Potrivit înţelepciunii universale amintirile sunt un mănunchi de gânduri şi experienţe, de momente semnificative ca esenţă a valorii şi a bucuriei retrăirii cu speranţă şi încredere, perseverenţă si iniţiativă, efort constant, învăţând, întelegând şi acţionând, generând impact pe termen lung.

Revista „ACADEMICA” (Nr. 12 decembrie 2019 Anul XXIX • 350), revistă editată de Academia Română, ne-a lăsat mărturie şi câteva semnificative trimiteri la Profesorul Beniamin Cotigaru. În „Cuvânt rostit la susținerea discursului de recepție al academicianului Daniel Dăianu” (5 noiembrie 2019, Aula Academiei Române), Acad. Ioan-Aurel Pop, Președintele Academiei Române, afirma că „Domnul Academician Daniel Dăianu s-a remarcat ca un eminent specialist în domeniul științelor  economice și ca un om al Cetății” (pag.15). În „Discurs de recepție” – << Drumul spre cunoaștere. „facerea” unui economist >> – Acad. Daniel Dăianu spunea că „Merită să evoc dezbateri pe care le aveam la Laboratorul de management şi organizare de la ASE… Şi la profesorul Buium Cotigaru, la Laboratorul de cercetare a produsului, aveau loc discuţii ieşite din comun…” (pag. 11). În „Cuvânt de răspuns” la discursul de recepție susținut de academicianul Daniel Dăianu, Acad. Aurel Iancu afirma că „Dotat cu o minte strălucită însoțită de o perseverență ieșită din comun, tânărul Dăianu participa activ la seminariile profesorilor Constantin Pintilie, Gheorghe Preda și Buium Cotigaru la care profesori și cercetători invitați prezentau ultimele noutăți științifice curățate de ideologia oficială. În aceste împrejurări l-am cunoscut pe studentul Daniel Dăianu…” (pag. 35). Acad. Daniel Dăianu, Președintele Consiliului Fiscal, se află şi în fruntea componenţei Consiliului Ştiinţific al Revistei Române de Concurență (https://www.revistadeconcurenta.ro/ro/reviste/rrc-2025-1/) care apare sub egida Consiliului Concurenţei (recent, la Conferinţa din data de 14 noiembrie 2025 a fost lansat „Raportul Consiliului Concurenței privind concurența în sectoare cheie – 2025”, https://www.consiliulconcurentei.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Raport-Sectoare-Cheie-2025.pdf).

O altă semnificativă trimitere la Profesorul Beniamin Cotigaru s-a făcut într-o ştire din anul 2024 postată pe pagina de web a revistei „Holistic Marketing Management” a Universităţii Româno-Americane (https://holisticmarketingmanagement.ro/aniversarea-a-25-de-ani-de-existenta-a-prestigioasei-reviste-amfiteatru-economic/): „Profesorul Viorel Petrescu a fost cel care i-a dus acasă Profesorului Beniamin Cotigaru (fostul asistent al Profesorului Iosif Ionescu-Muscel) Diploma de Onoare acordată (în Aula Magna a ASE Bucureşti, 3 aprilie 2013) de către Ministrul Educaţiei. Profesorii Viorel Petrescu, Altăr Moisă (https://www.crd-aida.ro/2023/12/profesorul-moisa-altar-o-valoroasa-binemeritata-recunoastere-promotor-al-evolutiei-culturale-in-stiinta-interactiunii/) şi Theodor Purcărea au fost cei care au participat, luând cuvântul, la funeraliile prilejuite de trecerea la cele veşnice a Profesorului Beniamin Cotigaru, moment de la care s-au împlinit 10 ani pe data de 2 octombrie 2024. Profesorii Viorel Petrescu, Vasile Dinu, Cristinel Vasiliu şi Laurenţiu Tăchiciu s-au numărat printre Colegii de Facultate care au manifestat un permanent respect (şi sprijin) faţă de Profesorul Beniamin Cotigaru, care a fost şi un mare Prieten al Universităţii Româno-Americane, ca de altfel şi Profesorul Bernd Hallier. Un mesaj din partea Profesorului Bernd Hallier (care participat în anul următor) a fost transmis şi cu ocazia deschiderii lucrărilor Conferinţei Internaţionale „Comerţ şi Competitivitate”, vineri, 29 octombrie 2004, în Aula Magna a ASE Bucureşti.”

De asemenea, tot în anul 2024, la editura Routledge (cea mai importantă editură academică din lume în domeniul științelor umaniste și sociale; inclusiv Adorno, Einstein, Russell, Popper, Wittgenstein, Jung, Bohm, Hayek, McLuhan, Marcuse și Sartre au fost publicaţi aici: https://www.routledge.com/corporate/about-us) a apărut  o carte intitulată „Critical realism and the objective value of sustainability”. Autoarea, Doamna Gabriela Sabău – Honorary Research Professor of economics and environmental studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), Canada – şi-a manifesta recunoștința (în „Acknowledgements”) pentru faptul că a lucrat “într-o echipă de colegi entuziaști, condusă de regretatul Profesor Beniamin Cotigaru, la un proiect pentru reconstrucția durabilă a României. Printre colegii de care îmi amintesc cu recunoștință din acea perioadă se numără …” (a se vedea mai jos).

The 2025 GIKS (Global Interferences of Knowledge Society) International Conference has confirmed that the transformative results are obtained by a leader who knows how to build a high-performing team, improving its synergy, accelerating collaborative work, and concentrating on the intended outcome, this growing process paving the way to lasting competitive advantage. Based on the visionary insight, passionate about her work and truly believing in clear communication the Head of the 2025 GIKS Conference Organizing Committee, Prof. PhD Maria-Cristina Ștefan, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Valahia University of Târgovişte, opened the conference by welcoming the distinguished audience, highlighting key parts of the program, encouraging active participation throughout the event, and clearly stating conference’s purpose to advance understanding by: leveraging the interconnectedness between knowledge, dialogue and innovation as application of knowledge, presenting new research, and facilitating sustainable partnerships and international mobilities for students, doctoral candidates and academic staff, including stimulating university-business cooperation.

Also, it was underlined the 2025 GIKS Conference’s unique selling proposition considering the exclusive speaker lineup (the important people speaking at this remarkable event), conference partners being as follows: Romanian Association of Economics Faculties – AFER; “Petrol – Gaze” University of Ploiești, Romania; Institute of Financial Studies (ISF); Centre d’ Etudes du Développement International et des Mouvements Economiques et Sociaux’ (CEDIMES); Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF); Academy of Romanian Scientists (AOSR); European Marketing and Management Association (EUMMAS); Association Internationale des Economistes de Langue Francaise (AIELF); AVES Association; Valahia Alumni Association.

The 2025 GIKS Conference attendees showed a great appreciation for the valuable event’s experience ensured by the Organizing Committee (Prof. PhD Maria-Cristina Ștefan, the Head of the Organizing Committee; Assoc. Prof. PhD Luiza Ionescu; Prof. PhD Florin Radu; Prof. PhD Valentin Radu; Assoc. Prof. PhD Andreea Violeta Andreiana; Prof. PhD Gabriel Croitoru; Prof. PhD Valentina Ofelia Robescu; Prof. PhD Marius Dan Coman; Lect. PhD Alina-Iuliana Tăbîrcă; Prof. PhD Gabriel Cucui; Lect. PhD Cristina Maria Voinea; Assoc. Prof. PhD Laura Marcu; Lect. PhD Loredana-Cristina Tănase; Laborant Emanuel Itigan), and student volunteers’ energetic presence in providing support, contributing to the welcoming environment.

It is also worth remembering other three aspects:

● The 2025 GIKS Conference was the 16th in a series, being an actively contribution to improving the world by the rich academic tradition (since 1994) of the Faculty of Economics (Valahia University of Târgoviște), this year’s special event reconfirming its vocation for excellence, openness and international cooperation;

● Between October 20-24, 2025 the “International Week of Research in Economic Sciences” took place at the Faculty of Economics, Valahia University of Târgoviște, the impressive research week program showcasing a wide range of disciplines through significant events designed to enhance research skills, and putting into discussion both research methodologies (types, challenges, general criticisms and specific methodology critiques), and the future of research impacted by disruptive technologies transforming scientific process (https://economice.valahia.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Saptamana-cercetarii-2025-Economic-research-week.pdf);

● The first two E.C.R. National Symposia (Efficient Consumer Response) – then followed by the SCM 4 ECR, Business & Academic Partnership (https://www.crd-aida.ro/2024/10/successful-15th-supply-chain-management-for-efficient-consumer-response-conference-17-18-oct-2024-targoviste/) – were organized by the Romanian Distribution Committee in partnership with Valahia University of Târgoviște, in 1996 and 1997, in Târgovişte (then, in 1998, being organized, in Bucharest, the 24thCongress of the International Association for the Distributive Trade), both events enjoying the remarkable involvement and participation of the distinguished Founder and Rector of Valahia University of Târgoviște, Prof. Dr. Doc. Eng. FLOREA OPREA (see the last picture below).

The distinguished lady Carol Stanton conveyed to us the sad news of the passing of her husband, the world-renowned Professor John L. Stanton (https://www.sju.edu/news/memoriam-john-l-stanton-phd-1945-2025 ; https://www.supermarketnews.com/company-news/in-remembrance-dr-john-stanton-1945-2025-a-pillar-of-food-marketing-excellence ; https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/world-renowned-st-joseph-s-university-food-marketing-professor-john-l-stanton-jr-dies-at-80/ar-AA1L7JWB ; https://www.foodprocessing.com/workforce/people-on-the-move/news/55310120/john-stanton-marketing-guru-and-our-former-columnist-dies-at-80 ; https://foodtradenews.com/2025/08/18/longtime-sju-professor-john-l-stanton-phd-has-died/ ; https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/john-stanton-obituary-philadelphia-new-jersey-sewell-food-marketing-20250820.html). An Honorary Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee (2011), Professor John L. Stanton was the Chair of the Department of Food Marketing at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, USA, and Honored Personality 2016 of the European Retail Academy (included in the ERA Hall of Fame; other distinguished personalities who have been honored priorly by ERA were: Philip Alexander Nobel, Léon F. Wegnez, Romano Prodi, Klaus Toepfer, Robert Aumann). Professor John L. Stanton was also an inductee of the Hall of Fame of the Private Label Manufacturers Association (USA), and he was awarded Lifetimes Achievement Award, Promotion Optimization Award. He has been regularly quoted in the news media including CNN, the Today Show and NBC Nightly News and has been quoted in Forbes, Fortune, Advertising Age, Brand Week, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and many others.  He hosted an episode of the History Channel’s Modern Marvels entitled “The History of the Supermarket.” He also served as an expert and expert witness to many food and beverage companies including Whole Foods, Target, Coca Cola, Ahold, Supervalu, Boars Head, Safeway and many others. He published many books (such as: “Winning Marketing Strategy”, “Precision Target Marketing”, “Stanton on Food Marketing”, “MORE Stanton on Food Marketing”, “Success Leaves Clues!”, “Delight Me… The Ten Commandments of Customer Service”, “21 Trends in Food Marketing for the 21st Century”, “325 Ways to Make Customers Feel Like Your Supermarket Is Their Supermarket”, “Marketing Planning in a Total Quality Environment”, “Running a Supermarket Consumer Focus Groups”). For instance, his niche book “Making Niche Marketing Work” (McGraw-Hill) was selected for the Business Week Book Club, and has been published in German, Portuguese, Thai, Hebrew, and Korean. He was founding editor and Editor-in-Chief of the „Journal of Food Products Marketing”, Editor-in-Chief of the “Journal of International Food and Agribusiness”, and an editorial advisor of the British Food Journal.

Ten years ago, on August 1, 2015, starting from the words of Marcel Proust – who brought to our attention that: “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom” – we highlighted that “Professor John L. Stanton is that kind of person, constantly advocating for virtues-led management, and promoting the universal values. Honorary Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee (2011), Professor John L. Stanton is a well-known food marketing practitioner.”

Professor John L. Stanton first came to Romania in May 2011 as a Visiting Professor at the Romanian-American University (RAU). At the end of the “Strategic Marketing” course delivered by Professor Stanton to the RAU students, the Romanian American University has awarded Professor John L. Stanton the Diploma of “Special Academic Merit”. Professor John L. Stanton also made his first visit to Brasov, where he was particularly interested in the first Romanian School (attested in 1495; the current building, a historical monument, being according to the anniversary plaque from 1760) Museum. Our host here was Father Professor Vasile Oltean (the Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church in Schei Brasov), and visit organizer being our colleague Dr. Nicolae Albu, Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee board. On that occasion, the Tomb (located in the Saint Nicholas Churchyard) of Nicolae Titulescu, President of the General Assembly of the League of Nations (1930-1932), was also visited.

Professor John L. Stanton returned to Romania in October 2011, on the occasion of the SANABUNA International Congress, Brasov (https://www.crd-aida.ro/activitiespartnership/sanabuna-2011/). It is worth remembering that the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” in Bucharest awarded Professor John L. Stanton a Diploma of Excellence in May 2011.

Professor John L. Stanton’s last visit to Europe took place in October 2022, when he accepted his old friend’s invitation, Professor Costel Negricea, Rector of the Romanian-American University (RAU), Member of the Board and Honorary Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee. RAU Rector Professor Costel Negricea has awarded the distinguished RAU Visiting Professor John L. Stanton a “Certificate of Excellence in Education and Research for state-of-the-art accomplishments in the field of Marketing.” And as the good conversation stimulates minds, the friendly reconnection gave actionable insight into the challenging Marketing future, including core marketing functions’ transformation under the influence of disruptive technologies, without neglecting the role of empathy in authentically understand and connect with people’s feelings, evolving needs, and improved experiences.

Professor John L. Stanton was permanently focused on strategic issues, communicating the best strategic thinking to marketing managers in order to help them in keeping pace with the rapidly changing field which requires continuous learning, hard work, and dedication, fostering a values-based culture and resilience in the face of challenges. His lifetime commitment to teaching excellence and providing managerial consultancies (setting the right marketing management goals, and developing multiple perspectives on the food business activities) has been widely recognized including in Romania.

In the above-mentioned stream of thoughts expressed in the context of announcing the passing of the world-renowned Professor John L. Stanton, it was also emphasized that he inspired many people, as a scholar and educator who formed not only careers, but also the specialized area within the broader marketing field itself (from better consumer understanding, product and packaging etc. to more complex supply chains, and better meeting consumer evolving needs, influencing food choices, and building brand loyalty), and his legacy will endure. As for the kindness he showed to people in his immediate surroundings, this urges us to do good deeds in memory of our Great Friend. Thank you, John, for your kindness, friendship, and forward-looking perspective, for the memories you create along the way and held within the heart and mind. Rest in peace, dear John!

On April 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C. took place the official opening of the significant event Data Center World 2025 (having as theme ‘Powering the Industry’s Future’), the opening speech being given by the AFCOM Data Center World Program Chair, Bill Kleyman, who brought to the attendees’ attention the unprecedented challenges (having an effect on people at every level and in every area) faced by the data center industry, the major obstacle affecting the potential for new entrants in the data center industry being related to a sustainable and resilient infrastructure (the power supply of a data center) that can easily adapt and grow to provide with what is suited a properly AI-driven future (Walker, 2025). It is worth remembering that a year ago, in a Guide to Data Center Construction, one of the key areas of data center innovation identified by Data Center Knowledge Editors (2024) were AI Factories (together with SMRs and Nuclear-Powered Data Centers, Turbocharged Fiber-Optic Networks, and Quantum Data Centers), every aspect of data center management being revolutionized by AI.

On May 7, 2025, at the Face Convention Center, Bucharest, took place the Data Center Forum (https://datacenter-forum.ro/?), well-known as the top reference Event in the Data Center field in Romania. In this remarkable context, local and international experts addressed both the AI Factory issue and operational efficiency, as well as important regulatory aspects about sustainability and the future of data centers in our region.

Allow us to make reference to the last issue of the Romanian Distribution Committee Magazine, where our distinguished colleague Prof. Eng. Ph.D. Victor GREU (a traditional participant at the Data Center Forum) stated among other aspects as follows: ‘Beyond ICT mentioned role in IS/KBS, we observe the indirect ways this role is completed by lending models of proven optimization, efficacy and efficiency, from ICT advanced applications and development to other areas of human activity, including even humankind behaviour and thinking, where AI could be the most promising example, as its advances depend more and more on studying and surpassing HI limits, opening this way what we consider that will be the crucial engine of World sustainable progress: the safe balance of AI and HI’ (https://crd-aida.ro/RePEc/rdc/v16i1/2.pdf).

Last year we underlined the “Salutary Effect of the Romanian Competition Council’s Annual Conference, October 30, 2024” (https://www.crd-aida.ro/2024/10/salutary-effect-of-the-romanian-competition-councils-annual-conference-october-30-2024/). It is well known that companies are encouraged by the competition policy (both efficiency and innovation being encouraged by it) to offer consumers goods and services on the most favorable terms (https://competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/index_en). There is no doubt that the competition policy protects consumers’ interests (https://competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/about/what-competition-policy_en), EU competition rules’ enforcement ensuring equally and fairly competition for all companies (https://commission.europa.eu/about/departments-and-executive-agencies/competition_en#leadership). Also, as a well-known autonomous administrative body, the Romanian Competition Council plays a significant role by having both a corrective dimension (the normal competitive environment being restored and maintained), and a preventive dimension (the relevant markets  being monitored and the behavior of the actors participating in these markets being observed), so as to protect consumers’ interests (https://www.consiliulconcurentei.ro/en/).

On April 8, 2025 the Romanian Competition Council (https://www.consiliulconcurentei.ro/en/about-us/plenum-members/) launched – within the context of the Conference “Competition: innovative solutions in the regulatory framework” – its Annual Report. This special event took place in the Aula Magna of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (https://en.ase.ro/index_en.asp?page=board_members), being organized together with the Faculty of Law (https://drept.ase.ro/conducere-dreptase/) of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (ASE). The new Romanian Competition Council’s Annual Report reconfirmed the accumulated experience, the constant refining of working practices and delivery of decisions in a timelier manner without reducing quality, by tackling competition problems and encouraging compliance, and also continuing to stimulate the strategic dialogue (developed this time under the dome of the historical Aula Magna of ASE) about what did help to deliver better results, building on delivering for consumers.

Conference opening speeches were delivered by: the Vice-Rector of ASE Paul Pocatilu; the Acting President of the Senate, the Parliament of Romania, Mircea Abrudean; the Executive President of eMAG Iulian Stanciu; the President of the Romanian Competition Council Bogdan M. CHIRIȚOIU. The conference agenda included essential topics such as: the impact of competition in our economy, the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in our country, and partnerships with national authorities and academia, in order to stimulate research. Within this special context, the issue of the competition in digital markets was also addressed, given the rapid developments in technology and their impact on market structure and consumer behaviors (https://www.consiliulconcurentei.ro/eveniment/conferinta-concurenta-solutii-inovative-in-cadrul-de-reglementare-8-aprilie-2025-bucuresti/).

It is worth mentioning that on March 24, 2025 two weeks before the above-mentioned Romanian Competition Council’s Annual Activity Report launch, the meeting of the Advisory Board of the Romanian Competition Council (in the plenary hall) took place.  It is well-known that the meetings of the Advisory Board of the Romanian Competition Council are a traditional opportunity to share ideas on competition policy and to receive feedback on these ideas and policy visions within the strong commitment of promoting the competition culture in full process of the effective implementation of the competition policy. This new meeting of March 24, 2025 proved to be again a pragmatic exchange of views carried out between, on one hand, the President of the Romanian Competition Council (RCC) Bogdan M. Chiritoiu and the other members of the RCC Board and, on the other hand, the majority of the Advisory Board of the Romanian Competition Council. Also, this was again a good time to reflect on progress made toward building a sound institutional framework, in designing effective competition regime, in enforcing the competition law and also looking on the windows of opportunity provided for an in-depth substantive European and global conversation on competition policy and acting accordingly. Competition policy approach in the present context it is supposed to consider both national objectives (competitive markets; consumers’ protection), and current international challenges.