-
Nataliya Marinova, Boycho Boychev
AN ANALYSIS OF THE SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS FROM THE WORLD’S IAAS CLOUD SERVICES PROVIDERS
Abstract:
Over the last few years, interest in renting Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) has increased and this has led to the development of many new solutions of this class. The competition on this market resulted in serious changes in the business strategies of the providers of IaaS cloud services. We are witnessing an incredibly dynamic development of the IaaS market. This requires the thorough analysis of the current possibilities of the providers of such products and the direction in which they will be developing in the near future.
The objectives of the present article are to analyse the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the IaaS solutions of the world’s leading providers of cloud services and to offer recommendations with reference to choosing an effective cloud configuration.
To achieve the set goals, the study has used the Gartner’s Magic Quadrant research methodology; has collected and summarised data from the studied providers of IaaS cloud services and, based on these results has outlined parameters that can be used to analyse, compare and assess the leading world IaaS solutions.
-
Marina Nikolova
THE NEED TO EVALUATE ECOSYSTEM BENEFITS
Abstract:
To preserve our environment means to preserve the soil, the water, and the natural resources, i.e. life on our planet. And indeed, unspoilt nature is not only a prerequisite, but also valuable capital for doing business successfully, i.e. developing eco-tourism, organic farming, sustainable forestry, etc. On the one hand, managerial decisions which employ environmentally friendly production methods in our country make it possible to manage eco-systems (and bio-diversity in general). On the other hand, eco-systems provide a wide range of useful services and thus improve the quality of our life and create favourable conditions for the long-term well-being of people. The value of eco-systems will increasingly continue to grow in the future, mainly due to the loss of eco-systems.
Therefore, the need to evaluate the services provided by eco-systems is becoming more obvious. Conscientious management of natural capital and services provided by eco-systems lead to increased social and economic sustainability not only at a regional and national level, but on a European and global scale as well.
-
Petya Emilova
E- LEARNING IN BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS – NEW CONCEPTS, TECHNOLOGIES AND MODELS
Abstract:
E-learning systems (EL) have established themselves as a key management instrument in business strategies for human resource management, for the improvement of the efficiency of processes for professional staff development and for the development of corporate knowledge.
The aim of this article is to present some of the new concepts for EL – an ecosystem for EL, collaborative learning, lifelong learning, ubiquitous learning, EL as a method for knowledge creation and the generation of collective intelligence. Furthermore, it aims to outline the potential of the key information technologies – mobile technologies, Web 2.0 and cloud services - for the development of efficient strategies and models for EL usage, its transition into an efficient and effective business practice and its establishment as a leading, electronically implemented activity (e-activity). To achieve the objective of the research article the following methods have been used – logical methods such as analysis, synthesis and comparison, and theoretical research methods such as abstracting and summarizing. The main empirical method applied is that of modelling.
-
Rositsa Koleva, Stela Kasabova
A STUDY ON GUEST SATISFACTION WITH HOTEL SERVICES
Abstract:
Maintaining high competitiveness in tourism (in particular, in the hotel business) contributes both to the long-term development and the management of regions and to the sustainable and competitive development of regional tourist destinations. This article presents issues related to the competitiveness of tourism in Bulgaria through evaluating the hotel services offered to visiting tourists. The results obtained are based on a survey of four hotels (located on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast) conducted in August 2012. The article consists of two parts: an analysis of the services offered in the hotels monitored (front desk service, an assessment of the rooms and the restaurant at the related hotel and grading nine types of services) and an evaluation of the satisfaction of the tourists interviewed regarding the services offered. The study specifies the quality characteristics of the services in the hotels surveyed and the importance of these services according to the perceptions of the tourists interviewed. On this basis, the degree of satisfaction of tourists regarding the services offered has been determined and guidelines have been given on how to improve the quality characteristics of these hotels.
-
Nadezhda Todorovska
OPTIMIZATION OF HEALTH CARE FINANCIAL RESOURCES IN BULGARIA THROUGH HOME CARE AND ASSISTANCE SERVICES
Abstract:
Health care in Bulgaria is based on hospital care. According to the Euro Health Consumer Index for 2016, our country ranks first in terms of hospital stay. However, in small towns and villages, the cost of hospital care is too high and unviable. This calls for the development of a new type of health services to reduce costs and optimize the inclusion of skilled workforce in the social and health sectors. The main purpose of this paper is to examine and analyse the possibilities to reduce healthcare costs through the introduction of a system of integrated health and social services at home, which necessitates the establishment of middle units – Home Care Centres. It examines and analyses the results from a pilot project of the Bulgarian Red Cross, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, which envisaged the provision of integrated home care services for elderly people with chronic diseases and permanent disabilities in the Vratsa region as from the year 2012.
-
Tanya Gorcheva
ORGANISATIONAL FORMS AND SOLUTIONS FOR EXPORT PROMOTION
Abstract:
The major objective of this research is to trace the origin and development of organisational forms and solutions for export promotion in order to identify the essential characteristics of contemporary export promotion policy. The focus of attention is placed on services provided and the measures taken for promotion. Therefore, based on selected surveys, we have formulated the main principles that govern the successful operation of export promotion organisations. To accomplish the objective of this research, export promotion solutions applied by countries at different stages of economic development have been analysed. This approach has proved to be appropriate since identifying various organisational forms for export promotion renders it possible to make relevant assessments and comparisons.
A number of case studies have been examined to determine to what extent the export promotion practice in Bulgaria is similar to that in other countries.
-
Evgeniy Zaramenskih
APPLYING THE ARCHITECTURAL APPROACH TO THE DESIGN OF A DIGITAL PLATFORM: THE CASE STUDY
OF AN AVIATION HOLDING COMPANY
Abstract:
This article presents an example of effectively applying the architectural approach to the design of a digital platform to aggregate digital services in an industrial enterprise, based on the case study of an aviation holding company. It reviews options for the further design of IT processes to support digital services provided by a digital platform created with the frameworks Cobit 5 and ITIL 3. The architectural models reviewed in the paper are built using the enterprise architecture modeling language ArchiMate.
-
Violeta Kraeva
APPLYING MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES
IN BUSINESS
Abstract:
Mobile technologies have entered modern business faster and more extensively, as a result of which it becomes more flexible, dynamic, communicative and effective. This article outlines the prerequisites, capacity and forms of application of mobile technologies in business. It presents the most popular mobile services, which facilitate the constant contact with suppliers, customers, contractors and the personnel of companies. It also delineates the trends and perspectives of the devel¬opment of mobile business.
-
Aleksandar Petrov
DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON
THE FORM OF INFORMATION SERVICES
Abstract:
The article studies the development and complexity of information technology (IT). The dependence of modern businesses on the extent and efficiency of applying IT is argued. On this basis, attention is brought to problems related to the orientation of information services (IS) towards the provision of services. Grounds are given that it is based on and is determined by the achievements of IT service management (ITSM). Different approaches to improving IS are presented and the trend towards transforming current IS divisions into ones offering services is outlined.
-
Katya Kirilova
THE STATE OF MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE AND PROSPECTS FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT
Abstract:
This article deals with issues related to administrative services and the performance of municipalities. The topic has been subject to continuous debates in terms of the efficiency of the services which local authorities provide and the prospects for improving the process. The focus of the research is on work processes at the level of local administrative services, while its aim is to identify the major challenges which municipalities are facing and suggest possible measures for improvement. To accomplish this, a questionnaire for conducting an online research was designed. The questionnaire consisted of 12 questions and was sent to 265 respondents, which is the number of municipalities in Bulgaria.
The analysis made for the purposes of this research is based on the formal data submitted by 60 municipalities on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. The findings of the analysis helped us identify possible solutions for improving the monitoring and designing of work processes, updating provided administrative services and raising their efficiency as the basis for developing integrated electronic administration.
-
FACTORS FOR SUCCESS OF THE “BUSINESS PROCESS AS A SERVICE” MODEL
Abstract:
The “Business Process as a Service” model integrates the achievements of the business process management/modelling concepts and cloud computing. It aims at rapid development of automated business processes on the basis of cloud services. The article is an attempt to refine the scope of the model by systematizing its logical and technological aspects. The advantages of the “Business Process as a Service” model, as well as some problematic aspects of its implementation are defined. Finally, factors for its successful implementation are identified.
-
Silvia Gospodinova
FACTORS DETERMINING THE DOMINANT ROLE OF THE SERVICES SECTOR IN MODERN ECONOMIES
Abstract:
In the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the process of industrialisation was particularly large-scale and intensive and dominated the industrial sector. In the following years, however, complex processes of adaptation to a new model of development began to take place in the development of the Bulgarian economy. It is based on the global information revolution and the trend towards globalisation, as well as the transition to a market economy. One of the features of this change is the dynamic development of the services sector, which is increasingly beginning to dominate. This paper traces the factors that led to the transformation of most economies, including the Bulgarian and their transformation into post-industrial, as well as the similarities and differences of these changes until the beginning of the twentieth century in our country and in other economies.
