june 2020

FEB's Department for Business Foreign Languages in partnership
with the Representative Office of the European Commission in Croatia
and the European Documentation Centre at the Library and Documentation
Centre of the Faculty of Economics & Business, University
of Zagreb, held a competition in students' presentations in
English Organize Your Talk 2020 – online edition from 15 to 22 June
2020. This eighth competition, also the first to be held online, was
organized as one of the events celebrating the 100 th anniversary of
the establishment of the Faculty of Economics & Business – Zagreb.
The competition includes FEB’s first year students and aims to practice
presenting in English or other foreign languages as a key communication
skill in today’s corporate world. In line with the intended
learning outcomes for the Business English 2 course (to develop
professional presentation skills and acquire the specific professional
terminology), the presentations tackled economics, business and
social topics with a special focus on EU objectives, achievements and
policies.
Every year OYT features the best teams of 3 – 5 students selected
after fierce competitions within their lecture groups. The process
starts in classes where every academic year all first year students
polish their professional speaking skills under the guidance of their
course instructors, prepare and give presentations before their
peers. In this year’ competition for OYT 2020 – online edition 12
team and 8 individual presentations were shortlisted.
„We are proud that we have managed to create in these challenging
circumstances a model to continue the tradition that highlights
personal development, research, communication skills, team work,
and responsibility to own environment, the area encompassing the
EU and beyond. We are pleased that our students and our partners
have recognised the quality of this project and that the breakthrough
into the new medium came about in the very year that marks
the 100 th anniversary of the Faculty of Economics & Business in
Zagreb,” one of the organizers, Dr. Višnja Kabalin Borenić, stated.
The specific feature of OYT 2020 – online edition is that it had two
competitive tiers (12 team presentations in English and 8 solo presentations
in English) and a third non-competitive segment inclu-
2

ding the students who demonstrated the mastery of public speaking
in other foreign languages, such as Spanish, French, Italian, German,
and Chinese.
„The competition showed the extent of our students’ competence in
using the professional terminology and the specific presentation
phrases, as well as the enthusiasm and the art of persuasion. They
were also expected to demonstrate the ability to research the chosen
topic thoroughly by using different sources and relying on online
support by FEB’s EDC-LDC employees. Even the competences in
using the new ITC hasn’t gone unnoticed, since all presentations
were created during the twelve intensive weeks of online class“, Dr
Kabalin Borenić added.
The winners were chosen by an expert jury made up of the representatives
of the Representative Office of the European Commission in
Croatia, the partner institutions (EY, Croatian Telecom Inc., PwC,
Kaufland, Coca Cola and Good Game), FEB’s professors, student
representatives and alumni, as well as a fellow teacher from Glasgow
Caledonian University, and the president of the Association of LSP
Teachers at Higher Education Institutions.
The general audience also had an opportunity to vote for their favourites
on the OYT 2020 – online edition website, and the responses
came from over 2000 viewers.
Three best teams and three solo victors were awarded with a visit to
the EU Commission in Brussels (organised by the Representative
Office of the European Commission in Croatia) while the other valuable
prizes were provided by FEB and partners: EY, PwC, Croatian
Telecom, Adecco, Coca-Cola, Kaufland, and Orbico.
OYT 2020 – online edition winners by categories:
Team presentations
1 st place: Nika Matičić, Mario Maks Maslić, Vanja Medvešek Zmijanjac, Ana Mazalin i Karla Markulin with a presentation entitled
HOW IS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CHALLENGING HIGHER EDUCATION FAR AND WIDE THE EU?
2 nd place: Klara Čelan, Lucija Čavlina, Ema Čuklić, Marija Ćurko i Valentina Cik with a presentation entitled TIME FOR CHANGES.
3 rd place: Karla Kralj, Josip Lisjak, Karla Madžar, Stella Macan i Lucija Maljak with a presentation entitled GOOD FOOD GONE
BAD.
Audience award: Ana Kafadar, Ivana Knapić, Laura Jurković, Marita Kaštelan i Petra Kolarić with a presentation entitled GMO,
AT WHAT COST?
Solo presentations
1 st place: Marko Biljaka with a presentation entitled EU: THE CRUMBLING PARADISE.
2 nd place: Matej Stipić with a presentation entitled THE ECONOMICS OF K-POP.
3 rd place: Kristijan Koić with a presentation entitled DUAL FOOD QUALITY IN THE EU.
Audience award winner: Jelena Sajko with a presentation entitled PENNY AND PENNY LAID UP WILL BE MANY.
3

As part of the joint cooperation between Microsoft, Adacta (Be-
Terne), and the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb, the best
student groups in the elective course Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) have been presenting their solutions for specific
business cases for the third year in a row. This year, students were
able to choose between two business cases: craft breweries and furniture
manufacturers/distributors.
Students were combining theoretical and practical knowledge within
the mentioned elective course, and during 15 weeks of classes,
they worked on the development of a customer relationship management
(CRM) strategy and implement it with the help of Microsoft
Dynamics CRM. Adacta (Be-Terna) operationally supported the implementation
of the project by providing education on working in
Microsoft Dynamics CRM, while Mr. Goran Bogovac, Application
Consultant Customer Engagement, implemented it and was constantly
available to students.
During the task conducting, students were divided into groups of up
to 3 participants. Out of a total of 11 groups that participated in the
project in the final selection, three groups were selected to present
their solutions. The following students entered the finals: Željka
Perić and Tin Tadić-Smojver, Petra Kerep, and Nera Fržop, Davor
Cora and Tin Rešetar.
The presentation of the final CRM solutions on June 16, 2020, has
listened and the students were given feedback by Mr. Igor Tasić,
Regional Director - Microsoft Dynamics CRM; Ms. Ivna Juranić, CR
Manager; Mr. Goran Bogovac, Application Consultant Customer
Engagement; Ms. Iva Stipić, Marketing Assistant, who as a student
participated in the first edition of this project and Assoc. Prof. Miroslav
Mandić, Ph.D. holder of the elective course Customer Relationship
Management (CRM).
Students had excellent presentations in which they presented concrete
solutions to the problems of the selected company by implementing
a customer relationship management (CRM) strategy with
the help of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. All participants were extremely
satisfied with the presented and received feedback. In conclusion,
it can be said that the students presented an enviable level of
knowledge and raised the bar high for the next generation of students
who will participate in this project.
4

In addition to the officials who are elected among the scientific and teaching staff of the Faculty, the most important administrative
function outside the educational process is the secretary of the faculty, whose post is usually filed by a person with higher legal education.
As this is not a re/elective function (as rector, dean, and vice-dean/s) for each year (in the period until World War II and later) or
two years mandate (as it is today), this position in our one-hundred years held only 17 persons.
High School of Commerce and Transport / Economic-Commercial High School
1920 - 1931 Ante Legčević
1931 - 1941 Dragutin Cutvarić, Ph.D.
Croatian Economic-Commercial High School / Economic-Commercial High School
1941 - 1945 Stjepan Plantić
from April 3, 1945 - 1947
Franjo Budrović
Faculty of Economics / Faculty of Economic Sciences / Faculty of Economics & Business
1947 - 1951 Eugen Valdec, Ph.D.
1951 - 1953 Radislav Bajek
from March 15, 1953 to Feb. 1, 1958
Milivoj Gaberšnik
1958 - 1963 Josip Martinović
1963 - 1969 Mirko Lakić
1969 to Sept. 1, 1971 Nikica Vučković
1971 - 1974 Janko Žibrat
from March 18, 1974 to June 30, 1983
from May 16, 1983 to June 30, 1986
from Sept. 15, 1986 to Oct. 1, 1991
from Nov. 1, 1991 to March 31, 2004
from Nov. 3, 2004. to Dec. 21, 2006.
from May 1, 2007 until today
Dušan Utješinović
Mile Mudrić
Stjepan Lice
Pavica Antolović
Rija Letić
Martina Levačić
5

The traditional FEB Zagreb 11th International Odyssey Conference on
Economics and Business was held on June 19, 2020, for the first time
in a virtual format. The conference took place in four parallel Google
Meet sessions (economics, management, finance and accounting,
tourism, and IT) where the authors participated in their sessions and
presented papers as in the usual conferences.
This way of holding the conference aroused great interest and response
from the authors, who mostly met with virtual conferences
for the first time at the Odyssey conference. 86 papers and abstracts
were presented, and the authors of the papers were from as many as
19 countries. The conference was also attended by members of the
US Program Committee, Professor Mark Strazicich, and Professor
Junsoo Lee.
A large number of teachers from our Faculty also participated in the
preparation and work of the conference. The conference was organized
by the Organizing Committee composed of Prof. Lovorka
Galetic,Ph.D., Prof. Marijana Ivanov, Ph.D. Prof. Jurica Šimurina,
Ph.D., Prof. Mario Spremić, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor Božidar Jaković,
Ph.D., Assist. Prof. Danijela Ferjanić Hodak, Ph.D., Assist.
Prof. Ivana Načinović Braje, Ph.D., and Assist. Prof. Ivana Pavić,
Ph.D.
Proceedings of the Conference will be sent for indexation to the
relevant databases.
6

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Faculty of Economics
& Business - Zagreb, members of the Department of Marketing
and the Croatian Association of Sales Professionals jointly organized
a virtual round table on June 9, 2020, on the effects of the pandemic
on sales and sales strategies. It brought together about 40 professional
participants, mostly sales and marketing managers with many
years of experience in business practice. With the moderators from
the Faculty of Economics & Business Prof. Marija Tomašević
Lišanin, Ph.D. and Prof. Mirko Palić, Ph.D., and Ms. Ivana Gabrić
Markovinović, Marketing and Sales Director of OTP osiguranje
(newly elected president of the Croatian Association of Sales Professionals),
the panelists were: Mr. Ivica Skočić, M.Sc., Member of the
Management Board of Coca-Cola, Hellenic Croatia; Ms. Milica Damjanović,
Marketing Director, Meteor Group, Labud d.o.o.; Mr. Josip
Držaić, B.Sc. spec. oec., director of the Institution for Professional
Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, URIHO;
Ms. Ivana Petrović, M.Sc. oec., sales representative for OTC products,
PLIVA CROATIA d.o.o.; Ms. Silvija Repić, B.Sc. spec. oec., director
and owner of the food company Sana delikatese and Mr. Ivica
Kruhek, founder and owner of the company Marker d.o.o. (design
and development of webshops).
The participants analyzed the changes that occurred in sales strategies
during the pandemic from those companies that had a drastic
drop in turnover to those whose products demand "exploded" overnight.
In addition to changes in the way of communication with
customers, there is also a need to modify sales training and education.
The participants concluded that such professional meetings
should be held regularly in the future because they represent a useful
platform for sharing experiences, networking, but also psychological
support for people who are in the same profession and face
similar business problems and challenges.
7

As part of the EU project, Excellence and Efficiency in Higher Education
in the Field of Economics - E4, an online workshop on research
methods in the field of economics was held on June 18, 2020 with
the main topic Introduction to meta-analysis. The workshop was
held by Prof. Anamarija Jazbec, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Forestry,
University of Zagreb, and 44 teachers and students from the Faculty
of Economics & Business and partner institutions participated.
Professor Jazbec explained to the participants in more detail the
concept and possibilities of using meta-analysis in scientific research
in the field of economics. She also gave a systematic review of
the literature on the topic of meta-analysis as well as a number of
examples related to the method of model selection and the application
of meta-regression in research. Participants were presented
with statistical software packages applicable to conducting a metaanalysis,
and the online workshop concluded with the presented
guidelines for reporting in economic research.
Through the last week of classes, from 1 to 5 June 2020, employees of the
Office for International Cooperation Ms. Lidija Priščan and Ms. Nikolina
Milić met with incoming exchange students via Google Meet. Using chat,
calls, and video links, students were able to ask questions related to registering
for the exam at Studomat and other procedures related to the completion
of their mobility.
In the summer semester of 2019/2020 at the Faculty of Economics & Business,
full-time and then online classes were attended by 90 exchange students
from 27 countries. The largest number are Erasmus students, mostly
from France, Germany, and Spain. Students on bilateral faculty and university
exchanges are coming from countries such as Canada, Mexico, Chile,
and South Korea.
8

In cooperation with the Counselling and Career Development Office
and the CR agency Talentarium, an online lecture on How to become
attractive to an employer in the tech industry was organized on June 3,
2020. The lecture was given by CR consultant Ms. Marina Dominiković
of Talentarium, with the participation of approximately 20
students.
The aim of the lecture was to show the participants how they can
further stand out in the labor market of the IT industry and how to
start the process of making decisions about their own careers. Many
students of economics at this time have an interest in working in the
technology sector, which encourages them to learn more and engage
in developing their skills so that they can stand out in the eyes of
employers.
Precisely due to the fact that the way of studying has changed for
students due to the pandemic situation, it is extremely important
not to deprive them of additional content and to continue cooperation
between faculties and business entities. Talentarium and the
Counselling and Career Development Office at FEB have recognized
this and sought to make the transition easier for students who are
about to start or plan to start an IT career.
9

This year's grand finale of the LUMEN competition was held on June
6, 2020, live via video broadcast on the eSTUDENT Facebook page.
LUMEN as a platform for the largest student competitions in the
region this year has experienced its makeover or rebranding of previous
competitions and the digitalization of projects. Thus, the Case
Study Competition became LUMEN Business, App Start Contest—
LUMEN Development, Electro-boy—LUMEN Engineering, and Brainstormer—LUMEN
Data Science. With the rebranding, they lost their
original names, but not their recognizability and appreciation in the
academic community.
LUMEN Business
Applications for the competition were opened on January 15, 2020,
followed by the first consultations with partners, mentors, workshops,
joint LUMEN workshops, submission of solutions, evaluation
of solutions and finally presentations of finalists and announcement
of winners. This year's competition partners have given their LU-
MENS the task of resolving real business cases they have already
encountered or are planning to encounter. Each company declared
the first three places so there are a total of 12 winners in this area.
The team that was the best and with their solutions stood out from
the competition and thus won the first place are Lumos maxima as
double winners, followed by Players and GRAND.
LUMEN Data Science
The aim of this competition is for students to try to reach a solution
to a specific task from practice and hone their knowledge related to
analytical thinking, prediction, mathematics, and computer science.
After the application, the competitors were given the opportunity
for workshops and lectures with the aim of developing the best possible
and most complete solution. The workshops were led by employees
of the Premium and Regular partners of the competition. The
10

competition was extremely high, and the jury selected the five best
teams and one team that had the best presentation. The first place
was won by the Peaky miners’ team, the second by the Five Mathematicians
team, the third by the iLUMENati team, while the best
presentation was given by the students of the Data Masters team.
LUMEN Development
The LUMEN Development competition works by having competitors
demonstrate their programming, design, and presentation skills in a
specific case created by the academic community and companies.
Also, the competitors were offered support in the form of workshops,
lectures, and consultations with partners. The teams had to
submit a solution plan and a prototype that should show that the
team is sufficiently familiar with the necessary tools, but also the
way in which the basic technical problems that the team encounters
during the development of the solution can be solved. This year's
winners of the award for the best presentation were the Quads and
Slippers teams. The third place was won by the FiDiD team, the second
place went to the Quads team, and the Slippers team was at the
very top.
LUMEN Engineering
The teams participating in this competition had to develop a solution
that required implementation in the form of an electronic device
or system on a given topic. Competitors had to submit technical
documentation within the set deadline, followed by the development
of their own hardware, for which they received support and
assistance from partner companies. Competitors who opted for this
competition, as well as the previous three, had to show knowledge,
creativity, innovation, but also good organizational skills. The best
three teams were awarded cash. The criteria that were evaluated
were related to the functionality and innovation of the solution, the
use of technology, but also to the documentation that includes the
presentation of the technical solution and the description of the cost
estimation. Third place and bronze went to the Fusion Team, second
place went to the Tubix team, and first place and the title of winner
went to the Fabros team. The award for the best presentation was
won by a team with an interesting name - Return of the Disqualified.
11

12