The International Scientific Journal of
Management Information Systems

Archive

•  Volume 9
  •  Number 4  /  December 2014
    • Do Start-ups in Czech Republic use Cloud Computing? by Jaromir Veber, Radim Čermák

      • Summary: It is almost unthinkable to operate business processes without support of information and communications technology (ICT). Cloud-based technology is a modern way to provide corporate IT services. This technology is particularly suitable for start-ups (new companies) due to savings from the purchase of ICT equipment and thanks to speed of cloud service deployment. Article highlights the advantages of using the cloud for new businesses and primarily explores the use of cloud computing in new companies (start-ups) operating in business incubators in the Czech Republic. The research results show varying extent of use of the cloud, depending on the type of used service and quite frequent use of cloud technology especially in companies operating in the IT sector.

      • Key words: cloud computing, start-up, service, Czech Republic

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    • Spreadsheets - How It Started by Lazar Raković, Marton Sakal, Veselin Pavlicevic

      • Summary: Spreadsheets are usually a complimentary solution, or even an alternative to complicated or poorly engineered information systems. They are the most frequent solution to the gap caused by different paces in evolution of business processes and upgrades of present, previously implemented information systems. Research suggests that about 90% of companies use spreadsheets in financial planning, budgeting, business forecasting, etc. This paper presents a research in progress, carried out by the authors as to determine actual reasons for using spreadsheets, as well ways they are used. The research methodology applied involves, among else, a stage dealing with exploring historical aspects of emergence and development of spreadsheets. Initial results of this stage are presented in the paper.

      • Key words: spreadsheets, historical perspective, VisiCalc, Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Excel

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    • The Methodological Aspects of Information Technology Risk Identification in Internal Audits by Stanislav Mitrović

      • Summary: The article looks into the methodological aspects for risk assessment in the area of information technology application (IT risk), performed for internal audits purposes. The author analyses the current state in terms of methods for assessing risk and its components, and the systematization of the basic factors affecting risk assessment. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of normative and methodological documents dealing with the risk identification issue in the areas of application and use of information technologies in organization. Elaboration of models for the practical assessment of IT risk, within a more broadly viewed concept of risk assessment for the needs of internal audit, was performed on the example of control self-assessment, whose theoretical foundations are currently still in the initial stage of formation, which contributes to the relevance of the topic and provides a basis for further research into the observed problem in perspective.
        The essential conclusions of this paper confirm the advantages and point to the necessity of integrating competencies in the area of auditing and knowledge in the area of information systems. Comprehending the influence of information technologies on the audit process is established as one of the key competencies, which is not only desirable, but also indispensable for all internal auditors involved in the problems of organizational risk assessment and management.

      • Key words: internal audit, risk, information technologies, self-assessment

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  •  Number 3  /  September 2014
    • A Survey of Real-Time Data Warehouse and ETL by Fahd Sabry Esmail Ali

      • Summary: Data Warehouses (DW) are typically designed for efficient processing of read only analysis queries over large data, allowing only offline updates at night. The current trends of business globalization and online business activities available 24/7 means DW must support the increasing demands for the latest versions of the data. Real-Time data warehousing aims to meet the increasing demands of Business Intelligence (BI) for the latest versions of the data. Informed decision-making is required for competitive success in the new global marketplace, which is fraught with uncertainty and rapid technology changes. Decision makers must adjust operational processes, corporate strategies, and business models at lightning speed and must be able to leverage business intelligence instantly and take immediate action. Sound decisions are based on data that is analyzed according to well-defined criteria. Such data typically resides in a DW for purposes of performing statistical and analytical processing efficiently. Achieving Real-Time data warehousing is highly dependent on the choice of a process in data warehousing technology known as Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL). This process involves: (1) Extracting data from outside sources; (2) Transforming it to fit operational needs; and (3) Loading it into the end target (database or data warehouse). Not all ETL’s are equal when it comes to quality and performance. As such, optimizing the ETL processes for real time decision making is becoming ever increasingly crucial to today's decision-making process. An effective ETL leads to effective business decisions and yields extraordinary decision- making outcomes. This study overviews the theory behind ETL and raises a research vision for its evolution, with the aim of improving the difficult but necessary data management work required for the development of advanced analytics and BI.

      • Key words: data warehouse, ETL, load, real-time

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    • The Challenges of Offshore Agile Software Development in Sri Lanka and Effects on the Project Outcome by Arjuna Marambe, Chaminda Jayasundara

      • Summary: Agile development methods such as Scrum and Extreme Programming are being used by a number of software companies around the world. The offshore software industryin Sri Lanka has also started to adapt these development methods in order to meet the growing demand. However applying agile development methods in an offshore model has its own challenges and each of these challenges has an effect on the outcome of the project. Currently there has been no research done in Sri Lanka as to how each of these challenges effects the project outcome and this formed the main research question. The focus of this reassure was to study how each of these challenges effect the project outcome in terms of time, cost, scope, quality, and the overall project. The first objective was to study and contrast agile development methods with traditional waterfall based development. The second objective was to carry out a literature survey and identify the main challenges that offshore software development companies face when applying agile development methods. The five main challenges identified were, communication, achieving team coherence, following the agile development method, limitations on tools and infrastructure, and testing. The third research objective was to study how these challenges affect the project outcome. The challenges identified in the literature review were used to prepare questionnaires for three companies in Sri Lanka that practice agile development methods in an offshore model. The objective of the questionnaire was to find out how the presence of these challenges effect the project outcome and how overcoming these challenges affect the project outcome. The data gathered from the questionnaires were analyzed using Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient. The results identified that communication, tools and infrastructure, following the Agile development method, and testing had a strong relationship with the project outcome in terms of time, cost, scope, quality, and the overall project outcome. Team coherence had a moderate relationship with the time, cost, scope, quality, and the overall project outcome. Based on the results, a research framework was derived which answered the research question of; how each of the challenges affect the project outcome. Finally, the concluded that all the challenges identified for this research apart from team coherence had a strong effect on the project outcome. Team coherence had a moderate effect on the project outcome.

      • Key words: Agile development, communication, offshore, Sri Lanka, tools and infrastructure, team coherence, testing

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    • The Risk Level of Vietnam Software Industry Under Impacts of a Three Variable Model During and After the Global Crisis by Dinh Tran Ngoc Huy

      • Summary: Over recent years, software industry in Vietnam has reached a lot of achievements. Under the volatility of stock price, and changes in macro factors such as inflation and interest rates, the well-established software market in Vietnam has many efforts to recover and grow from the crisis 2008. This study analyzes the impacts of 3 factors: competitor size, tax rate policy and leverage on market risk for the listed firms in the software industry as it becomes necessary. First, by using quantitative and analytical methods to estimate asset and equity beta of total 9 listed companies in Vietnam wholesale and retail industry with a proper traditional model, we found out that the beta values, in general, for many companies are acceptable. Second, under 3 different scenarios of changing tax rates (20%, 25% and 28%), we recognized that there is not large disperse in equity beta values, although the risk dispersion increases to 0,216 if tax rate down to 20% and leverage up 30%. Third, by changing tax rates in 3 scenarios (25%, 20% and 28%), this study identified that the risk dispersion level in this sample study could be minimized in case the financial leverage down 20% and tax rate up 28% or maintaining 25% (measured by equity beta var of 0,214). Finally, this paper provides some outcomes that could provide companies and government more evidence in establishing their policies in governance.

      • Key words: risk management, asset beta, financial crisis, corporate tax, leverage, competitive firm size

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  •  Number 2  /  June 2014
    • What is the Difference? There was Always Lifelong Learning by Zoltan Baracskai, Viktor Dörfler, Jaszmina Szendrey, Jolán Velencei

      • Summary: In this paper we start from examining the resource-based view (RBV), a widely accepted conceptual framework, and query its applicability in the very near future. Our initial point is that the notion of resources is automatically associated with the scarcity of resources; therefore RBV cannot serve as an appropriate framework in an era in which we have the abundance of the most important resource knowledge. This new era changes the conditions significantly, resulting in the loss of validity of the previously established framework. We cannot offer yet a comprehensive framework to replace RBV. What we try to achieve in this paper is to observe some prospective characteristics, some of which we can, at least partially, explain, others we cannot explain yet. In some instances we can only identify the problem, such as that we cannot possibly know what the ‘right knowledge’ will be in the near future. As it is all about learning, we bring together many different perspectives about learning in a transdisciplinary manner, in order to start identifying and clarifying reference points, which will characterize the new conceptual framework that we and many others will work on developing in the next few years.

      • Key words: quasi-algorithmic process, resource-based view, knowledge-based view, passionate learner

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    • To Possibilities of Solution of Differential Equation of Logistic Function by Arnold Dávid, František Peller, Renáta Vokorokosová

      • Summary: The contents of the paper relates to articles of authors using the mathematics in economics with application in Excel. It focuses upon the information flow using the logistic function, which describes the spread of information in a system with limited capacity and the solution by Bernoulli‘s differential equation. The aim of the article is to analyse the application of the logistic function to describe the spread of information or number of customers in a hypermarket depending on time. It is expressed by Bernoulli‘s differential equation with constant coefficients. Theoretical starting points are being illustrated on practical examples using the approximate method for solving the integral by systematic integration. It presents the process, analysis and specification of the relative mistake. There is an example showing the programming of the solution of a primitive function in Excel, its process, discussion on results. Finally there is analysis of the solution of economic calculations in Excel, the procedure of task transformation and the comparison of obtained results with the reality. A given application may be used as an effective tool for modelling tasks on system saturation.

      • Key words: logistic function, Bernoulli‘s differential equation, systematic integration, Excel

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    • Defining Performance Criteria and Planning Performance Tests for the Exam Registration Software by Vuk Vuković, Jovica Đurković, Jelica Trninić

      • Summary: In addition to functionality, the quality of software products is also characterized by other software quality attributes, such as performance, availability, portability, reliability, usability, etc. These must inevitably be ascribed appropriate significance in the software product testing process. In the case of business software products, certain qualities stand out above others in terms of significance, so that they must receive adequate attention in the business software testing process. Software performance is definitely one of them. By means of a case study, this article presents a possible avenue of planning a business software performance testing process.

      • Key words: Software, performance criteria, quality, testing process, planning

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  •  Number 1  /  March 2014
    • Embedding OLAP into ERP Systems from the View of User Adoption: The Example of Serbian SMEs by Laslo Šereš, Đorđe Medaković

      • Summary: ERP solutions are designed to integrate all the information flowing within the company. Although businesses recognize the wealth of information within ERP systems, these systems were not originally designed to provide real-time reports to massive users. The search for a solution that will provide a more flexible and efficient support of decision-making process has led to the emergence of Business Intelligence (BI). The integration of ERP system with the analytical capabilities of BI can be accomplished in several ways depending on the needs and available resources of specific organization. The resources available to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are modest and they usually do not have a separate BI system. To meet the analytical needs of SMEs providers of ERP systems are increasingly embedding OLAP technology into their solutions. In extending the standard ERP reporting capabilities the ERP/SME providers (especially local providers) usually rely on Open Source OLAP tools. The aim of this paper is to determine the extent to which ERP/SME providers embed OLAP technology into their solutions, and the level of ERP user adoption of embedded OLAP capabilities. The paper contains the results of empirical research conducted on a sample of 45 SMEs from Serbia.

      • Key words: ERP, OLAP, adoption, SME

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    • Decision Making in Logistics Processes Supported by Cloud Computing by Predrag Matkovic, Pere Tumbas, Veselin Pavlicevic

      • Summary: Logistics processes in a globalized economy are increasingly complex, dynamic, and distributed. These characteristics pose major challenges for logistics management. Planning, organizing, leading and coordinating processes have become progressively more complex activities that are carried out by an increasing number of internal actors. Information inputs and outputs of these processes are more diverse and complex, with a greater number of users. Decision making is distributed in a way that all actors within these processes make decisions locally and autonomously. Development of a unified and open logistics information platform aimed at integrating various (heterogeneous) logistics sources and data would facilitate improvement of the logistics operation efficiency and also reduce costs, enhance competitiveness, and enable advance of the logistics system. Logistics information platform is the core and key development factor of the modern logistics system. Construction of this electronic platform can greatly promote the information oriented (can greatly improve the information necessary) for modern logistics development. In addition to that, it would provide essential support in making strategic and operational decisions in logistics processes.
        This paper analyzes decision-making activities at different levels of logistics process management and explores the possibility of using cloud computing technology based on their key characteristics. In addition to that, the authors identify the different types of cloud computing architectures and cloud deployments models that are most frequently utilized for decision making in logistics. Research results include identified benefits and limitations of application of cloud computing technologies in supporting decision making in logistics processes.

      • Key words: logistics processes, cloud computing, decision making

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    • Methodological Aspects of Modeling of Economic Systems and Their Limitations by Ľudovít Pinda, Branislav Mišota

      • Summary: The ongoing process of globalization is now significantly determines the need for companies and countries but increase their competitiveness over other competitors in the global market. For this reason, these market players try to the extent possible, utilize all available resources and a number of sophisticated methods for modeling economic reality that they can improve the process of drafting its strategic plans. The below we will therefore deal with selected aspects and methodological approaches in the process of modeling and simulation economic systems. The aim of this article will point out the limitations that need to be taken into account in the process of experimentation and simulation of economic systems.

      • Key words: model, economic system, design, limitations

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•  Volume 8
  •  Number 4  /  December 2013
    • Information Systems as Support to Corporate Management by Florida Veljanoska, Majlinda Axhiu

      • Summary: The idea of this paper is to introduce the great support of information systems to the management activities of a corporation. Information system as a combination of information technology and people’s actions that support operations, management and decision making, involves four major types of systems: Transaction Management System, Management Information System, Decision-Support System and Executive Support System, and with that it is able to entail and support all business activities. In traditional firms these systems tend to be isolated from one another, and information does not flow seamlessly from one end of the organization to the other. However, in contemporary digital firms, the different types of systems are closely linked to one another. Taking into account the main areas of an enterprise, viewed from a functional perspective; manufacturing and production, sales and marketing, finance and accounting and human resources, one of the major challenges that enterprises face today, is putting together data from all of the departments in order to make information flow across the enterprise. These changes require powerful new systems that can integrate information from many different functional areas and organizational unites and coordinate firm activities with those of suppliers and other business partners. Those new systems or applications, also called as enterprise applications help to unify the firm’s structure and organization, provides more efficient operations and customer-driven business processes, help in achieving great efficiencies by automating parts of processes, contribute to completely rethinking processes, assist in all levels of management and in the perspective of technology, the corporation is represented as a unified platform. Although there are several challenges to build these systems, we strongly believe that there are extraordinary opportunities to use information systems to achieve business value and increase profitability.

      • Key words: information systems, corporate management, decision making, executive management, business process automation

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    • The Impact of Management Information Systems Adoption in Managerial Decision Making: A Review by Yaser Hasan, Al-Mamary, Alina Shamsuddin, Nor Aziati

      • Summary: Data are the lifeblood of today’s organizations, and the effective and efficient management of data is considered an integral part of organizational strategy. Successful organizations should collect high quality data which will lead to high quality of information. For a successful and effective managerial decision making, it is necessary to provide accurate, timely and relevant information to decision makers. Management Information System is type of information systems that take internal data from the system and summarized it to meaningful and useful forms as management reports to use in managerial decision making. Management information system improves information quality and subsequently affects on managerial decision-making. This research provides a better and clearer understanding of technology adoption and information system success in managerial decision making by reviewing current literature. The expected outcome of this study is propose integrated model for MIS and managerial decision making.

      • Key words: MIS, technology adoption, managerial decision making

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    • Evaluating Distribution Process of a Supply Chain in Just-in-Time Environment Using Application of Graph Theory by Om Prakash Mishra, Vikas Kumar, Dixit Garg

      • Summary: Distribution process of a supply chain management is very important and strategic. To stay efficient in delivering the finished goods in the hands of end user, the speed and responsiveness of distribution mechanism are most essential. Just in Time (JIT) has proved result oriented in the manufacturing systems since 1985. Since then its applicability in several fields are being investigated. Low inventory, small lot size, least lead time and quality product are some desirable features of JIT, which proves beneficiary to the firm. This paper highlights JIT applied distribution process in order to shorten the lead time, inventory holding costs. Application of Graph theory (GTA) methodology has been used to investigate the interdependencies of dimensions and its attributes of JIT implemented distribution. Then an empirical value of JIT distribution process (JDP) of an organisation has been derived , subsequently coefficient of distribution dissimilarity and similarity have been found for two organisation and based on these values comparison 0f any two organisation can be done. Approach can be used to know the lacks of various organizations based on their feasibility index of transition (FIT) value and which is required to develop to transform the organisation applying JIT in distribution process.

      • Key words: supply chain management, distribution process, JIT, GTA, interdependency

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  •  Number 3  /  September 2013
    • Impact of IT/IS Management Commitment on Strategic Information Systems Planning: A Study of Selected Commercial Banks in Colombo District by Perera, M.L.A; Jayasundara, C. C

      • Summary: With the higher use of information communication technology (ICT) in the banking sector in Sri Lanka compared to the other sectors, it becomes apparent that ICT is a key success factor for banks in attracting and retaining customers. It inevitably requires a planning as to how the information systems can be strategically used to achieve the sustaining the customer base. Such planning should originate from top hierarchy of any organization. This article looks intot how IT/IS management commitment contributes to the success of strategic information system planning within the commercial banking sector in Sri Lanka. The objective of this study is to identify the impact of IT/IS management commitment on strategic information systems planning (SISP) in licensed commercial banks in Sri Lanka. Results of the study affirm that there is a posi-tive relationship between the independent and dependent variables which could be translated as the existence of a relationship between IT/IS management commitment and success of strategic information system planning in licensed commercial banks of Sri Lanka. In order for the SISP to get success within organizations, management should dedicate itself more to independent variables of the conceptual framework such as sufficient resources allocation for SISP, management expectations, high credibility, management control and management support. The critical outcome of the study also established that the management commitment is a key factor in getting the SISP success in an organization.

      • Key words: strategic planning, information system, banks

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    • The Volatility of Market Risk In Groups of Viet Nam Listed Computer and Electrical Company Groups during the Financial Crisis 2007-2009 by Dinh Tran Ngoc Huy

      • Summary: During the financial crisis 2007-2009 with certain impacts on the Viet Nam economy and especially, the stock exchange, there is un-diversifiable risk that influences the whole computer and electrical industries. Hence, the risk re-estimation for the listed firms in these industries becomes necessary. First of all, by using quantitative and analytical methods to estimate asset and equity beta of four (4) groups of listed companies in Viet Nam electrical, software, hardware and telecommunication industries with a proper traditional estimating model, we found out that the beta values, in general, for most companies are acceptable, excluding just a few cases. There are 88% of listed firms with lower risk, among total 64 firms, whose beta values lower than (<) 1. Secondly, through comparison of beta values among three (3) above industries, we recognized there are still 13% of total listed firms in the above group companies with beta values higher than (>) 1and have stock returns moving more than the market benchmark. Ultimately, this paper generates some results that could provides both internal and external investors, financial institutions, companies and government more evidence in establishing their policies in investments and in governance.

      • Key words: equity beta, financial structure, financial crisis, risk, asset beta, computer industry

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    • Post-hoc Analysis on the R&D Capabilities of Chemical and Metallurgical Manufacturing by Herman Shah Anuar, Zulkifli Mohamed Udin

      • Summary: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how internal R&D, external R&D, and patenting affects the behavior of foreign, local, and joint-venture companies operating in manufacturing companies in Malaysia. Different types of manufacturing companies may have different approach in applying their R&D capabilities and patenting activity. The construct of this paper is based on the post-hoc analysis in evaluating how internal R&D, external R&D, and patenting affects the behavior of foreign, local, and joint-venture companies operating in manufacturing companies. This research was conducted using survey questionnaires. 124 companies in chemical and metallurgical manufacturing companies participated in this survey. It was indicated that these three companies behave differently when dealing with internal R&D, external R&D, and patenting. It can be concluded that these three types of companies have a different perspective on applying internal R&D, external R&D, and patenting which is based on their different business strategic direction. It is suggested that in the near future, researchers should concentrate and other types of manufacturing companies or they can involve more sample size in getting better generalization on the behavior of these companies.

      • Key words: internal R&D, external R&D, patenting, manufacturing companies

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  •  Number 2  /  June 2013
    • The Important Role of Bayesian Statistics in the Decision Making Process and Management of Insurance Companies by Eva Kotlebová, Ľudovít Pinda

      • Summary: The article deals with the Bayesian statistics, which is appropriate in situations when there is lack of available statistical data, so that another source of information must be included into the analysis. The main mathematical principle of Bayesian approach is described. We focused on the analysis of variance, which is usually (in classical statistics) used for deciding whether the factor influences the quantitative variable. Besides this decision, The Bayesian approach also provides the possibility of estimating the group’s means, different from the classical approach. Such kind of estimation (Bayesian shrinkage point estimation) is more precise, and therefore more valuable for consequential analyses and decisions. Processing real data of car insurance, the rate of influence of engine performance for the claim amount was shown and the group’s means were estimated. Such estimation may be used for suggesting the insurance rate in each group for the next period.

      • Key words: Bayesian approach, prior distribution, posterior distribution, conjugate family, analysis of variance, shrinkage point estimation, insurance rate

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    • The Specifics of WEB Project Management by Mirjana Marić, Zoran Ćirić

      • Summary: According to the data announced by the Standish Group the failure rate of software project due to inappropriate management amounts to almost 50%. The authors of this article believe that such a high percentage could be reduced by building a model for choosing an appropriate management model. In order to set up such model, above all, it is necessary to systematise all the specifics of the web software product as the first step and a basis for further identification of key areas in managing web project development. The focus of this article is on presenting the results of the first stage of research, which encompasses the systematisation of the specifics of web software projects, and identification of the key areas that will serve as the source of key indicators of a future model for choosing the appropriate web project management models.

      • Key words: Web software project, agile management, traditional management

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    • Using new Marketing Methods by Managers of Rural Cooperative Institutions, A Case Study – The Kohgilooye and Booyerah-mad Province by Bahareh Namdari, Seyed Jafar Masoudi, Razib bin Arshad, Ali Rezaei

      • Summary: The emergence of an accessible market for buying and selling agricultural products by networks of rural and farming cooperatives in Iran has given rise to the need to devote considerable attention to marketing and the use of new marketing methods. In view of this fact, this research will attempt to provide insight and help understand why managers of these institutions use these methods rarely. To this end, we designed a questionnaire and distributed it to the statistical sample, comprised of managers of rural cooperative institutions in the Kohgilooyeh and Boyerahmad Province. The results of analysing their responses indicate that there is a considerable level of correlation between the application of new marketing managers of rural cooperatives and the level of education, knowledge, social and cultural factors of the geographical location of their environment. However, no significant correlation was found between the use of new marketing methods and the work experience of surveyed managers. Furthermore, the lack of facilities and infrastructure required for using new marketing methods cannot be the rationale for dismissing these methods by the managers of these institutions.

      • Key words: marketing methods, rural cooperative institutions, managers

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    • Comparison Some of Ontology Editors by Emhimed Alatrish

      • Summary: The article looks into methods and models that are useful when analyzing the risks and vulnerabilities of complex e-learning systems in an emergency management context. Definitions of vulnerability and emergency response capabilities, such as "VLE/PLE attack surface", are suggested. The article provides insight into some of the issues related to analysis of risks and vulnerabilities of e-learning systems, but more research is needed to address this difficult and comprehensive task.

      • Key words: implementation of innovation in education, information technologies, single informational and educational environment

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  •  Number 1  /  March 2013
    • The Role of University in its Environment - Specific Features and Identity by Maja Lamza Maronić, Jerko Glavaš

      • Summary: Contributing to regional economies and regional development, universities play a very important role in regional development. It is a generally accepted fact around the world that human capital is a major tool for achieving competitive advantage in the global market. An efficient society, which builds its competitive advantages on knowledge, must have a flexible labour market, adequate levels of employee security and protection, but also a system that continuously fosters and rewards investment into knowledge. People, their needs, motivation and satisfaction have therefore come into the focus of human resource management. An autonomous university, willing to adapt to changes and fulfill the requirements of the community, is a driving force behind overall development.

      • Key words: university, regional development, human capital

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    • An Analysis on the Application of Rescale Range and Fractals in the Characterisation of English Alphabets in a Doctoral Thesis by Tajudeen Abiola, Ogunniyi Salau, Sunday Ayoola Oke

      • Summary: This contribution presents an analysis on two key approaches to studying the characterization of English alphabets in doctoral thesis. The approaches (rescale range analysis (RSA) and fractal characterization (FC)) are discussed from the simulation point of view. For RSA, Hurst exponent value was used for the string of English alphabets in composing doctoral abstracts of engineering-based research work. FC involves the combined application of Cantor dust knowledge and fractal box dimension estimate by box counting and probability. For the two approaches, four engineering-based doctoral abstracts were studied with the total length of 512 alphabets in each case. The average computerized rescale range value was found to increase with the increase in data length for all cases. The Hurst exponent values for all cases distinctively range between 0.4146 and 0.4873 (i.e. negative correlation). The relative percentage error computed for the estimated fractal box dimension of Cantor Dust when compared with the literature result was 15.7% (i.e. the algorithm used in this study for the estimate will tolerate maximum of 15.7% error for any study case): Comparisons of sorted alphabets by frequency and estimated fractal box dimension for four abstract cases range between 37% to 77% agreement. The average percentage agreement among the four cases sorted by frequency was 31.5% and the average was 43% for sorting done by estimated fractal box dimension (due to recognition of placement and timing of usage of the English language alphabets in the studied cases). The graphs of estimated probability and fractal box dimension distribution for the studied cases follows trend.

      • Key words: fractals characterization, Hurst exponent, fractal box, Cantor Dust, rescale range

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    • Bridging of Digital Gap and E-Inclusion: Case for Chosen EU27 Countries and FY Republic of Macedonia by Vera Naumovska

      • Summary: Information Communication Technologies (ICT) and Internet have made the communication between businesses, institutions and individuals very fast, simple and without any kind of limits, everywhere, every time, and always. Its conveniences are understood in general from every country and every country gravitates to implement it depends of its economic prospects. In this paper the conception is to consider the approaches and situations for digital inclusion, and efforts for bridging the digital gap in chosen EU27 countries and the FY Republic of Macedonia (FYRM). EU has administered a lot of laws from ICT. FYRM has done similar efforts for higher and faster implementation of ICT. Both of these considered sites in the paper tend to include a parallel attention to interoperability between devices, applications, data repositories, services and networks as a key requisite for taking advantage of the benefits of digital technologies with main goal to restrict digital gap and digital e-inclusion.

      • Key words: digital gap, digital inclusion, ICT, information society

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•  Volume 7
  •  Number 4  /  December 2012
    • Conceptual Data Modelling of Modern Human Migration by Ilija Hristoski, Kosta Sotiroski
      • Summary: The processes of human migrations have been present for ages, since the very beginnings of human history on the planet Earth. Nowadays, these are amplified to a large scale due to the modern means of communication, transportation, information and knowledge exchange, as well as the complex processes of globalization. Knowing the social, demographic, ethnical and educational structure of the migrants, as well as their geographical trajectory and temporal dynamics of their spatial moving across territories, countries and continents, is of a crucial meaning for both national governments and international policies. There is an emphasized need for identifying, acquiring, organizing, storing, retrieving and analyzing data related to human migration processes. The relational databases provide an ultimate solution, whilst the E-R diagram represents a common graphical tool for conceptual data modelling and relational database design. Within the paper we develop and propose a logical data model of the modern human migration.
      • Key words: human migration, E-R diagram, relational schema, relational databases, conceptual data modelling

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    • Specific Statistical Analysis of Influence of the Hearing Memory to the Acoustic Quality Evaluation of Multimedia Classroom by Siniša Fajt, Miljenko Krhen, Vladimir Šimović
      • Summary: Assessing the quality of room acoustic is eventually always subjective. The only question is how strict are the criteria which should be met, what is the purpose of space and how important is the quality of listening for the listeners. Subjective tests were made for 18 room acoustic quality parameters of two multimedia classrooms with various acoustics treatment. Tests were conducted with 45 healthy examinees aged 20-25 years. Tests were carried out in two ways, with and without the influence of listening memory, and in two acoustically differently treated multimedia classrooms. Statistical analysis of the results was made, and the impact of listening memory to the obtained results was observed. In addition to subjective tests, objective measurements of both classrooms were made, and compared together. Objective measurements were done in accordance with ISO3352. Reproducing system was calibrated, and it was identical in both classrooms.
      • Key words: acoustic quality, subjective rating, objective measuring, statistical analysis

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    • Identity and Threats in the Virtual World by Jaroslav Kultan, Peter Schmidt
      • Summary: Use of information technology in creating virtual worlds and virtual personalities – or identities – carries not only positive but also negative aspects. Inability to identify a real person opens a possibility to use different technologies for the suppression of personality, the possibility of various hazardous groups, alienation from real life and so on. Increasing the security of information systems results in eliminating hazards to IT, processed information, and also the users themselves.
      • Key words: virtual world, virtual identities, escape from the real world, increasing information system security, identity status, diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, achievement

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    • Management in the Internet Environment by Vesna Aleksić Marić, Gordana Ilić
      • Summary: IT revolution and the transformation of industrial society to knowledge society globalization marked the most significant, influential and most comprehensive business trends and the emergence of the modern era. The intensive development of the Internet as a global business infrastructure has led to substantial changes in business strategy, but little attention has been devoted to developing new models of management capable of implementing the terms of the global, networked business environment. However, in the era of globalization, where new opportunities may arise in any part of the world, the greatest pressure lies on the management, who must possess the knowledge and skills needed for success in the global environment. It is precisely this issue that is examined in this work.
      • Key words: information and communication technology, the Internet, globalization, management
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  •  Number 3  /  September 2012
    • Rules for Evaluation of Scientific Results Published in Scientific Journals by Dušan Surla, Dragan Ivanović, Zora Konjović, Miloš Racković

      • Summary: This looks into some issues appearing in scientific journals evaluation based on their impact factor (IF). An analysis of the publicly available data on journals’ IFs results in finding that there exist a significant number of journals publication years missing their IF data. Therefore, this article proposes the IF based rules enabling the determination of the journal’s category for the publication years with no IF available. Application of the proposed rules is illustrated through the example of the scientific fields of mathematics, computer science and mechanics. Finally, the examples of the evaluation completed by applying the proposed rules are given. Application of the proposed rules is automated within the CRIS system of the University of Novi Sad (CRIS UNS) using the data available in the database of this system.

      • Key words: journals evaluation, journal impact factor, evaluation, CRIS UNS.

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    • Implementation of Complex Projects Using Constraint Programming by Miodrag Strak, Slavka T. Nikolić

      • Summary: During the implementation of the complex projects, all planned activities and resources must be taken into account. In general, it is necessary to assign the resources to the activities, but to also avoid simultaneous engagement of resources for multiple activities. In order to solve these problems, various techniques and methods are used. Mathematic and integer programming, genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, or taboo search are just some of the techniques used for solving this problem. Constraint programming comes from artificial intelligence i.e. papers from this area that occurred in 1960s and 1970s. Constraints exist in every segment of human environment. They represent a natural medium for expressing relations that exist in the physical world. Fulfilment of constraints is used in many different areas. Problems such as scheduling, allocations etc. are typical examples of constraints problems, where the basic concept of constraint programming can be applied. This paper considered implementation of the Bor Regional Development Project. Development of constraint programming was followed by the development of appropriate tools. B-Prolog was used in this paper. Many systems, including B-Prolog, enable interface with classic object-oriented languages, such as C++ or Java. One of the greatest advantages is the possibility of simple modelling, even for beginners in planning and implementation of the project.

      • Key words: implementation, complex projects, project management, constraint programming.

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    • Models of Informational Maintenance of Innovation Process in Higher School by Natália Zimniyakova, Jaroslav Kultan, Margarita Aleksandrova

      • Summary: This article considers implementation of innovation in higher education through the creation of a single informational and educational environment, which will enable providing quality achievement of vocational training and increase in competitiveness and professional mobility of experts. The models of information supply, which enables securing interconnection of the national innovation system of ontinuous education for professionals.

      • Key words: implementation of innovation in education, information technologies, single informational and educational environment.

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    • Social Media and eCRM as a Prerequisite for Hotel Success by Boris Milović

      • Summary: Development of information and communication technology (ICT) has enabled the development of electronic customer relations (eCRM) as a business strategy that uses web technologies for developing the capacity and enabling hotels to engage guests in the strong, personalized and mutually beneficial interactive relationship, and thus increase their profitability and sales efficiency. Internet development has enabled the rapid growth of hotel industry. Today, hotel managers are completely aware of benefits that Internet as a promotion tool offers to their business, and accordingly, they are motivated to create greater awareness of their hotels with the goal of increasing number of guests and improving hotel reputation. This article describes how eCRM strategy is used by hotel managers to promote the hotel, more specifically, how much impact websites, social media and e-mail marketing campaigns have on hotel
        promotion and business performance.

      • Key words: CRM, eCRM, hotels, social media, email campaigns, hotel website.

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  •  Number 2  /  June 2012
    • Process Management and Success Factor Analysis of Management Information System of Budget Accounting of Local Treasuries by Biljana Tešić

      • Summary: The goal of this article is to point out the significance of process management of budget accounting of local treasuries and critical success factors method application focused on management requirements and processes, through all the MIS development phases, which ensures advancement of business processes as well as monitoring their output values. This way, from process effectiveness and success analysis of MIS budget accounting of local treasuries point of view, conditions for analysis and measurement of process results and further improvement possibilities are ensured. Research results of characteristic processes key performance indicators are also shown. Based on the obtained results, possibilities of improvement as well as MIS budget accounting of local treasuries most significant trends are analyzed.

      • Key words: process management, management information system, success factors, budget accounting, key decisions, performance.

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    • Possibilities and Perspectives of Using Open Source Applications in Public Administration in Slovakia by Eva Mihaliková, Michal Grell

      • Summary: In this contribution, we deal with the options of applying open source software in the process of informatisation of public administration. The key factor in the process is the concept of lifelong learning as the prerequisite of security of first-class, professional power in public administration. The need for approach to public administration management and its software support is also mentioned in the connection.

      • Key words: public administration, open source software, education in public administration, New Public Management .

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    • The Ways of Using CRM Systems; the Survey of Literature by Ljubomir Pupovac, Andreas Zehetner, Tomislav Sudarević

      • Summary: Although young science, marketing has passed through the row of changes since the start of its development. The 1990th of the last century brought big changes, firstly by the powerful penetration of information and communication technology. This trend has exerted influences on the development and application of marketing in both theory and practice. Thanks to the development and implementation of CRM systems, companies have had insight into the complete behavior of their customers, even in the situations where companies have a great number of different customers. However, many companies have not used these data in the right way. The work points to some of possible approaches in using data collected by means of CRM systems. Measuring the customer lifetime value, classification of the present customers, increasing customer retention rate, winning new "right" customers and the increase of product sale to the present customers are just some of activities exerting direct influence on companies' business performance. Based on the survey of available literature, the work presents how to use the mentioned activities in the right way.

      • Key words: CRM systems, customer lifetime value, classification of current customers, increasing customer retention rate, winning new right customers, product sales increase to current customers

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    • E-Learning Security Models by Vladimir I. Zuev

      • Summary: The article looks into methods and models that are useful when analyzing the risks and vulnerabilities of complex e-learning systems in an emergency management context. Definitions of vulnerability and emergency response capabilities, such as "VLE/PLE attack surface", are suggested.
        The article provides insight into some of the issues related to analysis of risks and vulnerabilities of e-learning systems, but more research is needed to address this difficult and comprehensive task.

      • Key words: implementation of innovation in education, information technologies, single informational and educational environment.

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  •  Number 1  /  March 2012
    • Management Information System of Purchase Function in e-SCM by Dragana Rejman Petrović, Igor Milanović

      • Summary: Modern business conditions are characterized by constant change and adoption of the spirit of novelty as a business orientation of all market participants. During that, a numerous business philosophies are improved, but completely new ones are created, that is trying to respond to the challenges and obstacles of turbulent environment. This refers to the concept of e-supply chain too. Management of e-supply chain is a topic that is very relevant in the field of business economics and management information systems. The aim of the paper is to present a developed and tested model of management information system for managing purchasing processes in the e-supply chains. The methodological approach is based on the general theory of supply chains, business process management and management, stakeholders and standards requirements. The main results of research are related to the verification of developed model of management information system for purchasing processes managing in esupply chains.

      • Key words: management information system, purchasing, e-supply chain.

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    • Case Study: an Information System Management Model by Vladimir Šimović, Matija Varga, Predrag Oreški

      • Summary: This article presents the purchase management information system, finance management information system and security information system, their interdependence and tight correlation. Furthermore, we state the goals of the purchase management information system that must be achieved in any organisation, as the purchase (sub)process is carried out in every organisation. P-K matrix gives a detailed presentation of a public organisation, and data classes and sub-processes within the observed organisation. Other companies involved in similar activities can perform their processes in accordance with the presented business technology matrix. The business technology matrix was used for designing a data flow process diagram comprising data flow, warehouses, processes and the external entity which can also be used in such companies. The article also deals with the duration of the sub-processes. The duration of sub-processes must be reduced as much as possible in order to achieve the planned result at the process output point. A hypothesis was set in the article, for the period from the beginning of 2009 until the end of 2010. We observed whether the total cost-effectives coefficient in the company would fall under the threshold value of 1. The article has proven that, based on the sample (profit-and-loss account), there is no reason to discard the H0 hypothesis, as the company's total cost-effectiveness coefficient did not fall below the permitted value of 1 for two years. The third section of the article presents the possible threat to organisations' information systems, and describes methods of protecting electronic information in processes, and recovering electronic databases in finance management information systems.

      • Key words: purchase management information system, finance management and security information system, P-K matrix, data flow diagram, financial report analysis, costeffectiveness indicators

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    • Distributed System for Automatic Improvement of Adaptive Website Navigation by Željko Eremić, Dragica Radosav

      • Summary: Communication with clients is now largely conducted through websites, whether it comes to business, scientific, or educational activities. Considering that a dynamic website contains a growing amount of information, the issue of efficient navigation through websites allowing quick access to desired content is imperative. Adaptive websites can customize their navigation based on knowledge gained from previous user behaviour. Discovering such knowledge is a process that engages significant resources, and it is convenient to have it organized by the use of one or more servers. This paper describes the architecture of distributed systems for improving navigation through a greater number of adaptive websites. High flexibility, efficiency and reliability of the performance, as well as saving user's time and effort, can be obtained as a result of this system's usage.

      • Key words: adaptive website, navigation, web usage mining

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    • Knowledge Acquisition in Databases by Boris Brešić

      • Summary: Knowledge discovery and acquisition in databases features as a separate discipline of business intelligence. Generally speaking, it denotes the process of analysing large quantities of data, its goal being to discover new information and knowledge, and apply them in resolving business problems. More specifically, it implies to data acquisition - or mining - as the initial step, using data-driven learning algorithms, and is aimed at establishing their mutual correlations. Due to its popularisation, significantly supported by computing technology development, the notion of data mining has gradually come to be equated with knowledge discovery. This article deals with knowledge acquisition from databases, i.e. data mining with OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing) tools, which enable multidimensional data management and graphic presentation thereof. Such an approach is mostly applicable when analysing smaller data sets, i.e. in the phase of data preparation for mining, in order to better understand or select variables included in the business information process.

      • Key words: business intelligence, database, knowledge discovery, data mining, OLAP tools

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•  Volume 6
  •  Number 4  /  December 2011
    • Business Process Performance Management: Theoretical and Methodological Approach and Implementation by Neđo Balaban, Katarina Belić, Marko Gudelj

      • Summary: A process must have appropriate objectives and structure enabling it to function teleologically and efficiently. To function performantly, a process must be managed appropriately. Business process management (BPM) includes: (1) target management, which includes functional sub-targets at each critical project stage; (2) performance management, which includes receiving regular feedback on the process outputs, monitoring the actual performance by measurement dimensions set in targets, providing feedback, identifying and correcting the process shortcomings, i.e. monitoring and controlling process progress and performance; (3) resource management, which includes supporting each step in the process of managing equipment, human resources and budget required for achieving set goals in all process stages; (4) process interface management. This article also presents the results of empirical, i.e. development-based research conducted by the authors on a sample of organisation, for the purpose of a composite and complex process, well modelled and automated with ERM functionalities. Process compositeness is determined by the fact that it includes several processes mutually connected through single interface, with postulates of radical holisms. Results obtained by this research point to the need to integrate ERP systems and BPM tools. ERP is necessary, but not sufficient, for its functionalities support and point to  cross-section-outcomes in process activities, while BPM, with its set of various tools largely built in BI technology, points to events, outcomes and latent sets of flows, dynamics and hidden clusters of process flow, dynamics and longitudinal process overview.

      • Key words: process, management, performance, ARIS, target, performance indicator, BPM.

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    • Solving the Travelling Salesman Problem Using the Ant Colony Optimization by Ivan Brezina Jr., Zuzana Čičková

      • Summary: In this article, we study a possibility of solving the well-known Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP), which ranges among NP-hard problems, and offer a theoretical overview of some methods used for solving this problem. We discuss the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), which belongs to the group of evolutionary techniques and presents the approach used in the application of ACO to the TSP. We study the impact of some control parameters by implementing this algorithm. The quality of the solution is compared with the optimal solution.

      • Key words: travelling salesman problem, met heuristics, ant colony optimization.

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    • Marketing Research in the Contemporary Consumer Environment by Suzana Salai, Ružica Kovač Žnideršić

      • Summary: The modern era of information technology has seen a process of shift from traditional marketing communication to personal communication, i.e. "listening in on" the opinions, wishes and preferences of individual customers expressed by customers in their online communication through various social networks, as well as using questionnaires and online panels, and this trend is bound to rise in the future. Rather than creating products, customers are being created. What companies should realise is that their task and objective is not production of products, but consumption by consumers. The importance of relationships and stakeholders is becoming the priority. The basis of any well-devised marketing orientation lies in solid customer relationships, and the pillar of modern marketing philosophy is customer understanding, which is a step further from the widespread concept of customer knowledge. It can be argued that lifestyles figure as a sort of portraits of personalities and their interactions with the given environment. It is the individuals in a particular environment that create values, beliefs, customs and rituals forming and influencing people's behaviour and their lifestyles. Consumer culture is a response to these behaviour patterns, a social phenomenon present in the environment comprising
        multiple frameworks of human behaviour, where consumers' aims, wishes and needs are formed, as well as acceptable tools for attaining customers' goals.

      • Key words: social networks, individual consumer, personalisation, lifestyle.

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    • Application of Business Intelligence in the Banking Industry by Bogdan Ubiparipović, Emina Đurković

      • Summary: A highly dynamic market, changing client demands, fierce competition, the necessity of strict control and risk management are only some of the characteristics of the business environment where modern banks conduct their operations. Better management and better decision-making process make the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful on the market with these characteristics.
        Business intelligence solutions for banks should provide the decision makers from all business segments of a bank with the ability to manage and exploit information resources, in order to solve the problems and make timely and high-quality decisions. Business intelligence systems in banks must be comprehensive and yet simple for the end user. Business intelligence covers many areas of the bank, and among the most important are: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Performance Management (PM), Risk Management (RM), Asset and Liability Management (ALM), and Compliance. Data warehouse and online analytical processes (OLAP) form the informational basis for the application of business intelligence.
        Data mining and knowledge retrieval are also important segments of business intelligence and deal with complex statistical analysis, discovering "hidden" relationships between data and forecasting the behaviour trends of business systems.

      • Key words: business intelligence, performance management, asset and liability management.

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  •  Number 3  /  September 2011
    • Automatic Identification of Time and Subject Related Patterns in Large Collection of Scientific Publications by Mariusz Grabowski, Paweł Lula

      • Summary: In the past decades, we have witnessed a dynamic development of scientific literature. The most important changes of this phenomenon relate to: (1) continuous increase in the number of published papers; (2) rapid development of electronic means of publication; (3) increased access to publications.
        The above trends are to be assessed positively. We must not, however, forget that the ongoing changes bring about certain difficulties that are new to us. Some of these difficulties may concern our inability to get acquainted with the most up-to-date issues because it is impossible to analyze the flood of information represented in numerous publications. The way to solve this problem may be application of automatic tools for information retrieval from text documents and application of data analysis methods that would enable a precise classification of documents based on the facts contained in them.
        Several methods connected with time and subject-related classification of text documentation will be presented as well as an attempt of their evaluation. As a result, key subjects as well as the trends that shape the analyzed research discipline will be identified. Papers published in MIS Quarterly in the period starting from 1977 until present will be used as the empirical data set.

      • Key words: information retrieval, information systems, text mining, data mining

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    • Sewage Purification Business Process Management by Esad Ahmetagić, Blaženka Piuković, Dušan Lukić

      • Summary: This paper presents the current level of drainage and sewage purification facilities built in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, a territorial unit of the Republic of Serbia. It also points out the issues related to organized business management in companies involved in this business.
        The management of business processes in sewage purification involves a comprehensive cycle: business organizing process, issues of standard, investments, workforce, and information system design as factors in establishing an effective organization of business processes. The definition of gap existing between the current approach to organizing business activities and the need to establish an approach based on knowledge, information technologies, and effective business process management points to the necessity for organization redesign and standard definition in business process management.
        Sewage purification business process management in Vojvodina, the Republic of Serbia has been elaborated through theoretical presentation and a practical example realized by electronic ISO 9001:2008 system of quality management in public water utility company JKP "Vodokanal" Sombor.

      • Key words: waste water purification, business processes management, information system.

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    • Invoicing and Financial Forecasting of Time and Amount of Corresponding Cash Inflow by Dragan Simić, Svetlana Simić, Vasa Svirčević

      • Summary: Cash is the centre of all financial decisions. It is used as basis for the future investment projections and enterprises' financial plans. A concept of intelligent system for financial forecasting, the dynamic of issuing invoices and receiving corresponding cash inflow for fair exhibitions is presented in this article. This intelligent system is based on artificial intelligent method case-based reasoning (CBR) where the previous experience for new forecasting is taken into account. This research is a discussion about the problem of invoice curve and the corresponding cash inflow curve at the moment of the fair exhibition. The invoice curve reaches its saturation point, while the cash inflow curve is still far away from the saturation point. The solution to this problem is the saturation point for the cash inflow curve. Therefore managers want to know how high the cash inflow of some services would at a certain point of time in the future, with respect to invoicing. If they could predict reliably enough what would happen in the future, they could plan important business activities to ensure faster invoiced income and future activities. Methodological aspects have been tested, in practice, as a part of the management information system development project for Novi Sad Fair company.

      • Key words: financial forecasting, invoice, cash inflow, case-based reasoning, decision support

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    • SMS Information Service: Innovative Thinking for the Successful Solution by Petar Vrgović, Ivana Jošanov - Vrgović, Borislav Jošanov

      • Summary: Traditional usage of mobile phones for SMS messages, boom-calls and conversation is still dominant in all European regions, but the usage of other different services is on very low level. In order to analyze that, we focused on student information system in Novi Sad Higher School of Professional Business Studies, organized on multi-channel infrastructure, with the important role of the service based on mobile infrastructure and SMS. The problems of adoption of this information channel and parallel analysis with the Web-based information channel and an analysis of the structure of those communications with the innovative solution as the result are the main  topics of this paper.

      • Key words: innovation, mobile, SMS, adoption

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  •  Number 2  /  June 2011
    • Test Software Functionality, but Test its Performance as Well by Jovica Đurković, Jelica Trninić, Vuk Vuković

      • Summary: Software product testing has great importance in the detection of errors appearing in the course of software development and reflecting directly on software quality enhancement before its implementation in the working environment. Special priority in the software product testing phase is given to testing software performance. In contrast to functional testing, which should show if software is capable of carrying out planned functions without making errors, performance testing should show if the software will realize planned tasks in accordance with previously defined and expected
        performance. Software performance testing tools are used for simulating conditions under which software will work.
        In this article, the authors point to the importance of the testing phases in the software product development process and give a review of up-to-date testing techniques. The focus of the article is placed on software performance testing and overview of performance testing tools.

      • Key words: software testing, software performance testing, performance testing tools

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    • Information and Knowledge Management at Higher Education Institutions by Richard Pircher, Attila Pausits

      • Summary: Higher education institutions (HEIs) are organizations staffed with experts in all sorts of fields who contribute their expertise and experience to the endeavor of producing and preserving knowledge. The modernization of higher education (HE) has forced the institutions to store, manage and use existing information and knowledge stores in a better way in order to meet new accountability, effectiveness and efficiency requirements. In this chapter we will discuss some strategic applications of information management at HEIs in addition to proposing a basic structure for IT‐services if they are to provide support systems for knowledge management.

      • Key words: information management, knowledge management, higher education

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    • Phenomena of Open Source and Slovenia's Adaption by Matej Mertik

      • Summary: Although free open source libre (FLOSS) software is increasing its presence in the media and in debates between IT professionals, and although even citizens in general are starting to talk about it, FLOSS is still in general quite an unknown quantity. But this is changing. There is more and more interest in open source software by general users and also its influence on the public and business sector is undeniable. What is open source? Where did it all start? How is Slovenia using open source? What have we learned? Where are the opportunities for FLOSS? These are the sort of questions we will try to answer in this document. Slovenia implemented some of the important steps in introducing open source, however we are still far behind in terms of open source adoption and great opportunities exist for its better use in future.

      • Key words: open source, free software, proprietary software, public administration, adaption

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    • Social Networking on Web 2.0: From Emotional Intelligence to Cyber Emotional Intelligence by Adel Ben Youssef, Hamida Ben Youssef

      • Summary: The aim of this article is twofold. First, we characterize the social interactions in the Web 2.0 and the forms of intelligence used by people in that context. Second, we propose cyber emotional entelligence as an alternative construct for the explanation of Internet-based social interactions. We stress the differences between the notion of emotional intelligence as developed by Salovey and Mayer and Cyber Emotional Intelligence that we propose. It appears that at each stage people do not have the same ability to express and manage their emotions.

      • Key words: emotional intelligence, social networks, Cyber Emotional Intelligence

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  •  Number 1  /  March 2011
    • Web 2.0 and GIS: between sinergy effects and oxymoron by Borislav Jošanov

      • Summary: The growth of new information and communication technologies on the Internet infrastructure is rapidly changing our ways of living. Those new technologies are finding new concepts, ideas and usage all the time. Among them, Web 2.0 is the one that is dominating worldwide among the users in last few years. The other one called GIS is a technology with the respectable history, but the penetration of this concept finds more place also in this period. In this paper author analyzes the potential of GIS in Web 2.0 model environment.

      • Key words: Web 2.0, GIS

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    • Different views and potential pitfalls in the implementation of CRM by Andreas Zehetner, Tomislav Sudarević, Ljubomir Pupovac

      • Summary: There are few phenomena analysed among the expert community to such a great extent as CRM. Over the past twenty years, CRM has progressed down the road from a panacean tool that can cure all ills to the least desirable instrument used by managers, but has recently become indispensable in every company, regardless of its size or the industry it operates in. On the other hand, the response of the expert community through a large number of articles dealing with this phenomenon, i.e. the benefits of its application, preconditions required for its implementation and the failure analysis of the systems that implemented it, has contributed to a more precise comprehension. The aim of this paper is to present the possible views of CRM, and demonstrate the possible ways of CRM system implementation on a practical example of a company. The final section of this paper is dedicated to the most frequent reasons why these systems failed to produce the desired outcome.

      • Key words: CRM, analytical CRM, operative CRM, collaborative CRM

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    • A Thunder in the Cloud by Laslo Šereš, Laslo Horvat, Ivana Horvat

      • Summary: Over the last decade, the endless possibilities which are available on the Internet put the spotlight on cloud computing as a concept and it soon spread rapidly throughoutthe IT society. Many have recognized that this concept is a very fertile ground for thefull recognition of some previously known concepts, such as the concept of softwarereusability, and provides the infrastructure for the development of more securesoftware solutions. It made companies, and their clients, to feel safer than everleading them to one mission - to become a part of the cloud. At the same time, theincreasing number of final users caused enormous quality growth of the variousservices given in the cloud. This kind of evolution, followed by a constant competitionbetween involved contestants, made a stormy surrounding where one leader doesn't have to be a lifetime leader. In this paper we presented the milestones in the evolutionof cloud computing concept with special emphasis on the ongoing developments. Aftepresenting the features of this concept we also took note of the contribution andimpact on the development of cloud computing one of the current leaders in this field.

      • Key words: Cloud computing, Software as a Service, Platform as a Service

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    • Mobile agents for distributed decision support systems by Blaz Rodič

      • Summary: This article focuses on the performance of Java based mobile agents using format translation via an intermediary XML based format. Our goal was to develop and verify the performance of a lightweight, mobile agent based solution that would allow strong security, portability and access to heterogeneous data resources from a mobile platform to facilitate exchange of data between simulation models and data resources. We have developed two types of agents: a mobile agent that functions as a server for queries in SQL and converts the query results into XML documents and a stationary agent acting as a client for query forwarding and conversion of received documents into text files readable by a client application. We have tested the performance of the agents in a distributed simulation scenario and established that the agents can be used to connect heterogeneous simulation models and other applications, improving their connectivity and usability.

      • Key words: Mobile agents, XML, data filtering, data retrieval, distributed simulation, decision support systems

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•  Volume 5
  •  Number 2  /  December 2010
    • Information Global Marketing Management by Aleksandar Grubor

      • Summary: Global marketing management needs to be implemented based on valid, i.e. reliable, timely, verifiable and high-quality marketing information, which will enable valid decision-making in global business operations. The efficiency and effectiveness of decision-making is directly related to considering the comprehensive state of the chosen segment(s) of the global market. Informational completion of the picture of a market requires devising and implementing a large number of activities set in a logical sequence. Practical experience has shown that decision-making in managing global business activities of affirmed companies is based on accumulated knowledge and is regarded as a specific form of creativity, unlike operationalization and supervision, which are mostly organizational and technical issues. Bearing this in mind, the informational basis in the operation of global companies should be viewed in accordance with its significance and function in global marketing management.

      • Key words: Information, global marketing management

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    • Flow Shop Scheduling using Differential Evolution of CRM by Zuzana Čičková, Stanislav Števo

      • Summary: The article is focused on the application of differential evolution for solving flow shop problem that belongs to the class of scheduling problems. The scheduling problems arise in diverse areas such as manufacturing systems, production planning, computer design, logistics etc.. Only in very special cases there exist exact polynomial algorithms to reach optimal solution. In most of the other cases, its computational complexity is NP-hard and it seems to be desirable to employ some heuristics to solve it. Nowadays, the use of some methods that are based on metaheuristics is a popular way. One of them is a differential evolution, which belongs to the class of evolutionary techniques. The application of evolutionary algorithms to NP-hard problems generally requires a special modification of these algorithms; therefore the main object of the work is to adapt a canonical version of differential evolution for solving flow shop problem. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is compared with other evolutionary techniques known from the already published results. The available instance of flow shop Car and Rec are used for comparison.

      • Key words: Flow Shop Problem, Scheduling, Differential Evolution

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    • Specific problem arising in course of audit as an organic part of economic practice in the context of application of theoretical aspects of auditing by Ladislav Kareš, Petra Krišková

      • Summary: The goal of this article is to point out the importance of audit theoretical aspects, and that mostly by the solution of specifics problems of auditing practice. The purpose of the audit is to express the auditor's opinion on the financial statements deals with whether the financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. In our article we fixated on the analysis of the chosen specifics problems of auditing practice and in this case we provided the proposal to solution these problems in accordance with theoretical aspects of auditing.

      • Key words: Audit, auditor, financial statements

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    • Change Management in Information System Development and Implementation Projects by Zoran Ćirić, Lazar Raković

      • Summary: As demonstrated by numerous research studies, a major number of information system development and implementation projects tend to end in failure. As an inevitable factor of contemporary business operations, changes make a strong impact on the success of a project. As changes are inevitable, it is essential to identify them in advance, if possible, and manage them in an appropriate manner. Change management is a vital component of information system development and implementation projects, and, in addition to risk management and appropriate methodologies, increases the chances for success of a project.

      • Key words: Change management, implementation, information systems, organisational changes

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  •  Number 1  /  June 2010
    • GUI vs. WUI Through the Prism of Characteristics and Postures by Marton Sakal

      • Summary: Because of the platform differentiation of software products today, the dominant styles of interfaces are: GUI (Graphical User Interface), WUI (Web User Interface) and HUI (Handheld User Interface). Similar goals, principles, rules, heuristics are valid for every of the listed styles at the conceptual level, while substantial differences are present at the level of the physical design. The domination trend favors GUI and its derivatives. GUI dominates on the PC platform and, in essence, there are a small number of its variations. WUI dominates in the field of the approaches to the Internet, extranet and intranet. The HUI design mostly depends on the extent to which extent the PDA device supports the GUI style and the size of the display. The work presents the basic characteristics of GUI and WUI interface styles, their similarities and important differences.

      • Key words: GUI, WUI, interface design, interface patterns

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    • Information System of Stock Exchange Market in Serbia by Emilija Vuksanović, Borislav Jošanov

      • Summary: The aim of this paper is to present the concept of information management in new trading system of the Belgrade Stock Exchange based on FIX protocol. It considers main characteristics of the FIX protocol structure, characteristics and technical solutions. Beginning with the ICT infrastructure in Serbia, main part of the paper is concentrating on the FIX protocol implementation end the importance of this protocol in the frame of the Belgrade Stock Exchange and its connection with regional and European financial markets. FIX protocol is seen as an imperative to go on with the capital market development in Serbia, with the multiple positive effects of this new solution, both for individual participants and the entire financial market, like efficiency increase in operations control in the trading process on the participants side and rise in trading reliability and decrease of mistakes or errors on the financial market side.

      • Key words: Management, FIX, stock exchange, BELEX

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    • Computer Simulation as a Tool for Analyzing and Optimizing Real-Life Processes by Tomáš Domonkos

      • Summary: In some real-life situations, the analysis of complicated systems using standard analytical methods of operational research represents a particularly difficult endeavor, due to the system's complicated structure or the impossibility of reaching a mathematical solution. In cases when we are not able to use the standard methods of operational research, we can use simulation modeling. Sometimes simulation modeling as a tool for supporting practical decision-making offers a possible solution for this problem. The aim of this paper is to characterize briefly the development of discrete-event simulation methodology over the past 50 years on the grounds of the evolution of various simulation programs, describe the essentials of the simulation program tool Simul8 and present, on the basis of a case study, how we can analyze and optimize complicated real-life systems.

        Key words: Computer simulation, discrete event simulation (DES), simulation methodology.

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    • Charge Cards: Risk Management in the Contemporary Electronic Environment by Aleksandar Čudan

      • Summary: Information technology must be a tool which facilitates business operations rather than a hindrance to achieving business goals. Applicative solutions have to provide required performances, risk control, simple integration and necessary flexibility for successful implementation. Contemporary information tools offer attractive features, but they are also a specific implementation challenge for management structures in the financial sector. In the new setting of information challenge, business persons must be far better technologically trained on the one hand, while on the other, the new technology must become much more human-oriented. The aim of such application is to define risk control in the approach to information technologies and organise risk protection techniques. The management of financial institutions must permanently reconsider, revise and update the risk management plan. In this, it is essential to establish the risks prevailing in the total integrated electronic trade environment. In the electronic environment, controls must be primarily preventive by nature. Numerous and varied potential threats endangering information systems, especially those that can be qualified as crime, unequivocally impose the need to build an adequate system for information system protection. Consequences are as unknown as the directions and possibilities of establishing completely new directions, or a new and less well-known payment facility such as digital money, i.e. charge cards. Only future will show whether it is the end of money as we know it, or the revolution of a new payment tool. It is a fact that the electronic market is here to stay.

      • Key words: Charge cards, information system abuse, criminal act

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    • The Role of Web Usage Mining in Web Applications Evaluation by Saša Bošnjak, Mirjana Marić, Zita Bošnjak

      • Summary: The role of Web applications in corporate business has changed due to strong market competition and improved clients' negotiation power, imposing a new approach to their quality evaluation, in a sense that some analysis should be made prior to the implementation phase in order to reduce errors and inconsistencies in application design, while after the implementation, visiting scenarios and visitors' usage habits should be analyzed. The most common approach to the later task is to mine web access logs enriched by semantic information - web usage mining, in order to discover patterns hidden in data obtained through interaction of users on the web. In the paper we firstly provide a brief overview of data preprocessing, pattern discovery and pattern analysis steps of web mining and of most common pattern discovery methods. The remaining section demonstrates a practical example of Web site evaluation.

      • Key words: Web applications, web usage analysis, web usage mining, WebMl, web ratio

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    • Design of Auctions for Electronic Business by Petr Fiala

      • Summary: Auctions are important market mechanisms for the allocation of goods and services. Auction theory has caught tremendous interest from both the economic side as well as the Internet industry. The popularity of auctions and the requirements of e-business have led to growing interest in the development of complex trading models. Design of auctions is a multidisciplinary effort comprised of contributions from economics, operations research, informatics, and other disciplines. Combinatorial auctions have recently generated significant interest as an automated mechanism for buying and selling bundles of goods. They are proving to be extremely useful in numerous e-business applications. Important issues in the design of combinatorial auctions are presented. Iterative combinatorial auctions with multiple criteria are proposed complex trading models. The iterative procedure is composed of three key components: a preference model, an optimization model, and a negotiation model.

      • Key words: Auctions, e-business, combinatorial auctions, multicriteria auctions, iterative auctions, negotiations.

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    • Marketing Strategy Development Directions of Web Assortment in the Republic of Serbia by Jelena Končar, Zita Petrović-Katai, Goran Vukmirović

      • Summary: Electronic commerce is a contemporary way of doing trade activities based on the use of information and communication technologies. In contemporary business conditions, trade faces numerous changes, which are mostly, before all, the result of market globalization, as well as information technology development. The Web assortment in electronic commerce is the key marketing instrument in a trade organization. The basic task of Serbian companies understands the need of tracking all the changes in the business environment on the global market with a view of meeting consumers requirements and needs. Business success of an e-commerce trader, besides other factors, greatly depends on the adequate choice of sales programs.

      • Key words: Market globalization, electronic commerce, Web assortment strategies, brand

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•  Volume 4
  •  Number 2  /  December 2009
    • Human Resource Management and Digital Companies: Approach and Success Stories from Serbia by Ivana Jošanov, Petar Vrgović, Borislav Jošanov

      • Summary: The growth of new information and communication technologies on the internet infrastructure brings the role of digital strategy to the highest position in the new economy. New companies need new organization and skills, where the role of strategic human resource management finds new factors for the implementation of the digital strategy. A large list of new jobs and skills is taking place in this new organizational environment. This new approach, based on the digital strategy, is presented on a group of 4 successful companies in Serbia with new communication business infrastructure.

      • Key words: Business, electronic commerce

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    • Methodological Approaches to Evaluation of Information System Functionality Performances and Importance of Successfulness Factors Analysis by Gordana Platiša, Neđo Balaban

      • Summary: The necessitate of Information System functionality performances evaluation has emerged from the importance of Information Technology in effectiveness and efficiency of work processes in an organization, causing rapid growth of demands in sense of resources performances in Information System. The main purpose of Information System functionality performances evaluation is upgrading and especially improvement in quality of maintenance.

      • Key words: information system, knowledge management, information systems performance 

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    • Service and Object Orientation: Synergy in Information Systems Development by Nebojša Taušan, Pere Tumbas, Predrag Matković

      • Summary: At the end of the 1960s, demand for increasingly complex functionalities of information systems caused a software crisis, which was successfully surmounted by transition from structural to object-oriented programming. Until the end of the 1990s, object was the basis of every information system, and consequently, development methodologies that were mostly used were object-oriented methodologies such as Rational Unified Process - RUP. At the end of the 1990s, a new set of information requirements was noticed. These were requirements for transparent system integration; namely, the need for one system to communicate with another internal or external system became one of the most dominant needs. As a response to the newly created state, there appeared a new concept, the service concept. The service imposes itself as a solution, which will try, like objects at the end of 1960s, to face the newly created information requirements. This work will attempt to provide insight into similarities and differences between objects and service as the basic concepts within the object and service orientation, as well as the influence they exert on the overall information system development.

      • Key words: Service, web service, orientation, object, design, business process, interoperability, development.

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    • Software Support for Multiple Criteria Decision Making Problems by Josef Jablonský

      • Summary: Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) models are one of the most often used modelling techniques in managerial practice. Both techniques evaluate the given set of alternatives by several decision making criteria. Availability of appropriate simple software tools for mentioned models is a necessary condition for their wider real application. The paper presents two freeware software systems that are available for downloading on the author's web pages. The first system is the DEA Excel solver and the second one is Sanna - application of multi-criteria evaluation of alternatives. DEA Excel solver covers all basic DEA models and uses internal MS Excel optimization solver. The application includes standard envelopment models with constant and variable returns to scale including superefficiency models. As the second software system the paper presents a simple MS Excel based application Sanna for multiple criteria evaluation of alternatives using several main MCDM methods (WSA, ELECTRE I and III, PROMETHHEE, ORESTE, TOPSIS and MAPPAC).

      • Key words: Multiple criteria decision making, data envelopment analysis, optimization, MS Excel. 

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    • Visualisation of CRM Reports and Indicators in the Electric Power Supply Enterprise by Jelica Trninić, Imre Petkovič

      • Summary: The paper deals with the efficiency of CRM concept implementation and its integration with other systems in the organization that are mutually functionally associated. Activity of a power supply enterprise with complex requirements in the process of consumer relationship management (CRM) is chosen for analysis. Attention is focused on the advantages of the visualization of CRM reports and indicators for this kind of specific activity. The role of software tools is specially studied as very important, because it provides support in realizing analytical and visual techniques used in CRM data processing.

      • Key words: Consumer relationship management, information and communication technologies, CRM strategies 

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    • Commercial Networks and File-sharing Networks: Competition or Complementarity? by Thomas Le Texier, Victor Dos Santos Paulino

      • Summary: Facing the massive popularity of file-sharing networks, producers and distributors see in digital consumption a threat to their own activity. This article aims to analyze if market organizational models and organizational models based upon the file-sharing activity may be either substituted or complementary. By underlining the importance of innovation in valuating the two activities, we show the existence of both positive and negative externalities whose overall effect underlines retroaction and interdependence between activities differing in their organizational models. 

      • Key words: File-sharing networks; competition; complementarity; innovation

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  •  Number 1  /  June 2009
    • Search Profiles Based on User to Cluster Similarity by Zita Bošnjak, Saša Bošnjak

      • Summary: Privacy of web users' query search logs has, since the AOL dataset release few years ago, been treated as one of the central issues concerning privacy on the Internet. Therefore, the question of privacy preservation has also raised a lot of attention in different communities surrounding the search engines. Usage of clustering methods for providing low level contextual search while retaining high privacy-utility tradeoff, is examined in this paper. By using only the user`s cluster membership the search query terms could be no longer retained thus providing less privacy concerns both for the users and companies. The paper brings lightweight framework for combining query words, user similarities and clustering in order to provide a meaningful way of mining user searches while protecting their privacy. This differs from previous attempts for privacy preserving in the attempt to anonymize the queries instead of the users. 

      • Key words: Search queries, clustering, privacy.

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    • Implementation of Computer Assisted Audit Techniques in Application Controls Testing by Dejan Jakšić  

      • Summary: This paper examines possibilities of implementation of advanced computer assisted audit techniques into verification of efficiency and effectiveness of application controls. Application controls i.e. input, processing and output controls should ensure the completeness and accuracy of records. The main computer assisted audit techniques could be categorized as: test data, integrated test facility, parallel simulation and online audit monitor. There is a possibility of utilization of these techniques in application control testing, but their implementation must be based on cost-benefit analysis since they are time-consuming and mostly must be tailored for each audit client.

      • Key words: application controls, audit, computer assisted audit techniques 

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    • Risks in Information Systems Development Projects by Ozren Đurković, Lazar Raković

      • Summary: Risk is a part of all aspects of everyday life. Development of an informational system is a complex process, which makes it submissive to a great number of risks. Many projects do not achieve previously set goals, therefore risk management is not to be ignored in the development of informational systems. In this paper, the efficacy of IS development, as well as a number of risks influencing the project development, are considered. Also, attention is paid to the risk management methodology, simultaneously setting a framework for risk management in IS development.

      • Key words: Risk, Information systems development, projects

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    • Global Marketing Decision Support Systems by Aleksandar Grubor

      • Summary: Possessing appropriate information is becoming the main competitive advantage in doing business on the early 21st century global market. Market information is the key element of designing an efficient marketing strategy on the national, and especially global market, as well as being an inevitable part of business decisionmaking processes. Company manage ment expects reliable information that enables the consideration of all the dimensions of the issue to be decided on. The required information may be based not only on the experience of and assessment by relevant experts and executives, but also on the functioning of the global marketing decision support system. A global marketing decision support system can be understood as coordinated collection of data, systems, tools, skills and techniques with supporting software and hardware, by which a global corporation gathers and interprets relevant information about business operations and environment, and uses it further as the basis for overall global marketing actions. A global marketing decision support system also incorporates individual subsystems, whose coordinated action results in exchanges of opinions between the users and participants in the decision support system, as well as the global marketing environment.

      • Key words: global marketing, decision support system. 

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    • Internet as a Medium of Pharmaceutical Companies Promotional Activities by Darko Pantelic

      • Summary: Pharmaceuticals market is highly regulated, and it can be stated that prescription (legal or ethical) drugs have a status of substances in controlled circulation. Promotional activities are also under strict legislation, further burdened with ethical consideration and public scrutiny. Internet as liberal and hard to control medium brings entirely new sets of solutions and/or problems to pharmaceuticals market(ers).

      • Key words: marketing, pharmaceuticals, promotional mix, Internet promotion.

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    • Discrete Simulation Modeling of Processes of Customers Service in Retail Drugstores by Oleksandr Dorokhov, Iryna Zolotaryova, Ludmila Dorokhova

      • Summary: The article analyses the processes of organizing drugs sale in a drugstore. The types and parameters of timeframes of customers' visits, duration of service by assistants, and probability of appearance of certain types of customers are determined on the basis of calculations in Statistica. The existent possibilities of the organization of retail sale in drugstores are determined. The computer models of the system of mass service of customers in the drugstores by means of a package of simulation modeling ExtendSim are developed. The possibility of taking into account the different number of counters, the number of consultants and doctors, the possibility of appearance of priority clients and breaks are ensured. Calculative experiments are conducted; their results are processed and presented, e.g. the appropriate number of staff according to characteristics of the particular drugstore. Practical implementation assured that the model is adequate and usable. 

      • Key words: Mass service system, discrete simulation modeling of queues, drugs sales in drugstores

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•  Volume 3
  •  Number 2  /  December 2008
    • Accounting Harmonization and Market Conditions Under Impact of a European Company by Katarína Máziková, Michal Hrapko

      • Summary: Legal form of an European company (SE) is a significant contribution to common European market. This legal form enables companies from different member states to operate under common rules, management and reporting system. In this time the great importance for provision of informations from the European company has the accounting harmonization in the European Union. SE can transfer its registered office within EU member states without ceasing to exist which creates a pressure on the member states to improve their market environment. Council Regulation No 2157/2001 on the Statute for an SE sets the ways of formation of an SE and also unifies different approaches to companies management structures and involvement of employees in SE. SE can be created by means of a merger of two or more public limited-liability companies; formation of a holding SE by public and private limitedliability companies; formation of a subsidiary SE; and transformation of a public limitedliability company into an SE. Formalities not laid down in the council regulation such as accounting and financial reporting, must SE conduct in accordance with national laws of EU member states.

      • Key words: European Company, IFRS 3, mergers, goodwill, holding, subsidiary

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    • Computer Program for Estimation Multivariate Volatility Processes Using DVEC Model of CRM by Jelena Z. Minović

      • Summary: This article presents computer program for estimation of multivariate (bivariate and trivariate) volatility processes, written in EViews Version 4.1. In order to estimate multivariate volatility processes for analysis of the Serbian financial market, I had to write new subprograms within Eviews software package. The programs are written for the diagonal vector ARCH model (DVEC) in bivariate and trivariate versions. 

      • Key words: Multivariate GARCH model, Diagonal VEC model, volatility, EViews

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    • Sustainable Development Reporting by Zuzana Kubaščíková

      • Summary: The goal of this paper is to describe the history and the significance of the sustainable development reporting and its part environmental reporting. By using environment oriented reports it is possible to evaluate the approach considered to protect the living environment protection. Sustainability reporting is a fundamental method for measuring the contributions of the business to sustainable development. The significance of the environmental instruments is growing and in connection with long-time prosperity it is necessary to use voluntary environmental instruments as environmental reporting.

      • Key words: Environmental accounting, Environmental reporting, Sustainable development reporting, Sustainable development

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    • Project Risk Mitigation by Test Cases by Pere Tumbas, Predrag Matković, Dušan Bobera

      • Summary: Software product testing represents a key point at which software anomalies are discovered and thus induces their removal. One can safely say that discovering software product anomalies is an easier task that removing them. The later the moment in the software development process at which the anomalies are discovered, the more complex the removal of these anomalies is. The side effects of the discovered errors are unpredictable and it is necessary to find them as early in the software development process as possible. Use Case Guided Software Testing is the topic of this paper. The paper is concerned with the theoretical aspects of setting Test Cases based on Use Cases.

      • Key words: Test Case, UML, Use Case, RUP

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    • Open Source Approach in Software Development - Advantages and Disadvantages  by Jovica Đurković, Vuk Vuković, Lazar Raković

      • Summary: The works points to open source approach in software development, which has recorded important results since its beginning. Thanks to it, we are able to use the software representing the fruit of this approach. The work also points to the characteristics of open source approach through the prism of advantages and disadvantages.

      • Key words: free software, open source

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    • The IAASB - the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board - the Influence of Institutional Aspects on International Harmonization Concept of Auditing Services by Ladislav Kareš, Petra Krišková

      • Summary: The article dealt with institutional aspects of auditing profession, mostly their impact on international harmonization concept of auditing services. The authors of the article mention on importance and tasks of the institution - the IAASB - The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, by compiling of strategy of auditing services behavior and development, mostly in context of providing the auditing services. The authors mention on the IAASB priorities in this area set for period 2009 - 2011. 

      • Key words: IFAC, IAASB, IAASB standards, IAASB concept and strategy

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  •  Number 1  /  June 2008
    • Project Management Organization by Dušan Bobera

      • Summary: In our work we will try to show, according to recent and by scientific publicity accepted attitudes, three basic organizational forms for project management, with their description, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, as well as to try to identify the cases in which some of them could be applied. In this sense we will analyze the functional organizational type, where the project is a part of functional enterprise organization, clear project organization and combined or matrix system. According to the fact that each one of the models mentioned above has its own advantages and disadvantages, in this work we will try to pre-sent the procedure for choosing which model will be the most appropriate for implementation in particu-lar cases.

      • Key words: Project and People Management, Staffing

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    • Choosing a Collaborative Filtering Algorithm for e-Commerce by Saša Bošnjak, Mirjana Marić, Zita Bošnjak

      • Summary: This paper aims to give an overview of recommender systems as one of key factors of e-commerce development. Also it describes different types of recommender systems, and methods they employ in order to produce personalized recommendations. Furthermore, the role of these systems in the Internet sphere is investigated. The paper covers some problems in implementations as well as some still open issues in recommender system field. 

      • Key words: recommender systems, data mining, web personalization.

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    • Alternative Method for Solving Traveling Salesman Problem by Evolutionary Algorithm by Zuzana Čičková, Ivan Brezina, Juraj Pekár

      • Summary: This article describes the application of Self Organizing Migrating Algorithm (SOMA) to the well-known optimization problem - Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). SOMA is a relatively new optimization method that is based on Evolutionary Algorithms that are originally focused on solving non-linear programming problems that contain continuous variables. The TSP has model character in many branches of Operation Research because of its computational complexity; therefore the use of Evolutionary Algorithm requires some special approaches to guarantee feasibility of solutions. In this article two concrete examples of TSP as 8 cities set and 25 cities set are given to demonstrate the practical use of SOMA. Firstly, the penalty approach is applied as a simple way to guarantee feasibility of solution. Then, new approach that works only on feasible solutions is presented.

      • Key words: Traveling Salesman Problem, Evolutionary Algorithms, Self Organizing Migrating Algorithm 

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    • The Importance of Integrative Components in the Field of e-Business and Information Systems by Jelica Trninić, Jovica Đurković

      • Summary: The paper considers some of the possible of integrational joining in the domain of information system (IS) development and e-business application. Up to date reengineering processes imply focusing on complementariness of strategic approach in IS development and e-business in order to provide optimal business of an organization. By forming and defining the structure of resources in manages, an organization provides its competitiveness on the market. It is obvious that e-business strategy rests upon, and makes connections with other strategies. This predominantly implies corporative and IS strategy with support of SCM (Syplay Chain Management) and CRM (Customer Relations Management).

      • Key words: IS, e-business, performances, CRM, SCM

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    • Discriminant Analysis - Applications and Software Support by Mirko Savić, Dejan Brcanov, Stojanka Dakić

      • Summary: Discriminant analysis is a tool for classifying new observational units into defined segments on the basis of the discriminant model. Also, this method is used to provide a visual representation of the structure when large numbers of variables, groups and relations exist. On the basis of this way of interpretation, complex structure is simplified and better for understanding. This method is useful in the process of grading and measuring of product and service quality and can be used for solving different problems in this field.

      • Key words: Multivariate statistics, Statistical software, Statistical computing

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    • Analysis of Valuables in Accounting of Business Entity from the Internal Controller's Point of View by Vépyová Mária, Kastlerová Sylvia

      • Summary: The purpose of this contribution is to point out the particular issues for businesses in the area of registration, accounting, taxation and control of the valuables. Reference of the electronic registration or invoice from the supplier is not always sufficient for correct booking and the valuables worth evidence. In accordance with all applicable laws are correct rated valuables issued for consumption charged to the cost, the consistent application of legislation norms affects the outcome of the management of slovak businesses and the tax base revenue.

      • Key words: the accounting of postal stationery, highways stickers, meal tickets, phone cards, income, the base of income tax, VAT (Value Added Tax)

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•  Volume 2
  •  Number 2  /  December 2007
    • COORDINATION IN SUPPLY NETWORKS by Petr Fiala

      • Summary: The paper is devoted to modelling and analysis of supply systems. Supply chain management is more and more affected by network and dynamic business environment. In supply chain behaviour are inefficiencies. Coordination and cooperation can significantly improve the efficiency of supply networks. There are some approaches to model and analyze the supply dynamics. Important features of this environment are established in the proposed approach. The combination of network structure modelling and simulation of dynamic behaviour of units in supply network can be a powerful instrument of performance analysis of supply networks. The problem of coordination in dynamic supply networks involves multiple units with multiple goals. Simulation approach is an appropriate tool for prediction of real supply situation. Information and communication technologies are appropriate instruments for performance improving.

      • Key words: Management, electronic commerce, communication networks, simulation and modelling, contracts.

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    • REPRESENTATION OF INTERFACES VIA FUZZY SET APPARATUS by Jozef Stašák

      • Summary: This contribution deals with interface problems applied for communication between appropriate application programs. When considering theoretical aspects, the contribution describes a structure and features of such interfaces which is being interpreted via fuzzy sets apparatus, which a linguistic approach is applied for these purposes. As for implementation aspects, the contribution contains an appropriate example and describes principles related to algorithm concerned to design of such interface type.

      • Key words: Interfaces, fuzzy sets, linguistic approach, algorithm, implementation principles.

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    • THE EVALUATION OF PERFFORMANCES OF THE USER INTERFACE WITH THE HELP OF PREDICTIVE MODELS by Márton Szakál

      • Summary: Predictive models give quantitative, predicative indicators of interface performances, without the real testing by users. It is of great importance in cases when users are unavailable. The non-exactness of qualitative methods and models in evaluating the user interface performances often goes in favor of the need for keeping the quantitative, experimentally acknowledged techniques with the strong theoretical basis in the design and expert armamentarium. The work points to the elementary characteristics of GO MS models and the use of the Information theory in eliminating their shortages.

      • Key words: predictive models, GOMS, Key-stroke-level model, Accot-Zhai Law, Fitts law, Hick's law, Information Theory.

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    • SEARCH PROFILES BASED ON USER TO CLUSTER SIMILARITY by Ilija Subasic, Zita Bosnjak, Sasa Bosnjak

      • Summary: Privacy of web users' query search logs has, since last year's AOL dataset release, been treated as one of the central issues concerning privacy on the Internet, Therefore, the question of privacy preservation has also raised a lot of attention in different communities surrounding the search engines. Usage of clustering methods for providing low level contextual search, wriile retaining high privacy/utility is examined in this paper. By using only the user's cluster membership the search query terms could be no longer retained thus providing less privacy concerns both for the users and companies. The paper brings lightweight framework for combining query words, user similarities and clustering in order to provide a meaningful way of mining user searches while protecting their privacy. This differs from previous attempts for privacy preserving in the attempt to anonymize the queries instead of the users.

      • Key words: Search queries, clustering, privacy.

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    • DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT by Pere Tumbas, Otilija Sedlak, Predrag Matković

      • Summary: The environment where managers make decisions has been significantly changed ttiese years. Today, organizations design their products in one country, purchase of materials and raw materials in the other one, production is done in the third country, and finished products are brought out in many countries in the world. Logistics, as a transaction intensive function mutually connect these substantially different business processes and enables more effective and efficient management of the long logistics chains. In realizing such a task, the intensive use of infomiation technologies that provide timely transaction processing and give support in decisionmaking processes is especially important for logistics. The work reviews information systems development in the field of logistics, and a special attention is paid to the conceptual level of the global structure in decision support systems (DSS). Possible contents of identified subsystems are cited and potential development trends of its application are discussed.

      • Key words: logistics, DSS, trend

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    • FUTURE VALUE OFAN ANNUITY-CERTAIN AS A SOLUTION OF A DIFFERENCE EQUATION by Katarina Sakálová, František Peller

      • Summary: The aim of this note is to show how to use the methods of difference calculus in mathematics of finance. We calculate an accumulated amount of some special immediate annuities by solving the special type of non-homogenous linear difference equations of the first order.

      • Key words: Accumulated amount, immediate annuity, non-homogenous linear difference equation

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    • IT SUPPORT FOR MANAGING THE ECDL TRAINING AND EXAMS by Saša Bošnjak, Vuk Vuković

      • Summary: Faculty of Economics Subotica has been, for two years now, certifying students in the field of information technology according to the European standards and by applying ECDL concept thereby providing its students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge during their studies which enhances productivity manifolds in businesses where computer assistance is used. On the other hand, acquiring these skills enables easier employment both in the country and abroad. This study describes the model which is used by the Faculty of Economics Subotica in order to implement training and testing of students according to the ECDL concept, as well as the Internet application developed at the faculty with purpose of promoting activities related to the ECDL at the faculty and resolve problems which appeared during the realization of the ECDL project at the faculty.

      • Key words: ECDL, Internet application, Information system

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    • EXCHANGE RATE VOLATILITY IN THE V4 COUNTRIES by Michaela Chocholatá

      • Summary: This paper deals with the analysis of the V4 countries' currencies daily exchange rates against the euro (EUR) arid the US dollar (USD) for the period 1 or 4 January 1999 - 25 October 2007. The asymmetric volatility of the individual logarithmic exchange rate returns was captured using the conditional heteroscedasticity models EGARCH (1,1) - M and/or EGARCH (1,1). Taking into account these models, the static forecasts for logarithmic exchange rate returns were calculated and the forecasted values of exchange rates for the next business day (26 October 2007) were compared with the actual values.

      • Key words: Exchange rates, forecasts, V4 countries, conditional heteroscedasticity

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    • SIMULATION OF COLLECTIVE RISK MODEL by Viera Pacáková

      • Summary: The article focuses on providing brief theoretical definitions of the basic terms and methods of modeling and simulations of insurance risks in non-life insurance by means of mathematical and statistical methods using statistical software. While risk assessment of insurance company in connection with its solvency is a rather complex and comprehensible problem, its solution starts with statistical modeling of number and amount of individual claims. Successful solution of these fundamental problems enables solving of curtail problems of insurance such as modeling and simulation of collective risk, premium an reinsurance premium calculation, estimation of probabiliy of ruin etc. The article also presents some essential ideas underlying Monte Carlo methods and their applications to modeling of insurance risk. Solving problem is to find the probability distribution of the collective risk in non-life insurance portfolio. Simulation of the compound distribution function of the aggregate claim amount can be carried out, if the distibution functions of the claim number process and the claim size are assumed given. The Monte Carlo simulation is suitable method to confirm the results of other methods and for treatments of catastrophic claims, when small collectives are studied. Analysis of insurance risks using risk theory is important part of the project Solvency II. Risk theory is analysis of stochastic features of non-life insurance process. The field of application of risk theory has grown rapidly. There is a need to develop the theory into form suitable for practical purposes and demostrate their application. Modern computer simulation techniques open up a wide field of practical applications for risk theory concepts, without requiring the restricive assumptions and sophisticated mathematics. This article presents some comparisons of the traditional actuarial methods and of simulation methods of the collective risk model.

      • Key words: Insurance risk, loss distributions, collective risk model, goodness of fit tests, simulation, Monte Carlo method

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  •  Number 1  /  June 2007
    • HARMONISATION OF CROATIAN ACCOUNTING SYSTEM WITH EUROPEAN UNION'S REQUESTS by Ivana Mamic Sacer, Boris Tusek, Lajos Zager

      • Summary: A process of accounting harmonization is a result of a process of globalization. One of the fields that are certainly important for harmonisation, not only in Croatian case, but also for European and world economy consideration is the field of financial reporting. Because of differences in characteristics of national regulations, there are some differences in financial reporting framework for companies that are oriented only on national (domestic) market and for those that have global business policy. In this paper, authors compare Croatian Law on accounting with European Union requests and some world experiences in financial reporting.

      • Key words: accounting system, EU directives, harmonization, IFRS, international accounting.

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    • IMPACT OF EURO ON ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS: THE CASE OF SLOVENIA by Tatjana Horvat

      • Summary: Based on the Slovenian experiences, the purpose of the paper is therefore to analyse the impact of the changeover to the euro on the main fields in accounting and accounting information system, and to form on this basis a model of activities for the preparation for the changeover to the euro in the states which are to adopt the euro. From 1 January 2007 the official currency of Slovenia has been the euro, and the changeover itself to the euro presented additional risks in the field of information technology. The analyses of experiences in Slovenia show that the main reasons for non-functioning or failure of information technology, despite the good preparation and communication within organisations and the general public, were the lack of concrete action plans, non-functioning of some internal controls, lack of instructions to employees and time consuming search of causes for mistakes.

      • Key words: euro, accounting, information technology, conversion, accounting programs

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    • AUDITING PROCEDURES IN CONTEXT OF ASSIGNATION OF PRIORITY IN ENVIRONMENTAL AREA by Juraj Halama, Ladislav Kareš, Petra Krišková

      • Summary: The aim of this article is to present new approach to the environmental matter's assessment during the the audit of financial statements. The authors of the article have considered the current legal regulations for auditor's activity, which have been fully compatible with the legal regulations for audits applied in the European Union since January 1, 2004. The importance of this article is not only in its, but mostly in the fact that it deals with issues, which become increasingly significant and important in these days - the environmental matters.

      • Key words: audit, environmental

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    • ACCELERATION GROWTH OF ICT MARKET by Drakulić Danica

      • Summary: The wurk points to the importance of ICT (Information Communication Technologies), as one of the main trajectories by which advanced economies have come to the high dynamism and richness. How do the performsnces of these technological changes, determined mainly by ICT, exert influences on the economic
        growth or, in general, on production results at the aggregate, macroeconomic level. The U.S.A. supremacy in this field has faced challenges. It loses tempo, and the EU countries, after the multi-decade syndrome of technological catching up to U.S.A., go through faster into the future, giving an accelerating tone to the technological race.

      • Key words: information communication technologies, income, research and development, economic growth, global market

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    • REPORTING OF COMMERCIAL INSURANCE COMPANIES: EVIDENCE FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC by Jiřina Bošková

      • Summary: The subject of insurance companies is to provide insurance protection based on commercial principles. All changes in the society are directly reflected in the insurance activity. New risks apperar and therfore new insurance products appear as well. The insurance business intervenes into all areas of the economic and social life in the Czech Republic. Insurance companies cannot be treated only as companies offering insurance protection, but also as important investors who, as a result of their activity, dispose with temporary available resources of their customers. As situations and existance of time discordance between provision creation and their usage are occasional, insurance companies carry business with these provisions resources.

      • Key words: Insurance, financial placement, premium, technical reserves

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    • APPLICATION OF PARAMETRIC AND NON-PARAMETRIC BENCHMARKING METHODS IN COST EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF THE ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION SECTOR by Andrea Furková

      • Summary: This paper explores the aplication of parametric and non-parametric benchmarking methods in measuring cost efficiency of Slovak and Czech electricity distribution companies. We compare the relative cost efficiency of Slovak and Czech distribution companies using two benchmarking methods: the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) as the parametric approach. The first part of analysis was based on DEA models. Traditional cross-section CCR and BCC model were modified to cost efficiency estimation. In further analysis we focus on two versions of stochastic frontier cost functioin using panel data: MLE model and GLS model. These models have been applied to an unbalanced panel of 11 (Slovakia 3 and Czech Republic 8) regional electricity distribution utilities over a period from 2000 to 2004. The differences in estimated scores, parameters and ranking of utilities were analyzed. We observed significant differences between parametric methods and DEA approach.

      • Key words: Data Envelopment Analysis, Stochastic Frontier Analysis, Cost Efficiency, Panel Data Models, Electricity Distribution Sector

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    • MICROECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF EQUILIBRIUM IN NETWORK INDUSTRIES by Eleonora Fendeková, Michal Fendek

      • Summary: The existence of pure monopoly in network industries increases the role of regulation mechanisms in connection with objectification and increase in their social effectiveness. The objective of regulation mechanisms is to find an appropriate proportion between price and product supply of network industry under assumption of the existence competitive market. With regard to analysis of equilibrium in network industries models it is important to point out that except for competition policy protection the state fulfils another specific task - regulation of network industries. The state influences proportional relations between price and supply of network industry produc-work industries. With regard to analysis of equilibrium in network industries models it is important to point out that except for competition policy protection the state fulfils another specific task - regulation of network industnes. The state influences proportional relations between price and supply of network industry production. The conditions for equilibrium of network industries and methods of their regulations will be examined in the paper. The stress will be laid on the regulation on the base of returns - Rate of Return Regulation (ROR). Attention will be paid to the ways of calculation reasonable profit in regulated industries.

      • Key words: Network industries, regulated prices, reasonable profit in regulated industries, rate of return regulation, Avereh-Johnson model

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    • MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF EMPLOYMENT IN EASTERN EUROPE by Savić Mirko

      • Summary: In the context of transitional changes in the last decade in East European countries, the employment structure is one of the fastest changing areas. What is the best methodology to compare the employment situationin the different countries of the region? Multivariate statistical analysis methods are representing very reliable way of getting the full picture of the problem. Principal components analysis is one of the simplest multivariate methods but it could produce very useful information about the employment in the Eastern Europe in very easy and understand able way.

      • Key words: Employment, Multivariate Analysis, Principal Components Analysis

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    • SIDRAUSKI MODEL WITH ENDOGENOUS LABOR by Karol Szomolányl, Martin Lukáčik, Adriana Lukáčiková

      • Summary: In the paper we analyze the Sidrauski model similar by Walsh (2003) (see for example Sterken, 2005]. For analyses it is needed to use Dynamic optimization techniques. The model is extended by endogenous labor. We show that all Walsh's conditions are kept. Even though in steady state analysis in generally the superneutrality of money theory does not hold. Labor supply, is no longer inelastic and influences marginal productivity. To reach the money superneutrality we must assume that preferences of representative consumer are represented by separable utility function. A similar analysis was made by Walsh, the results are the same in general case.

      • Key words: Sidrauski Model, Labor, Dynamic Programming, Envelope Theory, Steady State, Supernautrality of Money, Separable Utility Function

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•  Volume 1
  •  Number 1  /  December 2006
    • Advanced Customer Oriented Development of Software (ACES) by Stojan Russev, Jaroslava Kniežová, Roman Russev

      • Summary: Object oriented development languages and event driven programming, distributed or centralized data processing with thick or rich clients are used at present in information systems (IS) development. Using of existing methodologies and methods In IS designing does not always mean reaching of needed project solution quality. In some cases it is more effective to use combination of structured and object oriented tools or new methodology, which is built according the newest information technologies. One of such methodologies is Advanced Customer Oriented Development of Software (ACES), which is oriented on IS of economic organization development and application of the newest information technologies. ACES was established by the authors at Faculty of Economic Informatics of University of Economics in Bratislava.

      • Key words: ACES Methodology, object software engineering

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    • Agile vs Traditional Methodologies in Developing Information Systems by Pere Tumbas, Predrag Matković

      • Summary: After the review of principles and concepts of structural and object-oriented development of information systems, the work points to the elements of agile approaches and gives short description of some selected agile methodologies. After these reviews, their comparision according to criteria is done. The first criterion reviews the volume of methodology in which project management is used in developing information systems The second criterion shows if the processes, defined by methodology, cover appropriate phase of the life cycle. The last criterion shows if methodology iniciates the use of skills and tools in the life cycle phases of developing information systems. Finally, the work compares, according to the key elements of development, traditional (structural and object) methodologies with agile methodologies.

      • Key words: agile development, information system, traditional methodology

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    • Flow Shop Systems as a Part of the Logistics Information System by Ivan Brezina, Jan Chabada, Marian Reiff

      • Summary: The Establishing of an efficient information system to support decision making in a production company is a challenging task, which involves coordination of activities and knowledge of many people in modern technical environment. The organization of each production process into one unit is very demanding and for that reason, production logistics plays an important role in this process. Production logistics is an aggregation of logistics problems and steps essential for preparation and its own development of the production process. Thus logistics information system is a significant part of management information systems. Logistics information system in order to purvey relevant data for decision making should contain methods that objectify decision making, i.e. methods based on quantitative approaches. A Part of the quantitative approaches in the field of production logistics are the FLOW SHOP systems. This article deals with the FlowShop program system (software), which was developed at the Faculty of Economic Informatics, University of economics in Bratislava in cooperation with Siemens PSE.

      • Key words: Flow Shop System, logistic, information system

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    • Performance Evaluation and Measurement of the Organization in Strategic Analysis and Control: Methodological Aspects by Živan Ristić, Neđo Balaban

      • Summary: Information acquired by measuring and evaluation are a necessary condition for good decision-making in strategic management. This work deals with : (a) Methodological aspects of evaluation (kinds of evaluation, metaevaluation) and measurement (supposition of isomorphism in measurement, kinds and levels of measurement, errors in measurement and the basic characteristics of measurement) (b) Evaluation and measurement of potential and accomplishments of the organization in Kaplan-Norton perspectives (in the perspectives of learning and development, perspectives of internal processes, perspectives of the consumer/user, and in financial perspectives) (c) Systems and IT solutions of evaluation and measuring performances of the organization in strategic analysis and control.

      • Key words: Measurement, evaluation, performance, performance indicators

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    • Project Management and the Aspects of Quality Management - An Integrative Approach by Dušan Bobera, Jelica Trninić

      • Summary: The work considers integraiive methodological aspects of Project Management and Quality Management. Starting from the conception goals and functionalities of ihe cited syntagmas, their interdependent conditionality and functionalities are analyzed. The importance of quality in Project Management as a basic integrative component exerts influence on developing the concept "Project Quality Management". The authors' intention is to point to, by the analysis of key components of the cited concept, the adventaged that provide this concept to the organization in developing and implementing the project and attaining the integral quality as a strategic goal. The special emphasis is placed on Quality Management because no process in the organization can be considered successful without quality testing of every single task. Every project represents the process of realization of numerous in advance determined activities satisfying all the aspects of quality.

      • Key words: Project management, quality management, project quality management

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    • Managing Knowledge by the Information System and Game-Theoretic Approach by Otilija Sedlak, Pere Tumbas
      • Summary: Knowledge is a source of competitive adventage. In small enterprises there is simultaneous cooperation and competition. Knowledge management research is focused on large firms. Collaboration among small enterprises and with large firms is common. Information systems and information technology play a paramount role in coordinating and controlling joint ventures. Information system is a key tool in the management of knowledge sharing. This paper offer game-theoretic approach to answer the questions under cooperation and competition: what to share, with whom, when, under what conditions is paramount, and the role of information system in managing knowledge in small enterprises.
      • Key words: Knowledge management, information system, Game-Theoretic Approach

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    • Application of Crossed Classification Credibility Model in Third-party Auto Insurance in Slovak Republic by Erik Šoltés, Tatiana Šoltésová

      • Summary: In this article we reviewed the two-way crossed classification credibility model. This model is an extension of the hierarchical models of Jewell and Taylor. When the risk factors are not nested then 3 hierarchical model is not applicable. In the crossed classification credibility models, the risk factors are modelled without restrictions of a hierarchical structure and that makes them of great practical interest. In the two-way crossed classification credibility model the risks in a portfolio are classified based on two risk factors. In this model the credibility premium for a certain contract is equal to the overall mean for the portfolio plus adjustments for the risk experience within the contract itself and the risk experience within the class of the risk factors to which it belongs. The objective of this article is to show alternatives of an application of crossed classification credibility models in third-party auto insurance in Slovak Republic.

      • Key words: Crossed classification credibility model, insurance

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    • With Profit Contracts in Life Insurance by Katarina Sakálová, Mária Biliková, František Peller

      • Summary: A basic idea of a with profit policy is that the policyholder accepts a lower guarantee (sum assured) for the same premium, than he would accept under an equivalent without profit policy. In return for a lower guarantee, the policy has the right to share in the profits of the life insurance company. In order to qualify for such entitlement the policyholder will pay a higher premium that if the benefit was an amount stated in the contract. This paper describes a number of different methods that are used in various parts of the world to allocate profits to policy-holders.

      • Key words: With profit contracts, reversionary bonuses, terminal bonus, contribution method, revalorisation method

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    • Creation and Protection of the Environment by Peter Závodný

      • Summary: International treaties on the UNO grounds, as well as laws of individual countries are oriented to recourse and severe sanctioning of those who break the environmental protection regulations. However, there are no regulations to compensate for the already existing losses or impaired health of inhabitants caused by the environmental pollution. With respect to this, an emphasis starts to be placed on monitoring the condition of the environment, modeling of crisis situations, and developing protection szstems in case of possible pollution of ecological catastrophes.

      • Key words: environment, pollution, protection, decision making

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    • Bookkeeping in the Slovak Republic - Past and Present by Juraj Halama, Zuzana Juhászová

      • Summary: Bookkeeping is one of the most proven systems by means of which information related to individual companies - i.e. reporting enterprises - is recorded, processed and subsequently disclosed. Bookkeeping represents a relatively closed and internally structured information system that provides information expressed in monetary figures on a company's economic activities and its operating results, i.e. it provides information on a company's assets, equity liabilities costs, revenues, income, expenses, and results of operations. In each period, whether in the past or at present, different activities of a reporting enterprise have been recorded. With time, due to the extension of activities, gradually not only the amount of information but also the quality requirements for the information provided have changed.

      • Key words: Bookkeeping, Slovak Republic

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    • International Financial Reporting and Information Technologies - Is XBRL the Panacea? by Miloš Tumpach, Zuzana Juhászová

      • Summary: The main purpose of the financial reporting is a dissemination of information related to a financial position, performance and cash flows of a business entity. Tor this process to be effective, all obstacies between the entity (originator of the information) and the user of financial statements [recipient of the information) shall be removed to the greatest extent possible. Within this task, information technologies (computers, networks and dedicated software) might be employed, however, their overall efficiency is strongly dependent on the compatibility of the systems of both sides of information (originator and the recipient). Thus, even in the environment of harmonized accounting, there are certain real issues (e. g. balance sheet might be prepared under the IFRS both in the form respecting the distinction of current and non-current assets and liabilities or it might tske the degree of liquidity of balance-sheet items into account in the same time). Thus, Extensible Business Related Language is a powerful instrument, because it is capable (based on relation between its general taxonomies) to tackle with these issues.

      • Key words: Financial Reporting, XBRL. eXtensible Business Related Language

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