Considering the growing of high alarm signals on environmental issues, the implementation of green, sustainable, responsible investments has become a priority for each organization, in addition to maximizing profits and harmonious development with the environment. The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of implementing green investments within organizations and to identify the drivers that influence decisions for the implementation of green investments. In order to achieve this, two types of analyses were used: bibliometric analysis and systematic analysis, researching the representative studies in the field. The search was carried out for the period 1990–2020, and the analyzed sample comprised 444 articles. Following the application of the two methods of analysis, the results show that in the last 6 years the interest of companies in green investments has increased significantly, organizations being concerned with the efficient use of resources and environmental issues. This research highlights the internal and external drivers over which companies have a higher or lower control, as the case may be, in order to involve in green investments. The article offers new pathways for future research on this matter. Therefore, future research may develop a detailed description of the identified drivers for green investment. In addition, further research can calculate the level of the drivers’ impact on green investment and can identify that certain drivers should be more attentively treated. Moreover, subsequent works in this field can continue to identify new drivers or new ways of promoting the already identified drivers in the present research. Consequently, green investment could produce positive effects related to the reduction of pollution and global warming.

Micro, small, and medium‐sized enterprises (MSMEs), one the pillars of any economy, comprise the majority of enterprises, while their performance remains modest comparatively with large companies. The dynamic nature of the business landscape, coupled with insufficient resources, increases the vulnerability to risks and threatens the long‐term sustainability of MSMEs. A large body of literature emphasizes the positive impacts on business performance from implementing a comprehensive risk management framework. However, in the case of MSMEs, the relationship is still unclear due to the substantial investments required and the lack of skills and knowledge these companies encounter. This study analyses the bibliometric data of 531 articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science databases to identify the literature trends concerning the connection between risk management and performance in MSMEs. Results show a growing interest in the subject starting from 2010, but the different ways of understanding the performance lead to a disparity of conclusions.

Around the world there are growing concerns for waste electrical and electronic equipment. This is motivated by the harmful effects of waste electrical and electronic equipment on the environment, but also by the perspectives of materials recovery. Differences between countries regarding waste electrical and electronic equipment management are notable in the European Union. Romania is among the countries that have made significant efforts to comply with European Union regulations, but failed reaching the collection target. The article presents a mini review of the waste electrical and electronic equipment management system in Romania, based on legislation and policy documents, statistical data, research studies and reports published by national and international organisations. The article debates subjects like legislative framework, the electrical and electronic equipment Romanian market, the waste electrical and electronic equipment collection system, waste electrical and electronic equipment processing and waste electrical and electronic equipment behaviour. The recast of the European directive brings new challenges to national authorities and to other stakeholders involved in the waste electrical and electronic equipment management. Considering the fact that Romania has managed a collection rate of roughly 1 kg capita⁻¹ in the last years, the new higher collection targets established by the waste electrical and electronic equipment Directive offer a serious challenge for the management system. Therefore, another aim of the article is to highlight the positive and negative aspects in the Romanian waste electrical and electronic equipment field, in order to identify the flows that should be corrected and the opportunities that could help improve this system to the point of meeting the European standards imposed by the European Directive.

The digital revolution, driven and accelerated by the current pandemic, involves changes to known business models. The innovative model of the sharing economy can be a real and sustainable solution for long-term green economic development. The aim of our research was to determine the common factors of the sharing economy and the green economy and the perceptions of Romanian users regarding them. Our research questionnaire was based on the elements we found in the academic literature. To evaluate the collected data, we used the factor analysis method with the support of the SPSS program. As our study reveals, digitalization as well as inclinations towards saving are factors impacting both the propensity towards sharing and support for the green economy. The demarcation line between the sharing and the green economies is rather fluid, the two realities being under a reciprocal influence. In our model, the green economy develops according to the principles of the sharing economy, going a step further in considering the relationship between society and environment, society and sustainable, eco-friendly behaviour. Although the sharing economy is not necessarily a prerequisite of the green economy, it is, nevertheless, easy for societies or groups that have internalized the lessons of the sharing economy to move forward towards the green economy. This study can be an important tool and a first step for businesses, and, more importantly, for the Romanian public institutions to accelerate the implementation of necessary measures, including legislative ones, in order to promote the further development of these economies.

Currently, due to the growing dynamics of changes that take place in the environment of organizations, managers have to intensify their efforts to implement ‘solutions’ which will not only increase the efficiency of particular business activities, but will also strengthen the potential of the organization in the area of its sustainable development. One of the elements from a ‘wide set of potential solutions’ is risk culture. In spite of a number of studies dedicated to explaining its essence, dimensions and influence, the phenomenon of risk culture has not yet been fully explored. While the previous research and analyses have tended to focus on defining its role and learning about its effects, especially in the financial sector, this study was directed at explaining risk culture in the specific organizational context of implementing sustainable projects in business. This paper analyzes the manifestations of risk culture in sustainable projects, along with its dimensions and key determinants. The authors used the single case study method. In order to expose the Central European context, an innovative Polish enterprise with sustainable project management practices, implementing projects with a high degree of risk, was selected. The results of the study indicate that the main source of risk in the studied projects was the customer. Risk culture in this business entity is characterized by perceiving the variability of customer expectations as an important project risk factor. At the same time, sustainable project management ‘was accompanied’ by a more mature risk culture. The study confirmed that the beneficial impact of the risk culture on the project itself and the enterprise takes place under conditions of the convergence of the risk culture with the organizational culture. Conflicts between project participants, as well as conflicts between the project implementation team and the internal environment of the enterprise, increase the probability that risk culture poses a threat not only to particular projects, but also to the company.

The accelerated transformations in the education system marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) require a rethinking of pedagogical approaches. The VUCA environment requires a new educational management system in line with new technological trends in order to respond effectively to all the internal and external factors that may affect the quality of teaching. A particularly important course of action is updating teaching methods by combining traditional teaching methods with new interactive methods that promote the introduction of certain digital applications during the teaching of new topics. In this sense, the quantitative research carried out in the present study among second-year students from the psycho-pedagogical program organized by the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania, has highlighted the fact that innovative teaching methods are more effective, contributing to the development of personality and communication skills among pupils and students. Also, the results obtained after applying the Mann–Whitney test showed that there is a significant difference between students involved in different educational activities and those who do not have contact with the educational environment in terms of perceiving the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of the educational environment. At the same time, in the context of the VUCA world, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the teaching–learning process, teachers need to develop new skills such as stress management, adaptability, creativity, technological skills, and time management. Addressing the specific competencies that teachers need to acquire in order to improve their teaching and to respond effectively to the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity in education, this study contributes to the creation of a sustainable education system, which is able to cope with all transformations (technological, legislative, socio-economic, etc.). The article is based on the results obtained in the postdoctoral research conducted at the end of 2024.