The main aim of the paper is to reveal the nature and degree of influence of various indicators defining the level of development of a university’s innovative activity. The paper presents an approach under which a university's innovative activity is defined by the key directions of development: scientific research, educational, and administrative. The authors also argue for the need to evaluate not only the results of a university's innovative activity but also the process of creation of innovative products and services and innovation potential. As a result of the conducted research, the authors conclude that some elements of a university's innovative activity affect it to a greater extent than anticipated, particularly the elements of administrative innovations, the “process” stage of innovative activity, and interaction with partners.

The article states that the investigations of the cross-cultural distinctions effect on the consumer behaviour are challenging and popular in the international scientific and business community and are of the interdisciplinary character. The objective of this investigation is to develop the methodological approach to the assessment of the cross-cultural features impact on the consumers' behaviour in the higher educational services market. The culture model disclosing the list of the cultural values, material and institutional environment characteristics, adapted to the Universities educational services market, was developed during this investigation. The method for creating the contingency matrix of the elements, forming the model of a certain country consumers' culture, and the consumers (students) behavioural features in the market of the higher educational services grouped against the 7P complex (Product, Price, Promotion, People, Process, Physical evidence) has been suggested. The developed methodical approach has been approved by Chinese and Russian students. The investigation outcomes can be used to develop the measures to improve the international competitiveness of universities.

The article deals with the formation of high-speed Eurasian transcontinental transport corridors between the three huge and active interaction of economic spaces of China, Russia and the European Union and the subsequent formation of economic axes along them as areas of priority development. Their formation in the context of globalization and the intensification of foreign economic relations and, at the same time, increasing competition, geopolitical tensions in the world is seen as a real mechanism of the strategic alliance of the Eurasian continental space, creating conditions for sustainable development of its economy and the improvement of geopolitical relations between the poles. Along with the issues of construction or modernization of transcontinental transport corridors and formation along them economic axes "East-West", creation of highspeed transportation corridor and economic axis "North-South" along the Pacific coast of China and Russia are also discussed.

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The article notes that increasing the international competitiveness of the university requires the consideration of many factors, including the social environment of the university. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodological approach to assess the impact of cross-cultural features on the students' attitude toward the social environment of the university as a factor of its international competitiveness. In this study we developed a model of culture that reflects a list of cultural values, the characteristics of the material and institutional environment, which are adapted to the market of educational services of universities. We highlighted the elements of the social infrastructure of the university: housing and utilities, public catering and trade, consumer services, cultural and recreational, sports and fitness, communication. The proposed methodological approach was tested on Chinese and Russian students. The results of the study can be used to develop measures to improve the international competitiveness of the universities.