business
Notes: 22
"Interest"
"Interest" was a term denoting the rate charged on informal loans in early-1990s Russia. The phrase "ten percent a month" reflects typical lending…
Barensiegel and Cabernet: Alcohol from the Former Socialist Bloc
A guide to the tangled early-1990s market in Eastern Bloc liquor brands, knockoffs, and relabeled bottles — where the same drink could be genuine…
Syndicated Eurobond Tranches: a Reference Guide
A detailed explanation of eurobonds, syndicated placement, and tranches: how the international debt-securities market works, and who takes part in…
Excise Stamps in Russia in 1993
Excise stamps in 1993 Russia: the history of their introduction, their legal basis, which goods required them, and the problems of implementation…
The Mechanics of Import Operations in a Transitional Economy
How import trading companies operated in 1993 Russia: the structure of CIF-basis deals, the role of the customs authorities, the flow of money, the…
Life turned out great
"Life turned out great" is a joke from the early 1990s and a poster from the mid-90s
MMM and the Era of Financial Pyramids in 1990s Russia
The MMM company was founded in 1989 by three co-founders: brothers Sergei and Vyacheslav Mavrodi, and Olga Melnikova (Vyacheslav's first wife). The…
Cashing Out: the Shadow Business of a Transitional Era
The shadow-economy institution that let 1990s Russian businesses dodge a suffocating tax code by turning non-cash rubles into untraceable cash…
Performance Management
The Western management buzzword that landed in early-1990s Russian offices like an artifact from another planet — dressed up as novel, though many of…
Profit, Three Ends
1990s Russian business slang for a 300% return — the superprofits of "wild capitalism" in the early post-Soviet economy.
Red Directors: the provincial factory bosses Roman and Zhorik target for takeover
Who the "red directors" were: the Soviet-era industrial managers who rode 1990s privatization into ownership, and the split fates -- successful…
Renting a Car in Europe, 1998: how Yana would have booked that "bottomless barn" by phone and fax
What renting a car in Europe actually looked like in 1998 — the major agencies, the paperwork, and booking by phone and fax before the internet took…
Russia's Economic Growth After the 1998 Crisis: From Catastrophe to Revival
This note traces the economic processes that followed the August 1998 crisis, when industrialists' dreams of a ruble devaluation to 9-10 rubles per…
Secondhand Machinery from the Former Eastern Bloc: the used industrial equipment flooding into 1990s Russia
How Western buyouts of Eastern European factories flooded 1990s Russia with cheap secondhand industrial machinery.
Sharp Corporation: the TV brand playing Roman's own murder
The history of Sharp Corporation, from a Tokyo metalworker's ever-sharp pencil to a pioneer of Japanese radio, television, and display technology.
Sourcing, Shipping, and Customs Clearance of Imported Goods in 1996
In the mid-1990s, importing goods into Russia involved complex logistics and customs procedures. Entrepreneurs had to account for a wide range of…
The Case of the "Erlan" Trading House
The closed joint-stock company "Trading House 'Erlan'" was founded in 1991 by four friends, all natives of Tbilisi: Nugzar Zhvania, Alexei Ivakin…
The Assortment Matrix
The BCG-derived retail planning tool that was cutting-edge business jargon in 1993 Russia — Stars, Cash Cows, and Dogs, dressed up as the retail…
A Briefing on Entrepreneurs' Tax Burden in 1993
Why a 1-million-ruble business in 1993 Russia could lose over 70% of its revenue to taxes before a single ruble reached an employee's pocket — and…
Kiosks and Kiosk Vendors in 1993 Russia
The station kiosk owners of early-1990s Russia — the improvised merchant class born overnight from Soviet shortage economics, working in…
The Silo Structure of an Organization
A silo management structure is an organizational model in which a company is divided into separate functional units that operate relatively…
Кэшфлоу
Cash flow in 1996 Russia — hyperinflation, barter, and the survival math behind a buzzword