Bistra Vassileva | University of economics - Varna (original) (raw)

Papers by Bistra Vassileva

Thriving on Future Education, Industry, Business and Society; Proceedings of the MakeLearn and TIIM International Conference 2019, 2019

Advances in public policy and administration (APPA) book series, 2018

This chapter presents the main issues around globalization and its effect on trade relations of e... more This chapter presents the main issues around globalization and its effect on trade relations of emerging markets. Based on extensive literature review the basic globalization trends with corresponding factors are revealed. The author's proposition states that globalization trends (including political, economic, and social globalization) affect trade relations between and within emerging markets. The analysis covers BRIC and CIVETS countries for the period from 1971 to 2013 (based on KOF Index of Globalization) and from 1960 to 2015 for the exports/imports flows. Several statements and propositions regarding trade relations between and within emerging markets are defined. The proposed implications for future research are focused on: exploring emerging markets as a system which variations can be modeled by stochastic processes, and applying network theory to explore the influences of trade liberalizations and gravitational effects of various regional trade agreements on the economic performance of major emerging markets.

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Nov 1, 2018

Management Challenges in a Network Economy: Proceedings of the MakeLearn and TIIM International Conference 2017, 2017

The purpose of this paper is to understand consumer behavioral models with respect to their react... more The purpose of this paper is to understand consumer behavioral models with respect to their reactions to social network marketing. Theoretical background was focused on online and social network usage, motivations and behavior. The research goal is to explore consumer reactions to the exposure of social network marketing based on the following criteria: level of brand engagement, WOM referral behavior, and purchase intentions. Consumers are investigated on the basis of their attitudes toward social network marketing and basic socio-demographic covariates using data from a sample size of 700 Bulgarian respondents (age group 21-54 years, Internet users, urban inhabitants). Factor and cluster analyses are applied. It was found that consumers are willing to receive information about brands and companies through social networks. They like to talk in social networks about these brands and companies and to share information as well (factor 2, brand engagement). Internet users are willing to share information received through social network advertising (factor 1, WOM refferal behavior) but they would not buy a certain brand as a result of brand communication activities in social networks (factor 3, purchase intention). Several practical implications regarding marketing activities through social networks are drawn.

On a global scene, concerns about global warming, destruction of the environment, erosion of cult... more On a global scene, concerns about global warming, destruction of the environment, erosion of cultures and lifestyles, and millions of people still living in poverty, are increasing (International Centre for Responsible Tourism, 2012). The number of initiatives aimed at saving some part of the environment, or improving the living conditions for the world’s vulnerable people, increases steadily. According to the Ethical Consumer Markets Report (2012:2) markets for ethical goods and services have remained resilient throughout the economic downturn. Tourism is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economic sectors. In 2015 the number of international tourist arrivals surpassed 1.2 billion with a forecast to reach 1.8 billion in 2030 according to the UNWTO. Within this continuing growth of tourism there is a growing trend and a raising consumer awareness for sustainable and responsible tourism. Since more than 90% of tourism companies in EU are small businesses, individual entre...

Handbook of Research on International Collaboration, Economic Development, and Sustainability in the Arctic, 2019

The Arctic gains an increasing geopolitical importance in the globalized world. The region provid... more The Arctic gains an increasing geopolitical importance in the globalized world. The region provides a lot of opportunities especially due to the global warming and intensive development of digital technology but at the same time, it poses extreme challenges. The chapter starts with a literature review on interactions, relationships, networks and their implications on trans-Arctic collaborations. The first section begins by exploring how each Arctic state deals with the opportunities and challenges of the region. The second section describes the evolution of trans-Arctic relations. In the third section, market connections between the Arctic states, the importance of establishing a predictable regulatory framework, knowledge and data exchange, broadband penetration, and use of traditional indigenous knowledge to stimulate sustainable long-term trans-Arctic interactions are analyzed. The chapter ends with conclusions and recommendations aimed at the future development of trans-Arctic i...

This paper begins by outlining the importance of development business-oriented education throughe... more This paper begins by outlining the importance of development business-oriented education throughexperience-based blended learning environment within Higher Education (HE). The author’s primary goal is todevelop a methodological business-oriented and evidence-based learning environment which will providestudents the opportunity to experience different professional skills as data collectors, researchers,communicators, and decision-makers. The overall intention is to offer a coherent framework that is studentorientedand makes use of active-based learning to support academics in encouraging student activeparticipation and stimulating their entrepreneurial skills. To meet these goals, the conceptual model ofReference Framework for Applied Competences (REFRAC) [6, 7] is applied and experimented in differentacademic programmes and degrees.In HEIs there is increasing consensus [1, 3] that beyond knowledge and skills training, learning process shouldemphasise on the following: developing a g...

International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories, Oct 1, 2014

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to identify the key elements of brand building based on a... more The purpose of this conceptual paper is to identify the key elements of brand building based on a literature review, preliminary surveys and a case study of successful IT brand in Bulgaria. The paper suggests a framework for building brand identity based on M 2 BC (Multimodal Brand Communication) model. A combined research and development process is conducted in order to derive M 2 BC conceptual model. This process integrates a broad literature search, incl. analysis of secondary data from Interbrand reports, followed by a different types of surveys based on RepBrand methodology, NetPromoter scale and other techniques for measuring brand reputation and brand identity. A case study of a popular Bulgarian IT brand is used to illustrate the importance of the key elements in building brands in highly competitive markets. The author concludes by discussing the possibilities for building brand identity in highly dynamic markets as well as the opportunities for further research.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2015

Proceedings of the 11th CONTECSI International Conference on Information Systems and Technology Management, 2014

The aim of the paper is to present the service quality situation in hospitals in North-Eastern Pl... more The aim of the paper is to present the service quality situation in hospitals in North-Eastern Planning Region in Bulgaria. Our intention was to assess the gap between the expected and perceived healthcare service quality in hospitals. To meet these goals we conducted a study using prospective questionnaire provided by the GESITI project [management of system and information technology in hospitals (GESITI, 2013a)] and SERVQUAL scale. The results helped us to summarise the challenges for Bulgarian hospitals to diminish the 'quality gap' as well as to identify the critical factors for achieving high quality level of healthcare services. Several recommendations and implications for future research are defined at the end of the study.

The main purpose of the paper is to investigate the applicability of real-time marketing scorecar... more The main purpose of the paper is to investigate the applicability of real-time marketing scorecard as a benchmarking tool for measuring and driving dynamic marketing performance in service-dominated sectors. Real-time marketing scorecard is a marketing research platform providing real-time data and cross-sectional information about consumers and dynamic marketing performance by products and by markets visualized as an interactive managerial dashboard. It provides 360° picture of the company performance: inside feedback (employee perceptions and motivation-through active employee feedback), outside feedback (customer perceptions and satisfaction-through m-exit surveys), process performance (through mystery shopping) as well as serves as a benchmarking tool (by providing benchmark results from the outside feedback). 1 Background 1.1 Marketing in the Age of Information Technology According to Dholakia et al. [7] two of the most important contemporary transformative processes-the rise i...

All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you... more All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately.

Abstract. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to identify the key elements of brand building ... more Abstract. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to identify the key elements of brand building based on a literature review, preliminary surveys and a case study of successful IT brand in Bulgaria. The paper suggests a framework for building brand identity based on M2BC (Multimodal Brand Communication) model. A combined research and development process is conducted in order to derive M2BC conceptual model. This process integrates a broad literature search, incl. analysis of secondary data from Interbrand reports, followed by a different types of surveys based on RepBrand methodology, NetPromoter scale and other techniques for measuring brand reputation and brand identity. A case study of a popular Bulgarian IT brand is used to illustrate the importance of the key elements in building brands in highly competitive markets. The author concludes by discussing the possibilities for building brand identity in highly dynamic markets as well as the opportunities for further research.

The main purpose of the paper is to analyse the international market entry strategies in the ligh... more The main purpose of the paper is to analyse the international market entry strategies in the light of globalisation processes and to propose a conceptual model of turnkey projects as market entry mode. The specific research objectives are as follows: 1. to develop an integrated framework of the turnkey marketing process as a conceptual model; 2. to analyse BRICS countries as potential host countries for turnkey projects implementation; 3. to assess potential implications of proposed conceptual model for global market entry decisions.

The aim of this paper is to explore the implementation of a business-oriented and experience-base... more The aim of this paper is to explore the implementation of a business-oriented and experience-based learning environment and its effects on cultivating responsibility among students in the field of economics. The main proposition states that by providing students the opportunity to experience different professional skills as data collectors, researchers and decision-makers could establish a solid background for raising their responsibility. Our intention is to offer a coherent framework that is student-oriented and makes use of active-based learning with implementation of research methods to support academics in encouraging student active participation. To meet these goals, a longitudinal study was conducted. The results were used to identify the layers and the structure of the Reference Framework for Applied Competences (REFRAC). The background layer which correspondes to carrer-sustaining curriculum planning level was tested using different learning methodologies.

Management and Marketing Journal, 2009

Current academic research on the relationship of firms’ CSR activities with corporate branding ty... more Current academic research on the relationship of firms’ CSR activities with corporate branding typically focuses on consumers’ and shareholders’ viewpoints. This research aims to shed light on how organisational members in firms perceive to be the impact of CSR activities upon their corporate brand strategy. Using a survey administered to companies in the U.K. and Bulgaria, the author investigate, firstly, organisational members’ perceptions of the impact of different CSR-related activities upon corporate branding and, secondly, their beliefs about what customers and shareholders think are the impacts of CSR-related activities upon brand image and brand identity. The findings indicated that while organisational members rated quality products, customer service and corporate governance highly as key components of CSR activity, they were much more ambivalent about their companies' commitment to broader actions which involve the 'community' and 'society'. This paper ...

The purpose of this paper is to investigate dynamics of the most valuable Chinese brands by apply... more The purpose of this paper is to investigate dynamics of the most valuable Chinese brands by applying the Zipf-Pareto law and the index of Sheppard. Top 100 global brands’ values (incl. top Chinese brands) measured by Interbrаnd BGB100 and Millward Brown BrandZ valuation methodologies were compared with respect to the emergence of power laws in the size distribution. The results of the analysis show that the distribution of the most valuable Chinese brands’ satisfies the Zipf-Pareto law. These results are compared to the findings for the top 100 global brands dynamics. Based on the research results authors conclude that the system of the most valuable Chinese brands tends to reach equilibrium but due to the external factors, the growth of the top few brands is limited. The deviations from the power law fit were measured by the primacy index of Sheppard. The achieved results are used to suggest and discuss several implications for brand strategies in emerging markets.

In the past few years, the body of knowledge on hybrid warfare grew considerably, as did its impo... more In the past few years, the body of knowledge on hybrid warfare grew considerably, as did its importance both in practice and in academia. This article provides a current overview of the existing body of the literature in the field of simulation-based learning and the hybrid warfare issues of key importance. The authors present here an original framework related to simulation-based learning environment which provides students or trainees the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills to deal with different situations in hybrid warfare impacting both the private and the public sector. Research questions driving this study are as follows: First, to identify key topics of hybrid warfare which should be taken as mandatory topics during the training sessions; second, to evaluate the possibilities to apply simulation-based learning to hybrid warfare issues, and, third, to propose a methodological framework of simulation-based learning environment about key hybrid warfare topics and relate...

Corporate image has been considered as an important antecedent of customer satisfaction and loyal... more Corporate image has been considered as an important antecedent of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Corporate brand, especially in the field of services is critical component which affects market performance of companies. Addressing the corporate brand image is considered to be more appropriate than that of the product brand, as it provides a strong identity for the company's offers in the marketplace (Douglas and Craig, 2001). In this study context, it is essential to identify how to position and differentiate corporate brand image of banks by investigating the customer satisfaction of bank services. The objective of this paper is to analyse the relationships between corporate brand image, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the Bulgarian banking sector, based on the customers' perceptions and experience. Results indicate that banks should pay special attention to the corporate brand image, given its influence on customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Thriving on Future Education, Industry, Business and Society; Proceedings of the MakeLearn and TIIM International Conference 2019, 2019

Advances in public policy and administration (APPA) book series, 2018

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Nov 1, 2018

Management Challenges in a Network Economy: Proceedings of the MakeLearn and TIIM International Conference 2017, 2017

Handbook of Research on International Collaboration, Economic Development, and Sustainability in the Arctic, 2019

International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories, Oct 1, 2014

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2015

Proceedings of the 11th CONTECSI International Conference on Information Systems and Technology Management, 2014

Management and Marketing Journal, 2009

We live in a world where disruptive technologies, rapid structural changes and economic turbulenc... more We live in a world where disruptive technologies, rapid structural changes and economic turbulence are impacting the global economy by accelerating the rise of complexity. Complexity turns out to be a major force business must consider when developing and executing marketing strategies. It affects businesses both by delivering challenges and opening new opportunities which means that complexity radically changes the way business is managed.
Globalisation is signified the quintessence of the last decade of the 20th century. Its effect on brands and branding strategies is outstanding. New brands are developed and launched as global brands, many traditionally local brands are sold or acquired, numerous rebranding strategies are realised, just to name a few of the subsequent outcomes of the globalisation process.
This book presents an investigation of the dynamics of global brands values by applying the Zipf-Pareto law and the index of Sheppard. The research is focused on the top 100 global brands explored as a system of brands. It is assumed that there are variations in the factors which affect the distribution of global brands values as well as that these variations can be modelled by stochastic processes. The selection of a proper stochastic process instead of a model equation of factors affecting brand value serves as a starting point for the research methodology. The basic assumption states that the explanation of the distribution of global brands values needs only an implementation of a mathematical model based on the stochastic process with proper characteristics.
The main research goal of the study is twofold. To understand: (1) if the state of equilibrium of the ranked global brands (based on their values) fits the power law, and (2) if the deviations are characterised by the index of Sheppard.
Three research hypotheses are defined, based on the main research goal:
RH1: The distribution of global brand values satisfies the Zipf-Pareto law.
RH2: The identified three classes of global brands satisfy the Zipf-Pareto law.
RH3: The system of global brands satisfies the primacy index of Sheppard.