The article describes the development of the Moscow Institute of National Economy (MINKH) connected with academic and public activity of A.B. Khalatov, the Rector of MINKH during one of the most complicated and controversial periods of soviet history. It raises the issue of thorough analysis of the faculty activity and first of all the Institute leaders, whose activity was kept concealed for a long time due to certain political circumstances. The authors discuss the necessity of further highlighting the contribution of academics of the Russian Plekhanov University of Economics to establishment and development of the Russian state system, public, political and cultural life of the country at different stages of its history.

In today's market conditions, when the quality of education services become one of the most important factors for choosing the education institution it is crucial to assess the internal environment of the university, to find out the level of satisfaction of students as chief customers. The Russian Plekhanov University of Economics has adopted the Strategy of Education Quality Guarantee, on the basis of which the authors using their own methodology surveyed students in order to find the level of their satisfaction with teaching quality. The article drew the conclusions about the correlation between students' attendance and their results and between students' attendance and their marks. The criteria were identified under which lecturers got max and min grade on the basis of students' assessment at the Russian Plekhanov University of Economics.

The article advanced the directions aimed at shaping and realizing scientific potential by selecting and financing internal grants. The author shows contradictions and bottlenecks in the cycle 'foresight - fundamental research - applied research - findings of intellectual work - commercialization of academic products'. Special attention is paid to substantiation of technology of selecting and monitoring applications for internal grant, which is quite close to the technology of venture financing by business angels. For each stage the author designed qualitative and quantitative indicators. The proposed steps could contribute to the involvement of academic and teaching staff in research activity that is considered as the most important feature of the academic environment.

The article discusses theoretical basis and pre-conditions of developing inter-firm cooperation; various approaches and theories fostering research in this field. Special attention is paid to companies' cooperation in innovation work. The author describes factors affecting the possibility of cooperation in the field and its decline. She also analyzes innovation clusters as an advanced form of structural economic entities, which is based on inter-firm cooperation and aimed at raising competitive advantages of countries. The article shows the difference between traditional industrial clusters and innovation ones, studies their features and specific functioning, whose target is strengthening innovation component.

The article examines two opposite trends observed in the organizational design of modern high-tech enterprises. On the one hand producers of high-tech products tend to unite overwhelming majority of the value chain links inside the companies and become vertically integrated business units, on the other hand, a lot of market leaders move away from rigid internal integration and choose more flexible business models. Thus, there is a need of understanding the factors determining the choice of particular models of integration, as well as the risks and restrictions associated with their implementation. The article explores the international experience of vertically integrated and modular structures, discusses pros and cons of their use for companies’ development.

Through analyzing the research done by leading academics of different countries the article demonstrates that organization development is always accompanied by repeated changes in their organizational structure. The author puts forward the hypothesis that such changes in the structure are regular and typical of the majority of organizations, whose evolution aims at efficiency improvement. For the last thousand years global economy has passed a long way from craftsman (consecutive organizational structure) to their shops (parallel structure) through factory production (again consecutive structure), from developing horizontally integrated sectoral corporations and enterprises of one sector (parallel) to subsequent vertical integration on the basis of the previous stage (consecutive) and again to horizontal integration of these vertically integrated companies (parallel). Knowing the pattern of organizational structure development could have positive impact on optimal decision-making both for certain enterprises and for society in general.

The article deals with issues of managing projects connected with elimination of accumulated ecological damage with the help of tools of state-private partnership and safe removal of hard communal wastes within the frames of elimination of accumulated ecological damage. In order to attract investors on the basis of stimulating line in nature-use the authors put forward possible solution based on tools of state-private partnership, including management delegation, concession, etc. Special attention was paid to the mechanism of implementing the program aimed at elimination of accumulated ecological damage by selecting investment projects on safe removal of hard communal wastes, which could make implementation of the investment project more transparent and less risky. As a result a balance of interests between state, private structures and society in general could be provided.

The article deals with key points of the mortgage securities analysis. The system-dynamic model of early repayment of credits included in mortgage cover was developed. The model allows to assess the impact of the speed of early repayment on appeal of securities and to find out principle risks which the mortgage securities investor faces. With the help of the model the authors analyze the real speed of early repayment of credits included in mortgage cover of securities issued on Russian market and find key causes of the speed altering. The prospects of developing the Russian market of secondary mortgage crediting in the near future were reviewed. It was shown that the analysis can be taken into account by Russian investors interested in long-term investment with max profitability. The system-dynamic model designed by the authors will allow the potential investors to analyze the appeal of certain mortgage securities on the basis of the information about the source of cash payments (mortgage pull).

The article shows specific features of short-term forecast models, which were realized on the basis of the solution trees method applied to regression task. The authors provide the description of key characteristics of the trees solution method using CART algorithm. The necessity to use alternative intellectual methods of forecasting was grounded due to more difficult and highly uncertain nature of political and social-economic processes. The mechanism of final summing-up of forecasts was described. The authors put forward several variants of implementing models designed by Python programming. Computer experiments were conducted to adjust model parameters that can guarantee acceptable results in forecasting investment indicators.

The article provides the analysis of effective methods to calculate the amount of products of diesel fuel burning. The most promising method was shown, in spite of its labour-consuming nature. The given methodology can allow us: firstly, to reject the results of tests, as their results show only a special case of an individual diesel work; secondly, to calculate the amount of products of burning for any type of diesel and thirdly, to investigate the impact of diesel thermal process parameters on the product range and amount of products of burning. Application of the model could provide an opportunity to choose the condition of engine work, which will exhaust the minimum amount of harmful blow-outs.

The article analyzes systems of agro-technical production automation by using scheme-technical solutions based on integral micro-schemes of high degree of integration, universal micro-controllers and micro-controlling platform ARDUINO with the open code for programming. A concrete task was chosen for the analysis, i.e. providing comfort conditions in open-air cages for raising sucking pigs in the initial period of their life. The author shows methods of using devices to measure climatic parameters and commutation equipment in order to switch on executive devices of the automatic control system. As a result of testing all solutions being discussed it was found out that in case of mass production of the control system of the same type it is expedient to use universal micro-controller and the control program for it will be designed and adjusted.

The state cluster policy in Russia is being developed on the basis of European experience. Unfortunately, it does not take into account Russian history of shaping space economic (industrial) structure and all the details of pursuing cluster policy abroad. In fact Russia uses only tools of continental policy (with an active role of state) conducting organizational, methodological, finance support of cluster initiatives. The article analyzes the experience of the current cluster policy in Russia, shows problems of industrial clusters' development connected with product manufacturing of certain components. The authors identify the priority lines in cluster policy in the Russian Federation and propose recommendations aimed at raising its efficiency.

Recently it has become a trend to set up academic and education clusters in different industries of economy and education. Education cluster priorities are the quality of education, its continuity, succession, accessibility, competitiveness. The article researches the necessity to project innovation infrastructure covering education institutions, private and state-owned enterprises. The authors provide examples and show prospects of setting-up an education cluster in the oil and gas industry. Integration, combination and coordination of efforts of separate education structure, enterprises, research institutes in education and industrial cluster could help society reach stable, sustainable development.

The article describes specific features of aerospace company 'Boeing' functioning from the point of view of its contribution to the development of the war- industrial complex and armed forces of the USA. The author pays attention to the current and perspective technologies, achievements in the field of research and development and to challenges which the company faces while implementing its projects. In spite of optimistic statements made by high-rank spokesmen of US administration and defence officials the situation in the war-industrial complex can be characterized by negative trends, which could be proved by finance indicators of the company work.

Cultural exchange, which means comprehensive work aimed at mutual understanding between different cultures can contribute greatly to establishment of lasting and continuous cooperation based on strengthening trust but not only on commercial benefits at the expense of cultural content. The article provides proposals targeting at intensification of cultural exchange between the Republic of Korea and Central-Asian countries from the point of view of restricting factors and steps meant to overcome them. Among factors which bar intensification of cultural exchange the authors mention historic and cultural as well as geopolitical aspects. It is pointed out that the major part of planned events envisaged joint participation of Central-Asian countries but not bilateral events of the Republic of Korea with separate countries of the region.

The article considers the modern state of the British multinational corporations’ activities as part of external economic affairs of the country. British MNCs, enlisted in the ranking of world’s largest corporations, are on the spotlight. The author highlights the economic condition of particular companies, their business dimension and geographical structure of activities. As a conclusion, there is a comprehensive SWOT-analysis of selected largest MNCs. The special attention is also drawn to the impact of Brexit referendum on economic state of national companies and their status in the system of the international economic relations.

The article discloses new possibilities to settle problems with debts of individuals in Russia as a result of adopting the long-expected law about individuals' bankruptcy. The authors describe in detail the requirements which must be met to consider cases of individuals' bankruptcy (not individual entrepreneurs) in arbitration courts and explain basic stages of the procedure of individuals' bankruptcy, as well as restrictions for an individual in case bankruptcy is admitted. Special attention is paid to challenges that will face individuals-debtors and their creditors after adoption of the new mechanism of settling problems with debts. On the basis of the conducted research the authors put forward the proposals aimed at increasing the efficiency of the new mechanism of settling problems with individuals' debts.

The article defines the notion of the right to freedom and personal inviolability of man, gives the brief idea and general origin of international and legal standards in the field of its guarantees. By analyzing international normative acts the author classifies the mentioned-above standards, discloses general characteristics of certain international-legal standards with due regard to international court practice. It was shown that the development and observance of unique standards guaranteeing the said right on the international level must ensure its observance on the in-country level, shape common approaches in court practice, fix international responsibility of states.

The article discusses the place of S.N. Bulgakov in global economic history as a thinker, who indicated the way of conciliation of socialism and liberalism through philosophic comprehension of economic process. The authors show how Bulgakov came to the conclusion that philosophy of economy is not just a sector of philosophy but a new version of the integrated philosophic system with its own ontology, epistemology, anthropology and cosmology. Thinkers of different periods managed to find their 'doors' through which they got inside the endless and mysterious world of being. Economy was a 'door' for Bulgakov. Findings of the research allow us to look at today's problems from a different point of view.

The article shows the key types of state structure in countries of the Ancient world and Medieval Europe, describes their advantages and disadvantages and investigates the round of different forms of state power. Frequent state transformations could lead to wars, long political and economic crises. The author studied their causes and methods of providing stability of the state structure. Special attention was paid to principles of state administration by Machiavelli, many of them are still acute today. Findings of the research allow us to assess the concept of state administration by Machiavelli objectively and provide an opportunity to use it in today's practice.

The article using examples of grain-flour products shows how foodstuffs can get poisonous or toxic matters. The author provides max acceptable values of these matters given in Sanitation Standards and technical regulations of the Customs Union for safety of foodstuffs. It is shown that in conditions of current traditional agriculture there is always a risk of exceeding the max acceptable level of such matters as heavy metals, mycotoxins, nitrates, pesticides, radionucleids or other harmful admixture. At present our country has created all preconditions to use world experience for production of ecologically clean (organic) foodstuffs which will be in demand with our trade. The issue of high quality of food is also demonstrated from the point of view of ordinary consumers who think about the quality of food being purchased.