Finance, Economics, and Industry for Sustainable Development

This article analyzes the relationship between the quality of landscaping, the level of air pollution, greening and public health. Most foreign researchers on this topic come to a single significant conclusion that urban green spaces, which are not always an obligatory part of investment projects and urban improvement programs and perform different functions, serve as a key factor in strengthening the urban population health. At the same time, the methodology of market analysis of supply and demand is applicable to investments in green spaces, but is not yet used in the practice of greening Russian cities. At the same time, the quality parameters of greening also play a significant role. Based on the generalization of the results of international studies conducted in North America, Europe and Oceania, covering more than 43 million people, the authors propose a revision of the methodology for determining investment priorities and adjustment of legislation, including the impact of changes in the urban and rural environment on public health and analysis of the quality and volume of vegetation planting to improve the environmental situation (both as an obligatory part of investment projects and programs, and as an independent investment project). In the scientific aspect, it seems relevant to develop this area of practice-oriented research using the WHO concept of Healthy Cities based on the development of an interdisciplinary approach (at the intersection of economic, legal, psychological, medical and other sciences).

With the growth of environmental problems in the global economic space, the problems of “green” and social planning and corporate governance become particularly important. In Russia, ESG (environment, social, governance) concept is at an initial stage, gradually being introduced into the economic system. Most foreign companies are already guided in their activities by ESG concept, striving to increase or maintain a high level of business reputation.In this regard, this article aims to study the problems of forming comprehensive partnerships, the planning and implementation of which should be based on a set of criteria: a favorable credit history, a company’s rating in the industry, a business reputation, as well as non-financial indicators constituting the ESG-concept of the company’s development.Even if a company’s credit history and a reliability rating are often used and sufficiently researched, the ESG indicators are not considered by many Russian companies as significant during the contract drafting, in the process of doing business, and therefore are little applied and insufficiently studied.The aim of the research was to identify key factors which are used to determine counterparties’ reliability, to develop a unified concept of establishing criteria for counterparties’ reliability assessment, for the prevention of possible entrepreneurial risks. The significance and rationale of the research are defined by the implementation of new laws and regulations that introduce the term “technical company” (1-day firm), inform about counterparty’s reliability assessment, the companies’ responsibility for interaction with unscrupulous economic agents. The participants in the research were respondents closely related to the field of business, economy, financial market, living in Russian Federation and abroad. The materials were collected in Saint Petersburg. The data were collected via Google Form. The collected materials were analyzed and systematized and the conclusions were made according to the results.

The development of a consumer society and the intensification of consumption of goods due to sign consumption makes it difficult to move towards sustainable development. The fashion industry is a major environmental polluter. However, corporate interests in the fashion industry hinder the transformation of the industry towards sustainable development. This paper continues our exploration of the fashion industry in the context of sustainable development. The object of our study is harmonization of interests of corporate management in the fashion industry and the society of sustainable development. The objective of this study is to show the conflicting interests of corporate management in the fashion industry and society of sustainable development and find solutions to overcome it. The methodology of the authors is based on a political and economic approach, according to which socio-economic phenomena and processes are viewed through the prism of the economic interests of the actors involved. Research works of international scientists-economists, data of the research reports carried out by the authors were used to prepare this paper. We showed the sign essence of current exchange, the relationship of the social mobility and level on the goods consumption. We researched the impact of the fashion industry on the environmental and showed the place of the state in the reducing of the conflict of interest between corporate management and society of sustainable development. We also showed the significance and limitations of the conclusions as well as the prospects for further research.

The growth of environmental problems and the intensification of consumption foreground the search for ways to modernize the industry aimed at the transition to sustainable development. The answer to emerging challenges can be a transition to circular business models in industry. This paper continues our study of the business models transformation in industry and contributes to the study of the transition to circular business models. The object of our study is the circular business models in industry. The objective of this study is the systematization of the notions and approaches to circular business models in industry. The methodology of the authors is based on the subject-activity approach. Research works of scientists-economists, data of our own research reports were used to write this article. General scientific methods, system approach, institutional approach were applied during the research. We developed a classification criterion for circular business models and identified four types of circular business models focused on the production of goods with a long life cycle, on extending the life cycle of manufactured goods, on creating a circular life cycle of goods, on eco-neutral completion of the product life cycle. This allows advancing in the field of the research of the circular economy and the place of industrial enterprises in it. We also showed the significance and limitations of the conclusions as well as the prospects for further research.

In the article, the authors analyze the digitalization trends in the housing and utilities sector in Russia in the context of formation of the digital economy. The authors analyzed and evaluated existing IT solutions. As a result, the experience in the development of digital tools for activities in the housing and utilities sector was systemized. The authors also identified functions important for the sustainable development of the sector, that digital solutions are expected to perform. The monetization models for the main types of digital tools were defined. This research work is of great practical importance, as the authors argue that there is an opportunity to use digital technologies to make reasonable economic decisions, based on expert assessment of the housing services for multi-family housing, and the delivery of quality housing and utilities services in order to improve the efficiency of business processes in the field of housing and utilities.

Researchers primarily consider sustainable development financing as an infusion of funds into socially significant projects in the field of ecology, climate, corporate governance, limited resources, etc. This article considers the aspect of raising funds by business sector entities for improving the performance efficiency and the financial attractiveness achieved due to the increase in funds allocated for the development of non-financial factors. The objective of the research is to substantiate the financing of innovative potential and sustainable development of companies as integral factors affecting on operational efficiency of companies. This article analyzes the various features of financial analysis, proposed by authors, and also considers the difference in factors of companies’ financial attractiveness. The analysis of a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators in dynamics, as well as the amount of finance raised by investment platforms, is carried out. The analysis of specialized literature and the use of various analytical materials allowed to propose to use an operational efficiency indicator for reflection of financial success. The use of this indicator together with an integral indicator of innovation potential and a composite index of sustainable development is able to give a comprehensive assessment of the operational efficiency and the financial attractiveness.

The article analyzes the economic state and prerequisites for the transition to a “green-digital” way in Russia. A study of Russian experience in financing projects and programs of the “green-digital” economy showed that in the current situation it is extremely necessary to increase the role of the state in the process of investing in the construction and re-engineering of production facilities, as well as the creation of infrastructure and a favorable investment climate for the development and expansion of private investment practices. The study characterizes the impact of spending on environmental protection and the main components of the green-digital economy, provides recommendations for improving monitoring, taking into account the combination of digitalization, greening and financing within one result.In addition, the authors consider financing technologies and instruments and conclude that there are necessary infrastructure elements for the development of ESG technologies, but there are no methodological inventions for assessing key indicators of interaction and interdependence of the financial and real sectors of the economy, as well as a methodological procedures for the formation and disclosure of non-financial information.An analysis of the “green” debt instruments segment showed that there are clear trends for the development of such instruments in this sector of the financial market, taking into account the creation of appropriate conditions for the best available technologies (BAT) application in economic practice and the intensive expansion of green-digital production.

The article deals with the problematic issues of innovative transformation management, which ensures the innovative development of organizations in the conditions of digital transformation of the economy. The purpose of this work is to develop recommendations on the formation of a system of indicators for effective management of innovative transformations of the organization and the practical application of modern digital technologies to ensure the implementation of the principles of the concept of sustainable development. To manage the innovative development of an organization, a reductionist approach is proposed, according to which the organization is presented as a system consisting of four components: “Economics/Technology”, “Strategy/Business Idea”, “Ecology/Sociology” and “Management/Tactics”. For each of them, indicators reflecting the state of the process of its sustainable development are formalized and justified, the features of the application are investigated and the advantages and disadvantages of the most promising digital technologies are determined. So, according to the “Economy/Technology” component in the conditions of digital transformation, the advantages and disadvantages of using cryptocurrencies are determined and recommendations are given on the energy-efficient organization of the mining process. Using the example of the tasks of managing accounts receivable and forecasting commodity—cash flows, recommendations are given on the use of digital innovative data analysis technologies using artificial neural networks in order to improve the efficiency of solving these tasks. The necessity of using modern digital systems of data analysis and protection to ensure the effective solution of tactical management tasks is substantiated. In relation to the “Strategy/business idea” component, the paper proposes an adaptive approach focused on the formation of flexible business models adaptively adapting to changes in the external environment. For the “Ecology/Sociology” component, recommendations are given on the practical application of personnel management information systems and cloud technologies to retain and consolidate promising employees, and a justification of the economic feasibility of processing and selling useful waste is carried out. The necessity of taking into account the joint influence of operational and financial levers when making and implementing decisions on innovative transformations of the organization is proved. The practical significance of the results of the work lies in the identification and formalization of a system of key indicators and the most promising digital technologies for their practical use in the process of managing innovative transformations of organizations and the formation of recommendations to reduce the risks of this process generated by the joint impact of operational and financial levers.

This article discusses the issues of supranational regulation in the field of ensuring climate safety, considers the important international legal acts aimed at climate safety regulations, explores the prospects for making a global climate agreement in modern conditions. The authors of the article conclude that at the present stage the existing global international agreements in the field of climate safety are ineffective. In this regard, climate change, including as a result of global warming, can lead to negative consequences for all mankind. The authors believe that the global economic processes currently taking place negatively affect the solution of issues in the field of climate safety. There is a need of coordinated economic and climate policy of the major global powers that, on the one hand, will ensure sustainable economic growth in these countries, and, on the other hand, will ensure effective regulation in the climate sphere. The authors believe that the issues of climate and energy safety are interrelated, and the most optimal solution to climate problems will be supranational regulation of economic and energy issues at the global level in order to reduce prices for energy resources. At the same time, the solution of climate safety issues within the framework of regional supra-national associations is unpromising, since the greening of production processes in some regions does not lead to similar actions in other regions that will not allow significant progress in limiting greenhouse gas emissions on the planet as a whole. Only the global rules developed by the world community, determining the procedure for stimulating environmentally friendly production methods and reducing carbon emissions, will solve the issues of climate safety for all mankind. The purpose of this article is to substantiate the authors’ model for ensuring energy and climate safety at the supranational level. The results of this study can be used in the development of various programs in the field of climate safety.

Every year the stakes in the fight to save the environment and fight global warming are growing. Now more than ever, we are aware of the detrimental effects of our current dependence on fossil fuels on our collective future. One of the key decisions? sustainable energy. The study is an overview of the transition to sustainable energy in the Republic of Kazakhstan.The aim is to lay the foundation for a sustainable transition to a clean and low-carbon electricity system as a contribution to global efforts to combat climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.Research methodology. The study adopted a secondary method of data collection and analysis based on primary and secondary data found in study results and reports from peer-reviewed sources. For this study, the term “primary data” refers to data generated and conducted and presented in the form of peer-reviewed academic and professional articles.Research results. A variant of numerical modeling of the scenario for Kazakh-stan’s entry into the top 30 most developed countries is presented. The transformation of the structure of generating capacities for 2030 and 2050 that meets the conditions of sustainable energy is given. The key aspect is that a significant increase in generating capacity should be carried out at the expense of clean and safe energy. The parameters of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative are achieved by the strategy, therefore a sustainable energy scenario for Kazakhstan is presented. The sustainable energy strategy is implemented in two stages, the completion of which is characterized by the main and external target parameters. Specific energy projects that have a socio-economic value for the country are considered.Under all scenarios, indicators of the state of energy in Kazakhstan will improve until 2050 and look as follows: the share of renewable sources in energy consumption, including hydropower, will be more than 50%; GDP per capita growth rate—not less than 2.5%; CO2 emissions per capita—no more than 3.9 t/person per year; the cost of fixed assets of new energy does not exceed the limit of economic security—300 billion dollars; population growth will reach 25 million people.The study concludes that both renewable and non-renewable energy sources should play a leading role in the short and long term energy transition. These include energy sources such as solar, wind, hydropower, hydrogen, bio-resources, nuclear energy, natural gas replacing other fossil fuels, and the application of clean and efficient technologies to existing fossil fuel and non-renewable systems energy sources. Specific energy projects affect the economic, social and environmental aspects of the sustainable development of a country or region.

The article examines the AgeTech category, considered as a set of goods, technologies and services created for the elderly population and/or optimized for use by people over 60–65 years old. The economic, social and psychological problems associated with the position of the elderly in society are outlined. Three criteria for the classification of goods and services for the elderly are proposed: AgeTech markets/macro industries of AgeTech, elderly population life spheres; AgeTech development areas. The prospects of AgeTech development in such life spheres of the elderly as a sphere of labor, healthcare (medicine), info-communication sphere and fintech are considered. The international experience of AgeTech segment promotion is investigated. The prospects for the development of the global market of innovative technologies for the elderly are shown. Two independent directions of AgeTech development are identified, which determine the division of the modern AgeTech market into two different segments: a segment focused directly on the needs of the elderly population, and a segment of goods and services related to the care of the elderly. The significance and place of the AgeTech in realization of “aging in place” conception is shown. The analysis of the development of the AgeTech segment in Russia in the fields of labor, social protection and assistance/support of older citizens is carried out. Promising market niches in the Russian AgeTech segment are identified.

The purpose of the article is to define the institutional framework of the ESG development concept. The ESG development concept is not the only model for achieving social, ecological and economic balance within economic growth. The choice of research approaches is quite wide: the sustainable development model, the concept of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the ESG development model, the circular economy paradigm. Over the past few years the ESG concept of growth has been theoretically adhered to the basic concept of sustainable development (SD) that appeared as a result of an applied research conference. The institutional outlines of this concept are defined by the framework of the transformational processes of the real and financial markets. It is displayed in the formation of such development institutions as: the institute of technological entrepreneurship, the institute of recooperators, the institute of green finance, the institute of green banking, the institute of green insurance, etc. These issues find practical application in economic theory, the theory of finance, and in the implementation of decisions in the field of environmental management.

The article provides information about advantages of green buildings and smart houses and shows opinions of researchers from various countries on this matter. It reviews outcomes of surveys conducted by various companies in several countries with regards to pros and cons of green buildings and smart house technologies. Hotels are considered theoretically with respect to components of non-standard green buildings, extraordinary buildings, and smart houses as well as in terms of construction, upgrading and maintenance costs of such buildings and the possibility of their recoupment.

The article discusses the definitions of the concept of “quality” and factors which influence on consumer behavior, product quality. The article discusses also standardization organizations in different countries. Japan and China are given as examples. This article uses the method of analysis, as well as methods of comparison, generalization and an integrated approach, multilevel analysis. The purpose of the study is to develop and justify the author’s model of quality management in three blocks, i.e. from the side of the state, enterprise and consumer and how they are interconnected. The practical significance of the study may lie in the fact that its results can be applied in the educational process of the university.

The covid-19 pandemic since February 2020 and energy market crisis since September 2021 have triggered social and political shifts in the conceptual framework that formed the new role of regulation, public engagement and corporate governance in meeting new challenges. The ESG systems have been built around the logic of global investors to value a company in line with a wide range of socially desirable ends, but various forms are observed of the local implementation of the UN SDGs (United Nations sustainable development goals), which are perceived with nuances in various communities. Since the changes of the early 2020s the differences have been reinforced by a new division of responsibilities between essential social actors, the authorities (including local and national State governments, and integration regulatory bodies, such as European regulators) and private business. The ESG logic is now completed with new core components of the ESG-ecosystem, especially, in the energy sector that plays a decisive role in the local infrastructure constructed for activities of population and businesses. This new systemic vision determines the interest of this paper to examine question of the new content of the basic aims and assumptions of the ESG regulation. It was supposed that the ESG ecosystem is a systematic approach, realized in the assessment procedures, evolution of regulation and goal-setting models implemented by the actors of society. The hypotheses were checked with the methodology of case study: for the corporate governance, the cases were investigated in the energy sector and large energy-intensive industry of metals and mining; for regulation, the examples of the UN, EU, Russia and China rules in the field of ESG issues are examined. The distinctive analysis is applied to measure the CO2 impact related to the production and to the consumption, it demonstrates the evolution of the worldwide division of labor and distinguishes the location of carbon-intensive production and consumption in regions. The ESG rules reflect the position of a country as a net producer or net consumer of goods with an important CO2 impact. The investigated corporate governance cases show that the companies in energy sector have not reduced their engagement in the ESG issues and enhanced the ESG policy in the construction of tough ties with local communities and State authorities. These case studies allow researchers to conclude about the new understanding of the ESG ecosystem as a promising conceptual framework to develop a deeper understanding of the corporate and society activities in the purpose to harmonize the economic and social welfare.

The article deals with the problems of the development of cultural landscapes of the UNESCO World Heritage. The problem of assessing the tourist and recreational potential is an important component of the sustainable development of the territory. The authors propose an approach based on a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the possibilities of development of the territory in different areas of ecological (lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere) and humanitarian (economosphere, sociosphere, politosphere and spiritosphere) potential. The authors propose a methodology for assessing the tourist and recreational attractiveness of cultural landscapes drawing on the example of the national park “Curonian Spit”. In this study, the method of expert assessments is used, on the basis of which a petal diagram is compiled. Visualization of the data obtained allows to see the best and worst positions of different spheres, which is of great scientific and practical importance. The practical benefit is that tourists receive information about the structure of the territory and can choose it as the object of their journey, and local governments can develop a program to improve tourism opportunities in the most problematic areas. The scientific achievement of this study is that a comprehensive ecological and humanitarian approach to the study of the tourist and recreational potential of the territory is proposed for the first time.

In this article, the critical issues involving the use of marketing communications as a tool to promote the sustained development of city-forming organizations are examined. The UN adopted a document in 2015 about the global space transformation in the field of sustainable development. One of its main goals is goal 11—sustainable cities and communities. Making single-industry towns more sustainable is one of Russia’s top priorities in the field of sustainable development. The goal of the study was to identify efficient marketing strategies that would enable the city-forming organizations to develop sustainably even in times of crisis. The study was conducted using the open-source analysis method for the period from September 2022 to October 2022. The study’s findings resulted in the discovery of the most effective marketing communications and the development of industry predictions for the marketing and communication sectors.

Sustainable development is one of the main trends of our time. The growth of anthropogenic pressure on the natural environment leads not only to its degradation, but also to the deterioration of social and, in the future, economic indicators. Therefore, the problems of sustainable development, enshrined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, are in the focus of attention of researchers, politicians, and the public. The sustainable development policy has national and regional specifics. This specificity must be considered to achieve success in the implementation of this policy. The purpose of the study is to analyze the specifics of the sustainable development of the Arctic territories and develop measures to achieve their environmental sustainability. The study used empirical materials on the environmental situation in the territories of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. During the study, methods of processing statistical data, institutional analysis, literature review, case method, method of expert assessment of trends were used. The study considers the features of the institutional environment for the implementation of sustainable development policy in the Russian Arctic. The lack of systematic statistical data on the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is noted. It is proposed to organize monitoring, and systematization of the available data. The need to introduce innovative environmentally friendly technologies in the industry of the Russian Arctic is highlighted as a priority. To reduce the already inflicted environmental damage, it was proposed to intensify the construction of treatment facilities, as well as the implementation of civil initiatives to clean up the Arctic territories and water areas from pollution. According to the results of the study, the development of environmental education and enlightenment was proposed. It is also recommended that all major stakeholders be involved in environmental projects (government bodies, business, civil society institutions, environmental activists).

Considerable number of accidents on heating networks and on-going increase in heat losses are evidence of critical current situation in the heat supply sector of Russia as a most important sphere of the national housing and communal services. This makes it imperative to modernize the industry through introducing advanced technologies and implementing technological innovations. By the federal law, modernization and innovative development of heat supply networks is the responsibility of territorial or regional unified heat supply enterprises. In addition, efficiency and effectiveness of the processes is ensured by coherence and integration of the economic and environmental priorities set. The concept of environmental and economic management offered in this paper can, therefore, be applied by the unified heat supply enterprises to their innovative development and modernization. While theoretical and methodological substantiation of the environmental and economic management is still up for debate, the author has tried to formulate the environmental and economic management subject area together with its general and specific principles. Therefore, the purpose of this study is development of the environmental and economic management principles of innovative development for unified heat supply enterprises, considering theoretical and methodological approaches formulated in the Russian and international studies on the issues of environmental and economic management and ecological and economic balance. The basic methods used are analysis, synthesis, and comparative estimates.

The article substantiates the relevance of the study of the dynamic pattern of factors which govern on the quantity level of food products in the regions of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation, because the degree of annual change according to the rate of increase or decrease of the main factors affect the dynamic of the markets capacity of both consumers and producers of food products, and affect the degree of food endowment of the population of these territories. In addition, consequently, it affects the results of the implementation of national and federal projects, targeted programs of socio-economic development of the territories of the Arctic Zone and finally improving their food security. The article studies the dynamic of change (growth or decline) of a group of indicators, or, in other words, factors presented in the annual State statistical reporting of the Russian Federation, such as: population size, per capita monetary incomes of people, consumer prices for food products and the proportion (specific weight) of food purchases. The rates of change of these indicators, estimated as indices of population growth (decline), per capita monetary incomes of the population, customer prices for food products and the share of food purchases in the spending pattern of household sector, allowed us to determine the scope of variation and identify the degree of differentiation of the position of the regions by the rate of change of each factor. The conducted research showed an inequality in the pace of development of factors, which affect the capacity of the consumer market of food products in all regions, and lack of sustainable positive or negative dynamics in the level of food security in three regions out of four. In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug a negative trend towards a decrease in the level of food security was detected. The research made it possible to determine the main priority socio-economic goals for the development of the territories of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation ensuring high level of their food security and their sustainable development.

Universities have become aware of their broader global responsibility in the sustainability agenda. Evaluation systems in the field of sustainable development should be developed, the objectives and indicators of ESG should be integrated into the activities of universities, since they occupy a unique position in society—they create and disseminate knowledge. The purpose of this article is to examine the universities’ ESG rankings to assess the results in sustainable development. The article provides for the use of logical and dialectical methods, comparative analysis, observation methods, methods of expert assessment. The article analyzes the potential problems arising from the results of the ESG ratings, which generates user failure of trust in the functioning of this market and raises fears about the consistency and reliability of such data. The article also systematizes ESG ratings and proposes a classification of ratings that allows users to better understand the different types of information they provide. In addition, here have been developed the criteria for evaluating the activities of the university for assigning an ESG rating, which will allow integrate the principles of sustainable development into the activities of the university. The article outlines the prospects for further development of directions for regulating the information services market for assigning the ESG rating, which will help universities better adapt to new conditions.

Under the uncertainty caused by external factors and heightened external risks, ensuring the sustainable competitive development of a corporation largely depends on the financial decisions taken. These decisions should be focused on improving the financial performance of the corporation while preventing the occurrence of risk of loss of its financial stability. Achieving this goal largely depends on the level of structural risk, the importance of effective management of which grows significantly under the conditions of strong market volatility which manifests itself under the impact of heightened external risks. In this regard, it is of particular relevance to ensure that risk-tolerant financial decisions are taken aiming at the sustainable effective development of the company under the conditions of high uncertainty and risks, and taking into account potential changes in the external environment and, as a consequence, the level of structural risk.The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology for taking risk-tolerant financial decisions focused on streamlining the leverages on private financial risks of companies in the context of the most reasonable limitation of these risks under the elevated uncertainty, and to advise on the practical application of the methodology developed.The study has evaluated the joint impact of operating and financial leverages on the risk of loss of financial stability of the company and the maximum permissible value of the financial leverage arm above which the risk of loss of financial stability becomes unacceptable. The methodology was proposed and an algorithm was developed for taking financial risk-tolerant decisions on managing the capital structure, and a concept was proposed for implementing financial decisions on managing the company’s debt capital and dividend policy under uncertainty. The impact of a change in the dividend policy on the financial leverage arm and financial profitability of the company was evaluated. Advice was given with regard to taking risk-tolerant financial decisions under the elevated uncertainty.The results obtained may be used by companies when taking their financial decisions under the uncertainty and economic turbulence.The study methodology is based on a dialectical systemic approach using logical, factor and comparative analyses, methods of probability theory and mathematical statistics, data synthesis and grouping.

To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is necessary to consolidate efforts at various levels of economic systems and use the most appropriate approaches and tools at each of them. Our study focuses on citizen science as a promising tool to achieve the SDGs. The study aims to identify how SDG achievement can be facilitated by means of citizen science. As a concept, citizen science can be viewed as a specific process of cognition happening in the course of open scientific communication. As an actual practice, it encompasses projects with a number of particular characteristics. Our study is based on analysis, synthesis, comparison, and classification and relies on knowledge-based, participatory, and network approaches. It uses materials from the Russian Association for Science Communication, the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, the European Citizen Science Association, and online citizen science platforms. The study has identified three domains in citizen science that contribute to SDG achievement. The knowledge-based domain consists of using the SDGs to measure the relevance and social significance of individual citizen science projects. The technological domain consists of the digital environment, where citizen scientists develop their communication and network skills, and an increasingly greater number of participants become interested in transforming the world in accordance with the SDGs. The participatory domain contributes to disseminating sustainable development norms and values and becomes more important when volunteers’ competence grows as they move to higher levels in citizen science project management. Further research can focus on developing approaches for integrating citizen science projects and sustainable development processes at the levels of content, tools, and values.

The development and dissemination of the ideas of Sustainable Development has led to their implementation in public administration. At the business level, the Sustainable Development Concept has found expression in the ESG concept. But this concept is not always actively applied, which is associated with a lack of resources among firms. Also, management does not always have the necessary knowledge and understanding. The problem is also that the emphasis in practice is on the Environmental and Social components of the ESG concept. Governance component is not considered so carefully. The purpose of the study is to analyze the features of the implementation of the Governance component of the ESG concept in media organizations. The study was carried out on the example of personnel management functions. The study used methods of analysis, synthesis, forecast, modeling, statistical and expert. The specific risks of personnel management in media organizations, which are typical for the current stage of socio-economic development, are highlighted. These risks are classified and quantified. This allows to prioritize efforts to manage these risks. The implementation of the author’s recommendations will result in an increase in the efficiency of personnel management of media organizations in the context of the implementation of the ESG concept.

The paper is focused on the phenomenon of tax evasion, its effects and ways of sizing it. The objective includes a fundamental theoretical analysis study of the methodological part focused on the indicator of fiscal pressure. In the work, the authors presented the causal links between taxation, fiscal pressure and fiscal evasion, how these phenomena are measured at the macro and micro economic level. Studying the causes and effects of tax evasion manifested at the country and organization/entity level, the researchers mentioned the financial position, financial performance and cash flows as elements to reduce tax fraud. For this, different formulas for calculating tax pressure and tax evasion have been established, presented and systematized to reduce tax pressure through the financial performance of the entity.

The article is devoted to the adaptation of an industrial enterprise to market conditions in the context of global political and economic changes. The purpose of the article is to develop recommendations on the choice of methods for assessing the resultativeness of adaptation of an industrial enterprise to market conditions. To achieve this goal, it is proposed to carry out a quantitative measurement of the resultativeness of adaptation of an industrial enterprise using a parametric method; generalize the calculated values of the resultativeness of adaptation to individual market subjects using integral and graphical methods; analyze the stochastic dependencies of the components of the resultativeness of adaptation using multi-factor correlation and regression analysis; optimize the value of the indicator the resultativeness of adaptation and its costs using the Nelder-Mead method. To solve the tasks, general scientific methods were used: collection, generalization and systematization of information, the method of analysis and synthesis, the method of comparative analysis. The value of this research consists in considering various methodological approaches to assessing the resultativeness of adaptation of an industrial enterprise to market conditions; developed recommendations on the selection of appropriate methods for solving the tasks of assessing the resultativeness of adaptation.

The article deals with the issues of environmental, social, and governmental factors accounting, which are usually united under the abbreviation ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), in order to sustainable development transition. The central aim of the article is to justify the need to refuse gradually the traditional approach to implementation ESG-strategies in favor of the institutional one, as well as to suggest practical tools for realization the institutional approach. Suggestion that ESG-factors must be taken into consideration when making national strategies for sustainable development, which is the paramount issue of modern scientific, social and political agenda, is justified. The authors depict briefly the content of the sustainable development concept, identifies the main problems of the practical implementation of different countries policy instruments, including Russia, to achieve sustainable development goals. There are elaborated recommendations for the ensuring effective institutional conditions for the sustainable development concept practical implementation related to improving the instruments of legal support and non-financial reporting.

According to the Sustainable Development Goal “Ensuring quality education for all is fundamental to creating peace and prosperity in the world”, the use of modern methods in education acquires special relevance. Eye tracking as a research and training tool in education could expand the limits of the information to adjust not only the communication strategy of a university, but also the content of educational process, to embed a new research tool as a part of lectures and classes, and to enhance students’ engagement into research activities within their specialism. The article presents the results of pilot study on the basis of eye tracking during a master class for the students of the first grade of the Master Programme “Advertising and PR in International Communications”. A total of 38 students participated in the master class and the pilot study of a social advertisement. The nonverbal research was expanded with follow-up interview to take stock of the eye tracking applicability within educational process and research activities. Eye tracking research can help to further verify and enrich educational theories for better understanding how learners process information. The basic directions of eye tracking research in education are demonstrated: imbedding eye tracking in the content of research disciplines for media communication training areas; the implementation of eye tracking research results and recommendations concerning teaching materials, websites, e-books and courses, presentations and media; using the eye tracking research results in the university communication activities; Involving the students specializing in media communication into active studies.

The relevance of improving indicators for assessing the growth of the small and medium-sized businesses sector is taken into the consideration in this article. The existing methodology for calculating the Growth Index for small and medium-sized businesses, which is necessary for assessing the state of the sector and forecasting its development through federal and regional programs, is considered and analyzed in the article. When using analytical and statistical methods, the necessity of adjusting the algorithm for calculating the SME Growth Index by using an additional parameter—“the total number of SMEs” was proved. The relevance of improving the calculation methodology lies in the need to obtain more accurate and objective information about the state of the business sector of the Russian Federation, which is the basis for calculating the volume of budget financing for the implementation of programs for its development.

This paper explores the basic problems of energy integration in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). It identifies the prospects and opportunities for the formation of a common electricity market within the Union, as well as the main challenges in the liberalization of the national electricity markets of the EAEU member states. The study reveals that a key obstacle to the formation of a common electricity market of the EAEU is the lack of a common vision of national markets liberalization among the member states, as well as the desire to use protectionist instruments to promote their energy interests, which fundamentally contradicts the basic principles of liberalization. In particular, this circumstance is explained by the excess generation capacities in the EAEU member states, which affects the export orientation of their energy strategies. The paper further reveals that the liberalization of the electricity market in Armenia is aimed at easing tariffs for the population and business, but at the same time it brings forth a number of strategic risks.The aim of the study is to identify the specifics of energy integration in the EAEU, in particular, to assess the problems of reforming the electricity markets of the member countries of the Union. The methods of system-functional and comparative analysis are used in the paper. The research is of interdisciplinary nature, it uses the categorical apparatus of economic, technical and political sciences. The results of the research can be useful for improving the energy integration policy in the EAEU, as well as assessing the problems of the energy complexes of the member states of the Union.

This study analyses the natural sources of radon and assesses their potential for the development of medical and ecological tourism as an important aspect of sustainable development in the Leningrad region. The benefits and detriments that radon can bring to human health have been studied. An analysis of large natural sources of radon located on the territory of the Leningrad region—Lopukhinskoye Lake and Sablinskiy Natural Monument—has been carried out and its potential for tourism development has been evaluated. Creating recreational and anthropogenic complexes on their territory and arranging their organized visits will be a great stimulus for development of safe ecological tourism. The creation of medical infrastructure facilities will also have a positive impact on the health and social environment. Furthermore, promotional, publicity and health education activities for potential tourists, patients and tourism workers will have a positive impact on the sustainable development of the North West region.