The article aims to identify the degree to which tourism managers who work in Romania in the area of the Carpathian Mountains have implemented sustainable development practices. It also assesses the quantification of their availability to be informed and to apply voluntary tools of sustainable development. Qualitative research based on the method of semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted, with 34 managers who work in the accommodation units in the Romanian Carpathians. Results show that most managers are concerned with issues linked to sustainable evolution of the accommodation unit they manage. The researchers have noticed a low interest in sustainable evolution negatively correlated with the comfort level of the accommodation unit and competitiveness. Based on these results the authors recommend the adoption of measures that may allow sustainable development, and for the Romanian authorities to encourage the increase in the number of tourism units that can use sustainable management systems. This can be done through accessible rules, development of networks that may offer information about good practices and codes of conduct, as well as the possibility to participate in exchange programs.

Sustainable development is a constant and a necessity of daily life in the restaurant industry. The restaurant industry has high consumptions of energy, water, detergents, and consumables, together with tremendous food waste. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted many acute sustainable development problems. In this context, this article analyzes the practices identified by restaurant managers that define their responsible behavior, and the significant changes made towards sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article presents the results obtained through qualitative research, carried out by semi-directive in-depth interviews, conducted with 56 restaurant managers from Romania. The answers obtained are based on five topics of discussion highlighting the managers’ growing interest in finding solutions to counteract negative effects on the environment, to ensure the wellbeing of customers and employees, and to increase the profitability of their company. The results obtained from the research reflect the thoughts and actions of restaurant managers in Romania, contributing to the body of knowledge in the understanding of sustainability practices in the foodservice sector.

The Smart City concept has emerged in the last decade as a fusion of ideas about how information and communication technologies could improve the functioning of cities. A new concept, that of a sustainable Smart City, is already under discussion. This article aims at analyzing the Smart City concept in Romania. The resulting advantages, but also the difficulties and obstacles that need to be confronted, are considered when becoming a Smart City. When a city wants to become smart, it must consider both the advantages and the difficulties it will face in this endeavor. This paper has been able to take into account and group the four key features of a sustainable Smart City. The authors conducted research in two parts. The first consisted of conducting a comparative analysis of the most important results of Smart City projects implemented in the four reference cities in Romania compared to London. The second, a quantitative analysis, aimed to analyze the opinions and attitudes of Romanians regarding the Smart City concept in relation to sustainability. An important finding of the study shows that over half of the respondents are familiar with the Smart City concept and 41.9% consider health as a priority for investment in technology. The authors of the article propose clearer highlighting and division of cities from the point of view of creating a Smart City.

The European Union (EU) labor market needs a better-skilled workforce that can work in any of the Member States. In order to develop the skills and competencies of future competitors in this market, several student mobility programs have been set up in the EU, where they can travel to universities in partner countries to further their studies and enrich their academic performance, culture and knowledge. The best known of these programs is ERASMUS (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students). Because Romania also participates in this program in the exchange of university students, the authors wanted, through this study, to highlight the benefits and challenges of participation in the program, to analyze how international mobilities are emotionally perceived by students and what are the behavioral reasons that determine Romanian students to choose a certain university as a study destination abroad. For this purpose, the authors conducted quantitative marketing research among students from the Transilvania University of Brasov who have been abroad with ERASMUS scholarships. The research results show that an important component in choosing a certain university is not the financial expense during the mobility as might have been expected, but rather the initial desire to study abroad. Students also consider the improvement of their academic performance as an equally important reason for embarking on mobility to the social aspect of getting to know other cultures.

The paper addresses the consumer’s behaviour toward banking services, outlining the need to deepen and complete a financial-banking education. The purpose of the study is to identify the opinions of consumers of banking services regarding the collaboration relationship with financial-banking institutions from the perspective of financial education and sustainable development. In this regard, the authors carried out an analysis of the content of loan agreements using: the method of evaluation grids—a specific method of diagnostic analysis supplemented with in-depth interview—a qualitative research method. Our study highlights the role of financial-banking institutions in the sustainable development of social and economic life, marking the need for primary financial education for effective consumer-bank collaboration. The research results reflect the need to develop contractual relationships based on transparency, fairness, and better financial information and education of consumers. The obtained results are useful for decision-makers in banking institutions to develop lending policies according to customer expectations and for authorities to shape various social development policies.

The paper investigates the role of digitalization in strengthening the sustainability of supply chains in the Romanian restaurant sector. The starting point is the intersection between the pressures for digital transformation and the integration of sustainability principles. Digitalization, through advanced digital solutions, can strengthen traceability, reduce waste, and optimize resources, strengthening responsibility for economic efficiency and the environment. However, the implementation of these solutions in HoReCa remains disproportionate and faces barriers such as lack of digital skills, high costs, and resistance to change. The authors conducted a quantitative research study among restaurant managers in Romania. The research was complemented with two Principal Component Analyses (PCA) and a TwoStep Cluster Analysis. The role of the TwoStep Cluster Analysis was to identify a typology of restaurants according to managerial behaviors related to digitalization from a sustainable perspective. The results showed that digitalization is applied predominantly in inventory management, but less in the relationship with consumers and supply chain, where it would bring considerable benefits for sustainability. The study provides theoretical and practical contributions, highlighting the role digitalization has as a facilitator of sustainability and indicating recommendations for managers and decision-makers regarding professional training and financial support policies dedicated to sustainable digitalization.