Romanian Business Students Research Articles

An Integrative Approach to Assess Subjective Well-Being. A Case Study on Romanian University Students

Subjective well-being (SWB) has presented long-lasting interest for researchers and the recent focus on the economic approach to SWB led to increased awareness of the topic. Despite the significant number of studies, conceptualizing and assessing SWB, along with finding predictors of SWB, need further empirical exploration. Following this rationale, using statistical and econometric methods (correlation analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR)) applied on data collected via a survey on students from Bucharest University of Economic Studies (363 respondents), this study explores and provides insights that support a better understanding of defining and measuring SWB. Additionally, the study offers valuable information on the main determinants of SWB for a particular group, in this case, Romanian business students. According to findings, we argue that: (1) when assessing perception of life satisfaction and happiness, Romanian students tend to make slight distinctions between these two concepts; (2) question order effect is not significant, whereas negative sentiments (such as pessimism) impact self-assessment of happiness, but not of life satisfaction; (3) the main predictors for SWB are satisfaction with current activities, level of optimism/pessimism, health, and safety of the neighborhood. This paper proposes a new approach to modeling SWB by MLR, which features expressing the dependent variable with respect to the principal factors obtained by PCA.

Curricular improvements for entrepreneurial education

Abstract Our paper aims at investigating the most adequate methods for developing effective educational tools in entrepreneurial education. Entrepreneurship education should take place during the entire life of an entrepreneur, but the basic knowledge and skills related to this field are acquired starting from the elementary school, and improved during all the educational levels. Through entrepreneurship education, policymakers aim to prepare young people for succeeding on the entrepreneurial path. However, there are few scientific papers that aimed at discussing the available educational tools in Romania which play a role in forming entrepreneurs. Starting from the identified educational needs of young Romanian people under 35, including entrepreneurs and students, which were surveyed based on a questionnaire, we advance several key improvement areas for Romanian business curricula, and suggest critical paths to obtain desired results. The recommendations that we deliver through this paper are based on respondents’ opinions regarding their preference for certain aspects related to educational tools used in entrepreneurial education: learning materials used in universities in order to create an entrepreneurial mindset, the use of learning materials outside of the university curricula, and entrepreneurial skills that should be developed during school. A comparative perspective, examining curricular specificities in most entrepreneurial cultures of Europe, based on information obtained from Entrepreneurship Eurobarometer and Doing Business Indicators, is also included in our study. The main limitations, which arise from the subjective perspective of young entrepreneurs, as well as from the reduced sample volume, are thus corrected. The conclusions of our analysis provide a valuable starting point for educational policies promoting entrepreneurial skills enhancement in the Romanian business students’ population.

The motivational intensity of values: study among US and Romanian business students

The motivational intensity of values: study among US and Romanian business students

The Motivational Intensity of Values: Study Among American and Romanian Business Students

The motivational intensity of values is a new concept that can be measured by using a mathematical model, created through the analysis of US and Romanian business school students' perceptions. The objectives of our study are to identify the sets of values with maximum motivational intensities, to highlight the differences between the groups, and to find out if students' demographic characteristics (country, gender and social status) influence the motivational intensities of eight sets of values. The findings provide clear evidence that 'country' has a significant statistical impact only on the motivational intensities of aesthetic and cultural values (more motivating to Romanians), spiritual and religious values, and moral and philanthropic values (more motivating to US). Descriptive, but also regression results suggest that 'gender' is an explanatory variable only for spiritual and religious values (with a higher motivational intensity for females than males). Implications, limitations and future research opportunities are also discussed.

Development of professional identity in Romanian business students

PurposeThis study aims to focus on the role of learning activities on the development of Romanian students making the change from academia to the workplace, specifically focusing on the role of three learning activities: classroom teaching pedagogies (in‐vitro); field experiences (in‐situ); and self‐development experiential activities.Design/methodology/approachUsing a 12‐factor scale developed by the authors to measure the role of learning activities on professional identity (PI), 364 students in an English‐language BBA program at a prominent Romanian university were surveyed via an online survey service. From this sample 97 valid responses were obtained and these were regressed on a measure of PI to test three main hypotheses.FindingsIn‐vitro, in‐situ, and self‐development experiential activities exhibited a positive relationship to PI. The two most significant predictors of PI were found to be membership of a professional student group and the use of case studies in class.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study have practical implications for the business community and business educators, for activities such as curriculum development, course design and delivery. The findings reinforce the need for more practical pedagogies.Originality/valueThe paper makes an empirical contribution to the field of PI development in Romanian business students and by extension to students in similar post‐Communist countries. To this date there have been no studies that link practical learning activities to the development of PI in a transition society.

The Ethics of Tax Evasion: A Comparative Study of Bosnian and Romanian Opinion

This paper compares the views of Bosnian and Romanian business students on the ethics of tax evasion. Wilcoxon tests found that their views were significantly different for 12 of the 18 fact situations examined.

Ethics of Tax Evasion: A Survey of Slovak Opinion

This study sought the views of three different subsets of Slovak students on the ethics of tax evasion. There were multiple goals. One goal was to determine the extent to which tax evasion is considered ethical. Another goal was to determine which arguments in favor of tax evasion that have appeared in the Western philosophical and theological literature over the last 500 years are the strongest in Slovakia. A third goal was to determine whether different subsets of the population had differing views on the subject. The responses of students majoring in business & economics, theology and philosophy were compared, as were the responses of men and women. Comparisons were made between the scores of younger students (under 25) and older students (25 or older) to determine whether individuals became more averse to tax evasion as they got older. These results were then compared to similar studies that were done on different, sample populations from other countries. The results generally confirmed expectations. Responses were different among the three types of students. The male responses were also different than the female responses. Scores also differed by age. Some of the hypotheses made were confirmed while others were rejected. This study replicates studies that were made of international business professors (McGee 2005a), Romanian business students (McGee 2005b) and Guatemalan business and law students (McGee and Lingle 2005). The relevant literature is discussed elsewhere in this book. Citations to that literature are listed in the reference section at the end of this chapter.

The Ethics of Tax Evasion: A Survey of Romanian Business Students and Faculty

This paper examines the issue of the ethics of tax evasion. It begins with a review of the literature and proceeds to discuss the three main views on the issue that have emerged over the last 500 years. The paper then reports on the results of a survey taken of Romanian business students and faculty.