One of the main goals of creating a wholesale electricity market in the Russian Federation was to reduce the prices for circulating electricity. The achievement of this goal was supposed to be due to the development of competitive energy market relations, equal access to electricity supply services to consumers among all participants of the energy market, transparency and structuring of the electricity pricing mechanism. Traditionally, the regions with the lowest prices for supplied electricity in Russia are the territories of the Siberian United Energy System, where the demand for electricity is provided by cheap hydro generation, which ensures the competitiveness of the Siberian economy and high investment potential in the industrial sector. The article presents an empirical analysis of the dynamic changes in the parameters of the total cost of electricity sold in the regions of Russia included various federal districts with a comparison of the cost of electricity in the Siberian Federal District regions with other territories of Russia, with the identification of key trends and features of changes. Analysis of the dynamics of changes in the components of the cost of electricity on various territories for the period January 2021 – March 2022 revealed a significant increase in the cost of electric energy and electric capacity. Their dynamics in some cases exceeds 30 %, and led to a significant increase in prices for electricity sold to all groups of consumers operating in the United Energy System of Siberia regions, and in particular on territories of the Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Republic of Khakassia. The presented article emphasizes the need to study the factors and pricing conditions affecting the change in price parameters for power supplied to consumers operating in the regions of the Siberian United Energy System, with the development of follow-up measures to manage the increase in prices for electricity (capacity) in these regions.

The competitiveness and cost indicators of power plants operating on non-traditional renewable energy sources (NTRES) are significantly affected by the intensity of power operation. This determined the relevance of this study. The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of indicators characterizing the using intensity of power plants on NRES in the electric power industry of developed countries (USA, Germany, France and the United Kingdom) and in the Russian Federation. The objectives of the study include the substantiation and evaluation of indicators characterizing the intensity of operation of power plants using renewable energy sources in the Russian Federation and abroad. The study is based on the scientific works of the Russian scientists, materials of foreign reviews and is carried out using the analytical methods and economic analysis. The authors note that abroad these power plants are located in areas with favorable natural and climatic conditions, and then they are distinguished by the highest rates of operation of renewable energy generators (solar power plants in the USA, offshore wind power plants in the United Kingdom). NRES-based power plants in the Russian Federation are characterized by lower rates of capacity exploitation compared to similar power plants in developed countries. One of the reasons for this is the massive localization of renewable energy generation in the United Energy System of the South, accompanied by problems of integrating these energy sources into the energy system. In order to increase the intensity of operation of NRES power plants in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to plan their construction, taking into account the existing scale of NRES power in regional energy systems and the possibility of transmitting the generated electricity to consumers.

The authors consider the stages of applying the ELECTRE methodology: multi-criteria ranking of alternatives to. This approach assumes taking into account the values of the features characterizing the evaluated alternatives and the significance levels of these features. Based on these expert assessments, the indices of agreement and disagreement are calculated. Their values determine the validity of the assumption of the superiority of alternatives over each other. The implementation of strictly defined stages of the methodology makes it possible to identify the order of dominance of alternatives and rank them in accordance with the priorities of the decision-maker. The algorithms of ELECTRE family offers a deterministic approach to decision-making, in which methods and models are considered as practical means of tactical and strategic analysis of the situation. Automated decision support systems implementing these methods make it possible to document an understanding of the actual preferences of decision makers. The ELECTRE I method uses verbal statements stating binary relationships between alternative strategies. Binary relations are expressed by the indices of agreement and disagreement. The results obtained indicate effectiveness of the methodology under study.

The mass introduction of distance learning into the educational process during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was previously used only in the form of individual educational technologies, determined the relevance of the chosen research topic. Radical changes in the system of educational process organization have led to the emergence of new communication barriers that negatively affect the effectiveness of the learning process. The purpose of the study is to analyze these barriers. The objectives of this study are to identify new communication barriers in the educational process, as well as to determine the factors influencing their appearance. The study was conducted using the methods of classical and comparative analysis; a survey was also conducted in the form of a questionnaire using the Google Docs platform. The authors came to the conclusion that the distance education format required from the participants of the educational process a long period of adaptation, which is currently far from being completed. The main communicative barriers associated with the transition to the distance format of work are technical, organizational, communicative- psychological and substantive. Meanwhile, the number of communication barriers and the degree of their manifestation depends, among other things, on the educational model implemented in the university.

At the present stage of development of information technologies, the study of the need for qualified personnel is becoming more and more popular. At the same time, there is a problem of determining the compliance of specialists’ training level in the field of information technology with the requirements of employers. The article presents the results of a study of the demand for competencies in this field from leading Russian companies. The purpose of the study is to determine the generalized requirements for job seekers in the labor market and the formation of lists of key skills for each of the specialties (professional groups) in the field of information technology. An algorithmic solution is proposed for analyzing the demand for competencies and determining the most demanded skills for various areas. The proposed algorithm is implemented on the example of data on vacancies of the Yandex and VK Group companies, collected from open sources. Data collection was carried out by a modified method: the initial array was formed automatically using the ParseHub parser and corrected manually. The grouping of data was carried out according to the most demanded IT-specialties and according to the generalized formulations of the requirements for these specialties. The key skills of specialists in relevant IT-areas have been identified. The study uses a combination of theoretical and empirical methods. The above algorithm and the results of aggregating groups of vacancies for IT-specialists and their professional competencies demanded by employers can be used for a deeper analysis of demand in the labor market and taken into account when forming the competencies of students in information technology training programs.

The article deals with the problems of the formation of new forms of employment under the influence of digitalisation processes and a protracted economic crisis. The purpose of the study is to consider the little-studied aspects of development of the new forms of employment in the conditions of the “fourth industrial revolution” and determine their prospects. The work shows that the spread of new forms of employment in the context of the formation of a new technological order indicates the digital transformation of the economy and at the same time acts as a response to the economic crisis caused by the obsolescence of the industries of the outgoing modes due to the gradual exhaustion of their efficiency, including impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the introduction of new elements of employment into the system of social and labor relations does not eliminate the previously existing conflicts of interests of their participants, but ensures a more dynamic development of the labor market and increases the adaptive potential of workers. Particular attention is paid to such forms of work organization as mobile work based on information and communication technologies, work on platforms and sharing of employees’ labor. The authors conduct a comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of these forms of employment based on employers’ and employees’ interests and points of view. Reserves of growth and restrictions on the development of new forms of employment have been identified. Attention is focused on the social and cultural consequences of increased flexibility and mobility of labor relations in the context of the development of new non-standard forms of employment. The results of the study can be used in developing areas for improvement of employment policy in the context of further deployment of digitalisation processes.

The experience of ongoing research in image processing clearly demonstrates the huge scope for the development of new neural networks that can help people in a wide range of tasks. The authors chose the direction of work related to helping people who have vision problems. The article considers a convolutional neural network of the Mask R-CNN model for segmenting objects in an image. During the research the authors study a large number of algorithms that can quickly and accurately process images, such as Faster R-CNN, which was the most efficient in 2020. During the analysis, it was revealed that the use of Mask R-N technology can significantly increase the efficiency of performing tasks, since this algorithm is the latest version of the machine learning model. As a result of the study, a neural network was developed that is capable of identifying and distinguishing a large number of objects in an image. The next step is to refine the algorithm and use additional means of interaction with the hardware of the systems to increase the speed of the neural network. In the future, the resulting neural network will be integrated into the Digital Assistant for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons application. This application is guaranteed to improve the daily life of people with disabilities who experience certain inconveniences due to their features, and can become the basis for other, larger projects related, for example, to unmanned devices, as well as services whose work is directly based on image processing.

Today we are witnessing the rapid growth and development of new business models supported by digital technologies. They are transforming traditional industries and creating entirely new categories. The article discusses the impact of digitalisation on the creation and development of new business models – outsourcing, e-commerce and app stores. The article describes the main forms of e-commerce implementation, presents a diagram. The purpose of this work is to determine the impact of digitalisation on the emergence and evolution of new business models. To achieve this goal, the authors set the following tasks: the study of Russian and foreign literature on this subject, the selection, analysis, synthesis and formation of conclusions based on statistical data, and structuring of information using a flowchart. The methodological base includes both general scientific methods of scientific research – comparison, analysis, and special ones – the economic and statistical method. The authors examined examples of the impact of digital transformation on business, analyzed sales data in the Russian and German e-commerce markets and the use of technology in everyday life, and presented an e-commerce classification scheme.

The subject of research is the Internet trading in the American and European financial markets for individuals from the Russian Federation. The relevance of the topic is due to the huge influx of Russian private investors into the global financial market over the past few years, caused by the simplification of the process of opening brokerage accounts, automation of taxation, the possibility of trading via web terminals, as well as significantly changed conditions of online trading in 2022. The whole work is the development of a report on investing in the financial markets of the United States of America and the European Union for citizens of the Russian Federation. The study was conducted using the methods of systematization, grouping and comparison, with their help, analysis and generalization of the results obtained were carried out, conclusions were drawn. It has been established that in the current geopolitical situation and the restrictive measures taken by many multinational banks and companies, private investors of Russian origin have risks of freezing their own assets on brokerage accounts, which can be reduced by opening a brokerage account in companies registered in the territory of countries friendly to the Russian Federation. The article suggests two least risky options for investing in securities of issuers from Europe and USA.

The article reveals the problems of implementing organizational changes in the management of foreign trade companies in the context of changing sales markets. The article focuses on the fact that today’s realities orient foreign trade companies to implement new methods of distributing responsibility and authority among employees within the framework of certain activities that have undergone changes. The authors of the study propose a comprehensive approach to the introduction of innovations in business processes through an assessment of all levels of organization management. The article presents organizational pathologies that can occur at different levels of implementation of changes in companies engaged in foreign trade activities, and also suggests an algorithm for working with them when the sales market changes. The authors note that Russian companies will have the highest level of adaptation to non-standard environmental conditions, only with careful study of all levels of change management through certain criteria and setting management tasks when adjusting to the selected sales market. It is determined that when transforming business processes in modern conditions, the company must have a certain strategic maturity to enter a new market on the basis of the presented management principles of the company’s activities.

The work is devoted to the application of the Customer Journey Map (CJM) for university applicants and managerial tasks of adapting the profile of the university in the digital environment to the trajectories of the consumer. The author’s definition of the “profile of the university in the digital environment” concept is offered, the analysis of statistical data of university websites is made. The combination of classical studies of applicants’ motivation and factors influencing enrollment in a particular university with modern methods of studying consumer behavior in the digital environment allows to increase the effectiveness of the admission campaign. Customer Journey Map as an analysis tool, in conjunction with the data of network traffic allows to optimize all types of communications of the university and provide its management with necessary information when making managerial decisions. The research revealed an insignificant influence of the university social networks and thematic groups on the decision to enroll to a particular university, which what caused a deeper study of visitors’ behavior on the university websites. Internet traffic activity for a number of universities was assessed as direct requests, through search services, social networks, mail servers, as well as through referral links, and advertising traffic. The study showed that search engines and direct queries gave the maximum value for traffic. But the effectiveness of advertising to attract applicants is rather low, which indicates the insignificant role of university advertising and confirms the data of the survey in the construction of the Customer Journey Map.

The article analyzes the peculiarities of changing the competence profile of employees and managers in modern conditions of digital transformation of economic and other spheres of life. The key branches and directions of digitalisation of the Russian economy, directly or indirectly determining changes in competencies, skills and abilities of personnel and managers, are presented. The article is based on the methodology of complex approach and system analysis. The theoretical basis of the article is the publications of Russian researchers devoted to the problems of digitalisation of the Russian economy. Familiarization with regulatory documents and government programs, methods of comparative analysis are chosen as research methods. The methods used also include the method of expert assessments, normative and logical methods. In a temporary retrospective, the changes and peculiarities of the influence of labor and capital factors on the growth rates of Russia’s gross domestic product are considered separately. In conclusion, the transformation trends in some categories of personnel skills by 2030 are presented, on their basis a conclusion about the competitiveness of a specialist in the future is made. The following information will allow representatives of Russian business and top management of Russian companies to navigate in the established areas of development of the competence profile of personnel and managers, as well as make rational management decisions to create professional teams of employees.

The article deals with the problem of development and methodological tools application for a comprehensive assessment of regional features of the digital and communication technologies use by organizations in Russia. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the indicators characterizing the use of digital and communication technologies in organizations located in different Russian regions. The official information of Rosstat agency for 2020 was used as empirical data. Modeling of empirical data was carried out according to the author’s methodology, based on the development of density functions of the normal distribution of three indicators by region. The variance analysis of indicators by regions with their minimum and maximum values was based on the ANOVA method. The study showed that about 82.2 % of organizations used digital technologies. The level of use of communication technologies was significantly lower. 66.1 % of organizations used the Internet to provide statistical, tax and other reporting. The share of organizations involved in electronic procurement for state or municipal needs was 38.6 %. Lists of regions were compiled in which the maximum and minimum values of indicators characterizing the use of digital and communication technologies by organizations were noted in 2020. The results of the work can be used in the activities of federal and regional structures related to the regulation and planning of the development of these technologies and the justification for allocating additional resources to regions with a low level of their use.

Today, more than ever, there is a need for comprehensive support for intercompany electronic B2B trade, as an effective business environment for the functioning of small and medium-sized businesses. The main objective of this study is to identify the problems hindering the development of Internet commerce in the B2B segment, and to provide recommendations for its development in Russia under the sanction’s restrictions imposed by the West. The main barriers to automation and digitalisation of sales and purchases at the intercompany level of interaction are: 1) the prevalence of a conservative idea of doing business in B2B, unwillingness to change outdated business processes; 2) the erroneous judgment that launching your own B2B online solutions is very expensive and difficult; 3) the idea that creating your own B2B portal or marketplace is advisable only for large businesses; 4) underestimation of the enormous advantages and benefits that digitalisation provides for small and medium-sized businesses. Based on the analysis of these barriers, directions for more active involvement of small and medium-sized businesses in e-commerce are formulated. Namely: 1) training of business representatives in the specifics of organizing and implementing automated procurement and sales processes; 2) the development of online platforms that bring together many sellers and suppliers of products, logistics and financial companies, since this tool does not require investments in the creation of an Internet platform and does not bear the cost of maintaining its own IT department; 3) development of comprehensive support for electronic commerce of small and medium-sized businesses, including onboarding; 4) modernization of the regulatory framework for regulating electronic commerce based on the use of information and telecommunication technologies, since electronic commerce is regulated by the Commonwealth of Independent States Model Law “On Electronic Commerce”; 5) creation of state support system for electronic commerce, as it is a driver for the development of the national economy.

China and Russia aim to increase bilateral trade to 200 billion USD by 2024. In addition to the enormous potential for cooperation in the field of traditional energy and mineral products, agriculture, investment and engineering contracts, as well as scientific and technological cooperation, have developed rapidly. The latter is expected to become a new pillar of Sino-Russian economic and trade cooperation. The subject of this study is the ongoing innovation in the banking sector in the organization of settlements in the yuan between Russia and China. The international system of settlements and payments includes the transfer of financial information and the distribution of assets, it is a key link in global economic cooperation. However, the Sino-Russian system of payments and settlements is severely restricted by the United States. Against the background of abuse of the US financial hegemony and acceleration of internationalization of the yuan, the settlement system between China and Russia faces real demand for dedollarization, which lead to mutual settlements between China and Russia in the national currency, especially the RMB calculations. Based on the analysis of the actual and potential demand for Chinese yuan in the Russian market, the political environment of settlements in yuan and the technical conditions for calculating the amount, the authors concluded that the prospects for the Sino-Russian system of settlements and payments in yuan are high.