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Background: Starting from the limitations of different single-method approaches to measuring the organizational efficiency, the paper is focused on covering both the financial and non-financial factors of this concept by combining two methods, namely the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA).

The non-parametric deterministic procedure of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure and compare relative efficiency of research and development (R/D) activities in nine South-European countries in the period 2007-2016 is applied in this paper. To that end, we made a corresponding DEA model with nine decision-making units, two inputs and two outputs, selected by correlation analysis. The obtained results, i.e., relative R/D efficiency, were subject to correlation analysis in the context of the achieved average gross domestic product growth rate of the observed decision-making units, which showed that there was no strong correlation between those two variables at the level of the observed national economies. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 41010]

Since they represent the cradle of social networks, the authors used the most recent research conducted mainly in the USA. The basic goals of this paper comprise: an overview of global trends relating to the media type-based advertising investments; listing the guidelines for developing a successful marketing campaign within the biggest social network - Facebook; considering the characteristics of Facebook advertising; underlining the importance of selecting the right social network when planning marketing campaigns and advertising, bearing in mind their specific traits (Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube), but also the preferences of different generations, and always starting from the very organization's goals. The forecasts relating to the advertising investment trends in the next three years, indicate that mobile internet advertising will be in the lead. Considering that social networks, Facebook in particular, rely on a vast number of users who mostly access them via mobile apps, their business development and marketing campaign potential is clear; thus, planning and implementing an organisation's presence and advertising strategy on social networks requires a lot of attention. Even though Facebook is still the most popular social network worldwide, Instagram has overtaken the throne among younger generations, and organisations increasingly use it to present their brands to the younger audience.

In order for a process to operate successfully, it is necessary to constantly measure and improve its performance. One way to analyze the current state of performances of a company and its improvement is benchmarking. In a market-oriented environment, an enterprise must meet the expectations of different interest groups, or key stakeholders. However, in order to achieve business excellence, it is necessary to fulfill the requirements prescribed by the relevant standards. In this paper, the focus will be on the requirements of the ISO 9004: 2009 standard. The aim of the paper is to highlight the significance of the benchmark technique in measuring the business performances of companies. By implementing it, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company in question. In this way, the process parameters that need to be improved are identified so that the company can improve its competitive position.

NFC technology is the short-range communication technology based on the exchange of data packages between two devices in close proximity. The big advantage of this technology is its application on various electronic devices, including mobile phones, resulting in a mobile module for data transmission. In practice, communication of two devices can be automated so data transfer is done automatically. Such performance creates great opportunities for the implementation of technology in various aspects of human life, from commercial activities to service relationships with various parts of public administration. This paper will analyze the contribution of NFC to electronic payment systems, including the way it takes the role of a new channel for payments initiation. Special attention will be devoted to the existing payment applications - digital wallets - that rely on NFC technology. In addition, the subjects of analysis are threats to the security of NFC communication and protection capabilities.

The primary aim of this paper is to examine the impact of the government size (government expenditure) on the overall economic activity in the Republic of Serbia. This is very important issue in context of formulation an appropriate fiscal policy. Toda-Yamamoto procedure and regression analysis were used as suitable methodological frame. Time span is Q1 2003-Q3 2014. Empirical results suggest negative slope of regression curve. Also, there is unidirectional causality, from economic growth to government expenditure. A larger share of government expenditure in the structure of aggregate demand does not have positive impact on economic growth in Serbia. Macroeconomic implications of the study suggest the need for improving quality of institutions, government efficiency and reduction the level of corruption activities in Serbia.

The subjects of this paper are ethics and professionalism, topics closely linked in contemporary theory, and especially in practice of public relations, whose significance is increasingly coming to the spotlight of experts from this area. Several definitions, classification, the historical development and principles of theories of ethics most frequently used in ethical decision-making within a business environment, have been presented in the first chapter in the endeavor to ascertain the concept of ethics. The next chapter concerns the duties a public relations expert must pay attention to while carrying out his or her activities. Those are: duty towards oneself, towards the organization, society and profession, within which, in the case of a conflict of interest, the duty towards society (so-called social responsibility), or professional duty, must prevail. The chapter that follows concerns ethical problems in the contemporary practice of public relations: the competence of practitioners, possible conflicts of interest and the very sensitive area of media relations. The chapter on models of ethical decision-making involves concrete experts' advice on decision making which are firmly based on ethical principles. Next section concerns professionalism and professional education in public relations. Recommendations concerning topics which should be included in the university education in this area are also presented. The focus is on the following: the absence of standards that would establish who can work in public relations and under which conditions; the lack of a specified educational minimum and expertise which a practitioner should possess; the need for practitioners to be the members of professional associations, as well as to adhere to a required ethical codex. Some of the most significant world public relations associations are mentioned and at the end, and a review of the state of public relations in Serbia is given.

In this paper, we propose adequate methodological approaches for Serbian as a heritage language based on the critical analysis of the existing Serbian Ministry of Education's Curriculum for Serbian as a foreign language. This curriculum is recommended for use in Serbian heritage language education; however, it has been shown to be insufficiently effective in the classroom. The methods in question should benefit heritage speakers the most, such as communication-based methods and form-focused instruction, which enhance metalinguistic awareness. Additionally, we suggest an integrative model of teaching as we believe that cross-cultural approaches positively impact both types of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper measures the efficiency of the national economy of Republic of Serbia, in the period 2007-2017 year, marked by the global financial crisis and natural disasters that caused catastrophic consequences. First, the DEA method was applied, and then expert assessments were integrated into the model using the AHP method, thus overcoming the problem of irrelevance of individual variables. The results showed that the introduction of additional restrictions, based on expert judgments, for the weighting coefficients of the input variables affected the reduction of technical efficiency in the observed period compared to the baseline model, but that in both cases in 2007 the national economy was technically efficient. Robustness analysis of the obtained efficiency values was performed using bootstrap DEA, thus confirming the consistency of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Several images of art installations are presented including those by artists Ana Krstić and Robert Morris.

Copyright of Singidunum Journal of Applied Sciences is the property of Singidunum University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)