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With the rise in mobile device use, m-commerce is becoming the preferred method for electronic transactions. Consequently, models explaining consumer behavior in technology adoption are evolving. Among these, the UTAUT model stands out as one of the most frequently used. The aim of this paper is to determine whether variables such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and trust influence consumers' intention to use mobile commerce services. Additionally, the paper examines whether personal innovativeness significantly moderates the relationship between these variables and the intention to use mobile commerce. The study employs descriptive statistical analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and moderation regression analysis. The results show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and trust are drivers of the intention to use mobile commerce. Furthermore, the findings indicate that personal innovativeness significantly moderates the relationship between trust and the intention to use mobile commerce in the future. The research results may be useful for m-commerce service providers in terms of improving system security, promoting the utility value of these services. The originality of this paper lies in testing the moderating role of personal innovativeness in the relationship between the mentioned variables and the intention to use m-commerce.

Electronic word-of-mouth recommendation system (eWOM) has been present since the emergence of the Internet, and it was preceded by the long-term use of the traditional recommendation system (WOM). Interaction between consumers can result in a positive and/or negative impact on their further behaviour on the market. Tourism industry attaches particular importance to the analysis of decision-making, given that the intangible nature of services makes the entire process difficult for tourists. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to examine the impact of online recommendations on the behaviour of tourist consumers in the decision-making process during the period of the COVID-19 virus pandemic. The subject of the paper is the electronic word-of-mouth recommendation system, with a special focus on tourism. During the pandemic, the consumers' lifestyle was altered enormously, while tourism was affected by restrictions and difficult business operations. Empirical research, conducted on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, included a sample of 268 respondents with different socio-demographic characteristics. The analysis of the obtained data was performed using the statistical software platform IBM SPSS Statistics and the Pearson's Correlation test, after which hypotheses 1, 2, 3 and 4 were accepted.

Background: The new circumstances of life due to the proclamation of the COVID 19 virus pandemic have caused numerous changes both in general people's lives and in consumption. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to identify changes in the degree of consumer ethnocentrism when choosing products during the COVID 19 virus pandemic, compared to the period before its occurrence. In addition, differences in consumer preferences for certain domestic products and services before and during the pandemic were analyzed. The paper also deals with differences in ethnocentric tendencies during the pandemic between different socio-demographic consumer segments. Study design/methodology/approach: The primary data were collected from 176 respondents by using the survey method. A paired samples t test is used for hypotheses testing. Independent samples t test and Anova, post hoc Scheffe test, were conducted for analysing differences in ethnocentric tendencies between observed consumer segments during the pandemic. Findings/conclusions: Higher level of consumer ethnocentrism is confirmed in period during the pandemic, especially when it comes to choice of domestic medical products. On the other hand, lower level of consumer ethnocentrism is observed for fashion products and insurance during the pandemic. Older consumers and pensioners exhibit stronger ethnocentric tendencies during the pandemic. Limitations/future research: The main limitation of the paper relates to the use of only a few of the 17 statements within the CET scale for measuring ethnocentric tendencies before and during the pandemic. Also, the research did not cover all categories of domestic products and services. According to the limitations, future studies are recommended to fully apply the CET scale for measuring consumer ethnocentrism. Also, the recommendation is to observe higher number of categories of products and services, and to break down the categories into several subcategories. Finally, future studies can also include some of the determinants of consumer ethnocentrism in the research model.

In this paper, the author precisely defines and analyzes the essence of the term intelligence, especially the derived term "economic/business intelligence", which seems to be of paramount significance today, given the dominance of geoeconomics over geopolitics. To acquire knowledge means to get informed about a certain subject of interest. By acquiring knowledge, the possibility of further development and progress is created, which implies movement towards a predetermined goal, in any area of life and work of an individual, triggering certain actions and activities of the organization to which a person belongs. This refers equally to the whole nation, state, various social organizations, as well as different structures and forms of organization. Noticing the regularity that the overall strength of a state is primarily determined by the degree of economic development of society, knowing the circumstances that contribute or may contribute to a country's economic development is the basis and starting point on which to build influence, place and role of people, state and society in time and space. In modern times, to be informed means to be prepared for an adequate response to all challenges, risks and threats that arise on the path of development. It also means being in the position to create influential and important events. The positioning achieved in this way is a factor of stability of the society, which additionally enables the unhindered development of the entire community. Recognizing the importance of the term intelligence, there is a need to get to know and understand the socio-economic impact of intelligence on the development and security of the state. That is the subject of this research paper, which aims to provide an answer to the following question: What is the significance, place and role of intelligence in modern economic and security circumstances?

The COVID-19 pandemic has entirely changed the patterns of behavior in the market. Physical distance, quarantine measures, safety and security protocols, and shortages along the entire supply chain, have particularly affected the placement of food products. In this regard, the paper aims to define the impact of various indicators on the placement of food products during the COVID-19 pandemic. An empirical study was conducted on a sample of 248 final consumers. The survey was conducted during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the territory of the Republic of Serbia (February - April 2021). An online questionnaire was created and forwarded to consumers to e-mail addresses from the collected databases of trade companies covering the domestic market. The analysis was performed specifically for four groups of essential food products in a pandemic: meat and meat products, fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy products, cereals, and cereal products. The method of structural modeling (SEM) or path analysis was applied to test the first group of research hypotheses on the impact of indicators on the placement of food products. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the correlation between subcategories of food products. The results showed a statistically significant impact of indicators such as safety and security standards, hygiene, product freshness, nutritional composition, and product quality. The impact of these indicators differs significantly depending on the analyzed product group. The obtained results indicate to the supply chain management which negative impacts need to be minimized to ensure timely placement of food products and more efficiently meet the needs of final consumers in a pandemic. Guidelines for future research are listed in the paper.

One of the most prominent words today definitely is digital. It is all around us. From products that are digital to a highest possible degree, to the digital management practices in operating different businesses, down to discussions on benefits and shortcomings of the digital society. At the same time, the world is becoming increasingly global, which is boosting digitization to a large extent. Related to different aspects of globalization, the paper is focused on researching possibilities that digitization is bringing within itself, which can be productive in a process of making (and empowering) global brands. Sharply increasing the amount of information that is available to global consumers today through digital touchpoints (Facebook, Twitter, or product-evaluation platforms), gives great opportunities for products/services to become globally branded. At the same time, for globally oriented companies it poses a threat of a free interpretation of intended information value about their brands.

The concept of slow tourism is gaining attention in terms of emphasized need for slowing down the pace of life. This concept is tied to sustainable tourism and linked to social movements such as: 'Slow Food' (authentic, local food), 'Slow Cities' (environmentally responsible and peaceful environment) and 'Slow Transportation' (local buses and trains). This study provides insights into the phenomenon of slow tourism from the perspective of a goal-directed consumption process. The research was based on a model consisting of six slow tourism motivations (relaxation, self-reflection, escape, novelty-seeking, engagement, and discovery), two goals of slow tourism (revitalization and self-enrichment), and travel outcomes (satisfaction, future return intention, and recommendations). The sample included 320 respondents from the territory of the Republic of Serbia who had visited some of the destinations in Vojvodina labeled as 'slow place' in the past two years.

The goal of the research is to determine a statistically significant difference in the tendency to appeal in relation to socio-demographic characteristics of the users of tourist services. The study has been conducted on a group sample of 116 respondents from Serbia and 106 respondents from Croatia. The empirical part of the research was carried out by a survey technique. The results of the conducted empirical research confirmed the findings and claims of foreign authors on the impact of tourist service users' age, monthly income and the number of family members, on their inclination to complain. The main findings of this research indicate that maintaining a long-term loyalty relationships with existing users is becoming increasingly difficult. The paper seeks to contribute to the existing literature by indicating the importance of knowing the effects of influence factors upon a tendency to file a complaint. The obtained results help employees in the first service line to identify aspects of influence on the users' reaction to service failure and thus give a starting point for creating measures for effective resolution of user dissatisfaction. Future researchers are advised to collect additional information on the factors influencing the user's complaint behaviour.

Copyright of Marketing (0354-3471) is the property of SEMA - Srpsko udruzenje za Marketing i Ekonomski fakultet Beograd 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.)

This paper aims to analyze and define incentives for the implementation of modern technology and digitalization of the Food Supply Chain (FSC) in the function of sustainability of the food retail sector of the Western Balkans (WB) region. The survey method was applied to a sample of 255 employees. We tested the importance of certain indicators for the implementation of the digitalization process, such as the application of Blockchain Technology (BT), the use of modern IT solutions for traceability, the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT), the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), development of a system for electronic food placement, implementation of standards, measures, and procedures for regulating the digitalization process, continuous training of employees and economic and financial measures and incentives. A special segment of research deals with the impact of the implemented digitalization process on the sustainability of food placement. The research was conducted among employees of SMEs, large-scale business entities, and retail chains. The research results showed significant deviations from the mentioned incentives to the digitalization process depending on the size of the FSC participants. The work has practical implications because the obtained results show the FSC management, trade policy makers, and competent institutions (ministries, chambers of commerce, professional associations) what measures to apply in order to improve a more efficient implementation of the digitalization process of food placement and lay the foundation for the sustainability of the FSC. Guidelines for future research are outlined in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of contemporary marketing concepts and methods imposes itself on companies in terms of their survival, growth and development. The current market environment is characterized by pronounced dynamism of changes, which can be primarily observed through technological progress and altered consumer behaviour. Consumers are nowadays highly sceptic towards all forms of companies' marketing messages, and therefore increasingly turn to other, so-called non-commercial information sources, above all friends and family, with whom they have highly intensive interpersonal communication, which decisively impacts their attitudes towards companies, brands, products and services. On the other hand, the development of new technologies, primarily information and communication technologies, has facilitated consumers' mutual contacts and exchange of consumer experiences about all aspects of their lives, most of all, products and services that they have purchased and used. For these reasons, companies are faced with serious problems of effectives and efficiency of their marketing activities, primarily promotional ones. The central point to which companies' marketing efforts are directed, making purchase decision that determines business success and survival on the market, is decreasingly under the control of companies, and increasingly under the influence of other consumers and their impressions, comments, and recommendations through interpersonal word-of-mouth communication. The aim of this paper is to present the phenomenon of electronic interpersonal consumer communication, its causes and effects on consumer behaviour on the market of the Republic of Serbia, and thus point to further avenues of its research, as well as possible practical solutions of the problem of efficiency and effectiveness of companies' marketing activities.

Modern marketing theory advocates the claim that marketing revolves, no longer predominantly around advertising, direct marketing and promotion in general; rather than that, it increasingly revolves around word-of-mouth communication generated by the consumers themselves. Most conducted marketing research places a direct focus on business-to-business interactions, and business-to-consumer interactions to explain the structure and dynamics of the market. On the other hand, negligible effort has been invested in researching consumer-to-consumer interactions, and the impact of these interactions on their behaviour and purchase decision making. The current business reality and marketing environment emphasize the interaction between the individual consumer as a fundamental mechanism that dominantly creates the form and structure of the market and thus actually determines a company's business performance. This article aims to present the phenomenon of word-of-mouth communication through the proposed theoretical models so that these models can be used in a more operational manner, the marketing theory in its further research, and marketing practices in their efforts to achieve business success in the highly competitive and turbulent market.

The issue of service quality is one of the essential areas of marketing theory and practice, as high quality can lead to customer satisfaction and loyalty, i.e. successful business results. It is vital for any company, especially in services sector, to understand and grasp the consumers' expectations and perceptions pertaining to the broad range of factors affecting consumers' evaluation of services, their satisfaction and loyalty. Hospitality is a service sector where the significance of these elements grows exponentially. The aim of this study is to identify the significance of individual quality components in hospitality industry. The questionnaire used for gathering data comprised 19 tangible and 14 intangible attributes of service quality, which the respondents rated on a five-degree scale. The analysis also identified the factorial structure of the tangible and intangible elements of hotel service. The paper aims to contribute to the existing literature by pointing to the significance of tangible and intangible components of service quality. A very small number of studies conducted in hospitality and hotel management identify the sub-factors within these two dimensions of service quality. The paper also provides useful managerial implications. The obtained results help managers in hospitality to establish the service offers that consumers find the most important when choosing a given hotel.

Modern companies, in terms of globalization, are confronted with the need to invest significant efforts in order to achieve more efficient and effective use of available marketing resources. As a result of the many changes, marketing philosophy (which develops relationships with consumers) has been created, according to which the interaction between companies and consumers is a key response of companies to the changes that have happened, that are happening and will happen in the near future. A starting point of building good relationships with consumers is satisfaction which depends on the level of satisfied needs. Perceiving the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty it is possible to observe six different relations. However, regardless of the complexity and the different relationships that may arise between customer satisfaction and loyalty, main aim of this work is to highlight the fact that these are two related phenomena which, may only in their own combination, impact positively on the business results of the company.

The turbulent development of human civilization is faced with the serious challenge of its sustainability. Despite the fact that, declaratively, discourses in academic, scientific and political circles point out all the urgency of resolving this issue of further development of human society, there are few reversals and changes in the functioning of economic and social systems so far. The issue of sustainability has two dominant dimensions - economic, in the sense of exploitation of natural resources and environment pollution, and social, in the sense of actual responsible behavior and inequality of individuals in terms of meeting basic and broader human needs. This paper is an attempt at contributing to the development of the awareness of the problem of development of society and consumption in it, and pointing at possible avenues of acting of relevant individuals and institutions in this sense, through studying attitudes, level of consciousness and perceptions of sustainable consumption, and through the measurement of the environmental and social dimensions, analysing the significance and actual behaviour of respondents from Generation Y, i.e. generation born after 1980, very often in the focus of research of marketing theory and practice. The paper discloses that there is a significant disproportion between the significance of individual elements of sustainability for individual, and actual behaviour of the respondents in regard of sustainable consumption.

Most market research focuses on business-to-business and business- to-consumer interactions to explain the structure and dynamics of the market. Meanwhile, negligible effort has been invested in researching consumer-to-consumer interaction and its impact on companies’ behaviour and purchase decision-making, which determines business performance. The greatest challenge for marketers at the beginning of the 21st century is this third relationship dimension, consumer-to-consumer interaction: how consumers influence each other’s attitudes, expectations, perceptions, preferences, satisfaction, loyalty, and purchasing decisions, and, importantly, the possibility of incorporating consumers into businesses’ marketing programmes. Despite the existence of a multitude of media and different forms of communication between businesses and the market, such as newspapers, periodicals, billboards, television etc., a considerable portion of information is communicated to consumers informally, mostly in the form of word-of-mouth. The information received by consumers through this communication form - from family and similar individuals -is very often accepted as more reliable and certain than information transmitted through formal communication channels. What is often neglected when studying the phenomenon of word-of-mouth communication is the fact that its efficiency and effect also depend on the type and character of the interaction between the consumers themselves. This paper aims to investigate the extent to which the nature of customer to-customer (C2C) interaction influences the effect of word-of-mouth communication.

Contemporary marketing environment globally is characterized by a very strong competitive struggle between businesses for each individual consumer on the market. The objectives of the company in such business environment is seen mainly through an increase in market share, revenue growth, penetration of new markets and market segments, mastering new technologies and know- how, improving competitiveness etc. Achievement of the company's goals and business success globally involves strengthening the business potential of the company through increasing financial, marketing, and operational capabilities and synergies. In this sense, companies often use methods of mergers and acquisitions which are methods of transformation of enterprises in terms of globalization, adaptation to the opportunities in the environment, strengthening and better positioning in order to achieve greater value for their stakeholders. Merger (fusion, integration), is a transaction in which occurs a single economic entity from the previous two or more entities. Acquisitions are situations when one company buys and acquires most, if not all, of the target company's ownership stakes in order to assume control of the target firm. In this way, it can take control and be in a position to decide on that company's future. Mergers and acquisitions are foundation of the company's growth, earning of better performance and achievement of business success. These processes involve overcoming a number of aggravating factors, where a national, local, and even organizational culture plays a big role. The paper aims to highlight the possible marketing implications and consequences of the impact of cultural factors on the business success of mergers and acquisitions.

Consumerism, human existence, and the current business environment in which companies exist, are characterized by extreme complexity and dynamism, as a result of the simultaneous action of a large number of various factors, different in orientation and intensity. At a time when natural resources are consumed faster than they can be renewed, when the gap between rich and poor deepens, when the issue of sustainable development and socially responsible business practices are becoming a priority, the phenomena of ethical consumption and ethical consumer behaviour play a more prominent role in marketing theory and practice research. It is evident that consumers in both - developed and developing economies, are including the ethical evaluation of companies and their products and services on the market, in the process of forming their own opinions, preferences, and purchase decision. The modern consumer is sophisticated, knowledgeable and well informed, and as such is ready to decisively influence the companies to apply ethical practice. In order to fulfil these ethical demands of the market, marketing theory and practice pays great attention to the research of factors that influence the ethical behaviour of consumers. This paper tries to find an answer to the question - is there a significant difference between the ethical behavior of women and men as consumers.

Consumers' buying decision is very complex multistep process in which a lot of factors have significant impact. Traditional approach to the problem of communication between a company and its consumers, implies usage of marketing mix instruments, mostly promotion mix, in order to achieve positive purchase decision. Formal communication between company and consumers is dominant comparing to informal communication, and even in marketing literature there is not enough attention paid to this type of communication such as Word of Mouth. Numerous of research shows that consumers emphasize crucial impact of Word of Mouth on their buying decision. .

The new, alternative thinking patterns in marketing highlight the fact that exchanges per se are not the focus of marketing analysis and researches; rather than that, they must surrender this position to relationships between different sides in the marketing setting - the company and consumers, internal relations within companies, and relations between consumers themselves. A new philosophy, relationship marketing, is taking over the position of the old transaction marketing philosophy. The greatest challenge for marketing professionals at the beginning of the 21st century is this third dimension of relationships - relations between consumers, their mutual impact on preferences and purchase decisions, and, most notably, the possibility of involving consumers in companies marketing mix programs. Opinion leaders - their identification, creation, their word-of-mouth communication, its emergence and impact are currently the focus of marketing theory and practice.

Tourism represents a sector in an economy within which consumers – tourists – readily share their personal impressions, thoughts, attitudes and experiences regarding a tourist offer. They do it through interpersonal communication, both face to face, i.e. offline, and with the aid of contemporary information and communication technologies, i.e. online. Such communication, referred to as Word of Mouth communication - WOM in Marketing literature, is considered to be the most reliable source of information about products and services. This paper presents the results of the research which links a special form of tourism – slow tourism with consumer motivations and one of the main outcomes of travel – consumer recommendations. The main aim of the study is to explore the influence of motivations on consumer recommendations as one of the outcomes of slow travel. Recommendations refer to interpersonal communication which is generated independently of business and occurs spontaneously between the consumers. The research was conducted on a sample of 320 respondents in the Republic of Serbia at the end of 2017. The data were analysed by one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TEME: Casopis za Društvene Nauke is the property of TEME: Casopis za Drustvene Nauke 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.)

Copyright of Marketing (0354-3471) is the property of SEMA - Srpsko udruzenje za Marketing i Ekonomski fakultet Beograd 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.)

Copyright of Marketing (0354-3471) is the property of SEMA - Srpsko udruzenje za Marketing i Ekonomski fakultet Beograd 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.)

The new marketing environment of companies, based on integrated approach in holistic marketing, is targeted at value creation. One of its segments relates to socially responsible marketing, termed social marketing by Philip Kotler in the 1970s, which encompasses comprehension of broader interests (both internal and external), and also the ethical, environmental, legal and social aspects of marketing activities and programs. Their aim is to enhance the environment for all consumers and companies. Thus, the causes and consequences of marketing are extended beyond companies and consumers, to society as a whole. Balancing the social and ethical aspects of companies marketing practices is often faced with conflicting criteria of company profit as opposed to satisfying consumers' and general public's wishes and interests. In such a context, apart from consumer knowledge, the changes in responsibility to consumers are targeted to understanding, whereby social marketing tends to infiltrate into all aspects of business activities relevant to contemporary companies, and are manifested in providing the competitive advantage of companies. The aim of this research concentrates on examining priorities and the importance of the determinants of socially responsible target marketing relevant to the competitive advantage of companies and consumer expectations in a transition environment such as the Republic of Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]