Strategies for regional sustainable development in South-West Oltenia

The paper analyses the relationship between sustainable development, regionalism and strategic orientation in one of the least developed Romanian regions, South-West Oltenia. Based on a questionnaire filled in by a sample of managers from the region, the perception on business strengths and weaknesses, as well as the assessment of the external environment were investigated, and paralleled with the main causes of underdevelopment, as identified by the respective managers. The conclusions of the study give a plausible picture of the level of development, interrelated with the quality of business strategies in the region, and ask for a comparative analysis of more Romanian regions, having various development levels.sustainable development, regional planning, strategic management, South-West Oltenia.