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Integration processes on the European continent, aiming to link economically, changed trade trends fundamentally, primarily in the CEEC countries. The Republic of Croatia attained the autonomy in creating own economic and foreign trade policy through its independence. However, aspirations towards the association to the European Union brought the need of accepting the global foreign trade rules, set by the WTO. Adjustments to the WTO rules triggered big changes in all segments of the economy, especially in the sector of export. One of the measuring methods is the calculation of technological competitiveness through comparative advantage indicators by technological classes (RCA). They are calculated with the equation introduced by Balassa (1965) and with the usage of Wolfmayr-Schnitzer (1998) method of technological classification. The later is used in the combination with earlier methods set by Legler (1982), Schulmeister (1990), and Schulmeister-Boesch (1987). Mentioned quantifies the changes in specialization of an observed country towards the rest of the world. The newest approach contemplates the comparison by chosen group of countries, for instance, the OECD or the comparison with aggregate indicators in the observed country. The RCA method will help identify sectors in which the Republic of Croatia retains comparative advantages towards other economies.

L’ imminente adhésion de la République de Croatie &agrave ; l’ UE met au centre de l’ attention les recherches concernant les estimations sectoriales des effets de la Croatie au moment de l’ intégration dans l’ UE. La théorie traditionnelle explique le commerce international par la différence entre les pays, tandis que les théories récentes l’ explique par l’ inclination pour la spécialisation &agrave ; cause de l’ économie des proportions. Par conséquent, la spécialisation dépend de l’ efficacité de la production, ce qui est expliqué en particulier par la théorie traditionnelle, tandis que le renforcement des échanges et l’ augmentation de l’ échange intra-branchial s’ expliquent par les théories récentes. Dans les secteurs o&ugrave ; prédomine l’ échange intra-branchial vertical, on s’ attend la spécification conformément &agrave ; la théorie traditionnelle vers le partenaire qui dispose d’ une production relativement plus efficace, &agrave ; savoir conformément aux avantages comparatifs. On effectue une analyse sectoriale au niveau de 96 secteurs d’ apr&egrave ; s la nomenclature combinée, tandis que les avantages comparatifs sont identifiés sur la base de l’ indicateur RCA. Sur la base de l’ indicateur RCA on calcule approximativement l’ efficacité de la production par rapport au partenaire, &agrave ; savoir on analyse l’ efficacité des producteurs de la République de Croatie par rapport aux producteurs de l’ UE ainsi que l’ efficacité des producteurs des pays adhérents &agrave ; l’ UE par rapport &agrave ; l’ UE et &agrave ; la Croatie, sur la base de quoi on identifie les secteurs dans lesquels l’ effet attendu de l’ élargissement de l’ UE est la déviation du commerce. Sur la base de la comparaison des effets de l’ élargissement projetés dans le cadre de l’ intégration dans des zones de commerce libre, on analyse les rapports de ces deux proc&egrave ; s d’ intégration. Les résultats empiriques montrent que les activités d’ intégration stimulent l’ échange intra-branchial. Le motif de l’ intégration dans les secteurs o&ugrave ; domine l’ échange intra-branchial horizontal représente l’ intensification de l’ échange &agrave ; prix et qualité qui sont differenciés par rapport aux moyens, tandis que l’ échange des produits moyens tombe. Par conséquent, l’ identification des produits qui ne sont pas &laquo ; moyens&raquo ; et qui s’ échangent horizontalement et intra-industriellement représente aussi l’ identification des secteurs o&ugrave ; l’ intégration stimule l’ intensification de l’ échange.

Introduction of a single currency EURO caused certain economic disharmony, which had direct effects on VAT threshold and original revenues of particular "in" and "out" states. The conformity problem of transfer from ECU to EURO is still unfinished. The EU Commission produced several directives in that sphere. However, the most important was Sixth Directive, which set conformity between VAT thresholds in accordance with the same Directive and national monetary legislations. A single currency deepened a single market, redefined macroeconomic policy and caused the loss of national autonomy. Transfer to EURO had a certain impact on Community legislation and national laws of member states. EURO replaced ECU on January 1, 1999. Simple implementation of conversion rules on EURO caused certain problems, especially in the fiscal sphere. Introduction of a single currency did not affect directly the fiscal policy of "in" states. However, adjustment of Community fiscal legislation and instruments of national policies to a single currency pointed out some unexpected problems regarding indirect taxation.

The paper analyzes the issues of harmonization, co-ordination and competitivness of fiscal policy. Tax reduction, implemented by European governments, produces some consequeces for other countries of European economic and monetary union. This situation is recognized under the term "externals". Its consequences can be negative and that fact arises repeated appeal for the harmonization of european fiscal legislation. However, the harmonization cannot be utilized by itself. Geographical distance between the centres of European Union, as well as the diversity of tax system, should be taken in account. The best strategy suggests linking of competitiveness, harmonization and fiscal co-ordination. Therefore, it is hard to implement a common fiscal policy to the market economy such is the European Union. Yet, it is possible to accept some principles which would lead to an optimal tax system through the fiscal reform which is currently being implemented in the majority of EU countries.

EURO - zona je prokušan novi međunarodni okvir, originalan u svakom slučaju, mora se održavati na životu i koji mora evoluirati, nadjačati tenzije, konflikte i ekonomske perturbacije s kojima će se neminovno sukobiti, jer nepoznanice su mnogobrojne. Ekonomska i monetarna unija EMU napredniji je stupanj ekonomske integracije EU koji implicira zajedničku monetarnu politiku i usko koordinirane ekonomske politike zemalja članica.

In the last 10 years the Republic of Croatia is independent in creation of her trade politics. The integration of European countries had influenced on the definition of Croatian strategic goal -membership in the EU. If Croatia wants to achive this long term goal, it has to adjust her trade politics. Its adjustment started by joining WTO November 30, 2001. At the begining of 2001 should start negotiation with EU with a aim of making association agreement. By signing the agreement the Republic of Croatia will define her tariff politics. Non-tariff barriers will stay autonom. The intention of this paper is to consider the possibility of use non-tariff protection measurment of domestic market of agricultural product in Croatia, and to present measurments in use, and their protection activity represented by equivalent of tariff. Non-tariff barriers are used in the EU as a protection measurments of domestic market of agricultural products. If Croatia wants to achive the stability of its market for agricultural products, has to learn how to use non-tariff measurments of protection.

Ekonomska i monetarna unija (EMU) je napredniji stupanj ekonomske integracije EU koji implicira zajedničku monetarnu politiku i usko koordinirane ekonomske politike zemalja članica. EMU se temelji na zajedničkom tržištu proizvoda i usluga koje je nužno za njegovo dobro funkcioniranje jer bi variranje tečajeva između valuta zemalja članica sputavalo međuutjecaj tržišta kapitala. Kako je unutarnje tržište dovršeno, zemlje članice su usko usko povezane u svim domenama, što će se analizirati u ovom članku, a poduzeti angažmani u okviru Maastrichta pokazuju spremnost za preuzimanje odgovornosti u ekonomskim i monetarnim područjima te radnji vezanih za njihovu ekonomsku sukladonst. Zahvaljujući jedinstvenoj valuti ukinut će se fluktuirajuće marže valute, koje su još moguće u europskom monetarnom sustavu. Sporazum iz Maastrichta ima za cilj zaustaviti monetarnu nesigurnost jedinstvenog tržišta.

Adjustment of debt is a subject of numerous analyses in transitional countries. All transitional countries aim towards the membership in the European Union. However, the Union sets clear criteria regarding the volume and sustainability of debt. The Republic of Croatia has ratified Agreement on Stabilisation and Association, thereby accepting obligations towards the EU and Maastricht criteria, Croatia's debt is not exessive. Yet, unfavourable growth of export and other items in the balance of current transactions, the amount of debt and further debt accumulation could become the obstacles to further economic growth of Croatia and its accession to the European Union

This research monograph consists of 31 papers related to the economy and business of the post-COVID-19 dynamics. The chapters of the research monograph deal with the relationship between the rapid changes in the social, economic and business context and new technologies, legal dilemmas, the state of affairs in certain sectors, the impact on tourism, financial and tax issues, and innovations in marketing. As our authors outline, the Covid-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on economies worldwide. To prevent the spread of the virus, governments have often been forced to take action and implement certain restrictive measures. The extent of the measures taken varies from country to country and between economic sectors in terms of the possibility of the virus spreading. On the other hand, modern information technology has brought changes to all areas of life and work. The degree of “digitalization of everything” is so great that some authors have called this process the “digital revolution” and the modern economy the “digital economy.” Over time, this process is accelerating, and the changes are beginning to affect all areas of economic and social life. These changes are becoming increasingly complex, interacting and accelerating, and taking on a global character that raises new challenges, problems and issues that need to be addressed. However, due to the complexity of the globalization process, the development of technology, information systems and communications, and the related changes in all areas of economic and social life, it is currently difficult to accurately predict the future forms and content of economic activities. Therefore, the contributions in this monograph attempt to provide a transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspective on the outcomes and future prospects of the changes triggered by the pandemic shock. We recognize that 2022 will be challenging because of the many uncertainties arising from the lingering effects of the pandemic, as well as the risks posed by the impact of unprecedented fiscal and monetary measures and instruments to prevent the negative consequences of the crisis. However, we are confident that both scientists and practitioners have solutions to meet the future challenges, as we did with the pandemics COVID-19. We therefore hope you enjoy reading the contributions of our authors and that you will attend the next conference in June 2022

Robots and artificial intelligence are no longer just something that the future might bring. Future generations of workers will certainly work with robots in their work environments. The trend toward automation has been present for decades, especially in industrial production. However, the increasing affordability of computers and other high-tech solutions, as well as the outbreak of Covid-19, which has created additional pressures toward less social interaction between humans, may accelerate these processes. The aim of this study is to understand the attitudes and opinions of students at the University of Rijeka towards robots in the workplace and workplace automation in general. The instrument used for the research is a thirteen question survey conducted through Google Forms. A total of 234 students completed the questionnaire. The results show that respondents are not receptive to robots, that they doubt the ability of robots to replace humans in the workplace, and that they would consider it unfair for an employer to choose a solution offered by a robot over their own. Most of the respondents in the sample also believe that one needs one to three years of work experience, while they claim that a university degree is sufficient for the job. It has been shown that the opinions of the respondents within the categories themselves are very different, which means that the respondents commit themselves to certain questions or scenarios.

The introduction of information and communication technologies (ICT) in organizations is a financially, time wise and operationally demanding process. We examine the factors that affect the implementation of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems in organizations, as well as the specifics of its implementation in the context of a public institution. We describe the context for ERP introduction and outline the process of ERP implementation. Furthermore, we identify the important organizational and project determinants as well as the critical success factors that influenced the implementation of EPR in the public institution. For the purposes of the used case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees involved in the implementation of the ERP system, and documents related to the implementation were analyzed. Finally, problems concerning the implementation of ERP were identified and analyzed, and recommendations were made in order to alleviate obstacles and increase the success of the implementation of ERP systems.

The aim of the research is to determine whether there is a statistically significant positive correlation between the number of smart city applications and e-services on the one hand, and active users of the citizens of Velika Gorica and Sveta Nedjelja, on the other. Furthermore, the efforts were made to establish a positive correlation between the use of smart city applications and e-services according to the gender and age of citizens in both observed cities. The research was conducted by the method of survey during the month of September 2020 on a sample of 200 respondents from the area of the city of Velika Gorica and from the area of the city of Sveta Nedelja. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used to prove the hypotheses. The results confirm a statistically significant positive correlation between the number of smart city applications, e- services and active users in both cities. The positive association between the use of smart city applications and e-services according to the gender and age of the inhabitants of both cities was not confirmed. The results contribute to a better understanding of digital city services and their users. The results also help city governments to create better smart city strategic goals based on digitization and networking with citizens.

Today’s world is pervaded with changes caused by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this pandemic, world economies are confronted with many turbulent challenges and prompt adjustments in different industries. The key to solving challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is healthcare, but at the same time, it is most affected by the unfavourable effects of the pandemic. Given that the technological innovation development and application simultaneously cause positive changes in societies and economies, this paper explores how technological innovation has supported global healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a systematic review of the scientific literature in two world-renowned databases of scientific papers: Web of Science and Scopus, is conducted. The scientific articles considered for this literature review were articles published and indexed in the mentioned databases during the pandemic period, therefore, from the beginning of 2020 until now. The research results indicated technological changes and new technologies applied in healthcare, which resulted from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the results showed the outcomes that technological innovations application has attained in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the results indicated shortcomings in the field of research on this topic, based on which recommendations for further research are defined.

The variety and content of financial retail products (FRPs) on the market is highly associated with contemporary social issues, especially environmental and health protection. It is common for most products to be ecolabelled or certified to indicate the impact of the products in relation to the global sustainable development agenda. Although eco-labelling is very common for tangible products, financial products in the retail sector in the EU are also in the process of developing "green" criteria. The aim of this paper is to analyse how to manage criteria for green labelling of FRPs, based on the proposed guidelines. The research analyses investments made in environmentally sustainable economic activities based on the total portfolio value of assets under "green" management. The research results indicate reasonable criteria and portfolio thresholds for defining ˝portfolio greenness˝. Environmental criteria for different FRPs such as UCITS, bonds and insurance funds are designed into the research and econometric analysis to determine whether investments in stocks, bonds or loans are being used for financing activities that prevent negative impacts related to climate change or reduce negative environmental and social effects. The general findings of the research indicate a useful application of the green criterion to identify FRPs that are invested exclusively in environmentally sustainable activities. The market objective is to provide consumers of FRPs with realistic information about the opportunities of "green" investments, their sustainable returns and future trends.

The globalization, technology development and more recently the pandemic have been changing global societies and economies. The consequences are visible in most areas of the economy. Overlapping of these trends contribute even stronger to the requirements for new skills and thus have disruptive effects on the labour market in the short run, causing shocks and changes of demand for labour. For example, the combination of technological advancements and changed working conditions caused by the pandemic put additional pressure on digitalization in every sector of the economy and thus create a greater demand for digital skills. The effectiveness of the social cohesion and the sustainability of modern social- economic models are depending on the notion that rapid technological changes should be systematically supported on many levels. This includes providing all citizens with tools and capacities to participate fully and successfully in the global digital transformation. The research in this paper is related to disruption new technologies are causing on the labour market, and its impact on the worker’s skills in the context of the pandemic. We start by giving an overview of the trends on the EU labour market before the pandemics and proceed to analyse recent EU strategic documents as a response to the Covid-19 reality. States all over the world are confronted with the issues such as skill shortages, structural unemployment, or emerging forms of employment, and our goal is to identify the response of selected EU states to these challenges. The importance of these issues cannot be overemphasized, especially as global forecasts predict that gaps in skills, job requirements and the abilities of workers will continue increasing even at the greater pace putting additional burden at national economic and social systems, especially in less adaptive countries. Research results suggest that the impact of digitalization and other contemporary trends in the labour market require full attention and carefully designed recovery plans.

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the impact of transport infrastructure and logistics performance on international trade and economic growth in the Central and Eastern European Union Member States (CEMS). The dissertation is divided in three separate and interrelated research papers. In the first research paper, the question of the role of transport infrastructure in the economy is revisited through the construction of two empirical econometric models. The first model estimates the impact of road and rail infrastructure on economic growth, considering population growth, investment in infrastructure and trade openness. The second model is used to check the robustness of the first model and follows the Aschauer's (1989) aggregate production function. The analysis is based on a panel data regression with fixed effects estimator (FE). The results of the first model show a significant and positive relationship between road infrastructure and economic output, and significant but negative relationship between rail infrastructure and economic output. The results of the estimation of aggregate production function suggest that among all types of infrastructure, only road transport infrastructure shows significant positive effects on economic output. Although overall results show inconclusive results, they should be seen in a broader context where transport infrastructure is a public good and investment in it is necessary to ensure the territorial, economic and social cohesion of CEMS countries. The second research paper examines the impact of logistics performance on bilateral trade of the EU15 and CEMS countries. The analysis is based on a structural gravity model estimated with the Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood Estimator (PPML). The results show that there is a significant relationship between logistics performance and EU15 and the CEMS bilateral trade, with heterogeneous effects of the elements of logistics performance on trade in different product groups. The third research paper incorporates other elements of logistics performance and trade facilitation, i.e., hard and soft infrastructure, into international trade in addition to logistics performance. The aim is to assess the impact of trade facilitation, distinguishing between traditional trade and supply chain trade. In the first step, factor analysis is used to construct indicators of trade facilitation. In the second step, the effects of trade facilitation indicators on gross trade and trade value added data are estimated with the empirical model specification based on a structural gravity model. To address the issues of heteroscedasticity and zero trade values, the PPML estimator is also used. The results suggest that different elements of trade facilitation are significant and have different degrees of relevance to traditional and supply chain trade. The findings obtained in the dissertation contribute to the existing body of knowledge in this research area from a theoretical and applicative perspective and offer recommendations for potential improvements in the areas of transportation, logistics, and trade facilitation., Cilj ove disertacije je istražiti utjecaj transportne infrastrukture i logističke usluge na međunarodnu trgovinu i gospodarski rast u zemljama srednje i istočne Europe (CEMS), članicama Europske unije. Disertacija je podijeljena u tri zasebna i međusobno povezana znanstvena rada. U prvom istraživačkom radu se preispituje pitanje uloge transportne infrastrukture u gospodarstvu na temelju dva empirijska ekonometrijska modela. U prvom modelu se procjenjuju učinci cestovne i željezničke infrastrukture na gospodarski rast, kontrolirajući pritom rast stanovništva, ulaganja u infrastrukturu i otvorenost trgovine. Drugi se model koristi za provjeru robusnosti prvog modela i temelji se na agregatnoj proizvodnoj funkciji koju je koristio Aschauer (1989.) u svom radu. Analiza se temelji na regresiji panel podataka s procjeniteljem fiksnih učinaka (FE). Rezultati prvog modela pokazuju značajnu i pozitivnu vezu između cestovne transportne infrastrukture i gospodarskog rasta, ali i značajnu negativnu vezu između željezničke infrastrukture i ekonomskog rasta. Rezultati procjene agregatne proizvodne funkcije ukazuju na to kako od svih promatranih vrsta transportne infrastrukture, jedino cestovna intrastruktura ima značajne pozitivne učinke na ekonomski rast, dok rezultati za ostale vrste infrastrukture nisu statistički značajni. Premda cjelokupni rezultati pokazuju nesignificantne rezultate, treba ih promatrati u širem kontekstu, jer je transportna infrastruktura javno dobro i ulaganje u nju potrebno je kako bi se ostvarila teritorijalna, ekonomska i socijalna kohezija zemalja CEMS. U drugom istraživačkom radu se analizira učinak logističkih performansi na bilateralnu trgovinu zemalja EU15 i CEMS. Analiza se temelji na strukturnom gravitacijskom modelu koji se procjenjuje s Procjeniteljem pseudo maksimalne vjerodostojnosti (PPML). Rezultati procjene pokazuju da postoji značajna veza između logističkih performansi bilateralne trgovine EU15 i CEMS zemalja, međutim različiti elementi logističkih performansi imaju različite učinke ovisno o grupama proizvoda kojima se trguje. U trećem istraživačkom radu su uključeni i drugi elementi logističkih performansi, kao što je tvrda i meka infrastruktura, koja može imati učinke na međunarodnu trgovinu. Cilj trećeg rada jest procijeniti utjecaj tvrde i meke infrastrukture na tradicionalnu trgovinu i trgovinu kroz opskrbni lanac. Kako bi se konstruirale varijable olakšavanja trgovine, odnosno tvrde i meke infrastrukture, u prvom koraku analize se koristi faktorska analiza. U drugom koraku se koristi strukturni gravitacijski model kako s PPML procjeniteljem kako bi se procijenili učinci tvrde i meke infrastrukture na trgovinu. PPML procjenitelj se koristi kako bi se riješio problem heteroskedastičnosti i nula vrijednosti trgovine. Rezultati analize sugeriraju kako su različiti elementi olakšavanja trgovine, odnosno tvrda i meka infrastruktura značajni i da imaju različite stupnjeve relevantnosti za tradicionalnu trgovinu i trgovinu u lancu opskrbe. Rezultati disertacije doprinose postojećem znanju u području istraživanja iz teorijske i aplikativne perspektive i nude preporuke za moguća poboljšanja u područjima prometa, logistike, olakšavanja trgovine i gospodarskog rasta.

U radu se istražuje kako makroekonomski preduvjeti i uvjeti članstva u Ekonomskoj i monetarnoj uniji utječu na priljev izravnih stranih ulaganja iz industrijski razvijenih zemalja u njezine nove članice. Rad je podijeljen na nekoliko velikih cjelina u kojima se ponajprije analiziraju teorijske značajke izravnih stranih ulaganja, monetarne integracije općenito te konkretno na primjeru Ekonomske i monetarne unije. Uz navedeno, provedena je teorijska analiza koja obuhvaća kratak osvrt na determinante izravnih stranih ulaganja te analizu niza znanstveno-istraživačkih radova koji razmatraju determinante FDI-jeva, bliske makromonetarnim indikatorima i članstvima u monetarnim unijama. Na temelju niza istraživanja odabrani su gravitacijski model kao najprikladniji za analizu izravnih stranih ulaganja te panel regresijska metoda za empirijsko testiranje. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od jedanaest novih članica (Bugarska, Češka, Estonija, Hrvatska, Latvija, Litva, Mađarska, Poljska, Slovačka i Slovenija) koje se Uniji priključuju u drugom valu. Istraživanje obuhvaća razdoblje od 2005. do 2018. godine. Prema panel gravitacijskom pristupu zemlje iz navedenog uzorka spaja se u parove s industrijski razvijenim zemljama iz kojih su dostupni podatci odljeva investicija. U skupinu ekonomija iz kojih se bilježi investiranje prema novim članicama Unije pripadaju Australija, Austrija, Belgija, Danska, Finska, Francuska, Njemačka, Irska, Island, Italija, Japan, Kanada, Južna Koreja, Nizozemska, Norveška, Španjolska, Švedska, Švicarska, Turska, Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo i SAD. Upravo ovakav pristup uvjetuje panelarni pristup prilikom regresijske analize, a odljevi izravnih inozemnih investicija iz industrijski razvijenih zemalja u nove članice Unije predstavljaju zavisnu varijablu. Empirijsko istraživanje provodi se na navedenu uzorku i razdoblju procjenjujući utjecaje makroekonomskih varijabli na priljev stranih ulaganja u nove članice Unije, a to su: BDP, otvorenost gospodarstva, realni devizni tečaj, volatilnost tečaja, inflacija, kamatne stope središnje banke i dugoročne kamatne stope, indeks financijskog razvoja, indeks statutarnih ograničenja za strana ulaganja, statutarne porezne stope na dobit i dvije kvalitativne varijable kojima je definirano članstvo u EU-u i EMU-u. Empirijska analiza pokazala je statistički značajne i pozitivne veze između veličine gospodarstva, rasta deviznog tečaja i dugoročnih kamatnih stopa te djelomično s razvojem financijskog sustava te članstvom u Europskoj uniji i Ekonomskoj i monetarnoj uniji. S druge su strane statistički značajne i negativne korelacije pronađene između volatilnosti tečaja, inflacije i priljeva izravnih stranih ulaganja u nove članice EU-a i EMU-a. Empirijskim istraživanjem nije utvrđena statistički značajna veza između priljeva izravnih stranih ulaganja u nove članice Unije i otvorenosti gospodarstva, statutarnih poreznih stopa i statutarnih ograničenja za strana ulaganja. Na temelju izvršene analize ustanovljeno je da članstvo u eurozoni i EU-u pozitivno djeluje na priljev stranih ulaganja izravno, ali i neizravno kroz niz makroekonomskih indikatora svojstvenih monetarnoj integraciji i politici poput umjereno restriktivne monetarne politike, tj. kroz rast dugoročnih kamatnih stopa, smanjenje inflacije te razvoj financijskog sustava. No, potrebno je dodati da su učinci monetarne integracije, iako pozitivni na priljev stranoga kapitala, ograničeni i trebaju biti popraćeni ostalim gospodarskim politikama., The dissertation examines how the macroeconomic conditions and criteria of membership in the Economic and Monetary Union affect the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from industrialized countries to New Member States of the European Union (NMS). The dissertation is divided into several large sections, which primarily analyse the theoretical features of FDI, monetary integration in general and specifically the context of the European Economic and Monetary Union. In addition, the theoretical analysis includes a brief overview of the FDI determinants and the analysis of a number of scientific research papers that consider FDI determinants, primarily those closely related to macro-monetary indicators and memberships in monetary unions. Based on a series of studies, the gravity model was selected as the most suitable for the analysis of FDI and the panel-regression method for empirical testing. The research was carried out on a sample of 11 NMS (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) joining the Union in the last two decades. The research covers the period from 2005 to 2018. According to the panel gravity approach, the countries in this sample are paired with industrialized countries, from which investment outflow data is available. The following countries belong to the group of economies from which investments are recorded toward the NMS: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and USA. It is this approach that requires a panel regression analysis, while the FDI outflows from industrialized countries to NMS is the dependent variable. The empirical research is carried out with the defined sample and time period, assessing the impact of macroeconomic variables on the inflow of foreign investment in NMS, specifically these variables are: GDP, economic openness, real exchange rate, exchange rate volatility, inflation, central bank interest rates and long-term interest rates, the index of financial development, the index of statutory restrictions on foreign investment, the statutory income tax rates and the two qualitative variables that define EU and EMU membership. The empirical analysis showed statistically significant and positive links between the size of the economy, exchange rate growth and long-term interest rates, and partly with the development of the financial system and membership in the European Union and Economic and Monetary Union. On the other hand, statistically significant and negative correlations were found between exchange rate volatility, inflation and FDI inflows into new EU and EMU Member States. The research has not found a statistically significant relationship between the inflow of FDI in the NMS and the openness of the economy, statutory tax rates and statutory restrictions on foreign investment. Based on the analysis, we can argue that membership in the Euro-area and the EU has positive effects on foreign investment inflows directly, but also indirectly through a number of macroeconomic indicators inherent to monetary integrations and policies such as moderately restrictive monetary policies, i.e., rising long-term interest rates, reducing inflation pressures and the development of the financial system. However, it should be added that the effects of monetary integration, although positive on foreign capital inflows, are limited and should be accompanied by other economic policies.

Osnova ovoga rada je odrediti odnos između međunarodne trgovine i direktnih inozemnih investicija to jest je li njihov odnos komplementaran ili supstituivan. Kako bi mogli odrediti odnos tih dvaju izuzetno bitnih činitelja za međunarodnu ekonomiju, prikazani su osnovni elementi međunarodne trgovine i direktnih inozemnih investicija. Prikaz osnovnih podataka o međunarodnoj trgovini posebno je referiran na Heckscher Ohlinovoj teoriji te na njegovim teoremima, faktorskoj raspoloživosti, faktorskoj intenzivnosti te samim pretpostavkama od kojih njegova teorija polazi. Direktne inozemne investicije prikazane su s aspekta koristi i troškova primatelja i ponuđivača direktnih inozemnih investicija te s aspekta koristi i štete države od istih. Naposljetku, detaljno je promotrena međunarodna trgovina Njemačke i Hrvatske te kretanje direktnih inozemnih investicija na primjeru istih uz zaključak o odnosu njihove međunarodne trgovine i direktnih inozemnih investicija.

S obzirom na recentna kretanja javni dug je postao tema koja sve više dobiva na značaju te je postao predmetom rasprave ne samo stručne, nego i šire javnosti. Financijske krize koje su u posljednja dva desetljeća uzrokovale velike globalne neravnoteže, velika financijska kriza i COVID-19 kriza, u velikoj su mjeri utjecale na smjer vođenja ekonomskih i monetarnih politika i ukazale na problematiku održivosti javnog duga. Javni dug u mnogim zemljama Europske unije, razvijenim i onim na periferiji, već dugi niz godina predstavlja značajno financijsko opterećenje. Kontinuirano velike potrebe za zaduživanjem višestruko su se povećale s proglašenjem pandemije, što je odvuklo zemlje članice europodručja daleko od kritičnih granica kriterija iz Maastrichta. Izuzev sistemskog poremećaja kakav se dogodio u 2020., akumulacija prekomjernih javnih dugova u Europi nije novina i seže daleko u prošlost. Stoga sve prominentnije pitanje koje se nameće je pitanje održivosti javnog duga. Rad obuhvaća teorijsku pozadinu koja je nadopunjena empirijskim modelom procjene utjecaja uvođenja eura na održivost javnog duga. U prvom dijelu rada pruža se teorijska podloga ekonomske politike Europske unije i problematike javnog duga što obuhvaća europsku proračunsku regulativu, monetarno-fiskalnu interakciju, položaj Hrvatske u okviru europskog semestra, kriterije nominalne konvergencije, ERM II, europsku i monetarnu uniju te kratka analiza troškova i koristi od uvođenja eura. Drugi dio rada odnosi se na analizu utjecaja uvođenja eura korištenjem modela multivarijatne interpolacije, u kojoj je na osnovi opažanja kretanja makroekonomskih pokazatelja u zemljama koje su uvele euro kao službenu valutu procijenjeno predviđeno kretanje javnog duga (zavisne varijable) u Hrvatskoj.

This research monograph consists of 17 papers under the framework of contemporary economic and business issues which we can structure into several main research fields. These fields relate to the regulation of economic and business activities, especially in the context of digitalization processes, fiscal and monetary issues, dealing with the impact of digitalization and COVID19 pandemics on traditional academic and business debates, as well as on innovation processes in both government and the corporate sector. We can borrow the phrase from one of our papers and confirm that the papers presented show that the innovative market and digital society, as the new global development and technology paradigm of the modern world, together with its capabilities and standards, has changed the character of entrepreneurship and the state/government in terms of their new interactions. Thus, the contributions from the research monograph are made more urgent by the main objective of introspection of the traditional economic and business sectors and activities under the prism of digital transformation. The researchers were particularly interested in the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the economic and business sectors. Although the conference was held in the midst of the pandemics, researchers were able to present valuable studies showing the extent of the threat posed by COVID 19 to the public health and economic outcomes of EU citizens. Significant pressure was placed on member state spending, particularly in countries with lower fiscal capacity, resulting in a severe temporary deterioration in the fiscal deficit and public debt. It is also noted that the crisis COVID -19 will have an uneven impact on member states and could deepen their divergence. Therefore, new and creative fiscal policies to support investment in digital transformation, green transition and innovation are of utmost importance. This monograph provides some guidance.

Considering their geographical, climatic, transport, and socioeconomic specifics, moun tain areas are of particular interest for the European regional and cohesion policy. The regional policy of the Republic of Croatia also recognizes the sensitivity and specificity of these areas and seeks to foster their development and reduce development lags through special mechanisms. The aim of this paper was to investigate long-term demographic and economic characteristics of mountain areas in Croatia and, based on the results of the analysis, to assess the effects of the regional policy, i.e. the current system of fostering the development of mountain areas, both in terms of regional development goals and aspects of reducing development divergences in Croatia. The analysis of characteristics of mountain areas is based on long-term trends of relevant demographic and economic indicators for the period from 2001 to 2017. The key findings indicate extremely negative demographic and economic trends, as well as a continuous lag in relation to other regional areas of Croatia. Thus, the authors propose the implementation of an integrated management system for the next development perspective, in accordance with modern changes in the regional and local paradigm. The key instruments of all aspects of such a system should focus on the development of innovation, human resource development, as well as creative forms of entrepreneurs’ networking. In this process, it is important to balance the system of incentives by respecting the criteria of productivity, sustainability, and equity.

COVID-19 was declared as a world health emergency in January 2020. Since then it has affected all aspects of our lives. Countries closed their borders, put their population in self-quarantine and closed businesses and schools. As of March 31, the infection sickened more than 770, 000 people all around the world with thousands of fatalities. There is a little consensus how long will the infection last and what the number of infeced will be. Therefore, it is essential to implement suitable methods for COVID-19 spread prediction which is the goal of this paper. An open source machine learning software Weka and its algorithms (Linear regression, Gaussian Processes, SMOreg and neural network Multilayer Perceptron) have been used to predict the number of cases and fatalities of COVID-19 disease for 10 days in the future. The accuracy of the forecasts is measured using MAPE and RMSE error metrics. The results of the analysis have shown that Weka and its algorithms can be successfully used for prediction of COVID-19 spread in the world. The results of the analysis indicated that the Gaussian processes and Multilayer perceptron neural network are the most precise algorithms for the prediction of new and total cases of COVID-19 disease on a global scale and on an individual country level. The values of MAPE criterion for 12 selected countries, in majority of cases, have shown a highly accurate or good forecasting ability. The results obtained from this analysis can be important for global community and especially for economic and health policy makers in order to guide COVID-19 surveillance and implement public health policy measures.

In this paper, we analyze the relationship between the maturity of the process-based organizational structures and financial performance of the companies, belonging to the Croatian corporate sector. Firstly, we review the previous empirical studies, related to the financial effects of business process orientation, as well as financial effects of other advanced managerial concepts and their implementation in the Croatian corporate sector. Based on the previous research results, we hypothesize that the benefits of process- based organizational structure maturity are not visible in the immediate financial performance in the analyzed Croatian companies. Methodological and practical explanations of this phenomenon are offered, including the analysis of the previous empirical studies.

This research monograph consists of 17 papers under the framework of contemporary economic and business issues which we can structure into several main research fields. These fields relate to the regulation of economic and business activities, especially in the context of digitalization processes, fiscal and monetary issues, dealing with the impact of digitalization and COVID19 pandemics on traditional academic and business debates, as well as on innovation processes in both government and the corporate sector. We can borrow the phrase from one of our papers and confirm that the papers presented show that the innovative market and digital society, as the new global development and technology paradigm of the modern world, together with its capabilities and standards, has changed the character of entrepreneurship and the state/government in terms of their new interactions. Thus, the contributions from the research monograph are made more urgent by the main objective of introspection of the traditional economic and business sectors and activities under the prism of digital transformation. The researchers were particularly interested in the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the economic and business sectors. Although the conference was held in the midst of the pandemics, researchers were able to present valuable studies showing the extent of the threat posed by COVID 19 to the public health and economic outcomes of EU citizens. Significant pressure was placed on member state spending, particularly in countries with lower fiscal capacity, resulting in a severe temporary deterioration in the fiscal deficit and public debt. It is also noted that the crisis COVID -19 will have an uneven impact on member states and could deepen their divergence. Therefore, new and creative fiscal policies to support investment in digital transformation, green transition and innovation are of utmost importance. This monograph provides some guidance.

Način funkcioniranja i prilagodba nacionalnog sustava upravljanja i provedbe instrumenata kohezijske (u nastavku: regionalne) politike Europske unije (u nastavku: EU) te, posljedično, učinkovitost toga sustava, ima presudan utjecaj na dinamiku i svrsishodnost povlačenja sredstava fondova regionalne politike EU. Uzimajući u obzir aktualnost te teme uslijed završetka proračunskog razdoblja EU, 2014. - 2020. i perspektivu novog proračunskog razdoblja EU (2021. - 2027.), doktorska disertacija izdiže se iznad vremenskih ograničenja proračunskih razdoblja jer analizira problematiku korištenja sredstava regionalne politike EU u kontekstu znanstvenog doprinosa predlaganju modela institucionalnog okruženja sustava upravljanja instrumentima (fondovima) regionalne politike EU u Hrvatskoj. U tom kontekstu, jedan od najvećih problema i izazova je činjenica da je Hrvatska zadnja država koja je postala članica EU te istovremeno i jedina koja koristi fondove regionalne politike EU samo jednu proračunsku perspektivu. Stoga je i dodatni izazov prikupiti dostatne empirijske i ekonometrijske spoznaje o funkcioniranju sustava upravljanja fondovima regionalne politike u odabranim državama EU, a da bi zaključci bili primjenjivi na Hrvatsku. Posebna pozornost posvećena je prikazu sustava upravljanja fondovima regionalne politike EU u državama sličnih usporednih karakteristika kao i Hrvatska, putem empirijskih spoznaja i zakonitosti, suvremenih pristupa i teorija koje pridonose rješavanju aktualnih, kompleksnih, teorijskih i praktičnih problema, a koji do sada nisu dovoljno istraženi niti prisutni u nacionalnom istraživačkom području. Rezultati organizacijske analize te analize učinkovitosti sustava upravljanja fondovima EU u odabranim državama u fokusu je istraživanja provedenog u okviru ove doktorske disertacije. Znanstveno istraživanje temelj je za davanje smjernica pri definiranju optimalnog modela sustava upravljanja fondovima regionalne politike EU u Hrvatskoj koji, do trenutka izrade doktorske disertacije, zbog svoje nedovoljne učinkovitosti, kompleksnosti sustava donošenja odluka i svojevrsne „isprepletenosti“ institucija u procesu pripreme i implementacije, negativno utječe na maksimiziranje iskorištavanja sredstava fondova regionalne politike EU. Kako bi se iz postojećih sustava upravljanja odabranih država EU empirijski mogli utvrditi ključni institucionalni čimbenici apsorpcije fondova EU, uzimaju se u obzir postojeći sustavi upravljanja. Znanstvenim istraživanjem i komparativnom analizom sustava upravljanja fondovima regionalne politike EU u devet država središnje i istočne Europe te iskustvima funkcioniranja hrvatskog sustava, nastoji se formulirati optimalni okvir nacionalnog sustava upravljanja fondovima regionalne politike EU koji bi mogao omogućiti donošenje kvalitetnijih strateških odluka izvršnoj vlasti kako bi se isti, u što je moguće većoj mjeri, odrazio na gospodarski rast putem učinkovitosti korištenja sredstava fondova regionalne politike EU. Rezultati provedene ekonometrijske analize doprinose zaključcima koji potvrđuju da su primljene bespovratne pomoći EU dovele do povećanja gospodarskog razvoja država EU. Međutim, sama alokacija sredstava pomoći nije nužno dovela do povećanja kvalitete institucionalnog okvira te konkurentnosti analiziranih zemalja. Stoga se potvrđuje važnost uspostavljanja institucionalnog okvira upravljanja fondovima EU koji, ne samo da će dovesti do povećanja apsorpcije fondova EU, nego će unaprijediti opću djelotvornost javnog sektora te konkurentnost države. Stoga je, temeljem sustavnog i sveobuhvatnog znanstvenog istraživanja u ovoj doktorskoj disertaciji, predložen i argumentiran model institucionalnog sustava za upravljanje i provedbu instrumenata (fondova) regionalne politike EU u Hrvatskoj, a primjenjiv je u kratkom i dugom roku., The national system of management and implementation of the European Union (hereinafter: EU) cohesion (hereinafter: regional) policy, its manner of functioning, its adjustment and, consequently, the effectiveness of this system, has a decisive influence on the dynamics and expediency of drawing from EU regional policy funds. Considering the relevance of this topic due to the end of the European budgetary period 2014-2020, and the perspective of the new budgetary period (2021-2027), this doctoral thesis rises above the time limits of budget periods because it analyses the use of EU regional policy funds in the context of scientific contribution to a draft model of the institutional framework for managing EU regional policy instruments (funds) in Croatia. In this context, one of the biggest problems and challenges is the fact that Croatia was the last to become an EU member country and at the same time the only one that uses EU regional policy funds for only one budgetary period. Therefore, it is an additional challenge to gather enough empirical and econometric knowledge about the functioning of the EU regional policy funds management system in selected EU countries, for the conclusions to apply to Croatia. Special attention was paid to the presentation of the EU regional policy funds management systems in countries with similar characteristics comparative to Croatia, through empirical knowledge and laws, modern approaches and theories that contribute to solving current, complex, theoretical and practical problems, which have not been sufficiently researched or present in the national research area. The results of the organizational and efficiency analyses of the EU funds management system in selected countries are the focus of the research conducted within this doctoral thesis. Scientific research served as the basis for providing guidelines for defining the optimal model of the EU regional policy funds management system in Croatia, which, by the time of this analysis, due to its low efficiency, the complexity of the decision-making system and a kind of "intertwining" of institutions in the process of preparation and implementation, has failed to maximize the utilization of EU regional policy funds. To be able to empirically determine the key institutional factors for the EU funds absorption from the existing management systems of selected EU countries, the existing management systems are considered. Through scientific research and comparative analysis of the EU regional funds management system in nine Central and Eastern European countries, along with the experiences of the Croatian system, this paper aims to determine an optimal framework for a national EU regional policy fund management system that would enable the executive power to adopt better strategic decisions. The abovementioned framework should, to the greatest extent possible, stimulate economic growth through the efficient use of EU regional policy funds. The results of the conducted econometric analysis contribute to the conclusions confirming that the received EU grants have led to an increase in the economic development of EU countries. However, the allocation of funds alone did not necessarily lead to an increase in the quality of the institutional environment and the competitiveness of the countries analysed. Furthermore, it is confirmed that an institutional framework for the management of EU funds should be established, which will not only increase the absorption of EU funds but will also improve the overall efficiency of the public sector and the competitiveness of the state. Therefore, this doctoral thesis, based on systematic and comprehensive scientific research, proposes and asserts a model of an institutional system for management and implementation of instruments (funds) of EU regional policy in Croatia that is applicable in the short and long term.

Cilj ovog rada je prikazati vanjskotrgovinsku politiku Kine. Na početku ovog rada se govori o strukturi i izvorima podataka. U radu se nadalje spominje osnovni gospodarski pokazatelj, zatim razvoj Republike Kine kroz povijest i razne čimbenike koji su utjecali na ta događanja. Dalje se zatim rade analize vanjske trgovine i carinskih ograničenja, a na kraju se spominje metodologija istraživanja te rezultati I istraživanja empirijskog istraživanja.

U ovom radu radu se analiziraju ekonomske implikacije članstva Velike Britanije u Europskoj Uniji. Uloga Velike Britanije u Europi obilježena je temeljnim napetostima od početka. Nakon Drugog svjetskog rata zemlja je radije izabrala zonu slobodne trgovine nego carinsku uniju, što je Velikoj Britaniji omogućilo fleksibilnost u rješavanju posebnih odnosa sa svojim bivšim kolonijama i SAD-om što je moglo funkcionirati bez uspostavljanja zajedničkih institucija. No kako je slabila ekonomska moć Velike Britanije, političari su odlučili zatražiti članstvo u Europskoj ekonomskoj zajednici (EEZ), kasnije Europskoj Uniji (EU). Rad uključuje ključna područja u kojima se sagleda utjecaj članstva na gospodarstvo Velike Britanije. Prikazani su podaci o trgovinskoj razmjeni Velike Britanije s EU i procjene broja poslova koji su povezani s tom trgovinom. Također su prikazani podaci o izravnim stranim ulaganjima, učinci imigracija na plaće, zapošljavanje te je prikazan doprinos Velike Britanije proračunu Europske Unije. Zaključuje se da je članstvo znatno povećalo razine prihoda u Velikoj Britaniji te pridonijelo više od zagovaranog pri zahtjevu za ulazak u EU u 1970-ima. Ti pozitivni učinci proizlaze iz uspjeha Europske Unije u povećanju trgovine i utjecaju jače konkurencije na produktivnost u Velikoj Britaniji. Ekonomske koristi od članstva u EU za Veliku Britaniju daleko su premašile troškove proračunskih transfera i regulacije. Brexit je rizičan i njegov će utjecaj uvelike ovisiti o dogovorenim izlaznim uvjetima.

Vanjskotrgovinska politika od velikog je značaja u gospodarstvu svake zemlje te se sa njom ostvaruje konkurentnost na svjetskom tržištu i važan je segment nacionalnog gospodarstva. Današnji položaj Kine u svjetskoj trgovini, podrazumijeva liberalizaciju vanjskotrgovinske politike te zbog toga predstavlja najvećeg svjetskog izvoznika roba i usluga. . Naime glavni cilj vanjskotrgovinske politike je ostvariti optimalnu razinu izvoza i uvoza, odnosno optimalnu razinu u vanjskoj trgovini sa drugim zemljama. U radu su definirani osnovni pojmovi kao što su vanjskotrgovinska politika, uvoz, izvoz, razvojni stadiji navedene politike, njezini elementi te strategije kojima se vanjskotrgovinska politika neke države koristi kako bi ostvarila veće blagostanje. Cilj teorijskog dijela završnog rada je upravo preciznije pojasniti nejasne pojmove te lakše razumijevanje aplikativnog dijela rada. Kako bi vanjskotrgovinska politika kao takva u potpunosti bila jasna, uzeta je Kina kao primjer države kojoj smo analizirali gospodarstvo, razvojne procese, BDP, devizni tečaj, subvencije, partnerske odnose s drugim državama i sl.

Osnovno načelo platne bilance je ravnoteža stoga se raznim načinima i metodama nastoje izjednačiti vrijednosti platne bilance. Razlikujemo automatski i diskrecijski mehanizam uravnoteženja. U ovom radu prikazan je utjecaj promjene deviznog tečaja brazilskog Reala na platnu bilancu Brazila te kako ta promjena utječe na kretanje pojedinih stavki vanjskotrgovinske bilance. U teorijskom dijelu rada prikazana je i opisana struktura bilance plaćanja njeno uravnoteženje te dvostruko knjiženje. U analitičkom dijelu rada prikazana je povezanost između određenih varijabli pomoću statističke metode regresijskog modela te je provedena provjera značajnosti metode analizom varijance (ANOVA test).

Primjena kriptovaluta i blockchain tehnologije na kojoj počivaju kriptovalute u međunarodnoj trgovini ima ogroman potencijal, koji se tek nedavno počeo istraživati i primjenjivati. Osim kao sredstvo plaćanja primjenom kriptovaluta, blockchain tehnologija se također koristi za razvoj i primjenu pametnih ugovora, nove generacije digitalnih ugovora koji imaju potencijal uštediti velike količine i novaca u usporedbi sa tradicionalnim ugovorima. Međunarodna trgovina je povezana na način na koji nikad nije bila povezana u ljudskoj povijesti; svijet je postao ˝globalno selo˝, većina proizvoda je dostupna u skoro svakom dijelu svijeta, a plaćanja se vrše digitalno bez gotovine. Međutim, sve transakcije su još uvijek centralizirane, odnosno pod kontrolom centralnog autoriteta. Transakcije provode banke, ili financijske institucije, naplaćuju svoje naknade, a procesi mogu trajati danima. Pojavom Bitcoina i ostalih kriptovaluta došlo je do decentralizacije na najvišim razinama. Ovaj rad će pokazati kako su kriptovalute i blockchain tehnologija našle svoje mjesto u međunarodnoj trgovini i međunarodnim transakcijama, ubrzavajući transakcije i štedeći resurse. Naravno da kao relativno nova tehnologija još nisu u širokoj implementaciji, međutim, potencijal koji posjeduju je ogroman.

Cilj istraživanja je ocjena koristi implementacije međunarodno priznatih sustava upravljanja kvalitetom u bolničkim zdravstvenim ustanovama u Republici Hrvatskoj. Kao kriterij uspostavljenog sustava kvalitete korišteno je uvođenje ISO sustava i/ili provedene akreditacije prema jednoj od međunarodno priznatih akreditacijskih kuća. Za potrebe istraživanja primjenjen je po prvi put u Republici Hrvatskoj Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) 2006 Short Form. Potvrđeno je da uvođenje ISO sustava snižava ukupni trošak poslovanja bolničke zdravstvene ustanove. Nije potvrđeno da ispitanici iz bolnica u kojima je proveden postupak implementacije međunarodnog sustava kvalitete imaju pozitivniji stav prema sigurnosti pacijenata, niti da rukovoditelji s edukacijom iz područja upravljanja u zdravstvu imaju značajno pozitivniji stav prema sustavu kvalitete i sigurnosti., The aim of this research is to validate the effects of implementation of international quality management systems in hospitals in the Republic of Croatia. The criterion of the established quality system was the implementation of the ISO system and/or accreditation by to some of the internationally recognized accreditation companies. For the purposes of research, the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) 2006 Short Form was applied for the first time in the Republic of Croatia. It has been confirmed that the implementation of the ISO system reduces the overall cost of the hospital. It has not been confirmed that the managers from hospitals in which the ISO has been implementated have a more positive attitude towards patient safety, nor that the managers who have completed some formal education in healthcare management have a significantly more positive attitude towards the quality and patient safety.

Tema ovog rada jest razmjena roba Republike Hrvatske sa Europskom unijom na primjeru šumarstva. U radu se naglašava važnost razmjene roba Republike Hrvatske sa posebnim osvrtom na šumarstvo. U trećem se dijelu ova problematika analizira na primjeru šumarstva, zatim se govori o šumarstvu u gospodarskom kontekstu i njegovoj važnosti za međunarodnu razmjenu koja je najprije odnosi na sve zemlje članice Europske unije, pa tako i na Hrvatsku.

The United Kingdom leaving the European Union, the so-called Brexit, made a huge impact on the British economy. This paper analyses the impact on the Pound, by looking at GBP/USD and GBP/EUR exchange rates. Both these exchange rates were in fact volatile post-Brexit, especially immediately after the referendum held on 23rd of June 2016. Since then however, the pound has become more stable. On the other hand, the cheap pound failed to boost UK exports as hoped. The trade deficit did narrow, but this was due to other variables and not lower exchange rates. Even though UK remained as one of the top countries for FDI in Europe in 2016, Brexit creates uncertainty for investors, by affecting the key factors which make the UK so attractive. As the process of Brexit develops in the next two years, the pound can be expected to fluctuate again. There are also many other factors which are putting pressure on the pound sterling right now.

Ovaj rad analizira povezanost između Svjetske trgovinske organizacije (WTO) i zaštite okoliša kroz slučaj SAD – Tuna Meksiko. Ponajprije se razmatra poveznica između slobodne trgovina i zaštite okoliša, a zatim na koji način WTO interpretira tu poveznicu. Analizirani slučaj bio je razmatran u okviru Sporazuma o tehničkim barijerama trgovini (TBT). Slučaj započinje s nezadovoljstvom američkih državljana činjenicom da prilikom ulova tune dolazi do sve veće smrtnosti dupina. SAD zbog toga donosi zakon o označavanju proizvoda tune sa „sigurno za dupine“ i uvodi embargo na tunu i proizvode tune iz Meksika i drugih zemalja. U narednim sporovima između SAD-a i Meksika, zaključeno je da je SAD prekršio odredbe TBT-a, te zbog neprilagođivanja oznake odluci WTO-a, pokreće se Arbitražni postupak u kojem je zaključeno da je mjerom uzrokovana smanjena količina tune na tržištu SAD- a, povećana cijena proizvoda tune, što je negativno utjecalo na američke proizvođače konzervirane žutoperajne tune koji su za preradu uvozili meksičku žutoperajnu tunu i potrošače, te meksičke proizvođače i ribare. Američka mjera djelovala je pozitivno na američke ribare, radi smanjene konkurencije. Ukidanjem američke mjere povećala bi se konkurentnost meksičkih proizvođača i povećao izbor konzervirane tune za potrošače. Zaključeno je da je zbog mjere Meksiko pretrpio značajne gubitke koje ima pravo tražiti od SAD-a kao mjeru odmazde.

This master thesis provides the analysis of the beginnings of logistics, the evolution coming to the current situation and some aspects of how it may change in the future. The thesis is showing the possible ways in which logistics intermediaries can make international business much easier for different companies and entities. At the beginning of the thesis introduced are the basic points that should be known about logistics development and modern perspective of it. After understanding what logistics actually means to the world of international business, intermediaries are introduced. Throughout the thesis these intermediaries are called “Logistics service providers”. In the following pages many types of logistics service providers are introduced. In literature there are always different classifications of types and forms of these intermediaries. But, they end up all being very similar just being different in terms. In this master thesis, the classification is made according to H.J. Schramm and K.N. Gourdin. They both mention similar aspects of this topic. H.J. Schramm talks about commercial, financial, transport and logistics middlemen and service providers. Regarding K.N. Gourdin, his classification includes international freight forwarders, non-vessel common operating carriers, export management companies, export trading companies, export packers and customs brokers. Section explaining international freight forwarder is left for the end, as they are one of the most known and most important intermediaries. Freight forwarders organize the movement of goods and provide other services related to logistics operations. They can either act as an intermediary, but also as an agent. Important to mention is also the evolution from freight forwarders what we call today 3PL’s, 4PL’s or even 5PL’s. The logistics service providers are very important because they create and implement a number of logistics solutions for the customers, starting from the offer of physical services to the point where they add the value to the goods.

U završnom rado obrađena je tema Sporazum o trgovini uslugama (eng. TiSA-Trade in Services Agreement). Kroz rad se objašnjava pojam i specifikacije usluga općenito, isto tako značaj usluga u međunarodnoj razmjeni. Rad se sastoji od teorijskog dijela koji je popraćen analizom kroz tablice i grafove koji dodatno objašnjavaju tematiku. Inicijalna tema rada je Sporazum o trgovini uslugama gdje se dolazi do zaključaka koje prednosti će donijeti pregovori koji se vode kako bi se poboljšala trgovina uslugama, a isto tako ističu se nedostatci koji otežavaju pregovore.

U ovom radu prikazana je komparativna analiza carinskog sustava Europske Unije i Sjedinjenih Američkih Država. Napravljena je usporedba TARIC-a (Zajednička carinska tarifa i integrirana carinska tarifa), koju koristi EU, i HTSA-a (Harmonizirani sustav tarifa) za SAD koji je baziran na internacionalnom Harmoniziranom sustavu. Analiza carinskih tarifa napravljena je na primjeru automobila koji spada u skupinu 8703 3110 (osobna ostala vozila s klipnim motorom s unutarnjim izgaranjem na paljenje pomoću kompresije (dizelskim ili poludizelskim); obujma cilindra ne većim od 1500 cm3; nova). Uviđa se razlika u carinskim stopama između EU i SAD tj. veće carinske stope su u EU nego u SAD-u što se tiče uvoza dobara u tu zemlju.

Svjetska ekonomska povijest se od početka 20. stoljeća više puta suočavala sa financijskim krizama manjih ili većih razmjera. Snažna i veoma brza globalizacija cjelokupnih svjetskih gospodarskih kretanja uzrokovala je učestalost i raširenost takvih incidenata, istovremeno generirajući učinak prenošenja krize, čime se u punoj mjeri razotkrila osjetljivost svjetskog financijskog sustava, stoga su u ovom radu obrađeni pojmovi financijske krize, skupina zemalja G10, njihovi tečajevi i odnosi kretanja tečajeva valuta zemalja članica G10 u odnosu na američki dolar u razdoblju od početka krize u prvom kvartalu 2007. godine u SAD-u, a zatim se krajem iste godine prenijela u Europu, na bankarski sektor i ostale segmente financijskog tržišta. Analiziraju se i događaji unutar tržišta SAD-a koji su prouzrokovali nastanak krize. Također je ukratko istaknuto i objašnjeno kako kretanja valutnih tečajeva i mjere suzbijanja krize utječu na vanjskotrgovinsku bilancu pojedinih navedenih zemalja članica G10 tokom promatranog razdoblja.

U ovom radu uvidjet ćemo kakva je vanjskotrgovinska politika Europske unije (EU), te kakav utjecaj ima na Hrvatsku koja je postala punopravna članica 1.srpnja 2013. godine. Članstvom u EU dio smo zajednice koja je jedan od najvećih uvoznika te izvoznika roba u svijetu. Trgovinskih granica unutar članica EU nema, jer su zemlje oslobođene carina, te bilokakvih trgovinskih ograničenja. Prihvaćajući, između ostalog trgovinsku i carinsku politiku EU, u Hrvatskoj su se dogodile znatne promjene ali i pružilo mnoštvo prilika za daljnji gospodarski razvoj. Naime, zbog jednakih uvjeta, te unificiranih zakona koji djeluju u EU, Hrvatskoj se pružila prilika da bude konkurentnija na tržištu.