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Social media has changed the dynamics of the social and business environment by impacting the thinking, expressions, beliefs, behaviour, and motivation level of individuals. Young consumers spend more and more time on social media, becoming an ideal platform for companies to promote products and services. The purpose of this research is to gain a better understanding of social media in the Chinese context and to examine the marketing potential of these platforms among young chinese individuals, considering their online behaviour. The results show that Chinese aim to maintain a specific social class and reputation in their online communities and most of their purchasing decisions are influenced by peer pressure.

The digital economy has become a key issue for both theoreticians and practitioners worldwide, especially in the last decade. It is based on various forms of technology, such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and blockchain. The aim of the paper is to briefly present and analyse the evolution of the digital economy in Romania in the period 2019-2022. In this respect, the authors used a qualitative research method. The results show that the period 2019-2022 witnessed a slight decrease in Romania’s performance related to the Digital Economy and Society Index. The paper indicates that despite its efforts, Romania has scored well below the other EU countries. However, the adoption of several measures in favor of digitalisation proved its clear commitment to building a functional digital economy.

Since the end of the Second World War, retail has undergone a profound and long-term transformation all over the world. The second half of the twentieth century witnessed a structural shift from small and independent single-establishment retailers towards big discount chains operating larger that distribute a multitude of goods to multiple markets. Foreign retailer investments around the world have intensified since the end of the last century as the large international retailers transformed themselves into global business organizations. The paper aims to present and analyze the evolution of global retailing in recent years. In order to achieve the objectives of the paper the authors used a quantitative research method. The results demonstrated that the world’s largest retailers by their retail revenues are from North America and Europe, with a clear majority of the American corporations. Wal-Mart has been by far the largest global retailer in the period 2016-2019.

In recent years, China superseded Japan as the world’s second-largest economy and Germany as the world’s biggest exporter of merchandise. As its economic expansion is continuing, China makes efforts to identify and exploit new sources of growth and development. In this respect, China has launched and promoted its Belt and Road Initiative since 2013. The goals of the paper are to briefly describe the Belt and Road Initiative and to illustrate the Chinese economic pragmatism in this case. The authors achieved the objectives of the paper by using a quantitative method. The information was gathered through a comprehensive literature review from various sources of secondary data. The paper demonstrates the Chinese economic pragmatism in launching, developing and supporting the Belt and Road Initiative.

Worldwide, there is a constant pursuit to develop particular regions, either strategic or following old economic power poles. Such an environment is based on mutual aid and exchange that increases the likeliness of an economic power conglomerate to thrive, increasing general welfare. The Central and Eastern European region registered an economic boom in the last period, thus helping companies reach higher turnover levels and manage to achieve higher global competitiveness. The aim of the paper is to portray the evolution of the Central and Eastern European region’s largest companies in the period 2015-2017 by using the turnover criteria. The methodology used is quantitative and based on the research of secondary sources such as articles and reports. The findings show an improving situation in the advancement of the companies from the analyzed region.

The last decades have witnessed the rapid spread of entrepreneurship all over the world. Consequently, the state of entrepreneurship has significantly improved. The aim of the paper is to present the evolution of the top ten countries in the world according to the Global Entrepreneurship Index in the period 2015-2017. The research methodology is based on a quantitative method. The paper shows that the top ten countries in the world according to this index in the last three years were the same in a high proportion and demonstrates the absolute domination of the United States of America and the growing presence of the European countries.

The energy issues have always constituted an important topic for governments, policy makers, companies, non-governmental organizations, scientists, and academics. The last decades have witnessed the increasing diversification of resources and technologies within the energy sector. However, oil, coal, and natural gas have remained the most important sources of energy in the world. Some of the key stakeholders of the energy sector are the energy companies. The paper aims to present and analyse the evolution of the ten largest energy companies in the world by their revenues in the period 2016-2017. The research is based on a quantitative method. The paper shows that the top of the world’s ten largest energy companies in the period 2016-2017 was dominated by the same companies in a relative high proportion.

Doing business constitutes a major concern around the world, both for policy makers andentrepreneurs. Economic freedom allows individuals to be independent and choose those types andmeans of doing business that suit them the best. The aims of the paper are to show the relationship between the concepts of doing business andeconomic freedom, and to present the rankings of the top 10 countries in the world according tothese two topics for the period 2014-2016. In this respect, the methodology used is based on theresearch of various secondary sources such as articles and reports. The findings highlight that there is a positive relationship between the ease of doing businessand the level of economic freed.

The last decades have seen an increase in entrepreneurial development based on innovation. Having access to innovation and setting up a business in a country that can serve as an innovation-enabler can increase the degree of attractiveness of that respective country. Governments around the world have adopted innovation-centered views and implemented relevant policies to serve as a driver for reaching high competitiveness and to ensure a more rapid economic and, implicitly, social progress. The aim of the paper is to present the top ten countries in the world in their evolution specific to the Global Innovation Index (GII) for the 2021-2023 period. The research methodology is based on a qualitative method. The paper shows that the top ten ranked countries in the world using this specific index remained the same for the investigated period, also maintaining a fairly constant relative position for the three years subject to analysis, Switzerland being the acknowledged leader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The product life cycle and the Boston Consulting Group's growth-share matrix are important tools for marketing specialists, as it offers guidance for developing marketing strategies. In marketing simulations, the use of the product life cycle and its extension into Boston Consulting Group's matrix is relevant to creating a bridge between theory and practice and determining the best strategies and tactics for products. The aims of this paper are to reveal the theoretical concepts regarding the product life cycle and the Boston Consulting Group's growth-share matrix and to emphasize their relevance in marketing simulations. The research methodology was based on a qualitative research method, doing a comprehensive literature review. The paper provides the deepening of the theoretical framework to expand the knowledge in the product life cycle approach, the Boston Consulting Group's matrix, and the marketing simulations field. It also displays that the use of these tools in marketing simulations leads to the development of strategic thinking. The paper eases a better understanding of the concept of the product life cycle and its particularities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marketing simulations have been a vital tool in nowadays' digitized world as they help users become more familiar with some marketing concepts and tools that contribute to a better decision-making process both in simulations and in real life. The scope of the paper is to portray some of the main market research tools and reports that are used in the Markstrat by StratX marketing simulation, such as industry benchmarking, consumer survey and panel, distribution panel, semantic scales, multidimensional scaling, competitive intelligence, experiments, market forecasting and conjoint analysis. In relation to this aspect, the methodology used was based on the research of secondary sources such as articles and books. The findings show that the market research components are useful for any stakeholder who wants to take more informed and better marketing decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the age of globalization, corporations around the world are competing at a global scale. This is why they have fully understood the need to design and develop competitive global business strategies in an incessant changing business environment. As a hypercompetitive sector, retailing provides numerous examples of corporations that have implemented successful business strategies such as Wal-Mart. The paper aims to briefly define the concept of business strategy and to exemplify it in the case of Wal-Mart. There is a plethora of theoretical approaches related to the concept of business strategy in the literature. It addresses the operating unit of a corporation and is strongly linked with the issue of creating a competitive advantage The research methodology was based on a quantitative method. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the concept of business strategy. Also, it presents the case of Wal-Mart and analyzes some of the main elements of its business strategy that have allowed the American colossus to succeed in the retail industry at a global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marketing simulations is an important topic in business education, as it aims to connect theory with practice and help students and marketing specialists become familiar with the marketing activities carried out in a company. This article presents the basic theoretical concepts of marketing simulations topic and their influence on business education. The research methodology was based on a quantitative research method. The paper contributes to the deepening of the theoretical framework to better understand the marketing simulations field. It also shows that marketing simulations allow for the development of higher learning skills and knowledge compared to more traditional assessments. The paper facilitates a better understanding of the concept of marketing simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several factors, such as the rapid adoption of new and disruptive technologies, the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide expansion of globalization, rising inflation, climate change, demographic shifts, geopolitical instability, and military conflicts, have deeply influenced the economic and business landscape at a global level. The appearance and development of lean philosophy, principles, and practices have proved to represent a turning point in the evolution of the business world and a possible solution for enterprises to cope with these challenges. The paper aims to define and briefly characterize the concept of lean enterprise. To attain the goals of the paper, the authors used a qualitative research method based on a desk research investigation. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the concept of lean, in general, and lean enterprise, in particular. Also, it briefly analyses some of the key characteristics of lean enterprises that lead to their business success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of the circular economy is an essential societal topic in nowadays society. In the last years, in the automotive industry, the evolution of regulatory and economic circumstances has led to the development of networks to reuse, refurbish, remanufacture, recycle and recover components, elements, equipment, and materials embedded in end-of-life vehicles. The paper aims to briefly present and better understand the concept of the circular economy within the automotive industry. The methodological approach was based on a qualitative research method. The paper shows that despite the main barriers to reuse, recycling, and recovery performance improvement are economic and technical, in the automotive industry, the circular economy was based on the idea that, on one hand, over the world, the natural resources are limited and, on the other hand, it is important to augment the functioning of the ecosystem and, consequently, the human well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the age of risk and uncertainty, countries and companies are competing in a turbulent global environment. In this respect, they have to face a plethora of different challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptive technologies, demographic explosion, or climate change. A highly interconnected global economy imposes countries to compete not only for resources and markets but also to seek to hold a better place in this huge world economic network. The aim of the paper is to present the evolution of the world's largest economies in the period 2017-2020 by taking into account their gross domestic product. The methodology was based on a quantitative research method. Starting from a comprehensive literature review, it demonstrates that the hierarchy of the world's ten biggest economies by GDP was dominated by two countries, the United States of America and China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in awareness of the importance of promoting entrepreneurship to the younger generation. The paper aims to analyse the effect of intellectual intelligence, emotional intelligence, spiritual intelligence and creativity on students' entrepreneurial intention. A quantitative approach was used in the form of a survey questionnaire, which was administered to a sample of 197 students in the Faculty of Business and Administration, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania. The findings of the study showed that these cognitive and non-cognitive skills have a positive effect on students' entrepreneurial intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporations represent a vital pillar in nowadays-globalized economy and, simultaneously, constitute an essential engine in the globalization process. Worldwide, their supremacy is tougher to be challenged as their dominance has a great overall impact on the economic, social and even political factors. In this ever so constant pursuit of becoming the supreme leader, the competition between them manifests itself as a fierce one. The focus of the paper is to highlight and analyse the evolution of the first ten corporations around the world for 2018-2022 based on their total revenues, profits, assets and number of employees. The research methodology employed in this research is quantitative, based on secondary data from reports (ranks) and articles. Findings show and intense that even in challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, about the same companies around the world continue to show their supremacy, adapting their tactics to contexts that exhibit disruptive change and, thus, showing robustness and flexibility at the same time. There is also a notable competition between the world's two super powers, the United States of America and China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important pillar of national development, entrepreneurship is defined by the context in which it exists. The specific situation of economies around the world can also be explained using the national entrepreneurship context as being one of the important criteria. The aim of the paper is to present the evolution of the top ten countries in the world factoring in the new National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI) introduced by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) in the period 2018-2020. The research methodology used is quantitative and is based on the research of secondary data from sources such as articles and reports. The findings show a relatively intense competition amongst the top economies in the world and, referring to regions, the battle is still undisputed between Europe and North America with East and South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although banks have always been one of the engines of economic development, in such moments - a pandemic that affects the physical health of the population and the financial health of the economies - this role appears even more clearly outlined. The aim of this paper is to present the main financial government programs made available by banks from an emerging country to support its small and medium enterprises (SMEs) during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research is based on a quantitative method. The paper demonstrates that the Romanian banking and financial system is using dedicated government programs in order to financially support SMEs to survive during the difficult period generated by the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadership is as old as human civilization. The field of leadership has burgeoned since its emergence in the last century. Leadership has become a fast-growing topic of interest for both scholars and practitioners from all over the world. On the one hand, leadership is a widespread research area. On the other hand, leadership is one of the oldest practices in human history. The aims of the paper are to define the concept of leadership from a multiple perspective and to present its main characteristics. The paper demonstrates that leadership represents a complex, context-based, multifaceted, dynamic, and even an elusive concept as there is no universal definition of leadership. Also, the paper illustrates some of the main characteristics of leadership by taking into account various perspectives, theories, and paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic affected society in general and the socio-economic environment in particular. The effects of this health crisis immediately spread to the economic and financial environment, affecting most industries. This article aims to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in football clubs in the five most important championships in Europe. The methodology was based on a quantitative research method. The results of this analysis show that the football industry has been significantly affected, and the prices that clubs have been willing to invest in acquiring new players in 2020 have fallen dramatically compared to previous years. This paper may be useful to those who want to understand the implications of the pandemic in economics, in general, and in football, in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation is a powerful driver for companies around the world, enabling them to achieve success on this constantly changing economic environment through innovative competitive advantages. The purpose of the paper is to present the situation of the top 10 most innovative companies around the world for the period 2018-2020. From this point of view, the used methodology is based on the research of various secondary sources such as articles and reports. The findings show the dominating position held by American companies being challenged by the Asian companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper draws attention to the impact of the context of the COVID-19 pandemic on Romanian economy and social relations. Analyzing the secondary data, the paper presents the impact on the economy and how Romanians were affected by the imposed measures, what daily habits they have changed and how much trust they give to the authorities for managing crisis situations. The paper reflects that almost all Romanians have changed their daily habits and the measures of social distancing are felt by the population as a restriction of the freedoms of individuals. Moreover, the measures had immediate effects on the economy, the companies opted for work of home and the population had changed their buying habits. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the changes in the Romanian economy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's society, in order to be a successful entrepreneur you must be able to adapt to the ever-changing market conditions. To do this, it is important to be able to utilize your resources to their maximum potential so as to gain the best results possible. As such, it is important for an entrepreneur to have very good leadership skills in order to mobilize his team to achieve the vision of the company. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of leadership for organizational success in nowadays business environment. In particular, the paper focuses on the transformational style of leadership employed by famous entrepreneur Jeff Bezos that has managed to grow Amazon to the point that it is considered the biggest online retailer in the world. The methodology used is qualitative and is based on the research of secondary sources such as articles, books and interviews. The findings show that transformational leadership is a key solution that fits the needs of companies finding themselves having not only to strive to survive, but to flourish in this fast-paced, ever-changing environment of the business world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of both leadership and wisdom is as old as human civilization itself. Leadership has been studied in various ways from different perspectives and in diverse contexts (because it has a significant impact on the success/failure of any organization. On its turn, the subject of wisdom has become a broader interdisciplinary matter. The aims of the paper are to define the concepts of leadership and wisdom, and to present their relationship. The research methodology is based on a quantitative method. The paper shows that leadership and wisdom are complex and multifaceted concepts, and require attention from both a theoretical and practical point of view. Also, it illustrates the relationship between the two concepts by taking into account their common elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In consumer relations, the retail companies carry out specific external marketing activities using appropriate tools: catalogues, online marketing actions, external advertising etc. The aim of this paper is to analyze the advertising catalogues from the following types of stores: proximity shops, discounters, supermarkets and hypermarkets and to identify and describe retail marketing strategies as they turned out from them. The research methodology was based on a quantitative research method. In this sense, the authors present the external marketing strategies and the company's general strategies. Also, in retail marketing strategies, product and price strategies are essentially dependent on vendor strategies, while the business firm has more control over promotion and distribution. Following the analysis carried out, the authors conclude that in composing the mix, the trading company has total control over the combination of brands and products and low control over the product lines within the brands. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the retail marketing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, companies in the automotive sector are constantly trying to improve and optimize their business processes and the way the components that define their business ecosystem are integrated, in order to reach global supremacy, often expressed through revenues, profits or number of employees. It seems that a constant clash between Japanese and German companies is happening on this huge stage. The aim of the paper is to portray the existing, intense competition between Japanese and German automotive companies using criteria such as revenues, profits, number of employees backed by 2019 data and highlighting notable differences in their production systems. The methodology used is quantitative and based on the research of secondary sources such as articles and reports (ranks). The findings show an intense competition between companies in the automotive sector and a concentration of power from the two main power poles that are subject to this paper: Japan and Germany; the supremacy is yet to be decided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporations represent an important pillar in the process of globalization, influencing the way econcomies evolve. The focus of the paper is to analyze the evolution of the first ten corporations in the world in terms of total revenues. The research methodology is quantitative and based on secondary data, whilst the research type is literature review. Despide the constantly shifting economic context, Multinational corporations (MNC's) have managed to thrive in an impressive manner, reaching astonishing figures related to their total revenues, profits and number of employees. It is not a big surprise that amongst the first 10 corporations in the world there have not been many changes. Thus, in the last years, we see a dominance held by the same companies in a trully high proportion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing recognition of the positive effects the activities carried on by conscious and responsible companies have on various stakeholders such as employees, customers, business partners, investors, shareholders, governments, communities, and the environment. This is why corporate management has understood that long-term business success is based on the establishment and development of good relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. In recent decades, the debate about the need for responsible management has risen above average and an impressive amount of literature on this topic has emerged. Business managers increasingly understand that engaging in the sustainability issue brings benefits to companies, the environment and to society as a whole. The purposes of the paper are to present -based on an extended literature review- the concepts of responsible management and sustainable development and to exemplify their relationship in the case of a Japanese company. In order to achieve such ends, the authors have used a quantitative research method. The paper demonstrates that there is a relationship between these two concepts. First, responsible management and sustainable management represent multidimensional concepts that encompass not only an economic dimension, but also a social dimension and an environmental dimension. Second, both concepts involve a wide range of duties and obligations assigned to various actors such as governments, multinational corporations or small companies. Also, it shows that responsible management contributes to sustainable development in a multitude of ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advances of knowledge and science are immense, and the development based on them follows a galloping trend, even aggressive and precipitous, as a breakage of clouds. However, from the point of view of the security of systems, processes, society, economy and life, the world does not follow a straightforward, good, safe and precise direction, but a very complicated one in which the predictable, desired and calculated with rigor and precision effects are largely faded and even canceled by those that are chaotic and unpredictable. The strategic balance of mankind is a precarious one, based rather on balancing the threat than controlling it and its vulnerabilities. Of course, responsible people are aware of this dangerous trend and do their best to control it. But the chances of success in this increasingly uneven and increasingly vulnerable environment are, in turn, more and more controversial. And yet, such chances still exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roots of the global economy can be found in the 15th century. It started with the expansion of trade and distribution and continued with the development of industry and services. The global economy has changed significantly during the past decades, especially after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Governments, policymakers, researchers, businessmen, managers or social activists, are highly interested in understanding the way the global economy works today. As the topic of global economy is interdisciplinary and complex it can be studied from different perspectives and levels of analysis. The macro level deals with international organizations and regimes, the meso level emphasizes the role played by countries and companies, and the micro level insists on the literature related to globalization and transnational movements. The aims of the paper are to present the evolution of the world's ten largest economies by gross domestic product in the period 2015-2016 and to emphasize the economic competition between the USA and China. The research methodology is based on a quantitative method. The results of the paper show that these two powerful economies are the main protagonists in the race for economic supremacy and emphasize the Chinese challenge to the American dominance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a hypercompetitive environment, one in which it is difficult to gain substantial competitive advantages, it is becoming harder and harder to differentiate yourself from the rest, especially when activating in the services field. In order for a company to scientifically act, react and manage to satisfy as well as possible the customer’s needs, it should carry out a rigorous management process of services marketing. In the past, the marketing mix comprised 4Ps: product, price, place and promotion. As the client’s requirements grow and become more complex, an irrefragable need occurs to extend the traditional marketing mix with another 3Ps: people, physical evidence and process, that highlights the importance of these elements and place them on the relevancy scale that no manager should ever neglect. The aim of the article is to render in brief the components of the marketing mix in services. The research methodology is literature review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space assets are essential for the activities of modern societies. Communications, navigation, positioning and timing, meteorological and scientifi c services, geospatial information, understanding of Earth environment, civilian and Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) operations, to name just a few services, rely on space assets. Any disturbance of these activities could damage or completely disrupt services needed to ensure the safety and the well-being of European Union (EU) citizens, in addition reducing the associated economic benefi ts of space (the return of investment for space activities is estimated to be a factor three). Europe need to develop a capability for Space Situational Awareness (SSA), drawing on existing capabilities and infrastructures both at national and European level. SSA refers to the knowledge of location and function of space objects and the space environment, including operational satellites, space debris, near Earth objects and space weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Strategic Universe Journal / Univers Strategic is the property of Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Institute for Security Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Strategic Universe Journal / Univers Strategic is the property of Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Institute for Security Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)