Browsing: 2013, Vol. 17, Issue 1, May

Introduction. During the last century the social sciences grew from the stage of speculative system building to a more mature development in which empirical data are sought for the significance they can have for systematic theories. A lot of work in this field concerns itself with determining the methodological and conceptual prerequisites for a mature science of human reasoning and behavior. Modeling human reasoning and human behavior, although currently focused on social and economic phenomena like organizations, organizational knowledge, leadership, cooperation etc., are historically dependent upon modeling natural phenomena in physical science, precisely because physical science tackles successfully the issue of building upon empirical data.

Aim of the study. This paper pursues an apparently small, but nonetheless significant, historical claim concerning the “relative position of human reasoning and mechanics” a claim made possible by the development of late 19th century’s epistemology of science (mainly Heinrich Hertz’s) and theoretical philosophy (Ludwig Wittgenstein). The main idea of the paper is that Ludwig Wittgenstein’s concept of “logical representation”, seen as a landmark for what human reasoning is about, is an intricate analogue to the Hertzian “dynamic models” from the Principles of Mechanics. This analogy is analyzed and explained with regard to the problem of the “logic of color”.
Keywords: dynamic models; human reasoning; Hertzian mechanics; Wittgenstein’ logic of color, representation.

Introduction. One of the unfulfilled ideals of the modern mind is that of “unity of science”. It is, at the core, a reductive ideal. A key part part of its reductive approach consists, most often, in finding matches between the kinds one employs to theorize about certain processes and unique types of entities on a lower level in a mereological scale. This is widely assumed to provide reductions of the theory on the upper level to that on the lower one, and ultimately to the most basic, namely that of physics. Nevertheless this ideal, according to which every type of entity has to be shown to be ultimately equated with a definite type of microstructure, has been vehemently challenged.

Aim of the study. The paper examines a few methods for drawing categories that can be employed in special sciences. By examining some of the core phenomena that laid the basis of the most prominent approaches to typing in special sciences, it shows that we must accept a novel approach to delineating scientific kinds. Its peculiarity is that makes the latter parts of an array of structures, rather than possessing a fixed one. This can provide with a useful principal line of approach the leaders attempting to organize complex and evolving phenomena.
Keywords: concepts, special sciences, epistemology, evolution, functional, organization

Introduction. Firms’ decisions relating to dividend policy have been a subject of debate in the financial literatures. Series of theoretical models and explanations describing the factors that managers of organisations should consider when making dividend policy decisions have been developed by academics and researchers. Dividend policy, in the context of this study, relates to firm’s dividend payout policy that managers follow in deciding the pattern and size of cash distribution to shareholders over time.

Aim of the study. This study investigated the determinants of dividends policy in the Nigerian stock exchange market. To achieve the objectives of this study, a total of 50 listed firms in the Nigerian stock exchange market were selected and analyzed for the study using the judgmental sampling technique. Also, the corporate annual reports for the period 2006-2011 were used for the study. The paper was basically modeled to examine the effects of financial performance of firms, firm size, financial leverage and board independence on the dividend payout decisions of listed firms operating in the Nigerian stock exchange market using the regression analysis method. The study in its findings observed that there is a significant positive relationship between firms’ financial performance, size of firms and board independence on the dividend payouts decisions of listed firms in Nigeria.
Keywords: Nigeria; Dividend Payout; Financial Leverage; Financial Performance; Board Independence Annual Report

Introduction. The trend and the volume are increasing on a daily basis and all levels of the society are involved. The rich, the poor, the
young and the elderly, the male and the female all are neck deep in fraud and fraud related activities that say a lot about our moral and family situations. From the politicians to the bank directors/executives, from the legal officers to the law enforcement personnel, from the civil servants to the school teacher, from the trader in the market to the hawkers on the street, the tendency for fraud and fraud related crimes is endless.

Aim of the study. This study aims at exploring the relevance of forensic accounting in curbing crime and corruption in public sector. The objective of the research work seeks to explore the role a forensic accountant can play in the fight against corruption by applying his investigative skills, providing litigation support service and documentation and reporting. The population used in the research was the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). The research design employed was the survey research. Data were majorly collected from primary sources. The hypothesis testing in this research work was done using regression analysis. The results of the empirical findings show that forensic accountants are relevant in investigating crime and corruption in the public sector.
Keywords: FIRS, Forensic Accounting, Regression Analysis, Crimes, Corruption

Introduction. Starting from the observation that globally there are many voices questioning the level of adaptation of the current educational system to the realities of the contemporary world, we shall briefly present a couple of views on how the European and the American education of the future might look and also the way in which the academic leadership should manage this process of change. Since any vulnerability may represent in certain circumstances an opportunity, based on an existent analysis, as well as on some personal opinions we shall present the way in which the Romanian academic environment could develop. Believing that nowadays the exchange of experience and the know-how between different branches of the society are the key to obtaining a booster effect that will allow the occurrence of a synergy between them, we are proposing a vision through which the academic environment can take advantages, seizing on the experiences of the business environment, the effect of “leapfrogging” to eliminate the distance between the academic environment and similar systems in other countries with tradition.

Aim of the study. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the trends that mark the evolution of leadership in the Romanian academic environment from a systemic perspective to integrate the past, present and future. In our approach we start from an analysis of how the multiple transformations that took place within the Romanian society in its whole has influenced the academic environment, emphasizing especially the moments of rupture caused by the numerous reforms started and never completed and the problems of chronic underfunding faced by the system.
Keywords: leadership, academic environment, change, trends

Introduction. The term ‘leadership’ is used referring to inter- or intra-group communication. Strictly speaking, its meaning is to influence communication. Fundamentally, leadership and influence are synonymous. In this perspective, we start from the principle that in any group – regardless of structure or number – individuals interact in pursuit of a common goal, whether it is inside or outside group, referring to publicor private interests, shaped or diffused. The leadership designated as “the ability of a leader, driving a framework to determine a group of people to work with it in achieving a goal based on their strong involvement”.

Aim of the study. This paper aims to identify and analyze the extent to which new media have penetrated the Romanian organizations’ internal communication and have influenced the leadership. We intend also to consider how social media becomes a tool for organizational communication and contributes to the creation of a new kind of leadership associated with open communication. We start from the premise that new media and social media can contribute to the leader’s mission to create around him a vision and makes others to share this vision. In terms of open communication, the external image of organization reflects, in part, leadership practices within the organization. It is about the exercise of the shared collective leadership that should strengthen the organization position.
Keywords: Leadership, new media, social media, open communication, shared information
JEL Classification: O15

Introduction. Leadership could be seen as a process to achieve company’s goals through company’s people. In any company and also in banks and central banks, leadership could register notable performance as a result of harmonization between formal and informal organization of the company. Maintaining a dynamic and optimal balance for ensuring the simultaneous attainment of individual aspirations of employees and company objectives should be a goal and a permanent preoccupation of the management team. Nowadays, leadership of the central banks have to face a multitude of issues that concern accountability and credibility of monetary authorities.

Aim of the study. In this regard, one of the essential characteristics that determine and influence leadership of a central bank was to ensure that the degree of central bank independence from the political authorities of the country concerned. Before and during the international financial crisis, NBR has faced some important and difficult periods, watershed might say, in terms of the proper functioning of his leadership. These include: adopting the strategy of monetary policy based on inflation targeting, the speculative attack on the currency in the period 17 October to 5 November 2008 and the liquidity crisis of Romanian banks with foreign capital.
Keywords: central bank functions, formal and informal organization, decision taking, inflation targeting strategy, speculative attack on currency
JEL classification: E52, E58, G20, M10, N20, O20

Introduction. IT&C companies need to adapt themselves to an environment featuring a high level of competition. Innovation stays as the main vector of the domain, while the renewal rate of new technologies grows in speed (there are cases where new technologies emerge and replace the older ones in months). With this series of research we aim to analyse several local or global companies within the IT&C field, as well as the importance of leadership for their development.

Aim of the study. This first article will focus on leadership within a company called Research In Motion – RIM (currently named BlackBerry) and on the main problems that have arisen within the company after the organisation was left without support from the leaders that created its worldwide brand.
Keywords: information technology, productivity, leadership, management, operational improvements
JEL Classification: J24

Introduction. Retail financial services in all markets, including emerging markets, are undergoing major transaction, driven by change, deregulation and customer sophistication. Customer service and specifically relationship management in particular, are crucial to attaining a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. The execution of a one- to- one programme within an emerging economy is the focus of this paper, specifically in the financial services environment.

Aim of the study. The steps in the execution of customer relationship management (CRM) as proposed by Peppers, Rogers and Dorf (1999b) are examined and the effect on customer service in an emerging market is investigated. The findings indicates that there are positive associations with these steps and customer service.
Keywords: Retail, Financial services, Emerging markets, Customer service, Competitive advantage, Customer relationship management.

Introduction. The new organizational changes caused by social, economic and politic reforms led to a shift in the strategic management of the companies. The growing need for professionals, who know how to generate profits, is growing and increase confidence of partners and clients, find new ideas and adapt to a dynamic market. Therefore, internally, we need an efficient management of human resources to find and retain the most suitable and efficient people which will increase productivity and face the increased acting globally competition. Currently, companies that succeed are the ones that integrate in their business strategy, an important component of development and valuation human capital.

Aim of the study. The paper aims to analyze and highlight the importance of human capital in the new organizational strategies, focused on achieving a high level of competitiveness, innovation and excellence.
Keywords: human capital, leadership, effectiveness, productivity
JEL Classification: J24, O15