past years have shown that innovations as commercialisation of new knowledge development and knowledge management practices can assist facing those challenges remarkably. Creating the balance between them is unique for every enterprise, for every respective management. This research paper consists of the following parts: introduction, selected theoretical and empirical framework and conclusion. The theoretical framework gives selected overview of the relevant researches in the field of knowledge management and innovation and their respective interrelation in new knowledge creation and commercialising of this new knowledge as innovation. The empirical framework describes the research design and gives the selected results obtained through the research of selected enterprises based on Questionnaire that covers key parameters previously discussed in the theoretical framework. Research focus is measuring the existence, the exchange, the creation of knowledge within enterprises and its usage in terms of new product development and/or improved products of the respective enterprises. Finally, in the conclusion, the study results are elaborated and their contribution to the existing body of knowledge and industry practices is discussed.

OPERATION MANAGEMENT USING ITIL AND COBIT FRAMEWORK

Author(s): Joaquina Marchao,Leonilde Reis,Paula Ventura / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Information and Communication Technologies management is now increasingly challenging in a highly digital and connected world, with different services emerging for different clients with heterogeneous infrastructures, software, assets, different service requirements, security risks increasing, organizational structures not flexible to adjust. These are some of the variables to manage in Information and Communication Technologies departments. This paper aims to present a literature review to support the design of an approach for service operation management in a medium-sized organization, to improve operational efficiency, cost optimization and stakeholder satisfaction, relevant topics in any organization strategy. The applied methodology includes a literature study related with the frameworks Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). The main results underlying the literature review were based on the use of keywords in the subject domain.

HOW DATA ANALYTICS HELPS MANAGEMENT IN GLOBAL PANDEMIC SITUATION

Author(s): Dimitar Dimitrov,Radko Radev / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is having a tremendous impact on the business organizations, governments and people around the Globe. No matter if it is a public, or private organization, the leaders and management have changed their approaches, standard operations, the way they communicate, processes and procedures. In this paper is analyzed the impact of Data Analytics on two main management pillars and more specifically: Business Operations and Human Resources Management; more precisely, how they are impacted and changed in the pandemics. We analyzed how Global IT Companies are reacting and using analytics as a tool that helps them in the day to day operations, representing some used models and patterns.

PURCHASING BUSINESS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE PANDEMIC CRISIS

Author(s): Sandra Mrvica Mađarac,Zvonimir Filipović,Marko Eljuga / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Procurement is a function of the company that cares of everything about that is necessary for the realization of the goals of the business system and in particular it is very important for the successful operation of a trade company. Procurement is a function of the company and other business structures whose task is to supply the equipment, materials, services, products and energy needed to achieve goals of the business system. By pursuing the economic order quantities, decisions on expenditures and selection of the best suppliers we contribute to the business success. On the global level, companies are facing the impact and consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic, which also affects companies purchasing processes. In the paper are presented and analysed changes in the organization and functions of the purchasing business activities of the two companies as a consequence of the pandemic crisis.

THE NECESSITY OF PSYCHOHYGIENE IN THE WORK OF TRADERS

Author(s): Zuzana Birknerová,Dagmara Ratnayake Kaščakova / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The rapid economic growth of many companies brings with it the need to pay more attention to issues of management and leadership of people in the conditions of a centralized model of economic management, as well as mental readiness for work and social position in business. Mental balance is one of the most important mental equipment of traders in personal and professional life. Therefore, in the article we assess the necessity of psychohygiene in the work of traders. Its role is to support and create favorable psychological conditions. The aim of the research is to determine the existence of statistically significant differences in the assessment of the attributes of psychohygiene between customers and traders. The research sample, out of the total number of 177 respondents, consists of 125 (70.6%) women and 52 (29.4%) men aged 18 - 70 years, while the average age is 41.08 years, the standard deviation is 7.913 years. Of the total number of respondents, 97 (54.8%) were traders and 80 (45.2%) were customers. The length of the respondents' internship ranged from 1 to 40 years (average 17.25 years, standard deviation 8.679 years). The research results were processed in statistical program IBM SPSS Statistics 22.00 and assessed by t- test for two independent samples. The authors focused on mental health care, proper lifestyle, stressors, work environment and time management.

SOCIAL NETWORKS, COGNITIVE BIASES AND FAKE NEWS: CAN A SIMPLE COMPUTER MODEL EXPLAIN A COMPLEX PHENOMENON?

Author(s): Blaž Rodič / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Misinformation spread by individuals sharing fake news can cause problems in social, economic and democratic systems. The World Economic Forum considers the viral spread of misinformation online to be one of the main threats to our society. While the reasons why people spread misinformation likely haven't changed in the last millennia, the rise of Internet powered social networks has allowed news to spread rapidly among millions of users, and gave rise to new phenomena such as echo chambers. The question we ask in this paper is whether we can model the dissemination of fake news and the emerging phenomena using relatively simple rules in an agent-based model. We present the current state of research in the field of fake news, the agent-based modelling methodology, and the current state of our model development.

CHALLENGES IN MANAGING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Author(s): Mario V. Lukinović,Larisa Jovanović,Vladimir Šašo / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The socio-economic impact of the pandemic on all social spheres is huge, but like any crisis, for some it is an opportunity to create, develop and promote solutions. The coronavirus pandemic has brought many changes. It has forced us all to find new ways of working, interacting and living. The field of intellectual property is particularly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, its strong influence has affected all branches of intellectual property, especially the field of copyright and patents. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, numerous anomalies in the consumption of copyrights were observed, which coincided with the isolation measures, from drastically increased consumption of illegal pirated content via the Internet, especially in countries with lockdown, through a sharp increase of Disney+ and Netflix streaming platform users. The identification of products that have the word Corona in their name – in their trademark, with the virus has led to a sharp drop in consumption of some products, but also to increased sales of others. The pharmaceutical industry has invested huge funds in the fight against this global challenge, especially in the field of treatment of viruses, new drugs for the prevention, as well as finding a vaccine against COVID-19. This paper discusses the challenges faced by the management of intellectual property rights and potential response measures.

KEYWORD ANALYSIS WITH USING STATISTICAL METHODS

Author(s): Dominika Krasnaska,Maria Vojtkova / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

There are currently more than a billion websites worldwide. In so many websites, everyone wants to be visible to search engines through the keywords that people search for. The article deals with the process of creating keywords, through which we can identify the intention of the searcher. The process of creating keywords consists of several steps, namely the collection of keywords, subsequent cleaning of keywords, their categorization and the last step is the interpretation of keywords. The paper focuses mainly on the categorization of keywords, which we obtain through the use of statistical methods, which includes a method of visualizing relationships between keywords by determining the strength of the association between words called concept linking or term map.

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS PRODUCED IN AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN EU

Author(s): Mariana Dubravska,Elena Šira / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Each economy must adapt its activities to the protection of the environment. It is now an essential part of everyday life, in the face of various climate changes. The Europe 2020 strategy sets out a set of objectives in the EU, including those promoting environmental sustainability, called sustainable growth. The aim of the paper is to determine, if the performance of the country, in the area of greenhouse gas emissions reduction is adequate to the strategy Europe 2020. In the analysis of greenhouse gas emission reductions, we will also focus on the agriculture sector and compare the development over time with the development in other EU countries. The analyzed period is 10 years, from 2009 - 2018. The article investigated the performance of greenhouse gas emissions in the example of EU (including the Great Britain) countries.

HOUSEHOLD/INDIVIDUALS IN THE PROCESS OF PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY OF ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES – PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS

Author(s): Serjoza Markov / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

First and foremost, the main inspiration for the specific problematics in this paper is solar energy as clean and profitable energy for businesses in the Republic of North Macedonia. The question that arises as the basis is finding the reason why the progress in the sector of renewable energy sources in this country is still slow and insufficient. The results and conclusions of the research shall be achieved via comprehensive analysis, and by finding the answer to the posed question through the: theoretical analysis, the inductive and deductive methods, as well as description shall be used, whereas the techniques utilized shall be questionnaires, interviews, observations. By summarizing in one place all the theoretical and empirical aspects, we are finding the answer to the main question asked: One of the possible reasons for this actual situation is the fact that so far there is no possibility in this country for individuals to be involved in the process of production and transmission of electricity in the energy system. The goal is achieved in this paper through providing specific guidelines and suggestions regarding the improvement of the legal framework in the Republic of North Macedonia, emphasizing on benefits if the households are allowed to deliver their produced solar energy and considering the possible ways to remove the determined obstacles for implementing this idea.

LEVELS OF SOME PRIORITY SUBSTANCES ON ADRIATIC SEA, ALBANIA

Author(s): Aurel Nuro,Bledar Murtaj / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This study evaluated levels for organochlorine pesticides (DDTs, HCHs, Heptachlors, Aldrins and Endosulfanes), their residues, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in water samples of Adriatic Sea, Albanian part. Water stations were chosen near the main river estuaries of Albania (Vjosa, Semani, Shkumbini, Erzeni, Mati and Buna rivers). These rivers have catchment areas that cover almost all Albania. First, agricultural, industrial and urban waste is transported in these rivers and after that they finished in Adriatic Sea. Water samples were analyzed for a five-year period from February 2015 to December 2019. Liquid-liquid extraction was used to isolate chlorinated pollutants and a florisil column was used for clean-up procedure. Analysis of organochlorine pesticides (according to Method EPA 8081B) and 7 PCB markers was realized using GC/ECD and RTX-5 capillary column. The PAHs were isolated by liquid-liquid extraction technique and after sample concentration qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed by the GC/FID technique. Organochlorine pollutants were detected for all stations of Adriatic Sea because of new arrivals by agricultural and industrial activity in river basins. The highest levels were found near Shkumbini and Semani estuaries due to impact Myzeqeja agricultural area. New arrivals from water irrigation and rainfall influence in found levels. Degradation products of pesticides and volatile PCBs were found at higher levels for all samples analyzed. The levels of some individual organochlorine pesticides were higher than EU and Albanian norms for Semani and Shkumbini rivers. Also, PAHs were found at higher levels for Semani River because of extracting-processing industry in Patos-Marinza area. Monitoring of organic pollutants in water of Adriatic Sea should be continuous because of its importance in fishing, tourism, recreation and Albania economy overall.

HEAVY METAL ACCUMULATION AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ESSENTIAL OILS OF LEMON BALM (MELISSA OFFICINALIS L.) CULTIVATED ON HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATED SOILS

Author(s): Violina Angelova / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Comparative research has been conducted to allow us to determine the content of heavy metals and chemical composition of lemon balm oils, as well as to identify the possibility of lemon balm growth on soils contaminated by heavy metals. The experimental plots were situated at different distances of 0.5 km, and 15 km, respectively, from the source of pollution the Non-Ferrous-Metal Works (MFMW) near Plovdiv, Bulgaria. On reaching the flowering stage the lemon balm plants were gathered. The content of heavy metals in leaves of lemon balm was determined by ICP. The essential oils of the lemon balm were obtained by steam distillation in laboratory conditions which were analyzed for heavy metals and chemical composition was determined. Lemon balm is a plant that is tolerant to heavy metals and can be grown on contaminated soils. Heavy metals do not affect the development of lemon balm and the quality and quantity of oil obtained from it. Forty components were identified in the oils. The quantity of identified compounds corresponds to 98.82-98.83% of the total oil content. Among the detected compounds, beta-citral (neral) (19.31-20.78%), alfa-citral (geranial) (18,65-19,12%), β-caryophyllene (14.76-16.28%), α-cadinol (3.88-4.74%), geranyl acetate (3.49-3.59%), trans-geraniol (3.40-3.51%), germacrene (3.18-3.28%), citronellal (2.94-3.03%), nerol (2.63-2.71%), neryl acetate (2.42 -2.49%) were the major compounds. The essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. can be a valuable product for farmers from polluted regions.

The Impact of Digital Technologies on Tourism Consumption – Case of Croatia

Author(s): Andriana Jelušić,Karmen Mikulić,Nikola Pavić / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Tourism has a tremendous impact on the economy of a country and the realization of tourism consumption is a prerequisite for economic growth. Digital technologies are an important part of modern tourism. Technology is evolving rapidly, and the tourism industry must follow modern trends to remain competitive. Throughout this research, the technologies of the future, which represent a great potential for the change and development of tourism, will be discussed. The purpose of this research is to determine whether digital technologies influence tourism consumption and how they can facilitate information access about the desired destination. The research was conducted on 159 test subjects in the Republic of Croatia using a questionnaire survey. Digital technologies shape the human perception of a particular destination and influence tourists’ choice of where to stay. Since most people today use digital technologies to learn about a product – a destination in this case – tourism consumption will be absent or significantly lower in destinations that are not advertised with the help of some sort of technology. It can be concluded that there is a direct relationship between the use and presence of digital technologies and the realization of tourism consumption. These hypotheses have been confirmed throughout this research.

Impact of Pandemic on Tourism in Slovakia

Author(s): Maria Farkašova,Radomíra Hornyák-Gregáňová,Dana Országhová / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Tourism is one of the important sectors of the economy in which the effects of the COVID-19 spread have been most noticeable. In Slovakia, signs of coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020 and established travel restrictions with impact on tourism at national, European, and global levels. The main objective of the paper is the evaluation of selected factors of tourism and the impact of the pandemic on them in the Slovak Republic. Empirical data were processed by the method of analysis and synthesis. Accommodation of visitors reached the level of 49.9% in 2020 compared to 2019. A decrease in number of foreign visitors was reflected in a significant decline in sales with liquidation consequences for many accommodation facilities, hotels, restaurants, and related services. The enormous rise in unemployment was mitigated in 2020 by the state’s financial support in coordination with European funds. Tourism companies are looking for different ways to manage this problem independently or with the state help.

Modelling of Non-Maturing Liabilities in Survival Period for Liquidity Risk Management Purposes

Author(s): Patrik Mihalech / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Correct assessment of banking risks is essential for a healthy banking system and the development of economy. This paper focuses on liquidity risk management, more specifically on modelling of non-maturing liabilities. Liquidity risk emerges as a consequence of uncertainty in terms of future cash inflows and outflows. Due to the fact, that result of a liquidity crisis is not only loss, but directly bankruptcy of financial institutions, liquidity risk belongs among major banking risks. This paper aims to project future cash outflows emerging from corporate deposit accounts without contractual maturity with a focus on stress outflows, in case of crisis. Bootstrap simulation techniques are introduced and performed on anonymized historical time series of cumulative corporate balances of Slovak commercial banks. Stress scenario based on analysis is proposed as entry to the calculation of broader liquidity Survival period indicator.

COVID-19 Research Streams Emerging in International Financial Reporting Standards Related Studies

Author(s): Marcia R.C. Santos,Rui Dias,Paula Heliodoro,Paulo Alexandre / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Interpretation for the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) became to be challenging for organizations. Over time, these standards are changed to accommodate the improvements identified in accounting rules. COVID-19 pandemic impacted accounting reporting considering that contingencies and risks arising from this health crisis should be reported to stakeholders. In order to provide empirical evidence of the most important COVID-19 related practical and academic issues and challenges addressed by academics when reporting under IFRS, this study applies an automated computer-aided analysis for clustering the bibliometric data published concerning IFRS and COVID-19. The results support academic studies and practitioners by identifying the COVID-19 research streams that received the most attention in 2020. This study also suggests guidelines for future research that derive from past academic contributions.

International Accounting Standards Board: An Examination of the Main Financial and Accounting Topics Addressed in the Literature Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author(s): Marcia R.C. Santos,Paulo Alexandre,Paula Heliodoro,Rui Dias / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Changing Perspectives: An Employer’s Branding as a Communication Tool during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author(s): Tina Tomažič,Anita Kovačič Čelofiga / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Many companies and organizations in the labor market are facing “War for talents”. In order to acquire new, and retain existing employees, and, at the same time, to be considered the best employer on the market, more and more organizations are building and managing their own brand of employer. The employer’s branding is most often associated with the activities of Marketing and Human Resources management experts; but, in practice, it often turns out that in the process, an indispensable partner in building the employer’s branding is ignored, i.e. communication experts. Therefore, in this article, we defend the position that employer branding is also a communication skill, which, however, needs to be adapted to the current situation in these turbulent times associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes digitizing and adapting employer branding communication to both the needs of target groups and the requirements of digital processes. Therefore, the paper examined the societal change in work norms caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, to contribute to a more successful and efficient branding of the modern employer as a form of strategic communication in both the virtual and hybrid work environments.

Marketing Manipulation in the 21st Century

Author(s): Tina Vukasović,Kristina Ljubičić / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The research assessed aspects of manipulative advertising, their execution, and expected impacts on consumer behavior in general regarding any purchase of a product or service worldwide. The research aims to guide quantitative consumer perception research through carefully designed and efficiently conducted research. The analysis of the collected primary data revealed that manipulation in marketing is very common and that it appears at every step and thus began to be one of the main players when creating marketing ads. Furthermore, respondents expressed concern about manipulative advertising of food brands and preferred that this advertising was often practiced on services as well. Research has proven that there is a largely hidden manipulation that at first glance is not immediately noticeable and is hidden in consumers primarily evokes the emotions of the need for the product, the desire to do the same, and ultimately the purchase.

Positioning a Brand on the Market

Author(s): Aleksandar Brzaković,Stefan Brzaković / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Brand positioning is a process of creating an impression of a brand in the consumer’s awareness using different strategies, including prices, promotion, distribution, packing and competitiveness. Positioning is an act of modeling the offer and reputation of a company so that it can specially position itself in the consumer’s awareness on a target market. In order to create a positioning strategy, a brand’s unique characteristics need to be identified and what differentiates it from the competition needs to be determined. Positioning calls for the identification of a target market, the identification and analysis of the competition and a brand’s optimal points of parity and points of difference. Competition can be researched from the point of view of the industry (branch) and from the point of view of the market itself. Brand mantras are used to position a brand, indicating what the brand offers and for what reason it is superior in relation to other competitive brands. While standard brand positioning models are based upon detailed consumer, company and competition analyses, there are also newly appearing creative approaches to brand positioning, such as storytelling or a journalistic brand chronicle.