Petya Ivanova

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across various business sectors presents significant opportunities to enhance efficiency and profitability. AI excels in data processing, offering profound insights that can reshape marketing, management, sales, and operations. However, small to medium-sized enterprises often lag behind larger organizations in leveraging these advantages, particularly in sectors reliant on consumer data. By automating routine tasks, AI frees human resources to focus on strategic thinking and creativity, improving customer relationship management (CRM) and fostering sustained customer engagement. Despite these benefits, the successful adoption of AI involves navigating complexities, including algorithmic challenges and organizational transformations that affect established routines and job roles. Digital leadership plays a pivotal role in guiding these transitions as organizations craft adaptive strategies to harness AI’s potential. Looking ahead, the landscape of business administration is set to evolve further, with machine learning and other emerging technologies reshaping operational frameworks. Nonetheless, the rapid adoption of AI also necessitates reskilling, as traditional job roles may change or become obsolete. A thoughtful approach to AI integration must consider ethical implications and strategic planning to ensure that businesses can thrive in an increasingly technology-driven environment.

This research aims to study, analyze and evaluate the degree of security and safety of the following destinations: Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, North Macedonia and Turkey. The methodology includes a combina­tion of research methods such as desk research, content analysis, compara­tive method, etc. The analytical part is based on publicly available, officially published data of established methodology of the World Economic Forum. The conclusions are mainly in two directions: first, indicators according to which Bulgaria is in strong and weak positions compared to neighbouring countries, and second, the positions of the studied countries in the interrela­tionship of the travel and tourism development index – security and safety. The originality of this chapter lies in the comparison between the countries and delineating the similarities in the region and the differences of the indi­vidual countries as safe destinations. It can be used for future analyses of the quality of the destination tourism supply. This chapter can influence and en­courage other future comparisons ranging from the assessment of region­al differences in various aspects of tourism development to the multifaceted perspectives of ensuring security and safety.

The study presents the economic, managerial, and societal perspectives on corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a basis for adding value to enterprises. It investigates the interplay between the digitalisation of activities and the management of Bulgarian financial enterprises, with a focus on HRM and CSR initiatives in a pandemic situation. The study tests the hypothesis that, in pandemic conditions, the CSR of Bulgarian financial enterprises is positively correlated with the digitalisation of general and human resource management. To assess the level of engagement of financial enterprises with CSR causes during the pandemic, the study employs a methodology comprising descriptive statistics and ordinal regression. The main conclusion, based on a nationally representative survey of Bulgarian financial enterprises, is that banks and insurers that heavily invest in digitalisation have demonstrated a higher level of commitment to CSR causes during the COVID-19 pandemic, while conservative and less digitally advanced financial enterprises have had limited CSR activity. By adopting fintech and insurtech solutions directed towards societal needs, market demands, and customer satisfaction, financial enterprises increase their efficiency. Our analysis confirms the interplay between the digitalisation of financial enterprises and support for CSR causes.

The first morphologic and genetic documentation of the short-beaked garfish Belone svetovidovi Collette & Parin, 1970 from the coast of the Marmara Sea (Yalova) and Black Sea (Akcakoca) is reported in the present study. The morphological characters and genetic (mtDNA COI) analyses confirmed the existence of this species both in the Marmara and Black Seas. B. svetovidovi is genetically distinct from the anther species of this genus Belone belone. All morphologic measurements, counts, and colour descriptions of B. svetovidovi agree with its previous descriptions.

"Collaborative Consumption" published on Jul 2022 by Edward Elgar Publishing.

In higher education, students and doctoral students are a key factor in testing and developing innovative research methods and pedagogical techniques. Their focus is on the present and future of educational technology in its historical variation from face-to-face learning, through distance learning (d-learning), e-learning (e-learning), mobile learning (m-learning) and u-learning (u-learning). The full-time form, the part-time form and the distance learning form are imposed as forms of education in the European Higher Education Area. Distance learning is inherently one of the most attractive forms of higher education. Its technological richness and the absence of a direct need to leave the workplace or place of residence provide an increasing opportunity for its use by managers, professionals, and "lifelong learners". This calls for a national regulation of distance learning in higher education. The main aim of the paper is to analyse the Bulgarian experience in the national regulation of distance learning in higher education from the first national ordinance enforced in 2004 and the new Cvid-19 in medias ordinance from 2021. In 2004, distance learning was defined as an organization of the learning process in which the student and the teacher are separated in terms of their location, but not necessarily in terms of time, as the distance created is compensated by technological means. The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the current trends in digital technology, combined with strategic documents at national and European level, logically necessitate an update of the regulatory framework for distance learning in the EU member states and in particular in the Republic of Bulgaria. Based on one-year discussions within a working group of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, the National Centre for Distance Learning and leading universities in terms of experience and technology, a new Ordinance on state requirements for organizing distance learning in of higher education has been developed and adopted in 2021. The ordinance is also coordinated with the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation. The role of the agency is to assess the distance form of education in two stages - assessing the level of the environment in the respective higher school and assessing the opportunities for conducting distance learning in a specific professional field or specialty of the regulated professions. The new ordinance published in the State Gazette in March 2021 (in force since September 1, 2021) provides a new definition of the distance-learning form of higher education, which is specified in three separate paragraphs. It is defined that “a form of higher education in which students, teachers and administrators can be separated by location, but not necessarily by time, as the distance created is compensated by technologies, methods and means of e-learning”. The role of digital technologies has been introduced - "Distance learning is realized through digital technologies for managing the learning process, based on a system of different type, location and time of use of human, material and information activities and resources." The process approach is integrated in teaching - "To compensate for the distance, the higher schools model the respective educational and administrative activities as information processes and implement them through information and communication technologies." In addition to award higher education degrees, higher education institutions are allowed to organize distance learning and to improve the qualification of specialists with higher education, as well as for continuing and additional professional training. In view of the degree of information and technological provision in the implementation of distance learning, the environment for its implementation is classified into four levels. They are bound by the right to conduct training for the acquisition of the relevant degrees of higher education. The possibility for remote conducting of semester and final state examinations and videoconference defence of diploma theses is regulated. As a result of the new regulation, a triple positive effect was achieved. Students improve their digital skills for working in an electronic environment. It has a positive effect on teachers as qualification and skills for work through the means of e-learning, lecture courses are digitalized. Higher education institutions implement simultaneously the government policy for increasing the quality of education, the efficiency of the organization of the educational process and the administrative procedures. Finally, the national information and educational infrastructure is being improved, which helps to connect them in European and global networks for higher education. The main conclusion of the study is that the COVID-19 and the new regulation of distance learning pushed forward all Bulgarian universities on the road of fast digitalization and introduction of the most advanced e-learning technologies.

The sector of tourism is a leading service sector according to the BoP methodology. Nowadays, not only has Covid-19 put the sector to the test, but many economic operators claim that they need for government support measures. Therefore, a strategic transformation of the tourism sector during and after the Covid-19 pandemic is logical and necessary. The main goal of this study is to endorse ideas for projects and tourist routes in the "Lower Danube" destination within the process of strategic transformation of tourism due to Cocivd-19 taking into account the cultural, historical and archaeological findings from the time of the Roman Empire in the cross-border region Bulgaria-Romania, its natural resources and the newly developed infrastructure in the Danube plain between the Carpathians and the Balkan Range.

In higher education, students and doctoral students are a key factor in testing and developing innovative research methods and pedagogical techniques. Their focus is on the present and future of educational technology in its historical variation from face-to-face learning, through distance learning (d-learning), e-learning (e-learning), mobile learning (m-learning) and u-learning (u-learning). The full-time form, the part-time form and the distance learning form are imposed as forms of education in the European Higher Education Area. Distance learning is inherently one of the most attractive forms of higher education. Its technological richness and the absence of a direct need to leave the workplace or place of residence provide an increasing opportunity for its use by managers, professionals, and "lifelong learners". This calls for a national regulation of distance learning in higher education. The main aim of the paper is to analyse the Bulgarian experience in the national regulation of distance learning in higher education from the first national ordinance enforced in 2004 and the new Cvid-19 in medias ordinance from 2021. In 2004, distance learning was defined as an organization of the learning process in which the student and the teacher are separated in terms of their location, but not necessarily in terms of time, as the distance created is compensated by technological means. The Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the current trends in digital technology, combined with strategic documents at national and European level, logically necessitate an update of the regulatory framework for distance learning in the EU member states and in particular in the Republic of Bulgaria. Based on one-year discussions within a working group of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, the National Centre for Distance Learning and leading universities in terms of experience and technology, a new Ordinance on state requirements for organizing distance learning in of higher education has been developed and adopted in 2021. The ordinance is also coordinated with the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation. The role of the agency is to assess the distance form of education in two stages - assessing the level of the environment in the respective higher school and assessing the opportunities for conducting distance learning in a specific professional field or specialty of the regulated professions. The new ordinance published in the State Gazette in March 2021 (in force since September 1, 2021) provides a new definition of the distance-learning form of higher education, which is specified in three separate paragraphs. It is defined that “a form of higher education in which students, teachers and administrators can be separated by location, but not necessarily by time, as the distance created is compensated by technologies, methods and means of e-learning”. The role of digital technologies has been introduced - "Distance learning is realized through digital technologies for managing the learning process, based on a system of different type, location and time of use of human, material and information activities and resources." The process approach is integrated in teaching - "To compensate for the distance, the higher schools model the respective educational and administrative activities as information processes and implement them through information and communication technologies." In addition to award higher education degrees, higher education institutions are allowed to organize distance learning and to improve the qualification of specialists with higher education, as well as for continuing and additional professional training. In view of the degree of information and technological provision in the implementation of distance learning, the environment for its implementation is classified into four levels. They are bound by the right to conduct training for the acquisition of the relevant degrees of higher education. The possibility for remote conducting of semester and final state examinations and videoconference defence of diploma theses is regulated. As a result of the new regulation, a triple positive effect was achieved. Students improve their digital skills for working in an electronic environment. It has a positive effect on teachers as qualification and skills for work through the means of e-learning, lecture courses are digitalized. Higher education institutions implement simultaneously the government policy for increasing the quality of education. Finally, the national information and educational infrastructure is being improved, which helps to connect them in European and global networks for higher education. The main conclusion of the study is that the Covid-19 and the new regulation of distance learning pushed forward all Bulgarian universities on the road of fast digitalization and introduction of the most advanced e-learning technologies.