Manuscripts are being solicited for an upcoming Special Issue of the journal Journalism and Media that will focus on media coverage of climate change. Increasingly more instances of weather and climate extremes are reported to impact... more
Manuscripts are being solicited for an upcoming Special Issue of the journal Journalism and Media that will focus on media coverage of climate change. Increasingly more instances of weather and climate extremes are reported to impact human society, societal infrastructure, and the natural environment.
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/journalmedia/special_issues/media_and_climate_change
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/journalmedia/special_issues/media_and_climate_change
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The paper focuses on the main features of corporate volunteering in companies from the Sverdlovsk region (Russian Federation), with a population surpassing 4.5 million inhabitants. Corporate volunteering is analyzed in the context of the... more
The paper focuses on the main features of corporate volunteering in companies from the Sverdlovsk region (Russian Federation), with a population surpassing 4.5 million inhabitants. Corporate volunteering is analyzed in the context of the trend characteristic for the post-Soviet space. The article systematizes approaches to the definition and study of this phenomenon, implemented by researchers from different countries. The main goal of the article is to identify the specific features of corporate volunteering in a large Russian region, considered typical for industrial territories in post-Soviet areas, seen through the social value that local communities attribute to corporate volunteering. The paper is based on the results of a public opinion poll and structured interviews, carried out in the Sverdlovsk region, where there is a concentration of enterprises of “hard” industries. The responses obtained in the poll were further subjected to analysis using statistical methods. The data are supplemented with information collected through the qualitative interviews. Interviewed experts are the top managers of enterprises and the deputy directors for HR, GR, or social issues. The study shows that in Russian industrial cities, where large enterprises are the main employers for most residents, many questions on the implementation of social policy fall under the responsibility of these enterprises, and not of the local government. Researchers argue that corporate volunteering is not widespread in the large Russian regions. It most often develops within the framework of event planning and environmental projects, managed by enterprises in cooperation with social and cultural institutions of local communities and not with the non-profit sector. The traditions of the organization of mass social work formed during the socialist period are still deeply rooted in enterprises, and managers rarely identify volunteering as a new managerial tool, thus being untangled from the global trend of promoting corporate volunteerism as a means of building corporate culture.
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The term diploma is largely employed to designate a document assessing qualifications of the recipient, in a variety of contexts. In the 21st century educational systems, diplomas are, nevertheless, subjected to various interpretations, a... more
The term diploma is largely employed to designate a document assessing qualifications of the recipient, in a variety of contexts. In the 21st century educational systems, diplomas are, nevertheless, subjected to various interpretations, a fact that is highlighted by the fact that instructions, regulations and laws are drafted to describe the content, interpretations and uses of diplomas. While preserving the phonetic and lexical similarity when travelling across languages and cultures, the term diploma develops specific lexical and semantic associations in each of the analyzed languages. Definitions are drawn from major dictionaries of the target languages and conclusions serve to further the understanding of the term for translation, educational and managerial purposes.
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The cross-border cooperation is viewed in Europe as an important tool for unifying the once divided continent and for dismantling historic rivalries between states. In the border region of Romania, Hungary and Serbia the Euro-regional... more
The cross-border cooperation is viewed in Europe as an important tool for unifying the once divided continent and for dismantling historic rivalries between states. In the border region of Romania, Hungary and Serbia the Euro-regional cooperation known as DKMT (Danube-CrisMures-Tisa) develops as a model for Romania. The elected officials at the regional level from the three states involved agree to develop projects and try to asses DKMT as part of the “big Europe”. The paper looks into the PR practice of the administrative bodies of DKMT and analyzes some of the current problems in delivering Euro-regional information to the general public.
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Digital natives shape their world and shake fundamental beliefs in society, making it obligatory to rethink the schooling, employment and communication aimed at triggering a positive reaction from this new category of technologically... more
Digital natives shape their world and shake fundamental beliefs in society, making it obligatory to rethink the schooling, employment and communication aimed at triggering a positive reaction from this new category of technologically immersed young people. The study aims to highlight, based on literature review and on field research, the values of Romanian students belonging to this category, in direct link to their expectations regarding future employment. Students were asked to identify experiences that they chose to accumulate in order to ensure competitiveness on the labour market and to describe the future employer of choice. The survey, conducted in the national capital in May 2019 in technical universities reveals that students have strong convictions regarding the features they seek in future employment places, even if their representation of the ideal workplace is not necessarily clear. The conclusions highlight the roles and ways in which universities and businesses can work together to help digital natives project their future career paths, reduce frustration and make the study-work transition smoother. Also, the findings of this study can be useful to recruiters and HR specialists, in shaping more efficient messages, appealing to this iGen - as the generation of digital natives is often referred to in scientific literature.
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Change is a rapid, fascinating, complex phenomenon. It stirred vast amounts of literature, originating in Ancient philosophy, and successfully drew into debate most sciences. The fundamental purpose of research is to try and decompose the... more
Change is a rapid, fascinating, complex phenomenon. It stirred vast amounts of literature, originating in Ancient philosophy, and successfully drew into debate most sciences. The fundamental purpose of research is to try and decompose the process, to study it and to recompose it in a meaningful way. Even if meaning is subtle or elusive, scientists from all areas are still proud if they can give the measure for the “how” of change. The “why” and the “to what end” are much harder to grasp. If change is inevitable—and so it is, proven over and over—can it be purposefully oriented? Can human intervention keep the process under
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The contemporary society is drawn towards the spectacular, the out-of-the-ordinary, the amazing. Many companies, communities, cities acknowledge this feature and fight for public recognition by joining competitions and taking the effort... more
The contemporary society is drawn towards the spectacular, the out-of-the-ordinary, the amazing. Many companies, communities, cities acknowledge this feature and fight for public recognition by joining competitions and taking the effort to be placed in rankings. The paper focuses on Romanian records registered in the world-famous Guinness book of records as strategies for gaining recognition and reputation management. The study makes an overview of Romanian records and presents the case-study of Timisoara, which had three successful record-establishing events, two of which are part of a city-branding strategy, one being a personal record of a cartoonist. The media buzz around the events and the educational value of the city branding strategy are scrutinized, as well as the further life of the established records. PR practitioners can find inspiration for developing strategies to innovate reputation management strategies, while researchers will reflect on the impact of infotainment in contemporary society.
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Research Interests: Preparedness and Pandemic
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Research Interests: Chemistry and Philosophy
The study focuses on academic rituals as part of university culture in Romanian universities. It also tries to underline the role of academic rituals as communication instruments for the universities, both public and private. The latter... more
The study focuses on academic rituals as part of university culture in Romanian universities. It also tries to underline the role of academic rituals as communication instruments for the universities, both public and private. The latter category adopted the common ceremonies for academic life to gain legitimacy and recognition as part of the higher education area. The analysis focuses on a series of rituals identified in the Romanian universities, mainly the opening of the academic year, the graduation ceremony, anniversaries of the foundation and Open Doors events. It considers the architecture of the ritual highlights academic rituals seen as major components for the consolidation of institutional culture. Also, the study highlights the way institutional documents present the rituals and indicate the elements of ceremonial life in universities. The highest intensity of ritual event is the graduation ceremony, where participants embrace Medieval traditions and scenarios to mark the passage of a new generation from scholarly life to social engagement.
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Navigating through the Stor m: Reinventing Education for Postmodern Democracies focuses on a crucial topic for the state of Western education systems: the necessity to address, in a profound and complex manner, the crisis which globally... more
Navigating through the Stor m: Reinventing Education for Postmodern Democracies focuses on a crucial topic for the state of Western education systems: the necessity to address, in a profound and complex manner, the crisis which globally engulfs all areas of society, including the way knowledge and skills are produced, developed and transmitted through, by or outside schools of all grades. While complex and at times densely argued, the book is well worth the effort it demands of a reader, because it analyzes in depth the major debates regarding the uses and outcomes of education, but at the same time proposes a fresh and well-argued model, which, if applied, can balance the traditions and humanistic orientation of education with the expectations of the general public, the demands of policy makers, and the responses that universities can offer. Thus Aharon Aviram goes further than merely criticizing the state of the contemporary educational system, arguing that the responses need to address in a holistic manner the way education is viewed, organized, provided, and linked to the other areas in social action. book reviews
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The purpose of this article is an attempt to determine the main characteristics of the potential for youth participation in branding of territory for the implementation of a scientific approach to branding of cities with the participation... more
The purpose of this article is an attempt to determine the main characteristics of the potential for youth participation in branding of territory for the implementation of a scientific approach to branding of cities with the participation of residents in different countries. This is the first article that relatively approaches the issue of youth participation in branding of places and takes into account different experiences of countries. The results of a survey of young people in several cities in Poland, Romania, Armenia, Russia were used to develop a model of the potential for youth participation in territory branding on the basis of two scales – attractiveness of the territory and willingness of youth to participate in promoting settlements of their residence. Cross-country differences in the representation of various youth groups were identified in terms of their potential for participating in the branding of local territories. The model can be used as a basis for the developme...
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The article tackles the issue of youth agency, understood as the desire and ability of young people to engage in the socio-cultural development of their cities of choice for pursuing higher education. This contribution tries to clarify... more
The article tackles the issue of youth agency, understood as the desire and ability of young people to engage in the socio-cultural development of their cities of choice for pursuing higher education. This contribution tries to clarify factors to be considered in analyzing youth agency in an international perspective. It is based on an internationally conducted survey, in 2020, among students in regional centers from Russia, Armenia, Poland and Romania (target sample No =1272). Across their different socio-cultural backgrounds and context of living and studying, young people share similarities regarding their readiness to get involved in projects of territorial development but also display significant distinctive features to be considered in international comparisons. The cross-countrycomparison highlighted the existence of four models of agency. Russian youth is characterized mainlyby an "escapist" model of agency, with a low level of readiness for social participation an...
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Throughout Europe almost half a million people choose to acquire food products from a network of community supported farms, thus changing the ways in which food products are produced, processed, distributed and valued in everyday life.... more
Throughout Europe almost half a million people choose to acquire food products from a network of community supported farms, thus changing the ways in which food products are produced, processed, distributed and valued in everyday life. The community supported agriculture (CSA) has a ten-year history in Romania (starting with 2008) as a concept linked to ethical consumption, solidarity and revival of traditional values. The study is based on case studies of how the concept was implemented in Romania, challenges for communicators and advocates regarding the no logo advertising in favor of this concept and the insertion of Romanian experiences in the European and international trends in attaining such UN goals as improving livelihoods, protecting the environment and achieve sustainable development in rural areas and improving the management of natural resources. The communication campaigns and the projects that supported the promotion of this type of relations still rely mainly on a tiny layer of consumers, ready to share the philosophy behind new types of economic relations, where ethical considerations, solidarity and trust represent core values. The CSA model remains an early attempt to introduce new patterns of economic relations in Romania, in the larger trend of fair trade and responsible consumption.
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The purpose of this research is to observe the pro-vaccination campaign in Romania from an informative and communicative perspective. A qualitative content analysis was carried out on the videos broadcast both on the Government's... more
The purpose of this research is to observe the pro-vaccination campaign in Romania from an informative and communicative perspective. A qualitative content analysis was carried out on the videos broadcast both on the Government's YouTube channel and on the Facebook page, describing the video messages’ structure, framing, and linguistic and extralinguistic elements. The results highlighted the fact that the messages, in terms of content and significance, were not fully adapted to the target audience’s needs, that communication efforts failed to influence vaccine acceptance behaviors and that the campaign message could be improved to comply with the existing recommendations/standards.
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The generalized crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis forced an accelerated adoption of online communication and virtual formats for events, replacing the traditional flow of social, economic, and political life. The automotive... more
The generalized crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis forced an accelerated adoption of online communication and virtual formats for events, replacing the traditional flow of social, economic, and political life. The automotive industry as a major driver of innovation in the economic field was among the first sectors to replace the old way tactics of offline engagement with customers with social media solutions, promoted via multiple channels. The paper aims to provide an overview of the public engagement strategies employed by Romanian automotive industry in 2020-2021. Data are collected through content analysis of the major automotive retailers and are supplemented with information obtained from communication strategists in the field. The experience of virtual engagement is here to stay, and there are signs are that the strategy will carry out in the “new normal” period, once the restrictions on in-person contact are over.
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Online shopping became the main type of shopping in 2020, due to the restrictions posed by authorities to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Students, who already were digitally literate, easily made full use of the digital platforms for... more
Online shopping became the main type of shopping in 2020, due to the restrictions posed by authorities to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Students, who already were digitally literate, easily made full use of the digital platforms for shopping a variety of items, among which clothing. The study focuses on student shopping for a special category of products, second-hand garments, aiming to identify the motivations that animate such purchase in the student population. Also, the study aims to highlight which of the digital channels are used for such purchases. The research is based on a survey, self-administered by the respondents. Results show that students participating in the study display a complex set of motivations for secondhand products purchasing, such as economic reasons, fashion-related judgement, leisure, and ecological reasoning. While feeling ‘at home’ in the digital world, if given the choice, students prefer social media over websites, and Instagram over Facebook. Findin...
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Scientific authorship is an evolving concept, being challenged by the numerous varieties in definition and practice of its ideational form. Variations in interpretation occur not only along the traditional demarcation line between hard... more
Scientific authorship is an evolving concept, being challenged by the numerous varieties in definition and practice of its ideational form. Variations in interpretation occur not only along the traditional demarcation line between hard sciences and the social sciences and humanities but also within the same science branch, along parameters such as geography or institutional representation. This article explores the websites of internationally indexed communication science journals in Romania, from the point of view of authorship definitions, authorship requirements, and author-related ethical provisions. The web-based analysis is supplemented by opinions shared by editors of seven journal publishing venues. Findings show that less than half of the Romanian communication science journals allude to the international debate concerning authorship vs. contributorship models. A data-based critique of the self-presentation of the selected journals on their main page is also formulated. The...
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Introduction. The relevance of the study is associated with the need for scientific understanding of youth volunteering, deepening ideas about its educational potential, which is realised in the education system. In the context of... more
Introduction. The relevance of the study is associated with the need for scientific understanding of youth volunteering, deepening ideas about its educational potential, which is realised in the education system. In the context of international and national studies, it is important to evaluate the volunteer participation of the younger generation, its social effects on society. The social effectiveness of volunteering is a necessary condition, the result of educational activities organised in the educational environment. The study meets the practical request to determine the conditions for changing the qualitative characteristics of students volunteering with an active agenda of state assistance to the pro-social activity of the youth in the Russian Federation. Understanding the motivation, intentions and real opportunities for volunteer participation of high school students and students is important for improving the effectiveness of solving the task of increasing the social activi...
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Following international best practice examples, the Romanian government resorted to its social media accounts to disseminate information and unfold an awareness and persuasion campaign to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The article focuses... more
Following international best practice examples, the Romanian government resorted to its social media accounts to disseminate information and unfold an awareness and persuasion campaign to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The article focuses on the use of the government’s YouTube and Facebook accounts to persuade the population to get vaccinated in 2021 via video messages tailored for this purpose. The research quantified the volume of public engagement with the two waves of the persuasive campaign, finding that, while click-based reactions tended to show a positive attitude toward the campaign, the comments mainly denoted frustration, anger, and anxiety on the part of the public. Moreover, the citizens’ engagement with the campaign messages was by far lower than the number of subscribers and followers of the analyzed social media accounts. The goal of the COVID-19 public health persuasion campaign was to build support for the governmental policy and minimize the risks of the pandemic wh...
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The paper focuses on the main features of corporate volunteering in companies from the Sverdlovsk region (Russian Federation), with a population surpassing 4.5 million inhabitants. Corporate volunteering is analyzed in the context of the... more
The paper focuses on the main features of corporate volunteering in companies from the Sverdlovsk region (Russian Federation), with a population surpassing 4.5 million inhabitants. Corporate volunteering is analyzed in the context of the trend characteristic for the post-Soviet space. The article systematizes approaches to the definition and study of this phenomenon, implemented by researchers from different countries. The main goal of the article is to identify the specific features of corporate volunteering in a large Russian region, considered typical for industrial territories in post-Soviet areas, seen through the social value that local communities attribute to corporate volunteering. The paper is based on the results of a public opinion poll and structured interviews, carried out in the Sverdlovsk region, where there is a concentration of enterprises of “hard” industries. The responses obtained in the poll were further subjected to analysis using statistical methods. The data...
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This paper analyzes the outcomes of a game-based educational process aiming to strengthen resilience to fake news. An innovative approach that considers linguistic choices as bases for manipulating information is used in an online... more
This paper analyzes the outcomes of a game-based educational process aiming to strengthen resilience to fake news. An innovative approach that considers linguistic choices as bases for manipulating information is used in an online classroom environment, students in communication being invited to understand, explain and reflect upon framing and information credibility, using as a topic of inquiry the refugee crisis of 2021 in Romania. Cognitive learning outcomes as well as learning dynamics were assessed using pre- and end-of game surveys. The results of the game are discussed in relation with the instructional goal to facilitate the understanding of communicative social actions, learning about disinformation that is deliberately misleading, as well as finding ways to break the disinformation code. The debriefing discussions after each stage of the game encouraged students to reflect upon their newly gained insights and increase their critical thinking capacity, in the effort to ensu...
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In modern times, English has become the lingua franca of science, dominating journal publishing ecologies. Multilingual journals keep up the flag, many researchers arguing that, especially in the case of social sciences and humanities,... more
In modern times, English has become the lingua franca of science, dominating journal publishing ecologies. Multilingual journals keep up the flag, many researchers arguing that, especially in the case of social sciences and humanities, diversity of languages is an asset. In Romania, in the absence of national databases or repositories, the first task to understand linguistic preferences for scientific communication is to map the ground. The study extracted information on Romanian communication sciences journals from four major databases. Out of the 22 identified journals, only eight are dedicated solely to communication sciences, grouped in two poles of communication sciences schools, where doctoral studies in the field have been established. While English dominates the publication world, multilinguistic journals also appear, prevailing in traditional multicultural regions such as Transylvania–Banat. The future of multilingual journals depends on, among other factors, the capacity o...
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The purpose of this paper is to analyse faculty and students’ takeaway lessons from the pandemic classroom, comparing the educational partners’ views on the transition from in-campus to online learning. Data collection was conducted... more
The purpose of this paper is to analyse faculty and students’ takeaway lessons from the pandemic classroom, comparing the educational partners’ views on the transition from in-campus to online learning. Data collection was conducted through focus groups to understand the key issues at the level of an educational program, the collected responses being used to highlight the overall perception on the online classes during the pandemic, the most frequently uses online tools, the adaptive strategies to maintain engagement and foster learning and the assessment requirements for completing the 2020-2021 academic year. The results show that while most respondents define the experience as tiresome and complicated, faculty and students alike found enough resources to overcome the challenges and that despite the lack of preparedness for education in times of crisis, the educational process can go on when sufficient effort and commitment are put together. The value of the research is that it br...
This article is devoted to the theme of urban environment, in particular to the question how young people perceive urban spaces. Authors use the theory of environmental determinism to explain why some spaces in completely different cities... more
This article is devoted to the theme of urban environment, in particular to the question how young people perceive urban spaces. Authors use the theory of environmental determinism to explain why some spaces in completely different cities are more attractive to young citizens than others. According to the results of a sociological survey, focus groups with young people from Yekaterinburg (Russia), Timisoara (Romania) and Gyumri (Armenia) were allocated meeting places for young citizens in every city. For the analysis, the architecture and history of three urban public spaces located in each city and their distinctive characteristics were considered in detail. It was found that the most popular places in the survey have similar features, these are open spaces located in the central and historical parts of cities. They provide multifunctional content, they are surrounded by a variety of diverse buildings, they are part of the daily routes of many citizens and are used as platforms for various urban-scale events.
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Communication during an ongoing crisis is a challenging task that becomes even more demanding during a public health crisis. Early in the start of the pandemic, global leaders called upon the public to reject infodemics and access... more
Communication during an ongoing crisis is a challenging task that becomes even more demanding during a public health crisis. Early in the start of the pandemic, global leaders called upon the public to reject infodemics and access official sources. This article focuses on the communicative aspects of health services management, with a particular focus on the communication strategy of the Romanian district public health authorities during the COVID-19 lockdown, as seen on official websites and social networks. The 15 most affected districts were selected, according to the officially reported health cases. The issued press releases and the posts on Facebook pages show an uneven experience on the part of district authorities in dealing with public information campaigns. In addition, the results of the study indicate a lack of sustainable communication approaches as well as the need of professional training and strategy in dealing with the public health crisis. From a communication poin...
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The article presents an analysis of students’ awareness of the local cultural and historical heritage in post-communist countries, taking the examples of Yekaterinburg (Russia), Gyumri (Armenia), and Timisoara (Romania). A... more
The article presents an analysis of students’ awareness of the local cultural and historical heritage in post-communist countries, taking the examples of Yekaterinburg (Russia), Gyumri (Armenia), and Timisoara (Romania). A multidisciplinary methodology was applied, including a sociological survey, visualization of city places, and assessment of the respondents’ capacity to engage with the identified historical and cultural items. The provided data visualizations demonstrated the preferences of young people for certain spaces, and allowed assessment of young people’s awareness of selected instances of historical and cultural heritage. An attempt was made to estimate critically how historical and cultural objects are included in youth consciousness. An attractive image of the city and its positive perception can be used as a basis for engaging youth participation in the development and promotion of the city. Results can be useful for city managers and administrators, to promote better...
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The paper aims to present instances of political communication during electoral processes carried out with new media tools. The high rate of Internet penetration and the spreading of social networks triggered the response on the part of... more
The paper aims to present instances of political communication during electoral processes carried out with new media tools. The high rate of Internet penetration and the spreading of social networks triggered the response on the part of political candidates, interested to reach their publics wherever possible. In addition, the development of e-democracy, e-governance and e-politics naturally produces effects in electoral processes. The 2012 parliamentary elections in Romania have as distinctive features the breakdown of constituencies into smaller units and the uninominal vote instead of the previously employed party lists. These features placed the burden of communication tasks on individual candidates, who had to resort to at least one web based communication channel during the campaign. The article is structured in five sections, as follows: the first section is dedicated to presenting the context and tools of the study. The second section views the digital communication as the n...