Brief History

The emergence and development of marketing in Romania is closely linked to the scientific contributions of the team of specialists formed, over time, within the Bucharest University of Economic Studies.

This contribution was amplified and enhanced by first creating the Department of Marketing and, subsequently, the Marketing School. The teaching and research activities carried out, the works developed and the organized events reflect the concern of ASE specialists to contribute to the development of the Romanian school of marketing.

The Marketing School was established in 2003 by Government Decision and represents an important moment in the development of Romanian marketing, being the first and only faculty of its kind in the country. Its establishment is based on a long experience acquired by the Department of Marketing from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies.

1971

The Department of Marketing was established within ASE, in the year 1971 . Its reputation is linked to numerous national and international premieres:

  • The first marketing courses introduced in the educational curricula in Romania were those within ASE Bucharest: “Marketing” and “Marketing – conjunctures and prospecting of international commodity markets”. They represented a premiere not only for our country, but also for Central and Eastern Europe.

1975

The first Romanian university textbook in the field, titled "Marketing", is published in 1975, at Editura Didactică și Pedagogică. The team of authors, coordinated by the late and appreciated professor Constantin Florescu, included: D. Patriche, R. Emilian, V. Danciu, N. Al. Pop, V. Adăscăliţei, Gh. Dumitru and M. Ispăsescu.

1978

  • The range of courses developed gradually, so that, in 1978, within ASE, the following specialized courses were taught: Marketing, Marketing - conjunctures and prospecting of international commodity markets, Market research methods, Industrial marketing.

1981

  • The reference work “Marketing” is elaborated in 1981, under the coordination of professor Constantin Florescu, by a team of authors consisting of Al. Zamfir, D. Patriche, V. Balaure, I. Cătoiu, V. Danciu, R. Emilian, N. Al. Pop, V. Olteanu and G. Stănciulescu.

1983

  • The first Romanian participation at the Annual Conference of the AMA - American Marketing Association took place in 1983, through the presentation of the scientific communication "Marketing in Romania - theory and practice", by professors Constantin Florescu and Iacob Cătoiu.

1990

After 1990 , university marketing education experienced an upward evolution in Romania. At the level of ASE Bucharest and the Marketing Department, the evidence is manifold:

  • The recognition of marketing as a distinct university specialization. Thus, the bachelor's program in Marketing admits the first generation of students in the summer of 1991,

1992

  • Awarding the "Virgil Madgearu" prize of the Romanian Academy , for the year 1992, to the work "Marketing", elaborated by a team of authors from the Marketing Department, coordinated by professor Constantin Florescu, which includes V. Balaure, Şt. Boboc, I. Cătoiu, V. Olteanu, N. Al. Pop.
  • The development of the Marketing specialization by diversifying the portfolio of specialized disciplines , by including subjects premiering in Romania. In 1995, within the Marketing specialization, the following subjects are taught: Basics of marketing, Marketing research, Promotional techniques, Consumer behavior study, International marketing, Services marketing, Industrial marketing, Agromarketing, Social-political marketing, Logistics of goods.

1995

  • The first class of marketing specialists (with a specialization in marketing) in Romania obtains their bachelor's degree in 1995, within the Faculty of Commerce at ASE Bucharest.
  • The first in-depth study program debuts under the name "Marketing Systems ", in 1995. The curriculum adds new courses: Marketing communication, Logistics of goods, Social-political marketing, Comparative marketing, Methods and models in marketing, Expert systems in marketing.
  • The International Conference dedicated to the anniversary of "25 years of marketing education in Romania" brings together over 230 participants from academia and the business environment. 174 scientific communications were presented.

1998

  • The creation of two distinct paths within the Marketing specialization of the Faculty of Commerce, namely "Marketing Policies" and "Marketing Research", in 1998. The new educational plans include subjects taught for the first time in specialized university education in Romania, such as Direct marketing, Cybermarketing, Tourism marketing, Marketing forecasting or Services marketing.

2000

  • The first master's program in Marketing of the Marketing Department debuts in the 2000/2001 academic year. The curriculum of the master's program "Marketing and Business Communication" includes new subjects: Marketing management, Marketing research and modeling, Marketing communication - concepts and strategies, Marketing communication techniques, Consumer behavior or Internet Marketing.

Starting from the 2001-2002 academic year, this program had the largest number of enrolled students, compared to similar programs organized in ASE.

  • The publication of a new reference work , titled "Marketing", elaborated under the coordination of professor V. Balaure, by the following team of authors: V. Adăscăliţei, C. Bălan, Ş. Boboc, I. Cătoiu, V. Olteanu, N. Al. Pop and N. Teodorescu. The work was published by Uranus publishing house in 2000 and republished in 2005.

2001

  • The creation of the specialized book collection "Marketing Library" in 2001, through the cooperation between the Marketing Department and Uranus publishing house.
  • The launch of the Marketing bachelor's program in the "distance learning" format, taught at the A.S.E. campus in Brăila, under the leadership of Assoc. Prof. Dr. G. Orzan.
  • Organizing and conducting the international conference "Marketing in the process of economic and social development 1971 – 2001: 30 years of marketing in Romania", in 2001.

2002 – 2003

  • The establishment of the Marketing School within the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Iacob Cătoiu, its first Dean. The dean's office team also includes Assoc. Prof. Dr. Carmen Bălan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gheorghe Orzan and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Răzvan Zaharia, as vice-deans, and Lect. Dr. Călin Vegheş as scientific secretary. The administrative structure of the Marketing School includes the Marketing Department, headed by Prof. Dr. Virgil Balaure.
  • A major editorial premiere in Romania, through the publication at Uranus Publishing House, in 2002, of the work "Marketing Research", elaborated, under the coordination of professor I. Cătoiu, by a team of authors which includes: C. Bălan, T. Dănețiu, I.C. Popescu, Gh. Orzan, C. Vegheș and D. Vrânceanu
  • The constitution of the Center for Fundamental and Applied Research in Marketing (CEMARK), attached to the Marketing Department of the Marketing School from ASE, in the 2003/2004 academic year.

2004 – 2008

  • The leadership of the Marketing School is ensured by Prof. Dr. Valerică Olteanu as Dean, with the support of Prof. Dr. Laurențiu Dan Anghel, Prof. Dr. Carmen Bălan and Prof. Dr. Gheorghe Orzan, as vice-deans, respectively Assoc. Prof. Dr. Călin Vegheş as scientific secretary, Prof. Dr. Răzvan Zaharia becoming head of the Marketing Department.
  • The development of the range of master's programs offered by the Marketing School, by offering three new professional programs, starting from the 2004/2005 academic year: "Public relations in marketing", "Strategic marketing" and "International marketing".
  • The Marketing School becomes a founding member of the Association of Economic Faculties in Romania (2004).
  • The launch of the "Online marketing" master's program (2005), a program that would become, after 2011, the master's program with the most options for admission at the level of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies.
  • The inclusion of marketing as a field of specialization of bachelor's and master's university studies (2005).
  • Also during this period, the academic periodicals Romanian Journal of Marketing (in 2006) are launched, published by Rosetti Educațional Publishing House under the scientific leadership of Prof. Dr. Daniel Şerbănică, respectively Online Marketing Journal (since 2007), published by Uranus Publishing House under the scientific leadership of Prof. Dr. Gheorghe Orzan.
  • The inclusion of Marketing as a mandatory discipline for all economic fields related to bachelor's university studies (2005).
  • Admission (2005) and completion of studies (2008) for the first class of the new "Bologna" formula applied at the European level.
  • The creation of the marketing specialization at doctoral level (2006).
  • The design of educational curricula for master's university studies according to the Bologna Agreement (2008). On this occasion, the two educational paths from the bachelor's level, "Marketing policies" and "Marketing research", are transformed into the master's programs "Marketing management" and "Marketing research", respectively.
  • ARACIS accreditation of all educational programs: bachelor's university studies, full-time on campus and distance learning; complementary master's university studies (strategic marketing, marketing and business communication, public relations in marketing, international marketing, online marketing) – 2008.

2009 – 2012

  • Prof. Dr. Valerică Olteanu continues as Dean of the Marketing School, being supported in this new mandate by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ionel Dumitru, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ioana Cecilia Popescu and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Călin Vegheş in the position of vice-deans, respectively Prof. Dr. Ștefan Boboc as scientific secretary of the Faculty. During this period, the leadership of the Marketing Department was ensured by Prof. Dr. Laurenţiu Dan Anghel.
  • The educational offer of the Marketing School was developed by introducing the EUCOREM master's program, a bilingual program, taught in Romanian and French, created by a consortium formed at the European level, including Université de Haute-Alsace (France), Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Katowicach (Poland) and the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (Romania).
  • the international conferences "Marketing and Business Development" and "International Conference on Social Responsability, Ethics and Sustainable Business" were launched, annual conferences developed within the Marketing School, with international participation, ensuring both visibility for the Romanian school of marketing, as well as the opportunity to interact with marketing specialists and theoreticians from all over the world.
  • The share of specialized subjects within the Marketing bachelor's program increases from 10% in 1995, to approx. 40% at the end of 2012.

2013 – 2016

  • Following the electoral process in the 2012-2013 academic year, Prof. Dr. Călin Vegheş becomes Dean of the Marketing School, his dean's office team being completed by Prof. Dr. Ionel Dumitru, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mihai Orzan and Prof. Dr. Ioana Cecilia Popescu. Prof. Dr. Laurențiu Dan Anghel was re-elected to lead the Marketing Department, while Prof. Dr. Ștefan Boboc held the position of Director of the Doctoral School of Marketing.
  • The educational offer of the Marketing School was in an extremely effervescent period during this interval, adding new forms of the Marketing bachelor's program, taught in English, respectively in the part-time format (the only such program in A.S.E., respectively in the marketing offer at the national level), as well as the master's programs "Fundamental marketing research", "Marketing and management in public services" and "Marketing and sustainable development"
  • In 2014, the Marketing Association of Students in Romania was founded, by students from the Marketing School, whose role includes promoting academic studies in the marketing field, as well as supporting students participating in these programs.

2017 – 2020

  • Prof. Dr. Călin Vegheş continues his mission as Dean of the Marketing School, as does the team of vice-deans, consisting of Prof. Dr. Ionel Dumitru, Prof. Dr. Mihai Orzan and Prof. Dr. Ioana Cecilia Popescu. The Doctoral School of Marketing was headed by Prof. Dr. Ștefan Boboc, and the Marketing Department was headed by Prof. Dr. Laurențiu Dan Anghel.
  • During this period, the educational offer includes the master's program "Customer Relationship Management" (program taught in English). The first generation of graduates of the program completed their studies in the summer of 2020.
  • during the AFER General Assembly, University Professor Dr. Virgil Balaure was awarded the Distinction for Excellence in the Entire Career by the Association of Economics Faculties of Romania, as a sign of appreciation for the contribution to the development of the Marketing Department (2017)
  • the "Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management International Conference" was launched, as well as its related journal, a conference that completes the range of academic publications organized within the Marketing School.

2021 – 2024

  • A period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, this interval brought numerous challenges and transformations to higher education, both in Romania and worldwide. The leadership of the Marketing School was ensured by Prof. Dr. Călin Vegheş, together with the team of vice-deans, consisting of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Carmen Acatrinei, Prof. Dr. Ionel Dumitru and Prof. Dr. Mihai Orzan, while the leadership of the Marketing Department continued to be ensured by Prof. Dr. Laurenţiu Dan Anghel, and the leadership of the Doctoral School of Marketing by Prof. Dr. Răzvan Zaharia.
  • Probably the most important event in this period is the organization in Bucharest, in May 2024, of the 53rd Annual Conference of the European Marketing Academy (EMAC), with almost 1000 participants from all over the world (https://emac2024.org/), a conference that brings the Marketing School within the Bucharest University of Economic Studies alongside the most prestigious universities in Europe, its previous editions being held at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow (2018), the University of Valencia (2016), Bocconi University in Milan (2005), Erasmus University in Rotterdam (2000) or ESADE University in Barcelona (1993).
  • The study programs of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, including those offered by the Marketing School, were ranked in the top positions in Romania in prestigious international rankings, such as Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, QS World University Rankings by Subject or Education Emerging Economies University Rankings.