ipm business school prme report 2020
TRANSCRIPT
IPM BUSINESS SCHOOL
PRME REPORT 2020
Table of Contents
Letter of Renewed Commitment of the Principles for
Responsible Management Education
Communication of Progress on Principles for
Responsible Management Education (PRME) at
IPM Business School
Reporting for Principle 1 | Purpose
Reporting for Principle 2 | Values
Reporting for Principle 3 | Method
Reporting for Principle 4 | Research
Reporting for Principle 5 | Partnership
Reporting for Principle 6 | Dialogue
Key Objectives for the next 24 months
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Letter of Renewed Commitment of the Principles
for Responsible Management Education
Being a member of PRME, IPM Business School accepted
the Principles for Responsible Management Education
(PRME) in order to improve the educational system for
managers and to spread corporate social responsibility
around the territory of Belarus.
This is our fifth PRME Report 2020 and we are ready to state
once again that we fully subscribe to the six Principles of
Responsible Management Education. PRME truly align with
our mission and play a key role in our assuring that we offer
our students a business education that has a beneficial
impact on the world.
As an institution of higher education involved in the
development of current and future managers, we declare our
willingness to progress in the implementation of the six
principles of responsible management education.
We understand that our own organizational practices should
serve as an example of the values and attitudes we convey
to our students.
Sincerely,
Pavel Daneyko
General Director
IPM Group of Companies
Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) on Principles for Responsible Management
Education (PRME) at IPM Business School
As a Business School involved in the development of current and future managers, IPM
Business School declares its willingness to progress in the implementation of the following six
principles of responsible management education.
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Reporting for Principle 1 | Purpose
“We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value
for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global
economy.”
IPM Research Center and BEROC Educational Activities
Traditional Student School in Economics has become a valuable source of new and
modern knowledge for young generation of Belarusians. It’s a well-recognized event and
a unique opportunity for students to master skills and absorb knowledge and experience
from local and foreign scholars. In addition KEF Regional School in Economics adds
significant value to BEROC’s educational activities and available for all students in the
regional cities thanks to collaboration with the IPM Business School. Seminars for policy
makers have also become a valuable channel for knowledge sharing and networking with
the government.
In 2018–2020 three editions of Student Regional Economic School were conducted, and
the series of lectures were prepared by the experts of the Action and BEROC. As a result,
68 students from five regions and more than ten universities went through the schooling
process. 52 of them (16 in 2018, 20 in 2019, 16 in 2020) presented projects and received
certificates of graduation.
KEF Student School (held in 2018, 2019, 2020) was a two-week evening school for
students of the Belarusian regional universities in econometrics, macro and
microeconomics as well as economy of Belarus. At the end of the course, students were
presenting projects aimed at supporting sustainable regional development. Hence, the
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school served also as a platform for informing youth in the regions about current
challenges faced by the economy, as well as receiving feedback from them on the barriers
hampering regional development.
In the Y2019 the 9th Student School in Economics (17 participants) and KEF Regional
School in Economics (21 participants) were held, as well as the series of Thematic
working meetings in regional centres, including:
Seminar “(Re)Assessment of the role of state-owned enterprises in Central,
Eastern and South Eastern Europe” at IBB center with 150 participants on June 20,
2019
The seminar laid the foundations of the discussion on one of the major topics of the future
KEF-2019 conference with presentations of the Report “(Re)Assessment of the role of
state-owned enterprises in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe” prepared by the
IMF European Department in cooperation with the EBRD.
The event attracted 150 participants representing all stakeholder groups of the Action:
government, CSOs, academic and business community, IFIs, including representatives
of the leading think tanks and specialists from the state economic agencies (National
Bank, Ministry of Economy).
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Thematic working meetings titled “Opportunities for regional development in a
changing economic environment: how should a regional policy change?” in each
regional centre, June 19-27, 2019
The idea of Regional discussions "Opportunities and prospects of regional development
in changing economic conditions" was supported by the Ministry of Economy. The
meetings were organized in each regional center by the IPM Research Center, together
with the regional partners of KEF, with the support of the regional offices of the IPM
Business School and the regional centers of the Research Economic Institute of the
Ministry of Economics.
During the discussions, the participants of the events (representatives of local authorities,
business community and advocacy groups) discussed the directions of regional changes
and the role of country and local authorities, business and civil society in the process, as
well as social and economic policy measures that could help to confront existing problems
and challenges, including regional level.
The discussion about how to change regional politics were based on speeches by
Alexander Chubrik, the director of the IPM Research Center (presentation “What is
happening with the Belarusian economy”) and representatives of regional research
centers of the Ministry of Economy who spoke in more detail about the situation in the
economy of each region more precisely. These events were designed in order to deliver
policy research and recommendations to local authorities and to collect a feedback from
local development actors for further processing into more targeted policy
recommendations for central and local authorities.
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Meetings provided officials with the feedback from business on their current efforts and
new ideas for regional development. Ideas were summarized in the KEF Policy
Discussion Paper “Window of opportunity or last chance? A few ideas on what would help
unleash the potential of the Belarusian regions”, and presented directly to the Ministry of
Economy.
The educational activities of Beroc and IPM Research Centre in 2019 included:
VIII Annual Academic Conference in Economic and Finance (150 participants);
BEROC Postgraduate school (15 participants);
School of young analysts “The League of Analysts” (25 participants);
KEF-2019: The Invisible Hand of Leviathan (1000 participants);
Conference “Green and Resource Efficient Business: Challenges and Practices”,
February 28, 2019 (200 participants);
Conference "State Regulation of the Economy and Improving of Business
Efficiency" (80 participants);
Study course “Econometric tools for business cycle analysis” for the Development
Bank of Belarus;
12 seminars for policy makers (including workshops for the National Bank of
Belarus) (450 participants in total);
2 seminars for the private sector representatives (40 participants in total);
12 open lectures (300 participants in total)/
Thus, events held within this activity had focus on different target groups. Large seminars
were largely targeted at think tanks, mass media and business. Educational events had
focus on academia, specialists from the government, while working meetings in the
regions were designed to bring together local authorities, advocacy groups and business.
KEF Economic School helped to cover youth that was often underrepresented in other
events.
Open Lectures, Workshops and Trainings
The Open Dialogue project
Beroc implements The Open Dialogue project in partnership with Press Club Belarus
with the financial support of the Netherlands Fund for Regional Partnership MATRA and
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SIDA.
The project develops the informed dialogue on the ongoing situation in the economy
between the media, the policy makers and the experts. We chose four topics for the 2019-
2020 project: Demography and Migration, Regional Development, and Support of the
Development of the Private Business and Corporate Management.
The project started in December 2019 with the seminar on Demography and Migration.
Kateryna Bornukova, BEROC Academic Director, and Lev Lvovsky, BEROC Research
Fellow, presented the results of their research to the journalists of the top Belarusian
media.
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The seminar has resulted in the high media coverage (over 50 articles) which helped
jumpstart the society-wide conversation on the demographic problems in the country.
The project continues in 2020 with topics of regional development, SME development
and state sector enterprise restructuring.
On April 16, 2020 we organized an online workshop for journalists within the project Open
Dialogue on Economic Reforms "Measures to Support SMEs in the Pandemic
Circumstances". Twenty-one people took part in the event.
The meeting on the topic "Belarusian Business Before, During and After the Pandemic"
was held on May 6, 2020. The IPM Research Center was the partner of this event. In the
discussion, experts and journalists were talking about the perspectives of the Belarusian
economy and business. The total number of the participants was 38 people, including
media and thinktanks representatives.
The online meeting with experts and journalists on the topic ‘Challenges 2020. Results of
the Business Poll’ was held on October 8, 2020. Radzivon Marozau, BEROC Research
Associate, presented the results of the new wave of national poll of SME.
We arrange events of the Open Dialogue in two formats: seminars for journalists with
presentations by BEROC and other thinktanks experts; and round tables with journalists,
experts, and representatives of the Belarusian government. We hope it will inform the
public debate on these issues and help make policies more responsible and evidence-
based.
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Reporting for Principle 2 | Values
“We will incorporate into our academic activities and curricula the values of global social
responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United Nations Global
Compact.”
IPM Business School joined the 3rd and 4rt PRME Champions Meetings
in Johannesburg, South Africa and Melbourne, Australia
IPM Business School supported the PRME initiative in 2012 and adopted the Principles
for Responsible Educational Management to improve the education system for managers
and spread corporate social responsibility throughout Belarus.
In 2017 IPM Business School became a member of PRME Champions Group and still
remains the only educational institution in the Republic of Belarus with this honorary
status. The PRME Champions are a select group of experienced and engaged PRME
signatories that are committed to working collaboratively to develop and promote
activities and resources that address shared barriers to making responsible management
education a reality. The PRME Champions group is globally and proportionally
representative according to the makeup of the larger PRME community.
During the PRME Champions 2018-2019 cycle, IPM took part in the three face-to-face
gathering of the Champions Group. First one was held in Nantes, France hosted by
Audencia Business School in February, 2018 and was included to the latest SIP 2018
Report.
In the year 2019 the representative of IPM Business School Olga Belskaya took part in
two PRME Champions meetings: in Johannesburg, South Africa and Melbourne,
Australia. Let Olga share her stories and impressions.
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March 2019, Johannesburg, South Africa
The PRME Champions Meeting in South Africa was hosted by the Gordon Institute of
Business Science (GIBS) at the Illovo Campus in Johannesburg.
The topic of the meeting was Business Research in the Complex Context of the SDGs.
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the possibilities and problems of
integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the research practice of
business schools, as well as to share and develop knowledge, best practices and
leadership among Champion schools.
“A real revelation and a paradigm shift from this Champions Meeting was going beyond
the campus and the conference hall. The meeting participants were divided into four
working groups and sent to the fields to conduct research. These were a kind of case
studies with the possibility of further joint academic work. Since the research context was
driven by one of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals, my mini-group
worked on SDG 4: Quality Education. We visited two high schools: Ivory Park Secondary
School, a public school in an underserved community, and Nova Pioneer, a private school
with an innovative teaching model serving a similar community.
During the excursion and conducting research interviews in a public school, I could not
hold back tears: I saw a library without books and a computer class without Wi-Fi - the
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school has no money for that. Classes are overcrowded, children are fighting for chairs -
not everyone has enough. But what can I say - the photos speak for themselves:
The Ivory Park Secondary School. A library without a single book
A Campus of the Ivory Park Secondary School
Next visit to the private school Nova Pioneer after the state one was equal to an
intergalactic flight. It is really hard to imagine that these two schools are in the same
Johannesburg city and serve similar communities.
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The researcher’s mini-group in the Nova Pioneer Private School
On the way back to our Oasis- GIBS campus, we reflected with a colleague on the poit:
is it really true that all men are born equal, since those children from the two schools
already had completely different lives, and even more different future.”- said Olga
Belskaya, IPM Business School Delegate.
October 2019, Melbourne, Australia
The PRME Australia Champions Meeting was hosted by La Trobe Business School and
Deakin University in Melbourne and focused on the Partnership to Implement the SDGs
and Responsible Management Education.
During four tight days PRME Champions shared their experiences, discussed and
contributed to the creation of the SDGs Integration Project in Business Schools (the
Blueprint), which will be the result of the PRME Champions Group's work over the two
intense years.
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PRME Champions Group at Worawa Aboriginal College
The work on the Blueprint began long before the meeting in Melbourne, says Olga
Belskaya. It would be a mistake to believe that being a PRME Champion is all about
participating in Champions meetings and having pleasant "parties" around the world. The
PRME Champion status implies active participation and a plenty and plenty of work in
between meetings. That is why there are 38 participating organizations in the Champions
Group, although there are much more applications for this honorary status. The status of
the Champion must be confirmed by active participation in the work of the group of
Champions, numerous reports / inputs, as well as certain financial resources.
For example, close to the meeting in Melbourne, it was necessary to submit three
extensive reports on the implementation of the SDGs and adherence to the principles of
responsible management education, with real examples, reflection and suggestions, in
three areas: educational process, research and partnership. Since the IPM Group of
Companies includes not only the IPM Business School, but also two research centers -
Beroc and IPM Research Center, we had to work hard on the reports. On the other hand,
personally I was very pleased to learn and subsequently share with the PRME Champions
that, for example, the director of the IPM Research Center, Alexander Chubrik, is a
member and the Economic Coordinator of the Sustainable Development Partnership
Group within the framework of managing the process of achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals in the Republic of Belarus.
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Deakin University. Daily routine of PRME Champions
The meeting in Melbourne was the final meeting of the PRME Champions in the 2018-
2019 cycle. Work on the Blueprint continued until March 2020. The Leadership Group,
coauthors from the PRME Champion Institutions, kept working with the PRME Secretariat
to establish the framework for the project and to manage the project as a whole, using
the experience and contributions of the Champion Institutions.
At the PRME Virtual Global Forum 2020, the “Blueprint for SDG Integration in Curriculum,
Research and Partnerships" was presented. As it was stated on social media pages of
PRME:
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“The “Blueprint for SDG Integration in
Curriculum, Research and Partnerships" was
launched thanks to the incredible work of the
3rd PRME Champions Cycle (2018-2019)”.
The project was published and presented as
a primary PRME resource for business
schools seeking guidance on integrating the
SDGs into curriculum, research, and
partnerships.
IPM Business was also present at the Global PRME Forum, though virtually. “I was so
glad to see the faces of my Champions-fellows – says Olga Belskaya- We have done a
great job and our partnership will continue”.
IPM Business School expresses its gratitude for the excellent organization and conduct
of all PRME Champions meetings and continues cooperation and partnerships, sharing
the PRME Champions mission: to transform management education and develop the
responsible decision-makers of tomorrow to advance sustainable development.
IPM Business School Response to the Global COVID-19 Pandemic
From all other European nations, with the exception of Sweden, the Republic of Belarus
was the only country not introducing strict measures to try to slow the spread of the virus
during its first wave in spring, 2020.
Official guidelines were few, so business and people relied on information from the
Internet and made their decisions to reduce the number of social contacts, the
consumption and got ready for hard times.
Thus, IPM Business School faced a controversial situation:
• The countries of our international partners closed the borders, so our faculty members
from abroad could not come to offline classes;
• Our Executive MBA students couldn’t travel from Minsk to Warsaw for the diploma
defense at Kozminski University;
• There were no official restrictions or lock-down mode for the educational institutions.
Otherwise, people were afraid to come in groups. IPM Business School cannot neglect
the pandemic risks and kept being socially responsible.
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Interactive Technologies Open the Borders. Defending Executive MBA Diplomas
via Video Conferencing: Done.
On March 13, 2020 Minsk IPM office hosted the defense of graduation projects of
students of two Executive MBA groups. Traditionally, the defense takes place in Warsaw
at Kozminski University, which has been temporarily closed since March 11 due to the
pandemic.
An Interractive Defence of Executive MBA Diplomas, Minsk – Warsaw, March, 2020
Good news that IPM Business School was ready for this challenge: an interactive
educational video system has connected international commissions in Warsaw and in
Minsk. It was a double challenge for our graduates, and they coped with it perfectly well.
Changes to IPM’s Day-to-Day Work
Though the pandemic presents a clear challenge, IPM Business School was in a better
position than many businesses, schools, and organizations to adapt to the need for a
completely virtual operation. Several years of building online capabilities via the CISCO
teleconferencing equipment provided by USAID in 2015 during the DRIVES Program’s
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very first grant cycle meant that IPM Business School was well-equipped to move all of
its engagement online. For the courses that are typically held in-person, IPM Business
School faculty moved quickly to adapt the course material.
Just a week into the height of the pandemic, all courses at IPM Business School had
been adapted for use via CISCO teleconference equipment, allowing students and
customers to connect to their courses online from home and preventing a disruption of
their learning. All of the programs at IPM Business School are integrated with advanced
online services that allow for interactive engagement between the teachers and students
during full-time classes.
Today, more than ever, it is important for leaders and managers to be able to quickly
rebuild, generate new strategic solutions, apply new tools, and exchange ideas. IPM
Business School faculty and staff used their knowledge, experience, and technical
capabilities to help their clients adapt to the new situation.
IPM introduced as well the GET SMARTED project as a series of relevant educational
programs developed on the principle of Blended Learning combined with the use of
ZOOM-sessions.
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GET SMARTED is not a “dialogue with the computer” or viewing webinars. It is interactive,
including group discussions with other participants, case studies and assignments under
the supervision of a teacher. The distance is physical, not social.
Free Webinar Series
Due to COVID-19, supporting entrepreneurs who are navigating the economic, social,
and political changes during this time is critical. To connect entrepreneurs in regional
cities and provide a platform to share challenges and innovations, the DRIVES program
organized a series of free webinars. These webinars are available across Belarus and
focus on the most urgent needs currently facing businesses including remote
management, online sales, and virtual presentations. The table below illustrates the
topics and speakers of the seven free webinars organized in Q4 and attended by 420
participants.
Date Topic Speakers Number of participants
July 1 How to get rid of the desire to control everything
Sergey Soloviev, IPM Business School
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July 8 Conflict Markers and Behavioral Strategies
Medea Akhvlediani, IPM Business School
80
July 15 Remote Employee Management
Vladislav Tolkach, IPM Business School
45
July 29 Client typology as a tool for increasing sales
Marina Kozhurova, IPM Business School
81
August 5 Mistakes and miscalculations in marketing analytics
Edward Churley, IPM Business School
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September 2
To whom, what, and how to sell online
Svetlana Borisevich, IPM Business School
47
September 9
Zoom presentations: Real success with a virtual audience
Olga Belskaya, IPM Business School
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Research
The researchers of Beroc and IPM Research Center conducted a series of surveys of
Belarussian business and population on the costs shortening and the reaction to the
coronavirus pandemic.
On April 17 2020, a new site http://covideconomy.by/ was launched with up-to-date data
on the development of the socio-economic situation in Belarus during the pandemic
COVID19.
Our goal is to provide timely and reliable information to everyone who has to make
economic decisions in conditions of high uncertainty.
Executive MBA Presentations Moving ONLINE.
The series of Executive MBA presentations called “Executive Open Day” were
conducted in online format.
The latest Executive Open Day “VUCA: Challenges Require Change” took place on
December, 10 2020 and attracted a considerable audience, to which we are grateful for
their questions and activity.
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Reporting for Principle 3 | Method
“We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes and environments that
enable effective learning experiences for responsible leadership.”
Blended-Learning Methodologies Training for IPM Faculty Members
From September, 30 till October, 4 2019 18 faculty members of IPM Business School
received training on blended-learning methodologies to gain the tools and resources
necessary to transfer courses into the blended-learning format. The USAID DRIVES
Program invited Floria Volunskaya, Senior Advisor, In-Person and Online Learning
Program Design of AARP, Washington, DC to organize a week-long training of trainers
course in Minsk, Belarus.
As a result of training all of tutors finalized their presentations of developing course,
completed all presentations and were ready to showcase their work to Floria Volunskaya.
Tutors discussed successful strategies and how they used what they had learned during
this seminar in their classroom.
In addition to the tutors of IPM Business School, three partners of DRIVES Program were
invited: two people from the Society for Innovative Business Support (SIBS),
implementing the Creating Sustainable Infrastructure to Support Startups and Small
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Business Development in the Regions of Belarus, and one from Belbiz, implementing the
AID-Venture activity. Each of these partners have a niche in business training and SME
development and our partnership allow us to coordinate and complement activities in the
regions, benefit from expertise, and support each other.
2019-2020 «Best Start-Up Idea» Competition
A significant accomplishment of the DRIVES program was the successful completion of
the fourth annual Best Start-Up Idea Competition, an opportunity for entrepreneurs across
Belarus to pitch their business ideas, receive feedback and mentorship, develop business
plans, and compete for awards.
Despite COVID-19 and its implications, the DRIVES program decided not to postpone
the final event and award ceremony of the fourth annual Best Start-Up Idea Competition.
However, because the event could not be conducted in-person, it was delivered entirely
online for the first time and took place on June 19th. Nine entrepreneurs pitched business
and product ideas to a jury of experts consisting of previous competition winners, IPM
Business School faculty, local business owners and CEOs, the head of an investment
consulting company, and the Director of Financing for Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises at the Development Bank of Belarus. Some of the ideas pitched at the
competition finale include a financial literacy center for children, youth, and adults in
Mogilev; a line of locally fermented Belarusian teas; and a children’s hairdresser franchise
in Grodno.
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The following nine projects competed in the competition finale:
Project Name Finalist Name Description
1. Ecological Laboratory
Nadezhda Aksenenko
A children's science studio or "Eco Laboratory" with a unique product—a "Laboratory in a Box"
2. Smartbook Valentine Hajduk The first and only specialized financial literacy center in Mogilev for children, youth, and adults
3. Wooma Victoria Yazvinskaya A brand of clothes for pregnant and nursing mothers
4. Online School for Moms
Anastasia Boyarsky A remote business advisory service available to mothers seeking to start a business, gain financial independence, or learn how to balance a family and career effectively
5. Holst.by Mikhail Rebenkov A production workshop and order service for stretched art canvases of any size and shape
6. Brand Development of the New Field Village
Lyubov Ermakova A single brand, “Tsikavostki i pachastunkiveski Novaya Pole,” comprising the skills, goods, and services available for community members in the village of Novoe Pole
7. Podstrigulki Maxim Kazbanov A children’s hairdressing franchise
8. Tea Gaspadina Natalya Andreyenko Local fermented tea production
9. ARTproducts
Tatyana Vasilenko, Oleg Shkulepo, and Pavel Bychkov
An online platform for placing, searching, and ordering designer products worldwide
The first place was awarded to Victoria Yazvinskaya for her Wooma brand of clothes for pregnant women and nursing mothers. In second place was the Eco Laboratory children's science studio, and in third was the Podstrigulki children's hairdresser franchise. This year's winners pitched projects related to motherhood and childhood. This is because in Belarus today these consumer segments are underserved by domestic business offerings. The winning projects are niche, in a less competitive environment, and offer customers new value.
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This gives them a chance to be successful not only in the competition but also in the market. For example, the WOOMA project, which won first place, offers clothes for pregnant women and nursing mothers, a narrow segment, especially when compared with women's clothing in general. All of the winning projects stand out and show promise of a profit.
Projects that took first, second, and third places this year led by a significant margin and the judges quickly reached consensus about who to select as the winners. Also, this year the judges took into account the quality of the presentations and the presenters’ progress throughout the several months of the competition as they developed their idea into a real business project and continuously adapted it based on feedback and training.
Partners of the competition finale include Streamline School of Foreign Languages, REVERA Law Office, Belinvestbank OJSC, and Aser Investment and Consulting Company.
Every year, the number and most importantly, the quality of applications submitted to the competition is growing and improving. Participants are increasingly working with experts to adapt and refine their business projects. It is important to note that projects from previous competitions continue to be successful. For example, the social entrepreneurship project from the 2017 competition, which produces “Boxes of Courage” for children's hospitals, continues to operate successfully. The boxes, which contain plaster toys that children can draw on, provide a creative outlet and pleasant distraction from their medical situation. So far, more than 7,000 plaster toys have been delivered to over 200 children's hospitals throughout Belarus.
Six years ago, when the DRIVES program decided to establish five Centers of Excellence for Entrepreneurship (CEEs) in regional cities, the team recognized that entrepreneurs in these areas did not have sufficient access to high-quality and professional business education and consulting services. As such, upon opening the CEEs, the percentage of students attending courses and participating in activities from outside Minsk grew rapidly. Based on the high demand and need for business education opportunities, the DRIVES program launched the Best Start-Up Idea Competition to attract regional entrepreneurs and provide them with expert advice and coaching. The success of this year’s competition, in terms of the number of applications, quality of projects and presentations, and interest by mentors and partners, demonstrates that the efforts made by the DRIVES program over the past several years have proven their worth. The Best Start-Up Competition continues to significantly contribute to entrepreneurship development in the regions of Belarus.
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Reporting for Principle 4 | Research
“We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding
about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable
social, environmental and economic value.”
Green/Circular Economy Project in Belarus
In 2018 BEROC started the green economy project which was transformed to the project in a circular economy. Having finished analysis of current state of affairs in the country, the team came to a conclusion that circular economy would be more relevant to Belarusian development stage. There is a need to support the state and the private sector actors in adoption of modern approaches in improving resource allocation efficiency and waste management solutions. The concept of a circular economy is the practical basis for the implementation of a green economy and offers effective business models for a more environmentally friendly resource use, contributing to the achievement of the goals of sustainable development of society.
In 2019, BEROC developed the questionnaire of the Belarusian enterprise survey regarding the barriers to the development of the Green and Circular economy and on how they manage their waste and use secondary materials. The survey was conducted by the Research Institute of the Ministry of Economy. The answers were received from 330 industrial enterprises, 185 construction companies and 136 trade organizations.
BEROC developed the survey of Belarusian business and conducted interviews using the repertory grid technique.
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Besides, BEROC’s experts developed two business plans and two feasibility studies to identify promising areas in the Green/circular economy and to identify local problems and assess business opportunities within the Green Economy:
1. Business plan of the environmental initiative «Creating a system for collecting waste of electronic and electrical equipment in the territory of the Soligorsk district of the Minsk region» was developed. The project was funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNDP in Belarus in partnership with the Ministry of natural resources and the environmental protection of the Republic of Belarus. At the request of the participating organizations, a business plan was developed to justify investment in the BEROС environmental initiative. During its preparation, the capacity of the market for electronic and electrical equipment waste generated in the Soligorsk district was calculated, and a preliminary analysis of the most convenient places for placing waste collection containers was carried out. The business plan showed that the project was effective. The initiative was financed by UNDP.
2. Business plan for the environmental initiative «Compacted waste – clean air» has been developed, which is implemented on the territory of the Lida district. The project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNDP in Belarus. The project involves the purchase of new equipment for the landfill. The acquisition of new equipment allows the landfill to function without interruptions caused by the repair of old equipment, improve waste disposal thus extending the life period of the landfill. At the request of organizations participating in the BEROC environmental initiative, a business plan was developed. The business plan confirmed the effectiveness of the environmental initiative and the UNDP decided to allocate funds for the implementation of the environmental initiative.
3. Feasibility study «Production of fertilizers based on poultry manure in Belarus: opportunities for investment» has been prepared. To identify promising niches for investment in the Green Economy, the analysis of the market for fertilizers that can be produced from poultry manure was conducted. The purpose of the review was to assess the feasibility of investing in a new company that could start producing organic fertilizers based on poultry manure. The analysis of Belarus, Russia, and a number of EU countries showed that currently there are no prerequisites for the appearance of a new company in Belarus that would produce organic fertilizers from poultry manure and farm animals. The majority of fertilizer consumers in Belarus are insolvent; the EU market demand is satisfied by local producers.
4. Feasibility study «Tires recycling in Belarus: current state and opportunities for development». Overview of the market of worn tires was conducted to identify promising niches for investment in the «green» business projects. The purpose of the study was to evaluate opportunities for investment in a new company that processes used tires. If there were favorable conditions, further work would be carried out to find an investor, select technological equipment, and find markets for products obtained from tire processing. The market review showed that Belarus has excess capacity in the field of processing the tire waste, and the creation of a new recycling company is not effective.
Researchers under the supervision of the academic mentor published 6 policy papers and 1 article in local journal:
1. Pyotr Sachek, Yauheniya Shershunovich, Irina Tochitskaya. “Decision-Making in Waste Management at Belarusian enterprises: Survey Results”.
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BEROC conducted analysis on waste management and factors affecting the possibility of using waste for manufacturing new products. A relation between the size of an enterprise and the amount of waste was examined.
2. Yauheniya Shershunovich, Irina Tochitskaya. “State vs. Private Companies: Differences in Waste Management”.
BEROC experts examined whether the effectiveness of waste management depends on the form of enterprise ownership.
3. Nadzeya Batava, Yauheniya Shershunovich, Irina Tochitskaya. “Barriers to the Circular Economy: Evidence From Belarus”.
4. Yauheniya Shershunovich, Irina Tochitskaya. ”Waste Management in Industrial Enterprises of Belarus: When the Amount Matters”.
These papers revealed that in general enterprises positively evaluate the existing legislation in Belarus that regulates issues concerning waste management, but identified a number of other significant barriers: lack of recycling technologies, the economic inexpediency, mainly caused by the expectation of high initial investment costs for the implementation of innovative business models. The analysis has revealed that when industrial enterprises use secondary raw materials more actively in their own production. Lack of recycling technologies and economic infeasibility are perceived as the key constraints to waste reuse. The papers provide an analysis of the survey on waste management and the use of secondary raw materials by Belarusian industrial enterprises.
5. Nadzeya Batava, Petr Sachek, Yauheniya Shershunovich, Irina Tochitskaya. “Circular Economy in Belarusian Agriculture”.
Another study presents the results of the survey of agricultural producers on waste management and factors affecting the reuse of their waste.
6. Nadezhda Batova, Pyotr Sachek, Irina Tochitskaya. “Circular Economy: Ways to Finance a Business?”
These papers present the findings of the study on public and private funding opportunities for circular projects. The financial products and instruments such as crowdfunding, grants, venture capital, government support, bank loans, and etc., which are tailored to the specific needs of circular projects were examined depending on the stage of the company's life cycle.
Gender Issues In Economics
Gender issues is a cross-cutting topic in all research BEROC produces. The gender dimension is added to most of the papers on socio-economic issues, and, where possible, on papers in other topics as well. Gender dimension was highlighted in the study of attitudes towards the social assistance system. BEROC also produces papers specifically focused on gender issues.
Akulava and Mazol continued their work on data from the Generations and Gender Survey, this time looking at intergenerational mobility with the special focus on gender. examines the issue of intergenerational mobility in Belarus and looks at to what extent the level of parental education impacts on the income of individuals. The results reflect
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high and significant level of social mobility in the country for all age cohorts. In general, there is a significant growth in the educational level of the younger generation in relation to their parents.
Akulava and Mazol also wrote a FREE policy brief about the gender wage gap in the state-owned and private sector in Belarus based on their previous research results. According to the results, the unconditional gender wage differential equals 22.6%. The size of the wage gap is higher in the state sector than in the private sector. Additionally, it increases in the state sector throughout the wage distribution and accelerates at the top percentiles, indicating the presence of a strong glass ceiling effect.
Akulava continued her research line on female entrepreneurs with the study on leadership styles. It explored the link between the applied effectuation principles, gender of the leader and SMEs financial and innovative functioning in Belarus. Consistent with existing literature, the results show that combined usage of causal and effectual logics can be both beneficial and harmful. The findings also clearly indicate women being more prone to the hybrid decision-making strategy than men.
The research papers mentioned above do not cover all the papers produced by BEROC researchers in 2019. Other topics covered include Belarusian macroeconomic situation in 2019, recent developments in foreign direct investment, fintech, and fiscal incidence. The complete list of BEROC working and policy papers is in Table A.
In 2019 BEROC produced a total of 8 working papers and 11 policy papers. Six papers from BEROC working paper series were submitted to the international peer-reviewed journals. Four papers were published in the international peer-reviewed journals or books. BEROC working papers are cited by the researchers from other Belarusian think tanks and research organizations, international organizations, as well as by the researchers abroad, disseminating knowledge about the Belarusian economy.
BEROC research and analytics has multidimensional impact on the economic development in Belarus, both direct and indirect. Research outputs provide the policy makers with research-based evidence and policy recommendations. We reach policymakers by either presenting to them directly (as is often the case with the National Bank and the Ministry of Economy), in open forums (e.g. KEF, Annual Conference in Economics and Finance, Conference on the Green Economy etc.), by publishing findings in the media or disseminating them as policy papers directly to the relevant policymakers. Our partners – the World Bank, EBRD, IFC, UNICEF, UNDP, IPM Research Center – both use the results of our research in their work and advocacy, as well as help us with dissemination. BEROC consolidates its position as knowledge-provider to various state institutions. The policy-relevant research stimulates dialog in the society and benefitted to different actors – academics, policy-makers, business and individuals.
With the support of Academic adviser and the international academic community BEROC research also feeds into conference presentations abroad and publications in the international peer-reviewed journals. Efforts of Academic Director resulted in creation of a solid ground for BEROC in the international academic community, making it a bridge between Belarus and the academic world abroad. BEROC experts are often invited to the academic and policy conferences abroad.
Results of BEROC research and analytical work are disseminated and frequently circulated in the local and international professional environment. This provides a strong
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influence on raising awareness on specific elements of the state social and economic policies. This is especially the case for policy oriented research and analytics, as well as BEROC’s involvement in cross-sectoral projects (e.g. the SME and private sector development, women participation in business, circular economy and waste management etc.) or in providing advisory services for government (e.g. requests to comment on draft laws, documents on social and economic development, etc.). In combination with workshops for policymakers, participation and presentation in local seminars and conferences, media interviews and quotes this work is a necessary component of research-based advice and support of the government’s reform agenda. More information on these activities and their impact are in the Outreach and Education section of the report.
Finally, in 2019 at least 130 opinion articles and interviews involving BEROC team were published in the local and international media. More than 300 quotes of BEROC experts were published in the media. These numbers confirm high demand for BEROC’s research and expertise in the Belarusian society.
Being part of the FREE Network, BEROC team has also produced five FREE policy briefs in 2019: on monetary policy dilemmas in Belarus, on the gender wage gap in the state and private sector, on the influence of institutions on trade, on the Belarusian poverty dynamics, and on the development of the Belarusian higher education.
Table A. Working and Policy Papers
Working papers Working Papers Authors
1 Political Responsobility for Different Crises Lev Lvovskiy and Kirill Shakhnov
2 Fntech project finalization (preliminary version has been sent to the National Bank) Anastasiya Luzgina, Oleg Mazol (and others)
3 Fintech project finalization (revised version has been sent to the National Bank) Anastasiya Luzgina, Oleg Mazol (and others)
4 Formation and institutional development of the National Bank. Part 1. Development of a preliminary version of the information base (repository) of documents, statistical and other materials on the creation of the National Library of Belarus, the transformation of its objectives, tasks, functions, instruments, and the banking sector of the Republic of Belarus. (1 part of the research project has been sent to the National Bank)
Anastasiya Luzgina (and others)
5 The Value of Corporate Political Connections: Evidence from Sudden Deaths Lev Lvovskiy, Viktar Fedoseyeu
6 The Impact of the Russian crisis on the Belarusian economy: the trade channel Kateryna Bornukova, Igor Livshits
7 What forms gender wage gap in Belarus? Maryia Akulava, Aleh Mazol
8 Revisiting Growth Patterns and the Factors of Growth in Emerging Markets Dzmitry Kruk
Policy Papers Policy Papers Authors
1 Education of children and parents: intergenerational mobility and impact on income Maryia Akulava, Aleh Mazol
2 Development of P2P lending market: peculiarities of functioning and international experience of development
Anastasiya Luzgina, Aleh Mazol
3 Belarusian Economic Review, 2018Q4 Dzmitry Kruk, Dzmitry Kolkin
4 Belarus: Comparative Research on Industrial Parks and Special Economic Zones Dzmitry Kolkin
5 Circular Economy: Ways to Finance a Business Nadezhda Batova, Pyotr Sachek, Irina Tochitskaya
6 Poverty assessment in Belarus for 2017-2018 Aleh Mazol
7 Foreign investment: ICT sector as an example to follow Maryia Akulava
8 Belarusian Economic Review, 2019Q1 Dzmitry Kruk, Dzmitry Kolkin
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9 Belarusian Economy in Mid -2019: the Results of the Recovery Growth Period Dzmitry Kruk
10
Стратегии преодоления трудностей домохозяйств в период рецессии 2015–2016 гг. Bornukova et al.
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Потенциал центров поддержки предпринимательства в контексте содействия развитию социального предпринимательства в Беларуси
Aginskaya Hanna, Yafimenka Yulia
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Development of the entrepreneurial university (University 3.0) in Belarus: An overview of determinants and challenges
Radzivon Marozau, Maribel Guerrero
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Belarusian Economic Review, 2019-Q2-Q3 Dzmitry Kruk, Dzmitry Kolkin
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Waste Management in Industrial Enterprises of Belarus: When the Amount Matters Yauheniya Shershunovich, Irina Tochitskaya
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Circular Economy in Belarusian Agriculture Nadzeya Batava, Petr Sachek, Yauheniya Shershunovich, Irina Tochitskaya
In January-March 2020, UNDP and BEROC conducted a study of women's economic
opportunities in a number of Belarus’ small and medium-sized towns - Bobruisk, Krugly,
Krichev, Bykhov and Orsha.
This project was aimed at identifying the characteristics of the current state of the
business environment in the regions, and developing a number of recommendations of
how to expand opportunities of women living in small and medium-sized towns.
On July, 22 2020 BEROC together with the IFC held the presentation of the Global
Entrepreneurship Monitor Report: GEM Belarus 2019/2020. This year, Belarus
participated in this influential international study for the first time.
The country report was prepared by BEROC jointly with the IFC. It provides insight into
social attitudes towards entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial activity
rates and entrepreneurial aspirations of the population, as well as constraints and drivers
for entrepreneurship.
Presentation of GEM findings for Belarus was made by Radzivon Marozau (BEROC
Research Associate) and Maryia Akulava (BEROC Researcher). The experts described
the GEM methodology and presented the results of the Adult Population Survey (APS)
and the National Expert Survey (NES) in Belarus.
Overview of the use of GEM findings in other countries was made by Maribel Guerrero
(Professor, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University; Universidad del
Desarrollo, Chile).
On September 30, 2020 the results of the study Prospects for Corporate Governance
Development in Belarus were presented
The study analyzed the current state and prospects for the development of corporate
governance in Belarus to ensure more effective and wide-scale implementation of the
core principles of corporate governance in the state-controlled and the private sectors.
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Development risks study (DRS) and the study “Understanding Belarusian society:
What values enhance economic development and what values restrain it?”
The study in a planned format was delayed due to several reasons. KEF-2017 conference
revealed significant role of global risks in determining economic prospects of Belarus
which was not envisaged in the original methodology of the study.
Further on, proposed pool of experts appeared not broad enough to capture all scope of
possible global risks. After several revisions questionnaire was sent as a test for the KEF
Board members. Discussion of the comments received and possible pool of respondents
during post KEF-2018 conference board meeting revealed need to abandon the idea of
running the study in the originally envisaged format. New format of quarterly risks outlook
was therefore elaborated, and the study was launched in the beginning of 2019.
During the Action experts prepared four quarterly risk outlooks that included overview of
the global context, including analysis and forecast of economic situation in Russia, mid-
term macroeconomic outlook for Belarus (based on the semi-structural macroeconomic
model), and evaluation of the key midterm economic risks:
1) Belarusian Risks Outlook, April 2019;
2) Belarusian Risk Outlook, August 2019;
3) Belarusian Risk Outlook, November 2019
4) Belarusian Risk Outlook, February 2020.
Besides, the experts developed a report “Risks 2020 according to the KEF telegram
channel”. It contained analysis of the 10 risks that Belarus might have faced in 2020 and
their probability assessed by the subscribers to the KEF telegram channel.
Policy Research Products, Referring to Global and National Aspects of Sustainable
Development of Belarus”
IPM Research Center prepared altogether 57 publications, and 4 publications were
prepared by partners of the Action, including regional partners, and broadly disseminated.
As for the reported period, each of the publication raised different aspects of sustainable
development and contained interlinkages between its different levels (global, national,
and local):
Briefs/discussion papers:
1. PDP/19/01 “Work, Income, and Equal Opportunity: Adult Causes of Child Poverty”;
2. PDP/19/02 “Window of opportunity or last chance? A few ideas on what would help
unleash the potential of the Belarusian regions”;
3. PDP/19/03 “Life after life. Evaluation of Belarus Pension System by the Population:
Results of Focus Group Discussions in Minsk and Regional Centers”;
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4. PDP/19/04 “Demography in social policy trap: what measures will (not) increase
birth rates in Belarus”;
5. PDP/19/05 “Household coping strategies during the 2015–2016 recession”;
6. PDP/19/06 “Development of the small and medium business sector in Belarus in
2019”;
7. PDP/20/01 “Oil in exchange for everything. A Brief History of Belarusian-Russian
Relations in the Oil and Gas Sector since 2007”;
8. PDP/20/02 “Affordable, effective and fair? How people perceive Belarusian social
security system for children”;
9. PDP/20/03 “Attitudes of population to the pension system of Belarus”.
Reports:
1. Belarusian Risk Outlook, August 2019 “Macroeconomic Forecast for Belarus:
Global Context and Regional Risks”;
2. Belarusian Risk Outlook, February 2020 “Macroeconomic Forecast for Belarus:
Global Context and Regional Risks”;
3. Belarusian Risk Outlook, November 2019 “Macroeconomic Forecast for Belarus:
Global Context and Regional Risks”;
4. Belarusian Risks Outlook, April 2019 “Macroeconomic Forecast for Belarus:
Global Context and Regional Risks”;
5. Report “Poverty and socially vulnerable groups in Belarus, 2019. Demographic
and economic factors of poverty”;
6. Report “Regional competitiveness of Belarus in 2019: Less optimistic in the
environment of divergence”;
7. Sectoral Report SR/19/02 “Values of the population of Belarus: results of a
sociological study”;
8. Sectoral Report SR/19/03 “Study of regional competitiveness. Evaluation by small
and medium private enterprises of the conditions for doing business in Belarus in
2019”.
Working papers:
1. WP/19/01 “Economic values of the population of Belarus in 2018”.
2. WP/19/02 “Cultural and religious values of the population of Belarus in 2018”.
3. WP/19/03 “Estimation of value added in Belarus exports”
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Reporting for Principle 5 | Partnership
“We will interact with managers of business corporations to extend our knowledge of
their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities and to explore
jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.”
The League of Analysts Educational Program
The investment company "Zubr Capital" together with IPM Business School and BEROC
organized an educational project - a nine-month non-degree program- for the last year
bachelor students "The League of Analysts".
The reason for launching is quite pragmatic: working in finance and investment requires
specific practical skills that students often do not have. Private companies have to make
great efforts to adapt theoretical knowledge to real business. This was the reason for the
launch of the educational project "League of Analysts", the goal of which is to give
students of economic and mathematical specialties the knowledge for a real profession
and a career start.
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- What makes the League of Analysts program unique?
Katerina Bornukova, Academic Director of BEROC: “This is the first program that was
implemented with the support of Belarusian private business. It is significant for us that
local business has understood that in order to get qualified specialists, it is necessary to
invest strength and resources in this. The Zubr Capital company invested not only money
in the project, it actively participated in the development of the program and in conducting
master classes.”
- How did the Pandemic of COVID-19 affect the project?
Pavel Daneyko, IPM Group General Director: “At the end of March, we found
ourselves in a situation where some of the students came to the classroom, and some
studied online due to the self-isolation regime. Working with two groups at the same time,
one of which is sitting in front of you, and the other at home, is a rather difficult task for
the teacher. And here our experience of blended learning format, which combines online
and offline technologies, helped a lot.
IPM Business School began to master this format five years ago. Most of our teachers
today have accumulated experience using the video conferencing system, which unites
the office in Minsk and the audience in the regions. Therefore, they can conduct
interactive sessions and engage students remotely. In a way, we were prepared for the
transition to the online format both from a professional and a technical point of view. Of
course, we had to make certain changes to the work and purchase additional equipment
in order to make a full transition to remote classes. As a result, in this project we were
able to complete all courses without transfers.”
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We congratulate the graduates of the League of Analysts 2020. This pilot project,
launched a year ago, has shown excellent results. 25 students were trained in such
courses as financial accounting and analysis, fundamentals of corporate finance,
strategic management, etc, from highly qualified specialists of the international level.
Many students have successfully completed their internships, while others have already
received jobs. Moreover, the project is of interest abroad as well.
“The League of Analysts 2.0” project has just started on November, 1 2020 with the
plans to improve the educational process and supplement the program with an in-depth
study of analytics tools, focusing on financial modeling of the development of companies
and projects.
“Our task is to train specialists with a very rare set of competencies for the Belarusian
market. They must be proficient in financial and strategic analysis, as well as practical
management competencies. Usually in Belarus these disciplines are studied separately,
and such a combination of knowledge and skills is rare. To help our students become
unique specialists, we, through BEROC, invited teachers who received PhDs from
leading Western universities with lectures in economics and finance, and through the IPM
Business School - business teachers who will help to master management competencies
and work out new knowledge in practice. After training at the League of Professionals,
students will be able to apply new knowledge in their real projects.” said Pavel Daneyko,
General Director of the IPM Group of Companies.
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BEROC experts joined Regional Circular Economy Task Force
The International Educational Center IBB ("Internationales Bildungs- und
Begegnungswerk") and the Scientific and Research Economic Institute of the Ministry of
Economy are developing the regional program on the circular economy of the Brest
region. The work has been done under supervision of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate
Environment and Energy (Germany). BEROC experts have joined the Regional Circular
Economy Programme Task Force. The Regional programme will provide
recommendations to the Brest region authorities on the transition to the circular economy.
The Task Force meeting webinar on April 24, 2020 was devoted to packaging as an
important component in the structure of the circular economy. The results of BEROC’s
study on Packaging waste management approaches (Swedish example) were presented.
The Seminar “Industrial Symbiosis as a Regional Development
Instrument: The Swedish Experience for Belarus”
BEROC and IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute held an international seminar
"Industrial Symbiosis as a Regional Development Instrument: The Swedish Experience
for Belarus" on December 12, 2019.
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Industrial Symbiosis stipulates involvement of enterprises in active cooperation taking into
account their regional and territorial location to optimize production costs through the use
of by-products and waste as raw materials. Industrial symbiosis is considered as a new
tool for regional development that enables for cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder
resource, knowledge and innovation exchanges and for reduction of the negative impact
on the environment.
The seminar was opened by Pavel Daneyko, Director of BEROC. He stressed the
importance of industrial symbiosis for the development of circular economy, and noted
the opportunity to obtain significant economic, environmental and social results from its
implementation in the Republic of Belarus.
The main speaker at the seminar was a senior researcher of IVL, Dr. Michael Martin.The
seminar and workshop was moderated by Natalia Apanasovich, Project Coordinator for
the Green Economy part.
The seminar has attracted interest of practitioners and experts and allowed them to learn
about best Swedish practices in industrial symbiosis and circular production. During the
seminar, participants discussed current initiatives in industrial symbiosis networks,
material and energy synergies, circular economy initiatives, possible future synergies
based on knowledge of industrial development, important sectors and firms to explore
further, opportunities and barriers for industrial symbiosis in Belarus. The participants
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noted the relevance of the topic and the possibility of using the information received for a
roadmap of the industrial symbiosis development in Belarus.
More than 50 participants took part in the event. Among them are representatives of the
Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection,
the Ministry of Finance, the State Institution "Secondary Material Resources Operator",
the Academy of Sciences, the BelSN Association, UNDP, the Wuppertal Climate Institute,
environmental organizations, and others.
Taking Part in 28th CEEMAN Online Annual Conference 2020
Facing unprecedented disruption over the past few months, for the first time in CEEMAN
history the 28th CEEMAN Annual conference took place online. On 23-25 September
2020, the big CEEMAN family gathered once again - this time in virtual space - in order
to search for Ideas and Inspiration for Management Development from Fields Beyond
Management, the topic of this year's event.
In this CEEMAN Conference, that turned to be a great success, three representatives of
IPM Group of Companies took part. Radzivon Marozau, the Research Fellow of
Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center (BEROC), presented a poster on
Supporting Measures for Belarusian SMEs: the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic
during the poster-session and provided some insights on business schools’ challenges
and role in the SME-focused state policy.
The poster provided an overview of the response of SMEs in the period of crises,
necessary managerial competences and delineated short- and medium-term measures
from the state. All this would insights into how business schools could fit the demand from
enterprises during the covid-19 pandemic as well as business schools help the state in
implementing the supporting policy.
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Reporting for Principle 6 | Dialogue
“We will facilitate and support dialog and debate among educators, students, business,
government, consumers, media, civil society organizations and other interested groups
and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and
sustainability.”
The 7th Kastryčnicky Economic Forum (KEF) 2019 Became the
Largest Economic Policy Conference in Belarus
Kastryčnicki Economic Forum (KEF) is a platform for open dialog on the sustainable
development of Belarus in context of global economy. Since its creation by IPM research
center in concert with BEROC and CASE research network in 2013, all seven KEF-
conferences became a tradition of an open dialogue about the global economy and world
trade in the autumn days.
The mission of the KEF is to contribute to the development of effective economy,
responsible economic policy and attractive future for the people of Belarus.
KEF-2019 conference “The Invisible Hand of Leviathan” took place in Minsk on October
31 – November 1, 2019 and gathered 797 participants, including high-level
representatives from the government and leading international organizations as well as
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the representatives of five target groups of the project: think tanks and academic
community (260 representatives), business community (220 participants), economic
authorities (59 participants), media (110 representatives) and advocacy groups (37
participants).
KEF-2019 attracted tremendous interest and attention of media (100 journalists
representing almost all Belarusian media as well as international ones). Thus, Forum was
widely covered in the media in about 230 online media publications, including 12 TV
reports about KEF-2019 (including reports in prime time: in the morning and evening
news). Online broadcasting of the conference on the largest online news portal TUT.by
gathered about 23,000 viewers.
KEF-2019 covered topics of free trade and Belarus’ access to world economy, challenges
of regional development, monetary policy, export markets, Belarusian social security
system and sustainable economic growth. KEF continues to demonstrate an increasing
level of recognition and trust from various stakeholders. KEF conference holds its position
of an inclusive platform where Belarusian decision-makers come to open reform debate,
ideas and scenarios with various stakeholder groups thus affecting government policy.
Series of Seminars on the Economic Future of Belarus
In 2019 BEROC and the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus have launched a series
of seminars on the economic future of Belarus. The first seminar “From stability to
economic growth" was held on October 16th.
During the seminar the representatives of government agencies, international financial
organizations, think tanks and leading Belarusian media discussed the issues of long-
term economic growth.
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The series of seminars is aimed at the discussion of the reforms for future growth. Two
seminars (one of them at the premises of the National bank) were held in 2019, and two
more will were held in 2020. The seminars open the discussion of policies among different
policymakers, independent experts and experts from the state institutes.
Media-Breakfasts for Economic Development
The results of the study “Understanding Belarusian society: What values enhance
economic development and what values restrain it?” that was reported under the
Principle 4 (Research), were broadly disseminated via four media-breakfasts that were
organized in cooperation with the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus:
(1) Media breakfast “Macroeconomic forecast for Belarus. Global context and
local risks” on April 24, 2019 attended by 22 journalists.
(2) Media breakfast “How economy of Belarus would react on adverse economic
shock if nothing was changed. And what should be changed in order it
reacted differently” on September 3, 2019 attended by 21 journalist.
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The event was organized in a series of media breakfasts "Reforms for 100 Billion", held
within the framework of the Kastryčnicki Economic Forum.
(3) Media breakfast “Room after maneuver. Presentation of the updated
macroforecast for Belarus” on December 6, 2019, attended by 14 journalists.
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(4) Media breakfast “The risks of softening: Presentation of the updated
macroforecast for Belarus for 2020-2021” on February 14, 2020, attended by
22 journalists.
So results of the research were disseminated via media-breakfasts and mass media to
ensure impact on research agenda of the project’s stakeholders. Study is interrelated with
the materials produced by BEROC covering recent trends and macroeconomic risks in
economic development of Belarus, in particular “Belarusian Economy in mid-2019: the
Aftermath of Recovery Growth Period” and regular issues of Belarusian Economic
Outlook. Besides, co-speakers at the media-breakfast presentation of the studies
(September 3, 2019) was Alex Kremer, the World Bank Country Manager for Belarus. He
reflected on the results of the study and presented vision of the World Bank on the
economic outlook of Belarus.
Conference “Green and Resource Efficient Business: Challenges and Practices”
On February 28, 2019 the conference “Green and Resource Efficient Business:
Challenges and Practices” took place in Minsk. It was organized by the IPM Business
School in partnership with the IPM Research Center and BEROC under the support of
the British Embassy in Minsk. Agenda of the event included the international experience
in the field of green and circular economy, resource efficient and cleaner production and
the results of the circular economy projects implementation in Belarus.
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The conference was attended by entrepreneurs, public officials and experts in the field.
The purpose of the conference was to raise awareness of representatives of Belarusian
public and private sector enterprises, as well as the expert community, about international
experience in the field of green and circular economy, the formation of a resource
efficiency mechanism, as well as specific results and opportunities for implementing
projects on greening production in our country.
International Conference "Circular Economy: Opportunities and Prospects for
Belarusian Enterprises"
The international conference Circular Economy: Opportunities and Prospects for
Belarusian Enterprises took place online on October 30, 2020. The conference was
organized by BEROC Economic Research Center and Dortmund International Education
Center.
Following topics were discussed at the conference: circular transformation of enterprises,
peculiarities of circular business models, implementation of business projects in Belarus
in the field of green/circular economy and funding opportunities.
43
The Conference was opened by Astrid Sahm, Executive Director of the Dortmund
International Education Center (IBB Dortmund) and Kateryna Bornukova, Academic
Director of BEROC. The conference was attended by more than 100 participants,
including representatives of Belarusian business, banks, government agencies, mass
media, as well as international experts.
The speakers at the conference were BEROC experts, representatives of international
organizations, business and banks. Based on conducted surveys, BEROC experts
presented the results of the research of the possibilities of circular transformation in
Belarusian enterprises. There were also formulated proposals for implementation of
green economy principles in Belarus.
The results of the conference were summarized by Natalia Apanasovich, head of green
economy project at BEROC. She mentioned that movement towards the green economy
has been advocated and supported in Belarus by main stakeholders, including
government, NGOs, and business. However, there is limited research and analytics on
this matter. In addition, there is a significant gap in public awareness about the current
state of affairs and relevant opportunities that would stimulate enterprises in implementing
principles of green and circular economy.
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Summary Reporting for the Key Objectives Stated in
the SIP Report 2018
Principle 3 | Method “We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes
and environments that enable effective learning experiences for responsible
leadership”.
Development of MBA program (General MBA) in blended format
{We are working on development of MBA program (General MBA) in blended format. The
launch of General MBA is preliminary planned for autumn 2019.}
IPM Business School received considerable number of clients’ requests to provide an
MBA program for mid-level managers. Additionally, the market demand for a General
MBA program has been significantly increasing lately. So, even a bit earlier than it was
stated as objective in the latest SIP Report 2018 - in summer 2019 - IPM Business School
launched the General MBA program.
The program is run based on a cohort model and as a blended-learning program so the
students complete the coursework together and attend classes both virtually and in-
person. The cohort model allows the students to explore their interests and goals through
a shared educational experience. This approach is founded on educational theories of
how people learn through support, teamwork, and shared resources as well as the value
45
of learning from both classmates and instructors. The blended-learning format of the
General MBA program has proven to be accessible and convenient as it allows
participants to manage their work and family schedules, selecting the convenient time for
them between practical sessions to complete homework, study online textbooks, prepare
for class, communicate with classmates via the forum and ask questions to the
instructors.
To the moment, 3 groups of General MBA students has been launched in the amount of
71 people altogether.
The plans of the IPM Business School for the next few years are to supplement the
portfolio of MBA programs and develop specializations in the following topics: finance,
marketing, HR, production.
Principle 5 | Partnership “We will interact with managers of business corporations
to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental
responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these
challenges.”
Regional Expansion Project
{We will search for additional funding for regional expansion project in order to spend
more efforts in regional CEEs for business community creation and brining understanding
of necessity of high-quality business education for organizational effectiveness and
financial sustainability}.
In the reported period, the USAID DRIVES Program together with IPM Business School
continued catalyzing entrepreneurial activity across Belarus by providing a range of
opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses as well as individual aspiring
entrepreneurs to access high-quality business and entrepreneurship.
During this reporting period, the Program delivered both blended-learning and in-person
courses in IPM Business School’s regional Centers of Excellence for Entrepreneurship
(CEEs).
The Centers of Excellence in Entrepreneurship (CEEs) are key features of the DRIVES
Program and provide the platform for amplifying educational opportunities across
Belarus. The CEEs, equipped with teleconference technology, serve as access points for
IPM trainings, networking, and partnership events. This teleconference technology allows
the IPM Business School to broadcast each course across multiple CEEs, thus reaching
more entrepreneurs at the cost of a single lesson. Importantly, entrepreneurs are still able
to interact with the instructors, ask questions, and participate in class discussions from
their respective CEE classrooms.
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Blended-Learning Courses
In the latest two years, IPM Business School continued to develop the regional CEEs by
promoting and expanding business training and networking services. IPM Business
School updated and developed the CISCO telepresence system to ensure full scale use
of its capabilities and further customized its products to meet the needs of regional SMEs
and entrepreneurs, thus increasing the impact of business training on their management
and operational capacity.
To mitigate any risks related to the pandemic, all regional CEEs were equipped with the
necessary protective equipment including antiseptics and masks and were monitored for
observance of social distancing
During the reported period, IPM Business School organized 26 blended-learning courses
attended by a total of 331 regional clients.
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Graph 1. Enrollment numbers in regional CEE courses from 2017-2020
In-person Courses
In addition to blended-learning courses, regional clients continued to show interest in in-
person courses during the reporting period. Based on IPM Business School’s experience
over the past four years operating in regional centers across Belarus, the school staff and
faculty have a strong understanding of local customers’ interests. IPM Business School
utilizes this contextual knowledge to offer in demand in-person courses in regional cities.
106
32
86
8
120
89 90
46
141
6180
94
020406080
100120140160
Enrollment numbers in regional CEE courses from 2017 to 2020
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During the reported period, 23 in-person courses were offered in regional cities of
Belarus, attended by a total of 249 participants.
IPM Business School implements strict COVID-19 protocols for these in-person courses.
The CEE staff spaces out the furniture in regional centers to ensure adequate social
distancing and wearing masks is a requirement at all times.
Women’s Economic Empowerment
The DRIVES Program considers one of its primary roles to provide professional
educational support to women through facilitating the creation of a community and
network of women entrepreneurs and catalyzing entrepreneurial activity among women
across Belarus. Continuing throughout the reported period, all regional CEEs promoted
women’s entrepreneurship by creating dedicated business clubs in each regional city and
providing targeted assistance and training opportunities for women and women-owned
start-ups.
The Program amplified its support for women entrepreneurs by organizing regional
events designed specifically for women interested in starting a business. In the year 2019
520 women altogether participated in these meetings across five regional cities of Brest,
Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev, and Vitebsk. Not only did the events provide opportunities for
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women entrepreneurs to gain practical tools for transforming their ideas into businesses,
but the events also grew participants’ networks of fellow entrepreneurs and mentors,
thereby strengthening and growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Belarus.
In 2020, the program continued to organize regional events specifically targeting women
entrepreneurs. In Q1 2020, 188 women participated in nine regional events that were
held across all of the program’s regional CEEs. These events provided opportunities for
women entrepreneurs to gain practical tools for starting or improving their businesses as
well as establish connections with fellow entrepreneurs with whom they can continue to
exchange ideas after the events. The events topics included launching a business,
developing a client base, promoting a business, and maintaining a balance between work
and family.
From January to March 2020, IPM Business School organized seven business clubs at
regional CEEs attended by a total of 499 women entrepreneurs. At each meeting, IPM
Business School collects feedback forms from participants, asking them to indicate which
topics they would be most interested in for future events, which speakers/professors they
most enjoy or are most interested in hearing from.
During this period, many IPM Business School professors had lighter teaching schedules
which allowed them to speak at and/or lead a large number of women’s networking
events. For this reason, there were a record number of women who participated.
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Networking Events
The DRIVES Program continued to grow the number of platforms across Belarus for
entrepreneurs to gather, network, exchange ideas, and learn about IPM Business
School’s offerings. During the reported period, regional CEEs organized 60 networking
events and master classes attended by 911 regional entrepreneurs on a variety of topics
including business aspects and personal development.
The events included three networking events, organized by regional CEEs between
July and September 2020 and attended by 74 regional entrepreneurs on the topics
including marketing, communications, economics, and the consequences of COVID-19.
These events provided an opportunity for entrepreneurs to exchange ideas, learn from
one another, and stay connected during a difficult time. The networking events were
organized online so that everyone could stay safe at home and connect to the meetings
remotely.
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Principle 4 | Research “We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that
advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations
in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value.”
Developing Private Business Research
{We will develop the research of private business so that our programs could meet even
more the actual needs of our clients}.
BEROC experts analyzed the potential for increasing the efficiency of one of the
enterprises of the Galereya Vkusa Group of Companies
Within the framework of the project on green economy, in spring 2020 BEROC experts
assessed the efficiency of resource use at the SZAO Agrokombinat Kolos. The enterprise
is part of the Gallery of Taste group of companies, headed by Sergey Zhuravlev, a
graduate of the IPM business school.
The key objective of the project is to introduce modern approaches and innovative
business models of the circular economy to improve resource efficiency, reduce
dependence on material resources, increase profits, and reduce the ecological footprint
of production. The use of closed loops as elements of a circular economy provides
significant benefits to enterprises.
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Experts assessed the qualitative and quantitative indicators of the resources and energy
consumed at the enterprise, carried out a technical assessment using control and
measuring equipment, which made it possible to detect the so-called "hot spots", in other
words, "places of loss" of those same resources and energy. A detailed analysis of
technological processes demonstrated the possibility of introducing elements of
circularity, i.e. reuse of certain types of resources.
The management of the company, realizing the effectiveness of the proposed measures,
goes to reduce the loss of resources, thereby increasing the economic stability of the
company.
BEROC experts conducted an analysis of the use of packaging materials at the
enterprise of SJSC "Belovezhskiye Syry"
Within the framework of a circular economy project, in November 2020 BEROC experts
analyzed the types of packaging materials used at the Belovezhskiye Syry SJSC. The
company is a leader in the Brest region in the production of natural cheeses and butter.
The analysis showed that the company has a number of opportunities to reduce waste
from used packaging, to replace certain types of packaging with more sustainable ones.
The use of sustainable design approaches in the design of both the product itself and the
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packaging for it will help to introduce the principles of a circular economy in the enterprise.
The proposed measures in most cases do not require replacement of packaging
equipment or other investments. The economic effect of the proposed measures for the
enterprise was also calculated.
The Development Director of "Belovezhskiye Syry" Svetlana Sushko noted that the
results of the experts' work are of great importance for the enterprise, as they allow
focusing on ensuring the maximum efficiency of each production process and rational use
of resources, which will increase the competitiveness of the products manufactured by
the enterprise.
The research was carried out within the framework of the project “Capacity building for
strategic planning and management of regional structural transformation in Belarus in the
context of a circular economy”.
Besides, BEROC’s experts developed two business plans and two feasibility studies to
identify promising areas in the Green/circular economy and to identify local problems and
assess business opportunities within the Green Economy. The details are reported under
the Principle 4 (Research).
Reporting on this very objective includes as well the information on questionnaires,
surveys, studies developed, policy papers and free policy briefs published, that were
mentioned while reporting on the Principle 4 (Research).
Key Objectives for the next 24 months
IPM Business School remains committed to the Principles of Responsible Management
and Education. Several key initiatives and projects are underway and are planned for the
next 24 months including:
Principle 3 | Method “We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes
and environments that enable effective learning experiences for responsible
leadership”.
Development of Master’s Program on Digital Transformation
The idea is to develop the Master’s Program on Digital Transformation for ambitious &
thoughtful leaders who want to reimage their business in the digital age and increase
business productivity by implementing automation and digital transformation.
Introduction of a Course on Business Digitalization in all MBA
programs
To prepare our Executive MBA and General MBA students to modern challenges of a
dynamic environment, a course on Business Digitalization is going to be introduced.
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The process of digital transformation would enable our students to use digital
technologies to create new — or modify existing — business processes, culture, and
customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements.
Principle 5 | Partnership “We will interact with managers of business corporations
to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental
responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these
challenges.”
Involvement of Business in the Development and Launch of New
Educational Programs
We will further interact with business leaders and managers of business corporations to
involve them into ordering, creation, financing and taking part in business educational
programs. The business itself as the customer possesses better knowledge of the
challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities, so making use of this
knowledge would enable us to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these
challenges.
IPM Group of Companies is looking forward to share our progress, achievements and
new outcomes on stated above and other goals in the next PRME SIP Report (2022).