CONFERENCE REVIEW: INTERDISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH CONFERENCE – IMR 2021

The IMR International Conference on Interdisciplinary Management Research was held for the 17th time in May 2021. This conference aims to bring together academics, researchers and practitioners to exchange and share their research findings and (business) experiences on all aspects of management and related fields. IMR is an interdisciplinary platform for academics, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the latest trends and issues as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the field of management, but also in areas such as Business, Financial Economics, Industrial Organization, Law and Economics etc.

ECO-TOURISM AS A STIMULATION FOR TOURISM ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT – THE EXAMPLE OF THE MUCIPALITY OF GEVGELIJA

The purpose of the conducted practical research presented in the paper consists in assessing the real situation from the aspect on the development of the ecotourism in the municipality of Gevgelija and confirmation of the hypothesis that ecotourism sector is a developmental concept that enables achieving sustainable economic development (Butcher,2007). A survey questionnaire consisting of 20 questions has been used. The survey was conducted of 52 respondents in the period from 1.10.2019. until 30.11.2019. on the territory of the Gevgelija. We used programs SPSS, and made Spearman test of correlation rs, and test of Ordinal Regression. The primary goal of the conducted practical research was to assess the willingness of students in the development of ecotourism. The results obtained during the practical research allow to draw conclusions and guidelines that can imply certain behaviours and activities contributing to the development of ecotourism in the Republic of Macedonia and using opportunities for achieving sustainable economic development (Hill, 2009) The basic limitations was number of respondents. The original value of this study is confirmed through the obtained results from the conducted research confirmed the fact that ecotourism as an alternative form for tourism development and a modern concept for achieving sustainable development. Benefits for the local community that are expected from the development of eco tourism include maintenance of biodiversity, benefits for the local population, a high level of responsibility of tourism enterprises and employees working in this sector, and an active role of the local population.

THE SITUATION WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES IN MACEDONIA IN RELATION TO THE SOURCES FOR THEIR FINANCING

The impact of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in employment and value added in the Republic of Macedonia registered a slight increase in the period from 2009 to 2013. Just like in other economies in the region, most SMEs work in the wholesale and retail trade sector (44.0%), followed by the manufacturing sector (13.0%) (OECD 2016). Based on the importance of SMEs in the Macedonian economy in general, this paper aims to point out the gap that exists between the well-identified weakness of the Macedonian economy towards stimulating the life expectancy of SMEs on the one hand and their development on the other, emphasized in the forms of the sources of funding available to them. For that purpose are used statistical analyzes and comparisons, and are accepted conclusions about the current situation with the SMEs environment and the forms of financing of SMEs in Macedonia

LOWERING THE INFLUENCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT - PROJECT OF CHANGING THE BUS FLEET IN GPP OSIJEK

Purpose: Public transport is one of the bigger causes of air pollution, but at the same time use public transport helps in lowering the use of personal transport and with that, it lowers the pollution and influence on the environment. Air pollution is significantly influencing the environment and the public transport companies are looking for different ways to reduce air pollution. Thus, the transport companies need to pay attention to their activities and modernization of the fleet to lower their influence on air pollution. Design/Methodology/Approach: In the writing of this paper we used mainly desk research method for the literature review and case study method for presenting the project of the transport company. Findings and implications: GPP Osijek has started a project of fleet modernization which consists of the purchase of 12 new modern city buses which have a lower influence on the environment regarding air pollution. Besides this company is making additional steps in reducing their influence on the environment and testing hybrid fueled buses. In the next period, authors recommend conducting research on environmental influence regarding air pollution and possibly lowering the noise pollution. Limitations: This paper main limitation is that there are still no results in how much the influence on the environment has been lowered and this should be studied in the future. Originality: This paper presents one of the first research studies about environmental management in public transport companies in Croatia.

BOOK REVIEW: “ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING”

TITLE: ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING AUTHOR: ARNELA NANIĆ PUBLISHER: University of Bihać YEAR OF PUBLISHING: 2020. Number of pages: 194 ISBN: 978-9958-9106-4-7The existing literature in marketing has recently been enriched with a new book entitled “Entrepreneurial Marketing” by Arnela Nanić.

THE INFLUENCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON THE ACQUISITION OF STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCES REQUIRED IN THE LABOUR MARKET

Institutions of higher education, among other duties and responsibilities, prepare students to enter the labour market. The aim of this paper is to determine the extent to which higher education prepares students for the foreordained transition from the educational system to the labour market. The research was conducted in the form of a survey by which the students of the final years of the professional undergraduate study Management and the graduate professional study Management at the College of Slavonski Brod carried out a self-assessment of their knowledge, skills and competencies. To present and elaborate prerequisites of education as preparation for the labour market, characteristics of the labour markets and employment policy measures as well as knowledge, skills and competencies that are required on today's labour market and for the purpose of conducting this research, the following scientific methods were used: analysis and synthesis, historical method, comparative method, induction and deduction and statistical method. Results of this research indicate; if the students in the final years, of both, the undergraduate study and the graduate study, have the necessary knowledge, skills and competences that employers require of their employees, then students will consider themselves more prepared to find a job. In that regard, it is expected that each higher education institution provides students with the necessary knowledge, skills and competences i.e. those that enable students to cope well with the challenges of the labour market.

CULTURALLY PREDISPOSED MOTIVATION THROUGH IDENTITIES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MULTICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

In this paper authors argue the impact of culture on motivational processes through various identities. The paper combines the most recent findings from cultural, identity and motivation theories in order to determine cultural impact on each of the elements of motivational cycle. By analyzing each theory, applicable analogous similarities are compiled to distinguish important factors and determine psychological processes that are relevant for understanding cultural impact on human motivation and behavior. Results derived from compilation are used to create implications for multicultural organizational environment. This paper concludes that among others, culture has substantial impact on individual's motivation and behavior which creates specific psychological and cognitive patterns that serve as guidance in future situations that individual encounters. Such patterns become integrated in individual and applied to various social groups and environment. Furthermore, paper provides implications stressing the importance of implementation of organizational identity, comprehensive and transparent communication and verification of social, work-related and personal identities of employees. This paper has limitations due to its theoretical framework. Since this topic implies broad interdisciplinary research, additional theoretical and empirical contributions are required in order to provide more detailed insight and implications. However, this paper contributes to the existing theories by providing compilation of their common elements from motivational perspective and arguments for stated implications