RESEARCH INTO THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL REFORM

The research aims to examine the theoretical aspects of administrative and territorial reform as well as to identify the attitudes of Latgale region residents to implementing the new administrative and territorial reform. The following research methods were employed: qualitative content analysis; analysis of legislative enactments and legal documents; a sociological research method – a survey was conducted to identify the opinions and assessments of Latgale residents about the new administrative and territorial reform; descriptive statistics and the graphical method. The research examined theoretical aspects regarding the division of territory into administrative units as well as the concept and definitions of a municipality as an administrative unit. The research analysed the results of the survey of Latgale region residents and identified the respondents’ assessments of implementing the new administrative and territorial reform.

THEORETICAL BASIS AND SCIENTIFIC VIEWS ON SELFMANAGEMENT IN THE ORGANIZATION

The changes that have taken place in the economy, politics, technology and innovation increase the requirements for management personnel, their professionalism, training and retraining. Organizations cannot take on the development of all the skills of all managers, so maintaining their constant growth and development becomes a necessity for managers and, in general, for any other person who wants to use their time efficiently and make it work. This should become a kind of habit, which is achieved by long work on yourself, the development of perseverance, as well as the ability to think rationally. Nowadays, selfmanagement and self-development of personnel are becoming a factor in the survival of the economy in market conditions, strengthening the position of management in various countries. The aim of the paper is to analyse various research studies in regard to selfmanagement and to give recommendations to improve it. The paper discusses the effective concepts and approaches of various scientists, shows the importance of self-government in work and daily life to achieve the desired success and helps to assess the effectiveness of selfgovernment at the global level. The research used the theoretical information of foreign scientists and Internet resources. The scientific research methods that were used in the research are as follows: literature analysis and synthesis, the monographic method, and content analysis.

POSSIBLE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTION OF AMUSEMENT PARKS IN LATVIA

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 providing attractions and entertainment. Part of the problem that the authors emphasize in the paper is that in Latvia, data on amusement parks are not collected separately, but are included in overall data on the tourism industry. This topic has been little studied in all Baltic countries. The topicality of the research relates to the future directions of sustainable development of Latvian amusement parks, which would add value to the growth of this industry. The aim of the research study is to determine the possible directions of development of amusement parks and their main influencing aspects, which determine the future development of these aspects.

ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN WOODWORKING COMPANIES

The woodworking industry, with its universal and wide use of products and the level of employment of people, has existed for centuries and will continue to do so, as forest management and the processing of harvested timber is a long process. Customizing consumer orders ranging from cheap everyday things to exclusive, individual projects is about quality. And for quality assurance, companies in various industries have developed and use a general quality management system standard – ISO 9001. The topicality of the research relatesto the companies' doubts about the implementation and maintenance of the quality management system (ISO 9001) as a valuable long-term investment in the company's development and market expansion. The aim of the research is to study the quality management system of three wood processing companies and to evaluate them. In the research, the authors gave insight into the development of the concept of quality and the formation of the quality management system, the ISO 9001 quality standard. The assessment of the quality management system of three wood processing companies is based on the main financial performance indicators of the companies.

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN REZEKNE

The tourism industry was one of the fastest growing industries in Latvia until the pandemic was declared in 2020, which brought the entire industry to a halt. Before the pandemic, travel trends were already moving towards the type of experience offered by hostels, and consumer demand had grown in the past years. Moreover, the industry data show that the number of travellers who use hostels is growing. There are several lodging opportunities in Rezekne, but there is no economical option, which would be a hostel. The research aim is to study the theoretical aspects of a new product and analyse the opportunities for the creation of a hostel – a new tourism product in Rezekne. The methods used in the research are monographic, synthesis, statistical analysis methods, and a survey. The research allowed making recommendations for the creation of a new tourism product – a hostel – in Rezekne. The results of the research and survey showed that hostel-level accommodation is needed in Rezekne.

TRENDS OF CONSUMER PURCHASES VIA SOCIAL MEDIA ACCORDING TO THE STIMULUS-ORGANISM-RESPONSE (SOR) MODEL

The theme of this paper is ,,Trends of Consumer Purchases via Social Media according to the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) Model’’. Social media are an important platform for entrepreneurship development, and a lot of entrepreneurs are using social media for marketing and selling activities in order to increase sales and attract potential customers. The topicality of the research is based on economic development requirements. The aim of the research – to identify the situation and to develop proposals for entrepreneurs and managers in Latvia. The tasks of the research are the following: to develop a survey, to carry out theoretical research; to develop proposals. The research period was from March until June 2021. General scientific research methods were used in the research: the monographic and descriptive methods, the survey method, the comparative analysis method for studying the concept of SOR at social networking and future development possibilities. The survey conducted in the study showed the tendencies of Latvian consumers' purchases via social media. The study hypothesis confirmed that according to the Stimulus-OrganismResponse Model, advertising, opinion leaders, and user-generated content act as the stimulus (S) to evoke positive emotions (O), which later leads to impulse purchases (R) for consumers.

AN INVESTIGATION OF RESIDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF POSITIVE FESTIVAL IMPACTS, COMMUNITY ATTACHMENT AND WELL-BEING: A STUDY ON THE JAMESON FESTIVAL, VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE

The Study aims to examine residents’ perception of positive festival impacts, social cohesion and cultural benefits on the relationship between community attachment and well-being. An integration of the Social Exchange and Affect Theories are employed to develop and test a conceptual model that test the interrelationships. The quantitative research approach is used to conduct the study on resident attendees of the Jameson Festival in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Via the convenience sampling technique data are collected. Results of the study indicate that festivals foster community cohesiveness and community attachment. They also show that the perceived positive festival impact: community cohesiveness is strongly related to community attachment and well-being; community attachment mediates the relationships. Contrarily, though the relationship between festival cultural preservation and community attachment was partially supported, there was no significant association to well-being. The theoretical implications of the study lay mainly on the introduction of a new theory to the festival body of studies and the study’ findings shed light and direction on practical implications and future directions for festival organizers and scholars

MARKET ANALYSIS OF EXTRUDED FIELD BEAN FLOUR FOOD PRODUCT POTENTIAL

The consumption of functional food is increasing in almost all industrialized countries, not only because of an aging population but also because of a more enthusiastic lifestyle, which makes meeting the nutritional requirements more difficult. In part, the transition to processed, easily packaged and pre-cooked foods is considered to be a response to long working hours. It resulted in an increased demand for ready-to-eat foods in recent years and it is expected to continue growing. The aim of the research is to study and analyse the need for extruded field bean flour food products in the market. Methods used in the research – monographic, synthesis, statistical analysis methods. The research developed proposals for the sale of extruded field bean flour as a food raw material in different markets.

COMPARISON OF VEHICLE REGISTRATION SERVICES IN THE BALTIC STATES

The problem of the study is that Latvian citizens often express dissatisfaction with vehicle registration prices, speculating that these services are available at lower prices in the neighbouring countries – Lithuania and Estonia. The aim of the research: to compare and analyse vehicle registration services in the Baltic States in order to provide suggestions for the improvement of the services. The research uses general scientific research methods: the monographic and descriptive methods, the document analysis method, the comparative analysis method, the horizontal analysis, the ranking method, the logical construction method and the graphical method. Based on the cases analysed, the authors conclude that vehicle registration costs are the lowest in Lithuania, yet these costs may depend on factors such as vehicle age and technical parameters, so not always the cheapest price is reported in Lithuania. Vehicle registration costs in Estonia, regardless of any parameters, for all light vehicles are the same at 192,00 euro. The authors compared and analysed vehicle registration services in the Baltic States, evaluated the price of services and the elements included in them. The study shows that when receiving vehicle registration services in the Baltic States, the conditions and price for receiving them differ. It is mainly influenced by the tax policies and pricing strategies of each country.

SUSTAINABLE, SMART AND RESPONSIBLE NATURE PARK TOURISM

The one of the largest nature parks in Latvia is Nature Park “Piejūra”. It is a very complicated area due to its valuable and sensitive coastal habitats. On the one hand, it is a territory with rich biodiversity, and on the other hand it is an area actively used by visitors and tourists due to its location close to the capital of Latvia. Therefore, implementation of sustainable nature protection, conservation and management activities is particularly important. However, as the area is widely visited, there is public resistance to the implementation of management activities. The aim of the research is to identify the level of awareness and attitude of Nature Park visitors in respect of the nature conservation, protection and management activities. To achieve the aim of the research, quantitative research methods have been used. The data allows us to conclude that the understanding of the necessary nature management and protection activities has become deeper in the society. The public understands the established restrictions and considers that there is no necessity to strengthen the restrictions, but only to promote their observance. The study confirms that the attitude towards and understanding of the nature conservation activities changes in the society if there is enough information provided and the necessity for the activities is explained.