Svetlana Vukotić

This study investigates how next-generation digital infrastructures—terahertz (THz) communication and AI-driven network orchestration—shape perceived service quality, luxury perception, and loyalty within the context of luxury hospitality. An empirical survey was conducted among 693 guests at Torre Melina Gran Meliá (Barcelona) between June 2024 and June 2025. Using a refined 38-item Likert-scale instrument, a three-factor structure was validated: (F1) Network Performance (speed, stability, coverage, seamless roaming, and multi-device reliability), (F2) Luxury Perception (modernity, innovation, and brand image), and (F3) Service Loyalty (satisfaction, return intentions, recommendations, and willingness to pay a premium). The results reveal that superior network performance functions both practically and symbolically. Functionally, it enables uninterrupted video calls, smooth streaming, low-latency gaming, and reliable multi-device usage—now considered essential utilities for contemporary travelers. Symbolically, high-performing and intelligently managed connectivity conveys technological leadership and exclusivity, thereby enhancing the hotel’s luxury image. Collectively, these effects create a “virtuous cycle” in which technical excellence reinforces perceptions of luxury, which in turn amplifies satisfaction and loyalty behaviors. From a managerial perspective, advanced connectivity should be viewed as a strategic investment and brand differentiator rather than a cost center. THz-ready, AI-orchestrated networks support personalization, dynamic bandwidth allocation (i.e., real-time adjustment of network capacity in response to fluctuating user demand), and monetizable premium service tiers, directly strengthening guest retention and brand equity. Ultimately, next-generation connectivity emerges not as an ancillary amenity but as a defining pillar of luxury hospitality in the emerging 6G era.

Community-led rural tourism plays a crucial role in promoting economic sustainability and cultural preservation by prioritizing local needs and values. Active resident participation fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment, essential for the long-term success of tourism initiatives. A study of 386 residents from Bregenzerwald, Austria—selected for its established community-led tourism model and strong local engagement—characterized by a balanced gender distribution and high education levels, investigated the factors influencing local engagement in tourism, including perceived benefits, empowerment, trust, place attachment, and resource accessibility. Complementary interviews with 31 stakeholders from Fruška Gora, Serbia—chosen as an emerging rural tourism destination with potential for sustainable development—further emphasized the significance of community agency and empowerment. Through factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM), the research validated its conceptual framework, demonstrating the transferability of the Bregenzerwald model to other rural contexts. Two key constructs emerged: tourism empowerment and sustainable belonging, jointly explaining 84.655% of the variance. Tourism empowerment underscores residents’ recognition of tourism as a vehicle for economic growth, job creation, and cultural safeguarding, while sustainable belonging reflects a strong commitment to eco-friendly practices and social cohesion. Stakeholders from Fruška Gora echoed these findings, highlighting tourism’s role in economic development, cultural identity reinforcement, and environmental stewardship. The results illustrate that rural tourism, when community-led, serves as a comprehensive development tool, fostering economic resilience, environmental sustainability, and social solidarity. The Bregenzerwald model offers a valuable framework for enhancing community participation and sustainable tourism development in other rural regions seeking holistic growth.

A myriad of diverse factors affect the contemporary business environment and all business areas, causing organisations to innovate new business models, or to use innovations to navigate the complexity of contemporary HRM practice successfully. Despite the plenitude of notable studies, a particular theoretical gap exists regarding the innovation’s impact on particular HRM practices and on understanding how multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods can be effectively applied in the context of human resource management (HRM) to address important aspects of successful practices and prioritise the considered alternative solutions. Recognising the potential of the MCDM field highlighted the possibility of involving the MCDM methods in detecting the most influential and innovative HRM practices and defining the rank of companies that are most successful in applying them. The innovative MCDM approach proposed here utilises the CRITIC (CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) method and PIPRECIA-S (Simple PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment) method for prioritising innovative HRM practices, and the COBRA (COmprehensive Distance Based RAnking) method for assessing the companies under evaluation. The research, which involved 21 respondent experts from the HRM field and 12 companies from the Republic of Serbia, revealed that employee participation is the most significant innovative HRM practice that yields the best results in the contemporary business environment. Consequently, the first-ranked company most successfully met the requirements of the innovative HRM practices presented.

The study focuses on the significance of empowering women, which plays a crucial role in the sustainable transformation of rural communities. It highlights the relevance of rural tourism as both an indicator of women’s livelihoods and a catalyst for meaningful change. Increasingly, women are forming associations that not only foster positive interactions among themselves but also extend their influence to other women within their communities. The research aimed to address two key questions: “What actions would you undertake in the realm of rural tourism?” and “What does the advancement of rural tourism mean for you on a personal level?” To analyze the data, factor analysis was employed to categorize the variables alongside structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings identified six distinct factors and demonstrated the interrelationship among these factors. The findings indicate that women willingly choose to participate in rural tourism, predominantly involving activities related to domestic food and beverages, tourism and hospitality, and the production and sale of souvenirs. This addresses the first inquiry. The responses to the second inquiry identified factors such as empowerment, independence, and development. This supports the initial hypothesis H, which posits that rural tourism acts as a measure of women’s empowerment, resulting in significant changes within the rural communities in which these women reside. The research outcomes are relevant to all rural regions in Serbia and its vicinity, where women’s roles are often marginalized and a transformation is essential.

One of the popular leadership styles in politics is charismatic leadership, which implies that leaders possess unique qualities that set them apart from others, enabling them to mobilise the masses, gain support, win elections, and inspire them towards a common goal. Although many important studies have been undertaken regarding leaders and evaluating leadership qualities, there is a particular gap regarding examining charismatic leadership competencies using MDCM (Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making) methods. This paper aims to fill the scientific gap and provide a different insight into leadership competencies by evaluating the characteristics of the EU charismatic leaders in the 21st century using the PIPRECIA-S method. Drawing on previous research, this article provides a a more fine-grained perspective of the literature on leadership competencies and using PIPRECIA-S method to rank charismatic leadership competencies of EU leaders, and provide insights into European Union leaders' qualities, focusing on their strengths and areas for development. The findings highlight the importance of specific competencies in effective leadership, such as stability, discernment, education, analytical thinking, and learning from mistakes. This article also displays the effectiveness of MDCM methods in evaluating leadership competencies, providing a robust framework for estimating leadership in political and other contexts. The findings have implications for policymakers, organizations, and individuals seeking to develop leadership competencies in the European Union, candidate countries and beyond.

The evolution of entrepreneurial initiatives is a intricate process shaped by a multitude of factors. These factors span diverse dimensions, including the socioeconomic setting, educational programs, individual characteristics, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Entrepreneurial initiative encompasses the proactive and innovative pursuit of opportunities, reflecting an individual or a group's willingness to take risks and create value in various domains. Rooted in the entrepreneurial spirit, this initiative goes beyond conventional business ventures, extending to the realms of social, technological, and cultural innovation. Individuals who possess entrepreneurial initiative frequently display attributes like inventiveness, flexibility, and a readiness to take measured risks. Determining the factors that lead to the growth of entrepreneurial initiative can help investors, entrepreneurs, and policy makers create an environment that is conducive to innovation and expansion in the entrepreneurial sector. The aim of this paper is to determine the factors that are most important for the development of entrepreneurial initiatives, as well to clarify the potential effects that various factors can have on the evolution of entrepreneurial initiatives, providing a nuanced perspective rooted in current literature.

The selection of suitable individuals for critical roles within the organization can significantly affect the business efficiency and performance of the organization. For this reason, this article presents a multiple-criteria decision-making procedure for candidates' assessment in the Information Technologies industry (IT) using the integrated PIPRECIA-S and WS-PLP methods. The introduced approach involved defining the criteria' significance with the help of the PIPRECIA-S, while the WS-PLP method was used to evaluate candidates and harmonize the views of decision-makers attitudes. The applicability of the suggested technique was reviewed in the situation of selecting an IT Project Manager in an IT company. However, it can easily be adapted for similar cases of candidate selection.

In this paper, a multiple-criteria approach has been applied to evaluate and rank types of development indicators of sustainable tourism. Groups of indicators whose comparison was presented through evaluation and prioritization are economy, the satisfaction of tourists, social and cultural elements, as well as environmental ones. The types of indicators discussed in the paper are designed to provide guidelines for measuring the degree of compliance. Using Pivot Pairwise Relatives Criteria Importance Assessment (PIPRECIA) method we have defined the evaluation of the mentioned indicators and their importance. The primary goal of the paper is to demonstrate the practical sides of the Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods in this sort of analysis while highlighting the most crucial sustainable tourism indicators.

Scholars have emphasised the importance of green settings in today’s business paradigms. Studies on green behaviour have produced a plethora of noteworthy discoveries, whether focused on financial success, individual capabilities, or development. However, despite significant growth in interest in green business practices, the relationship between individuals’ willingness and green competencies has received little attention. This article used the customised green competencies conceptual model to investigate how green skills influence organisational performance and their relationship with the willingness moment. This article developed an innovative human resource management approach to address these difficulties. A questionnaire was used to perform empirical statistical research with 516 respondents from Serbian universities. Different mathematical and statistical methodologies were used to analyse the results. The findings corroborate the suggested theoretical model, and they suggest that green competencies will influence people’s willingness to participate in green activities. This article gives new information on human behaviour and organisational effectiveness in a green atmosphere. It includes managerial and practical consequences and recommendations for businesses looking to improve their social responsibility and environmental sustainability.

The paper starts from the hypothesis that the examined area is characterized by a process of intensive functional transformation accompanied by certain population changes. The transformation of the settlement structure is shown in the area of Sumadija district. The trend of demographic and economic development was observed with a historical overview. It was upgraded with quantitative analyzes (chain index, population change index, functional classification, index of specialization and localization) for the period 1971-2011. The aim was to determine the degree of socio-economic transformation of Sumadija district and the regularities according to which these changes took place. Industrialization generally brings changes in the functional orientation and redistribution of the population. The deagrarianization was one of the main features, with parallel emigration of the rural population. These changes were intensive in 1961-1981, when the peak of employment in secondary activities was registered. Since then, significant spatial transformation in Sumadija district was visible. Special analyzes were used to confirm the assumption that Kragujevac is a dominant labor center, an administrative and service nucleus, which has a propulsive influence on the development of its immediate surroundings (suburban belt) and the wider area (Sumadija district). The contribution of this paper is in the understanding of the scope, spatial distribution, and intensity of changes that have occurred in Sumadija district. It introduces the historical circumstances and quantitative research into a broader concept as a basis for understanding the trajectories of spatial and socio-economic development, and responds to many social challenges specific for this territory.