Creating an external context that will have nourishing effect on the entrepreneurial activities seems to be timely, path and location dependent process. The systemic explorations of the national entrepreneurial context (environment) are still relatively underrepresented. The paper explores strengths and weaknesses of the national entrepreneurship conditions in Croatia and how stable these conditions are in the longer time frame. The aim of the study is to provide more detailed insight on the differences in perceptions among experts engaged in Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and along the time. Findings indicate deterioration of the national entrepreneurial conditions in Croatia. Experts’ perceptions of national entrepreneurial conditions diverge between experts who have and those who do not have prior entrepreneurial experiences. The time also matters – perceptual difference in evaluating the quality of national entrepreneurship conditions is observed across 2015–2018.

Background: Nutritional status in childhood is associated with a number of short- and long-term health effects. The rising prevalence of childhood obesity highlights the necessity of understanding dietary patterns in children. The study provides an assessment of energy and macronutrient intake and food categories’ contribution to energy intake in Croatian primary school children, according to BMI status. Methods: To assess dietary habits, results of the National Food Consumption Survey on Infants and Children based on EU Menu methodology (OC/EFSA/DATA/2016/02 CT3) were used. The sample included 476 children, aged 6 to under 10 years. Results: Results indicated that one in four children was overweight or obese (27.7%). In total, the mean energy intake was 1598.4 ± 380.3 kcal/day, with 30.7% of the children above the recommended energy intake. Cereals, cereal products, and potato food category were the primary sources of energy, which is in line with the recommendations, with protein and fat intakes exceeding recommended levels. Substantial contribution of sweets and low contribution of fruits and vegetables were observed across all BMI categories, with the difference in energy contribution of fruits (p = 0.041) and vegetables (p = 0.033). The meat, poultry, fish, and eggs category were the contributors to energy intake from protein and fat, in the majority of BMI groups. Conclusions: In the obese group, higher energy intake from certain food subgroups was recorded, stressing the need for a more detailed dietary assessment. The study’s cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, indicating a need for future longitudinal research to better understand the dynamics of dietary patterns and BMI status in primary school children.

The question of what motivates entrepreneurs to maintain and grow their ventures beyond the startup phase remains an underexplored aspect of entrepreneurship research. Using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, GEM (2023), this study examines four key entrepreneurial motivations among 103 established Croatian entrepreneurs who are making a difference in the world, building great wealth or a very high income, continuing a family tradition, and earning a living. Employing a multivariate multiple regression approach, we analyze how sociodemographic factors, opportunity perception, fear of failure, media influences, and sustainability-oriented mindsets (e.g., UN SDG awareness) influence these diverse motivations. Findings reveal distinct motivational patterns: socially responsible mindsets and awareness of the SDGs primarily drive the aspiration to “make a difference”, while age, perceived opportunities, and fear of failure reinforce the pursuit of wealth. Media narratives uniquely influence the intent to “continue a family tradition”, while necessity-driven motives—linked to fear of failure and lower growth ambitions—predominate among those aiming simply to “earn a living”. By applying a systems thinking approach, this research illustrates how interdependent factors create distinct motivational clusters, and it highlights the importance of tailored policies and support programs for established entrepreneurs seeking sustainable growth. It contributes to the interdisciplinary discourse on entrepreneurship, offering insights for policymakers, educators, and advisors working to foster resilient and innovative entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Sales growth is essential for an enterprise’s survival and financial growth. If an enterprise manages to achieve sales growth, its expansion can be accomplished. However, does sales growth always have only positive effects? If the enterprise is not collecting enough cash, it can miss a payment on its debt, triggering a series of events that can lead to its insolvency. The goal of the paper is to explore the relationship between an enterprise's sales growth and its insolvency. The relationship is tested empirically on the data set of 4271 SMEs in Croatia. The results confirmed that there is a relationship between sales growth and insolvency. Better indicators exist with solvent and growing SMEs than with insolvent and non-growing. Results have also shown that high growth can be at the same time a high risk. The paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between sales growth and insolvency and empirically demonstrates that sales growth over 200% per year induces the highest probability of insolvency compared to other lower levels of growth.

Background: Food-related reactions can significantly impact children’s dietary choices, health, and nutritional status. This study evaluated adherence to the Mediterranean diet and explored its associations with regional and family socioeconomic status among Croatian children whose parents reported adverse food-related reactions. Methods: The cross-sectional study analyzed data on 193 children aged 2–9 years with parent-reported food-related reactions, collected from the Croatian National Food Consumption Survey, which included 1820 children aged 3 months to 9 years, based on the EU Menu methodology (OC/EFSA/DATA/2016/02 CT3). Parents completed standardized questionnaires on food-related reactions, lifestyle, dietary patterns, and socioeconomic indicators. Regional differences were assessed, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated using the KIDMED index. Results: This survey found an 11% prevalence of parent-reported adverse food-related reactions among children aged 2 to 9 years. Milk, eggs, and tree nuts were the most commonly reported allergens. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was moderate (36%) to low (41%; p = 0.011), with higher KIDMED scores associated with greater fruit, vegetable, legume, fish, and olive oil intake and lower adherence associated with more ultra-processed foods and obesity. Children from coastal and urban areas had better diet quality and socioeconomic indicators. Maternal education was strongly associated with Mediterranean diet adherence (OR = 1.88, p < 0.001), while maternal employment and household income showed no significant relationship. Conclusions: The findings highlight significant nutritional challenges among Croatian children with adverse food-related reactions, driven by regional and socioeconomic disparities. An adherence to a low Mediterranean diet indicates a need for a personalized approach to the diet management of children with food-related reactions. Addressing these through targeted, equitable public health strategies may improve outcomes for affected children.

Internationalization of small and medium enterprises is a specific process, which enables growth and development. However, internationalization brings both opportunities and challenges that SMEs do not always know how to deal with. The aim of this paper is to identify activities and challenges in the internationalization of small and medium enterprises in Croatia, as well as measures that could facilitate this process. In order to obtain these findings, the Flash Eurobarometer 421: Internationalisation of SMEs database was used as a secondary data source. Data were collected from the study which has been conducted by the European Commission. The paper analyzed 501 companies from Croatia, and dependence was sought between company and industry size and activities, challenges and assistance measures for internationalization. It has been proven that there are differences in relation to the size of the company, as well as to the industry. Based on the conducted statistical analyses it is shown that internationalized SMEs from Croatia still base this internationalization on imports and exports of goods and services and other international business activities are less developed. There is a noticeable advantage of the European Union market as the primary choice of Croatian companies for internationalization. Recommendations for SMEs focus on the better understanding of the internationalization process and proper preparation, while policy recommendations are oriented towards raising awareness of the importance of internationalization and providing an enabling ecosystem for internationalization.