Vol.41, No 4 (2008)

Andreja Lutar Skerbinjek

Univerza v Mariboru, Ekonomsko-poslovna fakulteta Maribor, Razlagova 14, 2000 Maribor

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Managers need a lot of knowledge and information to make decisions and recognize business opportunities. They can acquire this knowledge and information in different ways. Accounting information, particularly information relating to the creditworthiness of business partners and competitors, is important. Such information, which can contain non-accounting information, is often derived from annual reports. The fastest and cheapest way of accessing information is via the Internet. Because searching for information about different businesses on their Web sites can be time consuming, a quicker, more efficient option is to access this information on databases that contain useful information relating to the majority of businesses in the country. In this paper, we discuss the importance of knowledge and information for recognizing business opportunities. We also analyze the appropriateness of accounting information available from five of the most widely used databases concerning Slovene and Croatian businesses, for estimating the creditworthiness of businesses.

Aleš Tankosić

Technical School Centre Nova Gorica, Cankarjeva 10, 5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia

Anita Trnavčevič

University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, Cankarjeva 15, 6000 Koper, Slovenia

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Worldwide, some 1.32 billon people now use the Internet (Internet World Stats 2007). In the developed countries the Internet is also present in educational institutions; schools use the Internet as a means of communication with their customers. In Slovenia, however, research focusing on Internet marketing communication are rare in the field of education. This paper provides the theoretical framework and the results of the qualitative case study conducted at a school centre in Slovenia in 2005. Data were collected through group interviews and document analysis. The findings support the School Centre teachers’ claim that the Internet does not enable personal contacts and the sensory collection of physical evidence, which are considered to be major disadvantages of Internet marketing communication. The teachers who consider Internet marketing communication to be an advantage stress the importance of virtuality which can function as a simulation of communication in the real world. Their adversaries, on the other hand, stress the importance of the physical world and warn us of the negative sides of virtuality.

Darko Kovač

Vocational College for Catering and Tourism Bled, Prešernova 32, 4260 Bled, Slovenia

Andrej Bertoncelj

University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, Cankarjeva 5, pp. 345, 6104, Koper, Slovenia

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Employees with their knowledge, skills, behavior and personal traits impact the organizational learning. The concept of organizational mental map and conative competences, as inborn underlying characteristic that is influenced by employees being involved as well as endogenous and exogenous factors, is presented. Three Slovene small to mid-sized companies were studied in respect to the individual factors, especially conative competences, of their employees. The study suggests that conative side of mind and thus conative competences can actually influence the organizational learning. What matters in contemporary management practice is how hidden potentials are set free and how they intrinsically motivate employees according to their personal differences in capabilities. As conative competences are inborn and can not be learned but only encouraged, contrary to cognitive competences, it is important to better understand employees’ personal traits

Uroš Klanšek

University of Maribor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Smetanova 17, 2000 Maribor

Mirko Pšunder

University of Maribor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Smetanova 17, 2000 Maribor

Abstract

Background/Purpose: This paper presents the cost optimal project scheduling. The optimization was performed by the nonlinear programming approach, NLP. The nonlinear total project cost objective function is subjected to the rigorous system of the activity precedence relationship constraints, the activity duration constraints and the project duration constraints. The set of activity precedence relationship constraints was defined to comprise Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Start-to-Finish and Finish-to-Finish precedence relationships between activities. The activity duration constraints determine relationships between minimum, maximum and possible duration of the project activities. The project duration constraints define the maximum feasible project duration. A numerical example is presented at the end of the paper in order to present the applicability of the proposed approach.

Roland Rusjan Figelj

Ulica Ivana Suliča 14/a, 5290 Šempeter pri Gorici

Roberto Biloslavo

Univerza na Primorskem, Fakulteta za management Koper, Cankarjeva 5, 6000 Koper

Abstract

Background/Purpose: The stakeholder theory has both many defenders and many opponents. It’s so not surprising, that many questions are still waiting for the researchers, to be explained. In the present paper we are trying to give an answer, on how managers in Slovene companies perceive the significance of singular participants. These participants are the shareholders, the management, the employees, the customers, the suppliers and the state. A three members expert group research results are first reported, followed by research results among medium and large processing companies’ managers in Slovenia, concluding in the last part, by a comparison analysis between the two researches results. The comparison analysis results attest surprising match between the experts’ and managers’ perceiving of singular participant’s significance.

Franc Zemljič

Pavlovski vrh 40a, 2259 Ivanjkovci, Slovenske železnice d.o.o., Kolodvorska 11, 1000 Ljubljana

Eva Jereb

Univerza v Mariboru, Fakulteta za organizacijske vede, Kidričeva cesta 55a, 4000 Kranj, Slovenija

Abstract

Background/Purpose: This contribution presents an obligatory transfer of European legislation issued by the European Parliament and Council for the transport and infrastructure sector, into the national legal orders and adjustment of national rules and standards. Therefore, employee knowledge has to be upgraded. In addition, employees should be professionally and linguistically qualified as stipulated in current national and European legislation. A study was carried out on the variations and differences in the methodology of qualifications through researching the qualification systems in European railways. The contribution, besides an elaborated model for employee qualification according to the European committee, also contains the restructuring of accompanying factors of qualification and the implementation of qualification innovations, which influence the quality of qualification so as to achieve a better qualification of railway employees.

Andrej A. Česen

PMP, Mlakarjeva 59, 1236 Trzin

Abstract

Background/Purpose: 

Peter Friedl

GRADIS skupina G, d.d. Ljubljana, Šmartinska 134 a, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija

Roberto Biloslavo

Univerza na Primorskem, Fakulteta za management Koper, Slovenija

Abstract

Background/Purpose: The basic purpose of this research is to study the influence change method selection factors show on the effectiveness of evolutionary changes in construction companies in Slovenia. A combination of the qualitative and quantitative approaches to research work were applied in the course of conceptualisation and implementation of the empirical research. The findings established in the process of this research, about the nature of the application of the studied selection factors in methods of evolutionary changes implemented in business management, will enable a more effective selection from the vast pool of methods available for the implementation of changes and their more effective application. As a result, the business efficiency in companies can be expected to increase, while at the same time providing companies with more equal opportunities to compete on an international level, which is of crucial importance when it comes to corporate entities that operate in post-transition environments.