7th International Summer School Doing Business in Russia Started at GSEM

17:55, July 22, 2020

This year, the school is taking place online for the first time

The International Summer School «Doing Business in Russia: Global Drivers and Local Context» for students of master programs started this Tuesday, July 21. It's the seventh time Graduate School of Economics and Management of Ural Federal University holds this school at the initiative of the Master's program «International Management». The meeting opened with a welcome address by the Director of GSEM Dmitry Tolmachev and the Head of the Master's program «International Management» and the Head of the Summer School program Lyudmila Ruzhanskaya. The listeners were also greeted by the German Consul General in Yekaterinburg, Mr. Matthias Kruse. Later the participants joined the first lecture and got acquainted with their teams with whom they will work side by side and develop business projects. This year the projects are delivered by Ural Music Night.

For the very first time, the Summer School is being held online, which has become a real challenge for the management team. On the other hand, it has created additional opportunities. The geography of participation has expanded and made it possible to gather a unique international team of speakers and tutors. This year the program is focused on the global changes brought by digitalization, the pandemic and the economic crisis which have altered the business environment, consumer habits and business models.

34 participants from 10 countries have united under the slogan «Doing Business in Russia». Participants from Guinea, Ecuador, China, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Suriname, Kazakhstan and the Republic of Ghana will attend lectures and develop projects together with students from Russia.

20 speakers from various countries including Russia, Germany, Czech Republic and France will share their knowledge and insights with students. There is also a team of 5 tutors who will be helping students with their business projects.

Senior Banker of the EBRD and the Head of the Representative Office in Yekaterinburg, Tatyana Embulaeva, Professor of New Economic School in Moscow Natalya Volchkova and Associate Professor of USUE Konstantin Yurchenko will give a speech about the problems and prospects of the world and Russian economies. Yuri Gushchin, the Director of the Department of Informatization and Communications of the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region, will provide the prospects for the development of the region in terms of the global drivers of the world economy.

The main part of the program is focused on the issues of changing the strategies and business models of various companies. These companies will be represented by partner universities (SKODA AUTO University and Montpellier Business School) and partner companies: Sberbank, Orgmaster, Sheremetyevo Airport, Decathlon. Elena Chernyshkova, the Director of the Center for Research of Philanthropy and Social Business Programs of GSEM UrFU, is also going to give a speech on how social support programs for businesses have changed. It is already the second year that the School emphasizes the development of creative industries in the Ural region. The program includes cases of  Universiade - 2023 and Ural Music Night festival. This topic will also be presented by the invited speaker, musician and producer Thomas Woschitz who is a musician and producer will also deliberate on this topic.

The school will run until July 30. Participants will have a chance to learn about new opportunities for doing business in Russia and worldwide, take part in the development of their own project in a multinational team and acquire skills to be able to make rapid and creative decisions.