Due to rapid evolution of new technologies and the accelerated economic and social change, many organizations have realized in recent years that in order to survive in this turbulent and competitive global environment it is necessary to take into account the needs and expectations of their stakeholders, as well as to make the labour relationships more flexible and to adopt a socially responsible behaviour. Social enterprises may be the solution as they represent a business model adapted to the 21st century, which through their activity create a balance between economic, financial, cultural, social and environmental needs. In fact, last decades have witnessed the emergence and development of concepts such as social economy and enterprise, social entrepreneurship. As a driver of innovation, job creation and economic growth, social entrepreneurship can and should contribute to economic well-being and social progress. On this line, it is worth to emphasize that the activities of social entrepreneurs may have an appreciable impact on the quality of life of people around the world. Also, social entrepreneurship represents a complex and multidimensional concept that has constituted a topic of great significance for numerous researchers in the past decades. The paper aims to define the concepts of social entrepreneurship and quality of life, and to illustrate their relationship in the case of TOMS company. The descriptive and quantitative research method used by the authors was based on secondary data found in the electronic databases, international journals and corporate reports. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the two concepts, namely social entrepreneurship and quality of life. Also, it shows that they are two related concepts as the first one has a positive impact on the second one through various actions, such as ensuring the basic material conditions, increasing the level of education, or improving the health system. Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship, Quality of Life, Entrepreneurship, TOMS Company.

The emergence and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly changed the way commerce processes have been carried out over the last two years. Considering the development of the Internet and the increasing use of digitalization in recent years, electronic commerce has become an important part of the global retail framework. Accordingly, mobile commerce has emerged and developed through various applications as a modern alternative for buying and selling products and/or services using only mobile devices. This paper aims to identify and analyze several key factors that influence students’ perceptions regarding m-commerce acquisitions. It also attempts to illustrate some of the main advantages and disadvantages of m-commerce acquisition and to investigate its influence on students’ perceptions regarding m-commerce purchases. In order to achieve these objectives, the authors gathered data through a quantitative research method by using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed and interpreted through a factorial analysis that uses the presentation of the main components as an extraction method, with the varimax rotation method adopting Kaiser normalization, and processed with SPSS statistical software. The results of this research show that mobile-commerce acquisitions are influenced by five factors (social, political-legislative, technological, financial, and economic). In this respect, social and political-legislative factors influence, at a moderate level, the general frequency of m-commerce acquisition, while the economic factor does not influence the general frequency of m-commerce purchases. The study provides a theoretical model that takes into account the factors that influence m-commerce acquisition, including the influence of the perceived advantages and disadvantages on m-commerce purchase. The paper also displays the way in which these items influence students’ perception on m-commerce acquisitions.

Education is the critical vein for human development, for society and economic growth. Because the context nowadays is vacillating, sometimes turbulent even, mankind needs empowerment through a belief system. We believe that an educated man is key to a sustainable economy, one that promotes values, lucidity and rationality. Education is modelled by and models society, through the way we think, act and react. The individual is the main actor on life's scene and he is responsible of the various shapes and forms of the socio-economic systems, of different contexts and behaviours in general. In this chapter, we aim to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship, management, creativity in managing an educational institution (system). We will analyse how an entrepreneurial system should look like, how creative thinking helps and how it will contribute to an “educated development”.

Progress in schooling using competence-based teaching for students is a priority in setting up a quality-centered educational process. Thus, using ICT tools as teaching–learning techniques represents an important objective in reaching scholastic performance and the capacity to offer students various experiences in teaching. Starting with an analysis of research on integrating ICT tools in the educational environment, this study is aimed at presenting teaching opportunities for all students, seeing education through the lens of those instruments specific to a secondary school level, referencing the subject of geography. The applied research design includes mixed methods applied to a total of 674 students, based on results received before and after a written evaluation, to determine the level of knowledge of the students. The present study evaluates the learning environment in which a successful and practical integration of ICT tools is anticipated in the teaching and learning process, from the perspective of the comparative measurement of the impact on the tests, resulting from the formative assessment. The conducted experiment and the Google Forms questionnaires suggest, through the degree of involvement of all students, how technology can facilitate the teaching–learning process. The results showed that there are statistically significant differences between the experimental and the control group, and that information and communication technologies (ICT) represent an important tool for improving performance and developing participatory skills, having the ability to provide students with positive results.

The end of the Cold War and, consequently, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 represented a huge impetus for the expansion of the globalization process all over the world. The age of globalization has brought hyper competition in all industries and among companies around the world, irrespective of their size. The last decades have witnessed the presence of retailers at the forefront of the globalization process since they can use numerous business mechanisms and methods to penetrate foreign markets. As a challenging research field and a dynamic industry, global retailing provides several valuable examples of business organizations that have shown the supremacy of their viable business models. The purposes of the paper are to define the concept of the business model and to illustrate its application in the case of Walmart. The research methodology was based on a quantitative research method and a case study. The findings of the paper show that there is no universal definition of a business model in the literature. However, its several characteristics can be revealed, such as the fact that it illustrates the logic of making money for any company and represents an organisational framework for value creation, delivery and capture. From a theoretical point of view, it brings some clarifications concerning the concept of the business model. From a practical point of view, the paper analyses some of the key features of Walmart business model, emphasizing their importance in achieving business success. It also presents the clear interconnection between Walmart strategy and its business model.