Ideas and Ideals

The article considers the problem of incentives of customer-oriented behavior of Bank employees. Since the subject of customer-oriented behavior is an employee who has his/her own interests, the motives that govern his/her employment, the relevance of the customer-oriented behavior stimulation is an obvious issue for the modern banking institutions. Basing on the conducted research of the experience of customer-oriented stimulation, the author identified certain features and also the shortcomings of the remuneration systems of Bank employees. Using these data, the author developed and suggested an approach that includes, firstly, a comprehensive methodology for the evaluation of customer-oriented behavior of Bank employees in the form of a "matrix of a customer-oriented employee ", and, secondly, on the basis of the remuneration system for each category of Bank employees, allowing to stimulate, i.e. to form, maintain and develop desired customer focus. The suggested methodology received the approval which allows to make conclusions about the efficiency of this approach and the appropriateness of its application in the banking sector. The authors also make recommendations for the Bank managers on encouragement of their staff in customer-oriented behavior. In the research the authors used methods of analysis, comparison, induction and deduction.

The object of this research is the regional labor market (on the example of the Zabaykalsky Krai). In the research process the authors applied methods of factor analysis, cluster analysis, system and comparative analysis, extrapolation using trend models, calculative and analytical methods. The results of the study are an analytical review of the basic concepts, elements, classifications and functions of the labor market, overview of the main models of labor market and their characteristics. The authors have identified regions with similar strategies of employers and workers behavior during making the supply and demand for labor and have determined two factors affecting the regional labor market. Equilibrium and cobweb models of the Zabaykalsky Krai labor market were developed and the level of equilibrium price and employment was determined. The authors made a set of recommendations for regional authorities to regulate the situation in the labor market of the region. The results of this research can be applied to: the activities of the municipal and state government to assess the situation in the regional labor market; departments of labor and employment as a basis for the analysis, monitoring and selection of the regional employment policy models; educational institutions in the specialists training who are engaged in vocational guidance work with young people; associations of employers and regional government to develop the model and train specialists with necessary qualifications and a sufficient level of skills.

The article presents an analysis of the dynamics of the indicators characterizing the level and quality of life of the population in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. The research analyses the economic situation of the countries from 2011 until 2014, i.e. before the official formation of the Union. The rise of interest for the use of non-standard methods of quality of life measurement for international comparisons has increased in recent times. The scientific community has faced the question: how is it possible to compare the quality of life between countries if every country has its own standards? Moreover, a sense of wellbeing is always relative. In spite of the fact that such macroeconomic indicators as average GDP per capita, the monetary income of population and the Gini coefficient are useful in studying the level and quality of life, they don’t allow us to effectively analyze the level of life satisfaction. In modern research the methods of subjective wellbeing estimation are of great importance. Formal macroeconomic indicators combined with the data of subjective perception of wellbeing allow us to get a more exact picture of current events, including social, political, etc. This research has shown that the assessment of the subjective perception of wellbeing doesn’t always correspond to the objective indicators. For example, despite the low objective indicators of the level of living, the Kyrgyzstan population is more satisfied with its material wellbeing and life in general than the population of other countries of the Union. In conclusion, it can be stated that the level of income inequality in a country can affect the indicators of the subjective perception of wellbeing. It should be noted that subjective indicators have certain problems.

Economic needs of Russia demonstrate the importance of inland water transport. The purpose of this article is to analyze the state of the inland river fleet in the Russian Federation and to identify the methods of its development. To reach the set goal, the authors analyzed the statistical data of shipping companies’ activities and used such methods as deduction, analysis and empirical method in their work. The authors identified the development priorities of shipping companies: technical rearmament, employment of ship management and gradual transition to innovative development. The article indicates the possibilities for renewal of fixed assets of companies, identifies the advantages of navigation management, and presents the methods of transition to the new quality of transport services in accordance with the innovative development. The development of water transport is feasible and economically viable. Transportation is effective for the reasons of reducing costs of building materials and transportation of minerals from the north-eastern parts of the country. To improve the quality of transport services the authors recommend to construct and maintain new watercrafts.

At the moment, we can observe that the systemic economic crisis is still far from its ending. In place of Keynesianism the neo-liberal doctrine came and has become a standard policy in the UK called Thatcherism and Reaganomics in the United States. The policy was based on the free operation of the market mechanism, deregulation, the limited role of state, low taxes and liberalized labour market. However, do these fundamental megatrends in the global economy should not be reviewed in the aftermath of fi nancial crises and world economy fi nancialization? This article takes a signifi cant development dilemma. The authors believe that the omnipotent bureaucratic state is just as unacceptable as a completely free market. But the state, in particular periods of crises must develop an industrial policy and sectoral policy, in order to prevent such negative phenomena as unemployment or social exclusion. In the discussions of the last time a lot of attention is paid to the social consequences of the ongoing economic crisis. This article will address the social aspects of economic policy, and in particular the social consequences of the neoliberal model of the policy, especially in the fi eld of employment and distribution of national income will be discussed.

After the collapse of the USSR the Post-Soviet republics had to build foreign policy connections actually from scratch. First of all the young states sought to establish the relations with the most developed countries. In the article are shown the main directions of economic cooperation of the Federative Republic of Germany and Republic of Belarus at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries. Germany having the most developed industrial base in the European Union and RB which preserved the economic potential of the Soviet period, actively collaborated in the trade and economic sphere. It was important for Germany to learn the earlier closed market, and for RB to find the partner in Europe for promoting their production, attracting investments and technologies. The basis of the economic relations of the parties was formed by arrangements of the first half of the 1990th. Thus diplomatic interaction of two countries was complicated because of criticism by the leadership of Germany of an internal political course of Belarus. Economic cooperation had asymmetric character that was reflection of specifics of economic development of two countries. Germany delivered to Belarus high degree products of processing, and in exchange received semi-finished products and resources which went, including transit from Russia. The German firms succeeded in questions of investment cooperation and in formation of joint ventures on the territory of Belarus. Opening the market, RB couldn't resist the companies from Germany. The balance of trade surplus was always in favor of Germany that also points to unequal character of the bilateral relations and to a set of problems which don't allow the Belarusian economy to compete with the German.

In explaining the causes of the acute economic crisis, which is Russia experiencing now; it is important to step aside from the widespread simplified opportunistic interpretations, connecting it to the events of recent times. The real causes of this crisis are determined by the fundamental phenomena in the history of Russia and the Russian economy of the last century. As the first reason the authors name a huge loss of human capital during the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century. The second reason is a wrong way of reforming the Russian economy in the early 90's. The third reason is a long period of minimizing labor and intellectual efforts of all sectors of Soviet society in the period of stagnation, in contrast to their mobilization in the 30-60s years. As a result of these three causes Russia has currently produced, at least four "dwarves": government, society, business (to a lesser extent) and much of the economic science. The article provides several scenarios for the Russian economy in the situation when these “dwarves” influence all the processes occurring in the country. The conclusion is that the crisis of 2010, with the sharpest (in the last 25 years) foreign policy crisis, marks the end of an era of modern Russian history related to social and economic transformations of post-Soviet period, or even the entire post-Stalin period.

It is typical for innovative projects to be not profitable during the first stages of their implementation, as well as to carry high levels of risk because of high uncertainty degree in forecasted cash flows. In that situation standard methods of economic efficiency analysis do not allow to obtain proper evaluation of whether it is reasonable to make investments. The paper describes contemporary methods of such evaluation able to solve this problem. These are the real options method and the fuzzy-sets method. A critical analysis of foreign and Russian works is conducted. It is revealed that real options approach is quite widely used in foreign articles but is almost absent in the Russian ones, whereas a fuzzy-sets method is actively applied both abroad and in Russia. At the same time combined utilization of both methods is quite rare. Despite more accurate results in highly risky projects evaluations brought by the real options method comparing traditional approaches, it is also could be complemented with the fuzzy sets methods. It could allow to improve accuracy of innovative project evaluation made by a venture investor and to enhance the toolset available for him.