THE STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROCESS

Contemporary trends in global competition, rapid technological developments and increased use of management information systems and the Internet, developments in planning and control and management thinking, and changing demographics are putting pressuresstrategy, performance management, strategic objectives, management.

Managerial Practices of Increasing Organizational Performances in a Competitive Environment

Excellence in management is a must in today's competitive business environment. Business has become complex and global. Traditional management practices like: strategy planning, personnel organization, budget setting and problem solving on a daily basis are still essential. Yet the emphasis is shifting. More and more significance is being placed on the organizations ability to survive and to achieve performance in these turbulent times. Management practices must evolve and change to continue to meet the need of an organization. This paper examines the management practices required in today's companies, necessary for achieving good results in organizational performances.management, managerial practices, organizational performance.

COMPETITIVENESS AND PERFORMANCE ON THE COSMETICS MARKET

Most organizations are going through massive changes. Their customers are changing, their competition is changing, their customerâ€(tm)s needs are changing and their resources availability is changing - the cosmetics companies are no different. Organizational survival and success depends on the ability of the managers to detect and adapt to critical changes in the environment, which may impact the company. \\r\\nThe paper has two main purposes. First to underline the importance performance measurement has in todayâ€(tm)s business and second to present a few key elements regarding the performance of the cosmetics sector in Romania. For this we have tried to answer the following question: Are the cosmetics companies competitive? \\r\\nThis paper is based on exploratory literature review of different approaches regarding organizational performances in organizations in general. \\r\\nDespite the global economic crisis and the general slowdown of many markets, the Romanian beauty and personal care market continued to grow in 2009. Consumer awareness and product knowledge is growing rapidly and the development of retailing chains and their widening product offer have also helped to further the development of the beauty and personal care market.\\r\\nThe paper also presents the results of section three of an online survey conducted at 10 cosmetic companies from Romania. The results have shown that multinationals have both the economic and managerial power to succeed in obtaining their goals. Even though the sample of 72 respondents was rather small, we managed to conclude from the received answers that the majority of companies focus on economic and managerial performance rather than on social and ecological performance indicators. \\r\\nThis paper aimed to contribute to the literature review development in the field of performance management. The results of this study can be of use for managers from the analyzed domain or for other researchers in the economic field. \\r\\nThe authors have contributed to the originality of this paper, by presenting pertinent conclusions about the cosmetics market from Romania, resulted from the literature review and from an empirical study. \\r\\nmanagement, performance, cosmetics market, competition

The Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase (Akt)/ Protein Kinase B (PkB) Signaling Pathway in Breast Cancer

According to statistical data published in 2019, breast cancer is among the leading causes of death in women worldwide. The serine/threonine kinase (AKT) or protein kinase B (PkB) signaling pathway is activated by phosphorylation processes, which further is associated with cell growth, proliferation, and survival, but also with activation of glucose metabolism. Mutations of the AKT signaling pathway components (especially PI3KCA and PTEN) have been observed in breast cancer patients, which are associated with resistance to hormonal treatment. Many clinical trials are testing the effect of AKT inhibition in order to block the growth and proliferation of breast cancer cells. The purpose of this review is to present the incidence of this neoplastic disease, to describe AKT signaling pathways activation, mutations that occur at its level, and inhibitors that can block this protein kinase

HPTLC assay of nicotine and cotinine in biological samples

This study presents the development of a simple high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for the determination of nicotine and its metabolite cotinine in human plasma and urine. The following mobile phases: methanol: ammonia (100:1.5, v:v), chloroform: acetone: ammonia (48.75: 48.75: 2.5, v:v:v), methanol: chloroform: ammonia (48.75: 48.75: 0.5, v:v:v) and glass plates precoated with silicagel 60 F254 (20x20) as a stationary phase were used. Densitometric scanning was performed at 263 nm. Two different extraction procedures have been applied: liquid-liquid extraction using dichloromethane at alkaline pH and solid-phase extraction using C18 cartridges. Preliminary tests in order to establish the system of solvents for development, as well as the range of linearity, were conducted. The best separation of nicotine and cotinine was obtained by using methanol: chloroform: ammonia (48.75: 48.75: 0.5, v:v:v) as the mobile phase. The liquid-liquid extraction technique led to better results than solid phase extraction. The regression curves were linear (with a corresponding correlation coefficient higher than 0.99) in the quantities range of 200 ng–1000 ng/spot for both nicotine and cotinine. The UV spectra confirm the identification of nicotine and cotinine both in the standards and in the extracts after liquid-liquid extraction. The proposed method can be applied for the simultaneous evaluation of nicotine and cotinine in biological samples at toxic/lethal levels. Thus, the method may be applicable in lethal nicotine intoxication cases in forensic toxicological analysis

Graphite–castor oil polyurethane composite electrode surfaces – AFM morphological and electrochemical characterisation

Graphite–castor oil polyurethane composite electrodes with different graphite weight percentages, 30–70% graphite–polyurethane w w−1, were morphologically studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and voltammetry. AFM images and r.m.s. roughness measurements demonstrated that the polyurethane roughness decreased with increasing the graphite content, composites of 50% and 60% graphite–polyurethane w w−1 showing the smother electrode surface. The electrochemical characterisation was performed in solutions of K4Fe(CN)6 by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. For compositions of 60% and 70% graphite–polyurethane w w−1, the cyclic voltammetry results showed the K4Fe(CN)6 system reversibility. The charge transfer resistance, determined from the EIS spectra, decreased significantly with increasing the graphite/polyurethane ratio, and the capacitance increased for higher graphite percentages. AFM and voltammetric results enable to conclude that 60% graphite–polyurethane w w−1 was the optimal composition for the preparation of the graphite–polyurethane composite electrodes

PRINCIPLES OF INTEGRATION THE AGRI-DRONES IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS. NEW CONCEPTS TOWARDS AGRICULTURE-5.0

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have a crucial contribution to the development of precision agriculture (PA). Agricultural drones or agri-drones make the rapid transition from the military system (UAVs) to domestic applications in the PA, in order to provide the necessary support to farmers for the surveillance of large crops and / or in carrying out operations to protect or stimulate crops. This revolutionary leap contributes to the considerable savings of the farmer, as well as to the revolution of traditional agriculture towards intelligent agriculture or PA. Managerial decisions based on the three principles presented in the paper (EVI - Enhanced Vegetation Index, ZP - Zero Pollution and ROI - Return on Investment) are easier to make through the approach driven by digital technology. The information-based management cycle lays foundations for sustainable PA of the future (agriculture-5.0)