Suchergebnisse

Abstract

Background and Purpose: We are living in a time of accelerated globalization, which has a far-reaching impact for youth employment. Therefore, the paper presents the problem of the transition of tertiary educated young people into the working environment in terms of the importance of education and gaining work experience during their studies. The main purpose of the study was to analyze the attitudes and thinking of students regarding the selection of studies and work experience that young people are gaining during their studies with student work in connection with their job prospects.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The data used in our research come from a broader research on Slovenian Youths (SY) dating back to 2013. Among all the respondents of SY we selected those who classified themselves as students aged between 19 and 24, who filled out the part of the questionnaire pertaining to employment. The research hypotheses were tested with the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent samples t-test.

Results: We found that among students who chose to study for different reasons there were differences in the belief that they will immediately find employment after graduating. We also found that between those students who supported themselves during their studies and those who only studied there were differences in individual statements regarding their transition from education to employment. We concluded that work during their studies, especially in the field of the profession they were studying for, had a positive impact on the thinking of students pertaining to the transition toward employment.

Conclusion: The analysis of employment issues faced by young people with tertiary education was supported by empirical data, while in conclusion suggestions for improvement were presented. The article also deepens the understanding of the problems of youth employment in a broader perspective and the understanding of the observed developments in society.

Usage of Information and Communication Technology in Micro Enterprises in the Last Decade
The paper presents the comparison of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage in Slovenian micro enterprises, using data derived from two studies carried out in years 1999 and 2009. Data for the studies were collected via structured interviews with owners or top managers of micro enterprises. We compared hardware and software equipment, business properties, characteristics of the interviewees and their impact on the successful use of ICT. The results show considerable changes in the ICT equipment, but that does not reflect in a better use of software compared to a decade ago. Key factors of successful use of ICT remain the same. The investment in ICT depends on owners' decisions and the most important factors are the owners' formal education and their skills and knowledge in ICT field. It was indicated that in recent years the investment of education in ICT field for both groups, owners and employees, was considerable lowered.

Abstract

Background/Purpose: SMEs are subject to different factors in the business environments that influence their business performance. Considering the importance of restaurants' environmental characteristics, entrepreneurs can also, through their entrepreneurial characteristics, influence SMEs' management of the requisite assets (MRA). Accordingly, this study examines the influence of restaurant SMEs' entrepreneurial (self-efficacy, orientation, and demographics) and environmental (location, size, and competition) characteristics on MRA and, consequently, on SMEs' operational efficiency.

Methods: Primary data relating to the environmental (location, size, and competition) and entrepreneurial (self-efficacy, orientation, and demographic) characteristics were obtained using a survey questionnaire, while the secondary data were obtained from SMEs' official financial reports. The sample consists of 266 restaurant SMEs in the Republic of Slovenia. Efficiency was analysed using data envelopment analysis (DEA), and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the research model.

Results: The results indicate that environmental characteristics have a much more significant impact on MRA than entrepreneurial characteristics. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy and most demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, and experience) proved not to influence significantly MRA and, consequently, SMEs' operational efficiency.

Conclusion: SMEs' external environment is generally not directly influenced by managerial decisions. Therefore, it is critical to strengthen the influence of the internal environment through an active development of entrepreneurial characteristics, which could result in a more effective MRA and higher efficiency. The conclusion provides suggestions for future research and valuable information for entrepreneurs, academia, and policymakers.

Abstract
Background and Purpose: While there are many studies regarding the adoption of Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID), only a few of them deal with RFID subcutaneous microchip (RFID-SM) usage by individuals. After the first in vivo tests conducted on volunteers from 1998 to 2000, the use of RFID-SM in healthcare remains limited. This study examines the likelihood of adopting RFID-SM in healthcare from the end user's point of view. Design/Methodology/Approach: The aim of this paper is to develop and evaluate the model for analysing the acceptance of RFID-SM adoption. An extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) for RFID-SM adoption is proposed and empirically tested in a cross-sectional study. Online survey was conducted using a convenience sample of 531 respondents. In addition to the three original components of TAM (Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and Behavioural Intentions to Use), three external variables (Health Concerns, Perceived Trust, and Age) were also included in the model. The model was validated with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques. Results: Perceived Usefulness has a significant impact on behavioural intentions to adopt RFID-SM in the future, while the influence of Perceived Ease of Use is not significant. The most influential external variable is Perceived Trust, indicating the lack of confidence in personal data security ensured by the state and other institutions. As expected, Health Concerns factor has a negative effect on the Perceived Trust and Perceived Usefulness of RFID-SM. Conclusion: The results of the empirical study prove that all external variables considered in the model significantly influence the RFID-SM adoption. The Perceived Ease of Use is irrelevant to the attitude towards the RFID-SM adoption. In addition to the proposed model, the analysis of gathered data shows that the positive attitude toward the use of RFID-SM in healthcare is rising.

Abstract

Purpose: The main purpose of the study was to assess the opinion of online consumers about the possibility of making custom apparel using 3D body scanning technology in an online environment and to investigate the shopping experience of consumers who purchase in the online apparel market. In order to be able to propose solutions to improve the online shopping experience, we also investigated aspects influencing non-purchasing in an online environment.

Methods: An online questionnaire on shopping experience, influences on the purchase, and the process of online apparel shopping using advanced technology was prepared and distributed via several online channels to the consumers who purchase apparel online. The questionnaire was completed by 76 respondents from different European countries, the United States and Australia. In order to analyze individual aspects influencing non-purchasing in an online environment, an exploratory factor analysis was performed.

Results: The factor analysis revealed that the two broad dimensions of reasons why consumers have never bought any ready-to-wear apparel online despite browsing are a misperception of product integrity and time-consuming searching. The results show that the proposed solutions to improve the online apparel experience, such as making custom apparel using advanced technologies, have a positive impact on the decision of the consumers to purchase on the online apparel market. It turned out that a high proportion of potential consumers are willing to share their body dimensions through 3D body scanning technology in order to improve the fit of the apparel.

Conclusion: According to the results, we expect that the advanced 3D body scanning technology would provide substantial progress regarding fit, visualization, and manufacturing of custom-made apparel when purchasing in online stores.

AbstractSocial network data are prone to errors regardless their source. This paper focuses on missing data due to actor non-response in valued networks. If actors refuse to provide information, all values for outgoing ties are missing. Partially observed incoming ties to non-respondents and all other patterns for ties between members of the network can be used to impute missing outgoing ties. Many centrality measures are used to determine the most prominent actors inside the network. Using treatments for actor non-response enables us to estimate better the centrality scores of all actors regarding their popularity or prominence. Simulations using initial known blockmodel structures based on three most frequently occurring macro-network structures: cohesive subgroups, core-periphery models, and hierarchical structures were used to evaluate the relative merits of the treatments for non-response. The results indicate that the amount of non-respondents, the type of underlying macro-structure, and the employed treatment have an impact on centrality scores. Regardless of the underlying network structure, the median of the 3-nearest neighbors based on incoming ties performs the best. The adequacy (or not) of the other non-response treatments is contingent on the network macro-structure.

Abstract
Aims: Global business today usually requires organizations to be present locally in countries where their customers are. To do this successfully, good cooperation with local people is needed. Therefore, this paper focuses on the integration of cultures in the business world. The insights from this study are expected to benefit Slovenian expatriates to foreign companies in South Korea, as well as national culture researchers. The main goals of this research include a comparison of Hofstede's IBM survey results with the researched working environment, and identifying the benefits of merging two national cultures for the working environment.
Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to purposive samples within the researched working environments and the collected data analysed used SPSS, where the hypotheses were tested using a chi-square test and t-test for independent samples.
Results: The results revealed significant differences between the two national cultures in the working environment, e.g.: fear of expressing disagreement towards superiors, commitment to work, preference of challenges, tendency to avoid conflicts and innovations - all differed according to nationality.
Conclusion: Working together with people from different cultures requires a certain amount of adaptation (learning about another culture, expecting situations that are not usual). If this adaptation is successful, then cooperation between the different cultures can also be successful, leading to a potential output that is even better than cooperation between people from the same culture.

Among the answers to the new challenges of contemporary environment, cooperation between those who implement development in public administration at state, local and regional levels is increasingly highlighted. Surprisingly, the role of cooperation in developing projects and the maturity of public administrations' project management organizations for accelerating the development of municipalities have not been researched until now. This study confirms that project cooperation between Slovenian municipalities promotes the municipalities' orientation for achieving development through projects, and their management awareness of the importance of fundamental managerial functions and other project management concepts and techniques for the successful achievement of development goals.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Human resource professionalism receives considerable attention in terms of the competence of individual. In this article, we want to bridge the existing competencies of students and the perceived competencies that they assume will be developed and obtained during their studies. The purpose of our paper is a) to present competencies in general, b) to determine the meaning of the development of competencies in the field of higher education, and c) to present the role of competencies in human resource management. The aim of this paper is to examine the human resource competencies among students, and their judgments regarding the competencies they have already received during their studies.

Methodology: The questionnaire was distributed to full-time students of the Faculty of Organizational Science, University of Maribor, in such a way that both genders, both undergraduate and graduate studies, and all years of study were represented. We have measured students' opinions concerning their current and future perceptions about professional competencies in the HR field.

Results: Based on the self-assessment of fifteen HR competencies, we used hierarchical clustering performed with Ward's method and standardized variables and got two clusters. A t-test was used according to low or high levels of students' current competencies. The positive association between satisfaction with study programme and student's opinion on development of competencies during their studies was confirmed with one-tailed Pearson correlation coefficient.

Conclusion: The majority of students believe that they possess significant HR competencies. They have expressed a need for further education and training in that field. The students have assessed that the study programme allows them to acquire and develop the competencies for a successful task performance of the HR professional.

The paper provides theoretical background on benchmarking and presents a cost-efficiency focused benchmarking model for the local water provider performing a mandatory public utility of water supply in the municipality from Gorenjska region. The model comprises a ratio model applied on an available sample of clustered Slovenian municipalities. The results of the developed model suggest relative cost-efficiency of the drinking water supply. The water provider for whom the research has been carried out will use the information obtained from our study for strategic decision-making purposes as well as public relations purposes.

Abstract
Background and Purpose - IBM SPSS Statistics is among the most widely used programs for statistical analysis in social sciences. Due to many practical values it is frequently used as a tool for teaching statistical concepts in many social science university programs. In our opinion, motivation to learn and to use SPSS during the studying process plays a significant role in building a positive attitude towards SPSS which influences its usage at the professional level after finishing study.
Design/Methodology/Approach - The aim of this paper is the development of the model for analysing the acceptance of the SPSS among university students of social sciences. The model is based on the widely known Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). In addition to the traditional components of the TAM, six external variables were included. The model is tested using the web survey on the university students of social sciences from seven faculties at three Slovenian universities.
Results - The evaluation of the questionnaire was performed. Descriptive statistics were calculated. The dependencies among the model components were studied and the significant dependencies were pointed out.
Conclusion - The results of the empirical study prove that all external variables considered in the model are relevant, and directly influence both key components of the traditional TAM, ≫Perceived Usefulness≪ and ≫Perceived Ease of Use≪. Therefore, our model is useful to study the adoption and continuous utilization of SPSS among the students of social sciences. The obtained results are useful for educators, and can help them to improve the learning process.

Although research interest in project management is increasingly directed at analyzing development trends in different business environments, the public sector in this respect has received surprisingly little intention. This paper analyzes the perception of the relevance of particular project management critical success factors among project managers and other project stakeholders in the public sector with relatively high organizational project management maturity. The main focus of research is the city of Vienna and its construction projects. An extensive quantitative survey showed the changing perceptions of the key projects' success factors—namely, strengthening the importance of developing soft skills and stakeholders' management.

Abstract
Today management competencies are seen as the only long-term strategic advantage of any company. However, from corporate experience we know that only 10 % of the knowledge acquired is transferred into entrepreneurial practice. Current trends in management development often overemphasize individual learning and ignore the missing fit between individual behavior and organizational performance. To meet these demands, we collected competency attributions of managers attending executive courses in Austria and Slovenia. A questionnaire with closed and open question will help to explore and compare the relation between organizational performance and current management competencies in these countries. The results confirm our predictions to a lesser extent. However, they represent a basis for further examination of the relationship between managerial competencies and organizational performance.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Despite their clear relevance to human life, microchip implants are still widely viewed as negative, threatening our privacy and raising growing concerns about our health. This paper aims to investigate the important factors influencing people's perception of microchip implants and their willingness to use them for different purposes.

Methodology: The cross-sectional study was conducted in three European countries and the data were analysed using the group Structural Equation Modeling approach. Only complete answers to the online survey questionnaire items were used representing a convenience sample of 804 respondents.

Results: The results show that perceived ease of use, usefulness and perceived trust are significant predictors of intention to use microchip implants. Perceived trust is influenced by privacy and technology safety. Concerns about painful procedures and other health concerns reduce the perceived usefulness of microchip implants. Apart from the predictor health concerns, the results were similar in all countries.

Conclusion: Based on the presented results, researchers interested in investigating the actual use of microchip implants can establish a solid foundation for their research. The results may assist policy makers in developing the regulations to ensure the safe use of microchip implants and allow for a higher level of security. As a follow-up, investigation of changes in the acceptance of microchip implants following the threat of a global pandemic is proposed.