"Scientific research" Almanac

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  BENEFITS FOR TOURISM ENTERPRISES FROM THEIR ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION

  Globalization and free movement of goods and services put new opportunities for Bulgarian businesses to achieve a competitive advantage based on quality. The study of this problem in the economic practice is especially relevant, considering the predominance of the service sector in the national economy and the complexity of maintaining a ... Globalization and free movement of goods and services put new opportunities for Bulgarian businesses to achieve a competitive advantage based on quality. The study of this problem in the economic practice is especially relevant, considering the predominance of the service sector in the national economy and the complexity of maintaining a consistent quality of services. The main objective of the present study is to highlight the key benefits of the business standard and the relative advantages it can bring to tourism businesses, based on a retrospective and situational analysis of ISO 9001 certification. In order to achieve this goal, the following research tasks are solved: study of the distribution of ISO 9001 standard by economic sectors; analysis of the benefits from introduction of the standard for Bulgarian enterprises; presentation of the main tools for ensuring the quality of tourist services; exploiting the potential benefits of ISO 9001 certification for tourism business. The results of the study show that ISO 9001 is the most common among ISO certification standards; it is a clearly recognizable sign of quality among businesses; it is adapted for every business; brings real benefits to organizations; can be applied in the tourism business. The results obtained from the study prove the author's thesis that certification under the most common international standard provides a number of business benefits that can also be used in the tourism business.

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  OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASING THE QUALITY OF DATA FROM ONLINE SURVEYS

  The emergence and evolution of Internet and related applications have changed many areas of public life. The methods of gathering marketing information have also changed. Less and less often surveys are printed on paper and are conducted in a web environment. The reasons are simple – online surveys are conducted faster and cheaper, they are easy ... The emergence and evolution of Internet and related applications have changed many areas of public life. The methods of gathering marketing information have also changed. Less and less often surveys are printed on paper and are conducted in a web environment. The reasons are simple – online surveys are conducted faster and cheaper, they are easy to spread, they offer useful functionalities. A major challenge for marketing researchers is to ensure that online surveys are representative. The main purpose of this study is to examine whether the structure of a sample, drawn from an online survey, corresponds to the structure of the studied aggregation. Another objective of the study is to examine how respondents react to incentives offered for participation in an online survey. This study presents the results of three online surveys. Each survey examines specific aggregation: Facebook page fans; visitors to a web site; population of Bulgaria aged 13-54. Two surveys were conducted through Facebook advertising. One survey was conducted among the visitors of a web site. To compare the sample and general aggregation, we have used χ2 criterion for one sample and Kiril Gatev’s integral coefficient. In the case of studying Facebook page fans, the sample matches the set of variables "sex" and "residence". In order to validate the three samples, the following information sources were used: The National Statistical Institute; Facebook page Insights; Google Analytics reports. In both surveys made via Facebook advertising, a very low cost was obtained for a response. In the survey of site visitors, the cost of a response is practically zero. To test how incentives affect respondents' activity, two types of prizes are offered – USB Flash memory stick (3 pcs.) and External hard disk drive (2 pcs.). In this study, we have found that the incentives offered do not increase respondents’ responsiveness to a degree justifying the costs of purchasing and delivering the prizes.

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  TERRITORIAL DIVISION OF BULGARIA - PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES

  The new territorial division is one of the hottest topics in the country's regional policy. It is not accidental that they call it Pandora's box because regional and local authorities have issues related to Cohesion Policy instruments and their regional impact, which is difficult to be objectively assessed. The objective of the study is to ... The new territorial division is one of the hottest topics in the country's regional policy. It is not accidental that they call it Pandora's box because regional and local authorities have issues related to Cohesion Policy instruments and their regional impact, which is difficult to be objectively assessed. The objective of the study is to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the different scenarios for a new territorial division of the country, to identify those that are most appropriate to the purposes of sustainable and balanced development and to formulate target-oriented development policies.The research thesis is that decisions for territorial division should be based on in-depth research with appropriate scientific tools, the results of which are considered to be objective criteria when defining the boundaries of territorial units. The tasks of the survey are: study of the legal framework of the territorial division in the EU and in the country; GAP analysis of existing territorial zoning, incl. asymmetries between existing planning regions; comparative analysis of options for a new territorial division; developing targeted development policies for the regions. All scheduled tasks are met. Five scenarios have been analyzed and a variant for territorial division is presented, which corresponds to the legislative framework and specifics in the country despite some weaknesses. Among the most important conclusions is the need to reach a political consensus on the balanced sustainable development of the country, which should be considered a medium and long-term priority objective.