European Commission’s six priorities for 2019-2024 are all in line with and leverage each other t... more European Commission’s six priorities for 2019-2024 are all in line with and leverage each other to support Europe’s twin transition to digitalization and sustainability; aiming to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Recovery Plan for Europe adds resilience as key dimension of EU’s progress, while reinforcing its commitment to the green and digital transformation. Counting for more than 99% of the enterprises, employing about two of three people, and generating more than a half of the value added - with similar weights as concerns Romania - EU’s SMEs are the engine of Europe's economy, therefore essential contributors to these transformative processes - as emphasized in the SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe. Against this background, the main questions the paper is addressing are: how ready the Romania’s SMEs are for the twin (digital and sustainability) transition the EU has embarked on? What are RO’s SMEs approaches to and performances on d...
From just another buzzword a few decades ago, sustainability has become a hot topic on strategist... more From just another buzzword a few decades ago, sustainability has become a hot topic on strategists’ agenda—and it is here to stay. The growing pressures on businesses to address the ever-complex sustainability challenges and to (consequently) assess their performance against a variety of sustainability-related goals are imperatively asking for a new paradigm—grounded on a global business ethics perspective and able to support a fundamental change in the traditional ways of doing business; placed at the heart of any company’s way of doing business, business models are instrumental in these transformative changes, both as triggers (in the short run) and backbones (in the medium to long run). Building on existing literature and capitalizing on the opportunities provided by inter- and trans-disciplinary research, this theoretical analysis aims to (re)frame the (research in) search of the most appropriate business models to address sustainability challenges. Thus, the purpose of the stud...
Every company has a different structure of balance sheet. Some of the companies have more liabili... more Every company has a different structure of balance sheet. Some of the companies have more liabilities than equity. Considering the industry or debt-to-equity ratio, the balance sheet structure affects the company profitability measured by DuPont system. The main objective of the paper is to analyze the structure of balance sheet and to identify some optimal levels in order to increase company profitability. The DuPont returns like ROA (return on assets) and ROE (return on equity) will be used to measure the company profitability, while the debt-to-equity ratio will be used as a measure (reflection) of capital structure. The samples consist on the most profitable non-financial companies ranked in Fortune Global 500. The companies will be grouped in clusters (based on industry or debt-to-equity ratio) in order to identify the signification of the correlation between the profit and the balance sheet structure. The main results of the paper refer to the company profitability that can be...
During the last few decades, the search for sustainability has experienced a tremendous momentum,... more During the last few decades, the search for sustainability has experienced a tremendous momentum, encompassing all the levels of the global system. Fuelled by complex (both proactive and reactive) motivators, the process has surpassed the characteristics of an intellectual endeavor – more preoccupied by idealist goals, and less focused on the actual means to achieve them – and has proved that it can successfully be transposed into the corporate real world – of decision making, objective assessment, and relentless scrutiny. The paper aims to (broadly) explore the world of the most sustainable corporations – based on a descriptive (factual and dynamic) analysis of Corporate Knight’s annual rankings (2016-2018) of the Most Sustainable Corporations – in order to: (a). determine (by comparing and contrasting) the main features these organizations – able to transform the fuzzy concept of corporate sustainability into a coherent reality – display; and (b). set the premises for future (narr...
The utility of performance measurement and management system can be said to have been proven, but... more The utility of performance measurement and management system can be said to have been proven, but the problem faced by both the theoreticians and practitioners is to set the right performance indicators. Developed models are tools that managers can use to measure and manage performance, but they need to be tailored to the context. Also, the trend towards using non-financial performance indicators makes it very difficult for managers to design a performance measurement and management system because it involves the integration of qualitative and non-quantitative variables and a profound understanding of the internal and external environment of the company.
Business sustainable competitiveness is a very complex concept. This complexity generates a varie... more Business sustainable competitiveness is a very complex concept. This complexity generates a variety of possibilities to define, to measure and to test it. The purpose of the paper is to develop the concept of businessness (for business sustainable competitiveness) by leveraging productivity, profitability, effectiveness and sustainability, at firm level. The interrelations between them, in terms of revenues per employee, return on assets, total assets turnover and Dow Jones Sustainability Index, were integrated into models/functions in order to develop, test and apply businessness. The article is about proposing functions (by using multiple discriminant analysis) in order to measure business sustainable competitiveness (businessness). The hypotheses and functions were tested using a sample of 500 companies (2000 observations) from Global Fortune 500. The results showed that there are direct and positive interrelations between the following items: number of employees, revenues, net i...
The main purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers of firm performance by exploring both q... more The main purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers of firm performance by exploring both quantitative indicators - based on accounting profitability, shareholder value and economic value – and qualitative approach – based on balanced scorecard and triple bottom line. A literature review will be provided in order to obtain an optimum mix of quantitative and qualitative drivers for firm performance, on one hand, and a case study will be conducted for emphasizing the importance of both approaches, on the other hand.
Premise: globalization represents both the fertile background and the accountable foreground that... more Premise: globalization represents both the fertile background and the accountable foreground that accompanies the evolution of TNCs/MNEs, within a self-enforcing spiral of co-evolution which gratifies the winners and discards the losers.Argument: UNCTAD’s Top 100 non-financial TNCs/MNEs gathers together, since 1993, some of the most prominent winners of the above mentioned processes, making this instrument one of the best indicators and benchmarks in terms of both globalization and transnationalization – when analyzed at a given moment in time (for a particular year), and even more relevant when analyzed dynamically and by comparison.Context: two major global shifts have occurred during the last decade or so: the global (financial and) economic crisis and its repercussions, and the rise of the emerging economies and of their TNCs/MNEs.Aim: to depict the dynamics registered within the world’s top 100 non-financial TNCs/MNEs – in order to identify significant insights on how the world...
The term “value” can be interpreted in a subjective way, depending about what we refer at. Usuall... more The term “value” can be interpreted in a subjective way, depending about what we refer at. Usually the firm's value is related to the financial performance: profitability, cash flow, liquidity, solvability, etc. A corporation can create and in some cases reduce value for its stakeholders. Also, a corporation can create value for the stakeholders by simply creating jobs, paying taxes and help the population to improve their financial situation. The aim of the paper is to describe the process of value creation starting with corporate governance, continuing with stakeholders’ expectations and finishing with shareholders requests.
ISO 26000 represents a guidance on corporate social responsibility and it is, at the present time... more ISO 26000 represents a guidance on corporate social responsibility and it is, at the present time, one of the most important document on CSR in the world. Without being mandatory or regulated, ISO 26000 is focus on seven core subjects that have to be approached synergistic – governance, human right, labor, environment, business practices, consumer, and community – in order to achieve its goal. The present paper intends to present and analyze the seven core subjects of ISO 26000 from tow perspectives: by emphasizing the benefits of implementing the standard into the business strategy and by revealing the correlation between corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.
The complex and networked economy arises a series of challenges for business competitiveness in o... more The complex and networked economy arises a series of challenges for business competitiveness in order to develop or redefine business models and theories. This paper tries to capture a relevant part of our previous studies by emphasizing the challenges that business competitiveness has to cope and integrate, such as: behavioral model of management, firm competitiveness (leveraging tangible and intangible assets), new models of business (Panarchy Corporation and ambidexterity) and management functions.
European Commission’s six priorities for 2019-2024 are all in line with and leverage each other t... more European Commission’s six priorities for 2019-2024 are all in line with and leverage each other to support Europe’s twin transition to digitalization and sustainability; aiming to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Recovery Plan for Europe adds resilience as key dimension of EU’s progress, while reinforcing its commitment to the green and digital transformation. Counting for more than 99% of the enterprises, employing about two of three people, and generating more than a half of the value added - with similar weights as concerns Romania - EU’s SMEs are the engine of Europe's economy, therefore essential contributors to these transformative processes - as emphasized in the SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe. Against this background, the main questions the paper is addressing are: how ready the Romania’s SMEs are for the twin (digital and sustainability) transition the EU has embarked on? What are RO’s SMEs approaches to and performances on d...
From just another buzzword a few decades ago, sustainability has become a hot topic on strategist... more From just another buzzword a few decades ago, sustainability has become a hot topic on strategists’ agenda—and it is here to stay. The growing pressures on businesses to address the ever-complex sustainability challenges and to (consequently) assess their performance against a variety of sustainability-related goals are imperatively asking for a new paradigm—grounded on a global business ethics perspective and able to support a fundamental change in the traditional ways of doing business; placed at the heart of any company’s way of doing business, business models are instrumental in these transformative changes, both as triggers (in the short run) and backbones (in the medium to long run). Building on existing literature and capitalizing on the opportunities provided by inter- and trans-disciplinary research, this theoretical analysis aims to (re)frame the (research in) search of the most appropriate business models to address sustainability challenges. Thus, the purpose of the stud...
Every company has a different structure of balance sheet. Some of the companies have more liabili... more Every company has a different structure of balance sheet. Some of the companies have more liabilities than equity. Considering the industry or debt-to-equity ratio, the balance sheet structure affects the company profitability measured by DuPont system. The main objective of the paper is to analyze the structure of balance sheet and to identify some optimal levels in order to increase company profitability. The DuPont returns like ROA (return on assets) and ROE (return on equity) will be used to measure the company profitability, while the debt-to-equity ratio will be used as a measure (reflection) of capital structure. The samples consist on the most profitable non-financial companies ranked in Fortune Global 500. The companies will be grouped in clusters (based on industry or debt-to-equity ratio) in order to identify the signification of the correlation between the profit and the balance sheet structure. The main results of the paper refer to the company profitability that can be...
During the last few decades, the search for sustainability has experienced a tremendous momentum,... more During the last few decades, the search for sustainability has experienced a tremendous momentum, encompassing all the levels of the global system. Fuelled by complex (both proactive and reactive) motivators, the process has surpassed the characteristics of an intellectual endeavor – more preoccupied by idealist goals, and less focused on the actual means to achieve them – and has proved that it can successfully be transposed into the corporate real world – of decision making, objective assessment, and relentless scrutiny. The paper aims to (broadly) explore the world of the most sustainable corporations – based on a descriptive (factual and dynamic) analysis of Corporate Knight’s annual rankings (2016-2018) of the Most Sustainable Corporations – in order to: (a). determine (by comparing and contrasting) the main features these organizations – able to transform the fuzzy concept of corporate sustainability into a coherent reality – display; and (b). set the premises for future (narr...
The utility of performance measurement and management system can be said to have been proven, but... more The utility of performance measurement and management system can be said to have been proven, but the problem faced by both the theoreticians and practitioners is to set the right performance indicators. Developed models are tools that managers can use to measure and manage performance, but they need to be tailored to the context. Also, the trend towards using non-financial performance indicators makes it very difficult for managers to design a performance measurement and management system because it involves the integration of qualitative and non-quantitative variables and a profound understanding of the internal and external environment of the company.
Business sustainable competitiveness is a very complex concept. This complexity generates a varie... more Business sustainable competitiveness is a very complex concept. This complexity generates a variety of possibilities to define, to measure and to test it. The purpose of the paper is to develop the concept of businessness (for business sustainable competitiveness) by leveraging productivity, profitability, effectiveness and sustainability, at firm level. The interrelations between them, in terms of revenues per employee, return on assets, total assets turnover and Dow Jones Sustainability Index, were integrated into models/functions in order to develop, test and apply businessness. The article is about proposing functions (by using multiple discriminant analysis) in order to measure business sustainable competitiveness (businessness). The hypotheses and functions were tested using a sample of 500 companies (2000 observations) from Global Fortune 500. The results showed that there are direct and positive interrelations between the following items: number of employees, revenues, net i...
The main purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers of firm performance by exploring both q... more The main purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers of firm performance by exploring both quantitative indicators - based on accounting profitability, shareholder value and economic value – and qualitative approach – based on balanced scorecard and triple bottom line. A literature review will be provided in order to obtain an optimum mix of quantitative and qualitative drivers for firm performance, on one hand, and a case study will be conducted for emphasizing the importance of both approaches, on the other hand.
Premise: globalization represents both the fertile background and the accountable foreground that... more Premise: globalization represents both the fertile background and the accountable foreground that accompanies the evolution of TNCs/MNEs, within a self-enforcing spiral of co-evolution which gratifies the winners and discards the losers.Argument: UNCTAD’s Top 100 non-financial TNCs/MNEs gathers together, since 1993, some of the most prominent winners of the above mentioned processes, making this instrument one of the best indicators and benchmarks in terms of both globalization and transnationalization – when analyzed at a given moment in time (for a particular year), and even more relevant when analyzed dynamically and by comparison.Context: two major global shifts have occurred during the last decade or so: the global (financial and) economic crisis and its repercussions, and the rise of the emerging economies and of their TNCs/MNEs.Aim: to depict the dynamics registered within the world’s top 100 non-financial TNCs/MNEs – in order to identify significant insights on how the world...
The term “value” can be interpreted in a subjective way, depending about what we refer at. Usuall... more The term “value” can be interpreted in a subjective way, depending about what we refer at. Usually the firm's value is related to the financial performance: profitability, cash flow, liquidity, solvability, etc. A corporation can create and in some cases reduce value for its stakeholders. Also, a corporation can create value for the stakeholders by simply creating jobs, paying taxes and help the population to improve their financial situation. The aim of the paper is to describe the process of value creation starting with corporate governance, continuing with stakeholders’ expectations and finishing with shareholders requests.
ISO 26000 represents a guidance on corporate social responsibility and it is, at the present time... more ISO 26000 represents a guidance on corporate social responsibility and it is, at the present time, one of the most important document on CSR in the world. Without being mandatory or regulated, ISO 26000 is focus on seven core subjects that have to be approached synergistic – governance, human right, labor, environment, business practices, consumer, and community – in order to achieve its goal. The present paper intends to present and analyze the seven core subjects of ISO 26000 from tow perspectives: by emphasizing the benefits of implementing the standard into the business strategy and by revealing the correlation between corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.
The complex and networked economy arises a series of challenges for business competitiveness in o... more The complex and networked economy arises a series of challenges for business competitiveness in order to develop or redefine business models and theories. This paper tries to capture a relevant part of our previous studies by emphasizing the challenges that business competitiveness has to cope and integrate, such as: behavioral model of management, firm competitiveness (leveraging tangible and intangible assets), new models of business (Panarchy Corporation and ambidexterity) and management functions.
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Papers by Mihaela HERCIU