Vol 4, No 2 (2005)

The paper analyses the necessity of developing conceptual foundations for efficient use of social investments as a form of manifesting corporate social responsibility of business and elaborating scientific and practical recommendations for their use. Material, technological, intellectual and other resources, as well as companies’ financial assets directed to the realization of social programmers with a view to achieving the effect capable of long-term impact on the image of business, improving its reputation, increasing profits and the company’s capitalization are considered as social investment of business. The investments of business into its own social development are considered as internal social investments of business. Experience of western countries is analyzed and compared with the existing Russian practice.

The paper discusses scientific and practical ways of managing interaction between business and the state which provide for the realization of society’s interests in present-day economic systems. It is noted that the solution of these problems is vital both for Russia and the world community which is getting increasingly integrated both socially and economically. The paper reveals present-day tendencies and conditions of economic interaction between business and state predetermining the peculiarities of the concept of managing its development in present-day economic systems.

Competitiveness of an innovative organization in the present-day world is shown to be determined not only by traditional factors, but, to a greater extent, by relatively new ones. The proportion of these new factors related to intellectual potential elements and, above all, to information and communication technologies keeps growing. The paper gives an assessment of labour relations oriented to labour intellectualization and innovations in the system of management of a modern organization and particularly its interelement relations using the criterion of synergetic effect which manifests itself in both material and nonmaterial results and is subsequently taken into account in the planning process.

The paper suggests a new approach to the problem of organizing the educational process at higher school in the context of ergonomics. It allows to achive a considerable social effect which is expressed in enhancing the attractiveness and rich content of students’ and teachers’ activities, keeping their health and maintaining their capacity for work, reducing losses of work time.

The paper analyses globalization factor which have a dominant impact on service sector development geopolitical factor, psychological factor, labour factor, telecommunication factor, structural factor, factors of developed services concentration, efficiency factor. A number of long-term incentives for service sector development that lead to stable dynamics of world service trade growth is specified. The necessity of special organizations and mechanisms for regulating the processes of globalization impact on national and international markets is assessed.

The paper analyses the prospects of network economy development during the transition to a new form of economic activity based on a global electronic medium created by information society, with knowledge and information prevailing as the most important elements of productive forces.