Maxim Polyakov

In recent years, all economically developed countries of the world experience formation of knowledge economy as the highest stage of postindustrial economy development. International companies, basing their activity on accumulation of human capital according to the principles of innovativeness, scientific nature, continuity and progressiveness, play an important role in activation of this process. Owing to global nature of their activity it influences all spheres of human life in the world, improving it, as well as having an adverse impact (enhancement of poverty in some regions of the word, environment pollution, etc.). Achievement of these conditions of sustainable economic growth is possible just by the way of prevention of the adverse impact, which, among other things, depends on the active social position of the management of international companies. Therefore this paper is aimed at identification of priority focuses of socially responsible activity of international companies. This goal was achieved through generalization of basic program initiatives of the activity of three companies, leading in innovations (Apple, Samsung and IBM). Adoption of the above-mentioned initiatives by other companies of the world as guides while developing their own development strategy has to facilitate the growth of positive effects from enhancement of knowledge economy in the world.

Modern economy is characterized by rapid qualitative and quantitative changes that significantly affect the nature of economic, socio-economic and social relations. Innovative processes and trends are very specific manifestations, which are reflected in the economic and marketing theory. A greater place in science and practice is occupied by the concepts of new economy, knowledge economy, knowledge society. Therefore, the study of knowledge economy marketing becomes more and more relevant.
The paper is aimed to develop a technique for selection of the key parameters for building the model of national knowledge economy marketing.
For this purpose, it is proposed to conduct a cluster analysis based on aggregated data. Classification of differences between clusters is given. As a result of classification, the authors have identified a group of indicators, which make all clusters distinctive and, first and foremost, determine positions of countries in the global landscape. These indicators are interpreted as key factors of the knowledge economy.
Based on the suggested mathematical functions, the authors assessed the value of every key factor within the selected group. It became the second step in selecting the parameters to build a multifactor model of knowledge economy marketing at the national level. The paper also justifies that it is reasonable to use cognitive approach to address challenges in the sphere under consideration. This approach is able to become a sound basis for building the model of national knowledge economy marketing in the form of cognitive map.

Due to the large volumes of empirical digitized data, a critical challenge is to identify their hidden and unobvious patterns, enabling to gain new knowledge. To make efficient use of data mining (DM) methods, it is required to know its capabilities and limits of application as a cognitive tool. The paper aims to specify the capabilities and limits of DM methods within the methodology of scientific cognition. This will enhance the efficiency of these DM methods for experts in this field as well as for professionals in other fields who analyze empirical data. It was proposed to supplement the existing classification of cognitive levels by the level of empirical regularity (ER) or provisional hypothesis. If ER is generated using DM software algorithm, it can be called the man-machine hypothesis. Thereby, the place of DM in the classification of the levels of empirical cognition was determined. The paper drawn up the scheme illustrating the relationship between the cognitive levels, which supplements the well-known schemes of their classification, demonstrates maximum capabilities of DM methods, and also shows the possibility of a transition from practice to the scientific method through the generation of ER, and further from ER to hypotheses, and from hypotheses to the scientific method. In terms of the methodology of scientific cognition, the most critical fact was established – the limitation of any DM methods is the level of ER. As a result of applying any software developed based on DM methods, the level of cognition achieved represents the ER level.

The increased final consumption exacerbates the problem of the scarcity of natural resources and leads to environmental pollution. The concept of circular economy, which implies the formation of closed-loop chains of production and consumption with maximum regeneration and recycling of materials, is considered as an alternative to the firmly established “linear economy” (take-make-dispose). As a part of sustainable development strategy, the European Union adopted a general policy on the transition to a circular economy. However, for objective reasons, such transition is quite uneven at the level of member countries, which adversely affects the total progress. Therefore, the need arises to assess the positions of individual countries and identify major reasons for the uneven transition to support the countries that are lagging.
The goal of the study is to identify the factors of uneven progress of the EU countries towards a circular economy. For that reason, a set of empirical data (20 indicators) has been compiled; cluster, classification, and parametric analyses have been conducted. As a result, three clusters of the EU countries have been obtained and six indicators, included into combinations that make all clusters different, have been identified. These indicators can be interpreted as the key factors contributing to the uneven progress of the EU countries towards a circular economy. The difference in harmonic means by clusters allowed quantitatively estimating a “circular gap”. It is of practical value for the EU policy aimed at bridging the gaps between member countries during the transition to a circular economy.

Innovation plays a crucial role in ensuring economic growth and competitiveness of national economies, creating conditions for their sustainable development. By focusing on supporting innovation, the EU is particularly helping to accelerate the development of those member states that lag far behind the EU average. This requires the selection of the indicators reflecting the development of innovation that determine the differences between member countries to the greatest extent. Therefore, the aim of the study is to identify the key factors of the innovation gap (FIG) between EU countries based on a comparison of indicators characterizing the national innovation systems (NIS).
For this purpose, 22 relative indicators were selected from the indicators included in the Global Innovation Index to form an array of empirical data. At the first stage, the EU countries were divided into four clusters using the k-means method. At the second stage, using the decision tree method, a group of indicators was identified that together distinguish the obtained clusters to the greatest extent and, accordingly, determine the differences between EU countries and can be considered as FIG, namely: “Researchers”, “GERD financed by business”, “Joint venture/strategic alliance deals”, “Software spending”, and “High-tech manufacturing”. This allows individual member states to prioritize the development of those indicators (i.e. FIG) that most determine their position in the EU and therefore improve their NIS. At the EU level, this will contribute to the complementarity of the NIS, overcome differences between member states and increase the overall level of convergence in innovation.

The effects of the economic recession and the COVID-19 crisis call for more active support for the tourism industry. To pursue a supranational tourism policy and create a favorable marketing environment at the national level, it is necessary to consider the objective differences between member states and their characteristics in the field of tourism. This study aims to highlight the main factors that characterize the asymmetry of the tourism industry in the EU countries, which allows ensuring the competitiveness of national tourism companies through the formation of an appropriate marketing strategy. The research methodology includes calculation of the asymmetry coefficient and cluster and classification analysis based on Eurostat data.
At the first stage, 27 indicators were selected that characterize the structural proportions of the tourism industry and the intensity of tourism in the EU countries. Based on the calculation of the asymmetry coefficient, a high level of heterogeneity of the tourism industry parameters in the EU countries for each of the indicators was demonstrated. At the second stage, clustering (algorithm – k-means, metric – Euclidean distance) of the EU countries was carried out according to the selected indicators. As a result, eight clusters were obtained, which showed asymmetry in developing national tourism sectors in the EU. At the third stage, as a result of classification (method – decision trees), seven combinations of indicators were identified, which completely distinguish the resulting clusters of the EU countries. The parameters included in these combinations are, in fact, the main factors of the asymmetry in the development of the EU tourism industry.
Based on the analysis of the asymmetric development of the tourism industry by country, it is possible to determine its growth points and competitiveness drivers in the EU internal market and identify marketing strategies.

Escalating competition, technological changes and the struggle for innovation present companies with a knowledge management (KM) challenge. To implement it at the modern level, it is necessary to develop a knowledge management system (KMS). Significant opportunities for this are created by information technologies (IT), qualitatively changing approaches to knowledge management. Therefore, the study aims to clarify the theoretical foundations of shaping the company’s KMS and conceptualize information tools for its formation. Within the theoretical foundations of KM, its essence (as a systematic management activity and a set of measures to ensure the business processes of obtaining, storing, disseminating and using knowledge in the company), the subject (the aforementioned processes and various types of knowledge), and links with other types of management (innovation, information, personnel management, etc.) are specified. Given the main goals, principles and tasks of KM, its main approaches, key processes and control elements are summarized. The conceptual foundations of KMS development are formulated and its subsystems (methodological, planning, information, and functional subsystems for ensuring business processes for obtaining, distributing and using knowledge) are highlighted. Given the importance of IT, the following concepts have been formulated: a portal for R&D management, innovation management platforms, and a tool for formalizing knowledge and corporate knowledge base. Their purpose, functionality, and the role of ensuring work with knowledge and KM implementation are described. The problem of their implementation, operation and improvement is emphasized. The research results allow creating a new technological basis for the introduction of knowledge management.

In the context of globalization of the educational services market, competition between universities is becoming more intense. This manifests itself, among other things, in the struggle for positions in international university rankings. Given that universities are evaluated according to many criteria in such rankings, it becomes necessary to identify the most significant factors in determining their positions.
This study aims to identify the key factors determining the world’s leading universities’ leadership in international university rankings. The numerical values of the criteria for compiling the QS World University Rankings (QS) and Times Higher Education (THE) rankings were an empirical basis for the study. The analysis covered the Top 50 universities (according to the QS ranking) and was conducted based on reports for 2020 and 2021.
At first, clustering was carried out (method – k-means); the data set was the combination of numerical values of QS and THE criteria (six and five criteria, respectively). The universities were divided into three clusters in 2020 (23, 19, 8 universities) and 2021 (23, 17, 10 universities). This showed the universities’ leadership relative to each other for each year.
At the second stage, classification processing was performed (method – decision trees). As a result, criteria combinations that give an absolute separation of all clusters (2020 – five combinations; 2021 – eight combinations) were identified. The obtained combinations largely determine universities’ affiliation to clusters; their criteria are recognized as key factors of their leadership in the rankings. This study’s results can serve as guidelines for improving universities’ positions in the rankings.

Innovations have become pivotal for the growth and competitiveness of national economies. Generating innovations necessitates a comprehensive ecosystem as a set of conducive conditions. With competition intensifying and focusing on innovation, countries increasingly prioritize the enhancement of their innovation ecosystems. The foundation for this lies in international comparisons, particularly among countries that are global leaders, as it aids in identifying their specific characteristics and advantages. The aim of the study is to differentiate the innovation ecosystems of world-leading countries by highlighting the indicators in which they differ the most.
The paper covered the top 15 countries according to the Global Innovation Index, each characterized by 23 indicators in their innovation ecosystems. In the first stage, using mathematical processing (the k-means method), the countries were divided into six clusters. Then, to find the parameters that differentiate the obtained clusters, a classification analysis was conducted (the “decision tree” method), resulting in 11 indicators that, in various pairwise combinations, most differentiate the analyzed countries. These indicators reflect the features and most important advantages (or weaknesses) of each innovation ecosystem and are also priorities for increasing the parameters of these ecosystems to improve the position of countries. It is advisable to use these indicators to form state innovation policy.