Vol. 6, no. 2/2024

Adaptation or replacement? How artificial intelligence is recalibrating roles in tourism

By Claudia-Elena Țuclea

Determinants in modelling early school dropout

By Bianca-Raluca Cibu, Camelia Delcea, Adrian Domenteanu

Recognizing the importance of continuity in education, it was deemed necessary to carry out a study whose main objective is to identify the factors that lead to the intention to drop out in order to formulate effective strategies to combat this phenomenon. Early school dropout has negative consequences both for individual development and for social and economic progress. Therefore, this paper aims to contribute to the understanding and prevention of this phenomenon through a rigorous analysis of its determinants. In this context, eight relevant dependent variables have been identified in the literature that are believed to play a significant role in the intention to drop out of school. These variables include factors such as school absenteeism, alcohol or substance abuse, attitude, awareness, family, family supervision, school environment and school rules. The analysis used in the study examines these significant variables through structural equation modeling (SEM). Smart PLS software was used to conduct this analysis, which allows the use of Partial Least Squares SEM (PLS-SEM) and Bootstrapping modeling techniques. The data used for this research was collected using a well-structured questionnaire consisting of 28 questions aimed at capturing students' perceptions and experiences of school and the factors that might contribute to their intention to drop out of school. A total of 669 respondents completed the questionnaire, providing a solid database for analysis.

Are there 'hygiene-motivation' factors in the choice of India as a tourist destination? A structural equation modelling approach

By Vlad Diaconescu

This study examines the role of motivational factors in the selection of India as a travel destination, using Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation (Hygiene-Motivation model) as a theoretical foundation. By examining how stereotypes about India influence tourists' decision making, this study categorises motivational factors into hygiene and motivation categories and examines their influence on destination choice. A survey conducted at the Romanian Tourism Fair in February 2019 with 729 participants forms the basis for this analysis. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to assess the relationships between these factors. The study reveals two main types of factors that influence tourists: Hygiene factors (e.g. accessibility, comfort, food and overall quality of services) and motivational factors (e.g. cultural richness, scenic beauty and local traditions).The study shows that stereotypes about India play a crucial role in shaping tourists’ priorities — those who have negative stereotypes are more likely to focus on hygiene factors, such as ensuring that basic service expectations are met. In addition, while motivational factors still play an important role, elements such as natural beauty and cultural experiences take center stage in the travel decision.

Comparative assessment of crises and recovery in the Romanian tourism market

By Iuliana Tudose (Pop), Daniel Bulin, Luciana-Floriana Poenaru, Antonela Toma, Elena-Corina Cipu, Delia Popescu

The Romanian tourism industry has yet to prove that it is a resilient economic sector that can adapt to global crises. This study provides a contextual analysis of the sector's performance during two international crises – the global financial crisis (GFC) and the COVID-19 pandemic (C19). The main question is: How do tourism demand and accommodation supply in the Romanian tourism sector respond to global shocks, and what patterns of resilience or vulnerability do these crises reveal? Previous studies have focused on tourist satisfaction and the differential impact of tourism activities after EU integration, but have rarely examined the resilience of the sector in the midst of two different global crises. The need for this research stems from its comparative nature —assessing the pre- and post-crisis periods of the GFC and C19 — thus contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the sector's dynamics. This work fills a gap in the existing literature and applies a longitudinal approach to assess Romanian tourism resilience, market confidence and response to economic and health-related shocks. The study applies a quantitative methodological framework and uses time series data from 2002-2022,with descriptive statistics, comparisons and trend analyses serving as the main pillars for interpreting the evolution of tourism demand, accommodation supply and occupancy rates. The analysis shows that the Romanian tourism sector has proven to be resilient, as operational capacity exceeded pre-crisis levels after the COVID-19crisis, although demand fell sharply and has not fully recovered to date. Occupancy rates fell significantly during both crises and have only partially recovered.

Work climate and economic performance in sustainable companies

By Anastasia-Cristiana Dumitru, Ionel Bran

This research aimed to investigate the relationship between work climate, sustainability practices and perceived economic performance in sustainable companies, focusing on the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. The main objective is to assess how workplace climate influence economic performance and how sustainability practices contribute to employee satisfaction. The study uses a quantitative methodology based on a questionnaire consisting of 15 questions distributed to employees of sustainable companies. The collected data were statistically analysed using SPSS software, with correlation and linear regression tests to validate the hypotheses. Three main hypotheses were tested in the study: (H1) the positive relationship between a favourable work climate and economic performance, (H2) the contribution of sustainability practices to improving work climate, and (H3) the correlation between involvement in ESG initiatives and employee satisfaction. The results indicate a significant correlation between a positive work climate and perceived economic performance as well as a correlation between the implementation of ESG initiatives and employee satisfaction. This research contributes to the understanding of how sustainability practises can influence both employee satisfaction and overall business performance and provides guidance for improving organisational strategies in sustainable companies.

Ecosystem collaboration for climate action: a case study of the ILCA Project

By Ancuța Agheniței, Carmen Nastase, Carmen Chașovschi

In recent years, the number of initiatives dealing with climate change has increased significantly as human activity releases more and more greenhouse gases into the environment. There is no doubt that the effects of these emissions are numerous and increasingly alarming. Against this background, this paper assumes that climate change requires the engagement of various groups of stakeholders. This engagement is referred to in this papers ecosystem cooperation for climate action. A feature of ecosystem cooperation is the potential to create a multi-stakeholder network of new partnerships that can generate innovative solutions to climate change problems. This paper argues that ecosystem collaboration is particularly important for both preventing and responding to climate change. Following a theoretical explanation of the concept of ecosystem collaboration, a case study on climate change and sustainability is presented. This case study highlights best practice examples within a European project entitled “Innovation Laboratories for Climate Actions” (ILCA). Through a consortium of six universities and three research institutes from different European countries, the ILCA project aimed to engage multiple stakeholders in national, regional and local ecosystems to develop innovative solutions to tackle climate change. The project brought together businesses, public administrations, civil society and academia from each country. The findings of this paper emphasise the importance of the ILCA project in tackling climate change through ecosystem collaboration and the establishment of a ‘Climate Innovation Lab’ at the Stefan cel Mare” University in Suceava. Such a lab brings together experts from different fields such as economics, engineering and medicine to find innovative solutions to climate problems. We also emphasise the active role of innovation in helping tourism businesses to adapt to climate change. Innovation and collaboration are crucial to fostering a cooperative environment in relation to climate change mitigation.

Influence on turnover in the housekeeping department: a case of some selected hotels in Bolgatanga Municipality

By Catherine Fuseini, Ellen Olu Fagbemi, Joshua Awuni

In the competitive business world, employee turnover has been a pressing issue facing organisations around the world. The study sought to investigate the influence on turnover in the housekeeping department of some selected hotels in Bolgatanga municipality. A descriptive survey design was used. The population of the study comprised200 employees from the housekeeping department of five hotels in Bolgatanga Municipality. The study used purposive and simple random sampling to select 100 housekeeping employees and 40 hotel management employees. The main instrument used in this study was the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to summarise the data. The study revealed high employee turnover in the housekeeping department of hotels in Bolgatanga municipality. It was revealed that 3-4 employees leave the housekeeping department of the sampled hotels in Bolgatanga Municipality every year. The results show that employees' expectations are a major determinant of turnover in the housekeeping department of hotels in Bolgatanga municipality. The study revealed that employee expectations have a significant influence on employee turnover in the housekeeping department (p<0.01). It was concluded that improving the employee benefit package, paying employees more and providing more flexible working hours would solve the problem of employee turnover in the housekeeping department of the hotels. It was recommended that hotel industry management should endeavor to use the interview as a tool during the hiring process to understand the job expectations of employees and that the qualified candidates whose job expectations can be met by the hotel should be hired.

The role of special events in tourism

By Aurel Costel Chele, Gheorghe Podaru, Violeta Strătilă (Chele)

Event tourism is a particular form of tourism which, in order to attract visitors, requires the holding of special events. It is considered a subcategory of general tourism and differs from it by its characteristics, having a component of uniqueness (exclusivity), a component of fixed duration (depending on the duration of the event), a component of geographical concentration (the specific location of the event), but also a permanent and temporary economic impact (large influx of visitors). In this paper, the impact of three special events is analysed, each event in a different location, more precisely we analysed a mountain location (Băile Tușnad, Harghita County), a seaside location (Costinești, Constanta County) and an urban metropolis (Cluj-Napoca), all in Romania, in parallel we analysed an event outside the country (music festival in Belgium). The presentation and analysis of the figures from these four different locations leads us to conclusions and comparative interpretations. The study ends with the presentation of the conclusions and some suggestions in this direction of tourism, in our opinion to paint a real picture of this phenomenon, a successful tourism that requires a concentrated effort of all the actors involved, more precisely, the decision makers, entrepreneurs and tourists. The impact of special events on a local community is captured by figures that answer the two research questions: "Is there a relationship between a special event and the number of tourists?"; "Does a special event perceived as an economic accelerator also have negative aspects?"