Search

The functioning of modern urban environments relies heavily on the public transport system. Given spatial, economic, and sustainability criteria, public transport in larger urban areas is unrivaled. The system's role depends on the quality of service it offers. Achieving the desired service quality requires a design that meets transport demands. This paper uses a data-driven approach to address headway deviations in public transport lines and explores ways to improve regularity during the design phase. Headway is a critical dynamic element for transport organization and passenger quality. Deviations between planned and actual headways represent disturbances. On lines with headways under 15 min, passengers typically do not consult schedules, making punctuality less crucial. Reduced headway regularity affects the average travel time, travel time uncertainty, and passenger comfort. Ideally, the public transport system operates with regular headways. However, disturbances can spread and affect subsequent departures, leading to vehicle bunching. While previous research focused on single primary disturbances, this study, with the help of AI (reinforcement learning), examines multiple primary disturbances in the cities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Niš. The goal is to model the cumulative impact of these disturbances on vehicle movement. By ranking parameter influences and using the automatic optimization of static line elements, this research aims to improve headway regularity and increase system resilience to disturbances. The results of this research could also be useful in developing adaptive public transport management systems that leverage AI and IoT technologies to continuously optimize headway regularity in response to real-time data, ultimately enhancing service quality and passenger satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper analyzes low productivity of company workforce as the key risk factor to business sustainability of a company, with special attention to small and medium-sized companies. The scope of research involves for-profit, and small and medium-sized companies doing business in Serbia. This paper explores whether poor human resource management, and, more particularly, low productivity of employees represent one of the key reasons for poor business performance and eventually failure of the company. The quantitative part of this research was conducted during 2022, by analyzing 468 small and medium-sized companies with less than 250 employees, who ended their business during 2021. Current theory determines human resource management in companies, the influence of different sorts on overall business performance, and employee productivity and its causal effects on business survival. This study attempts to cover identified literature gaps by analyzing the risk influences of low productivity on the failure of small and medium-sized companies, with special diversification between manufacturing and service-oriented companies. Key findings from this research were defined with the help of statistical learning methods, suggesting direct correlation of low productivity in the case of small services-oriented businesses and medium-sized manufacturing companies. Future work on this research includes extension of the analysis to other countries in the West Balkans region and the comparation of all determined causalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper analyzes the key influences of external disruptions on the business sustainability of medium-sized manufacturing companies operating in Serbia. This paper explores the strategic management of massive external disruptions (such as the global pandemic in 2020) and unveils key correlations between internal and external influences. The quantitative part of this research includes two phases; the first was conducted in 2019, with predictions made in the pre-pandemic period, and the second phase was conducted in 2022 by comparing the predictions with actual business results. Existing theoretical research has already identified many weaknesses, including how strategic business outlooks (in relation to economic downturns and bottlenecks within supply chains) influence the success of medium-sized companies, as well as internal factors, such as strategic management and the flexible adjustment of business plans. Taking into account that the whole world is still recovering after the pandemic, the empirical research conducted on 580 Serbian companies sheds light on how the pandemic disruption has affected businesses. As business plans relate to forecasted revenue, profit margins and investment effects, the main results of this study confirm that predicted business results are significantly influenced by supply chain disruptions, negatively affecting companies relying on the import of raw material and companies that have widely internationalized their sales efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]