DISCLOSING THE PROMISING POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA – AN IMPORTANT DIGITAL MARKETING TOOL

The newest channels for communicating and selling to consumers are electronic. The Internet provides consumers and marketers with more opportunities than ever in achieving a greater interaction and individualization of services. Companies can send tailored messages that engage consumers by reflecting their special interests and behavior. Nowadays, very few marketing programs are considered complete without some type of prominent online component, which is gaining ground at the expense of traditional marketing. Attaining a successful marketing program compels companies to fully connect with their targeted customers. Thus, a holistic marketing approach must be adopted in order to comprehend the potential clients, by gaining a perspective of their daily lives, their customs of purchase and consumption, their plans for the future and the changes that actually occur in their lifetimes, so that the appropriate products are marketed to the right customers in the appropriate manner. The social media represents such a major cost effective opportunity for marketers to enter into dialogue with their customers and get an insight into their lives. Social network services such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter aggregate an abundance of information about their members that marketers find highly valuable, and they have paved the way for new forms of communication and collaboration between marketers and consumers. These new communications platforms are already making an impact as businesses use them as a means to connect with their audiences, find out more about their likes and dislikes related to their market offerings, and spread brand messages virally.social media, customer empowerment, digital marketing, interactive marketing

PURSUING A CUSTOMER-DRIVEN APPROACH FOR INNOVATION AND MARKETING EXCELLENCE

Nowadays, innovation goes so much further than merely products. In order to thrive in this extremely competitive business environment a company needs to innovate its technologies, its business strategies, its business models, and by innovating in research. It is also about reinventing or building new markets in order to meet, satisfy and delight untapped consumer needs, wants, and desires. However, considering the new opportunities and threats that Internet, globalization, and hypercompetition have on an organization’s activity regarding selecting and executing the right ideas, right products, and delivering them through the right channels in record time, at the right prices, while promoting them through all the relevant and right communication channels to the target market.marketing research, innovation, disruptive technology, customer-driven approach, customer value

CAUSE RELATED MARKETING – TRUE HEART-FELT CORPORATE BENEVOLENCE?

Nowadays, globally, consumers’ expectations have reached a new high, as they expect companies to act responsibly in changing the world. More than often these expectations are not met solely out of the kindness and generosity of corporations, but they are mixed in with corporate social responsibility programs and cause-related marketing. Consumers want more of the products and services they buy to support worthy social and environmental issues.Cause Related Marketing, Corporate Social Responsibility, Consumption Philanthropy, Corporate Philanthropy

The compliance of the Romanian listed companies with the principles and provisions of the corporate governance code

Starting from the research assumption that the Corporate Governance Code issued by Bucharest Stock Exchange (BSE) aims at building an internationally attractive capital market in Romania, based on best practices, transparency and trust that encourages companies to build a strong relationship with their shareholders and other stakeholders, communicate effectively and transparently and show openness towards all potential investors, in this paper we would like to present the degree of compliance of the companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange with the principles and provisions of the Corporate Governance Code. The aim of this paper is achieved by presenting and commenting on the principles issued by the BSE regarding the corporate governance and by analysing the Corporate Governance Reports of the companies, presenting at the same time the compliance of the listed companies with these principles and provisions, by using the data issued in 2018 by the entities included in our study, namely the listed companies on the main market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange. Our analysis reflects that, although the provisions and principles of the Corporate Governance Code are not mandatory for the listed companies, they are largely implemented in the activity of companies because an efficient corporate governance system can represent a competitive advantage for any economic entity in the context of globalisation.peer-reviewe

Accomodation to a ”New Normality” – Risk or Benefit?

The pandemia generated by the COVID-19 represents first of all a human tragedy, affecting society at its basis, and the effects induced by this boomerang are reflected on the labour market as well. The pandemia has accentuated the need of automation, even on the level of the insurance market, a fact that creates a lot of stress among the employees. The main purpose of the paper is to highlight the situation of the persons employed in various sectors of activity during the current pandemic conditions. The pandemic in the last year prompted large companies to explore more actively the opportunities to automate their activities. In the paper, the authors present the effects of automation on employed  people in various fields of activity, including the field of insurance, which has the effect of losing jobs and replacing human staff with the assistance of artificial technology. After the implementation of automation technologies, the roles and way of working of about a quarter of employees have changed globally, while one of ten employees already needed retraining. This trend will continue to grow, with respondents stating that they will have to retrain a third of the workforce in the next three years as a result of the changing roles. The impact upon sales of goods and services is of a lasting nature and the insurance companies have to adapt their methods to reach their clients where they are, as well as in way of selling an insurance police as in ascertainment of damage and risk inspection. &nbsp

Accomodation to a "new normality" - risk or benefit?

The pandemia generated by the COVID-19 represents first of all a human tragedy, affecting society at its basis, and the effects induced by this boomerang are reflected on the labour market as well. The pandemia has accentuated the need of automation, even on the level of the insurance market, a fact that creates a lot of stress among the employees. The main purpose of the paper is to highlight the situation of the persons employed in various sectors of activity during the current pandemic conditions. The pandemic in the last year prompted large companies to explore more actively the opportunities to automate their activities. In the paper, the authors present the effects of automation on employed  people in various fields of activity, including the field of insurance, which has the effect of losing jobs and replacing human staff with the assistance of artificial technology. After the implementation of automation technologies, the roles and way of working of about a quarter of employees have changed globally, while one of ten employees already needed retraining. This trend will continue to grow, with respondents stating that they will have to retrain a third of the workforce in the next three years as a result of the changing roles. The impact upon sales of goods and services is of a lasting nature and the insurance companies have to adapt their methods to reach their clients where they are, as well as in way of selling an insurance police as in ascertainment of damage and risk inspection

Auditors’ perceptions on work adaptability in remote audit: a COVID-19 perspective

In the context of COVID-19, adoption of teleworking challenges companies’ culture and social interaction to foster a creative and innovative workplace. The article aims to identify the auditors’ perception of different factors that influence work adaptability in remote audit activity. The research method is based on multivariate data analysis that consist of correspondence analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and generalised linear ordinal regression. On one hand, findings emphasise that auditors’ perception on the work efficiency of auditors in remote audits is significantly influenced by the digitalization degree of audit activities. On the other hand, the research outlines the main threats and opportunities of remote auditing in the context of the current pandemic restrictions. Where auditors perceive the benefits of remote audit, they appreciate positively the degree of adaptability and work efficiency as regards teleworking. Opportunities perceived lead to enhanced audit activity outcome if audit companies embrace emergent technologies in the new digital workplace. Nevertheless, as transition to remote audit determines increased auditors’ liability and audit risks, auditors are more cautious and sometimes reluctant about future scenarios of remote audit, if innovative emerging audit technologies and integrated GRCs are not used or are not properly implemented. Whatever the future holds for the new digital audit workplace, it is obvious that auditors working from home face specific challenges, because what they earn in efficiency, they lose in benefits that are harder to quantify, such as innovative thinking and creativity

Impact of sub-inhibitory antibiotics on fibronectin-mediated host cell adhesion and invasion by Staphylococcus aureus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>is a well-armed pathogen prevalent in severe infections such as endocarditis and osteomyelitis. Fibronectin-binding proteins A and B, encoded by <it>fnb</it>A/B, are major pathogenesis determinants in these infections through their involvement in <it>S. aureus </it>adhesion to and invasion of host cells. Sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of antibiotics, frequently occurring <it>in vivo </it>because of impaired drug diffusion at the infection site, can alter <it>S. aureus </it>phenotype. We therefore investigated their impact on <it>S. aureus </it>fibronectin-mediated adhesiveness and invasiveness.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>After <it>in vitro </it>challenge of <it>S. aureus </it>8325-4 and clinical isolates with sub-MICs of major anti-staphylococcal agents, we explored <it>fnb</it>A/B transcription levels, bacterial adhesiveness to immobilised human fibronectin and human osteoblasts in culture, and bacterial invasion of human osteoblasts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Oxacillin, moxifloxacin and linezolid led to the development of a hyper-adhesive phenotype in the fibronectin adhesion assay that was consistent with an increase in <it>fnb</it>A/B transcription. Conversely, rifampin treatment decreased fibronectin binding in all strains tested without affecting <it>fnb</it>A/B transcription. Gentamicin and vancomycin had no impact on fibronectin binding or <it>fnb</it>A/B transcription levels. Only oxacillin-treated <it>S. aureus </it>displayed a significantly increased adhesion to cultured osteoblasts, but its invasiveness did not differ from that of untreated controls.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings demonstrate that several antibiotics at sub-MICs modulate fibronectin binding in <it>S. aureus </it>in a drug-specific fashion. However, hyper- and hypo- adhesive phenotypes observed in controlled <it>in vitro </it>conditions were not fully confirmed in whole cell infection assays. The relevance of adhesion modulation during <it>in vivo </it>infections is thus still uncertain and requires further investigations.</p