rss_2.0Sciendo RSS Feed for Studies in Business and Economicshttps://sciendo.com/journal/SBEhttps://www.sciendo.comhttps://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/64736fa34e662f30ba53e2fc/cover-image.jpghttps://sciendo.com/journal/SBE140216https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0035<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The initial idealistic perspective associated with the concept of globalization has turned into a bleak evidence in the present, which has taken on the appearance of a disharmonious liberalism in which it is possible to observe a common worldwide increase in economic and social inequalities. The current international economic crises – characterized by a common inflationary growth – have led to a re-evaluation of the principles of the autarkic economy, economically self-sufficient and relatively independent from the external environment: an approach to which economists attribute the term “deglobalization” (Ajami, 2022; Ho et.al, 2022; Paul, 2023). These foregoing points a duty – also in business economics – to review the models proposed over time in search of new hybrid patterns oriented towards a common social vocation, suggested as a dual attention to both internal (facing the aspects regarding the going concern accounting principle) and external (relevant to the economic and social sustainability of its main stakeholders). Therefore, the article assumes as a research question the declination of the new corporate hybrid patterns and the related “competitive advantage” drivers, among which Diversity Management assumes a decisive role in the pursuit of fair and sustainable progress.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00352023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0027<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Food consumption behaviour has played and will continue to play a fundamental role in the lives of consumers, since it is the source of satisfaction of one of the primary needs of consumers, namely the need for food. On the other hand, food consumption behaviour can also be seen as a hedonic experience, the result of the action of extremely heterogeneous and dynamic factors, with food consumption being influenced by economic, social, and cultural variables as well as personal, psychological, and biological factors which are related to the individual. The study of food consumption behaviour can be seen both as a challenge, given that understanding this behaviour requires a multidisciplinary analysis, the terms used referring to marketing, psychology, sociology, nutrition and food science, and as a necessity, given the impact on the structure and dynamics of the market, which in turn leads to the need for government decisions in the direction of ethics and social responsibility, and a global and at the same time sustainable development of the market. In this context, this paper aims to analyse the main factors influencing food consumption behaviour and how they are reflected in consumption decisions. The analysis is supported by an examination of these issues based on secondary data sources.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00272023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0037<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) play a vital role in emerging economies, thus this research aims at assessing the current situation of Egyptian MSMEs under COVID-19 pandemic and identifying the role of Egyptian MSMEs in economic growth and development. This research adopted qualitative design; 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with different eco-system stakeholders and MSMEs’ managers using content analysis to analyse collected data based on NVivo software. The findings revealed the importance of MSMEs sector in the emerging markets as well as global ones. Additionally, MSMEs play a significant role in enhancing country’s economic growth and development, particularly in GDP, job opportunities, domestic products/services, national income, sub-contractor, and individual/society welfare. Furthermore, the findings identify the main challenges that face Egyptian MSMEs under COVID-19 implications through analysing the four main strategic factors and concluded by policy recommendations that could be implemented by MSMEs’ owners to take full advantage in the Egyptian context and their contribution on country’s economic growth.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00372023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0040<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This study aims to examine the factors that affect entrepreneurial awareness and intention in Junior High School students This research used a quantitative approach with PLS-SEM by considering that the model employed unobserved variables and measured using different scale. This research applied convenience sampling and obtained 97 Junior High School students spread across Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (the Greater Jakarta) as the research samples. Furthermore, this research proved that entrepreneurial awareness and self-efficacy significantly affected entrepreneurial intention. On the other hand, entrepreneurship education, financial knowledge, and entrepreneurship experience did not significantly affect entrepreneurial intention. Meanwhile, entrepreneurial awareness was influenced by financial knowledge. The results proved that financial knowledge mediated the effects of financial socialization on entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial awareness. Meanwhile, financial knowledge had some effects on entrepreneurial intention through entrepreneurial awareness. The empirical results emphasized the importance of the role of families and schools in building entrepreneurial awareness and intention.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00402023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0022<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Digital devices, including laptops, tablets and mobile phones, can provide quick and easy access to a wide range of resources and information. They can be used to record lessons, create digital notes, conduct group projects or complete homework, and serve as effective communication tools between students and instructors. However, the use of digital devices can also have drawbacks. They can become a source of distraction, affecting concentration and class participation. Moreover, they can promote a superficial learning style, with an emphasis on quick access to information, to the detriment of critical thinking and deep understanding of the subject matter. In addition, there are concerns about equity in education, as not all students have equal access to technological resources. This study focuses on the influence of the digital age on classroom environments in higher educatio, specifically exploring the advantages and disadvantages of using digital devices during in-person classes. It explores the increasing reliance on technology in the modern educational environment and the possible risks associated with it. The research aims to provide a balanced perspective on this issue, exploring both the benefits and potential problems associated with the use of devices during in-person lectures. Its aim is to contribute to the debate about the optimal integration of technology in the classroom, with the goal of improving learning and ensuring an equitable education for all students.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00222023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0038<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Media plays a critical role in shaping public opinion and policy on global issues related to sustainable development. As such, journalism higher education has an important responsibility to prepare journalism students to report on sustainable development issues and to promote the Sustainable Development Goals. However, integrating the SDGs into journalism curricula presents several challenges. This article reviews the current state of teaching the SDGs in European journalism higher education and identifies the challenges and opportunities for integrating the SDGs into journalism curricula. The authors examine the connection between journalism programs, courses and the topics of the SDGs, in the European university environment by accessing existing reports (mainly from institutions like UN, UNESCO, EU-HEIs), studies and articles on SDGs in journalism and the websites of EU-HEIs. The EU universities providing Journalism / Media Programs were selected based on three criteria: i/ the 2020 QS World University Ranking by Subject (subjects used: “communication &amp; media studies”, “development studies”), ii/ Google search based on keywords related to journalism or media education and SDGs and iii/ existing partnerships LBUS has with European universities in the field of journalism and media.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00382023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0028<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a process of investigating the structure of a network. With the contribution of graph theory, it studies the relationships (links) that are established between different units, such as individuals, groups, or organizations (nodes), which are taken as interdependent rather than as autonomous. A social network can be compared to a web, which records the relationships or interactions of people. These networks include the social or professional interactions between units through which information and services are exchanged or contacts are recorded on a systematic basis. In this paper we attempt to introduce SNA in Economic and Regional Development, i.e. to examine the correlation of a regional education statistic indicator between certain regions. Specifically, we study the share of citizens who have completed higher education for the age group 25-64 years by gender and NUTS 2 regions. We present the visualisation of several networks, which are generated based on the degree of correlation of the data, and compute measures of centrality to compare the level of higher education by gender. The aim is to determine whether the application of Social Network Analysis could be an alternative research method in the study of Economic and Regional Development.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00282023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0021<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The purpose of this paper is to identify the opportunities and barriers to the implementation of VBHC in SMEs in Qatar. A semi-structured survey was developed to investigate the perspectives of healthcare providers, from SMEs of public and private sectors, on the opportunities and barriers to the adoption of VBHC in Qatar. The respondents include government officials, CEOs, middle managers, first-line managers, and physicians. Twenty-four out of forty respondents responded. The collected data was aggregated and analyzed. Interestingly, the aggregated information is similar in content to some other countries. Examples of main opportunities include ease of implementation, focus being on outcomes that matter to patients and fosterage of integration and collaboration between public and private sectors. The key barriers/challenges include need for standardized communications and technological infrastructure, and conflicting interests of public and private sectors. The concept of VBHC was first introduced in the United States of America (USA) in 2006 to drive the move from fee-for-service (FFS) approach to fee-for-value (FFV) model. Nonetheless, the debate on the effectiveness of this transformation continues. Although the current emphasis on VBHC may offer new opportunities, barriers are also anticipated. Furthermore, the published evidence on this phenomenon is still limited.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00212023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0039<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>In today’s globalized world understanding the relationship between “culture and competitiveness” has become a significant area of research. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the synergistic interplay between „culture and competitiveness” through a bibliometric study that systematically examines the literature review. The data is collected from Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) during 1989-2022 and it is analyzed using VOSviewer software. The study results highlight the most important aspects of the “culture and competitiveness” literature, such as the leading countries, journals, authors, and keywords. Overall, this bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive study of the research view pertaining to the relationship between “culture and competitiveness”. Moreover, this quantitative research outlines gaps and potential prospective study directions for future investigation. Our research outcomes provide valuable contributions to both academic and managerial domains, offering important implications for theory and practice approaches.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00392023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0024<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This scientific article aims to assess the link between defence expenditures and sustainable development in Romania. As the world faces increasingly complex security challenges and environmental concerns, it becomes crucial to examine the interplay between defence investments and sustainable development goals. The study focuses specifically on Romania, a country that has been undergoing significant economic and political transformations since joining the European Union. The analysis employs a comprehensive framework that integrates economic, social, and environmental indicators to evaluate the sustainability implications of defence expenditures. Using data from various sources, including national statistics and international databases, this study examines the trends in defence spending in Romania over a specified period. The research investigates the potential trade-offs between defence investments and sustainable development outcomes by considering key dimensions such as economic growth, social well-being, and environmental impact. By examining the case of Romania, valuable insights can be gained regarding the challenges and opportunities in balancing defence expenditures with sustainable development priorities. The study not only provides a comprehensive analysis of the current situation but also identifies potential pathways for enhancing the sustainability of Romania’s defence sector. This study contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable security fostering a more resilient and sustainable future.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00242023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0026<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This paper analyses literature related to the impact of COVID-19 on family firms’ financial decisions. Presenting their distinctive characteristics and their responses to both past crises and the current one, the aim is to single out the key factors that ensure these firms’ economic continuity. The analysis of the key factors shown in the studies makes it possible to identify and understand behavioural aspects, such as those relating to business resilience, employed by owners of family firms, which take precedence over traditional financial management decisions. The analysis of the financial impact of the current crisis on family firms will help improve their resilience to future exogenous impacts.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00262023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0041<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The paper aims to identify the main research (threads and) trends and evaluate the relationships between (and the impact of) the publications/articles investigating the interplays between artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability against a business or management related context. To reach this objective, 863 articles from Web of Science Core Collection were analyzed, using VOSviewer as a bibliometric tool. Performance analysis was employed to mainly explore the interest and popularity of the topic, assess the main interest areas and fields of both the sources and the publications, determine the most relevant SDGs for the topic, and identify the most popular journals hosting articles in the analyzed field. Science mapping was carried out to identify the most influential articles in the field, understand the antecedent topics/ideas (in the fields of AI and sustainability, respectively) contributing to the emergence of a new interest area at the intersection between AI and sustainability, appraise the current developments in the analyzed interest area, and discover new trends / areas for future research.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00412023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0023<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This paper explores the potential of social entrepreneurship education (SEE) as a means to foster sustainable businesses. SEE is defined as a pedagogical approach that aims to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes of students to address social and environmental challenges through entrepreneurial solutions. The paper reviews the literature on SEE and its impact on students’ entrepreneurial intentions, behaviors and outcomes. It also presents a conceptual framework that links SEE to the dimensions of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. The paper argues that SEE can enhance students’ awareness of sustainability issues, stimulate their motivation to create positive change, and equip them with the tools and methods to design and implement sustainable business models. The paper concludes with some implications for policy and practice, as well as suggestions for future research.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00232023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0033<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Is the development of entrepreneurship one of the solutions to the economic and development problems facing Romania? The answer is related to the identification of solutions to support its development. Romania is an Eastern European country that faces many problems, not only economic ones, but also social and political ones, and which does not favor a coherent and predictable entrepreneurial environment, which poses both opportunities and challenges for those who want to start or develop a business. Today there are many entrepreneurs in Romania who have created successful businesses in various fields, contributing to economic growth and new jobs. And yet, Romania ranks last among the other EU member states in terms of entrepreneurial development. Reducing the gap requires finding not only quick but also effective solutions to the problems they face related to bureaucracy, corruption, legislation and financing access.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00332023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0031<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>This research investigates the evolving nexus between sustainability practices and firm market value, with a specific focus on the rapidly growing Fintech sector. As concerns about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues continue to gain prominence, understanding the implications of sustainability efforts on firm performance becomes crucial. This study proposes an empirical exploration of how sustainability initiatives, embedded in ESG scores, undertaken by Fintech firms influence their market valuations. Moreover, the investigation contrasts the findings for the Fintech firms against those for their counterpart Technology firms for the period between 2011 and 2021. The results show that Technology firms are better valued than their Fintech counterparts, which might reflect a perception of higher risk for the later. By employing panel econometric techniques in the system-GMM setting, the paper finds that capital market investors include ESG factors in their valuation of Fintech and Techinology companies, but the environmental and governance-related initiatives at corporate level are most important in this process. The study seeks to contribute to both the theoretical understanding of the sustainability-market value relationship and the practical insights relevant to Fintech firms and their stakeholders.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00312023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0032<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The purpose of this paper is to study projection bias when individuals decide on their future consumption. The present research aims to investigate what and how factors influence the misprediction of future preferences and tastes, resulting in a gap between the expected and realised consumer utility. An online survey was conducted in Hungary to explore how personal drivers and beliefs influence the outcome of purchasing decisions on future consumption and how they contribute to a consumer utility gap. The research results demonstrate that high-level naivety goes with a minor change of preferences and tastes between the dates of purchasing choice and consumption, resulting in a small utility gap. Furthermore, individuals with stronger financial self-control perceive their savings to be higher and their utility gap to be smaller. We show that financial self-control, the change of preferences and tastes and the education level are significant predictors of the consumer utility gap regarding projection bias.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00322023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0025<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The aim of our research is to check if public services’ digitalization has an influence on economic and financial crime. We split economic and financial crime into its main forms and measured them using relevant indicators. For public services’ digitalization we consider indicators regarding online services’ quality, telecommunication infrastructure and e-government involvement. We also consider control variables that might affect the nexus between the main variables. Our sample comprise 185 countries, being split by developed and developing countries. Our processings are done in Eviews7, using Panel Least Squared Method. We test the relationship between public services’ digitalization and each component of economic and financial crime. The conclusions show a decrease of economic and financial crime with an increase of public services’ digitalization. In some particular cases, for developing countries we can observe a slight increase of the phenomenon. Our study completes the specialized literature because it includes a wider sample and a more complex set of indicators. It can also be very useful in developing national strategies and policies regarding the economic and financial crime issue. Digitalization is not a cause for concern when law is respected. If we have functional policies, technology will become citizen’s most accessible tool.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00252023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0034<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Climate change and environmental constraints are the biggest challenges facing the economy and society. Because they influence price and financial stability, controversial or trade-off decisions are sometimes required. In recent years, we have observed an increasing interest concerning central banks’ role in addressing these issues and supporting green finance development. This article proposes to evidence the impact of central banks’ climate change discourse on financial stability at the European banking level, considering their role in financial stability. We employed an event study methodology on systemic risk measures computed for 181 banks listed on European stock exchanges, using daily observations for 2015-2021. On the other side, we identified speeches of European central bank governors related to their involvement in climate change policy. The empirical results confirm the assumption that participation by central banks generally has positive effects on financial stability and some concrete measures were visible. While central banks cannot make climate policy and are not the critical element in this area, along with other economic, financial and governmental institutions, they can play an important role.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00342023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0029<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The purpose of this paper is to present two empirical approaches of estimating/approximating the size of cultural tourism in Romania based on existing data at municipality level. These approaches have been labelled ‘the potential supply approach’ (based on municipalities with man-made tourism resources as dominant resource) and ‘the demand approach’ (based on municipalities that register visitors in museums). Number of tourists (arrivals) in accommodation establishments was considered the benchmark statistical indicator. The analysis of Pearson correlation between number of tourists and number of visitors in museums was also included, and municipalities where this correlation is positive and statistically significant were grouped in eight clusters. The results revealed a strong concentration of tourism in big cities that are both cultural and tourism destinations as well as a correlation between tourism and culture data for 67 municipalities (out of 284). However, the precise size of cultural tourism is difficult to be quantified in the lack of any specific demand-side survey regarding travel purposes and/or activities undertaken during tourism trips and within such purposes/activities, cultural tourism to be separately identified. But, in these circumstances, the two approaches presented in this paper can outline only a maximum size of cultural tourism in the country.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00292023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-0036<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The COVID-19 pandemic could be characterised as one of the most impactful crises so far in the 21st century, because of its multiple and multidimensional ramifications. The sudden shutdown of the global economy created the conditions for a new global crisis, just a few years after the global financial crisis. Furthermore, it overlapped with the ongoing challenges of dealing with the consequences of climate change and the digitisation of economies, as well as the existing geopolitical rivalries and geoeconomic inequalities. In this context, the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) were called on to play a dual key role: to act both as stabilisers of the global economic system and as promoters of international cooperation. The aim of this paper is to capture the IFIs’ response to the responsibility of managing and dealing with the economic effects of the pandemic crisis. ΙFIs, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, demonstrated flexibility and adaptability in providing financial support to address the crisis, showing that the international community was not inactive at this critical juncture. In addition, this study examines whether the responses of the IFIs opened a window of opportunity to re-strengthen the model of multilateralism at the international level.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sbe-2023-00362023-09-20T00:00:00.000+00:00en-us-1