The competitiveness of cluster “Srednogorie med”: preconditions and limitations

Rozdział z: Functioning of the Local Production Systems in Central and Eastern European Countries and Siberia. Case Studies and Comparative Studies, ed. Mariusz E. Sokołowicz.In the environment of global competition, the role of clusters in creating national competitive advantage is rapidly increasing. One of the first and successfully developing clusters in Bulgaria, with a contribution to the economic development of the country, is mining cluster “Srednogorie Med.” Established on the regional industrial principle, the cluster, as a type of local production systems, brings together the efforts of the companies for the mining and processing of copper and gold-containing ores, located on the territory of Central Sredna Gora, the companies, serving industrial production and the municipalities on whose territory the companies operate. This paper aims mainly presenting the level of competitiveness of the local “Srednogorie Med” cluster with the usage of M. E. Porter’s diamond model as well as at outlining the preconditions and limitations for the creation of a competitive advantage for the cluster in its future development. The study is based on secondary information (periodicals and the Internet), as well as personal interviews with representatives of the cluster.Monograph financed under a contract of execution of the international scientific project within 7th Framework Programme of the European Union, co-financed by Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (title: “Functioning of the Local Production Systems in the Conditions of Economic Crisis (Comparative Analysis and Benchmarking for the EU and Beyond”)). Monografia sfinansowana w oparciu o umowę o wykonanie projektu między narodowego w ramach 7. Programu Ramowego UE, współfinansowanego ze środków Ministerstwa Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego (tytuł projektu: „Funkcjonowanie lokalnych systemów produkcyjnych w warunkach kryzysu gospodarczego (analiza porównawcza i benchmarking w wybranych krajach UE oraz krajach trzecich”))

DEA Problems under Geometrical or Probability Uncertainties of Sample Data

This paper discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of new methods for solving DEA problems under real-life geometrical uncertainty and probability uncertainty of sample data. The proposed minimax approach to solve problems with geometrical uncertainty of sample data involves an implementation of linear programming or minimax optimization, whereas the problems with probability uncertainty of sample data are solved through implementing of econometric and new stochastic optimization methods, using the stochastic frontier functions estimation.DEA, Sample data uncertainty, Linear programming, Minimax optimization, Stochastic optimization, Stochastic frontier functions

Impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the development of rural and ecological tourism in Bulgaria

The last two years (2020 and 2021) have changed the world and people's attitudes towards nature. Healthcare and protection against the insidious virus have become paramount tasks for the whole of human society. Against the background of this global pandemic and the huge damage suffered on a number of economic and social sectors, including tourism, the development of two of the main alternative forms of tourism during a pandemic is of interest to  us from a research point of view. The article aims to analyze the direct and indirect impact of the pandemic on the development of rural and ecological tourism in Bulgaria. To achieve this, in-depth, pre-structured interviews with entrepreneurs working in the sector, in different regions of the country, are conducted helping us to identify the main problems and opportunities for the development of this specific type of entrepreneurship. The study is based on a representative sample, as we cannot cover all rural and ecological accommodations offered in the country, but the results are more than interesting and useful, both for future development and for comparison with conventional tourism in the studied areas

Application of Mobile Fluorescence Spectroscopy as a Method for the Analysis of Representatives of Different Varieties of Radishes (Raphanus Sativus L.) During Storage under Uncontrolled Conditions

The present study aims to establish the application of mobile fluorescence spectroscopy to determine varietal differences and water content during the storage of radishes under uncontrolled conditions. The experimental studies were carried out on the farm where the radishes were grown and stored. Fluorescence analysis was performed with a source with an emission wavelength of 285 nm using an author-developed mobile setup in a fiber-optic configuration generating fluorescence signals. Root crops from the Red Large, Espresso F1, French Breakfast, and Nacional 2 varieties are the object of this study. They were measured after harvesting after 3 and 6 months of storage. The correlation between the emission wavelengths of the samples of different varieties, as well as those of the same variety at different storage intervals, was established. This fact allows mobile fluorescence spectroscopy to be successfully applied as a rapid tool in radish breeding programs to establish the origin of unknown root crops in the presence of a rich library of spectra, as well as in the sorting of radishes in warehouses of food chains and producers. The experiment results can be used to optimize the time for the analysis of the varietal affiliation of different radish genotypes during storage under uncontrolled conditions. Fluorescence spectroscopy in a fiber-optic configuration will support the process of determining the affiliation of a particular radish variety to a given type (even for samples of unknown origin when it is necessary to qualify and sort in a short time)

Of the `rivalry` and the `collaboration` between medicine and philosophy

Развитието на научното познание и технологичният напредък днес отново пораждат необходимостта от сътрудничество между философия и медицина. От Просвещението до съвременността се развиват процеси на тясна специализация в научните области. Това е причината да се достигне до трайно и дълбоко разграничаване между природните науки и тези на духа. Този конфликт води до една трайна дехуманизация във всички сфери на човешката дейност. Връщането на научното знание към човешкото съществуване създава предпоставка за сътрудничеството между медицината и философията. Това сътрудничество се случва на терена на една сравнително нова област, наречена биоетика. Работата в тази област е свързана с възникването на нови въпроси и проблеми, пораждащи дискусии. Поради това е необходимо да се внесе повече яснота в отношенията между философия и медицина, за да се превърне човекът отново в цел, a не в средство.Today the development of scientific knowledge as well as the technological progress creates anew the necessity of a collaboration between philosophy and medicine. Processes of narrow specialization have been ongoing ever since the age of the Enlightenment. This is the reason why there is a huge gap between natural sciences and humanistic studies. This conflict leads to a long-lasting dehumanization in all areas of human activity. Bringing scientific knowledge back to its original purpose to serve the human well-being creates the prerequisite of a collaboration between medicine and philosophy. This collaboration takes place in the field of a comparatively new field called bioethics. Working in this area poses new questions and inspires discussions concerning new problems. This is why it is of crucial importance for clarifications to be made in the relations between philosophy and medicine in order to make man again a purpose of science, not simply a tool

Success of the strategic management of Boni Holding JSC

Strategic governance over the last thirty years has proven itself to be, undoubtedly, the best way to manage the agrarian business, and not only that. As a successful example, we can mention "Bonnie Holding" JSC in Bulgaria. The company activities include: feed manufacturing, pig hybrids breeding, commodity production of various types of local products, slicing and meat processing. The main objective of this article is to analyze the activity of Boni Holding JSC, to track the relationships of mutual partnerships between suppliers, customers and competitors and to define thestrategies the company applies as a result of its strategic management. The article uses data kindly provided by the company, along with methods of deduction and induction, as a strategic profile of the company has been made, which allows the determination of the applied strategies in practice

When publications lead to products: the open science conundrum in new product development

This paper examines interdependencies between firms’ activities in the realms of open science and commercial product development. We present a theoretical framework that outlines when a firm’s involvement in academic communities enhances its innovative performance in terms of new products in development. We argue that the disclosure of more, valuable R&D work in quality scholarly publications and collaborations with academic partners positively affect firm innovation. We further hypothesize a differential effect of adopting open science strategies on the innovation type, being more pronounced for radical innovations than for incremental innovations. We empirically analyze a unique panel dataset containing information on the product innovation performance and R&D activities of 160 UK therapeutic biotechnology firms over the period 1998- 2009. Our results from count data models on the number of new products in development provide empirical support for our hypotheses

Dynamic selection of redundant web services

In the domain of Web Services, it is not uncommon to find redundant services that provide functionalities to the clients. Services with the same functionality can be clustered into a group of redundant services. Respectively, if a service offers different functionalities, it belongs to more than one group. Having various Web Services that are able to handle the client's request suggests the necessity of a mechanism that selects the most appropriate Web Service at a given moment of time. This thesis presents an approach, Virtual Web Services Layer, for dynamic service selection based on virtualization on the server side. It helps managing redundant services in a transparent manner as well as allows adding services to the system at run-time. In addition, the layer assures a level of security since the consumers do not have direct access to the Web Services. Several selection techniques are applied to increase the performance of the system in terms of load-balancing, dependability, or execution time. The results of the experiments show which selection techniques are appropriate when different QoS criteria of the services are known and how the correctness of this information influences on the decision-making process

Assessing the role of the research in the transition to organic farming by using the Actor Network Theory: lessons from two case studies in France and Bulgaria

This paper explores the potential of Actor Network Theory (ANT) in understanding how the process of interaction and translation between human and non-human actors contribute to the development, adoption and diffusion of science-based innovations linked to the transition to organic farming. The study relies on two case studies, the French Camargue case covering a range of technical and social innovations, and the case from Bulgaria focusing on the development of a technical and product innovation, i.e. a veterinary product for organic beekeeping. The paper shows the limitations of classical approaches in studying innovations since they underestimate the role of heterogeneous actors, their status, and how they interact with each other. We argue that focusing on actors’ interactions helps to better understand the so-called “uncertainties” and “turning points” in the innovation development, as well as to interpret them as natural elements. Moreover we argue that challenges to tackle should be problematized to increase the success of research programs. We also stress the importance of opinion leaders during the implementation and diffusion phase of the innovation