This paper explores ethno-villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina as an important element of rural and cultural tourism. The attractiveness of natural and cultural heritage is very important for sustainable rural tourism development. In order to improve the process of decision making to enable the sustainable development of ethno-villages, a multi-criteria assessment model has been developed. The methodology is based on qualitative modeling using a multi-criteria analysis via the DEXi software. The model is based on hierarchical relations consisting of three main criteria that are the basis of sustainable tourism development: economic, social, and environmental criteria. The ultimate goal of the model in this study was to evaluate ethno-villages, namely six ethno-villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results of the study show how ethno-villages contribute to sustainable development.

In order for a tourist to visit a location, it has to be attractive. Destination attractiveness can be examined in several ways. One of them is offered by this study, which has examined destination attractiveness based on resources available in certain rural settlements. Based on a case study carried out in the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Brčko District), a model will be developed to test for rural tourism destination attractiveness. Examination of tourist destination attractiveness in the area of the Brčko District was conducted with a decision model based on the Decision EXpert method and expert decision-making. For that purpose, six rural settlements in the area of the Brčko District were examined with respect to destination attractiveness. Results obtained using this model showed that rural settlement Bijela has a “very good” attractiveness, rural settlements Brezik, Brezovo Polje, and Gornji Zovik have “good” attractiveness, while rural settlements Ražljevo and Maoča have “middle” attractiveness. The results obtained by applying this model have shown the need for improvement of touristic offer in order to make it more attractive. In order to improve attractiveness of a tourist destination, we need to strengthen human potential in this area and improve tourist infrastructure and make more effort to preserve the environment. The application of the used model has given good results in examination of tourist destination attractiveness and it should be applied for other branches of tourism in the future studies.

ABSTRACT The goal of this study is to empirically examine the potential impact of supply chain practices on the supply chain performances of the agro-food industry. The constructs of interest are three-dimensional, including supplier partnerships, customer relationships and level and quality of information sharing, thus representing supply chain practices, flexibility, agility and innovation as the main characteristics of supply chain performance. To gain better understanding of the possible impact of the supply chain practices on the supply chain performances of the agro-food industry we use structural equation modelling. The analysis has revealed statistically significant positive impact of customers’ relationships as well as statistically significant negative impact of a supplier partnership on the supply chain performance. From a theoretical point of view, this study has indicated contribution of different supply chain practices on supply chain performances. The results obtained from this study provide practical implications that assist managers in improving supply chain performance and highlight limitations for implementation of supply chain practice for the improvement of business operations.

This work will explore the way demographic characteristics influence purchasing decisions on the example of buying technical products. Research for this work was conducted in the area of northeast of Bosnia and 192 examinees have filled out the questionnaire. After factor analysis were completed allegations of purchasing decisions are grouped into six factors, but two factors discarded from further analysis because the data collected for these factors were not reliable, as the results of values of Cronbach’s Alpha indicators showed. Results of Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that gender, income level and employment status of examinees significantly influence the purchasing decisions among consumers. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) has further shown that females who have income less than 400 KM and have less than 25 years the most of the time are dedicating to purchasing decisions. The results of this analysis showed that the most satisfied with their purchasing decisions are male respondents who have incomes of 400 and 800KM, and at the same time are students and have less than 25 years. results of the MANOVA analysis showed that for the following basic demographic characteristics there is a significant statistical difference which showed that gender, income level and the status of respondents play a significant role in purchasing decisions. Three hypotheses are proven in this research, while other three hypotheses are discarded, because it is proven that there is no significant statistical difference in following basic characteristics of the respondents: level of education, age and number of household members.

Innovation is essential for long-term success in business and companies need to develop an innovative supply chain to respond to environmental and market challenges. It is necessary to develop knowledge through organizational learning in order to strengthen the ability of companies to innovate. An innovative supply chain is the basis for developing innovation in companies. To improve its market position companies should continuously receive high quality information from participants in the supply chain by sharing information. The complexity of relationships within supply chain affecting organizational learning is the subject of this study. We conducted an empirical study focusing our attention on agro-food companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A questionnaire was used as a data collection tool applying random systematic sampling and a total of 159 companies took part in this study. The empirical findings showed that sharing of information has a significant linkage with an innovative supply chain, but only in establishing partnerships with customers. We confirmed that an innovative supply chain is essential for development of organizational learning and agile supply chain. The findings could assist the managers of agro-food companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve their business. This study provides guidance for improving business using supply chains.

The concept of self-regulated learning (SRL) hasn’t been researched enough in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and hence this study represents an important milestone in understanding this concept in this context. The conducted research was initiated with the presupposition that SRL had a positive impact on satisfaction and academic performance of students. In order to prove the goals of the research, two main hypotheses were formulated. The results of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) have shown that the statements within SRL are grouped into five factors: goal-setting, metacognition, environment structuring, computer self-efficacy and social dimension. Multiple regression analysis proved that 4 of 5 factors have a positive impact on satisfaction and academic performance of students. Only goal-setting yielded no significance on the two aforementioned variables, while remaining four factors showed a significant influence on students’ satisfaction and academic performance.

Sustainability in a supply chain is a demand on the one hand and a challenge on the other. It is necessary to balance between these dimensions in order to fulfill the purpose of the supply chain. Therefore, in the first phase—i.e., in procurement—it is necessary to take into account its sustainability. In this paper, a sustainable supplier was selected respecting all three aspects of sustainability. The evaluation was carried out on the basis of a total of 21 criteria arranged into two levels and three groups. A new Interval Rough SAW (simple additive weighting) method, which represents a contribution to the treatment of problems belonging to the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), was developed. The integration of interval rough numbers with the SAW method was completed. In addition, the full consistency method (FUCOM) was applied to determine the weights of the criteria. The integrated FUCOM-Interval Rough SAW model enables treatment of multi-criteria problems while reducing subjectivity to the lowest possible level and eliminating uncertainties and ambiguities. The results obtained were determined throughout a sensitivity analysis consisting of a change in the weight of the criteria and the influence of dynamic matrices on the change in ranks. In addition, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (SCC) was calculated to confirm the stability of the previously obtained results.

For investment decisions to be made in tourism sector, it is necessary to determine tourism potential on the first place. Tourism potential is the ability of a particular location to attract and host tourists. Tourism development should be based on strengthening sustainability, and thus tourism will provide good effects. Since rural settlements have experienced recession in the past few decades, these areas need to be revitalized. This can be achieved through development of rural tourism. Sustainability of rural tourism potential in Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in focus of this study. Based on sustainability criteria, we assessed the rural potential in Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina for certain rural settlements. Assessment of the sustainability of rural tourism potential in Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina was carried out with expert evaluation and used methods of FUCOM, ARAS and CRITIC, and a decision model will be created for this purpose. The findings from this study will provide guidelines for improvement of rural tourism in Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina through examination of good and bad sides of the examined rural settlements. The model with certain corrections can also be used in determining sustainable tourism potential in other branches of tourism.

The purpose of this paper is to research how to improve loyalty to the dark chocolate brand Dorina through interaction created in the model composed of constructs such as brand image, brand impact, brand satisfaction and brand value. The data for this research have been gathered by an online survey. The total of 448 questionnaires have been collected in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The respondents to the survey were consumers of dark chocolate Dorina. The results indicate that consumer satisfaction is the most important factor for the brand loyalty on the dark chocolate market, followed by the impact and value, while the brand image does not significantly affect the loyalty of the consumers. Furthermore, the results indicate that the brand image significantly affects the customer satisfaction. A limitation of this research is that only one country has been taken as a sample, which could lead to generalization of results. New functions of chocolate, such as a health function, provide a new segment of food industry analysed in this paper. Companies should pay attention to the improvement of their brand image in order to affect consumer satisfaction which is the most important prerequisite for the creation of loyalty among the consumers. The developed model has provided instructions for the dark chocolate EKON. MISAO I PRAKSA DBK. GOD XXVIII. (2019.) BR. 1. (245-266) A. Puška et al: CONSUMERS .̀.. 246 manufacturers on how to improve loyalty of consumers and how to influence the very purchase.

In the turbulent environment which is characterized by constant market changes and the development of informational technologies, supply chain is becoming the key instrument for competitive advantage. To survive on the market and be competitive, enterprises have to share and distribute knowledge and information. Information sharing affects the fundamental decisions of the supply chain management. Information sharing with partners is a precondition for the exchange of knowledge needed for business. Most important partners for every enterprise are their suppliers and buyers. Suppliers and buyers are key participants of the supply chain from which they get needed information. Relations with suppliers and buyers are an important precondition for the improvement of the operative performance of the enterprise. Sharing information with suppliers and buyers is done in the following way: information delivered to suppliers, information obtained from the supplier, information delivered to buyers and information obtained from buyers. To examine the impact of the supply chain used an empirical study about multi-dimensional relations. The research is focused on information sharing by food industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). A random systematic sample was used to distribute the questionnaire to these companies. Collected data is analysed using the Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and the model was tested using the Structural equations model (SEM). The results showed that information sharing impacts the improvement of the organizational performance of companies, and partnerships with supplier and buyer impact on the information sharing. Results of this study showed that information sharing does not have a significant impact on the sub constructors of operative performances of the enterprise because there is no significant connection with flexibility, while for the other constructors there is a significant connection between information sharing and operative performances of the enterprise. Based on these facts, it examined the importance information sharing in the supply chain for the development of partnerships and improvement of performance this companies. The results will help managers on food industry in BiH how to improve quality of the information sharing through partnerships and how to developing operative performances companies. The model gives directions for developing business enterprises in food industry using information sharing within the supply chain. Apart from that, obtained results contributed to the better understanding of the significance of the information sharing in the food supply industry enterprises. Based on what is said, to improve the business of the enterprise, it is needed to share quality information which is possible to get through improving cooperation with key participants in the supply chain.

A decision-making process requires a prior definition and fulfilment of certain factors, especially when it refers to complex fields such as supply chain management. One of the most important items in the initial stage of a supply chain, which strongly influences its further flow, is making a decision on the most suitable supplier. In this paper, a model for evaluation and supplier selection has been proposed, which has been considered in more than ten different production areas. The model consists of twenty quantitative and qualitative criteria, which are reduced to a total of nine by the application of the fuzzy AHP and the assessment of managers in production companies. The verification of the model has been presented throughout a selection of suppliers in a company for the production of plastic bags and foils, where the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) method has been used to determine the significance of the criteria, and the Fuzzy Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (Fuzzy EDAS) to evaluate and select suppliers. The obtained results have been considered throughout a sensitivity analysis in which a total of 15 different scenarios have been formed and where the stability of the model has been determined, since the supplier one is the best solution in all the cases.

The selection of the appropriate apple varieties is one of the most important decisions in orchards establishing. The paper gives the methodology for estimating the most suitable varieties of apples when establishing orchards according to modern market demands. This methodology is based on the DEX method for hierarchy-based multi-criteria decision making. The model developed in this paper was applied on four apple varieties, whereby an expert evaluation was used. The experts included in evaluation are from the Fruit Federation of Integral Fruit Production in Laktasi, where panel research was used. Fruit varieties that were observed are: Top Red, Idared, Gala and Golden Delicious because they are the most commonly planted in the orchards at the area of Northwest B&H. The basic advantage of this model is simple application. With visual characteristics of the DEXi program tool and graph radar it is easier to see the good and bad sides of the technological and economic features of the each analyzed apple varieties. The results of the model shows that the Top Red variety is “best” suited for establishing a new orchard, while Idared is rated as "good". The other two varieties used in this model are rated as "medium". For the final selection of apple varieties, it is necessary to carry out an analysis on a single micro-location where all the characteristics of the area should be taken into account.

This paper deals with direct effects ofbrand image, satisfaction and value on consumer loyaltytowards branded chocolates. In the empirical research, a model with these four brand dimensions was established to examine different direct effects - how brand image is related to brand satisfaction and its value, and how brand satisfaction is related to brand value. The research was conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina andincluded 432 respondents based on a snowball sample. The results show that the established structural model is factual,enabling the acceptance of set hypotheses. It has also been proven that the brand satisfaction has the greatest impact on brand loyalty.Based on the findings, the paper additionally contains practical recommendations for production to creating a brand of chocolate.