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

The positive relationship between product market efficiency (PME) and productivity has been established in the existing literature. An important component of productivity is the PME, which is significantly affected by the quality of institutions. Weaker quality of institutions, higher levels of corruption and lower efficiency of product markets have been confirmed in countries that share similar characteristics with Croatia. The results show a positive relationship between the quality of institutions and PME while the link between corruption control and PME is negative. Exports and taxes were also significantly correlated with PME. The text additionally comments on the direction of this connection. The link between PME, institutional quality and corruption is particularly commented on in the context of Croatia and Slovenia as these are two areas that share a common past of approximately 500 years. To improve the PME, a prerequisite for greater productivity and consequently economic growth, it is necessary to change the institutional framework.
</abstract>

Institutions and the Efficiency of the European Union Product Market with an Emphasis on Croatia – Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

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

Azerbaijan has an oil-led economy, which according to the well-known resource curse and Dutch disease hypotheses decreases the role of non-oil tradable sectors. Nevertheless, the government has actively fostered the growth of non-oil tradable sectors as the export orientation of Azerbaijan is being leveraged by the recently adopted economic policies. However, performance evaluations at the subsectoral level remain rare. The present paper evaluates the performance of the fruit and vegetable subsectors in Azerbaijan from 1995 to 2020 based on multiple key indicators, such as production, profitability, and productivity via principle component analysis (PCA). The purpose of the study was to provide a comparison of two key subsectors in Azerbaijan that are strong candidates for non-oil tradable exports. The results revealed that the vegetable subsector outperformed the fruit subsector in terms of production and profitability from 1999 to 2014; however, it experienced a sharp decline from 2014 to 2015 (the period of the rapid commodity price downturns), which gives rise to the question of whether the extractive industry negatively affected the subsector. Compared to the vegetable subsector, production and profitability in the fruit subsector demonstrated a more stable upward trend. In addition, labor input in both sub-sectors decreased over time, indicating efficiency gains via new technology transfers and productivity enhancements. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) results demonstrated a strong and statistically significant negative relationship between the performance of the vegetable subsector with the oil revenue boom period (2008–2015).
</abstract>

Performance Evaluation of the Fruit and Vegetable Subsectors in the Azerbaijani Economy: a Combinatorial Analysis Using Regression and Principal Component Analysis

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

The future of work of both external and internal auditors is exciting and promising, as well as, in the same time, threatening and extremely demanding. The exciting and promising part is connected with lots of possibilities for auditors’ professional career developments and specialization, while the threatening and demanding part is directed towards the ongoing demand and need for continuous education and upgrading their knowledge base and skill sets in order to be able to stay up to date with all developments and changes in their and their clients’ internal and external surroundings. Today these surroundings are characterized by big data and usage of information and communication technologies (ICTs), among which the blockchain technology (BCT) is described as the most pervasive and promising one. This paper is primarily driven by the scarcity of literature and conducted scientific researches regarding the specialized educations and expertise that auditors need to attend and possess in order to be able to exist in the blockchain-based business environment. Therefore, the main research objective of this paper was to determine critical external and internal auditors’ expertise that they need to possess in order to be relevant and successful in the blockchain-based business environment. In order to achieve this main objective, desk research and survey research were conducted. Survey research was conducted on a sample of external and internal auditors in Croatia. In general, results of the empirical research showed that both external and internal auditors in Croatia think that they need to possess high level of expertise in advanced analytical procedures (APs) in order to be able to audit blockchain-based business operations. Consequently, this then instantaneously increases auditors’ demand for specialized education in fields of BCT, APs, and data analytics (DAs) in general.
</abstract>

Critical Auditors’ Expertise for Blockchain-Based Business Environment

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

In the paper, we discuss the possibilities of alternative provision of public goods using the individual voluntary contributions. We use the data from the behavioral public goods game based on the model of voluntary contribution mechanism. We examine how people’s decisions about voluntary contributions to public goods change when the environment changes. The participants of the game were divided into small (5 persons) and large (10 persons) groups. During the game participants were asked to invest experimental money to different types of accounts, i.e. private account, Group account 1 and Group account 2. Using the game, we also examine the impact of a provision point on voluntary contributions. Based on the analysis of the data from this behavioral game, we found that the provision point is effective only if the participants are members of a small group. When the participants were members of both a small group and of a large group the provision point was not effective. When the income of participants was considered, we found that participants with higher experimental income were less willing to voluntarily contribute to financing of a public good.
</abstract>

Are People Willing to Voluntarily Contribute to Public Goods? The Results from the Behavioral Game Experiment.

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

The concept of working students meeting triple demands of their work, studies and private life has not been sufficiently described or empirically supported in the literature, although combining work and study is not only a necessity for many students, but a common phenomenon among them. As well, studies so far focused on the dyads of work-nonwork relationship, predominantly on the work-study conflict/balance and rarely on the study-life conflict/balance, while the triad of work-study-life balance (WSLB) is understudied. This study is the first one to empirically examine the WSLB concept, defined as a balance of conjoining three ‘categories of student commitment’ – their work obligations, demands of their studies and their private life, using a methodology grounded in the work-life balance (WLB) theory. We conducted a cross-sectional quantitative study on a sample of 235 students, focused on the most relevant dyads of the WSLB concept, socio-demographic predictors and emotional consequences of WSLB. Our five key findings are: (1) it is possible to balance work, studies and private life, (2) work-study balance (WSB) is critical for achieving WSLB, (3) all subgroups of students based on their socio-demographic characteristics are equally (un)successful in achieving balance between and among various life aspects, (4) WSLB is significantly participating in students’ emotional state in terms of their happiness, unhappiness and relaxation, and (5) the study-life balance (SLB) dyad is the most relevant dyad for the students’ emotional state.
</abstract>

Work-Study-Life Balance – the Concept, its Dyads, Socio-Demographic Predictors and Emotional Consequences

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

This article aims to disclose the role of strategic factors in the context of a sport club performance. We used 73 basketball clubs from four countries and tested the relationships between four segments of variables (grouped into: a) environmental factors’ set, b) strategic factors’ set, c) human resource management (HRM) factors’ set, and d) behavioral factors’ set) and two different aspects of organizational performance: 1) top-sport-financial and 2) recreational-non-financial performance. The conduction of multiple regression analyses resulted with disclosure of significant direct effect of the strategic factor on both aspects of the sport clubs performance. The results offer explanation how the strategic planning enhances the performance. Better results are achieved by the clubs that pursue specific organizational goals linked to only one aspect of performance. While the theoretical contribution reflects through the evaluation of the importance of different sets of organizational performance factors, from the practical perspective tis study discloses complementary organizational objectives and those organizational aims which are, from an aspect of sport club performance, in contradiction with each other.
</abstract>

The Strategic Determinants of the Sport Club Performance

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Zagreb International Review of Economics and Business

 ZIREB is an international journal of economics and business. It covers wide range of topics in macroeconomics, microeconomics, management, marketing and tourism. In general, it delivers relevant scientific research in the field of economics and business and offers empirical insights on current economic development and political economy issues as well as on current developments in marketing, tourism and management research.  ZIREB is edited by Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb and it is managed by a team of academic researchers from universities all over the world.  ZIREB is published as a semiannual journal by the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb. The first issue was published in May 1998. Every two years ZIREB is published three times a year. This Special Conference Issue consists of selected papers presented at the international conference "An Enterprise Odyssey" which is hosted by Faculty of Economics and Business.  Why subscribe and read ZIREB is an economics and business journal directed at scientific and academic researchers who are interested in new insights and research methods in the field of economics and business. The journal welcomes research on topics related to respective countries or on regionally relevant topics. Furthermore, professional papers, short papers, review articles and book reviews are also welcome.  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. 

Volume 24 (2021): Issue s1 (December 2021) - Special Conference Issue

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Volume 24 (2021): Issue s1 (December 2021)