The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method is one of the most significant multi-criteria techniques for defining the relationships among criteria and for defining the weight coefficients of criteria. Since multi-criteria models are very often used in management and decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, the fuzzy DEMATEL model has been extended in this paper by D numbers (fuzzy DEMATEL-D). The aim of this research was to develop a multi-criteria methodology that enables the objective processing of fuzzy linguistic information in the pairwise comparison of criteria. This aim was achieved through the development of the fuzzy DEMATEL-D method. Combining D numbers with trapezoidal fuzzy linguistic variables (LVs) allows for the additional processing of uncertainties and ambiguities that exist in experts’ preferences when comparing criteria with each other. In addition, the fuzzy DEMATEL-D methodology has a unique reasoning algorithm that allows for the rational processing of uncertainties when using fuzzy linguistic expressions for pairwise comparisons of criteria. The fuzzy DEMATEL-D methodology provides an original uncertainty management framework that is rational and concise. In order to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, a case study with the application of the proposed multi-criteria methodology is presented.

Achieving sustainable development requires strategic efforts involving the entire organization. Maintenance efforts also play an important role. Company management needs to understand and develop an appropriate strategy to achieve sustainable development by applying maintenance performance measurements. The aim of this paper is to present possible ways of analyzing and ranking the impact of certain criteria with respect to achieving sustainability. The paper uses the method of Structural Equation Modeling—SEM in order to determine the most influential variable on the sustainability of maintenance of technical systems. Based on the set theoretical system model, for all its variables in the model, statements were made that describe them, on which 136 respondents gave their views (from 1 to 5, Likert scale) in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. An intuitive F-DEMATEL method was also used to prioritize variables. A team of 10 experts in the field of maintenance of technical systems was compared the criteria A—Application of technical diagnostics, B—Management of maintenance resources, C—Maintenance process planning, and the dependent variable D—Sustainability of maintenance of technical systems. According to experts, the importance of the criteria coincides with the results obtained by a survey with 136 respondents.

In contemporary literature, entrepreneurship is increasingly attracting attention by emphasizing new observation angles of innovation and creativity. Creativity is exactly the initial impulse that can encourage entrepreneurs to realize an entrepreneurial venture. Finding niches in the market, noticing needs that others have not, as well as different activities, circumstances or events characterize the uniqueness that represents creativity. Entrepreneurial activity generates sustainable economic growth and a better standard of living through innovation and comparative advantage. The innovativeness of an entrepreneur is reflected through a new focus of seeing things, that is, the courage to try something new and different from the existing one. It is precisely in this segment that we can talk about the career of an entrepreneur, which includes a tendency to take risks, enthusiasm for adopting new ideas, accepting new business methods, and, finally, implementing innovative strategies in the business he is engaged in. In the empirical research that was conducted for this work on 168 entrepreneurs, all from the territory of the Republic of Serbia, the connection between innovation, creativity, and career was analyzed.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are today considered a very important pillar of economic growth in many countries. These companies account for 80% of global economic growth, employ the largest percentage of the workforce and contribute to income generation. However, although they represent a very important factor in today's business these businesses face a number of challenges as they are constantly under pressure to maintain their own competitiveness both in the domestic and global markets. One of the key sources of survival of small and medium enterprises and building a sustainable competitive advantage are considered innovations. They usually start with innovative ideas and innovative activities that lead to improvement in the overall performance of the company. In addition to improving product quality and reducing costs, innovation also allows for increased efficiency and sales for the organization. Innovation is a process that must take place continuously. The implementation of innovative culture in companies must include all segments of the company and help to create good conditions for the development of creative individuals. Croatia is a country that belongs to the group of moderate innovators, however, as innovation is today a key factor in the success of all companies, this paper investigates the influence of human resources and leadership on innovation in small and medium-sized companies in Croatia.

In today’s business environment, the agricultural sector faces numerous challenges, including climate change, market fluctuations, and the need for innovation. Education and entrepreneurial skills are key factors for improving the business performance of agricultural entrepreneurs. The aim of this research is to examine the impact of education and entrepreneurial skills on the financial success of agricultural entrepreneurs. The study was conducted on a sample of 567 entrepreneurs from the agribusiness sector, using three key variables: entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial skills, and financial performance. The results showed that both education and skills have a statistically significant and positive impact on the financial performance of entrepreneurs, with the influence of skills being more pronounced. Strategic decision-making, resource management, and the ability to make quick decisions in complex situations proved to be especially important competencies.

In an increasingly dynamic and complex industrial landscape, the continuous enhancement of organizational performance has emerged as a critical imperative. To this end, structured quality assessment frameworks, such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, have been widely adopted as integrative tools for diagnosing, monitoring, and improving business performance. Despite its comprehensive nature, the EFQM model often requires the incorporation of additional quantitative methods to refine the evaluation of the relative significance of its criteria. In this study, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, extended with triangular fuzzy numbers, has been employed to determine the weighted importance of the EFQM model's criteria under conditions of uncertainty and expert subjectivity. This fuzzy extension of AHP allows for a more nuanced capture of linguistic judgments, thereby enhancing the robustness of decision-making in ambiguous environments. Expert assessments were elicited through structured interviews with quality managers from three manufacturing companies, enabling the construction of pairwise comparison matrices for each criterion. These matrices were then aggregated and analyzed to derive consensus-based priority weights. The findings reveal significant variations in the perceived importance of enabler and result criteria, underscoring the context-dependent applicability of the EFQM model. Furthermore, the results offer a more granular understanding of the internal structure of the model, providing a foundation for its adaptive use in quality management systems across the manufacturing sector. The integration of fuzzy logic into the hierarchical decision-making process is demonstrated to yield improved precision and flexibility, making it a valuable methodological enhancement for organizations pursuing excellence under uncertainty. The proposed approach also contributes to the broader discourse on multi-criteria decision analysis in quality management by addressing limitations in conventional crisp AHP applications.