Search

With the increasing focus on the internationalization of higher education, universities are developing student mobility. This paper examines the challenges experienced by domestic and international students who adapt to a Russian English-medium instruction university. A mixed-method approach with interviews and surveys was utilized to specify, evaluate, and discuss the students' internationalization experiences in these educational settings. The results indicated that both groups of students mentioned different aspects of language barriers, friendship networks, and university social life as critical areas for adjustment. Domestic students avoid taking part in university social life, instead focusing on their academic performance, this fact probably rooted in the Russian approach to secondary education. The specific finding of the Russian educational landscape is a lack of differences between domestic and international students concerning academic integration. All of this suggests institutions to adopt more student-oriented adaptation mechanisms, informed by the concept of inclusion in education; these implications are discussed.

The article defines the competitive advantages and competitive potential of life insurance companies (LICs). It is noted that the insurance business is an important part of the financial and credit system, and the insurance market is an ideal place for the development of this industry. Attention is focused on the fact that the life insurance market in Ukraine is at the stage of formation. The current unstable socioeconomic situation, the military aggression of the russian federation, and the peculiarities of the cultural and historical traditions of Ukrainians are the main obstacles and problems for its development. Based on the carried out SWOT analysis, it is concluded that there are certain problems in the activities of LICs. Along with the spread of global trends in globalization and integration of national markets, automation of operational processes, increased competition, trends that are characteristic features of the Ukrainian insurance market are manifested. It is determined that the management of the competitive potential of LICs depends on the adoption of the right managerial decisions in the formation and use of its competitive advantages. The measures are presented in the form of program-target blocks that will provide the basis for creating a mechanism for managing the competitive potential of LICs. In addition, each of the blocks can be considered as a separate subsystem that consists of different components. The components of management of the competitive potential of LICs are defined. It is determined that the assessment of the insurer’s competitive advantages and competitive potential will be possible only with the help of a systematic assessment, which has a clear basis of comparison. This assessment should take into account not only the financial aspect, but also the results of management, the effectiveness of the use of marketing tools, the quality of insurance services and the service of the insured. Measures to increase the competitive potential of insurance services are presented. It is concluded that one of the important conditions for effective management of the competitiveness of life insurance companies is to determine the competitive advantages and competitive potential of LICs, which in the long run allows to assess the level of competitiveness of an insurance company and develop certain measures to adapt to the needs of the insurance market at all stages of operational activities and management links for a quick and prompt response to external threats.

The article defines the features of strategic management of competitiveness of life insurance companies (LICs). It is specified that the development of insurance and the need to protect people from the increasing impact of various risks associated with their livelihood, such as loss of income as a result of loss of human ability to work or the death of a family breadwinner, have led to the emergence of life insurance companies. It is noted that any decisions aimed at ensuring competitive advantages are risky, since they are based on the inability to accurately predict how the competitive environment will affect the company’s actions. The competitiveness management strategy of a LIC should take into account how likely its relationship with the competitive environment is, as this significantly increases the level of uncertainty in the management process and creates a risk that the company will lose in competition. A model of strategic management of the competitiveness of a LIC has been developed, which is closely related to the managerial qualities of its activities, that is, it provides for a certain complex that has: components of management, strategic goals, tactical tasks of management. An algorithm for assessing the level of management of the competitiveness of LICs has been proposed, which is based not only on the assessment of the competitive position through the efficiency of management, but also reflects the effectiveness of the insurance company’s activities in the formation of competitive advantages in the process of struggle for effective demand, taking into account the conditions of the insurance market and the needs of consumers. It is concluded that one of the important conditions for effective strategic management of competitiveness of life insurance companies is the study of the insurance market and determination of the competitive status of the company in it. Assessment of the level of competitiveness of a LIC is mandatory for all market participants who seek to maintain their place or increase their competitiveness. It is proved that managing the competitiveness of a life insurance company is a priority direction of the organization’s management, since it determines the company’s ability to exist in the market.

In this article the authors present preliminary data of the skeletal remains from the 11th burial of the CXLIX excavation in Bolgar fortified settlement. Unusual for medieval Bolgar burial rite attracted attention to this burial during the excavations in 2010. The authors provide the characteristics of the individual features of human remains according to the results of cranial- and osteoscopy, their description in accordance with the lifetime changes and postmotem preservation. In the course of research, it was found that the individual was male, age from 35 to 45 years old, the reconstructed body length was 158–163 cm in various methods. Paleopathological research and medical and forensic reconstruction revealed signs of ankylosing spondylitis and the fracture of the sub-language bone. Graphic and plastic reconstructions of the appearance by the M.M. Gerasimov’s method were performed, the non-metric traits of the skull of the studied individual were recorded.

Today, the world is trying to maintain a global tendency in the development of a sustainable economy, responding to various threats, risks and challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic; political instability; wars; the formation of multipolarity of the world; spread of processes of technologization and digitalization, energy imbalances; demographic and environmental problems, etc. The purpose of the article is to study global tendencies in the development of the world economy, the influence of destabilizing factors, the selection of megatrends, which are caused by the formation of a post-industrial mode of production. It is specified that economic megatrends are formed as result of technological revolutions and changes in the mode of production. According to the content of these transformations, the current stage of society’s life represents the beginning of the development of post-industrial relations. This type of technical, economic and socioeconomic relations determines the long-term vectors of economic development, which are based on basic innovations – digital technologies, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, etc. It is stated that big trends, or megatrends, are manifestations of long-term vector changes. However, in the current periods of their objectification, megatrends are influenced by many factors – there is an adjustment of the current dynamics within the framework of the general determining trend of economic development. It is emphasized that the most significant in our time is the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to the weakening of international economic ties and the rupture of supply chains. This was followed almost immediately by the russian military invasion of Ukraine, the consequences of which affect the social (including economic) life not only of European countries, but also of the world in general. The cumulative and repeatedly enhanced due to their simultaneity, the negative impact of these factors significantly adjusts the parameters of global economic trends – temporal, structural and others – at present. It is found that in 2022 there is a decrease in the global economic growth rate to 2.9% compared to the growth rate in 2021 by 5.7%, and, according to the forecast, during 2023-2024 there will be no compensation. In such a situation, inflation will remain high, which could lead to a sharp global recession along with financial crises in some market-based and emerging economies. It is determined that the dynamics of GDP of the pre-pandemic and pre-war period highlighted the outstripping growth rate of the economy in developing countries, compared with the dynamics of GDP of developed countries. The carried out studies have shown that a larger share of world GDP is created in developed countries, and by 2032 the contribution by groups of countries (developed / developing) will not become equal, although it will gravitate towards this parity. The prognosticated paces of global economic growth by region in 2023–2024 are examined. The significant negative impact on the world economy of russia’s invasion of Ukraine in general and in certain regions in particular is emphasized. It is concluded that the harshest consequences of the war would be for Europe and Central Asia. A slowdown in growth this year is forecast in all regions other than the Middle East and North Africa – that is, in those regions where countries can benefit from energy prices. For all regions with a market and a developing economy, the following risks occur: increased geopolitical tensions; rising inflation and food shortages; financial stress and increasing the cost of loans; new outbreaks of COVID-19, etc. It is noted that the need to reduce the negative impact of these risks led to the search by society for such directions of development that would become an impetus for economic growth and restore market activity. In the period of formation of the post-industrial technological mode of production, nano-, bio-, info-, cognitive technologies became decisive. The carried out research provides grounds to assert that the six economies named by the UN (exabyte, welfare, carbon-neutral, closed cycle, biogrowth, impressions) are megatrends, since such transformations are the result of the formation of a post-industrial mode of production – a special type of relations: technical and economic (productive forces) and socioeconomic (production relations).

The article generalizes the theoretical and methodological aspects of managing the strategic development of industrial enterprises in Ukraine. It is specified that the industry of Ukraine has always been and remains a driver of the national economy, both economically and socially. In this regard, today the issues of the need to form modern development strategies that can provide domestic enterprises with an appropriate level of competitiveness and image acquisition in the world market appear to be very acute. From this point of view, the generalization of theoretical aspects of managing the strategic development of industrial enterprises in Ukraine is relevant and appropriate, given the difficult macroeconomic conditions and the need to adapt economic entities to martial law. The characterization of basic strategies is generalized. The constituents of the strategy for managing the development of an industrial enterprise are defined. It is noted that the management of strategic development of industrial enterprises is a complex process that requires a sufficiently high level of management and the ability to make effective managerial decisions. It is found that it is impossible to imagine the process of managing the strategic development of an industrial enterprise without the presence of strategic potential, which provides the most effective ways to use resources, economic reserves and capabilities of an economic entity in order to maximize the effective implementation of its strategy. A number of indicators of local potentials of an industrial enterprise is presented. It is noted that an effective strategy for the development of an industrial enterprise lays down the prospects for economic growth and determines its positioning in the market. It is concluded that one of the important conditions for efficient management of strategic development of industrial enterprises in Ukraine today is the use of scientifically based approaches to strategic management along with practical experience in conducting business. The presence and development of the strategic potential of industrial enterprises will allow in the future to use the most effective ways and methods of using all available resources in order to make a profit and achieve strategic goals

The article identifies the problems and prospects for improving the management of the development of insurance companies in Ukraine. The need to make strategically effective decisions that maximize the adaptation of insurance companies to the external environment, the formation of tactical tasks on their basis, is detected. It is noted that, like any economic activity, insurance requires the introduction of a quality management system. Hence, the overall efficiency of insurance company management consists of the levels of efficiency of managing individual subsystems: financial resources, marketing, sales, etc. In the existing structural and process model of an insurance company, the boundaries between structural levels are not clearly defined. Some elements of structures equally belong to different structural groups, in which case often one structure overlaps or intersects with another. It is found that government regulation of insurance companies should be based on principles that will ensure its efficiency, adequacy and transparency, promote the development and profitability of insurance providers and protect consumers of insurance services. It is concluded that one of the important conditions for effective management of the development of insurance companies in Ukraine is the use of modern management technologies and government support in the form of regulation of their activities, based on certain principles that ensure its efficiency, adequacy and transparency, will contribute to the development and profitability of insurance workers and protect consumers of insurance services. A methodical approach to determining the efficiency of managing the development of insurance companies is proposed, which is based on the use of the following coefficients: uncertainty of management activities; concentration of functions; accumulation of dysfunctions by the organizational structure; rationalization of the use of elements; concentration of elements; complexity of the organizational structure of management, which allows to establish the differences between the existing and the desired state of the basic indicators of the efficiency of the development management system of an economic entity