Vol 9, No 3 (2022)

The article provides the assessment of the sustainability of an industrial enterprise based on the concept of the global economic trend of ESG development. The authors propose classification of subspecies of enterprise sustainability and evaluate the indicator of the level of interaction with the institutions of state power. The article considers the influence of GR activity on the sustainable development of an industrial enterprise in contemporary reality. The authors conclude about the main characteristics of the activity of the GR structure in the management of an industrial enterprise and the place of GR management in the system of organizational and managerial activity of the enterprise.

The problems of obtaining socially significant services for all groups of the population never lose their relevance. Recently, problems associated with obtaining highly effective and affordable medical care have become especially important. First of all, we are talking about health care services financed from the budget and compulsory medical insurance funds. However, paid medical services are no less important in ensuring a high quality of life for people. In order to ensure the availability of paid medicine for all groups of the population, regardless of income level, the state is implementing a number of measures to support medical organizations, including in the field of taxation. However, the existing measures are clearly not enough, it is necessary to develop and apply additional tools to improve the quality and accessibility of medical care. The authors consider the possibility of applying a number of these measures.

The article focuses on the phenomenon of fake news in contemporary communication processes. The article analyzes the characteristic features of fake news in terms of disinformation, interference by foreign actors, manipulation, media messages aimed at increasing demand. Fake news is considered from the standpoint of mediating society and the emergence of the concept of “media democracy”. The author concludes that the phenomenon of “fake news” becomes a structural concept in modern media, which is associated with the peculiarities of media and social psychology. This phenomenon fits into the peculiarity of modern society, which the French philosopher J. Baudrillard designated as a simulacrum.

The article is devoted to the study of the role of the Olympic Games in the structure of the “soft power” of the state, as well as the transformation of the “soft power” tools associated with the Olympic movement in recent years. The article focuses on the political role of the initiatives to boycott the Olympic Games in Russia on the eve of the XXII Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi and the XXIV Winter Olympic Games 2022 in Beijing, as well as the role of the Olympic agenda in international political discourse in the context of sanctions related to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.

The paper is dedicated to the issues of transnationalism and development of nationalism in Basque self-government. In 2021, the Basque Country resumed the debate on updating the Statute of Guernica (the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country, 1979). These debates are backed by the Parliament of the Basque Country. Some key points of this discussion and current Basque regional initiatives in the European Union attract attention and may indicate the development of nationalism in the context of transnational trends and the forming of new regional identity. Methodology of the article is based on the transnationalism theory and the concept of coexistence of postnational and national as simultaneous or competing forms. Transnationalism is not a brand-new idea to Basques: some traces of transnational identity may be found in previous history. In most cases one talks about Basque nationalism (not transnationalism) referring to the period of ETA terrorist group activity which lasted till the beginning of 2010th. Since the end of the terrorist era the need for new terms and definitions for Basques nationalist movement is recognized. Despite the current high level of opponents of independence, the society is still not satisfied with the level of self-government. As a result, the problem of nationalism is greatly modified in Basque society: this is no longer a demand for the creation of an independent state, but a request for a new level of relations between the Basque Country and Spain, the Basque Country and European Union, the Basque Country and other regions; this is the demand for forming and recognition of new European regional identity. The study provides the evidence for defining this new stage in Basque self-determination movement as a nationalist and transnationalist one at the same time. In terms of this definition the concept of “Europe of the regions” is becoming relevant again and the whole situation may provide the basis for nationalist development in other European regions with similar issues.

Understanding the individual and organizational consequences of breach of psychological contract justifies continuing research into the phenomenon. The global competition which has altered business environment has engineered the need for organizations to devise new ways to survive, enhance performance, retaining skilled employees and ensure healthy and progressive relationship between employers and their employees. Today, the biggest challenge that organizations are facing is not only managing its human resource but also retaining them. Securing and retaining skilled employees play an important role for any organization, because the knowledge and skills of employees have become highly important in gaining competitive advantage. It is against this backdrop that this paper explored the concepts of psychological contract and employee retention, the of impact psychological contract on employee retention and HR practices that influences the state or nature of the psychological contract and employee retention. The paper also peeps into the effect of covid-19 on psychological contract and employee retention. The paper adopted qualitative research design as it relies on secondary data collected from documentations through books, internet sources and journal articles and were content analyzed in relation to the scope of the study. The paper concludes that a significant important should be accorded to the informal contract of employment to ensure fulfillment of obligations and expectations to retain competent and skilled workforce. Thus, the paper recommends among others that Organizations should encourage flexible working arrangements such as telecommuting and prevent discrimination and exclusion relating to Covid-19 pandemic.