Competitiveness is a concept we all want to achieve, but it is very diffi cult to defi ne, and even harder to implement. An important feature of competitiveness is its dynamic nature, because sources of competitiveness are not permanent. Competitiveness is a matter of growing interest for every country, which is concerned about the success of its industries and nations. For understanding the current economic situation, it is necessary to know the historical background because it aff ects the current situation and competitiveness of the economy. Competitiveness is the most commonly defi ned economic concept in the last 30 years. It is in the interest of every country to be competitive and that the industry is export-oriented. To be competitive in the demanding EU market and on the global market is the task of both enterprises and the economy of the Republic Croatia. Th e purpose of this paper is to link international competitiveness with the lack of innovative activity in Croatia. Innovation capacity and sophistication of production technology are one of the main problems of business competitiveness in Croatia. Th is paper researches the indicators of competitiveness and innovation index parameters that determine the position of the Republic of Croatia on the regional and the global level. Th e aim is to show the infl uence of the national competitiveness and innovation standard on entrepreneurship in Croatia.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME sector) carry a significant component of an overall economy performance in both developed and developing countries. This paper presents the results of innovation activities analysis on a given sample of SMEs from the Republic of Serbia. By implementing a complex questionnaire for assessing innovation activities authors investigate what innovation activities are conducted in sampled enterprises. Results are processed with Cochran Q, McNemar and statistical significance tests and indicate what particular innovation activities measures enterprises focus on, as well as what measures are considered as relevant by enterprises but are not used. At the same time, the factor analysis was performed to test the quality and structure of the questionnaire itself, namely whether measures of achieved innovation performances of enterprises are properly divided into categories. Additionally, specific innovation activities were analyzed and their implementation modalities by the sampled enterprises. The results contribute in the domain of better understanding of innovation activities measurement within SMEs coming from developing countries. Based on the research results, we got the insight into specific innovation activities SMEs perform, as well as key innovation performance indicators SMEs use.

Original scientific paperThe human factor is one of the fundamental and most important elements in the process of achieving competitive position of enterprise. For this reason, it is necessary to develop a strategy that will contribute to the prosperity and constant development of human resources in the company. One of the most significant and geographically most widespread industries in the Republic of Croatia is the metal processing industry. This industry does not currently have successful financial indicators and is heavily indebted. The aim of this paper is to show the impact of employees on the success of the enterprise. Therefore, the influence of the human factor on the competitiveness of enterprises in this industry is shown in the paper. Keywords: competitiveness; metal processing; net profit; strategy Utjecaj ljudskog faktora na konkurentnost poduzeća u metaloprerađivačkoj industriji u RHIzvorni znanstveni članak Ljudski faktor je jedan od temeljnih i najvažnijih elemenata u procesu postizanja konkurentske pozicije poduzeća. Upravo stoga, potrebno je razvijati strategiju koja će pridonijeti prosperitetu i stalnom razvoju ljudskog kadra u poduzeću. Jedna od najznačajnijih i geografski najrasprostranjenijih industrijskih grana na području Republike Hrvatske je metaloprerađivačka industrija. Ova industrija trenutno nema uspješne financijske pokazatelje i prezadužena je. Upravo se ovim radom želi prikazati utjecaj zaposlenika na uspješnost poduzeća. Odnosno, prikazuje se utjecaj ljudskog faktora na konkurentnost poduzeća u ovoj industriji.