Vol.41, No 2 (2008)

Igor Prodan

Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Kardeljeva ploscad 17, 1000 Ljubljana, and PS Center d.o.o., Ulica bratov Učakar 70, 1000 Ljubljana

Branka Ahlin

PS Center d.o.o., Ulica bratov Učakar 70, 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

Abstract

Background/Purpose: This paper presents the results of a research project financed by the Chamber of commerce and industry of Slovenia. The main purpose of the project was to propose a model for useful suggestions management, including concrete suggestions for businesses. This is based on (a) an in-depth literature review, (b) case studies of three innovative, export orientated Slovenian companies and (c) the results of the implementation of this model in two Slovenian companies (as a pilot project). Concrete suggestions for businesses regarding the useful suggestions management process, the implementation itself, the rewarding and monitoring of useful suggestions activity and potential adaptations of the model to changes within the company are presented. Since the paper focuses on the implementation of useful suggestions management, offering a rich insight into the concrete processes involved in both developing such policies and carrying them out, companies may achieve great business value by implementing this proposed model.

Nika Murovec

Institute for Economic Research, Kardeljeva pl. 17, 1000 Ljubljana

Igor Prodan

PS Center d.o.o., Ulica bratov Učakar 70, 1000 Ljubljana, and Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Kardeljeva ploščad 17, 1000 Ljubljana

Abstract

Background/Purpose: The innovativeness of an organization has an important impact on its profitability as well as on the competitiveness of a country’s economy as a whole. Since the innovativeness of Slovenian organizations is low, it is important that managers and industrial policy makers know which factors influence an organizations’ innovation. One of these factors is supposed to be the organizational absorptive capacity. Absorptive capacity is one of the most important concepts that have emerged in the field of organizational research in the past years. Absorptive capacity is defined as the set of organizational routines and processes through which an organization identifies and values new external information, and then acquires it, assimilates it and applies it to commercial ends. The results of this research confirm the strong and positive impact of Slovenian organizations’ absorptive capacity on process innovation and the even bigger positive influence on the organizations’ product innovation.

Viljan Mahnič

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Computer and Information Science, Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija

Abstract

Background/Purpose: We describe an example of partnership between a university and some major IT companies – IBM and Microsoft – to teach a course on information systems technology. The course is taught in the fifth (final) year of the university undergraduate program when students have already mastered the basic theoretical knowledge of information system development. For this reason, the course content was restructured to pay more attention to practical experience and the learning opportunities available within the environment of professional industry. During the course, students get acquainted with IBM and Microsoft products and the tools that support the development of online information systems. Special attention is devoted to group project work, which is not just intended for the improvement of technical skills, but also for the aqusition of transferrable skills such as teamwork, management/leadership, planning and organizing, presentation and documentation, searching for information, etc.We describe our experience from teaching the course in the academic years 2005/06 and 2006/07. A description of the course content is given and the results of a survey among the students are presented. Students responded favourably to the new approach and found the course very useful and interesting.

Branko Škafar

Saubermacher-Komunala d.o.o., Kopališka ul 2, SI-9000 Murska Sobota, Slovenija

Matjaž Mulej

University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Razlagova 14, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenija

Abstract

Background/Purpose: This article presents a new business excellence model for PUC (communal), especially in countries in transition as one way to business excellence. The new model has proven successful in a multinational company’s daughter company in Slovenia in practice as well as in comparison with companies performing the same activity.We are aware that there are no universal models for success, but there are tools which make it easier to reach. Of course, one single tool will not make a company successful. It must have a unique (original) and requisitely holistic business model to succeed. And talking about unique, i.e. different from others, brings us to innovativeness – the main topic of this research as the background of business excellence, including the PUC. The presented new model has been evolving over ten years and proved successful in practice.

Živa Rant

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Abstract

Background/Purpose: Knowledge workers working in an organization productively can be a big competitive advantage. Knowledge workers are different from classical workers. Some differences are presented in the paper. At knowledge workers’ incorporation in the organization their properties have to be considered.Working in a learning organization is suitable for knowledge workers.The learning organization also needs knowledge workers for its operations. At learning organization’s operation two dimensions could be found: the working people learning and the organizational learning. The second is more important for the organization.

Barbara Mulej

Pot pod Gradiščem 8, 4202 Naklo, Slovenija

Abstract

Background/Purpose: The article presents the results of the mutual impacts of factors, which, according to participants, affect the evaluation of performed training courses. The correlation analysis of six variables used in the presented evaluation model shows the connection between the evaluation of instructor’s performance and the evaluation of the content of the training course. There is also the connection between the evaluation of handouts and the content of the course, as well as the connection between the evaluation of handouts and the performance evaluation of the instructor. Another important finding is that there is no connection between the evaluation of the training organization and the evaluation of the training impact on participants’ jobs. In the second part of our analysis, we used the factor and later the regression analysis to establish the effect of the new acquired knowledge on participants’ work performance, and came to a very interesting conclusion, which could explain 23.7% of impact variance of acquired knowledge to participants’ performance.

Maja Meško

Ljubljanska cesta 27, 3000 Celje

Zlatka Meško Štok

Univerza na Primorskem, Fakulteta za management Koper, Cankarjeva ulica 5, 6104 Koper

Iztok Podbregar

Univerza v Mariboru, Fakulteta za varnostne vede, Kotnikova ulica 8, 1000 Ljubljana

Damir Karpljuk

Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za šport, Gortanova ulica 22, 1000 Ljubljana

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Economic trends, growing market requirements, technology and the management philosophy oriented towards productivity increase and faster life style result in stress as a serious problem in all areas of life including workplace. The aim of this study was to ascertain the level of stress that managers experience at work, to identify the stressors at the workplace and to determine the effect of the selected independent variables (gender, age and education) to work-related stress in managers. 85 managers from Slovene companies of random choice participated in this study. The results of the study have shown that, in average, the managers who participated in this study believe that their job involves a medium level of stress. They are most affected by the stressors concerning the relationships with their co-workers and the management. It was also established that there were no statistically significant differences in experiencing work-related stress, according to the selected socio-demographic variables.

Vlado Dimovski

Ekonomska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani, Kardeljeva ploščad 17, 1101 Ljubljana

Judita Peterlin

Pod gozdom 43, 1236 Trzin, Slovenija

Sandra Penger

Ekonomska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani, Kardeljeva ploščad 17, 1101 Ljubljana

Abstract

Background/Purpose: It is becoming more and more obvious in modern learning organizations that in order to obtain successful leadership it is not enough to rely strictly on the formal status inside the organizational hierarchy. Therefore, it is neccessary to develop a broad personality of leaders in order to assure the unconditional compliance of followers. The continuance and the dispersity of changes are demanding from leaders of learning organizations the competence of balancing traditional knowledge with newly acquiered experiences.We emphasize the meaning of leadership developement in learning organization, through authenticity, communication and measurable learning possibilities of every employee. The model of leadership in learning organization that we are introducing in this article is based on constant learning responsibility and authentic communication between leaders and followers, as we seen this as the main tool of achieving the well being of all involved. Slovenian company ACH serves as a good example for implementing our model. There are wide possibilities of improving the leadership, beginning with spreading the know-how between employees, what Business Academy is intended to accomplish.

Igor Novel

Univerza na Primorskem, Turistica – Visoka šola za turizem, Senčna pot 10, 6632 Portorož

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Hotel companies are market-oriented,ćwhich implies that their selling pricesćare dictated by that very same market.ćTheir selling prices being thus set,ćhotel companies need to give emphasisćto cost control and they have to focus onćthe implementation of a methodologyćthat would allow such a control. One ofćthe methods most common in the economyćfield is the target costing methodć(TC), which has been applied in theoryćand in practice in industries for over thirtyćyears. Some Japanese companies havećbeen applying the method effectivelyćsince it offers competitive advantagesćcontributing to higher growth if comparedćto companies not using the methodćat all. Our estimation is that the TC method,ćproperly adjusted, can be successfullyćimplemented in the hospitality industry.ćThis paper’s goal, as one of the firstćpapers to analyze the implementation ofćthe target costing method in the hospitalityćindustry, is to present the main specificsćof the hospitality industry as well asćthe main characteristics of implementingćsuch a method into practice. Further on,ćour aim is to call attention to and explorećreal possibilities of implementing thećTC method into the hospitality field.Thećfirst part of our analysis is focused on thećspecifics of hotel management, which isćthen followed by an accurate presentationćof the TC characteristics, only thenćto be rounded off by our estimations of implementing the TC method into thećhospitality sector.

Melita Rant

Univerza v Ljubljani, Ekonomska fakulteta, Kardeljeva ploščad 17, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija

Abstract

Background/Purpose: This paper studies intra and inter organizational adaptations to environmental developments. It first develops hypotheses about environmental, organizational and network (intra and inter organizational) adaptations, which examines them on the case of Slovenian companies (with more than 50 employees). The main object of the study is a confirmation of three hypotheses: (1) that macro and micro environmental developments exhibit different logics of change; (2) that organizational adaptations reflect changes in internal contingencies; and (3) that network structure adaptations differ in relation to goal and mean of external collaboration. Besides confirmatory analysis the goal was also exploration of factors that significantly influence perception of environmental change and decisions about intra and inter organizational adaptations. By the later we wanted to give answers to the following questions: Which developments in business environment in period January 2000 – January 2005 were perceived as dominant? How did Slovenian companies respond to environmental changes; especially how did they adapt their organizational and network structures? Research results confirmed all three hypotheses and at the same time showed that (1) external consultants positively influenced organizational structure adaptations and (2) state ownership negatively influenced changes in external relationships

Laura Južnik Rotar

Gea College Visoka šola za podjetništvo, Dunajska cesta 156, Ljubljana

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Modern working arrangements are often connected with the phenomena of atypical employment, which has become a central issue for labour market policy in the EU. On the one hand, it is interpreted as a positive development, in the sense that it indicates greater labour market flexibility. On the other hand, it is a matter of growing concern for policymakers as it reflects further weakening of the labour market position of groups of workers whose position is already weak.This article focuses on the two major forms of atypical employment that is part-time and temporary employment. In our empirical analysis we try to answer whether is there convergence or divergence between the EU member states in the prevalence of atypical employment in the various occupational groups

Nevenka Volk Rožič

Nikole Tesle 29, 5290 Šempeter pri Gorici, Slovenija

Andrej Raspor

M. Valentinčiča 13, 5250 Solkan, Slovenija

Abstract

Background/Purpose: In the article, the authors compare national descriptions for professions in the USA and in Slovenia. According to the comparison of publicly accessible information, with contrastive analysis and with help of descriptive method, they have found out that the American – with the standard classification of professions connected with 0*NET content model – offers a more variegated choice of complex information with larger useful value for the experts in the area of human resources, consultants, researchers, and students, secondary school students and other people, who are deciding to take up a certain profession. The main finding of the research is that the American content model offers information on typical profession assignments, knowledge needed, abilities, capabilities, work activities, working conditions, working style, work values, length and type of working experiences required, amount of payment and employment trends in one place.The Slovene regulation includes shorter descriptions of smaller amount of professions and does not include the scheme of necessities for working cadre and work payments. Even though the American model was created in a completely different sphere, with the consideration of certain differences between the professions in the USA and Slovenia, it can be a useful help also for the Slovene users.