Business development policies cover both marketing and sales functions, as they are so intertwined in most firms. Thus, managers should comply with the factors that influence sustainable consumption behaviour. The study aims to investigate the effect of environmental knowledge (EK), materialism (MAT), environmental influences (EI), the promotion of sustainable consumption (PSC), and sustainable consumption behaviour intention (SCBI) on sustainable consumption behaviour (SCB). Although many studies have examined sustainability issues for various groups of countries, activities in this critical field in Bulgaria are severely limited, and integrated research on the subject is non-existent. This paper focuses on the importance of investigating various factors that influence sustainable consumer behaviour. A total of 489 complete and usable responses were collected from participants from all regions of Bulgaria between May 2022 and July 2022. The partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and SmartPLS 4 software were employed to test the hypothesised relationships. The results indicated that EK and MAT significantly affected SCBI. Additionally, the analysis revealed the statistically significant impact of EK, MAT, EI, PSC, and SCBI on SCB. Moreover, this study demonstrated that SCBI significantly mediated the relationships between EK and SCB and between MAT and SCB. Finally, the outcomes of the moderation analysis showed that age moderated the relationship between SCBI and SCB.

Entrepreneurship development strategies are crucial for translating academic potential into economic and societal value. To achieve this, educational institutions must understand the factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial intentions. While research on academic entrepreneurship exists, comparative studies that explore these factors across different national contexts are scarce. This study addresses this gap through a comparative analysis of student entrepreneurship in Bulgaria, Malta, and Turkey, investigating key factors, such as attitudes toward entrepreneurship (ATE), the role of entrepreneurship education (EEdu), and entrepreneurial inspirations. Based on 415 survey responses collected between April and June 2024, hypothesized relationships were tested using appropriate bivariate statistical analyses. The results indicate that a positive evaluation of running one’s own business significantly increases entrepreneurial intentions, particularly when the business is perceived as safe, realistic, pleasant, and strong. The university’s role is pivotal: students largely relied on institutional support for their business initiatives; showed a strong preference for practical, hands-on educational methods; and identified a lack of entrepreneurship education as a key obstacle. A family background with entrepreneurial parents also positively influenced students’ preference for running their own businesses. Interestingly, the findings challenge a simple dichotomy between employment and entrepreneurship. A preference for full-time employment did not diminish entrepreneurial intentions, suggesting students may view these career paths as complementary or sequential. Conversely, preferences for part-time or self-employment did not have a significant positive impact on entrepreneurial initiatives. These findings underscore the need for universities to provide tailored, practical support and to recognize the complex and non-linear career trajectories envisioned by modern students.

As the studies and empirical data indicate that innovations are a significant factor for improving competitiveness, we believe that scientific research in this area may provide support for those who seek to make their business more innovative. There are many works dedicated to general effect of innovations on growth, but less are focused on the role of innovations in certain sectors. Such sector is might be the wine industry. The wine industry in Bulgaria has a long history, experience and has the potential for development. That is why we examine the scope of innovations that can be implemented in the wine industry. Alongside we study the potential of Bulgarian wine industry. The results show that the wine producers in Bulgaria make slow steps towards more contemporary development of the sector, but the more significant results are yet to come.

This paper aims to study the role of entrepreneurial culture as an essential factor to increase the creativity and innovativeness of Bulgarian entrepreneurs and hence, the competitiveness of the national economy. The research is of survey-descriptive type. The population surveyed includes entrepreneurs, students and young people aged between 25 and 45 years from Plovdiv and the region, i.e., 1,200 people. The socio-historical cataclysms resulting from the particular attractiveness of the geostrategic position of the country create a very controversial and variable environment in which the Bulgarian entrepreneurial culture is formed and developed. Analysis of collected data using SPSS software along with sign test, pathway and exploratory factor analysis indicated that among different dimensions of Bulgarian entrepreneurial culture, the dimension of independence, higher incomes, risk-taking, creativity is in a proper condition, while other dimensions of entrepreneurial culture including boldness, tolerance of creative deviation, underdog aggressiveness, open communication, cooperation, proactive innovation and voice are in an unsuitable condition.