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This paper aims to identify the factors that are positively or negatively impacting students' well-being and their academic engagement. We used partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using the data collected through a questionnaire from four countries: Romania, Turkey, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. The model includes seven factors that influence the well-being of students and indirectly their academic engagement: stressors in the students' lives; professors' support; social support from family and friends; the students' perceived satisfaction in their lives; engaging in activities during their leisure time; self-exploration regarding their careers; and environmental exploration regarding their careers. The results show that all factors, except for stressors and environmental exploration regarding their careers, positively influence the students' well-being and thus their academic engagement. These findings are useful for university professors and managers in better organizing activities to increase academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the impact of using virtual reality (VR) in education and focuses on the main factors that affect the behavioral intention of using this new technology for the benefit of both professors and students. As part of our research methodology, we conducted a survey based on the Technology Acceptance Model and used partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results show that the intention to use VR technology in education is influenced by both usage satisfaction and the task–technology fit. The system quality of the VR technology proved to be important in influencing both the task–technology fit and perceived usefulness. The findings are useful for professors considering the adoption of new technologies that might improve the efficiency of learning for their students. Additionally, managers of educational institutions can use these insights to direct investments towards this type of innovation, which appeals to newer generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses hierarchical regression analysis, a statistically robust method, to explore the correlations between two meteorological parameters and three particulate matter concentrations. The dataset is provided by six sensors located in three cities from three countries, and the measurements were taken simultaneously for three months at each minute. Analyses and calculations were performed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results underscore that the complexity of air pollution dynamics is affected by the location even when the same type of sensors is used, and emphasize that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot effectively address air pollution. The findings are helpful from three perspectives: for education, to show how to handle and communicate a solution for local communities' issues about air pollution; for research, to understand how easy a university can generate and analyze open-source data; and for policymakers, to design targeted interventions addressing each country's challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to climate change that threatens both economic and social sustainable development, governments adopt strict environmental policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage the use of energy from renewable sources. The main purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent the strictness of environmental policy can influence the level of greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of renewable energy in selected Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) method and Granger causality test were employed in order to investigate the long-run relationship between the main components of the environmental policy stringency index and the evolution of greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy consumption. The results indicate significant influences of the Market-based instruments sub-index and the Technology Support policies sub-index on greenhouse gas emissions reduction, while the Non-Market Based instruments index, which includes policies that impose emission limits and standards, does not exert any significant influence in this regard. Regarding the impact on renewable energy consumption, the results of this study indicate significant positive influences from the perspective of the three sub-indices used in the analysis. These results should send a signal to decision-makers on the effectiveness of policies that impose emission limits and standards, in the sense that their improvement will generate significant influences in mitigating climate change risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focuses on better understanding the benefits of environmental volunteering projects for volunteers and how the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they gain impact their future involvement in community life and in raising awareness towards environmental issues. Considering the recent technological developments and the applicability of sensors to monitor environmental quality, we also researched the impact of volunteering projects on the perception of volunteers regarding the role played by these sensors in providing valuable data, as well as to influence public decisions to have a healthier environment. The research methodology is based on the partial least squares structural equation modelling, the data being collected with a survey. The findings show a direct and positive influence on the skills gained by volunteers and their involvement in the community, as well as on their perception regarding the use of sensors to contribute to a cleaner environment. The results are useful to managers in schools, NGOs, public authorities, and businesses, who can collaborate to develop joint volunteering projects to tackle climate change and the pollution problem in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an assessment of climate suitability for outdoor leisure activities in Romania using the Holliday Climate Index (HCI) for the near future (2021–2040), focusing on unfavorable and good climate conditions. The analysis employs data from an ensemble of model simulations in the context of RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate change scenarios. The results indicate that the number of days with low weather suitability is decreasing in almost the entire country, especially during the warm season, while during the winter and spring, extended regions may be characterized by a higher number of days favorable for outdoor activities than during the current climate. An estimation of the impact of climate change on tourism flux in Romania is further carried out, suggesting that the increasing attractivity of climate conditions may lead to an increased number of tourist overnights in the near future, and this will be more pronounced in rural destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality, especially particulate matter pollution levels in urban areas, is an essential academic and social topic due to its association with health issues and climate change. In Romania, increasing awareness of urban communities and the availability of low-cost sensors has led to the development of an independent monitoring network currently distributed in over 194 cities and towns. The uRADMonitor® network consists of 630 sensors measuring PM10 and PM2.5 concentration levels. The spatial distribution of the sensors complements the national air quality network with sensors in residential areas, intense traffic zones, and industrial areas. The data are available through a user-friendly web-based platform from uRADMonitor®. Based on data collected in 2021, we present an analysis of PM10 pollution levels in Romania's five most populated urban areas by employing five annual statistical indicators recommended by the European Environmental Agency. For the case of Timișoara, we also compare the data measured by independent sensors with those from the national monitoring network. The results highlight the usefulness of our community-based network as it complements the national one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this review was to analyze to what extent the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR), environment and energy has been addressed in the specialized literature and which are the deficient segments in this regard. VOSviewer was used for data extraction, mapping and grouping the articles from journals that have been indexed in Web of Science (WOS). A total of 102 papers were found approaching the topic of corporate social responsibility, environment and energy policy, 5192 research papers for CSR and the environment and 320 on CSR and energy policy. Following the bibliometric analysis, we can conclude that we are facing a shortage of works that analyze the relationship between the three fields together. The number of published articles was reduced to establish the direction of influence between the three variables, as well as the impact between them. However, the advantage that emerges from this lack of works is that there are many opportunities to find news on this subject and to discover solutions to improve the quality of life. This study can be used as an impetus for researchers to examine the trends of this research topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of digitisation of the public sector is an irreversible process that affects both the way public institutions are organised and the communication relationships between people and institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic represented a challenge and a strong impetus in accelerating the digitisation process of public administration at the global level such that it is currently difficult to make a clear distinction between governance and e-governance. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of the intensification of the digitisation process of public services in increasing the efficiency of governments at the level of the member states of the European Union, based on a cluster analysis. A robust least squares regression method was used to estimate the effects of the three dimensions of the e-government development index (EGDI) on government effectiveness. The results of the analysis highlighted the fact that the skills of the population in using online services determine the increase in a double percentage of government efficiency in intensively digitised states compared to states where the digitisation of public services is less developed. The development of the telecommunications infrastructure also has a significant positive impact on the efficiency of the government. However, online services offered by public authorities have proven to negatively influence government efficiency in both clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study is to find solutions for better management of online education, starting from students' perspectives regarding the challenges they encountered in the last two years when online courses were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research methodology we used was partial least squares structural equation modelling based on data collected by applying a survey among students in Romanian universities. The novelty of our study consists in the proposed model, which has five variables: communication problems specific to online education, professors' skill in conducting online classes, the quality of online education, the stress felt by students during online education, and the technical requirements of online education. The results revealed that despite challenges during online classes students benefited from a high-quality education because they had the support of their professors, all the educational resources that they needed, a device to connect from, and a very good internet connection. These findings are helpful for managers in the higher education system to create better educational strategies meant to satisfy the educational needs of students in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current challenges triggered by the limited interactions between people and institutions during the pandemic crisis have emphasized the need to strengthen the digitization process of all public services. In this sense, we considered it opportune to carry out research in order to establish the impact of the technological infrastructure, in terms of coverage and download speed, on the efficiency of the fiscal policy expressed by the volume of income from taxes and fees. Therefore, we propose a robust regression model tested with S-estimator that allows for outliers in the dataset. The results indicate that an improvement in download speed has a significant positive effect on the level of tax collection and that a better broadband coverage improves the amount of revenues from taxes and contributions. In the analyzed countries, the technological infrastructure is developing, and the decision-makers should make efforts to reach the targets proposed in the Digital Agenda for Europe in terms of broadband coverage and speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of our research is to identify the impact of recycling and waste reduction behavior on the sustainable tourism decisions of Romanian youngsters (18–25 years old). We used the PLS-SEM method and introduced four variables in the model: sustainable tourism decisions, the interest in recycling, the interest in waste reduction, and the interest in natural and less polluted touristic destinations. The main results emphasize the direct influence of recycling and waste reduction behaviors on the decisions made by Generation Z regarding sustainable tourism and on their preference for destinations that are better preserved and less touched by human intervention. The novelty of our research consists of the fact that we introduced variables such as waste reduction from the perspective of tourists because most studies address it as a management approach of the companies in the tourism sector. The findings are useful for managers in the tourism sector to create better strategies for attracting the younger generation who are preoccupied by environmental issues and sustainability in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature, landscape, relaxation, and outdoor activities are important motivations when choosing rural destinations for vacations. Therefore, when selecting a rural area as a vacation destination, we assume that climate features are important. We investigated the appropriateness of the holiday climate index: urban (HCI:urban) in quantitatively describing the relationship between climate and tourism fluxes in such destinations. We employed data from 94 urban and rural tourist destinations in Romania and correlated the monthly mean HCI:urban values with sectoral data (overnight tourists) for 2010–2018. The results show that weather and climate influenced tourism fluxes similarly in rural and urban destinations, supporting the hypothesis that HCI:urban may be used for rural areas as well. The information derived from HCI:urban may be useful for tourists when planning their vacations as well as for tourism investors in managing their businesses and reducing the weather and climate-related seasonality in tourism fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the research is to analyze the factors which influence the intention to start an intergenerational family business in a developing economy, highlighting the measures that can be implemented by decision-makers to stimulate these initiatives. PLS-SEM was used to analyze the data issued from 200 valid questionnaires. The survey was applied to 950 individuals from Romania. We focused on four variables: the closeness to family members, the financial support expected from family, the independence of individuals regarding the intention to start their own business and the intention to form partnerships with family members. All the hypotheses were validated, according to the final results. Thus, closeness to family members has a direct and positive impact on both the financial support expected from the family and the intention to form intergenerational family businesses. There is also a direct correlation between the financial support received from family and the intention to have partnerships with family members. Individuals who are closer to their families are not interested in developing independent businesses. There are several studies on family businesses in Romania, but there is no research analyzing the impact of closeness to family on the intention to develop an intergenerational family business. The study is useful for the decision-makers who can create national strategies in order to stimulate families to develop their own businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-commerce has gained momentum with the rapid development of technology, and nowadays, we are permanently connected, with constant access to information and a wide range of products. Not only does a desktop computer offer us this possibility, but the latest-generation tablets and mobile phones create a broad framework. This paper investigates Romanian consumers' attitudes towards adopting mobile technology for commerce (m-commerce), taking into account its development in the last few years, especially among younger generations. The main objectives of the research are to identify the preference for m-commerce use among Generation Z, establish the ways and the devices used by Gen Z individuals to inform about the products and services and order them, and analyze the factors influencing the use of m-commerce applications. The research methodology consists of conducting an empirical analysis using a distributed survey among youngsters from Generation Z in Romania. We used descriptive statistics, such as the analysis of frequency and the mean of variables, artificial neural network analysis (ANN), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), to validate the hypotheses. The research results indicate a solid inclination for m-commerce among Generation Z. The results are helpful for companies that can shape their marketing strategies to boost their sales using m-commerce channels among the younger population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generation Z spends much time on mobile Internet and less time accessing Internet services using desktop computers. These traits make them an important niche that can be targeted by retailers. The objective of the present study is to analyze the impact of online advertising, social influence, and usage motivation on the behavioral intention related to m-commerce use among Romanian young adults. The research methodology is based on applying partial least square equation modelling (PLS-SEM), using data collected through a questionnaire. The proposed structural model includes four constructs that are first order reflective. The results reveal that among the influencing factors that determine Generation Z to use m-commerce, the usage motivation factor is the most important one, followed by social influence and online advertising. The research is useful for marketing professionals and retailers in establishing marketing strategies in accordance with the factors that influence the buying decision of young adults, representing Generation Z. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors influencing e-commerce and to evaluate the long and short-term impacts on the development of e-commerce activity. After establishing the hypotheses to verify, we use multiple panel regressions to test the influence of education level, consumer's residence, consumer's labour market status, internet banking, mobile and non-mobile users on the development of e-commerce. For this matter, in this paper, by adopting the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) method and a vector error correction model (VECM), we performed an empirical analysis of the nexus between education level, consumer's residence, consumer's labour market status, internet banking and mobile and non-mobile users and e-commerce, based on panel data for EU–27 countries from 2011 to 2020. The results of the study indicate that all the variables involved in the two econometric models and associated with education level, consumer's residence, labour market status, internet banking, mobile and non-mobile users, all have significant impacts on the development of e-commerce. Most of the variables positively influence the development of e-commerce except for internet purchases by individuals un-employed and for internet purchases by non-mobile users that are negatively correlated with e-commerce activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical distancing measures generated by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced companies to rethink employment patterns and to pay much more attention to the possibility of carrying out work through telework. The expansion of telework, a phenomenon that manifested itself even before the pandemic's health crisis, has gained a particular momentum, changing how work is carried out. The main purpose of this paper is to study the main macroeconomic effects of the accelerated expansion of telework on the economic performance and the employment structure by the economic sectors of the workforce. Using artificial neural network analysis and structured equation modeling, the study highlights the significant influences of telework on economic performance and speeding up the transition service-based economy. The share of teleworkers has a significantly positive influence on economic performance. Moreover, the employees' use of computers, mobile devices, and the internet has a strong mediation effect on the relationship between telework and employment in services. Given these considerations, teleworking is a phenomenon that will become a permanent feature of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue Economy represents a new and interesting concept on a global level, both from the economic potential but also by the fact that it can be used to reduce environmental degradation. The main goal of this research is to identify the causality relations between the greenhouse gas emissions, the Blue Economy and economic growth based on a panel of annual data from the 28 countries that are members of the European Union (EU) over the 2009–2018 period. After applying stationarity and cointegration tests, the long term cointegration coefficients shall be determined with the help of the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) estimator. Granger causality estimation based on the vector error correction model (VECM) was applied to identify the causality relationship between the variables and to detect the direction of causality. Based on the identified causality relations, the Blue Economy has a significant influence on greenhouse gas emissions in the long run. Unidirectional causality relations were identified from the economic growth of greenhouse gas emissions in the long term, as well as from the greenhouse gas emissions on economic growth in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing public policies linked to sustainable development is a global challenge for most countries that focused their efforts on identifying and improving the factors that led to environment degradation. The current paper analyzes the influence of primary indicators of public finances (public debt and budget deficit) on renewable-energy consumption (REN), for the emerging economies within the European Union. The main objective of this research is to understand the implications of fiscal measures on the sustainable development of a country and thus provide directions for stimulating renewable-energy consumption. The research starts with cross-sectional dependence analysis by using the Breusch–Pagan Lagrange multiplier (LM) test that is followed by cointegration relationships among variables by applying two appropriate panel-cointegration tests (Pedroni and Johansen). The research methodology is based on the fully modified ordinary-least-squares (FMOLS) method in order to test the long-run relationships, and on the pairwise Granger causality test in order to identify the direction of causality among variables. Results show unilateral influences from public debt and budget deficit on the analyzed variables, especially on renewable-energy consumption, and a bidirectional causality relationship between budget deficit and trade openness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate the negative effects of climate change on the environment, the Member States of the European Union implement fiscal measures and commit budgetary expenditures to ensure sustainable economic development. Romania, in line with the Union's objectives, resorted to the application of a system of environmental taxes and provided in the budgetary policy government expenditures for environmental protection. The aim of the research is to highlight the effects of these measures on the environment by analysing the short-run and long-run causal relationships between greenhouse gas emissions, green taxes and government expenditures on environmental protection. Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method and Granger causality tests were used to demonstrate the existence of these relationships and the intensity with which they manifest. Following the analysis, we identified a significant long-run influence of government spending on environmental protection on greenhouse gas emissions but also numerous short-run and long-run causal relationships between greenhouse gas emissions and green taxes, applied in Romania. The results of the research consider the impact of public expenses for environment protection, a variable not yet applied for Romania, on greenhouse gas emissions' decrease, in correlation with environmental taxes per source of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the European Union's (EU) objectives regarding climate change is a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, ensuring that member states focus on sustainable development. The aim of this study was the comparison of a three-dimensional relationship between green taxation, environmental performance and economic growth for the time period between 1995 and 2017 in Romania and Sweden. The novelty consists of simultaneously using the double dividend theory and environmental Kuznets curve theory for Romania. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method was used for testing the cointegration relationship. The Granger causality estimation based on the ARDL-error correction model was applied to identify the causality relationship between the variables and the pairwise Granger causality test to detect the direction of causality. The implementation of the tests led to the conclusion that environmental taxes will have a significant influence on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the long run in both Romania and Sweden, while in the short run, no such influence will be noticed. Also, in Romania, in the long term, there was a bidirectional causality relationship between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions, while in Sweden, the causality relationship was from economic growth to greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]