Baiba Rivza

• Doctor of Business Administration professor
• Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies

Digital progress in the European Union is a catalyst for economic development. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated the pace of digitalization, thereby creating not only challenges for the European Union but also new opportunities for economic development in Europe. The present research focuses on an analysis of digital economy and socie...

Sustainability, green growth and the European Union Green Deal principles are the cornerstones that should and will affect our lives. The aim of the paper is to provide possible improvements to higher education programmes to promote the implementation of the EU Green Deal as a factor for changes in business. The research is based on investigations...

The transition to paperless management in municipalities is an essential step in achieving the goals of environmental economics and sustainability. To assess the benefits of such a transition and find weaknesses, the municipality of Liepaja (Latvia), in cooperation with the municipalities of Vila Nova de Poiares (Portugal) and Mielec (Poland), impl...

Modern agriculture, or precision agriculture, is a method that enables better, more efficient and smarter farming, ensuring sustainable development. Precision agriculture can combine data obtained from GPS systems with data from aerial photographs to precisely determine soil needs based on this data. Combining this with precise weather forecasts an...

The swift adoption of digitalization and transformation within enterprises and their operations had commenced prior to the onset of COVID-19, characterized by the shift towards Industry 4.0 and subsequently progressing towards Industry 5.0. However, mandated restrictions significantly amplified the necessity and drive to utilize digital tools for b...

A regional analysis of performance indicators for Latvian business incubators provides a valuable insight into the performance of the business incubator ecosystem in various regions and helps to make future policy decisions on providing funding for the incubators that aim to support the growth and success of startups. The present research performed...

Innovations are very important condition and tool for competitive entrepreneurship. To obtain more effective approaches, researchers are devoting deepened analysis for many factors influencing innovations and innovative activities indicating that there is an important influence on different sources of information on innovations – own company, co-op...

Statistical data, as well as public reports and comments from industry experts, show that the transition of local governments to the digitisation of internal processes has several challenges, mainly related to ensuring sustainability, reducing the impact on the environment, data security, and technical maintenance [2,3]. Therefore, it is essential...

In 2019, the Green Cities submitted the first proposal for the Green Norm. The Green Norm is a set of practical recommendations mainly for politicians, officials and urban development officials. Green cities introduce this norm as a critical strategy for competitiveness. More and more people are moving to big cities, so we must consider climate-neu...

The research examines creativity as an important factor in the production of ecological products and the promotion of sustainable development in the regional economy. The research aims to examine how to promote creativity in the regional economy, what tools should be implemented to develop creativity in individuals, and how creativity is associated...

One of the most important issues for higher education institutions is achieving financial viability and sustainability by expanding revenue sources, as the costs associated with ensuring the operation of higher education institutions is increasing. Therefore, raising funds through donations for universities means new challenges. Within the framewor...

The aim of this study is to carry out an analysis on the implementation of the principles of sustainable leadership in the tourism information centres of Latvian State cities in order to promote the visibility of the territory they represent. This article presents an analysis of the literature on sustainable leadership and visibility of the territo...

The Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected persons with disabilities in the world; the number of deaths caused by the pandemic has largely affected persons with disabilities as reported by United Nations. However, people with disabilities not only faced greater health impacts, but were also affected by worsening economic situation. Many...

Well-functioning financial markets are crucial in creating strong economic environment, determined by stock market size, capitalization, and also banking development, which can forecast the improvements in growth and productivity. Access to sustainable financing could benefit equally to companies and also environment. Stock market is an alternative...

The formation of an innovative economy means the transformation of the intellect, the creative potential of a person into a leading factor in economic growth and national competitiveness. The source of high incomes is not only the possibility of obtaining income from the use of natural resources, due to the high world market conditions, but also th...

Smart development is a problem examined by many research studies, and the scientists note that the concept of smart economy becomes increasingly popular in scientific and practical strategy documents. The documents refer to small and medium enterprises implementing the Industrial Revolution 4.0 as smart companies, which are the basis of economic gr...

The Covid-19 crisis has contributed to the growing structural imbalances in the labour market. Both unemployment in general and youth unemployment makes serious consequences in the economy and development for the people, undermining the pillars of human well-being and better living conditions. Young people have disadvantage in finding a job, especi...

Given the demographic situation in Latvia, the decline in the working-age population and the increase in the number of persons with disabilities (PwD), it is necessary to address the employment issues for disabled people. Therefore, it is relevant to integrate the factors affecting the employment of people with disabilities into a coherent system t...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacts youth employability, especially in rural regions. In rural areas, the lack of system and availability of education, vocational education and training can have a negative impact on a young person's ability to obtain an education and continue to succeed in the labour market. These circumstances can h...

Innovation is one of the most influential aspects for entrepreneurship development. Therefore, also academic researchers pay a lot of attention on different aspects related to innovations. Current research paper is devoted to evaluation of the views of entrepreneurs related to innovation practical applications and problems of introduction of innova...

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world of work has been both devastating and far-reaching. In order to reduce the unemployment rate, it is necessary to increase motivation and incentives to look for a job, to improve readiness for work and help to find a suitable job, as well as to expand employment opportunities. Public employment servic...

In the practice of leading countries, digital transformation implies the industry principle of supporting the introduction of new technologies. At the same time, programs and projects can be built both on the principle of introducing any one promising group of technologies in several industries, where it is especially relevant, and provide for the...

Reducing the use of paper is, first and foremost, an essential factor for environmental economics and sustainability. Digital transformation is also one of the tools supporting the environmental economy, improving business efficiency and reducing costs in the following ways: reducing errors and processing times and increasing security and confident...

Gastronomic heritage is undergoing significant developments, creating a need for competitive strategies to develop food tourism in certain regions. The research explores food culture and tourism in three case studies of Latvia, Romania, and Italy. The article focuses on the information about gastronomic heritage that food lovers request, and the cr...

The study identifies human-centred changes in the management strategy of multi-level economic trends under the influence of ESG-transformation. The objective of the article is to find ways of strategy for building human capital and minimizing HR risks installations in the management system of the specified economic trends. The research methodology...

There are many players in the process of sustainable development of Latvia, including the long-term viability of the country: state and local government institutions, companies, non-governmental organizations, as well as various informal interest groups and every inhabitant. As the regions of the country have different socio-economic development re...

The creation of fundraising scenarios for state-founded universities and the selection of the most appropriate scenario is an important factor in the successful attraction of donations. The study will provide an analysis of three possible scenarios for fundraising, which have been evaluated by seven experts: representatives of patrons as private pe...

The aim of this research study is to perform an analysis of the consequences and impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the development of employability skills and to identify possible solutions to help overcome these challenges. The research methodology applied in this research study involves examining and analysing literature and Internet...

Digital skills are one of the most important skills that were highlighted in the times of COVID-19, including areas like landscape architecture. COVID-19 pandemic raised possibilities for blended-learning in adult education that were not used much before the pandemic. Data shows that Latvia’s inhabitants digital skills compared to the EU average is...

Принаймні половина з 10 новостворених компаній припиняє свою діяльність у перший рік, часто вказуючи причиною збитковість, яку неможливо усунути через відсутність необхідних знань і порад. Своєю чергою, держава та суспільство в цілому зацікавлені у забезпеченні стабільності діяльності компаній, у тому числі й новостворених. Тому формуються організа...

Amusement parks have grown rapidly in Latvia over the last 20 years. The development of Latvian amusement parks is determined by several factors related to the economic, political, geopolitical and international market situation. According to the CSB data, the country has a population of 1.9 million and a total of 14 amusement parks or companies pr...

The economic and labour market consequences of Covid-19 were immediate, significant and lasting, with longterm negative effects on global economic development and activity in general. The global virus pandemic is having a profound effect on the labour market with a sharp rise in the number of unemployed, which are at high risk of becoming long-term...

This research paper summarises the results of the rapid changes in the structure of the economic system as a result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The following tasks were set for the research: to describe the national economic system before COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, to identify and assess the main features of changes in the nat...

Improving national competitiveness is fundamental to raising long-term economic growth rates and enhancing living standards. The determinants of competitiveness change along with macroeconomic factors, business environment and consumer demand. These changes are visible in the growing importance of digitalization of enterprises of all sectors that h...

The current period describes the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis on businesses and the lives of citizens. It has accelerated digital transformation in all areas. The work and learning of many individuals have moved to the digital environment. In order to use digital technologies, employees need to acquire new...

The result of the wider application of new digital skills is an increase in productivity as a basis for the growth of Latvian companies in the global market and an increase in material well-being in the market as a whole. In turn, the growth and competitiveness of companies is based on the ability to create and sell demanded, knowledge-intensive pr...

Every capable, creative person must be able to create and prove his ideas in every region of Latvia. Development of creativity of the population will increase human capital, which determines the quality of life of the country's population in general, but mainly in the regions. Promoting the development of human capital requires cooperation between...

There are more than 14 amusement parks in Latvia, located in different areas. Latvia's amusement parks have been little studied and there is not much information about their importance in the regional economy, as well as the contribution to the tourism and business sector. These are places that are widely used by tourists, often related to the regi...

The economy of Latvia is experiencing rapid development in the European Union and is an active participant of the United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In recent years there have been several changes in both sectors and national economic policy. The total population in Latvia was estimated at 1.9 million inhabitants in 2019 and a t...

Monogrāfijā ir analizētas pandēmijas krīzes ekonomiskās sekas Latvijā, novērtēta valsts atbalsta efektivitāte, pierādīta inovāciju un digitālās transformācijas vitālā nepieciešamība un meklēti veidi, kā veicināt tautsaimniecības izrāvienu pēc krīzes un kādām strukturālajām izmaiņām ir jānotiek tautsaimniecībā.

Klimato pokyčiai jau daro platų poveikį ekosistemoms, ekonomikos sektoriams ir žmonių sveikatai bei gerovei. Viena pagrindinių klimato kaitos problemų yra įvardijama šiltnamio efektą sukeliančių dujų kiekio atmosferoje tolimesnis augimas. Subsidijos daro reikšmingą įtaką ekonomikai, tuo pačiu neigiamai veikiant aplinką, todėl jų taikymas turėtų būt...

Rural areas as a space have many features in common: land as a significant resource for economic activity, forests as a natural kind of climate-friendly environment, a low population density, etc. At the same time, the natural resources of rural areas tend to be exploited in a different way, which is determined by the different activities of the po...

Company capital is essential in running business and creating value added for the stakeholders, including economy. How the view on company’s capital structure has evolved from theoretical perspective in the 20th century is needed to be assessed, in order to determine what concepts and theories, if any are relevant in the 21st century. Many theories...

The emergence of new technologies and the expansion of digitalisation have created an opportunity for e-commerce to develop. A supplier and a buyer of goods and services meet in the e-environment and solve their problem without direct contact, which is mutually beneficial. Accordingly, when it comes to globalisation, e-commerce, as a system, become...

The employment of people with disabilities has multidimensional aspects - economic, social, legal, human rights, discrimination, psychological, ethical and responsibility aspects - with different actors involved representing various kinds of interests. The European Union Disability Action Plan and Strategy specifies the objective of promoting the e...

Higher education is co-financed by the state, municipalities, as well as various local and international funds, but the support of individuals and businesses, known as patronage, is playing an increasingly important part. Here, the contributions of alumni are of a great consequence, ranging from cash donations, in-kind donations, volunteering and p...

Donations play an important role in ensuring the university development and quality of work. Based on the existing analysis of theories for fundraising, the researcher advances and evaluates three hypotheses: Successful fundraising strategies must be based on the study of the external and internal environment and the interaction quality thereof; Th...

Stock market is alternative place to bank lending for company’s finance and contributor to economic development. Baltic States is market, which traditionally is perceived as one, however it is comprised of 3 separate stock markets. Research aim was to conduct comparative analysis of stock market development performance post-recession in the Baltic...

Abstract. Gastronomic cultural heritage is a part of cultural heritage. Today people are becoming interested in gastronomic topics, such as reconstruction and conservation of cultural traditions, authentic cuisine, gastronomic customs and traditions at local, regional or national scale, and promotion of local products. Previous research studies con...

Gastronomic cultural heritage is part of cultural heritage. Under globalisation, individuals become increasingly interested not only in cultural heritage as a whole but also in its components, e.g. gastronomic heritage. Nowadays individuals are interested in such things as traditional foods, the techniques of preparing the foods and the traditions...

Employment of people with disabilities is very important in reducing the risk of poverty, social inte-gration and participation in society. As it is difficult for people with disabilities to integrate into the la-bour market, social enterprises can be considered as a new opportunity for employment and social in-clusion. This study investigates oppo...

The purpose of this research study is to examine theoretical findings and, based on them, to identify the career choice factors that affect Latvian and UK secondary school students’ occupational interests. The research was based on the theoretical concepts of the occupational interests, and the data gained from a survey of Latvian and UK secondary...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the problems and possibilities for development of innovative start-ups in Latvia. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the aim of this study, a survey of Latvia’s high school students in 2015 ( n = 5,910) was undertaken by an online questionnaire within a financial skill built-up contest “New Fina...

There are two widely used “smart” concepts, often considered to be synonymous with one another - “smart city” and “smart specialisation”. The origin and initial meaning of each concept is different, although there are certain similarities. On the city level, multiple policy initiatives are oriented towards the concept of a “smart city”, which origi...

Rural areas as a necessary component of living space for the population is an increasing focus both in official documents of various EU institutions and in research investigations. Both the documents and the research papers stress the necessity to enhance and maintain the viability of rural areas. The viability of rural areas is ensured by employme...

Any country is interested in economic growth regardless of its development level in any period; yet an increasingly important role in defining growth is played by the term ‘smart growth’. The EU development strategy until 2020 defines smart growth as a strategic objective. Smart growth does not take place automatically. It is affected both by the c...

One of the basic principles of the European Union functioning is even and balanced regional development. However, considerable socioeconomic disparities can be still observed across the regions in Latvia, with its monocentric, i.e., capital city-oriented, distribution of people and economic activities instead of a polycentric one. This factor negat...

At present, the concept of regional development is based on the principles of planning, which involve smart growth and sustainable development. In most cases, a smart territory is understood as a sustainable and efficient territory that provides a high quality of life to its inhabitants through optimal management of its resources. In addition, this...

Valsts pētījumu programma EKOSOC–LV aptver 10 projektus, kas ir apvienoti trīs pētniecības blokos: Reģionu telpiskā attīstība; Valsts ekonomikas izaugsme; Sabiedrības attīstība. Pētījumos piedalās visas Latvijas universitātes un arī reģionālās augstskolas, tai skaitā Daugavpils Universitāte un Rēzeknes Tehnoloģiju akadēmija. Programmas mērķis ir se...

Inovācijas pamatoti tiek uzskatītas par būtisku uzņēmumu konkurētspējas izaugsmes avotu, kā arī par tautsaimniecības attīstības pamatu. Inovāciju loma Latvijas novadu attīstībā līdz šim nav pietiekami izvērtēta. Raksta autori ir mēģinājuši izanalizēt inovāciju lomu Latvijas novadu un īpaši Latgales novada attīstībā. Tas veikts, izmantojot faktoru u...

The purpose of this research study is to examine theoretical findings and, based on them, to identify the problems in implementing the Quintuple Helix approach for rural and regional development in Latvia. The research was based on the theoretical concepts of the helix model and the data gained from a survey of all Latvia's local governments and ru...

The Helix Model System as a Challenge and Driver for Rural and Regional Development (Bikse, V., Rivza, B.) Abstract The purpose of this research study is to examine theoretical findings and, based on them, to identify the problems in implementing the Quintuple Helix approach for rural and regional development in Latvia. The research was based on t...

The purpose of this research study is to examine theoretical findings and, based on them, to identify the problems in implementing the Quintuple Helix approach for rural and regional development in Latvia. The research was based on the theoretical concepts of the helix model and the data gained from a survey of all Latvia’s local governments and...

Distance learning environment with its different approaches has become one of the most researched paradigms in the late years. Different technologies have been developed and introduced into these systems, but at the same time, a spectrum of use-cases has been offered for this model. This paper aims at addressing the most important problem facing wi...

Distance education as one of the new and perspective forms of completing higher education increases in popularity around the world. At the same time, the development of this model of education generates new problems: organization of the study process and information security. Distance learning allows solving a problem of accessibility of higher edu...

Aim of the study: to evaluate the indicators of smart economy development and the interaction with other indicators for the Riga planning region. Methods: analysis of documentation and statistical data, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. To evaluate the potential development of smart economy in the Riga planning region (henceforth – RPR),...

Nowadays rapid increase of technological environment allows residents to be more mobile, choose working place, different from one’s place of residence, start a new business or transfer company to rural areas, thus promoting polycentric development of a territory and increasing capacity of rural territories. It means that government should think of...

This paper aims to investigate the experience and to identify the drivers of transforming traditional universities into Entrepreneurial Universities for ensuring sustainable higher education in Latvia. Due to the wide scope, Entrepreneurial University characteristics, the present research study is limited and focuses on the university providing acc...

Scholars from the USA, Western Europe, Russia and other countries (H.W. Richardson, Y. Butenko, Ph. Kotler, K. Asplund, I. Rain, I. Haider and others) have worked out theories of regional development that serve as grounds for planning, researching and forecasting changes in the country region. Theories of regional development reflect methods of spa...

The paper found that mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) prevailed in Latvia and the EU and their number increased year by year, particularly because various measures for the establishment and support of micro-enterprises, including financial ones, were implemented. In recent years, at the same time, activity in starting up entrepreneu...