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Andrey Zahariev, Galina Zaharieva, Margarita Mihaylova
Digitalization and Recruitment of Human Resources in Banking and Insurance Companies: A Comparative Analysis
Summary:
The present study has a theoretical and empirical perspective in its construction. In the first aspect, the aim is to study the theoretical achievements in the field of digital technological solutions for the selection of human resources, their potential advantages and disadvantages, and in the second aspect - an analysis of the policies of the Bulgarian financial enterprises in the field of digitalization, incl. human resources, the practices of using modern techniques of selection, the potential for their improvement and refinement. The object of the research is the Bulgarian enterprises from the banking and insurance sectors, and the subject - their digitalization policies and the modern methods of selection of human resources that they use. The surveyed insurance companies form 65.35% of the gross premium income of the Bulgarian non-life insurance market as of 30.06.2022. The studied credit institutions are licensed by the BNB commercial banks in the Republic of Bulgaria, which manage 70.04% of the assets in the banking system of the studied national market as of 30.06.2022. The comparative analysis of the two groups of financial enterprises shows both similarities and significant differences. Due to the larger number of managed personnel, commercial banks are developing their own platforms for digitization and HR selection, while the process for insurers is more conservative and relies on intermediaries. The received answers to questions on the Likert scale related to digitalization in human resources management establish significant differences in expert assessments for the two groups of financial enterprises.
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Kamen Kamenov
The Modelling Environment and Human Capital
Summary:
The article examines factors forming the modeling environment of human potential. Their operation is analyzed under different variants of combination. Along with the genetically determined qualities the modeling environment underlies the building of human potential. The relation between potential level and realization environment is examined. Their favourable combination creates the best opportunities for revealing exceptional gifts and endowments in the human factor, i.e. talents. A connection is made between human potential and economic growth emphasizing on the importance of human qualities in perspective for the creation of an effective and competitive economy.
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Penka Shishmanova
The Key Challenges of Knowledge-based Economy Facing Some Countries of the Balkan Region (Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey)
Summary:
This paper analyzes the progress of three Balkan countries – Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, in building a knowledge-based economy. For this purpose we employ the Knowledge Assessment Methodology – KAM/ of the World Bank and, in particular, a system of indicators integrated into four supporting “pillars” – economic initiative and institutional environment, education, innovations, information and communication technologies.
Based on that, we compare the accomplishments of the respective countries, uncover the common ground and the differences between them, outline their weaknesses and comparative advantages, high-light their particular problems and lay down their potentials. All of this in the long run is intended to outline the key challenges of knowledge-based economy facing each of the three countries and the Balkan region at large.
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Alexander Apostolov
Theoretical Foundations, Functioning, and Role of Financial Intermediation as a Factor for Economic Growth
Summary:
The study examines the theoretical relationship between financial intermediation and economic growth, focusing on the growing role of non-bank financial intermediation (NBFIs). In order to accomplish this, the main theoretical strands, thematically the most significant propositions, and empirical analyses of the interaction between the development of financial intermediation and economic growth, the structuring of the modern financial system, and the risks it faces, are critically reexamined. Efforts are focused on exploring the direction of the sector's implicit influence on economic growth and whether it can be reversed or is bidirectional. Does the combination of financial markets and investment intermediaries operating in an economy affect economic growth, and if so, in what ways? The study seeks to extend the dichotomous theoretical conceptualizations of financial structure as primarily banking while broadening the theoretical schema by incorporating the perspective of modern structuring, impact, and activities in the non-bank financial ecosystem.
