The Social Responsibility

This chapter focuses on the topic of social responsibility and the interference with other concepts like business ethics, cause related marketing, or corporate governance. In addition, the study presents the motivations of companies that are implicated in different Social Responsible programmes. The main objective of this chapter is to delimitate the concept of social responsibility from other concepts and to present the main motivations for companies that run different SR programs.

Organic Production in Serbia

Faculty research is focused on the present state of organic agricultural production in the Republic of Serbia, with emphasis on existing legislation and activities planned in the next period, as well on the parallel between organic agriculture and basic principles of green economy, which represents great perspective of Serbia considering its natural potential. Having in mind that the green economy is recognized by leading world organizations for environmental protection as one of factors that could support realization of sustainable development concept through “greening” economy and opening of new “green” workplaces, the goal of this chapter is to indicate the potential and importance of the larger participation of farmers in organic production as one of the most realistic “green” chances of Serbia.

Conceptualization of the Base for Sustainable Rural Development Policy Implementation

Looking in wider perspective, the problems of inequality have emerged relatively early even from the period of establishment of economy as a scientific discipline. However, those problems are also the subject of different socio-humanistic scientific research. That process lasts up to date, and it could be said that nowadays it is much more important than before. The main reason for that is that current inequalities are significant and radicalised nowadays as a cause of non-adequate development process.

Current Situation in Irrigation in the Republic of Serbia

The current situation in irrigation in Serbia, observed through total number of irrigation systems, in other words through areas where those systems were constructed, is not satisfactory—neither according to range, nor according to technical equipment and the level of their use. The level of development that has been reached does not satisfy the requirements of stable and efficient agricultural production. Irrigation has not been applied properly in our agriculture because every time when a bumper crop year happens, irrigation is delayed. Irrigation is applied to less than 1% of cultivable soil in the Republic of Serbia. A few very successful results in agricultural production where irrigation was applied point out the perspective on irrigation in Serbia. In the development of irrigation, the priority should be given to renovation of old and construction of new small and big systems, to making changes in structures of production in agriculture, to modernization of mechanization and creation of economic conditions necessary for the use of old and construction of new production capacity aiming to increase employment. Because of the fact that Serbia is poor in water resources of its own, as well as that transit water becomes more and more uncertain in the future regarding its quality and quantity, planned rationalization of water consumption must be one of strategic points for future development in Serbia, as well as obligatory reduction in specific water consumption in all spheres of its use.

Consulting as a Factor of Enterprises' Development in Serbian Agribusiness

The subject of this chapter is consulting in Serbia, which is analyzed through a prism of factors in its development and its influence on enterprises’ performance in agribusiness. In order to realize the analysis successfully and to get relevant results, it is necessary to move the observed problem into the wider context of economic events, the basic influences on agribusiness development ways in Serbia, which is the goal of this study. At the end, regardless of the level of research success, this chapter represents the basis for future studies of the consulting services and their support to business management.

Factor Advantages of the Republic of Serbia in Agricultural Production and a Need for Accomplishment of Sustainable Competitive Advantage in the Market

A significant wealth, which a country can have in factor conditions (abundance of natural resources, available labor with tradition in agricultural production), can enable to the country a good starting position or good initial terms for development of intensive and competitive agricultural production. However, by themselves, these factor conditions will not provide to the country high productivity and employment in agriculture, high life standard of agricultural producers, and high export results. Numerous theoretical papers point out the fact that for highly developed and intensive agriculture, which provides to the country and the agricultural producers high employment and life standard, it is necessary to build and strengthen new sources of competitive advantage, of which the most important are: research and development activities, associations and joining in clusters, and setting up a stimulating micro-economic business environment. The authors in the chapter determine, by statistical and comparative analysis, a working hypothesis that favorable factor conditions in agriculture by themselves do not lead to accomplishment and keeping up a sustainable competitive advantage of the country, on domestic and foreign market. By analyzing export results of selected European countries in the field of agriculture, the authors determine conditions that are necessary for a country to achieve high and sustainable competitive advantage on the international market. The chapter also presents the conditions needed to set up “new” sustainable sources of agricultural producers` competitive advantage in the Republic of Serbia.

Sustainable Transport and Quality of Life Analysis of Cycling Impact in Italy

In the last 20 years cities have undergone considerable changes. The current phase of expansion, which took place in the absence of demographic pressures, has diluted urban space into functional areas, scattered randomly throughout the area. The authors therefore identify new mobility needs, met mainly by private means, with implications in terms of congestion and air pollution. Sustainable mobility is a priority intervention for the EU. This chapter studies, after a discussion of the importance of sustainable mobility, cycling in Italy from an economic and strategic perspective. Promoting cycling is important for individual health, environmental sustainability, and transport demand management. In Italy, very few people use a bicycle on a regular basis. The analysis relies on national aggregate data as well as case studies of large and small cities in an Italian region.

Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture has the objective of producing food by growing plants and raising animals, but being a productive activity, depending on the technologies used, the level of intensification and specialization may result in natural resources and environmental degradation: soil, water, air. By the early 1990s, Romania practiced an intensive agriculture based on the concentration and specialization of production. Intensive chemical treatments were used to control weeds, pests, and diseases. After reconstitution ownership of agricultural land was practiced an extensive agriculture with minimal inputs. There are used small amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; monoculture or short rotation is practiced. Both agricultural systems affect the environment and natural resources, endangering their long-term productive potential. In this context, a viable alternative to these agricultural systems is sustainable agriculture that combines harmoniously tillage, crop rotation, crop rotation length, use of agrochemical substances to achieve stable production, while preserving quality of resources.

Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Agriculture and Forestry

Although climate change is a global process, its local impacts are diverse. Existing agro-ecological conditions, structure of production, various production systems, technological development, socio-economic factors, and international competition and policy choices will determine the impact that climate change will have on the agricultural and forestry sectors and their adaptive capacity and mitigation potential. The authors use the Danube basin area in Serbia as a case study to test the hypothesis that only sustainable agriculture, based on optimum balance of different types of farming systems and practices and satisfying a range of the region’s specific ecological, social, and economic functions, as well as sustainable forestry, can cope successfully with the climate change. The main topics of the analysis are the climate change trends and impacts on agriculture and forestry and the assessment of their adaptive capacity and mitigation potential, including the proposition of relevant adaptation and mitigation measures.

Management and Utilisation of Natural Resources in Special Nature Reserves

Special nature reserves are particularly regulated land areas designated for protection and utilization of natural resources at their disposal. In this chapter, the authors present a pioneering attempt to analyze management efficiency and utilization effectiveness of natural resources in protected nature reserves in Serbia based on an empirical research. Moreover, the authors explore the regulations that define the protection, management, and conservation of natural values and goods in Serbia, with a purpose of evaluating opportunities for development and implementation of Environmental Accounting (EA). EA is still at an early stage of development, especially from the standpoint of its incorporation into the developed standard models of company accounting. There still exist several unexplored problems to be solved at the level of national accounts, such as the expression of environmental damage, resource consumption, sustainable use of natural capital, evaluating environmental benefits, and free gifts of nature. The chapter is completed with a case study based on an empirical study in the field of environmental management in one protected area in Serbia, Zasavica.