"Scientific research" Almanac

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  EFFECTS OF EU ENVIROMENTAL REGULATIONS ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS OF BULGARIA’S CHEMICAL INDUSTRY ENTERPRISES

  The actuality of the study stems from the presence of a limited number of in-depth studies focusing on the effects of the regulations on the international competitiveness of the companies in chemical industry. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of European policy in the field of environmental protection on the international ... The actuality of the study stems from the presence of a limited number of in-depth studies focusing on the effects of the regulations on the international competitiveness of the companies in chemical industry. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of European policy in the field of environmental protection on the international competitiveness of chemical enterprises in Bulgaria. In order to achieve this goal, the following tasks have been outlined: 1. A theoretical study of the European Union's policy on environmental protection; 2. A theoretical study of the literature covering the impact of environmental regulations on the international competitiveness of companies; 3. Developing an online survey and popularizing the results of the survey; 4. Conducting a survey among the chemical companies in Bulgaria. The main research thesis can be defined as follows: compliance with the three types of regulations, which are examined in this article in the field of environmental protection of the European Union, has a negative impact on the economic development of chemical enterprises in terms of their revenues, costs and international competitiveness. The main conclusion of this study confirms the research thesis that the European Union's regulations have a negative impact on firms in terms of their costs and international competitiveness.

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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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  LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES

  Sustainable development and production, economic growth, employment, infrastructure, sustainable management of natural resources, climate changes, etc., are all issues that require solutions and actions which can be achieved under the management of responsible young leaders. The objective of the project is to examine the possibilities for ... Sustainable development and production, economic growth, employment, infrastructure, sustainable management of natural resources, climate changes, etc., are all issues that require solutions and actions which can be achieved under the management of responsible young leaders. The objective of the project is to examine the possibilities for developing leadership skills in the achievement of the seventeen Objectives for sustainable development and providing opportunities for: their application in Bulgaria; the improvement of learning content; developing knowledge and skills for leadership and socially responsible management of young people. The tasks are related mostly to a comparative analysis of international and national initiatives, strategic documents, curricula, and good practices for the preparation of leaders who take responsibility for the future, and the formulation of recommendations to the stakeholders for the good world practices that we apply in order to implement them in curricula corresponding to the knowledge required for the preparation of responsible leaders for the realization of the Objectives. The subject of research of this project is the presence/absence of leaders for achieving the Objectives for sustainable development as a result of the training in the fields of Economics and Administration and Management, in the conditions of increasing economic, social, environmental and managerial challenges faced by education and business. The scope of the research is models for preparation of leaders, including knowledge, skills and competences for achieving the Objectives for sustainable development. The leading thesis is that responsible young leaders are a key factor for the achievement of the Objectives for sustainable development horizon 2030. The main conclusions of the research are that the preparation of leaders favours the achievement of the Objectives for sustainable development. The results of the research show that well-prepared and trained leaders are a major factor for the achievement of the goals.