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This paper aims to examine the relationship between the managerial perception of human capital, innovations, and bank performance. We specifically sought to examine the influence of human capital on bank performance, by introducing the factors of innovation speed and quality. The study was taken in the Serbian banking industry, with the focus on the perception and the viewpoint of CEOs and general managers of different departments. We used a two-phase survey to design the questionnaire and the correlation and regression analyses to examine our hypotheses. Our findings propose that, from managers’ perspective, human capital is critical to the success of banks, and that innovation speed is more influential than its quality. The backward multiple regression model shows that human capital and innovation speed account for 67.5% of the variability of the bank performance. The findings of this research can contribute to bank management policies by revealing how to enhance bank performance by focusing on human capital and innovation agility and readiness. The proposed research model could potentially be implemented in other sectors and industries to hopefully endorse the significance of the detected relationships.

Numerous authors are persistent in investigating the competency profile of the ideal construction project manager in order to decrease the failure rate of construction projects. There is evidence for the change in construction project management, from traditional practices to practices more focused on people and working relationships. The literature demonstrates a positive correlation between project manager’s Emotional intelligence and project success but less is written about the mechanisms that interfere with that relationship. Furthermore, project manager’s relationships with stakeholders are recognized as an important determinant of project success in the construction industry. Considering the above facts, this study was motivated to examine how the construction project manager’s emotional intelligence influences project success, and whether the relations with internal and external stakeholders interfere as mediators in that relationship. In the conducted research, 110 project managers participated. The results demonstrate that the emotional intelligence of construction project managers significantly influences the project success and that internal and external stakeholder relationships play an important role as mediators among them. Moreover, it is found that some components of EI have more significant influence on stakeholder relationships and project success and that internal and external relationships in different amounts affect components of project success.

Influences from the modern business environment indicate the need for the incorporation of sustainability concepts from an innovation system perspective. In the presented research, we emphasize the energy efficiency concept within the frame of sustainability and innovation. The aim of this research was to underline and explore the relationships between innovation, energy efficiency, and sustainability in the construction industry. To answer the research questions, a questionnaire was created to explore the impact of the energy efficiency certification process on the innovation behavior of construction industry enterprises in Serbia. The results show that energy efficiency has supported innovation, and that there exists a relationship between sustainability and innovativeness in the construction industry. Applying energy efficiency passports has influenced the co-operation of enterprises in the construction sector and other actors in the national innovation system in Serbia. The innovation concept demonstrates that enterprises in the construction industry should be observed as a part of the wider picture—the national innovation system. In turn, the specific context of a particular national innovation system should be seen within the wider picture of national innovation systems of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs).

Public procurements have been high on the agenda of policy makers, decision makers, scholars, and other interested parties in Europe in the last few decades, as such procurements make up nearly one-fifth of Europe’s total gross domestic product. Nevertheless, not many attempts have been made to measure the efficiency of public procurement systems and accordingly rank European countries. The most important measurement that highlights this issue is the Single Market Scoreboard for Public Procurements. However, this scoreboard is subject to bias and numerous omissions, which significantly decreases its operational usage and deteriorates the real efficiency of public procurements. This article aims to rank European countries in an unambiguous, objective, and impartial manner by using the Composite I-distance Indicator (CIDI) methodology. Instead of using biased weights for individual indicators, assigned by experts, the CIDI method creates new weights in an objective manner. The study analysed 30 European countries. The results of the study are, to some extent, different from current practice for public procurement efficiency measurement. The novel approach to ranking provides an opportunity to interested parties to improve the performance of their public procurements by reviewing them on a multidimensional basis.

Airports are known to cause noise-related environmental concerns, mostly because significant environmental impact correlated with operation of airports arises from aircraft generated noise. In order to address this concern, many airports have applied a variety of actions that alleviate negative effects of noise i.e. noise abatement measures (NAMs). Although there are similarities between airports applying some of the NAMs, numbers and types of applied measures are quite different among them. This paper focuses on finding statistical evidence to support the hypothesis that there is a significant correlation between applied NAMs and specific characteristics related to airports. To determine the reasons why airports apply NAMs, a logistic regression method was used on the data set for 246 European airports. As predictor variables, five specific characteristics related to airports (number of runways, number of aircraft movements, distance from the city, population of the city it serves, per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of the country an airport is located in), and ten NAMs based on their mutual dependencies were used. The results demonstrate a significant correlation between the applied NAMs and particular airport-related characteristics, but also between NAMs themselves. These findings can be used to determine the likelihood of applying a particular NAM to any airport, based on the characteristics that show a significant correlation with the corresponding NAM.

Ageing population represents one of the most pressing issues of the modern society. Recognising the need for a proactive attitude, a multidimensional Active Ageing Index (AAI) has been introduced. In order to consider the AAI as a useful tool for future policy making, several weaknesses of the current methodology must be stressed out. Specifically, the assignment of weights to individual indicators is essentially a subjective procedure. As a possible remedy to the issue, this paper proposes the application of the statistical Composite I-distance Indicator (CIDI) method. The aim of this research is to introduce the use of a two-step CIDI approach that has several benefits. Firstly, the I-distance method, as an underlying foundation of CIDI, defines which of the input indicators/domains are most significant for the ranking process; therefore it allows the calculation of statistically based weights. Secondly, the obtained weights integrated into AAI framework provide more impartial rankings by each of the four domains and in total. Moreover, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis was applied to both the official and the proposed methodology, and the results imply that our proposal establishes a more stable ranking. Additionally, analysis has shown that input indicators/domains with the highest significance are areas in which implemented policies would contribute the most to Active Ageing goals.

The incorporation of the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainability in different aspects of human life and business provides a guarantee for our future. Organizations have shown a great interest in incorporating sustainability into managerial concepts, both at the strategic and operational levels. Sustainable business strategies are being implemented in many projects, which has led to a recent expansion of interest in exploring the potential of integrating sustainability dimensions in project management. With the intention of contributing to a better understanding of sustainable project management, this paper examines whether project management methodologies, applied in different sectors, support the introduction of sustainability dimensions. It also surveys the level of integration of sustainability dimensions in groups of project management processes. Considering that the incorporation of sustainability in project management poses numerous challenges for project managers, this paper examines the necessary knowledge and skills required for sustainable project management in different sectors. As part of this research, an empirical survey was conducted in project-oriented organizations from both the public and private sectors. The findings reveal that the application of project management methodologies promotes the introduction of sustainability dimensions, particularly the social aspect, irrespective of the sector, since the processes in projects managed by a specific methodology are consistent with the social elements of sustainability. In the public sector, there is a noticeable lack of knowledge of the meaning and dimensions of sustainability and, accordingly, an urgent need for project managers to gain knowledge and skills pertaining to sustainable project management.

A global trend nowadays is shifting the attention from the overall university ranking towards the ranking in a particular scientific field: “Ranking by Subject” and/or “Field Ranking”. The objective of the research presented in this paper is the review of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) aspect of the universities performance. The major concern of the study is the uncertainty and sensitivity of ICT field ranking, regarding the weighting scheme of a particular ranking methodology. The paper thus examines the ICT field-based section of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and URAP rankings and gives a detailed comparison of the stability of these ranking methods. According to the results, URAP ICT ranking is shown to be more stable than QS ICT ranking, with a lower level of uncertainty and sensitivity to different model assumptions. Moreover, we gave an overview of particular standings of Indian universities in both QS and URAP ICT rankings, tackling the issue of the uncertainty and sen...

The ranking of higher education institutions, as well as the ranking of countries based on their scientific achievements, draws a significant amount of attention. Nevertheless, the ranking of countries according to their educational structure provides a completely different view. This article introduces a new approach to ranking, proposes certain changes in defining the parameters that should be included in the ranking process, and compares the results to the available Education index. This provides a new perspective on the evaluation of a country’s educational structure, which can speak volumes about its overall educational development.

The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is an important issue that affects countries' socioeconomic prosperity, and the majority of studies indicate that the productivity effect of ICT is quite significant. Thus, measuring the countries information development can gain numerous benefits since comparisons and rankings create a major challenge for countries' further advancement and development. The aim of this paper is multiple. It firstly elaborates the term of the information society and examines countries' ICT development. Secondly, it debates on the importance of measurement and ranking, emphasizing the methods of measuring the information society. It reviews the ICT Development Index (IDI) as one of these methods, pointing to its drawbacks. The disadvantages of the IDI are mostly related to its bias and uncertainty. This paper accentuates the importance of the stability and objectiveness of a measurement method, and for this reason it presents the Composite I-distance Indicator (CIDI) methodology for measuring countries' ICT development that overcomes these drawbacks. In the case study, we analysed a dataset of 157 countries. The results presented in this study clearly indicate that the CIDI ranking methodology is unbiased and more stable than the official IDI ranking methodology, and can be used as an appropriate framework for information society evaluation measurement. This paper makes a review of the ICT Development Index-IDI, pointing to its drawbacks.The disadvantages of the IDI are mostly related to its bias and uncertainty.Paper presents the Composite I-distance Indicator-CIDI for measuring ICT development.CIDI is unbiased and more stable than the official IDI ranking methodology.CIDI can be used as an appropriate framework for information society evaluation.

This research addresses the differences in the perception of quality by gender and by attitude toward distance learning opportunities in an e-learning environment. We have conducted a research on a population of 68 students enrolled for the first time on distance learning studies of Belgrade University. Using a paired sample t-test, independent samples t-test, and ANOVA, we have proven that there is no significant difference in students' satisfaction with distance learning during the semester (t=1.796, p=0.078), in satisfaction by gender (t=-1.176, p=0.244) and that three groups of students with different attitudes toward learning opportunities have different degree satisfaction with distance learning studies (F=9.954, p

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) represents an important structural part of modern society; this is why countries strive for constant progress in ICT and why it draws such significant attention. Bearing this in mind, the main goal of this paper is to present an I-distance methodology that holds a new perspective on the measurement of information development, to compare it to the ICT development index (IDI), and to point out improvements that such methodology provides. IDI combines 11 indicators related to three ICT categories: Access, Use and Skills (by weighting the first two by 40 percent and the third by 20 percent). The approach presented in this study uses the same indicators, synthesizing them into one value. Subsequently, which variables are the most relevant for measuring ICT development level of countries are able to be determined. Consequently, the I-distance method provides useful insight into developing countries and ways that enhance their ranking. The results show that the correlation between the I-distance values and IDI values is very strong, r = 0.961, p < 0.01, which makes I-distance an acceptable measurement method for evaluating countries’ ICT development levels.

Global usage of mobile phones initiated a large number of researchers to devote their attention to researching the field of customer satisfaction and implementing postulates of customer behavior in the industry. As there are not many relevant studies conducted in Serbia, in this study we examine the influence of the customer experience on satisfaction with mobile phones. Online survey was used as a method of collecting data from 340 randomly chosen respondents. The findings confirm that experience is in a fact a significant determinant of satisfaction and that there are differences according to types of mobile phones customers use and the frequency of usage. Furthermore, high levels of satisfaction are seen in customers familiar with current models of mobile phones and those following mobile trends.

The stability of ranking entities is one of the majorly discussed topics when concerning the ranking methodology. It is an important property which increases rankings reliability and credibility. Ranking of universities is, among others, an often examined topic in the terms of its stability, making the researchers worldwide agree that a statistically solid and firm ranking of universities is needed. This paper provides the stability analysis of the particular subject of the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings compared to the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP). Namely, institutions that rank universities have turned the alertness from global academic rankings to more particular rankings in given scientific fields. In this paper, we particularly chose the field of Education, as one of the major factors that contribute to general well-being. We conducted the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis on the QS and URAP rankings in the field of Education to analyze the effects of their weighting schemes. The main goal of this paper is to compare the stability of QS and URAP ranking methodologies. Furthermore, we propose a Composite I-distance Indicator(CIDI) methodology as a tool for implementing the distinguishing innovations into the ranking methodology, in order to provide a more stable and solid ranking lists. This work is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Teaching at higher education institutions in Serbia still relies on traditional ‘ex catedra’ methods and is mostly based on acquiring factual knowledge, which discourages student participation in the learning process, as well as any initiative on their part. The aim of the paper is to point to the implementation of the traditional ‘ex catedra’ versus the use of IT-supported teaching methods and techniques. The underlying idea is that professors’ abilities depend on their familiarity with different teaching methods and techniques, their knowledge of a foreign language, and the use of ICT. The data analysis has confirmed that teachers do differ from each other with respect to their academic titles: senior teachers (associate and full professors) use traditional methods more frequently than younger teachers do. In general, all teachers should incorporate modern trends into their teaching styles, since traditional teaching methods and techniques are used more often than IT-supported ones. Key words: IT-supported teaching; teaching methods; teaching techniques; traditional ‘ex catedra’ teaching; universities in Serbia --- Sažetak Na visokoskolskim institucijama u Srbiji poucavanje se jos uvijek oslanja na tradicionalne ex catedra metode, vecinom se temelji na usvajanju cinjenicnoga znanja, cime se studenti obeshrabruju od sudjelovanja u procesu ucenja i poduzimanja inicijative. Cilj ovoga rada jest uputiti na upotrebu tradicionalnog ex catedra poucavanja u usporedbi s racunalno potpomognutim metodama i tehnikama poucavanja. Smatra se da sposobnosti nastavnika ovise o njihovu poznavanju razlicitih metoda i tehnika poucavanja, znanja stranoga jezika i upotrebe informacijsko-komunikacijskih tehnologija. Analiza rezultata potvrdila je da se nastavnici međusobno razlikuju s obzirom na akademska zvanja: iskusniji nastavnici (izvanredni i redoviti profesori) cesce se koriste tradicionalnim metodama od njihovih mlađih kolega. Opcenito, svi bi nastavnici trebali ukljuciti moderne trendove u svoje stilove poucavanja, s obzirom na to da se tradicionalne metode i tehnike koriste cesce od onih racunalno potpomognutih. Kljucne rijeci: metode poucavanja; racunalno potpomognuto poucavanje; sveucilista u Srbiji; tehnike poucavanja; tradicionalno ex catedra poucavanje.

Teaching at higher education institutions in Serbia still relies on traditional ‘ex catedra’ methods and is mostly based on acquiring factual knowledge, which discourages student participation in the learning process, as well as any initiative on their part. The aim of the paper is to point to the implementation of the traditional ‘ex catedra’ versus the use of IT-supported teaching methods and techniques. The underlying idea is that professors’ abilities depend on their familiarity with different teaching methods and techniques, their knowledge of a foreign language, and the use of ICT. The data analysis has confirmed that teachers do differ from each other with respect to their academic titles: senior teachers (associate and full professors) use traditional methods more frequently than younger teachers do. In general, all teachers should incorporate modern trends into their teaching styles, since traditional teaching methods and techniques are used more often than IT-supported ones., Na visokoškolskim institucijama u Srbiji poučavanje se još uvijek oslanja na tradicionalne ex catedra metode, većinom se temelji na usvajanju činjeničnoga znanja, čime se studenti obeshrabruju od sudjelovanja u procesu učenja i poduzimanja inicijative. Cilj ovoga rada jest uputiti na upotrebu tradicionalnog ex catedra poučavanja u usporedbi s računalno potpomognutim metodama i tehnikama poučavanja. Smatra se da sposobnosti nastavnika ovise o njihovu poznavanju različitih metoda i tehnika poučavanja, znanja stranoga jezika i upotrebe informacijsko-komunikacijskih tehnologija. Analiza rezultata potvrdila je da se nastavnici međusobno razlikuju s obzirom na akademska zvanja: iskusniji nastavnici (izvanredni i redoviti profesori) češće se koriste tradicionalnim metodama od njihovih mlađih kolega. Općenito, svi bi nastavnici trebali uključiti moderne trendove u svoje stilove poučavanja, s obzirom na to da se tradicionalne metode i tehnike koriste češće od onih računalno potpomognutih.