Guide to Business Information on Russia, the NIS and the Baltic States

317 Pages·2000·1.005 MB·English

by  Tania Konn

Guide to Business Information
on
Russia, the NIS and the Baltic
States
Tania Konn
Published by Aslib/IMI
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004.
ISBN 0-203-40394-0 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-41046-7 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0 85142 436 8 (Print Edition)
© Tania Konn 2000
Except as otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any
form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to Aslib
at the address below.
The author asserts her moral right to be identified as such in accordance with
the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Information Management International (IMI) is a trading name of Aslib.
Aslib/IMI provides consultancy and information services,professional
development training, conferences, specialist recruitment, Internet products, and
publishes primary and secondary journals, conference proceedings, directories
and monographs.
Aslib, The Association for Information Management, founded in 1924, is a world
class corporate membership organisation with over 2000 members in some 70
countries. Aslib actively promotes best practice in the management of information
resources. It lobbies on all aspects of the management of, and legislation
concerning, information at local, national and international levels.
Further information is available from:
Aslib/IMI
Staple Hall
Stone House Court
London EC3A 7PB
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
WWW: http://www.aslib.com
ii
Contents

Introduction 1
Background 1
Coverage 2
Aims 3
Arrangement and Content 5
Qualifications 7
General 8
Overview 8
Current Developments 19
Companies and Contacts 27
Industries and Services 30
Legislation 59
Organisations 61
Armenia 64
Overview 64
Current Developments 67
Companies and Contacts 69
Industries and Services 70
Legislation 70
Organisations 71
Azerbaijan 73
Overview 73
Current Developments 77
Companies and Contacts 79
Industries and Services 80
Legislation 81
Organisations 82
The Baltic States 84
Overview 84
Current Developments 86
Companies and Contacts 88
Industries and Services 88
Legislation 91
iii
Belarus 92
Overview 92
Current Developments 95
Companies and Contacts 97
Industries and Services 98
Legislation 99
Organisations 100
Central Asia and Transcaucasia 101
Overview 101
Current Developments 103
Industries and Services 106
Estonia 108
Overview 108
Current Developments 111
Companies and Contacts 113
Industries and Services 115
Legislation 116
Organisations 117
Georgia 120
Overview 120
Current Developments 122
Companies and Contacts 124
Legislation 124
Organisations 125
Kazakhstan 128
Overview 128
Current Developments 132
Companies and Contacts 135
Industries and Services 135
Legislation 137
Organisations 138
Kyrgyz Republic 141
Overview 141
Current Developments 144
Companies and Contacts 145
iv
Industries and Services 146
Legislation 146
Organisations 147
Latvia 149
Overview 149
Current Developments 152
Companies and Contacts 154
Industries and Services 155
Legislation 156
Organisations 157
Lithuania 160
Overview 160
Current Developments 163
Companies and Contacts 165
Industries and Services 166
Legislation 168
Organisations 168
Moldova 172
Overview 172
Current Developments 174
Companies and Contacts 175
Industries and Services 176
Legislation 176
Organisations 177
Russian Federation 180
Overview 181
Current Developments 189
Companies and Contacts 197
Industries and Services 200
Legislation 224
Organisations 227
Tajikistan 231
Overview 231
Current Developments 233
Companies and Contacts 234
Legislation 235
v
Organisations 236
Turkmenistan 237
Overview 237
Current Developments 240
Companies and Contacts 241
Legislation 241
Organisations 242
Ukraine 244
Overview 244
Current Developments 249
Companies and Contacts 253
Industries and Services 255
Legislation 261
Organisations 263
Uzbekistan 266
Overview 266
Current Developments 269
Companies and Contacts 271
Industries and Services 271
Legislation 272
Organisations 273
Index 275
vi
Introduction
Background
The emergence of the New Independent States (NIS) and a newly formed
Russian Federation from the ruins of the Soviet Union had profound
repercussions on all aspects of life in those countries. Not least among
these effects were changes wrought upon the conduct of business
activities. Market liberalisation introduced new, dynamic, relations
between customers, companies and governments. These interactions
depended upon the generation and availability of types and forms of
business information not previously produced or required. As a
consequence, throughout the NIS active new style business information
sectors were developed from scratch. One of the less trumpeted outcomes
of political change.
The pre-existing command economy of the Soviet Union took little
account of consumer preferences and had no need to consider
independent businesses. The information system developed to match
the needs of a planned economy had become one of the weapons of
propaganda—highly centralised and bearing only a politically agreed
reflection of economic and business realities. The political fragmentation
of the Soviet Union had, as one of its effects, the deconstruction of the
monolithic economic information system. 15 national economic and
business information sectors replaced the single centralised source. These
infant sectors were influenced by established Western models of
information generation and distribution, and by the invigorating forms
of information entrepreneurship encountered during the early phases
of development.
National responses differed according to degrees of market liberalisation
introduced. However, it was recognised that new types of business
information were required to satisfy needs generated by changing
circumstances. A great deal had to be accomplished. Even at the level of
basic business contact data it was evident that the dearth of telephone and
company directories severely hampered the simplest business
transactions. It was impossible to obtain detailed, audited, accounts of
companies now operating outside the state sector. There were difficulties
in monitoring the introduction of new business legislation, decrees and
edicts. There were unprecedented demands for information about
2 I Guide to Business Information on Russia, the NIS and the Baltic States
markets and consumers, for analyses of the potential of individual
business sectors, for details of shareholdings as enterprises were listed by
emerging stock exchanges, for Western style statistical data, and much
more. In other words there were demands, both within and outside
national boundaries, for forms of data and information regarded as
commonplace for business purposes in the West. National information
systems, through government and individual initiatives, set about
providing the previously unobtainable. Elements of this restructuring of
business information sectors in the local languages are evident in all 15
countries. They are also evident in locally produced English language
business information sources, another overlooked, but hugely significant
consequence of the break up of the Soviet Union. The fact that so many
English language information sources are now produced throughout
Eastern Europe is taken for granted these days, but the magnitude of the
achievement should not be underestimated.
The general acceptance of English as the prime international language of
business was noted in the companion volume Guide to Business
Information on Central and Eastern Europe (Aslib, 2000). For the NIS and the
Russian Federation the reasons for this acceptance were similar—the
overwhelming need for foreign investment and for new trading partners.
With Western countries, and particularly the USA, the main targets of
expectations in both areas it was inevitable that the most effective single
language of communication came to be acknowledged as English.
The sudden establishment of 15 republics, all following realigned
economic policies, was seen in the West as a unique opportunity to
develop new markets and trade connections. For business interests in the
West, as for those within the NIS, circumstances created demands for
kinds of business information not previously provided. Western
information entrepreneurs, even before indigenous business information
activities got under way, set about filling the gaps with enthusiasm.
American and British business information providers were, and continue
to be, well to the fore in this movement.
As in the companion volume this is the point to issue a caution. The
English and local language information sectors although responding to
the same broad imperatives are not identical, either in content or in aims.
Beyond a certain stage of investigation it is always sensible to exploit
local language sources, if necessary through translation services.
Coverage
The countries included in this guide are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lithuania,
Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and
IntroductionI 3
Uzbekistan. In short, the countries constituting the Former Soviet Union.
In some reference works it has become the practice to exclude the Baltic
States from this grouping and to associate them with the countries of
Central Europe. Here the view is taken that the Baltic States, however
reluctantly, formed part of the Soviet Union. This past relationship
continues to be reflected in information provision practices and justifies
their inclusion in this volume.
All the countries are represented by individual chapters. In addition
two regional headings have been adopted to reflect the manner in which
information provision has developed. The first of these is the Baltic States.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all produce sources covering regional
issues. External information providers also treat the region as a
distinguishable information entity. This latter development may owe
something to the relative smallness of the Baltic economies. A regional
approach offers information suppliers an opportunity to enlarge the
market appeal of their products. The second regional grouping—Central
Asia and Transcaucasia—includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (Central Asia) and Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia (Transcaucasia). Here, too, it must be
emphasised, the justification for such a rough and ready procedure is
one of information convenience. This region is regarded as having
exciting economic potential while, at the same time, suffering problems
of political instability arising from internal and external national
differences of intractable complexity. A situation of uncertainty that has
encouraged information providers to produce overview, monitoring and
analytical sources for the region as a whole.
Aims
The aim of this guide is to serve as an introduction to English language
sources, in electronic and conventional print forms, dealing with business
issues in the NIS. Attention is concentrated upon more recent sources,
i.e. those published during and since 1998, with an occasional earlier
exception. It must be stressed that the sources reviewed represent a
selection only of what is available. For those wishing to supplement
their knowledge there is The EBRD Directory of Business Information Sources
on Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS (4th edition. Effective Technology,
1999). The Directory is now available on the Internet as the Online Directory
of Business Information on Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS (http://
www3.btwebworld.com/dataresources/mailform2.htm). For regular
monitoring there is the monthly European Business Intelligence Briefing
(Headland Business Information) which includes an East European Update
column and the quarterly East European Business Information Searcher
(Effective Technology).