Annals of Spiru Haret University. Economic Series

8

Authors: Valentin KULETO, Elena GURGU

This article investigates the relationship between employer branding and organisational performance, identifying the underlying mechanisms contributing to enhanced performance. Next, we analyse various aspects of employer branding, including its influence on talent attraction, employee engagement, retention, and overall productivity. Finally, we provide insights on how organisations can strengthen their employer brand to optimise performance. In the competitive labour market, employer branding plays a crucial role in an organisation's ability to attract and retain top talent, directly influencing organisational performance. This article examines the relationship between employer branding and organisational performance by exploring its effects on talent attraction, employee engagement, retention, and overall productivity. It also offers insights on strengthening an organisation's employer brand to optimise performance. Employer branding, an organisation's reputation as an employer, can provide a competitive advantage by creating a motivated, engaged, and productive workforce. A strong employer brand attracts high-quality candidates, reducing recruitment time and cost and ensuring a diverse and talented candidate pool. Organisational culture, work environment, compensation and benefits, growth opportunities, and corporate social responsibility contribute to developing a strong employer brand. Effective employer brand communication across multiple channels, such as corporate websites, social media, and job advertisements, is essential to attract top talent. Employer branding events and employee advocacy can further strengthen the brand. Assessing the employer brand's strength can help organisations identify areas of improvement and gauge their attractiveness in the job market. Employee engagement and satisfaction are closely linked to an organisation's employer brand. Factors such as leadership, job design, recognition and rewards, work environment, and opportunities for growth and development contribute to employee engagement and satisfaction. Assessing employee engagement and satisfaction can provide valuable insights into their perceptions of the organisation and commitment to its goals. Engaged and satisfied employees exhibit higher performance, productivity, and innovation levels, leading to improved organisational outcomes.

11

Authors: Mihaela AGAGIU, Mariana IATAGAN

The hospitality industry in Romania is faced with a number of factors that unbalance the sustainable prospects of this industry, mentioning: the incidence of the pandemic context, the increase in inflation, the general increase in prices, the increase in electricity and heat tariffs, as well as the increase in the salary level of employees integrated in the activity the hospitality industry. Starting from 2020, tourist operators face the decrease in the number of tourists, as well as the exponential increase in costs resulting from the provision of tourist activity. Looking from this perspective, organizations operating in the hospitality industry are exposed to global socio-economic risks, limiting the innovative perspectives necessary for the development of this industry. Through the article, the incidence of negative socio-economic perspectives on the hospitality industry is measured, identifying the main factors that determined the decrease in the activity and profitability of economic organizations. The content of the article focuses on the innovative perspectives of the hospitality industry, presenting rural tourism and psychotherapeutic tourism as a pillar of tourism recovery and resilience identified in the national context.

13

Authors: Antonia MANDALAC, Mariana IATAGAN

In Romania, social exclusion highlights a reality that removes the perspectives of sustainable development of social equity and economic stability. The pandemic context caused a major discrepancy between national socio-economic environments, placing Romania first in the European ranking regarding the level of social exclusion and material deprivation. The insufficient space of the labor market, the intensity of unemployment, the government restrictions imposed to limit the pandemic context argue the alarming statistics of social exclusion, while the policies and strategies implemented to ensure an honorable standard of living for the Romanian population do not show notable results, limiting the possibilities reducing the level of poverty. The purpose of the article is to measure the level of social exclusion and material deprivation in Romania, formulating sustainable proposals for improving the quality of life of people whose socio-economic status is at the limit of existence.

15

Authors: Fidan HASANLI

The real estate industry is undergoing digital transformation, which affects its working conditions, market appearance, and economic growth factors. The characteristics and operations of real estate markets will be demonstrated in detail which is covered by both basic methods that have remained immutable for centuries and specific possibilities that have recently emerged. The prime idea is to identify industry alterations, the impact of digital transformation, investment decisions, expected future evolutions related to demand and supply, and regression analysis using Ordinary Least Square method which is used to evaluate the data that falls to the plane and variables that go beyond the restrictions in case of Azerbaijan. This paper provides some particular aspects of real estate within economic terms, to show how technological advancements could provide a comprehensive dataset with expected growth rates, real estate risk management, economic evaluation of real estate investment projects, real estate economics and most importantly demand and supply. The study supports fluctuation of prices in this market is mostly based on macro and micro economic levels.

16

Authors: Pedro Uwadum ADAGBOR, Abibat Motunrayo ADEBOLA, Bukola Linda OJEABURU, &Wilfred Isioma UKPERE

People now spend many years of their adult lives at jobs where they are exposed to various hazardous chemicals, unsafe acts, and other diseases because of population growth and rapid technological advancements. Occupational diseases and injuries may arise because of risk factors in the workplace. This study examined health education as panacea to occupational diseases & injuries in Ibadan Southwest Local government of Oyo state, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted, and the population comprises of all workers in Ibadan South-West Local government of Oyo state. The sample size was 250 respondents selected using simple and multi-stage sampling techniques to cover the forty-eight manufacturing companies in the area. A self-structured questionnaire was employed for data, which were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and chi-square at 0.05 alpha level. It was found that the prevalence rate of occupational diseases in the facility had (x2=81.94, p<0.05), the extent to which occupational health and safety programs was promoted had (x2=71.51, p<0.05), the effectiveness of occupational health and safety programs had (x2=64.94, p<0.05). Based on the findings, health education is a panacea to occupational diseases and injuries in Ibadan South-West Local government of Oyo state, Nigeria. It was therefore recommended that Government should provide regular health training programs to review, promote, and maintain occupational health strategies. Manufacturing companies/facilities should employ adequate qualified health educators to enlighten the workers on the risks associated with occupational diseases and injuries.

17

Authors: Palesa Edith PHASUMANE, Darlington ONOJAEFE, Phelokazi STUMA, Wilfred Isioma UKPERE

This paper investigated community perceptions of tourism development and identified their relationship between tourism development projects and business opportunities in Tsatsane community, Lesotho. This investigation was done using a qualitative research method to understand the relationship between respondents perceptions of tourism development projects and associated business opportunities. Using purposive random sampling techniques, 30 respondents—19 community members, 2 community leaders, and 9 stakeholders—were chosen and interrogated. After the choice, both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire that was constructed. While collecting quantitative data by email, the qualitative data used a self-administered questionnaire conducted in-person. Thematic analysis was used to organize the themes that emerged from the replies after they were received. Using Atlas Ti.8, similar themes were gathered and transferred. The study finds a statistically significant relationship between tourism development projects and recurrent themes like new knowledge of tourism-related business opportunities like job creation, increased trade, and education. About 5% of respondents have different opinions.

19

Authors: Roxana-Daniela PAUN

Distance doesn't separate people, silence does!" Artificial intelligence is a reality and it evolves every day, it simplifies life where it is used in the human’s interest, being already applied in many fields. Is there any risk of moving away from the noble goal of being at the service of the collective good and of being used against people to limit fundamental rights and freedoms? Is there any risk that the totalitarian society will re-establish itself, this time on a global level? The current study presents, in summary, a first analysis of the latest developments in this field, starting from the Chinese experience, as far as it is known and popularized regarding facial recognition made by artificial intelligence for monitoring citizens for the social credit system.

23

Authors: Frank O. ETIM, Wilfred I. UKPERE

The work set out to deconstruct and reconstruct Ted Roberts Gurr’s (1970) theory of relative deprivation, frustration-aggression as contained in his work ‘Why Men Rebel’ (1970). The study used descriptive research design and evaluated the capacity of the theory which was created to explain political violence in Africa and Asia in the colonial era, to also explicate why intense relative deprivation, frustration and aggression arising from the avalanche of poor governance in postcolonial African states such as Nigeria and many others, have not culminated into political violence and rebellion. The study presented numerous data obtained through observation and analysis of events in Nigeria, Africa and case-studies of American, French, English and Russian rebellions and distilled qualitative data which indicated lack of association between the variables. The application of the study design revealed first the state as the source of relative deprivation, frustration and aggressions of the citizenry when they are denied access to the public values which they feel entitled. Secondly, it further discovered that there are no direct correlations between relative deprivation, frustration and aggression as initially conveyed by the theory since 1970. Furthermore, it exposed that there is an intervening variables identified as ‘Social Movements’ or ‘Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), which harness relative deprivation, intense frustration and aggressions from the sufferers and convert them to other set-of-actions which may not be political violence and rebellions but could be advocacy towards the expansion of the mechanism for supply of public good or values and to make it accessible to many to address relative deprivation. The study concluded in the light of its findings, the initial theory require deconstruction and reconstruction to include ‘Social Movement’ as a principal component, it is only then that it could be applied in the analysis of issues in postcolonial African and Asian states.

24

Authors: B.O. OGINNI, I.O. AYANTUNJI, A. AWOLAJA, A.S. ADESANYA4 & H.O. OJODU

The study investigated HRM policies and practices on employee commitment to determine their relationship and effects on employee commitment using the SMEs in the South-West, Nigeria as the unit of analysis. The study identified recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and reward systems, performance appraisal, working conditions, and employee participation as the prevailing HRM policies and practices in the SMEs and singled out compensation and reward systems, working conditions, and employee participation. A multi-sampling technique and survey research method was adopted while copies of questionnaires were administered to 369 respondents. It was found that there exists a positive relationship between HRM policies and practices and employee commitment while compensation and reward systems, working conditions, and employee participation in decision-making have more effects than other variables and R2 of 76% can also explain the variation on employee commitment. It was concluded that among all the activities embarked upon by the SMEs, in South-West, Nigeria towards the attainment of business objectives, HRM policies, and practices have a more significant effect on employee commitment most especially compensation and reward systems, working conditions, and employee participation. Thus, recommended that reward systems should be made competitive through environmental surveys and objectivity should prevail in the practice of the HRM policies.

25

Authors: Devajit MOHAJAN, Haradhan Kumar MOHAJAN

In this study method of Lagrange multiplier is considered to investigate profit maximization policy. In the twenty first century global economy faces serious complexities. Sensitivity analysis of economic firms becomes essential part of sustainable economic environment. The method of Lagrange multiplier is a very useful and powerful technique in multivariable calculus that is applied in economic models to obtain higher dimensional unconstrained problem from the lower dimensional constrained problems. This paper proceeds with Cobb-Douglas production function, where 6×6 bordered Hessian and 6×6 Jacobian are used to examine sensitivity analysis efficiently and elaborately.