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Climate change presents a pressing challenge today, intertwined with complex risks like natural hazards and ecosystem degradation, potentially endangering populations. The paper discusses the challenges posed by climate change in the Republic of Serbia, highlighting the need for improved awareness and readiness to plan and execute climate adaptation strategies. It covers various strategic frameworks and international agreements related to climate change adaptation, emphasising the country’s alignment with global initiatives such as the Paris Agreement and the EU’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. The analysis suggests the importance of enhancing institutional capacities, fostering collaboration, and prioritising comprehensive adaptation measures to effectively address the impacts of climate change in Serbia. It also underscores the need for the further development of multi-sectoral initiatives to effectively address climate risks in Serbia and ensure a sustainable future in the face of climate challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local cuisine is one of the foundations for how Serbian rural communities are presented to tourists. The desire for regional cuisine has recently increased, which has created opportunities for the promotion of regional and, most importantly, traditional production. The changing behaviours of travellers, who are becoming more conscious of the value of authenticity and quality when travelling, offer opportunities for rural areas to thrive while also creating a new horizon for tourism centered on the discovery of traditional cuisine and rural communities. This kind of travel can be compared to slow travel, which was developed in conjunction with the Slow Food movement. The Slow Food movement is a political and cultural movement with the goal of opposing the industrialisation of food production, promoting locally made, high-quality, sustainable food, and making a significant contribution to rural areas. Three guiding principles – good, clean, and fair – define what food should be and form the foundation of this movement. The major objective of this paper is to present the driving elements that have the biggest impact on tourists’ enthusiasm to visit rural tourist houses in Serbia. The research also seeks to determine how much the respondents’ desire to return to Serbia’s rural tourist households is influenced by motivating factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-pandemic period has seen large financial losses in the economy of the entire world, but particularly in the tourism industry. Covid-19 significantly influenced changes in the behaviour of tourists, including the increasing level of health risk perception. The aim of this research is to examine the impact of health risk perception on the intentions and travel decisions of Serbian tourists after the Covid-19 pandemic. The importance of the research lies in the intention to determine whether there is a difference in the perception of health risks based on demographic and economic variables. The results of the empirical research conducted on the territory of the Republic of Serbia indicate that age and the level of income are two significant predictors of fears and intentions to travel after the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the results, it will be possible to predict future tourist movements in Serbia and abroad, taking into account the changes in the behaviour of tourists in the post-pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the textile industry trade competitiveness of nine European transition economies (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia), in parts and in its entirety, by using the following indicators: Revealed comparative advantage (RCA), Competitiveness growth index (RCA1), Index of net business performance (RCA2), and Michaely index (MI). The analysis focuses on the period between 1995 and 2018. The results of the analysis show that the textile industry of Northern Macedonia is internationally competitive, and that most countries have revealed comparative advantages. The textile industry contributed to the surplus in trade balance in North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania, while North Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia achieved some level of production specialization. It was also confirmed that these countries had statistically different levels of trade competitiveness. The top level of production finalization accounted for the greatest average value of competitiveness indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine part-time teachers’ attitudes (based on a sample of respondents from the Republic of Serbia) (N=727) about school climate and job satisfaction; it also aimed to examine the nature, level, and intensity of the connection between these two complex variables. To examine such attitudes, we used several questionnaires on school climate and job satisfaction extracted from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), 2013. Based on the instrument we utilised, the school climate could be categorised and studied as a two-component dimension reflecting two aspects of part-time teachers’ school life: general school issues, and issues related to students’ needs and well-being. We concluded that there is a significant correlation between part-time teachers’ school climate and job satisfaction. School climate explains 27% of the job satisfaction variance, indicating the importance of the observed regression relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the past decade, sustainability has been one of the most important topics among academics and within the business community. The adoption of ESG practice and the creation of holistic business models is on the agenda of the entire financial industry, predominantly among banking and investment entities. The paper aims to analyse the regulatory framework and current practice of sustainable business models with respect to the most important international banks operating within the Serbian economy. The analysis encompasses the descriptive assessment of ESG regulations, the reporting framework in the sustainability domain, and the quantitative analysis of ESG metrics and their statistical relationship with banks’ financial performance. Due to various limitations, such as a lack of quantitative metrics and an unstandardized reporting practice, research was performed on a sample of four international banks operating in Serbia, for the period between the years 2015 and 2021. The statistical results of the regression analysis do not show a significant relationship between ESG metrics and the financial performance of the examined banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the direction and intensity of the impact of economic trends on the profitability of banks in Serbia and Croatia in the period between the years 2006 and 2021. This paper aims to determine which indicators of economic trends have the most substantial impact on the profitability of banks in the selected countries. As key indicators of economic trends, GDP per capita, the GDP growth rate, inflation rate, real interest rate, broad money growth, general government final consumption expenditure, current account balance, gross savings, trade, and unemployment are selected as independent variables. At the same time, bank profitability was measured with bank return on equity, in percentages (ROE), and bank return on assets, in percentages (ROA) – two indicators which represent the dependent variables selected for this research. Descriptive analysis, mean difference, correlation, and univariate and multivariate regression were used in the research. Research results show that changes in real interest rates and unemployment have a significant impact on the profitability of banks in both of the selected countries, while changes in GDP per capita growth have a statistically significant effect only in Serbia, and general government final consumption expenditure has a statistically significant impact only in Croatia. The influence of other indicators of economic trends is not statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promotion of fortified towns, as Serbia’s significant cultural heritage, represents a major element of tourism development. The main goals of this paper are to highlight the tourism potential of fortifications in Serbia and to investigate the prospect of creating a cultural route of fortified towns. The route is comprised of six fortresses. This article applies CREM (Cultural Route Evaluation Model) to assess the tourism potential of fortified towns and the possibility of linking them in a thematic route. The CREM model provided principal information about the possibilities of developing cultural routes, and details about the sites’ requirements. Furthermore, it identified the main areas in need of improvement at each fortress to be visited by a substantial number of tourists in the upcoming period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper empirically examines the effects of incentives in the domain of corporate income tax in Serbia between 2007 and 2018. The main aim of the paper is to test for effects of tax incentives on economic growth. To achieve the stated aim, a dataset consisting of 10 indicators will be analyzed by using the Principal Component Analysis method. This method allows the initial set of predictors to be transformed into a set of uncorrelated components, and allows linear regression to be performed. In accordance with the results of the analysis, the proposal for parametric reform should be based on the abolition of certain tax incentives in order to increase the efficiency of corporate income tax and improve business conditions. The analyzed data has shown that certain corporate tax incentives have had a significant effect on economic growth. Taking into consideration the adverse effects of the coronavirus crisis, the authors give recommendations on what should be developed in the domain of corporate income tax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Serbian historiography, the expansion of Serbia, or Raška (Rascia), in the first half of the 12th century at the expense of Byzantium, whose vassal it was, was recorded a long time ago. At the same time, it is recorded that Serbia was defeated three times by Byzantium (in 1127 – 1129, 1149 and 1150). Byzantium dealt with the problem of unruly vassals by annexing some territory at the beginning of the 11th century, relocating population (after 1129 and 1150), giving land to the Serbs settled along the Byzantine border (to Zavida, Primislav, Desa, Stefan Nemanja), and raising the number of soldiers Serbia was obliged to give for waging war (in 1150). The lands granted to Serbs between 1129 and 1143 spanned the area between Ras and Kopaonik, while those granted between 1150 and 1158/9 spanned the area between Kopaonik and the parishes (Serb. župa) of Toplica and Reka. The first expansion benefited Zavida, who received lands from Byzantium after acknowledging the Empirećs sovereignty, upon his return to Ras, which belonged to Byzantium at the time. The second expansion impacted at least a part of Zavida’s territory which Stefan Nemanja later received when he became a suzerain in Serbia. We hypothesize that the territories that Byzantium gave to the Serbs as its vassals did become part of Serbia at a certain moment and under certain conditions. The answer to the question of how this was possible even though Serbia was defeated by Byzantium may be that Byzantine emperors regarded Serbian rulers as their officials and Serbian lands as Byzantine provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causes the systemic disease COVID-19, which killed more people in a few months than all infectious diseases together in this century. COVID-19 was one of the leading causes of death in 2020 in many countries (according to the preliminary data). By applying the demographic method to final mortality data for 2020, we can give an overview of the situation in Serbia through population mortality indicators. The effect of COVID-19 on mortality in Serbia in 2020 was higher than anticipated. The surplus of mortality that occurred in 2020 (compared to the three-year average of 2017-2019) is 14,657, an increase in mortality of about 14%. Deaths from COVID-19, according to vital statistics, make up 71% of excess mortality. This increase is also reflected in life expectancy at birth which dropped by 1.55 years. The male population observed higher mortality rates from COVID-19 and a more significant life expectancy drop. Around 4% of those who died from COVID-19 are younger than 50. A person who is 85 or older was almost 100 times more likely to die from the consequences of COVID-19 than a person who is 34 or younger. COVID-19 was the second leading cause of death in Serbia in 2020. One of the few positive things about this pandemic is that violent deaths plummeted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different groups of migrants from Serbia. The paper aims to identify and analyse difficulties and the most migration-related stressful issues that international migrants from Serbia coped with due to the societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored how they perceive those migration-related stressors and how they act in the context of limitations and opportunities in countries of origin and destination out of necessity to counter these challenges. We also highlighted the migration plans in accordance with the migration motives before the pandemic, and the possibilities for their realisation after the pandemic. The paper is based on qualitative research conducted using semi-structured in-depth telephone interviews with 34 participants. As major migration-related stressors that were singled out are those associated with professional and financial hardship, their return, legal status, stigma, health and family. The results indicate the importance of the migration context for understanding the ability of individuals to cope with numerous and sudden challenges in crisis situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TEME: Casopis za Društvene Nauke is the property of TEME: Casopis za Drustvene Nauke and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of TEME: Casopis za Društvene Nauke is the property of TEME: Casopis za Drustvene Nauke and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The subject of research in this paper is the analysis of ethically relevant values and behavior in Serbia after the end of the state of emergency in March 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is aimed at examining the attitudes of employees in Serbia to determine whether the attitudes of respondents can be grouped into three mutually independent ethical dimensions: a) attitude towards themselves and others, b) economy and existence and c) science and knowledge. We were also interested in whether these ethical values were perceived differently by male and female respodents. These three elements were analyzed since Serbia is a country that has gone, and to some extent is still going, through socio-economic changes, which are especially reflected in non-standard social circumstances when ethical values, principles and beliefs are expressed. In a sample of 640 respondents, surveyed via social networks, the results show that the pronounced correlation groups the attitudes of employees into three mutually independent ethical dimensions, and that gender does not affect ethically relevant values and behaviors in the domain of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural tourism is one of the alternative forms of tourism attracting an increasing number of tourists. Serbia has great potential for the development of rural tourism, which has not been properly activated. To better understand the attitude of tourists towards rural tourism, an online questionnaire has been made. Based on the answers, we made clusters and market segmentation. The questionnaire contains 18 psychographic variables (travel philosophy, travel motive and personal values) towards rural tourism. The survey covered 300 examinees. Using the Categorical analysis of the main components (CatPCA), the segmentation of the tourists has been made. Three segments of tourists have been formed according to their similar attitudes towards rural tourism. With the Mann Whitney U test, the attitudes of male and female examinees have been compared. The Kruskal-Wallis test has been used to show the connection between the motives of spending holidays in the rural areas, and the distance of the rural destination, as well as the attractiveness of the rural tourism to certain age categories. A typology of tourists in rural tourism is proposed, to assist managers involved in rural tourism to understand the needs of different target groups and apply appropriate strategies and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the level of perceived social support in people with mild to moderate form of dementia in residential care settings. Also, the aim of this study was to investigate the level of perceived social support from different sources in the social surrounding of people with dementia. The sample consisted of 29 participants diagnosed with mild to moderate form of dementia. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was used for the purpose of evaluating the level of perceived social support. Participants rated the perceived social support fairly high. There were no significant differences in social support pertaining to gender and education. Furthermore, participants stated that they have significantly more social support from family, compared to friends and other significant persons. These findings are an important start of research addressing the quality of life in people with dementia with the aim of improving the existing social support mechanisms in Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the recently recognized form of entrepreneurship – lifestyle entrepreneurship – in the specific context of (post)transitional society. The key question is: are there any specific characteristics of lifestyle entrepreneurship and lifestyle entrepreneurs (e.g. personal characteristics, business traits, motivation, business plans and strategies, etc.) due to the specific economic and social settings. The exploratory study covers six lifestyle entrepreneurs. Data were collected in in-depth interviews. Results proven that (post)transitional lifestyle entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs are specific, especially regarding their motivation and work-private life balance. (Post)transitional lifestyle entrepreneurship includes basic features of profit-orientated entrepreneurship as an element of survival strategy.   [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment style is an important element of partnership dynamics and can be related to different indicators of relationship quality, including sexual relationship. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between female sexual functioning (FSF) and characteristics of partner attachment. In this paper, female sexual functioning will be examined through the following dimensions: the intensity of sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, sexual life satisfaction, and pain during intercourse. In case of existing issues, these categories of functioning are considered to be indicators of female sexual dysfunction. The research was conducted on a convenience sample of 284 female participants aged 18 to 65, from Serbia, all having partner relations longer than 6 months. Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) was present in 24.6% of the sample, while 75.4% had no symptoms. Looking at dimensions of sexual functioning separately, the most common issues were related to sexual desire and the least commonly reported problems were related to lubrication and pain. There were moderate correlations between the total measure of FSF and dimensions of attachment. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that attachment is highly correlated with subjective experience of sexual life satisfaction. Research results are in accordance with the results of foreign studies and, despite many limitations, they represent a significant starting point for future studies in our region relating attachment to sexual behaviour or dysfunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intra-industrial trade is the exchange of products between countries in the same sector of the economy. A significant part of export and import in goods takes place within the same sector of the economy. This paper analyzes the intra-industrial trade in agricultural products of Serbia and its foreign trade partners from 2004 to 2018. The Grubel-Lloyd intra-industrial trade index was used as a measure. The value of GLI in agricultural products increased over the observed period, ranging from 0.485 to 0.590 as in 2018, while the number of IIT-dominated groups ranged from 26 to 35. The results obtained indicate that vertical IIT is more prevalent than horizontal IIT and that the export of products with lower prices dominates, i. e. those that are, according to the assumptions of the model, of lower quality than the imported products. Dynamic change analysis shows that certain changes in the IIT pattern occur over time, but that changes are gradual without sudden peaks in the IIT structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2000 certain democratic changes happened in Serbia. They instilled hopes that everyday life will be more democratic in every segment, especially when gender equality is concerned (equality for the different, that is, women). The degree to which a society is democratic could be measured in different ways. One of them is the presence of visuals (drawings, etc.) or presence of any other form of material culture. The aim of this paper is to examine the degree of democratic changes in multinational, multi-confessional and multilingual Serbia during the last decade as it relates to the absence of linguistic codes, and using postage stamps to depict women (2006-2018). The corpus consists of all the postage stamps printed during the period, but only those depicting women were analysed. The analysis of the text on postage stamps opens up a theoretical question “What is text”? We here introduce the criterion of ‘implied knowledge’ as a measure for the understanding of the meaning of text on a stamp, more accurately, as a measure of the presence of an implicit discrimination towards notable women. The results reveal the following: 1. there are only several women who got the privilege to be presented on a postage stamp in this period; 2. all of them originate from the Serbian culture and none from other national communities. This clearly shows that the ideological decision is in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 2000s, estimates indicated the presence of over a million pieces of firearms and a large amount of ammunition in the possession of Serbian citizens. At the same time, the demographics of domestic violence pointed to the consequences of the misuse of firearms in the context of family and partner violence. A large number of women’s killings (annually between 30 and 40) also raised the issue of possession of (non) legal weapons, as well as the adequate response of institutions in preventing fatal outbreaks. On the basis of the fact that Serbia passed the Law on Weapons and Ammunition in 2015, in 2013 it ratified the Istanbul Convention and adopted the Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence in 2016, and the statistics on the death by murder of women in the context of domestic violence, the analytical approach in the paper focuses on seeking the answer to the question: whether the existing legislative framework provides for the protection of victims of violence against the misuse of firearms? The findings of study indicate the need to enhance the coherence of the legislative response to the risks posed by the presence of firearms in the family context, as well as establishing stronger links between the legislative framework for the control of firearms and the laws governing the response to domestic violence and partner violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the right of a database manufacturer which is the exclusive right that authorizes its holder to prohibit or permit another to use a particular database, i.e. the collection of regulated and systematized data, copyright works or other materials that are available electronically or otherwise. However, the database can be a collection in terms of the copyright of the collection, so it also represents the content of the analysis in this paper. The subject of comparative analysis are the provisions of the current regulations in the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia, and determining their compliance with the Directive 96/9/EC on the legal protection of databases. The analysis used a historical legal and normative legal method. Based on the analysis, the authors point out that the adopted solutions for the protection of databases in the EU greatly influenced the adoption of the corresponding regulations in the Republic of Serbia, concluding that the regulations governing this area in the Republic of Serbia are almost completely aligned with the EU regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally speaking, Europeanization is defined as “a process in which states adopt EU rules”. As Serbia is getting closer to the EU, this process is gaining on the momentum, but running far from smoothly. Formal endeavors aimed at the change of the social status of the LGBT persons in Serbia are a case in point, as they are linked to the idea of Europeanization. In accordance with the EU conditions, a number of laws aimed at fighting discrimination of LGBTs were passed, programs with the same goal were implemented, and several Pride Parades took place without major incidents (as Belgrade was “besieged” by heavy police forces). At the same time, high state officials publicly manifest their reluctance toward non-heterosexuals, with the police practicing indirect resistance toward organizing the Pride. The LGBT affirming actions were characterized by short time-span and superficiality, and this is what makes this case a paradigmatic one of the Serbian Government‟s attitude to Europeanization: the formal obligations (as imposed) are fulfilled, while simultaneously enormous (informal) efforts are undertaken in order that no changes occur in society. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the aforementioned. Attempts to diffuse EU rules and regulations seem to be of no avail if local adaptation, interpretation and appropriation of these norms and resistance which they spawn, is not taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A secure environment plays a crucial role in the overall stability of the economy, having an impact and contributing to its competitiveness. Although an absence of security risks cannot certainly drive the country's economic development and competitiveness, its existence would definitely have far-reaching consequences for the economy. The paper aims to analyze the national security of the European (EU) countries and Serbia, reflected in the following security indicators: business costs of terrorism, business costs of crime and violence, organized crime, and the reliability of policy services. In this context, the study provides a comparative analysis of the mentioned indicators in order to assess their trend, as well as the correlation between national security and national competitiveness with the aim to determine how national security affects national competitiveness. The empirical analysis of the study includes 28 EU member countries and Serbia as a candidate country, covering the period from 2011 to 2017, with data available in the Global Competitiveness Reports. The findings of this study allow for a better understanding of the overall national security and its impact on the national competitiveness in the context of the EU and Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the assessment of Serbia‟s security within the Balkan geopolitical node, it is important to analyze the position of foreign political centers of power and their geopolitical partners in the region, as well as the relations with other geopolitical nodes (Caucasus, Middle East) or key zones (Bosphorus, Dardanelles, Suez). Usually, power centers such as the US, NATO, EU, Russia and others demonstrate their inclination to protect the interests of a particular ethnic group, religious inclination, or state. The relations between Eurasia (Russia) and Orthodox Serbia, as well as between Mitteleurope (Germany, Austria) and Catholic Croatia can serve as examples from history. From the specific European, Eurasian and global centers of geopolitical power, the Balkans are viewed in terms of a very specific geopolitical interest. In such a sensitive environment, the Republic of Serbia seeks to find a balanced relationship both with the great powers and with the states and peoples in the immediate environment. Balancing military neutrality, threading the path to European integration, and turning to Russia and Eurasian allies, all raise a number of issues in the area of security and stable political positioning on the contemporary world stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ronald Inglhart's modernization theory provides a model of global value change, with affirmation of specific national paths of change. The paper considered the importance of the index of postmaterialism as a key element of the self-expression dimension. The distribution of (post)materialistic values in Serbia is presented based on data from the European Values Study and World Values Study from 2001, 2005 and 2008. The data indicate the presence of a stable structure in which the mixed and materialistic type predominates.The influence of sociodemographic factors on postmaterialism was examined by applying the regression analysis to the data from 2008. The results indicate a significant influence of the age, level of education and size of the city, while the impact of the amount of income is not statistically significant. The obtained results support Inglhart's theory of values, but do not exclude the effect of the life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading habits can be described as continuous lifelong need for gaining new knowledge, and are perceived by individuals as both a necessity as well as a source of satisfaction. The main reason for the stance that reading is both, a necessity and a source of satisfaction can be found in the fact that reading enables enhancement of personal development, as well as the advancement of the society as a whole. As there is a trend of reading crisis established by certain authors and taking into account the fact that developments in the field of technology have an impact on the alterations on means of reading, the reading habits are the subject of this paper, from the perspective of the students themselves as well as to their frequencies of reading books, newspapers, magazines, and the innovations in the reading process (the use of electronic vs. printed formats). After presenting the results of the secondary research, the results of the empirical research will be presented, in particularly as to the descriptive and comparative statistics on the reading habits amongst university students in the Republic of Serbia. The research was conducted on a sample of 1,148 examinees during the months of May and June 2018. The results of the empirical research have shown relatively high percentage of students who like to read (over 60% of students read frequently), and that students prefer to opt for printed books, and digital forms of newspapers and magazines. The results of this paper have shown the lowest frequency of reading books amongst the students in the sphere of technical and technological sciences as well as in the field of arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor education is a specific educational form that involves the continuous realization of the teaching and learning process throughout the school year, in a natural environment, where such an environment would be used as an incentive and direct source of knowledge for teaching, as well as a pleasant environment for the psychophysical development of students. The aim of this paper is to look at how outdoor education is determined in Serbia – starting with legal regulations, relevant professional and scientific literature, and through the comparative analysis of existing theory and practices in Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), and to try to identify potential opportunities of improving realization of outdoor education in Serbia. The results show that outdoor education in Serbia is viewed within the meaning of the term schools in nature, where the realization of teaching is outside the place of residence of students and teachers and lasts for 7 to 10 days a year, with no reference to the possibility of realization of outdoor education continuously during the school year. Through the analysis of the Scandinavian model of outdoor education, we note that in Norway, Sweden and Denmark there is a long-standing research tradition of this problematic. As the basic recommendations from the comparative literature review, we emphasize that it is necessary to reconsider the approach of outdoor education at the theoretical level and also to conduct more research in this field, the results of which would help to improve outdoor education at all levels. Also, it is necessary to examine the possibility for the school curriculum to anticipate a more frequent realization of outdoor education throughout the school year, to explore opportunities to offer solutions at the system level and to provide financial and professional support to schools and teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a knowledge-based economy, the success, growth and development of hotel companies relies in a large extent on knowledge, since employees are directly involved in the process of service production and consumption. The results of numerous studies demonstrate the impact of human capital on business performances, so management must invest and improve human capital in order to create differentiated products / services and ensure a stable competitive position. The main goal of the research is to analyze the interdependence of human capital components and business performance of the hotels in Serbia. The research results confirm the influence of human capital on the non-financial performance of hotel companies. In order to test the structural relationships between variables, reliability analysis, factor analysis and structural modeling equation are employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Third-party reproduction refers to the use of gametes, embryos or gestation that have been provided by a third party to enable an infertile individual or couple to become parent(s). The social, legal, and ethical acceptability of third-party reproduction varies around the world. In Serbia, there is a noticeable lack of data on attitudes towards infertility treatments involving the use of donated gametes, as well as surrogacy arrangements, due to the fact that this practice is banned in this country. The aim of this paper is to examine the attitudes of infertile women in Serbia towards third-party reproduction, i.e. gamete donation and surrogate motherhood as potential parts of their own infertility treatments. The sample included 50 infertile women involved in the program of in vitro fertilization, which amounts to at least 10% of the total number of women who go through the program of state-funded in vitro fertilization in Novi Sad each year. The questionnaire, constructed for the purpose of the study, was administered. The participants expressed negative attitudes towards using third-party gamete donation and surrogacy in their own infertility treatments. The negative attitudes were most prevalent among participants with low- and medium-level education. The potential reasons for such attitudes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to examine social and demographic predictors for the attitudes of young people in Serbia toward prostitution, gender equality and feminism, as well as to analyse the relations of these three attitudes between each other, and in relation to basic variable of sexual behaviour (age of first intercourse and number of sexual partners). The sample for this research was 1114 participants (67.6% female with average age of 22.4 years, SD =2.59). Three scales were applied in data collection process such as the scale of attitudes about prostitution, the scale of attitudes about gender equality (Džamonja-Ignjatović, Žegarac, Popović, & Duhaček, 2009) and the scale of attitudes about feminism (Džamonja-Ignjatović еt al., 2009). The results show that boys have more positive attitude about prostitution although the difference in regard to attitudes of girls was far more expressed in smaller than in big cities. Contrary to this, the data relative to the attitudes toward gender equality and feminism point that girls have expressed more positive attitude than boys. Additionally, our results show positive association of attitudes on gender equality and prostitution. The rights and social protection of women in prostitution in Serbia are a marginalised social issue and social reactions of tolerance and indifference are predominant. In this regard further research of attitudes of systematic solutions, possibilities and challenges in prostitution could provide significant contribution to this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an important element of corporate strategy today. In this article, we wanted to examine whether CSR in the transition market of Serbia is conducted as an integral part of the business strategy based on core activities and stakeholder relations. A quantitative research involving business managers was further validated with the in-depth interviews with business executives, and compared to the theoretical concepts on CSR, domestic studies and the internationally accepted Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) on the impact of CSR. The results show that CSR has become an applied business activity for many companies in Serbia, but generally devoid of a strategic approach. We also confirmed the gap between the more and less developed economies in applying advanced business strategies, which includes the social responsibility of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the problems which primary school teachers face during these science lessons and their willingness for professional development to enable themselves to implement the inclusion model in teaching science in primary schools. The research included 332 primary school teachers. The data was collected using a survey and analyzed by comparative and descriptive methods. It showed that the initial professional development program enabled teachers to gain some general knowledge about the inclusion model, but it did not qualified them for applying this model in integrated science teaching in primary schools. Teachers believe that science should be taught by qualified science teachers who have some experience with the inclusion model. Teachers also want to improve their knowledge through further professional trainings. They are faced with a lack of cooperation with institutions which deal with inclusive education, the lack of adequate literature on the inclusion model and its implementation in science teaching, as well as a variety of financial and technical barriers. They want to gain knowledge about the inclusion model, so that they can apply it during their science lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper IPA (importance–performance analysis) is used to assess location attractiveness for investments as a competitiveness factor in Serbian tourism. Based on the theory of Dunning‟s eclectic paradigm, regarding locational advantages as a factor for investments, twelve key indicators were selected for assessment by stakeholders in the private and public sectors. The conclusion derived from the analysis implies that Serbia is under performing in relation to the importance of the selected indicators. The largest proportion of indicators is classified as the „concentrate here‟ strategy type in the IPA matrix. The conclusions regarding the importance and performance of indicators allocated to other quadrants (especially „low priority‟ and „possible overkill‟) are also significant. This paper establishes the bases for analysis that can help both the public and the private sector to develop strategies for the development of tourism and the competitiveness of Serbia as a tourist destination, referring to investments (locational advantages) as a competitiveness factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents research on travelling abroad as a form of cultural consumption in the Serbian society and the motivation (interest) of consumers to participate in such tourism practice. The relation between cultural consumption and travel abroad of citizens who use services of travel agencies in Serbia was analysed through foreign travel, education, tourism interests and destinations that generate certain cultural practices. According to Bourdieu’s view on the theory of cultural consumption, class affiliation of an individual and his/her family background determine cultural consumption and ways of satisfying his/her cultural needs, so travel abroad demonstrates exceptional importance in daily life of the dominant structural groups. In the Serbia’s society, the central axis that divides the practice of cultural consumption among its citizens that travel abroad is characterized by the following dimensions: occupation, education and the place of residence. Thus, foreign travel organized by travel agencies, as a cultural form in semiperipheral society, such as the Serbia’s society, presents a mark of distinction that is affordable only to higher layers. The survey was conducted in the period from March to May 2014 by the students of Tourism Department at the Faculty of Geography in Belgrade, as part of their compulsory practical work in Sociology of Tourism. The survey was conducted in travel agencies in Belgrade and in central Serbian towns, in accordance with their individual choices and availability of agencies. The sample was made up of respondents from urban and rural settlements, a total of 613. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the current migration crisis, in the public discourse and media reporting, different terms are used interchangeably to denote persons who are coming to Serbia from the states and the regions which "produce refugees": irregular migrants, immigrants, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers. The paper aims at providing distinctions between core terms: migrant, refugee and asylum seeker and to point out that, although it is not easy to draw demarcation line between these terms, they do not have the same meaning. These terms define essentially different (legal) status, which determines the treatment of these categories of people, the corpus of rights they are entitled to according to the regulations of the international law and national legislations, as well as the responsibilities and obligations of the states on whose territory they reside or transit. Additionally, the paper aims at analysing in which way legal status of these categories of migrants is regulated in Serbia, in order to notice if it is in compliance with the international standards and if it provides appropriate legal basis for the treatment and protection of the mentioned categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovations, as a determinant of competitiveness, are one of the fundamental presuppositions for the economic prosperity of every country and the well-being of the population. The creators of the development policies need adequate information relating to all vital determinants of competitiveness, including innovations, in order to formulate effective policies and strategies. Therefore, the World Economic Forum (WEF) annually prepares and presents the Global Competitiveness Report. Thus, based on the information from the WEF reports, the paper explores changes in the level of competitiveness of Serbia (measured by the Global Competitiveness Index - GCI) for the period from 2009 to 2014, in comparison with other Western Balkan countries. Also, an in-depth analysis of the competitiveness of Serbia is carried out in the subindex “Innovation and sophistication factors” as a component of the GCI, considering that in 2014 this subindex for Serbia recorded the lowest value compared with other two subindexes within the GCI (“Basic Requirements” and “Efficiency Enhancers”), and also with other Western Balkan countries. Therefore, there is a need for urgent and significant improvements in the field of innovations as a relevant factor of the GCI in order to improve Serbia's position in the world's rankings of competitiveness, but also Serbia's position in relation to the more successful countries in the Western Balkans. The goal of the analysis in this paper is to identify the position of Serbia in comparison with other Western Balkan countries in terms of overall competitiveness, and especially in the field of innovation and business sophistication factors as the determinants of the achieved level of national competitiveness. The methods used in this research are the following: descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and benchmarking. The research results show that Serbia has in the aforementioned period achieved an unenviable level of competitiveness. This research can be useful for the creators of development policy for future guidance of the economic and social development of Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The split that occurred in 1054 specifically had influence on the area where the two confessions "collided". In the area of Southeast Europe, as shown by the historical sources, in the late twelfth century there was no conflict between the two confessions. Worsening relations between the two confessions brought the fourth crusade. The Western Church, led by the Pope, has taken all the efforts to overcome the schism and to achieve union. The paper present relations between Serbia and Bulgaria and the Western Church with attempts to achieve union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organization of the events which include different cultural, musical, sporting and other events is a very complex process because it is a specific tourist industry and a product. This paper explores the socio-demographic characteristics, the educational structure, the funds available, the ways of informing the public, the vehicles traveling to the desired event, the behavior and habits of the visitors, with the aim identifying the target groups that visited one of the most important musical events in our country. The study was committed to the accidentally selected sample of 56 respondents who visited the NISVILLE JAZZ FESTIVAL, held in Nis in 2014. The survey included a heterogeneous structure of the participants regarding their gender, age, economic status, ethnicity, education and others. The survey should emphasise the effective ways of animating and attracting a large number of domestic and foreign visitors as well as the directions for the promotion of musical events in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media studies have not amply dealt with the concept of clientelism, although it is the widespread opinion that political clientelism more or less exists in all modern societies. The first part of this paper examines political clientelism in the media through the presentation of the results of comparative research around the globe, in post-communist European countries that are members of the European Union, and in the countries of Southeast Europe. The foundation of the study involves the characteristics of political clientelism identified by Daniel C. Hallin and Stylianos Papathanassopoulos. This paper raises the issue of the relationship between the slow democratization of Serbian society and the political instrumentalization of the media. The paper reviews the extent to which non-transparent media ownership, the state‟s media market, and state funding of the media affect the utilization of the media. Within this problem circle, the changes brought by new media laws adopted in August 2014 are also analysed and the necessity of implementing good solutions in practice is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the financial aid of the United States of America to Serbia during the First World War, realized through war loans that were issued in accordance with the Act of Congress from April 24, 1917, which regulated the issue of war loans to allied countries. Serbia needed these loans in order to provide aid to prisoners of war, interned people, families of the soldiers in the front line, war invalids, and citizens in the occupied territories. The aid provided by France and the United Kingdom was not sufficient to meet all of Serbia’s needs, which is the reason why American war loans did not only represent a very important factor in overcoming the war crisis, but also gave a new impetus to American humanitarian action in Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with state universities students’ attitudes about the higher education reform in Serbia, initiated with the Law on Higher Education from 2005. Perceptions of the students’ duties in the new regime of the study and material resources for maintaining in the educational system have been analyzed. The above mentioned perceptions have been related to the social biographies approach, which explains the interaction between social or structural (institutions, resources, norms) and individual (resources, orientations, actions) factors in the process of creating youth’s educational biographies in Serbia. The aim of the paper is to analyze the state universities students’ perceptions of the curricula and the regime of the study reforms, as well to evaluate different aspects of that reform as an impetus or a limitation for the process of creating social biographies in the sphere of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cet article traite les traductions de la production romanesque française sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale publiées dans l'espace serbo-croate de la Yougoslavie communiste entre 1945 et 1965. L'objectif est de déterminer, en analysant les circonstances historiques et les traductions existantes de la production romanesque, si et dans quelle mesure les autorités communistes ont contrôlé le champ (concept emprunté à Bourdieu) de la traduction autrement dit ont exercé des blockages (Greenblatt). L'analyse montre que même quand il s'agit de l'évocation littéraire de la lutte antifasciste, certains auteurs français étaient explicitement interdits en Yougoslavie dans les premières années de l'après-guerre, alors que d'autres, plus nombreux, étaient plus discrètement omis des projets éditoriaux en raison de leur attitude «réactionnaire»: de cette manière, les autorités parvenaient à supprimer l'autonomie du champ de la traduction littéraire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the views of leading representatives of contemporary Anglo- Saxon historiography regarding Serbia’s responsibility for the outbreak of the First World War. Over the past several years, as the celebration of the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War approached, a part of Anglo-Saxon historiography re-opened the question of responsibility for its outbreak. Without engaging in objective analysis of the most relevant historical facts and archive documents, certain representatives of Anglo-Saxon historiography have put forward claims that Serbia and the Serbian government were responsible for the First World War and its outbreak. At the same time, they clear Germany and its ally Austria-Hungary of all guilt. The most distinguished representatives of this school of historiography are the British historians Margaret MacMillan, Christopher Clark, as well as Sean McMeekin. They all believe that Serbian authorities instigated, organized and materially supported members of the Young Bosnia movement to assassinate the Austrian Heir Presumptive, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]