Business Excellence and Management

19-35

Authors: Nicolae Pintilie

This paper aims to create an image of progress towards circular economy registered by European Union countries through specific indicators. In this way, this paper is based on the study and analysis of the 13 indicators, grouped on 4 pillars: Production and consumption, Waste management, Secondary raw materials, Competitiveness and innovation. After the presentation of the methodology, the paper develops an analysis in time and space of the selected indicators, then an analysis of the countries with their grouping on clusters, creating a map of them and highlighting the current situation of circular economy in the European Union. Moreover, the paper also presents the evolution of the countries regarding circular economy, which has a big importance taking into account that in the European Union the preoccupations for this concept is higher from one period to another. Among the most interesting results are: (1) a massive concentration of countries with problems for Waste management pillar; (2) Europe is one of the regions with the largest contribution in terms of circular economy, but the concept is developing differently from one country to another; (3) The scoreboard evolution is particularly useful in revealing the continuous actions adopted by countries in order to facilitate the conversion to circular economy. Finally, the paper presents possible limits of the research, but also future directions of its development.

49-67

Authors: Djamila Chikh Kadr, Djazia Amina Chib, Assia Brahimi

The present work is part of relational marketing, in particular consumer behavior in the field of service. Relationship marketing is based mainly on three pillars: quality, satisfaction, and loyalty. The choice of our conceptual model is based on an in-depth literature of previous studies, in view of the multiplicity of research work carried out in this field and the diversity of points of view of the researchers. The fundamental research question is: How to increase the level of customer satisfaction to retain them? The objective of this article is both to determine the explanatory dimensions of consumer satisfaction, but also to analyze their influence on overall consumer satisfaction. For this purpose, we have opted for the “FILTER” type attribute selection methods based on the “WEKA” programming environment. To this end, an empirical study was carried out. We employed quantitative methodology and data were analyzed by Structural Equation Models. The sample consisted of 242 customers of the airline “AIR ALGERIE”. The results obtained reveal to us what is hidden behind the overall customer satisfaction of this company. They also certify that the dimensions in question contribute differently to this satisfaction. Such results would help leaders to provide a double effort in order to bring real and effective improvements, but also to give more care to the relevant variables selected by the different methods applied. However, the results also revealed the importance of the service elements which contribute to overall customer satisfaction.

80-93

Authors: Haifa Mefteh

This paper investigates the impact of extracurricular activities (ECA) on developing employability skills of higher education graduates in Tunisia. In this regard, we use a quantitative survey that has been distributed to 451 graduates. The results of the logistic regression model show that participation in extracurricular activities (ECA) is the main determinant of soft skills development. In addition, Spearman's correlation analysis demonstrates a positive one between the acquisition of soft skills and participation in extracurricular activities. Each of the activities develops specific skills. We found that participation in social groups helps to develop more soft skills.