Activity In Romania Research Articles

The Impact of Romanian Internal Auditors in ESG Reporting and Sustainable Development Goals

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of an internal auditor’s activities in Romania, through their specific activities, on ESG reporting and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) are three criteria by which an organization’s operations are characterized as sustainable, responsible, or ethical. Even though, for business, the SDGs have been called “a 2030 purchase order for business and government action today”, the alignment between environmental, social, and governance performance and sustainable development goals helps practitioners in observing corporate contributions to sustainable growth. This research aims to identify whether internal auditors in Romania are able to contribute to ESG reporting and the achievement of the sustainable development goals through specific objective assurance and advisory activities. Using the questionnaire, the data were collected from professional accountants who carry out internal audit missions. The main findings confirm a strong and directly significant connection between the internal audit’s perception of the management’s view of the SDGs and how the entity can contribute to achieving the SDG objectives. The results also showed a direct and medium-intensity impact of the variables, capturing the important role of internal audits in ESG reporting. Our study showed that internal audits can help with reporting ESG and sustainable development objectives through their activity. However, according to our statistical results, the internal auditors do not offer at all (or rarely offer) objective assurance and counseling related to these subjects. Moreover, it is observed that, in these situations, the management does not have a clear vision and has not taken measures to achieve the sustainable development goals and ESG factors.

Novel Specifications Regarding Biogas Production from Agriengineering Activities in Romania

This study centers on examining the carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio and metal levels in various batches of manure and their potential impact on biogas production through anaerobic fermentation. A novel aspect of this research involves the utilization of nine distinct batches sourced exclusively from livestock manure found in Romanian farms, without mixing with other potential substrates. At present, the farms are not harvesting manure for energy, but they are keen to invest in biogas production in the future as a necessary step towards renewable energy in a circular economy and a bio-waste management model. As a general conclusion that is resulting, it is shown that both the C/N ratio and the content of heavy metals in animal manure must be known when dealing with the animal manure fermentation process, especially when aiming for biogas production. The C/N ratio in the analyzed samples ranges from 6.7 to 30.2. While the ideal ratio is often considered 20–30, good methane production can occur outside this range, as seen in Sample B (small pig farm), with a C/N ratio of 13.8, proving the highest methane output. This shows that the C/N ratio is important but not the only factor influencing biogas generation. The metal content in the manure samples is similar to other studies, with potassium (K) ranging from 1.64% to 8.96%. Calcium (Ca) and K are the main metals found, posing little concern. The variation in values is linked to feed recipes. Monitoring heavy metals is crucial not only for biogas production but also for the safe use of animal manure as fertilizer, as soil contamination limits must be continuously supervised. The results are also valuable for the management of waste used as fertilizer in agricultural fields in accordance with EU law.

The Reintegration of The Surfaces Affected by the Phenomenon of Subsidence through the Cultivation of Trees with High Energy Value

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the subsidence phenomena resulting from coal mining activities in Romania's Jiu Valley region, along with the environmental and socio-economic impact issues arising from subsidence in the Jiu Valley. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework provides a comprehensive understanding of subsidence challenges in the Jiu Valley, Romania, and highlights the importance of proactive measures such as afforestation for addressing these challenges while promoting environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. Method: The methodology adopted for this research involves a multidisciplinary approach integrating field surveys, geospatial analysis, environmental assessment, and stakeholder engagement. Results and Discussion: The results of the paper underscore the effectiveness of afforestation as a sustainable solution for addressing subsidence challenges in the Jiu Valley, offering environmental, economic, and societal benefits for the region's long-term development and resilience. The work effectively highlights the concept of subsidence, both as a natural process and as a result of human activities such as mining. By emphasizing the negative effects of subsidence on land stability, infrastructure, and community safety, the introduction underscores the urgency of addressing this issue in regions such as the Jiu Valley.

Analyzing Primary Sector Selection for Economic Activity in Romania: An Interval-Valued Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Approach

This study presents an in-depth analysis of the selection process for primary sectors impacting the economic activity in Romania, employing an interval-valued fuzzy (IVF) approach combined with multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies. This research aims to identify eight key criteria influencing the selection of Romanian primary sectors, including technology adaptation, infrastructure development and investment, gross domestic product (GDP), sustainability, employment generation, market demand, risk management and government policies. The current analysis evaluates eight primary sector performances against these eight criteria through the application of three MCDM methods, namely, Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), Weighted Product Model (WPM), and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS). Ten economic experts comprising a committee have been invited to provide their views on the criteria’s importance and the alternatives’ performance. Based on the decision-maker’s qualitative judgement, GDP acquires the highest weightage, followed by environmental impact and sustainability, thus indicating the most critical factors among the group. The IVF-MCDM hybrid model indicates the energy sector as Romanian primary sector with the most potential, followed by the agriculture and forestry sector among the list of eight alternatives. It also explores the robustness of results by considering sensitivity analysis and the potential impacts of political and international factors, such as pandemics or armed conflicts, on sector selection. The findings indicate consistency in sector rankings across the different methodologies employed, underscoring the importance of methodological choice and criteria weighting. Additionally, this study sheds light on the potential influence of political and international dynamics on sector prioritization, emphasizing the need for comprehensive decision-making frameworks in economic planning processes.

Evolution of environmental protection activity in Romania in the context of European integration

The article presents a review of the evolution of the legal and institutional framework in the field of environmental protection in Romania in the context of its harmonization with that of the European Union member countries, before but also during the negotiation process of Chapter 22 Environment. At the same time, some of the significant environmental policies and strategies for setting the main objectives and priority directions of action are presented in an unitary manner.

Motifs in earthquake networks: Romania, Italy, United States of America, and Japan

We present a detailed description of seismic activity in Romania, Italy, and Japan, as well as the California seismic zone in the United States of America, based on the statistical analysis of the underlying earthquake networks used to model the aforementioned zones. Our results on network connectivity and simple network motifs allow for a complex description of seismic zones, while at the same time reinforcing the current understanding of seismicity as a critical phenomenon. The reported distributions on node connectivity, three-, and four-node motifs are consistent with power-law, i.e., scale-free, distributions over large intervals and are robust across earthquake networks obtained from different discretizations of the seismic zones of interest. In our analysis of the distributions of node connectivity and simple motifs, we distinguish between the global distribution and the power-law part of it with the help of maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method and complementary cumulative distribution functions (CCDF). The main message is that the distributions reported for the aforementioned seismic zones have large power-law components, extending over some orders of magnitude, independent of discretization. All the results were obtained using publicly available databases and open-source software, as well as a new toolbox available on GitHub, specifically designed to automatically analyze earthquake databases.

Capacity building, national and international cooperation for enhancing tobacco control activities in Romania

Capacity building, national and international cooperation for enhancing tobacco control activities in Romania

Evaluation of the Wool Production on Romanian Sheep Breeds

Abstract Sheep breeding is a traditional activity in Romania and wool production has been for a long period the main resource for the farmers’ prosperity. The opportunity of this study was generated by two main aspects: the change of the exploitation directions of sheep towards milk and meat production, which contributed to the lack of interest in selection and breeding for wool and to the reduction of the productive level and quality parameters of the wool; the absence of a national standard for classifying raw wool adapted to the current breeds structure, the conditions of sheep farming and the market requirements for this animal product An extensive study was carried out over 5 years on flocks of sheep belonging to the main local breeds Merinos de Palas, Tsigaie, Tsurcana, the newly created breeds at ICDCOC Palas Constanta respective Palas Meat Breed, Palas Milk Breed, Palas Prolific Breed as well as on some hybrids obtained through crossbreeding of new breeds with imported sheep breeds specialised for meat production (Texel and Rouge de l’ Ouest). The main goals of this study were: to establish the average level of wool production, the limits of variation and the potential for selection for wool quantity, by individual weighing of the wool fleeces harvested during the shearing season; to evaluate the wool quality level in the flocks analysed on the basis of the objective determination, by laboratory analysis on randomly collected samples, of the average fibre diameter, relative length of the staples, individual fibre length, degree of crimp, degree of impurity and the limits of variation of these quality parameters. This paper presents a summary of the values obtained for the quantity of raw wool and the fineness of wool as an essential quality parameter for the classification and valorisation of this natural resource. The results obtained in the study revealed in general a large variability in the productivity level of local sheep breeds and their hybrids with specialised imported breeds. The existence in the analysed herds of a percentage of 40-50 % of sheep performing above the flocks average (plusvariants) shows a potential for selection for the quantitative level of wool production. Thus, for these selected flocks (lines) an additional 10.23 ≈ 24.09 % wool production can be obtained compared to the averages levels. In terms of average fineness the analysis of the data shows that : the Palas Merino sheep, fall into the category of fine wool breeds; the three new sheep breeds created at ICDCOC Palas and the Tsigaie breed belonging to the Reghin - Mures Experimental Base have semi-fine wool (fiber diameter over 25 microns); the flock of White Tsurcana breed from the Bilciuresti - Dambovita Experimental Base falls into the category of sheep with semi coarse - coarse wool. The range of variation in diameter was very wide for all the breeds analysed. Thus in the Palas Merino breed differences of 5-7.5 μm between the maximum and minimum diameter measured represent according to the Bradford classification (English system) a difference of 7 fineness classes . The Tsigai breed has also a large uneveness of this parameter, CV over 20 % in rams and sheep yearlings. The analysis of the data on wool diameter revealed that more than 40% of the studied sheeps had above-average fineness, they could constitute selected flocks (lines) with higher values of the main wool quality parameter that determines the market value. Thus an increase in wool fineness of 3.63 ≈ 11.52 % can be achieved within a selected flock . The results presented showed that, under the current conditions of breeding and exploitation of sheep in the analized flocks, there is a potential of selection for wool production and for fibre diameter as the main quality parameter . Also, on the basis of the analysis carried out on the grading/classing/sorting of wool worldwide and the results obtained within this study, proposals were made to improve the quantity and increase the commercial value of wool production obtained from the sheep breeds reared in Romania.

Research on Power Aggregators within the European Internal Electricity Market

Abstract The ongoing climate changes have determined governing bodies from all around the globe to set ambitious targets for CO2 reduction. In recent years, renewable energy technologies have proven themselves to be a method of CO2 reduction that is competitive in terms of both costs and efficiency, which led to the technologies becoming affordable and practical for residential use. Since the adoption of the Clean Energy for all Europeans Package in 2019, consumers were encouraged to have an active role in the power sector. This has led to the emergence of a new participant in the energy system, the power aggregator. From the scientific literature that has been covered so far, many articles focus on the economic benefits that different aggregator business models bring to the aggregators, their clients, and the system. Other scientific papers focus on optimizing how aggregators participate in energy markets by taking into consideration the technologies included in their portfolios and pricing mechanisms. Regardless of the subjects tackled, the articles mostly present theoretical aspects since, in practice, residential power aggregators are still not present in many countries. For all the reports that have been turned in so far, secondary research was carried out to gain a better understanding of the current power sector context. Renewable energy technologies were reviewed to uncover synergies that would prove valuable for power aggregator portfolios, existing business models of aggregators were examined to have a grasp on regulatory and economic limitations, and academic papers related to mathematical optimization models were studied. The doctoral research, for which this paper presents the progress, aims to use secondary research to understand aggregators at a European level and then to perform primary research into implementing the aggregating activity in Romania in the context of an accelerated shift to a decentralized power system.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Entrepreneurship in Romania

Abstract At the beginning of 2020, a virus originating from Wuhan, China, spread throughout the world, which in March of the same year was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. According to scientific studies and specialized publications, the pandemic had positive effects on the pharmaceutical industry and e-commerce, which accelerated the digitization process. The negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic consisted in the reduction of companies’ revenues, the reduction of the number of customers, the reduction of investments and the temporary suspension of production. The research of this paper is descriptive, based on statistics and data from the official reports of the National Trade Register Office. The methods used are observation, analysis, data processing and synthesis. The aim is to identify the number of new investment sectors, newly established enterprises, companies that suspended their activity and those that entered insolvency in the period 2020 and 2021, compared to 2019. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on entrepreneurship in Romania was not devastating, the entrepreneurs keeping their confidence in the stability of the market. Thus, in 2020, the company establishment rate was affected, because new entrepreneurs no longer had the courage to invest their money, but the companies already present on the market were not strongly impacted. The year 2021 is the surprise year, being the most favorable for entrepreneurship in the period 2019-2021. The most companies were established, and the rate of suspension and insolvency was the lowest. The contribution in this paper consists in the fact that it is demonstrated that the pandemic did not destroy the entrepreneurial activity in Romania. On the contrary, there was a sector, Information and communications, which experienced rapid development, thus developing the concept of “knowledge economy” in this country.

Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Case of Romania’s Political-Administrative Decisions on Education and Health

This article highlights the problems faced by teachers, students, parents and authorities in Romania during the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as their management in the general context of the health crisis unfolding in this country. The documentation regarding Romania was compiled mainly on the basis of official reports and information taken from the media, due to the novelty of the subject for the case study presented. They were joined by theoretical-methodological works on the general epidemiological context and by studies on the particularities of the Romanian education system, which helped us to outline the theoretical-methodological background of the research. The authors have tried to highlight good practices, but also the errors that led to an increase in the number of cases and the imposition of restrictions, during the first four waves of the pandemic, with a major impact on educational activities in Romania. The main restrictions and advantages of online education, a first for the Romanian education system, are also highlighted.

Climate Suitability for Tourism in Romania Based on HCI: Urban Climate Index in the Near-Future Climate

This study presents an assessment of climate suitability for outdoor leisure activities in Romania using the Holliday Climate Index (HCI) for the near future (2021–2040), focusing on unfavorable and good climate conditions. The analysis employs data from an ensemble of model simulations in the context of RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate change scenarios. The results indicate that the number of days with low weather suitability is decreasing in almost the entire country, especially during the warm season, while during the winter and spring, extended regions may be characterized by a higher number of days favorable for outdoor activities than during the current climate. An estimation of the impact of climate change on tourism flux in Romania is further carried out, suggesting that the increasing attractivity of climate conditions may lead to an increased number of tourist overnights in the near future, and this will be more pronounced in rural destinations.

Analysis of the Logistics Market and Management of Logistics Activities in Romania During the Pandemic

Abstract Over the past few years, logistics has undergone important developments that have seen it evolve from a support function within a company to a cross-functional, cross-company function. The high complexity of the logistics function is increasingly leading industrial and commercial companies to outsource their logistics, thus creating a market for logistics services. Logistics providers and client companies are classified according to the extent to which the logistics function is outsourced or taken over by a third party in the following categories: “1 PL”, “2 PL”, “3 PL”, “4 PL”. The present paper is intended to be an analysis looking at the logistics market and the management of logistics activities in Romania during the crisis that brought major changes in all areas of activity, namely the Covid-19 pandemic. The general objective of this study is to analyze the logistics market in Romania and the effects caused by the pandemic. A questionnaire based on a quantitative analysis was used as a working tool. The questionnaire was distributed directly (online) using the Google Forms platform. The target group consisted of companies in this field of activity, and the actual completion was carried out by 70 senior employees of several logistics companies operating in Romania.

Organ transplantation in Romania: challenges and perspectives.

The interest in the field of organ transplantation and the first attempts at making experimental transplant interventions in Romania date from the very beginning of the 20th century. Nevertheless, the evolution of the donating activity and of organ transplantation in Romania has been confronted with a certain inconsistency and a lack of resources necessary to the development of the system. The aim of this study is to analyze the dynamics of the transplantation activity in Romania between 2000 and 2020. The study was accomplished through the analysis of available data corresponding to the above-mentioned period, which were published in the database of the National Transplant Agency, Eurostat and the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation. The data were processed using the MedCalc Statistical Software, version 14.8.1 (MedCalc Software bvba, Ostend, Belgium; http://www.medcalc.org; 2014). The activity of donation and organ transplantation in Romania has been maintained at a low level, with a rate of 3.44 donators pmp and a transplantation rate of 12.55 pmp, as reported for the year 2020. Romania remains at a transplantation rate of under 6.6 pmp, despite the considerable increase in the number of patients on the waiting lists, a fact which describes the picture of a relatively weak system, incapable of providing surgical interventions to cover the minimum needs that emerge within a calendar year. Our study points to the fact that the transplantation system in Romania is confronted with a major deadlock. Romania holds the last-but-one place in the ranking of countries in the European Union on transplant activity. The major impediment is the donation rate, which continues to be way below the European average, in a society where the awareness of the necessity to donate is very low, bureaucracy is cumbersome and there is a high degree of mistrust in the medical system, where the equipment is lacking and the infrastructure is incapable of providing services adapted to the modern standards.

HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT AS DETERMINING FACTORS IN THE GAME OF WATER POLO

Heredity is the biological attribute specific to the human being, in conjunction with the environment, be it internal or external, but also with other dependent or independent factors of society such as family, education, political system, and religion. The literature review highlights two elementary stages, one during puberty when the family environment and its influences are more relevant and easier to observe (internal environment), and the second when the individual begins to absorb information from the external environment, thus creating a mixture between the family environment and the one encompassing the information acquired from the outside. From a genetic point of view, the human being inherits certain sets of predispositions or potentialities that are closely related to the environment in which the person lives and which can enhance them or not, depending on education. In the present paper, we aim to emphasise the importance of heredity and environment in the game of water polo correlated with other sports disciplines, as well as the importance of environmental factors and their significance in developing a culture of the game of water polo at the national level. Our analysis includes world-class water polo players and specialists whose activity is correlated with the water polo activity in Romania, regardless of gender, age or ethnicity. The conclusions drawn from the analysis show that Romania really has biological and environmental potential, but it can reach the world podium in the game of water polo only through a scientific development that takes into account all the factors presented above.

Aspects of digitisation of healthcare activities in Romania

In the current Romanian Government's programme there are projects for the digitisation of some economic, financial and administrative activities and their integration at national level, in order to assist legal and natural persons in their relations with the authorities in this field as listed and detailed in the NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN (Resizing, standardisation and optimisation of the Health Insurance Information Platform (PIAS) , Digitisation of health institutions under the Ministry of Health, Investment in information systems and digital infrastructure of public health units, Telemedicine and mobile patient monitoring systems) There are projects being developed at governmental and parliamentary level, under discussion, funded by the EU through the NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN (PNRR) programme, so as to achieve integration both at national level and within the EU for some areas. The government has prioritised digitisation programmes of interest to the national budget, but also to local budgets, with the aim of increasing the level of investment funds, through drastic measures to reduce expenditure at budget and local level, in particular by reorganising overburdened organisation charts and outsourcing. Of course, it is also envisaged to speed up bureaucratic relations between individuals and legal entities in their interest and to eliminate "queues" at various counters. The situation and the objectives of digitisation in the case of healthcare institutions in relation to the individuals concerned and the specific authorities are different. Digitisation can also be an effective tool for companies and non-governmental organisations to control and monitor production and service activities. The Romanian medical system consists of various types of hospital units, polyclinics, treatment centers, state or private medical offices under the Ministry of Health or local authorities. It is obvious that there must be a two-way relationship between all these, so that the citizen, as the sole beneficiary, is as satisfied as possible. The National Institute of Statistics (NIS) has registered and categorised all types of state or private institutions and organisations, which are obliged, according to the legislation in force, to report periodically various data necessary for carrying out complex activities in the health system, in the interest of the ministries and institutions concerned. The NSI develops and interprets the data received to help decision-makers make decisions, especially in the event of force majeure (pandemics, war, or other possible crises). The great diversity of medical establishments that have emerged since 1989, whether state or private, has led the Ministry of Health to become objectively involved in their activities by drafting laws and regulations, regularly monitoring their activities and regularly updating them in line with economic and social developments and the requirements laid down by the EU.The experience of the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the major shortcomings of the Romanian medical system, so that regulations and procedures had to be drawn up, with some adverse consequences for the economy and the population of the country (closure of schools, import of various health materials, restructuring of medical staff, emergency interventions, technical unemployment, home work, etc.) and more detailed regulations should be drawn up for cases of force majeure, taking into account the current situation at the northern and eastern border of Romania.

Sea-coast Tourism Activity in Romania during the Pandemics

Sea-coast Tourism Activity in Romania during the Pandemics

When Service-Led Activities and Tertiarization Processes Replace Old Industries and Local Brownfields: Changes, Perceptions and Perspectives in the Northern Industrial Area of Lugoj, Romania

This paper examines the transformation of the brownfield sites and the places occupied by old industrial activities in Romania, focusing on a medium-sized town since small- and medium-sized towns are mainly overlooked in the current scientific debates. These towns frequently followed similar development patterns to large cities, but at different paces in local urban regeneration. We conducted a case study on the Romanian town Lugoj, focusing on one of the most important industrial areas which encountered a significant decline during the post-socialist period where ruins remain as proof of the post-socialist urban regeneration efforts. Recent years (2020–2022) unveiled a great interest in the regeneration of this area with positive spatial outcomes, experiencing a massive development of tertiary activities and thus turning this former industrial area into a service-led one, with some industrial units that were completely regenerated while others remain in ruins. The research was conducted from 2020 to 2022 and used qualitative methods and spatial analysis through GIS methods. The results emphasize the recent changes in the former industrial areas, where service activities replaced the previous old industries. Furthermore, the main findings highlight that the investigated area provides multiple opportunities for further development, thus contributing to the regeneration of the area through the development of a wide variety of tertiary activities. Since small- and medium-sized municipalities remain overlooked in the recent research, this study could represent a significant example for further strategies of the urban development of small towns that have been strongly altered by the local inherited industrial brownfields.

Research on the Use of Aerial Scanning and Gis in the Design of Sustainable Agricultural Production Extension Works in an Agritourist Farm in Romania

The use of scanning technologies and digital photogrammetry with the help of drones in the field of agritourism activities in Romania is a topic of novelty, because all the data necessary for the implementation or development of such research can be collected very quickly and with maximum efficiency. The classic methods are cumbersome and with a high consumption of inputs, and human and financial resources. The case study presents a practical method of applying this technology in the case of the agritourist farm REMMAR, from Vâlcea county, Romania, which wants to expand its agricultural production capacity with ecological products. Graphic support was obtained by scanning or digitizing existing maps in the physical/printed format and by acquiring data of interest in the digital format by photogrammetric methods and aerial field scanning of the studied area. The original elements of the topic are: how to obtain images by using photogrammetric methods; developing the methodology of the research and the actual development, from setting the basic objectives to obtaining and presenting the final results; elaboration of the methodology of the needs analysis and designing the specific data model; designing and the practical implementation of the geographic information system in terms of structure, methods, and means of software implementation. The successful implementation of the system was achieved only under the conditions of the existence of a data model specific to the field of action, and first realizing the conceptual foundation of the applicable data model, which would allow the registration, storage, extraction, processing, and effective analysis of the data of interest. From a theoretical and practical point of view, the research has a unique character in Romania, because it presents for the first time the development of a standard methodology for the design, expansion, and promotion of agritourism farms. The built geographic information system (GIS) is an effective tool for the management and control of the quality and efficiency of works specific to sustainable agricultural production.

Consumption of nutritive supplements during physical activities in Romania: A qualitative study.

The consumption of nutritional supplements by the population that practices physical activities in a regular, organized manner represents a form of scientific interest for professionals interested in analyzing the somatic and biological changes that occur under the influence of the stimuli provided by nutritional supplements. In this context, based on a new statistical model proposed by the authors, we aimed at assessing nutritional supplement consumption efficiency and the effects felt by the consumers in relation to both the achievement of their health goals and the destructuring of the biological processes following the consumption of these supplements. The new model, created by the authors, can be applied to the population of any other state in the world. The methods used in this article are analytical and prospective, and they are based on a qualitative questionnaire applied to 310 Romanian people who practice sports regularly; the sample group being considered representative for the entire population of Romania by the Cochran W.G. test. The results of the study are useful to both the specialists and the people who take nutritional supplements, and they help in improving the perception regarding the efficiency of these products on various categories, as will be seen from the data provided in this study. Moreover, the results of this analysis are also interesting for the providers of products such as pharmacies and authorized distributors, which can scientifically quantify their supply in the market.