Unused potential of quality management systems of the Russian companies : an empirical study

The perception of ISO 9000 standards, their use and effectiveness of quality management systems (QMS) of companies around the world is ambiguous; there are ongoing discussions about the benefits and advantages of the standards, as well as their limitations. In this article the results of an empirical study are presented, conducted in the format of an online survey to identify the perception of ISO 9000 by intersectoral group of respondents - Russian enterprises and companies of the real economy and services. The survey identified the factors of implementation, benefits and the main problems of the use of ISO 9001:2008, as well as the approach to the international standard ISO 9004:2009 and a draft of a new version of ISO 9001:2015. According to some survey results the answers of the Russian respondents were compared to the responses received during the study of TC 176 ISO in 2010-2011. In accordance with the study results the following conclusions about zones of incomplete use of the QMS potential of Russian companies are formulated: insufficient focus on customer satisfaction, the surveyed companies don't see the connection between QMS and its financial results, Russian companies don't see the benefits of increasing the commitment (commitment interest) of QMS management, most actual problems of QMS in companies and organizations are: the process approach in practice, the lack of involvement of senior management in the QMS and the lack of leaders, organizations do not make a proper emphasis on continuous improvement, there is little use of the international standard ISO 9004 by companies and organizations in their activities, though many of them know about this standard.peer-reviewe

Innovative Industrial Clusters in the Context of Digitalization and Sustainable Competitiveness

To ensure Russia's sustainable competitiveness, it is necessary to create an infrastructure that allows creating globally competitive technologies and products. The authors suggest that industrial clusters can drive the country’s sustainable economic and innovative development. The research methodology is based on the content of the concept of sustainable competitiveness and cluster theory. The study was carried out using the methods of regression analysis. The systematization of foreign and Russian researchers’ ideas contribute to the conclusion that the cluster approach for ensuring sustainable development and competitiveness in the digital era is regarded as absolutely reasonable. In order to test the hypothesis of the study using regression analysis, a model has been built to assess the dependence and influence of the number of clusters in Russia Federal Districts on the main indicators of economic innovative development of these territories. The regression models constructed by the authors demonstrate a clear dependence of region economic and innovative development indicators on the clustering level. The authors of the present research recognize that clustering should be considered one of the basic elements in the system of national and regional sustainable competitiveness

Economic Evaluation of the Efficiency of Supply Chain Management in Agricultural Production Based on Multidimensional Research Methods

The article studies the system of indicators characterizing the efficiency of supply chain management in agricultural production. The hierarchical classification of the subjects of the Russian Federation according to the indicators characterizing the results of the activity of the agricultural sector has been carried out. Clusters with high, medium and low levels of supply chains management’s efficiency have been identified. Regions for selected clusters are set. A comparative analysis of the regions on the performance of the agricultural sector has been carried out. Regularities are revealed, prospects for further development are defined. For each cluster promising areas of effective development of agriculture were identified

Innovative industrial clusters in the context of digitalization and sustainable competitiveness

To ensure Russia's sustainable competitiveness, it is necessary to create an infrastructure that allows creating globally competitive technologies and products. The authors suggest that industrial clusters can drive the country’s sustainable economic and innovative development. The research methodology is based on the content of the concept of sustainable competitiveness and cluster theory. The study was carried out using the methods of regression analysis. The systematization of foreign and Russian researchers’ ideas contribute to the conclusion that the cluster approach for ensuring sustainable development and competitiveness in the digital era is regarded as absolutely reasonable. In order to test the hypothesis of the study using regression analysis, a model has been built to assess the dependence and influence of the number of clusters in Russia Federal Districts on the main indicators of economic innovative development of these territories. The regression models constructed by the authors demonstrate a clear dependence of region economic and innovative development indicators on the clustering level. The authors of the present research recognize that clustering should be considered one of the basic elements in the system of national and regional sustainable competitiveness

Modeling Organisational Management Structure of the United University

Introduction: higher education institutions are currently going through intensive reorganization processes that also have effect on university organisational management structures. This is caused by the mismatch between traditional linear-functional structures of management and current situation in the market of educa¬tional services and by the inability to respond flexibly to changes in the external environment. The purpose of the article is to develop a conceptual model of the university management organisational structure as well as alternative scenarios for transition to the above model based on the analysis of domestic and foreign approaches pertaining to the development of university management structures formed due to the merging of separate universities, scientific organisations, institutions and colleges. Materials and Methods: the conceptual article is based on the analysis of works by domestic and foreign authors in the field of development of organisational design and management structure of a modern university. To achieve this goal, the authors made a comparative analysis between organizational management structures of domestic federal universities and international universities, reorganized in the process of merging. The scenario approach allowed to determine various versions of the organisational management structure model that ensures positive results following the integration of vari ous scientific and educational organisations. Results: the analysis of approaches to designing organisational management structures of an educational institution was made, including: organisational management structures of federal universities, implemented approaches to development of management structures of leading foreign universities. The goals and tasks of the transition to the new organisational design of the university, the principles and requirements for the formation of an effective organisational structure of management are substantiated. Based on profilisation criteria, the provisional structure of the scientific and educational institutions of the merged university is proposed. The analysis of domestic and international approaches to the development of university management structures allowed to put forward alternative scenarios for the formation of the organisational management structure model of a united university for the implementation of priority directions of its development. Discussion and Conclusions: the proposals and recommendations following the results of the research seek to create conditions for effective interaction between the subdivisions of the united university, optimisation of the managerial and organisational functions of the leadership of educational and research institutions. For universities originated after the merging of separate universities, scientific organisations, institutes, colleges, variants of the contour model of the organisational management structure are proposed. Those proposals are universal during organisational merging of universities

Satellite III (1q12) Copy Number Variation in Cultured Human Skin Fibroblasts from Schizophrenic Patients and Healthy Controls

Background: The chromosome 1q12 region harbors the genome’s largest pericentromeric heterochromatin domain that includes tandemly repeated satellite III DNA [SatIII (1)]. Increased SatIII (1) copy numbers have been found in cultured human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) during replicative senescence. The aim of this study was to analyze the variation in SatIII (1) abundance in cultured HSFs at early passages depending on the levels of endogenous and exogenous stress. Methods: We studied 10 HSF cell lines with either high (HSFs from schizophrenic cases, n = 5) or low (HSFs from healthy controls, n = 5) levels of oxidative stress. The levels of endogenous stress were estimated by the amounts of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage markers (8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, gamma-H2A histone family member X), pro- and antioxidant proteins (NADPH oxidase 4, superoxide dismutase 1, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2), and proteins that regulate apoptosis and autophagy (B-cell lymphoma 2 [Bcl-2], Bcl-2-associated X protein, light chain 3). SatIII (1) copy numbers were measured using the nonradioactive quantitative hybridization technique. For comparison, the contents of telomeric and ribosomal RNA gene repeats were determined. RNASATIII (1 and 9) were quantified using quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Results: Increased SatIII (1) contents in DNA from confluent HSFs were positively correlated with increased oxidative stress. Confluent cell cultivation without medium replacement and heat shock induced a decrease of SatIII (1) in DNA in parallel with a decrease in RNASATIII (1) and an increase in RNASATIII (9). Conclusions: During HSF cultivation, cells with increased SatIII (1) content accumulated in the cell pool under conditions of exaggerated oxidative stress. This fraction of cells decreased after the additional impact of exogenous stress. The process seems to be oscillatory