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This volume includes four sections of the 2020 NORDSCI international conference proceedings: (1) Education and Educational Research; (2) Language and Linguistics; (3) Philosophy; and (4) Sociology and Healthcare. Education and Educational Research includes 15 papers covering the full spectrum of education, including history, sociology and economy of education, educational policy, strategy and technologies. This section also covers pedagogy and special education. Language and Linguistics includes 6 papers covering topics related to theoretical, literary and historical linguistics, as well as stylistics and philology. The Philosophy section includes 2 papers and covers the full spectrum of philosophy history, methods, foundation, society studies and the interpretation of philosophy. The Sociology and Healthcare section has 9 papers covering topics related to human society, social structures, and social change, healthcare systems and healthcare services. [Individual papers from the Education and Educational Research section of these proceedings are indexed in ERIC.]

The report of AROMA project (AROMA project consortium, 2018) summarizes a detailed study performed within project partner countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Romania, Spain and Sweden) aimed at identifying the training needs connected with augmented reality technology (AR) and entrepreneurial skills and mapping an awareness about the AR technology. For the project, the research also serves as a first step to identify gaps that need to be addressed to offer a holistic syllabus integrating AR with selected skills and competencies. [For the full proceedings, see ED619611.]

The social innovation in clusters is a novelty for Romania and the paper presents a scientific method to evaluate and monitor of the social innovation performances in clusters. Clusters are drivers of entrepreneurship, innovation, economic growth and jobs. The paper intends to focus on the objectives related on the innovative capacity of clusters and of linkages that involve social relationships or networks that produce benefits for the cluster members, on the competitiveness of clusters and their potential of creating new jobs, on tools and measures to increase social innovation and on social awareness within cluster for closing the gap between the needs of cluster members and the educational/R&D output to reduce the gap between clusters from EU and Ro. From a methodological point of view, the research paper encompasses 4 components: 1) Cluster development in Romania and promotion of social innovation, 2) Elaboration of a scientific method to improve the cluster impact on innovation, economic growth and social integration, 3) Expected results using specific tools for the new method developed (social innovation audit; benchmarks; foresights; IP audit; specific questionnaires) and a large scale dissemination including: a Guide on social innovation in clusters in the near future; the creation of the Ro-EU cluster networks and a national platform for collaboration on social innovation in Romania, 4) Conclusions on cluster willingness to embrace this concept of social innovation primarily because there is a new sense of urgency in the need to find solutions to many of the clusters problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optometry is becoming more and more interdisciplinary and gives new opportunities for collaborative research due to the accumulative complexity of knowledge and the rapid transformation of the technological capabilities in domains such as information technology, optics, applied engineering, health sciences, and entrepreneurship and management. Therefore, the paper presents a study case of a master organized at the University Politehnica of Bucharest related to the current challenges of optometrist education in Romania. The master program is carried out within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics of the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, being organized by the Department of Mechatronics and Precision Mechanics.and It falls within the Field of Mechanical Engineering specialization, according to Government decision no. 1609/30.09.2004, published in the Official Gazette of 18.10.2004. Conceived as a continuation of the bachelor's studies, the Advanced Optometry master program ensures the deepening in the field of the Optometry license program. It is an attractive option for the graduates of the Optometry program, accredited for the first time in 2007 and reaccredited in 2011. It ensures the development of scientific research capacities and is a mandatory preparatory basis for doctoral studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aimed to illustrate some of the best practices in civic initiatives pursued by a team comprising professors from universities and trainers from a training and consulting firm, united within a Romanian non-profit organization, in order to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills in the case of students. The research methodology was based on both quantitative and qualitative methods. The paper demonstrated the importance of joint civic initiatives designed and implemented by people from both the academic and business environment and the key role played by a non-profit organization in order to develop specific business skills for Romanian students. Several types of events took place within the Romanian non-profit organization. First, the use of various case studies designed to meet the needs and expectations of the student groups, focused on the design, development and implementation of a business strategy. Second, mixed teams (comprised of students and experienced managers) competed on a virtual market by using a business simulator software. Third, inter-university competitions were organized by using the business simulator in several Romanian universities. The partnership between the academic and the business environment proved to be a key objective for many organizations. Such collaboration generated a constant flow of useful business skills between them and provided a better understanding of the future generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the recent events in Romania, related to all sorts of instability, this paper aims at analysing and discussing the way this context influences entrepreneurship, as a key element for economic development. Based on the existing literature, we first provide an overview of the factors that influence entrepreneurship. From the perspective of our paper, we focus mostly on the contextual determinants of this phenomenon. Then, using a set of variables from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and the White Charter of Romanian SMEs, we analyse the entrepreneurial profile of the Romanian economy over time, in relation with its determinants. The last part of the paper discusses the policies implemented by the different Romanian governments to support entrepreneurship. It highlights the main macro policies such as, taxation, the rule of law etc. of the recent period and it shows that the mix of incoherent policy measures has created instability, confusion and chaos rather than encouraging entrepreneurial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entrepreneurship is regarded as one of the most important sources of competitive advantage for all countries. The development of entrepreneurship has important benefits, both economically and socially. The relevance of entrepreneurship for national economy is expressed by Michael Porter "invention and entrepreneurship are at the heart of national advantage" [1]. This research paper aims to present the challenges of entrepreneurship in Romania in the context of smart specialization process as basis for the next EU programming period 2021-2027. The capacity of facing the challenges and learning from any defeat is a component part of the entrepreneurial spirit that signifies innovation, flexibility, and adaptability to change, dedication, self-discipline, initiative and vision. The used research methodology was based on analysis and synthesis of the information on the decision to start a business, the risks in business development and the barriers to entrepreneurship development. In conclusion, the authors of this paper wanted to emphasize the necessity of the entrepreneurial discovery process based on approaches at a macro, mezzo and micro-levels of innovation environments, on the stakeholders involved in the different phases of this process and on measurement of outcomes. Without these elements the economic and social prosperity in the EU regions is not possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased freedom in the movement of goods, services, capitals, and people in the European Union, the increasing openness and freedom of choice beyond the traditional boundaries are followed, nowadays, by an increased uncertainty and vulnerability of markets, divergence of interests and constraints, responsibility and risks associated to public decision. The complexity of the context requires a new style of government, innovation and creativity in designing and implementing public policies. The simultaneous relevance of globalization and localization, suggestively conveyed by the phrase "to think globally and to act locally with its reverse, to act globally and to think locally", has opened up the way to a "holistic" perspective in designing public policies. Understanding the concept of "governance" as facilitating the change of perspective concerning the governance, associated to the fragmentation and decentralization on different levels of public decision, the existence of partnership and non-hierarchical relations redistributing public power and the implication together with the government of the social partners in designing public policies, this paper intends to analyse the interdependence between governance and entrepreneurship, and to demonstrate the importance of the measures meant to encourage the entrepreneurship as instruments specific to economic growth and regional development policies. Alongside investigating the governance and entrepreneurship interdependence in the general context of the European model, the paper presents the context specific to Romania, whose European integration requires, besides the complex process of policy transfer, the "learning" of new modes to "make" public policies, characteristic to a multi-level governance and partnership culture, the integration of creativity and flexibility together with rationality in the public decision making process, respectively. The paper concludes that encouraging the entrepreneurship as an instrument specific to economic growth and regional development policies, whose potential is not only under-estimated but also neglected in Romania, it could lead to more rapidly "exit the crisis" and reconnect to the regional development mechanism. The paper presents research results afferent to the post-doctoral research project: "Regional Growth and Development Economic Policies. Challenges for Romania in the context of Economic-financial Crisis and European Model Integration", carried out in the project "Economic scientific research, reliance of human welfare and development in the European context", the Romanian Academy, "Costin C. Kiritescu" National Institute for Economic Research, project financed for the 2010-2013 period from the European Social Fund (EFS), Sectoral Operational Programme for Human Resources Development 2007-2013 (SOP HRD) and implemented by the Romanian Academy, "Costin C. Kiritescu" National Institute for Economic Research, based on the Financing Contract no POSDRU/89/1.5/S/62988; period of implementation: 1 December 2010 - 30 November 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering its close interrelation with the economic performance of the organizations, the concept of "innovation" has been extensively studied in the past decade, from a variety of perspectives (economy, business management, entrepreneurship, knowledge management, marketing). The result is that "innovation" appears to be so complex, and so difficult to understand and to assess, that it ressembles the story about the blind men and the elephant. Therefore, the purpose of this discussion paper is to shed some light on the terminology related to innovation, in order to explain some of the fallacies of the Romanian national strategy for Research, Development and Innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to survive and adapt in a complex, dynamic and ever-changing environment, university leaders have to restructure their institutions, to change the paradigm in which the institutions operate. The strategic option of academic leaders is not whether, but how to cope with the dynamic changes in the 21st century. The answer in the last decades, both in US and Europe, was the entrepreneurial university - a university that constantly monitors the environment and responds to its signals by providing graduates able to cope with the complexity and uncertainty of a global environment, by creating knowledge that is applicable to real life situations and by contributing to the well-being of the society by offering solutions to socio-economic issues. A change of paradigm means incorporating in the functioning of universities not only the principal of internal performance (number of students, study programs, etc) i.e. efficiency, but also external performance (the contribution in changing society for a better one) i.e. effectiveness. Leading the society for international competitiveness is the role of the university in the 21st century and can be fulfilled by reducing the gap between universities and the society. Universities need to become entrepreneurial in order to respond to the needs of the environment and contribute to economic development. The paper has two research objectives: (1) to provide an overview of the concept of entrepreneurial university and to compare how academic leaders approach the entrepreneurial university in US and Europe (2) to present both the framework of entrepreneurial university developed jointly by the European Commission and OECD and the strategic instrument HEInnovate and to analyse how Romanian universities approach the new paradigm and apply the HEInnovate instrument. The research findings are highlighting the importance of a strong leadership in universities in order to transform universities from a traditional paradigm to a new, entrepreneurial one that empowers them to cope with the changes in the environment. The outcome of the present paper will be useful for university leaders in guiding them reshaping the universities in order to perform in a highly competitive world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship and particularly women entrepreneurship are widely recognized as growth engine and mean for women empowerment, and investigating its driving forces and determinants is a subject of great interest for creating and implementing public policies focused on fostering women entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, compared to the contribution of women and their businesses to the creation of new jobs and economic growth, the research dedicated to women entrepreneurship is surprisingly poor and rather oriented to specific differences and gender discrimination than to fostering women entrepreneurship. Moreover, in the current economic context, the potential of the women entrepreneurship as an engine to overcome the economic crisis and to alleviate poverty is under-evaluated. There is, therefore, a need for a careful assessment of the women entrepreneurship potential as well as a careful identification of key policy framework conditions aimed at encouraging women entrepreneurship. Starting from the main lines of the literature, the paper investigates the business profile of women entrepreneurs in western Romania, as revealed by an empirical, mainly quantitative, research. The research was undertaken in the frame of a complex educational and research EU-funded project, namely AntrES project. AntrES (Romanian acronym for: The Entrepreneurship and the Equality of Chances. An inter-regional model of Women Entrepreneurial School) was a strategic project co-financed from European structural funds (around 3,000,000 euros), covering six counties in Western Romania, that created an interregional research, education and communication network (6 universities, 60 researchers, 1800 women entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs supported). The AntrES project has been selected from European Commission as success story. The present paper presents the research methodology and the data set generated, and the main findings concerning the business profile of women entrepreneurs in Western Romania. There are approached issues as: fields and sector preferred, age of the firm, ownership issues, occupational status and affiliation of business women, professional level and studies, entrepreneurial history and previous entrepreneurial experiences etc. The paper concludes suggesting gender-sensitive mix policy for encouraging women to exploit the possibilities offered by local and regional potential, based on the business profile of women entrepreneurs in Western Romania identified. Addressing to academics, practitioners and public authorities, the paper is a consistent study-case with considerable implications for further analysis and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All economies have been confronted with the same problems lately. On the one hand they are still recovering from the economic and financial crisis, fact which continues to influence the public and private sector resources and which has a significant impact on further development; on the other hand they are trying to confront the increasing poverty and inequality in the global economy. Sustainable development, equal opportunities are new challenges that need to be approached and solved immediately. The related issue is innovation (Kraemer & Watu, 2010). A growing number of studies and research papers show that economic recovery largely depends on the improvement of the SME sector and on science. Technology and innovation have a significant role in social and economic development. By providing economic competitiveness, the SME sector and innovation have become a priority issue. It is essential to promote policies that sustain innovation and technological transfer in/to the SME sector. Furthermore, these policies should sustain entrepreneurial competitiveness in the region, in industrial branches, in order to increase attractiveness and arrest the attention of investors. All these issue have a significant role in the regional sustainable development. This paper will analyze Romania from this point of view. According to estimates, over 90% of the Romanian SMEs feel the recession. Official data shows that the business environment has deteriorated. In 2009 the decreasing tendency was more accentuated; 10 times more enterprises suspended their activities than in 2008 in the same period. The economic situation of SMEs continued to deteriorate in 2011, the GDP will not have an increasing tendency in 2012 either: it will achieve the same level as in 2008. In Romania the companies concentrate their strategies on the reduced costs of the resources and not on the improvement of productivity. The paper is focused on innovation performances emphasizing the innovative force of SMEs. This study intends to analyze the barriers and challenges for Romania and other East European countries compared to developed economies in line with Europe 2020 strategies. Moreover, it will identify the weak points and local, particular strengths of innovation in the (post)crisis period and will identify the targets for the next period. All the major initiatives in: innovation, education, information society, climate, competitiveness, labor market present challenges for Romania and need short and long term strategies. The scientific approach in this respect is a necessity because it can be observed in publicly available databases that Romania occupies the last places in EU27 in terms of innovation. Targets and tasks for improvement and further development of the innovative SMEs will be analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of openness for entrepreneurship in Romania is known. The share of micro-enterprises in Romania in the total number of SMEs is 88%, lower than the average of 92% of the European Union. In this context, very few young people start a business on their own. In Romania, 1 in 100 young people start a business on their own, compared to 1 in 4 young people in the Czech Republic, Poland or Hungary. Thus, only 11% of Romanian companies are owned by young people up to 29 years of age. A common problem is that students or graduates from the technical profiles in universities in Romania choose to enter the business world, to a great extent, in trade or services to the detriment of the material goods creation. The paper aims, on the basis of a broader study involving students from three faculties at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, to know how students choose their business ideas, their perception of the need to innovate and how the innovation of a product is an option for them. The innovation of a product, where engineers are supposed to play an important role, is the rarest form of innovation and more difficult to approach through a broader and various knowledge that is needed it. The purpose of the research is to understand how the creation and use of an e-learning platform oriented to product innovation at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest would fill and complete the lack of information due to the differences between the curricula corresponding to the chosen specializations. The e-learning platform will provide information available 24 hours / 7 days, the study will be easier, student collaboration will be easier and can help create spin-offs and get financial support and advice for those student entrepreneurs which demonstrate maturity and have results in approaching the product development process within their own businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the work in progress developed by the authors within the project entitled: "PERFORMAN - The Elaboration and Implementation of an Innovative Methodology for Analyzing and Evaluating the Characteristics and Performances of Entrepreneurial Management in Romania", financed by the Romanian Authorities (UEFISCDI) Programme 4 - Partnerships in the priority fields in the framework of preparing a future FP 7 project, with an amount of 500,000.00 Euros. The PERFORMAN project is a research project developed by a Consortium of Romanian Universities, such as The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, The "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu, and The University of Oradea, in partnership with a Romanian large company (IPA S.A.), all together under the coordination of The National Council of Private SMEs in Romania (CNIPMMR). The project aims to provide an innovative methodology for analyzing and evaluating the characteristics and performances of the entrepreneurial management in Romania, to further recommend systems, methods and managerial techniques adapted to the specific of Romanian SMEs and to the difficulties they confront, intending to contribute in a decisive way to the increasing of the competitiveness and the innovation potential of the Romanian SMEs, in the context of Romania's integration in the European Union, and the transition to the knowledge - based economy. The general objectives of the PERFORMAN project are as follows: to increase the competitiveness of Romanian SMEs; to increase the innovation potential of Romanian SMEs by implementing new systems, methods and managerial techniques; to facilitate the creation and development of a culture of innovation within the Romanian SMEs; to increase the management capacity of Romanian SMEs facing the competition on the Single Market of the EU. As the project will end only on September 30, 2011, in this paper we will present the progress of PERFORMAN as resulted from the activity developed within the project by the University of Oradea, as Partner no. 4 in the Consortium, and to which the authors of this paper belong to. The target group envisaged by the implementation of the project are the Romanian SMEs, which will be the direct beneficiaries of all the recommendations and solutions proposed after the analysis and the evaluation of the characteristics and performances of entrepreneurial management foreseen by this project will be finished. Considering the possibilities of disseminating the results of the University of Oradea as Partner no. 4 in the project, the number of the ultimate users will be of at least 300 SMEs, of which 250 are already involved in the project, as part of the project's sample structure formed from a total of 1500 SMEs managers, that the Consortium agreed that assure the necessary representativeness for implementing the evaluation methodology of the characteristics and performances of the entrepreneurial management in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a stringent necessity in Romania to reconsider the role of entrepreneurship in regional development and to increase awareness regarding the importance of encouraging female entrepreneurship. Women entrepreneurs are in the minority in Romania, as they are generally in Europe. The gender gap is obvious according to the different definitions of entrepreneurship: new venture creation, business ownership, and self-employment. The paper describes some basic facts about the differences between men and women entrepreneurs in the six counties of western Romania (Maramureş, Satu-Mare, Bihor, Arad, Timiş, Caraş Severin) compared with the rest of Romania, and other countries from the EU, focusing on gender differences in evolution, structure, density of SMEs sector, industry composition, human capital, social capital, preferences, motivations etc. and identifies some potential explanations in order to promote female entrepreneurship. Starting from here, the present paper proposes gender-sensitive regional strategies in encouraging female entrepreneurship to exploit the possibilities offered by local and regional potential taking into account opportunities, difficulties and constraints in the SMEs sector during times of economic crisis. The paper presents research results from the project entitled Entrepreneurship and the Equal Opportunities. An Inter-regional Model of Women's School of Entrepreneurship. This project, financed by the European Social Fund with funding of over 3.5 million Euros, is the first strategic project in the field of human resources development in Romania that promotes female entrepreneurship. The area covered by the project is the western part of Romania, and includes Maramureş, Satu-Mare, Bihor, Arad, Timiş, and Caras Severin counties, being implemented by partner universities from each of these counties. The general objective is to promote equal opportunities in the field of entrepreneurship, by stimulating the desire of women, especially those coming from rural areas, to initiate and develop their own business in the context of sustainable development in their communities. The target group is formed of 1,800 women, both from urban and rural areas, from the north-west and western regions of Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the potential of gamified platforms to teach young people entrepreneurial values. We start from exploring a specific learning environment, #AntreprenorulLunii (Eng. #theentrepreneurofthemonth), designed to increase visibility of self-driven careers, while promoting the diversity of trajectories, motivations and models in successful Romanian businesses. The environment is supported by a digital platform used to assemble stories of leading entrepreneurs whose experience and products are made to account as subject of discussion. The gamified component of the platform consists in a competition organized to award users who propose valuable comments on the presented products. Therefore, #AntreprenorulLunii also functions as a campaign developed both to enrich public discourse around the values of business creation and to increase awareness on the role of IT instruments in developing successful entrepreneurial projects. The digital platform unfolds a jointly constructed culture in which different actors collaboratively establish entrepreneurship as the referential system of ongoing interactions. The platform facilitates actions in which the meaning of entrepreneurship is socially defined and negotiated through locally orchestrated modes of engagement. In this sense, #AntreprenorulLunii becomes a medium to invite questioning on how entrepreneurship might be known, approached and learned, and on what type of resources might be integrated in the process. We consider that analytically employing the concept of "voices", understood as an accountable embodiment of "perspective, conceptual horizon, intention and worldview" (Engeström, 1995, p. 199) represents an effective practice in the design and implementation of powerful learning environments. By exploring different interactional patterns and discursive episodes in the production, use and evaluation of #AntreprenorulLunii digital environment, we propose a framework to analyse multivoicedness (Wertsch, 1991) in gamified learning platforms. We claim that voices are embedded in the design and rhetoric of the digital medium, becoming a function of framing discourse, positioning actors, mediating actions, and building technological infrastructure. Accordingly, we develop a typology that differentiates between (1) discursively-framed voices (voices that are intentionally introduced to stage subjective positions of various actors), (2) relationally-emergent voices (voices that arise in sequences of interactions and relations between various actors), (3) action-based voices (voices that develop in processes of acting upon the platform and engaging with it), (4) objectifiedconstructed voices (voices of objects, digital artefacts and technological infrastructure integrated within the platform), and (5) performative meta-voices (voices resulting in how the platform acts in the world as an independent reality). We illustrate how these types of voices operate in achieving the meaning of entrepreneurship within #AntreprenorulLunii media platform, thus theorizing on how learning process is being constituted by a multiplicity of dynamic and interacting cultural, institutional and socio-economic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liberal profession plays an important role in creating added value and profitability in the current economy context of Romania, especially in this time of global health crisis. In this regard, it is safe to assume that, in 2021, the liberal professions in order to remain viable will need an independent advice and support because of the constant expansion of national legal standards. Moreover, in view of this sector's growth potential and the proportion of jobs that it provides, the entrepreneurial aspect of the liberal professions must be acknowledged and supported, since the services provided by liberal professionals are complex and require a high level of expertise. This research paper presents the essential notions in the economic field, which the entrepreneurs who carry out independent activities registered in the category of liberal professions must know in order to have a good activity in Romania. This work is developed on two major directions: the financial-accounting and the fiscal aspects regarding the liberal professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through this paper we intend to highlight some answers of the questions that we ask ourselves often be in terms of the entrepreneur who wants to develop a business with some ideas on food trade, either in terms of consumer who knows sometimes the prices of some products are more expensive than other similar food stores. Here are some of the questions that we seek answers in the paper: How profitable are companies operating in the food trade, regardless of their organizational structure? What is the threshold of affordability of food trading enterprises on running a business? What is the contribution to the state budget of an undertaking of this kind and under the laws of Romania as moral are these fees compared to exertion by business to support a business? What would be the daily earnings of a company to survive the current economic circumstances? What major challenges facing NGOs engaged in charitable activities to help disadvantaged groups such as state aid and the legal entity? (some NGOs even assuming important functions that should be the government rule). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents issues regarding the impact of the economic and the financial crisis upon the entrepreneurs and the SMEs. Entrepreneurship is a natural rival to job scarcity. Entrepreneurs have the agility, flexibility, and grit to make change happen. Innovation is the chief tool available for the entrepreneur. This paper aims an X-ray of the SME sector in EU and how its members copped with the various challenges raised by this crisis. The last chapter describes how this economic ordeal hits the Romanian SMEs and entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romanian rural areas need revitalization and increasing territorial competitiveness. The "territorial projects" designed from the Local Action Groups, may become a new governance model for the search of regional competitiveness. The objective of this paper is to analyze the critical factors affecting territorial competitiveness in Romania and in the economic sustainability of rural areas. The competitiveness analysis is conducted in the context of the European Network for Rural Development. The methodology used for the analysis is based on the WWP model, which integrates elements of planning as social learning, economic sustainability and Networking Knowledge for Rural Development. The results show that the main limiting factors for regional competitiveness are focused on three dimensions or components: social-ethical, political-contextual and technical-entrepreneurial. Challenges and changes necessary for effective implementation of LEADER under conditions of global market relations are submitted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contemporary approach of the intelligence domain is subsequent to substantial changes that the umbrella concept of security has suffered in postmodern society and to the fact that nowadays nations have to face an extremely diverse range of threats. By comparison with other countries, traditional Romanian academic programs for studying intelligence and security are undersized. I appreciate that one of the determinants of this situation is the lack of demand for specialized security and intelligence expertise in labor market. Also the priorities of the Romanian private sector are concerned especially about profit and neglect the security of both the business and the broader community. A strong security and intelligence cultures is beneficial for any area of society; still, such a culture of entrepreneurial environment can make the difference between poverty and prosperity, employment and unemployment, community inclusion or alienation. Therefore the main reason behind educating managers resigns in the fact this category has a great social importance, as it is fully involved in the economic development of the society and is pertaining to employment by the numbers of employees they have. Providing security and intelligence expertise in areas such as the protection of classified information, combating cross-border threats, protection against terrorism meant the short and long term improvement of each person's civic behavior. But their involvement in the traditional type of education would be extremely difficult due to their responsibilities. Their lack of time can be balanced by using an e-Learning system that allows the specialization of human resources with maximum efficiency and limited valuable time. Based on the premise that one of the objectives set at European Union level is the foundation of the knowledge society, this paper represents an argument for implementing an e-learning platform to provide specific knowledge to substantiate the security and intelligence culture at managers' level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to several recent studies, environmental leadership might be a strategic option for contemporary organizations in their attempt both to comply with environmental regulations and to meet customers' expectations in terms of economic agents' impact on the environment. However, environmental leadership does not seem to be a very popular concept within Romanian entrepreneurs, who rather choose to run their business in a classic manner, aiming short-run profit maximization. The paper analyzes the case of 50 Romanian companies, in order to assess whether environmental leadership is part of the current managerial vision promoted within these companies. Collected data revealed that, despite claiming to act environmentally responsible, many companies do not carry out coherent actions aiming to protect the environment and, consequently, have to deal with higher environmental costs, lack of environmental performance, increased risk of ecological damage, dissatisfaction among customers and employees, and inefficient CSR policies. Romanian entrepreneurs are not aware of the competitive advantage which may be achieved if all the efforts of the company aiming environmental protection are coordinated by environmental leaders. This study also reveals that Romanian entrepreneurs are not aware of the fact that the companies which will approach environmental problems with re-active solutions and quick fixes will ultimately be taken out of the market either by more competitive companies, or by customers, which are more and more sensitive to environmental issues. The paper shows some essential connections between the environmental performance of the companies and the degree in which the principles of environmental leadership are not violated within the organizations. Starting from these connections, the paper presents a methodology for empowering the entrepreneurs in order to set up the principles of environmental leadership within their organizations and to pay more attention to the outcomes that might be obtained if environmental leaders were encouraged to act as agents of change. Environmental leaders should also be capable to motivate the staff for paying more attention to environmental issues during their current activity. Furthermore, we show that authoritative management styles are not compatible with environmental leadership and we also describe a direct connection between companies' economic performance and their commitment in using environmental leadership as a strategic instrument for pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change is one of the nowadays catchwords, and the ability to manage change is a prime requirement of entrepreneurial success. We realised a study from which we wanted to know how Romanian entrepreneurs react at change and which are the methods used to cope with it. After centralising the questionnaires that we applied, we found out that to some entrepreneurs, change means excitement and the thrill of being part of the action and keeping up with the trends and for others, change feels like a threatening imposed dismantling of the stable order of things with a great deal of uncertainty which is frightening. Each category of entrepreneurs has its own ways of action in order to cope with change, which we are going to discuss in the paper, focusing on their usefulness and correcting them when we consider they don't represent the best choice. In the last part of the paper we suggested various strategies that Romanian entrepreneurs can use when facing with the rapid and unsettling change and we also gave some advice and recommendations helpful for the entire business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lately, in Romania, a lot of campaigns for promoting the entrepreneurship were initiated, which led to a development of the knowledge about business and companies. The role of the schools was the most important in these campaigns as there were many students interested in entrepreneurship. This led to the emergence of a new notion, "training firm". This concept was used for the first time in Romania in 1996, as a new teaching method, following the Austrian model. This represents the model of a company, with educational purpose. Between 1997 and 2001 in Romania there were a few training firms and they didn't have a direct connection with the international network. Starting with 2001 the number of training firms has increased so that, nowadays, there are over 5000 firms registered in the national agency ROCT - Centrala Reţelei Firmelor de Exerciţiu/Întreprinderilor Simulate din România. ROCT is an online platform used by the students for all the activities in their companies, starting from the foundation of the company, to promoting their own products, meeting the suppliers, making transactions, online payment and all the other activities that are run in a company. The ROCT platform has not only the intermediary role, but it is also a way of informing on the specific activities of the different training firms across the country and abroad, on the contests organized in different places, on the regulations concerning the activity of the firms. This paper is a case study on the activity of the training firms through the online platform and its importance in the exchanges that help students and teachers use ideas and resources from all over the country and even the continent in order to be prepared for the real business world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social change in Romania the last 20 years have brought great changes in labour market structure. These changes are explained both by former communist country characteristics and by the dynamics of the economy. There are systematic differences in social compositions of the country and there are different contexts in which economic activity is developed in various types of countries. Theories of entrepreneurship distinguish between push and pull type of mechanisms explaining self-employment and business start-up. As widely recognized, economic spill-over effects of entrepreneurships are more significant in the case of enterprises that invest serious human, physical and financial capital than in the case of those adopting self-employment as unique solution to grim prospects for employment. That is why we consider as a relevant research topic the description of Romanian population of self-employed individuals starting from specific hypotheses derived from theory. The final aim is to assess the weight of the two types of entrepreneurs, by using recent survey data. The objective of the paper will be fulfilled by using bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques to analysing most recent EVS (European Values Study) data collected in Romania, which contains items identifying self-employed individuals. Subsequently, we will test hypotheses connecting the status of self-employment with level of education, level of parents' education, type of residence, occupation of parents and gender. Our expectations are that, contrary to the ideal-type of daring-educated-upper-class entrepreneur, most of our self-employed individuals are of push-type, being less educated and having a more deprived socio-economic background (with parents with lower status occupations, with lower cultural capital) than active employed citizens. The results of the statistical analyses will be interpreted against the theories in the area and will be related with the economic and socio-demographic context of Romania. In the concluding chapter, the consequences of the findings for Romanian social and economic policies will be examined, and the necessity for the emergence of a solid economy and a large and a powerful middle class, will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This objective of this paper is to present a proposal of research to analyzes the relationship between ownership structure and indebtedness as corporate governance mechanisms for a sample of Romanian Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's). We will expected a negative effect of several measures of ownership structure (percentage of shares owns by the main shareholder, the herfindalh index and the Cubbin-Leech index) on debt ratio. Besides, the presence of an individual as main shareholder may has a positive effect on debt while the presence of a corporation as main shareholder can presents a negative repercussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SMEs play a crucial role in modern societies; being regarded as the foundation of a global competitive economy. Entire economic concepts evolved based on the SMEs sector evolution like entrepreneurship, innovation, competitiveness, etc. The current paper is aimed at presenting the current state and role of the SME sector in Romanian economy, in light of the challenges imposed by the global financial and economic crisis and the reaction measures taken (or not taken) by the Romanian authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper represents the outcome of a study that was intended to be an empirical research carried out to assess the entrepreneurial characteristics and the management performance in Romania, and to further provide solutions to the identified managerial problems. The amplification of the innovative potential of the Romanian SMEs may be done by the implementation of systems, methods, and management techniques, recommended following the assessment of entrepreneurial characteristics and performance management - a process that will result in competitive advantages. In assessing and analyzing the characteristics and performance of the Romanian entrepreneurial management, there are a number of both quantitative and qualitative issues surrounding the use of the instruments of this process. A major problem arises from the fact that many similar surveys to date have focused mostly on measuring and interpreting the economic indicators of the entrepreneurial process, rather than by analyzing the influence of managerial economic performance elements. All studies undertaken in the last years reveal, on the one hand the importance of investment and introduction of new, innovative products, and on the other hand, skills and management skills of the entrepreneur. We can appreciate that it thus attempts therefore to find the optimal combination between market products/services, capital market (the financing capacity) and the external environment in which the company operates. In this context, our study tried to determine the competitiveness of the Romanian in terms of entrepreneurial characteristics - degree of innovation, education level managers and employees, business strategies, integration information, productivity/cost, employee behaviour, organizational culture, etc. In this respect, our scientific research of the entrepreneurial phenomenon went from the consideration that it should rely on the economic analysis of the results achieved by SMEs, as well as on the analysis of those elements influencing the achievement of these economic results, and considered the following three main assumptions: the existence of a positive link between the innovation level of an SME (product, technology) and its economic performance, the existence of a link between the economic performances and the management system, and the existence of a link between the investment capacity and the economic performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last twenty years, universities have been facing a period of profound changes and unprecedented challenges with an increased pressure from different stakeholders requiring universities to play an active role in innovation and entrepreneurial education, both in terms of mindset and practical instruments. At the same time, education seems to be an important tool for stimulating entrepreneurship (Backes-Gellner & Werner, 2007; Harris & Gibson, 2008; Kuratko, 2005; Raposo & Do Paço, 2011) as extensive research provides evidence that there is a positive and robust link between entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurship performance (The Small Business Economy, 2007). The main goal of the research was to explore the way Romanian technical universities are adapting to the new market and educational challenges and are embedding entrepreneurship in their curricular and extracurricular activities to enhance entrepreneurial competences in engineering students. The research questions that guided the study were: 1. How are Romanian technical universities infusing an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering students? 2. Which are the engineering programs that implement most entrepreneurial education courses? 3. What are the most frequent entrepreneurship related extracurricular activities implemented in universities? The research was conducted on 5 major Romanian technical universities. The analysis was conducted using a two-step approach: first, a critical analysis of the literature discussing the concepts of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial university and the role of technical Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in shaping entrepreneurial competencies in engineering students and secondly, an exploratory empirical content analysis of the 5 Romanian technical universities' websites and curricula in order to identify the courses covering topics related to entrepreneurship and the extracurricular activities implemented throughout the university during the 2020- 2021 academic year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this short paper is to identify the problems that need to be researched for the Universities that aim to become Entrepreneurial. In general, the Universities' limits are the tough management and the ability to draw private funds, and the Entrepreneurial Universities try to diminish these shortcomings. Any transformation or reorganization is much more efficient if it is based on an economic research. A change of paradigm takes place in the academic world because besides the traditional research functions and education/teaching, the Universities begin to incorporate in their strategy elements regarding the community's economic and social development with the concept of Entrepreneurial University. Besides the incorporation in the University mission of some specific elements for the non-profit sector, a competition is created for the services provided simultaneously, with new implications that suppose an economic analysis in order to be understood. Thus, there are new activities in the entrepreneurial University and it has to formulate specific objectives that will aim at the new aspects, facing managerial and economic implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capital companies in order to carry out the activity for which they have been authorized to function have 3 categories of organs: management, administration and control. The management of the companies is carried out by the general meeting, which can be ordinary or extraordinary. The control of the companies is carried out by censors or auditors, as the case may be. The joint stock companies can be managed in a unitary system (of France origin) or in a dualistic system (of German origin). The unitary system assumes the existence of the Board of Directors that holds the role of administrator of the company. The Board may appoint directors to whom the powers of administration are delegated. In the dualistic system, the management of joint stock companies is carried out by the Directorate verified by the Supervisory Council. In the dualist system, the Supervisory Council holds, mainly the role of the Board of Directors in the unitary system. The administration of the companies represents a very important aspect in the entrepreneurship, because the way a company is managed depends to a large extent on the success of the respective business. In this context, the choice of the management mode of the company must be based on a very precise analysis of the specifics of the company, the object of activity, the available human resources, etc. The study will reveal, by comparative analysis of the two management systems their advantages and disadvantages, in the context of the business conduct by the entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Romania, the apiarian sector is very important because it develops in very good conditions referring to the climate conditions, air and soil quality, and not in the last place the honey potential, significant apiarian production were obtained. In the last three years, the number of entrepreneurs from the apiarian sector, which manages 150 beehives, had an increasing trend. From the study, we can see that the Romanian honey and the bee products are very appreciated both in our country and in other countries like Germany, Italy, France, etc. One of the pain points of the entrepreneurs from the apiarian sector is the fact that the bee products are valuated at low prices, which do not cover the expenses. Therefore, we consider that promoting the entrepreneurship in the apiarian sector is very important and determines a strong economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of commerce, in the context of the changing framework regarding technologic innovation, the raising quantity and quality of knowledge, the growth of living standards, the competition and the development of the activity realised by economic agents is the subject of important demands that they have to adapt to and for which they have to find solutions. In order to observe the impact of those requirements on companies, we focused our research on the influence of the chain stores expansion - as an expression of internationalisation and expansion of markets, technologies and goods circuits - on producers from Bihor County, Romania. The data base analysed consists of obtained information in the direct and bibliographic research - through applying a questionnaire on 50 goods and services produced by companies that managed or not to sign distribution contracts with the chain stores that have points of sale in Bihor County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]