Purpose: Since reward and incentive programs play a key role in attracting new employees and motivating existing ones, we decided to investigate which programs are used by highly desirable employers ...and how satisfied their employees are with these programs.Methodology: A survey on employee satisfaction with work and reward and incentive programs was conducted among 160 (10%) employees of the company dm-drogerie markt d.o.o. The obtained data were processed using methods of descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests.Results: The average satisfaction of employees with the reward and incentive system is 4.39 on a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 means “completely satisfied”. The average job satisfaction is 4.47, and a moderate positive correlation was found between job satisfaction and satisfaction with the reward and incentive system (rs=0.523, p<0.010). Differences in the level of satisfaction were found in relation to the department and salary level of the respondents: more satisfaction was expressed by employees in the Sales Region department and by those in the highest salary level.Conclusion: The analysis revealed a high average satisfaction level, but also a gap between the importance that employees attach to a particular program and their satisfaction with that program. The results confirm the importance of the reward and incentive system for overall job satisfaction and can be used to improve this system within the company.
Aim of study: This paper evaluates the effect of pre-accession EU grants on beneficiaries in the agri-food sector using a quasi-experimental approach on the case of Croatia. An insight into the ...available literature reveals a lack of rigorous research and evaluation of the results of using these funds in Croatia as well as in other beneficiary countries.Area of study: Republic of Croatia, Europe (2006–2017).Material and methods: Two datasets were used: (1) financial and structural data on the population of Croatian enterprises for the 2003–2017 period, and (2) data on SAPARD and IPARD grants in the 2007–2016 period. Data were analyzed using counterfactual impact analysis, i.e., a combination of difference-in-difference approach and propensity score matching.Main results: The grants showed to have a positive effect on firm survival, as well as positive effects on obtaining bank loans and increasing turnover, value added, employment, and total factor productivity. Heterogeneous treatment effects show that the grants resulted in the greatest additionality for micro-sized firms located in Central Croatia. Cost-benefit analysis estimates an increase in the value added, which outweighs scheme-induced costs by 120% in the short run and 90% in the mid run.Research highlights: Pre-accession programs in Croatia had a positive impact on the beneficiaries’ growth and business performance indicators in both short and mid term. This paper also promotes the application of similar research in other EU candidate countries where the same or similar funds are implemented.
State boundaries limit human contacts in a homogenous context of a landscape and its natural features, including plants. After nine centuries of separation, finally the two territories in Slovenia ...share the same political history. In this paper we tried to answer the question to which extent the past political borders, geographical and cultural drivers affect today’s traditional knowledge on wild plants use of Slovenians, living unified in the same political entity. Data were collected using 60 in-depth semi-structured interviews, from March to August 2019, in two municipalities: Komen at Karst and Izola in Istria concerning food, medicinal, economic use, and local customs. The results indicate a quite large divergence in ethnobotanical and ecological knowledge between the two studied areas. In the Komen area, many people still use wild plants daily for various purposes (Taraxacum officinale, Melissa officinalis, Urtica dioica, Cornus mas, and Sambucus nigra). In contrast, this is limited to fewer people in the Izola area and mainly to seasonal use of specific plants (Asparagus acutifolius, Rosa canina, Salvia officinalis, Foeniculum vulgare and Rubus caesius). Unusual for the Mediterranean is the use of young shoots of Clematis vitalba, in the Izola area prepared as omelettes. We can assume that these differences are partly due to minor differences in climatic conditions and partly due to the influence of different cultures and cuisines. In the first place, the impact of Austro-Hungarian eating habits and cuisine can be seen on the area around Komen. Moreover, temporal “layers of knowledge” across the time scale are additionally mixed by the immigration of people from other parts of Slovenia or abroad, or with the influence of local herbal specialists. At last, we conclude Komen area knowledge is alive and homogeneous, and more connected to their local identity.
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in severe, unprecedented changes affecting the world population. Restrictions in mobility, social distancing measures, and the persistent social alarm, during the first ...period of pandemic, resulted in dramatic lifestyle changes and affected physical and psychological wellbeing on a global scale.
An international research team was constituted to develop a study involving different countries about eating motivations, dietary habits and behaviors related with food intake, acquisition, and preparation. This study presents results of an online survey, carried out during the first lockdown, in 2020, assessing food-related behavior and how people perceived them to change, comparatively to the period preceding the COVID-19 outbreak.
A total of 3332 responses, collected from 16 countries, were considered for analysis 72.8% in Europe, 12.8% in Africa, 2.2% in North America (USA) and 12.2% in South America. Results suggest that the main motivations perceived to drive food intake were familiarity and liking. Two clusters were identified, based on food intake frequency, which were classified as “healthier” and “unhealthier”. The former was constituted by individuals with higher scholarity level, to whom intake was more motivated by health, natural concerns, and weight control, and less by liking, pleasure or affect regulation. The second cluster was constituted by individuals with a higher proportion of male and intake more influenced by affect-related motivations. During this period, a generalized lower concern with the convenience attributes of foods was noted (namely, choice of processed products and fast-food meals), alongside an increase in time and efforts dedicated to home cooking.
Understanding the main changes and their underlying motivations in a time of unprecedented crisis is of major importance, as it provides the scientific support that allows one to anticipate the implications for the future of the global food and nutrition system and, consequently, to take the appropriate action.
In this study, we investigated the dependence of self-employment intention (SEINT) level in agricultural students from Croatia, Poland, Slovakia and Serbia on selected personal traits and country ...macroeconomic indicators. The results show that the SEINT level depends on student's perceived desirability of self-employment and perceived self-efficacy. Previous experience with entrepreneurship also affects SEINT. In terms of macroeconomic indicators, higher GDP per capita has been shown to have a positive effect on SEINT, while unfavorable conditions of starting a business have a negative impact. Students from Novi Sad (Serbia) showed higher average SEINT level compared to students from Croatia (Zagreb) and Slovakia (Nitra).
One of the most unwanted and unavoidable consequences of the economic recession is the high rate of unemployment. Graduate students in Croatia are faced with lack of employment possibilities, and for ...some of them the self-employment looks like a good solution. In this paper, we investigate attitudes and intentions of graduate students at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture regarding to selfemployment. Most of the surveyed students are in the age between 21 and 25 years, and they have already got some kind of knowledge about entrepreneurship during the formal education. In addition, majority of them have the experience of part-time jobs. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model was used to find out to which extent students’ attitudes and experience influence their expressed self-employment intentions. The results revealed that Zagreb students’ scores are close but somewhat lower than the same scores found in the comparable study from Australia. This goes for the investigated variables: (1) previous entrepreneurial experience (PEE), perceived desirability of selfemployment (PDSE), perceived entrepreneurial self-efficacy (PESE) and self-employment intentions (SEI). It was found that the score on the PEE is significantly related to scores on the PDSE (p=0.000), and PESE (p=0.000), which means that the experience positively influence respondents’ attitudes on self-employment and self-efficacy. There is also a statistically significant difference in the on the SEI with respect to the PDSE (ANOVA F=9.804, p=0.000): respondents that consider self-employment more desirable expressed higher intention to perform it. The PDSE was found as the most influencing model variable in regards to the self-employment intention. The results points out the importance of previous experience, role models and positive attitudes towards self-employment in the process of the entrepreneurship development in young, educated population.
Hrvatska je najmlađa članica europske Mreže računovodstvenih podataka o poljoprivredi (FADN). Ovo je prvo istraživanje kojim se ocjenjuje ustroj i funkcioniranje nacionalnoga FADN sustava, temeljeno ...na intervjuima i anketama s uključenim osobljem i na analizi dokumentacije. Tri ključna elementa FADN sustava su Nacionalni odbor za FADN, Ministarstvo poljoprivrede kao Agencija za vezu (LA) i Hrvatski zavod za statistiku. Sve aktivnosti FADN istraživanja provodi LA, a glavni je teret prikupljanja podataka na prikupljačima podataka i gospodarstvima. Sustav djeluje u skladu s nadležnim zakonodavstvom EU‐a i njegov je glavni cilj ispunjavanje obveza prema mreži FADN. Podatci koje ovaj sustav prikuplja i objavljuje još se gotovo i ne koriste u druge svrhe. Ostale koristi, poput analize mjera ZPP-a i tako dalje, još nisu iskorištene. Glavni izazovi za jačanje i povećanje koristi od FADN-a su razvoj sustava osiguranja kvalitete, motiviranje skupljača i farmi za sudjelovanje, promocija i širenje uporabe podataka te prilagodba očekivanoj transformaciji FADN-a u mrežu podataka o održivosti gospodarstava. Glavni preduvjeti za uspješno suočavanje sustava s uočenim izazovima su jačanje kapaciteta za prikupljanje i analizu podataka te djelotvoran sustav osiguranja kvalitete u FADN istraživanju.
The agricultural practice of burning straw or vine stem is widespread in the Mediterranean to control excess biomass. Although the practice is widespread, the long-term effects on the structure of ...the flora, natural ecological restoration and the impact on biodiversity remain poorly understood and researched. Mediterranean species have post-fire ecological strategies, such as the ability to resprout, the persistence of the seed bank, or the ability to grow or disperse. In this work, an abandoned agricultural field (AAF) was burned by an induced fire. Fifteen rings (diameter 0.2 m.sup.2) were established on the studied area, five for each variant: I. unburned (UB), II. moderately intensive (MB) and III. high intensive (HB). The results showed that the functional group (FG) of grasses dominated in the MB variant, in contrast to the dominance of legumes in the HB variant. Compared to the AAF, the number of grasses FG slightly decreased in both burn variants (MB, HB). The predominant strategy was competitors (C), followed by ruderal plants (R), the number of which increased slightly after burning in the MB and HB variants, while stress tolerance decreased significantly in both variants. These results indicate that the intensity of HB does not promote the survival of grasses in the first year after burning, while legumes and grasses are more resistant to higher fire intensity and therefore have a higher chance of survival. In summary, the burning of straw or vine stem on AAF initiates complex ecological processes that shape the landscape and can significantly influence the biodiversity of the area. Keywords: functional ecology, induced fire, sustainable agriculture, Mediterranean region, biodiversity Poljoprivredna praksa spaljivanja slame strnine ili rozge vinove loze rasirena je u mediteranskoj regiji kao sredstvo za kontrolu viska biomase. Iako se vec nasiroko i dugi niz godina koristi, dugorocni ucinci ove prakse na strukturu flore, prirodnu ekolosku obnovu i njezin utjecaj na biolosku raznolikost i dalje su slabo shvaceni i istrazeni. Mediteranske vrste imaju ekoloske strategije za obnovu nakon pozara, to su; sposobnost ponovnog nicanja, postojanost banke sjemena ili sposobnost rasta i/ili rasprsivanja. U ovom radu, induciranim je pozarom opozarena napustena poljoprivredna polja (AAF). Na istrazivanoj povrsini uspostavljeno je pet celicnih krugova (promjera 0,2 m2), po pet za svaku varijantu: I. kontrola - neopozareno (UB), II. srednji intenzitet (MB) i III. visoki intenzitet pozara (HB). Rezultati su pokazali da u varijanti MB dominira funkcionalna skupina (FG) trava, za razliku od dominacije mahunarki u varijanti HB. U usporedbi s AAF, broj FG zeljanica blago se smanjio u obje opozarene varijante (MB, HB). Dominantna ekoloska strategija bili su kompetitori (C), zatim ruderalne biljke (R) ciji se broj neznatno povecao nakon spaljivanja u MB i HB varijanti, dok je postotak stres tolerantnih biljaka znacajno smanjen u obje varijante. Ovi rezultati pokazuju da visoki intenzitet gorenja HB ne potice prezivljavanje funkcionalne skupine trava u prvoj godini nakon pozara, dok su mahunarke i zeljanice otpornije na veci intenzitet pozara te stoga imaju vece sanse za prezivljavanje. Zakljucno, spaljivanje slama strnine ili rozga vinove loze na AAF-u inicira slozene ekoloske procese koji mogu oblikovati krajobraz i znatno utjecati na bioraznolikost podrucja. Kljucne rijeci: funkcionalna ekologija, inducirani pozar, odrziva poljoprivreda, mediteranska regija, bioraznolikost
The purpose of this paper is to explore recent trends in the Croatian agriculture and forestry business sector and compare it with the Croatian economy as a whole. This topic is considered ...interesting because recent business years have been heavily influenced by the global financial crisis. Many authors would say that agriculture, as a specific branch of the economy, does not follow general trends, but is affected rather by other factors, especially such as environmental ones. The global financial crisis had the most negative impact on the Croatian economy in the 2008/2009 period, when the GDP growth rate tumbled from 2.4% to -5.8%. Although some positive movements have been recorded since 2009, a recession is still going on. Based on information from the National Financial Agency (FINA) database we found that during the period 2007-2011, agricultural firms experienced the same trends as the whole economy, except in terms of average monthly salaries and employment. However, due to the impact of / on? agricultural products prices and yields, in two year period from 2008 to 2010, agricultural firms recorded an almost linear fall in revenues, while the national business sector on the whole experienced a sharp fall in revenues in 2009 and then only a modest fall in 2010.
The different sectors of the livestock industry play an important role in meeting the increasing demand for animal products in both Hungary and Croatia. The general objective of this study was to ...investigate and compare the efficiency of the livestock sectors in Croatia and Hungary using the Data Envelopment Analysis method. In this paper, the technical efficiency of the dairy, beef, broiler, sheep and goat, and pig sectors from 2014 to 2017 is investigated based on the Farm Accountancy Data Network database. This paper compared farms of different size classes based on the Standard Production Value for more detailed insights. Among the five main livestock sectors, Hungary performs better in terms of farm technical efficiency in the dairy and beef sectors, while Croatia has higher efficiency scores in the sheep sector. The performances in the pig and broiler sectors are almost the same in both countries. Moreover, in the Hungarian poultry, pig, sheep and goat sectors and the Croatian dairy, beef and pig sectors, the technical efficiency of small-sized farms is better than that of medium-sized farms.
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