Organizations, regulators, the professions and education need to address the grand challenge of sustainable development. While voluntary initiatives have proven their benefits, but also their limitations, we now witness an increase in the number of regulatory initiatives on sustainability, particularly at EU level. Thus, in 2022, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) was issued as part of the European "Green Deal" (amending and supplementing previous non-financial reporting requirements), with applicability from January 1, 2024 (along with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards). This Directive has emerged in parallel with other initiatives in the area of sustainability reporting (such as Sustainable Development Goals, Taxonomy).
Although the regulations focus on corporate reporting, in general, their objective is to drive organizations towards transparent and relevant reporting from the point of view of a variety of stakeholders, towards more sustainable production and business processes. Conceived as an external reporting regulation, CSRD inevitably has consequences for internal reporting, organizational strategy and processes in order to generate, collect, analyze and present the necessary information. As such, these regulations constrain and change organizational policies and procedures, products and services, professions, and ultimately externally reported information. It is estimated that up to half of the global workforce is affected by changes related to sustainability, which implies significant adjustments in organizations, management practices, changes in education to develop the necessary skills. Most companies approach CSRD implementation as a multi-departmental effort (sustainability, accounting and finance, procurement, IT, etc.) Sustainability reporting therefore becomes on the one hand a team effort (with its challenges), but also a new field that can be attached to existing professions (e.g. accounting profession) or lead to the creation of new professions (e.g. sustainability manager). Entities can be expected to face a multitude of challenges in implementing CSRD, such as data availability and quality, value chain complexity, staff time and knowledge, deadlines, technology, costs, interaction with other regulations, management involvement. Moreover, the experience with previous non-financial reporting requirements shows the difficulties faced by organizations, as well as the impact of different institutional actors (government, investors, professional bodies, consultants, academia, etc.) and factors (culture, legal framework, etc.) on how and to what extent companies change and incorporate these requirements.
The editors of Amfiteatru Economic invite researchers working in the field of sustainability and sustainability reporting to submit original papers for publication in issue 70/2025, with a strong empirical character and with practice relevance, using different research paradigms and methodologies. In this regard, we welcome papers that address, but are not limited to, issues on different topics such as:
Food markets are currently subjected to new transformative pressures, driven in particular by technological advances, changes in consumer preferences and sustainability concerns. Profound changes are reshaping the dynamics of the entire food chain, posing significant challenges for agricultural producers, the food industry, wholesalers, and retailers, and for consumers as well.
On the demand side there is an increase in the share of consumers who adhere to food models that are supposed to be healthier and more sustainable. It is noticeable that new options (styles) of food consumption, such as vegetarianism, veganism or flexitarianism, are being experimented on a wider scale. In the choices that buyers make, the importance of criteria such as those related to guaranteeing the absence of allergens or compounds considered harmful, those related to the natural or ecological character and those related to the origin or traditional character of the products is increasing.
On the supply side the fusion of physical, chemical, biological, and digital technologies is driving potentially disruptive innovations whose commercial success depends on the rate of acceptance and speed of consumer adoption. Notable recent innovations in the food chain include: obtaining plant-based meat substitutes, cultured meat and other products of laboratory cellular agriculture, vertical farming, precision agriculture, the use of insects, algae and fungi as new sources of protein, new food packaging and distribution solutions, the use of blockchain technology to strengthen food traceability. The acceleration of technological progress and the increase in competition require actors in the food chain to adopt business models that allow for faster adaptation to changes and increase the ability to withstand unforeseen developments.
The concern for sustainability is a catalytic factor for the changes taking place in both areas of demand and supply, tending to reshape the food chain towards a circular economy with a low impact on the natural environment.
A better understanding of the mutations affecting the food market and their implications is crucial for stakeholders in the food chain to successfully cope with the changes.
The editors of the Amfiteatru Economic Journal invite researchers with preoccupations in the field to propose for publication in issue no. 69 of the journal original research papers, case studies, literature reviews, or foresight studies that contribute to expanding the knowledge of the multiple aspects of the changes in the food market and their consequences for different stakeholders.
We welcome papers that address, but are not limited to, issues such as:
Industrial Revolutions (IR) represent periods of scientific and technological transformation in which economic sectors, as well as social structures, in their broadest understanding, are subjected to “stress tests”, under the combined action of the forces of progress/modernization and conservation/tradition. These are processes that, for example, economists can examine in terms of delivering economic growth/development/sustainability or that political scientists can study, in turn, as fermenting in democratic/dictatorial/autocratic regimes. Holding two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retaining the ability to function is an inescapable challenge since putting social knowledge (for instance, scientific or technological) to good use is associated with the freedom of circulation of ideas, though also with their centralization, regulation and planning.
Socio-political-economic systems are essentially institutional arrangements – that is, “sets of societal rules” – that members of a human community can opt into (either in a conscious manner or not). Those who want to understand what world they live in (or would like to live in; or, on the contrary, to avoid) need to ask themselves basic questions such as: what economic/political systems are feasible?; which is preferable and why?; what kind of system does this or that country have? These systems, through their fundamental data, may favour, among other things, the unfolding of technological (r)evolutions, whilst the resulting technologies, once becoming dominant, manage to imprint upon these societal systems certain predispositions (for example, elitist or gregarious, meritocratic or opportunistic, entrepreneurial or social-security assisted etc.).
IR research is far from just a topic for historians of economic or political phenomena, but a program that puts our very future at stake. The last revolutionary episode – 4.0, of Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Co. – has already made many, in the extreme versions of their existential dilemmas, question not only what role is left for them, but whether there is any place left for them. And RIs are not phenomena that can be fitted into a predefined schema: they do not follow a univocal logic from science to technology, but a co-evolutionary one; then, although all IRs have had a general-purpose technique (steam 1.0, electricity, mass-production and interchangeability 2.0, electronics/microprocessors 3.0, and AI 4.0), there has been as much rupture as technological continuity; and transformations remain both processable via markets and politically manipulable.
The Amfiteatru Economic journal Issue no. 68/2025 proposes a reflection exercise, deliberate multi-/inter-/cross-disciplinary, dedicated to the evaluation and (d)enunciation, retrospectively, but, above all, prospectively, of profound causalities, passing correlations and pure and simple coincidences in what concerns the metabolism of technological pretensions in socio-political-economic macro-systems. They will analyse and, as far as possible, anticipate mega-trends, catalysts and inhibitors, as well as game-changers in what we can call broadly (but not detachedly, for it involves each of us, and not only from the position of researchers) the “world and life” of the future. Without limiting to the research routes which are listed below, the authors are invited to add fresh insights to the debates related to the techno-transformations we are expected to experience in terms of:
As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in business organizations advances, so do concerns about ensuring the necessary competencies of the staff of companies to effectively integrate human qualities with AI solutions.
Companies are increasingly adopting ever more sophisticated AI systems with the hope that they will help increase productivity, accelerate innovation, and strengthen competitiveness. In many cases, however, the achievement of business objectives is faced with the challenge of aligning the competencies of human resources in relation to new forms and contents of work. The implications from the perspective of the organization of the enterprise and that of ensuring the necessary human resources are insufficiently known, especially in the context of the adoption of advanced AI systems capable of self-development.
AI is trained by humans to perform certain tasks and is inherently limited to what humans assume it should do. That`s why businesses need staff with as complete an understanding as possible of AI`s potential in a given business and organizational scenario. At the same time, certain more advanced forms of AI are distinguished from automated systems by the capacity for autonomous learning, self-improvement, and self-development, which means that people in enterprises must be able to accept and assimilate the advances induced by AI. In addition, an enterprise`s adoption of AI can generate new tensions, both within the organization and in the enterprise`s relationships with its business partners. It would be useful if they could be anticipated and prevented.
The effects of the introduction of AI in terms of the replacement of personnel performing certain categories of activities are well documented. The use of AI is leading to the abolition of some jobs, and it is anticipated that over time it will even lead to the disappearance of some occupations. Instead, in direct connection with the operation of AI-based systems, new jobs are created, which require today`s rare skills, for the training, maintenance, or development of AI. When AI is used to analyze large volumes of unstructured data or perform particularly complex calculations, tasks that cannot be performed by humans, specialists are needed who can explain to human experts the meaning of the results or solutions generated. The issue of these new specialized skills needed in AI-enabled work environments, as well as the ways in which business organizations can acquire or develop such skills, are still insufficiently studied.
To help enterprises fully exploit the potential of new technologies, contributions from business and management researchers are welcome to improve knowledge about the new competencies needed by business organizations to ensure interoperability of humans with AI; the ways in which businesses can acquire these new competencies; the wider impact of AI on enterprise organization and management.
The editors of the Amfiteatru Economic Journal invite researchers working on this field to propose for publication in journal’s issue 67 research papers, case studies (in companies and industries where artificial intelligence integration processes can be studied with an emphasis on staff skills), reviews and analyzes of literature, foresight studies.
Papers must highlight the perspective of the enterprise, reflect the context and objectives characteristic for business organizations. Of interest are research works aimed at, but not limited to, problems such as:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly prominent in modern societies, impacting all activities, from space research to daily people routines. From an economic perspective, AI is seen as a source of increased growth and progress. It can boost innovations, contribute to economic processes acceleration and optimization, provide solutions for better satisfying consumer needs, and expand business opportunities. In the meantime, AI has the potential to be extremely threatening to socio-economic development. For example, there are concerns about the possible establishment of dominance and control by large technology corporations, and the emergence of new forms of social division. While both hopes and fears about AI are plausible and legitimate, the expansion of its use requires at each new stage and for each new application a better understanding of the implications and foreseeable consequences, responsible and prudent action. Well-crafted regulation accompanied by real enforcement capacity might encourage harnessing the benefits of AI whilst limiting its adverse implications.
Businesses have an important role to play in the development and exploitation of AI. Rapid progress in digitization, widespread use of computer-assisted systems, connectivity, and data migration to the cloud have enabled accumulation of large amounts of significant information to be compiled and shared. AI technologies provide the only solution for enterprises to capitalize on these vast data resources. Enterprises need to implement AI technologies for better understanding and serving their customers, for accelerating new products development, for freeing staff from routine work and augmenting people`s productive capacity, for reducing errors and improving quality conformity, for enhancing cybersecurity, for business model innovation and expansion. Despite the documented advantages of implementing AI solutions in enterprises, and a certain enthusiasm on the part of companies’ management in adopting AI projects, there are still many unknowns regarding the expansion and increase in complexity of AI systems used in enterprises. Business leaders need a better understanding of the conditions under which the adoption of AI systems may actually lead to an increase in the overall performance of the company. Business researchers’ community can provide an important contribution in systematically addressing knowledge gaps and challenges related to the adoption of AI applications by enterprises.
The Amfiteatru Economic Journal invites scholars doing studies in this field to propose for publication in issue 66 of the journal research papers on artificial intelligence in companies. It is expected that studies will target company specific experiences, enterprise function related AI applications and issues (i.e., AI applications in R&D, or in manufacturing, or in marketing & sales, etc.) and/or sector specific approaches to AI enabled solutions deployment (i.e., in financial services, retail, transportation, agriculture etc.). Papers that address such topics as the following are welcome:
The debates about the challenges launched to the educational process by artificial intelligence systems are more acute than ever. On one hand, education, in general, must be that process that ensures the skills that allow the creation of artificial intelligence. Algorithms, chatbots, learning machines were created as a result of knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through education. They will continue to be the result of the creativity, inventiveness and daring of those who are educated in this spirit, of those who are cultivated with these skills. "Working" with artificial intelligence systems also requires knowledge, skills and abilities that the entire educational system must provide. Operating with artificial intelligence systems needs not only specific skills, but also their permanent adaptation as artificial intelligence systems become more complex and more performant. Academic research is intended not only to identify the challenges that education faces and will face with the development of artificial intelligence systems, but also to find solutions, to propose measures to manage the consequences of the penetration of artificial intelligence into life of society. As a result, no. 65/2024 of the Amfiteatru Economic journal invites researchers to contribute with original research that will enrich the literature, oriented towards topics aiming Challenges for competence-oriented education in the context of the development of artificial intelligence systems, such as (but not limited to these):
Since the establishment of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the geopolitical context has changed considerably. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a drastic impact on the society and economy of the European Union. In addition, amid a global economic outlook of economic stagnation and rising inflation, geopolitical challenges are unprecedented. One of the solutions proposed from the first days of the armed conflict in Ukraine was to reduce the EU’s dependence on fossil fuels imported from Russia. The European Commission and the Member States of the European Economic Community have as their point of reference the ‘Fit for 55’ solution package of the European Green Deal, as well as increasing the use of renewables and further improving energy efficiency. On 18 May 2022, the Commission published the REPowerEU Plan the sets out joint European action in this area, complementing the measures taken regarding the security of supply and energy storage. The measures included in the REPowerEU plan enable energy savings by diversifying energy supply and accelerating the development of renewable energy that would replace fossil fuels in homes, industry, and electricity generation. In this way, the phasing out of fossil fuel imports from Russia will be accelerated. This will also reduce electricity prices and fossil fuel imports over time.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility, a central instrument of the REPowerEU Plan, will pursue the objectives of ensuring clean, diversified, and affordable energy for European users. To accelerate the energy transition in Europe, the proportion of renewables in the energy portfolio needs to increase rapidly. Thus, measures must be taken to reduce infrastructure and regulatory bottlenecks, as well as labor shortages in the field of energy. Diversification of gas supply can be done by increasing the share of imports of liquefied natural gas and imports through pipelines from non-Russian suppliers, as well as by increasing the production of biomethane and green hydrogen. At the level of household and industrial consumers, energy savings can be achieved within buildings, in the fields of transport and industry, as well as by increasing energy consumption efficiency.
Economic and business research is needed to help identify solutions to the challenges of a new energy paradigm in the European Union. In this context, the journal Amfiteatru Economic invites researchers to propose for publication, in issue no 64, original papers that contribute to the enrichment of knowledge and a better understanding of the implications of the REPowerEU strategic plan. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Decision-makers in the Community bodies of the European Union, as well as those in the member countries of the grouping, must decide on the preferred path for future economic development, one focused on economic and social cohesion, or one focused on competitiveness. Either of the two strategic alternatives cannot ignore the energy factor, a provocative one, dependent on several determinants and with training effects on the entire European and international societal picture. The ability of the regional economic group to maintain its potential and the level of prosperity that the current and future generations aspire to requires a deep retrospective of the nature of the growth model and the changes needed to ensure the appropriate level of sustainability. Underlying sustainable development, which involves maximizing economic efficiency, social responsibility, and environmental resilience, is the energy challenge, without the proper management of which accumulates micro and macroeconomic vulnerabilities and intensifies risks to dynamic societal balances. The EU's energy policy focuses on the following strategic objectives: security of supply; sustainability and energy efficiency, and based on the logic of the new competitiveness. In order to achieve these goals, the Strategy was launched in 2016 to contribute to the achievement of an energy-resilient Union that is closely correlated with the environmental policy of the Community. This energy union can only be successful if the EU is to engage in macro or microeconomic action with its strategic partners.
A topic of greatest interest to all categories of stakeholders is the extent to which the current development model revises the importance of the energy factor, with an emphasis on energy resilience and efficiency. The geopolitical and geoeconomic events that the European Union and its countries have to deal with successfully, especially in the conditions of the current kaleidoscope of turbulence (economic and financial crisis, COVID 19 pandemic, military-strategic events from the East of the continent), highlighted new aspects related to the energy vector. Specialized research must be reasoned in relation to the most sensitive issues related to the energy landscape in general and the appropriate energy model in particular. One of the challenges is related to energy security, a goal that has traditionally been associated with accessibility to fuel sources, largely fossil fuels and, more recently, renewables and electricity. The current energy vector can no longer be beneficially analyzed if it is not placed in interdisciplinary logic, being interrelated with climate change, resource efficiency, and decarbonization. It is no longer enough for the energy challenge to be limited to security of supply, making it necessary to take a scientific approach and solidarity between market participants or trust in the good intentions of energy suppliers. Being permanently an important vector of all the basic macro and world economic correlations, the energy one is still proving to be a main topic for public policies but also for scientific debates.
Economic and business research is called upon to help identify concrete problems and indicate possible solutions. In this context, the Amfiteatru Economic journal, invites researchers with concerns to propose for publication for issue 63 of the journal original papers that contribute to the enrichment of available knowledge and a better understanding of the macro and microeconomic implications of the change taking place in the plan of the energy paradigm of the European Union. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
The transition to a more circular economy is making progress in most areas, although the pace of change differs significantly from sector to sector. In this context, electrical and electronic equipment for household and personal use (classified and listed in Annexes III and IV to Directive (EU) 2012/19) makes a discordant note.
The circularity of technical products implies the extension of the duration of use, the shared use, the facilitation of repair and upgrading, redistribution, refurbishment, specialized collection and recycling. If at present the emphasis is on proper waste management, for the future there is a focus on incorporating circularity into the conception and design of products.
In relation to the stated desiderata, contradictory evolutions are observed. Factors in favor of maintaining the traditional linear model may continue to prevail. The replacement of electrical and electronic equipment is done at shorter and shorter intervals, with few exceptions the upgrade of products is not possible, and repair is discouraged, the delivery of obsolete appliances to specialized operators is hit by a number of barriers.
Among the possible causes of the delay in adopting the circular model, analysts highlight the legitimate interest of manufacturers to gain competitive advantage by accelerating innovation, promoting newer generation products, and stimulating the demand for renewal, as well as the legitimate desire of consumers to equip themselves with equipment featuring state-of-the-art technology, which provide enhanced functionality and improved comfort. At the same time, equipment maintaining, redistributing, and recycling is in many cases inefficient due to high costs. On the other hand, more unjustifiable practices are also mentioned, such as product planned obsolescence, aggressive promotion of novel products with insignificant improvements, and hesitant public policies loosely applied.
Against this background, the perspectives for the circular economy in the production and consumption of electrical and electronic equipment are still unclear. Economic and business research needs to contribute to a deeper understanding of current mechanisms and drivers of future trends, identification of new opportunities, more systematic documentation of successes and failures, increased exchange of knowledge and strengthening stakeholder participation in the development and implementation of sustainable practical solutions.
In view of all this, Amfiteatru Economic journal invites researchers and specialists with preoccupations in the field to propose for publication in issue 62 of the journal original empirical research papers on the state and prospects of the circular economy in the production and consumption of electrical and electronic equipment.
Of interest are works that address - but are not limited to - topics such as:
The European Green Deal, as a priority of the European Commission, presents a plan to make the EU economy sustainable and competitive. The way to do this is to turn climate and environmental challenges into opportunities. In order to achieve this, massive investments from public funds are foreseen, a conversion of the financial system to projects that reduce the carbon footprint and lead to other positive environmental externalities, encouraging private investment in the same direction. All these intentions have been welcomed by the governments of the Member States, the business community and european citizens. The implementation of the plan, however, is particularly complex and leads to a series of dilemmas and challenges. Some risks have been identified in the strategy itself. These include concern about the registration – even on a temporary basis – of a possible competitive global disadvantage and concern about possible adverse effects in terms of the well-being of European citizens. Among the measures envisaged to prevent such risks are the protection of the EU economy through a system of border taxes, as well as the concern to ensure fairness along the transition. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that the public and private investment effort will be effective both in achieving environmental objectives and in economic and financial terms. In general, the plan aims at fundamental shifts in the system of economic incentives, but although some ideas of principle are formulated, they are accompanied by a long line of unknowns.
In this respect as well, it is necessary to ensure that competition is not altered at the expense of social welfare. Economic and business research is called upon to help identify concrete problems and indicate possible solutions. In this context, Amfiteatru Economic Journal invites researchers with concerns in the field to propose for publication for the 61st issue of the journal original papers that contribute to the enrichment of the available knowledge and to a better understanding of the financial and competition implications of the European Green Deal. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Achieving the EU Green Deal ambitions demands urgent actions aiming at transforming current food systems into healthy, environmentally friendly, fair, resilient, circular ones. New systems should have a neutral or positive environmental impact, help mitigate and adapt to climate change, reverse the loss of biodiversity, and ensure public health and nutrition. While the desiderates are clear, the practical transformation pass raises numerous concerns and dilemmas that need to be addressed. For instance: (i) how can maintaining a high rivalry in the food industry be reconciled with the pursuit of social and environmental goals? (ii) how can improvement of food quality be reconciled with maintaining food affordable for the poor and eradicating sub-nutrition in the context of a rapidly increasing population? (iii) how can the economic viability of local food chains be preserved and enhanced in competition with global ones? (iv) how can food chains be secured against climate change and other risks while reducing their carbon footprint, reversing biodiversity loses and reducing the use of agrochemicals?
The projected transformations are supported by advances in science and technology. In addition, there is a need to further explore their implications from a business and economics perspective, to better inform policy makers, business leaders and consumers, to accelerate innovation adoption and diffusion, to prevent adverse side effects.
Based on these considerations, Amfiteatru Economic Journal invites researchers with a particular interest in this field to submit for publication in the journal’s issue number 60 original papers that will contribute to better understanding, preparing, and supporting food chains transformations in line with the EU Green Deal and Farm2Fork strategies. Of interest are works that address - but are not limited to - topics such as:
The European Union currently faces several economic, social and environmental challenges. Our future depends on a transition from a linear economy toward a circular/green economy. It is currently one of the most important priorities in the EU and a major preoccupation for policy makers, industry and academia. The EU countries` ambitious commitment to become climate-neutral by 2050 requires transformations in all economic sectors and entails important social changes. In achieving these goals, digitization will play an essential enabling and catalytic role.
Policy and decision makers are looking at the potential of smart technologies to help contribute to a green economy. Over 95% of solid waste comes from industry, which means that a sustainable future need to see a revolution in industry with better resource and waste management. By reducing waste and circulating it through the supply chain and value network, our global footprint on the environment can be significantly reduced. Green economy smart technology applications have already saved companies millions of euros in the past decade and it is estimated that €700 billion can be saved per year worldwide, if initiatives are funded to circulate materials instead of throwing them away. This can help both grow the industry and reduce the negative side effects of the industry on the environment.
For sustainable economic development and social cohesion, in addition to technological advancement, social transformation is also required. Further development of digital technologies will influence and be influenced by public support, changing social attitudes, social decision making, risk and loss aversion and various other human factors in different economic situations. It is important to study these attitudes, as Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0 smart technologies will eventually be applied to all aspects of life, such as digital education, digital policing, digital resource management, mobile and internet applications and much more. We are already seeing the digitalization of government, cities, villages, factories, education, as well as transport and logistics. We are all going to be participating in these developments, so it is important to study the perspective/attitudes of different groups individuals on these developments and potential changes in attitude and behavior that can lead to a more sustainable future.
Based on these considerations, the Amfiteatru Economic Journal invites researchers interested in the field to propose for publication in the 59th issue of the journal original research papers that explore the role of digitalization in advancing a more climate neutral economy in the European Union. The work must explicitly address the link between available digital technologies and the directions of action set out in the European Commission`s Communication on the European Green Pact (COM (2019) 640 final). Of interest are works that address - but are not limited to - topics such as:
The term teleworking was introduced more than three decades ago to refer to the work facilitated by telecommunications means that the employee carries out outside the premises provided by the employer. Since then, the phenomenon has expanded and arouses increasing interest from analysts and researchers. There is a rather rich literature on employee work outside the traditional space, with authors using either the term teleworking or alternative expressions such as telecommuting, work from home, remote e-working or home office. Teleworking is also in the attention of labor relations policy makers. At European Union level, the social partners adopted a Framework Agreement on teleworking in 2002, and in Romania teleworking is regulated by Law 81 of 2018.
In general, teleworking is seen favorably as a labor market flexibility factor. The literature evocates such in principle advantages as: expansion of recruitment pools, increased productivity and cost reductions for employers, reduction of time consumption, fatigue and costs associated with travel to work and a better balance between work and extra-work life for employees, mitigation of congestion of traffic arteries and means of transport, accompanied by reduced pollutant emissions, access to the labor market for categories of people who cannot move due to disabilities or family or social obligations.
Teleworking has not been a mass phenomenon so far. The time-limited and discrete proportions in organizations of this practice made the task of analysts more difficult. With the accelerated and unexpected spread of the global pandemic caused by SARS-COV-2, organizations of all types and from all sectors have been forced to change their classic paradigm of employee work and resort to telework. The new health crisis has required more and more organizations to use telework to preserve and/or respect social and spatial distance, this becoming a ubiquitous practice. That is why the conditions generated by the SARS-COV-2 pandemic provide an exceptional opportunity to intensify research on teleworking, to better understand its economic and social implications. At the same time, there are prerequisites for exploring the prospects of teleworking in the post-crisis future.
However, it is considered that the benefits of telework are not yet fully proven in a scientific manner and that possible adverse effects are insufficiently investigated
In this context, issue no. 58 of Amfiteatru Economic Journal is dedicated to research on the economic and social impact of teleworking and the exploration of potential post-crisis developments in teleworking, from a macroeconomic, sectoral or microeconomic perspective, as well as from the perspective of employees.
Thus, topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
IoT (Internet of Things) is an emerging field that defines networks of smart objects with data transmission capabilities via cable or wireless technologies. Internet of Things is a concept and a paradigm that involves the ubiquity of large and diverse number of smart devices and active objects that can interact and cooperate with other devices and objects through wired and wireless connections and unique addressing schemes in order to create services and applications adapted to user’ needs.
Nowadays, IoT-based solutions for consumers, businesses and industrial applications are being developed.
Currently, popular IoT solutions in the consumer segment (Consumer IoT) are those in the "smart home" category (which refers to applications for control and automation of lighting systems, ventilation, air conditioning, etc., but also robotic vacuum cleaners, air purifier, air conditioners, ovens or refrigerators that use Wi-Fi for remote monitoring) and wearable devices (“wearables”), such as fitness bracelets or trackers and smart watches, allowing users to monitor and control their health.
Business projects (Commercial IoT) are varied - from collecting and analyzing information about customers to smart solutions implemented in office buildings, halls, warehouses, hotels, etc. aiming the automation and monitoring of water, gas, electricity or thermal installations and more efficient use of workspaces.
IoT industrial (IIoT) mainly refers to interconnection of work equipment through M2M (machine to machine) technologies and decreasing human operators’ intervention in controlling production flows.
IoT applications have proven their technical feasibility, but there are still questions about their economic viability, especially from a business perspective. In this regard, concerns are raised about the high costs and length of time required to implement these solutions, the scarcity of suitably qualified staff and uncertainties about actual cost-effectiveness of such projects. In addition, there are concerns about the impact on environment and human health, insufficiently clarified issues regarding the resilience of such systems in critical circumstances, data security and confidentiality, and many other unresolved ethical and legal issues.
In this context, the >b>Amfiteatru Economic journal invites researchers studying the impact of IoT to contribute to the enrichment of knowledge regarding the effects of these new technologies, from the perspective of consumers, businesses, and economy. Research that empirically analyzes the degree of understanding the concept and its implications, current state, and prospects of IoT adoption in different sectors as well as case studies, are considered of great interest.
The deadline for paper submission is December 30, 2020, and the accepted papers will be published in issue no. 57/May 2021.
A major phenomenon of the contemporary world, artificial intelligence (AI) represents the ability of electronic equipment to perform duties and abilities naturally associated with human intelligence. John McCarthy (1955) defines it as a situation where "... the machine behaves in a way that could be considered intelligent, if it were human." AI has experienced a technological trend, which has exploded in the last decade, being a concept with continuous evolution, offering a very attractive market, with many new opportunities for various businesses. The field of commerce offers the widest range applicable to artificial intelligence because it ensures contact with most of the population as clientele.
A comprehensive approach to the research into the penetration and proliferation of AI in the wholesale and retail trade must be carried out along the value chain, from the producer of the deliverables to the end user. It finds a wide scope: from the automatic launch of orders to suppliers to the logistics of goods, from the receipt of products within the commercial network to their merchandising on the shelf, from significant changes in the buying and consumption habits of the demand carriers to the trader`s communication with his clientele, from the reduction of waste in the commercial network to the elimination of waste in consumption. Automations in the sphere of goods’ circulation, including the introduction of humanoid robots, nowadays favours the concept of intelligent commerce, once all retail stakeholders are connected to the Internet and a new dimension of research through Real Time Data Analysis is developed. This approach provides scientific support for the development of marketing strategies of the "Proximity Marketing" type, which communicates to the real and potential customers the specific offer depending on their buying behaviour.
Issue 56 of the Journal aims to publish the results of researches which tackle the multiple valences of the implementation of artificial intelligence in the sphere of commerce, focusing on the following topics:
Authors are invited to submit original research with obvious practical merits from the recommended topics.
Editors: Aharon Tziner, Netanya Academic College & Peres Academic Center, Israel and Vasile Dinu, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania; Academy of Romanian Scientists
Since the early 1970`s there have been concrete and strong testimonies to the centrality of work in people’s lives (Arvey, Harpaz, & Liao, 2004), much beyond being only an economical consideration (Highhouse, Zickar, & Yankelevich, 2010). The experience of working is vastly more important than the job itself, and this also explains why many of us devote most of our waking hours to work, beyond any other human activity (for further reading, see: Landy & Conte, 2016(. In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the time invested in work, also as a byproduct of the greater accessibility to technology and industrial competition (Lee, McCann, & Messenger, 2007). Regardless of this trend, research has found individual differences in the devotion of time to work. One of the pioneering works that tried to address those differences was Oates’ (1971) research on workaholism. Since then, both academically and commonly used, workaholism was the prominent representation of Heavy-Work Investment (e.g. Andreassen, 2015; Aziz & Burke, 2015; Mazzetti, Schaufeli, & Guglielmi, 2014; Shimazu, Kubota, & Bakker, 2015; Shkoler, Rabenu, Vasiliu, Sharoni, & Tziner, 2017; Taris, Van Beek, & Schaufeli, 2015).
This concept of Heavy-Work Investment (HWI) was introduced by Snir and Harpaz (2012). It encompasses working long hours and investing heavy effort (both, physical and mental) at work. Snir and Harpaz (2015) proposed that HWI mediates between its different predictors (e.g.: job engagement, addiction to work, financial needs, employer demands, etc.) and individual-wise outcomes (e.g.: health, work satisfaction, etc.), with potential moderators (e.g.: job type, fairness, etc.) (see: Snir & Harpaz, 2015, p. 6).
This phenomenon of HWI is prevalent in cultures around the world (e.g.: in Asia: Amagasa, Nakayama, & Takahashi, 2005; In Australia: Fein, Skinner, & Machin, 2017; In Europe: Shamai, Harpaz, & Snir, 2012; Shkoler et al., 2017).
However, this phenomenon raises an interesting and important question- is it good or bad for the organization and its workers? It turns out the results are mixed.
The main objective of this Special Issue is to encourage discussion regarding this important phenomenon of HWI, and to better understand its nature.
Remarks
Changes from the business environment become more rapid and more demanding of being anticipated due to disruptive technologies and of the unprecedented development of artificial intelligence applications, and their integration into products and services. These changes generate opportunities and threats with a frequency hard to be followed by the classical management and its focus on profit maximization. Strategic thinking introduces a new dimension of time and replaces the principle of profit maximization with that of creating sustainable firms. Sustainability integrates the major aspects of the internal business environment with those of the economic, social, and natural external environment. In strategic thinking, sustainability is based on the triple bottom lines: economic, social, and natural environment. The sustainability risk management of firms refers to the awareness of risk factors concerning realizing sustainable businesses, and of creating necessary conditions for firm continuous growth and of finding solutions for minimization of the potential impact of these factors. Sustainability risk management is necessary for evaluation and fighting against risks related to sustainability, which could appear due to some social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities
This topical issue of the journal aims to publish results of the research whose purpose is sustainability risk management of firms, research which can focus on the following themes:
In order to publish the articles proposed for the issue no. 55 of the Amfiteatru Economic Journal, the authors are invited to send papers which contain original research and are focused on some practical aspects of the topics mentioned above.
In the contemporary society based on knowledge, the application of the principles of sustainable development acquires an overwhelming role in increasingly more organisations. To provide a clean environment, to reduce the pollution and to excessively use raw materials, to avoid waste and encourage the social responsible consumption, as well as to get actively involved in the well-being of the society as a whole become goals pursued and implemented consistently also by public institutions. Constrained by the fundamental objective which they have been created for, namely to educate and train the generations of individuals, higher education institutions must adapt not only theoretically through study programs, curricula and theoretic researches subsumed to this goal, but to also transpose the principals of sustainable development within their own activities through strategies, policies, and appropriately elaborated and carefully designed actions. It is observed that internationally debates on the extent where universities can implement a sustainable and environmental relation occur more and more frequently, there being today classifications and hierarchic orders aiming at precisely this approach: sustainability of universities. Internationally and nationally, initiatives like “Greenest Universities”, “sustainable campus networks and green university initiatives”, “Greenest University Campuses”, “UI GreenMetric World University Ranking”, “UBB Goes Green” are increasingly more frequently used in the desire of the university management to show to the stakeholders of educational institutions that they make consistent efforts to keep up with the modern developments of the societies they are part of.
The role of higher education in implementing the concept of sustainable development at the level of the whole society is a decisive one, because its graduates become the instruments by which the transformation of the society becomes possible, in the direction of sustainable development.
In number 54 of the Amfiteatrul Economic journal, the editors suggest as general topic the sustainable development of universities in trans-, inter-, and multidisciplinary context. Authors can submit articles that would include aspects on the sustainability strategies implemented at intra- and inter- organisational level by universities in order to ameliorate, respectively to improve their relationships with the society, as well as with the stakeholders involved. The articles can aim at aspects on the following issues related to sustainable university:
Editors will promote the articles that bring to the forefront aspects with a deep practical feature (research, case studies, well-reasoned points of view, etc.) and less materials where theoretical elements dominate.
Green Procurement can be defined as a choice making process whereby buyers aim at procurement of goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life-cycle, compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be procured.
In a demand-driven economy green procurement is an important pressure in favor of sustainable development. The environmental consciousness of buying entities is transferred to their suppliers and to the suppliers of their suppliers in a multiplying effect which tends to diffuse throughout the whole economy. Green procurement not only encourages the consumption and use of environmentally friendly products and services, but it also stimulates innovation, introduction and expansion of new and more sustainable products, technologies and business models.
Green procurement is relevant for both the public and private sectors. During the last decade, in public procurement, preoccupation for including environmental criteria in awarding contracts have intensified. For example, by 2017, the Member States of the European Union - except Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg and Romania - had adopted national action plans for green and sustainable procurement. In the private sector, many companies are practicing Green Procurement as part of their Social Responsibility policy.
Despite the undeniable progress made in recent years, initiatives in the field of environmental procurement have a more punctual rather than a systematic nature and their degree of expansion and coverage is not yet well known. More research is required to assess economic and social implications of green procurement, the more so as market conditions are changing rapidly providing new solutions and more options. Additionally, researchers’ contribution is necessary in assisting policy makers, business leaders and procurement practitioners in making informed decisions and overcoming practical challenges.
Based on these considerations, the Amfiteatru Economic Journal invites those researchers, interested in the field, to propose for publication in the 53rd issue of the journal, original research papers that will contribute to a better understanding of the current stage of implementation of Green Procurement principles in the public and private sectors and of the impact of applying these principles on firms, the economy and society. The papers may, in principle, address issues such as:
Contemporary society puts in the forefront of its preoccupation issues such as sustainability, environmental protection, sustainable consumption, promoting clean technologies, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, food security, job fair, fair trade, green biotechnology, expanding the use of renewable energy, etc.. Due to the wide scope and different incentives, sustainable development raise, mainly for companies, major societal, economic and environmental challenges. At the same time, there is a more acute need for analyzing the stability and prospects of any company, not only in terms of financial indicators, but also in terms of social and environmental performance. In this respect, the enactment of the EU Directive 34/2013 (amended by 95/2014), which obliges large companies and groups with a number of personnel higher than 500 to disclose non-financial information and information on diversity is significant. Responding to the social interest, even enterprises which are not subject of the Directive compete in displaying their social responsibility through policies, measures and actions. Whereas, at the level of most organizations, social responsibility has, by definition, a voluntary nature, and where regulations exist they are vague, companies tend to publish results that put them in a favorable light and silently pass the negative impact-in some respects-of their work. In order to mitigate the heterogeneity of approaches and to facilitate comparisons, identify best practices, develop rankings and track progress, several codes, "reference frameworks" have been initiated for the integration of social responsibility policies and for reporting achievements on these issues. Among these, United Nations Global Compact, the Global Reporting Initiative, Accountability Framework and ISO 26000 are better known internationally. It is estimated that further harmonization of reporting standards on social responsibility, without altering the voluntary nature of measures and actions taken by firms, can stimulate commitment and efforts to achieve transparency and accountability.
Amid a certain consensus on the usefulness of publishing non-financial information on social responsibility and sustainability, there is a need to expand and deepen research on the impact on business and the economy of enterprise reporting systems. Thus, it is of particular interest to study the extent to which the transparency of firms` policies and results on social responsibility issues contributes to accelerating the conversion of the economy to more sustainable forms of production, such as those grouped under the concept of bio-economy. Bio-economy includes the production of renewable biological resources as well as the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value-added products such as food, feed, bioproducts or bioenergy and involves new approaches that come from research, innovation and leadership to bring about concrete improvements in social, economic and environmental well-being.
Based on these considerations, Amfiteatru Economic Journal invites researchers with a particular interest in this field to submit for publication in issue number 52 original papers that will contribute to a better understanding of the way in which social responsibility codes are used by enterprises involved in the bio-economy sector, as well as of the effects of the use of such codes on firms, the economy and society. For instance, papers can address issues such as:
Food security is a challenge all over the world. People need food to live, just like they need air or water. The right to food is a fundamental one, though it is currently not being exercised everywhere under best conditions. Therefore, the concerns of responsible authorities are based on the definition of physiological human needs, considering all the involved factors, as well as on the optimization of the relationship between needs and available food resources.
According to the statistics of the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the world’s population is estimated to reach 10 billion people by 2050, given the current trends. At the same time, starting with the first decade of the 21st century, the global annual resource consumption has been outrunning the regenerative capacity of the Earth. Hence, the future looks today like a grueling fight for food and water. In this context, the Romanian Academy, in “The Development Strategy of Romania for the Next 20 Years”, points to the fact that “During the last years, the food security issue has become contemporary again, due to global challenges, like the increased food demand of the new emergent states from Asia and South America, the non-food usage of crops for bio-fuel production, as well as the impact of the climate change on the agricultural production and the food offer”. In other words, the mankind faces serious problems, impairing food security.
We currently witness an overall strong degradation of the global food security, called forth by the emergence of major risk factors, of a both structural (the world population growth, the global warming, the degradation of the water sources and the agricultural land), and conjunctural nature (the adoption of inadequate policies, the weakened economic and political role of the states, the enhanced poverty etc). If current trends are not reversed, these will lead to a severe global food crisis, with evil consequences on all coordinates of the global, and implicitly, the national and individual food security.
The idea of food security is inevitably developed on two strongly interrelated analysis levels, i.e. a quantitative and a qualitative one. The quantitative side regards mainly the assurance of the food quantity required to satisfy the needs of a reference population, while the qualitative side focuses on the properties of the food consumed by the respective population, so that its health is not damaged or endangered. Further, the practical approach of these two fundamental analysis levels of the concept involves the adoption of adequate policies in several areas, like the economic and commercial field, the agricultural and zootechnical field, the ecological and environmental field, or the education and the development of an adequate consumption culture of the population. More, the concept of food security is focused on four analysis dimensions, structured based on the corroboration of the quantitative and qualitative issues with those coordinates on which concrete measures for the assurance of food security should be taken: the availability of agricultural production, the access to food, the supply stability, the food safety and quality.
Food security policies are classified in two main categories: food oriented and nutritional oriented policies. Food policies are meant to correlate the consumption capacity of the population with aspects regarding the food supply and the quality of the supplied food. As a consequence, the policies in question should govern the food prices in an adequate manner, based on quality and the purchasing power of the individuals belonging to the reference population. Complementary to food policies, nutritional policies are supposed to assure the consumption efficiency, by reference to the respective population, seeking to reach a balance between the concrete physiological needs of the individuals and the nutrient content, necessary for satisfying these needs. In their turn, all these aspects must provide a basis for the wage and tax policies applied to the reference population, so that the minimum income of the individuals can cover, besides other fundamental needs, the daily food.
Not assuring food security will lead to a severe global food crisis, whose evil consequences can hardly be assessed. In this context, we shouldn’t forget that the food security of the world is the base of its whole security system, and a potential collapse in the food security area actually means the collapse of the entire security system.
Recognizing the importance and the current relevance of food security, Amfiteatru Economic invites researchers interested in this topic to submit, for the 51st issue of the journal, papers investigating this phenomenon. The proposed topic includes, without limitation, following issues:
Note:
This issue approaches only the topic of food security. Food security refers to measures and actions taken at national and international level, in order to assure the access of a population group, or the entire population of a country, to a sufficient food quantity, of tested quality and affordable based on the social status of each consumer.
As a consequence, authors ARE ASKED NOT TO APPROACH FOOD SAFETY ISSUES (referring to the harmlessness of food, manufactured, processed or consumed by a person or a human community. The food safety was approached by issue no. 47/2018).
Developed and developing countries face social, economic and environmental challenges. These are the dimensions of sustainability, and the future of mankind depends on a transition from a linear economy toward bioeconomy. It is currently one of the most important priorities capturing the attention of political decision-makers, representatives of different industries, and the attention of researchers as well.
The advancement of the bioeconomy relies on new knowledge and technologies, however, it faces numerous risks and uncertainties. These challenges can be studied from a human behavior perspective, which includes, among other topics, individual and social decision making, risk and loss aversion and human reacting at specific economic situations.
For a sustainable bioeconomic development, in addition to biotechnological advancement, social transformation is also required. New market opportunities will arise as novel biotechnology products provide significant benefits for consumers, society and the environment. Further development of the bioeconomy will influence and be influenced by the public support and changing attitudes.
For this reason, the complexity and novelty of this phenomenon require additional research resulting in novel concepts, ideas and models.
The proposed topics include, but are not limited to:
Authors are invited to submit original research papers, particularly those focusing on practical applications, for publication in the Amfiteatru Economic Journal issue no. 50/2019.
Bioeconomy represents a priority of the R&D and innovation policy in the European Union. It aims at biotechnologies progress and their utilization on a larger scale in economical processes capable to provide a sustainable growth by replacing the traditional resources with regenerative biological resources. Bioeconomy means the transfer of the new advanced scientific knowledge in the innovative industrial processes for producing new materials, new food, pharmaceutical and chemical products, and new energy resources. By all these features, bioeconomy represents an intrinsic and vital component of the knowledge economy. In the same time, bioeconomy generates important social transformations supported significantly by the intellectual capital and knowledge management.
In the contemporary economy, intellectual capital has the tendency to become more important than the capital based on tangible resources. In the last two decades there was in the whole world an intensification of research concerning the structure, functionality and contribution of the intellectual capital to the economic performances. However, the complexity and novelty of this domain require new research, new concepts, ideas and models. Also, it requires new case studies for understanding the economic, managerial and business phenomena, focused on intellectual capital of organizations, cities and nations.
In parallel with research focused on intellectual capital there has been developed research concerning knowledge management, a complex process of using efficiently and intelligently intangible resources in the generic management process. While the intellectual capital appears as a potential of organizational intangible resources, knowledge management has been developed as a practical answer to the need of identifying and implementing those models through which managers can use efficiently organizational knowledge.
In the context of bioeconomy development, as well as the increasing interest for intellectual capital and knowledge management, editors of Amfiteatru Economic invite academics having research in this field to share their investigation results related to economic/industrial exploitation of advanced biotechnologies , reflecting on the role of intellectual capital and knowledge management in this process. Editors welcome especially case studies done at the level of organizations, supply chains or industries able to evidence the challenges of intellectual capital and knowledge management in practice for the progress of bioeconomy. The following topics are of interest without limiting authors’ contribution to them:
Considering the above arguments, the authors are invited to publish in the Issue 49 of this journal articles with topics integrated in the described framework, papers which contain research in this domain focusing especially on practical applications.
In contrast with the traditional linear economy “take-make– use/consume-dispose”, a circular economy is a comprehensive economic model conceived to give resources’ highest utility and value in every stage by reducing waste, reusing and recycling. Biological and technical cycles are dealt with distinctively. Among others, new business models - based on sharing, leasing, reuse, repair, refurbishment and recycling - support the transition to the circular economy.
The intellectual seeds of circular economy concept were planted in the 1970s under the energy crisis’ pressure. However, only during the last decade the circular economy has been adopted as a strategic priority by economic and business policy makers. Nowadays intensification of preoccupations regarding the transition towards a circular economy is attributed to favorable technological and social developments.
In 2015 the European Commission put forward a legislative package accompanied by a program of measures and has undertaken since then, a series of actions to promote the circular economy. Progress so far illustrate, at macro and micro level, the benefits of adopting circular economy principles, but are relatively isolated and modest compared to the ambitions.
Recognizing the importance and topicality of the issues presented above, Amfteatru Economic Journal invites researchers with preoccupations in this field to submit for publication in journal’s issue no. 48 papers investigating from a systemic perspective the conditions for the transition to a circular economy.
The proposed priority topics include, but are not limited to:
Ensuring food safety in the European Union is a cross-border issue, as the food we consume originates to a large extent from other countries. The European Union is a single market, enabling the free movement of products, including food, on its territory. The fact that food is not marketed in only one country leads to an increased competition, and the consumers are provided with a wider range of products, at lower prices. On the other hand, the single market requires the development, at European level, of the most important regulations in matters of food quality and safety.
The EU wants to ensure the access of its citizens to safe and nutritious food, produced from healthy plants and animals. Hence, protecting the health of humans, animals and plants, in every stage of the production process, is a key priority of the economic and public health policies. In the same time, the EU intends to guarantee the proper operation of the food industry – the most important employer and production sector from Europe.
By its policy, the EU protects health along the entire food chain – i.e. in every stage of the production process, from the farm to the consumer - preventing food contamination and promoting the food hygiene, the provision of information regarding food, as well as the health and the wellbeing of animals and plants. The EU food policy is meant to:
Considering the above issues, the aim of the editors is that the issue no. 47/2018 of the journal Amfiteatru Economic includes original research papers on food safety in the European context, focussed on following topics:
Based on the issues mentioned above, authors are asked to prepare papers that comply with the suggested topic and include research in this field (not a theoretical approach).
Remark:
This issue is meant to approach only the matter of food safety (in the meaning of the harmlessness of the produced, processed and consumed food). Hence, authors should not approach in their papers matters of food security (the term and the concept of food security refer to the policy of quantitative and qualitative satisfaction of the food requirements for a country or a community).
Migration is an integral part of human development. Humans have always wanted to discover new horizons and to identify and explore new opportunities. In this context, they migrated to much better places in terms of perspectives regarding work, education, political rights, personal safety, healthcare. International migration is a reality that will continue to exist as long as there are discrepancies in terms of wealth and development between different regions of the world, as there are economic, political or social issues. This phenomenon may represent an opportunity for development as it is an important factor of human and economic exchanges and it also allows people to realize their aspirations. A less important issue before 2000, the freedom of movement has become a focus of political debate in recent years. This was fuelled by a considerable increase in mobility within the European Union (EU), particularly from East to West, with negative effects on increasing xenophobia and anti-EU sentiments, and also the recent BREXIT vote that was the most pronounced expression thereof.
The current migration and refugee crisis in Europe represents a major challenge to existing regulations for granting asylum, and to identify practical solutions in a wide range of areas in connection with human mobility, with strong implications at economic level. At the same time, migration management in the EU includes an internal dimension, which derives from the joint responsibility of the Member States but also an external dimension, managed in cooperation with non-EU countries, countries of transit and of origin of migrants.
Considering these developments, the editors intend to host in the 46th issue of the Amfiteatru Economic journal original research papers in the following thematic areas:
Competition's main aim is to better satisfy consumer needs without sacrificing manufacturer's interests. Competition is good for both consumers and producers. The former have the opportunity to meet their consumption needs suitable to their tastes and financial possibilities, while producers are stimulated to produce better and more efficiently.
By its nature, competition is considered the main factor of economic, technical, and scientific progress. The main beneficiary of this progress is the consumer who receives the beneficial effect of competition by lower costs, by the quantity, quality, and diversity of goods and services, by the promptness with which these are offered, and by the facilities granted to him/her in terms of economic rationality, in order to maximize his/her satisfaction. Due to these consequences, competition is a major instrument for protecting consumer interests.
The main objective of the competition policy is to protect, maintain, and stimulate competition and a competitive environment that should require to economic entities to improve their economic activity and to promote consumers interests in order to ensure their welfare.
Placing consumers interests at the heart of competition activities, is based on the consideration that consumer welfare should be an essential component of the policy in this area. When competition policy is effectively and correctly applied, consumer rights and interests are protected. This way, they have the greatest benefits.
Considering the previously mentioned aspects, the editors intend to host in the 45th issue of the Amfiteatru Economic journal, original research papers referring to the competition policy especially approached in terms of consumers, of respecting their rights and interests:
An excellent organization involves much more than the implementation and the certification of one or more models of management systems. It means developing techniques and tools of business excellence which lead the organization to outstanding performance on quality, costs and deadlines in order to meet the expectations of all their stakeholders. Such an approach is needed especially in the context of an economy marked by globalization, extremely complex and dynamic that causes spectacular changes in the business environment by integrating quality management principles in order to develop sustainable excellence.
Not coincidentally the new edition of the European excellence model EFQM integrates for the first time the principle "managing with agility“ with the principles: “developing organizational capability”, “harnessing creativity & innovation”, “adding value to the customer”, “sustaining outstanding results” for the organization and “creating a sustainable future”. Also, the new model for quality management system defined by the edition from 2015 of ISO 9000 standards , promotes the process based approach, incorporating the cycle "Plan - Do - Check - Act" (PDCA) and the risk - based thinking, focusing on organizational change and innovation, in order to ensure a sustainable performance in business. Noteworthy is the endeavor for the development of a high level structure for all international standards for management systems, aiming to harmonize these standards to facilitate the implementation of integrated management systems (quality - environment - security - social responsibility).
In these circumstances it is recognized more and more the importance of organizational agility development for all processes control, in relation to all the interested parties, taking into account the principles of quality management and business excellence, in connection with developing their capacity for innovation so as to minimize the growing risks in business development and sustainability.
Considering these developments, the editors of journal Amfiteatru Economic intend to host in issue no. 44 several original researches in the following thematic areas:
In the last 25 years, most Central and Eastern European states have become detached from the centralized economy system thus demonstrating the reliability of the market economy.
The unequivocal effect of the free market, with ups and downs, forces researchers to undertake increasingly complex economic analysis and further the profile of the new economy. With the accession of a number of countries from this region to the European Union there were some constraints and limitations in adopting the European acquis, whose knowledge and solution involves the use of specific policies and tools. We consider the problems related to the resolution of economical, social and technological discrepancies and gaps, of mitigating the negative impact of unfavorable demographic trends, of elucidating the role of the state amid the erosion of its duties due to the process of integration and globalization, of increasing pressure interdependencies interstate and others.
However, the literature lacks a comprehensive analysis of specific countries` economies from Central and Eastern Europe, that capture the radical transformations that took place after the collapse of communism. Such studies are needed not only for information and scientific dialogue, but also for the development and recovery of forecasts and projections of certain future development practice models. Secondly, research in this area should highlight the particularities of their economies, their structural diversity and unique principles that govern the integrated system of the European Union, which attempts to avoid imposing standard formula for the development , which are clearly unsustainable. Also, the new quantitative and qualitative approaches of the economic structures evolution need to be elaborated, on different time horizons, including phenomena and processes representative of the geographic areas of Europe. In this context knowing the strengths and weaknesses of opening their economies to the outside becomes a useful tool, together with the opportunities offered by the European Union and cyclical development risks, accompanied by possible remedies in crisis situations. The magnitude of changes in this part of Europe leads to the need to treat their effects in terms of costs and benefits of European integration. Stimulating the process of reducing disparities between the Member States without neglecting the issue of competition is given an essential role.
Increasing the power of multinational corporations in these countries causes frequent restructuring, which requires adequate solutions, specific to these countries, which are subordinate to the principle of sustainable development.
Thus, the editors of the Amfiteatru Economic Journal recommend researchers in the field to submit studies on the consequences and constraints reflected in the structural characteristics of the economies from Central and Eastern Europe subject to the EU integration process:
The topics are related to constraints and conditions, thresholds or limits, estimates or forecasts reflected in the results of research and development econometric modeling of the characteristics of the economies of Central and Eastern Europe, submitted to the EU integration process. At the same time, delimitations will show, which will relate to methodological and quantitative modeling of results from specific investigation of these economies over the past two decades, with stimulative or restrictive impact reflected in costs.
As mentioned above, the authors are kindly requested to develop materials that fall within the subject, materials containing research in the field (not a theoretical treatment).
European experience continuously enhances the meanings of integration and economic convergence that become significant topics, discussed and approached under the premise of European economies actual status, which seek to continue the much needed economic development through integration and monetary convergence to Euro zone. In the past two decades, macro and microeconomic integration and extended or entire convergence have become issues of fundamental debates for all European economies, therefore requiring the simultaneous discussion of integration processes four dimensions and, in particular, of convergence: a) nominal or strictly monetary, targeting an economic stability and the transition to the single European currency; b) real or intended to diminish disparities (especially experienced by income and productivity); c) institutional or ensuring institutions compatibility; d) structural.
This approach can generate multiple theme topics, which focused on original research can be eligible as part of the 42 issue of Amfiteatru Economic journal. Hence, the journal editors propose, in this regard, a set of issues related to:
The above mentioned approaches can be joined by innovative research dedicated to the future of integration and to the revealing of interdependencies between integration, monetary convergence and globalization, as the final issue.
The role of knowledge intensive services in today`s economy are among the topics most frequently addressed in recent years by researchers. The major interest is targeting in particular services provided to enterprises, known internationally as knowledge intensive business services or, by abbreviation, KIBS. As a sector of the economy, KIBS consists of enterprises specializing in providing to other businesses services that require intensive use of advanced knowledge, thus characterized by the fact that intellectual input has a decisive share in the value added. Usually are considered part of this sector undertakings which have as object of activity the provision of services in the fields of research and development, design and technical assistance in implementing of new technologies including information and communication, training, management consulting, marketing and advertising, quality assurance and certification, accounting and auditing, legal consulting and assistance, architecture and construction engineering. According to the statistical classification NACE rev2, much of KIBS can be found in divisions 62, 63, 69, 71-74.
Currently available literature provide convincing evidence about the KIBS potential to induce - for their customers - accelerated innovation and increased competitiveness. Many authors find, however, that the results are not the same everywhere. KIBS work in close connection with their customers’ specificities in term of needs, capacity and economic context. The way KIBS interact with conditions specific to certain sectors, and the role they play in the economic and social tissue at regional level are not yet studied comprehensively. It is necessary to continue investigating these issues in order to provide policymakers and business an opportunity to better harness the catalyst potential of KIBS.
That is why the editors of Amfiteatru Economic Journal invite researchers involved in the field to share their findings on KIBS influence on certain economic sectors or on regional economic development, under the topic announced for the issue 41 of the journal (submission deadline September 30th, 2015).
As examples, contributions are welcomed regarding:
Contributions based on empirical research and case studies are preferred, without excluding, however, theoretical work.
Please pay attention to the definition of KIBS and to the fact that journals’ topic involves investigating these activities in explicit relationship either with certain economic sectors or with certain regions.
Business development in accordance with sustainability principles has become a “hot spot” of this century. A planned, integrated and properly coordinated guidance to protect the environment, the involvement in the initiatives of local communities and society as a whole or the support of own business and its long-term effectiveness, are the key elements that a business can use to achieve a harmonious and synergistic development, and even a competitive advantage. The major difficulty of this approach is apparent from the difficulty of understanding and proper transposing the directions specific to sustainable development within a business marketing, its research and in finding the consumers willing to pay the price of sustainable benefits.
Developing a sustainable marketing concept calls for a mindset change from all stakeholders of a business. It refers to understanding a business in a holistic way, involving all stakeholders in a cooperative partnership. In this context, the marketing approach concerns - mainly – the meso/mezzo or macroeconomics areas. Consequently, the human, material and financial aspects of this approach exceed the micro level of a company. This requires involving partners, not always purely economic motivated, such as local communities, civil society and non-governmental bodies including international organizations and institutions. These features entail also increased responsibilities towards the closely monitoring throughout the business development and marketing controlling.
The 40 issue of Amfiteatru Economic Journal aims to host original research that contribute to the implementation of sustainable development concept in terms of business marketing, as well as of its facets to various economic sectors within trade, tourism, manufacturing business etc. We welcome research aiming:
Authors are advised that there will be considered eligible only those articles that deal with business marketing from the perspective of sustainable development. Therefore, the most important keywords that must be retrieved within the content of the article should be business marketing and sustainability (or sustainable development).
Retail is permanently adapting to changing market conditions, remaining a sector with high competitiveness. Modern buyer is hurried, more mobile, better informed; more concerned about health, environment, comfort and aesthetics issues, more demanding in terms of quality and level of customization. Population migration, urbanization, population ageing, the absolute decrease in population, the reducing of average households size, are demographic evolutions to which retail must provide an appropriate response. Retail businesses operating costs tend to increase, while buyers are savvier under the impact of the global financial crisis, which put additional pressure on profit margins.
Under these conditions, increased innovation becomes, for retail companies as well, the main lever to increase competitiveness. New store formats, new types of commercial technologies, new ways of selling, new market strategies are emerging.
The Amfiteatru Economic Journal aims to host in its issue no.39 original research that contributes to foreseeing the future retail, identify key directions for change impact analysis of new technologies and the possibilities offered by some emerging solutions. We welcome research regarding:
We mention that the theme does not relate to e-commerce but does not rule out problems achieving multichannel retailing.
Entrepreneurship is the cornerstone of a modern competitive economy. Because of the economic and social importance attributed to entrepreneurship, every country has adopted policies aiming to encourage and to support entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviors. Despite the fact that the set of public policy measures is very similar across countries and regions, the outcomes are different. The differences can be observed not only in quantitative terms (i.e. number of newly established ventures), but also in qualitative terms (i.e. proportion of innovative firms, intensity of knowledge and technological level, degree of internationalization etc.). Indeed, entrepreneurship takes different forms ranging from an alternative to employment (self-employed) to creation of innovative, competitive and fast growing enterprises. It is also recognized the corporate entrepreneurship, the social entrepreneurship and even the entrepreneurship in the public sector. Different forms of entrepreneurship have a different impact in terms of general progress. Scholars have shown that context is an important factor explaining the variability of entrepreneurship outcomes, calling for a better understanding of the business environment influence on the intensity and qualityof the entrepreneurial activity.
If one recognize the influence of context on entrepreneurship performance, then the significant mutations which affect the business environment under pressures coming from demographic and social changes, cultural diffusion, science and technology advances should be taken into consideration as well.. What impact will it have, the new context, on entrepreneurship? How should be reconfigured the strategies and policies in order to take account of the transformation of the business environment?
Under the topic announced for issue no. 37, the Editors of the Amfiteatru Economic Journal invite contributions reporting original research which:
Please note that only papers which explicitly address one or several of the topics mentioned above will be included in the selection process.
The Protection of the Consumers Rights in an Era of Technological Changes and Globalization
In the market economy the consumer occupies a dominant position, it constitutes the reference element of all actions taken both by the producer and the trader, and ensuring that position is made by the observance of his fundamental rights: the right to protection of health and security, the right to information and education, the right to protection of economic interests, freedom of choice, right to compensation, right to satisfaction of basic needs, freedom of association and representation.
As a result of the technological revolution brought by internet and digitization, along with the globalization of trade, consumers face an increasingly more complex environment which leads to significant challenges on the consumer protection. The production, distribution and selling goods and services will really have a global dimension. The traders will sell increasingly more to consumers products from anywhere in the world thanks to e-commerce, but this globalization makes the identification of unsafe products entering the market hard. Products and services will become more sophisticated and more personalized; instead, the traditional consumers’ rights will be increasingly less suited to the digital age. In that way, difficulties regarding the protection of consumer rights increase and also the need for a reliable more efficient market oversight, so that consumer protection policy better adapts to these realities.
The general problem faced by the state and the consumer resides in the application and guarantee of fundamental rights and liabilities stipulated by the legislation. This basically entails effort to create an economic, information, institutional and juridical suitable framework based on which the consumer rights could be fully harnessed, recorded and guaranteed by the legislation.
Considering the aspects mentioned above, the editors of Amfiteatru Economic no. 36, require authors to prepare materials to fit in this topic, materials containing research in the areas like:
Given the spectacular growth in the supply of goods and experiencing an exacerbation of competition, producers were forced to objectivise that their remaining in the competition depends on the number of customers, thus explicitly recognizing consumer sovereignty on the market. Consequently, organizations today are concerned with fulfilling the expressed and specified requirements, in order for their products to be as close as possible or even completely satisfy consumer expectations.
Organizations that provide consumers with products and services are responsible towards them. Main areas of organizations responsibility to consumers refer to the following:
Protection of consumer rights in the field of economic services of general economic interest
Over the years, the demand for services of general interest and the manner they are provided have evolved significantly. Services that the state would traditionally provide in a direct form have been increasingly outsourced by national, regional and local authorities, and are now often provided by the private sector (with or without profit). This changed approach is driven by the processes of deregulation, the changes in government policies and the changing needs and expectations of users According to its European definition, a general interest service is a service that "public authorities classify as being general interest, and is subject to specific public service obligations". These services were identified as having a central role in the European model of society that the European Union has been built on, because they meet people’s basic needs. In the terms and procedures thez are governed by EU rules, there are two categories of services of general interest, namely services of general economic interest and non-economic services. We have to specify, and foreworn about the significant fact that the theme of the Journal’s 34 issue is based only on services of general economic inters (SGEI) The services of general economic interest are those economic activities that generate results for the benefit of the general public, which the market would not provide (or would provide otherwise in respect of quality, safety, affordability, equal treatment and universal access) without public intervention. Public service liability is required from the provider by assigning a task, based on a general interest criterion designed to ensure that the service in question is provided on terms which enable it to fulfill its mission. SGEI are essential to consumers, because their absence results not only in discomfort and inconvenience, but also in a threat to health, life and social integration. Consequently, there are a number of specific Community rules such as public procurement, environmental and consumer protection, which apply to certain aspects of these services. The European strategy for services of general economic interest has two main medium-term objectives, viz. to ensure a high level of consumer protection, notably by improving access to information, better consultation and better representation of consumers’ interests, and to ensure enforcement of the rules of consumer protection, notably through law enforcement cooperation, information, education and redress. When general economic interest services were provided by state owned or controlled monopolies, consumers had fewer things to worry about. There was only one supplier, one quality and one price. Decisions wee made by someone elese. Even consumers had to pay for low quality services, they could do little or nothing to improve the situation. Now, when a sector of these services has been liberalized, consumers should behave differently. They should investigate the market, get information regarding various providers, prices, accessibility, geographical and economic restrictions, the terms of the contracts, after-sales services, thus becoming able to compare similar services and take their own decisions and choices, which turn out to be more profitable for them. This is a new difficulty. Changing attitudes takes time, education and training. At the same time, providers of such services should promote, in their activity, common principles such as universality and equality of access, continuity, security and adaptability, quality, efficiency and affordability of tariffs, transparency, stability, duration and equal sharing of risk, protection of underprivileged social groups, protection of users, consumers and the environment, and citizen involvement, considering the specific circumstances of each sector. The services of general economic interest refer to basic services having to do with supplying power and energy, electronic communications (Internet, audiovisual program retransmission services, fixed and mobile phone), postal services, transport, water supply and drainage, and waste removal. Consumers, as natural persons, is the final destination of the process, and has a number of rights regarding services in this area; hence, observing these rights must be prioritized in providing services. Consequently, we devised this type of theme in order that we might receive answers in this direction, because, as is known, there are many problems, challenges and complaints about these services to the consumer. In consideration of the above-mentioned issues, the editors of Amfiteatru Economic no. 34 require authors to develop materials that fit this theme, which shouldc include research in the field (not a theoretical treatment), answering the question: How are consumer rights respected in the field of economic services of general interest?
Supply Chain Management
A relatively new concept, and still one that has quickly imposed itself in both theory, and in business practice, is Supply Chain Management. Although recently appeared, Supply Chain Mangement is an evolving concept, which assumes specific forms according to the basic features of economic development. Initially related to large transnational corporations, Supply Chain Management was intra-organizational. Subsequently, inter-oranizational logistics chains, consisting of different legal entities, appear more and more often.
The common element of logistics chains, regardless of their type, is the communication system based on information technology. The success of such a construction is ensured by the trust between partners, highlighted by the way of sharing and accessing information.
Among the factors recognized as having an important role in the prevalence of the Supply Chain Management, one can mention: globalization, the development of information and communication technologies, the evolution of relations between industry and trade, the market configuration, the development of the strategic functions in entreprises, the extensive use of outsourcing and subcontracting.
Amid the establishment of global procurement centers, determined by international specialization, resource availability and accessibility of competitive products, logistics chains are, in turn, global. Consequently, there appear new issues related to the management of chains that are becoming more widespread geographically. Aspects such as transport organization, number and location of storage centers, inventory management, etc. are the problems of supply chain management.
In addition, the global economic crisis and that from the Arab countries, plus the earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011 in Japan, emphasize a number of issues with implications in the way of managing supply chains, and in the activity of 3PLs and 4PLs logistics companies.
Nevertheless, supply chain management is a major factor contributing to the competitiveness of the firms, becoming a source of differentiation and competitive advantage. In this way, it supports the success of companies on markets which are becoming more globalized, with increasingly demanding customers and more marked competition.
In order to emphasize the importance of the Supply Chain Management, the editors of this issue of Amfiteatru Economic journal want, and expect from the authors, materials based on relevant empiric research, addressing: Outsourcing versus centralization of logistics activities; 3PLs versus 4PLs; European logistics market; Logistics Customer Service; Value-Added Services; Supply Chain Cost Reduction; Securing the Supply Chain; Information Systems for Supply Chain Management; Speed, Flexibility, Resilience of Supply Chain Management; Performance of Supply Chain Management.
SUSTAINABILITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
The relevant and, above all, remarkable character of sustainability is due to its "duality": on the one hand, it becomes indispensable to organizations, even if sustainability raises most activities and processes’ costs. Ability to deal with sustainability "challenges" will result in the future emergence of organization forms. If a decade ago, multinationals’ CEOs had clearly expressed doubts regarding the financial feasibility of sustainability, today, the same CEOs grant sustainability great importance in maintaining and developing the competitive advantage of the companies they manage.
To highlight the exceptional character of the two concepts that set up the proposed theme, so opposite, but the more important by their integration itself, the editors of this issue would like and expect a perception lacking futile ideological assertions and mainly focused on statements and strong theoretical conceptualizations, closely related with pertinent empirical research directed to:
CONSUMERS’ EDUCATION AND INFORMATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THEIR AWARENESS AND ECOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR
The right to education and information is one of the most important consumer’s rights. It plays a key role in achieving all other consumer’s rights for only through education and information consumers will be able to exercise the full freedom of informed choice.
The consumer must be informed, educated, trained and instructed on how he or she can assess and evaluate products, including the eco ones. Educating and informing consumers aim at making them able to choose discerningly and to comprehend fully their rights and responsibilities.
Given the global environmental crisis facing humanity, and the increasing requirement for a sustainable development strategy, namely eco-development, at both national and international levels, it is necessary that every citizen, as a consumer, knowing the current realities and considering them during purchasing and consumption activities. In other words, today more than ever there is a need for ecological consciousness and consumers’ behaviour training, as they will contribute to a wiser and more rational attitude towards the environment.
The purpose of this issue on "Educating and informing consumers in terms of their environmental consciousness and behaviour" is to explore the concept of consumers` environmental consciousness and behaviour and to highlight methods and tools that can be used to achieve the right consumers` education and information regarding organic products. Therefore, the main topics that researchers can address are:
The research of consumer’s behaviour is currently a priority in terms of perceptions, attitudes and benefits consumers perceive linked to organic products. The products bringing added value to health and environment, such as organic products, turn market competitive only if the average consumer will understand these products benefits. Studying the conceptualization of how people think about products and their purchase, of their attitude to diet and understanding the relation between diet and health are all parts of multidisciplinary research that crosses social and natural sciences, synthetically creating the Consumer science.
Note
This issue does not address companies’ eco-consciousness and behaviour. More clearly, the research conducted through papers must focus on identifying ways to support and advice eco-products consumers in their decision-making purchase and consumption processes and not supporting companies in selling more. We do not refer to Environmental Marketing.