News

An International Scientific and Practical Conference was held on June 7 at the New Bulgarian University, during which the topic of “Power, Governance and Social Development” was discussed. The event, which attracted great interest, was organized by representatives of the Administration and Management Department. During the opening, Prof. Antonyi Slavinski, Ph.D., Chairman of the NBU Board of Trustees, welcomed numerous guests, including leading international scientists, business managers, researchers, lecturers and experts from various public domains.

Elena Kircheva, Ph.D., Secretary General of the VEF, and Vania Kastreva, Ph.D., former Deputy Minister of Education and Science, and Head of the Sofia Inspectorate of Education at the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) greeted the participants.

Mr. Doncho Barbalov - Deputy Mayor of Sofia Municipality, in charge of the “Finances and Business Activities” Division and ad interim Deputy Mayor in charge of the “Sofia Municipal Healthcare” Division also attended the opening of the international forum.

Business representatives demonstrated interest in the event. Among them were Ms. Mariana Pecheyan, manager of VSK Kentavar Group, nominated for the annual VIP Business Awards 2016 for significant business achievements, winner of 10 consecutive Top Quality Awards and great achievements in deliveries; and member of the Programming Board of the Administration and Management Department; and Ms. Julieta Serafimova - General Director of the 5-star Grand Hotel Sofia and Director of Business Development of “Sofia Hotels’ Management,” the management company of Central Park Hotel Sofia and Suite Hotel Sofia, who is also a member of the Programming Board of the Administration and Management Department.

A special guest of the conference was Assoc. Prof. Ivan Kostov, PhD, Prime Minister of Bulgaria (1997-2001), Chairman of the Management Board of the Center for Analyzes and Risk Management at the New Bulgarian University. His speech contained practical political, economic social analyzes and forecasts. He presented a wide-ranging plenary report on “Critique of Human Capital Management in Bulgaria”, which prompted huge interest and intense discussion in the audience.

A plenary report was also delivered by Prof. Antoni Todorov, PhD, lecturer at New Bulgarian University, on “Inequalities and Democracy: Policies of Integration in Society”.

A special guest of the conference was Professor Joachim Hentze, Dean of the Faculty of Economics at the Technical University of Braunschweig (from 1974 till 2005) and Head of the German-Bulgarian Project at the Technical University, Sofia. Author of over 60 books published in German, English, Russian and Polish on topics related to human resource management, planning and organization, industry economics, intercultural management, hospital accounting. He has been granted the honorific title Doctor Honoris Causa of TU and Honorary Doctor of the University of Economics in Chisinau, Moldova. Prof. Hence captured the attention of the guests with a plenary report on “Management of the Sustainable Development as Part of an Integrated Management Approach”.

Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Panayotov, PhD, Chairman of the Scientific and Organizational Committee of the Conference, as well as of the Business Administration Community, presented an introductory presentation on “Architecture of Power - Alchemy or Dynamic Transformation”.

The conference was also attended by representatives of the scientific elite from the Departments of Management, Public Administration, Economics and Tourism at Struga International University, Macedonia; the University of National and World Economy; Sofia University Kliment Ohridski; the American University in Bulgaria; D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics, Svishtov; the Bulgarian Academy of Science; the Institute for Economic Research; the Burgas Free University; Technical University Sofia; University of Forestry, and other scientific organizations.

Within the framework of the conference, the following authors were presented at New Bulgarian University's Book Center: Prof. Maria-Gabriela Baldarelli, Professor of Business Administration at the University of Bologna “Alma Mater Studiorum”; Prof. Mara del Baldo, University of Urbino, Department of Economics, Social and Political Science; Angelo Presenza, PhD, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy, Department of Economics; and Assoc. Prof. Nellin Kyoseva, PhD, NBU. Springer and IGI Global’s two new scientific journals – “Environmental Accounting - Theory and Practice” and “Geopolitics and Strategic Management in the Global Economy”, aroused great interest. The presentation from Italy included Professor Antonio Matacena, holder of the title Doctor Honoris Causa of the NBU and eternal professor at the Universities of Bologna and Urbino.

The goals set at the start of the international forum covered major issues. Some of these were related to proposals of conceptual schemes, parameters and theoretical and applied models for the various global risks - inequality and social cohesion, demographic crises, migration waves, employment; discussion on effective political, economic and governance models for integration into society - power mechanisms, integration, human capital, business environment, sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR); elaboration of global, regional and national priorities and trends with economic, political, social, cultural and environmental dimensions.

The conference results were presented and discussed at a meeting with the Business Administration Community (program graduates, top managers and senior civil servants). Expectations in this direction are related to finding new ideas and opportunities for development that can be applied in forums and seminars on current scientific and social topics.

The International Scientific and Practical Conference, which has become a tradition, is yet another proof that New Bulgarian University is an institution that succeeds in finding the true pulse of the present and seeks effective solutions to current issues by identifying global, regional and national perspectives.

Agenda:

TOPIC 1

Power and governance: dynamics, forecasts and possible changes

Main focus:

Global risks - inequality, demographic crises, migration waves and employment; effective political, economic and governance models for integration into society; power mechanisms, integration, human capital, business environment, ecology and applied models, management models and trends in tourism

TOPIC 2

International business cooperation - Workshop "New forms of cooperation and preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, together with the Universities of Bologna and Urbino (Italy), the University of Paris 13 (France), the University of Struga (Macedonia)

Main focus:

New forms and options for collaborative management decision-making in preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, its applications in different business directions, in human capital management and CSR as key factor and instrument for overcoming the digital divide.