Facets of Economic and Financial Crisis Impact on Strategic Planning of travel Agencies

The purpose of this paper is to explore the strategic behavior of travel agencies in Romania and their strategy development process before and during the current economic crisis. Using 88 in-depth interviews with Romanian managers of travel agencies of different sizes, we pursued the understanding the extent to which they use strategic management, the role of strategic management on leading travel agencies before and during the crisis, and the changes of their strategic planning process due to the crisis. The research also aims to identify how they perceive the impact of the crisis on the business environment and the behavior of competitors. The findings suggest that, at first, travel agencies followed an informal strategic planning process, with a high emphasis on the short-term objectives given the turbulence of the environment affected by the economic crisis. This turned into a tougher emphasis put on financial and cutting costs measures. The crisis prolonged and the managers rediscovered the role of strategy, trying to find new ways of creating value for the customers, reconsidering the role of competitive advantage. The paper offers an image of strategic management processes of travel agencies and the changes in their strategic direction and behavior as a result of the financial and economic crisis, approaching a well-defined theoretical and practical need

Van-e esély az intervertebralis discusok regenerációjára? Elozetes tanulmány

Introduction: Segmental instability of the spine caused by the decreased height of intervertebral discs is one of the major causes of chronic low back pain affecting 70-80% of the adult population. The decrease in height is due to degenerative lesions induced by vertical compression overload of the disc. Objective: A preliminary study was performed to determine if disc degeneration due to overload could be stopped. We hypothesized that disc distraction during fusion surgery from posterior approach could reduce the pressure on the discs, degeneration could be stopped, and perhaps the function could be restored. Methods: To characterize the condition of the discus, we used the determination glycosaminoglycan content, which is responsible for the disc-bound water content and thus for ensuring its elasticity. The use of gadolinium contrast agent in MRI (dGEMRIC) is an accepted method for determining the glycosaminoglycan content of the intervertebral disc, as the concentration of absorbed contrast agent is inversely proportional to the number of glycosaminoglycans in the intervertebral discs. In addition to pre- and postoperative dGEMRIC data, we examined disc height, lumbar lordosis, visual analog pain scale, and the Oswestry Disability Index. Results: All patients underwent monosegmental fusion following posterior distraction of the affected segment due to segmental instability. During the surgeries, lumbar lordosis did not decrease despite posterior distraction. The heights of the discus increased by an average of 3 mm, the pain decreased, and the Oswestry Disability Index improved. In the dGEMRIC studies, an average of 309.18 units/cm2 of gadolinium accumulated in the discs before surgery, which decreased postoperatively to 174.43 units/cm2. All changes were significant at the p = 0.05 significance level. Conclusion: The trend of our preliminary results suggests that increasing the height of the discs can reduce the hydrostatic pressure in the discs, resulting in an increase in the amount of glycosaminoglycans, which can stop the degeneration of the discs and also initiate regeneration processes.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Fractures around the Pelvis, Pelvic Rim & Acetabulum in the Elderly: Report on 54 Cases

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe