The study focuses on the current state of the region’s economy, determining the role of its innovative potential in ensuring a high level of sustainability and competitiveness. The article provides a systematic analysis of the main factors shaping the innovation potential of the Kaluga region, justifies limiting trends, including: uncertainty in the economic situation, investment risks, a high percentage of commercial credit and a lack of own financial resources. This paper evaluates the system-forming sectors and industries, the level of investment activity and substantiates their impact on increasing the innovation potential of the Kaluga region. The study reveals the mechanism of providing resources for innovation activities based on the program-targeted approach of the implemented state programs “Innovative development and modernization of the economy”, “Development of entrepreneurship and innovation in the Kaluga region”, contributing to the output, increasing attractiveness for investors, allowing to ensure high values of socio-economic development in the ranking among the regions of the Russian Federation. Based on the component approach, a rating assessment was carried out that characterizes the effectiveness of the implementation of the innovative potential of the Kaluga region. The rating is based on a system of indicators of socio-economic conditions of innovation activity, scientific and technical potential, the level of innovation and export activity, the quality of regional innovation policy.

The article deals with the problem of structural transformation of the economy of the Kemerovo region – Kuzbass in the context of adaptation of this coal mining area to new conditions. The export-oriented coal industry as the core of the Kuzbass economy has recently become a challenge to sustainable development region. The reason is, first of all, the change in the priorities of state energy policies in many countries of the world: now the goals of decarbonization and statements about the rejection of fossil fuels for environmental reasons are paradoxically combined with the need for states to solve the tasks of ensuring their own energy security against the background of the deglobalization of the world economy. All this creates uncertainty about the future of coal and forces Kuzbass to look for new ways of development. But over the past twenty years, attempts to reduce dependence on the coal industry have not bring the desired result. The reason, according to the authors of the article, is, among other things, the region’s lack of a clear structural policy. To date, a whole range of challenges and threats has formed around and within Russia, which radically change the principles of development of Kuzbass in terms of openness to external markets for raw materials, capital, equipment and innovations, prospects for cooperation and creation of value chains, thereby creating prerequisites for destabilizing the economic systems of the Kemerovo region. The authors of the article consider three scenarios for the development of coal mining in Kuzbass and, in order to solve the above problems, they propose to focus on the use of two basic tools for the structural transformation of its economy: restructuring of coal industry and diversification with the predominant development of new economy sectors.

Among the new projects of the Program for the Development of the Coal Industry of the Russian Federation until 2035, the possibility of developing the Arctic coal deposits is being considered. The article considers both positive (increase in NSR cargo turnover, employment in the territory, development of the Arctic infrastructure) and negative effects (environmental burden, non-transparency of tax revenues of projects not in the territory of implementation, rotational management, state subsidies, etc.), which generate new projects.

Prospects for the supply of new coal projects are analyzed in the context of the decarbonization economy. Arctic projects involve the supply of coking coal and anthracites for export, which leads to increased competition in the Asian markets among Russian coal suppliers from Yakutia, Tyva, and Kuzbass. Due to the geographical remoteness of traditional coal mining centers from export ports and due to the limited capacity of the railway, in the future, competition between individual regions of the Russian Federation for access to logistics infrastructure and subsidies for transportation becomes acute. In this situation, Arctic coal projects are in a comparatively better position.

An increase in the production of high-quality coking coals and anthracites is planned to be achieved in the underdeveloped northern regions, which will require the use of new innovative technological solutions not only in the production, but also in the transportation of coal, as well as the involvement of a large number of workers and specialists.

The article presents the results of a study to identify mechanisms to reduce the impact of asymmetric information on the Russian banking services market. It is shown that the asymmetry of information tends to increase due to the increasing digitalization of the banking sector of the economy market. Such a trend reduces confidential communication between participants in a lending transaction, entails greater risk and variability.

One of the mechanisms to overcome the information asymmetry, which is manifested in the unfavorable selection of borrowers (individuals or legal entities) in the banking services market of the Russian Federation, is monetary regulation by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. The refinancing rate is a powerful mechanism for eliminating the effect of “unfavorable incentive motivation”.

The levels of monopolization and competition are determined through the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI), which fixes the competitiveness of banks and their concentration ratio (CR). To understand the contribution of economic information to identifying the mechanism for reducing the impact of its asymmetry, thirty leading banks of the Russian Federation were analyzed in the context of changes in the level of their overdue debt (AR), which can be one of the indicators of information about the borrower. The results of the study can be used to minimize the effect of information asymmetry in the Russian banking market.

After the events that occured in February 2022, due to the imposition of sanctions, Russian education was on the verge of changes. An essential part of the international educational process and an increase of competitiveness of universities is the system of ranking educational institutions. The object of the study is the level of development of Russian universities, the subject of the study is the economic and organizational aspects of the implementation of a set of measures aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Russian universities. The purpose of the article is t analyze the level of development of universities, quotes in rankings and provide an approach to improving competitiveness.

In this article, special and general scientific methods are used, which include: methods of matching and comparison, systematization and generalization, as well as various types of analysis: statistical, factorial, structural-functional, historiographic and others. The methodological framework used in the research is based on quotations in university rankings.

Universities compete with each other in the market of educational services, which makes it necessary to intensify efforts to find new approaches to creating a strategy to increase competitiveness. Each university, increasing its competitiveness, contributes not only to its own development, but also to the development of the country. By improving the rankings in the domestic and international market of educational services, universities ensure an inflow of new investments, increase their competitiveness, and achieve strategically important goals in the field of higher education. Universities can implement this approach through the introduction of development programs and projects. A model and a method are proposed, that allow to achieve the set goals.

Universities are included in the system of higher education, which is the basis for the socio-economic and scientific and technological development of the state. One of the key factors of the knowledge economy is human capital, which is formed by the higher education. In order to achieve the goals in the field of higher education and increase competitiveness, universities need to create their own programs and development projects based on project management methods.

One of the main tasks facing domestic universities is to train graduates who are able to work professionally in a transforming economy. The solution of this problem is impossible without fundamental changes in management practices both in relation to universities (implemented in the state educational policy) and within them. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account not only the tasks caused by the changing situation in the country and abroad, but also the negative trends in the development of the domestic education sector, characteristic of the last three decades.

The required changes can actually be implemented if management efforts are combined by both the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and university management. The most important task of university management is to overcome such negative consequences as the transformation of the motives and values of key subjects of the educational process (primarily teachers and students), the problem of alienation affecting these social communities, changing the nature and forms of communication between them, etc.

The article substantiates the relevance of such changes, provides the main ways to overcome the problem of alienation, based on the use of management concepts adequate to the current situation (concepts of value-oriented management of the university and productive management of its strategic assets).

The role of the client in ensuring the competitiveness of companies is increasing. This becomes the reason for the increase of innovative activity of companies. The ability to create technology products with maximum customer value become key factor of competitiveness.

The aim of the study is to develop a methodical approach to the management of client experience in innovative companies. The methodical approach should solve the problem of loss of potential clients and retention of existing clients. Scientific novelty of research consists in formation of methodical approach, which is based on complex perception of client experience. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using its results to analyze the state of management of client experience in a small company.

The article uses such research methods as data collection, information processing and analysis, method of generalization and classification and the method of definition of concepts. The key result of the study is a comprehensive methodical approach to the management of client experience. The developed approach takes into account the specifics of IT companies and the market of IT services and compensates for the shortcomings of traditional methods of management of client experience. The prospect of using customer experience management in the B2B segment is justified by the increase in the conversion rate for the analyzed period and the increase in the number of repeated sales in the object of the study (Azoft).

There are presents the results of a study of promising areas of diversification of the activities of wholesale and retail trade enterprises in the conditions of economic transformation. The purpose of this study is to identify and substantiate the possibilities of diversifying the activities of wholesale and retail companies in conditions of limited economic growth. The relevance of the research on the chosen problem is due to the need to find solutions to the problems of import substitution of enterprises that are interested in expanding their activities, including on the basis of diversification of activities. The methodology of the research is based on the analysis of modern theoretical provisions on the diversification of the activities of leading Russian scientists and economists. The main research methods used in the preparation of the materials of the article: system analysis, methods of expert evaluation, comparison, analogy, analysis of absolute and relative indicators, and others. Additional research methods include: traditional literature analysis, document analysis, design, synthesis, analysis of the data obtained. Within the framework of the article, the directions of diversification of the activities of wholesale and retail trade organizations are considered, as well as a multifactorial model is proposed that allows assessing the potential for increasing sales volumes based on diversification. The value of the conducted research lies in the consideration and detailed analysis of the state of the trade industry of the Russian Federation in the conditions of sanctions and restrictions. Also, this study shows development options in the field of diversification for wholesale and retail trade enterprises that depend directly on foreign supplies. The practical significance of this article is that the results of the study can be used by domestic enterprises specializing in the implementation of both wholesale and retail sales in the Russian market.