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Asie Tsintsadze, Sofio Tsetskhladze
FORECASTING THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF NON-STATE PENSION FUND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES: THE CASE OF GEORGIA
Abstract:
This paper evaluates the effectiveness of Georgia’s non-state pension fund using monthly data for 2022–2023 and develops short-to-medium-term forecasts to 2030. We assemble indicators on pension contributions, investment returns, and the exchange rate, and define a fund-effectiveness measure to capture the system’s ability to meet obligations. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression is used to estimate the relationship between effectiveness and its determinants; we verify time-series properties with Augmented Dickey–Fuller tests, assess Granger causality, and construct an ARIMA model to forecast dynamics under current policies.
The results indicate a positive and statistically significant association between contribution inflows and effectiveness, while the link between investment returns and effectiveness is weak or negative during the sample period, consistent with portfolio transition, limited diversification, and market volatility. Exchange-rate movements appear positively associated with effectiveness, reflecting the valuation of foreign assets, but also imply additional risk to beneficiaries’ purchasing power. Forecasts suggest that, absent reforms, effectiveness is unlikely to rise materially by 2030.
We discuss implications for policy design and governance. Priority actions include: strengthening risk management and diversification; aligning asset duration with liabilities; instituting foreign exchange risk hedging where appropriate; publishing clearer performance and risk disclosures; and enhancing default portfolio design and member choice architecture. The findings inform the calibration of contribution policy and investment guidelines for Georgia’s non-state pension system.
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Vesselin Blagoev, Elena Shustova, Alexandr Koichubayev
PERCEPTIONS ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION OF SERVICE ROBOTS IN HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES IN KAZAKHSTAN AND RUSSIA - COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Abstract:
Our goal is to assess the understanding and acceptance of robotization in hospitality, based on research done in the two countries. This research applies a survey method to collect respondents’ opinion of hospitality employees vs hospitality customers. The main sampling frames are formed by employees of hotels, restaurants and other hospitality businesses. Five hypotheses are studied and tested for the two categories of respondents in each country. The results from the statistical analysis differ for the studied countries, and between the two studied categories of respondents. The study confirms the expectations of improving the quality and increasing the effectiveness of robotizing the hospitality businesses. This research adds knowledge and understanding of how the hospitality employees and customers in Kazakhstan and Russia consider the implementation of service robots. The statistics show that the findings have value and can be used by hospitality managers when they consider possible robotization.
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Dariusz Nowak
DETERMINANTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONS
Abstract:
Nowadays, the cooperation is considered as one of the basic paths of enterprise development. For many entities, it is a chance of improving or increasing competitiveness, for others it is a necessity because the lack of cooperation could cause serious perturbations. However, it is emphasized that the decision to cooperate must be conscious. The effect can be on one hand the benefits, on the other hand there is the possibility of generating losses. Due to the fact that most of the relations between the cooperating companies are antagonistic, it is worth considering the factors that guarantee the effectiveness of cooperation. This paper attempts to identify the key factors that favour and limit the effectiveness of inter-organizational collaboration. The first part of the paper presents theoretical reflections on the essence and nature of cooperation. The second one focuses on the result analysis of a survey on determinants of cooperation conducted during the year 2015 on a sample of 192 entities.
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Daliborka Blazeska, Natasha Ristovska
THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR OBTAINING SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Abstract:
Achieving a sustainable competitive advantage depends on the innovations which are largely dependent on the online marketing that initiates the use of social networks which enable the improvement of long-term relationships of the company and the focus on the particular target group. Their best results are achieved as a result of the creativity and they are ideal medium which does not require huge money investment, but energy, thinking, time and knowledge. The investment in marketing activities in the social network cannot be considered as a simple venture but as a management of several goals: the user should get to know the brand, interaction of the user with the brand and oral transmitting of the message.
The paper focuses on the analysis of social networks and their influence in the direction of promoting two-way, i.e. interactive communication with consumers. On the other side, in the paper answers will be given to the question: “Which of the social networks are the most effective tools for promotion?” The results show that the applications of modern and innovative methods in the field of internet marketing are crucial for distinguishing and creating a competitive advantage.
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Margarita Nikolova
THE ISSUE OF THE NUMBER
OF HOSPITALS AND THEIR CAPACITY
AND EFFECTIVENESS IN BULGARIA
Abstract:
Over the last decade in Bulgaria medical institutions for health care have functioned in an unsustainable and unfavorable environment. This is particularly true for hospitals in towns or villages as some of them have gone bankrupt, while many of them have terminated their activities.
As regards the number of hospitals per 100,000 people, Bulgaria is among the countries of the EU-27 with a relatively large number of hospitals – over 4.44 per 100,000 people. This is a third more than the average ratio of the EU-27 member states and 50% more than the new EU member states from Eastern Europe. This is why research into hospitals takes into account a problem which is very serious for Bulgaria, namely, the activities undertaken and their effectiveness. This article argues for the thesis that the government must stop the uncontrolled growth of medical institu¬tions for health care and introduce a new system of funding according to which the patient must be treated in a complex way, not according to a clinical pathway, because costs do not meet the real expenses of the treatment of a patient with a particular diag¬nosis.
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Andrey Burachenko
MEDIUM-TERM PLANNING AND BUDGETING AT A LOCAL LEVEL
Abstract:
This article discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of medium-term planning and budgeting at local level in contemporary Ukraine. The author emphasises that the completion of functions by local authority bodies in Ukraine require the realisation of effective measures and actions guaranteed by corresponding budgetary programmes. One significant aspect of the problem is the effectiveness of monitoring the completion of local budget programmes.
The article contains particular proposals regarding the budgetary reform carried out in Ukraine – the introduction of medium-term budget planning at both state and local level.
