Lidia Alexa | Universitatea tehnica Gheorche Asachi Iasi (original) (raw)

Papers by Lidia Alexa

Research paper thumbnail of Living Labs: A Framework of Analysis

International Symposium "Technical Textiles - Present and Future", 2022

The concept of Living Labs (LL) appeared in academic discussions in the 1990s, but did not take s... more The concept of Living Labs (LL) appeared in academic discussions in the 1990s, but did not take shape until 2006, when the European Commission launched projects to advance, coordinate and promote a common European innovation system based on "living laboratories". A fashionable term, even if sometimes confusing, living labs often refers to both the methodology and the tool or agency that is created for its practice, these being driven by two main ideas: i) involving users as co-creators on the same reasons with the rest of the participants and ii) experimentation in real environments. In short, living labs ensure the structure and governance of user participation in the innovation process. Thus, defined as innovation networks based on the philosophy of open innovation, where users become equivalent to other participants, living labs are largely ICT-based innovation networks. Hence the following distinction: in living laboratories, users shape innovation in their real everyday environments, while in traditional innovation networks or laboratories, users are observed, and their perspectives are captured and interpreted by experts. From a methodology perspective, processes such as data transfers and methods of user involvement are highlighted. Most of the methods used are qualitative, often focusing on finding needs, participatory design and user involvement. The aim of this paper is twofold: to offer an overview of living labs, and to explore and identify the types of living labs and their use.

Research paper thumbnail of The Use of Online Marketing and Social Media in Higher Education Institutions in Romania

Journal of Marketing Research & Case Studies

For a very long period of time, universities were institutions that offered education to those wh... more For a very long period of time, universities were institutions that offered education to those who could meet their prescribed entry criteria and were operating in a supply-side market, which meant that their marketing efforts were limited to a few actions, and the communication efforts were unidirectional. The diverse changes in the global environment had a direct impact over higher education institutions and forced them to rethink their general strategy and to tailor their marketing efforts in order to better suit the student-customer information and communication needs. The changed approach was mandatory for universities survival in a demand-side market. This change implied that universities undertook organizational changes meant to transform them in more market oriented institutions and that communication with target groups became a priority. Online environment offers universities various marketing instruments designed to fulfill their needs to provide accurate and up-to-date information and to have a two-way communication with their target groups, whether they are current or prospective students. Social media proves to be an unlimited resource of instruments for higher education institutions to get closer to their public. This article aims to analyze the use of online marketing and social media strategies applied by universities in Romania, both public and private. The survey was conducted on 56 public universities and 55 private universities and aimed to examine the universities websites and social media involvement.

Research paper thumbnail of The COVID-19 Lockdown Effect on the Intention to Purchase Sustainable Brands

Sustainability

After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020, almost... more After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020, almost all European countries entered a lockdown. This context caused sudden changes at multiple levels, affecting the way people were working, buying, studying and even the way they were interacting. Moreover, during lockdown people showed a special attention to local and sustainable brands giving momentum to the interest on sustainability, that has been increasing in the last years. Therefore, this study aims to determine the intention of buying sustainable and local brands due to the COVID-19 lockdown. An online survey was conducted for two groups of young adults from Spain and Romania, between April and June 2020. The questionnaire respects the methodological recommendations of Azjen (1985) and related literature on how to construct a survey based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and it aims to gather information about the three main constructs that determine the individual’s behavi...

Research paper thumbnail of Factors influencing students’ continuance usage intention with online learning during the pandemic: a cross-country analysis

Behaviour & Information Technology

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Marketing and its Impact over the Touristic Attractiveness of the Cities – A Conceptual Approach

STUDIES AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES. ECONOMICS EDITION

Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitive... more Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitiveness and the increased demand of qualitative public services, it appears the need to apply new urban management approaches, more oriented toward the market and the current needs of the city. The competitive environment pressure creates the need to pass from an entirely administrative approach to a more managerial one, in all aspects regarding the current problems of the cities. Thus, the urban stakeholders borrow more and more often working methods and techniques specific until now only for the private sector, in order to increase the public service’s performance and to sustainable develop their community. Urban marketing came as a natural response to the cities needs to bring added value to their urban management strategies. The final objective is to increase the cities attractiveness for different target groups: starting with the current and future inhabitants, continuing with tourists...

Research paper thumbnail of ICT new tools for a sustainable textile and clothing industry

Industria Textila

Sustainability in the textile and clothing industry is seen as a subject of the major producers, ... more Sustainability in the textile and clothing industry is seen as a subject of the major producers, with many brands divulging their concern about protecting people and the environment and adopting an environmental friendly communication approach. For companies in the textile and clothing sector (especially SMEs), the circular economy provides an opportunity to create new profit streams, increase their resilience to volatile input costs, and support their efforts to become completely sustainable and socially responsible. EU textile and clothing industry needs a flexible workforce that can respond to the development and to the globalised market and the need for sustainable design and manufacturing in order to respond to the global demand for sustainable creative products. In this frame, it is important to have suitable tools to train the employees, to prepare them to deal with these new challenges, to enhance their knowledge, and to develop new skills and competencies for this new type ...

Research paper thumbnail of The requirement elicitation process of designing a collaborative environment – The CRE@TIVE.BIZ case

ANNALS OF THE ORADEA UNIVERSITY. Fascicle of Management and Technological Engineering.

Research paper thumbnail of Co-Creation in Fashion Industry: The Case of Awaytomars

ANNALS OF THE ORADEA UNIVERSITY. Fascicle of Management and Technological Engineering.

Research paper thumbnail of An Open Innovation Marketplace: The Case of Innocentive

ANNALS OF THE ORADEA UNIVERSITY. Fascicle of Management and Technological Engineering.

Research paper thumbnail of The requirement elicitation process of designing a collaborative environment – The CRE@TIVE.BIZ case

MATEC Web of Conferences

The software development industry is one that is under a constant pressure to deliver products th... more The software development industry is one that is under a constant pressure to deliver products that are innovative, fast to market and better suited to the costumers' needs and expectations. In this context, the traditional approaches to product development can become obsolete, as the market and the end-users are dynamic and rather unpredictable and the latter's active participation can sometimes make the difference between success and failure. The Agile approach, on the other hand considers extensive collaboration with all stakeholders paramount in all the stages of the software development process and for this, a variety of requirements elicitations techniques are used in order to obtain extensive input that leads to designing and developing enhanced products and applications. This paper presents the requirement elicitation process and techniques used in the development process of an open collaboration and innovation platform-CRE@TIVE.BIZ which is an experimental model dedicated to create a community where all relevant stakeholders from three specific creative industries, namely design, fashion design and crafts, can meet, interact, gain access and share information, knowledge and resources.

Research paper thumbnail of The nature of the creative workforce

MATEC Web of Conferences

Considering the fact that creative, creativity, co-creation are so very used terms in the last ye... more Considering the fact that creative, creativity, co-creation are so very used terms in the last years, that creative industries and entrepreneurship in creative industries are the subject to many conferences, symposiums, courses, curricula, etc., discussions on creative economy is a subject of current interest, as well. To better understand creative economy, one must understand the nature of the creative workforce. The aim of this paper is to identify the nature of creative workforce. The foreseen result is to highlight the differences between creative industries and creative jobs, starting from the identified nature of the creative industries

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of marketing expenses on car sales – an empirical analysis

MATEC Web of Conferences

In the context of globalization and increased competitive pressure, the client becomes the most v... more In the context of globalization and increased competitive pressure, the client becomes the most valuable asset for the company and so it needs to valorize the competitive advantage in order to ensure not only maximizing client satisfaction but also profit growth. Consequently, the consumer centered approach needs to be conceived and implemented to guarantee increased company performance and profitability. Rethinking and implementing the marketing strategy in accordance with specific client profiling requires continuous investments and while the marketing costs have a high degree of certainty, the extensive studies conducted on the impact of the marketing efforts on performance metrics such as revenue, sales, profits or firm value reveal a high degree on uncertainty. Most relevant are S. Srinivasan, K. Pauwels, D. M. Hanssens and M. G. Dekimpe's [1] paper discussing marketing efforts impact over revenue, N. Zhou, D. Zhou and M. Ouyang's [2] article analyzing the correlation between marketing expenses and sales, O. Notta and K. Oustapassidis's [3] research regarding the relationship between advertising and profits or M. Singh, S. Faircloth and A. Nejadmalayeri [4] paper discussing the link between marketing expenses and the firms' marketimposed weighted average cost of capital. The marketing costs volume, dynamic and structure are directly linked to the activities aimed at increasing costumer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. The main benefits of marketing efforts can be evaluated on two levels: 1) direct financial benefits, generated by increased revenue and consequently higher ROI (Return on investment); 2) indirect benefits resulting from costumer portfolio that can be exploited in the future. The marketing costs versus benefits management has particularities according to the main objective of the company: increasing the customer portfolio, and preserving (loyalty and retention) of existing customers. According to S. Pete and I. R. Cardos [5], the first objective entails higher investments, as the cost for acquiring new costumers is significantly higher than the one for retaining existing ones, thus, the second objective is often considered more competitive, financial wise. The fact that marketing is an important activity for enterprises has caused an increase in marketing related expenditure. L. Kosan [6] considers that a higher level of investment in marketing activities in terms of budgeted

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Marketing and Its Impact Over the Touristic Attractiveness of the Cities–A Conceptual Approach

Studies and Scientific Researches-Economic Edition, 2010

Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitive... more Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitiveness and the increased demand of qualitative public services, it appears the need to apply new urban management approaches, more oriented toward the market and the current needs of the city. The competitive environment pressure creates the need to pass from an entirely administrative approach to a more managerial one, in all aspects regarding the current problems of the cities. Thus, the urban stakeholders borrow more and more often working methods and techniques specific until now only for the private sector, in order to increase the public service's performance and to sustainable develop their community. Urban marketing came as a natural response to the cities needs to bring added value to their urban management strategies. The final objective is to increase the cities attractiveness for different target groups: starting with the current and future inhabitants, continuing with tourists and finishing with potential investors, which by relocating their business, could become a part of the faster and more sustainable urban development.

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Marketing and Its Impact Over the Touristic Attractiveness of the Cities–A Conceptual Approach

Studies and Scientific Researches-Economic Edition, 2010

Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitive... more Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitiveness and the increased demand of qualitative public services, it appears the need to apply new urban management approaches, more oriented toward the market and the current needs of the city. The competitive environment pressure creates the need to pass from an entirely administrative approach to a more managerial one, in all aspects regarding the current problems of the cities. Thus, the urban stakeholders borrow more and more often working methods and techniques specific until now only for the private sector, in order to increase the public service's performance and to sustainable develop their community. Urban marketing came as a natural response to the cities needs to bring added value to their urban management strategies. The final objective is to increase the cities attractiveness for different target groups: starting with the current and future inhabitants, continuing with tourists and finishing with potential investors, which by relocating their business, could become a part of the faster and more sustainable urban development.

Research paper thumbnail of Engineers Changing the World: Education for Sustainability in Romanian Technical Universities-An Empirical Web-Based Content Analysis

Sustainability , 2020

Without a doubt, we are living in interesting times, characterized by both continuous economic de... more Without a doubt, we are living in interesting times, characterized by both continuous economic development and improved standard of living, but also uncertainty, increased pollution, and environmental degradation, which means that, now, more than ever, global and consistent action is needed in order to create a more sustainable future. In this context, education in general and higher education in particular, face both, a significant challenge and a substantial role due to their formative function both in terms of mindset and practical tools. The main objective of our research was to explore the way technical universities in Romania have integrated into their curricula courses that aim at shaping sustainability competencies in engineering students. The study was carried out based on an exploratory empirical content analysis of the technical universities' curricula, in order to identify the courses, including sustainable development (SD)-related topics. The analysis covered 255 bachelor programs and 394 master programs with a total of 25,920 courses, both mandatory and optional. The results revealed that there are differences in approaching sustainability education between the universities and also faculties within the universities included in the sample, revealing a rather siloed approach.

Research paper thumbnail of Gaining a Competitive Edge through Action Design Research

The current business environment is characterized by increased competition and highly innovative ... more The current business environment is characterized by increased competition and highly innovative approach, in order to create products and services to better respond to the costumers' needs and expectations.

In this specific context, the research approaches need to be more flexible and business oriented and so, throughout the paper we have used a research method that combines design research and action research, named Action Design Research which is a research method used for generating prescriptive design knowledge through building and evaluating IT artifacts in an organizational setting [1].

Following the Action Design Research stages and principles: problem identification, building, intervention and evaluation, reflection and learning and formalization of learning, the research team has developed an online instrument used to actively involve the consumer in the product development process, in order to generate a better consumers insight regarding their needs and desires and to design and/or adjust the product accordingly. The customer engagement IT tool created and tested by using Action Design Research, E-PICUS, has been developed within the framework of the research project "E-solutions for innovation through customer pro-active involvement in value creation to increase organisational competitiveness (E-PICUS)", PN- II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-1811, currently undergoing.

Research paper thumbnail of Multiple stakeholders’s co-creation process in new product development: an exploratory analysis

Annual Session of Scientific Papers IMT ORADEA 2017, 2017

In the this highly competitive market, a company’s capacity to generate and market creative and o... more In the this highly competitive market, a company’s capacity to generate and market creative and original ideas is a key for success. But most companies have limited resources and so, knowledge creation can not be generated solely from within the firm. In order to expand their
knowledge base, organizations begun to implicate stakeholders in all phases of the new product development process, from idea generation, selection, development and eventually, even to marketing the new products or services. In this context, the Internet and the new technologies
represent a valuable instrument for companies, due to the fact that they can enhance the firms’ ability to actively engage all their stakeholders in collaborative innovation.
Our paper presents and evaluates the development and implementation of an online co-creation platform – E-PICUS addressed to multiple stakeholders of a new electronic product - Video Intercom providing insights into the specific capabilities a firm needs in order to manage co-creation and into partial results obtained through costumers’ involvement in the innovation process.

Research paper thumbnail of Particular Aspects of the Tourist Products Consumers' Loyalty

The tourist consumption represents the expression of a very varied set of needs and motivations: ... more The tourist consumption represents the expression of a very varied set of needs and motivations: rest, relaxation, escape from the every-day setting, recreation or the satisfaction of certain cultural, aesthetic, emotional aspirations, based on the principle of pleasure, of the integration of individuals in their social environment, and the relation with their own personality and family or personal experiences. Classifying the tourist products according to the motivation of travelling, we can emphasize particular aspects of the relationship between the tourist products consumers's satisfaction and loyalty. The objective of the article is to present a study which emphasizes the fact that the consumer's satisfaction does not generally induce loyalty to the tourist destinations/tourist services. The typology of tourist products and motivation of choosing the destination plays a very crucial role. The study analyses comparatively three types of tourist products and the manner in...

Research paper thumbnail of City Marketing and its Impact over Urban Economies

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference Advances in Tourism Economics

Research paper thumbnail of The Use of Online Marketing and Social Media in Higher Education Institutions in Romania

Journal of Marketing Research & Case Studies

For a very long period of time, universities were institutions that offered education to those wh... more For a very long period of time, universities were institutions that offered education to those who could meet their prescribed entry criteria and were operating in a supply-side market, which meant that their marketing efforts were limited to a few actions, and the communication efforts were unidirectional.

Research paper thumbnail of Living Labs: A Framework of Analysis

International Symposium "Technical Textiles - Present and Future", 2022

The concept of Living Labs (LL) appeared in academic discussions in the 1990s, but did not take s... more The concept of Living Labs (LL) appeared in academic discussions in the 1990s, but did not take shape until 2006, when the European Commission launched projects to advance, coordinate and promote a common European innovation system based on "living laboratories". A fashionable term, even if sometimes confusing, living labs often refers to both the methodology and the tool or agency that is created for its practice, these being driven by two main ideas: i) involving users as co-creators on the same reasons with the rest of the participants and ii) experimentation in real environments. In short, living labs ensure the structure and governance of user participation in the innovation process. Thus, defined as innovation networks based on the philosophy of open innovation, where users become equivalent to other participants, living labs are largely ICT-based innovation networks. Hence the following distinction: in living laboratories, users shape innovation in their real everyday environments, while in traditional innovation networks or laboratories, users are observed, and their perspectives are captured and interpreted by experts. From a methodology perspective, processes such as data transfers and methods of user involvement are highlighted. Most of the methods used are qualitative, often focusing on finding needs, participatory design and user involvement. The aim of this paper is twofold: to offer an overview of living labs, and to explore and identify the types of living labs and their use.

Research paper thumbnail of The Use of Online Marketing and Social Media in Higher Education Institutions in Romania

Journal of Marketing Research & Case Studies

For a very long period of time, universities were institutions that offered education to those wh... more For a very long period of time, universities were institutions that offered education to those who could meet their prescribed entry criteria and were operating in a supply-side market, which meant that their marketing efforts were limited to a few actions, and the communication efforts were unidirectional. The diverse changes in the global environment had a direct impact over higher education institutions and forced them to rethink their general strategy and to tailor their marketing efforts in order to better suit the student-customer information and communication needs. The changed approach was mandatory for universities survival in a demand-side market. This change implied that universities undertook organizational changes meant to transform them in more market oriented institutions and that communication with target groups became a priority. Online environment offers universities various marketing instruments designed to fulfill their needs to provide accurate and up-to-date information and to have a two-way communication with their target groups, whether they are current or prospective students. Social media proves to be an unlimited resource of instruments for higher education institutions to get closer to their public. This article aims to analyze the use of online marketing and social media strategies applied by universities in Romania, both public and private. The survey was conducted on 56 public universities and 55 private universities and aimed to examine the universities websites and social media involvement.

Research paper thumbnail of The COVID-19 Lockdown Effect on the Intention to Purchase Sustainable Brands

Sustainability

After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020, almost... more After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020, almost all European countries entered a lockdown. This context caused sudden changes at multiple levels, affecting the way people were working, buying, studying and even the way they were interacting. Moreover, during lockdown people showed a special attention to local and sustainable brands giving momentum to the interest on sustainability, that has been increasing in the last years. Therefore, this study aims to determine the intention of buying sustainable and local brands due to the COVID-19 lockdown. An online survey was conducted for two groups of young adults from Spain and Romania, between April and June 2020. The questionnaire respects the methodological recommendations of Azjen (1985) and related literature on how to construct a survey based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and it aims to gather information about the three main constructs that determine the individual’s behavi...

Research paper thumbnail of Factors influencing students’ continuance usage intention with online learning during the pandemic: a cross-country analysis

Behaviour & Information Technology

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Marketing and its Impact over the Touristic Attractiveness of the Cities – A Conceptual Approach

STUDIES AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES. ECONOMICS EDITION

Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitive... more Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitiveness and the increased demand of qualitative public services, it appears the need to apply new urban management approaches, more oriented toward the market and the current needs of the city. The competitive environment pressure creates the need to pass from an entirely administrative approach to a more managerial one, in all aspects regarding the current problems of the cities. Thus, the urban stakeholders borrow more and more often working methods and techniques specific until now only for the private sector, in order to increase the public service’s performance and to sustainable develop their community. Urban marketing came as a natural response to the cities needs to bring added value to their urban management strategies. The final objective is to increase the cities attractiveness for different target groups: starting with the current and future inhabitants, continuing with tourists...

Research paper thumbnail of ICT new tools for a sustainable textile and clothing industry

Industria Textila

Sustainability in the textile and clothing industry is seen as a subject of the major producers, ... more Sustainability in the textile and clothing industry is seen as a subject of the major producers, with many brands divulging their concern about protecting people and the environment and adopting an environmental friendly communication approach. For companies in the textile and clothing sector (especially SMEs), the circular economy provides an opportunity to create new profit streams, increase their resilience to volatile input costs, and support their efforts to become completely sustainable and socially responsible. EU textile and clothing industry needs a flexible workforce that can respond to the development and to the globalised market and the need for sustainable design and manufacturing in order to respond to the global demand for sustainable creative products. In this frame, it is important to have suitable tools to train the employees, to prepare them to deal with these new challenges, to enhance their knowledge, and to develop new skills and competencies for this new type ...

Research paper thumbnail of The requirement elicitation process of designing a collaborative environment – The CRE@TIVE.BIZ case

ANNALS OF THE ORADEA UNIVERSITY. Fascicle of Management and Technological Engineering.

Research paper thumbnail of Co-Creation in Fashion Industry: The Case of Awaytomars

ANNALS OF THE ORADEA UNIVERSITY. Fascicle of Management and Technological Engineering.

Research paper thumbnail of An Open Innovation Marketplace: The Case of Innocentive

ANNALS OF THE ORADEA UNIVERSITY. Fascicle of Management and Technological Engineering.

Research paper thumbnail of The requirement elicitation process of designing a collaborative environment – The CRE@TIVE.BIZ case

MATEC Web of Conferences

The software development industry is one that is under a constant pressure to deliver products th... more The software development industry is one that is under a constant pressure to deliver products that are innovative, fast to market and better suited to the costumers' needs and expectations. In this context, the traditional approaches to product development can become obsolete, as the market and the end-users are dynamic and rather unpredictable and the latter's active participation can sometimes make the difference between success and failure. The Agile approach, on the other hand considers extensive collaboration with all stakeholders paramount in all the stages of the software development process and for this, a variety of requirements elicitations techniques are used in order to obtain extensive input that leads to designing and developing enhanced products and applications. This paper presents the requirement elicitation process and techniques used in the development process of an open collaboration and innovation platform-CRE@TIVE.BIZ which is an experimental model dedicated to create a community where all relevant stakeholders from three specific creative industries, namely design, fashion design and crafts, can meet, interact, gain access and share information, knowledge and resources.

Research paper thumbnail of The nature of the creative workforce

MATEC Web of Conferences

Considering the fact that creative, creativity, co-creation are so very used terms in the last ye... more Considering the fact that creative, creativity, co-creation are so very used terms in the last years, that creative industries and entrepreneurship in creative industries are the subject to many conferences, symposiums, courses, curricula, etc., discussions on creative economy is a subject of current interest, as well. To better understand creative economy, one must understand the nature of the creative workforce. The aim of this paper is to identify the nature of creative workforce. The foreseen result is to highlight the differences between creative industries and creative jobs, starting from the identified nature of the creative industries

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of marketing expenses on car sales – an empirical analysis

MATEC Web of Conferences

In the context of globalization and increased competitive pressure, the client becomes the most v... more In the context of globalization and increased competitive pressure, the client becomes the most valuable asset for the company and so it needs to valorize the competitive advantage in order to ensure not only maximizing client satisfaction but also profit growth. Consequently, the consumer centered approach needs to be conceived and implemented to guarantee increased company performance and profitability. Rethinking and implementing the marketing strategy in accordance with specific client profiling requires continuous investments and while the marketing costs have a high degree of certainty, the extensive studies conducted on the impact of the marketing efforts on performance metrics such as revenue, sales, profits or firm value reveal a high degree on uncertainty. Most relevant are S. Srinivasan, K. Pauwels, D. M. Hanssens and M. G. Dekimpe's [1] paper discussing marketing efforts impact over revenue, N. Zhou, D. Zhou and M. Ouyang's [2] article analyzing the correlation between marketing expenses and sales, O. Notta and K. Oustapassidis's [3] research regarding the relationship between advertising and profits or M. Singh, S. Faircloth and A. Nejadmalayeri [4] paper discussing the link between marketing expenses and the firms' marketimposed weighted average cost of capital. The marketing costs volume, dynamic and structure are directly linked to the activities aimed at increasing costumer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. The main benefits of marketing efforts can be evaluated on two levels: 1) direct financial benefits, generated by increased revenue and consequently higher ROI (Return on investment); 2) indirect benefits resulting from costumer portfolio that can be exploited in the future. The marketing costs versus benefits management has particularities according to the main objective of the company: increasing the customer portfolio, and preserving (loyalty and retention) of existing customers. According to S. Pete and I. R. Cardos [5], the first objective entails higher investments, as the cost for acquiring new costumers is significantly higher than the one for retaining existing ones, thus, the second objective is often considered more competitive, financial wise. The fact that marketing is an important activity for enterprises has caused an increase in marketing related expenditure. L. Kosan [6] considers that a higher level of investment in marketing activities in terms of budgeted

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Marketing and Its Impact Over the Touristic Attractiveness of the Cities–A Conceptual Approach

Studies and Scientific Researches-Economic Edition, 2010

Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitive... more Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitiveness and the increased demand of qualitative public services, it appears the need to apply new urban management approaches, more oriented toward the market and the current needs of the city. The competitive environment pressure creates the need to pass from an entirely administrative approach to a more managerial one, in all aspects regarding the current problems of the cities. Thus, the urban stakeholders borrow more and more often working methods and techniques specific until now only for the private sector, in order to increase the public service's performance and to sustainable develop their community. Urban marketing came as a natural response to the cities needs to bring added value to their urban management strategies. The final objective is to increase the cities attractiveness for different target groups: starting with the current and future inhabitants, continuing with tourists and finishing with potential investors, which by relocating their business, could become a part of the faster and more sustainable urban development.

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Marketing and Its Impact Over the Touristic Attractiveness of the Cities–A Conceptual Approach

Studies and Scientific Researches-Economic Edition, 2010

Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitive... more Considering the current issues the urban centers are dealing with, the amplified city competitiveness and the increased demand of qualitative public services, it appears the need to apply new urban management approaches, more oriented toward the market and the current needs of the city. The competitive environment pressure creates the need to pass from an entirely administrative approach to a more managerial one, in all aspects regarding the current problems of the cities. Thus, the urban stakeholders borrow more and more often working methods and techniques specific until now only for the private sector, in order to increase the public service's performance and to sustainable develop their community. Urban marketing came as a natural response to the cities needs to bring added value to their urban management strategies. The final objective is to increase the cities attractiveness for different target groups: starting with the current and future inhabitants, continuing with tourists and finishing with potential investors, which by relocating their business, could become a part of the faster and more sustainable urban development.

Research paper thumbnail of Engineers Changing the World: Education for Sustainability in Romanian Technical Universities-An Empirical Web-Based Content Analysis

Sustainability , 2020

Without a doubt, we are living in interesting times, characterized by both continuous economic de... more Without a doubt, we are living in interesting times, characterized by both continuous economic development and improved standard of living, but also uncertainty, increased pollution, and environmental degradation, which means that, now, more than ever, global and consistent action is needed in order to create a more sustainable future. In this context, education in general and higher education in particular, face both, a significant challenge and a substantial role due to their formative function both in terms of mindset and practical tools. The main objective of our research was to explore the way technical universities in Romania have integrated into their curricula courses that aim at shaping sustainability competencies in engineering students. The study was carried out based on an exploratory empirical content analysis of the technical universities' curricula, in order to identify the courses, including sustainable development (SD)-related topics. The analysis covered 255 bachelor programs and 394 master programs with a total of 25,920 courses, both mandatory and optional. The results revealed that there are differences in approaching sustainability education between the universities and also faculties within the universities included in the sample, revealing a rather siloed approach.

Research paper thumbnail of Gaining a Competitive Edge through Action Design Research

The current business environment is characterized by increased competition and highly innovative ... more The current business environment is characterized by increased competition and highly innovative approach, in order to create products and services to better respond to the costumers' needs and expectations.

In this specific context, the research approaches need to be more flexible and business oriented and so, throughout the paper we have used a research method that combines design research and action research, named Action Design Research which is a research method used for generating prescriptive design knowledge through building and evaluating IT artifacts in an organizational setting [1].

Following the Action Design Research stages and principles: problem identification, building, intervention and evaluation, reflection and learning and formalization of learning, the research team has developed an online instrument used to actively involve the consumer in the product development process, in order to generate a better consumers insight regarding their needs and desires and to design and/or adjust the product accordingly. The customer engagement IT tool created and tested by using Action Design Research, E-PICUS, has been developed within the framework of the research project "E-solutions for innovation through customer pro-active involvement in value creation to increase organisational competitiveness (E-PICUS)", PN- II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-1811, currently undergoing.

Research paper thumbnail of Multiple stakeholders’s co-creation process in new product development: an exploratory analysis

Annual Session of Scientific Papers IMT ORADEA 2017, 2017

In the this highly competitive market, a company’s capacity to generate and market creative and o... more In the this highly competitive market, a company’s capacity to generate and market creative and original ideas is a key for success. But most companies have limited resources and so, knowledge creation can not be generated solely from within the firm. In order to expand their
knowledge base, organizations begun to implicate stakeholders in all phases of the new product development process, from idea generation, selection, development and eventually, even to marketing the new products or services. In this context, the Internet and the new technologies
represent a valuable instrument for companies, due to the fact that they can enhance the firms’ ability to actively engage all their stakeholders in collaborative innovation.
Our paper presents and evaluates the development and implementation of an online co-creation platform – E-PICUS addressed to multiple stakeholders of a new electronic product - Video Intercom providing insights into the specific capabilities a firm needs in order to manage co-creation and into partial results obtained through costumers’ involvement in the innovation process.

Research paper thumbnail of Particular Aspects of the Tourist Products Consumers' Loyalty

The tourist consumption represents the expression of a very varied set of needs and motivations: ... more The tourist consumption represents the expression of a very varied set of needs and motivations: rest, relaxation, escape from the every-day setting, recreation or the satisfaction of certain cultural, aesthetic, emotional aspirations, based on the principle of pleasure, of the integration of individuals in their social environment, and the relation with their own personality and family or personal experiences. Classifying the tourist products according to the motivation of travelling, we can emphasize particular aspects of the relationship between the tourist products consumers's satisfaction and loyalty. The objective of the article is to present a study which emphasizes the fact that the consumer's satisfaction does not generally induce loyalty to the tourist destinations/tourist services. The typology of tourist products and motivation of choosing the destination plays a very crucial role. The study analyses comparatively three types of tourist products and the manner in...

Research paper thumbnail of City Marketing and its Impact over Urban Economies

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference Advances in Tourism Economics

Research paper thumbnail of The Use of Online Marketing and Social Media in Higher Education Institutions in Romania

Journal of Marketing Research & Case Studies

For a very long period of time, universities were institutions that offered education to those wh... more For a very long period of time, universities were institutions that offered education to those who could meet their prescribed entry criteria and were operating in a supply-side market, which meant that their marketing efforts were limited to a few actions, and the communication efforts were unidirectional.