The paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, using the event study approach for the Bucharest Stock Exchange, by which Bucharest Stock Indices and listed firms grouped by sectors were analyzed. The paper uses three important event days, 20 January 2020, 11 March 2020, and 15 March 2020. The findings demonstrate that initially investors were not concerned about the pandemic, showing that they did not realize the extent of globalization and transmission of events on financial markets. Both after 11 March and after 15 March 2020, stock indices have declined, investors becoming worried about the prospects of their dividends and the stock liquidity. The most affected sectors were those related to metallurgical industry, IT&C. After the lockdown, there was a reversal for some sectors like pharmaceutical and biotechnology, electricity production, transportation and distribution, and IT&C. Understanding the intensity and direction of the link between some sectors and indices may influence investment strategies and help in hedging, especially in times of pandemics.

Taking care of mental health is a state of mind. Amid the challenges of the current context, mental health has become one of the problems with the greatest impact on citizens and the evolution of any economy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become more anxious, solitary, preoccupied with themselves, and depressed because their entire universe has changed, by restricting their social and professional life; the increase in concern caused by a possible illness of them or those close to them made to isolate themselves. Two qualitative (group and in-depth interviews) and one survey-based quantitative research were carried out, which allowed the quantification of the opinions, perceptions, and attitudes of Romanians regarding the effectiveness of policies for the prevention and treatment of depression. Quantitative research revealed that most of the subjects had never participated in a mental health assessment, and a quarter of them had visited a mental health specialist more than two years ago. Based on the results, proposals were elaborated, which have been addressed both to the specialists from the Ministry of Health and to those from the academic environment, that may have an impact on the elaboration of some public mental health programs.

Our study proposes a Romanian national perspective of the gender–sustainability paradigm in higher education under the Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) approach. The starting point is the interlinkage of the two concepts, gender parity and sustainability, depicted on a fundamental societal domain. Data collection was completed following a census approach, resulting in staffing data on 47 Romanian state-owned universities. Data collected envisaged the tenure teaching staff, divided into two gender groups; the count was focused on executive roles and collective managerial elected bodies for the 2015–2019 mandate. The gender situation was analyzed quantitatively by the number of teaching staff, their gender structure, and their representation in the executive functions and collective decision-making bodies. We calculated gender indexes and used statistical correlation coefficients to explain the relations between the different categories of personnel and their influence on establishing the management structures. The results of the gender configuration analysis were further associated with the latest national meta-ranking of Romanian universities. Our findings show that Romanian universities demonstrate sustainability under SDG5 through their institutional capacity to use either feminine majorities or a statistically detected pro-female voting propensity in order to construct optimally gendered management structures through vote only.

New methods of connecting physicians and patients have arisen. Technology is playing a crucial role and the concept of hybrid doctor–patient relationship is considered relevant for the competitive health management system. At the same time, the need for knowledge about implementing policies and best practices into the system is highly demanding. Digital tools, such as eHealth or mHealth can improve the traditional approach to consulting patients without requiring face-to-face interaction. However, due to the discussion surrounding the adoption of these technologies, the authors performed the study with two marketing research methods. The first is qualitative and is related to the opinions, attitudes, and beliefs of Romanian experts on the use of eHealth and mHealth for the prevention, detection, and treatment of mild mental disorders. The second method quantifies the opinions, attitudes, and behaviours of Romanian adults on their openness to adopt new technologies for mental health management. The main findings of the research highlight three factors that can increase the chances of adults using technology for health-related needs: (1) accessibility (2) data security, and (3) content. These are the main aspects that influence the well-being of both young and older adults, who both need support regarding mental health management.

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