Léon F. WEGNEZ, Administrator Secretary General of the DIPLOMATIC CLUB OF BELGIUM, and Co-Founder of the Diplomatique Gazette, Brussels confirmed again his real vocation for spreading knowledge through a new inspiring book, this time about “BELGIUM and DIPLOMACY”, challenging us to join him in the world of diplomacy and to understand its mistery.
As we all know, happiness is a continuous journey, not a destination. That is why we are always happy when well known personalities with a real vocation for spreading knowledge, with vision and commitment – such us Napoleon POP, Constantin BRĂTIANU and Nicolae Al. POP – send us books that we have the pleasure to recommend. Here are three such significant books:
The Senate of the Romanian Scientific Society of Management (SSMAR) has awarded the prestigious title of Honorary Member to Levent ALTINAY, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Research Area Leader, Oxford School of Hospitality Management, Faculty of Business, Oxford Brookes University, UK, following the proposal of SSMAR’s Approval Commission (consisting of the following distinguished Professors: Gheorghe ZAMAN, Theodor Valentin PURCĂREA, Ion Gh. ROŞCA, Ion TALPOŞ, Ana-Maria PREDA, Constantin BRĂTIANU, Viorel LEFTER, Valentina VASILE, Ion ABRUDAN). The prestigious title of Honorary Member has been awarded to Professor Levent Altinay „for his acknowledged sustained contributions to the field of strategic hospitality management, entrepreneurship, strategic alliances and international business within the context of hospitality and service related industries, for his research that offers value and relevance to both practitioners and policymakers, and for his struggling to continuously refine the curriculum development that benefits students in higher-educational institutions, and, thus the forward advancement of the industry.”
The Laudatio has been written by SSMAR’s devoted President, Professor Constantin ROŞCA (www.crd-aida.ro/2010/12/), who is also Executive Director of the Association of Faculties of Economics in Romania (AFER), and has been read by Professor Viorel LEFTER, Vice Rector of the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, and Member of the Executive Board of SSMAR (Professor Viorel LEFTER is one of those who had the great honour of being received to discuss personally with the “Father of Management”, Peter F. DRUCKER), on January 12, 2012, on the occasion of the Diploma Award ceremony held at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest.
Professor Levent ALTINAY (who is also one of the distinguished Editorial Board Members of „Business & Leadership” SSMAR’s Journal), received the Diploma of Honorary Member of SSMAR from Professor Professor Gheorghe ZAMAN, President of the Scientific Council of SSMAR. Professor Gheorghe ZAMAN is an Associate Member of the Romanian Academy, Vice President of the Economic, Law, and Sociological Sciences Section of the Romanian Academy, President of the General Association of Economists from Romania (AGER), President of the Scientific Council of Romanian Scientific Management Society (SSMAR), and Chairman of the Group of Experts of the Romanian Distribution Committee (www.crd-aida.ro/our-team/gheorghe-zaman/). Professor Gheorghe ZAMAN is the Director of the Insitute for National Economy (IEN, the oldest public settlement of economic research in Romania), and he has specialised in the field of economic-mathematical modeling of consumption at the „Department of Applied Economics”, Cambridge University, England since 1969, under the direction of Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences Laureate Richard Stone (awarded in 1984 „for having made fundamental contributions to the development of systems of national accounts and hence greatly improved the basis for empirical economic analysis”), Joan Robinson, Maurice Dobb, and Nicholas Kaldor.
Levent Altinay, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Research Area Leader, Oxford School of Hospitality Management, Faculty of Business, Oxford Brookes University, UK, has been a special invitee of the Romanian American University. Oxford Brookes University is a premier learning and teaching institution with an outstanding research record, and is the only UK modern university to have achieved 24 subjects rated as excellent for teaching, having a longstanding reputation for employability, and being host to two national centres of excellence in teaching and learning.
During the meeting with the Board of Romanian Scientific Society of Management at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest it was underlined that SSMAR has assumed an important role in a responsible way, continuing to significantly contribute to the proper understanding of the manager’s personal development in the context of the interaction between the managerial culture, the workplace culture and the surrounding culture (along with an accelerated evolution related to the continuous pressure to develop strategies and embrace management practices able to ensure organizational effectiveness). The discussions held have emphasized, among other aspects, the importance of the quality of team relations, as well as the quality of the network in initiating partnerships, along with establishing a fluid and flexible process for planning sequential stages, of a supportive organizational culture, developing a high research potential via learning experiences based on projects and workshops conducted by excellent managers who aim high but at the same time pay a lot of attention to details.
On the occasion of the discussions held with Dr. Eng. Roger Cătălin MANEA, General Director, Dr. Eng. Iuliu Gabriel Maloş – Head of Food Service Industry Department, and Dr. Eng. Alin Sever Marinescu, Councilor, a number of issues on the deployment of Congress and the future actions arising from the conclusions of these works were approached.
From the very beginning it was hailed the impact of the exposition of Romanian traditional products on the International Congress participants, the exhibitors’ professionalism and the quality of Romanian traditional products exhibited being highlighted. Romanian exhibitors confirmed the determination to make the trade show work, and proved that they really understand that branding is about getting the prospects to see you as a solution to prospects’ problem, and that brand knowledge refers to brand awareness and brand image, by exhibiting consistent messages and images , including consistent slogans and taglines.
Moreover, we shall refer gradually at length to all the exhibitors, giving for the moment a first example: MIRDATOR Ibaneşti expositional stand with traditional diary products, a well known excellent source of vitamins and minerals (you can see below images from Braşov, as well as from other significant participation of thistraditional diary producer). We chose this example (to which we shall return on a different occasion) first, to signal a happy double coincidence: exactly in the October issue, 2011, of the prestigious journal “Distribution d‘aujourd’hui”, Brussels, sent to us by Professor Leon Wegnez, Secretary General of A.I.D.A. Brussels and General Director of Royal Belgian Distribution Committee (www.distribution-magazine.eu/eu/News/Entries/2011/9/21_The_honorable_Leon_F._WEGNEZ_ ), “Cheese File” and “Health File” were approached (see image below); Professor Bernd Hallier just sent us the presentation of his new challenging book (see image below) „From crisis to competence” – EHI Retail Institute, European Retail Academy, and Organinvent (the largest German labeling organization in the beef sector; the purpose of Orgainvent business is the “development and coordination of identification, assurance and merchandise management systems between the agricultural industry and the food retail trade”).
Another important point on the agenda was the “New Global Initiative” (17.10.2011: New Global Initiative – www.european-retail-academy.org/index.php) with the view to cooperate in the future on significant topics: a Romanian Competence Center for Global good agricultural practices (The GLOBALG.A.P standard is primarily designed to reassure consumers about how food is produced on the farm by minimizing detrimental environmental impacts of farming operations, reducing the use of chemical inputs and ensuring a responsible approach to worker health and safety as well as animal welfare) and “smartagrifood” (Future Internet for Safe and Healthy Food from Farm to Fork; smart farming – individual treatment of animals, plants or m2 of land at the right place and right time through sophisticated sensing & monitoring, decision support and precise application to improve efficiency, productivity, quality, flexibility and chain responsiveness; smart agri-logistics – is about intelligent matching demand and sourcing followed by smart transport and logistics of agri-food products by e.g. auto-identification, conditioned transport using sensors and control systems, remotely controlled early warning systems, etc.; smart food awareness – enabling the consumer with relevant information e.g. concerning safety, availability, health, environmental protection, animal welfare, etc. using chain information systems).
Within this context, the significance of the new book of Professor Bernd Hallier, „From crisis to competence”, was also discussed. Professor Bernd Hallier, PhD, is Managing Director EHI Retail Institute (former EuroHandelsinstitut), President of EuCVoT (European Competence Center for Vocational Training for Retail), President of the European Retail Academy (ERA), Chairman of the Advisory Board of EuroShop (world’s largest capital goods show in the retail sector), Member of the Board of AIDA Brussels, Member of the Astana Economic Scientists Club, Member of the Advisory Board of “Transparent Food”, Chairman of the Board of the Orgainvent, Trustee of EHI Retail Institute at GLOBALG.A.P. Professor Bernd Hallier began many years ago a fruitful collaboration with the prestigious Professor Klaus Toepfer (former Federal German Minister for Environment, former director of the United Nations Environment Program UNEP and initiator of the Kyoto Protocol), and with Dr. Angela Merkel (today Chancellor of the Federal Republic, and who pushed “environment” to become a high political issue during the EU-Presidency of Germany, in 2007).
On behalf of the Organizing Committee and of the Scientific Committe of the the First International Congress ,,Health-Nutrition-Wellbeing”, Professor Theodor Valentin Purcarea (www.crd-aida.ro/our-team/theodor-purcarea/ ) handed Diplomas of “SANABUNA Award” to the three mentioned representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development who contributed to the success of the works of the Congress. The three Diplomas have been signed by the President of the Organizing Committee of the Congress, Professor Florian Popa, Rector of the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacie, Bucharest (www.holisticmarketingmanagement.ro/hmm/News/Entries/2011/10/18_Outstanding_subsequent_meetings_of_the_First_International_Congress_,,Health_Nutrition_Wellbeing.html).
Visiting a first expositional stand of the exhibition of traditional food products, Aro Palace Braşov, on the occasion of
“SANABUNA International“
The honorable Leon F. WEGNEZ offers us an honest version of the conversation of the business with its most important partner – the consumer. Another book which represents a real capital, a loyal friend of ethical business. A book about consumers and consumerism, about the consumer-partner, thirsty for ethics, with pressing claims, which urges the business to improve, innovate and re-innovate and to offer the consumer the best possible experience.
Leon 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.
