Ideas and Ideals

The work is devoted to the analysis of the reasons for the ideological defeat of Marxism at the end of the 20th century. Without denying that during the Cold War the apologists of liberalism widely used manipulation of consciousness, the author believes that the main factor in the ideological defeat of Marxism was its objective systemic defects. The defi nition of ideology is given as part of the model of the world: a set of ideas about society and man (as an element of society), and the concept of ideologeme is introduced (“value judgments, ‘pretending’ to be a statement of facts”, or the declaration of philosophical hypotheses as scientifi c theories). The ideologemes underlying the theory of surplus value are revealed: a) value is created only by labor (the initial principle of the labor theory of value); b) the cost of labor power is equal to the subsistence minimum of workers. The falsity of Locke’s example, on the basis of which Marx accepted thesis (a), and the limited scope of application of thesis (b) are shown. It is substantiated that the theory of surplus value is, in essence, a special case of the theory of imperfect competition. It is concluded that Marxism is not a scientifi c doctrine, but a social ideology in the understanding of M. Blaug (with a claim to be fully scientifi c, while a signifi cant part of Marxism is nothing more than a set of socio-philosophical hypotheses).

The paper analyzes the problems of the Russian oil and gas sector from the point of view of the interaction between oil companies and contractor service companies. The Russian oilfi eld services market formed in the 90s as part of the separation of non-core assets from oil and gas production enterprises. The trend of the last decade has been the development of their own services by oil and gas companies. The key features of the Russian oil services market are: inelasticity to hydrocarbon prices and production levels, the dominance of internal services of large companies, and, as a consequence, the monopsony nature of the market. In the context of increasing technological level of complexity and risks in the implementation of projects (depletion of existing fi eld reserves, Arctic projects, sanctions), the role of not only standard, but also high-tech work performed by service companies is growing. Oil and gas companies strive to build interactions with service companies in such a way as to minimize their risks. The existing format of interaction between oil and gas companies and service companies is not always acceptable for independent service companies in the regions, since it hinders their development. In competitive procedures, the price criterion dominates; the requirements for equipment and personnel qualifi cations on the part of oil and gas companies are growing, which companies cannot always meet. As a result, service contracts are often low-margin. We propose Norway’s experience in providing service companies with guaranteed long-term contracts and reduce the importance of the price criterion when choosing an oil service contractor.The paper analyzes the problems of the Russian oil and gas sector from the point of view of the interaction between oil companies and contractor service companies. The Russian oilfi eld services market formed in the 90s as part of the separation of non-core assets from oil and gas production enterprises. The trend of the last decade has been the development of their own services by oil and gas companies. The key features of the Russian oil services market are: inelasticity to hydrocarbon prices and production levels, the dominance of internal services of large companies, and, as a consequence, the monopsony nature of the market. In the context of increasing technological level of complexity and risks in the implementation of projects (depletion of existing fi eld reserves, Arctic projects, sanctions), the role of not only standard, but also high-tech work performed by service companies is growing. Oil and gas companies strive to build interactions with service companies in such a way as to minimize their risks. The existing format of interaction between oil and gas companies and service companies is not always acceptable for independent service companies in the regions, since it hinders their development. In competitive procedures, the price criterion dominates; the requirements for equipment and personnel qualifi cations on the part of oil and gas companies are growing, which companies cannot always meet. As a result, service contracts are often low-margin. We propose Norway’s experience in providing service companies with guaranteed long-term contracts and reduce the importance of the price criterion when choosing an oil service contractor.

The paper analyzes changes in structural policy in the USSR after Stalin’s death. They were intended to ease the material situation of the population of the USSR after the hardships on the eve and during the Great Patriotic War, which were only partially compensated for in the fi rst postwar period. These changes are called ‘the economic thaw of 1953’ by the author as an analogy with Ilja Ehrenburg story “The Thaw” and are barely covered in Russian economic literature.

The motives for implementing the structural maneouver of 1953 were the desire of the new soviet leadership to win the sympathy of soviet people.

The reform of 1953 is analyzed on the basis of the report of A.I. Mikoyan at the congress of trade workers of the USSR in October 1953 and a number of other sources.

The additional targets established for the production of consumer goods by industry for 1953 are compared with the targets of the fi ve-year plan. They appear to be signifi cantly higher than these targets for all types of products, especially for durable goods.

These fi ve-year plan tasks were fulfi lled for the fi rst time in the history of fi ve-year plans. At the same time, additional tasks for 1955 were not fulfi lled because they were not realistic. Great efforts were made to improve the living condition of the population by producing goods that make life easier, expanding the network of trade and public catering enterprises and improving the quality of their work.

In 1955, as a result of Мalenkov removal from the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, there was a partial rejection of the structural maneuver of 1953. The Analysis shows that additional targets for the production of consumer goods for 1955 overestimated the real capabilities of the economy at that time. By diverting resources from heavy industry, those plans slowed down technical progress and the renewal of fi xed assets.

When economic theory and business models are lagging in relation to practice, there is a need to form business designers ahead of practice, defining specific directions, strategies, algorithms for running a separate business, and accurately predicting its results. With the expansion of the project approach to the field of business, the question arises of how to make this business more efficient by involving natural and artificial intelligence resources. Consider a business constructor as a business design tool. A business designer is a set of components from which a business model and project are formed, and their features are determined by the content of a particular business, the specifics of its development stage, and a set of internal and external conditions. The business designer occupies an intermediary position between business analytics and real business. We will associate the deployment of ideas about the business designer with the application of a categorical methodology in it. In this sense, an organizational and business game, Insafing, will be organized, reviewed and analyzed, which can be applied to business design. The use of the following shows promise: categorical methodology, including: categorical system methodology (KSM), theory of dynamic information systems (TDIS). In economics, a discrepancy between theory and practice is common. This discrepancy is overcome in Insafing, which can be a theoretical component of a business designer, along with the use of KSM, TDIS. Insafing is capable of becoming a business engineering tool. One of the problems of modern business is the difficulty of introducing new intellectual products in it. The direction of modernization (digitalization, artificial intelligence, automation) contributes to the entry of business to a new intellectual level. Digitalization can contribute to this. The article shows how digital encoding allows one to implement business design and modeling. A business constructor is proposed, a design that provides for the design of categorical schemes corresponding to specific business tasks. It is shown that the design of a business is quite consistent with developments in the categorical methodology. It is convenient to start with fairly general categories, which we have done with the help of a Universal Conceptualizer (UC). The use of the UC allowed us to generate many categories that already characterize the business directly, then TDIS and KSM were applied, giving models and other theoretical constructions a predictive character.

The article analyzes the conceptual and practical problems in the field of tax control of transfer prices in transactions between interdependent participants, and provides an overview of the methods of their assessment. The lack of publicly available information on prices, the lack of comparable transactions, and the high labor cost of a comprehensive analysis of the financial and economic activities of related firms limit the control of public authorities in this area.

The application of the basic concept of “at arm’s length” in the implementation of tax policy is not always consistent with the strategies of financial management firms that seek to optimize not only tax payments, but also other economic indicators. The transfer pricing mechanism (hereinafter referred to as the TC) affects the costs, profits, and output volumes of all participants in the chain, so the choice of the optimal level of domestic prices for the supply of components should be based on target criteria.

The “arm’s length” concept does not take into account firms’ motives for vertical integration and consolidation. The task of the interdependent participants is to organize the production process in such a way as to increase the efficiency of the entire technological chain. Choosing a specific pricing policy within complex “fan-shaped” structures with many levels and links is a peculiar method of coordinating work in a system based on integration. The application of a market-based approach to determining domestic prices should be complemented by a mechanism for adjusting them, which will achieve the planned targets for various participants in the chain.

The article substantiates that in the implementation of tax and industrial policy it is important to ensure a balance of interests of various parties: the state and business. On the one hand, it is necessary to prevent tax evasion as a result of the withdrawal of enterprises’ funds abroad, on the other hand, it is important to understand the nature and functions of transfer prices, which serve as a tool for optimizing financial and economic performance of fi rms.  Within the framework of the current legislation, a compromise solution is provided – agreed transfer pricing.

The article discusses the concept of new financial instruments, known as synthetic assets, which combine traditional finance with blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi). These synthetic assets are digital tokens that are created artificially using derivatives. They aim to replicate the characteristics of realworld assets, such as stocks, commodities, and currencies, allowing investors to access these assets without owning them directly. These platforms are powered by smart contracts, which enable access to previously inaccessible markets.

The author examines the various classifications, operational models, advantages, regulatory challenges, and potential for future growth and integration of synthetic assets into the global financial system. These synthetic assets are classifi ed based on their underlying asset and liquidity/maturity, and their functionality is based on real-time price predictions transmitted through external tools to the blockchain. Key operational principles for synthetic assets include imitating the behavior of their underlying assets, decentralized operation through the use of smart contracts, the use of collateral, often in the form of cryptocurrencies, and mechanisms to increase liquidity. Various strategies, such as the use of derivatives and leverage, are employed in the trading of these assets.

The differences between synthetic assets and other financial instruments are discussed. Synthetic assets have several advantages compared to traditional, tokenized, and derivative assets. These include accessibility, improved risk management, partial ownership, lower transaction costs, programmability, and potentially higher liquidity.

However, there are also signifi cant risks associated with synthetic assets, such as volatility due to underlying cryptocurrencies, regulatory uncertainty, and the dependence on price forecasts. The author also considers regulatory and law enforcement issues regarding the classification and decentralized nature of these assets.

The planning process is important for the rhythmic functioning of an organization. Planning at each stage of the production process leads to forecasting fi nancial results, in particular the profi t from sales of the organization.  As a rule, in the process of forecasting profi t from sales, only internal factors or processes that infl uence the organization’s activities are taken into account. The purpose of this paper is to substantiate the use of correlation and regression analysis as a tool for forecasting profi ts from a sales organization. The paper considers two approaches to forecasting profi t from sales, taking into account, among other things, the infl uence of external factors affecting organizations whose main activity is related to the rental and management of its own or leased real estate. The fi rst approach to profi t forecasting is based on the direct counting method and economic and mathematical algorithms. The second approach is the use of correlation and regression analysis, based on the infl uence of selected external factors. Profi t forecasting using correlation-regression analysis showed that the average rental price of commercial real estate has a negative relationship with sales profi t, and the amount of electricity consumed has a positive relationship with profi t from sales. Based on the results of the correlation analysis, it can be concluded that changes in the rental price of commercial real estate and the volume of electricity consumed affect the company’s sales profi t.  The value of the forecast sales profi t obtained under the optimistic scenario, calculated by the direct calculation method, is close to the forecast values calculated by the methods of correlation and regression analysis, which proves the importance of using this forecasting tool.

The article discusses the issue of crediting medium-sized companies in the current economic situation under the infl uence of sanctions. It examines the specifi cs of lending to these companies under such conditions. The author used methods such as complex analysis and system analysis. The paper considers the impact of economic restrictions on the Russian economy over the past decade, with a focus on sanctions imposed since 2022. Complex analysis allowed identifying the impact of sanction pressure on the crediting process. System analysis helped establish internal links between risks associated with lending under sanctions and decision-making regarding lending to individual borrowers. A list of the main risks associated with the implementation of a credit mechanism for companies borrowing from banks under the sanctions regime was formulated. The article explores the transformation of trade in trucks and other specialized equipment under economic constraints, as well as the tools banks use to assess the possibility of lending to these borrowers in current conditions.

The article highlights the features of car dealerships and analyzes the truck market in 2023: 144,000 new trucks were sold in the fi rst 12 months of 2023, accounting for 3.9 % of the overall cargo market in the country. There has been a shortage of heavy-duty tractors, estimated at 40,000 units. The top-selling tractor brands were identifi ed – domestic Kamaz and Chinese brands such as Dongfeng, Shacman, Howo, and Sitrak. Historical information is presented on the development of the truck market since 2022, including the role of credit institutions in promoting Chinese models. The activities of a Russian freight transport dealer (the name and location of the company are confi dential and subject to bank privacy) are analyzed using the author’s risk assessment method to determine the potential for lending to this business.

This article discusses the possibilities of using foresight analysis methods in relation to the issue of food supply. Taking into account the fact that food markets are a rather complex object of study, and food supply depends not only on quantitative (volume of consumption, total calorie intake), but also qualitative parameters (quality of nutrition, structure and macronutrient composition of the food basket, provision of micronutrients, etc.), using only quantitative, economic and statistical methods for analysis is inappropriate. The best effect can be achieved by foresight techniques that take into account non-trivial, deep connections and allow a more comprehensive look at the phenomenon under consideration.

Taking into account the above, the authors systematized modern approaches to foresight analysis, considered the most effective methods, such as identifying weak signals and wild card events, and also identifi ed the features of using these methodological approaches for analyzing food markets, which are subject to a wide range of diffi cult to predict climatic and technogenic factors, as well as factors of geopolitical and macroeconomic nature. An emphasis on identifying implicit connections, and also predicting key reference points that can have a decisive impact on the development of food markets, can help improve economic resilience in the face of emerging global food crises.

Thus, the study allows us to conclude that the use of modern foresight analysis methods for studying food supply issues is highly relevant. Identifi cation of weak signals and wild card events can allow a more rational and realistic approach to constructing scenarios for the development of food industry sectors, as well as early identifi cation of potential threats that could destabilize the situation and have a signifi cant negative impact on the level of food supply, both at the level of individual countries and in the world at large.

The question of optimal monetary policy is one of the most controversial among economists in different countries of the world. The answer to this is largely determined by the way money is formed in the economy. According to modern macroeconomic concepts, money supply can be infl uenced by factors other than monetary policy. This article discusses the main theoretical approaches to determining the mechanisms of formation of the money supply. The main attention is paid to the post-Keynesian theory of endogenous money supply, within which the accommodation and structuralist approaches dominate. Both approaches are based on the premise that the money supply in the country is affected by changes in bank loans. However, they differ in the degree to which the monetary regulator satisfi es the banks’ need for loans: full (accommodation) and partial (structuralism).

The main source of money supply growth in the modern world is the credit channel, which is considered key from the standpoint of post-Keynesianism, but considering the Russian economy in retrospect, one cannot help but note two more important sources, such as the currency channel, which was of great importance in the 2000s, and the fi scal channel, which currently also plays an important role in changes in the money supply. Since 2013, the Central Bank has been actively using such a regulatory instrument as the key interest rate in its monetary policy, which is consistent with the position of post-Keynesianism. Using the conducted theoretical review, as well as an analysis of the current state of the Russian money market and monetary policy, it is concluded that there are prerequisites for the endogeneity of the Russian money supply, which provides grounds for further analysis of the cause-and-effect relationships of key macroeconomic indicators using econometric models.