"Scientific research" Almanac

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  E-COMMERCE IN INSURANCE – A FACTOR FOR INCREASING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF INSURANCE COMPANIES

  The study presents the results of an empirical study of electronic commerce in insurance, conducted in 2013. The authors argue that the successful implementation of electronic sales in insurance streamlines and improves customer service in the sector. In addition, it reduces the costs, and the price respectively, of insurance policies and ... The study presents the results of an empirical study of electronic commerce in insurance, conducted in 2013. The authors argue that the successful implementation of electronic sales in insurance streamlines and improves customer service in the sector. In addition, it reduces the costs, and the price respectively, of insurance policies and increases their competitiveness in the market. Proving the thesis statement is achieved through solving the following major tasks: - the extent to which insurance companies in Bulgaria use e-commerce is demonstrated through systematized and analyzed data; - the dynamics of development of electronic commerce and the structure of sold on-line insurance products are tracked; - expected benefits of sales realization due to the use of e-commerce by insurers are outlined. It is found out that the companies in Non-life Insurance industry use e-commerce as a promising and convenient way of making purchases and sales of insurance policies and as an important tool to enhance their competitiveness.

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  USING PROBABILITY MODELS FOR FAST-MOVING CONSUMER GOODS SALES FORECASTING BASED ON TRANSACTIONAL DATA

  The interest in modelling the structure of consumer preferences and consumer choice behaviour in order to predict future purchase decisions has a long and rich tradition in marketing. Finding a practical solution to this problem is becoming increasingly critical with the increased availability of customer transactional individual-level databases. ... The interest in modelling the structure of consumer preferences and consumer choice behaviour in order to predict future purchase decisions has a long and rich tradition in marketing. Finding a practical solution to this problem is becoming increasingly critical with the increased availability of customer transactional individual-level databases. The focus of this paper is on the application of specific class of probability models that are well-suited to meet the rising challenges a marketing manager faces. Our objective is to define, estimate and a priori validate a predictive probability model by aggregating the individual-level purchase history (i.e. purchase frequency and recency). We demonstrate the relatively high performance of NDB and BG/NDB models using transactional data of a cohort of new customers. This supports our thesis statement that probability models are very suitable for identifying and forecasting purchasing behaviour. The availability of precise individual-level predictions concerns any serious attempt to derive customer lifetime value on a systematic basis.

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  STUDY OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN THE DISTRICTS OF PLEVEN AND VELIKO TARNOVO IN 2007–2013

  The object of the study is the regional development of the districts of Pleven and Veliko Tarnovo, and its subject is the practice of the economic agents located within the target area to develop and manage projects in order to attract additional external funding, which would allow them to realize their goals, plans, programmes and strategies. The ... The object of the study is the regional development of the districts of Pleven and Veliko Tarnovo, and its subject is the practice of the economic agents located within the target area to develop and manage projects in order to attract additional external funding, which would allow them to realize their goals, plans, programmes and strategies. The purpose of this study is to describe and evaluate the practice of economic agents from the districts of Pleven and Veliko Tarnovo to develop and manage projects, and to identify the main problems that beneficiaries faced during the first planning period of Bulgaria’s membership in the EU. The main thesis statement is that the economic agents from both districts have information and experience in project development and management, but not all of them are active enough. Considering the subject, object, purpose, and thesis statement, the study is structured in two main parts. The first part presents some of the main options for accession of the EU funds and reviews the achievements of the economic agents. The second part focuses on the significant problems revealed regarding the organization and publicity for handling funds, and offers suggestions for the improvement of various aspects of project management.