Economics 21

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  IMPROVING THE CAPITAL STRUCTURE OF BANKS

  This study examines the possibilities for improving the capital structure of banks through analysis of various combinations of long-term debt and equity. The theoretical thesis that banks should maintain a positive capital structure has not been ignored for a single moment in the reflections below. Yet, applied techniques and methods indicate that ... This study examines the possibilities for improving the capital structure of banks through analysis of various combinations of long-term debt and equity. The theoretical thesis that banks should maintain a positive capital structure has not been ignored for a single moment in the reflections below. Yet, applied techniques and methods indicate that contemporary banking is predominantly based on negative capital structure in which a single unit of equity attracts multiple units of loan capital until reaching maximum levels beyond which the regulatory proportions for funding of banking business are violated. Quite logically, attention is paid to banking risk with reference to banks performance and the efficiency of capital utilisation. In parallel, financial leverage is applied to maximize bank earnings. Through the DuPont model, the capital management of banks develops a systematic tool for measuring the efficiency of decisions related to the development of the financial leverage effect. Based on this a model for the optimization of commercial banks is designed to facilitate bank managers in making efficient financial decisions, which take into consideration market capitalization and the cost of long-term capital resources

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  ANALYSIS OF THE AUTODETERMINATION COEFFICIENT STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE

  The study examines the issue of estimating the statistical signifi¬can¬ce of the autodetermination coefficient. The features of the proposed estimate are identified – bias, efficiency, consistency and sufficiency, and their relation¬ship with the length of the time series and the number of the autocorrelation coeffi¬cients used. Two approaches are ... The study examines the issue of estimating the statistical signifi¬can¬ce of the autodetermination coefficient. The features of the proposed estimate are identified – bias, efficiency, consistency and sufficiency, and their relation¬ship with the length of the time series and the number of the autocorrelation coeffi¬cients used. Two approaches are proposed for testing the statistical signifi¬can¬ce hypothesis. The first one is used in long time series and involves calcu¬lating the properties of the Wald test (W), the likelihood ratio test (LR) and the Lagrange multiplier test (LM). The second approach is used in short time series on the basis of tabulated boundary values of the autodetermination coeffi¬cient. The study proposes an analysis scheme which was used in stu¬dying the time series of the main indicators of Bulgaria’s demographic develop¬ment for the period 1930 – 2011.

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  SOCIAL BUSINESS: USING WEB 2.0 AND SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THE BUSINESS OF COMPANIES

  Over the recent years Web 2.0 has been at the forefront of high-tech tools and technologies that companies are seeking to use in their business processes. Web 2.0 has emerged as a new wave of business innovation that gives new dimensions to the Internet as a means of communication, cooperation and doing business. This study examines the evolution ... Over the recent years Web 2.0 has been at the forefront of high-tech tools and technologies that companies are seeking to use in their business processes. Web 2.0 has emerged as a new wave of business innovation that gives new dimensions to the Internet as a means of communication, cooperation and doing business. This study examines the evolution of the Web in the context of opportunities for implementing technologies in companies’ businesses. Emphasis is placed on the second generation of Web technologies and the social business concept – the new opportunities for adapting and using the Web’s ideas and technologies in companies’ businesses. The nature and specific approaches and strategies of social business are presented as a new generation of technologies capable of achieving an increase in companies’ income and profits, seizing new market niches, as well as increasing sharply the labour productivity of employees and their incorporation into the main goals of the business. The first part analyzes in brief the evolution of the Web technologies and their impact on the business of companies. The focus is on the nature and changes that the second and third generation of technologies (Web 2.0 and Web 3.0) impose on business processes. The second part examines the priority areas for the application of social technologies in business: management of internal corporate communications, design and development of new products and knowledge management (Intranet environment); corporate communications and interactions with external partners and customers (Extranet environment, B2B model); e-commerce (online stores, B2C model). The practical possibilities of the three approaches for using the social networks in e-business are discussed: opening a representation (an online store) on Facebook or another social network, as an addition to the already existing traditional online store; online trading directly in the social network, without an online store; using the social networks as a complement and alternative to the search engines. The third part of the study examines social business as an opportunity to use new social platforms for communication between companies and their customers. The nature of the new concept of social cooperation, which ultimately reflects in higher productivity and returns on investment, is analyzed. The author presents and analyzes several aspects of social business in a company’s activities – marketing in a Web 2.0 environment and working with clients of the company, interactions with business partners, personnel management and knowledge management in the company.