What do Service Design and Design Thinking mean?

In case you have heard of Service Design and Design Thinking but do not know exactly what they are, this article is for you.

Have you ever entered a store, hotel or restaurant and felt that something was not entirely how it is supposed to be? That what you are looking for is not in the right place, that it takes too long for you to be served, or that many of the employees’ actions or operations are useless? Have you ever accessed a certain website and felt it was very complicated to find what you were looking for, doing unnecessary mouse movements and countless clicks until you found the button you needed

Have you ever felt that the people inside your organization who provide you with internal services (legal, HR, purchasing, ICT, etc.) do not always respond promptly and efficiently enough to your needs? Or that your whole experience in the organization is far from desired?

2017 was a year of business growth and consolidation for Ascent Group, which was confirmed by the reported financial results. With a turnover increase of 14.9%, the group exceeds its own growth forecast, estimated at the beginning of the year at 10%, and for the first time in its history it has reached an annual turnover of EUR 3 million.

Not only the turnover shows a positive development, but all the main indicators of the group registered increases in 2017, respectively all types of services provided by the companies within the group had positive dynamics.

The year 2017 represented also a key year in the recognition of Ascent Group as a global training programs provider. This year, the training and coaching division of the group has won several important international projects, thus engaging in the formation of management teams in different countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

Even if it seems hard to believe, in Romania, we will get rid of the stamp requirement!

This provision actually already existed from 2015, when a paragraph of the Law 316 already eliminated the corporate obligation to stamp the claims, declarations or other documents in relation to institutions or public authorities. However, a large proportion of the public sector employees continued to request abusively the application of the stamp on these documents.

In order to improve this situation, on 30 June 2017 it was published in the Official Gazette no. 507 a Government Ordinance that not only reaffirms the lack of stamp obligation, but also qualifies officials`demand to apply the stamp as being abusive.

From September 1, 2013 several changes to the Tax Code and its implementing rules shall take effect. Among them, are worth mentioning :

Introduction of the reduced VAT rate TVA of 9% for backery products

This will apply to the following products:

• all kinds of bread
• croissants, rolls, sticks, pretzels, minibaghete, batons and braids ;
• white wheat flour, milled wheat flour, wheat flour and dark rye flour ;
• triticum spelta and meslin wheat – CN code 1001 99 00, and rye – CN code 1002 90 00

Excise tax will be extended to more products.

New categories of luxury products will be subject of the excise tax, such as:

The beginning of the year brought some changes related to the legal and fiscal status of the microcompanies in Romania. Specifically, based on the Government Ordinance no. 8/2013, published in the Official Gazette no. 54 from 23 January 2013, the article 1121, c) of the Fiscal Code was modified, it’s new content being: „obtained revenues that do not overcome the amount of 65.000 euro”.

In other words, the 100.000 eur limit for revenues that allowed a company to qualify as microcompany, valid until last year, was reduced to 65.000 euro.

The recently discussed chenges regarding the minimum wage in Romania became a fact. Thus, in the Official Gazette (Part I, no. 52.2013) was published the Decision no. 23/2013, which states the minimum gross base salary guaranteed in Romania.

The new rates are:

• starting with February 1, 2013, the gross minimum wage is 750 lei per month for a full-time program of 168,667 hours in average per month
• starting with July 1, 2013, the gross minimum wage is 800 lei per month for a full-time program of 168,667 hours in average per month

Tuesday, August 28th 2012, the Government Decision no. 16/2012 was published, modifying and completing Government Decision 92/2003 regarding the Fiscal Procedure Code.

Modifications will apply starting August 31st 2012, except dispositions regarding closing of debts (pct. 3), which will apply starting November 1st 2012. 



Most important changes:



Ascent Group continues its expansion plans by opening a new office in Romania, in Sibiu.

Ascent Group’s office in Sibiu will offer clients all types of services the consulting group Ascent is offering, but also aims to become a catalyst for enhancing business relations between the central part of Romania and other countries in the region.

Not last, Sibiu office aims to provide support to all foreign investors intending to start a business in Transylvania.

The office in Sibiu is the 7th office opened by Ascent Group, after those in Bucharest, Arad, Chisinau, Limassol, Sofia and Belgrade.

The contact details where you can find our new office are:

Ascent Group Sibiu
Revolution street no. 1, apt. 15
Tel: +40 269 211090
fax: +40 269 211722

We look forward to see you in Sibiu!

Prin intermediul HG nr. 500/2011, noua variantă a Registrului General de Evidenţă a Salariaţilor a fost publicată în Monitorul Oficial, […]

As a result to the public consultations, the Labour Inspection provides to the employers the new version of the IT application Revisal for establisment and completation of the evidence register of the employees in the electronic format, updated in accordance with the Government Decision no. 500/2011:

• Revisal 5.0.6 (for Windows XP/ Vista/ 7)
• Installation and use guide (Pdf format- Portable Document Format)

The new format of the Revisal application allows:

Recently, through the ANAF Order no. 3.253/2011 for the approval of issued application forms models OG no. 30/2011, were reglemented forms of delayed cancellation of penalties for companies which pay their debts until the end of the year.

Briefly, the fiscal facilities are granted for the fiscal obligations related fittings main residual fiscal obligations at 31 August 2011. Penalties of delaying are being cancelled or reduced as follows:

Based on the Romanian Government’s representatives, starting with October 1st, the minimum tax will be eliminated. The minimum tax was introduced at 1^st of May 2009, together with other fiscal measures aimed to diminish the effects of the economic crisis, but finally, their effects were exactly the opposite.

As a result of the minimum tax’s elimination, the companies will pay between the 1st of October and the 31st of December 2010 the profit tax of 16%.

The last deadline for the minimum tax (the flat tax) will be the 25th of October, for the 3rd quarter of 2010. Starting with the 25th of February 2011, the companies will pay the profit tax for the 4th quarter of 2010, accordingly with the calculation norms existing before the introduction of the minimum tax.

One year and a half ago the Romanian Government announced the first set of anti-crisis measures. I’ve considered them wrong and I estimated their effects will be opposite and will deepen the crisis, respectively I wrote several articles about it at that time.

Starting this month you can also follow un on Twitter! Ascent Group‘s Twitter account is @ascent_eu.

Connect with us and you will receive updated information about legal, fiscal and business environment news, but also information related to the events organised by us or our partners.

The European Union was born from a dream. Those who founded it were people with vision and high ideals, such as Robert Schumman, Kondrad Adenauer, Alcide de Gasperi or Jean Monnet. Their dream was continued by other visionaries: Edward Heath, Francois Mitterrand, Jacques Delors and Helmut Kohl.

The Europe they wanted was a Union of values, a strong area, united in diversity.

Is the Europe today the one they have dreamed to?

Last days news reveals us shocking information. Greece has publicly admitted that they provided false information to the European Union. Bulgaria succeeded in this series of disclosures, recognizing that they also provided false information to the Union regarding the actual level of its budgetary deficit. Certainly, in the coming weeks or months, other countries will be added to this list.

Trust between the Union states began to shake, and availability to offer support between the member states decreased substantially.