Rodica Milena Zaharia

Bio: Rodica Milena Zaharia is an academic researcher from Bucharest University of Economic Studies. The author has contributed to research in topics: Corporate social responsibility & Social responsibility. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 16 publications receiving 181 citations. Previous affiliations of Rodica Milena Zaharia include Yahoo!.

Sustainable incentives in marketing and strategic greening: The cases of Lithuania and Romania

Abstract: This paper focuses on a growing interest in green marketing and its sustainable incentives via greening strategy and ecological labelling practices, especially in Europe and with a separate case in Lithuania. The article deals with the issues of environmental (eco‐) marketing and ecological labelling to ensure that consumers have access to ecological products and services and they might adjust their preferences towards environmentally‐friendly business practices. For business worldwide, ecological marketing and its applications in practice have become a competitive prerogative for modern business performance.

What Determinants Influence Students to Start Their Own Business? Empirical Evidence from United Arab Emirates Universities

Abstract: What factors influence students to start their own business? What are the implications at the university level? This paper aims to answer to these questions and investigates, at a micro level (university), the motivation for entrepreneurial intentions among students in 10 universities from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An online inquiry has been conducted among 500 students between April and June 2018, and 157 fully completed questionnaires were retained. Factor Analysis with Varimax (with Kaizer Normalization) rotation and logistic regression were used to identify what factors motivate students to start their own business and, from those factors, which one is determinant in this decision. Also, age and parental self-employment status were used to determine the influence of these factors. Four factors have been identified as determinants for students to start their own business: entrepreneurial confidence, entrepreneurial orientation, university support for entrepreneurship, and cultural support for entrepreneurship. Surprisingly, the only factor significantly correlated with the intention in starting a business is entrepreneurial confidence. This factor becomes even stronger when it is associated with age (20–25 years old) and parents’ self-employment status. These conclusions involve specific challenges on the university level, related to the role of entrepreneurial education and on country level, in link with the effectiveness of governmental programs to enhance entrepreneurial endeavours. Further research can explore and test these findings on a representative sample for the UAE, and for other countries.

CSR development in post-communist economies: employees' expectations regarding corporate socially responsible behaviour – the case of Romania

Abstract: Drawing on stakeholder theory and the evolutionary approach to institutions, this paper investigates the channels through which corporate social responsibility (CSR) is developed in post-communist economies by focusing on the employee background factors that shape the employees' expectations with regard to corporate socially responsible behaviour. We identify three channels through which exogenous and endogenous CSR are developed: employees with work experience in multinational enterprises (MNEs) (leading to exogenous CSR), employees with CSR knowledge (leading to exogenous CSR) and employees with experience of the socialist system (leading to endogenous CSR). Furthermore, we argue that the interactions between these channels lead to hybrid CSR in transition economies. We use a questionnaire-based survey with employees of domestic and MNEs in Romania and we conduct regression analysis. We find that employees with work experience in MNEs act as channels for exogenous CSR, while employees with experience of the socialist system act as channels for endogenous CSR. Furthermore, employees with experience of the socialist system and CSR knowledge or work experience in an MNE act as channels for hybrid CSR in transition economies. Based on our results, we put forward implications for theory, managers and policy makers.

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY'S CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BY SOCIAL RESPONSABILITY ACTIONS: A VISION OF SMEs

Abstract: This paper reports on a small study concerning the development of the social responsibility concept, in order to reveal how this concept became an important element of the sustainable development. According to this relationship, there are presented the results of a qualitative research among small and middle- sized companies involved in commercial activity in Bucharest, to show the way in which their activities of social responsibility meet the national strategy of sustainable development. The conclusions of this paper support the literature in the field, that underlines the fact that small and middle companies involved in commercial activity are concerned mostly with the way they succeed in achieving the economic objectives, and social responsibility is understood more at a minimal level, that are connected with legal obligations. The way in which the activity of the company meets the demands of a sustainable development represents a diffuse preoccupation, totally subordinated to the objectives of economic performance.

A Multi-Dimensional Approach of Green Marketing Competitive Advantage: A Perspective of Small Medium and Micro Enterprises from Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract: The study focuses on green competitive advantage from a multi-dimensional perspective, investigating the impact of green marketing tools and company descriptive variables on these dimensions. The data were collected from small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME) from Western Cape/South Africa, an area marked by long-term water consumption restrictions. A qualitative approach was considered for variable tailoring to the SMMEs’ peculiarities, followed by a quantitative study, employing a sample of 237 companies, for testing each competitive advantage dimension against the established green marketing tools and company descriptive variables using logistic regressions. Each competitiveness variable was explained by at least one green marketing tool. Donating money and/or allocating time for environmental purposes explained three dependent variables, while selling biodegradable/recycled/refurbished products had an inverse relationship with two of them. Business type and number of operational years had a significant impact on three dimensions. This study enriches the literature by using green competitive advantage dimensions and not a latent factor, analyzing the impact of company descriptive variables as explanatory variables and prompting green strategies for small and medium businesses. The model could be improved by tests in other geographic areas, including green distribution and price variables and other descriptive factors (turnover, responsible investment and internationalization).

A natural resource-based view of the firm

Abstract: Historically, management theory has ignored the constraints imposed by the biophysical (natural) environment. Building upon resource-based theory, this article attempts to fill this void by proposing a natural-resource-based view of the firm—a theory of competitive advantage based upon the firm's relationship to the natural environment. It is composed of three interconnected strategies: pollution prevention, product stewardship, and sustainable development. Propositions are advanced for each of these strategies regarding key resource requirements and their contributions to sustained competitive advantage.

Assessing the Impact of Entrepreneurship Education Programmes: A New Methodology

Abstract: Purpose – Facing the multiplication of entrepreneurship education programmes (EEP) and the increasing resources allocated, there is a need to develop a common framework to evaluate the design of those programmes. The purpose of this article is to propose such a framework, based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Design/methodology/approach – TPB is a relevant tool to model the development of entrepreneurial intention through pedagogical processes. The independent variables are the characteristics of the EEP and the dependent variables are the antecedents of entrepreneurial behaviour. To illustrate and test the relevance of the evaluation methodology, a pilot study is conducted. Findings – Data are consistent and reliable, considering the small scale of this experiment. The EEP assessed had a strong measurable impact on the entrepreneurial intention of the students, while it had a positive, but not very significant, impact on their perceived behavioural control. Research implications/limitations – This is a first step of an ambitious research programme aiming at producing theory-grounded knowledge. Reproduction of the experiment will allow researchers to test how specific characteristics of an EEP influence its impact and how the impact differs across several cohorts of students. Those comparisons will serve to improve a priori the design of EEP. Originality/value – The new methodology is built on a robust theoretical framework and based on validated measurement tools. Its originality is about a relative – longitudinal – measure of impact over time and a particular use of the theory of planned behaviour which is seen as an assessment framework.

The psychological microfoundations of corporate social responsibility: A person-centric systematic review

Abstract: This article aims to consolidate the psychological microfoundations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by taking stock and evaluating the recent surge of person-focused CSR research. With a systematic review, the authors identify, synthesize, and organize three streams of micro-CSR studies—focused on (i) individual drivers of CSR engagement, (ii) individual processes of CSR evaluations, and (iii) individual reactions to CSR initiatives—into a coherent behavioral framework. This review highlights significant gaps, methodological issues, and imbalances in the treatment of the three components in prior micro-CSR research. It uncovers the need to conceptualize how multiple drivers of CSR interact and how the plurality of mechanisms and boundary conditions that can explain individual reactions to CSR might be integrated theoretically. By organizing micro-CSR studies into a coherent framework, this review also reveals the lack of connections within and between substreams of micro-CSR research; to tackle them, this article proposes an agenda for further research, focused on six key challenges.

On "Green Marketing"

Abstract: Green marketing stems from the degrading of ecological environment and consumer's increasing sense of(environmental) protection.The essence of green marketing is to response actively to man's increasing concern for ecological(environment) and make choices and decisions in marketing by adhering to the environmental protection principle and the(ecological) principle and building up green technology,green market and green industry.Therefore,green marketing has profound ethical connotation.However,green marketing in present Chinese enterprises is actually in conflict with the logics of enterprise behavior.