The impact of internal communication on strategic and economic effects in Serbian companies

This paper presents the research results in relation to examining and defining dependences and the impact of internal communication on certain strategic and economic business effects. Serbian companies were the focus of this research. The data were collected by polling 100 managers from 100 companies. Afterwards, multivariate regression and correlation was carried out in the aim of the final determination of requested dependences. This research confirmed a strong positive relation between internal communication and strategic and economic business effects.     

Translation and factor analysis of structural models of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in Serbian pregnant and postpartum women – Web-based study

BackgroundThe Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is well accepted for detecting symptoms of postnatal depression. The aim of this study was to examine psychometric properties and to evaluate structural models of the Serbian translation of EPDS in pregnant and postpartum women.MethodsThe original English version of the EPDS was translated into Serbian, and checked by means of back-translation. Data were collected via an anonymous online questionnaire posted on a Serbian website devoted to pregnancy topics. The study sample included 201 women (76 pregnant, 125 postpartum). The internal consistency of the scale was measured by Cronbach's α coefficient. Principal component analysis was used to determine scale dimensions while confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate model fit.FindingsCronbach α coefficient was 0.84 and 0.83 in pregnant and postpartum women, respectively, which indicated good internal consistency of the Serbian EPDS. Three dimensions of the scale were revealed in both groups of women. Goodness of fit indices described good and excellent model in pregnant and postpartum women, respectively. High level of depression symptoms (score ≥13) was recorded in 27.6% and 24.8% (p > 0.05) of pregnant and postpartum women, respectively. Moderate level of depression symptoms (score 10–12) was recorded in 21.1% and 16.8% (p > 0.05) of pregnant and postpartum women, respectively.ConclusionThe Serbian translation of the EPDS showed good consistency and good model characteristics in pregnant and postpartum women. However, cut-off values, sensitivity and specificity of the scale should be determined in the further studies with more representative samples of women.     

Reconstruction of post‐war social work: Experience from former Yugoslavia as an inspiration

Immediately after the civil war among the nations of former Yugoslavia that took place 1992–1995, Swedish members of the social work faculty were recruited by UNICEF to support the organising of foster homes for war‐orphaned children. Around 20 projects, some initiated by UNICEF and others by SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) were also organised with Sarajevo University as the main location of the administration. At the request of the Parliament of Republika Srpska, a new school of social work was established at the University of Banja Luka. This was a successful project thanks to network collaboration among the faculties of social work in the former Yugoslavian nations and with academic contributions from universities from Sweden and Berlin. In this article, the two social welfare projects based in Sarajevo and Banja Luka are presented. Together with an accompanying group of experts, I found that an explorative mindset and an abductive approach were helpful tools in dialogues with our partners in the developing world.     

Elements of life satisfaction among young adults in Serbia

Contemporary sociological studies argue that employment and personal life have diversified effects as determinants of life satisfaction (LS) of young adults. We have, therefore, decided to explore the three different aspects of general LS, satisfaction with personal (intimate) domain, satisfaction with family life and satisfaction with occupation (professional domain), by using the survey data on 1627 young adults aged from 19 to 35 from Serbia. The correlations between the three domains are significant, while the strongest tie is between satisfaction with intimate relations and satisfaction with family life. The analysis exposed that social variables (employment, education, housing autonomy and financial autonomy) and personal variables (partnership and parenthood) are in a diverse manner related to the three domains of LS, as well as that their effects are different for young men and women. Taking into account particularities of social context in Serbia, we have introduced functional autonomy (decision-making and acting independent of parents) as mediating variable. The results uncover that functional autonomy has little influence on satisfaction with occupation, while social variables have a strong effect, suggesting that agency in professional domain is significantly socially bound. Regression models reveal divergent and gender-specific relations of variables and three aspects of LS related to particular structural and cultural context in Serbia that sets limits to gender detraditionalization.     

Serbian Judiciary and Transition: Recent Jurisprudence

This article examines the role and position of national courts during transitional periods with focus on and case study of the judiciary in Serbia. Courts in Serbia, as any other judiciary in transition, have undergone a staggering transformative process as illustrated by a chronology of human rights cases. On the other hand, courts in Serbia, as their counterparts worldwide, have also been the transformation force, as evidenced by recent jurisprudence in cases dealing more or less successfully with political assassinations, organized crime, corruption, war crimes, and international courts.     

The impact of Serbian public relations on economic indices

This study presents the research results whose aim was to examine and define dependences and the impact of public relations on business effects (economic indices are taken as representatives of business effects). Serbian companies were the object of this research. The data were collected by polling 100 managers from 100 companies. Multivariate regression and correlation were applied in order to determine the observed dependences. The research results confirm the existence of a significant direct relation between public relations and economic indices.     

SWOT Analysis of Serbia and Montenegro’s Accession to the EU

The first generation of reforms in Serbia, especially in 2001–2002, was carried out “by the book” but the initial successful results blurred and concealed numerous problems that, especially in 2003, were becoming more evident and, finally, caused a delay in, and the blockade of, the further reform processes. It turned out that the political élite failed to reach a consensus on the second generation of reforms which, above all, refers to the rounding-off and functioning of the institutions of a market economy and the rule of law in full. After the October 2000 changes, relations between the FRY/SM and the European Union have altered dramatically. Joining the EU became strategic priority of our foreign policy, as well as reintegration of the SM in the international community. Nevertheless, these processes have their strengths and weaknesses, potential opportunities and threats, which are summarized in this paper.     

Orthodoxy and political myths in Balkan national identities

This article analyses the relationship between Balkan national identities and the region's dominant religion: Eastern Orthodox Christianity. After examining the concept of ‘symphonia’ between Orthodoxy and politics that developed during the Byzantine Empire, this article argues that the political myths that have emerged from Orthodoxy are the most potent in the Balkan mythical imaginary. Political myths have a direct impact on contemporary politics developing a threefold structure: the sacralisation of politics; the perception of the nation as a divine manifestation; and, the construction of a divine realm on earth.     

The Serbian Banking System: Recent Development and Major Players

The paper analyzes the banking system of Serbia. First, we briefly overview the institutional and legal framework of the banking system and describe the main structural features of the sector. Then we discuss the evolution in traditional banking intermediation, and outline the main features of the banking competitive environment, focusing on the transformations in ownership structure of banks, especially on the increasing importance of foreign ownership, and summarising the key characteristics of major players.     

Queering Ethnicity in the First Gay Films From Ex-Yugoslavia

Between 2002 and 2005 four of the Yugoslav successor states produced major feature films with lesbian or gay protagonists: Maja Weiss's Guardian of the Frontier (Slovenia, 2002), Dalibor Matani?'s Fine Dead Girls (Croatia, 2002), Dragan Marinkovi?'s Take a Deep Breath (Serbia, 2004), and Ahmed Imamovi?'s Go West (Bosnia and Hercegovina, 2005). As with other films from Eastern Europe that portray queer characters, all of these films were shot by straight directors, and the queer characters are not representations of real local queer communities, but instead are used as metaphors to address topics the filmmakers find more important, such as ethnicity and national identity. The ethnic hatreds that fueled the wars of the 1990s were mobilized through the heterosexual matrix. In these films anxieties about ethnicity are worked out through plots involving queer sexuality, though they work differently for male and female couples: female bodies can be conventionally objectified by the heterosexual male gaze, while male couples become the focus for anxieties about male rape.