9 research outputs found
The Knowledge-Based Economy: Evolution of Research and Stage of Development in Europe and Romania
The knowledge-based economy represents a consequence of technological and
informational progress. The performances of the economies have lately depended on
the way in which knowledge is capitalizing, and also on the innovation degree and the
efficiency of information flows. The present paper aims to identify the importance,
characteristics and main elements of the knowledge-based economy, but also the
evolution of scientific research conducted in the field of knowledge-based economy in
the last 15 years. At the same time, the study aims to identify the development stage of
the knowledge-based economy in Europe, and also following the particular case of
Romania. The study also presents the connections of the knowledge-based economy
with the RDI system and the transfer of new technologies. The knowledge-based
economy has proven to be a relatively new concept, and the resources and implications
of this new economy have not yet been exhausted. Regarding the development stage of
the knowledge-based economy in different European countries, the differences are
significant, some countries being far from capitalizing on knowledge, because they do
not invest enough in development, research and innovation process
Implications of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory on Healthcare Employees’ Performance
The purpose of this study is to provide a new perspective of the motivation-performance link, and the influence of satisfying each basic human needs, described by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, on employees’ professional performance. We assumed that the positive relationship between each dimension of motivation and professional performance is mediated by work satisfaction. The proposed conceptual model was operationalized by seven latent constructs (the five dimensions of motivation, inspired by the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, job satisfaction and the professional performance), each of them measured by several observed indicators. The survey conducted for this occasion, was filled in by 824 employees from Romanian health organizations.Based on the research results, we can state that the Romanian health system employees are mostly motivated by meeting the needs of higher level, especially the need of self-actualization, and to a lesser extent by meeting the lower level ones. Those findings may serve as useful insights for health system policy makers and managerial practices in designing and implementing the most effective motivational strategies, able to generate increased professional performance.</p
Modelling the COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on Employees’ Health and Performance: A PLS-SEM Mediation Approach
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the imposition of certain changes in the management of organizations and in the behavior and actions of employees. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic effects on employees’ health and mental well-being, as well as on their working performance. Moreover, the paper aims to highlight whether health- and work-related stress factors mediate the above relations. For the purpose of data collection, a structured questionnaire was used. The first results of the study showed that the pandemic effects felt by employees did not directly affect their mental and physical well-being. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic effects felt by employees affected their general work performance. The findings of the study may provide a useful perspective for organizations and their employees in order to adopt the most effective measures to minimize the effects generated by the pandemic
The impact of national culture on employees' attitudes toward heavy work investment: Comparative approach Romania vs. Japan
This paper aims to study the heavy work investment's association with different forms of motivation, as well as the positive or negative effects of this investment on a personal and professional level, in the context of two very different national cultures: Romania and Japan. A questionnaire-based survey involving 822 employees in both Romania and Japan was carried out for data collection. The main results, obtained through structural equation modeling, suggest that intrinsic motivation could lead Romanian and Japanese employees to increase their investment of time and effort in work. On the other hand, the intensity of work will be positively reflected in their job satisfaction and professional performance and will lead to reduction in work-family conflict and turnover intention, while the massive investment of time will have opposite consequences. All these relationships are statistically different for employees in Romania and Japan, thus supporting the moderating effect of national culture. These results could be useful to both employees and managers in Romania and Japan to decide on the time and effort should be invested in work, considering both their positive and negative effects for employee and organization
Global Management Practices and Strategies in the IT Driven Society
The main objectives of the paper are: to identify and analyze the main ways in which global management practices and strategies can be adapted to survive in the context of the IT driven society, to determine which are the best ways in which managers can deal with the challenges of running global teams, to determine new guidelines, in order to accommodate the common shared digital workspace such created, and to change the approach in which the managerial functions and the management process itself is being regarded in, considering the continuous changes of the digital environment, as the current global workspace evolves. In terms of significant results and conclusions, may be mentioned the ones regarding the necessity of shaping a set of new management practices and strategies capable of validating the real requirements of the new social and economic background in which organizations exist in, and the fact that the traditional way in which the management process unfolds is no longer enough. Also, the paper comprises a set of basic guidelines to be followed in terms of establishing current management trends and practices in the IT driven globalized society, which today’s practitioners can use when making their own rules of the game, according to the specific context. Given the dynamic of the environment, further research should be considered and conducted in order to better comprehend the way in which managers need to act so that their companies fully benefit from the information technology opportunities
Identifying sufficient and necessary competencies in the effective use of artificial intelligence technologies
Recently, there have been significant changes in the labour market and in the lives of employees, as modern society adapts increasingly easily to the implementation of artificial intelligence tools. However, technological changes have also created challenges, including a gap between available and required competencies in the use of artificial intelligence technologies. This study aims to analyse the relationships between employee competencies and effectiveness in the use of artificial intelligence tools, in order to highlight the set of essential competencies in effective interaction with artificial intelligence technology. Therefore, to achieve the purpose of the research, a questionnaire was created and completed by 209 Romanian employees between August and September 2023. For data analysis, two advanced techniques were applied: structural equation modelling (SEM) and necessary conditions analysis (NCA) using the SmartPLS v4 program. The results suggest that employee competencies are significantly associated with the effectiveness of using AI tools, and optimism and innovativeness positively mediate this relationship. The originality of the research stands out through the use of two advanced analysis methods (structural equation modelling and necessary conditions analysis), with the aim of identifying the set of sufficient and necessary skills in the use of artificial intelligence tools. These findings have significant implications for organisations, the educational system, and future research directions on the managerial implications of using artificial intelligence tools
Chitosan-Based Edible Coatings Containing Essential Oils to Preserve the Shelf Life and Postharvest Quality Parameters of Organic Strawberries and Apples during Cold Storage
Edible coatings and films have been researched for more than three decades due to their ability to be incorporated with different functional ingredients or compounds as an option to maintain the postharvest quality of fruits and vegetables. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three types of chitosan-based (CH) edible coatings obtained from medium and high molecular weight chitosan, containing ascorbic or acetic acid and sea buckthorn or grape seed essential oils on the physical–chemical and microbiological properties of organic strawberries and apple slices during cold storage at 4 °C and 8 °C. Scanning electron microscope images showed both a smooth structure and a fracture and pore structure on strawberry coatings and a dense and smooth structure on the apple slices coatings. Further, the edible coatings managed to reduce the microbial load of yeasts and molds of the coated strawberries during the storage period. Overall, the treatments preserved the ascorbic acid, total polyphenol content, and antioxidant activity for all the tested samples compared to the control sample, throughout the storage period. In addition, the water activity (aw) of the coated samples presented lower values (0.96–0.98) than the control samples. The obtained results indicate that the developed chitosan-based edible coatings could maintain the postharvest parameters of the tested samples, also leading to their shelf-life prolongation
Bio-Based Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(butylene sebacate) Blends with Improved Toughness
A series of poly(butylene sebacate) (PBSe) aliphatic polyesters were successfully synthesized by the melt polycondensation of sebacic acid (Se) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO), two monomers manufactured on an industrial scale from biomass. The number average molecular weight (Mn) in the range from 6116 to 10,779 g/mol and the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PBSe polyesters were tuned by adjusting the feed ratio between the two monomers. Polylactic acid (PLA)/PBSe blends with PBSe concentrations between 2.5 to 20 wt% were obtained by melt compounding. For the first time, PBSe’s effect on the flexibility and toughness of PLA was studied. As shown by the torque and melt flow index (MFI) values, the addition of PBSe endowed PLA with both enhanced melt processability and flexibility. The tensile tests and thermogravimetric analysis showed that PLA/PBSe blends containing 20 wt% PBSe obtained using a BDO molar excess of 50% reached an increase in elongation at break from 2.9 to 108%, with a negligible decrease in Young’s modulus from 2186 MPa to 1843 MPa, and a slight decrease in thermal performances. These results demonstrated the plasticizing efficiency of the synthesized bio-derived polyesters in overcoming PLA’s brittleness. Moreover, the tunable properties of the resulting PBSe can be of great industrial interest in the context of circular bioeconomy