The Zombie Firm Phenomenon, SME Digital Transformation and ICT Solutions: IDLab at the XXV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference

IDLab researchers of the Higher School of Economics - Maria Molodchik, Anna Davii, Egor Ivanov, Nikita Matkin, Mikhail Usanin and Alexey Smirnov took part in the XXV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference. The anniversary conference was held at the Moscow campus of the Higher School of Economics on April 15-18, 2025 as part of the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia program.

The scientific event brought together more than 380 reports - the best in their thematic areas of the work of scientists representing both Russian and foreign organisations.

Professor Maria Molodchik, Senior Researcher at the HSE Campus in Perm, presented a study on the phenomenon of zombie companies in Russian SMEs. The study was conducted in collaboration with IDLab researcher Victor Krakovich and research assistants Dmitry Volodin and Roman Makurin. The study used ICR and Z-score metrics to analyse data from 160,000 SMEs for 2013-2023. The researchers found that the share of zombie firms among Russian SMEs averages 10.53%, with a high share of zombie firms in sectors sensitive to economic shocks - hospitality, real estate and mining.
The report "Revealing Leaders of ICT Performance in Lagging Industries" was prepared by IDLab research assistant Egor Ivanov. The study analyses the successful implementation of ICT in lagging industries in Russia. The results of the work showed that successful ICT implementation depends on well thought-out combinations (ICT profiles), consideration of contextual factors and flexibility of implementation.
Alexey Smirnov, a research assistant at IDLab, presented the results of a study to assess the impact of geopolitical uncertainty on the efficiency of ERP system implementation in Russian companies. The research was conducted in collaboration with Yulia Naidenova. The researchers offer practical recommendations for companies and regulators to minimise the risks of digital transformation in the context of geopolitical turbulence.
IDLab Junior Researcher Anna Daviy spoke about the study "The Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Level of Digitalisation in SMEs". The results of the work showed that companies with a high entrepreneurial orientation (innovation, proactivity, risk taking) have a 30% higher level of digitalisation.