The need for Romanian agriculture development by efficient usage of resources and a rural environment has led to the establishment of agricultural cooperatives. Romania needs strong cooperatives and, in order to achieve this, the involvement of not only the authorities and agricultural producers, but also of each inhabitant from the rural area, is required. In the context of food market saturation with import products, it is necessary to revive the Romanian market in order to supply natural and quality products. A total of 1425 agricultural cooperatives were registered in Romania at the end of 2018, out of which 57% did not submit the Balance Sheet. The research performed within the study proposes the usage of fsQCA analysis in order to assess some conditions considered by us essential for the sustainability of the agricultural cooperatives. These conditions are represented by the initial contribution of the members, by the existence of a central collection space, by the employment of a manager, by the knowledge of the members on the development possibilities, and by the involvement of the members within the cooperative’s activity. The study highlights the fact that the absence of the conditions presented leads to the absence of a sustainable cooperative. We consider the dissolution of the cooperatives pertinent, which has not developed an activity for more than three years from their establishment and the publication on the MADR website of the National Registry of Cooperatives, which will offer a true image on the prosperity and viability of these types of entities.

PurposeHorses play an important role in the agricultural industry around the world. The equestrian sector offers new markets and sustainable business opportunities. This paper, based on a structural equation modelling approach, seeks to explore the interests of Romanian entrepreneurs in developing a sustainable business in the equestrian sector by investing in the use of horse manure. This manure is an important renewable resource in the circular economy, including in the production of bioenergy and bio-fertilizers. The present research investigates whether there is an interest in developing such a business in Romania, built around three pillars: the environment, society and the economy.Design/methodology/approachPLS-SEM is an appropriate method for this research, where prediction of interest for sustainable entrepreneurship plays a central role. In total, 153 responses have been collected and validated based on a questionnaire and the invitations to complete were sent to people who are already entrepreneurs or have intention to become entrepreneurs in the near future.FindingsThe structural model shows that society's interest has the strongest effect on developing a sustainable business model through horse manure. Surprisingly, the study does not reflect an expected correlation between the interest in the environment and the development of a sustainable business model through horse manure resulting in bioenergy.Originality/valueThis study contributes to arousing the interest in research and even the development of a business by presenting the sustainability factors in the horse industry and adopting technological innovations, services, products and business models. The study was conducted in Romania, where, currently, the manure produced by horses is underexploited, and the equestrian sector requires new business models, innovations and sustainable development.

The fragmentation of the Agricultural Real Estate in Romania, which is due to the lack of vision regarding the retrocession of the land and to the ineffective measures for reparcelling farmland, manifests by the existence of a record number of about 3422 million farms in Romania, of which about 92% have a utilized agricultural area (UAA) below 5 ha. The Romanian agricultural sector possesses about 30% of the total European farms but contributes only 3% to the total EU agricultural production. The association of local agricultural producers may be an alternative to reparcelling farmland on a short-term basis in order to reduce the fragmentation degree and increase the competitiveness of the national agricultural sector. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 25 active groups of agricultural producers are registered in the South-East Region in 2018, where these associative entities have been recorded to have a low degree of viability. The paper proposes an analysis on the farmers’ motivation regarding the access to/exit from a form of agricultural association and the identification of some alternatives for increasing the viability of the associative forms in the agricultural sector in the South-East of Romania. In this respect, a study was carried out on a sample of 16 entities that gave up their status of producer groups in the analyzed region in 2011–2018. The Fuzzy Set Quantitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) Qualitative analysis method was applied, which identified the main influence factors that have led to the disappearance of this associative form. We consider this study relevant for drawing attention to the main obstacles that Romanian farmers face in joining an associative form. The study has shown that mainly the factors directly influenced by government policies have led to the withdrawal of a relatively large number of producers from producer groups in the studied region.

The paper proposes an analysis of entrepreneurial intentions in the equine sector in Romania and the identification of the variables influencing economic growth in this field. The equine sector plays a strategic role in the development of durable, sustainable and social entrepreneurship. The combination of equine services can ensure a business's survival during a crisis, and businesses involving horses can be considered complex. The equine sector is constantly changing: it is affected by politics, the social environment and new competitors. Changing customer requirements make it a difficult area in which to develop a sustainable start-up ecosystem. The present study is important in drawing attention to the main impediments faced by Romanian entrepreneurs in the development of the equine sector, a sector which-because of the emotional and physical benefits that horses offer-has great potential. The horse industry needs true "enthusiastic entrepreneurs" who have the management knowledge and skills to make their business more professional and profitable. It was found that the firm's organisation method is an important factor in predicting business continuity, in achieving medium-and long-term objectives, and in ensuring business success.

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate the correlations between latent variables embedded into three clusters (equine agritourism, therapeutic horse riding and equine sports) and entrepreneurial intentions of people interested to invest in equestrian sector. Design/methodology/approach The authors propose a conceptual framework focused on three latent variables that influence the interest of horse enthusiasts to embrace an entrepreneurial career. Statistical analyses via Pearson’s chi-square tests, analysis of variance (statistical formula used to compare variances across the means (or average) of different groups) and regression analysis have been performed to validate our assumptions. Findings Findings reveal a high level of interest of from horse enthusiasts to opt for an entrepreneurial career, as funding opportunities in this sector are growing due to European union and national funding available for this endeavour. Originality/value Very limited research studies have been explored the entrepreneurial intentions in equine industry. This study proves that sports and therapeutic activities influence to the greatest extent, the entrepreneurial intention in the equestrian sector.

It is known that the cost of production holds the largest share of the total operating costs of a company. Therefore, in order for a company to survive, grow and pay its shareholder by generating a reasonable profit, the effective and efficient control of such a cost by management becomes very important. When the cost is not properly controlled and maintained by ensuring that actual results are in line with predefined standards, it could result in higher operating costs, lower profit margins, and ultimately discontent among owners and potential investors.

In the current economic flow generated context, the services provided by liberal professions have become a link between producers and suppliers of products, services and end‐users. The objective of the study is to delineate the fiscal debt sustainability threshold and its impact on liberal professions specific activities. A subsequent objective is to highlight the impact of the independent activities of the liberal professions at the micro and macroeconomic level by developing a model of circular interdependence, between the inputs and outputs of resources, services and the critical point from which it can produce value, continuity and growth in activity. The results of the study are based on the definition of the role of the liberal profession in the context of the current economy in Romania, as well as on the demarcation of the critical point from which the economic spiral can create added value and profitability.