The increase in consumerism due to population growth, excessive advertising and the constant encouragement of buying behavior by advertising media and opinion formers comes with side effects for the environment and public health if it is not properly supported by a sustainable selective waste collection process. In this context, the paper aims at determining the impact of different elements on people’s intention to participate in selective waste collection and on their behavior related to the collection process. Based on the literature, a series of variables were considered and a questionnaire was created in order to extract people’s opinions related to the selective waste collection process. As discrepancies in findings might appear due to culture in various countries, the analysis has been conducted with reference to Romania’s case. The waste collection situation in Romania is similar in some ways to other countries in the world, with some differences related to a small recycling rate compared to other countries in the European Union. In this context, it is important to identify the determinants of the consumers’ behavior in selective waste collection and to act based on these findings. Creating better policies that can support the selective waste collection process will have results in increasing the waste collection rate, offering a clear and safer environment to all the citizens.

The interest of the research community in happiness and its associated issues has been steadily growing over the years, including during the period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has brought about significant changes in various aspects of people’s lives. In this study, the objective is to analyze the themes and the most significant trends in papers dedicated to happiness in the context of COVID-19 during the period following the onset of the pandemic. To achieve this, the authors have compiled a dataset of papers sourced from Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science Core Collection database, which were extracted using keywords related to both happiness and COVID-19. This database comprises 1932 articles. The researchers have conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of this dataset, providing insights into the most prolific authors in this field, the most frequently cited documents, and the preferred journals for publishing this research. The authors also explore details related to collaboration networks and author clusters. An n-gram analysis is performed on titles, abstracts, keywords, and keywords plus, offering a deeper understanding of the primary research themes. Furthermore, the contributors present a review of the top 10 most cited papers, which completes the analysis and underscores the research trends related to happiness in the context of COVID-19.

Poverty is a major concern worldwide, and so its eradication represents the first Sustainable Development Goal. Moreover, quality education and decent working conditions are among the factors that seem to reduce poverty, a detail also observed in the current research. The current study aimed to determine poverty and educational levels along with work conditions within the 11 EU Member States located in Central and Eastern Europe using 2023 Eurostat data. To identify them, two techniques were implemented: cluster analysis and the TOPSIS method. The first is used to determine similarities and differences between countries, and the second is used with the purpose of achieving a ranking of the countries based on the 10 indicators designed to examine the three SDGs investigated. Among the results discovered, the clear differentiation of Romania and Bulgaria compared to the other countries was observed for most of the indicators analysed, especially for the people in severe material and social deprivation, as well as the share of individuals having at least basic digital skills. Thus, by applying both methods, the grouping of Romania and Bulgaria is obvious, with these countries being characterised by the poorest performances within the analysed countries. At the opposite end of the scale was Slovenia, which presented the lowest values of the indicators intended to define poverty for the year evaluated, standing out among the countries with the best results for most of the indicators included in the analysis.

In this study data from EU member states from 2011 to 2022 is used to evaluate the impact of six factors on happiness within the EU. Using data from 2022 the researchers compare and rank nations using a regression model and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Key factors that have a significant impact on happiness across EU countries include social support healthy life expectancy and the freedom to make life choices. The results of the current study provide policymakers with pertinent information. Remarkably the regression coefficient for Generosity was not statistically significant and the only variable that negatively affected happiness was perceptions of corruption. The factors taken together explained 77% of the variation in happiness. Finland despite being a leader in happiness overall was only ranked eighth by the TOPSIS analysis which showed that nations like Sweden Denmark and the Netherlands had the highest scores and ranked favorably on the Happiness Index. These findings provide a basis for evidence-based policies meant to foster equitable growth and sustainable well-being throughout the EU by highlighting the significance of resolving regional disparities and putting transparent governance into place to reduce corruption.

The main interest of any company is to make as much profit as possible. But, in addition to economic considerations, it is also necessary to take into account the social context in which these companies operate, as well as the well-being of their employees. Now, when stress and burnout are more and more present among employees, the need for a balance between private and personal life is more and more evident. The happiness of employees is closely correlated with the efficiency they offer in solving work tasks, so it is desirable that the work environment ensures their well-being. The present study aims to analyze the relationship between organizational culture and corporate social responsibility (CSR), but also the impact of the latter component on employee happiness. Using Smart PLS on some ordinal data obtained from a questionnaire that intended to obtain answers regarding organizational culture (clan, adhocracy, market and hierarchy) as well as the balance between personal and private life, adaptability to change and occupational health and safety (elements that comprise CSR) and the happiness of individuals, the positive effect generated by CSR on happiness was found.