Milena Tepavicharova’s research while affiliated with National Research University Higher School of Economics and other places

Lately, considerable foreign and Bulgarian investments have been attracted to the country’s quarrying industry. A number of companies are already applying the world’s best practices for exploration, extraction and processing of underground resources. There are also good practices which could and should be implemented and refined to achieve the sustainable development of the extractive industry. Currently, the Bulgarian mining enterprises are operating successfully and profitably. More than 300 companies and organizations in the field of exploration, extraction and processing of underground resources and related activities and services are operating in the industry. The development of the business organizations is largely determined by the available production resources, their quality and the efficiency of their usage. One of the main resources which differs significantly from the rest is the human resource. It possesses a certain level of qualification and professional development, crucial for the productivity and prosperity. The purpose of this article is to study and analyze the educational and vocational qualification profile of the human resources employed in the quarrying industry of Bulgaria, revealing the actual possibilities for their optimal use and development for achieving higher productivity and competitiveness.

The achievement of high production and economic results in the economic entities of the mining industry in Bulgaria is possible only through the elaboration of an effective system for management of the subordinate personnel. In the context of the systematic approach, it is of paramount importance to outline the factors for subordinate staff management which have a positive impact on the economic status of the business organizations. Building a model of factors for subordinate staff management enables us to identify and implement multiple approaches and mechanisms. This creates opportunities for improving the management of the subordinate personnel, which has a positive impact on the development of the mining companies. The purpose of this article is to study the factors for subordinate staff management and to elaborate a model of those which have a direct and indirect impact on the production and economic results of the companies in the quarrying industry in Bulgaria. The article is structured in two main sections. The first includes an analysis of the factors of management of the subordinate workforce, examining the connections and relations with the economic performance of the companies. The second section introduces a model of management factors which prove to be particularly relevant to achieving high economic performance in the Bulgarian mining companies.

Introduction. Social media steadily and constantly envelops all aspects of peoples' lives. Thus it is of crucial importance to investigate and measure social media activities' impact on their inclusion in the formation of today’s and future societies as more and more online activities have been incorporated in real life personal and professional activities. Aim and tasks. This article explores the new trends in people’s activities at the workplace and outlines the main concerns regarding keeping the line between personal and professional online activities. Results. Social media are now an integral part of the everyday life of modern man. Since a person spends most of their day at work or in pursuit of their profession, they also seek to engage in personal activities within the working day (talking on the phone with family or friends, shopping online, reading news etc.). A user is created with features specific to the internet generation. This new type of user has specific features that allow researchers to talk about the emergence of a next-generation user. The Next Generation User is a person who has access to the Internet from multiple locations and devices.The rapid penetration of social media in people's everyday life implies a greater impact on all users' real-life and online activities. Evidence of the latter can be found in very common situations when users upload photos or videos from parties or events in real time not always tacking into consideration the possible outcomes for their personal and professional lives. Conclusions. Managers consider that workers should focus more not only on the technical limitation of the exchange in of information on social media but also on a better personal judgment about the nature and volume of the shared information. The intensity of social media activities of the workers is monitored actively by employers and coworkers alike and can be seen as an indicator of low efficiency or irresponsible personality. With the fast development of wireless mobile telecommunications technology and the growing multitude of mobile apps online activities become a real threat for workers’ productivity and the development of workplace culture.

The sophistication of technology, the globalization and the prolongation of active work age in recent decades require continuous adaptation of the workers’ personal skills and professional abilities. This is associated with a number of changes and challenges in the professional development. At present, in the mining industry organizations, the issue of lifelong careers is becoming more and more relevant, requiring a broad set of skills and knowledge. They provide the opportunity for a person to successfully find work, adapt and develop at their workplace, to cope with the professional tasks and to feel satisfaction and receive adequate remuneration for their work. Building a competency model for human resource selection requires targeted actions to improve certain skills and abilities. They represent the common language used by employers and employees, showing the quality of the individual’s social and personal orientation in the organizations. The purpose of this article is to identify the set of competencies and on this basis to create a competent model for the management of the human resources selection in the extractive industries in Bulgaria.

At present, foreign markets and, above all, the EU market are decisive for the development of the Bulgarian machine-building sector. In the majority of cases, the presence of European and other foreign markets remains at the level of inter-company trading relationships. One reason for this is the absence of strong national scientific, technical and production structures (science-technology-production) which are able to integrate themselves into large production chains. The lack of adequate human capital management, as well as the low level of professional knowledge, skills and competencies, have a negative impact on the economic performance of the sector. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out an economic and managerial analysis of the state of human capital, revealing the possibilities for its effective utilization and management. The purpose of this article is to examine the state of the human capital by analyzing its impact on the development of the machine building sector in Bulgaria.