In this paper there are firstly some general observations about stress (the concept of stress, stressors, stress responses, consequences of stress). Then, the author examines the effect of stress on giving testimony, that is on two most important psychic functions of the importance for giving testimony: perception and memory. The impact of stress, on perception is discussed in the framework of the importance of affective tone of perception. The lower doses of stress can improve attention and perception, but with intense stress, attention rapidly decreases. Stress often causes erroneous perception of time and other errors in observation and can lead to illusions and hallucinations. The errors in face recognition are also possible in view of 'the phenomenon of focusing attention on weapon '. In relationship with memory, the author firstly gives some general considerations about this function. Then follows brief overview of memory for emotionally colored events. The negative influence of stress on memory is reflected in the possibility of psychogenic amnesia, which are often the escort of psychological trauma. Further, some events will be remembered with a lot of gaps, distortions and overemphasis. The paper points to a number of studies on (in)accuracies and (in)complete memories for traumatic events. Summarizing the main results of these studies it is concluded that memory for traumatic events has similar sharacteristics as memory for normal, nontraumatic events. Memory for traumatic events also follows the same cognitive principles. In that sense, both traumatic and nontraumatic memories can be equally powerful on the one hand, and on the other hand, there may be gaps or errors in memory as well as for the positive and negative life events.

The paper deals with the analysis of ex-Yugoslav countries' export performance (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia) over the period 2006-2013. The paper is aimed at assessing these countries’ export competitiveness and determining its dynamics in trade with the world. The analysis included the research into and comparison of export characteristics – the volume and dynamics of export flows, geographic and product export structure and concentration, technological export sophistication, export specialization expressed through revealed comparative advantage, intensity and direction of change in export structure. In order to gain a comprehensive insight into export competitiveness, a few indicators were used: Balassa RCA index, Michaely index, Herfindahl-Hirschman concentration indices, etc. The indices were calculated based on the information from relevant databases of the World Bank and International Trade Centre, aggregated at the second and sixth HS2002 level, for the eight-year period and/or for the first and the last year. The research revealed that ex-YU countries’ export performance is generally unsatisfactory, despite the progress that individual countries registered in the observed period. Most countries have comparative advantage in the products of traditional, declining industries, a high share of semiproducts and primary products, and a negligible share of high-technology products in their export portfolio, a stagnating export structure, and a low degree of geographic and product export diversification. Mutual comparisons showed that the group is not homogenous and that, besides the described common characteristics, there are significant differences within the group in certain aspects of export competitiveness. The EU member–states, Croatia and particularly Slovenia, have a series of advantages compared to countries that are candidates and potential candidate. The greatest progress toward the improved export competitiveness was achieved by Serbia, while Montenegro got the poorest rating for export competitiveness.

The aim of this paper is a presentation of data mining model that could be used for the measurement of current and forecasting of the future customer profitability. The purpose of this model is to forecast activities of individual customers in the future, and to value that company could expect in doing business with them. Modern customer profitability analysis shows that product cost is just one part of the relation enterprise-customer. A general framework for defining customer profitability, besides pure financial items, has to include a lot of non-linear and non-financial elements. Data mining methods do not use conventional learning methods that suffer from imperfections such as inability to explicitly transfer the knowledge from experts to machines or nonexistence of experts' will for knowledge transfer. Data mining can identify and adopt patterns and rules that exist in historical data stored in databases and/or data warehouses. It can work equally well with nonlinear and nonfinancial elements of environment which have influence on profitability results. Neural networks approved their capability for approximate description of any continuous function. Together with robust methods of genetic algorithms used in the learning process of networks, they make a good choice in the process of selecting methods for forecasting customer profitability. The proposed model for the forecasting of the customer profitability uses two data mining methods: neural networks and genetic algorithm. The paper presents results of empirical research related to forecasting of customer determination to specific segment made in a company which produces and distributes products like dry fruits, nuts, seeds and cereals for the market of South-East Europe.

The paper presents results of research related to perception of creativity in higher education made by the authors at the University of Mostar from Bosnia and Herzegovina. This research was based on a survey conducted among teachers and students at the University. The authors developed two types of questionnaires, one for teachers and the other for students in order to investigate the perception about creativity at the University. Namely, the idea that higher education has key role in development of knowledge-based society and economy has been in the very heart of Bologna process – the overall reform of the higher education in European Union. Also, many official European Union documents identified creativity as a major driving force towards knowledge creation and social and economic advancement through the development of a knowledge society. But, the complex questions of knowledge-based society and economy could not be solved without creative, forward-looking individuals and groups who are not afraid to question established ideas and who are able to cope with the insecurity and uncertainty this entails. If today's universities, including University of Mostar, would not succeed in strengthening creativity of teaching process and education of their teachers and students, development of knowledge society could be at stake. The University of Mostar has been started with implementation of the main postulates of Bologna process since 2005. Almost ten years later, the authors wanted to examine if teachers and students of the University of Mostar are aware of the importance of creativity in higher education for development of knowledge society. That was the main reason why the authors started with research related to perception of creativity at the University of Mostar. The aim of this research was to investigate the awareness of teachers and students of the University related to the necessity to enhance creativity within and by academic community.