bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of the Company Size, Financing Structure and Assets Efficiency on the Positive Net Result in the Agri-Business Sector
Authors: Moise Dumitru-Florin
Published: July 2023

The net profit is the primary goal of every business focused on commercial activity. It is the source of further company’s development, and it is followed by all the stakeholders. Its relative size is the basis of the shareholders return through dividends. This paper studies the influence of several factors as the company size, financing structure or assets efficiency on the net profit for the companies with positive results. The data was analyzed for a period of 12 years, from 2009 until 2020. The sample consists in 3109 companies specialized in vegetal nutrition in the Romanian Agri-sector. The company size is defined by the turnover, the financing structure is represented by the level of equity, long-term debts and short-term debts and the return on assets reflects the assets efficiency. Each factor is influencing in a different manner the net profit of the companies. The hypothesis of the study refers to the relationship between net profit and the above factors. A correlation analyses was performed using SPSS software for determining the strength and directions between variables, combined with a descriptive analyses and reliability tests as Cronbach’s and F. The results show that there is a high positive correlation with equity, a moderate positive with turnover and short-term debts, low positive with long-term debts and negligible correlation with return on assets. The conclusion is that the shareholders behavior reflected in the dividend policy can have a significant influence on the relative size of the net profit.
Analysis of the Methodical Basis for Evaluating the Resources of an Organization in the Aspect of Greenness
Authors: Skačkauskienė Ilona , Smirnova Juliana
Published: July 2023

Due to the importance of the pursuit of sustainable development in global society, it is noticed that an increasing number of organizations are striving to develop in a green direction. A large amount of scientific research is currently being devoted to the development of organizations in a green direction, but there is a lack of tools for assessing the greenness in the scope of the entire organization that could help organizations to assess their current situation in the aspect of greenness and to determine directions for improvement. Based on their previous research and investigations on the topic, authors of this study suggest analyzing the aspect of greenness of an organization in the aspect of its performance evaluation by choosing the perspective of evaluation of resources in the scope of the entire organization. This study aims to carry out an analysis of the existing methodical basis of evaluation of resources of an organization in the aspect of greenness. Methods of systematic and comparative analysis of scientific literature, bibliometric analysis, grouping, critical evaluation and synthesis have been applied. The main result of this study is the assessment of the sufficiency of the existing methodical basis for evaluating the resources of an organization in the aspect of greenness.
The Impact of Political Exits on Dividend Policy
Authors: Youness Mohamad
Published: July 2023

The paper addresses the impacts of political exits on the dividend policy, taking the impact of the Brexit deal on UK’s companies listed at FTSE 100 as a practical case. The paper analyzes the political risk and uncertainty of Brexit and links it directly to the dividend policy of UK companies during the period (2010-2021). Data were collected from the annual reports of the companies from the FTSE 100 data base. Moreover, dividend policies were studied through analyzing its determinants such as dividend payout ratio, leverage, profitability, tangibility, liquidity, size and political factor – Brexit. A regression analysis was adopted to analyse and interpret the variables for the UK companies and notice the impact of the Brexit deal on the dividend policies. Therefore, the results show that there is a direct relation between political exits and corporate financial policies, especially dividend policy. Also, the results show that the financial ratios differed between the two periods (before and after) Brexit, where it seems that the dividend policy variables were affected starting from mid of 2016 due to Brexit referendum and then the political negotiations between the two parties during the period (2016-2021). In addition, the correlation matrix shows that DPR has a negative linear correlation with profitability, liquidity and size where it seems that DPR has a positive linear correlation with leverage, tangibility, and political factors. Moreover, our results show that political uncertainty and instability were affecting the FTSE 100 performance starting from 2016 due to Brexit related events.
The Role of Romanian Startup Hubs – A Bridge between a Business Idea and the Reality of the Economic Sector
Authors: Ion Ștefan , Țurcaş Ioana , Muşa Piuaru Brenda-Andreea , Tescaşiu Bianca
Published: July 2023

A startup can be categorized as a company with a business model that supports innovation and is also scalable. The growing importance of free enterprise and entrepreneurship as a driver of economic regeneration and progress has imprinted new characteristics on the obstacles that Romanian entrepreneurs face in terms of long-term development and competitiveness. This research aimed to investigate the importance of startup hubs for the business sectors, identifying the value it projects for startup owners. By conducting empirical research, the authors used mixed data collection to capture the complexity of the topic and to provide an objective context for the research. The analyzes carried out showed that from 151 questionnaires collected, 69.54% of the startup owners are interested in enrolling in a startup hub for guidance and counseling. The main constraint startup owner face concerns the financial aspect where 60% prefer to take loans from banks and 6.6% would consider accessing European funds. Even though 2 out of 3 startups are young, 64% believe their business is innovative, whereas 78.1% believe that business turnaround is a major benefit of using innovation in their business. The qualitative data revealed that in Romania startup hubs are considered a less-known concept, different from the ones overseas. Unanimously, all respondents stated that a startup hub must support newly formed startups and consider innovation as a driving force for economic growth. In conclusion, startup hubs should work closely with startup owners to ensure the success of both businesses. This paper manages to provide an in-depth analysis that should allow all parties involved to create a business environment that can support the Romanian economic sector, thus contributing to the existing research on the role of startup hubs and the way they can bridge the gap between a business idea and reality.
Social Enterprises – a Key Factor in Strengthening Cohesion and a Fair Transition
Authors: Panie Narcisa Alexandra , Nae Tamara Maria
Published: July 2023

The European Union is facing an increasing concern related to numerous social and environmental issues (climate change, precarious conditions of society supported by a regressive living condition, as well as the uneven effects expected in the context of the green and digital transition) that reinforce calls for solutions that could address all these shortcomings as comprehensively as possible. Social enterprises are seen as the tool that could face the challenges of our times on a three-dimensional level, addressing economic, social, and environmental problems at the same time. These are even more important for the European model as they prioritize social value and development as a driving force for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Social entrepreneurs are a part of civil society that have chosen to be actively involved in solving the issues that surround us by promoting innovative business models that support a sustainable and harmonious development. Policy makers must create a unified framework at European level regarding social enterprises and strengthen their role in the European economy by including in the main EU policies that would support their financing and development.

Therefore, the objective of this article is to examine how social enterprises could act to ensure the premises of an inclusive ecological transition, as well as to stimulate discussion and research on the topic of social enterprises.
Socio-Economic Wellbeing and behavior at School or Work To what Extent are They Related? Evidence from Romania
Authors: Păunescu Carmen , Argatu Ruxandra , Matyus Eniko
Published: July 2023

Holding employees who are highly motivated and who illustrate fulfilment in respect to their work is a catalyst of positive change for nowadays organizations, who perform operations in quickly changing circumstances. Such individuals are known to engage more in organizational citizenship behaviour and steer away from deviant workplace behaviour. As employees display different personality traits and work-related motivation, only organizations which know how to properly engage their personnel, foster organizational citizenship actions and nurture ethical conduct within all organizational levels can attain a leading position on the market. The paper aims to examine the extent to which the socio-economic wellbeing influences ‘good’ or ‘bad’ behaviours at work and/or at school. The paper’s objectives are twofolded: (1) to understand if there is a causal relationship between the socio-economic wellbeing of individuals and their behaviour at work or/and at school; (2) to determine the extent to which the socioeconomic wellbeing contributes to shaping a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ behaviour at work or/and at school. Correlations and simple linear regression model were employed to understand the predictive power of the socio-economic wellbeing on behaviour once a causal relationship has been confirmed. Results show that the perceived ambition to obtain a high social status, accumulate wealth and become rich and powerful predicts positively a ‘bad’ behaviour and negatively a ‘good’ behaviour.
The Salience of Social Enterprise: a ‘Fictional’, Functional Tale of Three Sectors Cooperation
Authors: Ureche Alexandru
Published: July 2023

Built on a commercial structure, a social enterprise has its primary goal to achieve certain social objectives, by which attempts to make a strong societal, and environmental impact. In exploring its role in a VUCA (volatile-uncertain-complex-ambiguous) world, we argue that such dynamic, adaptable, structures fostering social innovation, and entrepreneurship, are set to thrive as pillars of socio-economic stability in the current climate of rapid business change. We posit that social entrepreneurship (and intrapreneurship) skills such as creative bricolage1 represent a much-needed addition to the business toolkit competences. The aim of this paper is to provide a counterpoint to a world marred by overconsumption, where instant gratification and short-term profits, coupled with human impact to global climate add to market volatility and uncertainty. Our research focuses on a sustainable business model that blends entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, with the full, balanced, use of financial, social, and human capitals, while blending innovative accounting models to create a new paradigm of long-term economic stability. This all-inclusive business model has the ability to leverages a three-sector collaboration between public, private, and voluntary, centered on a different kind of profit-making organizations such as social enterprises, benefit corporations, or cooperatives, towards a more sustainable business and economic future.
Composite Indicators Used in Measuring Hybrid Threats
Authors: Apolzan Arădăvoaicei Irena , Bănacu Cristian-Silviu , Andreica Marin , Ivan Lucian
Published: July 2023

The article aims to highlight the usefulness of composite indicators applications as an analytical tool in guiding national security policies related to multidimensional phenomena revealing its role in measuring hybrid threats - as part of global risks.

The qualitative and quantitative research shows that the use of composite indicators in measuring hybrid threats at country level is a relatively new topic, that has enjoyed increased interest since 2021.

The originality lies in the way it is putted in evidence the link between the composite nature of hybrid threats, and the composite indicators in order the argue the role using this modern tool in the process of forecasting the risks with national impact, by using SWOT analysis.

To highlight the relevance of composite indicators in measuring hybrid threats to peace and security, we have chosen to compare the results of measurement made by Normandia Index. The outcomes demonstrate upward trend in hybrid threat values (cybercrime, economic crises, disinformation, energy insecurity and terrorism) at the UE-27 level (as one country), comparative to the world level situation, between 2019-2022.

We concluded that using composite indicators in measuring hybrid threats represents an analytical strategical level method that could play a role as an early warning engine to support policy makers and, also as a facilitator instrument of the planning process country level to avoid strategic surprises and prevent security risks.

Considering the geopolitical clashes of power poles and the unpredictable situation of the socioeconomic environment, we have concluded that future steps of the research should be related with the dynamics of hybrid threats at the global level. An important contribution could be brought by the development of new systems for interpreting measurement by specialized software, and by the identification of appropriate calculation formulas to reduce misinterpretation due to the lack of real data provided.
A Comparative Study of R&D Investments in Romania and the EU: Insights from Horizon 2020 Projects
Authors: Popescu Adrian-Constantin , Hoha Adrian-Ovidiu
Published: July 2023

Research and Development investments are critical to fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and achieving sustainable development goals. Horizon 2020 is the largest European Union research and innovation program, which has funded numerous R&D projects across different countries. This paper presents a comparative study of R&D investments in Romania and the EU, based on insights from Horizon 2020 projects.

Using a composite indicator approach, we assess Romania’s performance in the R&D sector and compare it with other EU countries. The paper provides an overview of the number of projects and entities that participated in Horizon 2020, with a focus on the Romanian business sector. Our findings indicate that the success rate of Romanian projects is slightly higher than the EU average, and there is a significantly higher percentage of Romanian business sector entities that have participated in Horizon 2020 than in the EU.

Moreover, some limitations of the Romanian R&D sector are highlighted, such as the low level of R&D expenditure, one of the lowest in the EU, and the low involvement of the business sector in funding R&D, despite being the primary sector under Horizon 2020. The comparative analysis sheds light on the opportunities and challenges for Romania in improving the performance of its R&D sector.

By providing a comparative analysis of the performance of Romania and other EU countries in Horizon 2020 projects we can gain insights which can be useful for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in developing and implementing policies and strategies to improve R&D investments.
Improving Internet of Things Vulnerability Disclosure and Coordination
Authors: Berte Dan-Radu
Published: July 2023

Internet of Things (“IoT”), specifically in the consumer space, describes an environment where consumer devices, connected to the Internet in a smart home, communicate to each other directly or through the cloud. Cheap manufacturing and a fast-growing market brought billions such devices in everyday homes, and consequently new concerns emerged about their security.

The complexity added by these new systems, with fragmented in-house hardware and software platforms, have been recently the target of both scrutiny and controversy.

When IoT devices get hacked it’s no longer just “script kiddies” and part-time hackers, it’s state actors and national security on the line.

Where for PCs there is a robust cybersecurity product market (eg. “antivirus”), the majority of IoT devices in households are designed with little or no regard towards cybersecurity and the typical consumer’s understanding of how to secure these is lacking.

Effective ways to safeguard IoT products are bug bounties, programs that offer a financial reward to anyone discovering vulnerabilities, but they are costly and hard to manage, thus usually adopted by more mature companies.

All manufacturers can additionally benefit from responsible vulnerability disclosure, or ethical hacking, where researchers attempt to find vulnerabilities for recognition or as a public service.

Unfortunately disclosing and coordinating vulnerability research challenges are downplayed.

This paper proposes to investigate impact, discuss time considerations, and suggest potential solutions for consumers, companies, and regulators to mitigate and improve IoT vulnerability reporting, fixing and disclosure.
The Role of Fashion Influencers in Shaping Consumers’ Buying Decisions and Trends
Authors: Kondort Giulia , Pelau Corina , Gati Mirko , Ciofu Ioana
Published: July 2023

With the rise of social media, influencers have gained an important role in the marketing strategies of companies. Their constant presence in social media, determined by the creation and posting of content as well as their permanent interaction with the consumers, has created them a great advantage and credibility in the eyes of consumers. The fact that they are not perceived as a form of marketing, increases their credibility and ability to influence their followers. In this article, we present the results of a research about the consumers’ perception towards fashion influencers depending on age category. Our results show that fashion influencers have the ability to influence the fashion style adopted by the consumers, but not necessarily the buying decision. The fashion style of young consumers is more likely to be shaped by influencers, while people with ages between 25-40 years are least impressed by influencers. In a surprising way, even consumers older than 40 years shape their fashion style based on influencers, but are not influenced directly in their buying decision.
Customer Relationship Management, Operational Digitization, Production Optimization and Value Creation through Artificial Intelligence in e-Marketing
Authors: Stăncioiu Timoné Silviu , Spînu Adina Eleonora , Sanda Cristina Maria , Sanda Grigorie , Trifan Vanina Adoriana
Published: July 2023

The implementation of information technology in enterprises develops customer relationship management, which has the role of improving customer satisfaction. By sharing certain information, it is also possible to maintain effective relationships with customers, but also to maximize profit. The use of social media platforms, in parallel with the implementation of information technology, strengthens the trust of customers, through the reviews of the end consumer. In this unique interview-based case study approach, we empirically describe a conceptual model. Production and distribution departments of operational flows, implement digital technology, becoming an artificial intelligence-optimized system. New intelligent manufacturing capabilities are transforming the relationship between the company and customers from one focused on product to one oriented towards creating value and services, even personalization of them.
Wisdom Management: A Semantic Analysis
Authors: Bratianu Constantin , Bejinaru Ruxandra
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this paper is to perform a semantic analysis of wisdom management that constitutes the driving force for a wise company. That is a company whose goal goes beyond the economic paradigm based on profit maximization. It is a company where managers apply practical wisdom in their decision making processes. Aristotle used to call this practical wisdom phronesis and to consider a higher-order knowledge in his knowledge ontology. Although in the literature there are many papers and books focusing on phronesis, there is no critical analysis from a semantic point of view that is necessary to understand what it is and how it can be applied in wisdom management. Also, for a deeper investigation of the semantic clusters associated with wisdom management, we perform a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer, a specialized software for such kinds of studies. Our findings show that wisdom management represents a kind of idealistic process because it is based on o set of values that are not converging toward profit maximization but toward a sustainable company focusing on the well-being of all employees and of the community where the company operates. Wisdom management deeds wise leaders and a wise education for them, which are still far from the present reality.
Digitally Enabled Decission Making in Big Crop Farms: Inspiration for a Balanced Decision Making Metaphorical Model
Authors: Markovits Paul Stefan
Published: July 2023

This paper analysis decision making support systems in the big crops farms and proposes a metaphoric model to illustrate the interdependence of resources usage. The proposed metaphoric model is drawn considering that six types of resources (time, financial, people, knowledge, technology, relational capital) are spent to achieve an objective and puts forward a graphical representation, a hexagonal pyramid to illustrate the interdependence among these six types of resources (the polygon of resources) and the quality of the financial outcome (the height of the pyramid). Examples of digital decision support systems used in big crop farms were used to explain the model’s functioning. A particularity of the model consists in the adding of a second mirrored pyramid (resting on the same base) with its height representing the assessment of the environmental impact as a proxy for ESG results. Consequently, the evolved model proposed by the paper, dubbed as The Value Creation Diamond, provides a good springboard in visualizing and assessing the balance between the scaled heights of the two adjoined pyramids (Financial height vs ESG height). The model is deemed to be a useful tool for practitioners as well as educators in their quest to facilitate the wider use of balanced decision-making model considering the resources and outputs in the realm of sustainable development.

Further research will be instrumental to validate the possibility to use this model for other types of farms, firms and organizations.
The Role of an Integrated Quality Management System in Improving Performance in the Port Organization
Authors: Ungureanu Andreea Maria , Doicin Cristian Vasile , Stanca Costel , Titu Aurel Mihail
Published: July 2023

The scientific paper aims to present the performance evaluation methods in ports and port organizations and the contributions that an integrated quality management system can bring. Water transport is the most reliable mode of transport, both in terms of transport capacity and in terms of consumption and environmental aspects, compared to other modes of transport. But it cannot function at an optimal level without complex and permanent on-shore management. The port organizations have an important contribution in the global performance of the port and thus in the economy of a country that is open to the sea. By approaching an integrated quality management system, port organizations can achieve the expected performance in a planned and systemic way in terms of quality, environment, logistics supply chain security, etc. The paper analyzes the performance assess in ports and port organizations, the most common applied regulations and management systems in port organizations and the advantages an integrated quality management system brings in increasing organizational performance by preventing losses and improving processes using known methodologies globally promoted such as Lean. It also highlights the relationship of mutual dependence that the port performance and the port organizations performance have on each other.
Strategic Analysis for the transition to e-Commerce for a Romanian Retailer
Authors: Crasoveanu Fowzi-Constantin , Deselnicu Dana-Corina , Opris Mircea Constantin , Lacuta Valentina Diana
Published: July 2023

This paper’s purpose is to define and explain the connection between the online/offline environments and the transition to e-commerce as a business sustainability process. The Internet has become a central focus for the global society in recent years, managing to successfully transfer elements of real life into the virtual environment. Beyond the social parts, the web has also become a foundation for the new economic era. By default, commerce has evolved in order to be able to assimilate all new items brought over the Internet, reaching the term of e-commerce (e-commerce or online commerce). While all the companies are pursuing economic growth, the connection between e-commerce and business sustainability shows a common path towards reducing the environmental impact while meeting the increasing customer expectations. The case study will follow the implementation of an online commerce platform for sports goods retailers, taking the example of Roumasport S.R.L., one of the most successful companies in its area of economic activity. The research follows the steps of analyzing the e-commerce opportunity for the company and its relevant steps in the field of business sustainability, justifying not only the implementation of this transition, but also the need of reallocating company funds towards a more circular economic model.
Entrepreneurial Crisis Strategies for the Organizations of the Future
Authors: Dogaru Irina , Marinescu Florentina-Mirela , Isbaita Iyad
Published: July 2023

The aim of this work is to investigate what the concepts and management practices for organizations in Romania look like, in the context of environmental turbulence, complexity and uncertainty caused by a crisis similar to that caused by COVID-19.

Theoretical and empirical contributions from management literature were sampled and concepts on the Agile Organization and the Resilient Organization were selected. The element of novelty consists in the creation of a new concept from the two concepts,, respectively: The Organization of Sustainable Transformation, a concept that helps organizations in Romania to understand how a performing organization which is going through a crisis on the level of the crisis caused by COVID-19 The concept presents characteristics that organizations must adopt and develop in order to perform during the crisis. The hypothesis from which we start is that organizations that prove agility and resilience go through an economic crisis, a hypothesis that will be verified in two European projects, applying the interview technique and using the investigative tool: list of questions. The series of data obtained from interviews will be analysed by qualitative methods of processing information. The originality of the work is given by the identification and realization of the concept of the Organization of Sustainable Transformation which combines elements of the concepts of the Agile Organization and the selected Resilient Organization from specialty literature. The novel concept puts forth elements that can assist organizations in persisting and generating value in an unpredictable context and future that arise due to a significant crisis.
Bucharest Stock Exchange Financing Opportunities for Romanian IT SMEs
Authors: Ciurel Mariana , Deselnicu Dana Corina , Botez Ileana Violeta
Published: July 2023

The paper presents the current development status of the Romanian capital market and the opportunities it offers for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to finance their growth strategies through the stock exchange. It is well known that SMEs represent a growth engine for any economy in terms of contribution to GDP, employment rate, and tax contribution to the state budget. Their primary role of supplying goods and services dynamises the market landscape and creates the proper context for competition, innovation, and research and development. However, in this context, they are the most affected by the economic crisis, inflationary pressures, post-Covid uncertainties, and the war in Ukraine. Thus, their access to finance is now more important than ever. The paper’s focus is on SMEs from the Romanian information technology (IT) sector and how their growth since listing could be a driver for other Romanian IT companies to list on the Bucharest Stock Exchange. The stock exchanges offer SMEs medium and long-term financing opportunities, regardless of market conditions. Therefore, the more successful the SMEs business, the more significant their role as an economic growth engine is. The research is based on a quantitative approach-content analysis provided by Bucharest Stock Exchange and local and international financial institutions. The SMEs’ performance profile is determined by using trading evaluation indicators for IT SMEs listed on the Exchange. Results show that, by listing, companies benefit from contextual market conditions, highlighting the recommendation for other companies from the IT sector to list their business on the stock exchange.
Romanian Market Strategies in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Authors: Opriş Mircea Constantin , Deselnicu Dana Corina , Crasoveanu Fowzi-Constantin
Published: July 2023

Understanding the actions taken by pharmaceutical companies to counter competition requires information on how the pharmaceutical sector is built. The pharmaceutical market, mentioned in this paper, contains all companies that produce or develop pharmaceuticals or compounds that are used to produce drugs and all other participants that interact with those companies for the purpose of selling or buying a drug. It is also necessary to understand market participants and the importance of an economy for maintaining this growing sector by supporting its production and development, in order to understand the anti-competitive actions taken by pharmaceutical innovators. This case study will provide an overview of the market defined below, applied strategies, and the elements constitutive of the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Economic Efficiency of Investment in Facilities and Equipment for Grains Storing
Authors: Subić Jonel , Jeločnik Marko
Published: July 2023

Serbia disposes with strong tradition in crop production, followed by significant natural resources and favorable climate conditions. Despite the good results in grain production, farms are in general economically so weak to possess and use the storing facilities, while they sell the products immediately after the harvest. After reconsidering the lack of storing facilities and consequences it affects, strategic strivings in strengthening of farm competitiveness initiate in previous period public support turned to building of storage capacities and purchase of necessary equipment.

In paper was presented the assessment (by the use of dynamic and static methods) of economic effectiveness of investment in storing capacities, i.e. silos, showing that this investment (supported by public incentives) could represent the economically justified business decision for certain farms turned to crop, specifically grains production.
Environmental Economy and Green Transition in the European Union: Two Complementary Concepts
Authors: Nacu Teodora , Jercan Emilia
Published: July 2023

The environmental economy and green transition are closely related concepts that focus on promoting new sustainable paths and economic growth and reducing the negative impact of activities on the environment. Therefore, the environmental economy and green transition have become two of the most important directions in the continuing development of the world. The environmental economy involves the ongoing progress of green technologies, green energy, and different activities aimed at changing society’s attitude toward more environmental solutions and policies. The environmental economy is a discipline that studies the economic effects of environmental products, services and policies in different realities, economies, and societies. It includes goods and services that help to preserve the stock of natural resources and protect the environment. The green transition refers to the process of transforming people, planet, and partnerships to an environmentally friendly economy. This includes also implementing policies and practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable energy sources, and reduce waste and pollution. The aim of this paper is to analyze, based on Eurostat data, the evolution of the environmental economy for the EU Member States, considering that the topic has nowadays prompted both governments and corporations to make commitments and place increasing emphasis towards protecting the environment and promoting a sustainable economic development through various programs or regulations. Additionally, this article is also aiming to observe the influence of the environmental economy on exports across the EU and understanding the process of having a green transition.
Energy Efficiency Lookouts
Authors: Toró Gyöngyi , Ciobanu Laura
Published: July 2023

This article aims to carry out a comparative analysis in the European Union and in Romania, in the period 1991-2021, on the achievement of the ambitious energy efficiency objectives, by assessing the achievement of the assumed targets for primary and final energy consumption at the level of the years 2020 and 2030. Since 2007, EU leaders have been concerned about the decarbonisation of the energy sector, a first essential measure being to reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2020. As part of the decarbonisation objectives for 2050, we start from this premise, according to which energy efficiency must be improved, thus accelerating the transition of all member states of the European Union to clean energy and sustainable growth of economies. So, by using energy more efficiently and therefore consuming less, we can contribute both to protecting the environment and to mitigating climate change. The hypothesis from which we start in this study is that the target for 2020 of the level of primary and final energy consumption has been met, due to the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to test this hypothesis, Eurostat data were analyzed using the quantitative research method for both the European Union and Romania. As a result of the analysis carried out, this hypothesis can be fully confirmed, since from 2021, which coincides with the beginning of the recovery of economies, an increase in primary and final energy consumption can be observed again, after a sharp decrease in 2020, even below the level of the targets set for 2020. With regard to the targets assumed by the European Union for 2030, the consumption of primary and final energy is well above the predetermined values. And the conclusions show us with certainty, the need to make an additional effort in order to achieve them.
Quality and Sustainability Strategies Implemented by Fast Food Restaurants
Authors: Neacşu Nicoleta Andreea , Tulbure Adriana
Published: July 2023

In order to stay competitive in the market, many fast-food restaurant owners are now implementing various measures to promote sustainable development. They include obtaining ingredients from local and organic farms, reducing energy or water use, and implementing recycling and composting. As the percentage of overweight people continues to rise, the interest in healthy eating has also increased. People are becoming more aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and its impact on their overall health. The fast-food industry needs to adjust, implementing new quality strategies to make their businesses more efficient and attractive to consumers. The authors of this research study used a combination of exploratory research and quantitative marketing research to identify the quality strategies and sustainability measures and understand how consumers perceive their implementation. They conducted surveys and interviews with a sample of consumers to gather data on their attitudes and preferences regarding sustainable and quality measures in restaurants. The research results showed that most respondents want to consume fresh, healthy dishes and support the sustainability and quality measures that restaurants apply. Respondents also consider factors such as the waiting time and the quality-price ratio significant when choosing a restaurant. These findings suggest that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability and are willing to support restaurants that are promoting it.
Sustainability of Local and Rural Development: Challenges of Extremely Deprived Communities
Authors: Ștefănescu Mihaela Simona , Colesca Sofia Elena , Păceşilă Mihaela , Precup Ioana Maria , Hărătău Theodor
Published: July 2023

Sustainability of Local and Rural Development brings about various and numerous types of challenges. The population demographic trend, together with isolation and poorly accessible locations, problems with infrastructure and economic status and safety of residents depict a local need and potential alike for integrated intervention. The challenge of extremely deprived communities characterized by a sum of marginalization factors determines collaborative actions directed to enhancing the situation of those deprived and lowering the impact on larger communities. To do so, ex-ante analyses on the ground are needed to have a stronger understanding of local social issue. Present study objective was to measure the indicators of marginalization for a small community in rural area of Romania, Mures County, so that local authority and other public and private actors to have data available to further design adapted social, educational and occupational services. Data shown that the small community has a very high degree of marginalization, with extremely high rates of unemployment and a critical housing situation, and interventions are needed on long-term basis to reduce the risk of poverty and exclusion.
Exploring Business Leadership in a Start-up Active in the Construction Materials Industry
Authors: Cucu Marian , Panduru Dan Andrei , Preda Alina
Published: July 2023

The scope of the article is to identify the leadership importance and the impact that it has on a small start-up company active in the construction materials industry. Being a small organization and at the beginning of the journey, the challenges that leaders and subordinates face are diverse and of significant importance. The literature review studied in-depth revealed to us that leadership styles and the organization in which they are applied have major importance in business development and creating common objectives. The methodology used was qualitative, interviewing all the employees of the selected start-up, based on questions to reveal the perception of the employee regarding leadership in their organization. In conclusion, the research reveals that in a young start-up, leadership is very important, and the leader must communicate with the followers; motivate, influence, and help them to develop. This study focuses on critically exploring, analyzing, and understanding the implications that different leadership styles have over a start-up company active in the construction materials industry. This case study emphasizes consistent and relevant findings regarding the role of leadership characteristics and their implications on a small organization, in a quest of understanding if different approaches adopted by leaders may facilitate follower engagement that will drive organizational goals and performance. The research method is presented, consisting of a qualitative approach, with the use of interviews performed with all the employees of the selected start-up. Throughout the report, critical judgment is endorsed by relevant literature. Based on the collected responses, findings supported a strong correlation between the dominant form of leadership style and the effects on employees’ responsiveness that is further shaping organizational achievements.
Impact of Social Network Usage on Employees’ Work Performance in Public Organizations: Evidence from Vietnam
Authors: Tung Le Thanh , Hoang Dinh Van
Published: July 2023

This study aims to improve understanding of the relationship between social media usage and work performance in the Vietnamese public sector by examining the roles of trust, network ties, shared vision, and knowledge transfer. By using the Media Synchronicity Theory as the theoretical framework, the study suggests that the use of social networks within public organizations can lead to increased trust among employees, which in turn can improve communication and collaboration. Additionally, social networks can help to promote a shared vision among employees and foster strong network ties, which can facilitate knowledge transfer and lead to enhanced work performance. The findings of this study provide empirical support for the importance of trust, network ties, shared vision, and knowledge transfer in understanding the connection between social media usage and work performance in Vietnam's public sector.
Time Time Series Forecasting of Stock Price for Maritime Shipping Company in COVID-19 Period Using Multi-Step Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Networks
Authors: Ghareeb Ahmad
Published: July 2023

Sea transportation is one of the most critical components of the global economy, where it is the main means of transporting huge quantities of goods across the world. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused a health-related economic crisis at the global level with widespread repercussions on sea transportation and trade. Several algorithms in machine learning and/or deep learning have been suggested as a simplification of this hard problem of stock price index forecasting, which has been the focus of much study for many years. In this study, I will propose a forecasting method based on Multi-Step Long Short-Term Memory (MS LSTM) networks to predict stock prices for three of the most important companies in the world in maritime transport. A novel optimization method for stock price prediction is proposed. It is based on a Multi-Step Long Short-Term Memory (MS LSTM) model and utilizes the Adam optimizer. Conclusions showed that using the MS LSTM algorithm, 95.44% prediction accuracy on the training data set and 95.11% prediction accuracy on the testing data set were both obtained. For the training set and testing set, respectively, it was observed that the mean absolute percentage error is 4.56% and 4.89%. By running the predictions for five days in the future, it is observed that the model has predicted that the prices would maintain their balance with little downward movement, leading to positive impact on sea shipping with lower prices expected.
The Impact of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine on the Capital Markets from the CEE Countries
Authors: Puscasu Ela-Andrada
Published: July 2023

The price of stocks is a good indication of investors’ expectations for the evolution of capital markets, comprising their fears and hopes regarding future developments. The information regarding a disruptive event such as a military attack spreads rapidly across countries affecting investors’ perceptions and causing them to sell their stocks and target safer investments. The scientific literature on the topic is growing lately due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and its consequences. The research paper investigates the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the capital markets from the Central and Eastern European region using the event study methodology. The paper studies the abnormal returns recorded by each capital market on the event day (February 24, 2022), as well as the cumulative abnormal returns for 6-day, 11-day and 16-day event windows following the attack. The findings show that most of the capital markets recorded sharp declines on the event-day, reaching a negative abnormal return event of 10% on February 24. For the longer event windows the negative impact persisted through cumulative abnormal returns recorded for most of the markets. The highest declines were recorded on the 6-day and 11-day event windows as all capital markets considered incorporating the bad news of the war outbreak and lost the initial hope of being a disinformation or a short-term military attack. Within 35 trading days following the invasion, 64% of the markets rebounded and returned to their pre-attack level. However, 4 capital markets recorded more than 200 trading days with a level lower than the one registered before the invasion. The paper contributes to literature extending the studies of capital markets’ behavior during military conflicts focusing on neighboring countries.
Digitalization of Business – Implications on Tax Evasion Dimensions
Authors: Amzuică Bogdan-Florian , Mititelu Roxana-Adriana , Nișulescu Ileana
Published: July 2023

Digitalization and technological advancements have changed how taxes are reported, controlled, and audited globally, as well as the speed, quality, and accuracy of the data used in those procedures. The prospects of digitization have been recognized by tax authorities, accountants, policymakers, regulators, and taxpayers, who have begun to reap the advantages of e-services, software, applications, websites, etc. This study explores the impact of business digitization on many facets of tax evasion. The amount of digitalization adoption is gauged using the World Bank's digitalization adoption index, and tax evasion is represented by the shadow economy. The study is based on a vast dataset that contains information from 155 nations. A regression model was employed to assess the relationship between digital adoption and tax evasion. The analysis shows that inflation, unemployment, and economic freedom did not have a significant effect on tax evasion. The findings show a negative and significant relationship between business adoption of digitalization and tax evasion, suggesting that digitalization aids in lowering tax evasion. The results may help authorities see digitization as a powerful tool for preventing financial crimes. Investment in technology may increase tax collections and help governments allocate resources more effectively. To increase the effectiveness of tax collection and monitoring, governments should focus on accelerating the digitization process, particularly in emerging nations. The advantages of investing in digitization will outweigh the expenditures, even though it may result in higher startup costs for emerging economies.