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Our study aimed to examine how care centers for older persons acted and adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic period by considering the opinions of the beneficiaries, employees, and managers of such centers. The research was conducted between February and June 2022, and we used a mixed-methods approach. For the quantitative research, we applied a questionnaire to 430 institutionalized older persons from Timis County, Romania. For the qualitative analysis, we conducted interviews with 31 institutionalized older persons, 7 employees, and 4 managers. Most institutionalized older persons were mainly satisfied with their lives in the care centers. The main difficulties they faced were the impossibility of being close to loved ones and the difficulty of adapting to the living conditions within the center. Additionally, the older persons were satisfied with their interactions with the staff of the care centers. The conducted research provides a view of the lifestyle of older persons in care centers during the pandemic. It highlights their struggles and can be used as a reference point for further improvement of the lifestyle of older persons within care centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the educational process in military higher education institutions underwent changes, especially in terms of carrying out practical activities. The purpose of the research was to analyze how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the educational process and the leadership activities carried out in a Romanian military academy, in the context in which the practical activities had to be carried out in the online environment. Practical skills play an important role in the life of military students and they can help them within the process of becoming efficient leaders. In the context of the research, practical skills refer to decision-making abilities, conflict resolution skills, communication skills, the ability to delegate, or the capacity to motivate and inspire others. In order to conduct the research, we used a quantitative approach. A questionnaire was applied to 288 students of "Nicolae Bălcescu" Land Forces Academy from Sibiu, Romania. The results of the research revealed that students pointed out the difficulty of interacting with their teachers, and of developing practical activities. While the opinions of the students were not influenced by their gender, they were influenced by the type of studies followed. Compared to bachelor students, master students were more affected by the changes which took place, and they believed to a higher extent that they possess leadership skills and that they have the necessary knowledge to lead a specific military group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elderly represent one of the categories that was most affected by the pandemic period. The purpose of this research was to analyze the ways in which mass media and very often contradictory information flows influenced the lives and personal communications of the Romanian elderly population during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to conduct the research, we used a mixed-methods approach. For the quantitative research, we gave a questionnaire to the elderly population of Romania, and for the qualitative research, we conducted interviews. Our quantitative sample included 881 retired persons with an age between 55 and 94 years old; the mean age was 71.48 years old with 6.6 years standard deviation. The elderly described the pandemic period using negative words: fear, loneliness, anxiety, disaster; the channel they mostly watched and trusted was the TV; they were aware of the measures they had to take to protect themselves; they missed most of the meetings with the family and the main problems they had were represented by loneliness, the inability to be with their families or the lack of access to medical services. The elderly's mass media consumption during the pandemic was mostly represented by TV consumption; the information spread by mass media was sometimes contradictory; it influenced their behavior and may have generated feelings of anxiety among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public administration and the services it offers have an important role in the lives of citizens. The purpose of this research was to identify the factors that influence citizens' perception of community public services in order to improve and make them more efficient. In order to conduct the research we used a mixed-method approach. In the context of the quantitative analysis, the sample comprises 798 beneficiaries of public services from Brașov County. In the context of the qualitative analysis, the sample comprises directors of institutions that offer public services in Romania and people with decision-making roles at the level of Brașov County. The results revealed that the citizens of Brașov County have a positive opinion about public services, and that factors such as age, living environment and income influence their level of satisfaction with these services. Furthermore, the results of the qualitative analysis offered information about the measures that could be implemented in order to improve the public services. Given that the main measure mentioned by the respondents refers to digitization, we argue that digitization might be the key element in maintaining the sustainability of public services and in increasing people's satisfaction with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The issue of the elderly is a constant concern at the level of international organizations and demographic ageing is a complex phenomenon that primarily affects economically developed countries. At the level of the European Union, we find many types of research carried out every year on the ageing population with an emphasis on the analysis of the life of the elderly (over 65 years old) or very old (over 85 years old). The statistical indicators followed are already established: demographic characteristics, pensions, health care, longterm care, etc. – these factors are often analysed in direct connection with the possibilities of protection systems to ensure a longer life for these people, in decent conditions. In this context, the concept of active ageing has already been imposed, through which older people can participate in socio-economic life and after retirement in the idea of an increase in both financial aspects and quality of life. All these concerns are taking a new turn in the digital era, with the possibility for older people to use new technologies to access all public services, life quality being strongly discussed. This article is an exploratory documentation of this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Working with university students in social sciences often involves creative ideas, a wide documentation, field research abilities and so on. In this article we intend to present a specific didactic project put into practice with master students in Public Relations and Advertising during one semester of the module called Research techniques. We organised all the activities in order to make an action research with returning of inquiry findings. All the students were involved in each stage of the project starting from the initial questions and all the way to general reports. Finally, they participated in a public conference where they presented some of the important results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Previous literature shows that animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have high acceptance among professionals from different fields, although this would be more related to personal experience with pet keeping than to empirical evidence of their benefits. Present study analyzes the impact of attitudes toward AAI, experience with animals, and the formative background on the intention of use for AAI in a sample of N=167 Romanian Social Sciences students (X=21.3, SD=1.47; 87% female). Measurement involved the adaptation of the CAINTAP (Attitudes Towards Dog- Assisted Interventions Questionnaire), a two-scale instrument that showed appropriate psychometric values (RMSEA=.075; Cronbach's alphas >.800 for both positive and negative attitudes scales). Two conclusions are drawn: there is a high interest in the practical applications of the AAI among consulted students (around 89%), although it does not derive from actual knowledge of their real effectiveness, but from personal interest in pets. These findings should be taken into account to facilitate the professional, based on the evidence development of AAI in Romania and other countries where they are not ingrained yet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Annals of the 'Al. I. Cuza' University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice ale Universitatii 'Al. I. Cuza' Iasi Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Landfills continue to represent the most frequent managerial practice for municipal solid wastes and an increasing and complex problem globally. In certain countries, a transition to an open society and free market is superimposed on the transition to sustainability, resulting in even higher complexity of management. This paper proposes an approach for problem-structuring of landfills in complex transitions: sustainability or unsustainability of a management approach is determined by a set of sustainability filters that are defined by sets of indicators and prioritized according the systemic concept of sustainability, which says that economy is embedded in society, which is embedded in nature. The writers exercise this approach with an old landfill in Iasi, Romania, and conclude for unsustainability, because the ecological sustainability filter is not successfully passed. Social and economic sustainability filters are also discussed in relation with the ecological sustainability indicators. The described approach allows a coherent, transdisciplinary synthesis of knowledge scattered across various disciplines, a pervasive problem in landfill management. The case study helps distinguish between generally true and context-dependent aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article represents an exploratory research about the roles and actions of the active NGOs in the city of Iaşi, Romania, related with the local administrative structures. Field research was a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods/techniques preceded by a long period of a sociological documentation. We applied more than 40 questionnaires within the NGOs, interviews with the executives of four NGOs, one focus group, eight interviews with the administrative functionaries that habitually work with local NGOs. The outcomes of the research were to identify some directions of action to improve the quality of NGOs activities related with the local administration, regional media and private economic sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient debate about the role of action theory in foundation of the rational choice theory is current. Many sociologists continue to compare these two theories with a lot of arguments. In fact we can conclude that the work of T. Parsons remain in the core of sociological thinking even if another theories are now actual or the critics are numerous. In this article we present the main ideas of this important theoretical confrontation and we open possible ways of future debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demographic problems and the migration problems are much closed related: the movement of populations have a great influence to the economic markets and to the social structures in the main time in two countries: from departure to arrival. The costs of emigration are very difficult to calculate. In this article we emphasize some demographic aspects of Romanian emigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]