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28
Pledging for analyzing crises as a
process of incubation that starts long
before the triggering event, Chris-
tophe Roux-Dufort argued during a
significant year (Is Crisis Management
- Only - a Management of Exceptions?
Journal of Contingencies and Crisis
Management, Volume 15, Number 2,
June 2007) that if crisis management
still limits itself to the analysis of
exceptional situations, it might never
go beyond the sphere of exception
management and will for a long time
remain an isolated discipline with
little room for innovation and pro-
gress. Trying to make enough room
for innovation and progress, we asked
ourselves what there is to do within
the too long value crisis, knowing that
there are values in direct conflict, and
conflicts that are constantly managed
in individuals.
What do we really want in our life?
What do we really want to do with our
lives? Because everything we do in
our life represents a choice. Because
knowing what we really want in our
life helps us better organize our lives.
Maybe what we really want is just a
few feet away. We have to ask our-
selves, because maybe the first step
to considering the alternatives is to
recognize our deeply seated systemic
reasons, reducing together the discon-
tinuity between our past and future.
But are we really informed, smart,
interested, engaged, and consulted?
As our decisions are based on value
systems (we make choices based on
what we think is best), Andrew Welch
(http://thevaluecrisis.com/) argued
that we need both a fundamental
recognition of non-numeric values at
the individual level (number-based
value systems being limitless, linear,
and consistent across time, space,
and culture), and a return to having
human values effectively represented
at the group level (innate human value
systems being bounded, relative, and
inconsistent).
It is said that education means first
of all to give the educated a proper
sense of values, the quality of life in
our modern society in full fight against
the present value crisis being depend-
ent on the rational acknowledgement
of universal human values, in the
interaction between the result of the
education of creating and reception
of values (culture, and its challenging
adjusting with public and politics ),
one side and the result of the practical
organization of transforming the cul-
tural values (civilization). Within this
framework, Universities are also best
placed to support character formation,
and to develop these universal human
values, while awakening the social
consciousness beyond the confusion
between the real values of life, and
the material values elevated to the
status of absolute values, reconciling
individuality and solidarity, re-emerg-
ing community and re-imagining its
future.
But facing this significant challenge
means making decisions based on in-
formed judgments within this press-
ing priority, considering the systems
and managements inability to deal
with and the need for education to
further improve our techniques and
understanding of how to take much
more active responsibility with respect
to properly manage in addressing the
complexity and in creating a commu-
nications climate that drives motiva-
tion through openness.
On March 20, in Ion Heliade
RadulescuAuditorium of the Ro-
manian Academy Library, the book
The Public Space. Management and
communication written by Professor
Vasile Stanescu, Honorary Member of
the Romanian Academy, was released.
This new piece of work - complet-
ing a well-known work - appeared in
February 2012 at Universul Juridic
Publishing House, portrayed a triad:
a documented and comprehensive
continuing endeavor to revive the
community spirit to transform public
space into a fertile ground for respon-
sible investment in a predictable fu-
ture, reconfirming a state of perpetual
vibration relative to the true purpose
of public space, proposing to re-imag-
ine the responsible teamwork crossing
the often invisible boundaries that de-
fine public space; a re-manifestation
of the strong emotional attachment to
our land and people, reconfirming the
importance of the cultural compliance
dimension of sharing by our people of
the value systems and - within this
context - the attitudes of consensus
on common expectations and possible
conflicts in the use and understanding
of public space as normal and accept-
able.
This new book of Professor Vasile
Stanescu, Honorary Member of the
Romanian Academy, was lunched
within the context in which young
people (and not only) remain the
subject of a true cerebral bombing
thanks to the creation of the illusion
of ephemeral success that some Web
pages would be public spaces, without
understand the actually true ex-
change by giving up the attention and
personal data privacy, the freedom
of expression and even intellectual
property rights. It has appeared re-
confirming the idea that a truly public
space should be an independent and
cultural counterweight of the profit-
oriented private sector. We might dare
to view this new piece of work as
being an open and accessible public
service contributing to overcoming a
real difficulty today, namely that, as
they say, in many cases, the normal
has become abnormal and the ab-
normal has become normal, while
acceptable has become unaccepta-
ble and unacceptable has become
acceptable.
We could also say that this new book
of Professor Vasile Stnescu, Honor-
ary Member of the Romanian Acad-
emy, constitutes a vivid proof that the
soul of a true community pillar is the
expression of the power that comes
from within, challenging beliefs (in
the Professors characteristic note of
warmth and wisdom) - and urging
to education and culture, education
meaning first of all respect of the past,
of the present and of the future of the
community assaulted by the uproar of
the aggressive mediocritys nothing-
Lon F. WEGNEZ is a well known personality with a vision and commitment, knowing what to do with the time and having the
power to give his life a meaning, with a real vocation for spreading knowledge about the distributive trade, pledging for the right
decisions, the right choices and the progress of business life, through a better understanding of consumer value and consumer
journey leading to successful marketing.

Lon F. WEGNEZ is: Secretary General, International Association of the Distributive Trade, AIDA Brussels; General Manager, Royal
Belgian Committee for Distribution; Member of Frances Academy of Commercial Sciences; Administrator Secretary General of the
Diplomatic Club of Belgium, and Co-Founder of the Diplomatique Gazette, Brussels; General Manager, International Association of
Urbanism & Commerce; Administrator & Director, Association for Prevention & Safety. On the occasion of the First International
Congress ,,Health-Nutrition-Wellbeing, 15-17 October, 2011, Aro Palace Hotel, Braov, Lon F. WEGNEZ sent a message to the
Participants, that we present below.

Monsieur le Prsident,
Permettez-moi de vous remercier, en ma qualit de Secrtaire Gnral Il sagit de la prvalence considrable de lobsit qui est devenue un
de lAssociation Internationale de la Distribution AIDA, pour linvitation vritable problme mondial et qui est, naturellement, un facteur de
que vous mavez adresse de participer limportant Congrs risque considrable au niveau de plusieurs pathologies, en particulier
International consacr linfluence de lalimentation sur la sant les problmes de tension sanguine, de cholestrol, de diabte, et dune
humaine, organis du 15 au 17 octobre 2011, Brasov, linitiative de manire gnrale dordre cardiaque ou dordre respiratoire. Ce
lUniversit de Mdecine et de Pharmacie Carol Davila et de dveloppement de lobsit humaine rsulte videmment dans bien
lUniversit Amricano-Roumaine de Bucarest, avec le patronage du des cas dune insuffisance dactivit physique, mais le comportement
Patriarcat de Roumanie, de lAcadmie de Roumanie et de plusieurs alimentaire et en particulier labsorption excessive de lipides dans
Ministres importants de votre pays. le cadre dune alimentation insuffisamment diversifie, y contribue
grandement. Les mdecins et les nutritionnistes ont un rle important
Des obligations se situant au niveau ministriel ne me permettent et dterminant jouer dans ce domaine.
pas de me librer pour vous rejoindre Brasov. Je le regrette beaucoup
et vous prie de men excuser. Je vous souhaite un excellent congrs, Monsieur le Prsident,
dont le niveau particulirement lev sera assur par les professeurs
de renom qui figurent dans votre programme. Je vous remercie de bien vouloir saluer en mon nom les participants
votre Congrs International. Je leur souhaite des sances fructueuses
Linfluence de lalimentation sur la sant humaine retient de plus en et je vous adresse mes chaleureuses amitis.
plus lattention, tant des mdecins et des scientifiques que des
entreprises de production et de distribution et, naturellement, des Professeur Lon F. Wegnez
consommateurs. Le bien-tre des populations est plus que jamais au Directeur Gnral du Comit Royal Belge de la Distribution
centre de tous les dbats de socit. Linitiative prise par vos Secrtaire Gnral de lAIDA
Universits sinscrit donc parfaitement dans cette tendance fonda-
mentale de mise en avant de la qualit des produits alimentaires et de
ladquation qui existe entre elle et la bonne sant des hommes et des
femmes daujourdhui et de demain. Il sagit bien, en effet, la fois
de prvenir autant que faire se peut lapparition de certaines maladies
trouvant leur source dans la malnutrition, mais aussi, au-del de cette
prvention, de gnrer des traitements mdicaux permettant de gurir
les malades atteints de dysfonctionnements dans ce domaine.
En ralit, la qualit des produits alimentaires na jamais t aussi
grande mais, de faon paradoxale, elle na aussi jamais t tant remise
en question. Cest pourquoi, la recherche systmatique dune qualit
optimale des aliments doit tre considre par tous comme une
obligationfondamentale. Pour les entreprises, quelles quelles soient,
il sagit dsormais non plus seulement dun problme technique,
mais bien dune vritable question de politique, dimage, dthique,
dadquation avec les exigences des consommateurs soucieux de leur
sant.
En particulier, une proccupation trs grande doit nous mobiliser tous.
 Abstract
The paper presents an analysis of the actual World ma-
jor challenges, which could require priority technologi-
cal solutions from the information and communications
Keywords
technologies (ICT) field, but not exclusively from this area.
Green technology, network centric, infor-
The main point of the paper is to emphasize the importance, mation/knowledge based society, infor-
for the actual information society (IS) and for the follow- mation and communications technolo-
ing Knowledge Based Society (KBS), of perceiving the grav- gies, biometric identity, social assistance.
ity of these challenges, which appear as a companion of the
general race for progress, as they put in danger the Earth
civilization in a progressive way and as a consequence, of
using the huge potential of ICT and complementary technolo-
JEL
gies to overcome as much as possible this trend and gen- D8, L 86, M15
erate this way an other kind of race, for survival solutions.

As concrete solutions, the paper identifies some of the main ICT

areas which could contribute to solve critical problems as climate
changes (CO2 generation), over-population and Earth resourc-
es (food, water, minerals etc.) fading, but including also internal
progress risks (as nuclear incidents like Fukushima) or external
credible menaces, as sun storms. A remarkable example is giv-
en by the biggest project, ever made, of using ICT in order to
organize, from the identity point of view, a huge number of indi-
viduals, accounting about 1 billion at the end of 2011, in India.
The paper concludes that the analyzed issues have a
common point, in the World progressive dependence
on electricity and soon of ICT products and services,
which must lead to a mature control of this dependence.

1. A race for progress or survival?

We already used to see the dramatic evolutions on our unique Earth: from breath-
taking new technologies to hopes-taking conflicts or catastrophes. But more than this,
we hardly observe the dramatic changes of life conditions, although very diverse on Earth.
Neither we can perceive, at real scale, all the changing factors which in fact put a
shadow on our daily spectacular progress. Of course, it is a matter of philosophy how
we see the environmental processes and how we enjoy the positive side of progress.
Still, a question remains: do we all habitants hear the ticks of Earth clock which
seems to measure our race, but sometimes it seems to be a bomb clock?

So, we may let, for further, the metaphoric approach and focus on
a single, real, but not less complicated issue from above: the race.
As a natural evolution, the mankind pace changed from the simple primitive life, to
the dynamic, time-money measured today life, which is a continue race for pro-
gress and prosperity. One could say: this race is the essence of our life, the key
to progress. We may agree and go even further: this way of thinking could be
extended for companies, communities and states, but before doing that, we
must see the whole process, i.e., all the implications of such multiplications.
Jorge Luis Borges said: mirrors and copulation are abominable since they both multiply
the numbers of men. Keeping the differences, we must observe that multiplying the indi-
vidual prosperity actions at planetary scale will not necessarily produce only prosperity.

As examples, the climate changes and Fukushima inci-

dent [7] are only 2 relevant (but sensible different) classes.
Now we may conclude that the today world, featuring an explosive development of
all activity fields, of all business and especially of information and com-
munications technologies (ICT) and services, is a real race, with billions
of participants, but we are not sure if, today and tomorrow, the goal must
be the same general progress, or a very elaborated combination of sta-
ble progress and survival objectives for the Earth and the next generations.
We also need, for each competitor, to carefully choose the right tracks of the
race and perhaps the pace.
2. Choosing the right tracks of the race
As we already mentioned, the race
is a very complicated term, includ-
ing, obviously, many processes.
First of all we have to observe that the race will
have more than a single meaning, referring
to the usual one: the competition (for profit).
Unfortunately, it is very probable that soon-
er or later, as depending on the field (goal),
the race to become a counter-time one, a
desperate struggle to save (at last minute)
the Earth, or one of its unique and priceless
values, as climate, water, food, air, miner-
als and more, including (why not) THE LIFE.
Without dramatizing, this large imagine of
the race is necessary in order to have the
real dimension and importance of this ap-
proach, enabling this way the right evalu-
ation and solving of the global challenges.
Of course, this approach, even focusing on
ICT and conceded technologies, is not sup-
posed to optimize all the World activities,
but it could offer a way of thinking and act-
ing, with powerful instruments and methods,
which has the potential and the information
impact to crucially influence the World, as
we all share the preoccupation about the
future evolutions and the present deci-
sions for all economical, financial and so-
cial layers, which globally affect the Earth.
Defining the tracks (directions and fields)
and then choosing the right ones is ob-
viously an optimization process in gen-
eral and the ICT fields are enough ex-
tended in the actual information society
(IS), with a crucial influence on the future
knowledge based society (KBS) [6].
These premises of ICT are the basic mecha-
nisms to make operational any improvement
to the complex process of optimization re-
garding a continuous refining of the directions
and pace of development, the stategical ap-
plications and the IS/KBS impact evaluation.
On the other hand we have to face the re-
alistic approach, observing that the actual
World is more and more difficult to rule (op-
timize), although globalization, international
organizations and institutes for standardiza-
tion (IEEE, ETSI, ITU) have a crucial role in
harmonizing a mess of crossing interests.
So, lets search the right tracks, at least
among the existing ones, with the hope that,
step by step, they could have a higher in-
fluence (and pace), promoting their new ex-
tensions and slowing their negative effects.
It is important to notice that the criteria
we suppose when choosing right op-
tions must be first linked with the most
stringent challenges for the Earth and
mankind: climate changes (CO2 emis-
sions), ecological development (power and
material saving), food, water and air pres-
ervation, social security and PEACE.
The main track of ICT evolution will remain
for a long time its network centric (NC)
influence and action, at IS/KBS level, con-
sisting of both hard (physical) and soft (in-
formation and knowledge) elements [4].
Again we must emphasize the less ob-
served elements of NC, which could have
a crucial role in the future, as innovation
and knowledge remain the main factors of
mankind stable progress in the future KBS.
This new paradigm is true as NC is the
main vector of knowledge in our present
and future World, where innovation will be
enabled by all ICT/NC elements, which will
stimulate and acquire all creative potential
from the large network of people on Earth.
Perhaps the best evidence of this trend
is the rise and rise of the new pow-
ers of the World: China, India and other.
It is no doubt that the main potential and
secret of the impressive development
of these countries is close linked with
their huge population, but one could ask:
Why now, since they have the big-
gest populations for decades?
Of course the answer is not very simple,
but we may consider at least some rel-
evant reasons, as the cumulating effects of
wise decisions on exploiting the new op-
portunities of globalization, ITC andNC!
Notice that, among other, NC results are
impressive, when the network has bil-
lions of individuals, so it is no wonder
that we see, in most scientific ICT jour-
nals and conference proceedings, more
and more names from China and India.
Completing the above answer, we also must
point now that the learned lessons ap-
proach became more actual that ever been.
It is obvious that China and India had to
learn a lot from the main powers (USA,
Europe, Japan), from technology to so-
cial management, but they also added
their specific values, where individual
loyalty is prominent (in general in Asia).
An important issue, in the paper context,
is to observe now that our World already
has to learn from this Asian miracle, es-
pecially in the crisis period but not only.
A good and refreshing example, on the
above line, comes now from India and re-
veals a right track of ICT and beyond.
In India is going to be finalized the biggest
project, ever made, of using ICT in order
to organize, from the identity point of view,
a huge number of individuals, accounting
about 1 billion at the end of 2011. Notice
that in India, 2% of GDP is dedicated to
the social programs, but 59% of the spend-
ing fails to reach the target (the poor) [1].
A good and refreshing example, on the above line, comes
now from India and reveals a right track of ICT and beyond.
In India is going to be finalized the biggest project, ever made, of
using ICT in order to organize, from the identity point of view, a huge
number of individuals, accounting about 1 billion at the end of 2011.
Notice that in India, 2% of GDP is dedicated to the social programs,
but 59% of the spending fails to reach the target (the poor) [1].
Once again we stress that this project (Aad-
haar = Foundation) is more than relevant, it is a mod-
el for the today world, for many right tracks it covers.
First of all Aadhaar is the best trial for ICT potential to im-
plement the advanced technologies of biometric iden-
tity (security) in a very complex and adverse environ-
ment, considering the average level of education, the
precarious conditions of living, transport infrastructure and admin-
istration, at the huge demographic and geographic scale of India.
In spite of all these, the commitment of the organization which
implemented the project (UIDAI Unique Identification Au-
thority of India), with the financial support of authorities, suc-
ceeded to obtain impressive concrete results, but perhaps the
decisive support came from the population (the network),
which understood the main power (goal) of the project.
As we have mentioned, the general purpose of Aadhaar is to or-
ganize this population, not for a political, scientific or technical
goal, but for the most stringent scope: their social assistance (food,
health care, education and generally social support). Of course, the
project achievement will also provide many other advantages and
instruments for the state administration, from taxes to social security.
From a technical point of view, the project raised a di-
versity of challenges, taking into account the so-
cial and demographic problems (people with no iden-
tity, or multiple identities linked with family, no house etc.).
The most impressive technical problems were generated by the nat-
ural diversity and dynamic of individuals, which led to the necessity
to have a dual technology biometric solution (fingerprints of all 10
fingers and iris scanning), finalized by a 12 digit ID number, which
could be confirmed on line by a special terminal of test (scanning).
Even so, the potential of ICT was really tested, by millions of prob-
lems like finger mutilation (by hard working!) and multiple registra-
tions (on vast territory, before the project final), so the data bases, the
deduplication and other ICT resources proved now their NC power!
Not the last, we must remark the determination of all leaders and or-
ganizations to continue, when the project was blocked for many times.
All these represent perhaps the best lesson to be learned in all states
on the entire Earth, because this is the kind of challenges they have
to face today and tomorrow. Although the differences could come
in goals, individuals and resources, one thing will remain common:
the necessity to use NC/ICT power to find the right tracks and solve
such stringent tasks, being sure every time that the right track
is a reason good enough to be fully supported by all the partici-
pants, with all their potential, through NC/ICT, just like India did.

An other face of the learned lesson of India is that, in the same
time, in India the explosion of development and modernization,
where ICT is prominent, arisen among the large poor areas, the
lack of infrastructure and other realities of emergent countries.
So, in hard times, we all have to learn how the pro-
gress is still possible and especially how the mira-
cle of switching from very low to high can be made.
My opinion is that we will need unfortunately more and more such
miracles and they could be done only refining our strategies, our
way to treat the people and use the money in order to create more
innovation and right knowledge, along with ICT/NC potential.
It is fair to observe that ICT already follows
some of these ideas, but the challenges are
still bigger, new ones appear and ICT is not
the only involved in the decision processes,
as the economical and financial power is so
specially melted with politics [2].
Other right tracks of ICT could be observed
in action and shortly listed as:

A continuous design effort to reduce the power consumption (and then CO2 generation) is the way the green technology could
strongly contribute to World CO2 reduction, by the NC gears. This way the processors and generally the ICT components,
which are present in all industries and everywhere, from smart phones, cars to toys, will have a major impact on CO2 reduction.

The computers speed and especially the supercomputers speed is driving, again through NC, many im-
portant scientific research, industry and medicine fields. Perhaps the most expectations are regard-
ing the progress in simulating climate changes, brain activity, Earth reserves exploration and nuclear processes.

The computers speed and especially the supercomputers speed is driving, again through NC, many im-
portant scientific research, industry and medicine fields. Perhaps the most expectations are regard-
ing the progress in simulating climate changes, brain activity, Earth reserves exploration and nuclear processes.

The ICT global performances push all world applications and they are depending on Moores Law race, which is approaching now the
physical limits of semiconductors. So Intel and other big companies have in 2012 some major tests for their revolutionary solutions:
a. EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography;
b. 3D-chips (TSVs through silicon vias).

It is enough relevant to mention that the implementation of TSVs will

provide incredible increase of performance for DRAM memories as:
+800% in bandwidth, -50% in power consumption and -35% in size [3].

Smart grids represent a complex system of optimization of the national power grids, which provide remarkable savings of electricity. Their
latest performance could be the equivalent of a virtual power plant.

LEDs lamp will replace, at world scale meaning huge savings, both incandescence lamps and fluorescent (mercury) tubs, as their per-
formance (versus the first) provides 1/6 of power consumption and 25 times longer life, with technological controls for the light colour
(warmer or cooler) [8]. But the price has a long way to decrease!

Plug-in cars, which, in perspective, could be an other planetary scale generator of savings, have important benefits from ICT (even not
exclusively) and electric industry, in order to overcome
 3.
Conclusions could be replaced by
continuing to deeply think
The real challenge and right tracks for ICT will come from a general risk, which
puts Earth community on the most stringent race (for solving, or at least to be
best prepared for it), we may call the Achilles Heal type of
risk: our total dependence on electricity (see sun storms, nuclear incidents etc).

A very sad (but lesson to be learned) example is that Fukushima incident will
lead to a critical situation in Japan, where, from the tens/hundreds of nuclear
reactors, from different reasons, all could be stopped (for shorter or longer
terms) in the summer of 2012 [7].

Without dramatizing, going even further from electricity, it is realistic to

observe and learn from the fact that, we will soon be almost total
dependent on ICT products and services! The solution is far to be simple, but we
must think to a mature control of this dependence.

So, we have, every day, to look for the right tracks we have mentioned before,
while the whole Earth is in a hurry and everybody is in his race, because we can
not afford to forget that the Earth race is sure two-fold: to progress and to
survival.

REFERENCES
[1] Joshua J. Romero, Indias big bet on identity, IEEE Spectrum, March 2012.
[2] Stephen Harper, The European Union Takes the Next Step in Realizing the Energy Efficiency Potential of ICT, February 26, 2010,
http://www.smart2020.org
[3] Rachel Courtland, ICs grow up, IEEE Spectrum, January 2012.
[4] Victor GREU, The network centric and cloud - a new paradigm for the optimization of the technical and human information systems,
Romanian Distribution Committee Magazine Volume 4, Issue 4, 2011.
[5]John Kappenman, A perfect storm of planetary Proportions, IEEE Spectrum, February 2012.
[6] Abdulaziz S. Almazyad and Farooqui N.K., Towards Knowledge Based Society, Proceedings of the World Congress on
Engineering and Computer Science 2009 Vol II, WCECS 2009, October 20-22, 2009, San Francisco, USA.
[7] Ritchie S. King, The post Fukushima world, IEEE Spectrum, November 2011.
[8] Richard Stevenson, LEDs for less, IEEE Spectrum, January 2012.
 Abstract Keywords
Being kept permanently connected to the reality of our life, we Community engagement, professional
have the duty to demonstrate our firm commitment to sharing teamwork, knowledge for understanding
the respect for those who prove passion in serving and pro-
moting a real culture of excellence, for those who demonstrate
strong beliefs in the imperative of being involved responsibly
JEL
with the community and school, having a real sense of caring. A11
A Professors students are intensely feeling the need of being
supported by people who bring the core values of community
networking, by displaying the architecture of honest and per-
tinent conversation. The same way, the towns residents are
intensely feeling the need of being given a heard voice in all
the decisions that impact their families and town community.

Honest and pertinent communication

with the community he cares about
Born, raised and married in Buftea Town (the towns historical, social and economical link with Prince Barbu
tirbei being well known) and having a beautiful family (two children, and his wife Silvia Marinescu being the
Principal of Barbu Stirbei College in Buftea Town), Professor Radu Titus MARINESCU breathes through every
pore of the community and school.

The beginning of our transition to the free market economy brought him in the position of Vice Mayor, and now,
after 22 years, we find him in the same public position, dedicated to working in cooperation with others to better
serve the hometown Buftea as Vice Mayor, considering an honor and a privilege to serve the town community
with honest and pertinent communication. He is promoting responsible development consistent with the values
of his hometown Buftea, pledging constantly for both, experiencing the transformation of the hope for a better
life of the people and their childrens future in reality, and a fiscally responsible approach to budgeting issues,
being convinced of the importance of thinking together in what concerns how to identify ways to reduce taxes
and spending while facing crises pressures.
v
He has significant contributions to well known scientific debates reflected by the mass media (Economistul,
No. 10, 28 of March 2011, pp. 10-11), such as National Project for the Economic and Social Modernization of
Romania (the scientific debate was based on a diagnosis made by the distinguished Professors Constantin
Anghelache, Ion Gh. Roca, Constantin Mitru and Vergil Voineagu; this diagnosis being appreciated by the
distinguished Professor Gheorghe Zaman - http://www.crd-aida.ro/our-team/gheorghe-zaman/ - and the other
distinguished participants). Together with his distinguished Colleague Professor Constantin ANGHELACHE, who
is The President of the Senate of the ARTIFEX University, Professor Radu Titus MARINESCU (Vice Dean of the
Finance and Accounting School) form a true example of professional teamwork. Together with their colleagues,
they are constantly developing an active interdisciplinary community, making pedagogy more student-centered,
and trying to make a difference establishing relationships built around teaching, by adequately talking to the stu-
dents while developing the school expertise when it comes to student knowledge about practice, knowing that
their students must be able to succeed in an ever changing labor market by engaging in the specific activities
and becoming accountable. In this respect, they are assuming the recommended responsibility of instructing
and evaluating their students in a fair and effective manner.
 Professor Radu Titus MARINESCU is involved in scientific research projects and has received differ-
ent scientific prizes, such as a prize from the Romanian Academy (Virgil Madgearu, 2003), and from
the General Association of Economists from Romania (A.G.E.R., 2009, for outstanding contributions
to public finance performances analysis). In the last few years, he published the following books: Pub-
lic Finance. Analytics Models and Case Studies (Editura Economica Publishing House, Bucharest,
2009), Elements of Banking and Financial Marketing (ARTIFEX Publishing House, Bucharest, 2010),
and Analytics Models in the Field of Public Finance (ARTIFEX Publishing House, Bucharest, 2010).

A proactive Member of the Board of the

Romanian Distribution Committee
As a member of the Board of the Romanian Distribution Committee, Professor Radu Titus MARINESCU has
permanently confirmed his willingness to take matters into his hands, assuming an active role in the Romanian
Distribution Committee struggling to deal with the barriers raised in front of the necessity of returning to knowl-
edge for understanding, of capitalizing on the tradition for wisdom of humankind, by joining our responsible
team he decided to prove that human interaction is the one that makes a better sharing, by opening our hearts
and restoring the preeminence of character over spectacle, transforming ourselves and others by widening the
constructive debate, and step by step building in terms of knowledge, experiences and interests of the citizens,
communities and civil society.

He was directly involved both, in our effort of promoting sustainable development by organizing on May 16,
2000, together with the International Foundation Health Environment Sustainable development and in
partnership with ION RATIU Romanian Parliamentarians Club , the Symposium The Economy of Ideas and
Sustainable development (first reported by the Magazine Tribuna Economica, no. 18/3 May 2000) that took
place at the Parliament House, and in the achievement of the interdisciplinary research (representing a turning
point in developing a national strategy) Sustainable development: principles and action (Millenium Publish-
ing House, May 2000), which formed the basis of the debates on that occasion. As it is known, the study was
centered on the need for enterprise reconstruction on the basis of negotiated competency, in the context of
spiritualization of economies. It was also discussed, in the context, the opportunity to exploit the model of Prod-
uct Development Research/CDP in meeting sustainable development, CDP representing product trajectory as a
specific methodological instrument (in Anexe 1 being presented the Research-Developemnt Programe - with 4
subprogrames - Sustainable Development).

Professor Radu Titus MARINESCU was also involved in many other activities, such as: the first International
Congress of AIDA Brussels in Romania (in May 1998, Athenee Palace Hilton); the International Symposium The
distribution of fresh products (March 13, 2001, at the Parliament Palace); the Symposium Institutional-spiritual
reconstruction of enterprises, requirement for sustainable development in the knowledge society, a nationwide
premiere organized in 2006 by the Romanian Distribution Committee, in collaboration with Bucharest Academy
of Economic Studies and UGIR 1903; The First International Congress ,,Health-Nutrition-Wellbeing (Aro Palace
Hotel, Brasov, 15-17 October, 2011). And all these within the framework of our actions enrolled in a common
endeavor for the normalization of the competitive environment, to prevent inefficiency and to increase the overall
level of performance, for partnerships and loyal competition in the distribution process, to increase welfare by
offering the possibility of options. It is worth remembering, in this context, the aspects mentioned in the 1997
Report (page 561), 1998 Report (pag. 66-67), 1999 Report (pag. 53) and 2001 Report( pag. 64 ), of the Competi-
tion Council, concerning the collaboration with the Romanian Distribution Committee. As we all know: compe-
tition is the key leader of performance and innovation which feeds economic growth, thanks to fair and open
competition the best product winning and the market forces prevailing; the signals regarding the changing of the
nature of competition intensify, that increasingly takes place inside corporate-controlled networks, emphasiz-
ing the necessity to apply in the global industrial network of some fresh engineering principles carefully building
political calibrated institutions and following the approach through the whole system of human businesses, both
private and public; it is necessary that the approach based on the market helps in implementing the ambitions of
the social reform; the situation is even more pressing in a global context in which it is considered that calculated
dishonesty and the application of the double standard, characteristic to the agreement between the political
power and the financial power, raise strong barriers to the responsible intelligent decisions.
As we have remembered on the occasion The First International Congress ,,Health-Nutrition-Wellbe-
ing, the speech and action on this real serious identified challenge must and can be changed. The
health of the people and of the economy lies in the center of sustainable development and adapting
the business accordingly. That is why we will continue to demonstrate our consequently commitment
of sharing the respect for those who prove passion in serving and promoting a real culture of excel-
lence, for those who demonstrate strongly beliefs in the imperative of being involved responsibly with
community and school, having a real sense of caring, for all those trying to build consensus in order to
organize the necessary community effort aimed at serving the community quality of life.

Bernd Hallier, Silvia Marinescu (Principal of Barbu Stirbei College in Buftea Town), and Radu Titus Marinescu
(Vice Mayor of Buftea Town)

John L. Stanton, Carol Stanton and Radu Titus Marinescu

 John L. Stanton and Radu Titus Marinescu

Theodor Valentin Purcarea,

Bernd Hallier and Radu Titus Marinescu
Abstract
Since the early 1990s there has been a substantial restructur-
ing of retailing in Europe. The implications extended beyond
Europe but they have had primary impact within European mar-
kets. The restructuring involves not only changes in horizontal
competitive relationships amongst retailers but also involves
new forms of relationship with suppliers and an extension of
the activities of West European retailers into Central and East-
ern Europe. The restructuring has occurred alongside substan-
tive changes in strategies, relationships and operations. These
changes have encouraged the emergence of an alternative
perspective of the role of retailing that places this sector as the
initiator of added value activities in the economy rather than
in its traditionally more passive role of building on the value
being added in manufacturing. The new role places retailing in
a global framework of international store operations, interna-
tional sourcing of products, international flows of management
and managerial know-how, and international retailer brands.
Introduction
Restructuring into a global context is the most recent stage
of a half a century of change in European retailing that can
be seen as comprising three major phases. The first phase
occurred during the years after 1945 when the priority for
the retail sector was the reconstruction of both the organisa-
tional and physical structures of retailing. There was a strong
American influence in managerial developments, for exam-
ple in the introduction of self-service into the food sector. A
number of American firms, for example JC Penney, entered
Europe.. The development of the Common Market in West-
ern Europe and the subsequent development into a more in-
tegrated European Union marks a second phase. The retail
markets across Europe started to consolidate and substantial
growth of a different type occurred. Marketing became ac-
cepted as a key activity for retailers with different types of re-
tailing being designed to satisfy different consumer needs. As
market segmentation developed, retailers explored new for-
mats. Consumers, during this second phase, wanted different
products and better quality products rather than simply more
products. The third phase is characterized by a restructuring
of retailing with new roles and functions becoming evident.
The convergence of information and communication tech-
nologies, the use of new materials, and other applications of
technology, such as RFID, across the value chain are enabling
retailing to take on more forceful roles within the economy.
Economies of scale of organisations associated with global
sourcing and international operation of stores are allowing
retailers to become some of the largest firms within Europe.
In establishing the new distinctive role for retailing, the lead-
ing firms have developed a distinctive European model of
retailing and distribution. This European model, now emerg-
ing, is different from that of the USA. It is a model that is in-
ternationalist, not domestic; compare for example the inter-
national scope of METRO Group and Tesco with Kroger and
Target being limited to USA. The opening of Central Europe
to investment from West European retailers was a stimu-
lus to the internationalist view. The European model also is
structured around an integrated demand chain, not a supply
chain. And, it has market innovation, not copying, at its core.
Keywords
Restructuring, Managerial Processes,
Organizational Structures, Value Chains,
Market Concentration, Competitive Power
JEL
L 81
Changes in managerial
processes in the retail sector
Managerial processes in the retail sector are changing within
the overall restructuring. Four changes are particularly apparent.
1) The Large Firms Are Growing Faster than the Sector as a Whole.
Despite low growth in the European economies in recent years large
firms have been able to increase their output through entering new
markets, diversifying their retail offer, acquisition and, important-
ly, like-for-like sales growth. In most cases for European firms the
growth is above the general level of growth in the sector. Leading
companies in other more specialist sectors show even strong growth.
2) A More Strategic Approach to Managerial Decision Making. Across the
sector in the large and medium sized firms a strategic approach to man-
agement has been adopted more consistently. Strategies vary consider-
ably but there is a wider presence of a general business strategy that is
then made operational through functional strategies for marketing, mer-
chandising, buying, branding, logistics, employees, finance, etc. Private
and publicly quoted firms exhibit this trend. Whilst short-term opportun-
istic development and reactive competitive moves remain, these occur
within a broader, formalised, strategic framework involving a mission,
market positioning and formalised approach to channel relationships.
3) Increased Complexity of Organisational Structures. With the new
role of retailing and the increased size of firm, organisational struc-
tures have become more complex. The expansion of international
operations, for example, has required retailers to develop a struc-
ture of country vicepresidents and in several cases an interna-
tional Board of Directors. At store level the international moves have
required different organisational structures in different countries in
order to respond to the different consumer cultures. It is not only in-
ternational operations that require a more complex organisational
structure to the firm. International sourcing centres have to be accommo-
dated in organisations. The outsourcing of many previously in-sourced
functions also changes organisations. The diversification of retailers into
financial and leisure services provides further organisational complexities.
4) Moves Towards Retailer Co-ordinated Value Chains. In recent years
the nature of the value chain within the successful retailers has changed
substantially. Retailers have become increasingly involved in co-ordi-
nating the relationships between retailers and suppliers. Thus value
is created at a variety of places in the value chain, not simply at the
point of final sale to the customer. In taking costs out of the channel
of distribution there is a redistribution of the locus of value generation.
An example of this is in the terms of trade that exist between retail-
ers and suppliers such that a retailers inventory is financed by sup-
pliers. By providing a longer number of credit days than the inventory
turn of the retailer, the retailer operates with negative working capital.
These four changes illustrate the nature of the changes taking place in
European retailing during this third and current phase of major restruc-
turing. They are clearly inter-related with the focus on strategy underpin-
ning the rapid growth of the large firms and the change in financial rela-
tionships with suppliers. The four changes are illustrative of the totality of
change and other changes could be highlighted. Nonetheless the con-
clusion that can be drawn is that the current phase of re-structuring is
resulting in an increase in the complexity of the sec-
tor, a quickening in the rate of development and a more
global perspective being adopted by management.
The Implications of the Changes
There are many implications of the changes in the role and structure of the
retail sector across Europe. A major implication is an increased level of
governmental intervention in retailing. Four particular aspects of change
give rise to governmental intervention at various levels across Europe:
The Increase in Market Concentration. With the continuing
growth of already large firms and their acquisition activity, the competition
agencies in individual European countries and in the European Commis-
sion have become more active in reviewing levels of market concentration.
The Decrease in the Number of Small and Micro Firms.
An aspect of long term structural change has been the decline of small
firms in retailing across Europe. This loss of small firms has become more
acute in recent years such that governments have been exploring ways to
provide support to smaller firms through different types of policy initiative.
These include limiting the local competition from large firms by restricting
the establishment of new shops, providing direct financial help to the small
firms to encourage investment and training, reducing the tax burdens
on small firms, encouraging co-operative behavior amongst small firms,
and providing special protection to particular sub-sectors, for example
pharmacists and small firms in rural areas and in the lowest income parts
of cities. Governmental intervention in the market in these cases is aimed
at protecting smaller firms from the full rigour of the market.
The Change in the Balance of Competitive Power
Between Retailers and Their Suppliers. An implication of
the changes in retailing is the growth of channel power of retailers at the
expense of their suppliers. Governments have sought to intervene in the
market to regulate the behaviour of the participants in the channel. This
has involved policies on the nature of the contracts between retailers and
suppliers, the number of credit days allowed, the types of discount that
can be used, the ability of retailers to re-sell products at below cost, etc.
The Increased International Activity of Retailers. In some
European countries, notably those in central Europe that attracted large
amounts of foreign direct investment into retailing after 1989, the govern-
ments have been adopting policies to limit foreign ownership of retailing.
The rationale for such policies is to protect local retailers and suppliers
from the business practices used by the foreign, often
large, firms. Those foreign retailers that have a presence in the market, hav-
ing entered early, are in effect protected from peer-group competition and
so may benefit from the policies aimed at limiting them. The extent of and
types of intervention of governments in the retail markets is generally in-
creasing in Europe. The rationale for intervention is generally to ameliorate,
in some way, the consequences of the structural changes in the sector. In
many cases the policies are instituted without a clear understanding by gov-
ernment of the nature of the causes of the structural changes that generate
the undesirable change but there is growing awareness of the complex-
ity of the distributive trade in respect of the vertical relationships involved.
The reasons for the structural adjustments in this current phase of major
change in European retailing can be presented as a process linking chang-
es in the environment to responses by retail managers. Retailing, as an
activity linking consumers to goods and services, operates in local mar-
kets. As such many of the managerial decisions are a response to both
the local culture of the consumers and the local culture of consumption.
Within Europe these local cultures are subject to considerable social, eco-
nomic, political and technological changes. This dynamic cultural environ-
ment requires responses from retailers that seek success through the close
matching of their operations to consumer requirements. These responses
underpin the strategies of retailers. The strategies are executed through
the formats and formulae that the retailer creates. In creating these formats
and formulae the retailer enters into relationships with other groups, for
example suppliers, finance groups, consumers, etc. In the current context
of activity in Europe all four of these attributes of the retail sector cul-
tures, strategies, formats & formulae, and relationships are undergoing
substantial change as they inter-act. It is the changes in these attributes
that provide the reasons why retailing is changing in the ways that it is.
Culture. The changes in consumer culture in Europe af-
ter 1989 have been considerable. The emergence of market
economies in central Europe meant widespread privatisation of
retailing. Perhaps of greater importance in terms of consumer
culture, however, has been the increased demand for products
and services from consumers in the former communist coun-
tries. Steady increases in consumer wealth
after the initial periods of high inflation have meant that from the
mid-1990s consumers have expected a more extensive range of
price-quality combinations in the retailing. In clothing for example
distinct markets in street fashion, work clothes, high fashion, dis-
count apparel, etc emerged quickly to parallel the market struc-
tures that have been developed, more gradually, in West Europe.
Across much of Western Europe consumer cultures show ap-
parent contradictory trends of standardisation and fragmenta-
tion. The fragmentation of demand is evident in many ways
with ever smaller segments of consumers having specific pat-
terns of demand. Consumers have translated their values into
demands for goods and services such that there are differing
values, for example the ecologically responsive groups, veg-
etarian groups, designer brand groups, sport obsessed groups,
etc. These are in addition to the longer established groups as-
sociated with age, educational level, income, etc. This frag-
mentation has been encouraged by specialist media. The
fragmentation has been extended even further with consumer
demands varying on a temporal dimension by time of day or
day of the week. The consumer can no longer be considered
as one person but has to be viewed as many different people.
In apparent contradiction to this fragmentation is a Europeani-
sation of some aspects of consumer demand. With the wider
and faster availability of information through satellite communi-
cation, the rapid diffusion of fashion, in clothes and music par-
ticularly, has generated European-wide patterns of demand.
The movement of people through Europe particularly for leisure
and tourism similarly has generated a diffusion of cultures, of-
ten in food items, with consumers in Northern Europe becom-
ing familiar with foods from the South and viceversa. The avail-
ability of international manufacturer brands, in electrical items,
food, grocery, toys, etc. stimulates this move to sameness or
Europeanisation. The euro-integration of consumer infrastruc-
tures is often facilitated by common technologies in the home
or mobile close to body technologies (mobile phones, pocket
computers, hand-held games machines, etc.). The driving force
for much of this integration is a combination of the aspirations
European politicians and multi-national manufacturers. Many
European politicians have a vision of the future as a single and
more standardised European market. Multinational manufactur-
ers wish to exploit economies of scale by producing goods for a
large market, but often consumers have a more local perspective.
Strategy. The approach adopted to address the strategic
dilemma resulting from the changes in culture is to move away
from the traditional approach to strategy that contrasted either
low cost or high service. Retailers have approached strategy
by having a wider perspective that considers co-operation and
competition both in a vertical dimension through the distribution
channel and horizontally with other retailers. There is a presump-
tion of vertical co-ordination to increase horizontal competitive
ability but this basic model is subject to detailed interpretations
by firms. A greater emphasis is placed on innovation and the
generation of knowledge as key inputs into the development of
strategy such that firms reject the idea of a generic strategy
and seek ones that are appropriate to their own knowledge
base and are flexible enough to accommodate the localization-
standardisation dilemma. There are several results of this new
approach.
Four results serve to illustrate the point:
Branding has become controlled by the retailer. The stores have become brands, for example IKEA, Zara, Dia, Pimkie, Aldi and B&Q. Alongside the
branding of the store the retailers have also taken control of the branding of merchandise. Individual firms have adopted different strategies to the branding
of merchandise. Some use the name of the firm, some have developed different brands for different merchandise categories and others have developed
different brands for different market positions. Although the implementation varies from firm to firm the rationale for the strategy is similar. By controlling
the brand offering inside the store it is possible to co-ordinate the merchandise brand with the store brand to make the total marketing effort more effective.

A wider perspective on productivity. A more integrated view of the productivity of assets emerged in the new strategic approaches. The traditional
view was of productivity being related to employees and floorspace with sales per employee and sales per square metre being the key metrics. In the
new strategic approaches not only are these traditional measures disaggregated, for example profit of checkout employee per hour, shelf-space sales
per cubic metre, but new assets are considered. The productivity of customers, of suppliers, of in-store services for example in-store bakeries, and
coffee shops, of promotions, and of brands, are now considered and attempts made to develop a more integrated view of productivity of the firm.

Identification of the profit sources in the value chain. With a more strategic approach to considerations of productivity so there has been greater
awareness of the nature of the value chain in retailing. This has resulted in shifts in the balance between out-sourced and in-sourced functions.
Retailers have evaluated the functions they undertake and established which generate value added to the retailer in respect of specific knowledge
owned by the retailer. These they have retained as in-sourced. Thus for example, merchandising has been concentrated inside retailers. Where
value added is less in relation to the retailers knowledge then the functions have been outsourced with contracts made with specialist groups.

Consideration of new markets. The ability to respond to the new cultures of consumption has encouraged European retailers to move into new markets.

Conclusion
It has been argued in this article that the retail sector in Europe has been undergoing, since the mid 1990s, a period of intense
restructuring. The reasons for this restructuring lie in the changes in the culture of consumption in Europe, in the resulting strat-
egies of the retail firms, in the formats and formulae that have been developed and in the relationships that the retailers have
generated with various other agents in the distribution channel. Retailers have been attempting to compete by changing their
operations. Innovation has been critical to retailer success in this regard. Retailers have moved from traditional forms of inno-
vation to undertake experience innovation. The key importance of experience innovation is in acting as a catalyst for growth
in mature economies with little increase in consumer spending. The innovation enables the growth in productivity that retailers
then use as the basis for obtaining more control over activity in the channel and also undertaking marketing initiatives to provide
better experiences for customers. Both routes facilitate increases in sales at a rate greater than growth in the overall economy.

REFERENCES
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[2] BURT, S. (2000) - The strategic role of retail brands in British grocery retailing, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34.
[3] DAWSON, J. (2001) Strategy and Opportunism in European Retail Internationalization. British Journal of Management, vol. 12.
[4] LEVY, M./ Weitz, B. (2007) Retailing Management (McGraw-Hill).
[5] MCGOLDRICK, P. (2002) Retail Marketing (McGraw-Hill).
[6] ZENTES,J./MORSCHETT, D./SCHRAMM-KLEIN, H. (2007) - Strategic Retail Management, GWV-Vieweg.
[7] ZILIANI, C./ BELLINI, S. (2004) - Retail Micro Marketing Strategies and Competition, in: The International Review of Retail, Distribution
and Consumer Research,Vol.14, No. 1.
[8] ZILIANI, C. (1999) - Retail Micromarketing: Strategic advance or gimmick?, in Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on
Research in the Distributive Trades, Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling.
Abstract
The article analyses the MIC.Ro business from various per-
spectives, in order to gain some understanding of what the
future looks like for the business. One very important aspect
to be mentioned in this analysis is the competition coming
from foreign traders, or European giants such as Delhaize,
Carrefour, or Metro. Other aspects of analysis refer to the
location of the MIC.Ro stores, the way the MIC Ro network
was built, the design of the stores as well as the price policy.
Introduction
If you remember, in an article several month ago, my comment
on MIC. Ro was both optimistic and pessimistic .Unfortunately
I have to admit today that what I presume regarding the MIC.
Ro future is near to prove right .The competition of foreign
traders almost killed what had to be a promising adventure.
MIC.Ro was welcome by many observers as a hope for lo-
cal capital to produce economic effects within the Ro-
manian home trade which day by day seems to fade
away. And this is the aftermath of something that can be
called (just be in the trend !!), occupy Romania , i.e. oc-
cupy Romanian local market , a long term policy of
the Europe giants like Delhaize, Carrefour, Metro a.s.o.
To me it is hard to understand why those giants still come
to us while nowadays living standard is lower than 6-7 years
back .In my residential district somewhere near the former 23
Augustbig metal plant, on an area of less than 20 streets (to
my count about 5-6 sq Km) , in 1995 there were about 6-7 big
food stores and some milk and bread outlets. Now we have
Auchan and Cora hypermarkets, 2 Mega Image stores, a Billa,
a Carrefour, a Lidl, and 3 MIC Ro. Besides, there are 2 or 3
food market stores and an open market mainly for country
side producers. All old shops disappeared and the Romanian
shop keepers closed their business for ever. So, our friends
cleaned the place and got rid of local competitors. I expect
they will realize that such a crowded market with modest earn-
ing people cannot produce efficiency. But this is another story.
Keywords
Retail, stores, price policy
JEL
L 11, L 14, L 81
What is the future
of MIC.RO?
What interested me is the fate of this MIC. Ro which according to
some newspapers, started closing many stores mainly in other towns
like Oradea and the whole organization have a huge debts to the sup-
pliers. So they have to think of reevaluating their business plan and
policy so they eventually survive but I have little hope in this respect.
And I tell you why: I used to visit MIC Ro shops daily , every time at dif-
ferent hours so I can see who are the customers. I never saw more than
2 or 3 people at a time and mainly at noon no one stepped in for hours.
In my view, something has not been carefully took into consideration.
One cannot open an outlet just in between the Giant stores.That was
a mistake because no one in Romania today can compete and fight
against Cora, Carrefour , Mega Image an so on. First reason is the
price and MIC Ro is unable to resist and second, the variety of goods
is not to be compared and there is no special item to capture people
to buy. During winter time the price problem in competition to the open
peasants market, in what fruit and vegetables are concerned, is easier
because as soon as weather become harsh vegetable price rise while
for hyper or super markets as well as for a network like MIC.roprices
could remain almost stable because there are different sources of
goods. In Romania, today, almost 70 % of food products are imported
from a variety of world areas and this is an advantage. Let us take an
example of recent winter days. A kilo of imported carrots varies from
1.5 to 2.5 lei in big stores and abt.4-6 lei Romanian carrots in peasants
outlets. Same happens to potatoes, onion and so on . MICRo prices
are in between for some goods and at the highest level for many oth-
ers. I read a funny story in a newspaper recently that reflects the MICRo
prices : MICRo attendants use to buy their daily cigarettes and refresh-
ments in nearby shops instead to their own just to save some money!!!
Another story, yet unconfirmed ,is that MIC Ro network was mainly
built on money provided by the goods suppliers which means that
MICRo sold their goods and instead of paying the invoices have
used money to invest in the network. In other words MICRo in-
vestment was based on others money not on the owners. If so,
that explains why relationship with good suppliers deteriorated .
There are also some technical items to discuss stores area is ,in
some cases, to big and lighting as well as some shop equipment
are too expensive compared to sales volume. I dare to say that the
MICRo very poor advertising may also be taken into consideration.
All in all, the price policy will finally be decisive in this war .. I may say that
foreign big traders present here have already learned that more than
half of Romanian consumers reason to buy is the price and not only the
goods quality . But they have enough funds to sustain such price policies
to beat any competition. And the victim are such shops like MICRos.
In mean time, MIC Ro. will be obliged to review the number
of stores and do something to reduce the risk of bankruptcy.
My final question of the previous article on the same
matter, Competition, what is this? remained unan-
swered and nobody can do something in this respect.
Unfortunately!!
The Second Conference of the International Network of Business and Management Journals (INBAM): Brokering
Knowledge took place in Valencia, Spain, between March,20 and March,22, 2012. A high-level conference that
enjoyed the participation of 13 editors of the most prestigious International Journals (Small Business Economics,
International Small Business Journal, International Business Review, Human Resource Management, Management
Decision, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Cornell
Hospitality Quarterly, International Journal of Manpower, Service Industries Journal, International Journal of Pro-
ject Management, European Journal of International Management, Service Business. An International Journal).

But first...you might ask yourselves what is INBAM? Well... INBAM is a
network created in 2009 by the Editors of eight prestigious international
Journals, that became an Association in September 2011. At the moment,
the Association comprises editors and journals from Emerald, Spring-
er, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, Blackwell, Elsevier, Inderscience, Sage.
I therefore had the opportunity to take part in a highly valuable event that
offered me a whole different perspective on the directions for improve-
ment that I should be pursuing, both in terms of research methodology
employed and acquiring specific article writing skills. I had the priviledge
to attend very interesting presentations, high-quality content in what con-
cerns the topicality as well as the complexity of the researches conducted.
The journal editor corresponding to each area opened each ses-
sion with a presentation on the main trends in the future in his/her
journal. What I particularly enjoyed and found highly relevant and
important, was the emphasis on the article review process, includ-
ing suggestions on how to improve the articles submitted in order to
increase the chance of having your work accepted for publication.
In 2013, the Journal of INBAM will be launched. JINBAM will be a new aca-
demic journal published by Springer and will include papers presented at the
INBAM events and Conferences for the first four/five years of its existence.
The Third Conference of the International Network of Busi-
ness and Management Journals (INBAM) will take place in Portu-
gal, between 9 11 May, 2013. Eighteen editors of leading jour-
nals will participate in this 3rd Conference. So...see you in Portugal!