<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The degree of the banking sector concentration is a structural variable and refers to the number of banks in the system and the degree of their market power. The importance of measuring concentration in the banking sector stems from the causal relationship between the market structure and the competitive behaviour of market participants. Traditional models measuring the banking sector competition proceed from the market structure and concentration measures. In contrast, modern approaches to measuring competition rely on non-structural models and analysis of the behaviour of market participants. The paper analyzes the degree of concentration and competition in the banking sector of the Republic of Serbia. The traditional and most frequently used indices, the concentration ratio and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index, are used to measure concentration. The values of these indices show low banking sector concentration but a rise in the observed period. The values of the comprehensive industrial concentration index and the entropy coefficient confirm the concentration absence in the banking sector of the Republic of Serbia. In addition to the usual banking sector concentration measures, the authors use the Linda index to assess the banking sector concentration and competitiveness, to show the absence of an oligopolistic structure in terms of total balance sheet assets, lending and deposit activity of banks.
</abstract>

An Analysis of Concentration and Competition in the Banking Sector of the Republic of Serbia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

According to the impact, infectious diseases are a critical risk for 2020 and the following years in the Global Risk Report. The realization of the Covid-19 virus set the pandemic as a crucial global risk for humans, the economy, and society. The main idea of this paper is to give insight into the global socio-economic consequences of the actual Covid-19 pandemic, with a specific view of the business of insurance and reinsurance companies, who are responding to the widening of the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple fronts—as claims payers, employers, and investment managers. Considering that both individuals and businesses face high costs and losses regarding disruption of travel, business interruption, and supply chains, many expect insurers to reimburse some of these costs and losses. Insurance companies are also significant investors in financial markets and will face losses due to equity and fixed income market losses regarding decreasing interest rates as an attempt of central banks worldwide to support their economies. The current crisis can also be considered the possibility of improving the insurance coverage related to pandemics by establishing (re)insurance schemes and pooling arrangements for other catastrophic risks and developing public-private partnerships to support the insurability of pandemic risk.
</abstract>

Faculty of Technical Sciences, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management

The Impact of Covid-19 on the Business of Insurers and Reinsurers

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Profitability is substantial for any firm to maintain business and enable long-term sustainability. Firms’ decision on indebtedness and capital structure have influence on potentials for prosperity, growth, and development. This study aims to find a new empirical evidence on the influence of debt (debt ratio and debt to equity ratio) on firm profitability (ROA), with application to 50 non-financial firms with highest revenues in Serbia in 2019 during 2016-2019 using multiple ordinary least squares regression model. After control for size, liquidity and tangibility of assets, the results find statistically significant correlation and negative influence of debt ratio and capital structure on firm profitability.
</abstract>

Impact of Debt Management on Profitability of Large Non-Financial Firms in Serbia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Globalization is a process often identified with the economic integration of countries, the creation of a single market while neglecting other aspects of globalization. Besides its economic dimension, The KOF index of globalization includes the social and political dimensions. One of the questions is how the countries manage to strengthen their competitive position in the international market in the age of globalization. Is it challenging to maintain a stable competitive position in the conditions of greater connection of countries and in what form? For this reason, the paper deals with the change of the Global Competitiveness Index, a renowned measure of the competitiveness of national economies according to the methodology of the World Economic Forum, under the influence of increased economic globalization of Southeast European countries. It also estimates the impact of globalization, or its economic, social and political dimension on the economic growth of Southeast European countries, which is one of the requirements for successful positioning on the international economic scene.
</abstract>

Competitiveness of the Southeast European Countries in the Conditions of the Globalization

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The main goal of the research is to consider and compare the importance of fruits and vegetables in external trade in goods of the Republic of Serbia. According to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), “Vegetables and Fruit” is a division that is dominant in Serbian exports of agricultural and food products, and it is necessary to investigate its competitiveness. The key tools used in the analysis are the coverage of imports by exports, then the Contribution to the Trade Balance (CTB) index, as well as the analysis of unit values of exports and imports, in order to compare and evaluate the structure of external trade in fruits and vegetables. The results show that fruit, according to all indicators, has a significantly higher competitiveness compared to vegetables, as well as a higher importance in external trade of goods. This knowledge can serve the creators of agricultural policy to favour the production and exports of fruit products because they can radically improve the structure of total exports, especially when it comes to processed products. Since this is a perennial plantation, the results cannot be expected in a shorter period of time. The previous research has not specifically considered the importance of this segment of agri-food exports and its internal competitiveness (having in mind the applied indicators), which is the main benefit of the study within this paper.
</abstract>

The Importance of Fruit and Vegetables in the External Trade of the Republic of Serbia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Extremely motivated and satisfied employees lead an organization towards the desired results. One of the strategies for motivating people is communication. The condition for functioning of the organization and achieving the individual goals of employees as well as those of the organization a good communication between managers and employees. The bearers of good communication are managers and their commitment to employees, readiness to find out about problems of employees, and solving them. The aim of this paper is, based on systematization and analysis of a) relevant theoretical sources and b) results of research on the impact of communication on development of employees’ motivation in the organization, to examine the existing differences in managers’ and employees’ attitudes about the influence of communication on the increase of motivation. Therefore, the paper analyzes: the nature of employees’ motivation; the importance of communication among employees for development of motivation; the influence of employees’ position in the organization on the evaluation of certain communication factors of motivation, and the influence of appropriate communication in organization on the increase of motivation for work.
</abstract>

The Influence of Internal Communication on Employees Motivation in Organizations in Serbia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The subject of the research in this paper was the examination of satisfaction with the internal communication dimensions that have the strongest correlations with job satisfaction, which are: supervisor communication and personal feedback. Therefore, if employees are satisfied with these communication dimensions, their job satisfaction will be at a satisfactory level. The goal of the research was to determine satisfaction with the observed communication dimensions based on the employees’ attitudes. Managers’ and non-managerial employees’ attitudes towards the observed communication dimensions are presented, also. On the sample of 72 respondents, using descriptive statistics, the results have shown that the employees are not satisfied with the observed dimensions, also, the non-managerial employees are less satisfied than the managerial ones. The results are useful since they provide a description of the observed dimensions and findings of the previous studies, especially the ones which investigated the relationship between satisfaction with the observed communication dimensions and job satisfaction. The results may be useful for (Serbian) managers in the process of managing the observed communication dimensions. The sample size limits the generalizability of the result.
</abstract>

University „Business Academy“, Novi Sad

Employees’ Satisfaction with Supervisor Communication and Personal Feedback

AHEAD OF PRINT

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Economic Themes

 The Faculty of Economics in Niš publishes the journal Economic Themes within the Center for Publishing. According to the categorization of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia the journal is classified as the leading journal of national importance (M51) and is issued quarterly (in Serbian and English). In the upcoming period we wish to implement two important aims: first, to continually enhance the quality of the journal in compliance with generally accepted standards and second, to improve the ranking of the journal in the following years. All articles sent for publishing are anonymously reviewed.  Rejection Rate   App. 28%  Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 