Russian Executives Research Articles

Russian managers in German companies

In Russian-German legal relations under company law or in investment relations the question under what conditions and in what time frame managers from Russia, including as managing directors of limited liability companies, can work in Germany are of significant importance. The author describes typical interactions between residence and company laws, as well as current developments in residence law with regard to the entry of Russian executives for short and long-term stays. These recent amendments of German residence law have brought some relief but also some tightening according to the authors’ analysis. The complex situation is also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic with frequently changing entry regulations.

Formation of professionalism of executives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the results of the research in the sphere of education and preparation of Russian executives in view of mentality and elements of national model of management.Design/methodology/approachThe research consisted in analysis of modern developments in the sphere of HR management in socio-economic systems. The authors used the materials on structuring and classification of managerial activities from various points of view. The research is based on recent tendencies in the sphere of application of intensive educational technologies.FindingsTen levels of managerial activities were distinguished on the basis of the performed research. Each of these levels is a new step of qualitative significance and complication of managerial activities. In order to achieve new and higher levels of professionalism, a model of professional development of executives was created, which consists of several blocks, which stimulates obtaining the knowledge and acquisition of certain skills in this sphere. The structure of problem and situational game “Professionalism of executives” and methodology of evaluation of activities of game participants are given.Practical implicationsUsing game modeling for determination of the level of professional activities will allow evaluating specialists, in particular, executives, and determine qualitative evaluation of the level of their competence in various aspects of their activities.Originality/valueThe research possesses a value for lecturers, managers, and consultants of educational establishments who perform training, additional training, and development of professional competence of executive in organizations of any profile in view of national mentality.

ДО ПИТАННЯ ПРО ЕКСТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНУ ДІЮ РОСІЙСЬКОГО ЗАКОНУ І МІЖНАРОДНЕ ПРАВО

The article covers the issue of specific breaches of international law provisions owed to Ukraine by Russia. The article also examines problems in the application of international law by Russia. In the course of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the former is carrying out the military occupation of the Crimean peninsula and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and prosecutes Ukrainian citizens (Nadiya Savchenko, Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Hennadii Afanasyev, Yurii Soloshenko and others) in violation of international law. Both Russian executives and doctrine attempt to substantiate the cases against Ukrainian citizens, however, their arguments suffer both legal and factual problems. An illustrative in this regard is Savchenko’s case, which has become important Russian propaganda tool to help reinforce the accusations of the “atrocities committed by the Kyiv junta”. The analyses shows that Savchenko case could have been used to complete different tasks – starting from lifting the sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation and finishing with increasing the number of Russian volunteers in the war against Ukraine. Also, Russia has prosecuted Oleh Sentsov who has been charged with creating a terrorist group and committing two acts of terrorism. One of the most untenable legal arguments of the Russian Federation is a qualification of the aggression as a non-international armed conflict. In this regard, Russian authorities and doctrine insist on Russia’s not being bound or entitled to apply the rules of international armed conflicts laid down in the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (III) to Savchenko. At the same time, a considerable amount of data speaks for an aggressive war the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched against Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Russian Federation has also grossly violated the norms of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

REVISITING THE ISSUE ON THE EXTRATERRITORIAL EFFECT OF THE RUSSIAN LAW AND THE INTERNATIONAL LAW

The article covers the issue of specific breaches of international law provisions owed to Ukraine by Russia. The article also examines problems in the application of international law by Russia. In the course of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the former is carrying out the military occupation of the Crimean peninsula and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and prosecutes Ukrainian citizens (Nadiya Savchenko, Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Hennadii Afanasyev, Yurii Soloshenko and others) in violation of international law. Both Russian executives and doctrine attempt to substantiate the cases against Ukrainian citizens, however, their arguments suffer both legal and factual problems. An illustrative in this regard is Savchenko’s case, which has become important Russian propaganda tool to help reinforce the accusations of the “atrocities committed by the Kyiv junta”. The analyses shows that Savchenko case could have been used to complete different tasks – starting from lifting the sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation and finishing with increasing the number of Russian volunteers in the war against Ukraine. Also, Russia has prosecuted Oleh Sentsov who has been charged with creating a terrorist group and committing two acts of terrorism. One of the most untenable legal arguments of the Russian Federation is a qualification of the aggression as a non-international armed conflict. In this regard, Russian authorities and doctrine insist on Russia’s not being bound or entitled to apply the rules of international armed conflicts laid down in the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (III) to Savchenko. At the same time, a considerable amount of data speaks for an aggressive war the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched against Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Russian Federation has also grossly violated the norms of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

How Russian Companies Are Coping with a Turbulent Environment: Insights into the Dynamics of Strategic Fit

The study presents the results of a survey of Russia's executives on their perceptions of the environment, strategies, and organizational climate of their companies and their own leadership style in two time periods: 2010–2012 and 2013–2014. We reveal the dynamics of fit among the environment, strategy, leadership, and organizational climate. The results suggest that Russian executives’ inability to delegate authority obstructs the proper realization of strategies better suited to turbulent business environments. Thereby, we may anticipate that Russian enterprises’ adaptation to new (post-sanctions) business realities will be slow and incomplete; misfits in organizational design will restrain the repertoire and impede the implementation of effective and efficient rescue measures.

Russian Companies in Search of Sustainable Development

Using the results of a survey of Russian corporate executives in the late 2010 we reveal the relationship between the actions undertaken in 2009-2010 and performance measures. Only sustainable cost leadership strategic position, partially based on intensive use of subcontractors and consultants, secures somehow the immediate future of Russian industrial companies, as such a position results in a positive dynamics of orders backlog. Suggestions for the government economic policies are made.

CSR and the legitimacy of business in transition economies: The case of Russia

This study investigates the attitudes of Russian executives towards corporate social responsibility. The empirical study is based on an original survey of executive managers of 129 medium and large industrial enterprises in all regions of Russia. The questionnaire was designed using some important conclusions made by theorists who have analysed the development of CSR in mature capitalist economies. The objective was to probe whether the reaction by Russian managers would be in line with expectations grounded in western theoretical constructs, in particular the concept of business legitimacy. The study provides evidence of a discrepancy between anticipated outcomes based on the studies, reflecting western practice, and actual attitudes shown by Russian managers. A range of economic, social and political factors are considered in the discussion section in the search for an explanation of these results.

Treze passos para o juízo final: a nova era do desarmamento nuclear dos Estados Unidos e da Rússia

Este artigo procura explicar por que os líderes dos EUA e da Rússia não implementaram total e efetivamente o plano de ação de treze pontos práticos para o desarmamento nuclear, estabelecido na Conferência de Revisão do Tratado de Não-Proliferação Nuclear em 2000. As decisões relacionadas aos treze pontos, tomadas pelos membros dos Executivos das duas maiores potências nucleares, são vistas como resultado da conciliação de imperativos internos e externos por esses indivíduos, que enfrentam oportunidades e dilemas estratégicos distintos simultaneamente nos âmbitos doméstico e internacional. São consideradas as escolhas políticas de membros dos Executivos nacionais e estrangeiros, Legislativos e principais grupos de interesse desses países, bem como a distribuição de poder sobre a formulação da decisão nacional, estabelecida pelas instituições políticas domésticas. As hipóteses apontam que os membros dos Executivos desses países - apoiados por grande parte dos membros dos Legislativos e dos principais grupos de interesse envolvidos, como as Forças Armadas - procuraram garantir autonomia para definir a estrutura e a composição de forças estratégicas e táticas, modernizar arsenais atômicos e operar uma força capaz de lidar com contingências que envolvam não apenas potências nucleares tradicionais, mas principalmente novos Estados detentores de armas de destruição em massa e organizações terroristas.

Emerging issues and trends in business and management career development under the market transformation in Russia

In general, research and journal publication requirements in Russian universities are less rigorous methodologically compared to those in developed countries, and Russian refereed academic journals in business and economics are scarce. Yet, existing publications still provide some very useful insights for understanding current developments and future trends in Russia. Russia's recent dramatic increase in political-economic clout internationally calls for greater attention to its scholarly and practical developments, particularly in the realm of management and executive development, which will have a great influence upon future Russian leaders and executives who will increasingly join the world stage. Four original papers published in Russian in authoritative journals are highlighted here, to represent various aspects, issues, and challenges related to the background and development of managerial talent in Russia.

The Russian subnational executives as institutional veto players

This study discusses the ability of subnational heads of government to constrain the power of the federal government in the Russian Federation. The intention is to examine under which conditions regional executives have operated since the beginning of the 1990s. The study also takes a comparative approach by examining the formal institutional strength of subnational executives in 24 other contemporary federal states. The Russian executives have had potential for strong leadership at the regional level and moderate abilities to exercise influence at the parliamentary arena, while the regions have been allocated with few constitutional powers.

Time allocation of Russian CEOs

Through the survey of530 Russian CEOs of industrial companies, we were able to receive the self reported evidence on overall working load and time distribution of Russian executives. The data suggests that Russian CEOs exhibit the patterns of time management, familiar to Western managers 20-30 years ago: hard overload, minimal work from home, passion to visit the shop floor. Although the personal differences in allocation of time among various tasks were significant, no particular management style proved to be more effective in terms of company's performance. This means that foreign partners should not judge a priori about the efficiency of their Russian counterparts based on unfamiliar peculiarities of time management.

Troika Dialog's Founder Ruben Vardanian on building Russia's first investment bank

Executive Overview Troika Dialog, founded in 1991, has the longest operating history among Russian investment banking and securities firms. It offers a full range of investing and financial advisory services to domestic companies and multinationals in Russia, and has a record of firsts in the industry. It is Russia's leading domestic capital raiser, as well as a top domestic broker of fixed-income products, trading corporate and government bonds. Troika Dialog is also Russia's leading market maker, being one of the first companies to trade domestic Russian shares. It quotes nearly 150 securities on the Russian Trading System, which it cofounded. In 2000, the firm accounted for more than 30 percent of the volume of shares traded, nearly double that of its nearest competitor. Troika Dialog bas been ranked consistently as Russia's best investment bank and best securities firm by the World Economic Forum, Euromoney magazine, and AK&M Information Agency, among others. Troika Dialog was also ranked number one for Russian financial research, in a 2001 Thomson Financial Extel survey, for its comprehensive tracking of companies and stocks, as well as its authoritative reports on corporate governance, an innovation in the industry. Managing $10 billion in portfolio investments, the company realized net income of $8 million in the first nine months of 2000. Troika Dialog employs more than 350 people in Moscow and four branches throughout Russia's regions. Its subsidiary, Troika Dialog USA, an SEC-regulated firm based in New York, serves Western institutional clients. Troika's affiliate, Troika Dialog Asset Management, manages the first open-ended mutual fund in the U.S. devoted to Russian equities, with $200 million under management. Ruben K. Vardanian is president and CEO of Troika Dialog. In 1991, at age 22, he and a small group of Russian students specializing in finance, along with American banker Peter Derby, founded Troika Dialog, Russia's first investment bank. In 1992, Mr. Vardanian was appointed as COO, and became president and CEO in 1996. He is a long-serving member of the boards of directors of major organizations involved in building Russia's capital markets infrastructure, including the National Association of Securities Market Participants, the Russian Trading System, and the Bank of Moscow. He is a member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and a founder of Club 2015. a group of Russian executives advocating ethical business practices and transparency. In 2000, the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia named Mr. Vardanian Businessperson of the Year, in recognition of his contributions to business and his commitment to the highest standards of business ethics. The World Economic Forum also recognized him in 2000 as one of the 100 global leaders for tomorrow. In 2001, Fortune magazine included him as one of the 25 next-generation global leaders. Mr. Vardanian was born in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1968. He has a master's degree in finance from Moscow State University, and has attended financial and executive programs at Banca CRT in Italy. INSEAD in France, and Merrill Lynch and Harvard Business School in the U.S. In this interview, Mr. Vardanian explains how he has successfully grown his company, from a time when capital markets were nonexistent in Russia, based on his vision of eventually running “a normal business in a normal country.”

Illegal but ethical: an inquiry into the roots of illegal corporate behaviour in Russia

This paper examines the perceptions of Russian executives toward the relationship between legal and ethical conduct. The focus is on questions of tax evasion attitudes and corporate illegal behavior. Forty Russian managers and entrepreneurs from a variety of organizations were interviewed. Their actions are aimed at gaining corporate income and profit from operations through hiding corporate activity from state and local authorities in a context where these authorities levy excessive taxes and other types of payment from businesses. Tax evasion methods are presented and analyzed along with other varieties of illegal corporate behavior. The research results show that executives believe business could not perform in a completely legal way under Russia’s existing conditions. Illegal performance is thus viewed as legitimate and ethical.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING BEHAVIOR IN A TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY: EVIDENCE FROM RUSSIA.

We examined the effects of perceived strategic uncertainty in seven environmental sectors on the scanning behavior of Russian executives. Strategic uncertainty was highest in sectors influenced by ...

Environmental Scanning Behavior in a Transitional Economy: Evidence from Russia

We examined the effects of perceived strategic uncertainty in seven environmental sectors on the scanning behavior of Russian executives. Strategic uncertainty was highest in sectors influenced by ...

Lessons from Russian human resource management experience

Western companies face numerous challenges in launching successful ventures in Russia due, in large part, to residual problems from the Soviet centralized era. This article provides perspectives of specific barriers to effectiveness in the context of Russian human resource management (HRM). Observations are based on the five-year experiences of a group of United States and Russian academicians and practitioners. This group has provided intensive training programs in human resource management for 31 different Russian firms across the Russian Federation. Recommendations are offered which may help Western executives address the enormous challenge of changing Russian executives' mindsets which are at the core of HRM problems.

Re-engineering the Productivity Initiative Programme

This paper explains the fundamentals of the leadership-based education model, and proceeds to apply the relevant principles to re-engineer the Productivity Initiative Programme, run by the European Commission to re-train 3500 Russian executives. The authors considered the retraining of executives to constitute a project whose goals and delivery means were ambiguous at the commencement of the programme. They realized at the outset that success of any methodology would depend on the extent of empowerment of the participant executives achieved, and on the release of their creative energies, as well as time. The leadership-based project management approach was chosen to specifically respond to the empowerment of the participants and engage them positively in the definition of the goals, context of application and the delivery of the programme goals. Using the empowerment philosophy the authors set out to re-engineer the entire programme to make it project-based, while providing a structured learning experience that would achieve a paradigm shift in the mindsets of the participants without offending their cultural sensibilities. To create learning focus and continuity the authors chose to recommend preparation of business plans by the syndicate executives as the primary learning vehicle and as means of progress monitoring and performance evaluation. Business plans were to reflect the realities of Russia's business and cultural environment as perceived by the participants. Thus, learning through application (as part of a total internship experience), was deliberately adopted to demystify ‘business management’ and to encourage development of competency in business planning in the designated time. The success achieved so far indicates that leadership-based project management is a powerful approach to achieving accelerated cultural changes and transformation of human mindsets in a pluralistic and focused manner.