In the article the author considers spiritual and moral development of the individual in a global society. It is shown that in the modern world the formation of the specifics of morality is influenced by religious, socio-cultural, moral, and psychological determinants. Each of these spheres has a special influence on the formation of the spiritual world of the individual, but only the integration of all these components makes it possible to develop the wholesome personality.The paper also emphasizes interference of technical means into interpersonal relationships that create a qualitatively different form of public communication and affect the deepest subjective-psychological, spiritual, ethical, and personal spheres of human existence. All this became a characteristic feature of contemporary social relations. Global media, compressing time and creating a single information space on the planet, give a person access to a huge world of information, regardless of their social status, education, intellectual level and material well-being.When solving problems of identity and value orientations of modern man the article defines new moral imperatives, which will become effective regularities of the development of mankind. The author refers to environmental, ethical, social imperatives, as well as the imperative of responsibility.According to the author, the emergence of a global community determines the demand for a fair and equal consideration of political, economic, social and other interests of its members. The ethics of the modern, globalized society is a synthetic, multi-tiered system of knowledge and norms of behavior. It is being complicated and this process is not only expressed by natural growth and accumulation of knowledge, but also by changing morality, as a matter of ethics. Classical, normative ethics is transformed, is expanding by means of its applied branches (for example, business ethics, journalistic ethics, legal and political ethics, and others). The transformation of ethics and morality in a global society is driven by new challenges to man on the part of a civilized society.

The article considers the issues of updating the underlying spiritual values of the Russian society in the deployment of world-historical process of globalization. The author provides a critical analysis of the reasons for the failure of the reforms of the 90-ies and their consequences. It is shown that the “Chicago boys” and Pro-Western oriented representatives of the Russian offshore aristocracy have made maximum efforts to undermine the ideas and feelings of patriotism, respectful relationships between generations in the Russian society. As a result many social and moral values were devalued, and the introduction of the new, asocial ones was rejected by the bulk of the citizens, there arose a value vacuum, the source of instability of society, the formation of corruption and criminalization, creation of marginalized bottom. The author emphasizes the necessity of forming a system of humanistic values: patriotic ideology, social ideals, and the national idea as the core identity of the Russians. The wording of the national idea is proposed: one country, one destiny, prosperity for all. The national idea is aimed at social and spiritual consolidation of the Russians, it mobilizes citizens to implement a fair society project, gives an optimistic hope for a promising future. The article stresses that for approval of socially significant patriotic values it is important to use not only the heroic and tragic events of the historical past of Russia. A significant and positive role is to be played by an optimistic model (image) of the new Russia as a fair, world- respected state, which the citizens are proud of, consider it their home and are ready to plan a life only in it for a long term. In the context of globalization there are important problems of demographic security of the state. With good reason the author pays attention to such core values as a family, the need to revive the values and moral prestige of the family in the Russian society, family-centrism, child- centrism, and the system of family sciences - familistics. In conclusion, the article specifies that the updates to the underlying spiritual values are a fundamental socio-cultural factor in the formation of a civil society and a democratic state in Russia.

The article covers some problems of political risks impact on international energy companies, who operate in Russia. Political risk definition in investment activity gives in brief. Nowadays to traditional political risk-factors we can add one more. This kind of risk is quite specific, but international investors have to take it into account. We talk about sanction policy that on Washington advice Brussel decides to support.Sanctions as political risk arises not inside the country but in external world. So sanction policy is initiated by those governments whose business invests in Russia, creating additional barrier between governance and national companies.Consequences of negative occurrences are analyzed in the context of sanction policy. Moreover, political risks in current situation are described for Russian and for international energy companies. Various examples of political risks realization and its consequences for major world oil companies that take place this autumn are indicated.The problem of import substitution subsidy in energy sector is under special attention. In addition authors raise the issue about future service support of well drilling perspectives for Russian oil and gas companies like Rosneft and LUKOIL.

The article reviews the activity of A.I. Vasilyev, a prominent statesman of the Catherine period, the first Minister of Finance. The review shows that his career promotion was related entirely to the organizing skills, can-do attitude and high efficiency. The second half of the 18th century is particularly interesting because numerous reforms including the reform of public finance management where A.V. Vasilyev made a significant contribution were performed.All his activity was entirely connected with the search of new and more effective organizational forms of financial management in Russia. As a result of this search expeditions for mining, salt and wine industries were added to the expedition of the state accounts that was headed by him. Taking care of the correctness of the state revenue flow from these branches he established the reporting forms and the order of operations for mining, salt and wine expeditions. According to some scientists, A.I. Vasilyev made a register of laws regulating the financial management. The register included all the corresponding laws issued up to 1775.A.I. Vasilyev, the first state treasurer, was not only one of the developers of the treasure system as the most important financial institution of Russia. His name is connected with the developing of the state economy, providing of the background for establishing the Ministry of Finance. Being the first Minister of Finance of Russia he developed the principles of creating and executing the budget quarterly breakdown, forming the monetary policy of Russia.

Article is devoted to reflection of the Soviet economic model and economic reform of 1965 in the western, in particular, Anglo- American Sovietology. The author briefly stops on the main maintenance of the Soviet economic reform of 1965 and its destiny and explains why this piece of the Soviet economic history I caused fixed interest of the western Sovietology. Describing researches of the western Sovietology, the author focuses attention of readers that real statistics of the Soviet economy, figures and events, were closed both for the western researcher, and for the ordinary Soviet inhabitant. Generally to works of the western Sovietology treated as intended falsification.Not all works of the western experts were equivalent. The most realistic picture displaying processes and the facts of the Soviet post-war economy is presented in works of emigrants from the USSR - I. Birman’s (Igor Birman) economists of A. Katsenelenbogen (Aron Katsenelinboigen). Their conclusions stated in scientific works could be sounded in the Soviet scientific literature only under a signature stamp of «the critic of bourgeois theories».The author specifies that the analysis of the Soviet economy was made by the western Sovietology generally from comparativistic perspective. In the course there were theories of «unsuccessful connection» (Ya. Kornai), «administrative economy» (R. Campbell), etc.In more detail the author stops at works of A. Bergson who considers as the most qualified specialist who adequately displayed the Soviet economic reality of the 1960-70th. Speaking about success of works of A. Bergson, the author specifies that his works relied on broad financing within the project which was carried out by request of CIA. For many years the western Sovietology was considered a priori as intended falsification of the Soviet history. And only access to real figures and the facts of the Soviet economic reality of the post-war period allowed to estimate in a new way its analysis, scientific character and objectivity.The article is constructed on original historical material and can be interesting to a wide range of readers.

Article contains the analysis of approaches to measurement of poverty in various foreign countries including as being members of the European Union, and isn’t present; it is told about possibility of loan of experience of measurement of poverty by the countries - not only members of the European Union. Article reveals interrelation of the program of the UN (PROON), concerning rating of the countries of the world on the level of human development with economic and social situation of the countries, one of which main directions is the standard of living (the gross national income per capita calculated at purchasing power). Level of wellbeing of the person is also defined with such indexes as: Index of a gender inequality, Index of multidimensional poverty, Index of a social and economic inequality. Following the results of 2013 Russia took the 57th place in a rating and treats the countries with a high level of development of human potential. In our country steady positive dynamics in all directions is noted. As for Europe, in article the opinion of experts on which to reduce quantity poor several times for only some years and even in the conditions of the proceeding financial and economic crisis is noted is extremely problematic. The greatest threat to wellbeing of Europeans is posed by so-called monetary poverty. The indicator of monetary poverty displays number of citizens which real income is lower than 60% of average value about the country. In Europe consider that such level of poverty guarantees a physiological survival. Actual experience of measurement and technologies of overcoming of poverty of such foreign countries as Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Denmark and other countries is considered. In article importance of exchange of experience between the countries, as not entering into the European Union, and European Union member countries is emphasized; need of further improvement of techniques of measurement of poverty, development and improvement of indicators of poverty, and also technologies of its overcoming.

B.A. Grushin belongs to a small group of researchers, rightfully called the founders of Soviet theoretical and empirical sociology. As a philosopher and methodologist he contributed significantly to the conceptual language of sociology, addressed many of the complex problems of the genesis of mass consciousness and behavior. A special place in his work was given to questions of the study of public opinion, he was the first in the USSR to begin conducting public opinion polls and publishing the results of the analysis of people’s opinions in the press. B.A. Grushin was one of the founders of the Russian (former all-Union) center for the study of public opinion.The material published herein is a synopsis statement in the format of a journal article of the main ideas of the eponymous book, which was dedicated to the IV International sociological conference “Following Grushin’s traditions” (2014). It acquaints the reader with the main stages of the biography and scientific achievements of B.A. Grushin.

The article discusses the phenomenon which, in the framework of the scientific concept developed by the authors, obtained a working title of "the effect of a school picture". The meaning of this phenomenon is the tendency of man to describe the identity of the communication partner in accordance with the view that he had acquired by a specific point in the past and is fixed in time as a static image. This image, as if is frozen in memory and all subsequent human actions are determined not by the model of development or degradation of the partner, but the model of a static image, vaguely reminding old photos. Thus, the lack of information about the communication partner leads to a rigid fixation of the image in memory, which remains stable over many decades, which in turn causes errors in forecasting changes in the life of the assessed subject.The article presents the results of the experimental stage of the study, which determined the degree of accuracy of the estimates by the examinees of life prospects of famous people in business, government, politics, and art by means of their children's photos. It was shown that the difference in estimates of the examinees of female photos in childhood and in adulthood is generally less than the difference in the estimates of male photos, which can be explained by the presence of more opportunities for men to develop in the fields of business, politics, government, and art, than for women. The article also presents the results of correlation analysis of the relation between estimates of photopersons and personal characteristics of the examinees.

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of social responsibility of the individual. The problem of personal social responsibility of the entrepreneur is considered separately. It is noted that there is inconsistency in some personal characteristics of the entrepreneur, such as individualism, and demands from society in terms of social responsibility of business. The article compares Russian and Western models of social responsibility of business. Socio-economic and political conditions had a significant influence on the development of entrepreneurship in Russia, which is manifested in the character of social responsibility realization. The paper deals with different models of personal social responsibility, as well as models showing consistency of levels of personal and corporate social responsibility. The results of the development of the author’s psycho-diagnostic methods of personal social responsibility are specified. In the process of development of the technique there have been identified 4 factors, which represent a model of personal social responsibility. The results of the methods identified gender differences in ways of demonstrating social responsibility. Women in decisions related to the manifestation of social responsibility, focus more on the sense of duty and moral obligation. For men it is more typical to consider socially responsible behavior as useless. The relationship between factors of personal social responsibility and individual psychological characteristics of personality was studied, as well as value orientations in professional activities. Personal social responsibility, based on the external factors that contribute to self-esteem, is associated with high regularity, vulnerability. Personal social responsibility, based on the sense of duty and moral obligations is associated with self-doubt, the tendency to experience feelings of guilt, the value of security, the need for social guarantees. Personal social responsibility, based on receiving the benefits of socially responsible behavior is associated with a focus on social approval. Distant attitude towards social responsibility is associated with social courage, adventurous behavior, desire for novelty in work.

Development of critical thinking as a strategic aim of educational process can be achieved when techniques applied to the material in use explicate logical operations (analysis and synthesis)necessary to perform a task. The article gives a short characteristic of the method of denotata description which can be applied to professional text reading and which transforms the process of understanding into the staged and conscious elicitation of information about a subject and its relations and links.The method which is developed by A.I. Novikov and his working group aims to reveal the realia described in the text and their relationships. Realia, or denotata, are treated in this approach as the content units, and the corresponding linguistic expressions are labeled as names of the denotata. The denotata are marked in the graphic form that visualizes the content of the text in the scheme. To complete the scheme it is important to externalize the links between the realia naming them. In other words the scheme (a denotata map) reflects the main object described in the text (which is the core set of the scheme), its aspects at different levels and the relations of the aspects. As a whole the scheme presents an integral model of a certain situation of reality.The method of denotata schemes is especially effective in the process of learning a foreign language when linguistic difficulties appear to be an additional barrier for understanding the content of a professionally oriented text. The method allows the readers to differentiate the denotata and their names, the content and the language describing the content, the structure of the text and the structure of the objects described. Such an approach to the text reading constitute the base for the lexical competence development as well as the linguistic competence in general which is an essential element of critical thinking.

The article deals with some key aspects of appearance and development of the structural linguistics in Great Britain in the 20th century. The author briefly specifies the facts which led to the appearance of the structural tradition in linguistics, then gives a short overview of basic features and enumerates the main schools. A special emphasis is laid on the development of the structural tradition in the end of the 20th century, which is connected to the British linguist John Lyons. The author makes an attempt to analyze Lyons’ views expanded on in his works and considers critical essays of some other foreign and Russian linguists. Special attention is paid to basic principles of Lyons’ semantic theory and to evaluation of the role of the structural approach to language in the history of linguistics and its transformation with time. The research has been carried out on the basis of original English sources as well as critical essays by Russian linguists that are experts in the sphere of general linguistics and history of linguistics. The novelty of Lyons’ approach was in the attempt to create a universal semantic theory for carrying out linguistic research which would meet conditions of adequacy. Such an approach has become a logical development of the ideas of the London school. The author comes to the conclusion that at present it is not possible to speak about keeping and developing structural ideas in the British linguistics, but it is necessary to point out the interdisciplinary character of the scientific studies.