USE OF ICT IN SMES MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE SECTOR OF SERVICES

This study investigates how the use of ICT could contribute to the success of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within the sector of services. Within the knowledge-based economy, SMEs are facing both opportunities and challenges due to the information and communication technologies development. We consider that ICT should be used in small business management within the sector of services because ICT are key tools in management processes and could improve managerial practices. The study is based on evidence provided by articles and research reports. The research question was answered by analysing published sources and interpreting evidence. Another way of approaching this question could be collecting and analysing empirical data from the SMEs within the sector of services and comparing the results with the findings of this study.information and communication technologies, small and medium enterprises, management, services, knowledge-based economy

RUSSIAN FEDERATION’S INVESTMENTS IN ROMANIA: THE CASE OF LUKOIL

The unusual magnitude of the ongoing economic and financial crisis raises major concerns about the propensity and capability of transnational corporations to continue investing and expanding abroad. This study investigates the Russian Federation’s investments in Romania, with an eye to reveal the reasons to invest in Romania, and the case of Lukoil, as the first private company from the Russian Federation that opened the way for investments in Romania. The findings of this study disclose that Romania is an attractive country for foreign direct investment, and moreover, the oil industry has developed due to Lukoil’s investment in Petrotel refinery. The study was carried out by combining a wide variety of sources, such as statistics, data books, fact books, reports and articles. The results reported in this study may be used as a starting point for further research in the area of foreign direct investment endorsement.Investment, Romania, Russian Federation, Lukoil, Petrotel Lukoil refinery.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INVESTMENTSIN RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS

Various problems and requirements of the society and of the development of cities and regions may be solved by implementing renewable energy projects. Therefore, this study explores the issue of regional development through investments in renewable energy projects. Firstly, this study briefly reveals the role of renewable energy in regional development, and secondly, some arguments for investing in renewable energy projects at regional level are disclosed, including some concrete measures and actions for implementing renewable energy projects. The results of this study may be used for future research in the area of implementing renewable energy projects at regional level.investment, regional development, renewable energy

Managing Service Quality within the Knowledge-Based Economy: Opportunities and Challenges

The knowledge-based economy, along with the impact of information society technologies, presents the service organizations and their customers with many potential opportunities as well as challenges. Therefore, this study explores how the knowledge-based economy could influence the quality management of service organizations. The study reveals that the actors within the service sector have vast new opportunities in terms of communication and value co-creation, but in the same time, the requirements regarding the quality of provided services trigger various problems for managers. The originality and value of this study consist of identifying logical connections between changes in the society, changes in the services, and changes in the service quality management. The findings of this study reveal that service quality management, as an integral part of the management of services, became more important within the knowledge-based economy as compared to the traditional (industrial) economy. Service quality management is knowledge-driven, it relies on people’s continuous development, network-intense collaboration (sharing ideas and knowledge), and value co-creation to attain sustainable competitive advantage. The study was carried out by combining a wide variety of sources, such as research papers, conceptual papers and literature reviews. Our conclusion justifies the effort invested in improving service quality management and also has relevance for service organizations’ managers in a very sensitive area like the service quality management.management, service quality, knowledge-based economy, online services

A Possible Model for Developing Students’ Skills within the Knowledge-Based Economy

Nowadays the knowledge-based society and economy as well as the growing demands for highly skilled and educated people are elements that claim for the change of traditional teaching and learning processes in higher education. Therefore, this study explores how students’ skills for the knowledge-based economy can practically be developed. The study disclosed a possible teaching and learning model based on multi-session approach that we have built and applied in order to develop students’ creative and critical thinking skills. The model target group consisted in third year students, distance learning, Faculty of Management, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, based in Bucharest and Piatra Neamt territorial centres. The professor chose as subject the analysis of the statement “Renewable energy may help the development of the region you live in” in order to improve students’ creative and critical thinking skills by identifying the logic connections between renewable energy and regional development. The teaching and learning activities have been divided into three sessions, in the end of the third session a questionnaire was used in order to reveal students’ opinions regarding the usefulness of this original method of teaching and learning. Thus, this study also disclosed the results of using the model from students’ point of view, derived from the analysis of empirical data collected during the class through personal observation and questionnaire. The findings of the study revealed that the model for developing students’ skills we have proposed may be successfully applied, due to its strong emphasis on creativity and thinking, responding to students’ needs within the knowledge-based economy and society.economic higher education, knowledge-based economy, students’ skills, teaching and learning model, multi-session approach, regional testing

Conceptions on Services within Traditional Society and Knowledge-Based Society

The evolution of society from an industrial society to a knowledge-based society determines conceptual transformations of services. This study investigates the similarities and differences in conceptions on services within the knowledge-based society, as compared to the traditional (industrial) society. The findings of this study reveal that even though services have usually been defined in the literature by comparing them with economic goods, this comparison may not be so significant today because of the rapid technological development which has changed the production process of goods and services. The study was conducted using evidence provided by a set of policy documents such as strategies, regulations, reports, as well as articles and books. The findings of this study could be helpful in order to better address the problems encountered in managing service organizations within the knowledge-based society.services; goods; industrial society; knowledge-based society..

Managing Renewable Energy: The Romanian Practice

There are several support systems used by the governments of the European Union’s countries for the promotion of renewable energy. The aim of this study is to explore the Romanian managerial approach used to encourage the renewable energy generation and consumption. First part of the study is focused on revealing the variety of national support systems used within the European Union to encourage renewable energy, and furthermore, the second part of the study explains the Romanian approach. The paper provides a rational approach for finding solutions to the problems of renewable energy promotion in the European Union. The findings of this study may be the subject of managerial know-how international transfer and may be used as a starting point for further investigations on renewable energy endorsement.renewable energy; policy instruments; good practices; green certificates; Romania’s economy.

THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED SOCIETY AND THE MANAGERIAL REVOLUTION

The topic of the knowledge-based society and its implications on management is highly debated nowadays. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the logical connections between the knowledge-based society and the managerial revolution. The findings of this study reveal that the knowledge- based society and, more specifically, the knowledge-based economy, along with their main features and requirements regarding people’s competences and skills, have a major influence on management, whether in private or public companies. In this society, the central resource of management is knowledge and the leading social groups are knowledge workers.knowledge-based society, industrial society, managerial revolution, networking.

IMPROVING URBAN MANAGEMENT THROUGH E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES: THE ROMANIAN EXPERIENCE

The paper outlines the role of e-Government services within the process of improving urban management and the conceptual framework for measuring the e-Government services development. Furthermore, the progress on e-Government services in Romania is analyzed with a view to compare it with the sophistication stage achieved within the European Union. The findings of this study reveal that e-Government services are key tools for improving urban management and a higher level of e-Government services development is needed in order to transform the interactions between public administration and citizens/businesses. The study was carried out by combining a wide variety of sources, such as reports, regulations, and the national experience in developing e-Government services. Our conclusion justifies the effort invested in developing e-Government services and also has relevance for policy making in a very sensitive sector like the urban management. The methodology and the results reported in this research may be helpful for the specialists within the system in order to better address the inherent problems encountered in developing the e-Government services.urban management, e-Government services, sophistication stage, Romania.

Faculty of Management after two years of quality management measures implementation

This article illustrates the new perspectives of the Faculty of Management related to the quality management system implementation: the strategy, the objectives, the responsabilities.quality management system; implementation strategy; higher education system