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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.

(1) Background: Our paper aimed to examine the ways in which the care centers for the elderly acted and adapted during the pandemic period, by taking into account the opinions of the beneficiaries, of the employees and of the managers of those centers. (2) Methods: in order to conduct the research we used a mixed-method approach. Considering the quantitative research, we applied a questionnaire to 430 institutionalized elderly from Timis county, Romania. Considering the qualitative analysis, we conducted interviews with 31 institutionalized elderly, with 7 employees and 4 managers. (3) Results: most institutionalized elderly were mainly satisfied with their life in the care centers, the main difficulties they had were: the impossibility of being close to loved ones, and the difficulty of adapting to the living conditions within the center, and the elderly were satisfied with the interactions they had with the staff of the care centers. (4) Conclusions: the research conducted provides a view on the lifestyle of the elderly from care centers during the pandemic, it highlights the struggles of the elderly and it can be used as a point of reference for the further improvement of the lifestyle of the elderly within the care centers.

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.

During the COVID -19 pandemic, among other institutions, mass media has played an essential role in disseminating information about the evolution of the pandemic, but also in shaping peoples� opinion about the COVID - 19 vaccine. The purpose of our paper was to identify the way online media channels portrayed the positive and negative effects of the COVID � 19 vaccines in order to raise awareness regarding the importance of analyzing the subject from several perspectives. We considered such an analysis to be both necessary and relevant, because often, exposure to mass � media can determine people to develop certain beliefs and to act in specific ways. We were interested in identifying which types of vaccines were presented in a more positive manner, and in identifying similarities and differences between the approaches of Romanian and foreign online media channels. Content analysis was used as a method, while having as a research instrument a content analysis grid. The sample of the research includes 5 official websites of Romanian media channels and 5 official websites of foreign media channels. The analysis period was: August 2020 - October 2020. The results of our research revealed that online media presented the COVID -19 vaccines both from a positive and negative perspective, the vaccines discussed most being the Russian vaccines, AstraZeneca and the Chinese vaccines. The context in which the vaccines was described most were represented by: effectiveness of vaccines and side effects. Considering the theoretical and practical implications, from a theoretical point of view, the paper contributes to the literature on the effects and influence of mass � media. From a practical point of view, the paper can be used as a frame of reference for further studying the influence of the messages sent through online media about the COVID � 19 vaccines on the public.

This paper explores the concept of employer branding in the light of external marketing that establishes the company's image as an employer of choice. The motivation is represented by the raising importance of human resource management. The employer brand is an important element from a marketing point of view; it is practically the defining image of a company. The values and symbols it embodies need to be transparent to maintain the connection with the audience, whether we are talking about customers or simply interacting with the company�s online interface. From the perspective of potential, current and former employees, the functions of an employer brand are like the generally valid brand functions, which include three main aspects: risk reduction, information efficiency and symbolic benefit. Often, potential employees cannot fully evaluate a prospective employer prior to their employment experience because they suffer from an information deficit. These concepts are developed in this research trying to highlight some of Employer of Choice constituents at the level of the official websites of automotive companies from Romania. The research focuses on the first step in the recruitment process, namely attracting candidates and uses a descriptiveexplanatory methodological framework using content analysis method to the research corpus consisting of 18 official Web pages. After synthetizing the results by analyzing and interpreting the data, the authors concluded that the organizations that developed and structured the actions in the direction of Employer of Choice have a consistent strategy by attracting ideal candidates.

Public administration and the services it provides have an important role in the lives of citizens. People use these services to solve various problems, and the interaction that people have with public servants can influence their opinion about the performance and quality of these services. The aim of the paper was to identify the factors that influence the perception of citizens from the city of Brasov about the public services for registration of persons and marital status, in order to improve them and make them more efficient. In order to fulfil the purpose of the paper, we established a series of objectives, such as identifying the citizens� level of satisfaction with the public services of Brasov County, as well as identifying the difficulties that citizens face when they use public services. In order to conduct the research we used a quantitative method and we applied an online questionnaire to 793 beneficiaries of public services from Brasov county, in the period between 15 November 2020 - 15 December 2020. The main findings of the research revealed that citizens of Brasov County have a positive opinion about the public services they have access to, their level of satisfaction being high, and that factors such as age and material wealth can influence their satisfaction with the public services. Hence, the research showed satisfaction with the public services increases with age, and that people from the urban area are more satisfied with the services than people from the rural area.

This paper aims to discuss and analyze through content analysis and using the theoretical support available regarding social learning, about how many situations in a child�s life can impact his behavior, sometimes irreversibly. It is imperative to acknowledge how certain actions that we as adults conduct can affect children in general. We will discuss how Albert Bandura�s experiment involving the Bobo Clown doll revealed some troubling aspects that people should be aware of, how Jean Piaget assesses children�s behavior that acquire certain other behaviors that they see at their parents, especially regarding, for example, certain jobs, such as teacher, firefighter, doctor and so on. It is also important to analyze how modern times involving modern technologies that contain certain software such as violent videogames or non-violent videogames that contain a toxic player base that can propagate cyberbullying through chatting, either textually or verbally. All these behaviors can, unfortunately, irreversibly affect a child�s harmonious development, both psychologically as well as emotionally. This discrepancy can certainly perpetuate the future adult life of a present child and can go as far as spread this toxic behavior to other friends, acquaintances, family members and even future children and/or partners. Virtual liberty poses as a double edged sword, that can easily ,,cut� deeply in a person�s life, so unnoticed, but so dangerously. This article proposes to take a deeper look into these phenomena, constructing a base that starts early historically, and up until this day.

This article is based on social research, a questionnaire that investigated the way in which virtual communication in the pandemic and post-pandemic period was a point of support in overcoming social anxieties, increased anxiety due to lack of physical contact between people and the fear and inhibition thus developed. The research hypothesis starts from the idea that people, accustomed to the impositions of the pandemic period to communicate only virtually, avoiding physical contact with loved ones and social and professional environments, will have a greater openness today, for virtual communication, compared to the pre-pandemic period. This point of view is based both on the material benefits deriving from virtual communication (without the cost of travel, accommodation and gaining time even after distance professionalization, online) and on the apparent emotional benefits, consisting in overcoming the anxieties felt during face-to-face meetings after such a long time! The research tool was the questionnaire, sent by WhatsApp groups, messenger, and social network Facebook, to some working group (professors, students, contributors) who were asked to answer voluntarily, under anonymity, for three minutes to questions regarding their preferences in the field of communication, virtual or face-to-face, after the end of the health crisis. The answers were given by 215 people, aged between 16 and 75 years and aimed at highlighting the conditions acquired post-pandemic, 162 (75,3%) female respondents and 53 (24.7%) male respondents.

This paper aims to analyze well-known contemporary aspects that gained the interest of masses, especially in the online universe. Destructiveness develops either from abuse, in case of mukbang, or giving up and ultimately negligence, in case of the so-called hikikomori. While mukbang has its origins in South Korea and it literally took the whole world almost instantly, hikikomori is a more isolated subject that resides and originates from Japan. Mukbang, originally consisting of passionated people (mostly YouTubers) that film themselves eating and chatting with their audicences, took a sharp turn towards addictiveness and unhealthiness, in some notorious cases (YouTuber Nicholas Perry, better known as Nikocado Avocado). And so, various health problems developed, as well as emotional outbursts and mental struggles, such as obesity, depression, mood swings and violent behavior overall. On the other hand, the Japanese hikikomori (social withdrawal syndrome) usually lock themselves up willingly, in both their physical rooms as well as their own bodies, since antisocial behavior, shyness and ultimately isolation take a toll on each hikikomori, who prefer to be alone and/or accompanied only by online so-called friends. This paper presents and discusses through content analysis these contemporary phenomenons and their impact in society as a whole.

The perception can be directed to a specific target, so as to result in a uniform interpretation of any message, textual or transmitted through the image, by "media bombardment". In the context of the negative collective perception of Russia, we have analyzed the effects of a simple farce. The psycho-sociological experiment based on this farse shows how perception is strongly altered by the context: people can no longer observe even the obvious details. Thus, it can be demonstrated how the “media bombardment” influences perception, in the paradigm of emotional communication.

People today are continuously searching for new experiences, and thus the events organized by a city can play an important role in influencing peoples’ decision to visit a certain city. In this regard, the title of European Capital of Culture can offer a city competitive advantage and it can help it improve its cultural as well as its social side. Hence, through the events organized while holding the title of European Capital of Culture, cities can better promote themselves as cultural cities, but they can also offer citizens and tourists diverse and interesting experiences and entertainment opportunities. Thus, we focused our research on the city of Aarhus. The purpose of our research was to assess the way Aarhus promoted itself through its events while having the title of European Capital of Culture in 2017, in order to extract some guidelines that could be further used as frame of reference by other cities in their development and promotion strategies. After analyzing one of the events organized by Aarhus- GrowOP - the only opera festival in Denmark designed for children, our findings revealed that the city used cultural events as a way to develop itself and attract tourists. The event was well organized, it was in line with the concept of the entire program of the city and through it, Aarhus aimed at integrating new and young audiences into its cultural life.

Background The current pandemic has raised several ethical dilemmas, related to conducting real-time trials for new treatments or vaccines or with decisions such as accessibility to vaccines. Study question Should there be a prioritization of access to the vaccine based on ethical and objective criteria or should the access be done at random? Study design To determine the ethics and reality of rationing the accessibility to anti-COVID vaccine according to the official strategies. Data sources The study is based on the consultation of (1) scientific articles from international databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, ProQuest, and Clarivate), (2) public health documents, and (3) official information of various governments. Results The analyzed documents revealed that a few similarities can be observed in European countries when it comes to the first categories of people who have received the vaccine: people living in care facilities and medical staff; it can also be seen that the vaccination plan was adopted by each country for the needs and characteristics of its population, the prioritization being done in 2-14 stages; some of them divided, in their turn, into subsequent substages. Most of the states subject to the analysis assigned the medical staff in the first stage, followed by those in the sectors ensuring the maintenance of essential services, afterward by the elderly or people with comorbidities, only later to expand to other social categories. Conclusions Prioritization of vaccine administration is not only necessary, unavoidable, but also problematic both ethically and logistically, which should involve leaders in the field of public health, but also medical staff, regardless of their specialization. Prioritization of vaccination can not only have an impact on individual health (physical and emotional) but also on society from public health, economic, and sociocultural point of view.

Gamification is becoming more relevant, especially after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. The purpose of our paper is to analyse the changes which occurred in the effects of gamification on e-learning as a result of the COVID-19 quarantine emergence in the spring of 2020. This paper describes the scientific contributions about the game elements most frequently implemented and their effects on those that use e-learning platforms, as well as the factors that contribute to the development of effective gamification in e-learning before and during the pandemic. Drawing upon the PRISMA framework, a number of 103 articles were identified in two databases: the Web of Science and Scopus. This paper discusses the previous works associated with the corpus of knowledge built around gamification in the past decade. This research shows that before the COVID-19 pandemic, even though many papers were written on gamification in education prior to 2019, there is a trend regarding the multiple mentions of using storylines, challenges, or badges in order to create and maintain competition among users, which in turn may influence and increase the level of social interactions and the coalescence of communities.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of protective equipment worldwide, we aimed to study the literature for finding guidelines in the 3D manufacture of respiratory masks. We have searched for papers in CI-EXPANDED, SSCI, A&HCI, CPCI-S, CPCI-SSH, BKCI-S, BKCI-SSH, ESCI, CCR-EXPANDED, IC, using 3D printing materials sterilization and 3D printing materials disinfection keywords. From 80 results in databases, after refining, we selected six papers. We have also searched for manufacturers information regarding 3D printing materials sterilization or disinfection. We have found seven materials that are suitable for 3D printing and sterilization, with regards to multiple utilizations. Analyzing the properties and recommendations for sterilization of elements obtained by 3D printing, a thorough filaments structures/behavior research for most of the 3D models for printing is needed regarding synthetic polymers suitable for 3D printing; also, to establish the physical and chemical properties resulted after the reactions with sterilizing substances. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors want to help and find guidelines in the 3D manufacture for producing respiratory masks.

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.

In the era of speed and technology, mass media has an important role in keeping people informed about events happening all around the world, but also in shaping their opinion. One of the main issues that mass-media focuses on is represented by terrorist propaganda. Nowadays, terrorist attacks have become more frequent, and we argue that, due to their social and emotional intelligence, terrorists have the power to manipulate not only people but also mass media. The purpose of our paper was to assess the way Romanian and foreign online mass-media channels present information about Islamic terrorist groups and the activities developed by them, in order to raise awareness about the matter of propaganda and the role of mass media in promoting it. In order to conduct the research, content analysis was used as a method. A total of 36 news presented online by Romanian and foreign mass-media channels were analyzed. The result of the research revealed that Romanian mass-media channels focus more on using words with aggressive content, and that foreign mass-media channels focus on religious and cultural-geographic content. Therefore, the results of the research revealed that the way mass media presents terrorist attacks can unintentionally contribute to the promotion of terrorist propaganda.

City branding is a topic discussed very much in tourism and also in marketing, its impact being visible in both fields. While tourism is concerned with city branding because it can help destinations attract more tourists and make more profit, the marketing field is trying to find new ways to promote, position and differentiate city brands in order to gain a competitive advantage in this overcrowded market. On the other hand, city brands can also provide benefits regarding consumption behavior of customers, who are more informed than ever and have a lot of different choices to make, but less time at their disposal and usually risk is involved in these decisions. In this paper, the authors will develop and use the economic approach of treating places (e.g., cities) as consumer products, from a functional paradigmatic perspective of the brand, from which individuals are seen as �homo economicus�, consumer decisions are based on rational motives, so there are transactions between the brand and the consumer which are more or less tangible. Although there are many directions in which city brand strategy can go (culture, entertainment, seasonal tourism, etc.), cities that have a strong academic center can benefit from the association between the city�s communication strategy and the local university�s communication strategy, using co-branding in order to gain an advantage and attract more people to the city. For this particular topic, we have chosen the city of Brasov, Romania, a city that has a renowned university, namely Transilvania University of Brasov that nowadays represents the largest comprehensive university in the center of the country. We conducted a research regarding the students perception of the city brand of Brasov in order to find out their opinions about this topic and if we can use them as brand ambassadors in a future city branding strategy and also if the university can be used as a co-brand in this strategy.

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of materials contents presented in the media and social media in the formation of public opinion on the activity and performance of the police institution. The hypothesis of the study was: H1: the public image is distorted in the presentation of the media message H2: we are dealing with an informed public, which recognizes "fake-news," subliminal messages, persuasion, and manipulation techniques H3: personal experience or more extensive documentation is significant. The methods research was the opinion poll (survey) based on the questionnaire, using Google Forms. We started tarting from the premise that ideally, the activities of an institution and the actions of its members are obvious and publicized. They can create a public image, regardless of its quality.

The present article is a research that draws attention to a widespread social phenomenon among young people in Romania, preadolescents and adolescents who developed anxiety-depressive symptoms during pandemic isolation, as a result of restrictions that changed the relationship dynamics of all, especially those mentioned above, in a transformative stage of life, with personalities being structured, without sufficient resources to regain a psycho-emotional balance necessary to adapt to significant global situations, such as the crisis of the spread of SARS-COV-19. The children underwent a series of psycho-emotional changes during the pandemic period, when they could not be in physical contact with their loved ones, and these changes were analysed through the application of a questionnaire, online whose answers were recorded and study in this research, in order to improve the psycho-social services provided to this age risky due to permeability and big influence from environmental factors. The research tool was the questionnaire, sent by messenger to a group of preadolescents and adolescents known in the educational environment as opinion leaders with whom we disseminated information and asked other children to complete the questionnaire. All children were invited to answer the questionnaire anonymously, and the results was introduced in research on the effects of pandemic isolation on young people, to later support them in the process of readjustment to school and social life, concerned only the bravest and most extroverted, who also answered the questionnaire. The study investigated the emotional redundancies of the subjects, 25 (31.3%) male respondents and 55 (68%) feminine respondents, and we obtain 80 responses the ability to cope with unforeseen situations, resilience to imminent life changes, whether they lived in a psycho-affective climate full of safety, or, on the contrary, were victims or the protagonists of abuses of all kinds, during the mentioned period, the COVID pandemic. At the same time, through its questions, the questionnaire also investigated the support network of these children, people they invested with confidence and to whom they can tell about what they feel and experienced physically and emotionally during mentioned times, creating support networks with them.

This paper aims to highlight the impact that The Beatles have had over the generations on the lifestyle and self-image of individuals who listen to this music. This aspect leads to the creation of musical identities, which can reduce social-cultural barriers as well as language barriers between fans from different socio-cultural contexts. We want to highlight the fact that regardless of the cultural context in which people live, the quality of being a fan of a pop-rock band, can be a means by which people can reduce sociocultural and linguistic barriers. On the other hand, the impact of a band of such magnitude, such as The Beatles, can have strong, positive effects on various dimensions of lifestyle, shaping attitudes, values, behaviors. This can be a great resource for people who, in this increasingly individualized society, no longer have a sense of belonging to a community. Through social media they can adhere to such communities and indirectly to a number of values and behaviors that can have a positive impact on their lives. By interacting with these communities, they will develop a sense of belonging, shape their lifestyle and build a self-image that can sometimes, in certain circumstances, change life trajectories. In other words, the quality of being a fan of a band like The Beatles can be an extraordinary resource for society and can be means of resilience to various stressors of the socio-cultural environment in which we live.

In the context of political correctness, we can also discuss the bullying to which some countries and populations are subjected, about the individual one. The problem of the toilet in the yard can be approached also from this perspective of bullying and public shame, not only as an economic indicator. The fact that the evolution of the development of countries is measured in relation to the number of households or people who still have a toilet in the yard has become a discriminating factor for populations in less developed countries, causing demoralization of citizens in countries with most rural. We often find in the media and social media formulations that mark the equality between shame, poverty, lack of civilization and the toilet in the yard. However, in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria or other countries in Southeast Europe, not only the poverty or lack of development of sewerage and water supply infrastructure have maintained the toilet in the yard, but the tradition. In the traditional rural communities, in Romania, one can observe a degree of reluctance towards the transition to the sewerage and running water supply system, on the one hand, due to the lack of autonomy that such a connection to networks, and on the other hand, we even notice a predilection for choosing the traditional toilet, placed outside the home, for reasons of hygiene, saving resources, neighbouring the principles of the green economy to which we are heading today, through the Green Deal. Most people who keep the toilet outdoor, even after connecting to the water supply and sewerage networks or after building toilets inside the house, motivate the choice by the fact that it is cleaner, more hygienic, more economical, and safer, in case something can happen to the toilet inside the house or to the sewer system. Thus, pushing, bullying and public shaming do not affect those who keep their toilet outside out of conviction, not because they would not have other hygiene solutions. In other words, measuring the degree of poverty and civilization by the number of toilets in the yard is a false clue, but it stilll remains a matter of bullyng.

Prior to the COVID 19 pandemic, discussions about online learning referred to the use of e-learning platforms and social networks as auxiliary tools in the educational process. Due to the pandemic, universities were forced to adopt an exclusive online teaching process and most universities today use platforms dedicated to online learning such as Moodle platforms. In this context, we were interested in analyzing the attitude of students regarding the way social networks could be integrated into the educational process, and if the positive attitude of students towards social networks and their use for academic purposes, proven in previous studies, remains positive under the conditions generated by the pandemic. In this regard, the present study aimed at identifying the attitude of Romanian students towards the use of Facebook and Instagram as educational tools and the circumstances in which students believe these platforms could be used by them and their teachers. An online survey was conducted on 872 students from public higher education institutions in Romania. Based on the exploratory factor analysis and the parametric test, the empirical results show that students have a slightly positive attitude towards using Facebook in the educational process, but they have a more reticent, less positive attitude towards using Instagram. Thus, the most appropriate contexts in which these platforms could be used are represented by extracurricular activities. A higher preference for the use of Facebook rather than Instagram, was identified among master and PhD students. No major differences were revealed in student subgroups sorted by gender or study domain.

Introduction: Patient satisfaction represents an essential indicator of the quality of care in the medical recuperation sector. This study aimed to identify the degree of satisfaction in patients who benefit from medical recuperation services in one private clinic from Romania and the factors that played a part in this respect. Method: An online questionnaire was completed by 105 patients of a private clinic in the period immediately following the opening of the clinic after the quarantine period due to COVID-19. The following concepts were measured: general satisfaction with clinical recuperation services (SG), physician’s behavior (PB), the impact of interventions on the state of health (IHI), modern equipment (ME), and the intention to return to the clinic (IRC). Based on a linear regression model, the impact of PB, IHI, ME, and IRC variables on general satisfaction (SG) was established. Results: The study results confirm the data from studies carried out in different sociocultural contexts in ordinary time, where physician behavior is the most crucial factor in patients’ satisfaction. Therefore, we can say that the physiotherapist’s behavior has an essential role in determining the patients’ satisfaction both in ordinary time and in COVID-19 time. The data in this study reflect the fact that satisfaction with the services offered by a medical recuperation clinic is a predictor for using the services in the future. Still, our study reflects a moderate relationship in intensity.

In order to be successful in today’s competitive environment, universities must have well-established identities. This study focused on the construction and communication of the visual identity of Transilvania University of Brasov. The purpose of this study was to assess if the change produced the effects expected by the initiators. Interviews with students and teachers were conducted. We found that the current visual identity does not maintain a connection with the old one, and our research supported the idea that identity is dynamic and subject to change. The change took place from top to bottom. The current identity is linked to the university’s geographical position in the country. The change produced the desired outcomes, but there were some issues in regards to the meaning of the logo and students and teachers having difficulties in understanding it, and thus the university should better communicate how it wants to be perceived through it.

Sustainable consumption refers to the choice, purchase, use, and disposal of goods so as to enable all people to meet their present and future objective needs. However, panic caused by the gradual onset of the pandemic had a considerable impact on the behavior of consumption and purchase of medication, and the question remains whether sustainable consumption still matters during a crisis or not. The present study aims to analyze whether the pandemic has influenced the behavior of medication use among residents of Brasov County amid panic caused by the virus and to determine the primary sources of information on methods of the prevention and treatment of health conditions. The study focusses on the differences between the two target groups, young people, and adults, considering three socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender, and background. The present research uses two methods of data collection: an interview with 5 doctors and a questionnaire with 543 respondents. This research draws attention to the fact that the behaviors of purchasing and consuming medication during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed due to the spreading of the new virus and the state of emergency, as well as with medication use becoming less sustainable. The results showed that adults were more engaged in the panic buying of medication compared to young people during the pandemic; however, in normal times, young people use more medication. Our study shows that females tend to consume more medicines than males. Moreover, they are more susceptible for seeking media guidance and following advice from the digital realm, because they avoid going to the doctor, especially during the COVID-19 period. Depending on the environment of residence, it was found that people in rural areas generally tend to consume more medication than those in urban areas. However, during the pandemic, the drug use of this category of population has decreased because they do not tend to self-medicate and avoid visiting the doctor because of the fear of becoming contaminated. The results of the research could help to establish measures in order to prevent the panic buying of self-medication and pharmaceuticals, both during pandemics and in normal times, because such behaviors can have negative effects on both health and the environment.

In the context of today’s fast developing society in which peoples’ preferences are constantly changing, in order to gain competitive advantages, cities must develop powerful brands and adopt effective strategies to promote themselves. Thus, having the title of European Capital of Culture can be a major opportunity for cities to enhance their cultural and social life and thus to promote themselves as cultural and tourist destinations. Even more, events play an important part in the life of a city by providing new possibilities for entertainment, by improving the quality of life of the citizens, by favoring intercultural communication. In this regard, the purpose of the paper was to assess the way the city of Aarhus promoted itself through one of its events, during the time it was European Capital of Culture order to extract information and strategies that can be used as a frame of reference by other cities. While analyzing a representative event for the overall strategy of the program - the only opera festival for children in Denmark, our findings reveal that Aarhus used culture as a method to innovate and renew its cultural and social dimensions. The event was aligned with the concept of the program, it had a well consolidated strategic plan and managed to determine new audiences to take part in the cultural activities of the city.

Nowadays the process of branding has extended and it can be applied to cities and universities. In this regard, a university, along with other cultural institutions, such as museums, can contribute to building the city brand. The purpose of this paper is to promote Transilvania University of Brasov in correlation with the History Museum, integrating into the city brand this institutions, that will become in this regard, brand ambassadors of Brasov. In this way, considering theoretical aspects about cultural, city and university branding, firstly the paper presents an analysis of the current way of communication between Transilvania University of Brasov and the History Museum. Further, taking into consideration the results we propose a model of an integrated promotion campaign in which we emphasize and provide examples of tactics and strategies that the university and the museum should use, in order to send a unitary message about the city, and become brand ambassadors of the city.

The research focuses on identifying the way in which Romanian universities managed to provide knowledge during the Coronavirus pandemic, when, in a very short time, universities had to adapt the educational process for exclusively online teaching and learning. In this regard, we analyzed students&rsquo, perception regarding online learning, their capacity to assimilate information, and the use of E-learning platforms. An online survey based on a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted. Data was collected from 762 students from two of the largest Romanian universities. The results of the research revealed that higher education institutions in Romania were not prepared for exclusively online learning. Thus, the advantages of online learning identified in other studies seem to diminish in value, while disadvantages become more prominent. The hierarchy of problems that arise in online learning changes in the context of the crisis caused by the pandemic. Technical issues are the most important, followed by teachers&rsquo, lack of technical skills and their teaching style improperly adapted to the online environment. However, the last place was assigned by students to the lack of interaction with teachers or poor communication with them. Based on these findings, research implications for universities and researchers are discussed.