Reviewing development of active labour market policies and the evaluation techniques

Active labor market policies are commonly used tool to fight unemployment. In the early 1960s all Scandinavian countires have introduced several different measures to have an effect on their labor markets. In the late 1970s in most developed countries of OECD government expenditures on those policies reached the level of 1-1.5% of GDP. High levels of expenditures created a need to assess the impact of such measures and perform their cost-benefit analysis. Evaluations have in the previous 30 years been undertaken by using different methods: from experimental and quasi-experimental, to micro and macro analyses. Most precise evaluations are based on complex econometric methods. Moreover, during last decade there have been several meta-analyses to make cross-analysis of evaluations made worldwide in a long time-span. General conclusions of most papers are that ALMP do not have very high influence on the employability. The best results are experienced in services provided by local national employment services, as well in training programs, especially in on-job training. In the last few years there have appeared some indications that subsidized employment has high positive effects, however there is no general consensus on that matter. Despite large number of published papers on evaluations, there has been no research aimed on analyzing overall ALMP effects on the economy, and creation of a model which could ex-ante estimate future effects of ALMP.Active policies, evaluation, econometric models, economy

DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN CAPITAL AS A TOOL FOR IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY OF AGRICULTURAL SECTOR – CASE OF SERBIA

New trends in global economy require greater capacity of the agricultural workforce. In order improve agricultural productivity it is needed to increase the level of human capital of the agrarian population. Human capital is accumulated knowledge, created in the long term process of human resources development, which begins in early stages and last all through the life, which is especially true for agricultural business. During transition Serbian economy went through major changes, with agriculture trailing to other sectors of the economy. Each farmer is producing only around 3,000 € gross added value per year, which is substantially lower than in other sectors. This paper will analyze what innovative activities are used worldwide in agriculture and give some possible solutions for investments in human capital and development of human resources in order to increase the level of competitiveness. Finally we analyze Serbian agricultural education system and give some instructions for improvements.agricultural sector, productivity, human capital, education, reform, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital, Productivity Analysis,

Using the publishing hook to engage faculty in scholarly teaching

Our university’s SoTL Work Group members are offering this workshop as a blueprint for other centers and developers to implement in addressing certain pre-conceptions about SoTL work. In this workshop, we show how to use publication as the “hook” to get people interested in Richlin’s (2006) scholarly teaching process. Activities include a review of what journals consider when evaluating manuscripts, a critique of sample manuscripts, completion of a SoTL project worksheet, and discussion of venues for publishing

Characterization of the mechanisms behind the alternative splicing of the mutually exclusive exons 18N and 18A in the sodium channel gene SCN8A and mutually exclusive exons 5N and 5A in the soldium channel gene SCN9A

Voltage-gated sodium channels are the primary molecules responsible for the rising phase of action potentials in electrically excitable cells. There are 10 distinct sodium channel isoforms Nav 1.1-1.8 (SCNIA-SCN5A and SCN8A-SCNIIA) and the majority of these undergo tissue and developmentally regulated alternative splicing. Two such examples are those of the SCN8A (Nav 1.6) and SCN9A (Nav 1.7) genes. SCN8A gene contains two mutually exclusive exons, 18N and 18A. Transcripts with exon 18N have a conserved inframe stop codon that predicts the synthesis of a truncated, non functional sodium channel. This protein is expressed in fetal brain and non-neuronal tissues. Once the exon 18A is included, the resulted protein will be a functional channel, that is expressed in adult neurons ofCNS and PNS. The SCN9A exon 5N is preferentially expressed in the PNS and CNS of adult tissues and significant usage of exon 5A was found only in DRG. These two isoforms differ in one amino acid in the S3 domain I (exons 5A and 5N). This change of one amino acid induced a small shift of activation to more hyperpolarized potentials forexon SA compared with exon SN. Analysis of SeNSA pre-mRNA splicing supports a model in which exon 18A exclusion in non-neuronal tissue is regulated primarily by the presence in the cell types of several hnRNPs proteins that function through an exonic splicing silencer (ESS) found in this exon together with the absence of neuron specific Fox-I protein. In neuronal cells the absence of these hnRNPs together with the presence of neuron specific Fox-l cause the exon to be included. The SeNSA exon 18N is included innon neuronal cells due to the SR proteins that function through an exonic splicing enhancer(ESE) found in this exon. In neuronal cells the lower levels of these SR proteins cause the exon 18N to be skipped. This type of control of mutually exclusive splicing through the proteome make-up of a cell type would appear to be influential in the temporal and tissue specific splicing of SeN8A, another member of the voltage gated sodium channels and may indeed represent a more general mechanism

Членство Республики Хорватия в НАТО

The article discusses the Euro-Atlantic vector of Croatian foreign policy, primarily the historical path of the state into NATO and the advantages of membership in this alliance. The Republic of Croatia in its history experienced a rather difficult period associated with the Croatian War for Independence, which began in 1991 after the state announced its withdrawal from the SFRY. Since then, one of the main goals of Croatian foreign policy has been joining the Euro-Atlantic structures, which was fulfiled in 2009, when Croatia became a full member of NATO. Based on the experience of the War for Independence, for the Republic of Croatia this membership is an important factor in ensuring the country’s security, and it can also help improve interstate relations in the Balkans and strengthen stability in the region. The work will also outline the operations and missions in which Croatia participates within the NATO framework and contributes to the successful implementation of Euro-Atlantic foreign policy.В статье речь идет о развитии евроатлантического вектора хорватской внешней политики, прежде всего об историческом пути государства в НАТО и преимуществах членства в альянсе. Республика Хорватия в своей истории пережила достаточно сложный период, связанный с войной 1991-1995 гг., после объявления о выходе из СФРЮ. С тех пор одной из главных целей хорватской внешней политики являлось вступление в евроатлантические структуры. Эта цель была достигнута государством в 2009 г., когда Хорватия стала полноправым членом НАТО. Опираясь на опыт недавней войны, для Республики Хорватия это членство является фактором обеспечения безопасности страны. Оно также сможет способствовать улучшению межгосударственных отношений на Балканах и укреплению стабильности в регионе в целом. В работе также будут освещены операции и миссии, в которых Хорватия участвует в рамках НАТО и вносит вклад в успешное осуществление евроатлантической внешней политик

TRAGIČNA SUDBINA SESTRE AGOSTINE PIETRANTONI - INSPIRACIJA K PROGLAŠENJU JOŠ JEDNE MOGUĆE ZAŠTITNICE MEDICINSKIH SESTARA

In the introductory part, the authors remind us of existence of two groups of Saint-Patrons, who are celebrated in the Christian tradition as saint-protectors against some diseases and protecting some professions, especially those that are connected with medical activities. In the second part, inspired by the tragic fate of the Sister of Charity, medical nun Agostina Pieatrantoni (1864-1894), whose life was cruelly ended at the hands of a mentally disturbed patient. The authors here launch an initiative for her to be proclaimed a patroness-of all nurses, especially after she was beatified in 1972 and canonized in 1999

A FRAMEWORK FOR INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS CAPABILITY ON STRATEGIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS PLANNING OUTCOMES

The Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) process is critical for ensuring the effectiveness of the contribution of Information Technology (IT)/Information Systems (IS) to the organisation. A sophisticated SISP process can greatly increase the chances of positive planning outcomes. While effective IS capabilities are seen as crucial to an organisation’s ability to generate IT-enabled competitive advantages, there exists a gap in the understanding of the IS competencies which contribute to the forming of an effective SISP capability. In light of these gaps, this study investigates how do IS competencies impact the SISP process, and its outcomes? To address this question, a model for investigating the impact of IS collaboration and IS personnel competencies on the SISP process is proposed. Further research is planned to undertake a survey of top Australian organisations in industries characterised by high IT innovation and competition, to test the proposed model and hypotheses

Razvoj privrede zasnovan na ulaganjima u ljudske resurse i stranim investicijama

In this book the author analyses three very important aspects of transition: human resources, foreign investments and financial sector. At the beginning there is an analysis of investments in human resources. It starts by definition and types of human resources, and continues with definition of knowledge life cycles and the process of human resources management. The work organization with the work process has been defined. Chapter ends by overview of the level of investments in human resources on the global level and distribution of those investments. Further on author presents two types of investments in HR. Investments in HR are a life-long process which mostly consists of formal education performed in educational institutions and non-formal education within family and work organizations. Special attention was drawn to the process of talents and managers development, as a tool to achieve sustainable system for development of organizations and economy as a whole. Current investment trends in human resources are presented, with review of the literature with citation of other authors’ findings on the topic of relation between investments in human resources and organizational performance. Further on there has been presented the system of evaluation of investments in HR, according to which the model of questionnaire which is used in empirical research has been made. Closing the chapter there is an analysis of increase of competitiveness achieved by investments in education and development of human resources in organizations. Section 2 starts with analysis of Serbian economy in transition. There is a comparative analysis with other transition countries, with special attention to financial sector. All factors that have had and which still have influence on Serbian transition are analyzed including factors of political instability and business infrastructure. It has been shown that despite all difficulties in transition, this process in Serbia is bringing positive results, especially in the financial sector. Ethical questions of transition like unemployment, pace of reforms, and employees involvement in the process are covered. It is shown that starting growth of unemployment as a direct result of transition is loosing its pace, and that during last two years there is a change of trend, with employment levels steadily rising. Real wages have been growing during the whole period of transition, and in order to have such positive results in the field of human resources to continue, it is necessary to include social partners in strategic planning of the future strategies in transition. Next topic covers the level of competitiveness created by investments in human resources in Serbian economy, its productive industry, and specially financial sector as a core of the research. According to results of the research the level of investment in education in Serbia is shown, with special attention to non-formal education. Most important national strategies which have been adopted in last few years are analyzed. This shows that regulations framework for development of human resources on the national level has been completed. At the end of the chapter are shown the characteristics of working population and some recommendations are given for the future corrective actions on the national level. Section three deals with investments and foreign investments in Serbia and relates them to investments in human resources, covering current trends of FDI in transition countries. It is explained how development of human resources influences the capacity for attracting foreign investments. The virtual circle of investments in HR and FDI is presented, the implementation of which enables technology transfer required for the economy growth and creation of qualitative competitive advantage on the global level. Legal and structural environment in which foreigners operate when investing in Serbia is covered. The levels and types of foreign investments during the transition period, with recommendations on how to approach the second stage of transition which begins with privatization of large scale public companies in Serbia are studied in details. The effects of human resources on transition and on level of foreign investments are analyzed with special attention to financial sector. There is an overview of knowledge based economy with recommendations on how to use current stage in virtual cycle in which Serbia is now in order to avoid the effect of economic crisis which is present on the world market during year 2009. Chapter ends with the analysis of the fundamental approach to human resources in the investment process of foreign investors. Section 4 introduces the empirical research of the companies operating in Serbian financial sector. The results give the insight of how this sector was developing during transition, what is the level of foreign investments and set the basis to establish relationship between FDI with investments in human resources made in companies and in the economy as a whole. There is a business analysis of financial institutions in Serbia. Major business indicators are analyzed with coverage of the level of employment. There are the results of empirical research and correlation analysis of HCI index level with business indicators Section five concludes the book with overview on how hypotheses are tested throughout the paper. It also gives some recommendations and perspectives regarding future research in this multidisciplinary topic

The Role of Social Capital in the Search for a Job : A qualitative study investigating “the hidden job market” on Sørlandet

Master's thesis Business Administration BE501 - University of Agder 2018Social capital and its effect on the job market has become an important aspect of how we view the job searching process. Much research on social capital in the job search stems from large generalizable surveys, meaning that little is known about the motives and insights of those responsible for employment. This thesis presents a qualitative study of how recruiters and employers in Norway view the use and potential benefits of using a social network when searching for a job. This study focuses on how referred applicants may have an advantage over the formal applicant and investigates the myth on Sørlandet regarding its “hidden job market”. As such, the study explores the experiences of those responsible for employment on Sørlandet. The empirical findings in the study are based on in-depth interviews with 11 employers responsible for the recruitment of their company or agency. The study reveals, amongst other, that there is a correlation between social capital, the usage of networks and higher work quality. Its findings also support the research regarding non-searchers and uncovers the myth, presenting the potential vastness of “the hidden job market” on Sørlandet. In relation to the research question, the study can, according to its findings, conclude that there is a causality between referred applicants and a higher yield ratio

Developing a Conceptual Framework of Online Learning for Youth (OLY) through Grounded Theory : Young Learners’ Experiences in a Croatian School

Whilst the theoretical underpinnings, learners’ experiences, and the overall impact of online learning (OL) in Higher Education (HE) has been well documented, learners’ OL experiences in pre-tertiary education have not been fully explored in educational research. In particular, scant focus has been directed towards developing a comprehensive framework for OL in the K-12 sector (primary and secondary school education). Due to the differences between K-12 and HE, the need for a conceptual framework and theory tailored to OL in K-12 has been identified (Picciano, 2017), but little progress has been made. Nevertheless, for OL practice to continue to evolve for pre-tertiary education, such a framework should serve as a fundamental reference point, providing confidence in making critical decisions pertaining to OL at these levels (Keegan, 1983), especially considering that in post-pandemic education, OL will remain part of many educational institutions. The research described in this thesis aims to address this gap by developing a holistic conceptual framework of OL for young individuals aged between 13 and 14 years old (falling under primary education in Croatia, secondary in the United Kingdom). From existing themes in educational literature about OL, I have developed research questions that underpin the empirical research presented in this thesis. The purposive literature review also served to build the provisional framework of OL - a literature-informed and comprehensive, initial conceptual framework of OL for youth that was, to a point, validated in the empirical study. Based on in-depth interviews with 15 participants (13 and 14 years of age) in the pilot online course created for the purpose of the study, following a grounded theory (hereafter GT) approach to data collection and analysis, I identified the relevant characteristics and dimensions of learning online from the students’ experiences. During the process of theorising, I related the subjective conceptual understanding stemming from the analysed data to existing research (provisional framework). Thus, the pre-existing theory (analysed and summarised in my initial provisional OL framework) was used as a building block to support the empirical findings, forming a newly constructed theory - the holistic conceptual framework of Online Learning for Youth: OLY framework. Designed around an initial literature-informed framework and the empirical study data, the OLY framework conceptualises optimal OL experiences for 13–14-year-old students as a process of acquiring new knowledge, skills and attitudes with the help of technology in one’s own time, pace, and place. OLY sees learning as a part of the process of becoming for a student, i.e., a transformation, that relates to: a) developing self-concept; b) change in perception; and c) behavioural change. In that way, OLY illuminates the educating the whole child dimension at its centre, attending to the child's academic, physical, cognitive, psychological, spiritual, socio-emotional, behavioural, ethical, creative and talent development. Further, in OL ecology, learning evolves synchronously and asynchronously, between autonomous learning and learning with others, involving appropriate human interactions mediated by an involved and caring teacher in an overall positive climate for learning. Additionally, OL reach and effectiveness is affected by twelve domains representing the factors/inputs and features of OL ecology. As a holistic approach to conceptualising OL for youth, OLY postulates that the complex interplay of all twelve OL factors must be considered to an equal extent. Likewise, a holistic approach appreciates the needs and experiences of the learners themselves, it ensures a responsive and inclusive OL experiences, and recognises that learning takes place within a broader context, including the student's family, community, and cultural background. As such, OLY is intended to serve as a potential roadmap for the integration of OL in schools, supporting upper primary and lower high school education, teachers, researchers, policymakers, and course designers to better understand the concept and characteristics of OL at the intersection of students’ experiences and literature recommendations in the spirit of a grounded theory. It serves as a foundation for design of future online courses to ultimately set the standard for OL in this level of education