IBM teams with the Moscow Academy of Management to establish Soviet business school
IBM Corp and the Moscow Academy of Management have announced the inauguration of the first IBM business school in the USSR, writes a special correspondent in Moscow. IBM is establishing a network of Soviet business schools based in each of the 15 Soviet republics. Moscow is the first, with centres in Yerevan, Minsk and Novosibirsk due to be opened this month. Each centre will receive 30 PS/2 systems and IBM training in management skills. The programme has two parts: a Master of Business Administration programme and retraining for existing Soviet managers. If the Soviets want to survive the transition to a market economy, education is going to be critical, says Shula Glogau, IBM Education project manager. The deal is just part of a huge project agreed between IBM and the USSR State Committee for Public Education. IBM will supply training, support, management expertise and 55,000 PS/2 systems for use in Soviet Education. The Soviets will pay for this in hard cash.
Ziff Davis raids IDG offices for staff to launch PC Magazine
The Russian language edition of PC Magazine was launched in Moscow last month at the International Computer Forum. The magazine’s German president Alexander Kahn says the Russian language was being polluted under the influence of western media and it was important that such a huge market had a publication in its own language. Editor-in-chief Yuri Kuzinin says there are approximately 1m computer professionals in the Soviet Union and the magazine will have an initial circulation of 98,000. The cover price will be four roubles eight kopeks (that’s expensive). Science editor Ruben Gerr says PC Magazine has a target readership of beginners to high level programmers. The majority of the early issues will be sent out free to companies and key users. Gerr was previously science editor on the International Data Group Inc-financed PC World and he leads sizeable defection from IDG to Ziff Davies Inc, which publishes PC Magazine. PC Magazine’s biggest challenge is to be up to date. Printing is being organised in Finland as Soviet presses cannot offer sufficient quality. The team hope to publish every two months but admit the production process alone will take 24 days.
far from speedy electronic publishing
Anyone starting a newspaper or magazine in the Soviet Union faces one huge obstacle – the printers. Such is the shortage of paper, modern machinery and goodwill that publication delays of over two months are not uncommon. In Kiev, personal computer users have come up with an alternative. The information registration research institute of the Ukraine Academy of Sciences has set up an electronic newspaper. Broadcast from the Republic’s television network, you need a personal computer and an adaptor card to receive it. Called VSE VSEM (Everything for Everyone), it is aimed at engineers and scientists. It covers history, politics, technology and bizznizz (Russian pronunciation). Inzhenernaya Gazeta reports that special divisions at newspaper offices are being created to process the information for the electronic newspaper. It fails to mention how often it appears so don’t hold your breath waiting for scoops. Last month the weekly Moscow News also became available in electronic form. In co-operation with SovInfolink, the newspaper will be available on-line a week after it hits the streets. Thereafter it can be used as a database for interested (hard currency-paying) customers.
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