<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
This paper presents an analysis of the perceptions surrounding the traditional and alternative educational systems. The aim of this study is to explore the various perspectives and attitudes towards these two approaches to education, considering their strengths and weaknesses. The analysis draws upon a comprehensive review of existing literature, examining both empirical research and theoretical frameworks. The data was collected with a questionnaire and a logistic regression equation was estimated with the help of SPSS 23 statistical software. The variable of interest was education system (traditional and alternative) and the independent variables were the following attributes: main benefits, capability, growth mindset, gender, age and degree. The findings reveal a wide range of perceptions and opinions, with proponents of the traditional system emphasizing its long-standing effectiveness and familiarity, while supporters of alternative approaches highlight their adaptability and potential for innovation. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these perceptions for policymakers, educators, and students, and suggests avenues for future research.
</abstract>

An analysis of the perceptions regarding the traditional versus alternative educational system

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Many organizations, at some point or another, have to face a crisis situation. In that scenario, the way in which the organization communicates makes or breaks the organization’s success in dealing with the crisis. Especially after the emergence of the social media, the impact of crisis communication on the process of successful crisis management has become even greater than before. Organizations have to take the initiative, to be proactive and create a plan for crisis communication. This paper is focused on the comparative study of the communication approaches followed by Cadbury and McDonalds during a period when the companies were dealing with a crisis. The findings of the content analysis show that a company should respond to the crisis as quickly as possible to avoid loss in terms of sales. The initial statement of the companies during a crisis should be clear, positive and through the right channel to help the company regain its reputation on the market. Advertising is the best way to convey the message across the world because the crisis situation that has come up in one market can soon catch-up in the other markets where the company operates. The company has to connect with the consumers on emotional grounds because the crisis breaks down the faith of the consumers in the company. The recovery actions that support the statements also play an important role during the crisis situation. By following the above-mentioned communication strategies, organizations can achieve damage control as well as turn the crisis into an opportunity to grow.</abstract>

Keep calm and carry on: A crisis communication study of Cadbury and McDonalds

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Technological developments that continue to develop make fintech applications compete to create innovations. Currently, people can transact using digital payment applications. As a result, digital payment application continues to innovate. This makes micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) adopt digital payments to run their business. This study aims to examine the adoption of digital payment systems for the digitization of MSMEs. The population in this study was 4,793 MSMEs in Blitar City, Indonesia. The sample in this study was 100 respondents using the Slovin formula. The data is processed through the SmartPLS software and analyzed using the SEM approach. The results of this study indicate that the barriers to use, value, and risk have a positive and significant effect on functional barriers. In contrast, barriers to tradition and image positively and significantly affect psychological barriers. However, the functional barrier variable is not significant for the actual use of digital payment. Furthermore, psychological barriers have a positive and significant effect on the actual use of digital payments.
</abstract>

Barriers to digital payment adoption: micro, small and medium enterprises

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Companies aspire to fulfil consumers’ needs, wants and desires by offering products and services. Due to globalization and digitization, the world became a small village by facilitating the obtainability of products/services across the globe. Furthermore, the online purchasing via social platforms mirrors the traditional purchasing process. Gamification, game techniques and elements have been employed in the different domain for engaging and motivating consumers, students, end-users in numerous countries and cultures. Gamification is considered the appliance of game techniques and game elements in the non-game environment. It’s been adjusted in different models founded as a need to explore and explain variables, phenomena and theories. Game mechanics as one of the game elements are applied in different disciplines to achieve better performance, fruitful collaboration, active and enthusiastic participation, creating enjoyable, pleasurable and entertaining environment. Aesthetics are described as the sensory part that game evoke within the player. To identify the differences within consumers who purchase via social media when game mechanics and aesthetics are applied, the chi-square test for independence has been employed. The results estimate that the association between products and services as variables is not statistically significant and the relationship between them is weak or moderated. The findings of this research are useful for private companies and other interested stakeholders.</abstract>

Game mechanics and aesthetics differences for tangible and intangible goods provided via social media

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Transforming marketing into an online format is an inevitable process of developing an information economy. The study of information flows allows using a comprehensive approach to the problems of online marketing. The activities of small businesses are characterized by various limitations, but it is an important factor in increasing the flexibility of the economy and the ability to adapt to changes. The gap in the theory and practice of conducting Internet marketing activity in micro enterprises has helped to shape the relevance of this work. The aim of the study is to research the phenomenon of visibility of Internet websites from the perspective of marketing information flows in the activities of small businesses. The article discusses the theoretical foundations of marketing information flows, Internet marketing, inbound marketing and visibility of Internet websites. The research methodology is based on the methods of marketing analysis and sociological surveys. The study was conducted on the basis of the sampling of 306 websites of small enterprises. The study examined the characteristics of the websites of small enterprises, reflecting the effectiveness of Internet marketing activities. The results show that there is a correlation between the number of applied methods of Internet marketing and the visibility of the websites of small organizations in the search engine. The existence of particular cases of the use of single methods of Internet marketing has been revealed, providing high visibility and effectiveness of Internet marketing activities of small organizations.</abstract>

Online Marketing Impact on Micro-Enterprises: An Insight through Visibility in Search Engines

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Motivation plays a crucial role on employees’ performance. Though organizations have an interest in keeping the employees motivated at work, they do not always have the complete picture on what indeed motivates an employee. Scholars agree that money (including employees’ wages) significantly affects employees’ performance and productivity, but they do not unanimously place it among the strongest determinants of employee motivation. The main purpose of this work was to explore the factors influencing the true motivation of employees to enhance their performance and productivity at work. This study employed a quantitative research design based on data collected during the severe period of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 110 participants, of which 38 (34.5%) males 72 (65.5%) females working in different companies in Albania. The results showed a moderate level of satisfaction and motivation at work and a significant correlation between the motivation and success of the company. Additionally, the data indicated that most of the participants were satisfied with the financial allowances, but that they aspired to have higher wages and better workplace conditions. Therefore, higher salaries, extra bonuses and the promotion in their role at work or recognition and appreciation seem to be very important motivational factors for the employees. Finally, this study proposes recommendations for companies on how to implement different strategies to increase employees’ motivation and enhance the business effectiveness. This study analyses data collected during the global pandemic and would serve as reference for periods associated with dire financial difficulty.
</abstract>

Motivation as an indicator of performance and productivity from the perspective of employees

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in sustainable purchasing behavior as individuals and organizations seek to align their consumption patterns with environmental and social values. To identify the local nuances of sustainable development in Romania, the current study aims to determine the main drivers and barriers to buying organic products. Various statistical techniques such as factor analysis, correlation, and multiple regression are applied to evaluate data collected from 595 urban consumers through an online survey. The responses are used to classify the participants into three different groups according to their ecological perceptions and preferences. Findings revealed a multifaceted landscape of drivers motivating individuals to engage in sustainable purchasing behavior, including attitude, green product knowledge, social influence and health consciousness. Furthermore, it was found that consumer participation in environmental actions is more often motivated by individual and contextual benefits rather than altruistic beliefs and social values. On the contrary, various barriers hindering the adoption of sustainable consumption practices were identified, such as high prices, limited availability, lack of awareness, and conflicting priorities. The impact of socio-demographic factors (age, gender, education and income) is also considered. To the best of the author’s information, this article represents one of the first attempts to provide a conceptual framework for the study of organic consumers in Romania and implement value-based segmentation, covering significant research gaps. By synthesizing the diverse array of drivers and barriers, this review provides valuable insights for policymakers, businesses, and researchers seeking to promote sustainable consumption. Across Europe, and particularly in Romania, this matter must receive the utmost priority.
</abstract>

Understanding sustainable purchasing behavior in Romania: Drivers, barriers, and environmental participation

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The improvements in connectivity, artificial intelligence, and automation and their increasing penetration into all aspects of society and economy require informed decisions based on rigorous research on the determinants and outcomes of the digital economy. This context has promoted policy incentives dedicated to the digital transformation of business models and societal settings with a potential to disrupt existing markets and form a backbone of future development. The interest in digital economy and the research domains strongly connected to it has generated a wide array of terms that created confusion over its theoretical foundations. Several bibliometric analyses in recent years have attempted to map scientific findings and provide guidelines for future research in this area. However, such analyses draw their conclusions from algorithms that focus on attributes common to all studies without looking at their content. Our study combines bibliometric and in-depth content analyses to shed light on the definition, theoretical underpinnings, and state of the art of research on the digital economy. Our findings show that research in this domain is still in its infancy and the stated focus of studies on digital economy is often not reflected in their content. The study design allows us to make an original contribution by more precisely identifying gaps in the existing knowledge, outlining a detailed research agenda, and providing guidelines for future studies as well as informed policy decisions based on rigorous research on the determinants and outcomes of the digital economy.
</abstract>

Digital economy: towards a conceptual research framework based on bibliometric and in-depth analyses

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
In recent years, there has been significant advancement in virtual reality (VR) technology development. VR headsets have become lighter, offer higher resolution, and possess more powerful computational capabilities. Previous research has indicated that the level of immersion in operating technological products can positively impact user experiences. This study explores the effects of interaction, vividness, embodiment, and media novelty on immersion, perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and continuance intention. This study collected data from 150 users of virtual reality devices with the help of a survey methodology and analyzed the data with the help of the Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) technique. The results indicate that interaction and vividness do not directly influence immersion. However, embodiment and media novelty indirectly affect perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and continuance intention by increasing immersion. Our findings underscore the importance of embodiment and media novelty for users in virtual environments. When users can experience a genuine sense of embodiment and novelty in the virtual environment, their perception of usefulness, satisfaction, and intention to continue using VR is enhanced. These results provide valuable guidance for designing and applying virtual reality, aiming to improve user experiences and continuance intention. This study contributes to analyzing the antecedents and consequences of immersion and offers insights that can assist academic research, VR-related development, and businesses’ marketing efforts.
</abstract>

Unveiling the key determinants and consequences of Virtual Reality in the immersion experience

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The purpose of the study was to examine the organizational strategy and tools of employee well-being, as perceived by employees. Although improving physical, mental, and social conditions of employees have positive impact on economic performance and competitiveness of organizations, little is known about how employee wellbeing appears in human resource management strategy and practices of organizations. Few research is available examining the adaptability of well-being strategy and tools from the perspective of employees as stakeholders. Therefore, the methodology of the current study was an exploratory sequential mixed method, with an embedded case study. Qualitative exploratory phase consisted of 27 semi-structured interviews with human resource management experts of Hungarian and international for-profit organizations. The results supported the definition for selection criteria of case study sampling and the design of a research tool for the quantitative phase. In the case study, interviews and quantitative research were conducted at the selected organization. The self-developed questionnaire included the Workplace PERMA Profile, reflecting the five pillars of well-being: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. The questionnaire has been filled out by 222 employees. The data integration results explored that the well-being is less characterized by a strategic approach, despite its importance defined by respondents. Employee perception analysis has led to the creation of employee well-being profiles, mapping organizational tools supporting employee satisfaction, and highlighting the inconsistences of organizational strategy and employee perceptions. The results could contribute to further studies and development of human resource management practices to improve employee well-being by directing the focus on its growing importance in economic and labor competitiveness.
</abstract>

Organizational strategies and tools of employee well-being as perceived by employees

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Waiting is a ubiquitous constituent of many purchase situations. This research investigates the emotional discomfort experienced by customers visiting retail stores in India throughout the checkout process, focusing on three distinct phases: before joining the queue, while waiting, and during billing. The study examines the circumstances and underlying factors that lead to emotional discomfort among customers while they wait at the checkout counter. A cross-sectional survey involving 385 participants was undertaken to evaluate perceptions related to the waiting experience. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to validate the conceptual model. The study uncovers diverse contributors to emotional discomfort during queueing, such as extended wait times, physical constraints, and perceived time prolongation, highlighting the multifaceted nature of this experience. Notably, the absence of a significant link between emotional discomfort and overall satisfaction implies that, while emotional discomfort is a factor, other elements such as pricing, promotions, and product offerings may exert a more significant influence on customers’ comprehensive satisfaction assessments. The research makes a significant contribution by shedding light on the challenges associated with prolonged waiting times at checkout counters in multi-brand food and grocery retailers. The results provide valuable insights into the emotional experiences of customers during waits and their impact on overall shopping satisfaction.
</abstract>

Navigating waiting situations at retail checkouts: associated emotional discomfort and its impact on shopping satisfaction

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
In the burgeoning realm of cryptocurrency, social media platforms like Twitter have become pivotal in influencing market trends and investor sentiments. In our study, we leverage GPT-4 and a fine-tuned transformer-based BERT model for a multimodal sentiment analysis, focusing on the impact of emoji sentiment on cryptocurrency markets. By translating emojis into quantifiable sentiment data, we correlate these insights with key market indicators such as BTC Price and the VCRIX index. Our architecture’s analysis of emoji sentiment demonstrated a distinct advantage over FinBERT’s pure text sentiment analysis in such predicting power. This approach may be fed into the development of trading strategies aimed at utilizing social media elements to identify and forecast market trends. Crucially, our findings suggest that strategies based on emoji sentiment can facilitate the avoidance of significant market downturns and contribute to the stabilization of returns. This research underscores the practical benefits of integrating advanced AI-driven analyzes into financial strategies, offering a nuanced perspective on the interaction between digital communication and market dynamics in an academic context.
</abstract>

Emoji driven crypto assets market reactions

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>During the COVID pandemic, many companies, schools, and public organizations all around the world asked their employees to work from home i.e. to adopt what are called “smart working” modalities. This has and will presumably have a serious impact on both employees and employers, which still needs to be clarified and investigated: indeed, if smart working becomes a common working modality, this may have a significant impact on both organizations and employees. This paper reports the results of an online survey of “smart workers” in Italy during the COVID pandemic, when a great number of employees suddenly moved to working from home with no or little preparation. The study offers interesting indications about the involvement and usefulness perception of smart working by the sampled people and makes it possible to single out different categories of employees based on their attitude towards this modality. Also, it points out the potential impact on socialization among colleagues, and the consequent implications for knowledge sharing and knowledge management. From the collected responses, a fully positive or negative conclusion about working from home was not possible, nor a clear indication about the efficiency and effectiveness of this working modality. The analysis, instead, highlighted the presence of different but numerically similar groups of people, i.e. those who were not satisfied at all with the experience, those who were very satisfied, and those who were “undecided”. Furthermore, respondents underlined the importance and the difficulty to maintain working contacts and the intense use of communication systems made for this purpose. Lastly, collected opinions on positive and negative aspects of working from home provided some practical suggestions about how to successfully implement this solution.</abstract>

Working from home during COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and issues

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The COVID-19 crisis exposed the vulnerability and poor resilience of the global supply chains. The objective of this research is to reflect on the possible impacts of the Coronavirus crisis in the global supply chains and provide some recommendations to overcome the present situation, offering suggestions for future research: (1) What are the contingency factors affecting Supply Chains in the complex COVID-19 operating environment? (2) How do these factors affect post-COVID-19 operating performance? After a contextualization of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and its impacts, theoretical background on Supply Chains and Supply Chain Management are presented, and a summary of the main scenarios for the post-COVID-19 crisis are discussed. The propositions regarding the contingency factors and their impact on the Supply Chain operating performance in post-COVID-19 suggest that successful companies will focus on creating a new kind of operational performance and minimize risks. To that end, companies will aim to improve their operations’ resilience (ability to resist, hold on, and recover from shocks) and accelerate the end-to-end digital transformation. Consumers will have to adapt to the contact-free economy, less low-cost supply chains, and put additional emphasis on service levels. Governments will reinforce the focus in the health sector supply chain and increase spending in the health and social care sectors. Furthermore, the longer, the more concentrated, the less transparent, and the more price sensitivity is the supply chain, the more challenging the adaptation to the new pos pandemic realities. Suggestions for future research are also provided.</abstract>

COVID- 19: outcomes for Global Supply Chains

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The pandemic COVID-19 has severely affected the global economy. The strict lockdown measures have also changed the daily live, including consumer behavior in retail banking. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on consumer behavior in retail banking, with a special focus on the Romanian banking sector. To achieve our goal, we performed a survey among the Romanian consumers in retail banking, using as research method the field survey based on questionnaire. The final sample comprised 738 valid responses from the metropolitan area retail banking consumers. The research brings a fresh insight on retail banking services consumption during the pandemic and validates a conceptual model regarding the internet and mobile banking services acceptance. The research’ results highlighted, among others, that the variable concerning the perception of the COVID-19 pandemic effect on consumers’ lifestyle has a direct and positive influence on the variable regarding the attitude toward internet and mobile banking services, mediated by other variables like safety of internet and mobile banking use and trust in banks. Several social and managerial implications are also discussed, because it is possible that the tendency to use internet and mobile banking services will prevail even after the post pandemic stage, as new consumption behavior models are developing. Banks in Romania should increase their initiatives to offer financial education courses and online tutorials to familiarize customers with the use of digital channels. Banks should also improve communication with clients and design new products and services to increase the attractiveness of saving process. They should demonstrate flexibility in negotiating lending and refinancing conditions as well.</abstract>

The impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior in retail banking. Evidence from Romania

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The environmental concern has become an emerging topic in organization’s human resource management strategy, especially in improving employee’s environmental behavior at work. Thus, the organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment (OCBE) has been currently attracting scholars in management. However, published studies contain research gaps in investigation of the relationships between both green training and organizational culture and OCBE, especially in the hotel industry. Following the social exchange and Ability-Motivation-Opportunity theories, this study aims to examine the effects of two green practices on OCBE and the moderating role of green organizational culture to the effect of green training on OCBE. A quantitative approach with survey strategy is employed and conducted in 4-5 star hotels to test these relationships. The PLS-SEM and K-means Cluster Analysis techniques are applied to analyze data. The findings reveal that green training and organizational culture positively influence OCBE. Also, the effect of green training on OCBE is moderated by green organizational culture. Finally, our study provides limitations of research and further studies, and the implications for management practices concerned with improving employee’s voluntary eco-behavior in the hotel industry.</abstract>

Enhancing the organizational citizenship behavior for the environment: the roles of green training and organizational culture

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The purpose of this paper is to explore the latent variables which support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in becoming learning organizations. These latent variables represent abstract ideas that cannot be measured directly in practice, and they need to be explored by using different sets of other variables or indicators defined specifically for certain research of the business environment. The concept of “the learning organization” has been introduced into knowledge management literature about 30 years ago, but due to its complexity and high level of abstractness, its implementation in real life or organizations produced insufficient results for developing a well-defined model and a convincing managerial approach. However, the attractiveness of the learning organization is so appealing that researchers continue to investigate the complex mechanisms and processes supporting it. Our research is such an effort in exploring the latent variables for the small and medium-sized enterprises from the North-Easter region of Romania in their drive of becoming learning organizations. Our research is based on a comprehensive literature search and a quantitative approach supported by a survey and statistical processing of the collected data. We processed 950 valid questionnaires obtained from 147 small and medium-sized enterprises from the North-Eastern region of Romania. Statistical processing was done by using specialized software. We perform a Factor Analysis with IBM SPSS v.19, and then a Confirmatory Factor Analysis with AMOS v.18. Finally, we obtained six latent variables that support the transformation of SMEs into learning organizations.</abstract>

Exploring the latent variables which support SMEs to become learning organizations

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Digital platforms have the ability to connect people, organizations and resources with the aim of facilitating the core interactions between businesses and consumers as well as assuring a greater efficiency for the business management. New business concepts, such as innovative start-ups, are therefore created based on innovation, scalability and the relationships within the community around them. The purpose of this work is to deeply understand the evolution of business models brought by innovative and dynamic companies operating through online platforms. In order to achieve the objectives set, an exploratory multiple-case study was designed based on in-depth structured interviews. The aim was to conduct a mixed analysis, in order to rely both on qualitative and quantitative data. The structured interview protocol was therefore designed to collect and then analyse data concerning the company profile and managers’ perspectives on the phenomenon of interest. The interview protocol was submitted in advance and then face-to-face interviews were carried out with the following professional figures: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), General Manager, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Marketing Manager and Developers. Collected data were analysed and processed through the Canvas Business Model in order to clearly outline similarities and differences among the sample. Results can be considered under two viewpoints. On the one hand, this work provides a detailed overview of the companies interviewed, according to the dimensions of: reference market dynamics, type and number of customers, scalability. On the other one, they allow to identify some success patterns regarding key activities, key resources, channel mix strategy, costs management, value proposition, customer segmentation, key partners and the way to obtain revenues. Results from the multiple-case study with 15 Italian start-ups provide interesting insights by comparing the innovative business models developed and highlighting key differences and similarities. Overall, the start-ups analyzed, operating in several sectors, showed great growth prospects and the possibility to create value for their customers through innovative products and services offered through digital platforms.</abstract>

The impact of Digital Platforms on Business Models: an empirical investigation on innovative start-ups

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