Review of Higher Education’s Contribution to Regional Development in Romania

The impact of higher education institutions on the regional economy is now more important the ever, due not only to their role as providers of education and research, but also to their linkages to the economic, social and cultural surroundings. The paper explores the relationship between the higher education and the regional development, bringing evidence from the eight development regions of Romania: Bucharest and Ilfov, Center, West, North-West, North-East, South-East, South, and South-West, on the most widely used development indicators, according to the methodology proposed by OECD for the assessment of the local engagement of higher education institutions. The analysis reveals the needs to improve the relevance of university education, to widen and strengthen the collaboration between higher education institutions and the business environment, to improve the flexibility of the workforce by re-skilling and up-skilling through lifelong learning. In collaboration with regional and local authorities, universities are in the need to develop and expand learning and skills development programmes, research activities and outreach efforts to support the cultural and creative industry development of the regions they are embedded in, taking also into consideration the international dimension by building stronger connections with students, researchers and professionals from Europe and abroad.

Review of Higher Education's Contribution to Regional Development in Romania

The impact of higher education institutions on the regional economy is now more important the ever, due not only to their role as providers of education and research, but also to their linkages to the economic, social and cultural surroundings. The paper explores the relationship between the higher education and the regional development, bringing evidence from the eight development regions of Romania: Bucharest and Ilfov, Center, West, North-West, North-East, South-East, South, and South-West, on the most widely used development indicators, according to the methodology proposed by OECD for the assessment of the local engagement of higher education institutions. The analysis reveals the needs to improve the relevance of university education, to widen and strengthen the collaboration between higher education institutions and the business environment, to improve the flexibility of the workforce by re-skilling and up-skilling through lifelong learning. In collaboration with regional and local authorities, universities are in the need to develop and expand learning and skills development programmes, research activities and outreach efforts to support the cultural and creative industry development of the regions they are embedded in, taking also into consideration the international dimension by building stronger connections with students, researchers and professionals from Europe and abroad

Workforce professional skills development in times of economic crisis

Using unique individual-level data on the continuous professional training courses completed over the period 20072011 this paper addresses a topic a major concern for policy-makers and businesses in the light of the recent transformations emerging markets have suffered during the global financial crisis. The paper presents the analysis of the evolution of the demand for continuous professional training and the changes in the structure of the demand under the circumstances of the economic crisis. Findings reveal a significantly higher demand for continuous professional training for acquiring new qualifications in jobs requiring low educational attainment and competences in foreign languages and information technology in 2008 and 2009, while specializing and performance trainings in qualifications requiring secondary and tertiary education registered a significant increase during 2010 and 2011. More so, the average skill level of professional training is on the rise, demonstrating an increased preference for highly skilled jobs, in the detriment of the low skilled jobs

Romania trying to be an European brand

Building a coherent country branding program at international level requires a strong coordination between the government, the business sector, the decision makers from educational and cultural sector, the civil society and, the mass media representatives in any country. The paper presents the main efforts Romania has done to build a country image with a significant impact at international level. It focuses on the main policies and programs applied by Romania in the specific field of the national branding, offering a good analysis on the institutional framework and experience in promoting the country’s image internationally. The paper presents also the results of a research conducted with different local authorities (based on personal interviews) involved in the construction and promotion of a national brand abroad. The findings of the study provide opinions on the implications of the role of Romania’s country image in the European Integration process. A SWOT analysis on the Romania’s policy for building a European country brand completes the conclusions and the perspective on this particular issue considered to be important for a European Union integrating country. Finally, the paper makes proposals for creating a positive country image for Romania, a country that is in the process of redefining its position and its image at international level. Romania’s image will be considered from the perspective of the four dimensions defining a country image (tourism, exports, foreign direct investments and foreign policy), as well as from the perspective of building an integrated image abroad.Country branding, country image, policy making, European integration.

Romanian SMES during the crisis

The paper looks at how smes from Romania evolved in the period 20042011. The main objective of the paper is to compare smes situation before the start of the economic crisis and during the period of the crisis. The examination is done from a dynamic perspective and the analysis comprises two aspects: a) the evolution of a number of economic indicators related to Romanian smes in the studied period and b) the opinions and the perceptions of smes about the impact of the economic crisis on their activity. The paper advances proposals of possible strategies to help smes better cope with the on-going economic crisis

Revisiting a macroeconomic controversy: the case of the multiplier–accelerator effect

This paper presents the bibliometrics of a Keynesian and neoclassical discussion about the multiplier–accelerator effect. Having its oldest roots in the 1930s, there was a special emphasis in the 1960s and 1970s on discussions regarding the dependence of current investment on economic growth (the accelerator effect). Through a bibliometric analysis, we also consider the Hicks–Samuelson contribution, also known as the multiplier–accelerator model. We identified, among other things, the most relevant authors on the topics, the economic areas that have been contributed to the most through keyword analysis, and the most notable contributions through citation analysis. We concluded that several areas in economics have taken advantage of the discussion around the multiplier–accelerator effect, especially the discussion on the business cycle, structural dynamics, and public finance.Related to Funding, Paulo Mourao acknowledges the following: This paper is financed by National Funds of the FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology within the project, grant number UIDB/03182/2020

Do prosumers behave differently from other consumers on collaborative consumption platforms?

Purpose: This paper aims at understanding the differences between user profiles in collaborative consumption (CC) platforms in order to improve their management approaches and set up customized strategies. Particularly, the authors investigate the emerging role of prosumers and their influence on the active participation and growth of CC platforms. Moreover, the authors study user experience to help promoting users' recommendation and offering intention. Design/methodology/approach: The sample includes responses from 6,388 users of CC platforms across the EU. The data were collected through the European Commission's Flash Eurobarometer survey 467 and analyzed through a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Findings: The PLS-SEM findings suggest that prosumers are more likely than consumers to recommend and offer services through CC platforms. Furthermore, previous experience using platforms positively affects the switch from consumers to prosumers. The fsQCA suggests that only economic advantages affect the switchover decision. Research limitations/implications: This study deepens the hitherto unexplored prosumer role in CC platforms and its antecedents and drivers. Practical implications: The main limitations concern the generalizability outside of the EU, the unbalanced coverage of sectors and the number of moderator variables. Social implications: Prosumers act as golden actors because they contribute to enlarge both the customer base (through recommendations) and the provider base (through offering intention). Hence, managers should focus on prosumers' experiences to increase the critical mass and positive externalities of CC platforms. Originality/value: This study helps understand the importance of the role of prosumers in the growth of CC platforms. The study provides more robust results through a cross-country and mixed-method research

Perceived Factors and Value of Online Master Degrees in Romania

oai:ojs.www.managementdynamics.ro:article/8In the last #ve years, online master degrees were introduced in the educational offer by major higher education institutions from Romania. Although there were few pure online master degrees, the demand for such degrees has been continuously growing. More recently, a legislative measure discouraged the existence of a pure online learning degree, despite the success these degrees enjoyed and the positive opinion of employers. In this context, the present study aims to measure the perceived value and satisfaction of online master degrees among graduates of this type of degrees, the factors that influenced their choice to enroll in an online master program, and the perceived opinion of employers towards online master degrees. Findings reveal an overall increased satisfaction and perceived learning among graduates. We also found that the demographic characteristics and the grades students received during the years of study and at the graduation exam (dissertation) are strong predictors of perceived value and satisfaction with online master degrees