Editorial Policy of the Journal

Aims and Scope

The Russian Management Journal (RMJ) is a peer-reviewed journal aimed at publishing original high quality research papers on management of organization grounded on economic and value-based analysis of strategy. In addition to classical strategic management, it covers such major topics as strategic marketing, organizational behavior, corporate finance, information technologies and innovation.

The Russian Management Journal focuses on the research in management of organizations. The RMJ seeks to support a comprehensive range of views and management research topics and stimulate the fruitful exchange of knowledge about the principles and mechanisms of management of modern organizations, as well as approaches to achievement of competitive advantages in international markets, including Russian one.

Editorial Board of RMJ views management theory as a fully developed field of interdisciplinary research that has its own subject matter and a system of analytical concepts distinguishing it from related sciences (economics, psychology, sociology, and others).

First, management is a science studying human behavior at making managerial decisions within an organization, which determines the micro level of relevant tasks. The studies in management are not limited to purely economic motivations. They encompass the entire interdisciplinary range of motives, including psychological, sociological, and various institutional aspects.

Second, management as a scientific discipline cannot be a set of ready-made managerial solutions offered without evidence of their economic effect for the organization. This will entail clear definition of efficiency criteria.

Third, management as a result of theoretic or applied analysis usually implies the development or strict analysis of approaches to decision making within the organization.

In its editorial policy RMJ will give preference to the original theoretical and empirical studies dealing with important subject areas of contemporary management research, such as:

  • strategic management;
  • concepts and methods of effective corporate management;
  • management of organizational change;
  • corporate finance and value-based management;
  • knowledge management and innovations in organizations;
  • marketing and relationship marketing;
  • human resources management;
  • risk management strategies and real options;
  • economic and social principles of corporate behavior in emerging markets;
  • corporate governance and motivation mechanisms of managers;
  • vertical integration and interfirm networks;
  • theory of a firm in a broad context;
  • management in country-specific institutional and legal context;
  • social responsibility of business.

The RMJ is especially interested in papers exploring the sources and mechanisms of achieving competitive advantages in the present-day emerging and global markets. We expect articles reflecting the different managerial, financial, marketing, behavioral and other aspects of these issues. While RMJ is mainly dedicated to the analysis of management issues specific to emerging markets (including Russia) and to international comparative studies, we will also devote space to articles presenting new developments and trends in international corporate management practice.

Manuscripts submitted for publication are subject to the primary selection process by the Editors on the basis of the standard assessment criteria (compliance with the scientific scope of RMJ, topicality, appropriate analysis of previous body of research on the topic, solid research design and techniques). Materials that successfully come through this process are submitted for the peer-reviewing. RMJ employs a double-blind review process. The peer-review reports are generally sent to the author within 9 weeks since the paper submission. See here for details.


Structure of the Journal

RMJ publishes only original research papers that are grouped into the following sections.

 

1. Theoretical and Empirical Studies. This section contains theoretical and empirical articles dealing with a clearly defined research problem and description of the relevant solution technique. Conceptual, econometric-based and mathematical model-based papers are welcome.


2. Practice of Management. This section covers papers focusing on a description and analysis of specific cases of the application of management concepts and techniques in existing companies and organizations. This implies the analysis of activities and decisions, as well of their results, for a given company over some period. It focuses on the description of the practices used and their results rather than with the description of “best practices.” This section also includes papers presenting the analysis of the influence of changes in laws or government policies on the activities of specific companies and/or industries. The works dedicated to the strategic resource analysis discussing the ways of gaining and retaining competitive advantages by existing firms are of particular interest.


3. Critical Surveys. This section encompasses critical surveys of research and literature reviews in various areas of management. The main requirements to the papers in this section are the originality of critical view on the chosen topic and coverage of reviewed sources that should typically include classical and contemporary papers published in top academic journals.

All submissions must be original, previously unpublished papers fitting one of RMJ's main topical areas.

Paper requirements. A research paper published in the RMJ should contain:
• a clearly defined problem, which would enable a reviewer and then a reader to decide whether the author has actually solved the problem;
• a description of theoretical and practical value-added;
• a clear placement of the study and its results/hypotheses in the existing research framework;
• a description of the methodological approach and problem solution technique;
• a good collection of relevant research literature, primarily papers published in academic journals.


Paper submitted should usually be from 40,000 to 60,000 symbols long. Papers are published in the language of submission, Russian or English.
Each submitted manuscript undergoes double blind peer review procedure. Manuscripts that do not meet aforementioned requirements may be desk rejected without peer review.