Slovenian Perspective Research Articles

Slovenian Hopes and Plans in the Last Days of the Habsburg Monarchy

Abstract The article analyzes Slovenian perspectives on the possible formations of a state of South Slavs from the final stages of World War I until when the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenians (SCS) was established in 1918. In this period, the most influential Slovenian People's Party (SLS) gradually abandoned the concept of the May Declaration and accepted the idea of unification with Serbia. Despite Slovenian parties seeming to be in harmony on this issue, significant ideological differences separated them, as reflected in the geopolitical parameters of imagined Yugoslav state ideas they envisioned. Further, dissidents from the main parties also developed alternative visions of their own. This article looks at a few of the most prominent alternatives, while determining what distinguishes them from the requirements of the May Declaration, and examines the crucial factors in Slovenians’ decision to join the state of South Slavs with Serbia and to be outside the Habsburg monarchy.

And Love Itself by Drago Jancar

Reviewed by: And Love Itself by Drago Jancar Elizabeth Fifer DRAGO JANCAR And Love Itself Trans. David Limon. Dallas. Dalkey Archive Press. 2022. 352 pages. ALTHOUGH HE IS RELATIVELY UNKNOWN in the United States, the philosophical and historical sweep of the fiction of Slovenian author Drago Jancar has been compared to Milan Kundera, Franz Kafka, and Günter Grass. Jancar was awarded the European Prize for Literature in 2011 and in 2014 received the Best Foreign Book Prize and the Kresnick Award for best novel of the year for I Saw Her That Night. In And Love Itself, a World War II novel, Jancar asks if love can exist in wartime. Its title comes from Byron's poem "So We'll Go No More a Roving": "For the sword outwears its sheath, / And the soul outwears the breast, / And the heart must pause to breathe, / And love itself have rest." These lines accurately summarize the action. Sofia and Valentin's prewar romance will return to the narrative again and again but only as memory. Jancar skillfully changes points of view, from the peasants in the villages to the Resistance fighters in the woods adjacent to the front lines. When people speak Slovene instead of German or Russian, it signals their nationalism. Intermingling present and past, he moves around the war years to provide a Slovenian perspective. From their hidden camps the Partisans sing, "We bring thunder to the devil, / With weapon in hand. / Write justice in the blood, / Demanded by our land." Fierce love for their land fuels their fighting spirit. That land's occupiers threaten harsh penalties for not speaking German. They decimate the population either by murdering people on the spot or sending them to camps on trumped-up charges. The army of occupation and the Resistance each use interrogation to test loyalty. Trust is a scarce commodity—both sides fear infiltration. Successive waves of armies pass through—Germans, Russians, Partisans, bandits—each taking their toll on the local populace. In scratched photographs, faces appear blurred, looking out of ruined windows. As they push the Germans out, the Russians kill collaborators. When factions disagree about guilt, Slovenes fight Slovenes, brother against brother. The hour of victory brings revenge. Love and poetry can conquer everything except war. Jancar has created a tender love story about the impossibility of love, about heroism without reward. Elizabeth Fifer Center Valley, Pennsylvania Copyright © 2023 World Literature Today and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma

Directors’ liability to creditors under insolvency law: A Slovenian perspective

Directors’ liability to creditors under insolvency law: A Slovenian perspective

Water Crimes and Governance: The Slovenian Perspective

The demand for water is increasing due to its finite availability and a water-dependent world whose population is growing every day. It is important that there is not only enough water, but that the water is safe for human consumption and use in agriculture. Water crimes include various offences ranging from the pilfering of water from pipelines, to water pollution, to the illegal trafficking of water. These crimes are challenging to detect, investigate, and prosecute. This article presents a case study from the Republic of Slovenia. Owing to its geographical position, Slovenia has a wealth of natural resources, and even though it is one of the smallest countries in Europe, it is one of the richest regarding water resources. In this study, the nature of crimes against water resources, as well as challenges regarding water governance and the policing of water crimes, will be discussed from the perspective of green and rural criminology. Although Slovenia is one of the few countries in the world that within its Constitution has protected the right of people to have access to water, water resources have once again become endangered in 2021 owing to the alleged greed of politicians, corporations and individuals who treat water as an attractive target for profit by illegal means. Rural (green) criminology must expand to include the fields of water protection and prevention of water crimes.

Health concerns regarding malnutrition among the older populations: considerations from a Slovenian perspective.

Diet is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle for all age groups. However, with aging it is important to be aware that the diet, due to changed physiology, needs an accordingly adjusted and balanced daily regime. This article reviews the field of older population's nutrition and presents: the most common nutritional disorders, causes, demographics and malnutrition measurement tools. Relevant scientific literature as well as professional Slovenian papers were identified through specific searches with topic-related keywords in EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science and COBISS databases. The results of the identified papers are subsequently discussed in a descriptive narrative. The reviewed literature shows noticeable trends of high proportions of malnutrition among older persons, both globally and in Slovenia: predominantly observed are overnutrition like overweight and obese, but as well, and often unnoticed, undernutrition. The latter is more worrying, as inadequate knowledge in health care institutions regarding nutritional screening tools and measures to prevent drastic forms of undernutrition, seem to facilitate these trends. Though there are many reasons for insufficient food intake in older people, the article formulates considerations that can feed appropriate education and awareness programs, and through correct screening point to timely identification of malnourished individuals and those with risk of malnutrition. The promotion and implementation of such considerations could prevent malnutrition among the older population, reduce the frequency of nutritional disorders and co-morbidities, and generally improve the nutritional status of the older population, thus, provide better quality of health later in life.

The socioeconomic performance of small and mediumsized industrial towns: Slovenian perspectives

AbstractThe socioeconomic performance of industrial small and medium-sized towns (SMSTs) in comparison to that of non-industrial SMSTs, is subject to evaluation in this paper, to see if the presence of industry has adverse effects on socioeconomic factors. We studied 32 variables accounting for dimensions of socioeconomic performance in Slovenian SMSTs and conducted various statistical tests. We found only minor differences between the two groups, pertaining mainly to some elements of economic structure and demography, and some mixed relations of industrial employment and socioeconomic performance. The results demonstrate that industrial SMSTs should not be labelled automatically as ‘disadvantaged’. We discuss why our results differ from general research expectations in the literature: in the local context, we outline the “egalitarian syndrome” and policies of polycentric spatial development; in the global context, we discuss the “failed tertiarisation effect” and the differences between post-socialist and “Western” countries. We conclude by proposing that research should be re-oriented towards the more place-sensitive issues of industrial towns across Europe.

EU banking regulation on capital and liquidity ten years after the crisis: the Slovenian perspective

EU banking regulation on capital and liquidity ten years after the crisis: the Slovenian perspective

EU banking regulation on capital and liquidity ten years after the crisis: the Slovenian perspective

This paper is about the EU banking regulation, which was an important factor in many EU countries contributing to the 2007/2008 financial crisis. Its purpose and value added is to present regulatory weaknesses most relevant for Slovenia. Most notably regarding the absence of rules limiting short-term borrowing on wholesale markets, and procyclical accounting rules which impacted capital adequacy. In the last ten years, the EU banking regulation has been subject to extensive modification. We find the introduction of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) was an important improvement. However, the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) which was designed to address borrowing on wholesale markets is not yet legally binding. Both ratios have a drawback that they may be subject to a cliff effect. Accounting rules were amended with the new accounting standard IFRS 9, but we find that the problem of procyclicality remained.

Словенське бачення головного слухання в адміністративному спорі

Словенське бачення головного слухання в адміністративному спорі

Green economy for sustainable environment: Slovenian perspective

Green economy for sustainable environment: Slovenian perspective

Kino-katedra za pedagoge v Slovenski kinoteki

Besedilo predstavlja izobraževalni program za pedagoške delavce Kino-katedra za pedagoge v Slovenski kinoteki. V izhodišču osvetljuje okvire evropske vizije filmskega izobraževanja in predlog strategije nacionalnega programa filmske vzgoje v Sloveniji skozi koncept filmske pismenosti v evropski in slovenski perspektivi. Osrednji del preučuje ključno idejno zasnovo programa, ki temelji na širšem kontekstu teoretskih vidikov konceptov, kot so: ozadne predstave, tiho znanje, vzgoja pogleda. V sklepnem delu pa avtor podaja metode, postopke in pristope, s katerimi poskušamo stimulirati udeležence k čimbolj intenzivnemu sodelovanju v vseh segmentih programa. Predstavlja pa tudi temeljne značilnosti prvih treh let izvedbe programa, ki zajemajo tematske sklope problematike zgodovinskih filmskih gibanj, preučevanja ključnih metod filmske vzgoje ter osnovnih načel filmske analize in interpretacije.

Nadvojvoda Evgen 1863-1954

ARCHDUKE EUGEN 1863–1954In the article Archduke Eugen 1863–1954 the author deals with the basic biography of Archduke Eugen from his birth until the first months after the Italian involvement into World War I. Archduke Eugen was born in 1863 as a member of the Habsburg dynasty. During his lifetime Eugen achieved a magnificent military career, culminating during the World War I. In fact, after Oskar Potiorek had left the position of the Commander of the Balkan Army, Eugen became his successor. Archduke Eugen remained in this position until May 1915, when Italy entered the war. At this time he became the Commander of the newly-established Command of the South-West Front. From the Slovenian perspective this fact matters not only because the Isonzo Front was under this Command, but also because between May 1915 and March 1916 as well as between March 1917 and November 1917 the headquarters of the Command of the South-West Front were located in the Slovenian city of Maribor. Because of the presence of this Command during the Great War, this city by the river Drava attained an exceptional position in comparison with other Slovenian cities. Archduke Eugen and the renowned Svetozar Boroević von Bojna represent the key protagonists of the organisation and implementation of military actions on the Isonzo battlefield. The core of this article consists of the presentation of the military career of Archduke Eugen, which led him to attain important positions since the beginning of World War I. At the same time the article represents a foundation for the further research of Archduke Eugen's activities during World War I.

Do ISO standards favour logistics provider efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability? A Slovenian perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the prevalence of the application of standards and their positive influence on the efficiency and competitiveness of Slovenian logistics service providers. Moreover, an analysis was also done on the relationship between the adoption of the environmental standard and greater concern for the environment. Design/methodology/approach – A small sample analysis was done using a combination of statistical methods and an abductive approach. A χ2 analysis was utilized to test the hypotheses. Findings – Many benefits were indicated. However, a positive relationship between quality standards and efficiency, as well as competitiveness, was not confirmed. In addition, the implementation of ISO 14001 quality standards was found to have no effect on the higher investment in environmental protection. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by its local aspect (Slovenia), small sample size and its focus on just quality standards and their external factors. Future studies should be extended to the countries of eastern Europe and should further examine the relationship of internal factors as well as the relationship between the adoption of quality standards and the supply chain. Practical implications – A survey is essential not just for the Slovenian industry but also for the wider logistics industry as well as for government authorities and standards providers. Originality/value – This is one of the first papers written to analyse the effects of quality standards on international logistics service providers and the first paper that has explored the impact of standards on Slovenian logistics service providers.

The Purpose of Education: Australian and Slovenian perspectives in Education for Sustainability

Jasne vymezeni ucelu vzdělavani napomaha dobrým rozhodnutim ohledně kurikula, politiky, infrastruktury i financovani. Autoři tohoto clanku navrhuji, že udržitelnost musi být hlavnim principem ucelu vzdělavani v 21. stoleti a představuji dva přiklady ze skol ve Slovinsku a v Australii.

Editorial

Dear readers With the end of 2013 in sight, we are happy to publish this new fully English issue of Envigogika – our second English-only edition this year. The publishing of Envigogika over the last two years has been made possible thanks to project funding for the Interdisciplinary Sustainable Development Network (MOSUR project, OP VK), and we are very grateful for this support. Apart from Envigogika, our team is also preparing a number of events relating to sustainable development (as part of the MOSUR project), which we’d like to draw your attention to. The following events are planned for early 2014: • January 22nd: Practical workshop for educators: The World beyond 2015 – Education for Sustainability, more info here • February 17th and 19th:Academic article writing workshops for young researchers (PhDs, postdocs) with Assoc. Prof. Rodrigo Lozano - Associate Editor of an Elsevier academic journal (the Journal of Cleaner Production), more info here • February 18th: Workshop for academic journal editors with Assoc. Prof. Rodrigo Lozano, more info here • March 30th–April 5th: International Spring School on Sustainable Development 2014 for Bachelor and Master students, more info here. We would be very happy to welcome you to any of these planned events. Now, back to the current English issue of Envigogika, we are very pleased to bring you several interesting and inspiring articles by authors from the Czech Republic, as well as farther afield (Slovenia, Australia). The articles encompass a wide range of themes relating to environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD), as well as sustainable development in more general terms. You can therefore read about: 1) Earthkeepers in the Czech Republic: Experience from the implementation process of an earth education programme (Reviewed Paper) by Jan Činčera and Bruce Johnson. ‘Earthkeepers’ is an earth education programme developed by the international Institute for Earth Education. The authors report on the implementation and subsequent evaluation process of this programme for the first time in the Czech Republic – in the Bohemian Paradise Ecological Education Centre (Středisko ekologické výchovy Český ráj). The results of the study suggested that participation in the programme had a positive impact on pupils’ ecological knowledge and attitudes, and the authors discuss the potential for further dissemination of the programme in the Czech Republic. 2) LET’s start a new LETS: Learning from a case study in Brno, Czech Republic (Reviewed Paper) by Lukáš Kala. The article introduces us to the so-called Local Exchange Trading System (LETS) and the system’s recent history in the Czech Republic, and then reports on RozLEŤSe – a LETS system in the city of Brno, Czech Republic. The authors specifically examine the socio-demographic characteristics, motivations and organisational operations of the group and focus on the potential threats to the continued work of the LETS system. 3) Ethics and Ecoethics by Josef Petr Ondok: Between the Sciences, Philosophy, and Theology (Reviewed Paper) by Zuzana Svobodová. This philosophical text analyses the work of Josef Petr Ondok – Czech theologian, philosopher and biologist – from the perspective of ethics and ecoethics. 4) The Purpose of Education: Australian and Slovenian perspectives in Education for Sustainability (Inspiration) by Phil Smith and Majda Naji. The authors present their view on the purpose of education in the context of sustainable development and include examples of education for sustainable development from their countries – Slovenia and Australia. 5) Environmental mining limits in the North Bohemian Lignite Region. Book review: Říha, M., Stoklasa, J., Lafarová, M., Dejmal, I., Marek, J., Pakosta, P., Beránek, K. Environmental mining limits in the North Bohemian Lignite Region. Společnost pro krajinu, Praha 2005. Translation: Petr Kurfürst. This book review written by Andrew Barton looks at the issue of mining limits in the region of North-West Bohemia in the Czech Republic and briefly summarises from the content of the book originally published in 2005 (in Czech, but later translated into English) supplemented with the most up-to-date information on the current situation. 6) Informational texts: A very interesting article on environmental literacy by Petr Daniš, originally published as a reviewed article in Czech (Envigogika 3/2013), has been translated into English and is now available to our readers. School teachers might be interested in the announcement of a school essay competition run by The Living Rainforest, a UK-based charity. 7) Related announcements: As we feel that dialogue on environmental education and ESD related issues in CZ should be promoted nationally and internationally, this time we are publishing two issues simultaneously (for the content of the Czech issue of Envigogika, see here). We wish you inspirational reading and a peaceful Christmas holiday, as well as a successful New Year. The Envigogika editorial team In Prague on 20. 12. 2013

Cultural Differences in Multinational Peace Operations: A Slovenian Perspective

The article is based on research conducted at the Defence Research Centre, emphasizing the qualitative data gathering conducted among members of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL II) mission in 2007–09. Complex peace operations, as opposed to traditional ones, require a multinational structure and cooperation with several non-military actors/subjects. Trying to be effective, doing the job as well as possible and surviving the situation of living in a limited area with formal and informal interaction with a small number of people takes well-defined rules and procedures as well as the awareness of the importance of integrating mechanisms. Culture, encompassing the military organizational culture as well as the so-called ‘national culture’, undeniably has a substantial impact on the relations within a given multinational operation. Within the cultural framework, the common language or lingua franca deserves special attention.

Social Values and Moral Management: A Slovenian Perspective

Starting from the observation that in morally questionable situations managers tend to act in accordance with a so-called political utilitarianism, this paper seeks to answer the question: why is it important for managers to behave morally? It argues that managers should adopt the deontological notion of self-respect and respect for others as a basic presumption, bearing in mind management’s central role of dealing with people. It is suggested that this is especially so in transition economies. By adopting a deontological perspective, organisations could benefit significantly, although this should not be the primary motivation for acting on this basis.

Constitutionalisation of the Implementing Act of the Procedures Directive: The Slovenian Perspective

AbstractThe author identifies the initial challenging questions that will be posed to judges in relation to the application of implementing act and the Procedures Directive. The arguments put forth are directed towards the need for interpreting the transposition act and the minimum standards from the Procedures Directive in a way that would be consistent with the international and constitutional human rights law standards. The actual situation and prospects of this challenge for the case of Slovenia are examined from the period before and after the adoption of the Procedures Directive through the analysis of administrative practice and jurisprudence in relation to the grounds for abuse of the asylum procedure within the accelerated procedure, the procedural requirements for the use of country of origin information and the right to free legal assistance. In the section on the main challenges for the protection of fundamental rights in relation to the Procedures Directive, the author focuses on methods of interpreting Community law, the question of the scope of Community law, the concept of judicial cooperation for the protection of human rights, conditions for annulling Community provisions due to violation of fundamental rights, and the effects of international law standards on the protection of fundamental rights under Community law.

Communicating about corporate social responsibility: A comparative study of CSR reporting in Australia and Slovenia

This paper examines how two countries on opposite sides of the world, Australia and Slovenia, are addressing corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting issues. The authors see reporting as an important communication tool or channel which can ensure greater corporate transparency and enable a better engagement with multiple stakeholders. The paper aims to provide a review and a comparison of the CSR guidelines and reporting standards in both countries by which this communication is guided. In both countries, reporting is largely voluntary and appears to be driven by market pressures. However, differences appear in national culture as a driver with product, management and financial considerations influencing Australian reporting whereas Slovenian reporting is shaped by employee, community and environmental concerns. From Australian and Slovenian perspectives it seems to be important to increase reporting incentives in both countries and to connect and compare them to global reporting requirements.

The Architecture of Vernacular Subjectivities: North American and Slovenian Perspectives

The Architecture of Vernacular Subjectivities: North American and Slovenian Perspectives