bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HR specialists’ perceptions of the desirability of psychopathic traits in job candidates
Authors: Tudosoiu Alexandru , Ghinea Valentina Mihaela , Cantaragiu Ramona Elena
Published: December 2019

The study of psychopathy in organizational settings is still in its incipient stage, but scholars have already proven that the prevalence of psychopathic features in the corporate environment, especially in senior positions, is higher than in the general population (3% compared with 1% in general population) and that employees with psychopathic tendencies have a negative impact on the sustainability of organizations. It has been argued that human resources specialists have to become astute at identifying employees with psychopathic features in order to be able to manage their careers in a way that would not affect the organization’s wellbeing. However, research has also proved that there are several psychopathic traits which make job candidates likelier to obtain a job, due to the positive impression that they create during the job interview. The study tested the desirability of psychopathic traits in job candidates from the perspective of human resources specialists and, based on a survey of a sample of 68 Romanian human resources specialists, found that candidates displaying an ability to remain calm under pressure, self-confidence and persuasiveness are more likely to be hired. Moreover, the study concluded that Romanian human resources professionals are somewhat aware of the threat posed by psychopathic employees and that most of the employers they represent use selection methods able to filter out potential psychopaths. The findings open up new avenues of research on the ways in which selection strategies can be employed in order to enable human resources specialists to effectively identify candidates with psychopathic tendencies.
Costs a pretty penny: how household income impacts upon motorization in Europe and raises manufacturer branding challenges
Authors: Roşca Vlad I.
Published: December 2019

This research starts from the findings of a previous study (Roșca, 2018) and intends to develop the preceding statistical model through testing new and more elaborated hypotheses based on the recommendations for future research made in the aforementioned work. The current paper tests demographic and transportation related variables for a multiple regression carried out at a confidence level of 95%. Regression results show a valid relationship between motorization and the selected regressors. Findings further reveal that motorization rates are most strongly influenced by the gross disposable income of households per capita (H4, β = 0.010, p = 0.000). Given that three of the demographic and transportation related research hypotheses have not been supported (age, overcrowding, fatalities), it might be argued that motorization should be looked upon more as a market(ing) feat rather than as a social or psychological fact. Car manufacturers should invest more in branding and in market segmentation in order to address the right target groups and properly position themselves with the customers. Branding, hence, becomes important as it creates an emotional connection between the corporate identity of the producers and the image that customers share about it. The closer the brand identity is to the brand image, the more of an impact the brand will have upon customers to spend part of their gross disposable income for car purchases. Starting from the main finding, this article also claims that future research needs to insist more upon the economic determinants of motorization (e.g. inflation, poverty rate, available resources, unemployment rate, interest rate etc.) and to determine their influence on brand preference and car ownership. At the same time, some other demographic variables such as age or generation could be double-checked, as researches provide shattered views upon their role: while some hold them as influential, others subjugate them to the economic determinants.
Organising Principles for the Internationalization of Higher Education
Authors: Henson Martin , Pugna Irina Bogdana
Published: December 2019

The importance of internationalization, as a part of an institutional higher-education strategy cannot be overstated. In this paper we provide a mechanism for organizing a Higher Education Institution’s internationalization strategy, recognizing that it is globalization that is forcing higher education institutions to internationalize. We briefly discuss and evaluate existing approaches and provide a new model and taxonomy for organizing strategic responses to higher education globalization in more detail. This model offers a classification scheme suitable for a variety of higher education institutions wherever located at different stages of their development.
Towards a smart, inclusive and sustainable development. Investment in human capital and innovation. An empirical analysis
Authors: Herman Emilia , Suciu Marta-Christina
Published: December 2019

The importance of a smart, inclusive and sustainable development as well as their main determinants had benefit in the last decades of an emergent attention both in the current evolution of the mix set of socio and economic policies as well as in the theoretical and empirical research development. The paper focuses on the role of investments in human capital and innovation, two closely interrelated variables, for a smart, inclusive and sustainable development, within the European Union countries. Our main research results show that, at the EU level, there are significant differences between less inclusive and sustainable developed countries and, correspondingly, between more inclusive and sustainable developed countries in terms of investments in human capital (expressed by the Global Human Capital Index and tertiary educational attainment), on one hand, and the national innovation systems performances (as illustrated by the Summary Innovation Index and R&D intensity), on the other hand. Moreover, the correlation and regression analysis results suggest that existing gaps between inclusive and sustainable development, manifested at the EU level, can be explained by the level of human capital optimization and innovation performances. Therefore, more attention have to be paid to take some specific actions, especially in the less inclusive and sustainable developed countries (such as Romania, Greece, Spain, and Portugal, called also emergent countries) in order to improve innovation performance and the leverage of the human capital for the benefit of both individuals’ themselves and of the whole economy for increasing the inclusiveness and sustainability of development.
Value creation and the development of knowledge-intensive service activities in Romania’s travel agencies
Authors: Holostencu Luciana-Floriana
Published: December 2019

This paper aims at analyzing key information regarding the value creation resulted from providing tourism services by Romanian traditional and online travel agencies in relation to the development of knowledge-intensive service activities as part of their internal operations and the usage of outsourced services. Knowledge-intensive service activities and the field of knowledge-intensive business services have gained great importance in the economy of emerging countries such as Romania. Moreover, the impact of these specialised services and activities in tourism have not been subject to many thorough domestic or worldwide researches. As a result, the study will bring a new perspective regarding the implications of innovation and investments in technology, human resources and specialized knowledge in order to develop a new form of value creation, increased customer’s confidence and high profitability for the company. In order to achieve the indicated objectives, both the theoretical and empirical studies are used. The empirical study consists in collecting secondary data such as professional reviews and dedicated studies and reports from conferences and demonstrations on the subject. Also, the conducted analysis gathers mainly quantitative but also qualitative data, by applying a particularized survey and a brief interview. The results illustrate an integrative framework of the importance gained by knowledge intensive services in the process of value-creation in a tourism agency and also the key aspects regarding the new adapted form of tourism products through dynamic packaging. This study does not only capture and details the main aspects regarding the importance of knowledge-intensive service activities in the development of tourism companies, but also highlights the main features regarding customer’s satisfaction through the concept of perceived value-in-use (PVI) and the new successful products created and provided to a complete new generation of clientele.
Assessment of the intellectual capital evaluation practices in Romanian IT companies
Authors: Incze Cynthia Bianka , Vasilache Simona
Published: December 2019

Intellectual capital started to raise and become a focal point of many businesses as they started invest in their own knowledge based activities and recognize its importance. In today’s world can be observed a more dynamic, flexible and growth oriented business environment than ever. Thus, the need for an increased amount of intangible assets in businesses lead to the recognition of the intellectual capital as a competitive advantage and strategic asset. Due to its expanding importance and relevance a significant number of measurement, valuation and evaluation methods were developed. Consensus regarding different methods was not yet reached, but all these methods are designed to help to get an approximation of the reality, thus contributing in short-term and long-term decision making. The aim of the paper is to assess the level of intellectual capital evaluation practices in multinational IT companies and IT SMEs in Romania. The study is questionnaire based and represents a mix of quantitative and qualitative research. Overall, although the challenge of intellectual capital evaluation remains significant, this study leads to the opportunity to identify evaluation patterns, best practices and a short list of useful evaluation indicators for businesses which already are or could be implemented in the near future.
Voting with Your Brain or Heart, Hands or Feet? An Enquiry in the Microeconomics of Intra- and Inter- National Political Competition
Authors: Apăvăloaei Matei-Alexandru , Jora Octavian-Dragomir , Iacob Mihaela
Published: December 2019

This paper is an interdisciplinary analysis of the benefits and limits of political competition. We start from the economic theory of monopoly and extend its implications on matters concerning political action. If the state is defined as the institution that holds the monopoly on coercion over a given territory, are the democratic selection process (internal political competition) and the possibility open to an economic agent to leave for more economically free jurisdictions (international political competition) enough to temper its reach? By referring to the inherent limits that plague collective action, voter rational ignorance, and the possibility of redistributing benefits and incumbent decision-maker collaboration when it comes to trading votes, we argue that democratic competition cannot be considered an effective restraint against political discretion. Because of this, we consider that international political competition can offer better protection against political action. However, even the possibility of voting with one’s feet or observing the political milieu in another territory become manageable if political decision-makers decide to collude at the international level. Also, emigration is an economically costly and psychologically exacting decision that ultimately implies choosing between two state-controlled jurisdictions. Therefore, even the choice of voting with one’s feet is a second-best solution that, in practice, might not prove to be an effective restraint on the state’s monopoly discretion.
A trip project for more demanding clientele involving the climb on Matterhorn
Authors: Kozák Vratislav , Kolářová Vendula
Published: December 2019

Tourism is one of the areas which is constantly making progress. While 10 years ago tourists enjoyed a holiday by the sea in a beautiful resort with even more beautiful weather and clean beach, eventually winter holiday in the ski resort with regularly adjusted slope, enough snow and comfortable accommodation, today it is different. Based on a survey among the clients of the Slovak travel agency it was found out that the clients are interested in the trip involving the climb on the Matterhorn mountain which has not been offered in the proposition yet. Travel agency together with the specialized academic workplace processed the trip project for more demanding clientele to this less common destination, this means on Matterhorn mountain, accompanied by the mountain guides. This way the travel agency gained a competitive advantage because no other Slovak travel agency organizes a tour of this type. It has to be considered the safety of the participants of the trip and wind conditions in the final destination. The profit margin was established at 45%. Under the term „ demanding clientele” we mean the clients who do not long for a stay at the seaside but on the contrary they love to increase adrenaline and are not afraid to test their abilities in extreme situations. There is a competition not only among the individual travel agencies but due to access to information via the Internet there are more and more tourists who are able to arrange a demanding sightseeing trip to various countries themselves. The special exception is mountain tourism and climbing which is demanding for the accompanying services – providing mounting guides, transport of the backpacks in hilly terrain. Climbing is the risky sport, it is necessary to have a secure professional accompaniment.
The NIMBY effect towards wind energy instalments in Romania-myth or reality?
Authors: Maassen Maria Alexandra
Published: December 2019

In the past two decades wind energy has become one of the main sources of renewable energy used globally. With the expanding installments of wind turbines and wind parks, several issues have become apparent, especially in terms of closing in to human habitats, but also in terms of damages to the landscape, flora, fauna and other such issues. As more wind turbines are placed in order to achieve the global standards of renewable energy until 2020 and 2030 deadlines, a main issue of the NIMBY effect has also emerged, causing additional pressure on wind energy producers regarding placement, design, height and other elements of the wind turbines. The present study presents current public perceptions of Romanian residents on different placements of wind turbines, as the public becomes more aware of the new type of installments taking place today. Through the Delphi method based on interviews and questionnaires the study reveals current public perceptions and potential perspectives of the NIMBY effect in Romania. A main finding is that most respondents opposed placements of wind turbines in locations, such as residential areas, although wind turbines in Romania are generally placed in remote areas. This result reveals a public perception and consciousness regarding the protection of the human habitats against potential technological sources of discomfort, although renewable energy was perceived as a matter of interest for most participants. The relevance of the study lies in the novelty of the matter, as few studies have referred to NIMBY effects in Romania previously.
NGOs perspective over CSR actions in an emerging economy
Authors: Stoica Dragoș Andrei , Petrariu Ioan Radu , Chivu Raluca-Georgiana
Published: December 2019

In this paper we investigate the perceptions of non-profit organizations over the CSR activities and their effects in the Romanian society. By conducting a survey for a sample of 105 NGOs from the most important cities in Romania, we aim to highlight the differences between corporate reports and real effects in our society as it pertains to CSR actions conducted by companies. Over the years, in order to attain legitimacy, corporations have become more transparent and involved in social and environmental issues. In the case of Romania, many actions like this are implemented in a partnership consisting of corporations and NGOs, thus the latter becomes a very important actor in achieving sustainability for our society. The responses highlight the disparity between the reported actions and results and real effects in the community.
How Do High School Students Perceive the Entrepreneurial Education
Authors: Misu Sorina Ioana
Published: December 2019

Entrepreneurial education is the new must of today’s young generations. Either the teenagers or the young adults envision a career in IT&C, medicine, law or architecture, nowadays society requires from them to possess knowledge about how a business works or how it can be successfully developed. This brings up the question for curricula developers when should be introduced business education to children. For the time being, in Romania as well as in most of the European countries, they make acquaintance with the entrepreneurial education during high school. The present study wants to throw a glimpse at how pupils themselves perceive the study of entrepreneurial education and how effective is for their future to start learning about entrepreneurship concepts around the age of 16. Consequently, with the help of a quantitative research materialized in a questionnaire, the study has the objective to determine the perception of high school students in Romania about the entrepreneurial education and to evaluate its impact in a number of different matters. They have been focused primarily on the decision of their future careers and the role the teacher plays in this process. The contributions of this study could be of high importance for both curricula developers that must take into account students and market’s needs, as well as for the universities which offer business administration study programs. For the case of the universities, in order to develop coherent study programs, they need to be aware of the students’ basic level of knowledge regarding entrepreneurship and their understanding gained through the mandatory subject of Entrepreneurial Education during the high school time.
Assessment of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Newcoming Romanian Entrepreurial Universities
Authors: Nastase Carmen Eugenia , Butnariu Alina-Ramona , Lucaci Ancuța
Published: December 2019

In the dynamic changing environment, entrepreneurial universities have been playing an increasingly important role for socio-economic innovation and development. The aim of this study is to perform an analysis, involving the observation of the dimensions of entrepreneurial universities. We consider that nowadays the evaluation of universities should take into consideration the tools that school leaders, professors and students may use to evaluate teaching programs in innovation and entrepreneurship. As a result of the fact that the tertiary education institutions are appreciated by the way they relate to the social and economic needs and characteristics of the individuals, the Romanian universities are currently pursuing and trying to undergo a development process making the shift from a classical university to an entrepreneurial university. Specific literature has argued that the dynamic culture of the entrepreneurial university encourage students and graduates to new innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives and increase their employability. The purpose of the current paper is to inspire debates and actual steps to be taken so as higher education institutions in Romania to become even more competitive and support economic growth by fully embracing the role of entrepreneurial universities. Research methodology includes the application of the questionnaire conceived by the HEInnovate team in two universities from Romania, authors comparing the results through a qualitative analysis and interpretation within the European framework. Results underline a similarity between the responses among the seven pillars of HEInnovate tool, but given the area of influence we identify the gaps and propose specific recommendations for short and long-term future. The conclusions of paper area meant to enhance performance in development of innovation and entrepreneurial skills in students in North-East region of Romania, with the aim to raise the region’s competitive edge.
The costs of cyberterrorism for the national economy: United States of America vs Egypt
Authors: Neagu Florentina Stefania , Savu Anca
Published: December 2019

In recent years cyber terrorism has become increasingly used with the globalization of technology and people’s access to high-speed internet. It takes place exclusively in the online environment, the advantage being that it offers an increased level of anonymity to users. Terrorist groups are targeting the misappropriation of social media accounts, focused on Distributed Denial of Service activities, exploiting communications services and banking services for fraudulent misappropriation of financial accounts. Cyberterrorism generates very high costs for the national economy, such as the involvement of specialists for detecting and correcting intrusion, declining productivity and income, costs of information theft, regaining the reputation of an institution or company, the costs relating to the resumption of production and the provision of services, the loss of information concerning intellectual property, financial manipulation using stolen information, the cost of securing computer networks and assuring them in the event of intrusion, costs generated by the time spent on recovering stolen data. In 2018 both the US and Egypt took action on these activities, the US modified its national cyber strategy and Egypt adopted the new law project to combat cybercrime. The main cyber threats they face are: threats of intrusion and sabotage of IT infrastructures, cyberterrorism and cyberwar, threats to digital identity and theft of private data, malware programs. The targets of the attacks were public sector entities, financial organizations, health care organizations, retail and accommodation. The reasons for why hackers attack these organizations are money-related, malware infected by emails, commercial and industrial espionage.
Personal versus professional use of mobile phones in information processes at work
Authors: Neştian Ștefan Andrei , Tiţă Silviu Mihail , Turnea Elena-Sabina
Published: December 2019

Mobile phone has become today a multi tasking tool, used in the work environment for both, personal and professional purposes. On the one hand, used for personal purposes, mobile phone can bring many benefits: it reduces stress, helps to schedule time after work, helps the employee to find useful information on the Internet, etc. On the other hand, mobile phone can also have negative effects when it is used at work for personal purposes: decreases productivity at work, distracts the attention, exposes to risks employees that are working in production, etc. In what concerns the professional purposes, the benefits depend of the nature of work: keeps constant connections with supervisors and clients, employees find quick information related to working tasks, and information can be shared at any time with colleagues, etc. Of course there are also negative effects of the mobile phone used at the workplace: disturbing the activity of colleagues, non-dissipation of information to others in a timely manner, etc. In this paper we present some preliminary results from a study that highlights both, professional and personal use of mobile phones in information processes at work. The research sample has 368 respondents from different fields of activity. Based on the frequency of their use, the results indicate that, for personal purposes, text messaging applications comes on the first place, search for useful information on the Internet comes on the second place and finally, the phone calls (voice only) are on the third position. For professional purposes, at work, most employees use phone calls (voice only), then they search for useful information on the Internet, and finally, they use messaging applications.
Alleviating energy poverty experienced by students living in private rented accommodation: The role of the housing provider
Authors: Ntouros Vasileios , Laskari Marina , Iordache-Platis Magdalena , Assimakopoulos Margarita-Niki , romanowicz Joanna , Lontorfos Vasileios
Published: December 2019

Students are often described as an under-reported and under-supported group of the population falling into energy poverty. Although the main drivers of energy poverty are well documented, up to this date little attention is given to housing tenure as a cause of energy poverty. This study aims to support the understanding of the motivations and barriers faced by property owners that rent accommodation to students for making energy efficiency improvements to their rented properties. With this understanding recommendations for alleviating energy poverty experienced by students living in the private rented sector can be formulated. The research conducted is based on qualitative methods; focus group discussions and interviews. Data were collected from almost 30 student landlords in seven EU countries between October 2017 and January 2018. Findings show that grants and financial incentives are key for the questioned proprietors to move to energy efficiency improvements of their property but bureaucracy burdens are a major barrier for moving forward with them. In addition, the need for stronger information campaigns on energy efficiency issues is revealed. Eventually, a number of financial, consumer protection, energy efficiency and informational measures for alleviating energy poverty experienced by students living in private rented accommodation are proposed.
Investigation into Millennials’ and Z generation’s perception over dual education systems in Romania in a tourism oriented institution
Authors: Parteca Mihaela
Published: December 2019

The importance of the development of vocational education has been highlighted by the European Commission through the communication “Rethinking education” and the one regarding the fight against unemployment among young people. Based on the study of the specialized literature, a number of relevant aspects were identified, regarding the importance of the education and training of the people in relation to the creation of new successful business models but also the importance of studying the profile, attitude and perception of future employees (Generation Z). In Brașov county, Romania, the dual education system was implemented in 2012 and since that moment, the number of both students enrolled and schools grew. This article will show the results of a study case made on the dual system school on tourism, obtained through a questionnaire addressed to students that are participating in dual training, to reveal their perception on this education system. This scientific approach aims to highlight the pros and cons according to the perception of the next employees. Most young people have problems finding their first job, and the practice in business units, specific to the dual education system, can prove to be very attractive to both them and the employers. The importance of the subject in this article derives from both the actuality and the importance of this problem, as well as the fact that in many countries, the system of dual education is relatively “young”.
Health Determinants and Unmet Needs for Health Care- towards e-Health Systems
Authors: Meghisan-Toma Georgeta-Madalina , Toma Dorin
Published: December 2019

The traditional public health care system should move forward towards prevention by building a strong brand strategy. Taking into consideration the health care expenditure, the paper focuses on the analysis of heath determinants: body mass index, physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, social environment in connection to the unmet needs for health care: financial reasons, distance or transportation, waiting list. In the context of the competition coming from private health care institutions, the branding strategy of the public health care system should increase customer satisfaction and trust in order to obtain customer affective commitment and awareness. The approach focuses on factor analysis used to validate the following hypothesis: H1. The main heath determinants are: body mass index, physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, social environment; H2. The main reasons for self-reported unmet needs for health care are: financial reasons, distance or transportation, waiting list. Due to the rapid development of information technology, public health care systems should integrate these technological advances in their structure, with emphasize on brand strategy. The paper has the following structure: after the Introduction, the Literature review part covers issues connected to brand experience, health determinants, health care needs within the EU-28 member states. Section 3 underlines the research methodology, using factor analysis as main method of macroeconomic data interpretation. The next section includes the results of the research, while the Conclusions part focuses on the main ideas of this research, together with the limits of the current approach. However, the research has some limits caused by the availability of up to date statistics and longer time series for the analyzed variables. We intend to further develop our research by introducing in the analysis other health care related variables within the European Union member states and other countries.
Big-Data and Consumer Profiles – The hidden traps of data collection on social media networks
Authors: Pelau Corina , Stanescu Mihaela , Serban Daniela
Published: December 2019

The development and increased popularity of the social media networks has changed the way consumers communicate and interact with each other. But besides the positive aspects regarding socializing, real-time communication and information sharing, the social media networks have also several disadvantages. Private data security, invasion of privacy, misuse of information are just some of the negative aspects associated to social media networks, of which many of the consumers are not aware. This paper gives an overview of the different methods in which private consumer data and consumer profiles are created with the help of social media networks. The paper focuses on three main components, namely the data provided by the consumers, the technologies that have the ability to collect data in an aware or unaware manner and the contribution and advantages of business in this process. The results show that some of the data are given by the consumer, while other are just gathered with the help of automated and intelligent systems or applications.
Wellbeing in universities and Romanian quality assurance requirements; possible university strategy
Authors: Iordache-Platis Magdalena
Published: December 2019

The contemporary context of Romanian universities is neither a clear nor a stable one: a lot of pressure is put from different external entities, such as ministries, quality assurance institutions, rankings, employers, students and staff. Wellbeing is not a new concept, but it is not yet considered useful and manageable for higher education institutions struggling with scarcity of resources when priority always means research visibility. Scientific literature include more studies dedicated to wellbeing in schools, mainly kindergarten and primary school. This paper will prove that even Romanian universities can develop and implement a wellbeing services strategy. The research methodology is based on the literature review as well as a comparative study on the status of different high ranked universities, according to some wellbeing dimensions; it is also based on the results of a questionnaire-based research on students’ perception about the current institutional situation and the possibility of improving the existing state. The research questions are: What do we understand by wellbeing service? Do Romanian universities need a wellbeing strategy to improve the students’ services? What are the main elements to build such a strategy? The research is based on the following objectives: understanding the wellbeing concept in general and in Romanian university context, describing the gap between students’ services already provided and needed students’ services, identifying the main elements for building a wellbeing strategy. Main results of the paper refer to a draft of strategy model and practical solutions/measures to implement it.
Conceptual framework for rural business models
Authors: Puie Florina Răzvanţă
Published: December 2019

Business models have been developed to contribute to rural economic development, being used to create, deliver and capture economic and social value. The aim of this paper is to conceptualize the context of developing business models in rural areas, how these have evolved over time and what is the impact on future strategies in community development based on rural entrepreneurship. The increasing focus and attention on business model innovation has been seen among researchers in the last two decades, and several studies have been conducted to define the concept of business modeling. However, variations in business model definitions are noticeable and opinions regarding its components, structure and relationships inside a business vary as well. The literature review provided significant definitions on the key concepts on business models in rural entrepreneurship. The results of the research are to contribute in developing a framework on the understanding of various terms, such as business model, rural entrepreneurship, community development, and innovative entrepreneurship, with reference to shedding some light on conceptual meaning, purpose, methodology and scope of application. Capturing the existing trends in economic development in rural areas could be performed, based on the literature reviewed in this paper, in order to analyze the potential for diversification of economic activities, by finding the business models already implemented in the rural communities and measuring the impact they had on community development. In this way, a structure for a business model and an emphasis on business opportunities for the rural areas of interest could be developed.
Framework for developing a new model of risk classification according to the energy usage of companies
Authors: Șerbănescu Ana , Krutwig Michael
Published: December 2019

In the last 50 years, both the authorities and the majority of the citizens have understood the need to enforce measures to both preserve energy and reduce the costs of producing it. Nowadays, every developed country has correlated the profitability and the competitiveness of its industry with the efficient and sustainable use of energy and is therefore making conscious efforts to improve these areas. Any action program deemed to enhance energy efficiency has as main component the critical analysis of the energetic resources allocated to an activity in a given perimeter, also known as energy audit. This paper aims to develop a model of risk classification to be applied in planning and performing procedures during energy audit, which can allow a common framework to be developed in this area of audit. The stakeholders of the entity will also be offered a unitary perspective regarding the risks of the respective business, which can be helpful in their decision-making process. The research methodology of this paper consists of quantitative instruments, namely the statistical analysis of a database containing energy audit conclusions of companies in Europe. The indicators used will relate to energy savings, the number of measures implemented as a result of the audit, the percentage of energy saved from total consumption (energy efficiency) and the business line of the company. The novelty this framework will bring consists of the congruence created in the energy audit procedures of different practices and of the standardization and quality improvement in energy audit opinions. The approach of energy audits will therefore evolve towards a risk based one, rather than an analytical one. Also, we will explain the importance of energy savings for the profitability and the competitiveness of companies in the economy today, while facilitating a transparent communication with the stakeholders. This analysis is relevant especially given the fact that the cycle of 4 years after the directive of mandatory energy audit has been enforced ends with 2018 and a conclusion can be drawn before the new audit period starts in 2019.
Business Models and Internet of Things
Authors: Tohanean Dragos , Vasilescu Anca
Published: December 2019

Information technology has massively transformed the world of business over the past fifty years - first individual functional areas within companies (“first wave”), later increasingly also cross-divisional value-added processes and trade (“second wave”). Those companies that recognized the tremendous economic potential of these upheavals and consistently adapted, profited enormously - many others, however, fell dramatically. At the same time, innovative startups emerged that successfully created and occupied new markets. With the Internet of Things (IoT), the third digital wave is currently rolling up. Their impact will be enormous - both for our everyday lives and for many industries that have so far been largely spared the disruptive power of digital transformation. Accordingly, the challenges facing most companies today are: understanding more complex competition, acquiring new digital technologies, making existing offerings smart, developing new services, networking production, efficiently analyzing vast amounts of data, and building viable organizations to push all this forward. The IoT is a driver for digitization. By analyzing machine data, the use of sensors and the intelligent real-time processing of huge amounts of data in the cloud, new business models are created. With the information gained, companies are able to improve their value chain. However, one of the most difficult issues in this context for many companies is how they can further develop their existing business model or establish successful new business models that will be based on new technologies and IoT. To investigate resulting impacts, we draw on the existing business models and deduct specifics for the Internet of Things. Building on this, in order to reach the aims of the paper the authors will use a descriptive research method and a case study in order to present how new business models work with the IoT.
Model of nuclear energy valuation in the context of e-mobility
Authors: Vitioanu Greta-Marilena , Gavrilescu Ileana
Published: December 2019

Due to the depletion of fossil fuels and the degradation of the ecological balance, the transition of mobility to new ways of propelling means of transportation is one of the toughest themes of sustainability, debated as such and by scientific research. At the same time technological research has already proposed several forms of vehicle powering and the manufacturers have even offered the market a significant number of electrically propelled vehicles - the option with the greatest technical and economic potential for everything that will mean future transportation of people and freight. Unfortunately, the development of electrical mobility to its quasi-state is dependent on increasing the capacity of supplying enough electricity from the power industry. The objective of our study is to develop a model for the utilization of nuclear energy in view of the global expansion of e-mobility applications. In the context of increased demand for electricity - due to new e-mobility technologies and applications, nuclear power can become the most efficient and constant form of electricity generation. The research methodology is based on qualitative analyzes of new e-mobility applications and their diversification tendencies, but also on quantitative analysis based on a specialized questionnaire. The novelty of the research finds its exemplification in attempts to explain the importance of nuclear energy in the new context of climate change and at the same time proposing a hypothesis regarding the possible maintenance and / or refurbishment of nuclear power plants.
The analysis of the response from tertiary education programs to the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Authors: Zavera Ioana Coralia
Published: December 2019

One can find at the level of the specialized literature a heated debate on the metaphor that defines the status of the international economy and human society. Some analysts argue that the Third Industrial Revolution is currently undergoing an advanced stage, while others claim that due to the speed, scale and impact of the transformations that have taken place, the fourth industrial revolution has already begun. This paper analyzes how the artificial intelligence, personalized medicine, virtual reality or the internet of things are a few motors that fueled the advance to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and their impact on cognitive competencies, skills and abilities to guarantee tertiary education programs. The main analytical hypothesis is that technology is the one that encourages humanity to accelerate and focus on changes in other areas, especially that the risk of increasing gap between technological advance and in areas such education appears. The paper examines the concrete way in which transformations that follow a symbiosis of man with technology contribute to the configuration of a new paradigm to which the educational environment has to face with. The paper aims also to highlight the main challenges of the educational environment in relation to the fourth industrial revolution, and what are the necessary transformation for a good correlation of the human capital with technological progress. Emphasis is on new sets of skills, creativity, innovation, so that new business models can be developed and applied in a changing environment.
How important is the lesson of the correlation between advancing the globalization process and intensifying the money laundering phenomenon?
Authors: AL-Kasawnih Akad
Published: December 2019

It is true that advancing the globalization process generates a numerous negative externality. Such a negative effect is the proliferation of financial transactions carried out at or even beyond the limits of legality and fairness. The author of this study assumes that “the greater the cross-border financial flows, the greater the money-laundering operations and negative impact on the behavior of the economic actors”. The truism related to this correlation must be deeply understood and the lessons to be delivered must be learned in time. Hidden economy is perceived as all incomes generated in legitimate way but not disclosed to tax administrations, as well as activities such as drug trafficking, gambling, smuggling and others. What distinguishes our study is Quantitative and analytical analysis and to draw conclusions based on those results, through the adoption of a digital index on economic globalization, and the adoption of another numerical indicator of money laundering with its components and weights as well. Additionally, a statistical analysis of the relationship between economic globalization and money laundering will be based on “Pearson correlation coefficient” as we are going to adopt one variable (Economic Globalization) as an independent variable and other variable (Money Laundering) as a dependent variable. The KOF index of globalization will be adopted here, and the selected countries as a study samples will be given a ranking from 1 to 15 according to their degree of economic globalization. Results of my research shows that a negative weak relationship correlation between the degree of the economic globalization of the state and the phenomenon of money laundering which is represented by the size of the hidden economy, which means that the increase of the value for the independent variable (economic globalization) leads to the decline of the value for the dependent variable (money laundering).
Educational Reforms and Language Planning Quandary in Algeria: An Illustration with Arabization
Authors: Gherzouli Ikhlas
Published: December 2019

The paper aims to present a critical review of language policy development in Algeria since its independence (1962) to present time. It takes the policy of Arabization, an important turning point in Algerian history that was troubled with serious problems, as an example of language planning in the country. Data was gathered from policy documents, laws, and newspaper articles. It was then coded into themes before it was analysed employing a documentary research method. To provide a methodical discussion, the first part of the paper explores language policy and planning in Algeria. The second part discusses the impact of Arabization on the country’s current state of policy development in light of the debates over the national educational reforms of 2003. The third part highlights the quandary that language planners face during the processes of language planning and policy making. Lastly, the paper concludes with an evaluation of the process of language policy development in the country. The paper argues that in order to foster sustainable multilingualism and achieve effective educational reforms, a keener recognition of Algerian linguistic diversity by the government is imperative.
The Apposition in the Written Production of Lithuanian Learners in French
Authors: Kazlauskienė Vitalija
Published: December 2019

The acquisition of lexical competence is a complex process, because for learners, it is not enough to distinguish the form and meaning of a lexical element in order to know how to integrate it correctly into the language context. The skill also involves the understanding of the properties of lexical and grammatical combinatorics. The present analysis of the written production of Lithuanian learners of French as a Second Language (FSL) is based on an annotated corpus and focuses on apposition. The term refers to a noun to which it provides additional information on its quality or nature. Choosing apposition for the study is prompted its particular use for elucidation in French then makes it possible to compare its use by FSL learners of and native speakers. The use of apposition in L1 of the analysed level is not very frequent, which poses another question, namely, how Lithuanian learners convey information without apposition. We task ourselves with noting, the different uses of apposition in FSL learners’ writing and analysing their particularities and correspondences in native speakers’ use. Apposition, as NP (noun phrase) constituent, will be analysed syntactically, taking into account correct, erroneous or uncertain constructs. The learners’ writings serve to orient the didactic reflections towards the general use of apposition in the learners’ corpora and a better represent typical interlanguage constructions.