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Volume 14, Issue 2, June 2024
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1. IMPROVING PUBLIC MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS
Anca-Jarmila GUȚĂ
University of Petroșani, Petroșani
Romania
Ciprian NIMARĂ
University of Petroșani, Petroșani
Romania
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2024.14.2-01
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The paper presents an analysis of the evolution of the improvement of the civil servants in the mayoralties of Romania in the period before the COVID 19 pandemic compared to the pandemic and post COVID 19 period, focusing on the need to digitize public institutions, a strong need for the challenges posed by the pandemic to both public institutions and private organisations, and last but not least to citizens as consumers of public services. The study presented in the paper aims to analyze how the professional training process was conducted in the 3 mentioned periods, to identify the advantages, respectively, the disadvantages of carrying out professional training programs among civil servants and identify the most efficient and preferred way for civil servants to carry out professional training.
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2. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN E-GOVERNMENT AND THE DIGITALIZATION OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY THE ICT SECTOR: AN ANALYSIS AT THE LEVEL OF THE MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE EEA
Alexandra MIRONESCU
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest
Romania
Cezar-Petre SIMION
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest
Romania
Mădălina MAZĂRE
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest
Romania
Cătălin VERDEȘ
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest
Romania
Samar KAIS
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest
Romania
Marian Adrian BURCEA
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest
Romania
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2024.14.2-02
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The research presented in this article had as objectives carrying out a review of the specialized literature in the field of E-government and the opportunities of digitization from the perspective of the IC&T sector, the study of the relations between E-governance (expressed as activities via websites) and the evolution of the IC&T sector and analysis of the obtained results, verification of the confirmation of the formulated hypotheses and contextualization of the results by referring to other results obtained in the specialized literature. To highlight the relationship between E-government and the digitalization opportunities offered by the evolution of the IC&T sector, correlation analyzes were carried out using the secondary data made available by the Eurostat databases. Three research hypotheses were formulated and the first research hypothesis, the one regarding a strong positive relationship between E-governance and the number of enterprises active in IC&T, is validated in the case of most European countries. The other two research hypotheses, regarding a strong positive relationship between E-governance and the number of enterprises active in IC&T and also a positive and close relationship between E-governance and the share of IC&T staff in total employees, have been confirmed only in the case of fewer European countries.
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3. THE RELATION BETWEEN BEARS AND FOREST CLEAR-CUTTING
Ana Gabriela ANUȚOIU
Transylvania University of Brașov, Braşov
Romania
Dragoș DANȚIȘ
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest
Romania
Ovidiu IONESCU
Transylvania University of Brașov, Braşov
Romania
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2024.14.2-03
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Deforestation, forests diminution, and scarcity of natural food are widely regarded as the primary factors contributing to the presence of brown bears in urban areas of Romania, and human-bear conflicts. Public misunderstanding regarding forest and bear management practices often leads to skepticism of expert information, worsened by misinformation in the media and social networks. This article aims to offer insight into deforestation and human-bear conflicts in Romania. It analyzes national and international official data, to assess the percentage of forested areas, primary causes of deforestation, brown bear population and density, and the number of human-bear conflicts. It also compares Romanian data with other European countries to explore the potential correlation between forested area percentage and human-bear conflicts. Between 2000 and 2020, Romania's forest area comprised 29.02% of its land, while Poland, France, and Italy had percentages of 29.89%, 30.04%, and 30.65%, respectively. Interestingly, the proportion of forest cover did not consistently correlate with the frequency of conflicts. Countries with similar forest percentages to Romania experienced fewer conflicts, whereas countries with higher percentages, like Slovenia (61.65%) and Slovakia (39.86%), faced numerous human-bear conflicts due to the dense brown bear population. The management of bears served as a valuable indicator of the extent of damage caused by these animals. In Croatia, Sweden, Slovakia, and Slovenia, where 10-16% of the bear population was harvested annually, lower levels of damage were reported. In contrast, Romania, with an annual harvest of only 2-3% of the bear population, experienced higher levels of damage.
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4. TECHNOLOGY AND LANGUAGE MANIPULATION AS THREATS IN THE ONLINE RETAIL BUSINESS
Witness ROYA
Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban
South Africa
Sandiso NGCOBO
Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban
South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2024.14.2-04
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The facilitation of technology has enabled customers to conduct online transactions regardless of geographical boundaries. However, the cut-throat nature of business often trumps observance of ethics as retailers appear not to do enough to protect consumers from becoming victims of scams. Christensen's theory of disruptive technology was used as a lens to show how the emergence of new technology may pose a threat to the continued existence of established markets and expose customers to online scammers. The study purposively sampled messages posted on two Facebook pages which claim to represent Tekkie Town, a sneakers store in South Africa, and responses from some users. To enhance chances of making an informed analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis was used to examine language techniques utilized by online advertisers, legit and fake, and comments from customers regarding their online shopping experiences. Results indicate retailers do not take special attention to monitor fake websites designed to scam their clients. Instead, it is customers who end up alerting stores to fake posts. We encourage business managers to uphold excellence practices and protect their customers by taking special measures to prevent scammers from easily copying their logos and scamming customers, which could harm their businesses.
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5. THE IMPACT OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL ON IMPROVING FINANCIAL SERVICES IN ALGERIA
Djamila BEKHTI
Mustapha Stambouli University, Mascara
Algeria
Mehdi BOUCHETARA
Higher National School of Management, Koléa
Algeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2024.14.2-05
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The main objective of this paper is to discuss and examine the relationship between intellectual capital and financial services and to show if the financial sector is positively influenced by intellectual capital. We used the descriptive analytical approach assuming that there is a positive effect of the independent variable which is intellectual capital on the dependent variable which is financial services. The result of SPSS program (version 21) indicated that there is a weak direct correlation and a significant effect at a weak rate estimated at 9, 6% between intellectual capital and the improvement of financial service in Algerian banks.
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6. ACCESS TO PUBLIC SOFT LOANS AND JOB CREATION AMONG MARGINALISED GROUPS IN TANZANIA
Manase Micah KAZOSI
College of Social Sciences and Humanities Morogoro
Tanzania
John N. JECKONIAH
College of Social Sciences and Humanities Morogoro
Tanzania
Justin Kalisti URASSA
College of Social Sciences and Humanities Morogoro
Tanzania
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2024.14.2-06
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Access to soft loans is an important tool in the promotion of self-economic sustenance and job creation. Moreover, globally the rate of unemployment is on the rise and particularly so for the youth and women. Therefore, the study aimed at assessing how access to soft loans issued by local government authority (LGA) contribute to job creation among the marginalised groups in the city of Dodoma, Tanzania. A cross sectional research design was used whereby using a questionnaire, data was collected from 336 randomly selected respondents. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS and STATA whereby both descriptive and inferential statistics were determined. In addition, binomial regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with the marginalised groups’ job creation following their access to LGA soft loans. Generally, findings from the study show that on average two jobs were created by the soft loan beneficiaries. In addition, findings show that the soft loan beneficiaries’ education, soft loan duration and type of income generating activity on which the loans were used were significantly (p ≤ 0.001) associated with job creation (p<0.01). In addition amount of loan received was negatively and significantly (p ≤ 0.05) associated with the marginalised groups’ job creation. Thus, it can be concluded that access to soft loan enables marginalised groups to create jobs. Therefore, it is recommended that Dodoma City Council should expand its provision of soft loans to marginalised groups so as to promote more job creation hence, reduce the rate of unemployment among the marginalised groups.
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7. ‘AN APT OR AN INAPT INTERVENTION?’: THE POLITICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC) IN SOUTH AFRICA
Siboniso Prosper Welcome LUTHULI
Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban
South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2024.14.2-07
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Based on the theoretical insights of desk research and critical analysis, respectively, this article interrogates and critically evaluates the political education program which the currently governing African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa launched and began implementing in 2019 through the OR Tambo School of Leadership. It raises questions and casts doubts about the program’s pertinence, its potency for wider public buy in, and its chances of success within the presently volatile and adverse South African social, economic, and political climate. As well as teasing out the issue of whether the program represents what the country really needs at the present juncture of its democracy, it is also contended that there are many factors / hurdles that are both intrinsic and extrinsic which are highly likely to obviate the program’s wider public buy in and the success thereof. It is further contended that the adoption and implementation of the said program has not only been an inapt, untimely, and a knee-jerk intervention but also that it is to all intents and purposes an exercise in red herring and clutching at straws, and therefore peripheral to the more pressing political and policy issues that lie at the heart of the problems which beset both the ANC as the governing party and the country at large. The article concludes by predicting the foundering of the said program and posits the notion of a broad-based, nationalistic-oriented, and inclusive civic education program, as opposed to a political party-driven one such as that of the ANC, as a viable alternative for the country going forward.
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