As COVID-19 had been posing unprecedented challenges, the economic agents as well as the individuals had to adapt to a new lifestyle. The preventing measures against the spread of the virus determined an increase in e-commerce activity in general, and in mobile commerce in particular. In this regard, sellers redefined their strategies revolving around smartphone applications for online shopping, which will gradually become the global shopping standard. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the current situation of e-commerce, focusing on the main transformations since the beginning of the pandemic. The methods used in the paper consist in both qualitative research of the literature regarding e-commerce and a quantitative analysis that captures two aspects: on one hand it highlights the change determined by the pandemic in online commerce, and on the other hand it shows an X-ray of the EU states positioning in terms of e-commerce evolution. The latter consists in a comparative Hierarchical Cluster Analysis that aims to provide an image on the situation of EU states, before and after the pandemic has been installed. The Cluster Analysis was carried out in SPSS software and it is based on a series of chosen indicators from Eurostat database. This comparison provides an image of how changes among the clusters take place in terms of e-commerce indicators. It is noted that in countries where the digitization was more developed, the value of the change in online commerce was less considerable, comparing to the Eastern and Balkan states, which had a more significant increase. However, there are significant limitations based on the small number of indicators taken into consideration in this paper. Future work needs to be done in order to explore new ways to address the challenges identified in the development of e-commerce and online shopping.

The complexity of the current crisis is a big challenge for sustainable development, in the context of several overlapping shocks generated by the Coronavirus disease, geostrategic conflict, energy breaches, and food security threats. An appropriate answer to address these issues is to create a new approach to sustainable growth based on the knowledge economy. At this point, related studies have referring to the knowledge triangle, the triple (quintuple) helix, smart specialization, and the knowledge-based economy. In this research, compared with other studies in the field, knowledge structures created on the foundation of the knowledge economy were designed to work together to generate synergy in a knowledge environment where the stakeholders are universities, technology providers, governments, local communities, and entrepreneurs. In this mechanism, innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship are the premises for increasing productivity and competitiveness, with a positive impact on smart growth and the standard of living.

The transition from the neoclassical model with exogenous input of technological progress perspective toward R&D model with endogenous growth of knowledge perspective is not completed, but the premises of innovation, research, education, and entrepreneurship push the limits of labour-intensive economy to knowledge-intensive economy, where knowledge is a valuable resource for sustainable growth in the long-run and the role of Intellectual Capital is critical for increasing productivity and competitiveness. By introducing Intellectual Capital in the endogenous growth model, instead of Human Capital, we have the possibility to reflect better the difference between the market value of production and physical value. In the technological era, innovation and research are able to increase the market value comparing with the accounting value. In the 4th Industrial Revolution, this model is able to be changed dramatically if we take into account the possibility of machines to create knowledge through Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, new biotechnologies, new materials, and nanotechnology. For this reason, the more important action for the economic processes is to manage knowledge, starting with increased awareness, accurate measurement system, improved taxonomy, dedicated processes, and so on. In such conditions, the equation of growth theory has to be rewritten soon. The purpose of this research is not to provide a silver bullet of measurement Total Factor Productivity (TFP), but to understand better the part of productivity dedicated to the intangible and to validate this approach within the KEP model. Knowledge Economy Pyramid (KEP) is a valuable environment for incubating and accelerate knowledge in the process, as long as KEP model is creating a collaborative environment where the related stakeholders – universities, factories, technology providers, government, administration, local communities, clusters – are working together in order to achieve the objective of increasing productivity and competitiveness.

This work is describing the process of knowledge in the socio-economic global context, a pledge of the Endogenous Growth Theory extrapolated at macroeconomic level. There is a direct correlation between increased value of knowledge, improved productivity, increased competitiveness and enhanced welfare. A threefold approach of knowledge environment is consisting of scientific perspective, strategic perspective, and capacity building perspective. At the end of the process, the outcome is a higher standard of living for the individuals who contribute to the value creation of knowledge. Multilevel upgrading of the KEP model is a logical framework of generating value through the use of knowledge. The cycle is completed only when all the levels are acquired, from bottom to the top, and all the correlations are in place. The active role of the stakeholders determines the outputs and the outcomes of the knowledge system created. Once the standards of living are enhanced, the cycle is starting again from the bottom, but on a superior premise. Basically speaking, multilevel upgraded KEP model is an on-going knowledge process where innovation, creativity, leadership, and entrepreneurship, are reliable tools to achieve the welfare of the population. Today, the accent of the competition is moved from the vertical fields or sectors in the economy, such as manufacturing or retailing, agriculture or transportation, to horizontal functionalities, such as innovation, creativity, leadership, or entrepreneurship. The most adapted economies to this transformation will succeed to take advantage of competitiveness.