Business Competencies Research Articles

ПЕДАГОГ: ГРАНИ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО СТАНОВЛЕНИЯ

The article aims to show the various sides of the teaching profession, to determine the features of professional training in that field of human activity. Using the methodology of M. Weber, the author reveals the reasons for the influence of a teacher on his students, associated with the preservation of traditions, special personal charisma, as well as business competencies. Proposing to divide teachers into two groups (by vocation and by profession), the author touches on a sore subject that caused a wide public discussion – the attribution of education to the service sector. To determine the specifics of the profession, the sociotechnological approach proposed by Zh.T. Toshchenko, according to which the intellectual, sensory-perceptual, organizational and moral components of the teacher’s personality are highlighted. Particular attention is paid to the importance of motivation in choosing the profession of a teacher. Notably the internal motives associated with the awareness of one’s vocation and abilities for teaching communication with children that create the necessary positive attitude to engage in pedagogical activities. Finally, the article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of modern teacher training in classical and pedagogical universities.

Evaluating Organizational Readiness for Project Portfolio Management Implementation

This study explores how business competency, organizational culture, and leadership attributes influence organizational readiness for Project Portfolio Management (PPM) implementation. Facets of PPM performance domains related to business competency illustrate the underlying functions required to engage PPM effectively. Investigating cultural considerations, including employee motivation and interpersonal communication, underscores the importance of these factors when approaching organizational change. The study highlights the most critical characteristics of transformational and authentic leadership for organizational readiness for PPM implementation. A case-based autoethnographic methodology is a qualitative method for data analysis. The analysis enables researchers to apply personal perspective and experience to bring real-life context to the study by providing a case for evaluation. Based on the extant literature and case review, this study asserts a set of prerequisites and supporting functions to evaluate organizational readiness for PPM implementation.

A critical appraisal of ASPIRE scheme of India

At World Economic Forum (WEF), Davos 2022, India's Prime Minister said-“Indians’ entrepreneurial spirit, as well as their ability to adopt new technology, can infuse new life into each of our global partners. As a result, now it is the best time to make an investment in India”. He asserted that by the end of2025India's economy would reach to $5 trillion. According to the WEF, India's Global Competitive Index has dropped to 68th place out of 141 economies. India ranks 41st in terms of entrepreneurialism. ASPIRE (A scheme for promotion of Innovation, Rural Industries and Entrepreneurship) is just one of the few initiatives taken in advance by the government of India in 2015 to promote innovation, rural industries, and entrepreneurship. This scheme aimed to foster an integral entrepreneurial spirit in young entrepreneurs. Apart from this mammoth project, a few elements should be reconsidered in order to increase the upward mobility ofbusinesses in rural areas such as a lack of business skills and competencies, scarcity of cash, and a lack of infrastructures such as water, electricity, and transportation. This literature review paper sought to outline the primary obstacles and difficulties entrepreneurs face in spite of the assistance provided by the Indian government to rural and remote areas.

Level of Managers’ Professional Efficiency in Agricultural Multipurpose Cooperative Unions in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

The main intent of this study is ‘to examine the level of managers’ professional efficiency in cooperative union to enhance Agricultural cooperative unions’ business performances’. The study covers 228 respondents of sampled agricultural cooperative union. The study were employed both quantitative and qualitative research approach to answer the research question. The pertinent data related to the study was collected with the help of survey questionnaire, key informant interview and focus group discussion from the study participants. The pertinent data collected were analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics. Accordingly, the study result reveals that there were managers professional efficiency gap among managers of the sampled cooperative unions in the study. Therefore, the government, specifically the Cooperative promotion agency, concerned committees of the union must give due attention to the hiring of managers in respective of their technical and political professional efficiency and other human resource development like continuous trainings for cooperative managers on cooperative concepts, principles, values and business activities. Consequently, these actions will make sure the business competence of the cooperatives unions in the regional and national wise. Keywords: Manager, Professional Efficiency, Cooperative, Business Performance DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/77-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2022

A Context-Aware Architecture for Realizing Business Process Adaptation Strategies Using Fuzzy Planning

Business competency emerges in flexibility and reliability of services that an enterprise provides. To reach that, executing business processes on a context-aware business process management suite which is equipped with monitoring, modeling and adaptation mechanisms and smart enough to react properly using adaptation strategies at runtime, are a major requisite. In this paper, a context-aware architecture is described to bring adaptation to common business process execution software. The architecture comes with the how-to-apply methodology and is established based on process standards like business process modeling notation (BPMN), business process execution language (BPEL), etc. It follows MAPE-K adaptation cycle in which the knowledge, specifically contextual information and their related semantic rules — as the input of adaptation unit — is modeled in our innovative context ontology, which is also extensible for domain-specific purposes. Furthermore, to support separation of concerns, we took apart event-driven adaptation requirements from process instances; these requirements are triggered based on ontology reasoning. Also, the architecture supports fuzzy-based planning and extensible adaptation realization mechanisms to face new or changing situations adequately. We characterized our work in comparison with related studies based on five key adaptation metrics and also evaluated it using an online learning management system case study.

The Impacts of KM-Centred Strategies and Practices on Innovation: A Survey Study of R&D Firms in Malaysia

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this paper is to examine the influences of KM-centred strategies on innovation capability among Malaysian R&D firms. It also deepens understanding of the pathways and conditions to improve the innovation capability by assessing the mediating role of both KM practices, i.e., knowledge exploration practices, and knowledge exploitation practices. Background: Knowledge is the main organisational resource that is able to generate a competitive advantage through innovation. It is a critical success driver for both knowledge exploration and exploitation for firms to achieve sustainable competitive advantages. Methodology: A total of 320 questionnaires were disseminated to Malaysian R&D firms and the response rate was 47 percent. The paper utilised structural equation modelling and cross-sectional design to test hypotheses in the proposed research model. Contribution: This paper provides useful information and valuable initiatives in exploring the mediating role of knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation in influencing innovation in Malaysian R&D firms. It helps R&D firms to frame their KM activities to drive the capability of creating and retaining a greater value onto their core business competencies. Findings: The findings indicate that all three KM-centred strategies (leadership, HR practices, and culture) have a direct effect on innovation. In addition, KM exploration practices mediate HR practices on innovation while KM exploitation mediates both leadership and HR practices on innovation. Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper serves as a guide for R&D managers to determine the gaps and appropriate actions to collectively achieve the desired R&D results and national innovation. It helps R&D firms frame their KM activities to enhance the capability of creating and retaining a greater value to their core business competencies. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper contributes significantly to knowledge management and innovation research by establishing new associations among KM-centred strategies, i.e., leadership, HR practices, and culture, both KM practices (knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation), and innovation. Impact on Society: This paper highlights the important role of knowledge leaders and the practice of effective HR practices to help R&D firms to create a positive environment that facilitates both knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation in enhancing innovation capabilities. Future Research: Further research could use a longitudinal sample to examine relationships of causality, offering a more comprehensive view of the effect of KM factors on innovation over the long term. Future research should also try to incorporate information from new external sources, such as customers or suppliers.

Cultivation global business literacy in the classroom

Graduates of study fields focused on business and marketing face intense competition on the labor market, which is becoming more and more international. Hence, it is important to cultivate the ability of students to apply acquired knowledge and skills in key areas in the global context in order to know how to effectively analyze, justify and solve problems in different situations. The paper introduces the concept of global business literacy and evaluates it on a sample of students of the Corporate Business and Marketing master's degree study program at the Faculty of Business Economy of the University of Economics in Bratislava, with seat in Košice, who completed the course International Business. The aim of the paper is to identify, whether the completion of this classroom-based course contributed to cultivation of global business literacy of the affected students. For the purpose of the analysis, descriptive analysis as well as paired t-test are used. The results show positive shift toward higher level of global business literacy of the students after completing the course, especially in the dimension of international business competence. Implications for development of pedagogical activities in the global context are further discussed.

Female entrepreneurship in emerging and developing countries: a systematic literature review

PurposeDespite the increase in female entrepreneurship literature, very few studies exist that systematize the extant literature, especially in emerging and developing countries. This article fills part of this gap; it maps, categorizes and groups the objectives, theoretical approaches and research methods on female entrepreneurship conducted in one or more of the 155 emerging and developing countries.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted, using Scopus and Web of Science, over a 10-year timeframe (2010–2020). Out of 465 papers, 77 were selected for content analysis.FindingsMost articles focus on understanding women entrepreneurs' challenges, the factors affecting their entrepreneurial performance and encouraging entrepreneurship. Qualitative research was found to be the predominant approach, while mixed studies appeared less frequently.Practical implicationsThis paper sheds light on female entrepreneurship characteristics, including business competence, performance and entrepreneurial orientation. Further, it can help female entrepreneurs to recognize the most relevant aspects regarding performance, the essential driving factors and entrepreneurial motivations, among others.Originality/valueFirst, this paper groups the objectives and the theoretical and methodological approaches that guide female entrepreneurship research. Second, it identifies distinct gaps, grouped and explored using unpublished thematic categories. Finally, the authors propose an extensive future research agenda regarding female entrepreneurship in emerging and developing countries.

NegotioPoly: a holistic gaming approach to negotiation teaching

Purpose Based on Behavioral Theory of Negotiations (Walton & McKersie, 1965), the purpose of this paper is to discuss the existing gap between negotiation theory and pedagogy and presents an experiential teaching tool that closes this gap. The tool is a ‘serious game’ (Abt, 1975) that reinforces all four core negotiation subprocesses while allowing students to practice their negotiation skills and several critical business competencies in a realistic and improvisational context. Design/methodology/approach After successfully using NegotioPoly for five years, qualitative and quantitative data were collected in three sections of negotiation classes to assess student learning and behaviors while playing NegotioPoly and to collect student feedback on the effectiveness of NegotioPoly in teaching and reinforcing key negotiation skills. Findings Findings support that NegotioPoly is highly effective in engaging students in a series of realistic negotiations, joint problem solving and strategic decision-making. Results show that, during the game, students demonstrate their negotiation skills and learnings, and they practice all four negotiation subprocesses of distributive, integrative and intraorganizational bargaining and attitudinal structuring. Practical implications NegotioPoly enables students to engage in distributive and integrative bargaining, multiple levels of negotiations and coalitions in quick succession. Students practice organizational politics and adjust their negotiations based on relationships and social realities, as they demonstrate advanced deal-making behaviors and core business competencies of problem solving, decision-making, analytical skills and ability to work with others. Social implications NegotioPoly reinforces core business competencies such as negotiation, problem solving, analytical skills and the ability to work in teams that employers look for and, therefore, is a useful tool for preparing students for the business world. Originality/value NegotioPoly is an experiential learning tool that closes the gap between negotiation theory and pedagogy while providing deep learning and realistic practice opportunities for students where they can use their negotiation skills in a gaming environment that uses multi-party and multi-round negotiations.

A Focus on Ethical Value under the Vision of Leadership, Teamwork, Effective Communication and Productivity

The new economy and the knowledge-based society brought significant changes in all the areas of our daily lives. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 crisis implicated tremendous transformations in all the domains, on the one hand, threatening the balance of our society and, on the other hand, challenging the dynamic of the new economy development and the rhythm of the societal modernization. In these delicate times, the all-important relationship between ethics, leadership, teamwork, effective communication, productivity, and performance is brought to the attention, in particular, due to its benefits for our society, taking into consideration the pivotal advancement that a well governed relationship of this type could provide to the knowledge-based economy. The present research describes the implication of ethics in leadership, teamwork, effective communication, and productivity, which includes the application of ethical values as university graduates assume the role of each of the mentioned dimensions of study in the organizations. The absence of research that relates ethics to these four elements simultaneously was noticed. This information is essential to know how these dimensions influence the organizational level. The sample that included 410 university graduates was applied in Baja California, Mexico, and the industrial nucleus of great relevance, bordering California in the United States of America. The data was obtained using a questionnaire. A reliability and validity analysis of the measurement instrument was carried out in terms of the ethical values associated with the dimensions mentioned using the exploratory factor analysis by the principal components method. Qualitative items were also analyzed using the constant comparison method. The results obtained in this research provide a greater perspective and practical knowledge and support of usefulness and practical reality to businesspeople and employees, leaders and university graduates; and also extensive to students, teachers, and human beings in general, in order to be better prepared to give and apply solutions with their consequent ethical and productive achievements desired by all. Additionally, this current research has the purpose to raise the will to understand, at a higher level and at a more in-depth degree of knowledge, the relationship between ethics, leadership, teamwork, effective communication, productivity, and performance, in the attempt to foster a creative and innovative business environment, based on a robust and sustainable business administration and business competencies, capable to position at higher ranks the strengths, opportunities, aspirations and outcomes that today’s new economy is due to offer and diminish the dangerous effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 crisis in all the domains.

THE USE OF SPECIALIZED TUTORING METHODS IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS FOR THE SECOND BACHELOR’S DEGREE STUDENTS DURING TEACHING-LEARNING THE FOREIGN BUSINESS LANGUAGE BASED ON THE FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

In globalized and progressive world more stringent requirements to high institutions are set. Future specialist in international relations not only should be familiarized with professional business competences including a certain number of skills, but due to the principles of the State Educational Standarts in Ukraine they should be able to read foreign scientific and technical literature, find out necessary information and apply the results in a proper way in their professional activity in foreign languages as well. The students’ level of mastering the language directly depends on the teaching methods being used.
 It could be observed during all its history the foreign business language teaching methods changed a lot of times emphasizing reading, translating, audition or combining these processes. Each method possesses its own certain importance and answers the specifically set pedagogical tasks e.g. brainstorming, audio-visual aids, group activities etc. The teaching literature review makes it possible to state that nowadays there is no an ideal, universal method yet that would enable to cover all the aspects in such a short time given to the foreign business language teaching-learning in higher institutions. The known combination of the existing methods and the teacher’s qualification, therefore, enables to make the lectures interesting and more effective. Methods: The given research paper is based on the theoratical material of the appliance of various teaching business foreign language methods for the second bachelor's degree students based on the faculty of international relations, as well as on the basis of the results from questioning the second bachelor's degree students who study foreign languages for special purposes in the field of international relations professions, and also of the results from questioning teachers specializing in teaching foreign languages for special purposes. Results: In the students’ opinion, the most effective methods of teaching foreign languages for special purposes in the field of international relations professions are the following: brainstorming method, in-group committee work and audio-visual aids.

ICT Proficiency Levels of Canadian University-Level Business School Graduates: Representations of Graduates and Employers

This study examines the perceptions of Canadian business school graduates’ and employers with respect to business graduates’ ICT proficiency levels. Twelve (12) business graduates from a Canadian university and six (6) local employers were interviewed on a range of topics relating to the acquisition of information and communications technology (ICT) skills and graduate competency levels. Graduates were positive in their self-appraisal of computing proficiency and expressed high levels of confidence in their ICT capabilities, while the acquisition of these skills was found to be primarily learned informally, self-taught, or learned during work terms. Generally, employers felt that the ICT competencies of business graduates the skills they need for the workplace are appropriate, but indicate that some specialized ICT skills are acquired through workplace orientation and ongoing professional learning. Graduate skill deficits were found to be more prevalent in the areas of writing and communication – including spelling, grammar, and business writing. Research findings suggest some misalignment between employer expectations and program objectives and raise questions about a potential gap in the readiness of graduates for the workplace. Although there is wide recognition that the primary aim of university business degree programs falls outside of ICT skill development, this research suggests a need for better coordination to align the needs and expectations of employers with the goals and objectives of business programs. Strategies for greater collaboration between business faculties and employers, with regard to business graduates’ ICT and other key competencies are suggested.

THE PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR THE FORMATION OF READINESS OF FUTURE TOURISM MANAGERS FOR INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY

The article highlighted the problems of professional training of tourism managers and their acquisition of relevant competencies during the studies at a higher education institution.
 In the current conditions of rapidly changing circumstances and the rapidly developing world, it’s worth paying attention to the training of future managers of tourism, in particular the formation of their relevant competencies that can ensure successful activity in the modern tourism industry.
 The opinions of scientists engaged in research and study of the concept of "competence" and "competency" are analyzed, certain competencies and competences for specialists in the field of tourism are considered. The importance of supplementing competencies with an innovative component for further training of future tourism managers is determined.
 The innovation and investment component is characterized as the presence of special training in the field of Internet marketing and management theory – the ability to apply economic methods and models to optimize innovative solutions.
 Innovative training is primarily a competence in the direction of innovative development of the enterprise, firm, institution, organization, which involves knowledge of the creation and implementation of innovation processes, theoretical and practical aspects of innovation, and their impact on enterprise development at different levels.
 The main competencies have been supplemented with innovative components for the successful preparation of the future manager for innovation and investment activities in tourism which includes competence in the field of innovative specialization of the enterprise, which provides knowledge of technology of innovation processes, psychological and pedagogical training to understand the specifics of teams and groups, solving various problems in production and service teams.
 The main competencies for the manager of the tourism expert who will carry out innovative activity are defined: moral and psychological competence, pedagogical competence, professional and business competence. Also, the pedagogical conditions of preparation of the future manager for acquisition of the corresponding competences are accordingly considered.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ И ПАНДЕМИИ НА ЗАНЯТОСТЬ И БИЗНЕС-КОМПЕТЕНЦИИ МОЛОДЕЖИ

The article examines the competencies of entrepreneurs that are necessary in modern conditions for young people to ensure their successful career, analyzes the areas in which business initiatives of young people are most often used. 
 The competencies necessary for graduates, specific areas of employment in modern conditions of digital transformation are analyzed. Special emphasis is placed on the dynamics of changes in key competencies that are important for business success in modern conditions of economic development. The results of an operational survey of managers are presented, which make it possible to identify new requirements and new qualities: digital development management, data management and use, application of digital technologies, "adoption and implementation of employee initiatives". The groups of transformations that have occurred due to the introduction of digital technologies in small businesses are highlighted.
 The aim of the work is to highlight those of them that have received the greatest development in the context of digitalization, and to establish the impact on them of the COVID-19 pandemic. To conduct the study, the methods of systemic, comparative and morphological analysis and synthesis of the general set of factors that determine changes in the business competencies of youth were used. 
 The basic elements of the article can be offered as practical recommendations to state and municipal authorities on the development of youth entrepreneurship in the North Caucasus Federal District and the improvement of youth policy in the regions. The formed problems in the studied area can become the basis for the formation of a system of stimulating youth business.
 The study showed that in a crisis it is not individual qualities that are important, but their totality, with complementary characteristics.

A ranking of critical competencies for shore-based maritime logistics executives in the digital era

ABSTRACT The globalisation and digitalisation trends trigger a demand for maritime logistics companies to continuously review the competency requirements of employees to enhance organisational performance. Therefore, this paper focuses on extending the business, logistics and management competency framework to identify and rank emerging critical competencies. Four key competencies and eighteen sub-competencies were identified and structured, anchored on the proposed business, logistics, management and digitalisation competency framework. A total of 42 responses from maritime logistics companies were collected through a questionnaire survey. The data collected were analysed using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. The results indicate that the key competencies, in descending order of importance, are business skills, logistics skills, management skills, and digitalisation skills. This research enriches the stream of literature on competency framework by highlighting digitalisation skills and updating the requirements of competencies maritime logistics executives in the era of digitalisation. Additionally, this research implicates policy implications regarding the strategic management of human resources of maritime logistics companies.

The State of Business Rescue Practitioners Professional Accreditation

Business rescue practitioners (BRPs) are subject to many allegations of abuse and, therefore, professional accreditation has become a pre-requisite. The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) licensing is linked to multiple professional bodies’ knowledge and practices but is not generic. This study was guided by one key question: What is BRPs’ accreditation’s current state in a multiple professional body occupation? We used data mapped to scholarly and documented policy sources, categorized results from extensive reading, and integrated critical constructs (after the deconstruction of concepts) to yield a conceptual framework to develop a comprehensive understanding of professional accreditation. The results confirm the existence of a legal framework and institutional arrangements that are not coherently applied because of the absence of a professional accreditation framework (PAF). The proposed conceptual framework captures the concepts of the business rescue domain, professionalism, competency, accreditation, and definition of key terms to provide an interpretive approach to the BRPs’ accreditation reality resulting in a PAF based on the integration of BRP tasks and services and accreditation, competency, and professionalism.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCE AMONG ІТ-PROFESSIONALS

The article shows that effective mutual relations between specialists of information technologies and their business-clients are one of fundamental factors of successful acquisition of competitive advantages through the use of ІТ. It is proven that the psychological profile of an ІТ-specialist gradually changes from such, where technical skills play a primary role, on such, where ability to form and support business relationships is equally important. It is argued that ability to form and support such relations tends to be one of key organizational features among ІТ-professionals. Communication and mutual understanding between parties of the process are the most important factors of creation of favourable relations. It is shown that knowledge is the most strategically important resource in resource-centered models of enterprise, knowledge also has organizational potential which comes forward as a source of competitive advantages. In the new knowledge economy human capital of an enterprise, its labor force, forms the major strategic asset. In particular, human capital in information technologies is critically important for establishment of partner relations between business and ІТ. Thesis is analyzed that in order to develop such relations ІТ specialists must understand and participate actively in the processes of the strategic planning of their business partners. It is underlined that business competence among ІТ-specialists could be defined as a set of business and interpersonal knowledge, abilities and skills of ІТ specialists, which enable them to understand business domain, use the business language, and co-operate with business partners. Such competence represents understanding of business domain on every level. Conclusion is drawn that organizational competence of ІТ professionals combines knowledge and ability from two wide categories: organizational-concrete knowledge and interpersonal/administrative knowledge. Each of these two categories is formed by combination of more concretely-specific areas of knowledge. Description of organization, organizational subdivisions, organizational responsibility and integration of business and ІТ, form organizational-concrete knowledge; skills of interpersonal communication, leadership and knowledge network create interpersonal and administrative knowledge.

Совершенствование цифровых компетенций обучающихся вуза по направлению подготовки 38.03.02 Менеджмент

The paper summarizes the experience of introducing digital open educational resources into medical higher school. The article examines business communication competence requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Higher Education 3++ for specialty 38.03.02 “Management”, analyzes a new universal competence students should acquire, provides examples of academic curriculum implementation. The authors broaden the curriculum of the discipline “Business Communications” to include digital open educational resources enhancing the formation of students’ digital competences, and herein lies scientific originality of the study. The research findings are as follows: the authors update the curriculum of the discipline “Business Communications” to include digital open educational resources promoting the formation of students’ digital competences.

IMPROVING VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI COMPETITIVENESS THROUGH ONLINE BUSINESS TRAINING

This study aims to determine the implementation of online business training carried out at SMK Cendekia Batujajar, West Bandung Regency and to increase the competence of online business alumni who have attended the training. The subjects in this study were the Bursa Kerja Khusus (BKK) of SMK Cendekia Batujajar, the training organizing committee, and the training participants. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method, with data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation studies. From the data analysis and research results, it can be concluded that the online business competence of SMK alumni increases after attending the training. The implementation of online business training at the Batujajar Cendekia Vocational School is based on the BKK analysis of the Batujajar Cendekia Vocational School on the needs of alumni to increase competitiveness in the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, planned program planning according to the conditions and needs of the industrial world.

UPGRADING COMPETENCIES OF MASTER'S DEGREE STUDENTS THROUGH E-LEARNING IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The role of foreign language proficiency in modern society, where phenomena such as the Internet remove traditional barriers to human communication, has become increasingly important, which places ever higher demands on the results from foreign language teaching. The process of globalization has increasingly imposed the need for communicative competence and understanding of the culture of nations that use a foreign language, requires the development of not only language skills in learners, but also of critical thinking, soft skills and social responsibility. In this light, the paper aims to present the experience of one of the schools that are benchmark institutions of the higher educational system of Republic of Bulgaria – D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics – Svishtov in further development of foreign language competencies through master degree e-learning courses in business communications. It covers the evolution of the master’s degree in social science with business communications training in a foreign language over the past 20 years reaching peak level of over 2,500 students on annual basis and covering 100% of the master degree students. The foundations of distance learning of foreign languages at the observed Academy were laid in the period 2001 – 2003 with two pilot courses: "Business Communications in English" and "Business Communications in German". These courses were included as optional elective courses for students from all master degree programs at D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics - Svishtov. In the next academic years, the courses were revised and upgraded and a number of opportunities for the customization of the instruction to tap the potential of the students were identified. In the 2008/2009 academic year the leading for Bulgaria in the field of distance learning higher school D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics - Svishtov included the Web-based courses in Business Communications as compulsory elective optional foreign language courses in the curriculum of its master degree programmes. The courses were developed in English, German, French and Russian (levels A2 and B1). The responsibility for their organization was shared by the Center for Postgraduate Training, the Center for Distance Learning and the Department of Foreign Languages. The courses were compulsory for all master degree students of D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics - Svishtov. They added to the competiveness of all graduates through training and self-assessment using a language-based portfolio of business communication competencies. The learning content of the Business Communications in Foreign Language courses was provided through the BCom learning platform (a customized Moodle platform) that ensured a higher level of interactivity for the specific objectives of the courses. The specific features of e-language learning provides ways to meet students’ needs, which in comparison with traditional learning, are consistent with the characteristics of modern e-society. This reformulates the status and the role of the instructor and the learner within an online community working towards common educational goals. The main content of the courses follows a syllabus that includes the following topics: Economic trend; Business communication; Corporate identity; HR management; E-Business; Finance; Banking; International marketing; Audit; and International negotiations and contracting. Although the authors put emphasis on vocabulary practice, reading and writing tasks, and listening activities, it is not a purely language course but a business communications one. Logically, at the peak load of the distance learning system for the first decade of the 21st century (in 2009) in D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics, the e-learning traffic data reached 102 thousand unique logs from abroad (localized by IP addresses) - 41 countries on 6 continents. In the second decade, a peak was registered in 2013 with logs of master degree students from abroad, including 128 countries and 262 thousand unique logs by IP address. In both peak cases, the total number of master degree students was over 2,500 trainees on an annual basis. All this logically confirms that the internationalization of the portfolio of educational products in higher education is the basis for attracting students and ensuring the convergence of diplomas and knowledge. In 2013, the courses became optional and the number of students rapidly decreased due to the associated additional tuition costs. However, the established methodology and procedures were a solid base for development and introduction of a distance learning course at advanced level (C1) (Advanced Business English) for the Bachelor’s Degree programmes taught in English. Nowadays the course aims to revise and consolidate the knowledge that students already have (they are required to have at least a B1 level to enrol in these programmes) and to upgrade their general and professional communication skills to level C1 and beyond.