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ŠUMARSKI LIST 1-2/2023 str. 42     <-- 42 -->        PDF

processing sector to Serbia’s GDP is lower than its potential. In addition, the export of products with low added value is particularly emphasized, in addition, utilization of production capacities is weak. Taking into account that the work of forest companies is limited by regulations and dynamics in forest cultivation and exploitation, it can be said that the production of wood assortments is seasonal and often cannot supply the increased demand in certain parts of the year (Posavec, Beljan 2013). Due to obsolete and low production, as well as the lack of capacity and underdeveloped production at higher stages of processing, the total income generated in the wood processing sector, given the potential of raw materials, is relatively low (Pirc et al., 2010).
Wood products, which are a result of primary processing, are intended for further processing, and such products are purchased to satisfy the needs of the production process (Blythe, 2006). The market of wood forest products can be defined as a B2B (business to business) market (Leban et al., 2019), where companies purchase raw materials with the intention of their further sale or the production of other products (Salai, Božidarević, 2001; Milisavlјević et al., 2004; Hillebrand et al., 2011; Kotler, Pfoertsch, 2006; Gligorijević 2007; Kotler et al., 2007; Hutt et al., 2012; Lamb et al., 2013). Such market is characterized by “derived demand” where the demand for raw materials is conditioned by the requirements and needs of final consumption (Kotler et al., 2006; Kotler et al., 2007; Kotler, Keler, 2008; Gligorijević, 2011; Lamb et al., 2013; Aleksić, 2015; Jokić, Jevtić, 2017).
The goal of this research was to gain insight into the opinions and attitudes of the respondents from companies towards particular aspects of the market. In this way, the macroeconomic environment and the influence of internal and external factors on the operations of the analyzed companies were recognized. The purpose of this research was to acknowledge and understand the market environment in which the analysed companies operate, and to define recommendations for future management. The object of this research were companies in the field of forestry and wood processing, the opinions and reviews on raw material purchase, product placement, attitudes towards purchase procedures and so on. Apart from that, another object of this research were attitudes towards market opportunities in Serbia, as well as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in business. The research was conducted during 2019/2020 and included 32 companies in the field of forestry and wood processing from central Serbia.
The criteria for the selection of companies were to: belong to the private sector; belong to the category of small and medium companies (based on the number of employees); purchase raw materials (more than 50%) from state forests; purchase beech and/or oak and/or poplar. These criteria were chosen because such companies are dominant in the analyzed area and well represent the sample in entrepreneurship based on forest resources.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
MATERIJALI I METODE
Along with descriptive statistics and the classic inference methods such as analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction, SWOT and AHP analysis were used. For the purposes of this research a survey was created, consisting of facts, intentions and opinions of the respondents (Hanić et al., 2010). In combination with a structured interview, a survey for authorized personnel of the analysed companies was conducted. The first part of the survey included basic information about the company, such as: type of ownership, location of the company, the number of employees, gender, education and age structure of the employees. Furthermore, it included questions of whether raw materials are supplied only from “Srbijašume” public enterprise and/or from other sources, what are the final products placed on the market, and on which markets they are placed (national, regional and/or international). On the other hand, the method of distribution on both the domestic and international markets of export-oriented companies was examined, with an indication of the countries in which the products are placed. The last question in the first part of the survey targeted the problems in business that the companies encounter. The second part of the survey focused on the respondents’ opinions and attitudes towards particular market characteristics of the companies. For that purpose the Likert scale was used (Havelka et al., 1998; Malhotra, 2007; Aker, 2008), ranging from mark 1 to 10, where 1 represented complete dissatisfaction, and 10 represented exceptional satisfaction concerning the given question. The questions were oriented towards the assessment of satisfaction in terms of quantity, quality and price of raw materials they purchase, the complexity of the purchase procedure, but also in terms of the product placement on the domestic and international markets. In the next step, the respondents assessed the competition, market activities conducted by the companies to promote themselves and the satisfaction with the current market share of the company. The third part of the survey included goals of the companies. In accordance with that, with marks 1-5 the respondents expressed their attitude towards the companies’ orientation to increasing market share, sales growth, customer and employee satisfaction, the development of the municipality through employment of local population and so on. Prior to the final survey, a pilot survey was conducted in which particular questions, where necessary, were improved, and the corrected form of the survey was then used in further research.
Descriptive statistics was calculated for the observed variables – the number and percentage for categorical variables, and the mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum for numeric variables. For each characteristic from the scales – company goals, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, in addition to the number and percentage for marks