Tax Mediation – an Alternative to the Resolution of Disputes between Taxpayers and the Local Tax Administration

Local taxes and fees are of interest to both the public authorities and the taxpayer. The level of local taxes and fees guides the way the local budget is prepared and outlines the main investment objectives at the community level. The taxpayer has become increasingly interested in what he pays in local taxes and fees because he has realized that this effort on his part must be reflected in the level of well-being of the community in which he lives. This study aims at an analysis of tax mediation in Romania, as a distinct, special, and voluntary procedure between the tax institution and the debtor taxpayer, without the presence of the mediator as a third person, neutral and independent, comparing the institution of tax mediator in Romania with other EU countries presentation of the stages of mediation and its advantages in favor of both parties. The reality proves that there are numerous situations when fiscal administrative acts issued by the local taxes and fees service are the object of appeals before the issuing public authorities and the administrative-fiscal contentious courts. It complicates the activity of both local public authorities and courts, adds time consumption and financial costs, and fiscal mediation proves to be an optimal solution.

Ensuring Performance - A Permanent Challenge for Public Sector Organizations

Organizational performance is one of the most important topics in specialized research and can be considered the most important indicator of an organization's success. Performance in the enterprise expresses not only the decrease of the cost-value pair, but everything that brings to the fore its efficiency and effectiveness, materialized in indicators. Performance management is a specialized form of general management that focuses on increasing performance in the organization, a process based on a specific system of principles and rules, methods, techniques and tools.

Are Local Food Systems Vectors of Sustainable Choices?

In the last few years, but even more so given the context the COVID-19 pandemic, a large series of global and local changes have occurred in all areas of life, including the way food is perceived and procured. The orientation towards local food as a preferred choice has gained more followers which are interested in economic, social and environmental effects of the way the world uses all kinds of resources to meet its nutritional needs. Local food involves a special kind of food systems approach in terms of determining factors and resulting implications for all actors involved. The paper deals with emphasizing different aspects of local food systems, including both agri-food producers and consumer’s drivers together with the effects of rethinking the way people choose to procure their food. The link to sustainable development is clearly highlighted using the multiple implications of this agri-food system upon different sectors and dimensions.

Leading Change with the Heart: Exploring the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic Challenges

In recent decades, effective leadership theorising, perceptions and studies have shifted attention to interpersonal skills and the leader’s capacity to inspire, encourage and motivate subordinates as well as create and maintain a sense of positive contribution to the whole of the organisation. This conceptualisation is in sharp contrast to prior studies and conceptualisations resonating with controlling, planning and target-oriented leadership. Consequently, this article takes as its premise the relationship between emotional intelligence (leading with the heart) and transformational leadership within the purview of COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic challenges. It is thus argued here that in times of crisis that humanity (and the organisation specifically) is faced with at the moment unleashed by COVID-19 pandemic challenges, a style of leadership that takes as its focal point emotional intelligence mediated by transformational leadership can be instrumental in leading business organisation through this epoch. The methodology used here is steeped in cursory look at prior, relevant literature on these phenomena and how it helps to inform a conceptual framework that could help in shedding new light on how to confront the challenges of Covid-19 through effective leadership. This paper concludes that in times of crisis – particularly the one ushered in by Covid-19 – a medley of emotional intelligence and transformational leadership is necessary to drive effective change for organisation, which would help them to bounce back and operate profitably and sustainably.

Determinants of Share Price of Listed Firms in Ghana

The price of a company’s share represents investors’ confidence in the future profitability of the company and also used to represent the value of shareholders’ wealth The study examined factors that influence share price of firms listed on the Ghana stock Exchange. The study specifically examined firm specific factors, book ratios and macroeconomic factors that influence share price of listed firms in Ghana. The firm-specific variables include firm size and the firm being a financial institution. The book ratios used in the study include earnings per share, debt ratio, return on assets, return on equity and dividend per share. The macroeconomic variables include economic growth, inflation rate and interest rate. The study sampled 21 firms over a 10-year period, from 2009 to 2018. The study used descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and panel regression analysis to achieve the objectives of the study. The results of the study show that firm-specific variables such as firm size and the firm being financial institution were positive and statistically significant determinants of share price of listed firms in Ghana. The book ratios of debt to asset ratio, return on asset and return on equity were statistically insignificant association with share price of firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. Other book ratios, such as earnings per share and dividend per share, were positively associated and statistically significant with share price of the sampled firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. On the macroeconomic variables, only economic growth was positively associated with share price and statistically significant at 10% significance level. The other variables – inflation and interest rate – were statistically insignificant. The results show that book or investment ratios are the main determinants of share price for firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange.

Creative Destruction Theory Space as the Ultimate End for post-COVID-19 Recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa

The emergence of COVID-19 has made it ever more onerous for the world economy to rethink the way things are done and to be done. The need and almost compulsory way of services being catered for will never have been made so practically obvious without the influence of a pandemic like COVID-19. The world at some point in time was almost brought to a standstill, with services pertaining to supply-chain deliverables, education / professional development and many more almost brought to a halt. This paper has the platform for critically assessing the pathway SSA economies (SSA) should follow, notably creativity in new technologies, while adopting a stance on ISI approach in order to reduce its reliance on the importation of essential commodities, which seem to have been a worrying concern throughout the crisis of COVID-19. Suggestions for SSA economies to embrace the notion of creative destruction is the focal point in this paper for the realization of growth and development, while at the same time harnessing the power of human integrity to champion competitive innovation.

Developing Rural Tourism with the Participation of Related Parties in Bac Kan Province

Tourism development policy will pay attention to stakeholders, especially to people, who play an important role. However, in reality, when people participate in rural tourism development, they are not equipped with basic knowledge and skills in managing and serving tourists. Because the benefits between stakeholders are still not clear, the participation of people in rural tourism development is currently only passive. Active participation need to be directed from the Government and local authorities because the concept that rural tourism development is not only about creating economic benefits but also associated with conservation and preservation, together with keeping and promoting cultural - historical values in rural areas.

An Exploration of Organizational Change and Employees’ Performance in Nigeria

This study focused on Organizational Change (OC) and employees’ performance in banks in North Central of Nigeria. The study ascertained the effects of tolerance to change and the activities of fraud, and strategy change, organizational structuring, attitude of employees towards change and organizational culture on the performance of banks employee in North Central of Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. The population of the study for Benue State is 168 and Kogi State is 202. The sample size of the study was 189. Multistage random sampling technique was adopted. Data were analyzed using Multiple Regression. Findings showed that tolerance to change, activities of fraudsters, organizational structuring, strategy change and organizational culture have effect on the performance of banks employee. Finding shows that complexity, attitude of employees towards change and tolerance to change have significant and negative influence, and that perceived advantage and employee motivation has positive and significant influence on the change acceptance of bank employees. The study concluded that OC is pivot to banking practices. The study recommended that bank leaders should sustain change tolerance level, devise better strategic approach to dealing with fraudsters and their activities; this may facilitate employees’ improved performance in North Central of Nigeria.

Institutions, Corruption and Microfinance Viability in Developing Countries: the Case of Ghana and Nigeria

This article focuses on the role corrupt institutions (microfinance institutions) play in microfinance not being accessible for business development in Africa. It specifically sheds light on the contexts of Nigeria and Ghana to tease out the challenges and opportunities for small businesses consequent upon a culture of corruption in these countries and associated challenges for small business owners and entrepreneurs as well as microbusiness development. As well-known, in many developing countries with a high level of corruption, there is potentially a high incidence of institutional void, which presents setback and challenges for businesses to thrive. Microbusiness development relies largely on effective institutions to develop, and in situations where institutions are corrupt, these challenges are rather redoubled thus posing a threat to entrepreneurship development. Therefore, these contexts enable us to understand and interrogate the challenges facing microbusiness development, where corrupt microfinance institutions exist, as well as business opportunities if these corrupt institutions were not present. Thus this paper argues that for businesses to thrive enabling and effective institutional mechanisms are crucial, which will facilitate opportunities for microbusiness development.

Investment Policy of the European Union. Empirical Evidence of the Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on The European Union Economy

The paper deals with the evolution during a period of over 60 years of the investment policy of the European Union, pointing out the main moments that marked the steps taken towards the progressive shaping of an increasingly unitary character of this policy. The increase of the interest of foreign investors for strategic, sensitive sectors of the economy of the member countries determined, after 2017, a change in the philosophy of establishing and applying the Union's investment policy, materialized in the more precise definition of "foreign investor" and in implementing a more rigorous mechanism of control of foreign direct investment. Further on are presented the main effects of foreign investment in the Community economy, resulting from empirical studies on this topic, the conclusions reached by these studies being sometimes divergent.