Sheila M. Puffer

Despite increasing attention towards Russias economy and capital market, corporate governance norms of Russian public firms are rarely analyzed. This project presents and interprets evidence regarding various governance practices followed by Russian firms covering almost the entire period of the existence of the Russian stock market. Its findings run counter to some widely held beliefs according to which Russia is a country with high resistance to corporate innovations due to socialist imprints. Part one of this two-volume study focuses on the role that boards of directors play in reducing intra-corporate agency conflicts. Russian companies have adopted progressive governance mechanisms including director independence, nationality and gender diversity on the board, dismissal of poorly performing CEOs, and cross-listing of companies on foreign markets with stringent reporting obligations. Some of these innovations have had notably positive impact on firms performances and market valuation. Others, such as nationality diversity on boards of directors, enhanced the image of Russian companies but made little contribution towards improving internal governance. Unresolved issues impeding further progress include limited liability of directors towards shareholders due to imperfections of the Russian legal system, a taboo on disclosures of executives compensations, and generally high risks of conducting business in Russia. Despite impressive improvements in internal practices, Russian firms still have a long way to go to achieve the governance levels of their peers in developed countries.

This deeply personal book tells the untold story of the significant contributions of technical professionals from the former Soviet Union to the US innovation economy, particularly in the sectors of software, social media, biotechnology, and medicine. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, it channels the voices and stories of more than 150 professionals who emigrated from 11 of the 15 former Soviet republics between the 1970s and 2015, and who currently work in the innovation hubs of Silicon Valley and Boston/Cambridge. Using the social science theories of institutions, imprinting, and identity, the authors analyze the political, social, economic, and educational forces that have characterized Soviet immigration over the past 40 years, showing how the particularities of the Soviet context may have benefited or challenged interviewees' work and social lives. The resulting mosaic of perspectives provides valuable insight into the impact of immigration on US economic development, specifically in high technology and innovation.

This deeply personal book tells the untold story of the significant contributions of technical professionals from the former Soviet Union to the US innovation economy, particularly in the sectors of software, social media, biotechnology, and medicine. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, it channels the voices and stories of more than 150 professionals who emigrated from 11 of the 15 former Soviet republics between the 1970s and 2015, and who currently work in the innovation hubs of Silicon Valley and Boston/Cambridge. Using the social science theories of institutions, imprinting, and identity, the authors analyze the political, social, economic, and educational forces that have characterized Soviet immigration over the past 40 years, showing how the particularities of the Soviet context may have benefited or challenged interviewees' work and social lives. The resulting mosaic of perspectives provides valuable insight into the impact of immigration on US economic development, specifically in high technology and innovation.

Exploring topics covered in international management courses, this book pairs business articles and fictional short stories to provide practical guidelines and concrete examples and convey cultural subtleties and shades of meaning.

Exploring topics covered in international management courses, this book pairs business articles and fictional short stories to provide practical guidelines and concrete examples and convey cultural subtleties and shades of meaning.

The momentous changes in Russia over the past five years have been a rich source for the study and practice of management. Based on interviews and empirical data collected directly from Russian managers, Business and Management in Russia has been written to provide an understanding of Russian management and business as the country takes the first steps towards a market economy.Drawing on five years' collaborative research between Russian and Western management scholars, this major book presents an extensive set of authoritative papers and illustrated case studies. After examining the traditional mindset of the Russian manager, placing managerial traits in historical context and discussing both the position of women managers and the role of management education, the authors focus on the transition period itself, the evolving conditions facing state-owned and private enterprises and the responses of managers. Adopting a Western perspective, the volume concludes with a survey of manufacturing joint ventures, discussion of human resource issues and a comparative analysis of business ethics.Intended for students, scholars and managers, Business and Management in Russia provides in-depth analyses of Russian culture and history, as they affect managers, and survey results on current managerial attitudes and practice. While focusing on managers and enterprises, the volume also addresses macroeconomic, political, legal and social issues as a context for understanding managerial behaviour.

Soviet managerial culture, however resistant to change, is in fact changing (just as Western managers have begun to grasp some of its written rules). This volume attempts to reveal the direction of those changes. It spotlights the problems that are preparing students, career managers, and the employees of Western ventures for work in a very different environment. The issues (and the pitfalls) are brought to life in reports from the field by some of the Soviet and Western consultants, executives, instructors and students who are pioneers in the conscious creation of a new managerial culture.

Soviet managerial culture, however resistant to change, is in fact changing (just as Western managers have begun to grasp some of its written rules). This volume attempts to reveal the direction of those changes. It spotlights the problems that are preparing students, career managers, and the employees of Western ventures for work in a very different environment. The issues (and the pitfalls) are brought to life in reports from the field by some of the Soviet and Western consultants, executives, instructors and students who are pioneers in the conscious creation of a new managerial culture.