The financial education of a country (in terms of knowledge, abilities and behaviors) can be cruc... more The financial education of a country (in terms of knowledge, abilities and behaviors) can be crucial for a healthy economic life, at individual, macro or multi-nation level. It can contribute to a decrease of financial exclusion risks, to an increase of informed decisions and even to an increased liquidity on the financial markets. The concept designed to encompass different facets of this financial education is labeled "financial literacy". A large number of concepts are used within the umbrella of financial literacy, and quite different measurement instruments exist, more or less sound. This conceptual and operational heterogeneity makes things complicated and does not allow comparisons and concrete actions. In order to improve people's financial literacy we first need to define the concept and then find the best ways to measure one's degree of financial literacy. Through our study we synthesized the definitions and instruments previously used and we suggest a comprehensive approach for obtaining a measurement instrument for this latent variable-financial literacy. We propose using separate scales for measuring the main dimensions of financial literacy-financial knowledge, financial abilities (capability to use financial information in order to take decisions), financial communication, financial behavior and financial confidence. As methodology we used a documentary study and a didactic experiment on Master degree students in finance.
Scientists have tried to find out what are the main mechanisms explaining human behavior – genes ... more Scientists have tried to find out what are the main mechanisms explaining human behavior – genes or environment, nature or nurture? For a long period of time, cognitive-developmental and behavior-analytic approaches to the study of human behavior have been considered as totally incompatible, yet today organismic and contextualist perspectives are more and more often brought together by scientists from various fields of research. Behavioral epigenetics, a really young and controversial branch of science, applies epigenetics’ principles to the study of various physiological, genetic, environmental and developmental mechanisms of human behavior. This is why a question arised – could we apply the same principles for academic research? Behavioral epigenetics could explain academic behavior in terms of preferred research approaches and designs, productivity and performance, publishing or collaboration between individuals, as a consequence of exposure to environmental adversity (lack of financing, hard competition for funds), social stress (deteriorating image and position of researchers in society) or traumatic experiences (frequent change in financing and promotion criteria, article rejection and negative reviews). Additive influences of nature and nurture type of factors on the development of exceptional competences and performance have already been intensively studied, and lately attention shifted to the interactions and reciprocation of nature and nurture, including nature mediated or revealed through nurture. Studies suggest that physiological and psychological characteristics acquired during the lifespan could even be transmitted as a kind of soft inheritance, which could explain a specific behavior. In fields as health, medicine and biology, as well as in cultural studies, analysis performed on twins growing up in different environmental conditions may offer an answer as far as epigenetics is concerned. In academic research, some clues could be offered by analyzing researchers from genetically related countries, such as Romania and Moldova, grown up and developed in significantly different environmental conditions. The present essay tries to launch into discussion this potential explanation, recognizing that significant conceptual shifts and further research would be needed to fully understand the dynamic of interactions between genes, environment, epigenetics, social and economic processes for the behavioral changes of academics in terms of research involvement and academic performance.
Review of Economic and Business Studies, Dec 1, 2019
Online sales increase at incredible paces, all over the world, and so are corresponding marketing... more Online sales increase at incredible paces, all over the world, and so are corresponding marketing efforts. One of the main deterrents of online selling is related to the impossibility of trying or touching products before taking the decision to buy. Previous studies on offline environments have proved that touching products makes people develop a feeling of ownership, a psychological sense of property that has positive consequences on their intention and decision to buy those products. Similar effects, adapted for the online environments, were less investigated, but the very few existent studies suggest that virtually touching a product through tactile interfaces (smartphone, iPad, tablet etc.) could be as important for consumer decisions as the content of the site and product information. Virtual touching could serve as emotional triggers, leading to feelings of ownership and endowment effects in online marketing. However, defining the concept of "virtual touching" is difficulteven the simple association of "touch" and "virtual" seems oximoronic. The purpose of the present studya literature review typeis to investigate the tactile based creative online marketing, in order to conceptualize and operationalize the variable "virtual touching", thus being able to further suggest a research design which would enable us to measure the impact of online "touching" on consumer behaviour. The main analysed constructs related to virtual touching are: endowment effect, psychological ownership, haptic advertising, sensory online marketing, haptic imagery, haptic technology, reverse electrovibration.
Our interdisciplinary study examines the brand's perceived intentions and ability, as predictors ... more Our interdisciplinary study examines the brand's perceived intentions and ability, as predictors of consumer behavior. In an attempt of answering a call for research in the branding area, we found out contradictory views, both of them based on strong arguments, including empirical results. Each view has been examined by the lens of branding, social cognition and behavioral theory. We found convergent findings from cognitive psychology and behavioral theory to support one of the two views and to extract a hypothesis. us, we hypothesized that an effective branding process, meant to achieve both consumer trust and sales objectives, should address the brand's perceived intentions before ability. We suggest that further empirical studies are needed to test the hypothesis, although for some particular cases, tests confirmed the priority of intentions. Overall, our paper offers an integrative view of consumer underlying behaviors revealed by results of other social sciences and how should be used in brand construction process. e benefits of updating branding theories by integrating results confirmed by other social sciences are discussed.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Dec 1, 2013
E-trgovanje nastavlja se razvijati kao važan kanal kupovine za potrošače. Ovo objašnjava sve veći... more E-trgovanje nastavlja se razvijati kao važan kanal kupovine za potrošače. Ovo objašnjava sve veći interes za određivanje najvažnijih varijabli koje utječu na ponašanje potrošača na internetu, a posebice na percipirani rizik kao poznato bihevioralno zastrašivanje. Prethodne su studije dokazale negativan utjecaj percipiranog rizika na namjeru usvajanja e-trgovanja. No ovisno o vrsti proizvoda i istraživane populacije, rezultati su često bili kontradiktorni, a utvrđeno je da je ta povezanost jača, slabija ili nejasna. Tako dolazimo do zaključka da osim čimbenika koji imaju direktni utjecaj, vjerojatno postoje i moderatori ABSTRACT E-commerce continues to develop as an important channel for consumer purchases. This explains the growing interest in determining the most important variables which aff ect online consumer behavior, especially perceived risk as a well-known behavioral deterrent. Previous studies have proved a negative infl uence of perceived risk on the intention to adopt e-commerce. However, depending on the type of product and the population investigated, results were often contradictory and this relationship was found to be stronger, weaker or even inconclusive. This led us to conclude that, besides direct infl uence fac-TRŽIŠTE
Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze citizen engagement and to explain the underlying ... more Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze citizen engagement and to explain the underlying mechanism that makes well-intended people to act as disinformation amplifiers in the online space. The study offers new insights to be used by knowledge management for improving society’s potential to downsize the impact of disinformation that puts both knowledge system and social trust (ST) under high pressure. Design/methodology/approach The study proposes an integrative research model to explain how ST and conspiracy mentality (CM) are influencing citizen engagement in public life through different forms of action that is specific to offline or online spaces. The research model and its nine hypotheses are tested based on a survey for data collection and partial least squares method for data analysis. Findings The study finds that both online and offline actions are mediating the positive effect of ST on citizen engagement. Yet, CM has a high impact on online actions, and it exerts a significant indirect influence on citizen engagement in this manner. Originality/value Revealing the mediator role of online actions in the relationship between CM and civic engagement, the paper brings novel insights on disinformation spreading. The study explains how citizen engagement can sometimes be turned against social well-being because those prone to belief in conspiracies are the perfect targets of deceivers seeking for disinformation amplifiers in the online environment.
Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy Journal, Jun 30, 2016
In the endeavor of analyzing urban development perspectives, the current paper aims to find out h... more In the endeavor of analyzing urban development perspectives, the current paper aims to find out how warmth and competence stereotypes would operate in the case of a city, predicting its future, as a direct consequence of people's positive or negative feelings and actions. Results of such analyses would be of strategic importance, knowing that various aspects of urban development (from tourism to business, well-being, active population growth and talents retention) depend on people's decisions to visit that city, to invest, to work, to study, to settle down there, or to simply spread positive opinions about it. Therefore, relying on the well-known SCM-stereotype content model, the paper adapts previous warmth and competence scales, and develops a customized research instrument for analyzing connections between people's perceptions and the mental labels attached to a specific city. Considering warmth and competence dimensions, as well as the other variables of interest such as status, cooperation and competition, we use an exploratory procedure for item selection followed by a Q-sorting analysis for scale content validation. The paper adds to the literature in two main ways. It firstly advances an integrative view that connects the theories from social psychology, communication and branding with those from urban development. Secondly, it offers a content validated measurement instrument, as a necessary departure point for future analyses meant to identify challenges and to predict the potential for development of smart and sustainable cities. CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk
In recent decades scholars have acknowledged that transactions in the informal economy have not v... more In recent decades scholars have acknowledged that transactions in the informal economy have not vanished with modernization and industrialization as expected but rather remain an important contemporary aspect of overall production and consumption across the world, in both developing and developed countries. Yet little is known about the profile of the consumers in this realm or what drives them to purchase from the informal economy. A systematic review of the literature investigating consumption in the informal economy reveals a severely underdeveloped area of consumer studies with significant gaps in terms of its theoretical approaches, methods and regional coverage. The findings of the existing literature is that multiple motives are used by consumers for justifying their purchases in the informal economy beyond the dominant simplistic view that they do simply for financial gain or for a lower price (namely, it identifies social ends and failures in formal market provision in terms of availability, speed of provision and quality). The outcome is a recognition that responsibility to reducing this phenomenon with negative effects on governments, businesses, workers and consumers lies not just with public authorities but also practitioners who need to correct the failures in formal market provision. The significant gaps identified in the literature are then used to highlight a comprehensive future research agenda, which includes the need for the development of an institutionalist theoretical perspective when explaining consumers' participation in the informal economy and social marketing interventions.
Systems research and behavioral science, Apr 6, 2021
Placing the issue of interdisciplinarity within a complexity framework, the current paper aims to... more Placing the issue of interdisciplinarity within a complexity framework, the current paper aims to explore different facets of interdisciplinary research (IDR). The theoretical and empirical analysis revolves around the main factors influencing IDR abilities and achievements, that is, the propelling context, attitude and further awareness of thinking and acting across boundaries in order to reach viable solutions to complex problems. On purpose to test the inferred relationships, the study relies on a questionnaire‐based survey conducted with 214 early‐career researchers from interdisciplinary departments or enrolled in interdisciplinary projects. The findings revealed that both attitude and context are important for rising researchers' awareness, in forming their abilities and reporting interdisciplinary achievements, the structural model explaining 51.9% in the variation of interdisciplinary research abilities and 17.1% in the variation of the researchers' interdisciplinary outcomes.
Usually, studies on the informal economy focus mainly upon those working in the informal economy ... more Usually, studies on the informal economy focus mainly upon those working in the informal economy (supply side). However, many exchanges in the informal economy are initiated by purchasers asking how much a good or service costs if paid cash in hand. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to advance understanding of who make purchases in the informal economy and the reasons of the consumers making these purchases (demand side). Two potential explanations are evaluated. Firstly, consumers are explained as rational economic actors seeking a more convenient deal or profit maximisation (i.e., lower price or better value for money), making purchases from the informal economy due to the lack of availability of the product or service they need on the formal market, or they make such purchases involuntarily, due to the lack of perfect information necessary to make a fully rational economic decision when purchasing. Secondly, the consumers are portrayed as social actors pursuing community help. Using a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis on a 2019 Eurobarometer interviews in 27 EU member states and the UK reveal how the prevalence of these motives significantly varies across populations and regions. The theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed in the concluding section.
Central and Eastern European eDem and eGov days, Jul 12, 2018
Scientific research is nowadays a larger endeavor than ever, and researchers more than ever overw... more Scientific research is nowadays a larger endeavor than ever, and researchers more than ever overwhelmed by questions of purpose, trust and future prospects, seen as either saviors and providers of solutions, or cash generating machines through altered and irreproducible results. Research is conducted in various social structures contexts, which shape everything from the questions asked within a society to the way responses given by researchers are used by policymakers and companies. It is no surprise, in these conditions, that they are often in the middle between policymakers as providers of regulations and funding, and practitioners as providers of markets for the products and ideas obtained through scientific research. Skills required for such a mediation process, for the complex array of informative interactions among various groups of stakeholders and interests are huge, way beyond technical knowledge and abilities in their field of specialization. But are they prepared for this role, as long as educating researchers doesn't necessarily go farther than providing them the methodological background for doing research? Scientific rigor and managerial relevance, communication and education have very different facets for policymakers and for practitioners, and researchers often lack the skills for this ambiguous game of instrumental, conceptual and strategic knowledge development and utilization. The aim of the present study is to analyze the skills inventory necessary for the modern researcher, as perceived by junior researchers, and the way ICTs, eDemocracy and civic participation could help shaping the researcher as mediator between politicians and practitioners. Literature review, indepth interviews with junior researchers and content analysis are used from a methodological point of view.
The present study intends to identify the main stakeholders' perceptions towards Romanian higher ... more The present study intends to identify the main stakeholders' perceptions towards Romanian higher education and to estimate their degree of trust in Romanian universities. Five categories of stakeholders were analyzed: high school students (the future university candidates), present university students, former students (graduates), university professors, employers and public opinion, in general. The geographic area analyzed was that of NorthEastern Romania. The research methodology included: documentary (secondary) research, survey research (based on six questionnaires, with a common number of questions and specific ones), in-depth interview (for professors), analysis and synthesis. The total sample size was of 922 respondents: 195 high school students, 280 present students, 102 graduates, 43 professors, 100 employers, and 202 persons-public opinion. The research findings could be used for specific management and marketing activities for higher education institutions.
Review of Economic and Business Studies, Dec 1, 2016
The present paper analyzes, through a case study, the organizational culture of a typical Romania... more The present paper analyzes, through a case study, the organizational culture of a typical Romanian company from the textile industry. The company resulted from the privatization process, being a successful example in its field. The initial, socialist enterprise from which the analyzed company was created, had a long history prior to 1989; thus, although the newly created company has about 20 years of evolution, actually, the mothercompany from which it was privatized has more than a decade of tradition. In order to collect data, we used two methods: direct, non-participative observation, together with a sociological survey based on a semi-structured interviewing technique. The interviews were conducted with the top managers-the strategic management and the managers from the human resources department, sales and purchasing departments. The observation and the interviews were undertaken during the period 2011-2012. For the analysis of the collected data, we used a systemization method and a theme-based organization of answers (specific to content analysis). The identification and analysis criteria for the typologies of the organizational culture were those used by Sonnenfeld (1988) and Quinn (1991). A protocol was established for all stages, including exploration, description of the situation, data analysis, typological classification of the organizational culture and interpretation. We conclude that the analyzed company has a mixed personality and hesitates between rigorous control and permanent adaptation, between the real and ideal image, between independent action and the need to wait for directions and reassuring control, a rather general characteristic of the Romanian culture. Although the managers seem to be in favor of a permanent and free adaptation to the threatening environment, control is always used as a precautionary measure. Moreover, the strategy of the company seems to privilege the maintaining of its structure and procedures and not the adaptation to the environment. The company is placed in different categories, for both models, at stated level comparing to the actual one, oscillating between Club and Baseball (for the Sonnenfeld typology) and between Hierarchical and Innovative (for the Quinn typology of organizational culture).
Review of Economic and Business Studies, Jun 1, 2015
Tertiary education involves specific perceived issues among PhD candidates that lead to several s... more Tertiary education involves specific perceived issues among PhD candidates that lead to several self-destructive behaviors regarding the research process and the quality of the doctoral thesis. Studying the emotional mechanisms behind the process of doctoral research offers useful insights for both PhD candidates and PhD supervisors. A qualitative approach involving a concept analysis method was used to investigate the concerns about the doctoral process of a group of PhD candidates enrolled in the first year at the Doctoral School of Economics and Business Administration of Iași, Romania. Both spontaneous and induced responses were considered. The order of concerns and the fact that some of them were mentioned together were also taken into account. Most of the concerns are related to time-management. Results are discussed and several recommendations are made.
Context and Purpose: The increased focus of higher education institutions on research andlatelyon... more Context and Purpose: The increased focus of higher education institutions on research andlatelyon societal challenges and real-world problems, the importance of academic rankings for financing and international competitions and the research and publication oriented professional advancement criteria transformed academics into publishing hunters. The world of academic publishing is wild and dangerous, due to the massification of research. Aims and objectives are often confounded with means, quantity and quality (already difficult to assess) don't always walk together, stakeholders have conflicting interests, the old linear models of publishing are replaced with intricate looped and interconnected ones, leading to academics publishing more and achieving lessespecially from a societal perspective. The aim of the present study is to summarize the main challenges of the publishing process, together with the pathways chosen by academics to overcome these difficulties. Design/methodology: A meta-analysis of recent studies on academic publishing was performed, together with a nethnographic exploratory approach on publishing patterns in economics and business; informal talks with academics from business and economics fields from several Eastern EU higher education institutions were used, as well. Findings: The inventory of challenges includes individual factors (personality and individual morale, goals, knowledge and status, preferences and habits), institutional factors (university and strategy level), social structures and infrastructural level factors (open access, technological disruptive innovations, new social contract for research, preprints), as well as professional culture type of factors (peer-review issues and various biases, alternative research assessment methods, predatory journals, predatory informal rules). Several pathways chosen by academics were observed, leading to hypotheses formulation for future research. Limitations: The study is exploratory, based on a conventional sample of academics for the empirical part and has an emic, potentially subjective approach. Originality/value: The study touches a delicate and controversial subjectacademic publishingand brings together both positive and negative aspects for existent pathways, offering a ground for future research.
The financial education of a country (in terms of knowledge, abilities and behaviors) can be cruc... more The financial education of a country (in terms of knowledge, abilities and behaviors) can be crucial for a healthy economic life, at individual, macro or multi-nation level. It can contribute to a decrease of financial exclusion risks, to an increase of informed decisions and even to an increased liquidity on the financial markets. The concept designed to encompass different facets of this financial education is labeled "financial literacy". A large number of concepts are used within the umbrella of financial literacy, and quite different measurement instruments exist, more or less sound. This conceptual and operational heterogeneity makes things complicated and does not allow comparisons and concrete actions. In order to improve people's financial literacy we first need to define the concept and then find the best ways to measure one's degree of financial literacy. Through our study we synthesized the definitions and instruments previously used and we suggest a comprehensive approach for obtaining a measurement instrument for this latent variable-financial literacy. We propose using separate scales for measuring the main dimensions of financial literacy-financial knowledge, financial abilities (capability to use financial information in order to take decisions), financial communication, financial behavior and financial confidence. As methodology we used a documentary study and a didactic experiment on Master degree students in finance.
Scientists have tried to find out what are the main mechanisms explaining human behavior – genes ... more Scientists have tried to find out what are the main mechanisms explaining human behavior – genes or environment, nature or nurture? For a long period of time, cognitive-developmental and behavior-analytic approaches to the study of human behavior have been considered as totally incompatible, yet today organismic and contextualist perspectives are more and more often brought together by scientists from various fields of research. Behavioral epigenetics, a really young and controversial branch of science, applies epigenetics’ principles to the study of various physiological, genetic, environmental and developmental mechanisms of human behavior. This is why a question arised – could we apply the same principles for academic research? Behavioral epigenetics could explain academic behavior in terms of preferred research approaches and designs, productivity and performance, publishing or collaboration between individuals, as a consequence of exposure to environmental adversity (lack of financing, hard competition for funds), social stress (deteriorating image and position of researchers in society) or traumatic experiences (frequent change in financing and promotion criteria, article rejection and negative reviews). Additive influences of nature and nurture type of factors on the development of exceptional competences and performance have already been intensively studied, and lately attention shifted to the interactions and reciprocation of nature and nurture, including nature mediated or revealed through nurture. Studies suggest that physiological and psychological characteristics acquired during the lifespan could even be transmitted as a kind of soft inheritance, which could explain a specific behavior. In fields as health, medicine and biology, as well as in cultural studies, analysis performed on twins growing up in different environmental conditions may offer an answer as far as epigenetics is concerned. In academic research, some clues could be offered by analyzing researchers from genetically related countries, such as Romania and Moldova, grown up and developed in significantly different environmental conditions. The present essay tries to launch into discussion this potential explanation, recognizing that significant conceptual shifts and further research would be needed to fully understand the dynamic of interactions between genes, environment, epigenetics, social and economic processes for the behavioral changes of academics in terms of research involvement and academic performance.
Review of Economic and Business Studies, Dec 1, 2019
Online sales increase at incredible paces, all over the world, and so are corresponding marketing... more Online sales increase at incredible paces, all over the world, and so are corresponding marketing efforts. One of the main deterrents of online selling is related to the impossibility of trying or touching products before taking the decision to buy. Previous studies on offline environments have proved that touching products makes people develop a feeling of ownership, a psychological sense of property that has positive consequences on their intention and decision to buy those products. Similar effects, adapted for the online environments, were less investigated, but the very few existent studies suggest that virtually touching a product through tactile interfaces (smartphone, iPad, tablet etc.) could be as important for consumer decisions as the content of the site and product information. Virtual touching could serve as emotional triggers, leading to feelings of ownership and endowment effects in online marketing. However, defining the concept of "virtual touching" is difficulteven the simple association of "touch" and "virtual" seems oximoronic. The purpose of the present studya literature review typeis to investigate the tactile based creative online marketing, in order to conceptualize and operationalize the variable "virtual touching", thus being able to further suggest a research design which would enable us to measure the impact of online "touching" on consumer behaviour. The main analysed constructs related to virtual touching are: endowment effect, psychological ownership, haptic advertising, sensory online marketing, haptic imagery, haptic technology, reverse electrovibration.
Our interdisciplinary study examines the brand's perceived intentions and ability, as predictors ... more Our interdisciplinary study examines the brand's perceived intentions and ability, as predictors of consumer behavior. In an attempt of answering a call for research in the branding area, we found out contradictory views, both of them based on strong arguments, including empirical results. Each view has been examined by the lens of branding, social cognition and behavioral theory. We found convergent findings from cognitive psychology and behavioral theory to support one of the two views and to extract a hypothesis. us, we hypothesized that an effective branding process, meant to achieve both consumer trust and sales objectives, should address the brand's perceived intentions before ability. We suggest that further empirical studies are needed to test the hypothesis, although for some particular cases, tests confirmed the priority of intentions. Overall, our paper offers an integrative view of consumer underlying behaviors revealed by results of other social sciences and how should be used in brand construction process. e benefits of updating branding theories by integrating results confirmed by other social sciences are discussed.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Dec 1, 2013
E-trgovanje nastavlja se razvijati kao važan kanal kupovine za potrošače. Ovo objašnjava sve veći... more E-trgovanje nastavlja se razvijati kao važan kanal kupovine za potrošače. Ovo objašnjava sve veći interes za određivanje najvažnijih varijabli koje utječu na ponašanje potrošača na internetu, a posebice na percipirani rizik kao poznato bihevioralno zastrašivanje. Prethodne su studije dokazale negativan utjecaj percipiranog rizika na namjeru usvajanja e-trgovanja. No ovisno o vrsti proizvoda i istraživane populacije, rezultati su često bili kontradiktorni, a utvrđeno je da je ta povezanost jača, slabija ili nejasna. Tako dolazimo do zaključka da osim čimbenika koji imaju direktni utjecaj, vjerojatno postoje i moderatori ABSTRACT E-commerce continues to develop as an important channel for consumer purchases. This explains the growing interest in determining the most important variables which aff ect online consumer behavior, especially perceived risk as a well-known behavioral deterrent. Previous studies have proved a negative infl uence of perceived risk on the intention to adopt e-commerce. However, depending on the type of product and the population investigated, results were often contradictory and this relationship was found to be stronger, weaker or even inconclusive. This led us to conclude that, besides direct infl uence fac-TRŽIŠTE
Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze citizen engagement and to explain the underlying ... more Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze citizen engagement and to explain the underlying mechanism that makes well-intended people to act as disinformation amplifiers in the online space. The study offers new insights to be used by knowledge management for improving society’s potential to downsize the impact of disinformation that puts both knowledge system and social trust (ST) under high pressure. Design/methodology/approach The study proposes an integrative research model to explain how ST and conspiracy mentality (CM) are influencing citizen engagement in public life through different forms of action that is specific to offline or online spaces. The research model and its nine hypotheses are tested based on a survey for data collection and partial least squares method for data analysis. Findings The study finds that both online and offline actions are mediating the positive effect of ST on citizen engagement. Yet, CM has a high impact on online actions, and it exerts a significant indirect influence on citizen engagement in this manner. Originality/value Revealing the mediator role of online actions in the relationship between CM and civic engagement, the paper brings novel insights on disinformation spreading. The study explains how citizen engagement can sometimes be turned against social well-being because those prone to belief in conspiracies are the perfect targets of deceivers seeking for disinformation amplifiers in the online environment.
Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy Journal, Jun 30, 2016
In the endeavor of analyzing urban development perspectives, the current paper aims to find out h... more In the endeavor of analyzing urban development perspectives, the current paper aims to find out how warmth and competence stereotypes would operate in the case of a city, predicting its future, as a direct consequence of people's positive or negative feelings and actions. Results of such analyses would be of strategic importance, knowing that various aspects of urban development (from tourism to business, well-being, active population growth and talents retention) depend on people's decisions to visit that city, to invest, to work, to study, to settle down there, or to simply spread positive opinions about it. Therefore, relying on the well-known SCM-stereotype content model, the paper adapts previous warmth and competence scales, and develops a customized research instrument for analyzing connections between people's perceptions and the mental labels attached to a specific city. Considering warmth and competence dimensions, as well as the other variables of interest such as status, cooperation and competition, we use an exploratory procedure for item selection followed by a Q-sorting analysis for scale content validation. The paper adds to the literature in two main ways. It firstly advances an integrative view that connects the theories from social psychology, communication and branding with those from urban development. Secondly, it offers a content validated measurement instrument, as a necessary departure point for future analyses meant to identify challenges and to predict the potential for development of smart and sustainable cities. CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk
In recent decades scholars have acknowledged that transactions in the informal economy have not v... more In recent decades scholars have acknowledged that transactions in the informal economy have not vanished with modernization and industrialization as expected but rather remain an important contemporary aspect of overall production and consumption across the world, in both developing and developed countries. Yet little is known about the profile of the consumers in this realm or what drives them to purchase from the informal economy. A systematic review of the literature investigating consumption in the informal economy reveals a severely underdeveloped area of consumer studies with significant gaps in terms of its theoretical approaches, methods and regional coverage. The findings of the existing literature is that multiple motives are used by consumers for justifying their purchases in the informal economy beyond the dominant simplistic view that they do simply for financial gain or for a lower price (namely, it identifies social ends and failures in formal market provision in terms of availability, speed of provision and quality). The outcome is a recognition that responsibility to reducing this phenomenon with negative effects on governments, businesses, workers and consumers lies not just with public authorities but also practitioners who need to correct the failures in formal market provision. The significant gaps identified in the literature are then used to highlight a comprehensive future research agenda, which includes the need for the development of an institutionalist theoretical perspective when explaining consumers' participation in the informal economy and social marketing interventions.
Systems research and behavioral science, Apr 6, 2021
Placing the issue of interdisciplinarity within a complexity framework, the current paper aims to... more Placing the issue of interdisciplinarity within a complexity framework, the current paper aims to explore different facets of interdisciplinary research (IDR). The theoretical and empirical analysis revolves around the main factors influencing IDR abilities and achievements, that is, the propelling context, attitude and further awareness of thinking and acting across boundaries in order to reach viable solutions to complex problems. On purpose to test the inferred relationships, the study relies on a questionnaire‐based survey conducted with 214 early‐career researchers from interdisciplinary departments or enrolled in interdisciplinary projects. The findings revealed that both attitude and context are important for rising researchers' awareness, in forming their abilities and reporting interdisciplinary achievements, the structural model explaining 51.9% in the variation of interdisciplinary research abilities and 17.1% in the variation of the researchers' interdisciplinary outcomes.
Usually, studies on the informal economy focus mainly upon those working in the informal economy ... more Usually, studies on the informal economy focus mainly upon those working in the informal economy (supply side). However, many exchanges in the informal economy are initiated by purchasers asking how much a good or service costs if paid cash in hand. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to advance understanding of who make purchases in the informal economy and the reasons of the consumers making these purchases (demand side). Two potential explanations are evaluated. Firstly, consumers are explained as rational economic actors seeking a more convenient deal or profit maximisation (i.e., lower price or better value for money), making purchases from the informal economy due to the lack of availability of the product or service they need on the formal market, or they make such purchases involuntarily, due to the lack of perfect information necessary to make a fully rational economic decision when purchasing. Secondly, the consumers are portrayed as social actors pursuing community help. Using a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis on a 2019 Eurobarometer interviews in 27 EU member states and the UK reveal how the prevalence of these motives significantly varies across populations and regions. The theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed in the concluding section.
Central and Eastern European eDem and eGov days, Jul 12, 2018
Scientific research is nowadays a larger endeavor than ever, and researchers more than ever overw... more Scientific research is nowadays a larger endeavor than ever, and researchers more than ever overwhelmed by questions of purpose, trust and future prospects, seen as either saviors and providers of solutions, or cash generating machines through altered and irreproducible results. Research is conducted in various social structures contexts, which shape everything from the questions asked within a society to the way responses given by researchers are used by policymakers and companies. It is no surprise, in these conditions, that they are often in the middle between policymakers as providers of regulations and funding, and practitioners as providers of markets for the products and ideas obtained through scientific research. Skills required for such a mediation process, for the complex array of informative interactions among various groups of stakeholders and interests are huge, way beyond technical knowledge and abilities in their field of specialization. But are they prepared for this role, as long as educating researchers doesn't necessarily go farther than providing them the methodological background for doing research? Scientific rigor and managerial relevance, communication and education have very different facets for policymakers and for practitioners, and researchers often lack the skills for this ambiguous game of instrumental, conceptual and strategic knowledge development and utilization. The aim of the present study is to analyze the skills inventory necessary for the modern researcher, as perceived by junior researchers, and the way ICTs, eDemocracy and civic participation could help shaping the researcher as mediator between politicians and practitioners. Literature review, indepth interviews with junior researchers and content analysis are used from a methodological point of view.
The present study intends to identify the main stakeholders' perceptions towards Romanian higher ... more The present study intends to identify the main stakeholders' perceptions towards Romanian higher education and to estimate their degree of trust in Romanian universities. Five categories of stakeholders were analyzed: high school students (the future university candidates), present university students, former students (graduates), university professors, employers and public opinion, in general. The geographic area analyzed was that of NorthEastern Romania. The research methodology included: documentary (secondary) research, survey research (based on six questionnaires, with a common number of questions and specific ones), in-depth interview (for professors), analysis and synthesis. The total sample size was of 922 respondents: 195 high school students, 280 present students, 102 graduates, 43 professors, 100 employers, and 202 persons-public opinion. The research findings could be used for specific management and marketing activities for higher education institutions.
Review of Economic and Business Studies, Dec 1, 2016
The present paper analyzes, through a case study, the organizational culture of a typical Romania... more The present paper analyzes, through a case study, the organizational culture of a typical Romanian company from the textile industry. The company resulted from the privatization process, being a successful example in its field. The initial, socialist enterprise from which the analyzed company was created, had a long history prior to 1989; thus, although the newly created company has about 20 years of evolution, actually, the mothercompany from which it was privatized has more than a decade of tradition. In order to collect data, we used two methods: direct, non-participative observation, together with a sociological survey based on a semi-structured interviewing technique. The interviews were conducted with the top managers-the strategic management and the managers from the human resources department, sales and purchasing departments. The observation and the interviews were undertaken during the period 2011-2012. For the analysis of the collected data, we used a systemization method and a theme-based organization of answers (specific to content analysis). The identification and analysis criteria for the typologies of the organizational culture were those used by Sonnenfeld (1988) and Quinn (1991). A protocol was established for all stages, including exploration, description of the situation, data analysis, typological classification of the organizational culture and interpretation. We conclude that the analyzed company has a mixed personality and hesitates between rigorous control and permanent adaptation, between the real and ideal image, between independent action and the need to wait for directions and reassuring control, a rather general characteristic of the Romanian culture. Although the managers seem to be in favor of a permanent and free adaptation to the threatening environment, control is always used as a precautionary measure. Moreover, the strategy of the company seems to privilege the maintaining of its structure and procedures and not the adaptation to the environment. The company is placed in different categories, for both models, at stated level comparing to the actual one, oscillating between Club and Baseball (for the Sonnenfeld typology) and between Hierarchical and Innovative (for the Quinn typology of organizational culture).
Review of Economic and Business Studies, Jun 1, 2015
Tertiary education involves specific perceived issues among PhD candidates that lead to several s... more Tertiary education involves specific perceived issues among PhD candidates that lead to several self-destructive behaviors regarding the research process and the quality of the doctoral thesis. Studying the emotional mechanisms behind the process of doctoral research offers useful insights for both PhD candidates and PhD supervisors. A qualitative approach involving a concept analysis method was used to investigate the concerns about the doctoral process of a group of PhD candidates enrolled in the first year at the Doctoral School of Economics and Business Administration of Iași, Romania. Both spontaneous and induced responses were considered. The order of concerns and the fact that some of them were mentioned together were also taken into account. Most of the concerns are related to time-management. Results are discussed and several recommendations are made.
Context and Purpose: The increased focus of higher education institutions on research andlatelyon... more Context and Purpose: The increased focus of higher education institutions on research andlatelyon societal challenges and real-world problems, the importance of academic rankings for financing and international competitions and the research and publication oriented professional advancement criteria transformed academics into publishing hunters. The world of academic publishing is wild and dangerous, due to the massification of research. Aims and objectives are often confounded with means, quantity and quality (already difficult to assess) don't always walk together, stakeholders have conflicting interests, the old linear models of publishing are replaced with intricate looped and interconnected ones, leading to academics publishing more and achieving lessespecially from a societal perspective. The aim of the present study is to summarize the main challenges of the publishing process, together with the pathways chosen by academics to overcome these difficulties. Design/methodology: A meta-analysis of recent studies on academic publishing was performed, together with a nethnographic exploratory approach on publishing patterns in economics and business; informal talks with academics from business and economics fields from several Eastern EU higher education institutions were used, as well. Findings: The inventory of challenges includes individual factors (personality and individual morale, goals, knowledge and status, preferences and habits), institutional factors (university and strategy level), social structures and infrastructural level factors (open access, technological disruptive innovations, new social contract for research, preprints), as well as professional culture type of factors (peer-review issues and various biases, alternative research assessment methods, predatory journals, predatory informal rules). Several pathways chosen by academics were observed, leading to hypotheses formulation for future research. Limitations: The study is exploratory, based on a conventional sample of academics for the empirical part and has an emic, potentially subjective approach. Originality/value: The study touches a delicate and controversial subjectacademic publishingand brings together both positive and negative aspects for existent pathways, offering a ground for future research.
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Papers by Adriana Zait