Due to the rising appeal of travel, as well as the appearance of low-cost carriers that fly to both popular and exotic destinations, people nowadays tend to book their accommodation through the more convenient and flexible sharing economy platforms. The success of such platforms among consumers depends on various factors, such as satisfaction and platform credibility, and on sustainable performance among contributors, increasing their relevance and visibility. This research proposes a conceptual model for measuring the success of sharing economy platforms in tourism, based on added value, unique experience, and enhanced social interactions, together with credibility and sustainable performance. In this vein, the authors conduct an empirical investigation in an emerging market—Romania—where the development of such sharing economy platforms is still in its infancy. Data gathered by the authors by means of a self-developed questionnaire distributed to 500 respondents are modelled via structural equations with SmartPLS. The results indicate that the platform credibility and sustainable performance of sharing economy platforms are key elements in generating their success. The research adds value to the stimulus–organism–response approach, highlighting some insights from a relevant emerging market, which in the future could become a turning point for inbound and outbound tourism.

The sharing economy has seen a worldwide boom in recent years. In tourism, such platforms are being increasingly used; however, analysis of consumers’ behavior toward such platforms in the context of technological innovation since the COVID-19 pandemic is almost non-existent. The aim of the present research is to fill this gap by studying, with the aid of structural equations, factors that influence the attitudes and behavior of consumers of tourist services offered through sharing economy platforms. Under the impact of the adoption of new technologies, the perceived value generated by these platforms is considered in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trust in tourism sharing economy platforms and their perceived value is determined by consumers’ experience of using them, the authenticity of platforms, propensity toward technological innovation, and users’ demand for novelty. Data collected from 548 respondents were modeled using structural equations in SmartPLS. Results show that experience, the authenticity of platform, openness to new things, and technological innovation are the determining factors that influence consumers’ behavior on sharing economy tourism platforms. The originality of the research consists of the implementation, in a sharing economy context, of a new construct for this sector, which can also be used in other fields, namely that of pandemic fear. Furthermore, the way in which other constructs are included in the proposed conceptual model and the links between them presents additional novelty. Given the trend of increasing demand for such platforms and tourists’ appetite for technological innovation, it will become a managerial challenge for businesses in this field to keep up with the constant evolution of cutting-edge technologies.

The COVID-19-related pandemic has affected education hugely, particularly in terms of the massive shift towards online teaching and learning. Higher education students and professors have faced new challenges, which might improve future online education behaviour, based on online education experience and learning, and pedagogical strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper is to explore the views of Romanian students towards a possible future online education, highlighting their perceptions regarding the efficacy of digital online learning/pedagogical strategies and of the technological infrastructure, using as support theory the Input-Environment-Outcomes (I-E-O) model. An empirical quantitative-based investigation was implemented; data being collected from almost 800 students in business and economics. Based on the proposed conceptual model, data were analysed with structural equations modelling via SmartPLS 3.0. The novelty of the paper is that it tries to address students’ perceptions regarding the future of online education, by using a few constructs, some of them validated in the literature, in order to establish pertinent links between these and the future of digital education. Results reveal that Romanian students prefer face-to-face teaching rather than online courses. In crisis situations, digital education might be the proper solution for future education, as it ensures effective education through efficient teaching-learning strategies and an advanced technological infrastructure.

Millennials of the 21st century tend to have an active daily life and practice more sports, spending more on health and fitness. Therefore, the present paper seeks to investigate the propensity of Millennials to recommend their preferred fitness center, depending on their psychological condition (i.e., introversion versus extraversion), which may lead to their tendency to practice and to their involvement and satisfaction with the fitness center. The authors deduce a conceptual model from the literature, which is further analyzed with data collected through an empirical investigation based on a face-to-face administered questionnaire. Data gathered from 2138 Millennials are investigated with the help of structural equation modeling using SmartPLS. The results show that a positive image of a fitness center stimulates the satisfaction of extravert and introvert consumers. Millennials have different personality types, such as extraversion and introversion, that influence their propensity to practice fitness and to recommend their favorite fitness center. It can be concluded that not only extraversion but also introversion influence consumers’ satisfaction, positively impacting the consumer’s intention to recommend their favorite fitness center to peers.