Mirabela-Constanța Matei

This paper presents an investigation into the correlation between hours worked and productivity, synthesizing insights from an in-depth analysis of scientific literature spanning the past 10 years. The aim of this study is to gain a nuanced understanding of how work hours impact productivity across diverse industries and occupational settings. Drawing from an array of empirical data on productivity metrics and hours worked, our analysis reveals a consistent trend: a strong inverse correlation that exists between the two variables. The primary highlight of our study is the discovery of a robust inverse correlation between hours worked and productivity. This implies that as hours worked increase, productivity tends to decrease, a finding that could challenge conventional assumptions. Our study delves into the implications of this inverse correlation, discussing factors such as burnout, fatigue, decreased motivation, and impaired cognitive function associated with long working hours. The findings underscore the importance of reevaluating traditional notions of work hours and productivity. Rather than focusing solely on the number of hours worked, organizations can benefit from prioritizing tasks, setting clear goals, and implementing effective timemanagement strategies. Recognizing the benefits of working smarter rather than longer hours can lead to improved efficiency, employee well-being, and organizational success. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on work optimization strategies and offers valuable insights for individuals, organizations, and policymakers seeking to enhance productivity in the modern work environment.

Universities’ role in promoting sustainability and the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is increasingly highlighted in the recent years. The high number of academic papers published in this field stands as proof of the attention received by these subjects. The integration of sustainability in education implies the transmission of principles, values and practices in teaching-learning activities, research and in institutional operations. While studies focus on the type of educational and extracurricular actions that universities may promote in order to develop more sustainability aware students, less attention is devoted to the actual impact of these practices. The Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) approach starts with the assessment of the current state: what is being done in universities and what is the level of sustainability awareness among the main actors, mainly students. Having a concrete picture regarding the students' level of sustainability literacy, we can identify opportunities to develop new implementation practices that address the sustainability issue within higher education. Currently, there is no consensus over a tool to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes as well as behaviors of students regarding sustainability and the SDGs. Nevertheless, efforts were made in this line of research. Our study focuses on the methodologies to assess these aspects. Based on previously used tools, we developed and tested a questionnaire on Romanian student population. The tested scales for sustainability knowledge, attitudes and behaviors highlight the different pillars of sustainable development, namely: social, economic and environmental, revealing that more focus is given to the latter.

This paper examines the challenges surrounding sustainable human resources management (HRM), particularly in the context of budget constraints that often lead to the reduction of employee development investments. Our research focuses on developing a comprehensive model that integrates financial management tools into HRM strategies, ensuring the prioritization of sustainable practices. Through a systematic analysis of existing knowledge, we propose a solution-oriented approach that supports the financial substantiation of investments in employee development. This study addresses key research questions, emphasizing the adaptation of corporate finance tools to meet HR’s specific requirements. Our research not only identifies challenges but, more importantly, offers solutions by presenting a model that empowers organizations to align financial goals with HR development objectives. The results of our research aim to formulate a pragmatic and inventive model, offering a systematic framework for assessing the financial feasibility of initiatives in human resources development. Our model offers a practical framework for assessing the financial feasibility of HR development initiatives, facilitating informed decision-making and the promotion of sustainable HRM practices.

Based on the recent surge in environmental degradation issues mainly caused by the manufacturing industry and the inadequacy of the measures taken to respond to them, this research focuses on investigating whether employees’ motivation to protect the natural environment leads to their green creative performance (GCP) at work. It also examines the role of green creative process engagement (GCPE) as a mediator between green motivation (GM) and GCP. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to examine the hypotheses which indicated that employees’ GCP appears to be significantly influenced by their GM. Moreover, GCPE is also found to act as a mediating factor between the two. Moreover, industry type and gender are found to play significant roles in the studied variables. The current research is among the pioneer studies that focus on involving employees in the pro-environmental creative process through green motivation, leading towards GCP, an essential element for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The study’s findings can help companies promote GCP to solve today’s most pressing environmental issues and achieve sustainable development goals.

The paper aims to address a difficult yet important issue of the modern world, which is related to a lack of consideration, from investors’ point of view, for the sustainable future of our socioeconomic system. Many investors think in terms of MSV (maximization of the shareholder value) and fail to consider other important stakeholders. Future generations will “inherit” the results of the actions of current generations. Investing money in some lucrative ideas is definitely a very important financial activity, but it must be done responsibly. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) postulated by the UN; the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria; and the Equator Principles are some notions proposed to be considered to make investors’ actions more responsible. Future generations deserve a better, safer, and unwasted place to live in, so it is the right time to start thinking of them as major stakeholders. The paper reviews some of the important research related to this issue and brings its contribution to the stakeholder theory by proposing a new vision, one that is future oriented. The proposal to conceptualize future generations as stakeholders is an important contribution of the paper. Methodologically, we relied on relevant literature and recent initiatives and approaches. Further research is needed to identify the means to operationalize our proposal.

Den Sonderband eröffnet ein Beitrag von Kirchmayer, Remišová und Lašáková über ethische Führung in öffentlichen und privaten Organisationen in der Slowakei. Authentische Führung und zwischenmenschliche Konflikte in Polen werden von Sypniewska und Gigol weiter aufgegriffen. Die Wahrnehmung des ethischen Klimas in der serbischen Tourismusindustrie wird von Dragin, Jovanović, Mijatov, Majstorović und Dragin untersucht. Prus untersucht die Förderung einer nachhaltigen Landwirtschaft durch die gezielte Hochschulbildung zur Landwirtschaft in Polen. Saveanu, Abrudan, Saveanu und Matei fordern, die Prädiktoren für CSR in kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen in Rumänien zu erforschen. Potocan, Mulej und Nedelko versuchen, die Einstellungen der Mitarbeiter zu natürlichen, sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Aspekten von CSR in slowenischen Organisationen während zweier Perioden - Wirtschaftskrise und Erholung für einen Kontext nach dem Übergang - empirisch zu untersuchen. Rybnikova und Toleikienė wenden sich den formalen und informellen Elementen der Infrastruktur für das Ethikmanagement in der litauischen Selbstverwaltung zu. Diese Ausgabe schließt mit einem Forschungsbericht über die Entwicklung der Nachhaltigkeit (Moral und Verantwortung) in der estnischen Wirtschaft durch Kooskora und Cundiff. This Issue begins with a paper by Kirchmayer, Remišová and Lašáková on ethical leadership in public and private organisations in Slovakia. Authentic leadership and interpersonal conflicts in Poland are further taken up by Sypniewska and Gigol. Perceptions of the ethical climate in Serbian tourism industry are explored by Dragin, Jovanović, Mijatov, Majstorović and Dragin. Prus takes us to the promotion of sustainable agriculture through the focused higher education on agriculture in Poland. Saveanu, Abrudan, Saveanu and Matei call for finding out predictors of CSR in small and medium enterprises operating in Romania. Potocan, Mulej and Nedelko at-tempt empirical investigation of employees’ attitudes towards natural, social and economic aspects of CSR in Slovenian organisations during two periods – economic crisis and recovery for a post-transition context. Rybnikova and Toleikienė turn to formal and informal elements of ethics management infrastructure in Lithuanian local government. This Issue concludes with a research note on the development towards corporate sustainability (morality and responsibility) in Estonian business by Kooskora and Cundiff.